## Chapter: The Ghost Gate Pass

**Xiaolin Town.**

Zhao Rucheng and Du Yehuhu lay defeated, their combat strength spent. With Ling He burdened by Zhao Rucheng, only Jiang Wang remained capable of engaging as they journeyed back towards the Central Palace. Thankfully, by this time, he had garnered considerable experience in fending off the spectral wanderers, and his Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword had grown increasingly proficient in the continuous clashes.

The strain on his physical strength was not a concern. Since his return from Tangshe Town and the subsequent Channel Opening, he had amassed over seventy streams of Qi Yuan. While each expended before the formation of the Qi Vortex meant one less, in moments of crisis, each Qi Yuan provided ample replenishment, more than sufficient to weather the demands of such intense combat. Indeed, these Qi Yuan were intended as his ultimate stratagem for the four-man assault on the Xun Palace. He had not anticipated Zhao Rucheng’s sudden peril, nor Du Yehuhu’s decisive sacrifice.

“I say, why the long faces?” After some time, Zhao Rucheng couldn’t help but speak again. “It’s merely an overconsumption of blood, not an incurable ailment.”

“What method?” Before Du Yehuhu could voice his query, Ling He was already agitated, shaking Zhao Rucheng back and forth in his arms. “Speak quickly!”

Jiang Wang, while still dispatching the spectral wanderers, couldn’t resist a sidelong glance, a fleeting urge to deliver a couple of sword strokes. *This fellow! If there was a solution, why the delay in revealing it? He’d been holding back all this time!*

“Hey, hey, hey, you’re shaking my handsome head dizzy.” Zhao Rucheng finally placated his ‘temporary mount’ and continued, “By chance, I know someone who recently acquired a Solid Yuan Pill from the Cloud Kingdom at a considerable price, and is about to resell it. This pill possesses miraculous effects in nourishing Qi and blood, and solidifying the foundation. Some scions of noble families would even ingest a Solid Yuan Pill before opening their meridians, to ensure the Taoist meridians and True Spirits are more vibrant afterwards! To say nothing of Du Laohu’s condition of excessive blood loss.”

“I just don’t know…” A smirk played on his lips. “…whether some individuals are willing to acquire it.”

Du Yehuhu paused before speaking in a muffled voice, “I have no coin.”

“You may borrow from me. By the rules of the trade, thirteen for nine.” Zhao Rucheng chuckled.

“Usury is acceptable. Brother Hu favors usury,” Du Yehuhu seemed to respond with an honest laugh.

“Alright, alright,” Jiang Wang’s brow furrowed. In the entirety of Maple Forest City, who did not know of Du Yehuhu’s notoriety for defaulting on debts? As Du Laohu himself put it, those who engaged in usury were hardly virtuous, and a bit of deception for drinking money was no great sin. Were it not for his background at the Taoist Academy, he would have been tossed into the city moat long ago.

“Little Wu, who is this person? How much is he willing to sell it for?”

Jiang Wang had already resolved inwardly that no matter the price demanded, he would find a way to procure enough coin.

“The one who acquired the Solid Yuan Pill… bears the surname Zhao, coincidentally, wouldn’t you say?” Zhao Rucheng sighed in feigned melancholy. “What’s even more coincidental is that he happens to be from my very own mansion. It’s simply *too* coincidental!”

Jiang Wang drew a deep breath, reminding himself that Old Wu was gravely injured and easily slain. Only then did he restrain the impulse to strike.

This fellow had rambled for half an incense stick’s time, only to reveal that he possessed a Solid Yuan Pill at home, capable of remedying Du Yehuhu’s depletion. This single sentence had kept the appetites of his older brothers suspended for the duration of half an incense stick.

Even the amiable and generous Ling He felt his teeth ache.

But with this assurance, everyone’s hearts settled considerably. As they conversed, they had already arrived back at the Central Palace.

Li Jianqiu and Zhao Lang were awaiting them, engaged in discussion with Wang Changxiang. Several other fellow disciples were present, their conditions far from ideal. Wei Yan had gone to reinforce the Dui Palace, the sole array point that had yet to be breached.

“Junior Brother Jiang has performed admirably,” Li Jianqiu offered a casual greeting.

Wang Changxiang also nodded towards him.

“I am ashamed. It was entirely thanks to Brother Yehuhu and Rucheng’s爆发 (fā bào – explosive outburst),” Jiang Wang replied with a bitter smile.

Before the core group, he decisively yielded the credit. The most crucial aspect at this juncture was for them to successfully Open their Meridians. And the reason he did not mention Ling He was that the state of Du Yehuhu and Zhao Rucheng was more convincing.

Ling He, for his part, did not take it to heart in the slightest.

Li Jianqiu and the others, having endured countless battles, instantly recognized Du Yehuhu’s condition and were inwardly astonished by his formidable Qi and blood.

“Once Wei Yan returns, we will proceed directly into the Central Palace,” Wang Changxiang declared. “Everyone has fought bravely and extinguished evil this time, their performances remarkable. Maple Forest City will not forget your contributions, and the Taoist Academy will not forget your merits.”

“Precisely!” As he spoke, Wei Yan emerged from the dense fog, followed by three disciples of the Taoist Academy. Two disciples were absent, a somber indication of their unfortunate demise.

The tragic conflict was not confined to the Xun Palace. With the exception of Wei Yan and Li Jianqiu, who had vanquished the town-guarding ghosts with minimal damage, the other teams had suffered casualties. Eleven souls had perished, a death rate approaching half! Those who survived were almost all wounded. Even Zhao Lang had been nearly eviscerated, a gruesome gash marring his abdomen.

Had it not been for Wang Changxiang, stationed before the Central Palace, dispatching aid in a timely manner, this collective action might well have ended in complete failure.

Wei Yan said solemnly, “If we emerge from this battle alive, I will be the first to petition for everyone’s recognition.”

“I did not anticipate the peril of this battle. But now, the combat strength of Maple Forest City is depleted, and only you are capable of fighting.” Speaking thus, he even bent at the waist and bowed. “On behalf of the souls who died unjustly in Xiaolin Town, and on behalf of the people of our Maple Forest City, I thank you all for your blood and sweat!”

“Brother Wei, you are overly solemn,” Li Jianqiu said.

Everyone stepped aside, one after another, unwilling to accept such a gesture.

“What are you saying, General Wei? You are from Maple Forest City, are we not born here?” Du Yehuhu voiced his dissatisfaction. “Cease with the false etiquette. Time is of the essence!”

In his weakened state, this fellow still made no attempt to conceal his bluntness.

Wei Yan cast a deep gaze upon him, then turned, his blade held ready. “As the Junior Brother says. Everyone, follow me and charge! Let us see who the demon is, harming our fellow villagers here!”

With the breaching of the eight palaces, the fog wall in the Central Palace also lost its foundation and silently dissipated, no longer obstructing the path. Yet, the dense fog persisted, ever obscuring vision.

Wei Yan led the way, Li Jianqiu and Wang Changxiang providing flank protection, and Zhao Lang, though wounded, remained in relatively good condition and positioned himself at the rear of the group. With utmost vigilance, the company explored the Central Palace.

The peril of Xiaolin Town was now beyond question. Having experienced the dangers of vanquishing the ghosts in the other eight palace positions, everyone anticipated the malevolence that surely lurked within the Central Palace.

Those demons wreaking havoc in Xiaolin Town, if driven by a purpose, would undoubtedly be at the heart of this place.

This group of individuals represented, arguably, the hope of Maple Forest City’s younger generation. Should they all perish here, it could be said that the entire Maple Forest City Taoist Academy would enter a period of decline from that day forward.

Yet, no one spoke of retreat. The path ahead was indeed perilous and terrifying, but this was their homeland!

They were born here, grew here, studied here, and would also face their deaths here.

Besides Zhao Rucheng and Du Yehuhu, three other disciples of the Taoist Academy had also lost their combat prowess. Xiaolin Town was so perilous, leaving them behind was naturally out of the question. Therefore, Ling He continued to carry Zhao Rucheng within the formation, and Huang Azhan, as Du Yehuhu’s long-time drinking companion, also provided him protection.

Unlike the almost entirely depleted Du Yehuhu, Huang Azhan was brimming with energy. In the preceding battle, he was one of the few who emerged unscathed, indicating he still possessed considerable strength, not merely a semblance of capability.

As the group advanced, Huang Azhan abruptly halted. He sniffed deeply. “I smell a fragrance.”

The formation paused accordingly.

He spoke again. “It’s a woman’s rouge… no, it’s body scent.”

Everyone looked sideways.

He added, “It’s a beauty.”

Du Yehuhu retorted ill-temperedly, “Are you a dog’s nose?”

“Ah! Beautiful female ghost!” Zhao Rucheng suddenly became animated. “I said there was one, didn’t I? Du Laohu, you owe me an encounter!”

No one paid attention to these two jocular figures, for they had already arrived at the very center of Xiaolin Town and beheld the colossal, churning vortex.

Beyond this, there was nothing else in the entirety of the Central Palace.

The woman in red, the white-haired elder, and the black-robed cultivator – it was as if they had never appeared.

Not only were they absent. There was no one, no livestock, not even a single brick or tile. Apart from the endless, dense fog, there was only this strange, solitary great vortex.

“Why isn’t the official compound here? What is this vortex?”

None could answer this question. Only Wang Changxiang’s eyes widened, filled with horror!

“Brother Wang, do you recognize it?” Wei Yan held his blade in readiness, his voice deep with caution.

But his question was swiftly answered.

For from the profound darkness at the center of the vortex, a pitch-black object slowly emerged.

Seeing pitch-black within darkness was a description inherently awkward. Yet, it was precisely the case.

That pitch-black object resided in the darkness, yet it seemed to be the very heart of that darkness, allowing everyone to perceive its form. As it ascended inch by inch within the vortex, its complete appearance gradually unfolded before all eyes.

It was a stone archway, its style not grand, merely a structure of three bays, four pillars, and seven levels. If one disregarded its pitch-black texture and the manner of its emergence, it was indistinguishable from the archways commonly seen.

But the plaque in the center of the archway already betrayed its extraordinary nature.

Three words were inscribed upon it. None present recognized the script, yet everyone comprehended its meaning at first glance.

—Ghost! Gate! Pass!