Chapter 39: The Vengeful Spirit in Red

　　There wasn’t just one fierce ghost—there were a whole lot of them. And at the front of the pack was a woman in a blood-red robe. My head buzzed as my master’s warning echoed in my mind: red-robed ghosts are the deadliest of all.

　　But why is a red-robed ghost so terrifying? It goes back to an old legend. In the world of the living, red is a color for joy and celebration. But in the underworld, it means something entirely different.

　　The story goes that if someone dies dressed in red, no spirit guide will come to escort them to the afterlife. They’ll be trapped, never able to move on. It’s not some kind of blessing—it’s a curse, condemning them to wander forever without the chance of reincarnation.

　　There’s another version of the tale, too. Among the gods, only Nüwa, the goddess, wears red. Some believe that people dying in deep despair may choose red robes, hoping to draw on even a sliver of Nüwa's power to reincarnate.

　　None of that mattered right now, though. What mattered was that I’d never faced a red-robed ghost before, and I didn’t know if I could handle it!“Are you the one holding his soul here?” I asked.

　　The red-robed ghost smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Of course! You didn’t think you could overlook that, did you?”

　　“What possible use could his soul be to you? Why are you doing this?” I pressed, trying to understand her motives.

　　“You should be asking his father!” Her smile faded, replaced by a chilling aura that made the air around us feel heavy and cold.

　　“The Dad of Ma Daqiang?” I muttered through clenched teeth.

　　Normally, ghosts don’t mess with people. Humans fear ghosts, and ghosts fear humans—especially those with a strong life force—unless there’s a special reason to engage.

　　This red-robed ghost clearly had a specific target in mind, and it was obvious that Ma Daqiang must have done something to provoke her, resulting in the capture of his son’s soul.

　　“Exactly. And it’s not just his father; Ma Daqiang isn’t exactly an upstanding guy either!” she added, her tone laced with disdain.

　　“Enough of this! I’m here to take Ma Xiaodong with me!” I declared, stepping forward and trying to appear braver than I felt.

　　She let out a cold laugh, mocking my determination. “And you think you can just waltz in and do that?”

　　“Yes, that’s exactly my plan!” I shot back, pulling out a jade pendant from my pocket. It glimmered with a soft, translucent glow, a piece imbued with spiritual energy and blessed for protection.I held the jade pendant up to Ma Xiaodong's spirit and said, "Come on, get in! I’m here to take you away!"

　　Ma Xiaodong hesitated for a moment, glancing fearfully at the red-robed ghost.

　　"What are you waiting for? Hurry up!" I urged him anxiously.

　　"You dare!" the red-robed ghost interjected sharply.

　　Ma Xiaodong's spirit stood there, frozen, and seeing this, I had no choice but to retract the pendant. Turning to the red-robed ghost, I said, "Looks like we have no choice but to get physical today!"

　　"I don’t believe this! How powerful can a young feng shui master really be? Get him!" The red-robed ghost's voice was laced with disdain as her ghostly energy surged. Her clothes billowed with the wind, and the other fierce ghosts behind her suddenly lunged toward me.

　　I wasn’t about to underestimate them. I immediately focused, pulling out three explosive talismans from my pocket. With a flick of my fingers, the talismans glowed with golden light, standing straight up before I hurled them toward the approaching spirits.

　　"Boom!" A deafening blast erupted, illuminating the area with a dazzling light.

　　The fierce ghosts recoiled, and I noticed that two of them had been severely injured, their bodies shattered.

　　Seeing this, I felt a surge of hope! I couldn’t believe it—the talismans actually hurt them!“Useless fools! What are you all doing?” the female ghost snapped, her voice sharp like a blade.

　　“Not too shabby!” one of the other ghosts quipped, trying to sound impressed.

　　“Looks like we underestimated this guy! Didn’t think he had it in him!” another added, a hint of surprise in his tone.

　　“Let’s surround him!” they quickly decided, closing in around me like a pack of wolves.

　　I stayed alert, my heart racing as I took in the scene. I had witnessed those two ghosts—injured by my explosive talismans—gradually piecing themselves back together!

　　This was insane—how could they recover so quickly?

　　“Kid, those talismans of yours are impressive, but you really think a few scraps like that can send us packing? Talk about naive!” one of them taunted.

　　I bit my tongue, knowing he was right. I never expected those talismans to wipe them out completely; I just wanted to see how strong they really were.

　　At least I had achieved that goal. The blast had given me a better understanding of their power.

　　Taking them on one by one? Not a chance. With over a dozen fierce ghosts around me, I’d be worn down to nothing in no time!

　　But how the hell was I supposed to deal with so many at once?

　　“Young man, you shouldn’t have waded into these waters. But now that you’ve walked right into our trap, don’t say we didn’t warn you!” The female ghost licked her blood-red tongue, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

　　“Boss, this human smells different—like he’s got something special!”

　　Just a few meters to my left, a male ghost in a Zhongshan suit chimed in, eyeing me hungrily.

　　I couldn’t help but let out a scoffing laugh. “You guys really think you can kill me? Dream on!”I clasped my hands together and silently chanted, “Heavenly authority, supreme and profound, I call upon the great ancestor for aid. By my command, let divine powers manifest!”

　　In an instant, my hands radiated a brilliant golden light, cutting through the night like a beacon.

　　“Go, kill him! Devour his flesh and drink his blood!” a male ghost yelled, his voice dripping with malice.

　　“Wait!” the female ghost in red interjected sharply, her brow furrowing with concern.

　　I let out a cold laugh and shot her a defiant look. “What’s wrong? Scared already?”

　　Not giving her a moment to reply, I executed two side flips followed by a backflip, breaking free from their encirclement. With a swift motion, I struck one of the fierce ghosts with a powerful palm.

　　“Ah!” The ghost screamed before disintegrating into nothingness!

　　All of this unfolded in the blink of an eye—there was hardly enough time for them to register what was happening.

　　Before they could gather their wits, I rolled on the ground and sprang up in front of another ghost, landing another decisive blow.

　　As expected, this ghost shattered just like the last.

　　“Fall back!” the red-robed ghost commanded.

　　In an instant, the ghosts that had surrounded me retreated to her side.

　　“Kid, you’re brutal! You didn’t hold back at all!” the female ghost glared at me, a mix of fear and respect in her voice.

　　I chuckled coldly, “Isn’t it a bit absurd? You all wanted to eat my flesh and drink my blood—why should I let you stick around?”

　　The red-robed ghost stared at me in silence for a few moments before asking, “What technique was that? Regular Feng-Shui masters can’t do what you just did—who the hell are you?”“I’m from Qiyun Mountain!”

　　“Oh, so you’re a Taoist priest! No wonder you’ve got some skills!” The red-robed ghost smirked, then continued, “But do you really think that’s going to scare me?”

　　“I never said you’d be scared of me; I just meant that I have ways to deal with you!”

　　The red-robed ghost let out a loud laugh. “You’re not talking about that palm technique you just used, are you? Don’t think I don’t know—there’s a limit to how many times you can use it! The cost to your true essence is no joke!”

　　I was taken aback; I hadn’t expected her to be aware of that. The earlier Heavenly Eight Trigrams Palm was indeed powerful, but its strength came at a significant cost to my vital energy