After the Golden Crow fell to the west, the deep mountains grew dark even faster, to the point where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face.
The firelight within the ruined temple in the mountains became the only source of light in the darkness, attracting those ghostly beings that could only survive in the abyss, watching covetously and stirring restlessly.
"They're here! Those guys really are here!"
A man's voice was filled with panic and dread.
"Light the fire!" Another voice commanded, and the flames flared up, encircling the entire ruined temple and forming a wall of fire.
Outside the wall of fire, figures emerged from the forest.
They were dressed in the uniforms of bailiffs, and their bodies were covered in numerous sword wounds; any normal person would have long since bled to death.
Yet, these people could still move, their eyes vacant, their mouths stretched into grotesque smiles, as if their lips had been forcibly pulled from their ears, their smiles utterly terrifying.
Like walking corpses, they advanced towards the ruined temple, only to be halted by the wall of fire.
An arrow pierced the air, striking one of the bailiffs in the head. The man's head snapped back at a bizarre angle, accompanied by the cracking sound of dislocated bones. The bailiff still managed to lift his head, a terrifying smile still plastered on his face.
"Enough! How many times do I have to tell you, they are controlled corpses now. Chopping off their heads is useless. Don't waste arrows!"
Situ Jing shouted at the other bailiffs, who were in a panic.
The bailiffs turned pale with fear, not knowing what to do.
They were truly terrified. They had come into the mountains to search for someone, but for no reason, everyone who came with them had become possessed, turning into these neither-human-nor-ghost figures and hunting them.
They were scared, and Situ Jing found it all very unlucky.
He had brought the Black Armored Guards into the mountains to act in secret, not intending to reveal themselves. However, as soon as they entered the mountains, he realized something was wrong.
There were indeed some dirty things that took the opportunity to cause trouble, but he had resolved them all.
Then, those dirty things held a grudge. These bailiffs, lacking any Xuanmen arts, became targets, used as puppets to deal with them.
"Mr. Situ, this can't go on. Those dirty things fear fire, but the corpses do not."
A Black Armored Guard said, watching as the bailiff puppets stepped into the fire, becoming burning corpses that advanced towards them.
Situ Jing's eyes narrowed. He took out a handful of soybeans from his pocket and formed a hand seal, "Xuantian borrows the law, scatter beans to create soldiers!"
He tossed a handful of soybeans into the fire. Instantly, there was a crackling sound. The soybeans transformed into palm-sized figures in the firelight, which quickly darted towards the bailiff puppets.
The next moment, the bailiff puppets let out beast-like shrieks, and one by one, they fell to the ground.
The others breathed a sigh of relief, and the few surviving bailiffs shouted:
"They've fallen! These corpses have fallen!"
"That's great, we're saved!"
However, Situ Jing's expression did not relax. His voice turned stern: "Everyone, be alert. The real ones are coming."
The Black Armored Guards tightened their grip on their sabers. They had dealt with those ghostly fiends before, but apart from catching a tuft of black fur, they had gained nothing.
A few of their brothers had been ambushed and sustained minor injuries.
The speed of those things was not ordinary.
As he spoke, 'figures' appeared outside the wall of fire.
To call them human would be a stretch; their forms were more like apes, covered in black fur, with long arms that reached the ground. They had only one leg and moved forward with a hopping gait.
These creatures all had skulls, large or small, perched on their necks, their scarlet eyes burning with a bloodthirsty light.
As they approached, eerie laughter echoed, sounding like a mix of human and beast, filled with malice.
"What kind of ghost thing is this!"
"It's a Mountain Ghoul!" Situ Jing cursed. "Everyone, find something to block your ears. The Mountain Ghouls' laughter can bewitch the mind. These things are cunning."
The Black Armored Guards were fine; they were all resolute individuals. However, the few surviving bailiffs' eyes had already turned red, and they were about to walk out of the fire circle.
A Black Armored Guard moved to knock these people unconscious, but the Mountain Ghouls' laughter grew louder, drilling into people's ears.
Situ Jing also felt a surge of irritation. These creatures feared fire and dared not approach, so they were trying to affect their minds, making them leave the fire circle to walk into a trap.
A Black Armored Guard drew his bow and shot an arrow, but the Mountain Ghouls were incredibly fast, their movements difficult to track.
Situ Jing cursed again.
The long night had just begun, and it was destined to be a protracted battle.
Situ Jing loudly recited a calming mantra, but how could his single voice contend with the laughter of dozens of Mountain Ghouls?
Seeing that those around him were about to lose their composure, Situ Jing grew anxious.
A woman's voice, like a sharp blade, pierced through the air like tearing silk.
"How interesting. In the middle of the night, are the monkeys on this mountain having a convention?"
The Mountain Ghouls' laughter abruptly ceased.
Situ Jing and the others swayed, subconsciously turning their heads towards the sound.
In the eerie forest, a ghost fire flickered gently. A person carrying a lantern emerged from the woods, their red skirt trailing, appearing as if they had come from the Netherworld, mysterious and enchantingly strange.
Situ Jing subconsciously rubbed his eyes. "Princess Consort?!"
The Black Armored Guards were also stunned.
The Mountain Ghouls, as if discovering fresh prey, let out even more excited shrieks and lunged towards Qing Wu in unison.
"Princess Consort, be careful!"
Situ Jing shouted, and the other Black Armored Guards drew their sabers, ready to charge out of the fire wall.
The next moment, they all froze.
"Scram—"
With just a single, sharp cry, the lunging Mountain Ghouls all knelt down in unison, prostrating themselves on the ground and emitting mournful cries.
Qing Wu's beautiful eyes flashed with anger. "Mere mountain spirits, blessed by heaven to gain sentience, yet instead of cultivating properly, you sow chaos in the Human Realm and kill living beings."
"A bunch of beasts, how dare you!"
The Mountain Ghouls' cries grew more piteous, as if they were enduring some form of torture.
A terrifying aura emanated from the woman.
It was as if the Netherworld had opened its gates behind her. The Black Armored Guards in the distance shivered involuntarily, and Situ Jing's pupils dilated.
Ordinary people might not feel it, but he, being from the Xuanmen, could sense the unusual pressure emanating from Qing Wu.
At this moment, Qing Wu was a completely different person from her usual self.
The Heavenly Official of Yin, who judges good and evil and determines karma.
There was nothing in the world that she could not pass judgment upon.
"Edict: Evil beasts shall be punished and banished to the Demon Netherworld, their souls and spirits severed, subjected to the Blade Mountain for a hundred years, then boiled in oil and branded with hot iron, with no chance of reincarnation."
With a stroke of the Judge's Brush, a blood-red line was drawn in the air, like a chain that reaps evil spirits, sweeping across the necks of the Mountain Ghouls.
All the Mountain Ghouls were decapitated. The next moment, their souls were all collected into the Judge's Brush.
The night wind swept through, gradually weakening the fire wall.
A group of people stared, dumbfounded, their eyes fixed on the woman's enchantingly strange figure, feeling as if they were still dreaming.
Qing Wu kicked aside a Mountain Ghoul's corpse and looked up, her beautiful eyes blinking.
The annoyance and frustration that had filled her chest turned into speechlessness and awkwardness upon seeing Situ Jing and the others.
The corners of her mouth twitched, and she asked a foolish question: "You... why are you here?"
Situ Jing retracted his jaw, which had nearly dislocated, and swallowed. "The Prince was not confident in the Capital Prefecture Magistrate's ability to handle this, so he sent us to help search for Wang Yulang."
"And you, Princess Consort?"
Qing Wu: "..."
The Judge's Brush's gloating voice echoed in her mind: "Oh my, oh my, which heartless bad ghost wrongly accused an innocent person? Oh dear, our carefree Lord A Wu is developing a conscience~"
Qing Wu: "..." Damn conscience, she didn't want it!
Xiao Chenyan, are you sick? Couldn't you just tell the truth? You had to be stubborn?!
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