Chapter 53: Huang Daya

A lotus bloomed, and a massive pressure emanated outward, rendering the surroundings incomparably silent.

At this moment, the female ghost slowly opened her eyes.

Her eyeballs were stained with a bloody red, and her pupils were as deep as black holes, making one look upon her with awe and dread.

The female ghost's face was covered with dense black spots, and her skin was wrinkled and withered, resembling an old crone.

The female ghost let out a furious roar and then lunged fiercely toward Yang Xuan.

Her speed was lightning-fast, and in the blink of an eye, she reached Yang Xuan.

However, Yang Xuan did not panic in the slightest.

He reached out his hand, with his index and middle fingers pressed together, and pressed them toward the female ghost's forehead.

The female ghost opened her mouth, revealing two pitch-black, bone-chilling fangs.

Seeing this, in order not to expose his relationship with the Ghost King of the Yellow Springs, Yang Xuan had no choice but to act himself.

Fatty, standing to the side, had already scared himself to the point of wetting his pants.

Yang Xuan's two fingers pressed against the female ghost's forehead.

The female ghost's movements instantly came to an abrupt halt, as if she had been frozen in place.

"Crack..."

The next moment, a fine fracture directly split across the female ghost's face.

A trace of scarlet blood oozed out.

Immediately afterward, the female ghost let out a miserable wriek and collapsed to the ground.

"Who are you? Why meddle in unrelated matters?"

Yang Xuan merely looked indifferently at the female ghost. "If I'm not mistaken, you must be Huang Erya's older sister."

"My purpose in coming here is simply to uncover the truth and grant Huang Erya passage to the afterlife. If you sisters still wish to enter the cycle of reincarnation, I advise you best not to act rashly."

"Otherwise, after today, Huang Erya will be left here forever to keep you company."

Yang Xuan's words were filled with unquestionable overbearing authority.

Lying on the ground, the female ghost stared at Yang Xuan with bloodshot eyes.

"Just what kind of person are you, and why do you know my identity?" the female ghost said with utmost resentment.

Yang Xuan smiled faintly. "I am merely an ordinary Underworld Opera Master."

"An Underworld Opera Master?" The female ghost's expression froze for a moment, and then she muttered to herself, "I didn't expect such a profession to still exist in this era. Truly a rarity."

"An Underworld Opera Master, as the name implies, is a practitioner of esoteric arts dedicated to exorcising ghosts and warding off evil," Yang Xuan explained calmly.

"Heh, I don't care who you are, nor do I care why you are helping the Huang family. You'd better leave this place," the female ghost said through gritted teeth.

"When have I ever needed the consent of a wandering ghost like you to do as I please?"

Yang Xuan shook his head. "If you insist on standing in my way, I'm afraid I'll have to reluctantly send you on your final journey."

The female ghost's expression stiffened, and then she let out a cold snort. "Fine! Then let's see if you have enough strength to make me submit."

The female ghost abruptly rose to her feet and grabbed toward Yang Xuan.

Unflustered, Yang Xuan flicked his wrist, and an ancient copper coin materialized in his palm.

The copper coin fell, striking the center of the female ghost's brow square and true. The female ghost let out a muffled groan and once again collapsed limply to the ground.

Yang Xuan stepped forward, pinched the female ghost's neck between two fingers, and hoisted her into the air.

The female ghost struggled frantically, yet she remained utterly unable to escape Yang Xuan's control.

"Well? Are you willing to tell me everything now?" Yang Xuan asked indifferently.

After falling silent for a moment, the female ghost gritted her teeth and said, "I am indeed Huang Erya's sister."

"After I died, my lingering resentment was too heavy, so I turned into a fierce ghost and have been trapped in this place ever since."

Yang Xuan nodded. It seemed the female ghost's death indeed had a hidden story behind it.

"How did you die?" Yang Xuan continued to ask.

"My corpse is buried deep within the forest at the peak of the mountain, where it has lain for a long time," the female ghost said with bitter melancholy.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Yang Xuan instantly grew interested.

Taking Fatty with him, he headed straight for the forest at the summit of the mountain.

Before long, Yang Xuan and his companion arrived at the outer perimeter of the mountain peak's forest.

The moment they stepped into the forest, a wave of biting cold rushed toward their faces.

"Hiss..."

Yang Xuan drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

Although he was not afraid of the cold, this particular chill caused him to feel a piercing, bone-deep pain.

Looking up, he saw that the entire forest was shrouded in a hazy mist, making it impossible to see the scenery within.

Moreover, Yang Xuan could sense that this mist contained extremely dense resentment and deathly aura.

Fatty clearly sensed that something was amiss as well, and he cowered behind Yang Xuan.

"Things don't seem simple in here," Yang Xuan said, narrowing his eyes. "I have a lingering feeling that something is hidden inside."

"No matter, I have to go in and take a look. What if I can find some treasure?"

Just as Yang Xuan finished speaking, his footsteps abruptly halted, and he stared in a certain direction with a dumbfounded expression.

From that direction, faint sounds of an infant crying were drifting over.

The cries of the infant were exceptionally wretched, enough to make one's hair stand on end.

"Could... could there be people in there?"

Yang Xuan swallowed hard, then took a step forward into the thick fog.

Seeing this, Fatty hesitated for a few seconds before ultimately following behind him.

As Yang Xuan walked into the fog, an instantly terrifying and bizarre scene unfolded before his eyes.

Spread across the ground before him were dense, countless skeletal remains, scattered everywhere.

Maggots crawled all over their bones, emitting a foul stench.

Every single skeleton was plastered with yellow talisman papers, and it seemed Huang Daya's corpse should be among them, though its whereabouts were currently unknown.

"Wuwuwu..."

Suddenly, a strange sound of weeping echoed through the surroundings, as if it originated from the depths of the nine nether hells, chilling one to the marrow.

"A ghost..." Fatty was terrified, trembling uncontrollably as he hid behind Yang Xuan.

Frowning, Yang Xuan swept his gaze across the surroundings.

"Why would these wandering ghosts gather together in one place? Could it be..."

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Yang Xuan's mind. "Could it be because of this female ghost?"

"Since she is Huang Erya's sister, all these wandering spirits recognize her and take orders from her, which is why this horrifying scene has formed?"

At this thought, Yang Xuan turned his gaze to the female ghost and said in a deep voice, "These wandering spirits arose because of you. Do you have a way to make them disperse?"

"I long ago severed all ties with this group of evil obstacles. How could I possibly make them disappear?" the female ghost said through clenched teeth.

"Then how do you plan to handle this matter?" Yang Xuan asked.

The female ghost spoke in a low voice, "I hope you will spare my sister. From now on, I will never come to harass anyone in the Huang family again."

"Why should I believe you?" Yang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"I can swear upon my soul! If I break this oath, let heavens strike me down and earth shatter me!"

"Very well, since you say so, I shall trust you for now."

Yang Xuan gently waved his sleeve, and a wisp of clear breeze swept past, instantly scattering the wronged spirits into nothingness.

As the numerous ghosts gradually faded away, the white mist that had originally filled the forest also slowly dissipated.

"Thank you."

Once all the ghosts had completely vanished, the female ghost cupped her hands in a bow of gratitude toward Yang Xuan, then drifted swiftly away.

Yang Xuan sighed softly.

He had not expected Huang Erya to have such a pitiful sister.

However, since he had made a promise regarding Huang Daya, Yang Xuan naturally would not break his word, so he prepared to head back to the village.

Yet, just as he walked a short distance away, his expression suddenly shifted drastically, and he quickly crouched down, hiding behind a large tree.