Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

“How did you figure out he was a painted skin ghost?” Peach Blossom Leaf asked a question that Steward Zhang never learned the answer to before his death.

Lu Yang, tidying up the remnants of the battle, swept the painted skin ghost’s ashes into a small pile, and Peach Blossom Leaf instinctively caught them with a dustpan.

“It’s simple, just think about what the parrot said. ‘Who are you, where is Steward Zhang?’”

“After meeting Shang Yuan, she deliberately drove us away, warning us to stay away from the Shang family.”

“This meant the current Steward Zhang was no longer the person Shang Yuan knew and was extremely dangerous.”

“There are three possibilities for Steward Zhang’s identity switch.”

“First, his body could have been possessed. But why would a spirit possessing someone linger in the Shang family for so long? If it were me, I’d leave Tai Ping Village immediately after possession and find a good place for cultivation. Plus, Steward Zhang’s talent isn’t remarkable; it would be better to possess the head of the Shang family instead.”

“Second, someone could have disguised as Steward Zhang. But that doesn’t make sense either. The Shang family doesn’t have anything valuable, so why bother? Is it some weird fetish? Even if they had valuables, why not just steal them directly? With his Foundation Building late-stage cultivation, he could easily rob Tai Ping Village.”

“The third possibility is a painted skin ghost, who loves collecting human skin and disguising as humans, blending in with them.”

“Painted skin ghosts were once humans and became ghosts after death. They belong to a type of ghost cultivators, most of whom suffer from psychological disorders.”

“For instance, painted skin ghosts abhor being exposed. They try to convince themselves that they are human, speaking and acting like one, until they grow tired and change to a new skin, starting a new identity. This cycle repeats.”

Lu Yang’s explanation was logical, leaving Peach Blossom Leaf in awe, far removed from the impression of the timid Lu Yang on the flying boat.

“Collect the ashes; this is our proof of completing the mission.” Lu Yang took out a white porcelain jar, about two palms high, and carefully stored the ashes of the painted skin ghost.

The painted skin ghost was an extension of their mission, part of the task. Defeating it would surely grant a higher reward than simply finding the parrot.

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Sounds of running approached the room from outside, stopping at the door as if several people, awakened from sleep, came to check on the situation but dared not enter.

Their identities weren’t hard to guess. Lu Yang cheerfully called out, “Head of the Shang family, please come in. The painted skin ghost has been slain; it’s safe here.”

The door swung open with a bang. The head of the Shang family appeared, followed by his wife, daughter, and a dozen servants, all showing relief from having survived a catastrophe.

“Thank you, esteemed cultivators, for eliminating the painted skin ghost and saving the lives of twelve members of the Shang family!” The head of the Shang family knelt down in gratitude, followed by everyone else.

The painted skin ghost, capricious and unpredictable, could have easily killed the entire Shang family once tired of the steward’s identity!

“Where the Head of the Shang family speaks, eliminating demons and defending righteousness is what we, disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, are supposed to do.” Lu Yang, taken aback by the grand gesture, hurriedly helped them up.

“Please forgive us for not being able to detect the painted skin ghost sooner. It was elusive, and I had no idea where it came from.”

“Ever since it disguised itself as Steward Zhang, it forbade us from leaving the Shang house and speaking of it to anyone. Discovery meant certain death!”

As he spoke, Shang Yuan also looked guilty. Her seemingly cold demeanor in her room was an act to urge Lu Yang and Peach Blossom Leaf to leave and avoid danger.

The head of the Shang family continued, “Unfortunately, having retired to the countryside, all my cultivator’s wealth has been converted into gold and jewels, useless to you two. I can’t repay your kindness. Is there anything you need? I’m willing to sell everything to fulfill it.” His offer wasn’t just courtesy but a genuine desire to repay their life-saving grace.

The valuables of the Shang family were nearly worthless in the eyes of the Dao Seeking Sect disciples. However, Lu Yang did have a request.

“I heard you decided to retire from the world of cultivation and turn away from tomb raiding after encountering a life-threatening terror. May I ask what exactly happened then?”

Peach Blossom Leaf looked at the head of the Shang family with interest, intrigued by the story of tomb raiding, life-threatening dangers, horrors, and retirement. It sounded like a tale of great adventure and possibly great opportunity. She loved exploring unknown and mysterious places.

Lu Yang wasn’t as keen on exploring the unknown as Peach Blossom Leaf, but he enjoyed listening to bizarre and extraordinary stories.

The head of the Shang family, Shang Zhongtian, twitched at the corner of his eyes, clearly reluctant to recall that terrifying episode. However, feeling obligated to answer his saviors, he dismissed everyone else, particularly insisting on his daughter Shang Yuan leaving, and began his tale.

“Today’s story must not be told to others.”

Lu Yang and Peach Blossom Leaf nodded in agreement.

Once Shang Zhongtian was sure of their confidentiality, he began to recount the events from thirty years ago.

“Thirty years ago, I, Shang Zhongtian, was somewhat notorious in the Foundation Building tomb raiding circle. Notorious or not, I was disliked by many.” He reminisced about his golden days with a sense of pride.

Lu Yang and Peach Blossom Leaf didn’t quite understand why Shang Zhongtian was so proud of this reputation, not knowing that among tomb raiders, such notoriety indicated exceptional skill.

“My approach to tomb raiding was always cautious. I never touched large tombs or ancient ones. Everyone in this line of work knows the saying: ‘Big tombs have ghosts, ancient tombs have immortals.’”

Here, ‘ghosts’ referred to powerful entities far beyond the likes of painted skin ghosts in the Foundation Building stage.

“As a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, I avoided their tombs. They usually leave little of value behind for their descendants, so there’s nothing worth taking.”

“Tombs of cultivators in the Foundation Building and Golden Core stages are different. They tend to leave some wealth behind, enough to make a fortune for someone like me.”

“Unfortunately, you always get your feet wet if you constantly walk by the river. That time, I thought I was raiding a Golden Core tomb, but it turned out to be a decoy for a Nascent Soul tomb!”

“Our rule is not to dig tombs much beyond our cultivation level. But I was blinded by joy at that time. I thought, with my peak Qi Refining cultivation, I could match a Foundation Builder in speed. Since tomb raiding doesn’t involve combat, I considered myself practically at the Foundation Building level and decided to raid the Nascent Soul tomb.”

“So, I offered incense to my ancestors, seeking their blessings, and started digging the Nascent Soul tomb.”

[To be continued…]

TL Note: Why didn’t the daughter just write down a warning for them? It would have been much safer since he was just outside listening and couldn’t see. Maybe his spirit sense could look inside I’m not sure.