Chapter 13

As implied by its name, a red-clothed malicious ghost is formed when a mortal dies wearing red attire. Such deaths typically involve deep injustice or resentment. Generally speaking, upon manifestation, these ghosts possess combat abilities equivalent to those of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The term “mortal” specifically excludes cultivators because, after their death, their cultivation dissipates, and they immediately enter the cycle of reincarnation. Of course, there are exceptions—like soldiers choosing self-destruction or seeking rebirth through possession—but such acts are strictly prohibited in the cultivation world. If discovered, the offender would be executed on the spot without sparing even their soul.

“Are you insane? That’s a red-clothed malicious ghost!” Comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the three of them combined would barely stand a chance against it.

However, Chen Zui responded, “On my way to the Yonglu Mountains, I encountered a red-clothed malicious ghost before. Although I didn’t defeat it personally, every time one of these ghosts kills a person, its cultivation increases. If it reaches a hundred kills, its power could match that of a Primal Infant stage cultivator. I must stop it from claiming more lives; otherwise, none of us will escape!”

Bian Chunzhou hesitated, then asked, “Can you handle this?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t die,” Chen Zui assured him.

Wen Xu silently handed over his wind treasure gourd, saying, “I’ve tested it. While not particularly offensive, its material is exceptionally sturdy. It might still prove useful.”

Gratefully reaching out, Chen Zui prepared to accept the gourd. “Thank you, Wen Xu.”

As Wen Xu spoke, he reached for the gourd and prepared to rush down the mountain with his blade in hand. Just then, unexpectedly, Wen Xu produced a folding fan from behind his back and struck Chen Zui, sending him flying dozens of meters away.

“Wen Xu, what are you doing?!” Bian Chunzhou’s tone instantly turned sharp and severe.

Wen Xu swiftly turned and delivered another strike to Bian Chunzhou standing beside him. “Who are you two? Why have you disguised yourselves as my friends and approached me?”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand. Wen Xu, why would you attack us?”

In Wen Xu’s mind, these imposters were putting on a rather careless act. “Firstly, Bian Chunzhou wouldn’t address me by my full name; he prefers using diminutives for his friends. Secondly, Chen Zui isn’t known for being particularly clever.”

The observing luminaries near the shadow screen fell silent—perhaps there was no need to know one’s friends quite so well.

“Furthermore, if Yonglu Mountain’s Outer Sect disciples truly needed help, they have ample means like talismans or magical artifacts to quickly alert their sect. Why would they rely on us to personally seek aid?” Wen Xu’s expression remained composed, but internally, he felt a growing sense of urgency.

When encountering the Yonglu Mountain Outer Sect disciples earlier, he was certain that his companions at the time were indeed his friends, Bian Chunzhou and Chen Zui. Yet, within the blink of an eye, both had vanished without a trace. Such a bewildering display of skill left Wen Xu questioning his ability to defend against such formidable adversaries.

In this situation, it might be better to confront them directly and perhaps find a way out.

“Most importantly, we’re on Yonglu Mountain, where villagers live peacefully under its protection. How could a red-clothed malicious ghost arise here without any apparent cause?”

Upon hearing this, “Bian Chunzhou” and “Chen Zui” let out sinister chuckles before dissipating into the wind, along with the outer disciple lying on the ground, vanishing from sight.

The vast mountain wilderness fell silent, leaving Wen Xu alone once more.

This was the first time since entering the cultivation world that Wen Xu found himself truly isolated. Feeling slightly uneasy, he instinctively touched his eyes but did not remove the cloth covering them.

Bian Chunzhou had mentioned that the mountain trial and the third round’s Heart-Quest test were conducted consecutively. Perhaps, unbeknownst to him, he had already entered the Heart-Quest phase.

So, how should he pass this challenge? Wen Xu had absolutely no clue. Ultimately, his limited knowledge of the cultivation world proved to be a hindrance. At that moment, he suddenly missed the old imperial examinations—while studying for those wasn’t as engaging as cultivating, at least the exam content remained consistent within certain boundaries. It couldn’t compare to this current predicament, where despite being in the examination setting, he felt utterly lost and unsure of how to proceed.

Wen Xu composed himself and suddenly realized that his focus had inexplicably wavered. Given his nature, how could he possibly be distracted by thoughts of civil examinations during such a critical moment?

It was highly unusual and not at all like him.

Deciding to explore further down the mountain, Wen Xu descended swiftly until he reached the village where he had borrowed a cloak days ago. The village appeared peaceful and unchanged from four days prior.

Soon, he encountered an elderly man returning home with firewood—a fortunate coincidence, as this villager was the very one who had lent him the cloak.

“Immortal elder, borrowing a cloak again today?”

Wen Xu shook his head. “Not today.”

“Why not? Do you look down on us mortals?” The old man’s eyes flashed menacingly, his voice turning sinister. He dropped the wood from his shoulders and lunged directly at Wen Xu. “Immortal elder, give me your immortal bones, won’t you? I’m already so old, nearing my end, but I don’t want to die! I too wish to cultivate! Every day, watching those immortal elders soaring past my doorstep fills me with envy! Immortal elder, have mercy on this old man; please bestow your immortal bones upon me, will you?”

Of course not—this old man was merely an ordinary mortal; how could he—

Wen Xu turned his head to dodge and suddenly realized that his cultivation had vanished. The sea of qi within his dantian, gone; even the folding fan and gourd in his hands disappeared without a trace. His arms hung empty, and…

It hurt terribly.

Wen Xu clutched at the wound on his body, then looked down to see his arm twisted unnaturally outward as blood dripped onto the parched earth, forming beads of crimson mud instantly.

The chill wind atop the cliff snapped Wen Xu back to reality. Gasping for breath, he raised his head to face the three assassins pursuing him, their bodies blocking his path. The pain nearly overwhelmed his thoughts. For a moment, he wondered if everything in the cultivation world had been nothing more than a dying dream.

The agony threatened to extinguish all rationality within him, filling Wen Xu with rage instead. He couldn’t understand why! Why was his fate so wretched?! Why did everything he tried end up contrary to his hopes?!

Born as a beggar, he had tirelessly begged on the streets just to survive, yet each winter remained brutally cold and unforgiving.

He had genuinely tried his hardest to survive, so why was heaven still unwilling to spare him? Why couldn’t he remember people’s faces? Why did he diligently study and travel to the capital for the imperial examination only to be inexplicably pursued to this point? And why, just as happiness seemed within reach, was his adoptive father’s life cruelly taken away?

Why give him hope for survival, only to heartlessly snatch it back?!

Wen Xu’s mind seethed with defiance and fury. It felt like his entire life had been a struggle against fate, yet he remained perpetually defeated, forever at its mercy.

Staring at the glinting blade before him, Wen Xu thought, Fuck destiny!

How could I possibly die at the hands of these three?! Even if I leap off this cliff to end my own life, I won’t let them have their way that easily! I—

In an instant, clarity washed over Wen Xu.

Despite the overwhelming pain still engulfing his mind, he became startlingly lucid because—in the moment he lifted his head—he somehow “saw” the faces of those three men clearly, or more accurately, he perceived three distinct visages.

It was a subtle sensation; he wasn’t sure if this resembled how normal sight worked, but he felt certain about what he discerned. Precisely due to seeing too vividly, he realized in that split second—it was all an illusion.

Everything in the cultivation world was real, and his own existence being alive, that too was real.

What is true? What is false? Wen Xu rarely pondered such distinctions before. To him, the present moment was truth, and living itself was reality. As for anything else, he neither cared nor concerned himself with it.

But at this instant, he experienced a sudden realization, even finding…that he didn’t quite despise his face blindness anymore.

At least in this moment, these eyes were telling him what was genuine and what was illusionary.

As soon as he grasped this understanding, the pain throughout Wen Xu’s body vanished instantly, and his wounds disappeared within moments. Instinctively reaching out, he discovered that both the folding fan and gourd had returned to his hands.

“Yay, Wen Xu, you finally woke up!” Bian Chunzhou jumped excitedly. “Elder Brother Wang, all three of us are awake now. Do you think we’re the first squad to arrive?”

The Yonglu Mountain disciple addressed as Elder Brother Wang smiled and nodded. “Yes, please go inside and rest while waiting for the completion of the heart assessment. Afterward, there will be the spiritual root evaluation and initiation into apprenticeship.”

Bian Chunzhou gleefully patted his two close friends on the shoulders. “Wen Xu, Chen zui, we made it!”

Chen Zui pursed his lips slightly and responded with a cool nod. Wen Xu seemed preoccupied with some emotion; only after entering the grand hall to await their turn did he exhale deeply, settling his thoughts.

Bian Chunzhou keenly sensed something amiss. “Wen Xu, are you okay?”

As usual, Wen Xu wasn’t one to openly express himself. He simply replied, “I’m fine, just felt worried since none of you were around.”

“Hey, now that you mention it, I did too.” Bian Chunzhou shuddered, recalling his experience within the Heart’s Reflection Trial. He had envisioned being trapped as a stressed-out college senior struggling with thesis deadlines, then barely surviving graduation only to land a job at a large company where relentless overtime for revising plans became routine. Despite earning little, he accumulated a pile of medical bills—just thinking about it made him realize how fortunate cultivation truly was! Down with capitalist exploiters!

Bian Chunzhou had been startled awake, while Chen Zui…well, having single-minded focus in the cultivation world wasn’t always a bad thing.

He woke up quickest among the three, albeit rather abruptly. Upon seeing his mother—who definitely couldn’t be present on Yonglu Mountain—he instantly snapped out of the illusion.

“What’s there to be scared of? You two really have such small hearts.”

Bian Chunzhou clenched his fists but quickly relaxed them. “Forget it, today is joyful; I won’t beat you up!”

Chen Zui, ever straightforward, replied, “You couldn’t defeat me anyway. Even both of you together wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Ahhh, Wen Xu, don’t hold me back! Today, I’m definitely going to teach him a lesson!”

Wen Xu hesitated before saying, ”…I wasn’t holding you back.”

As they whispered among themselves, more people finally arrived outside the hall—several individuals trickled in one after another, including Xia Ying, the niece of Langyuan City’s governor.

Yet despite waiting until the sandglass outside had completely emptied, Li Zishen never showed up within the hall. It became clear that this talented prodigy from the Li family was destined to have no connection with Yonglu Mountain.

“Clang—”

With a prolonged bell toll, the mountain gate abruptly closed.

In that instant, a resonant and distant voice echoed in everyone’s ears:

“Welcome, esteemed guests, to Yonglu Mountain.”

At this moment, reality set in for Wen Xu. He truly embarked on the cultivation path, and henceforth, the course of his destiny would lie firmly in his own hands.