Chapter 18: Evil Ghosts and the Jade Buddha

The Human World

The Human World

Waking up from his cultivation, Qin Sang couldn't help but smile, unable to hide the joy in his heart.

He raised his arm, examining and squeezing it. It seemed no different from before; he couldn't discern what benefits this breakthrough had brought him.

He channeled some qi to his fingers. A moment later, a faint, hazy blue aura subtly appeared on them.

Is this what Bai Jianglan meant by 'qi emission'?

Curious, Qin Sang attempted to gather the aura into a sword shape but found he couldn't. Unwilling to give up, he suddenly thrust his finger at the nearby bamboo table. With a 'thud', not only did he fail to pierce the table, but a sharp, piercing pain shot through his fingertip.

"Oh, right," Qin Sang exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "I almost forgot about the Yama Banner!"

Qin Sang quickly pulled open his outer garment, untied the cloth strip wrapped around his chest, and took out the items hidden within. He set the other objects aside and took the Yama Banner into his hand.

This small banner exuded an eerie aura and was the black-robed man's weapon. For an entire year, Qin Sang had restrained himself from experimenting with it, not daring to defy the instructions of the "Underworld Scripture."

Now that Qin Sang had broken through to the second layer, according to the cultivation method, he could control the Yama Banner.

Qin Sang held the banner, examining it repeatedly. Thinking of the mummified corpse, he felt a pang of hesitation.

The ghost depicted on the banner's surface was vividly lifelike, as if it could leap out at any moment. Even if it was a cultivator's weapon, it might still be a demonic or evil artifact.

But he had already cultivated a demonic fiend's technique; wasn't it a bit late to worry about such things now?

Qin Sang secretly steeled himself, made up his mind, and gripped the Yama Banner with both hands.

Following the steps written in the book, he circulated his cultivation method, channeling the qi in his body into his meridians, guiding it to converge in his palm, and finally directing it into the Yama Banner.

Qin Sang stared intently at the Yama Banner, his heart pounding with tension.

A hazy blue aura enveloped the Yama Banner. The pitch-black banner suddenly flickered, and the ghost depicted on it also seemed to stir. Qin Sang wondered if he was seeing things.

The next moment, this hazy aura suddenly pulsed and was then instantly swallowed whole by the Yama Banner.

Immediately afterward, an incredibly powerful suction force emanated from the Yama Banner, and the remaining qi in Qin Sang's dantian surged out frantically.

Qin Sang's face turned pale with alarm. He tried to reclaim the qi but found it utterly futile. In his panic, he violently shook his hand, but the Yama Banner remained firmly adhered to his palm, as if glued.

Powerlessly watching the qi he had painstakingly cultivated being completely drained by the Yama Banner, Qin Sang felt like crying but had no tears.

Just then, another anomaly occurred.

The Yama Banner began to move on its own, its surface fluttering. The ghost depicted on it, facing Qin Sang, actually blinked an eye, its mouth twisting into a sinister grin, and abruptly lunged from the banner's surface.

Qin Sang had never witnessed such a terrifying sight. He screamed in terror but had nowhere to hide, watching helplessly as the horrific ghost lunged at his face.

Qin Sang felt a tremendous force violently strike him. His mind reeled, but he quickly regained consciousness, realizing he was still aware.

"Where is this place? And where is that ghost?"

Qin Sang opened his eyes wide. All around him was boundless darkness; he couldn't see anything.

What kind of place was this?

Had the ghost killed him? Was this the underworld?

Qin Sang was incredibly puzzled. He looked down and was startled to find his body had shrunk to the size of a palm. His entire form was transparent, faintly shimmering with blue light, and enveloped by a layer of faint yellow light, making him appear like a glowing orb from the outside.

How had he become like this? Was this his soul?

Where had the ghost gone?

Qin Sang widened his eyes. He lifted his transparent legs and feet, intending to take a step, but instead suddenly flew a great distance.

Just then, he suddenly heard a terrifying roar from the depths of the darkness. He looked up and saw a black shadow flying out from the gloom—it was the ghost!

The ghost was much larger than Qin Sang. Its blood-red eyes stared fixedly at him, filled with greed, and it lunged towards him with astonishing speed and menacing ferocity.

Based purely on the size comparison, Qin Sang felt utterly weak. Seeing the ghost pursue him, he was overwhelmed with terror, fleeing like a headless fly.

His speed, however, was far too slow compared to the ghost's, and he was easily caught.

"Whoosh!"

The ghost moved like wind, blocking Qin Sang in the blink of an eye. It grinned sinisterly, its gaping, blood-red maw opening, about to swallow Qin Sang whole.

Qin Sang's face was filled with despair.

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang was about to be swallowed by the ghost, the layer of yellow light outside his soul suddenly emitted boundless radiance. Within the rich, golden-yellow Buddhist light, a Buddha statue materialized.

The Buddha statue, with one arm broken off, sat in the lotus position, its gaze lowered. Buddhist light radiated outwards, and the tiny Qin Sang was nestled within the statue's form.

"Amitabha!"

A grand Buddhist mantra echoed in Qin Sang's mind, like the resounding clang of a great bell. Stunned, Qin Sang opened his mouth.

While the Buddha statue remained motionless, the ghost's face was filled with terror, as if it had encountered its natural enemy. It turned and fled, not a shred of its arrogant demeanor remaining.

This... wasn't this the jade Buddha from his previous life?

Qin Sang paid no attention to the fleeing ghost. Instead, he gazed at the broken arm of the Buddha statue, a huge wave of emotion surging in his heart. How could he possibly forget the jade Buddha he had worn for thirty years in his previous life, the last thing he saw before he died?

The jade Buddha was a family heirloom from his mother's side, already flawed with a broken arm, the location of which was identical to that on the statue.

Qin Sang had thought he was a wandering spirit, adrift in this world, but he never expected the jade Buddha to follow him in this form and even save his life.

"Mom... Dad..."

Qin Sang cupped his face in his hands and cried aloud for the first time, yet no tears came.

After his outburst, Qin Sang quickly calmed down, pondering his situation. Surrounded by boundless darkness in all directions, he couldn't help but feel bewildered.

"The jade Buddha saved me. I might not be dead. Could this be inside my body? How can I get out? The ghost is still outside; does it still want to eat me?"

Unexpectedly, the moment Qin Sang thought about leaving, he felt a sudden daze, and then his vision drastically changed, with his familiar room appearing before him.

Qin Sang's heart tightened. He found he was still clutching the Yama Banner and quickly threw it far away. His gaze shifted, and he spotted a black shadow in the corner of the room—it was the ghost.

The ghost was huddled in the corner, looking timidly at Qin Sang, its face filled with intense fear, and trembling.

Qin Sang's body was somewhat stiff, but seeing the ghost in this state, the fear in his heart diminished considerably.

"It's afraid of the jade Buddha."

"The jade Buddha is inside me, fused with my soul, so it's afraid of me too."

"Can I command it, or control it?"

Qin Sang was pondering these thoughts, just about to speak, when suddenly there was a 'thump thump' knocking sound from outside his room door, followed by Old Wu's inquiring murmurs.

His earlier hysterical scream had probably woken Old Wu.

With so many secrets, he absolutely could not open the door.

"I..."

Qin Sang quickly shifted his thoughts. Just as he was about to explain, he caught sight of the ghost suddenly lunging into the bamboo wall and secretly cursed.