Chapter 304: The Woman on the 12th Floor

Translator: Tim Editor: Fish Creek

In a dilapidated Daoist temple, three women and one man gathered. If Ye Mo were here, he would recognize one of them as Luo Xuan.

“Originally, we had six months, but now we probably can’t wait that long. I’m prepared to return with my two junior martial sisters. Senior Martial Brother Qi, are you returning as well?” The speaker was an older-looking nun. Her skin was creamy white, her demeanor regal and untouchable, as if she were above the mortal world.

The man called Qi hadn’t finished replying when an extremely beautiful woman beside him said, “But Martial Sister Luo Yue, I haven’t found what I wanted yet. And Martial Brother Yu Lin hasn’t been out long. He said experiencing the world greatly benefits his cultivation. Plus, we only get this chance every fifty years. If we return early, wouldn’t it be a pity? Perhaps we could wait a little longer…”

“No. Recently, blood coral appeared in Liang Pu. Even in our sect, this is extremely precious. That’s why hidden sect members are everywhere in the mortal world. If we stay, we might be discovered. Martial Brother Yu Lin isn’t from our sect. If he wants to stay, of course I won’t object.” Nun Luo Yue was blunt, clearly disagreeing with the pretty girl.

Martial Brother Qi hesitated before saying, “Martial Sister Luo Yue, I can’t return yet. I still have unfinished business. Martial Sister Luo Fei’s words are reasonable, and I will look after her. After all, leaving the sect isn’t easy.”

Luo Yue frowned. Seeing Martial Brother Qi and Luo Fei exchange glances, she felt uneasy. She felt that since Martial Sister Luo Fei chose the path of nunnery, she shouldn’t be close to someone like Qi Yulin. She didn’t have a good impression of Qi Yulin either.

But Luo Yue said nothing, turning to the youngest girl. “Luo Xuan, what’s your opinion?”

Luo Xuan said, “Senior Martial Sister, I feel I’ve learned much these past two months. I have a feeling that with another two or three months, I can thoroughly examine the Chun An University library. I believe I can find what we need there. But if Senior Martial Sister feels we should return, I’ll obey.”

Qi Yulin smiled. “Martial Sister Luo Yue, Luo Xuan is right. Sometimes, experiencing the outside world before returning for secluded cultivation is better than constant cultivation. I will take care of these two martial sisters. Don’t worry, Martial Sister Luo Yue.”

Luo Xuan smiled but said nothing. She thought differently. She didn’t need this Martial Brother Yulin’s care.

Luo Yue sighed. “Okay, we’ll return after some time. Luo Xuan, although you cultivate quickly, you must still be careful. Though the people outside are weak, they are cunning. It’s easy to fall into their schemes. Take care of yourself.”

“I know, Senior Martial Sister.” Luo Xuan stuck out her tongue.

Watching Martial Brother Qi and Luo Fei quickly disappear, Luo Xuan looked at her senior martial sister, confused. “Martial Sister, why did you change your mind? That’s unlike you.”

Luo Yue sighed, looking at the disappearing Luo Fei. After a long while, she said, “Martial Sister Luo Xuan, have you noticed anything different about Martial Sister Luo Fei?”

“Not really. Why? What’s wrong, Martial Sister?” Luo Xuan asked, surprised.

Luo Yue frowned. “I only noticed later. Luo Fei has lost her virginity. If she returns now, she won’t escape harsh punishment from the sect. I don’t know what to do.”

“What…?” Luo Xuan exclaimed. After a moment, she said, “Is it Martial Brother Qi? How could he do that?”

Luo Yue sighed. “It must be him. Qi Yulin seems charming, but I find him unreliable and insincere. If he truly loved Martial Sister Luo Fei, he wouldn’t have taken her virginity now. Sigh, Luo Fei truly lacks self-respect.”

After a pause, Luo Yue continued, “Let’s not dwell on that. Luo Xuan, remember not to trust anyone easily, especially men outside. They’re all bad. Just search the Chun An University library. If anything happens, contact me.”

“Mhm, Martial Sister, I know. Even if you hadn’t told me, I know how bad people outside are. I met one recently. Oh no, not good…” Luo Xuan seemed to remember something and screamed, looking worried.

“What’s wrong, Luo Xuan?” Luo Yue asked, surprised.

Luo Xuan quickly said, “Uh… nothing, I have something urgent. I’ll go first, Martial Sister. I’ll find you later.” Then, Luo Xuan quickly left.

She was truly worried. She’d left that annoying neighbor, the black dai wood, as bait for the ghost last night. It was already two or three a.m., and she’d completely forgotten.

Perhaps Mo Ying was already dead. If so, she had killed him. Though the man was disgusting, she’d feel terrible if he’d died because of her.

…

Just as Ye Mo reached the ninth floor, the sound disappeared. Ye Mo scanned with his spiritual sense, finding nothing. As he was about to investigate further, two shadows seemed to pass by, heading to the tenth floor. A moment later, the walking sound appeared on the tenth floor. Without hesitation, Ye Mo sped to the tenth floor.

The tenth floor was quiet, but Ye Mo’s spiritual sense detected several faint shadows. Without his spiritual sense, he wouldn’t have noticed them.

These people were like dolls, standing motionless in the center of the living room.

Ye Mo knew that people had souls, and after death, souls dissipated into nature. Whether reincarnation existed, he didn’t know, but he knew that dead spirits couldn’t appear in daylight, unless they were ghost cultivators. Ghost cultivators had cultivation methods, so they couldn’t be treated as normal people.

But there were no cultivation methods here, much less ghost cultivation methods. So how were these undissipated souls standing still?

Ye Mo scanned with his spiritual sense but found nothing. He believed these ordinary ghosts couldn’t have pushed Luo Xuan down. Something was above. Ye Mo went to the eleventh floor.

But as soon as Ye Mo left the tenth floor, his spiritual sense noticed the motionless ghosts begin to move, their footsteps loud. Perhaps it was the ghost of the tenth floor’s previous owner, harmed and shackled.

Ye Mo also saw several ghosts on the eleventh floor, but they seemed more ferocious than those on the tenth. Upon seeing Ye Mo, they charged, as if to devour him. Before they reached him, a bleak wind arose.

Ye Mo sneered and threw several fireballs. There were sharp shrieks, and the ghosts vanished without a trace. Though burned, Ye Mo knew they were far weaker than the one Luo Xuan had encountered last night.

Ye Mo then reached the twelfth floor. He knew these ghosts weren’t natural; someone was cultivating them. This person was quite capable. Normally, people died like extinguished candles, dissipating into nothingness.

But here, Ye Mo found someone who could control and even condense dead spirits. This was unusual.

On the twelfth floor, Ye Mo found the black shadow that had fought Luo Xuan.

This black shadow didn’t react to Ye Mo’s arrival, and Ye Mo wasn’t in a hurry to attack. He scanned with his spiritual sense and soon found a peculiar corner in the main bedroom—a wardrobe he couldn’t penetrate with his spiritual sense.

Without hesitation, Ye Mo went to the corner and threw a fireball, ignoring the black shadow. Though strong, it was nothing to Ye Mo. Others couldn’t see it, but it couldn’t hide from Ye Mo’s spiritual sense.

Ye Mo knew the black shadow was an artificially created ghoul. The ghosts on the lower floors were likely its sustenance, feeding its growth.

Though he’d thrown a fireball, Ye Mo sighed. China was vast, with all sorts of people and methods of nurturing and keeping ghosts. However, city dwellers rarely encountered such things. He hadn’t expected to find someone openly cultivating ghosts in the city, growing one so strong.

One could imagine how many souls were needed for this ghoul to be strong enough to defeat a yellow-level mid-stage martial artist. Souls weren’t easy to obtain. Even with the means to collect ghosts, one needed to act quickly. Once a person died, their soul dissipated immediately, so these souls needed to be collected on the spot.

This showed the ghost keeper was cruel. Ye Mo’s killing intent rose, and he threw more fireballs.

With a splash, the wardrobe, which had blocked his spiritual sense, shattered, revealing a woman in a large red robe. Her face was pale, her lips vibrantly red, as if she were dead.