Chapter 73 Fengdu Ghost Banquet 18

After Concubine Qian stuffed Concubine Wu's body into the well, Xia Qi and his sister guessed that the disposal of the corpse or soul was likely related to the dungeon.

Seeing the sudden change in the sky, Xia Qi's expression turned rather grim.

The seven wells in Fengdu City could devour the bodies or souls of players, seemingly converting the deceased into energy. He hoped these changes wouldn't affect the Ghost Emperor.

However, it seemed unlikely.

The state of the dungeon was closely tied to the boss, but it was unclear to what extent it would be affected.

"Are we really going in?" As they stepped into the Imperial Garden, Concubine Ou paused, clearly intimidated.

"I'll go in; you wait outside." Xia Qi pushed aside the grass in front of him, intending to search for the Ghost Emperor alone.

It was already dark, and the Ghost Emperor should have appeared within the dungeon.

"Brother Xia, I'll go with you." His sister, however, was unfazed, taking a few steps forward. In the Rose Baron, she had narrowly escaped decapitation by the baron several times. Now, since the Ghost Emperor hadn't harmed her, she felt no fear.

As Xia Qi and his sister walked into the Imperial Garden, Concubine Ou stood there hesitantly. Suddenly, a black figure darted past not far away, carrying a large bag on its shoulder, running incredibly fast as if pursued by a female ghost, sprinting for its life.

"It's Concubine Qian!" Concubine Ou pointed in the direction Concubine Qian was running from. When she focused on the figure behind it, her breath caught. "...Xia Qi, look!"

At that moment, the sky grew even darker, and the air around the Imperial Garden suddenly turned cold. A fierce wind swept through the grass, lifting countless dead branches, leaves, and dust, howling mournfully like spirits whispering in their ears.

Alerted by Concubine Ou, Xia Qi also looked up, following her gaze to the approaching figure. By the time Concubine Qian was closer, Xia Qi could clearly see the man chasing her.

In the dim forest, the man's white figure gradually became clearer. Since he was floating in mid-air, his black hair flew in the wind, exuding an aura of death. His pale white robe billowed in the wind, making him appear hollow and more like a ghost from hell than a human.

Unlike the previous night, he seemed taller and more intimidating. As he got closer, Xia Qi noticed that the Ghost Emperor's face was as pale as gold paper, his once expressive face now like a mask without emotion. His previously bright, eerie eyes had turned dull and gray, his gaze empty and lost.

He seemed to be moving without purpose, driven by instinct to chase after Concubine Qian, reverting to a mindless, rampaging dungeon boss.

Just as Xia Qi thought this, the Ghost Emperor suddenly raised his sleeve, revealing an unusually pale hand that floated toward Concubine Qian's back!

"Watch out!" Even though the Ghost Emperor's hand seemed weak, Concubine Ou instinctively screamed, familiar with the quirks of various dungeon bosses.

"Swish!"

True to her status as the second concubine, Concubine Qian rolled to the side at the sound of Concubine Ou's warning, narrowly avoiding the Ghost Emperor's attack.

Despite this, his left shoulder was deeply clawed by the Ghost Emperor.

Blood instantly soaked his shoulder, and Concubine Qian, ignoring the large bag in his hands, rolled on the ground twice before dashing madly toward Xia Qi and the others.

"Xia Qi, run!" Seeing Concubine Qian charging towards them, Concubine Ou tugged at Xia Qi's sleeve when he didn't move.

Xia Qi remained still, frowning and staring intently at the approaching Ghost Emperor.

He didn't want to leave yet; he wanted to observe him more closely.

As Concubine Qian drew closer, the Ghost Emperor was only ten meters away from them.

Perhaps due to an instinctive fear of the terrifying boss, Xia Qi swallowed hard, nervously gripping the magic wand in his sleeve.

"Xia Qi, if you don't run, I will!"

Just as Concubine Ou was about to turn and flee, the Ghost Emperor stopped first.

Facing Xia Qi, the Ghost Emperor's expression changed subtly for a moment. He tilted his head, his eyes slowly focusing.

Gradually, a look of surprise appeared on his mask-like face, followed by confusion.

Then, his gray eyes narrowed, and he furrowed his brow, as if trying to remember who Xia Qi was.

Xia Qi clenched his fists tightly, striving to keep his voice calm.

"Do you recognize me?" Xia Qi asked softly.

"..."

The Ghost Emperor maintained his cold expression, his eyes vacant as he stared at Xia Qi.

Their gazes met in the air.

"I'm Xia Qi."

Xia Qi pointed to himself, forcing a smile. "What's wrong with you?"

Perhaps his smile was too disarming, the Ghost Emperor's gray eyes blinked, turning back to their original black color. But this brief clarity didn't last long. Panic and worry flashed in his eyes, and without waiting for Xia Qi to speak further, he suddenly turned and fled like a gust of wind.

"Whoosh—"

He moved exceptionally swiftly, faster than when he was chasing Concubine Qian, as if something was pursuing him, fleeing in a panic.

Watching the Ghost Emperor hastily retreat, Xia Qi thought that he hadn't completely lost his mind.

Concubine Qian, who had narrowly escaped death, slowly climbed to his feet, looking in disbelief at the direction the Ghost Emperor had disappeared. "…The boss, he ran away?"

Xia Qi pursed his lips, thinking that, more accurately, he had fled.

With the Ghost Emperor now avoiding him, another worrying issue arose.

The Ghost Emperor seemed unwilling for Xia Qi to see him in this state.

"Brother Xia, should we find him?" His sister's expression was full of sympathy, perhaps still haunted by the memory of being nailed to a cross by the baron. "Will he hurt himself again?"

"This time… probably not." Xia Qi pulled Concubine Qian up from the ground and walked into the grass. "Come on, let's go in and retrieve your bag."

"Oh, oh, okay." Concubine Qian, dazed, stood up and followed Xia Qi. As they approached his large bag, Concubine Qian finally reacted, turning to look at Xia Qi in shock, wondering how someone could be so brave as to accompany him into the Imperial Garden.

"This is..." Upon reaching the large bundle, Xia Qi paused for a moment before realizing it wasn’t a bundle at all but a corpse that had been dead for some time.

"It’s Zhao Fei." Concubine Qian, whose left arm had just been injured, lifted Zhao Fei's body with one hand and asked, "Can you help me carry it?"

"Sure." Xia Qi bent down and lifted Zhao Fei's legs, and together they carried the body out, one in front and one behind.

After they had carried the body out, Concubine Ou glanced at it and immediately recognized it as Zhao Fei. His scalp tingled: "Why is Zhao Fei’s body still here?"

"Zhao Fei should thank the Boss for throwing him into the Imperial Garden. If his body had been left on the roadside, who knows who might have already divided and eaten it," Concubine Qian sneered. Zhao Fei’s experience points were considerable; if someone had eaten him, they might have cultivated another Four Consorts.

Xia Qi was not in a good mood and didn’t want to discuss the Ghost Emperor with Concubine Qian. He changed the subject, asking, "Where are you taking Zhao Fei’s body?"

"I’m going to throw it into the Thieves’ Well." Concubine Qian turned to look in another direction, "The Thieves’ Well is in Shoukang Palace. Can you give me a hand?"

It seemed fate had intervened, as the Thieves’ Well was actually inside Concubine Sun’s palace.

"Sure." Xia Qi didn’t say more and continued to help Concubine Qian carry the body.

The four of them headed towards Shoukang Palace together.

Due to changes in the environment of the dungeon, Fengdu finally looked like the capital city it was supposed to be. Lanterns hung along the palace paths swayed in the wind, casting a chilling white light that made everything seem eerie. The shadows under the tall eaves were darker than ever, exuding an ominous ghostly aura. The shadows on the ground even changed shape as they walked, as if countless ghosts were baring their fangs and claws.

Concubine Ou tried hard not to look at the frenzied shadows on the ground and nervously said, "Aren’t you guys scared?"

"What’s there to be afraid of? Aren’t you a high-level player?" His sister gave him a disdainful look.

"I’m not afraid of monsters... but I’m afraid of ghosts." Concubine Ou tightened his collar and muttered softly.

Because Concubine Ou was afraid of ghosts, he stopped chattering as they walked to Shoukang Palace, giving Xia Qi a much-needed break from the noise.

Upon arriving at Shoukang Palace, they found the guards lax, and Concubine Sun seemed to be absent.

Concubine Qian and Xia Qi boldly carried the body to the Thieves’ Well. By nightfall, there were no ghosts in the well, and the ghost that usually transformed people had disappeared.

"R-Really throw it in?" Watching Concubine Qian push the head of the body towards the well’s mouth, Concubine Ou swallowed hard.

"Or what, don’t you want to get out?" Concubine Qian glanced at him coldly, "Haven’t you eaten anyone yet? Worried about not being able to leave?"

"N-No..." Concubine Ou couldn’t help but let out a sob. He wasn’t afraid of not being able to leave; he was afraid that throwing the body in would attract more ghosts.

"Throw it." Xia Qi lifted the other shoulder of the body and pushed it into the well.

Just as the body began to slide into the well, his sister rushed to the edge and pressed her hand against the back of the body, looking up and asking, "Brother Xia, can you bear to part with the Ghost Emperor?"

Xia Qi looked at his sister, smiled bitterly, and repeated words he had once said, "I won’t give up on him until the very end."

Not only that, in this dungeon, he would stand by his side.

He wouldn’t let him face everything alone.

Seeing Xia Qi’s serious expression, his sister was deeply moved. For some reason, she even felt a bit happy, though she didn’t know why.

"Alright." His sister pursed her lips and released her grip.

With a splash, Zhao Fei’s body fell into the well water, sending up a high spray.

As Zhao Fei’s body was swallowed by the well, the sky nearby turned from black to red, with large patches of blood seeping through the dark curtain. The low, mournful whistling of the wind turned into sharp, piercing screams, making everyone’s hair stand on end.

"Done." Concubine Qian patted his hands, stood up with a satisfied look, like an old farmer after harvesting crops, "If we threw Concubine Lin in, the Ghost Gate would open today. Unfortunately, we have to wait a few more days until the Mid-Yuan Festival."

"You’re really bold, daring to kill Concubine Lin!" Hearing Concubine Qian’s plan to harm Concubine Lin, Concubine Ou gave him a thumbs up.

Concubine Lin had three S-grade items and even a pass card. Concubine Qian must have been incredibly brave to think about throwing Concubine Lin into the well!

Was it the courage given by the clothes hanger or the red underwear of Concubine Lin?

"Tsk, what are you afraid of? I’m not afraid of him." Concubine Qian flicked his hair, and Xia Qi noticed that the wound on his face, inflicted by Concubine Lin, had scabbed over, leaving a rough, uneven patch.

Of course, Concubine Qian paid no attention to his appearance and nodded at the three of them, "By the way, can you do me another favor?"

"What favor?"

Concubine Qian narrowed his eyes and said indifferently, "Help me collect the bodies of Concubine Sun and myself."

Author's Note: Xia Qi: Heard you went crazy again?

Someone: That’s right, after going crazy, I won’t be responsible for my actions, like dragging you into My Love Palace for the night.

Xia Qi: ...