Chapter 25: The Soul-Eating Demon Under the Western Wind

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It was my first time coming to a place like this, and I couldn’t quite get used to it yet. The swirling lights were making me dizzy, and the noise was overwhelming.

Just as I was struggling to adapt, Xiaoyuan and Xiaofang appeared together. Seeing them return put me somewhat at ease.

But then Xiaofang told me, “Sir, I found Chen Fei. He’s here in this bar, and so is Qiangwei. But Qiangwei isn’t Chen Fei’s woman.”

“What? Then why is she helping him?” I asked, puzzled.

“They seem to be partners, each minding their own business. I just saw Chen Fei in his private room, getting cozy with two scantily clad women. Meanwhile, Qiangwei was in the dressing room getting intimate with a male staff member,” Xiaofang replied.

I was stunned. Suddenly, it felt as if every corner of this bar was tainted with the wild, reckless scent of men and women after too much drink.

I shook my head helplessly and turned to Lin Chuan. “Chen Fei is here right now!”

He looked at me, and because the bar was so noisy, he leaned in close to my ear and said, “Don’t alert them yet!”

I nodded, not knowing his plan, but I trusted he had things figured out.

What I didn’t expect was the appearance of another ghost in this place. As I sat idly in a booth, bored, a ghost with a particularly gruesome death shambled past not far from me, dragging a length of iron chain in his hand.

I immediately sat up straight. His ghostly aura was intense. Though he was ragged and filthy, I sensed he was perhaps the most formidable evil spirit I’d encountered so far, second only to Dong Wutian.

“Sir, what do we do?” Xiaofang and Xiaoyuan both looked at me, asking.

“Let’s not panic. Let’s see what he intends to do.” My gaze followed the evil ghost’s direction.

Suddenly, he stopped, as if he’d heard something, then turned his head to look straight at me.

I instinctively wanted to avert my gaze and pretend I hadn’t seen him, but our eyes met.

In that instant, goosebumps prickled my skin. His eyes were terrifying, especially under the shifting lights of the bar.

Sensing his power, I quickly turned away and pretended not to see him. But then, he appeared right in front of me.

Startled, Xiaofang, Xiaoyuan, and I all shrank back against the sofa, letting out a cry. If it hadn’t been so loud in the bar, we surely would have drawn attention.

“Are you an emissary of the living?” His ghastly face twisted as he spoke, his voice rough and gravelly, a black mist spewing from his mouth.

“Xiaobei, what’s wrong?” Lin Chuan asked, seeing me pressed against the couch with a look of horror.

Not wanting him to draw the ghost’s attention, I pushed him back and said to the ghost, “Yes, I am an emissary. Who are you? Why are you here?”

“Who am I? Yes, who am I? No one has asked me that in ages. Remember me!” he said, bending closer.

As he drew nearer, I could barely breathe. The stench was overwhelming, and there was nowhere to hide.

“Back up a bit when you talk, I can remember just fine!” I hastily pushed him away.

“Fine. Remember, my name is Gai Xifeng!” With that, he straightened up, pulled his iron chain, and returned to where he’d first seen me.

“Whew!” I breathed a sigh of relief as he left, then looked over at Lin Chuan.

But he was frozen in place. I nudged him. “Lin? Lin?”

“Huh?” He finally snapped out of it, his eyes still unfocused.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Just now, I saw that ghost standing in front of you. He looked terrifying!” he replied, his face pale with fear.

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“You saw him? How did you see him?” I was just as surprised.

“I don’t know. You pushed me just now, and when I turned my head, I saw him,” he said.

Could it be because I touched him? I tried pushing him again and told him to look at Xiaofang beside me.

But this time, he didn’t see anything, which left me even more confused. Why did he only see Gai Xifeng? Was it because the ghost’s aura was too strong?

It seemed likely. Yesterday, at the village chief’s house, he’d also seen Zhao Xue when her ghostly aura was at its peak.

But what was the story with this Gai Xifeng? From his demeanor just now, it didn’t look like he intended to harm me.

Pondering this, I took my backpack, gave the Jue Ling Box two knocks, and the spirit appeared before me. “Sir, you want to ask about Gai Xifeng?”

I nodded. “Yes, what’s his story?”

“Gai Xifeng, a soul-eating ghost, has lingered in the mortal world for a thousand years,” Jue Ling replied.

Another millennium-old ghost! “Is he an evil ghost?” I asked.

“Yes and no. He has devoured many powerful evil ghosts, which makes him one. Yet, he’s also disrupted the order of the underworld.”

“So what kind of ghosts does he eat most?” I pressed.

“He eats any ghost, especially when he’s hungry,” Jue Ling explained.

Upon hearing this, Xiaofang and Xiaoyuan clung to each other in fear.

“Who’s stronger, him or Dong Wutian?” I asked again.

“Dong Wutian, of course. He’s been around for more than a thousand years. But in your current state, you’d best hope you never encounter him,” Jue Ling replied.

I nodded, silently wishing the same.

“Sir, as for Gai Xifeng, don’t be fooled by his frightening appearance. As long as you don’t provoke him, he generally won’t hurt anyone. If you see him feeding on souls, it’s best to leave him be,” Jue Ling advised.

But if we leave him alone, he’ll just keep devouring souls? I wondered. “Doesn’t the underworld plan to deal with him?”

“They can’t. There are more ghosts in the afterlife than anywhere else. If he went there, it’d be like a wolf in a sheepfold—so for now, he’s left alone.”

I nodded, then turned to look at Gai Xifeng again.

But why was he here? Suddenly, I recalled what Jue Ling had just said. It became clear—he was here to feed.

Did this mean there were other ghosts in this bar, aside from Xiaofang and Xiaoyuan?

With that in mind, I told them, “Wait here and don’t wander. I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Lin Chuan asked.

“It’s nothing, I’ll be back soon.” With that, I hurried after Gai Xifeng.

Earlier, Xiaofang had said Chen Fei was in a private room, and Gai Xifeng was headed that way. Could it be Fang Xiaolong had followed Chen Fei here?

I rushed after them, worried that if Fang Xiaolong got eaten, I’d have nothing to report to the underworld.

“Sir, which private room are you headed to?” A waiter stationed by the entrance stopped me before I could follow Gai Xifeng any further.

“Uh, I’m just looking around,” I replied nervously.

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“I’m sorry, sir, but if you don’t have a reservation, you can’t go in.”

“Can I go in if I have a friend inside?” I asked.

“In that case, may I have your friend’s name?” the waiter pressed.

Did I really have to say? Was the bar running some shady business on the side? I wondered whom I could name. Chen Fei? No, Lin Chuan had told me not to tip them off.

After a moment’s thought, I blurted out a random name. “Wang Qiang!”

“Wang Qiang?” the waiter repeated, skeptical.

I nodded nervously, never expecting my wild guess to hit the mark—there actually was a Wang Qiang among the private rooms.

“Come with me, please.” He led me to one of the private rooms.

At the door, the waiter knocked, and after a moment, a strikingly seductive, voluptuous woman wearing bold attire stepped out.

“Sister Qiangwei, this gentleman says he’s here for you,” the waiter announced.

Hearing him address her as Qiangwei, I was dumbfounded. Luck was truly on my side. I’d intended to find Fang Xiaolong’s ghost by following Gai Xifeng, but instead, I’d stumbled onto Qiangwei. Apparently, her real name was Wang Qiang.

“Are you the college student Sister Su sent?” Qiangwei looked me up and down.

Sister Su? I had no idea who that was, but I figured saying no wouldn’t end well, so I nodded.

“Rather shy, aren’t you?” She pinched my chin, scrutinizing me. “Not bad. With those looks, Sister Long should like your type.”

What did that mean? I had a bad feeling.

“What’s your name?” Qiangwei asked.

“Zhang—Zhang Xiaobei,” I stammered, nerves getting to me.

She seemed even more pleased. “First time, is it? All the better—no need to be nervous. Sister Long is generous with men who lack experience. Serve her well!”

She gave my backside a playful slap, making me jump, then grinned wickedly. “Nice, good and firm. Come with me!”

Damn it, I was walking right into a lion’s den.

“Sister Long, you know I treat you well. A college student, straight from the campus library—he’s even still carrying his backpack.” Qiangwei was shameless, spinning a tale at my expense. She saw my backpack and called it a bookbag, saw I was young and claimed I was a university student, though I’d never even been to college.

Sister Long must be over forty, right? Wasn’t this just an older woman preying on a younger man?

“His name is Zhang Xiaobei. His family is struggling, so he works part-time while studying. He’s turned me down several times before, only agreed this time because he really needs the money.”

She could really spin a story. Watching her play the madam, I was speechless.

“He’s never done this before?” Sister Long seemed quite satisfied.

“That’s right, pure as they come. I’ll leave him to you, Sister Long—take good care of our Xiaobei.” Qiangwei pulled me down to sit beside Sister Long, then whispered in my ear, “Do your best!”