Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 426: What Would a Ghost Need Money For?

“Which faction do you belong to, malevolent ghost? Are you from the Nine-Netherworlds Creed?” Zhao Po interrogated the Drowned Ghost by borrowing the trio’s authority like a fox exploiting the might of a tiger.

The Drowned Ghost shook his head vigorously, emphasizing he had no malicious intentions. “I ended up here purely by accident. Really.

“I was originally a fisherman from the East Sea. After drowning, my resentment turned me into a grievous soul. By chance, my corpse came across a Yin-Wind Stone, and I became a Drowned Ghost.

“The East Sea is boundless, teeming with countless living beings. Thus, I secretly fed on the yang energy from the various races in the sea, gradually elevating my cultivation. From a Drowned Ghost who couldn’t face sunlight, I advanced to a Qi-Training Drowned Ghost with some self-protection ability.

“Once I could protect myself, I grew complacent. When I wandered the East Sea, I leaped out of the water to scare people from time to time. My courage grew, and I wanted to venture into the deeper waters I’d never dared approach in life. Right after I left the safe shallows, I encountered a fish king that was one hundred jin in weight. It simply opened its mouth, and I almost got sucked in.

“I knew that wouldn’t do, so I fled back to safe waters, swearing never to leave again! In the safe zone, I slowly cultivated, swallowing yang energy from schools of fish and occasionally stealing offerings from fishermen. We fishermen had traditions of making offerings to the East Sea, but since I’d drowned anyway, it was evident that those rituals to the East Sea didn’t guarantee one’s safety, so I had no qualms about eating the offerings.

“Eventually, I lost track of my cultivation realm, so I mindlessly cultivated without interacting with anyone. One day, I ran into a cultivator who wanted to capture and refine me. I chased him away effortlessly and took his storage rings and some cultivation manuals. After studying the cultivation techniques, I realized I had already reached the Advanced Foundation Establishment Stage. At the time, I’d been dead for two hundred years.

“With clearer directions in my cultivation, I continued cultivating. Eight hundred years passed, and I finally reached the Intermediate Nascent Soul Stage. All this time, I never once left the safe sea region.

“My plan was to venture out after reaching the Divine Transfiguration Stage, but who would have expected what happened next? Someone ambushed me and knocked me out with a single slap, and when I woke up, I was already in this deep pool.”

Lu Yang interrupted the Drowned Ghost’s account. “In other words, you’re saying you have no idea who brought you here?”

“Yes, I have no idea.”

“Does that person have any distinguishing features?”

“Stronger than me.”

“...Continue your story.”

“It took me days to understand my situation. It turned out that this was near Hanshui City in the Great Xia Dynasty’s Wilderness Province, the western edge of the Central Continent and countless li away from the East Sea.

“With my situation, I couldn’t exactly board a flying vessel or something, so I could only stay here. While scouting the area, I met a married couple in Baishui Village. The man was called Liu San, and the woman was called Huang Zao’er—this woman right here.” The Drowned Ghost pointed at the unconscious woman lying beside him.

“At first, the two of them were very scared of me. But once they realized I meant no harm, they grew bold. They asked if I could fake Huang Zao’er’s drowning to help them commit insurance fraud, offering me a share of the payout. I was penniless and in urgent need of money then, so I agreed.

“With my abilities, faking Huang Zao’er’s drowning was extremely easy. Even the coroner couldn’t discern it. After obtaining the payout, Huang Zao’er was ‘buried,’ but she was actually hiding here with me. The husband and wife intended to leave Baishui Village once the heat died down and start anew in another city.

“But I totally didn’t expect that it’s the height of a crackdown on ghost disturbances and that the imperial court is partnering with some Corpse-Driving Sect to target ghosts like me.

“I didn’t want to stir up trouble, so I’d flee at the sight of people or scare them off if escape wasn’t possible. A few days ago, I frightened away a Golden Core cultivator. And now, the four of you Golden Core cultivators show up!” The Drowned Ghost looked utterly aggrieved. This measly bit of insurance payout nearly cost me my life!

The four weren’t about to take the Drowned Ghost’s side of the story at face value. Lu Yang asked, “Why is Huang Zao’er unconscious?”

“I did that. Keeping her awake and living freely in the water drained too much power. Knocking her unconscious and encasing her in a protective bubble was more efficient.”

“Wake her.”

“Roger.” The Drowned Ghost complied, flicking a glowing finger to wake Huang Zao’er up.

Still muddle-headed and clueless about what was going on, Huang Zao’er was overwhelmed to suddenly find herself surrounded by four people and a walking corpse. Having never faced such an intimidating lineup before, she answered every question, largely corroborating the ghost’s account—she and her husband had conspired with the Drowned Ghost to commit insurance fraud.

“Wait, that doesn’t add up.” Meng Jingzhou narrowed his eyes, spotting the loophole in the Drowned Ghost’s confession. “What would a ghost need money for?”

Ghostly entities’ thick yin energy made mortals instinctively feel uncomfortable, which made them overly conspicuous. Even entering a city was extremely challenging and required significant effort to conceal themselves, let alone purchasing items on the streets.

As for visiting merchant guilds, that was all the more impossible. These guilds were filled with cultivators who could see through the ghosts’ disguises at a glance.

Besides, how much could a mortal’s insurance payout be? Summing them up might still not be worth a few spirit stones. He’s an almighty Intermediate Nascent Soul ghost who once stirred up waves in the East Sea. What use would he have for this paltry amount of money?

Look at Little Five, Little Six, and Little Seven. These three alluring ghosts go from house to house and serve households the whole night without charging any money.

“How audacious! You still dared lie to us!” Meng Jingzhou’s body erupted in true fire as he glared at the Drowned Ghost with ire.

“I really didn’t lie! Even ghosts have uses for money!” the Drowned Ghost wailed in protest. “Look, I was a fisherman, drowned in the sea, and have lived there forever—I’m a seawater ghost! Now, I’m stuck in this frigid pool. Although the yin energy is sufficient, it’s still freshwater. I’m not used to living here.

“So I had Liu San and his wife use the insurance payout they scammed to buy salt and pour it into the pool. That way, the pool would turn from freshwater to saltwater!”

Lu Yang, “...”

Meng Jingzhou, “...”

Man Gu, “...”

Zhao Po, “...”

This was their first time hearing that water ghosts were categorized into seawater and freshwater ghosts.

Lu Yang secretly transmitted an auditory message to Zhao Po. “You’ve got many ghosts in Wilderness Province. Have you ever heard of water ghosts being categorized into seawater and freshwater ghosts?”

“Our Wilderness Province is separated from the East Sea by an entire continent. This is my first time meeting an East Sea ghost.” Zhao Po felt like his knowledge wasn’t cutting it anymore.

Man Gu was used to such situations and even took pride in them. Following Brother Lu and Brother Meng really allows me to broaden my horizons everywhere I go.

Meanwhile, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy was rolling about on her bed, kicking her feet in laughter at Lu Yang’s lack of imagination. “That's because you haven’t seen enough! Have you forgotten the two types of first-grade golden cores I told you about? One is called ‘Three Rivers Five Lakes Golden Core,’ and the other is called ‘Boundless Sea Golden Core.’ The key difference is that one uses saltwater and the other uses freshwater!

The Drowned Ghost was still desperate to prove the veracity of his words. Your Excellency, didn’t you absorb the pool water with Sleeve Cosmos earlier? Just taste it and you’ll know!”

Lu Yang’s face darkened. “Then where has the fish in the pool gone?”

“It was so salty that they died.”[1]

1. The original expression is often used when saying a dish is too salty. Here, it also takes on the literal meaning. ☜

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