Chapter 197
Chapter 197
Meanwhile, the ghostly qi carrying the baby ghost had already reached Deaf Granny’s little courtyard.
Eighth Master Chang was the most alert of them all.
Without thinking, he roared a line he had heard on television.
“Damn it! Take cover! Enemy attack!”
With a clang, he slapped the black pot-still half full of instant noodles-over his head. Then he coiled his huge tail around Hua Jiunan, Chen Daji, and Deaf Granny and placed all three on his back.
Only Zhao Fei was left behind, standing alone in the wind and questioning his life.
Eighth Master Chang reacted quickly, but Chen Daji was no slower.
Without half a second’s hesitation, the fool punched himself in the nose, drew his oversized slingshot, and prepared to fire.
“What little ghost dares come make trouble at Lord Ji’s home? Watch me shoot you right in your tiny crotch!”
Before Chen Daji could attack, however, the baby ghost let out a terrified shriek.
“Ancestor, don’t-”
It exploded into a cloud of black smoke before it could finish, its body and soul completely annihilated.
The sudden turn left Chen Daji thoroughly confused.
He jumped down from Eighth Master Chang’s back, cautiously walked to the spot where the baby ghost had vanished, and circled it several times.
“What the hell was that supposed to mean? It came all this way just to blow itself up for fun? What, does my house have great feng shui? You die here and get reincarnated faster?”
Before Chen Daji could make sense of it, Hemp-clad Grandmother’s Ghost Sedan descended swiftly into the courtyard.
“Back away, you little brat! Something big is coming!”
Chen Daji did not understand.
“Something big? How big can it be, a Transformer or-”
Before he could finish, Ghost Buddha appeared in the courtyard, bronze-masked and clad in his blood-red robe.
Behind him hovered the enormous Buddha statue weeping tears of blood, as massive as a mountain. Together with the blood moon hanging at an angle and the roaring ghostly qi swirling around him, he looked exactly like a final boss.
Chen Daji’s courage deserted him. With a swish, he hid behind Hemp-clad Grandmother.
“E-E-Eighth Master, I think this thing might be tougher than a Transformer…”
Eighth Master Chang suppressed the urge to flee immediately and glared resentfully at Chen Daji.
“You little bastard, can you stop calling my name when our lives are on the line? You’ll give away my position…”
Hemp-clad Grandmother laughed strangely. Her two Human-skin Lanterns-“Desolation” on the left and “Misery” on the right-rose high as the Ghost Sedan floated up to block Ghost Buddha’s path.
“Little monk, what mountain did you come down from? Didn’t your master teach you that begging for alms at someone else’s home in the middle of the night is very rude?”
The instant Ghost Buddha Faceless heard the word “master,” some of the madness surrounding him faded.
Suppressing his murderous intent, he pressed his palms together.
“Ke… Namo Amitabha Buddha. Greetings, benefactors. This humble monk comes from Jinguang Temple on Cuiyun Mountain. I do not mean to intrude or beg for alms. I seek only to pursue a murderer!”
There were two reasons Ghost Buddha Faceless could suppress his madness.
The first was Hemp-clad Grandmother’s mention of his master. In the deepest part of his obsession, he believed that no matter what became of him, he must never disgrace his teacher.
The second was that he sensed no one in the courtyard was ordinary, least of all Hemp-clad Grandmother and Deaf Granny.
The essence and qi emanating from the two old women closely resembled that of the terrifying Blood Eagle that had descended upon Huimu Mountain-especially that later gaze, which had struck like lightning.
Even remembering it now filled Ghost Buddha Faceless with lingering fear.
Hua Jiunan quietly instructed Eighth Master Chang to protect Deaf Granny, then strode up to Ghost Buddha.
“Great Monk, are you searching for a baby ghost? It did indeed break into my home just now, but it immediately exploded and vanished.”
Hua Jiunan was no fool. The moment Ghost Buddha said he came from Jinguang Temple, Hua Jiunan had already guessed his identity.
Facing such a monstrously powerful being, he had no intention of fighting head-on.
The best outcome would be to send Ghost Buddha away for the moment. If that proved impossible, he would find a way to stall.
Once the great Immortal Spirits returned, even someone as vicious as Ghost Buddha would meet a bitter end on the spot.
After hearing Ghost Buddha’s introduction, Chen Daji slowly edged closer.
“Hey… Bald Brother, you’re from Jinguang Temple? Then do you know Grandpa Kongchan? He comes to my house to mooch meals all the time.”
As he spoke, Chen Daji removed the prayer beads he had “extorted” from around his neck.
“Grandpa Kongchan and I are real close. The old man gave me these collectible beads himself. Oh, right, my dad even treated him to a cigar once. Want to try one?”
Chen Daji turned and shouted toward the house.
“Dad, hurry up and bring out the cigars! We’ve got *qie*!”
(*Qie* is a Northern Lands dialect word meaning “guest.”)
In the side room, Chen Fu lay trembling beneath his blankets.
“…”