Chapter 99: An Insanity-Inducing Aura (Happy 520)

“Where is it?” Zhou Bai pressed urgently. Quite some time had already passed, and if they delayed any longer, something might happen.

Wang Yuanfang looked somewhat frightened. “My lord, it’s in a noodle shop beside a pawnshop south of this street.”

“Old Hou, keep watch here. No one is to enter this room until I return.”

After saying this to Daoist Hou, Zhou Bai leaped into the air and hurried there along the rooftops.

Daoist Hou shook his head helplessly as he watched Wang Yuanfang. Then he stroked his beard and struck what he believed to be an ethereally dignified pose.

“Yuanfang, don’t be so careless in the future. The waters run deep in matters like this. I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle them.”

Wang Yuanfang’s heart turned to ashes. He had only just started a new job and had already offended his superior. How was he supposed to fix this?

Zhou Bai reached the destination in less than a minute. He did not even need to search; a family nearby was wailing in mourning.

Looking in from outside, he saw a modest noodle shop.

Most of Hangdu City consisted of buildings that served both commercial and residential purposes. The front hall was a noodle shop, while the family lived in the rear rooms. At present, several relatives who had hurried over after hearing the news were gathered inside, mourning the dead.

The old man had lived past seventy, however, making this an auspicious funeral. Most of the mourners were merely putting on an act, and the old man’s daughter-in-law even looked faintly pleased.

But the moment Zhou Bai entered, the wailing abruptly ceased.

Everyone in the room stared at him uneasily. In Hangdu City, who had not heard of the famous Immortal Master Zhou?

“Where is the old man’s body?”

As soon as he spoke, a middle-aged man who appeared to be in charge hurried over.

“Immortal Master, the body was brought here some time ago. It’s in the coffin we bought and placed in the back.”

“And the person who delivered the body?”

The middle-aged man hurriedly replied, “He’s in there as well. According to our customs, anyone who carries a corpse has encountered an inauspicious thing and must at least stay to eat something, so as to drive away the bad luck.”

“How long has he been in there?” Zhou Bai sensed that something was wrong.

“About an hour or so. There’s been a great deal to handle in the front hall, so I haven’t gone in. My son is taking care of matters inside. It is an honor to have you visit our humble shop, Immortal Master.”

“I’ll go in and take a look. No one else is to enter.”

Without offering any explanation, Zhou Bai walked straight inside.

The old man’s relatives and family members immediately felt their hearts sink. Could it be that ghosts were involved?

Zhou Bai passed through a short corridor and reached the rear rooms. When he lifted the curtain, he found the room completely empty.

From the adjoining room, where the corpse had been placed, came a great deal of noise. Zhou Bai opened the door, and the scene inside came into view.

More than a dozen people were gathered around a large round table covered with all kinds of dishes. The atmosphere was lively, yet every face was unnaturally stiff.

A coffin stood nearby. Though its lid had been sealed tightly, a faint odor of decay still drifted from it.

As Zhou Bai approached, he immediately sensed something unusual. The old man’s corpse truly originated from the same source as the monstrous infant.

Lin Chong was seated among the others. When he saw Zhou Bai, he rose and came forward as if nothing were wrong.

“Lord Zhou, what brings you here?”

Zhou Bai studied him carefully before slowly asking, “Lin Chong, why didn’t you return?”

Lin Chong answered blankly, “My lord, I’m terribly sorry. This family was so hospitable that they refused to let me leave. I was just waiting for the meal to begin so I could take a bite and then go.”

“Oh? Then why hasn’t the meal begun?” Zhou Bai asked calmly, observing the situation without revealing his thoughts.

“We’re waiting for one more person. We can’t start until Old Wang Sheng arrives.” As Lin Chong spoke, his tone grew increasingly strange, like a sign of impending madness.

“Who is Wang Sheng?”

“Him. We’re waiting for him.”

Lin Chong pointed at the coffin.

At once, the dozen or so people around the table turned their rigid gazes toward the coffin. An indescribable anticipation gleamed in their eyes.

Even though Zhou Bai already knew the truth, the sight still made him uneasy.

After gathering his focus, Zhou Bai walked straight to the coffin and flung open the lid. The old man’s corpse lay before him.

It was an ordinary corpse, without the slightest trace of yin energy. A corpse transformation was even less likely.

Yet an uncanny aura emanated from the body. It was far weaker than the concentrated presence Zhou Bai had encountered around the monstrous infant, but it was unmistakably there.

This aura was a catalyst capable of driving people insane, something closely connected to the Ghost Domain.

Without hesitation, Zhou Bai placed both the corpse and the coffin into his storage belt. With that layer of separation between them, the aura instantly vanished without a trace.

At the same time, the dozen people around the table suddenly began vomiting onto the floor. Within moments, the entire room was filled with a sour stench.

Lin Chong was no exception. He leaned against a corner and vomited until there was nothing left in his stomach, only then recovering.

“What do you feel now?”

Zhou Bai extended a finger and touched it to Lin Chong’s brow. When a thread of yin energy stimulated him, Lin Chong shuddered.

After a while, Lin Chong said, “Lord Zhou, just now it felt as though my head had suddenly struck the ground. I was so dizzy I could barely tell up from down.”

“As long as you’re all right. Can you walk now?”

“My lord, I’m no longer in any danger. Thank you for saving my life.” Lin Chong still felt shaken. It had been as if he had become an entirely different person. The experience had been deeply unsettling.

“There’s no need to thank me. Be more cautious next time, especially when demons or ghosts are involved.”

Zhou Bai did not blame him. It was entirely possible that Lin Chong had already been affected by the Ghost Domain’s aura the moment he first saw the old man’s corpse.

“I understand.”

Lin Chong respectfully clasped his fists and bowed.

The others were not as physically robust as Lin Chong, who had once served as a constable. Most of them had already collapsed weakly to the floor, and some had even lost consciousness. Fortunately, none were in mortal danger.

Zhou Bai examined them closely. For some reason, the condition reminded him of ordinary people traveling to a high-altitude region, where the sudden change in pressure and environment caused them to suffer from an inability to adapt.

And yet, compared with the normal world, why did ordinary people seem to adapt even better to the aura of the Ghost Domain?

The strange thought arose, and he immediately forced it down.

His most urgent task was to go to Tang Yin’s room. He had no idea what lay inside, but if he failed to deal with it, delaying any longer could lead to unforeseen trouble.

Zhou Bai looked over everyone present and confirmed that none of them had been contaminated by the Ghost Domain’s aura again. He then led Lin Chong outside.

The middle-aged man came forward at once.

Zhou Bai merely said, “Your father’s corpse was possessed by a demon. I’ve taken it away for now. Come to the Nether Registry Office in a few days to collect his ashes. The people in the rear rooms need only rest for a few days before they recover.”

Everyone in the front hall had been mentally prepared, but they were still bewildered. How had an ordinary corpse that had seemed perfectly fine moments ago become possessed by a demon?

However, intimidated by the immortal master’s status, none of them dared to ask.

Zhou Bai had other urgent matters to attend to and naturally did not linger. He took Lin Chong and hurried away.