Free Web NovelChapter 494: Chapter 428: The Cost
The Mirror Ghost struck down by the Human Bone Staff proved to be tougher than Yang Xiao had imagined; it recovered in less than half a second and sprang towards the nearest door, using the momentum to get up.
In this time, Yang Xiao’s mastery over the Resentful Eye had grown more proficient, almost instantly, the Human Bone Staff transformed into the Ghost Duster, murderous intent surged within him as he swiped with the duster, the entire attack sequence smooth and fluid as his body lunged forward simultaneously.
This time, the Mirror Ghost wasn’t so lucky. Struck in midair, a formidable force ripped the ghost’s legs apart in the blink of an eye, shattering flesh, bone, and sinew into a disgusting conglomeration of tissues, evenly splattered across the floor and half the wall.
However, this strike hadn’t hit the Mirror Ghost’s vital points. The upper half of its body collided with the door, and in the next second, the door that was originally locked was unexpectedly burst open. By the time Yang Xiao rushed over, the door had just "bang" closed.
Yang Xiao lifted his leg and kicked the door hard twice. Unexpectedly, the door, which looked incredibly sturdy, was kicked open by him. The room was dark and quiet without any lights on, and he didn’t rush in recklessly. A quick scan of the area revealed something off about the room. frёewebnoѵēl.com
With the dim light in the hallway, he noticed that the floor in the room was not the wooden floor of the apartment, but a black and gray, aged cement floor.
Yang Xiao’s expression instantly turned sour, as he had a hunch about what was happening. As the light from the Ghost Lantern spread out from his hand, the view in front of him changed drastically. A figure, bloated with decay and oozing slimy corpse fluid, blocked the doorway, its hefty body fitting snugly in the doorframe, with a thin hemp rope hanging across its chest.
The rope was empty, but Yang Xiao knew there had once hung an antique bronze key on it.
And now, the Mirror Ghost had taken that key.
Everything made sense now—it was no wonder the creature had fled so quickly, having unlocked several locked doors in succession.
With such a delay, the Mirror Ghost surely must have escaped. Yang Xiao returned to the bedroom reluctantly, only to see the closet doors wide open, with two of the several Silver Boxes inside pried apart. One of them, wrapped around a glass, had its red cloth torn off and tossed aside—a bait that Yang Xiao had set up.
The other Silver Box was empty, but Yang Xiao knew that it once contained a key that he had snatched from Wu Peide after killing him. That key could open any door, and it was this very key that enabled the Mirror Ghost to escape.
The mission had failed, but it wasn’t all for naught—at least he had seriously injured the Mirror Ghost and incapacitated its legs. Therefore, it would not dare to trouble him for some time.
Recalling the figure in the hallway that mirrored his own, Yang Xiao felt a momentary daze. Attacking his own image with the Ghost Duster was indeed a curious experience.
In any case, he was finally going to get some sound sleep, but contrary to his wishes, Yang Xiao did not have a peaceful night. He dreamed that the Mirror Ghost crawled out of the mirror while he was fast asleep, saw in hand, sawing at his legs while crying that Yang Xiao owed it a pair of legs.
The next morning, Yang Xiao sent a message to Nalan Shuo, asking to see Lu Youdao again that night for some crucial advice.
About half an hour later, while he was having breakfast, he received Nalan Shuo’s reply, which consisted of one word: Yes.
He spent the day in a daze, pondering over the problem of the Mirror Ghost, and in the evening, he met Lu Youdao again at the training field. He told Lu Youdao exactly what had happened the night before, of course, omitting the details about the key.
To Yang Xiao’s surprise, Lu Youdao simply nodded faintly after listening, "It’s expected. If the Mirror Ghost were that easy to deal with, the Head of the Wounded Door would have seized the Soul-Capturing Mirror for his own long ago. It wouldn’t have been your turn to pick up such a bargain."
"Injuring it is already excellent. You’ve bought yourself some time. Next, you need to consider how to completely resolve it." Lu Youdao lifted his heavy eyelids to look at Yang Xiao, "What do you plan to do?"
"The Confucian Institute—you’re aware of it, right?" After a moment’s thought, Yang Xiao still decided to reveal his relationship with Yang Cha and mentioned the Sutra Pavilion.
Upon hearing this, the look in Lu Youdao’s eyes became intense once more, "Impressive. I didn’t expect you to have such an extraordinary encounter. As one of the top three academies, the Confucian Institute is a coveted place of study that countless students dream of attending. It is said that their selection criteria are extremely strict, with a preference for talent over hard work. Each year, aside from the slots filled by talent from the three established powers—the Patrol Defense Bureau, the United Federation, and the Chamber of Commerce—most of the remaining places are divided among several large powers, leaving very limited slots for Loose Cultivators."
"Thanks to the reputation of the Confucian Institute, the Yang Family of Yun Qi City holds significant renown in the world of martial arts as well. I’ve heard that in the territory of Yun Qi City, the Yang Family holds more sway than the Patrol Defense Bureau, or even the United Federation and Chamber of Commerce."
"Of course, aside from educating students, their library is also remarkable. It’s said to contain countless tomes, including many hidden classics and secrets that have been lost to the martial world for ages. There, you might indeed find a way to solve the problem with the Mirror Ghost."
Lu Youdao’s words gave Yang Xiao hope, but what really worried him at the moment were the treasures he possessed. After all, these items were not meant to be seen in the light of day, and if he got into a fight with others, he feared being exposed. It could not only involve his friends but might cost him his life as well.
"You’re overthinking it. The Yang Family has stood firm for many years, and they certainly have their reasons. They conduct two types of competitions: open and secret ones."
"As the name suggests, the open competition involves the contestants entering the Martial Training Field or the Appointing Generals Platform for a fair fight, with only a few qualified judges present besides the competitors. The rest are strictly forbidden from watching. Since it’s semi-public, neither side will go for the kill, and the fight usually ends when a point is made, just enough to determine the winner."
"Compared to the open competition, the secret competition has many more nuances. Inside the Confucian Institute lies a secluded place called the Contemplation Pavilion. To put it simply, it’s a place with an eerie atmosphere, concealing a very special Resentful Eye. Once you enter this place, you’ll be trapped in an isolated space, cut off from the world."
"No matter what happens inside, those outside cannot know. The most mysterious part is that after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the door will automatically open. As long as the person inside is still alive, they will leave unharmed and their memories from within the Contemplation Pavilion during that time will be erased,"
The more Yang Xiao listened, the more familiar it felt. This strange sense of familiarity alarmed him, "How... how does this share the same ingenuity as the Nightmare World?"
"There are some similarities, which is why this Contemplation Pavilion is also known in the streets as the ’Palm-sized Nightmare, the Human World in Inches,’" Lu Youdao said with a stern expression. "However, since there is no one to witness the fight, the combat inside does not abide by any rules of fairness or morality, and solely depends on the level of skill. The brutality is far beyond what most people can imagine. The moment one steps in, it becomes a fight to the death."
"It is a test of one’s strength and a determination of life and death," Yang Xiao thought of his battles with the members of the Yu Yuan Sect.
"That’s right," Lu Youdao nodded and explained, "However, precisely because of its secrecy, it attracts many powerful individuals who do not wish to reveal their identities. If you want to compete, this is the only path you can take."
"But I must remind you, those who dare to participate in the dark tournament either have special identities or carry valuable treasures. They are not to be taken lightly."
Yang Xiao understood this all too well, but at this point, he had no other options, "It seems there’s no other choice."
Yet, Lu Youdao shook his head, his expression odd as he spoke, "No, if you’re afraid of dying, there are still two other ways I can offer you that will ensure your survival and permanently rid you of the Mirror Ghost’s torment."
Yang Xiao’s eyes lit up, his spirits lifted, as he grabbed Lu Youdao’s hand eagerly, "Afraid, I’m very afraid, I’m most afraid of dying, Mr. Lu, save me!"
Even Lu Youdao was taken aback by Yang Xiao’s reaction, and he pulled his hand away with a cold face, "Listen well, the first way is for you to castrate yourself as an act of repentance and join the Black Buddha Mother Sect. Within the doctrines of the Black Buddha Mother Sect, no matter the sin committed, as long as one is willing to castrate themselves in penance, they will receive the forgiveness of the Black Buddha Mother, who will use her supreme powers to transform you."
"I choose the second option," Yang Xiao immediately refused.
"The second method is more complicated. It involves extracting the Soul-Capturing Mirror from your body permanently. After that, it will no longer be yours," Lu Youdao’s voice grew increasingly hoarse.
"That... that’s possible?" Stunned for a moment, Yang Xiao’s pitch rose sharply. This was beyond his comprehension—everyone had told him before that the only way to rid oneself of the Resentful Eye was through death. Similarly, the only way to take another’s Resentful Eye was through murder and plunder.
Lu Youdao slowly nodded his head, staring intently at Yang Xiao with those murky eyes, his voice rigid and devoid of any emotion:
"It is possible, but you must pay a price—are you willing?"
Yang Xiao subconsciously swallowed, "What price?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Youdao twisted his left hand and pointed to his own disfigured face, "Become like me."
Upon hearing this, chills ran down Yang Xiao’s spine; he could hardly believe that Lu Youdao had ended up looking like a ghost because of this!
"You... you extracted your own Resentful Eye?!" Yang Xiao exclaimed in shock, unconsciously repeating the strange word, but even he did not realize it.
"Yes," Lu Youdao’s expression remained stiff, "Are you willing?"
Being stared at by Lu Youdao’s eyes, in that instant, Yang Xiao felt a strong surge of danger instinctively and subconsciously reached for his backpack behind him. He kept his Underworld Robe in the bag.
But in the next second, Lu Youdao averted his gaze, his usually cold face unnervingly breaking into a smile, though the smile was more frightening than a cry. Yang Xiao had not responded, but his actions had already spoken volumes.
"Did I scare you?" Lu Youdao grinned, his acid-corroded face twitching with the effort. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Yang Xiao steadied his heart and tried to return a semblance of a smile, "Not at all, I know you were joking."
"Then what is your right hand doing?" Lu Youdao asked with a smirk.
"I... I have a sore back and was just moving it around a bit," Yang Xiao replied, his hand retreating awkwardly as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Lu Youdao tried his best to straighten his hunched body and sighed softly, "Young man, I was not joking just now. One day you may understand that cutting ties with those things is far better than a living death."
