Chapter 22: Seeking Chen Incense, Betrayed by Villains and Reduced to Slavery

"Elder sister, you have appeared before me specifically to say these words. Do you have a request for me?"

Xu Taiping had already guessed the female ghost's intention.

"Young man, you have guessed correctly. I have indeed appeared to make a request."

The female ghost nodded repeatedly.

"I have a younger sister named Liu Zijin. Three years ago, we ascended the mountain together. However, she possessed extraordinary talent and was directly accepted as a disciple of the Fifth Peak. Originally, we had agreed that after I passed the Five Peaks selection the following year, I would be able to cultivate alongside her on the Fifth Peak."

"But around this time last year, a disciple of the Fifth Peak suddenly came to my residence. He claimed to be my younger sister Zijin's third senior brother and said that while he was out of the mountain, he was delivering a letter from Zijin and checking in on my well-being."

"Hearing that he was Zijin's senior brother, I dared not be negligent and warmly entertained him with fine wine and food for a while."

"However, after three rounds of drinks, that vile man suddenly went mad and violated me like a beast. Afterward, he threatened me not to reveal what had happened to anyone and even wanted to imprison me as his personal plaything for his pleasure at any time."

"I originally intended to end my life, but he threatened me with my sister Zijin, saying that if I did not obey, he would frame Zijin and have her expelled from the Fifth Peak."

"Left with no choice, I had to submit, hoping that once Zijin established herself in the Fifth Peak, I could find a way to tell her everything."

"But just a few months ago, while that vile man was drunk, I accidentally overheard that he intended to use me to threaten my sister Zijin, forcing her to become his plaything as well."

"If it had only been my own suffering, I might have endured it. But when he set his sights on Zijin, I could never allow it, even at the cost of my life."

"So, while he was heavily drunk, I took the weapon I had long hidden in my room, intending to end that scoundrel's life."

"But I ultimately underestimated the strength of the disciples on the mountain. The moment I harbored killing intent, he sensed it and subdued me instead."

"That vile man, enraged by humiliation, tortured and humiliated me before finally killing me and throwing my corpse into the deep mountains near my residence. Not long after, I was captured by that vengeful ghost and turned into a ghost slave."

Hearing the female ghost's long narration, Xu Taiping was filled with anger and frustration.

He had never expected that such wicked people and evil deeds existed even in this immortal sect. Compared to the Fifth Peak's disciple, even that vengeful ghost seemed like a kind being.

Of course, that was assuming everything the female ghost said was true.

"How can you prove that what you're saying is true?"

After calming down, Xu Taiping questioned the female ghost.

"To expose that vile man, I spent two years accumulating merits to purchase Seeking Dust Incense from Dongming Pavilion."

As she spoke, the female ghost gestured toward the sleeve of the corpse below, then continued:

"This Seeking Dust Incense consists of one master stick and three sub-sticks, making a total of four. When the master incense is lit, it records everything that happens in the room until it burns out."

"To view the past events, one simply needs to light a sub-stick, and all the past scenes will be revealed."

Hearing this, Xu Taiping silently nodded.

He had seen this treasure before in a bronze mirror.

"So, elder sister, you want me to deliver the remaining sticks of incense to your sister Zijin?"

Before Liu Qingmei could speak, Xu Taiping asked directly.

"Precisely!"

Liu Qingmei nodded vigorously before speaking with a hint of despair in her voice:

"That Fifth Peak disciple, Lu Chen, is said to be the nephew of a Fifth Peak elder. The Qingxuan Sect would never punish him over a mere outer disciple like me. Therefore, I do not seek justice for myself—only that my sister Zijin will not be deceived by that vile man!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a cold wind swept through the small courtyard, and her figure began to fade.

"Young man, if you ever get the chance to ascend the Fifth Peak, please deliver the Seeking Dust Incense to my sister!"

Seeing that she was about to dissipate, Liu Qingmei's tone became urgent, her eyes full of expectation as she awaited Xu Taiping's response.

"If what you say is true, I will definitely deliver the Seeking Dust Incense to Sister Zijin."

Xu Taiping did not hesitate much before giving a firm promise.

"Thank you, young man!"

Upon hearing Xu Taiping's promise, Liu Qingmei immediately knelt and bowed deeply, her forehead hitting the ground.

"Young man, that vengeful ghost will not give up so easily after failing today. Though it is difficult to deal with, it is not without weaknesses. During the time I was captured, I accidentally learned that this vengeful ghost died from excessive drinking in its past life. Liquor is like poison to its soul. Perhaps you can find a way to drive it out of its possessed body and use alcohol to subdue it."

Liu Qingmei suddenly lifted her head and revealed the vengeful ghost's weakness to Xu Taiping.

"So its weakness is alcohol? Thank you for the reminder!"

Xu Taiping was pleasantly surprised, and his trust in Liu Qingmei grew a little stronger, even though he had yet to verify the Seeking Dust Incense.

"Young man, please be sure to deliver the Seeking Dust Incense to my sister."

The female ghost shook her head and pleaded once again.

"Rest assured, Sister Qingmei. If I can ascend the mountain, I will find a way to deliver this incense to Sister Zijin."

Xu Taiping nodded solemnly.

Hearing this, Liu Qingmei's sorrowful face finally showed a trace of relief.

"By the way, young man, that vengeful ghost is backed by a tiger spirit. Its abilities are formidable—avoid confronting it if possible!"

Just as her figure was about to disappear completely, Liu Qingmei hastily warned Xu Taiping.

"A tiger demon?"

Watching the scattered green flames above Liu Qingmei's corpse, Xu Taiping murmured in surprise.

"So the legend of 'serving the tiger as a ghost' is actually true."

Learning that the vengeful ghost had a tiger spirit as its backer, Xu Taiping was shocked and suddenly recalled the old tale.

"Although I now know the vengeful ghost's weakness, according to Elder Ziyang, encountering a ghost before reaching the 'Opening Gate Realm' can be fatal if one is not careful. It's best not to handle it alone but instead report it to the sect and have them send people to deal with it."

As he pondered, Xu Taiping leaped down from the courtyard gate.

"I should report this to the sect first. While I'm at it, I'll move the corpse of the demon wolf from the mountain here. They can't possibly ignore this matter then."

Muttering to himself, he retrieved a small wooden box from Liu Qingmei's sleeve.

Opening it, he saw that it contained three sticks of incense.

"As for the Seeking Dust Incense and Sister Qingmei's story, I will burn one stick tonight to verify its authenticity. Tomorrow, I will observe the sect's response to the vengeful ghost. If they are willing to deal with it, I will then inform them of Liu Qingmei's plight and hand them the three sticks of incense."

With that thought, Xu Taiping stood up, securely storing the wooden box containing the Seeking Dust Incense.