Chapter Ten: The Mute Ghost

Only the fading sunset slipped beneath the sea of clouds.

The twilight at the horizon was swallowed entirely by the coming night.

Countless resentful spirits dormant within the grand courtyard stirred as if sensing a signal, crawling out from shadowed corners—

The dark green compass hidden in her sleeve stirred violently, nearly breaking free from its seal, while the sword sheathed at her side hummed incessantly.

Su Changling fixed her gaze on the courtyard shrouded in ominous energy, slowly tightening the corners of her lips. The large red lantern hanging above the door swayed in the wind, its flickering candlelight casting a harsh, blood-red glow against the white walls.

“Sister Su, what’s wrong?” The little girl, unaware of the ghostly aura now unleashed, gently tugged at Su Changling’s sleeve. To her, the Cheng family courtyard looked as usual, only the sky seemed darker than normal.

A chilling wind swept through the eaves, ruffling her hair and raising goosebumps all over her body.

She shivered, instinctively clutching her clothes tighter, oblivious to how eerily silent the courtyard had become—no breaths, no footsteps, no drunken revelers stumbling home, not even the night watchman outside greeting her.

“Miss Cheng, is your residence far from here?” Su Changling avoided the question and instead posed another.

Cheng Yingsnow blinked in confusion, then hesitantly answered, “Not far.”

“Walk another two or three hundred feet… past the front corridor, then turn and head upstairs—that should be about it.”

“Alright.” Su Changling nodded, then slipped a half-foot peach wood sword into the girl’s arms—a common talisman used on the mountain to ward off evil and comfort new disciples. She usually carried it without much use, but tonight it proved handy.

“Take this and keep moving forward without looking back,” the young woman said, lowering her lashes and awkwardly brushing the girl’s hair as if out of habit. “When you get home, lock all the doors and windows. Don’t come out again tonight.”

“Okay.” Cheng Yingsnow nodded obediently but couldn’t help glancing at the girl with faint worry. “And you? What are you going to do? Will you be all right?”

“Don’t worry. I just plan to… catch a demon,” Su Changling reassured her, her voice softening. “Did you forget? Miss Cheng, I am a cultivator.”

“Cultivators don’t come down the mountain for no reason.”

“So you go back first, young lady. Get a good night’s rest.”

The girl whispered a promise, “I’ll be back after I catch the demon.”

“Good. Then it’s a deal.” Cheng Yingsnow responded lightly and without looking back, stepped onto the corridor.

The dim moonlight stretched her shadow long and slender. Once the girl vanished deep into the passage, Su Changling suddenly raised her hand and struck the air with her sword without warning!

“Clang—”

A sharp metallic ring erupted where the sword met the void. Ripples of sword energy and malevolent aura radiated outward, smashing the illusory calm.

The previously peaceful Cheng family courtyard transformed instantly into a hellish, ghastly realm.

The dark green compass that had slipped from her sleeve now glowed with an eerie jade light. Su Changling stepped onto her flying sword and rose into the air, fixing her gaze on the faint, thin ghost shadow that had just clashed with her blade.

“Can wield a sword, and using the mountain’s sword techniques,” Su Changling muttered, a rare complex emotion flickering across her face. “Were you a cultivator of the Cloudstep Ruins in your life?”

“Hoh… hoh hoh—”

The ghost responded with a series of hoarse, unpleasant sounds, unintelligible syllables that suggested its voice had been poisoned silent before death, now forced out through strained throats like a broken bellows.

“Hoh.” The ghost lowered its hands and let out another rasping sound. Su Changling inexplicably sensed a sharp, mocking smile tugging at its lips.

Had there ever been a cultivator in Cloudstep Ruins who lost their voice in life and became a vengeful spirit, sealed within a ghost pearl after death?

Lost in thought for a moment, Su Changling suddenly swung her sword sharply behind her.

The three-foot green blade, forged from condensed malevolent energy, struck the sword in her hand, and the sword wind whipped her high-bound hair wildly.

Countless small ghosts hidden in the dark clouds clamored, trying to block her sight. Su Changling frowned briefly but did not hesitate to flip out the jade-green compass!

“Hum—”

The floating compass blazed with light, its spectral glow instantly drawing in the hundred ghosts.

The dark cloud of evil aura blocking her vision was torn open in an instant, revealing the thin ghost shadow desperately trying to flee.

Without hesitation, Su Changling released her sword—like a shooting star across the sky—to seal the ghost’s escape route.

“If I let you run off just like that, I’d lose face,” she said with a faint sneer, turning the sword’s tip to strike at the ghost’s vital point.

The vengeful spirit dodged too late and again formed a long sword from condensed malevolent energy.

In moments, the cultivator and the ghost exchanged more than a dozen blows in midair. Su Changling, watching the ghost’s swordsmanship, inwardly shuddered.

From these rounds of swordplay, she was certain: the vengeful spirit’s sword techniques matched her own master’s lineage.

Moreover, its skill was not inferior to hers—perhaps even surpassing her by a great margin.

The reason it had not gained the upper hand was simply that it had been sealed in the ghost pearl for so long, unable to fully recover.

She had better reseal it tonight, or it would become ever harder to handle.

Squinting, Su Changling forced the ghost back into the sword formation she had set and summoned the compass again.

“Hoh… hoh!!” The vengeful spirit screamed mournfully, sensing her intent, and violently rammed headfirst into the circle of sword energy.

The sharp blades shredded its ghostly form, thinning it by two degrees. Without hesitation, the ghost broke free and turned into a black wind, hurtling down toward the courtyard below.

“Seeking death.” Su Changling spat lowly, switching hand seals, chasing the ghost down from the void.

Two shadows—one dark, one pale—pursued each other, darting under the screen wall, stepping onto rooftops, passing through the moon gate.

Since this was a mortal residence, with white walls now suffused with sinister energy, there might still be people sleeping inside.

Landing, Su Changling’s swordplay became far less restrained than before. The ghost, seeming to sense her caution, deliberately led her through hall after hall, finally diving into a desolate courtyard.

What was this place?

Seeing the ruins and broken walls, Su Changling frowned, stepping more cautiously.

As soon as the ghost entered, it vanished completely, like a drop of water swallowed by the sea.

Not only could she no longer sense its aura, but the jade-green compass in her hand also fell utterly silent.

This feeling…