Chapter 4: The Wandering Specter and the Ghost Bride

Then, an unsightly creature materialized, its form vaguely human, yet possessing dark, swarthy skin, eyes like pools of blood, and ten sharply pointed fingers.

Its expression, particularly grotesque and terrifying in that moment, was enough to curdle the blood and send anyone’s last meal surging back up their throat.

This, then, was a ‘Guīwù’ (TL Note: A malevolent supernatural entity), one of the many lurking in the dark corners of this world.

Not all Guīwù, of course, were quite so hideous.

For instance, Xia Zhiquiu had once encountered a hanged female ghost who, apart from the bruises on her neck and the typical spectral characteristics, was actually quite beautiful.

Regarding this particular entity, Xia Zhiquiu felt a chill of revulsion in her heart, her sole desire to swiftly dispatch it.

Upon seeing the woman who had wounded it, the Guīwù roared, its emotions growing increasingly agitated, even to the point of drooling from its maw.

In its former life, it had died by falling after peeping at a woman bathing, so its obsessive infatuation with beautiful women was undeniable.

Now, faced with a woman of such exquisite beauty and figure, how could it not be stirred to a frenzy?

Thus, in the next instant, it exhaled a cloud of black miasma and lunged at Xia Zhiquiu.

Witnessing this, Xia Zhiquiu’s eyes hardened, and without a hint of fear, she raised her combat blade, meeting its charge head-on.

Although she was currently only an F-rank Ability User, dealing with a ‘Wandering Specter’ (TL Note: The lowest rank of Guīwù) like this was well within her capabilities.

It was also worth noting that Wandering Specters could not actively attack humans; they could only resort to various means of frightening ordinary people.

Only if one attacked them first, breaking this inherent restriction, could they then retaliate.

Above the Wandering Specter rank were ‘Vengeful Specters,’ followed by ‘Malevolent Specters,’ ‘Fiendish Specters,’ ‘Guīshà’ (TL Note: A powerful class of Guīwù), ‘Guī Jiàng’ (TL Note: Guī Generals, also known as Guī Commanders), and so forth.

Each of these realms was further divided into early, mid, and late stages, corresponding respectively to Ability Users from SSS-rank down to F-rank.

Now, after a fierce struggle, Xia Zhiquiu had inflicted numerous wounds upon the Guīwù, its corpse-mottled body beginning to ooze a viscous black liquid, a truly repulsive sight.

Only at this moment did the Guīwù realize that the woman before it was not to be trifled with; it instinctively felt terror and sought to turn and flee.

But how could Xia Zhiquiu possibly allow it to escape? She immediately swung her combat blade with decisive force.

In an instant, the combat blade, etched with special patterns, spun like a gleaming, frigid boomerang, embedding itself directly into the back of the Guīwù’s head.

With that, the battle drew to a close; this particular Guīwù, never given the chance to fully mature, had been stifled in its Wandering Specter realm.

Its body began to incessantly emit black blood and dark miasma, ultimately dissipating into the world, while a wisp of azure energy simultaneously flowed back into Xia Zhiquiu’s body.

Every Ability User advanced by receiving this feedback from killing Guīwù; thus, to grow stronger, one had to continuously hunt and defeat them.

Once all was settled, and before Xia Zhiquiu could even sigh in relief, a sudden, bone-chilling cold descended, engulfing her surroundings.

Even as alarm bells clamored in Xia Zhiquiu’s mind, her body remained utterly unresponsive, forcing her to watch helplessly as a crimson silhouette drifted closer.

‘Damn it! There’s another Guīwù here, and such a powerful one at that?!’

‘This oppressive force… it must be a Fiendish Specter, at least?!’

Xia Zhiquiu was on the verge of tears, lamenting her fate; had she known such a terrifying entity resided here, she would have sooner died than come.

At that moment, the crimson silhouette floated directly before Xia Zhiquiu, adorned in ancient bridal attire, her head veiled by a red bridal scarf, and her pallid fingers tipped with grotesquely long, vibrant nails.

Xia Zhiquiu finally swung her combat blade, hacking towards the Guīwù before her, even though she knew such an attack would likely prove useless against it.

Yet, Xia Zhiquiu was not one to passively await death; even if she were to perish, she would resist, and to wound her opponent would be an even greater boon.

However, reality quickly proved her optimism unfounded, as her combat blade was effortlessly caught by the ‘Ghost Bride’ (TL Note: A type of Fiendish Specter).

The next moment, a sharp crack!

In an instant, the combat blade shattered into pieces!

Xia Zhiquiu, however, had no time for regret; she watched as the Ghost Bride extended a hand towards her face, her heart already resigned to her imminent demise.

To her surprise, the entity did not kill her; instead, it paused after gently touching her cheek.

Even through the red bridal veil, Xia Zhiquiu somehow perceived a flicker of confusion from the entity?

‘She must be going mad…’

True to form, the Ghost Bride moved in the next moment; having apparently confirmed something, its five fingers converged into sharp talons, lunging towards Xia Zhiquiu’s delicate neck.

Just in this critical, hair-raising moment, a long sword, wreathed in a bloody aura, suddenly descended from the sky, plunging straight into the ground!

Even from a distance, Xia Zhiquiu could feel the purest essence of evil emanating from the hilt of that long sword…

The Ghost Bride’s body stiffened, an unmistakable surge of terror radiating from her; without the slightest hesitation, she simply turned and fled!

Indeed, a formidable Fiendish Specter had fled in such disarray! Who would ever believe it if told?!

However, Xia Zhiquiu’s heart was truly filled with despair; how utterly unlucky could she be, to have just faced a Fiendish Specter, only for an even stronger entity to arrive now!

‘Was she truly destined to die?’

Just as Xia Zhiquiu braced herself for her own demise, to her astonishment, the bloody long sword gradually began to dissipate?

Even so, she dared not move a muscle, remaining frozen until roughly ten minutes had passed, and no further danger manifested; only then did her delicate body go slack, and she collapsed onto the ground.

This caused her already form-fitting clothes to cling even tighter, accentuating her alluring curves to an irresistible degree.

By this point, Xia Zhiquiu was drenched in a fragrant sweat; though it was a cold sweat born of terror, anyone unaware might have imagined she had been…

‘But it seems… she survived?’

In that moment, Xia Zhiquiu felt an overwhelming sense of relief and exhilaration, coupled with a burgeoning curiosity about the owner of that mysterious long sword.

***

Meanwhile, elsewhere, the young man calmly retracted his long sword, his gaze falling upon the alluring, mature woman sprawled on the ground not far away, and a rare impulse stirred within him.

“Hah, my chosen prey is coveted by other things; truly a rare find. Auntie Xia, we’ll meet again soon…”

Having murmured these words, Bai Hao did not linger; he turned and leisurely departed, and as he continued to walk, the streetlights around him seemed to dim considerably.

Only after he had walked a considerable distance did the ambient light return to its normal brilliance.

***

Unaware that she had already become a target, Xia Zhiquiu awkwardly attempted to stand, when suddenly, the beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness.

“Hey, who’s there?”

An elderly man, dressed in a security guard’s uniform, spoke with a slight tremor in his voice, his flashlight beam wavering.

In the dead of night, such commotion suddenly erupting in the residential compound was naturally terrifying, especially with eerie rumors circulating recently.

He had, in fact, undergone a lengthy internal struggle before deciding to emerge from the guard booth to investigate, a testament to his remarkable conscientiousness.