Chapter 40 - 39: Battle Against the Chong Ghost

Chapter 40: Chapter 39: Battle Against the Chong Ghost

Six Chong Ghosts moved through the dead of night.

They had no breath, no heartbeat.

They moved with deliberate, feather-light steps.

Making almost no sound as they moved.

Like shadows gliding across the ground.

The silence was so profound it was bone-chilling.

Even the most elite assassins could hardly match such stealth.

Three of the Chong Ghosts, led by Elder He, headed straight for Lu Jing’an’s villa.

The night fog was thin, and moonlight occasionally peeked through the clouds.

It illuminated three blurry, dark figures.

They vaulted over the courtyard wall, swift and silent.

Not a single dry leaf stirred as they landed.

They crept straight toward Lu Jing’an’s room.

"Who’s there!"

A patrolling guard suddenly glimpsed several dark figures flash past a corner of the wall. His heart clenched, and he immediately shouted.

Ever since the last assassination attempt,

the night patrols around Lu Jing’an’s villa had been reinforced.

Lanterns hung throughout the courtyard, their crisscrossing light and shadows illuminating most of the area.

With such a setup, completely concealing one’s presence was indeed extremely difficult.

Before the shout had even faded,

the Chong Ghost that was Elder He pounced before the guard like a phantom.

Its withered fingers clamped around his throat like iron pincers.

"CRACK."

The faint sound of bone cracking was lost in the night wind.

At almost the exact same moment,

Lu Jing’an had already sat up in bed.

Lu Jing’an’s eyes were clear, showing not a hint of drowsiness.

He quickly moved to the window and retrieved the pistol hidden under his desk.

Gently pushing the window open a crack, he peered outside.

He saw three humanoid figures with stiff movements and deathly pale skin standing in the courtyard.

A dark, viscous liquid dripped from the fingers of one of them.

Lu Jing’an’s pupils constricted.

’People from the Li Family?’

His first thought was that the Li Family was employing a diversionary tactic.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

’Their eyes were vacant, and their stiff movements held a bizarre coordination. They were clearly no longer human.’

’They were Chong Ghosts.’

’The Tiger Demon was actually using Chong Ghosts to launch a night raid on the Lu Family.’

’This was certainly not what I had expected.’

But Lu Jing’an had no time to dwell on it.

The information from the files he’d read at the Anping Bureau that morning flashed through his mind:

’Chong Ghosts. Devoid of soul and spirit, enthralled by a Tiger Demon.’

’Resistant to ordinary blades. Only two ways to defeat them.’

’One: kill the controlling Tiger Demon.’

’Two: completely destroy their heads.’

"BANG!"

Without hesitation, Lu Jing’an pulled the trigger.

Perhaps it was because he had officially become a Martial Cultivator.

His control over his body and his perception of his target had grown much keener.

Within ten meters, Lu Jing’an could shoot without missing.

The brass bullet precisely pierced the brow of the Chong Ghost on the left.

But the Chong Ghost only staggered backward.

A dark hole was left in its forehead.

But it didn’t fall.

It even started walking forward again.

’So, when the file said "destroy," it wasn’t just a figure of speech.’

The gunshot shattered the silence of the night.

The entire Lu Mansion instantly stirred like a roused beast.

Lights flared to life one after another as voices and footsteps converged from all directions.

Chen Xuan was the first to arrive. A smoky blur, he landed in the courtyard in an instant.

"Master, be careful! They’re Chong Ghosts! You have to destroy their heads!" Lu Jing’an yelled.

Before Lu Jing’an had even finished speaking,

Chen Xuan shot forward like a gale.

His leg swept out, a blur like a cracking whip. ℯℯ𝘭.

The head of the Chong Ghost on the right burst like a watermelon,

and its headless torso fell stiffly to the ground.

He spun, his second kick already raised.

"Master, leave the one named He for me!" Lu Jing’an yelled.

Chen Xuan checked his momentum, redirecting his kick to shatter the head of the last remaining ordinary Chong Ghost.

Only the Chong Ghost that was once He remained, slowly turning to face Lu Jing’an.

Just then, the sound of gunshots echoed from the direction of Lu Jinhao and Lu Jinglin’s villas.

Lu Jing’an said, "Master, go help them. I can handle this one."

Chen Xuan glanced at him and nodded. "Alright. Be careful, Young Master."

His voice still lingered in the wind as he shot forward several yards.

With a few bounds, he vanished over the rooftops.

Only Lu Jing’an and the Chong Ghost that was He remained in the courtyard.

In life, this old man had been a Martial Cultivator who had Broken the Blood Barrier.

Though it could no longer use Powerful Qi,

the strength of its Flesh Body was still astounding.

Under the lantern light, its skin had the dull sheen of tanned leather.

Its eyes were vacant, yet it "stared" intently at Lu Jing’an.

"ROAR..."

A low, bestial growl rumbled in its throat.

It lunged forward, its speed somehow even faster than an ordinary Martial Artist’s!

Lu Jing’an sank his stance and stepped aside, not meeting the attack head-on.

He dodged the lunge, his right hand striking out like lightning.

He delivered a palm strike to the side of the Chong Ghost’s neck.

"THUD!"

It felt like striking old, tough leather. The force of the impact sent a numbing jolt up his wrist.

The Chong Ghost’s movements didn’t falter in the slightest.

It spun and swept its sharp claws,

its fingertips slicing through the air,

with a faint HISS.

’This feels different from sparring with Situ Yiyun and the others.’

’When I sparred with them, they always held back, afraid of hurting me.’

’But this Chong Ghost’s every move was lethal, completely without restraint. It was forcing me to draw on all my focus and potential.’

Lu Jing’an executed his footwork, weaving around the courtyard.

Now a punch, now a palm strike.

He put everything he had learned recently to use:

his footwork, Palm Skill, grappling techniques, evasive maneuvers...

all of it.

His movements were clumsy at first, but after a few exchanges,

they grew smoother, as if his body remembered how to react on its own.

After nearly half an hour of this entanglement, Lu Jing’an suddenly dropped into a crouch.

He slipped under the Chong Ghost’s arm as a short sword slid from his sleeve.

The moment he turned, he thrust it with all his might into the back of its head!

With a twist and a wrench of his wrist,

the top half of its skull was shorn off, splattering a black, thick ichor onto the green bricks.

The Chong Ghost’s body froze for an instant before crashing to the ground.

Lu Jing’an caught his breath, flicking the filth from his short sword.

The blade remained pristine, unstained by a single drop.

[Incomplete Divine Soul detected. Available for Refining/Repair. Collect?]

’An incomplete Divine Soul?’

Lu Jing’an was taken aback for a moment.

Still, he chose to collect it.

After collecting the incomplete Divine Soul, Lu Jing’an looked toward the other two bodies.

There was no such prompt from their bodies.

’Master must have kicked their heads to pieces, so their Divine Souls dispersed as well.’

Lu Jing’an wasn’t too bothered by the loss of two Divine Souls.

When Lu Jing’an looked up, he saw Chen Xuan standing quietly under the covered walkway. He didn’t know how long he’d been there.

"Master, how are Jinhao and the others?"

"They were frightened, but unharmed."

Chen Xuan drew closer, his gaze sweeping over the corpses on the ground before landing on Lu Jing’an.

"Young Master, that last battle was well-fought. Your advances and retreats were measured, your offense and defense were orderly. You’ve developed a solid method.

With your current Body Skill and reflexes, you could handle three Martial Cultivators of the same level at once.

If you were to use your full speed, Young Master, you could likely face five."

Lu Jing’an sheathed his sword and smiled. "That’s only because I have a good master."

’But I knew that my extraordinary reflexes and speed came entirely from the boost provided by the entry. But that was an explanation I could never give.’

’I can only attribute it to my potential gradually emerging as my cultivation has deepened.’

Chen Xuan didn’t press the matter, only saying, "Young Master, you still have a great deal of latent talent to uncover. Do not grow complacent."

"I understand."

"Rest assured, Master. I will never waste my talent and potential."

As they were speaking, a servant hurried over.

He said the master requested the Eldest Young Master and Mr. Chen in the study.

Lu Jing’an wasn’t the least bit surprised. There was no way tonight’s events would be so easily dismissed.

The study was brightly lit.

Lu Huaiqian sat in the master’s seat, his expression grave.

Lu Huaisan stood by the window, his back as taut as a drawn bow.

He spun around at the sound of footsteps, his eyes riddled with bloodshot veins.

The moment he saw Lu Jing’an enter, Lu Huaisan strode forward, looking as if he were about to bow.

Lu Jing’an quickly caught his arm. "Third Uncle, what are you doing!"

Lu Huaisan’s voice was hoarse and carried a suppressed tremor:

"Jing’an, if you hadn’t sent Mr. Chen to Jinhao and Jinglin’s villa first tonight...

I’m afraid the two of them would have..."

He couldn’t finish, only gripping Lu Jing’an’s arm tightly.

Lu Jing’an said solemnly,

"Jinhao and Jinglin are my younger brother and sister. It’s only right that I protect them.

If you must thank someone, you should thank my master."

Lu Huaisan turned and gave Chen Xuan a deep bow. "Mr. Chen, words are not enough to express my gratitude."

Chen Xuan took a half-step to the side, accepting only half the bow. "You are too kind, Third Master. It was my duty."

’What duty? The twenty-year term they’d agreed on had long since passed.’

’Lu Huaisan knew perfectly well that Chen Xuan only remained with the Lu Family because of Lu Jing’an.’

’This was a debt he, Lu Huaisan, would have to repay.’

"Save the thanks for later."

Lu Huaiqian tapped the desk, his voice deep and cold.

"The most pressing matter right now is that Tiger Demon."

Lu Huaisan spun around, the killing intent in his eyes almost palpable.

"What else is there to say!

I’ll take some men into the mountains right now and set that forest ablaze! We’ll see how long it can hide then!

I won’t be able to quell this hatred in my heart until I’ve skinned that beast alive!"

Lu Huaisan’s fists were clenched so tightly they creaked. The flickering candlelight reflected the rage in his eyes, turning them a furious crimson.