Before the shattered statue of the mountain deity, a ghostly envoy exuding a chilling aura stood with its back to us. It was unlike any malevolent spirit I had seen before—no, even the most fearsome ghosts I’d encountered couldn’t compare to a tenth of its presence. The overwhelming pressure it radiated was incomparable to the ordinary fiends outside.
It had no head—or rather, its neck lacked the part that should have been there. Instead, it cradled its own severed head at its waist.
I noticed my master secretly drawing a talisman in his palm. I couldn’t help but admire him—he actually intended to fight a ghostly envoy? But never mind that. If he made a move, I’d follow suit. What kind of punishment would I face in the afterlife for assaulting an envoy? Probably something legendary. The thought even made me a little eager.
The envoy slowly turned around, its waist-held head contorted in a grotesque snarl.
"Was it you who detained the malevolent spirits, Xuanqing Division?" Its upturned eyes glared viciously at my master.
Someone stepped forward from beside me—Master Liao.
He forced a smile. "Envoy, this is all a misunderstanding."
The envoy’s tone turned mocking. "A misunderstanding? Someone reported that your Xuanqing Division abuses its power. I don’t care about your living world affairs, but forcibly seizing evil spirits and obstructing their judgment—that’s another matter."
It let out a low, threatening hum.
I agreed with my master—this wasn’t right. Others might not know, but at the very least, my master owed them nothing.
Yet, to my surprise, my master suddenly relaxed and turned to us. "Go outside. I’ll talk to it alone."
Second Brother stood frozen until Master kicked him, sending him grumbling out the door. The rest of us followed.
We waited outside the temple, straining to hear the commotion within—first the envoy’s accusations, then… the sound of a beating? Amidst the startled cries of the spirits, we all rushed back toward the entrance. But when we pushed the door open, all we saw was the envoy fleeing in panic and Master dusting off his hands.
"Fang Zhiyi, have you lost your mind?" A square-faced man stepped forward, disbelief written across his face. "You just attacked a ghostly envoy?"
The woman with a high ponytail, however, scrutinized Master. "I never realized you were this strong. You actually drove it off?"
Old Yan’s hands trembled slightly before he finally spoke. "Master Liao, take them and leave. I’ll stay."
The girl supporting him protested, "Grandfather—"
Old Yan raised a hand to silence her. "I, Yan Zhenghe, have spent my life subduing ghosts and accumulating virtue. My time is already short. Let me bear the consequences for you." His voice carried resolve.
Master chuckled, clapping his hands. "Old Yan, don’t worry. If they come again, I’ll beat them again."
"Fang, I know what you’re trying to do, but it’s impossible. To outsiders, the Xuanqing Division is formidable, but we know the truth—it’s no different from a curse. You…" Old Yan glanced at us, "You even have disciples now. Don’t act recklessly."
But before he could finish, the temple filled with swirling black mist. A dark fissure split the wall, and a ghost clad in ancient scholar’s robes stepped out, followed by the headless envoy from before.
Old Yan paled. "Judge of the Underworld… Today’s incident was entirely my—"
The Judge ignored him, instantly appearing inches from Master’s face.
Tension thickened the air. Eldest Sister brandished her coin sword, Second Brother’s fingertips crackled with electricity, Third Brother cracked his knuckles and pulled out a command flag from his back pocket. I fumbled around my person, embarrassed—I didn’t have anything particularly impressive.
"All of you, leave," Master said, unflinching before the Judge.
"Master, not this time," Eldest Sister refused for the first time.
The others from Xuanqing Division hesitated only briefly before adopting a defiant stance.
"Tch. I wanted to spare you some dignity, but fine." Master smirked at the Judge.
A flicker of surprise crossed the Judge’s face—right before Master kicked him.
"Think being a Judge makes you untouchable? Bai Jingtian, have you grown tired of living?"
I froze. Everyone froze. The headless envoy clutched its own head, watching from the sidelines, ducking occasionally as if afraid Master’s blows might land on it. Its expression was a mix of grimacing and gleeful schadenfreude.
"Ahem, let’s go." Eldest Sister nudged me. I snapped out of it—Master seemed to know this Judge, and they were… familiar? But standing around watching him get beaten felt wrong. What if the guy held a grudge later?
We waited outside with the Xuanqing Division elders all night, listening to the sounds of shouting, hushed arguments, and unfamiliar voices repeating the same cycle.
Even through the door, we could feel the oppressive aura radiating from the underworld deities inside.
Just who was Master? The question gnawed at me again.
At dawn, Master emerged, dusting off his robes, looking more at ease than when we’d arrived. He sent us to a town dozens of miles away to buy groceries, then cook upon our return.
No matter who asked, he only smiled and said nothing.
We stayed on the mountain until dusk, when the temple doors swung open from within. Two ghostly envoys stepped out, ushering the waiting spirits inside like foot-massage parlor attendants.
The spirits hesitated, looking to Master first. The envoys weren’t surprised—only when Master nodded did they file in. I spotted Jing Tian and Sister Hong among them, a pang of melancholy hitting me.
"Without reincarnation, they’ll fade into wandering souls, then vanish entirely," Second Brother consoled me.
Third Brother teased, "What, did you fall for one of them?"
I stayed silent.
Truthfully, I’d considered it—Sister Hong or Jing Tian—but ultimately decided my backside was more important. Master had a fondness for kicking people there.
Once the spirits were taken away, Master gestured to a female ghost with a floral hairpin standing by the door, then led us away—dragging along Old Yan, who wheezed after just a few steps.
But we weren’t heading home. We went north instead.
Three days later, I took part in the most significant battle of my life. Master brought us before an imposing high-rise, then proceeded to beat up the security guards.
"Don’t worry. Old Yan’s already set up the formation," he said.
Master Liao revealed his true skills for the first time, effortlessly subduing the zombie guards. Though he mentioned they’d need proper disposal back at headquarters.
We advanced floor by floor, like levels in a video game. With the Xuanqing Division veterans leading, we barely had to lift a finger.