Two women, splashing in the water, glanced over towards Zhou Huan. "Look at that person across the way; he seems to be able to see us." "Ignore him. We'll finish what we came to do and leave.

Don't stir up trouble!" said the woman holding the fan. Upon hearing this, Zhou Huan, relying on his understanding of how to interact with spirits, bowed deeply: "I am Zhou Huan. I will not impede your business!" As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a burst of laughter from the two women across the stream, and they moved away from the water's edge and into the woods.

"Miss, that person across the way seems quite decent!" "We shouldn't provoke good people and invite trouble for ourselves, but as for those petty thieves on this mountain—hmpf—let's see how this young lady deals with them." Hearing this, Zhou Huan had a clearer idea in his mind: it was a young lady and a servant, and that servant was likely less than a mere maid. Not long after, two drunken men, clutching chicken legs and wine gourds, staggered out of the woods, swaying and talking loudly as they approached the stream. In the moonlight, they appeared to be low-ranking ruffians, each with a saber tucked into his waist.

One of them said, "What a drag today. The Boss is throwing a feast in the stockade, and he specifically sends us two brothers out on patrol. Think about it—by the time we patrol this big mountain and get back, there probably won't even be soup left." "Exactly.

But the patrol wasn't entirely wasted today. Look what I managed to snag," saying this, the other drunkard pulled a necklace from his robes. The necklace shimmered brilliantly.

Even in the dark, catching the moonlight, it was clearly visible. If it were daylight, it would have been blinding. "Brother, where did you get this?

This is a pure pearl necklace! Pearls this large strung together must be worth a fortune in silver!" "Hahaha! That’s why I’m saying, the wine and meat tonight—I used one of these pearls to bribe Little Jiu from the back of the mountain to bring them back from the capital." As he spoke, this fellow pulled out a large paper package from behind him, and then produced a gourd.

He opened the gourd, and instantly both men seemed utterly intoxicated. The one who had spoken first tossed aside the saber in his hand: "You're something else! Tonight, we're going to drink our fill right here.

Let's go down to the stream and wash up!" With that, the two ruffians stripped off their outer clothes, lay down by the stream, and began to wash themselves clean. After a short while, completely refreshed, they sat aside and started eating and drinking. Just as the one who had supposedly bought the wine took a few sips, he suddenly pitched forward and fell into the water.

The other ruffian mocked him, "You really are something, getting knocked out by a bit of cat's piss." Seeing the other man's head submerged in the water, he reached out, grabbed the man's queue, and laughed as he tugged: "I say, even if you're drunk, you don't need to stick your head in the water. Aren't you afraid of drowning?" But when the man who was pulling lifted the head out, he immediately scrambled backward, retreating several paces, stammering in panic, "Brother, you... what happened to you?" Zhou Huan moved a little closer to examine the supposedly drunk ruffian who had fallen.

The long queue on the head of the fallen ruffian had been easily pulled off, tearing away, and his head bounced and rolled on the ground. "What's going on? Could it truly be those two female ghosts?

This is terrible. If they want to quickly reincarnate, this makes it harder than hard!" Zhou Huan couldn't help but mutter to himself. The other ruffian dropped what he was holding and turned to flee.

But what he never imagined was that the moment he started to run, his legs abruptly snapped. In moments, his entire body dissolved into a pool of blood. "What the heck, this isn't the technique of a Blood Soul.

That's too potent—those two female ghosts...?" Zhou Huan suddenly recalled the concept of the Blood Soul. The concept held that if a corpse was trampled upon after death, or otherwise defiled, and the spirit became unable to let go, it could transform into a Blood Soul. The terrifying power of a Blood Soul was its ability to separate limbs effortlessly, instantly turning the body into blood mist.

Their power derived from the corrupt blood on the corpse; once their corrupt blood was expended, their power vanished. In the blink of an eye, the two men who had just been eating and drinking were now nothing more than two puddles of dark blood. Soon after, the two female ghosts who had entered the woods emerged.

"Hmph. Damned wretches, serving your boss but doing no good. If we didn't kill you, we wouldn't be able to swallow this anger." As the two female ghosts spoke, two streaks of chilling crimson light lunged toward Zhou Huan.

Instantly, one of the ghosts launched herself forward, landing directly in front of Zhou Huan. She stood with her back to him, and when she finally turned around a moment later, her face was covered in blood. "You saw everything?" "I saw it, but Zhou Huan believes you two shouldn't act this way.

Given your level of freedom, you likely won't wait more than a year before you can reincarnate. Why resort to this?" Zhou Huan's advice never strayed from his expertise. The two female ghosts laughed heartily: "Look at you, you preachy thing.

Who do you think you are, trying to meddle in our affairs? You should mind your own business first. If you didn't have lust in your heart, why would you be staring at our young mistress?

Begone, or I’ll turn you into blood mist too!" Hearing this, Zhou Huan instantly became furious. He hadn't intended to get involved initially, but after hearing the servant speak those words, he immediately decided he must see this matter through to the end, even if his own abilities were lacking. "Stop causing trouble, you dead girl, let's go.

This has nothing to do with him!" It was the young lady who was more sensible and polite. The two ghosts then immediately turned and headed back into the woods, vanishing shortly thereafter. Zhou Huan felt a restless itch, eager to involve himself in the matter, but remembering the group behind him, he decided that upon approaching the mountain, he would first raid the stockade to gather more information.

That would help him resolve the issue, as leaving it unsettled would simply keep him agitated. With this thought, Zhou Huan turned back and roused everyone who had been lying down. When the group awoke and saw Zhou Huan standing before them, healthy and whole, they were stunned.

Tian Lang then checked Zhou Huan's pulse: "Strange, truly strange. His pulse is completely steady. While I can't pinpoint the exact situation, I know, Brother, you are genuinely fine now!" "If I'm fine, I'm fine.

We have business to attend to shortly. Who among you wants to come with me?" Zhou Huan had originally intended to bring only one or two people. But unexpectedly, the whole group agreed to go together.

With no other choice, Zhou Huan led these people up the mountain. Bathed in the silver-white brilliance of the moonlight, the group proceeded step by step up the slope. Before they had been walking for an hour, Zhou Huan and the others reached the mountainside, where a structure resembling a palace-like courtyard stood.

This courtyard was utterly lifeless, devoid of any vitality. Though the couplet inscribed on the gate was carved in wood, one could discern the wounds of time etched upon it from ages past. "Master, let's go.

We aren't staying here for the night!" Tian Xiong said his piece from behind Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes fixed intently on the courtyard: "We aren't leaving. I must go inside and look!" "What is it, Master?

Did you encounter something again?" Shi Bingyuan, whose memories from the modern era were intact, knew Zhou Huan's temperament. He must have stumbled upon something that held Zhou Huan's interest, or something he was determined to resolve out of anger. Zhou Huan then said, "Bingyuan understands me best.

Let's go take a look. If we can help resolve an old grievance, we will. If not, consider it practice; otherwise, if I don't use the Art of the Death Master for too long, I'll forget most of it." "Master, will our magical powers be sufficient?" Shi Bingyuan still worried whether their capabilities could handle this situation effectively.

If they could resolve it with words, that would be ideal, but he dreaded a confrontation requiring brute force suppression, as that would prove troublesome. Zhou Huan insisted firmly: "This must be dealt with. When I, Zhou Huan, get angry, not dealing with it leaves me profoundly uncomfortable.

Moreover, this is the first time I've encountered a Blood Soul—that's truly rare. My records are all based on ancient techniques derived from corpse arts. This time, I must try my hand at it personally."