Li Qingfeng slowly awoke.

Dim lamplight. Darkness at his side.

The musty scent of decay lingered in the air.

A thick aroma of wine mixed with the freshness of damp earth.

He inhaled deeply, there was an oddly fermented, delicate fragrance to it.

“Where... am I?”

Li Qingfeng pushed himself up from the wooden boards beneath him, still dazed and tense.

He remembered passing out, it was during a fight, no less.

In his panic, he had grabbed wildly at everything around him, not even sure what he was looking for.

When he saw the Revered Soul Banner standing quietly nearby, Li Qingfeng finally let out a long breath.

In such a short time, he had already lost so much.

If he had lost the banner too, he might never live to see the day of vengeance.

His hairpin-sword was still with him, and the storage talisman was still tucked inside the lining of his robes untouched.

Pushing aside the stone slab in front of him, Li Qingfeng realized he was in the cellar of his own home.

Not just the upper level, but sealed inside a half-height hollow chamber.

A white stone slab blocked the chamber’s entrance.

The cellar was built with compacted dirt and neatly aligned granite blocks.

Almost all wealthy households had something like this for storing gold and silver, or aged wine.

If war broke out, the food kept inside could even be life-saving.

Sometimes, people would hide down here and wait for raiding soldiers to pass.

Clearly, the Li family’s cellar wasn’t large, just enough for storing wine.

Inside, claw marks were gouged deep into the earth.

He didn’t even need to think to know: Brother Ghost must’ve carried him back, dug out a space, and hid him here.

Tu Shanjun had done what little he could.

At the time, Li Qingfeng had almost no spiritual power left, nowhere near enough to return to the Mountain God Temple.

They had no choice but to stop nearby.

The most dangerous place could also be the safest.

The Li family estate had been ransacked and destroyed, yet the governor’s forces had never found this hidden chamber. They never imagined anyone would dare return here.

Regardless of how the governor's office had found the Li family, from Zhang Wanlong’s reaction at the time, he probably hadn’t recognized Li Qingfeng.

Just like that newly promoted advisor hadn’t recognized him at first glance either.

To Tu Shanjun, this matter was riddled with suspicions.

Tears flowed like a spring as Li Qingfeng hugged the Revered Soul Banner, silently weeping.

Huge teardrops splashed onto the banner’s surface.

He dared not make a sound.

Even hidden in this dark cellar, he had to remain silent.

The soldiers patrolling the city were like vultures or hounds that could sniff out rot.

Any abnormal sound would attract them.

These men didn’t care what was right or wrong. Obedience to orders had become instinct. Wealth and power, the dangling carrot that drove them forward.

They ran tirelessly.

They hunted endlessly.

Li Qingfeng knelt on the ground, his body trembling, clutching the banner, sobbing uncontrollably.

His face twisted into a frightening mask, yet not a sound escaped him.

His tears and snot mixed with the dirt, staining his already bloodied robe and originally handsome face.

Inside the Revered Soul Banner, Tu Shanjun touched the repaired eye socket of his ghostly form.

He didn’t know how to comfort people.

Life had to go on.

Sometimes, you just had to carry the burden yourself.

Exhausted from crying, or perhaps from sheer weakness, Li Qingfeng fainted again.

Still, he clutched the Revered Soul Banner tightly, as if holding onto his last lifeline.

Clouds stirred. The sun hung high in the distance.

Li Qingfeng once more entered the dream realm.

Atop a mountain peak.

He wore a scholar’s robe of pale blue, his face streaked with endless tears.

Silent still.

Seeing the main ghost within the banner again, Li Qingfeng dropped to his knees with a thud and slammed his head to the ground.

“Brother Ghost, I want revenge.”

“Help me.”

“I’m begging you.”

Li Qingfeng lay prostrate, eyes shut tight, his whole body trembling.

Tu Shanjun stood stiff, his face full of shock and disbelief.

He hesitated.

Not because he questioned whether to help Li Qingfeng, they were on the same boat now; their fates were tied together.

He had simply never expected Li Qingfeng would go this far.

Scholars were proud men.

A man’s knees were as precious as gold.

Even among readers and scholars, none would bow easily.

As a xiucai, Li Qingfeng had every reason to be proud.

At his age, passing the exam made him one of the elite.

In time, he would become a juren, a jinshi, maybe even a zhuangyuan¹.

He would become a general, a prime minister, govern the county, and have his name recorded in history.

That was the ending once promised to him.

But today, he knelt before a ghost.

Not asking the heavens, but asking the dead.

Perhaps that was all that was left when there were no other options.

Tu Shanjun helped Li Qingfeng to his feet.

His crimson ghost-eyes were now empty of all emotion.

He said nothing. He simply placed a hand on Li Qingfeng’s shoulder and gave it a pat.

Tears poured down like a flood from Li Qingfeng’s eyes.

He started laughing. His eyes curved into crescents, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling.

No matter how he wiped, they kept flowing.

To avenge his family, he would need to advance at least one, maybe two layers.

After absorbing the souls of 52 black-armored soldiers and the new advisor, the Revered Soul Banner now held 105 ghostly spirits.

Though their quality varied, it barely formed a proper hundred-ghost array.

Tu Shanjun’s power had grown further.

But he was still far from reaching the sixth layer of power. These unranked yin souls weren’t enough to push him forward.

He was gravely wounded and needed fierce souls to repair his ghost body.

Once enough soul energy was gathered, his wounds would heal.

For now, they couldn’t risk exposing themselves.

That young immortal master was still stationed at the governor’s residence.

The governor’s black-armored troops weren’t to be trifled with either. If Li Qingfeng appeared, the army would immediately surround him.

Ordinary ghosts dared not approach such a battle array.

Their fragile spirits would shatter under the heavy killing aura. The only ghost capable of surviving it was Zhao Shixian.

But using a third-layer Qi Refining ghost soul placed a heavy burden on Li Qingfeng.

He couldn’t hold it for long.

Even at full strength, he could only maintain Tu Shanjun’s battle form for 20 to 30 breaths.

To break through that young immortal master’s defenses in that time was not impossible, but incredibly difficult.

Unless the opportunity was absolutely perfect.

But judging by that man’s actions, it was clear, he would never allow Li Qingfeng to kill Zhang Wanlong.

That young immortal master protected the city from demons and ghosts, but not corrupt officials. He wouldn’t let anyone touch the governor either.

That’s why he willingly traded injury for injury, just to stop Tu Shanjun and defeat Li Qingfeng.

Li Qingfeng was seriously wounded too. He needed time to recover.

In the end, it all came down to strength.

Who knew how long he slept this time before waking again?

Li Qingfeng no longer cried.

He took out medicine from his storage talisman, applied it internally and externally, and dressed his wounds.

He ate some dried rations and drank water.

His pale face began to show a bit of life again.

Old wounds hadn’t healed and new ones had been added.

Blood loss was severe.

It would take time to recover.

Drawing upon his remaining spiritual power, he took out the Yin Soul Pill.

Staring at the pill the size of a chicken egg, Li Qingfeng’s eyes were firm as he tilted his head back and swallowed it.

Pure spiritual energy erupted, transforming into surging spiritual power that was instantly absorbed.

The capabilities of the evolved superior-grade Revered Soul Banner were evident.

Just as Tu Shanjun had predicted, the most dangerous place was indeed the safest. Very few soldiers dared set foot in the sealed Li residence.

The supplies in his storage talisman were enough to last for now, no need to move.

Staying within the city also allowed him to gather information.

As long as he avoided being seen by the guardian cultivator, no one would realize he was a Qi cultivator.

Five more days passed.

Qi Refining realm, second layer.

But Li Qingfeng’s wounds still showed no signs of healing.

(Chapter End)

¹ Imperial examination ranks, from lowest to highest: Xiucai (county), Juren (provincial), Jinshi (national) , Zhuangyuan(top scorer among jinshi in a given year)