Chapter 176: Moth

By the banks of the Jingshui River.

The white mist over the river had long since dissipated.

Many people stood at a distance, watching for any activity on the Jingshui River.

Though they couldn’t see what was happening in the river, they all understood the situation.

An Innate Martial Artist could only hold their breath underwater for a limited time—at most, for the duration it takes half an incense stick to burn.

If that time passed without any sign of Lu Bai, it would mean he had already been killed by the Water Ghost.

Just then, a sudden disturbance broke the surface of the river.

Countless bubbles began to rise from the depths.

The once-calm surface of the river started to churn violently!

"What’s going on?"

"Could that be Lu Bai fighting the Water Ghost at the bottom of the river?"

"Looks like this Lu Bai really has some skill, to be able to cause such a commotion in the water. Anyone else who entered the Jingshui River died without a sound."

The crowd grew excited, their gazes fixed on the scene.

A Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator from Danding Temple said, "Observatory Master, it seems this Lu Bai is no reckless fool. He clearly has an ace up his sleeve."

"Young Master Lu is very strong!"

Li Yue’er said, "I believe he’ll make it out of this safely."

True Master Dan Ding shook his head. "It’s hard to say. This is the Water Ghost’s domain, after all. Its powers are greatly enhanced here. It will still be very difficult for him to return alive."

On the bank of the Jingshui River.

The group from the Evil Extermination Bureau stood at the water’s edge, closer than anyone else to the Jingshui River.

The Governor of Jingzhou, Liang Yifan, glanced sideways. "Lord Mo, this young man you’ve recruited isn’t bad. Courageous, skilled... he’s a rare find indeed."

Mo Tang’s expression was grim. She remained silent.

She had no desire to engage with the State Governor.

If this man hadn’t come to apply pressure, Lu Bai wouldn’t have thrown himself into such danger!

She held Lu Bai in extremely high regard and truly didn’t want to see him die like this in the Jingshui River.

A moment later, the river’s surface grew calm once more.

It seemed the battle at the bottom of the river was over.

The murmur of the crowd nearby gradually died down.

The onlookers stared at the river, their faces a mix of emotions.

Some were hopeful, some were worried, some were just there for the spectacle, and some hoped Lu Bai would die in the river.

They waited for a long time, but there was still no sign of Lu Bai emerging from the water.

The churning waves from moments ago had also subsided.

"From the looks of it, the fight’s over. Lu Bai is done for."

"The Evil Extermination Bureau has lost another one."

"This Water Ghost is too vicious. It’s killed two Evil Exterminator Guards in a row. How can anyone live by the Jingshui River anymore? My whole family depends on selling fish to survive."

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Mo Tang remained expressionless.

She refused to believe that Lu Bai had met his end at the bottom of the river.

But she knew that the longer this dragged on, the worse it was for Lu Bai.

The time it took for half an incense stick to burn passed in an instant.

People in the crowd began to drift away.

「On Wangjiang Tower.」

The young man gazed out at the surface of the Jingshui River. He glanced at the incense stick beside him, now more than half-burned, then at the middle-aged man behind him. He smiled faintly. "Old Han, it’s done."

"Congratulations, Young Master."

The man surnamed Han bowed in congratulation.

"Let’s go."

The young man said with great interest, "This is the perfect time. Let’s head over there and find a chance to get our hands on that Exotic Beast, the Chongming Bird."

「Deep within the Jingshui River.」

The Nether Candle materialized, its flame swaying. The tables turned in an instant!

The Fierce Ghost was clearly burned by the candlelight as well. Only its Bamboo Hat and Raincoat allowed it to endure the pain as it turned to flee.

Lu Bai and the Black Dog gave chase, relentless in their pursuit.

The Black Dog was much faster than Lu Bai.

Even so, it could only just barely keep up with the Fierce Ghost.

But Lu Bai, relying on the half-assed breaststroke he’d learned in his past life, was painfully slow underwater. Watching the distance between himself and the Fierce Ghost widen, he grew anxious.

’If I let this Fierce Ghost get away, catching it next time will be much harder. This Fierce Ghost is intelligent. Now that it’s seen my methods, it’ll hide far away or stay completely concealed the next time it sees me enter the river.’

Just then, the piece of the Nether Candle floating before him, burning steadily, shed a single wax tear.

As the tear fell, it transformed into a ghostly blue moth!

"Hm?"

Lu Bai watched, bewildered.

’I can feel the moth’s presence!’

"Catch that Fierce Ghost."

Lu Bai mentally commanded the moth.

The moth was no bigger than a fingernail, yet it shot through the water at an incredible speed. With a flap of its wings, it overtook the Black Dog in an instant and lunged at the Fierce Ghost!

The Fierce Ghost, thinking it had shaken Lu Bai, suddenly sensed something amiss.

It glanced back instinctively.

Just in time to see a ghostly blue moth hurtling toward its face!

SMACK!

The moth slammed right into its face!

"Aaaargh!"

The Fierce Ghost shrieked as the moth burned a large hole in its face.

The ghostly blue flames spread rapidly over its entire body!

No matter how it struggled, it couldn’t shake them off.

The fire was simply impossible to extinguish!

Seeing his chance, Lu Bai was overjoyed. He used the last breath in his lungs to swim desperately toward the ghost!

A moment later, Lu Bai reached the Fierce Ghost.

The moth had vanished.

But the Fierce Ghost had nearly been burned to oblivion by the Nether Candle’s ghostly blue flames!

Lu Bai quickly activated the Ancient Mirror, pulling the Fierce Ghost into his chest.

’If I’d been any slower, the ghost would have been completely burned away. That would have been a huge loss.’

The Fierce Ghost, completely powerless, instantly dissolved into a wisp of faint light and vanished into the Ancient Mirror.

’This time, I’ve really hit the jackpot!’

Lu Bai was secretly overjoyed.

’During that battle, I didn’t have time to count how many wisps of Soul Light I’d collected. There must have been at least a dozen! That’s enough to repair and comprehend not just one set of Cultivation and Martial Techniques, but several.’

Just as Lu Bai was about to examine the Soul Light in the Ancient Mirror, he noticed something beneath the flickering Nether Candle. An arm, clad in a red sleeve, had appeared from nowhere.

From its cuff, a woman’s hand, as white as jade, extended to cup the base of the Nether Candle.

"What the hell is that!"

Lu Bai jumped in fright.

Seeing the red sleeve on the arm, the image of a certain figure flashed through his mind. His face drained of color in horror. In his panic, his breathing hitched, and he accidentally choked on a mouthful of river water!

GLUG, GLUG!

Lu Bai swallowed several mouthfuls of the salty, foul river water. He quickly suppressed his Blood Qi to stop stimulating the Ancient Mirror and extinguished the Nether Candle.

At the same time, he swam frantically toward the surface!

After that chaotic struggle, the last of the air in his lungs was completely gone.

Lu Bai felt a wave of dizziness. He had to surface for air immediately!

The Black Dog broke the surface before Lu Bai did.

It gasped for air, then immediately dove back under, swam to Lu Bai’s side, and grabbed the Cyan Cloud Sword in his hand, pulling him toward the surface!

Lu Bai’s eyes were still fixed on the spot in front of him.

The stump of the Nether Candle was gradually fading.

The red-robed arm disappeared along with the fading candle.

Only after seeing this did Lu Bai feel a slight sense of relief.

’If I saw that correctly, that arm must have belonged to the Ghost Bride I carried on my back all night!’

The moment he had recognized the arm, a chill had shot down his spine.

’If that Nether Candle had burned for even a moment longer, I’m afraid more than just an arm would have appeared. The Ghost Bride herself might have emerged from the void!’

’That’s terrifying.’

’This thing may be useful, but I’ll have to be much more careful with it from now on.’