Chapter 36: Pockmarked Wu

"First, tell me about Wu the Pockmarked, so I can figure out where to find him."

The female ghost's hair fluttered as she sat on the bed. Her voice was low and gravelly. "Wu the Pockmarked’s Taoist name is Mingwu. He lives in Wu Family Gully, Yunhan."

I froze. Wu the Pockmarked was a Taoist practitioner.

Seeing my silence, the ghost said indignantly, "Are you going back on your word?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Big sister, that’s quite a joke you’re playing."

The ghost stood up abruptly, black mist roiling around her entire body. "Hmph! I knew it—none of you practitioners are any good. Even if it means my soul is scattered to the winds, I’ll fight you today!"

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me finish," I said, immediately holding up a hand.

"What else is there to say? Back then, Wu the Pockmarked used honeyed words to swindle me out of my family’s fortune, then sold me to an opium den. No matter what you say today, I won’t be fooled again."

I smiled and replied, "Big sister, I’m not against you taking revenge, but you have to choose a viable target."

The black mist on her body churned as she demanded sharply, "How is it not viable?"

"Think about it. You’re from the Republic of China era. That was seventy or eighty years ago. And that’s not even counting how old he was back then. I’d wager he’s long since dead of old age."

The ghost froze, standing motionless. I continued, "And if he isn't dead, then revenge is even further out of your reach."

"Why!"

"Think about it. He’s a Taoist. Even if he hadn't practiced a day in those seventy or eighty years, just sitting there chanting scriptures would make his cultivation far superior to yours. How could you possibly get revenge?" My words caused the ghost’s spiritual form to fluctuate violently.

Seeing her state, I knew she had regained her reason. I pressed on, "If you’re looking to throw your life away, don’t drag me into it. I’m already short-lived as it is; let me live a few more years."

I figured the ghost’s mind had been clouded by hatred all these years, but my words had finally brought her back to reality.

The ghost’s spirit trembled slightly as she muttered, "How could it have been so long? How could it have been so long? How did I not know so much time had passed?"

I shook my head. This ghost was truly pathetic. Swindled of her wealth and dignity, sold into an opium den, suffering untold torments in life, and unable to reincarnate in death—Wu the Pockmarked was truly ruthless.

I realized that because the ghost didn't even know how long she had been trapped, she must have been suppressed by some artifact or spell, keeping her in a state of complete ignorance. Furthermore, for such a state to evade the detection of the underworld, the perpetrator must have been a fellow practitioner of the craft—and a highly skilled one at that. Even a fledgling like me couldn't fathom how such a thing could be done.

Connecting this to the fact that the Wu family were renowned Taoists, an idea struck me. It had to be the work of the Wu family. Thinking of the Wu family’s history, a chill ran down my spine. They were vicious indeed; not only did they take her wealth and her life, but they also ensured she would never have a chance to rise again.

My brow furrowed. Wu the Pockmarked is surnamed Wu, and Wu Zhuang is also surnamed Wu, and both are Taoists...

I looked directly at Han Cuiyun. "Do you know if Qingyuan is surnamed Wu?"

The ghost was stunned again, staring at me in shock.

I could tell she didn't grasp my implication, so I added, "Wu the Pockmarked and Qingyuan both share the surname Wu, and both are from Yunhan. I’m not sure if they are both from Wu Family Gully, though."

The ghost seemed a bit dull; if I didn't spell it out, she wouldn't get it. I shook my head, looking at her with pity.

The ghost’s spiritual energy began to fluctuate, her face twisted, and her hair began to whip around without a breeze.

"Ah!" The ghost shrieked toward the ceiling, "Wu the Pockmarked! Even after my death, you sent your descendant to deceive me! I will slaughter every last one of you Wu family members!" She finally understood.

Her voice was loud, but I wasn't worried about the people downstairs hearing her. Ghosts belong to the Yin realm; the two worlds operate on different planes. If a ghost doesn't want to be found, a normal person without special means cannot see them at all.

There are exceptions, of course—those who are down on their luck, those who frequently travel at night, or those with heavy Yin energy. But there is another common trigger: extreme shock. As for me, having a Five Elements Yin constitution and ancestral ties to these entities, seeing them is easy.

Still, there was no need to worry. These spirits don't just wander the streets; they only appear in specific environments or places with extreme Yin energy, especially where resentment is deep. Women are often more susceptible to such encounters, so when visiting hospitals or graveyards, it’s best to keep one’s mouth shut and not pick up things that don't belong to you.

"Big sister, with your meager cultivation—you couldn't even suppress Wu Zhuang, who’s just out for his first bit of experience—you’d better give up on these grand ambitions."

I was goading her on purpose. She hadn't been kind to me earlier, and she hadn't shown me any respect. The chance for revenge had come.

The ghost went quiet instantly. She looked at me, and I looked back at her. We just stared at each other. I thought of my grandfather’s words: as long as you’re in the right, don't give in, just fight. I added my own rule: even if you can't win, you can't lose your nerve.

"Huff..." The ghost let out a long sigh. "Kid, you have a sharp tongue. I really want to tear it out."

"You foul woman, you’re so ugly. What did Wu the Pockmarked ever see in you? I don't get it."

The ghost’s hair stood on end. "You little brat! I know I’m not a beauty, but I’m not as ugly as you say!"

Seeing that she was angry but lacked the murderous intent from before, I knew the crisis had passed.

"Ugly is ugly. If you’d had this much self-awareness back then, you wouldn't have ended up in this state."

The ghost froze, standing still. After a long while, she sighed and said, "My name is Han Cuiyun, from Yunhan Prefecture. My family had some assets, but by my generation, we had fallen on hard times. My parents died early, leaving only me. I lived in a daze of excess until the young and handsome Mingwu appeared."

Han Cuiyun stopped, seemingly lost in memory. I stood silently, not interrupting.

After a full three minutes, she sighed and continued, "Mingwu was a man of talent, and his Taoist arts were quite good. I was captivated by his brilliance the moment I saw him."

I chimed in, "Sigh, a woman’s IQ drops to zero in the face of love. Let me guess: another story of a beauty and a wolf."

Han Cuiyun glared at me, her eyes seemingly ready to kill. "Kid, what’s your name? You know, your mouth is truly vicious."

She stared at me, and I didn't flinch. I said calmly, "Fang Yuan, the 'vicious' one."

The ghost was taken aback, then shook her head with a bitter laugh. "Your mouth is indeed sharp, but you hit the nail on the head. Within half a year, his true nature was revealed. He hit me, cursed me, and locked me in the house. They took everything I had. I cried out to the heavens and the earth, but no one answered."

"Who is 'they'? Were there many of them?"