Chapter 89

Facing Huang Mao’s accusations, the Daoists felt weak in spirit for the first time in their lives.

Xiang Ting felt his injuries suddenly worsen, making it hard for him to catch his breath: “...Zhu Qian, unlock and release him.”

Zhu Qian obediently replied, “Okay.”

She stepped forward, took the chain locking Huang Mao, and with a light pull, the chain broke.

Daoists: “...?”

“...” Huang Mao’s crying abruptly stopped.

In the silence, Huang Mao weakly tried to explain: “I tried before, this thing is really strong, it can’t be broken at all...”

His voice grew softer and softer, clearly realizing that no matter how he explained, he couldn’t change the fact that Zhu Qian had locked him up with a chain she could break anytime.

Huang Mao sobbed deeply and whispered in accusation under everyone’s gaze: “In any case, you righteous sects just bully people, you even mistreat prisoners, it’s too much!”

Who knew that once he said this, the Daoists couldn’t hold it in anymore, recalling how their clothes had been torn and they were driven into the corridor by fierce ghosts, being stared at by others.

They were living in a star-rated hotel business suite, eating at the buffet, and yet they were just locked with a chain around their neck that could be broken at any time!

This counts as mistreatment of prisoners?

The Nine-headed Dragon’s deeds were far worse!

The Daoists’ expressions instantly hardened. The more they looked at Huang Mao, the more convinced they were that he truly was raised by the evil path—always twisting right and wrong.

One Daoist suspiciously squinted: “After we landed, we didn’t contact anyone. The spirits around the hotel before check-in were normal. How did the Nine-headed Dragon find our location so quickly?”

The other Daoists quickly realized: “Are you saying someone among us passed information to them?”

Thinking carefully, that was indeed the case. The hotel was the property of Daoist Ke’s second disciple. They hadn’t specially notified anyone before coming, so there shouldn’t have been leaks.

The Daoists all knew each other and naturally wouldn’t suspect one another. The few from Xiaoyao Sect contributed money and effort, and everyone saw that. If anyone was most likely to have contact with the evil path here, it had to be Huang Mao, who was already part of the evil path.

Everyone’s gaze immediately turned to Huang Mao.

At first, Huang Mao refused to speak until Zhu Qian shook the chain and was about to lock him back to the head of the bed.

Knowing how hard it was to get rid of, Huang Mao trembled all over, closed his eyes, and shouted: “It’s not me! I only have these clothes, no phone at all, how could I contact the headquarters? Didn’t you all observe your surroundings before leaving the airport? When you were talking, the branches above your heads were almost crushed by birds and squirrels, okay!”

Everyone: “...”Unbelievable... it’s really like this...

Although they had previously caught animals like the white snake and big black dog who had developed intelligence, no one expected that the Nine-headed Dragon actually kept so many animals as informants.

The main reason was that Huang Mao was already in their hands; the Daoists had never imagined that the Nine-headed Dragon had other means to communicate with animals.

The questioning Daoist asked incredulously, “How many more like you, with a single body and dual souls, are there within the Nine-headed Dragon?”

“No need for single-body dual souls at all...” Huang Mao said with a kind of grievance the Daoists couldn’t understand. “Ever since a bird keeper came, they didn’t need me anymore.”

He was an orphan, able to grow up safely under the Nine-headed Dragon, and even had the chance to go out with his master to develop markets — that was for a reason.

Once he was in the Nine-headed Dragon, he was like the group’s favorite; even the cult leader had received him.

Huang Mao recalled the past: “Back then, I was so glorious! You could say I was the head of the intelligence department of the headquarters! But then the bird keeper came; his birds could talk, but even the ones that couldn’t speak knew more characters than me! Tell me, does that make sense?”

The Daoists had no interest in arguing with him, but their expressions grew serious.

“No wonder the Nine-headed Dragon’s intelligence is so timely; they have been eavesdropping on our conversations from the start. Our whereabouts have probably been fully exposed to their eyes and ears.”

Another Daoist found it hard to believe: “The southwest is full of mountains and dense forests, with cities and towns everywhere. Could their helpers really control flying birds all over these places?”

That would require immense divine power!

To be frank, if someone really had such powerful means, why would they stay in an evil organization?

While the Daoists passionately debated, Ke Xingzhou noticed Huang Mao’s expression change unconsciously when mentioning the Nine-headed Dragon’s bird keeper.

Noticing Ke Xingzhou’s gaze, Xiang Ting glanced over, his remaining eye holding an emotion Ke couldn’t understand.

But he quickly looked away, gave Huang Mao a cold glance, and said in a low voice, “The Nine-headed Dragon’s informants probably really spread throughout the southwest. Continuing to dwell on this is useless. Putting that aside, tonight’s ambush involved a large number of Yin soldiers, and among them were even benevolent ghosts. What’s going on?”

Benevolent ghosts?!

The Daoists were shocked and followed Xiang Ting’s finger, seeing behind Ke Xingzhou a dazzling golden Daoist magical light — a cat cage.

“...” Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Ke Xingzhou didn’t quite understand the Daoists’ speechlessness. A Daoist magic prison is naturally used however it’s convenient. He waved his hand, and the cat cage flew in front of everyone. Only then did they clearly see that inside the cage was indeed a benevolent ghost.

The TV ghost was almost scared to death seeing so many Daoists, especially watching those terrifying fierce ghosts be destroyed before its eyes. Now being held in front of the Daoists and stared at by so many authoritative eyes, it trembled and helplessly screamed in the corner.

The Daoists looked serious.

Knowing they were dealing with evil Daoists this time, they had prepared themselves, but initially they only thought the Nine-headed Dragon refined some fierce ghosts to use as Yin soldiers. They didn’t expect there to be benevolent ghosts as well.

Though all ghosts and all could be used as Yin soldiers, the difference between benevolent and fierce ghosts is huge.

The simplest point is that benevolent ghosts are protected by the Heavenly Dao and cannot be killed at will. If they were injured during the fight, the Heavenly Dao might even impose punishment!

But enslaving benevolent ghosts also brings Heavenly punishment. The Nine-headed Dragon is so arrogant — how does he avoid the Heavenly Dao’s punishment?

Xiang Ting’s eyes were cold, and with the fierce scar on his eye, he looked extremely menacing.

Huang Mao was scared under his gaze and shrank his neck: “This question shouldn’t you ask Xiaoyao Sect?”Ke Xingzhou: “?”

“The headquarters not only sent us to the east to develop the market, but also sent people to the capital,” Huang Mao blinked. “The person in charge in the capital said that Xiaoyao Sect found a way to control benevolent ghosts without incurring Heavenly punishment, and those benevolent ghosts obey them completely, following orders without question. Once the headquarters got the news, they immediately put it to use!”

Everyone: “...”

Huang Mao glanced at the benevolent ghost; he couldn’t tell if it was truly benevolent, just felt its appearance was much cleaner and tidier. He sighed: “Look how well it works! Before, the ghosts in the sect were bloody and terrifying, super scary. It’s better to have these kinds that are more normal and not frightening.”

Everyone: “.........”

Facing everyone’s complicated looks, Zhu Chu was puzzled: “We are using legitimate methods, with the ghost messengers personally commissioning us. The benevolent ghosts brought over all work voluntarily and get paid on time. There’s no illegal or chaotic behavior!”

The ghost messengers personally commissioned...

To be honest, the Daoists in Jiangcheng really didn’t know about this. Seeing Xiang Ting and Ke Xingzhou’s normal expressions, they were a bit dazed.

If that’s the case, it actually seems quite legitimate?

Then Huang Mao said gloomily: “The same thing, if you do it, it’s legitimate; if we do it, it’s illegitimate. What kind of logic is that...”

“...” The Daoists fell silent again.

Strictly speaking, what Xiaoyao Sect does is indeed a bit irregular, but they did say it was personally commissioned by the ghost messengers, and even Mr. Xiang from the Special Incident Handling Bureau tacitly approved. No matter how much they disliked it, they had to admit Xiaoyao Sect really was a proper Daoist temple.

But on the other hand, the Daoists had lived so many years and had dealings with ghost messengers, some even had long-term communication with the ghost messengers like Qingyun Temple.

How come they never heard that the underworld had any commissions needing help from living Daoist temples?

Actually, not just them, even the TV ghost nearby hadn’t heard of this. But the Daoists didn’t know that, just feeling that they were too weak—so weak that even the underworld looked down on them and refused to share such information.

The Daoists almost cried from frustration.

After Xiang Ting’s repeated questioning, Huang Mao finally revealed that the Nine-headed Dragon’s method of recruiting benevolent ghosts wasn’t like Xiaoyao Sect’s direct recruitment, but through ghost intermediaries.

“Ghost intermediaries?”

Huang Mao didn’t know much about this. When the news came from the capital, he was already following his master to Jiangcheng and only heard a few words from him.

The Daoists’ eyes suddenly turned to the TV ghost inside the cat cage.

TV ghost: “...”

To be honest, even if he really was a benevolent ghost, facing so many Daoists’ stern gazes made him a bit nervous.

The TV ghost stammered, “I—I don’t really know either...”

The Daoists frowned, then Nie Chen coldly said, “I think we should just send him directly to the Investigation Department...”

The TV ghost panicked immediately: “No, no... I’m telling you, isn’t that enough?”

Just now, he clearly heard that these two lovey-dovey couples who caught him really had connections to the underworld, and could openly provide work for benevolent ghosts.

It’s said they even pay monthly wages!This was much more stable than him taking odd jobs outside. On one hand, he envied the capital—its benefits were indeed better, even the ghosts there lived more comfortably than ghosts from small places like theirs. On the other hand, he was afraid Ke Xingzhou and the others would really report him to the underworld.

He hurriedly told everything he knew: “There’s a lone wandering ghost who neither went to the underworld nor reincarnated, and she set up an intermediary agency here in the living world. She takes odd jobs, finds matches, even arranges reincarnation queue jumping. This time I got the job through her, didn’t look carefully at the details—who knew it was all fierce ghosts coming? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come, sob sob. Those fierce ghosts are so brutal; what if they eat me…”

Everyone: “…”

Zhu Chu was very curious: “If it was the ghost intermediary who sent you, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“After all, she’s a lone wandering ghost,” the TV ghost waved his hand. “And her business is quite big, reportedly even spreading to the realm of spirits and demons. If the ghost messengers see it, they’ll definitely arrest her. Benevolent ghosts who contact her will also be punished. If other ghosts find out I was the one who spilled the beans, how could I still get by…”

Zhu Chu exclaimed, “You ghosts really care about this?”

“Of course,” the TV ghost said matter-of-factly. “Think about it, I only lived a bit over thirty years, but after death, to reincarnate I have to drift for hundreds of years. Such a long time—I can’t have other ghosts pointing fingers at me all the time, can I?”

Zhu Chu felt that made sense, especially since benevolent ghosts also can’t rest after death; forgotten ghosts still have to keep working to earn offerings.

Thinking this way, the TV ghost taking odd jobs was understandable.

After the TV ghost finished complaining, seeing everyone’s still complicated expressions, he couldn’t help but start sobbing: “Please, my wife and kids are still in the living world. If I get caught and taken down, what will happen to them?!”

Zhu Chu: “...???”

Bro, you’re a ghost—how can you still enjoy family life in the living world??