Chapter 149: Who Holds the Authority?

The robed man was cornered by Cui Yue, with no way to retreat, his anger boiling inside. Seizing the moment, he lunged forward.

Cui Yue lowered his guard, effectively opening his arms, ready to embrace this wicked spirit.

The two ghostly claws slashed toward Cui Yue’s abdomen, on the verge of ripping him open.

With a sharp hiss!

A surge of dark, tangible ghostly energy erupted from Cui Yue’s body, swirling around him like an impenetrable black armor visible even from afar.

“Die!”

The robed man sneered, already envisioning Cui Yue’s gruesome fate.

*Thud!*

With a soft sound, the robed man was bounced back like a deflated balloon, crashing haphazardly against the inner hall’s walls. After much struggle, he finally came to a stop in a corner, utterly disheveled.

Cui Yue looked perfectly fine, awkwardly holding his wooden sword. What kind of move was that? He’d essentially bounced himself away.

The ghostly energy around Cui Yue flowed effortlessly, hovering three inches from his skin, as if it had a mind of its own.

“Coming again?” Cui Yue waved his wooden sword with a hint of pride.

The robed man slowly rose, scrutinizing Cui Yue from head to toe. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and with a thud, he knelt before Cui Yue.

“Master! Please spare me!”

Cui Yue was baffled. Had this guy hit his head too hard?

“Master? What master?” He glanced around; indeed, there was no one else.

Seeing Cui Yue remain silent, the robed man grew anxious and began pounding his head against the floor like a pestle, just like Old Yang had done earlier.

“Master! Master! I was blind and failed to recognize you! Please forgive my ignorance and spare me!”

The sudden turn of events caught Cui Yue completely off guard. Pointing his sword at his own nose, he asked, “You mean… me?”

“That’s right. Your visage and voice have long been etched into my memory,” the robed man said, his previous hostility replaced by flattery.

“Oh, nowadays even ghosts know how to flatter!” Cui Yue muttered.

“What kind of ghost are you? Why are you here?” Cui Yue’s legs felt weak, barely able to stand. He wanted to sit at the table but felt it inappropriate.

“I am…”

Before the robed man could speak—

“He's a ghost hunter! A heinous evil spirit!” Old Yang finally got up and shouted, pointing at the robed man.

The robed man glared fiercely at Old Yang. The moment their eyes met, Old Yang seemed to be electrocuted, trembling all over.

“Continue!” Cui Yue shifted, half-sitting at the table, pointing his sword at the robed man.

“Yes, yes. Master, you really don’t remember me. It was you who captured me on the Wangsang Terrace centuries ago!” the robed man confessed nervously.

“What’s this Wangsang Terrace?” Cui Yue grew more confused by the minute. Centuries ago? Had this fool really hit his head so hard that he thought Cui Yue was some ancient figure?

If the atmosphere had allowed, Cui Yue would have collapsed on the table laughing.

“Centuries ago, who was I? Surely the revered lone hero who traveled a thousand miles!” Cui Yue’s eyes sparkled with yearning.

“Master! Do you truly not remember you were once a ghost hunter? I was the one you personally captured!” the robed man said cautiously.

“What? A ghost hunter? Say that again!” Cui Yue was covered in a cold sweat, feeling completely disillusioned. He had thought himself a remarkable personage!

He even wondered if his ears were playing tricks, as the ghost before him claimed he was a ghost hunter—no, a master ghost hunter!

“Don’t take advantage of me just because I’ve had a bit too much to drink!”

“Are you saying you were the one who captured me on the Wangsang… what was it again?” Cui Yue asked.

“Yes, Wangsang Terrace. I lingered there, unwilling to descend because I missed my family, causing a delay in the schedule, so you intervened…”

“Yes, yes, you captured me. Something like that!” Cui Yue replied hastily, playing along. Whether he believed it or not didn’t matter; as long as the ghost did, that was enough.

“I was just blind earlier and failed to recognize you, master. I am truly sorry!” the robed man knelt, unable to rise.

“At this moment, I wish you would die again—preferably far away!” Cui Yue muttered, eager to get rid of this cursed spirit.

“Master, you came in disguise…” the robed man began.

“Uh… something like that. I have some matters to attend to,” Cui Yue wiped sweat from his brow. This guy either had a concussion or didn’t wear glasses when he left. Who drags a wild ghost along on a covert mission? Cui Yue thought with exasperation.

“But master, your body looks like that of a living person… no, more like half-human, half-ghost. If you hadn’t emitted that ghostly aura earlier, I wouldn’t have recognized you!” the robed man observed carefully.

“Ghost aura? That’s right. Just now, when we fought, I repelled him with the ghostly energy inside me. Could it be that the energy contains a familiar scent from his past?”

Yes. That must be it!

Suddenly, Cui Yue had a revelation. Besides the blue-clad female ghost, the greatest amount of energy he absorbed came from the Yinmu Fish Spirit!

There was no chance it was Wei Luoyang; if she were a ghost hunter, she would have taken him back already. So the Yinmu Fish Spirit was the most plausible source.

“Right, I still have unfinished business in the mortal realm. Once done, I’ll return.”

“Oh, that explains why you appeared so suddenly,” the robed man replied.

Suddenly, Cui Yue thought of a question. This fellow had been imprisoned in the underworld’s jail for centuries—so how was he still causing trouble outside?

“What about you? Why did you escape?”

Cui Yue asked casually.

The robed man’s face darkened, mumbling, “I’ve been ordered to investigate something in the mortal realm.”

“What are you investigating?” Cui Yue pressed.

The robed man’s expression soured, muttering, “Master, I can’t disclose that to you. You know the rules of the underworld.”

“Underworld? Rules? Who exactly are you? By the way, why haven’t you undergone reincarnation?”

Cui Yue suddenly remembered and blurted out.

“My name is Chen Fu. I’m a temporary staff member of the underworld. In sixty-one years, I’ll be promoted to a probationary ghost hunter.”

“Chen Fu? You might as well be called Chen Lun—Sinking!” Cui Yue muttered, puzzled.

“So, you’re one of us now?” Cui Yue asked, feeling awkward saying it.

“Yes, master. But our rules keep us separate; we each handle our own affairs on different lines, without crossing paths or revealing secrets. Otherwise, the boiling oil punishment…”

The robed man shuddered at the thought.

Damn, the underworld’s operations are like secret agent meetings! So my identity must be some kind of undercover agent sent by them. Can this get any more absurd?

“Master, you seem unfamiliar with the rules…”

The robed man eyed Cui Yue suspiciously, ghostly energy faintly swirling around him.