CHAPTER 398: CHAPTER 398: THE CORRECT WAY TO ACTIVATE THE BODY-FREEZING CURSE

Sitting by the window, they admired the deep mountain moonlit night for a while. As the night grew darker, the two lay down on the bed in their clothes.

Of course, being in a haunted house, they couldn’t do anything but close their eyes and rest, planning to sleep through the night.

The moon rose to its zenith, and the night neared midnight.

Lu Zheng was smelling the fragrance of Liu Qingyan beside him. Their hands played games under the blanket, entangling with each other.

You pinch me, I squeeze you, sometimes forming a circle, sometimes a twist.

"Eh?"

Lu Zheng sniffed, and suddenly caught a hint of calming incense’s aroma.

"Is this meant to help us fall into a deep sleep quickly?" Lu Zheng instinctively looked at the door, from which strands of fragrance were drifting in, "Is the service at this haunted house so considerate?"

Liu Qingyan also sniffed and whispered, "There’s even a touch of spiritual power mixed in, making sleep aid three times as effective. They really don’t want us to have trouble sleeping!"

"So..." Lu Zheng turned his eyes.

"Hmm?"

Lu Zheng blinked and sensed a chilling aura spreading in the room, blending with the smoke of the calming incense, circulating the room and surging into their bodies.

At this moment, the room was already heavy with Yin Qi, now even ten percent heavier.

Their hands paused, then gently clasped each other, tightened slightly, and without opening their eyes, understood each other’s thoughts.

Breathing steadily, seemingly asleep.

Next moment, the Yin Qi in the room intensified again, accompanied by the Shopkeeper’s voice.

"We haven’t had fresh meat in about two months, haven’t we?"

"Almost two and a half months. More and more people are traveling this mountain road, almost leaving us without any chance for action."

"I’m starving from craving Yang Qi, drinking human blood."

These were the voices of two shop assistants.

"Leave the brains of these two people for me, I like to eat them steamed."

A gruff voice sounded, one Lu Zheng hadn’t heard before.

"Don’t worry, relax. The whole head will be left for you," said the Shopkeeper.

Lu Zheng felt the Yin Qi gradually thickening, the coldness drawing near.

"Tsk tsk, I wonder which family’s young man and lady, in such a hurry to travel, ended up seeking their own doom," the Shopkeeper laughed.

"What a coincidence, only one group traveling at night, just right for us to feast on," chuckled the shop assistant who greeted guests at the door.

"Poor, poor," said the second shop assistant, clicking his tongue, "better let them die in their dreams, spare them the pain."

"Slurp!" The gruff voice sounded, "I’m up for it, slice down once, head separates from body, very satisfying."

"Nonsense!" said the Shopkeeper, "Blood splattering everywhere is such a waste. Let me strangle them first; blood is warmer and tastes better."

"That’s good! That’s good!" laughed the shop assistant who had just pitied the two, "Let them struggle a bit more, the blood can be warmer."

"After this meal, who knows when the next will be. Got to savor it."

"Indeed, can’t let caravans frequently meet misfortune on this road, lest it draws the attention of experts and troubles us."

"Why chatter, Shopkeeper, get to it; I’ve already boiled water in the kitchen, just waiting to put their heads in," said the gruff voice, "After these two heads, there are the more than a dozen upstairs."

"Alright, alright, I’ll..."

The Shopkeeper’s voice suddenly stopped, as he noticed Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan on the bed simultaneously opening their eyes.

"How did they wake up?" asked the first shop assistant in confusion.

The Shopkeeper’s expression changed instantly, then, in a split second, both his arms suddenly elongated like noodles, wrapping towards Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan’s necks.

Meanwhile, standing behind them, a tall figure, nearly 1.9 meters, round-headed and burly Fatty, also sprang into action.

The figure grew even larger, its height extending over three meters, unable to fit in the inn’s guest room, forcing it to hunch slightly.

Then, this blue-faced, ferocious-looking giant corpse, holding two half-meter long knives, charged at Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan’s heads.

The two shop assistants also reacted, their bodies suddenly becoming slightly transparent, eyes turning pure black, face pale, with blood marks appearing.

In the next second, both ghosts blew out continuously, cold wind billowing from their mouths, sweeping through the guest room, and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped by ten degrees.

Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan felt it most keenly, suddenly as if they were in the icy, snowy landscape of midwinter.

"A giant corpse, two fierce ghosts, and what’s this? Noodle corpse?" Lu Zheng quipped, making Liu Qingyan smile.

Sensing Lu Zheng’s leisure in joking, the four ghosts’ faces changed, their actions quickening fiercely.

"Supreme Infinite, Three Pristine Imperial Decree, Freeze!"

"Eh?"

"Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!"

"Eh!"

In an instant, the four ghosts were frozen in place, unable to move.

The Shopkeeper’s arms had reached a foot from them, the giant corpse’s ferocious face and raised blade remained frozen, while the two fierce ghosts maintained their blowing posture, mouths open, crimson tongues partly sticking out, looking like terrifying dolls.

"That’s right, this is the proper way to use the Body-Freezing Curse," Lu Zheng sat up, shook his head, sighing.

Dammit, constantly fighting against hundred-year Dao practice demons and ghosts, made the Body-Freezing Curse lose face, too embarrassing.

Today, this made sense; although the Shopkeeper seemed formidable, the giant corpse and two fierce ghosts had terrifying appearances, their actual strength wasn’t overpowering—it froze them with ease, perfect!

No wonder Sun Wukong only used the Body-Freezing Curse on the weak, never in magical combat with equally strong demons.

"These four ghosts, daring indeed, the nearest point on this path is just two mountain peaks from the main road, yet they dare cause mortal harm," Liu Qingyan said sternly.

"Didn’t you hear them say? They only act when there’s just one group staying," said Lu Zheng, "It’s normal for a group to vanish on a small path, especially since they only strike once every few months."

Liu Qingyan nodded, "No wonder Luo Jin and the others traveled two years without noticing."

Lu Zheng chuckled, "But if they hadn’t encountered us traveling together this time, they wouldn’t have walked out."

"We thought the ghosts here were harmless," Liu Qingyan shook her head, "If another caravan was here tonight, they wouldn’t have acted, and neither would we."

Lu Zheng shrugged, "This is how things are; their luck must be exhausted."

Liu Qingyan nodded, "Indeed."

Lu Zheng looked at the four ghosts.

Under the Body-Freezing Curse, these four ghosts were not only motionless but even their pupils, absolutely still, like wax statues.

"Dust returns to dust, earth to earth; already dead, staying in this world for what?"

Lu Zheng recited a curse in his hand.

"Supreme Decree, True Cloud Demon Slayer, Swift!"

Under the True Cloud Curse, ghost bodies were shattered.

First, the two fierce ghosts dissipated, then the giant corpse turned into black water, finally the Shopkeeper, struck into a wisp of gray mist by the True Cloud Curse, then the spirit annihilated, disappearing from the world.