Chapter 26: Niu Meng, Come and Fight!

Nie Chuxia had few friends. From a young age, she had been pampered and exceptional, picky when it came to choosing friends.

Her friends could be divided into two types: one was talent, and the other was cunning.

Clearly, Lin Feng belonged to the latter category.

Upon entering the mortuary, Lin Feng immediately shouted, "I am the Yin official of Fengdu! I will count to three. All of you get in line and squat down! Anyone who dares to disobey shall be killed without mercy! Three! Two! One!!!"

Lin Feng's forceful voice immediately stunned even the Skinning Ghost. Dozens of ghosts in the courtyard, still unsure of what was happening, froze at the mention of the name 'Fengdu' and obediently squatted down without daring to make a sound.

"Skinning Brother, stop squatting. Hand out the funeral clothes to the brothers first. I have a few words to say."

The Skinning Ghost, startled by Lin Feng's shout, had just been squatting and, still unsure of the situation, got up again.

"I've heard that some underworld soldiers from the Ghost City have been causing trouble in the human realm. I'm here to investigate who is responsible! You all better confess honestly, or the Fengdu army will come and destroy this city immediately!!!"

After saying this, Lin Feng gave Nie Chuxia a look and walked into the coffin hall with his hands behind his back.

...

Nie Chuxia sat on the coffin board, watching Lin Feng, who was deep in thought beside her. She whispered, "I have to admit, I'm starting to admire you more and more. I just scanned those ghosts, and there were four whose power was on par with the Skinning Ghost. I didn't expect you to subdue them all!"

Lin Feng smiled wryly.

"Big sister, cut it out, okay?! As soon as I stepped into the mortuary, I was locked down by dozens of extremely harsh ghostly energies, almost freezing me to the point of paralysis. That's when I realized how reckless I was to enter here."

"Subdue them? That was just a hasty attempt to remedy my mistake!!"

Lin Feng took a deep breath. "Nie Chuxia, if— I mean, if we end up fighting later, how confident are you that you can escape?"

Nie Chuxia blinked her beautiful eyes, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Half a chance."

Lin Feng felt powerless. I'm finished today!

Lin Feng had always thought the Skinning Ghost was the most powerful among them, and since the Skinning Ghost had already been dealt with, the rest should just be a matter of completing tasks.

However, after realizing how many strong energies were hidden in the mortuary, Lin Feng almost wanted to cry. When Nie Chuxia had mentioned four others whose strength was on par with the Skinning Ghost, she hadn't seen one more ghost—one far more powerful than the Skinning Ghost. Lin Feng had been using his "Heavenly Eye," and the ghost's energy was so intense it was almost blinding.

It was an evil ghost!

There was actually an evil ghost hiding here! A level 30+ undead, is this how you want to play with me?!

Soon, the funeral clothes that had been brought were distributed, and there was a commotion outside. The Skinning Ghost, looking timid, entered the coffin hall.

"Master Lin, the clothes have been distributed."

Lin Feng nodded. There was already food and wine laid out on the coffin board in front of him.

"Skinning Ghost, call in a few brothers of similar rank to join us."

Having spent some time in society, Lin Feng knew that even though these ghost soldiers were comrades, they cared deeply about rank. Although his earlier shout had caused them to submit due to the Fengdu title, he still had to smooth things over. He couldn't let them think he was arrogant or tyrannical, as that might result in them turning against him.

The Skinning Ghost left and, not long after, four ghosts entered: a Tongue-Long Ghost, a Headless Ghost, a Mourning Ghost, and a Starved Ghost.

These were four ghosts of equal strength to the Skinning Ghost, all wild-type ghosts. The Headless Ghost had the most intense ghostly aura.

Lin Feng was puzzled. Why hadn't the Skinning Ghost invited the evil ghost?

He scanned around and noticed that the evil ghost was hiding in the pile of other ghosts outside, looking sinister. It was an old man missing one eye, happily trying on new funeral clothes.

The group of ghosts gathered around the coffin, eyeing the food with hungry looks. However, when they saw that Lin Feng remained silent, they dared not make a move.

Lin Feng lit incense and placed it on the food. As it burned, he said, "Nice to meet you all. Please don't stand on ceremony. We'll talk after the meal."

The ghosts began eating as instructed.

Ghosts eat differently from humans. While humans eat food, ghosts consume incense. They position their mouth or nostrils near the incense and inhale deeply. When the incense burns out, the food turns into a pile of ash. Of course, ghosts can eat food like humans, but that process is much slower. In the underworld, the strong prey on the weak, and if you eat too slowly, others might snatch your food.

The scene of the ghosts eating was eerily quiet. A group of ghosts with terrifying, deathly appearances sucked the incense in a horrifyingly eerie manner.

Lin Feng had seen Niu Meng eat before, so he wasn't shocked. But Nie Chuxia was more curious and whispered, "It's just like a drug dealer... so fast!"

Nie Chuxia glanced at the Headless Ghost, whose neck had a large scar the size of a bowl, with no nose or mouth, but still devoured the incense at an impressive speed. The incense was inhaled into his neck, and he looked quite satisfied.

After the ghosts absorbed enough incense, they started to eat the food, savoring it slowly.

Lin Feng looked at the Skinning Ghost and asked, "That one-eyed old man outside—he's one of your people?"

Lin Feng watched the evil ghost, who noticed Lin Feng's gaze and looked back at him. Lin Feng immediately felt a strange sensation, as though something was locking onto him, making him uncomfortable.

The Skinning Ghost replied, "Him? He's someone who came to the mortuary a few years ago. We're responsible for transporting the bones and burying the unfortunate ghosts who haven't been buried yet. Every month, the city lord gives us some incense and money to make ends meet. You know, bones still carry some residual Yang energy, so transporting them is quite labor-intensive. We were short on manpower, and he's diligent and good at flattering people. He got along well with the others, so he stayed."

After hearing this, the Skinning Ghost noticed Lin Feng's stiffened body and asked, "Master Lin, what's wrong?"

Lin Feng paused for a few moments, then his body relaxed again. His heart raced, and his back was soaked with sweat.

"It's nothing. I just find him interesting. Invite him in to eat with us. And bring in those three who attacked me earlier," Lin Feng said, not daring to glance at the one-eyed evil ghost again.

The one-eyed old ghost and the three who had attacked Lin Feng were soon brought in.

Lin Feng turned to the three ghosts and said, "Since you've become ghosts, you should believe in karma. You three attacked me earlier, which crossed my taboo. I won't destroy your souls, but I must send you to the underworld for reincarnation. Do you agree?"

The three ghosts gritted their teeth. Like everyone else, they wanted to survive, and ghosts were no different. They considered refusing, but seeing how respectful their superior was toward Lin Feng, they realized they had no chance.

"Agreed! But we need a full meal first!" they said.

Lin Feng waved his hand, pulling out a jar of ashes, and gave each of them a bowl of vegetarian chicken. After they ate, they were immediately absorbed into the ash jar and transformed into Yin candles.

'Ding! Task completed!'

'Reward obtained: 100 merit points, one stick of Three-Life Incense.'

'Main quest unlocked: Exorcise the Ghosts.'

'Quest description: There are evil spirits causing trouble in the world, hiding in the mortuary. Exterminate them.'

'Quest rewards: Level +1, 200 merit points, Chenghuang Token.'

What the… Exorcise the ghosts?! There are so many ghosts here; it feels like they'll exorcise me first!

As Lin Feng felt a headache coming on, several ghosts noticed he actually had a tool to exorcise ghosts. They looked at him with great apprehension.

The Long-Tongue Ghost was the first to speak, "Master! You show up without a word, giving us a stick and then a carrot. Are you really from Fengdu? We don't even know! Isn't it a bit inappropriate to exterminate us like this?"

Looking for trouble right after dinner? You guys are really quick to turn on each other. Is this some kind of plot twist? Lin Feng chuckled bitterly.

He saw the Long-Tongue Ghost, the Wailing Ghost, and the Starved Ghost standing together, watching him cautiously.

Nie Chuxia stepped in front of Lin Feng, pulling out an oil lamp. The three ghosts gasped, "The Yuluo Lamp?!"

The atmosphere grew tense as the Long-Tongue Ghost became more convinced that Lin Feng wasn't from Fengdu but was here to capture them!

However, the Skin-Flaying Ghost didn't stand with them but instead sided with Lin Feng.

"Long-Tongue, stop sowing discord. I brought him here, and I vouch that he's from Fengdu. Don't you trust me?"

In truth, the Skin-Flaying Ghost still had some sense of loyalty. Lin Feng had treated him well, providing food and clothing, unlike the ghost lords in town who never invested this much to win him over.

The Skin-Flaying Ghost donned bamboo armor, and the three other ghosts did the same.

The Long-Tongue Ghost sneered coldly, "Skin-Flayer, drop the act! This guy may have ghostly energy, but he's a living person. How could he be from Fengdu? Does he think he's some kind of celestial master? Headless, come over here before Skin-Flayer's man deceives you!"

The ghost with the heaviest aura, the Headless Ghost, was also persuaded to join the other side, and the situation began spiraling out of control.

Lin Feng remained calm, calculating his next move.

The fact that both the Skin-Flaying Ghost and the fat ghost shopkeeper had noticed he was a living person made sense, as they were powerful entities. But the Long-Tongue Ghost was just a common ghost. How could he also tell Lin Feng was alive?

Lin Feng deduced that the Long-Tongue Ghost must be close to becoming a fierce ghost, with his ghostly energy concealed!

"Long-Tongue Ghost, who says a living person can't become a ghost official?" Since his identity was exposed, Lin Feng decided to play along.

In such situations, actions speak louder than words, but establishing moral ground before a fight was key! In Lin Feng's experience from countless brawls, having the moral high ground meant projecting strength, and justice was everything!

The Long-Tongue Ghost laughed mockingly, "Kid, don't try to fool me! I'm not that easy to deceive!"

A glint flashed in the Long-Tongue Ghost's eyes. When Lin Feng had first entered, his hands were empty, but now he had conjured so much food. He must have some kind of magical tool. If they killed him and took it, there might be resources for cultivation inside.

Everyone could see what the Long-Tongue Ghost was after, and the Wailing Ghost and Starved Ghost exchanged glances, a trace of greed gleaming in their eyes as they looked at Lin Feng.

Who knows, he might have even better things on him!

"Skin-Flayer, let's keep him here today. He must have more good stuff, and we can split it afterward!"

The Skin-Flaying Ghost sighed, "Long-Tongue, as your friend, I'm warning you one last time. He really is connected to Fengdu!"

Long-Tongue Ghost sneered, "So what?! We're all in this together. Kill him, and who will know how he died?"

Lin Feng was no longer worried about the Long-Tongue Ghost and his crew. He took a deep breath and respectfully said to the One-Eyed Old Ghost, "Sir, could you please stay out of this?"

The One-Eyed Old Ghost cackled, "Alright, you little pup, this old man won't mess with you!"

You old rascal! Who are you calling a pup?! If you weren't already dead, I'd deal with you!

Having been insulted yet again, Lin Feng was furious. He could only unleash his anger on the Long-Tongue Ghost and the others.

"Niu Meng, come out and fight!!"