The inn was deathly silent at night. Suddenly, someone burst in. The innkeeper glanced up, then pulled the blanket over his head, pretending not to have seen anything.
Several figures instantly ascended the stairs, lying in wait outside the "Liang" numbered room. One of them produced a blowpipe, poked a hole in the window paper, and blew the sleeping gas inside. Once certain the person within was incapacitated, he used a knife to pry open the bolt and rushed in, heading straight for the bed. His sword stabbed the person on the bed, but after several thrusts, not a single drop of blood appeared!
The leader lifted the quilt. The bed was empty; it was just a pillow!
"Everyone, disturbing people's dreams in the middle of the night is a rather uncivilized behavior," Xiao Man's voice rang out as a severed head rolled across the floor, blood spraying out and splattering everyone's faces and bodies.
"You weren't poisoned?"
"Using poison in front of an alchemist, are you all too naive?" Xiao Man stood at the doorway, her voice a ghostly whisper. "However, since you've come, I naturally have a grand gift for you!"
With that, Xiao Man closed the door. Moments later, horrific screams erupted from within the room, sounding particularly piercing and chilling in the dead of night.
The innkeeper sat up, startled. Seeing Xiao Man perched on the railing of the second floor, a look of enjoyment on her face, he swallowed hard. When Xiao Man's gaze fell upon him, he promptly lay back down, pulled the blanket over his head, and convinced himself he had heard nothing, seen nothing!
Others were awakened by the screams and came out to investigate. They saw Xiao Man sitting on the railing outside her room, while the room itself was filled with piercing screams. Xiao Man remained unperturbed, even humming a little tune.
"Brother, may I ask what's happening in that room?"
"Nothing much. A few little mice got into my room. I put out some rat poison for them."
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill crawl up their spines. The screams were clearly human, yet the person before them claimed they were mice! Xiao Man, a stranger to many, was seen as an easy prey. Many were waiting to take a bite out of her, only to discover that Xiao Man was not the prey, but a venomous serpent ready to strike, delivering a fatal blow!
When the screams inside the room finally stopped, Xiao Man blew a whistle. "Innkeeper, find me another room."
The innkeeper instinctively wanted to refuse. The words were already on his lips, but remembering Xiao Man's terrifying demeanor, he swallowed them back. He removed the blanket from his head and called for a waiter.
"Xiao Si, take the guest to the 'Kui' numbered room."
"Right away!" Xiao Si dashed upstairs, bowed subserviently to Xiao Man, and said, "Esteemed guest, please follow me."
Xiao Man leaped down from the railing and followed Xiao Si to the 'Kui' numbered room. Some curious individuals, eager to know what had transpired in Xiao Man's room, pushed the door open to look. The sight that greeted them turned their faces ashen. Even the innkeeper, accustomed to the macabre, was stunned by the scene within.
"Innkeeper, what's the background of this newcomer?" a guest couldn't help but ask. "Her methods are truly formidable!"
The innkeeper swallowed hard. "It's wise not to mistake her for easy prey. You'd best not provoke her, or you'll be the one to suffer the consequences."
"Such a capable person, why isn't she in Ghost King City, but lingering in the outer areas?"
"Do you think anyone can enter Ghost King City? If that were the case, it would be overcrowded." The innkeeper sighed. However, having such a dangerous individual in the outer regions also posed a threat to them!
"Innkeeper, do you know her origins?"
"Anyone who comes to the Ghost Domain, regardless of their birth or background, leaves their past behind. Who knows where she comes from?" The innkeeper glanced upstairs, truly a harbinger of misfortune had arrived. He hoped this wouldn't disrupt the peace of the Ghost Domain.
Xiao Man was searching for Nangong Yu's whereabouts in the Ghost Domain, unaware that at this very moment, an elder had also returned to the domain and was dispatching people to search for her.
"Have you found them?" Xiao Man asked the people helping her search.
"Boss Xiao, we haven't found the person you're looking for. Could the person you're looking for be in the inner city?" They looked up at Ghost King City on the mountain peak, the dream of countless individuals, yet only a select few could enter.
"How does one enter Ghost King City?"
"Boss Xiao, there are three ways to enter Ghost King City." The leader extended three fingers. "The first method is to become a Ghost Servant. This allows one to enter and leave Ghost King City openly. However, to become a Ghost Servant, one must pass the assessment of Ghost King City, which occurs every three years."
"Three years is too long. What's the second method?"
"The second method is to walk the Yellow Springs Road."
"What is the Yellow Springs Road?" Xiao Man asked, puzzled.
"There are two Yellow Springs Roads: one leads into Ghost King City, and the other leads out of the Ghost Domain," the leader said mysteriously. "To date, no one has ever emerged alive from the Yellow Springs Road."
"You can leave the Ghost Domain via the Yellow Springs Road?" Xiao Man asked curiously.
"Boss Xiao, don't even think about it. The Yellow Springs Road is extremely dangerous; no one can get out. Furthermore, becoming a Ghost Servant and entering Ghost King City offers other ways to leave. The Yellow Springs Road is a last resort."
"Besides the Yellow Springs Road, is there any other way out?"
"Yes, by becoming a close attendant to the Ghost King, you gain the qualification to leave the Ghost Domain freely. If you wish to leave, you must first enter Ghost King City, become a Ghost Servant, and then you can find a way out."
Xiao Man looked at Ghost King City on the distant mountain, exhaled, and asked, "What is the third way?"
"Commit a crime and be captured."
Xiao Man's eyes lit up. This method seemed faster!
"What kind of crime must one commit to be captured?"
Seeing Xiao Man's pleased expression, the leader shook his head. "Boss Xiao, those captured and taken into Ghost King City are all individuals who have committed serious offenses. Once captured, they essentially have no hope of survival. No, they are in a state worse than death!"
"Then, by your account, all three paths are impassable?"
"Not at all. With your abilities, Boss Xiao, you'll surely be chosen when Ghost King City recruits Ghost Servants. Just be patient and wait."
"Wait, wait, wait. Wait until when?" Xiao Man shook her head. "I can't wait any longer. I need to find my people quickly and leave the Ghost Domain. This place is not suitable for me."
"Boss Xiao, the Ghost Domain is easy to enter but difficult to leave. Even Ghost Servants cannot freely depart the Ghost Domain. For you to leave quickly would be as difficult as scaling the heavens!"