Chapter 179: Origin of the Water Ghost

Lu Bai couldn’t be bothered to argue and simply took out the Yin Soul Compass.

Everyone looked closely.

Sure enough, it showed the residual marks of over a dozen wisps of Ghost Qi. One mark was deeper than the rest—clearly the trace of a Fierce Ghost!

"So it really was over a dozen Water Ghosts."

"Lu Bai wasn’t lying after all. For a mere Innate Martial Artist to slay over a dozen Water Ghosts in their own domain, including a Fierce Ghost... that’s unbelievable."

"He must have some special techniques for dealing with ghosts and other evil entities. Why else would the Evil Extermination Bureau have recruited him?"

"You guys haven’t heard? The man has a nickname: Black Hand Yama. No matter how powerful a ghost or evil spirit is, when they run into Yama, they’re as good as dead."

With the appearance of the Yin Soul Compass, all the earlier doubts about Lu Bai vanished into thin air.

Some people even started coming up with all sorts of outlandish explanations for Lu Bai’s feat.

Mo Tang looked at Liang Yifan and asked, "Lord Governor, what do you think?"

"Haha, the younger generation is truly formidable. It was my poor judgment; I failed to recognize a young hero in our midst."

Liang Yifan smiled and said, "Congratulations to the Evil Extermination Bureau on gaining a capable general. From now on, with Lord Mo and Little Brother Lu in Jing State, no ghost or evil spirit will have anywhere to hide."

The words sounded grand, but they were hollow and meaningless.

But he was the Governor of Jingzhou, after all. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Mo Tang couldn’t press the issue too hard.

Li Yue’er turned her head to look at True Master Dan Ding and the several Cultivators from Danding Temple.

Though she said nothing, the members of Danding Temple felt a pang of shame.

Just moments ago, they, like everyone else, had been doubting Lu Bai.

On the outskirts of the crowd.

A young man in brocade robes frowned slightly, muttering, "He didn’t die, and he even managed to make a name for himself from this?"

The middle-aged man beside him said, "Young Master, he usually stays inside the Evil Extermination Bureau and doesn’t come out at night. The one time he does, it’s a scene like this. It’s truly difficult to make a move.

"Besides, that Chongming Bird of his isn’t easy to deal with either."

The young man suddenly chuckled, his voice turning cold. "There’s plenty of time. As long as he stays in Jingzhou City, an opportunity will present itself."

With the Water Ghost menace eliminated, many of the fishermen began to head home.

The Jingshui Ferry started to bustle with activity once more.

Lu Bai’s group headed back toward Jingzhou City.

"Young Master Lu, after I went home this time, I heard my father mention you."

Li Yue’er was clearly happy to see Lu Bai. "I heard you accomplished something major in Bluestone City," she said. "You even took down its Prefect."

"It wasn’t that dramatic. It was just a fortunate coincidence."

Lu Bai shook his head slightly and asked, "Daoist Li, what brings you to Jingzhou City?"

At the mention of this, the smile vanished from Li Yue’er’s face. She sighed softly and said, "My master came to Jingzhou City a while ago and then disappeared. Now, we don’t know if he’s dead or alive.

"The Observatory Master and several of my martial uncles from the Sect came down the mountain with me. We’ve been searching for days, but we still haven’t found him."

After she finished, Li Yue’er introduced the members of Danding Temple to Lu Bai.

Normally, the Cultivators of Danding Temple wouldn’t have given an Innate Martial Artist a second glance.

But having just witnessed Lu Bai’s capabilities, they were all perfectly polite to him.

Even True Master Dan Ding nodded at Lu Bai and said with a warm smile, "I must thank you for your help before, Young Hero Lu. You saved Yue’er’s life."

"You’re too kind, True Master."

Lu Bai returned the smile.

’Danding Temple is famous for its Alchemy,’ he thought. ’If I can get on good terms with these Cultivators, it might open up a future channel for buying elixirs.’

Li Yue’er’s senior martial brother, Daoist Yu, had left a very deep impression on Lu Bai.

He was the first Cultivator Lu Bai had met here—gentle, humble, steady, and calm.

Mo Shaohan, whom he met later, was a far cry from that.

Since this was the master of both Li Yue’er and Daoist Yu, Lu Bai became a bit more invested. "Have you found any clues?" he asked.

"We’ve asked around. Some people saw my master by the river, and others saw him at Wangjiang Tower."

Li Yue’er continued, "My master must have been in the vicinity of Jingzhou City during that time. We traced him to Wangjiang Tower, but the trail went cold there."

"Wangjiang Tower?"

Lu Bai’s heart skipped a beat as an image flashed through his mind: the young Water Ghost from the Red and White Collision Evil outside Bai Family Village.

The group continued to walk and talk, and soon they had entered the city.

Lu Bai asked, "What is Wangjiang Tower?"

Li Yue’er pointed to the side and said, "It’s over there. The largest restaurant in Jingzhou City."

Wangjiang Tower was nine stories tall, making it the highest building in Jingzhou City and extremely eye-catching.

Lu Bai asked again, "What does your master look like? Do you have a portrait of him?"

"I do."

Li Yue’er slapped her Storage Pouch, and a painted scroll appeared in her hand, which she slowly unfurled.

Lu Bai glanced at it.

’Just as I thought!’

The Daoist in the portrait was handsome and refined, with a graceful bearing and an extraordinary aura—a far cry from the gloomy, Yin Qi-shrouded young Water Ghost he had seen in the coffin.

Yet, Lu Bai recognized him at a glance. The Daoist in the portrait was none other than the white-clad Water Ghost from the Red and White Collision Evil!

Perhaps it was because he had drowned, but the manifested Water Ghost’s face had been bloated, though his features were identical.

"Young Master Lu, have you seen Xue Chen?"

True Master Dan Ding, with his discerning eye, noticed the change in Lu Bai’s expression and quickly asked.

Lu Bai nodded and, without hiding anything, recounted his encounter with the Red and White Collision Evil.

The *Hundred Ghosts Record* stated that for this type of Water Ghost to form, it was necessary for a Cultivator with profound Daoist Techniques to drown.

’So that white-clad Water Ghost was actually a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator from Danding Temple.’

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Danding Temple members darkened, and they sighed inwardly.

In truth, after searching for so many days, they had all had a bad feeling.

They suspected the worst had happened to Xue Chen.

But to have their fears confirmed still weighed heavily on their hearts.

If he had died in the Jingshui River, his body would have been washed away long ago, devoured by fish and shrimp, never to be found.

Lu Bai asked, "Daoist Xue was a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator. How could he have simply drowned?"

One of the Danding Temple Cultivators said, "Perhaps he was killed by the Water Ghosts in the Jingshui River?"

"I don’t think so."

Lu Bai shook his head. "Before this, there were no reports of hauntings in the Jingshui River. Those Water Ghosts likely only formed *after* Daoist Xue became the white-clad Water Ghost."

The members of Danding Temple frowned slightly.

’If he wasn’t killed by Water Ghosts, how could a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator like Xue Chen simply drown?’

"Have you asked anyone from the Fujiao Gang?" Lu Bai asked.

True Master Dan Ding replied, "We asked a few of them. Everyone in the Fujiao Gang said they never saw him."

Lu Bai narrowed his eyes.

’The Fujiao Gang operates on the Jingshui River year-round.’

’If something happened to Xue Chen on the Jingshui River, it wouldn’t have been a quiet affair. It’s highly unlikely they’re completely unaware.’

Lu Bai glanced at Wangjiang Tower in the distance.

’Xue Chen became a white-clad Water Ghost and tried to possess a body to return to life. He clearly had unfinished business, and he even showed a trace of guilt toward me.’

’And at the last moment, he gave up his struggle, leaving behind only a lingering regret for me.’

’Wangjiang Tower...’

’What does Xue Chen’s death have to do with Wangjiang Tower?’

’Or is his unfinished business related to Wangjiang Tower?’

A man with disheveled hair, carrying buckets of slop on a shoulder pole, hid in the shadows, peering in their direction.

But the crowd was too large. After watching for a long time, the disheveled man still didn’t approach. Instead, he turned and limped out of the city.