As the Greenwater Beggar was pushed into a corner, a series of cries echoed from outside the mansion.
SQUEAK!
The Knife Labor Ghost had arrived.
But what happened next completely surpassed Cui Tiq’s expectations.
Drachma Calligrapher Zhou Wencheng had the highest cultivation level and the greatest reputation among them. In record time, he divided the dozens of Spiritual Objects on the ground into several portions: one for himself, one for each of the other four influential figures, one for Pan Dehai. Even Cui Tiq, who was trailing behind, received two.
After distributing the Magical Treasures, the Drachma Calligrapher casually wrote two "Fly" characters, and these characters carried him away on the wind.
Ye Jianhuang, puffing on his pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke. As the smoke dissipated, so did he.
The others were stunned for a moment. This gave the Greenwater Beggar the opportunity to escape into The Unnameable Place, vanishing from sight.
Mu Yuejuan sneered, "That old thief ran away, and Green Flower ran away too. I always said that not one of you, even counting Zhou Badou, is of any use."
A landscape painting appeared in midair, and Mu Yuejuan prepared to leave. Pan Dehai said cheerfully, "Elder Mu, please allow me to accompany you on the journey."
Mu Yuejuan frowned, "Why should I take you? What are you? Can’t you make it down the mountain yourself?"
Pan Dehai wasn’t offended. "While I do have the capability to descend, I’m always worried something might go wrong."
Mu Yuejuan smiled, "Alright. Call me ’Grandma,’ and I will take you with me."
Pan Dehai laughed, "My most gracious Grandma, I am your grandson! Please take me along."
With a wave of her hand, Pan Dehai entered the painting scroll with Mu Yuejuan.
Gui Jianchou also left, escorted by a Ghost Servant. Qiao Wuzui glanced at Cui Tiq and asked, "Foreign Devil, are you a disciple of Green Flower?"
Cui Tiq nodded.
"Where does Green Flower usually hide the good stuff? Tell me the truth, and I’ll take you down the mountain."
He remained silent for a moment and then said, "Elder, I’m afraid I can no longer leave the mountain. I have become one of them."
Qiao Wuzui, confused, asked, "What do you mean? What’s ’one of them’..."
Cui Tiq’s cheeks swiftly swelled, his features blurring and twisting. Soon, he looked exactly like a Knife Labor Ghost.
Qiao Wuzui asked no more questions. He took a swig of alcohol and strode down the mountain. The strong alcoholic fumes he exuded deterred the surrounding Knife Labor Ghosts from approaching too closely.
Amid the rising and falling roars, over thirty disciples, more than five hundred maids, and over a hundred women who had practiced with the Saint became either minced meat or Knife Labor Ghosts.
Sage Peak was thoroughly purged, not just of humans, but of all its birds and beasts.
The bloodthirsty Knife Labor Ghosts quickly reached the foot of the mountain. They soon arrived at Cherishing Grace Village, the closest village to Sage Peak.
Cui Tiq had visited this village before. It wasn’t small, and as he recalled, it had more than five hundred residents.
Today, the village had fewer people. Cui Tiq mingled with the Knife Labor Ghosts and walked around, estimating that only two to three hundred remained.
These two to three hundred villagers gathered in the center of the village, listening to an elder teach.
"Heaven and Earth originate from the Saint’s heart,
The changes of Heaven and Earth start with the Saint’s thoughts,
The essence of Heaven and Earth begins with the Saint’s virtue,
The source of Heaven and Earth starts with the Saint’s will."
As the elder recited each line, the people below repeated after him, endlessly chanting these four lines.
More and more Knife Labor Ghosts surrounded them, their howls deafening. Yet, the elder’s voice grew louder, and so did the voices of his followers.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, fearlessly facing the circling Knife Labor Ghosts. They tried to use the teachings of the Saint and their own faith to repel these strange creatures.
The leading elder, facing the Knife Labor Ghosts, shouted, "The changes of Heaven and Earth start with the Saint’s thoughts..."
One of the Knife Labor Ghosts bit through the elder’s neck, and the chanting abruptly ceased.
In an instant, the devout and resolute gazes of the villagers became much more serene.
The Knife Labor Ghosts had circled them not out of fear, but curiosity. To the Knife Labor Ghosts, these humans seemed to possess a certain entertainment value.
But now they had tired of the spectacle. They didn’t even want to transform these people into more Knife Labor Ghosts; they simply desired to satiate their gnawing hunger.
Watching the scene unfold, hearing the screams and sounds of tearing flesh, Cui Tiq fell into contemplation.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when someone tugged at the hem of his robe from behind.
Cui Tiq turned around to see a female Knife Labor Ghost swaying her hips behind him.