Chapter 258: Dragon Meat in the Sky, Donkey Meat on the Ground

A foul, rancid wind rustled the branches, making an unsettling sasa sound.

An old man in a coarse hemp robe led a black-haired donkey, walking unhurriedly down the long street.

A stalk of straw dangled from the corner of the old man’s mouth, his cloudy eyes filled with wary vigilance. Beside him, the black-haired donkey trotted along with a tata-tata rhythm, exuding an air of fearless confidence.

“Grandpa Donkey, I feel like there are at least dozens of eyes watching us from every alley around here!” Liu Feng muttered, gripping his iron shield tightly and lowering his voice. “Walking so openly like this… we might get surrounded!”

Grandpa Donkey grinned. “What’s there to fear? With this donkey here, we want them to come all at once! That way, we can purge those minor ghosts faster!”

Snort!

The black-haired donkey flared its nostrils, snorting out a puff of murky air, then shot Liu Feng a sidelong glance.

Its expression seemed to say: With Grandpa Donkey here, what’s there to be afraid of?

Knowing that Grandpa Donkey was indeed capable, Liu Feng didn’t argue further. He simply tightened his grip on his shield, staying on high alert for any “villagers” that might charge at them.

As the two men and the donkey reached a street corner, a bizarre sound echoed through the air—half-human, half-beast, a mix of a roar and a howl.

The next moment, the shadowy figures lurking in the darkness—waiting for their chance to strike—suddenly surged forward, swarming to encircle them. At a glance, there were at least thirty of them!

Each of these “villagers” was emaciated, little more than skin and bones. If all of them were put together, they might barely make up a single intact body.

Their eyes glowed green with feral malice, stripped of all humanity. As they let out hoarse, guttural growls, they advanced toward Liu Feng and the others.

PAH!

Grandpa Donkey gave the black-haired donkey a sharp slap.

“HWEI!!!”

A thunderous donkey bray erupted, shaking the very air!

In the blink of an eye, the encircling “villagers” collapsed to the ground in unison, their bodies convulsing violently.

“Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground.”

“If its meat can rival dragon flesh, then isn’t it only natural that its cry could suppress evil spirits too?”

As he spoke, Grandpa Donkey pulled a large bundle of straw from the donkey’s back and scattered it on the ground, arranging it into a hollow circle. Then, he placed the massive pig’s head that Liu Feng had taken at the center of the straw.

Once everything was in place, he retrieved a fire starter from his robe, gave it a light puff, and sent a bright ember tumbling onto the straw.

FWOOSH!

Flames spread in an instant, engulfing the straw in a flickering blaze.

Strangely, though, the straw—despite being consumed by fire—never crumbled into ash. It remained blackened but intact, while the flames swayed eerily in the wind.

At the center, the pig’s head began to sizzle as fat dripped into the flames, releasing a thick, enticing aroma.

“KRRK… KRRRK…!”

All around, the “villagers” let out eerie, hair-raising wails from deep within their bellies.

Grandpa Donkey waved them over. “Roast pig head, fresh and fragrant! What are you all holding back for? Come, eat!”

As his voice fell, the “villagers” let out a collective, guttural WAAH!—and one after another, they vomited up pitch-black minor ghosts!

Like drenched, snarling cats, the minor ghosts bared their fangs and charged toward the burning pig’s head!

In the blink of an eye, the pig’s head was swarmed by over thirty minor ghosts, covering it completely.

The sound of frenzied gnawing filled the air, as if thousands of rats were grinding their teeth right by one’s ear.

Sensing the moment was ripe, Grandpa Donkey reached into his robe and pulled out handfuls of incense ash—then flung it straight onto the minor ghosts!

Zzzzt! Zzzzt!

A sound like meat frying in hot oil rang out as a thick, putrid stench filled the air. The minor ghosts hit by the incense ash melted away like snow under a scorching sun, dissolving into puddles of sticky black liquid.

In no time, all the minor ghosts had turned into black water. Grandpa Donkey and the black-haired donkey both turned to Liu Feng with identical smiles.

The former bared eight large, yellow teeth, while the latter flashed eight gleaming, white teeth…

Seeing this, Liu Feng cupped his hands in admiration and said sincerely, “Grandpa Donkey, you are formidable!”

Snort!

The black-haired donkey, seemingly displeased at not being praised, blew a breath at Liu Feng in protest.

Pinching his nose, Liu Feng gave a helpless smile. “The black-haired donkey is formidable too…”

Hmph~ ah!

Nodding in satisfaction, the black-haired donkey followed Grandpa Donkey as they continued forward.

Liu Feng quickly asked, “Grandpa Donkey, what about these villagers…?”

“No need to look. The donkey’s bray only stuns minor ghosts—anyone still human wouldn’t have collapsed…”

“The folks here… are all long dead…”

South Corner Village

Zhou Zhongtian had searched the streets for a long time but still couldn’t find a trace of the Sorrowful Ghost.

However, he did encounter plenty of villagers affected by the chang ghost along the way.

By tonight, he realized that the villagers who could still utter a few words the previous day had completely lost the ability to communicate.

Now, whenever they saw Zhou Zhongtian, all they did was wail and sob pitifully.

Disturbed by the eerie cries and seeing that negotiation was impossible, he had no choice but to leave quickly—lest he, too, fell under their influence.

After wandering for a while, Zhou Zhongtian arrived at the latrine he had hidden in the day before. On a whim, he called out toward the inside, “Brother Yao Wu, are you in there?”

The very next second, a slightly hoarse voice actually replied from within.

“Brother, I’m here!”

“What the—!”

Zhou Zhongtian’s face lit up with joy. “Then hurry up and get out here! The chang ghost is nowhere to be seen, and I’ve been feeling uneasy. If you come out and join me, at least we’ll have each other’s backs.”

“That’s strange… I can still sense it nearby… Hold on, let me scoop some fertilizer onto my manure fork first.”

Hearing Yao Wu’s honest, straightforward voice, Zhou Zhongtian instinctively glanced around. After confirming that there wasn’t even a hint of a ghost in sight, he finally said, “It’s not here. It must be on some other street.”

Creak…

The latrine door was pushed open, revealing a tall figure inside.

“You—why do you look like that?!”

“Brother! Are your eyes messed up?”

Yao Wu and Zhou Zhongtian spoke in unison, both pointing at each other in shock.

“What do I look like?”

“What’s wrong with my eyes?”

Once again, they spoke at the same time.

“Hey! That creepy opera singer is standing right behind you!”

“And why do you look so much older?!”

At that moment, Zhou Zhongtian suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, followed by a gust of cold wind whispering by his ear.

“Woooo~ External Agent, you’ve been looking for me for so long. But even when I’m right behind you, you still can’t find me?”

“Woooo~ How heartbreaking…”

Clang!

Zhou Zhongtian unsheathed his blade in a flash, slashing backward in a sharp arc. The blade whistled through the air with a piercing snap!

Yet when he turned around—just as expected—his strike hit nothing but empty space.