“Good.”
"I nodded in agreement and directly released Zhang Kuo's soul."
He trembled violently the moment he appeared.
"Brother Luo... you..."
Zhang Kuo cast a glance around him, with terror flashing across his face.
The two arms of Siye immediately pressed down on Zhang Kuo's head!
Zhang Kuo's eyes went dull, and a look of pain appeared on his face.
"The lower nine circles can extract souls, Taoists can inquire about souls, and your abilities are more effective in dealing with souls. The methods of the daily patrol and the nightly watch are both methods of interrogation."
"Examination inside a living soul." Huang Shu looked calm and composed.
I didn't say a word.
Zhang Kuo's suffering gradually weakened, becoming hollow and lifeless.
This emptiness is somewhat similar to Yu Xiuxiu's.
However, it's still not as thoroughly empty as Yu Xiuxiu's.
About ten minutes later, Siye let go of Zhang Kuo's head.
Zhang Kuo's empty and dull eyes suddenly trembled, regaining a look of terror.
"Brother Luo... please... spare me..."
"Please... please..."
Siye took a deep breath, and with a soft sound, Zhang Kuo's soul shattered into pieces, turned into two streaks of green smoke, and entered Siye's nostrils.
For some reason, I had an overwhelming sense of oppression that I couldn't quite express.
It's not just that Zhang Kuo has vanished.
I seem to have gained some new insights into Siye, but at the same time, I am unable to articulate what those emotions are.
The appearance of Siye began to distort and mutate.
The connected body of Siye's arms and limbs seemed to be shrinking, and then he stood in front of us and Huang Shu.
A few seconds later, Siye became a person.
A few seconds later, his appearance was astonishingly similar to Zhang Kuo's!
"This..." I was overwhelmed by a massive wave.
Ghost-eating...
Become a ghost-eating...
How is it any different from a pestilence ghost?
"Tomorrow morning, I'll have someone come to meet you."
Upon saying "Zhang Kuo," his body suddenly expanded, reverting to the connected form of Siye, and he shot upwards into the night sky!
I couldn't gather my wits for a long time, and I couldn't hide the terror in my eyes.
"He... is he a pestilence ghost?" With great effort, I managed to ask the question, despite the fear gripping me.
In Huang Shu's eyes, I am someone who has dealt with pestilence ghosts.
If I didn't ask when I saw Siye in this state, there would definitely be something wrong with me.
"Siye is not a pestilence ghost," Huang Shu said, still composed and self-assured. "The most terrifying aspect of a pestilence ghost is not its ability to consume ghosts and transform into different forms, but its control over the earth's qi. Young Xian, you are neither a master nor a Taoist, and you do not know how many types of qi there are in the world."
"The yin and yang qi of the great rivers and mountains, the boundless righteousness in Taoists' hearts, the yin qi of the underworld, and so on."
"Earth qi is considered one type of yin, but pestilence ghosts are not. Pestilence ghosts are the mixed resentment of the whole world, and it is only when this mixed resentment blends with earth qi that pestilence ghosts can be born."
"Pestilence ghosts injure and kill with their thick resentment, and they have absolutely no good will. They are more like a condensation of all negative energies in the world, capable only of inflicting harm and revenge upon the living."
"Siye does not possess this ability. He can consume ghosts, which is a special privilege granted by the Underworld and sanctioned by Yama."
Huang Shu's explanation seemed clear on the surface, but it sounded particularly vague to me.
"As for Siye, I have gained a deeper understanding of him."
I feel that all this is probably not as simple as Huang Shu described it.
Did he really tell the whole truth?
...Siye is so sensitive to earth qi...
Is it possible that Siye was once a pestilence ghost that was subdued?
This thought was so absurd that even I found it ridiculous.
Try to eliminate these chaotic thoughts from your mind.
I just smiled weakly and said nothing more.
Huang Shu invited us to sit down inside the temple.
There were lotus mats on the ground, and after the three of them sat down, Huang Shu sat on the lotus mat in front.
He always wore a benign smile.
He chatted with me briefly, mainly asking about the situation of supervising the hall.
I chose to say things that would cause no harm.
Huang Shu seemed to be lost in thought.
Suddenly, I thought of what the leader had said to me about the female Taoist's view of Sun Zhuo in the shadows.
It's like giving Sun Zhuo an invisible shackle, preventing him from moving against Han Qiu.
What if I forced these things onto the city god temple?
Whether Huang Shu believes it or not, he will inevitably be affected by it.
Particularly, we are already about to move against the ghost tablet!
My heartbeat gradually accelerated, and my complexion subtly turned red.
"Huang Shu, do you know about the conflict between me and Sun Zhuo?"
Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and started talking.
"He just took a breath and began speaking. Huang Shu showed no sign of curiosity."
I didn't pay attention to his reaction and continued to speak.
I did not mention the matter of taking lives.
I only said that a youth whose family was broken and had everything taken away by the Sun family, narrowly escaped death, and was saved by a yin-yang master.
After that, it was my revenge, and I frequently encountered hindrances.
I encountered the transformation into blood-dissolving fireflies, the unnatural pursuit of the ghost tablet, and the assassination attempts by Jiuzhang.
I have eliminated any suspicious points from my narrative.
For example, I left out the part where Jiuzhang believed I had killed his eight fellow disciples.
I told Huang Shu that because Xiao Feng had warned me that the Ghost Tablet would strike, I left the city immediately.
When leaving the city, I was indeed surrounded by people from the Ghost Tablet, but not all of them. It was two elders from Tian Shou Dao and four people from the Ghost Tablet, along with their control over the Kui Wang ghost.
Old Qin gave me a protective measure, which was the headless woman.
The headless woman was restrained by the Kui Wang ghost, and I was heavily injured by the two elders.
After that, they used the soul-locking spikes to take away the headless woman.
Why they didn't kill me, I don't know.
I encountered Jiuzhang again, who was deeply resentful towards me. I also resented him because I had to retrieve the headless woman!
I spoke my words with firm determination.
From the initial caution with Huang Shu to now, I've pretty much understood Huang Shu's emotions. Saying half-truths and half-lies has become second nature to me.
Huang Shu's pupil shrank, and for a moment, he seemed lost in thought.
After a long while, he shook his head and said, "Xian Shou, what you have said may seem logical and well-reasoned, but it is still just one person's words. Even if we take it to the extreme and assume that the City God Temple is neutral between the City God's Office and Supervising Daoist Circles, it would not involve itself in either side's affairs."
"Sun Zhuo is affiliated with the Ghost Tablet, as well as your speculation."
"It must be acknowledged that your speculations make a lot of sense, but I cannot directly believe them."
"If he truly has issues, the Supervising Daoist Circles will naturally find out."
Huang Shu's words clearly indicated that he was distancing himself from the situation and did not want to get involved.
This made me feel slightly disappointed.
However, soon Huang Shu stood up. He did not talk much with me about other things and said again: "I am tired of summoning Siye. I will rest for a while."
Alright, Huang Shu walked towards the back of the City God statue and became completely silent.
Lao Gong's eyeballs were twitching randomly, and he even smiled lewdly towards the back of the temple.
Xiao Feng whispered: "This old man, his heart is clearly trembling, but he's acting contrary to his feelings."
