IMMFBCG Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Blue-Clad Vengeful Ghost

The car accident ghost never expected the two Taoists to run faster than him. Once he realized this, he quickly turned and bolted forward.

When Ye Xue and Bai Liu reached the safe area near the neighboring building, they finally stopped.

Ye Xue paused slightly, her attention focused on the feng shui formation around them. Bai Liu, on the other hand, ran straight to the corner of the stairwell, found a suitable spot to secure his body, and immediately left his body. His soul floated next to Ye Xue.

Still shaken by what he had just seen, Bai Liu couldn’t help but ask Ye Xue, “Master… what do we do now?”

Ye Xue responded, “You send a message to Wei Xingteng, and then we’ll head back to block ‘him’.”

As she spoke, she glanced around the scene and quickly pulled out her phone, pressing a few buttons.

When the car accident ghost finally caught up, he noticed Ye Xue engrossed with her phone and instinctively asked, “Taoist, are you calling 911?”

As soon as he said it, he realized how ridiculous it sounded. After all, the police can’t handle ghost-catching matters.

Without even looking up, Ye Xue continued tapping away on her phone. “I’m searching for a suitable talisman formation to learn on the spot.”

The car accident ghost was dumbfounded. “Wait, you can learn that on the fly?”

By this time, Bai Liu had already sent the message to Wei Xingteng in the underworld.

Ye Xue finally lifted her head and looked at the surrounding terrain. She relaxed slightly and said, “Found it.”

Sensing something off, the car accident ghost instinctively backed away a few steps, glancing toward the direction of the Xuanzhen Temple. “Uh, Taoists, I won’t bother you any longer. I’ll head back to the temple to grab you some tools!”

Ye Xue, still focused on her preparations, only nodded absentmindedly while searching through her belongings.

After checking her supplies, she realized she only had a few yellow talisman papers in her pocket, unsure if it would be enough. However, using them for a formation should still work.

Skimming through the talisman formula on her phone, Ye Xue quickly memorized the essentials of the formation in a matter of minutes. She then looked up at the eerie residential building in front of them.

The strange yin energy was growing stronger, and the scam artist possessed by the vengeful ghost was about to emerge from the building.

They had to stop him!

Without further hesitation, she grabbed Bai Liu and started running back.

Bai Liu, now in his spirit form and much lighter, was dragged along by Ye Xue as they raced forward. His heart pounded as he exclaimed, “Master, slow down! Damn it, I’m still scared!”

Even though he was now the newly appointed Wuchang (Underworld Official), he still didn’t have much confidence when faced with a vengeful ghost.

They arrived at the spot where the ghost was. Ye Xue pressed herself against the residential building’s wall, selecting a suitable location, and pulled out a yellow talisman. Biting her finger, she used her blood to quickly draw a formation following the template on her phone.

Watching Ye Xue’s finger bleed made Bai Liu feel sorry for her. How many chickens would it take to replenish all that blood? he thought. He knew from personal experience how painful it was to injure his fingers, but Ye Xue handled it with ease.

As the foul stench grew stronger, Bai Liu instinctively looked up. The eerie figure was getting closer.

A chill ran down Bai Liu’s spine. He debated whether to rush forward to block the ghost from disturbing Ye Xue while she was drawing the formation. But before he could act, a dark mass suddenly swept him up and flung him toward the vengeful ghost.

“Holy crap!” Bai Liu snapped back to reality. Seeing the bloody face in front of him made him shudder, and his immediate reaction was to punch the ghost.

His punch knocked the possessed scam artist’s head to the side. However, the ghost’s head then creaked as it twisted back into place. “He” looked Bai Liu up and down before grinning eerily. “Ah, I see now. So you’re Wuchang.”

The ghost’s voice was cold and menacing, accompanied by an overwhelming stench of blood.

Bai Liu was stunned. This one seems more terrifying than the vengeful ghost we caught last time! And he’s not even scared of Wuchang!

At that moment, the short hair of the possessed scam artist began to grow longer, brushing against Bai Liu’s face and gradually wrapping around his neck.

The ghost and Bai Liu were now so close that Bai Liu could see the eerie glow in the ghost’s pitch-black eyes.

As the bloody stench intensified, Bai Liu’s face grew paler and paler.

He couldn’t hold it in any longer, and the smell made him gag. “Ugh—”

However, since Bai Liu was in his spirit form and hadn’t eaten anything earlier, what he threw up was green liquid.

The vengeful ghost was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at the green substance that had dirtied his long, black hair. A second later, “his” face contorted with rage, interpreting this as a provocation from Bai Liu. “You’re asking for it!”

“He” tightened the grip of his hair around Bai Liu’s neck, trying to crush his soul. But Bai Liu wasn’t going down without a fight—he punched the ghost repeatedly, landing several hits on “his” face, leaving the possessed scam artist bruised and swollen.

The ghost’s expression turned even more vicious. “He” slapped Bai Liu hard across the face, and the two began grappling intensely.

After a moment, the ghost seemed to realize that this tussle wasn’t worth the effort. With a flick of his hair, “he” hurled Bai Liu ten meters away.

“Ouch! That hurt!” Bai Liu groaned as he crashed to the ground. He rubbed his face, but quickly felt a sense of relief. “Thank goodness my body isn’t here.”

Otherwise, he’d be worried about his face being disfigured.

Meanwhile, Ye Xue continued drawing the talisman on the wall, but as she drew, the blood from her wound began to coagulate, stopping the flow. She decisively bit her finger harder to squeeze out more blood and resumed drawing the formation.

Hearing a cry of pain from not far away, Ye Xue recognized Bai Liu’s voice. She looked up and saw that Bai Liu had been thrown aside by the ghost.

It seemed the vengeful ghost had noticed her. After a brief glance at Bai Liu, “he” shifted his attention toward Ye Xue and began walking in her direction.

“He” must have realized what Ye Xue was drawing and understood her plan to trap him, so “he” chose to target her instead.

With a bloodthirsty smile, “he” spoke in a mocking tone, “I’d much rather play with a little girl.”

“Play with your damn grandpa!” Ye Xue grabbed a talisman, quickly drew a symbol, and threw it at the ghost. “Five Stars Seal Formation, Illuminate the Dark Abyss!”

The talisman stuck to the ghost, glowing with a yellow light that emitted crackling sounds.

The ghost was pushed back a step but remained unharmed. His black hair floated ominously, and “he” sneered, “Little Taoist, it seems like you’re running out of talismans and blood.”

Ye Xue had lost too much blood, her face pale. Seizing the brief disruption, she quickly added a few strokes to the wall.

The fierce ghost was still attempting to approach Ye Xue, but Bai Liu crawled over, trying to block him. He grabbed the ghost’s leg with all his might—only to accidentally pull the ghost’s pants down.

Bai Liu: “…”

“Get off me!” the ghost kicked Bai Liu away. As the ghost moved forward again, Ye Xue finished her last stroke. She squeezed her finger to draw more blood and scattered it as she recited the Nine-Word Mantra: “Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!”

A few drops of blood floated in the air, glowing softly as they landed precisely on the symbols of the formation.

The formation activated, unleashing a bright light that engulfed the entire residential building. One of the beams struck the ghost, forcing its spirit out of the body.

The malicious ghost staggered back, while the conman’s body fell limp to the ground, face down.

Ye Xue straightened up, her strength returning just enough for her to retort, “Not enough blood? Plenty enough to deal with you.”

With that, she glanced at the ghost, hoping to discern its true form, but what she saw was the eerie figure of a ghost in a blue dress, her long hair floating in the air.

The blue-dressed ghost glared fiercely at them, her blood-covered face revealing only two pitch-black eyes, the rest obscured by blood.

It was the very image of the blue-dressed ghost from Ye Xue’s childhood nightmares.

Bai Liu, shocked, yelled out, “Holy crap, it’s Chu Renmei!”

No wonder the ghost was so ruthless—attacking even the enforcers of the underworld. It turned out to be one of the most cursed and malevolent spirits, the Blue Ghost!

The Blue Ghost glanced at them, her lips curling slightly as she spoke in an eerie voice, “Who is this ‘Chu Renmei’?”

All of Ye Xue’s childhood nightmares were tied to this blue-dressed ghost. She clenched her fists, taking a deep breath.

At the same time, Bai Liu was crawling towards Ye Xue. Upon hearing the ghost’s question, he stubbornly retorted, “None of your damn business!”

His response infuriated the ghost. With a cold laugh, she whipped her long hair, wrapping it around Bai Liu and dragging him closer.

“You think it’s not my business?” she asked in a chilling tone.

Bai Liu found himself face to face with the ghost’s gaping maw, his legs going weak in terror. “Oh crap, help me!”

Instinctively, he punched the ghost—only to have his fist get stuck in her mouth, wedged in her throat. Desperately, he cursed, “What the hell—!”

At that moment, Ye Xue rushed over, pulling Bai Liu’s hand out and stuffing her last talisman into the ghost’s mouth. “Exorcise the demon!”

With a loud “boom,” the talisman ignited inside the ghost’s mouth.

The ghost screamed in agony, her voice sharp and deafening, making their heads throb.

Bai Liu hid behind Ye Xue, watching the horrifying scene unfold. He thought to himself, “That should be the end of it, right?”

But, to his shock, as the smoke cleared, the ghost’s mouth had merely blackened from the burn. She was still standing, staring at them, largely unharmed.

The Blue Ghost smirked coldly, spat the burnt talisman out, and dropped it on the ground. “That was your last one, wasn’t it?”

Her hair grew thicker and longer, transforming into sharp tendrils that shot toward Ye Xue and Bai Liu.

“Run!” Ye Xue shoved Bai Liu aside and caught the ghost’s hair with her bare hands.

The black tendrils lashed out wildly, spreading out and tightening around Ye Xue as they tried to ensnare her.

Bai Liu shouted, “Shishu!” His body was covered in cuts and blood, but he struggled to get to her. Tripping over the conman’s body, he fell, landing hard. As he hit the ground, his Soul-Hooking Chain fell from his waist.

He stared at it for a moment, realization dawning. Snatching it up, he ran towards Ye Xue.

Meanwhile, Ye Xue gripped the ghost’s writhing hair, yanking it fiercely. The hair slashed at her hands like blades, cutting deep into her palms and drawing more blood.

As the blood dripped onto the ghost’s hair, it seemed to weaken, loosening its hold. Ye Xue took advantage of this, pulling the hair tighter and binding it around the ghost’s neck and arms.

Blue Ghost: “…”

She hadn’t expected this and cursed at Ye Xue, “You filthy brat, give me back my hair!”

Ye Xue, her face pale from blood loss, saw Bai Liu approaching and smirked. “Isn’t your hair already with you?”

The ghost faltered at this, her gaze turning venomous as she glared at Ye Xue.

Her nails elongated into sharp claws, trying to tear through the entangling hair. Fragments of severed hair fell to the ground, re-forming into clumps as she struggled to free herself.

Just as she was about to break free, the ghost spat venomously, “Let’s see what else you can do—”

But her words were abruptly cut off.

Bai Liu had snuck up behind her and looped the Soul-Hooking Chain around her.

The Blue Ghost froze, turning in disbelief to face him.

Bai Liu, awkwardly laughing, said, “Haha, nice weather we’re having—” Then, quickly switching tone, he tightened the chain. “Time to send you off!”

He tied the chain in a knot—just to be sure, he made it a double knot—then kicked her away with all his strength.

The Soul-Hooking Chain exerted its natural dominance over spirits. Now that Bai Liu had managed to use it, the tables had turned on the ghost.

Bai Liu hurried over to help Ye Xue up.

She had already lost too much blood from drawing talismans and battling the ghost. Now, leaning against Bai Liu, she watched the blue-dressed ghost struggling within the Soul-Hooking Chain.

“Shishu, are you alright?” Bai Liu asked with concern, noticing her pale complexion.

Ye Xue shook her head, “I’m fine.”

On the ground, the ghost’s black hair began to stir as if summoned, gathering together and attempting to fly back toward her.

Bai Liu was about to stomp on the hair to prevent it from regaining power, but Ye Xue walked over in a few quick steps, picked up the hair, and stuffed it into the ghost’s mouth.

To make sure the ghost wouldn’t spit it out, she lifted her chin and roughly massaged her jaw to force it down.

Bai Liu exclaimed in surprise, “Shishu, you’re savage!”

The blue-dressed ghost gagged a few times, trying to spit it out but failing, and angrily cursed Ye Xue, “Despicable! Vile!”

“You tried to kill us with your hair, and I’m the vile one?” Ye Xue walked up to the ghost, towering over her. Her smile was gentle, but her voice carried a dangerous threat. “Keep talking, and I’ll burn the rest of your hair and feed it to you, making sure you reincarnate bald.”

The ghost, who had never encountered anyone so sharp-tongued in all her years of death, was momentarily speechless.

At that moment, a cold wind blew, and an ethereal blue-white light appeared out of thin air.

Wei Wuchang emerged from the light, holding the Soul-Hooking Chain. “I’m here! I came to help!”

Hearing this, both Ye Xue and Bai Liu turned to glare at him, shouting in unison, “Why didn’t you wait until after we captured the ghost to show up!”

This was just like the police in those Hong Kong movies, always arriving late after the action was over.

Wei Xingteng chuckled awkwardly, a bit embarrassed.

He turned to the ghost and studied her for a moment before realization struck. “Oh, it’s one of the escaped ghosts from Rong Gui Well!”

It was one of those escaped ghosts! Ye Xue and Bai Liu exchanged glances, instantly understanding each other. Together, they said, “Make sure you report our names!”

Wei Xingteng blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Ye Xue, thinking about the hefty reward they would receive, explained patiently, “When you report to the Daoist Association, make sure you say that we captured her.”

“Oh, got it!” Wei Xingteng didn’t dwell on the matter. After all, they were the ones who had caught the ghost, so he agreed readily. “No problem.”

He then turned to Bai Liu. “Do you want to come with me to report it?”

Bai Liu, physically and spiritually exhausted from the fight, shook his head. “No, I need to rest.”

The fatigue from draining his spiritual energy was far worse than any physical exhaustion.

Seeing this, Wei Wuchang didn’t press further. He nodded and turned to Ye Xue. “Daoist, I’ll be off then.”

Ye Xue nodded slightly.

With that, Wei Wuchang tugged on the Soul-Hooking Chain and vanished with the blue-dressed ghost into the blue-white light.

Not long after Wei Wuchang left, a groan of pain came from behind them. “Ow—”

Ye Xue and Bai Liu turned in unison.

The fortune-teller, who had been beaten into unconsciousness, was just waking up. He blinked in confusion and groaned, “Why do I feel like I’ve been beaten up?”

Touching his swollen face and seeing the blood on his hands, he gasped, “I have been beaten up!”

Suddenly, realizing something was wrong, he lifted his head to see Ye Xue and Bai Liu standing not far away, covered in dirt and blood.

Their gazes were cold and unwavering.

Terrified, the fortune-teller took a few steps back. “No way… You two chased me all the way here just for a meal ticket?!”

Ye Xue & Bai Liu: “…”

Meanwhile, the Traffic Accident Ghost was rushing toward them, holding the heavily wrapped Demon-Slaying Sword.

Someone returning from work saw a red-wrapped object flying through the air and thought they were seeing things.

The man rubbed his eyes, took out his glasses, and put them on to see clearly.

But there was nothing in sight.

Confused, he muttered, “Has my eyesight gotten worse again?”

Deciding to get new glasses tomorrow, he reached into his pocket for his keys and headed toward his apartment building. But as he reached the stairwell, his right foot tripped on something, nearly causing him to fall.

“Who left trash here?!”

Annoyed, the man looked down, only to freeze in horror.

There, lying on the ground, was a person.

The body was deathly pale, with no rise and fall in its chest.

With trembling hands, the man cautiously reached out to feel for breath.

It was cold. No breath.

Terrified, he immediately dialed “110,” stammering as he reported, “Officer, I’ve found a… a body!”

As Ye Xue and Bai Liu returned, they encountered the Traffic Accident Ghost, who had just arrived with the sword.

The ghost had been debating whether to go help, but when he saw them covered in injuries, he panicked and rushed over. “Daoist! Are you okay?”

Ye Xue wiped her face with the back of her hand, but the dirt and blood wouldn’t come off, so she gave up.

“We’re fine. The ghost has been captured.” She took the sword from the ghost and slung it over her back. “Let’s go.”

Though it had been a tough fight, capturing the blue-dressed ghost without relying on the sword was a valuable learning experience for Ye Xue.

Relieved, the Traffic Accident Ghost asked, “So, are we still looking for the thief who stole the takeout?”

That was the original reason they’d come here, after all.

Ye Xue seemed to remember something, her expression complicated. “No need. Someone will send new food soon.”

She then urged Bai Liu, “Are you ready, disciple? Let’s head back.”

“Got it!” Bai Liu replied, running to the stairwell to find his body.

Moments later, a horrified shout echoed from the corner. “Where’s my corpse?!”