The Ghost King followed the white robe in a good mood. Soon they were walking steadily uphill and Zhi Cheng had trouble following Qing Lai's quick, agile steps. Again and again he cursed the sluggish poison in his veins.
The sun had almost completely set by the time they reached the high cave entrance. It was impossible to miss and the guards in front of it could not be overheard.
"Brother Qing, what are you up to? Are you going to sing them a lullaby, torture them or can you bring yourselves to do a bit of murder and manslaughter?" asked Zhi Cheng, covering up his breathlessness.
Qing Lai watched the six guards intently and frowned. He seemed so rested and fit, as if he hadn't even taken a short walk. Zhi Cheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"I'll check if there are any more entrances and guards," Qing Lai whispered to him. "You stay here and .... rest a little," he added anxiously when he saw how pale Zhi Cheng's nose was.
Zhi Cheng smiled disdainfully. You should feel honored, not everyone gets to see me in this weakened state, and you're certainly the only one in history who's still alive after this. He thought sourly. But he nodded dutifully as always and waved after Qing Lai as he disappeared into the ever-darkening thicket.
Zhi Cheng sat down cross-legged on the ground, groaning, and watched the guards with his arms folded. They seemed carefree, laughing and chatting as if they didn't regularly slaughter innocent people.
When this didn't change after quite a while, Zhi Cheng spread his arms and closed his eyes. Things could not go on like this. He formed a mudra and began to recite a short mantra as he pushed back his acupuncture points and slowly merged his heart and spiritual core back together.
It had taken weeks to move it all, and in his condition it would probably take even longer to get everything back where it belonged.
With the metal fittings of his fan, he cut his forearms down to his wrists and let a snake of thick, black blood ooze out of them until it turned a soft red.
He felt relieved. It wouldn't be long before the blood thickened again, but for now he enjoyed breathing freely again. Being a ghost wasn't easy. Even though he was technically dead and didn't need food or water. His body was just as sensitive as when he was alive.
He felt warmth, cold, hate and affection. Pain and also relief when it subsided. And even if he didn't necessarily need blood to function, it was still quite pleasant to have the red liquid inside him.
"Blood means life, it's a beautiful color!"
Zhi Cheng opened his eyes and tapped his lips with his fan. If he saw this foul-smelling, poisonous goo, would Qing Lai still say the same thing?
With a wave of his hand, he let the blood clots crumble into dust. Weijie's physical injuries had all healed. Broken bones and other injuries did not affect him much.
But the disruption to his inner meridians was a tough nut to crack. He had thought he had all the time in the world once he had escaped from Duifang. Who could have guessed that he was about to stumble into the next trouble.
A sound made him look up, Qing Lai was back. Although leaves and branches were caught in his hair and his undergarments were in a pitiful state, he still looked beautiful.
Zhi Cheng almost slapped himself when he realized that Qing Lai was glowing. People don't glow, you fool, he chided himself.
"You look better!" remarked Qing Lai, showing his sincere smile again.
You look even better, Zhi Cheng almost replied and slapped his fan in front of his mouth at the last moment. He cleared his throat.
"I'm not used to traveling like this," he replied instead and looked elsewhere. Qing Lai left it at that and looked at the guards again.
"There are no other entrances and exits, and we don't know how many muggers are inside. It could get dicey," he then said.
Zhi Cheng's gaze slid back and he couldn't help but admire Qing Lai's side profile in the setting sun. His heart beat faster and the blood in his veins rushed so that it immediately began to clot again.
When would the effects of this wretched poison finally wear off and he would regain control of his senses? He squatted down next to Qing Lai.
"To answer my earlier question. A little more murder will reduce our problems immensely," he replied.
Qing Lai could see that he was struggling with himself. On the one hand, he believed that every life was valuable and rejected killing.
On the other hand, he didn't really value these men. They were filth, scum, but where did one draw the line? Zhi Cheng decided to make it a little easier for him.
"Even if we get our information without killing them, which would inevitably take some high-level torture. They'd probably come after us, probably even rat us out to their employer, and whoever can hire a band of barbarians isn't going to be happy about that. Let's face it, Brother Qing, we only have the advantage of surprise on our side. If they see us coming, we'll be outmatched..."
"I get it," Qing Lai interrupted him. "You're good with words to get what you want, right?" he asked bluntly. Zhi Cheng shrugged his shoulders.
"If it's the truth after all. You're already more spirit than human anyway," he replied. Qing Lai furrowed his brow as he pondered.
"I've never met a ghost before," he said. The corners of Zhi Cheng's mouth twitched upwards, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Not worth mentioning. They're all ugly creatures that degenerate into the most impossible forms after they die. Stupid and filled to the brim with murderous desires," he replied. Qing Lai tilted his head.
"I've heard there are also those who keep a human face after they die," he said.
"In order to be powerful enough to defy degeneration, the person they once were must be incredibly powerful and tainted to the core with black magic. You should avoid meeting a spirit in human form at all costs. They are never up to no good," warned Zhi Cheng. Qing Lai was silent for a moment.
"So it's hard for them not to slaughter everything they encounter? Brother Zhi, have you perhaps cultivated your fighting strength among ghosts?" he laughed.
Zhi Cheng drew in his breath sharply. Although Qing Lai sounded like he was having a trivial conversation, he could feel his sharp gaze and alert mind.
Time and again he fell for the gentle, friendly manner and time and again he was surprised when Qing Lai cornered him. Zhi Cheng turned to him with a broad grin.
"How else would I know all this?" Qing Lai raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Sometimes some of them stray into the mortal world. Because they were bold enough to leave Duifang or because there are jobs to be done. If you dig deep enough, you'll find all kinds. I've had dealings with them on occasion," he replied.
The closer he stayed to the supposed truth, the better. Qing Lai would probably hear out a lie. Before they could go any further into the subject, Zhi Cheng pointed to the entrance of the cave.