Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Seen stepping on back, but never seen stepping on forehead_1
Wang Linchi was awakened by the sound. He was a light sleeper to begin with, and being in an unfamiliar place, he didn’t dare to sleep too soundly.
"Get lost, or I’ll eat you with sauce!" Wang Linchi cursed irascibly.
He had finally found a safe place to sleep, only to be disturbed. Understandably, he was annoyed.
The ghost at the door seemed taken aback by Wang Linchi’s response, then started knocking like a tempest.
Thankfully, the door was sturdy and held firm despite the barrage of knocks.
Wang Linchi was dumbstruck. The ghost, or whatever it was, seemed unable to enter. This shouldn’t be the case. It’s just a wooden door. Even if it doesn’t have abilities like passing through walls, with its strength, couldn’t it just slap the door open? Yet it’s stuck outside.
"You just wait, this isn’t over!" With a biting threat, all returned to calm.
Did it leave? Wang Linchi was incredulous. He hadn’t expected the perpetrator to leave so quickly. He thought he’d have to spend the rest of the night trading insults with it.
Whatever. Time to sleep. I’m heading to Black Rain City tomorrow. I doubt that ghost can chase me all the way there.
Wang Linchi pulled the blanket over himself and closed his eyes, continuing to sleep.
Not two minutes later, he felt a chilly weight on his forehead.
Looking up, he saw a figure in a red robe, face obscured by hair, stepping on his forehead. It reminded Wang Linchi of a red-garbed version of Sadako.
Seriously? What kind of proper ghost stands on someone’s forehead? Aren’t they supposed to stand on shoulders? Wang Linchi couldn’t help but quip.
The red-garbed Sadako didn’t respond. She seems to be an idiot.
Wang Linchi sighed, not wanting to get entangled with a fool. He then took out the Soul Soup Bowl from his Storage Soul Device.
The figure seemed to recognize the Soul Soup Bowl, or perhaps it sensed the harm the item could inflict on ghost spirits. With a WHOOSH, it immediately floated up, trying to escape.
Its speed was indeed impressive. If Wang Linchi hadn’t hit it with a blast of Fanciful and Fickle that left it half-paralyzed, it would have already floated out of the room.
Too weak. Stronger than a Ghoul, but much weaker than the Desolate Grave Old Ghost.
Wang Linchi stuffed it into the Soul Soup Bowl, waiting for it to be refined so he could drink the soup.
Must be White Porcelain level, I guess.
Wang Linchi roughly categorized them into four levels. A Ghoul was like an ordinary, unawakened person. This red-garbed Sadako was White Porcelain level. The Desolate Grave Old Ghost was stronger, above Black Iron level but not quite Mountain Copper level. That was why it had managed to endure two of his Fanciful and Fickle blasts before dying. The two Evil Tigers, on the other hand, were genuinely Mountain Copper level.
Its abilities are limited; it seems it can only pass through walls and step on people.
Such a waste of its abilities. If it had chosen to step on people’s backs instead of rudely stepping on foreheads, it would have become a famous back-stepping master by now, with everyone at its feet, rather than ending up as a bowl of soup.
Wang Linchi expressed his disdain for the red-garbed Sadako’s career path. With such cool and effective back-stepping skills, it would surely have been highly sought after.
After his internal mockery, Wang Linchi decided to go back to sleep.
He didn’t want to confront the ghost house at night. Nighttime was their domain. What if I lose?
Instead, when dawn broke, Wang Linchi planned to sneak over with his Fire Seed and Fire Oil and burn the ghost house down, leaving them homeless.
If you lacked strength, you had to be cunning. If you had strength, you could just charge straight in. This was Wang Linchi’s survival principle.
He slept soundly until morning. There were no further disturbances from the ghost house; they might have gotten scared.
Wang Linchi finally woke up when the village head came calling.
"How did you sleep last night?" the village head asked with a smile.
He apparently knew about the ghost’s visit last night. However, Wang Linchi was still here and hadn’t been taken to the ghost house, which meant he hadn’t gone out.
"Not too bad, apart from a red-robed intruder who broke in during the night," Wang Linchi replied, also smiling.
But at these words, the village head’s smile froze.
"They can get in?!?" The village head’s voice was sharp and incredulous.
"Yes, didn’t you know?" Wang Linchi asked, a bit puzzled, then added reassuringly, "Don’t worry, that thing looked quite delicious, so I took care of it on the spot."
This confused the village head. Something seemed off about the phrases "quite delicious" and "took care of it on the spot."
"You ate it?" the village head ventured, choosing a slightly more outlandish possibility.
"Cooked it," Wang Linchi corrected. After all, it was still in the Soul Soup Bowl. It might take a full 24 hours to refine it into Soul Soup. Only about six hours had passed; there was still two-thirds of the progress bar left.
"Brave man!" the village head exclaimed, having regained his composure. He realized he had encountered a capable individual.
His temperament might be a bit eccentric, but that was fine. Capable people often had such quirks; it was called personality. Therefore, he began to consider asking this expert to help eliminate the ghost house.
"Not at all, not at all. I was just lucky," Wang Linchi said modestly.
"I have an impertinent request. I wonder if you, brave man, would be willing to lend a hand," the village head said directly.
"You want me to help clear out the ghost house? I’m afraid I’m incapable of that," Wang Linchi instantly guessed the village head’s intention and refused without hesitation.
He still had to get to Black Rain City; he might not even make it there today.
As for the ghost house, he had considered burning it down the previous night because he was grumpy from being woken up. But after a good night’s sleep, his anger had dissipated. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided against it. What if I fail to burn down the ghost house and get myself trapped instead? Anyway, I managed to get one ghost spirit, so it’s not a loss.
Furthermore, the village head was clearly asking for a freebie. Even if he agreed and did it, he might receive an Event Soul Kind like "Ghost House" or "Slay Evil," along with some valuable Soul Devices. However, since Wang Linchi hadn’t completed his basic Secret Realm task, these rewards held little attraction for him. If he had already completed his task, Wang Linchi wouldn’t mind doing it for free, as the Secret Realm would compensate him anyway.
"This... if there’s anything you fancy, brave man, please take it," the village head said, gritting his teeth. It meant they had no money and could only offer goods as payment.
"How about this: I’ll help you when I return from Black Rain City. How does that sound?" Wang Linchi proposed a compromise.
Well, just a temporary verbal agreement to placate him for now. Wang Linchi himself didn’t know if he would ever return to this small Yi Village.
"Then thank you very much, brave man!" Hearing Wang Linchi agree, the village head felt a sense of relief, even though he wasn’t sure if Wang Linchi would actually fulfill the promise.
Still, it was a glimmer of hope.
Otherwise, the ghost spirits from the ghost house would continue to abduct people every year. This drained the village of its vitality, and even merchants and caravans rarely came. Solving this problem would also allow them to acquire more resources.
Of course, if he didn’t keep his promise, it wouldn’t be a disaster; life would just go on as usual.