Chapter 101: Sweeping the Ghost Realm, the Eastern Barbarians Attack

"My name is Demon Child. I was originally a demonic cultivator who attained the Dao after turning into a ghost, serving under the Seventh Grievance Spirit, Lord Ghost Spirit. Under the Lord's orders, I established the Heavenly Ghost Gang in Qiongzhou City to infiltrate the Third Prince's faction and plunder wealth.

The swordsmen from Heavenly Sword Villa repeatedly opposed the Iron Shark Gang and my own, so under the instructions of the Eighth Grievance Spirit, Lord Flood Dragon Spirit, I cooperated with the Iron Shark Gang and the Dragon Fish Demon Commander to besiege the villa. Initially, I was only there to provide support, but I discovered demonic energy leaking from the estate, suggesting a great demon was sealed within. That was when I requested the Ten-Phase Heavenly Ghost Formation from Lord Ghost Spirit to set the trap that led to the events you saw."

"Is that all?" Han Chong glared fiercely.

"There is more! Two months ago, under Lord Ghost Spirit's orders, I conspired to harm the regional Demon-Slaying Division."

"Oh? The regional Demon-Slaying Division has three guerrilla generals, dozens of resident qi-refining practitioners, and over a hundred lieutenants. As a mere ghost commander, you hardly have the capability for that."

"True, your Excellency is wise. However, Lord Ghost Spirit ordered me to present ten thousand taels of gold to Governor Qu. This finally convinced him to assist us, allowing us to enter the Demon-Slaying Division with the 'Moth-Ghost Luo Smoke' bestowed by the Lord. The smoke is colorless and odorless; when released by Governor Qu, not a single lieutenant noticed, and they were all poisoned. Then, I led eight great ghost generals alongside Lord Ghost Spirit to enter and capture them, ultimately wiping them all out."

Han Chong was filled with burning rage. Over a hundred lieutenants and three guerrilla generals had been assassinated in such a treacherous manner—it was truly heartbreaking!

However, it was not yet time to execute this fiend. Han Chong grabbed him and, wielding his peach-wood sword, rushed out of the courtyard, slaying ghosts and bandits along the way. The lieutenants outside the courtyard also charged in.

It was just before dawn. The sounds of battle in the east of the city lasted for an hour, and many civilians, hearing the ghostly wails from afar, were terrified. By daybreak, the once-notorious Heavenly Ghost Gang had been completely eradicated in Qiongzhou.

Han Chong brought the dwarf ghost commander and led his men to the regional office to take over and rebuild it. The news shook all of Qiongzhou, and the citizens cheered. Officials from the Governor's Mansion, the Textile Bureau, and the Salt Transport Commission came to offer congratulations, though their true intent was to investigate the reality of the situation and see what kind of person this newly appointed guerrilla general really was. After all, the fall of the Heavenly Ghost Gang and the arrival of the new Demon-Slaying Division, following closely on the heels of the disappearance of the three families' ledgers yesterday, seemed far too coincidental.

However, the high-ranking officials of Qiongzhou discovered nothing. Han Chong acted with perfect propriety and did not reveal a single detail, sending them away one by one.

In truth, Han Chong’s offensive had not stopped. He had recorded the Demon Child's confession with his thumbprint and written a detailed report on the destruction of the Qiongzhou Demon-Slaying Division and the collusion between the Heavenly Ghost Gang and various officials in the Governor's Mansion, Salt Transport Commission, and Textile Bureau to murder over a dozen upright officials. He sent Captain Ning to deliver this to the Imperial Capital’s General Headquarters overnight.

Simultaneously, he secretly transmuted countless gold and silver, having over a dozen lieutenants pose as merchants to buy up the overstocked goods of wealthy Qiongzhou businessmen at high prices, only to sell them to commoners and small vendors at low prices. The wealthy merchants were overjoyed, rushing to offload their stock, thinking they could recoup their capital. Little did they know, five days later, the silver they received would all turn into bricks and stones. In an instant, the entire merchant class of Qiongzhou collapsed; many threw themselves into wells or beat their heads against walls, and the merchant association was dissolved.

Coincidentally, the silver previously seized from Han Chong by Chief Clerk Cao, as well as the tribute silver just sent to the various princes' mansions in the capital, had also turned into gravel and brick! The Crown Prince and the various princes were furious, summoning their confidants to blame them. The man with hanging hair, General Luo, and the Crane Pavilion Daoist, who had escaped back pretending nothing was wrong, were equally stunned. This trip to Qiongzhou was an utter humiliation; they felt as if they had been manipulated from the shadows, kept in the dark until now.

With no other choice, they had to confess the loss of the ledgers. The Crown Prince and the princes turned from rage to fear, collapsing into their chairs with pale faces.

Bad news followed one after another: the Heavenly Ghost Gang was destroyed, the Qiongzhou Chamber of Commerce had collapsed, and the newly appointed Demon-Slaying Division general, Han Chong, had captured the gang leader, Demon Child, and submitted a confession to the General Headquarters. The Headquarters was shaken and notified the Censorate. The Grand Court of Justice, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate-in-Chief jointly investigated, issuing an imperial decree to Qiongzhou to have Governor Qu arrested and brought to the capital for trial, his assets confiscated, along with over a dozen other high-ranking Qiongzhou officials who were dismissed and detained. At the same time, Han Chong was appointed as the acting Guerrilla General of Qiongzhou, in command of the lieutenants of the ten sub-divisions of Qiongzhou.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for saving the people of Qiongzhou from misery, gaining 1,000,000 points of merit.]

Qiongzhou City was finally settled, and the people lived in peace and prosperity. However, Han Chong only treated his lieutenants to a sumptuous feast before setting off the next day with Ming Zhen, Leng Yue, Mi Ling, and others toward the Dragon Canal.

According to the dwarf ghost commander, there were two other ghost commanders in the Dragon Canal, no weaker than himself, who occupied the two ends of the canal and colluded with officials from the Salt Transport Commission to steal the goods they were meant to protect. They frequently launched dark tides, leading ghost soldiers to rob salt transport ships, and then smuggled large quantities of salt to the northern provinces for sale, reaping immense profits!

Han Chong descended to the bottom of the canal alone. When he reached the northern ghost mansion, he brandished his Qingming sword, and a sword-python gradually took form. It shocked the ghost generals in the mansion, who led a hundred ghosts to surround Han Chong.

Under the gaze of the hundred ghosts, the sword-python formed by the human cultivator grew larger. Its body began to sprout sharp horns, and two claws appeared beneath its belly. The entire body glowed with winding blue light, transforming into a blue flood dragon that tore through the ranks.

For a time, sword energy surged across the hundred-foot-deep canal floor. Before the blue sword-dragon even touched them, the ghosts were torn apart by the sharp sword energy, their forms dissolving into the water. This was because Han Chong had gained a new understanding of the Azure Dragon Sword Technique after witnessing the power of the Flood Dragon Spirit, and with his increased magic power, he had naturally evolved this blue dragon sword form, greatly increasing his lethality.

The northern ghost commander was an妖-ghost in the shape of a giant shrimp, whose two massive claws could be shot out instantly with terrifying destructive power. It rushed out of the ghost mansion and struck the sword-dragon with its claws. The dragon's claws shattered instantly. Han Chong was slightly startled, but the creature's body was somewhat clumsy. Controlling the sword-dragon, Han Chong adopted a hit-and-run strategy and, after dozens of rounds, finally dismembered the creature.

Entering the ghost mansion, he found not a single tael of gold or silver; it seemed it had already been handed over. He repeated the process, razing the southern ghost mansion to the ground, before returning to the regional office.

...

Just as he entered the courtyard, he saw a garrison lieutenant pacing anxiously, with three feathers stuck in his back.

"May I ask if you are General Han? I am a captain of the Pinghai Navy in the Jiangnan Circuit. The four great sea trenches of Hangou Commandery have been ambushed by warships from the Eastern Yi Kingdom. Lord Zhang, the Regional Commander, ordered me to find the Governor to mobilize cannons and supplies for reinforcements, but who would have expected the Governor to be arrested? I had no choice but to come to the Demon-Slaying Division to seek General Han's help!"

"There is such a thing? Why would the Eastern Yi Kingdom suddenly raid our provinces?"

"The event happened suddenly, and Lord Zhang is also unaware. By the time I left, the coastal defenses had already suffered heavy damage. I beg General Han to reinforce us immediately!"

"In that case, let us head to the Governor's Mansion at once." Han Chong led the captain and his lieutenants toward the Governor's Mansion with haste.

"The newly appointed Chief Clerk of Qiongzhou, Li He, greets General Han. May I ask what orders the General has?" a submissive-looking official greeted him with a bow.