Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 85 - 81: Pretending to Be a God, Playing the Ghost

Chapter 85: Chapter 81: Pretending to Be a God, Playing the Ghost

The clouds at the edge of the sky were a dismal gray, the hour was not yet clear, showing a pale whiteness of dawn. Li Ping’an, who had ridden through the night, finally saw a residence ahead, a grand manor with definitely three sets of courtyards.

"Let’s first stop at this residence for lodging and rest for a day; after refreshing overnight, head to Chang’an early tomorrow!"

Having made up his mind, Li Ping’an spurred his horse, rushing towards the manor,

"It’s already been abandoned!"

There was a plaque above the manor’s gate inscribed with "Zhengqi Manor", clearly crafted by a renowned artist. Though it was all in ruins and filled with a ghostly aura, the architecture, with its drooping lotus-shaped column bases and elephant-nosed beams, the painted rafters and carved beams, and the grand mansion itself, had once belonged to a wealthy family.

Zhengqi Manor was surrounded by towering trees that covered the sky, with ghostly fog curling around, hidden traces of wolves and insects, tigers and panthers that disappeared from sight, and groups of crows and bats flying wildly.

"I get it; these are ancient locust trees over a hundred years old, which attract ghosts; this place gradually fell into decay, no longer inhabited by people, but that’s fine, living here will surely be undisturbed!"

Ordinary people, if they saw such haunted mansions and ghostly houses, would definitely walk around them, but now, Li Ping’an, who had seen ghosts and fought demons, wouldn’t hesitate to live even in a Messy Burial Mound.

Leading his horse, he pushed open the main door and walked inside, saw an archway, and continued on. When he reached the outside of the main hall, Li Ping’an tied his horse at the entrance, mustered his courage, and pushed the door open.

Inside the main hall, it was pitch black, truly dark and silent. It was so dimly lit that one couldn’t see anything clearly. It had been centuries since sunlight had entered, millennia since moonlight had shone, no differentiation of north or south, nor discernment of east or west; thick black smoke enveloped the chilly air, sending shivers through the body. No traces of humans, only the haunts of fairies, one could open their eyes wide yet see nothing, stretch out hands but not see the palms.

With a puff, Li Ping’an lit a Fire Starter and the hall suddenly brightened, and everything became clear.

"Fuck! That scared me to death!"

In the center of the main hall, there was nothing else but eight coffins laid side by side, all sealed with Celestial Talisman Scripts, terribly frightening indeed.

Li Ping’an hurried forward to examine them, but they were just ordinary coffins. Looking around, apart from deserted furniture, snakes and insects, rats and ants, and dense cobwebs, there were no ghosts. Just as he was about to proceed further, suddenly, a dull thud came from the steps at the entrance, followed by a strange cry.

"It hurts like hell!"

Following the cry, something burst from the ground and stood on the steps.

"Huh? What kind of demon is this?"

Li Ping’an immediately rushed forward and, by the light of the Fire Starter, saw a young Taoist emerging from the ground holding his head and looking towards the horse.

"Who are you? Where did you pop out from?"

Li Ping’an asked curiously.

"You horse thief, you caused me to chase after you all this way, you didn’t expect me to catch you here, did you!"

The Taoist pointed at Li Ping’an and cursed.

"So this horse is yours..."

Li Ping’an quickly explained:

"Brother, I saw that the horse had no owner, so I rode it. Before leaving, I dropped Ten Taels of Silver as payment, thinking it was a purchase. Didn’t you see that silver?"

The young Taoist angrily approached the horse and said:

"You call yourself a thief, yet it’s quite laughable. My horse, worth a thousand gold and not for sale, I’ve ridden it from Kunlun Mountains to here, and you think to buy it with merely Ten Taels? Does such a transaction even exist in the world?"

"Kunlun Mountains?"

Li Ping’an immediately exclaimed happily:

"Fellow Taoist, may I ask if you are a Taoist from Kunlun Mountains?"

"Who is your fellow Taoist? We’ll chalk up the horse theft to a misunderstanding; I’ll let you off today!"

The young Taoist glanced at Li Ping’an and then walked into the room, looking around and said:

"Although this place is dilapidated and filled with a ghostly atmosphere, it’s still a place to rest."

As the young Taoist turned his back, Li Ping’an immediately used Divine Power: Insight into the Hidden to observe:

Cultivation: Clay Figure Realm 50%

Strength: 80, Mana: 100, Defense: 80, Charm: 25, Luck: 5

"So he has the same cultivation as Zixia—I thought he was some expert."

Li Ping’an confirmed that this person was no threat to him; since Zhengqi Manor had no master, who stayed didn’t matter. Having some company was good.

"Hey hey hey! What are you mumbling about there, kid?"

After finishing his checks, the young Taoist walked up to Li Ping’an and threatened,

"Let me tell you, I am a mage from Kunlun Mountains, don’t you think about killing for loot, or these coffins will be prepared for you!"

"Hahaha, why don’t you find a place to rest."

Li Ping’an turned to leave, looking for a clean spot, unwilling to waste words with this arrogant young Taoist.

With a whoosh, a ghostly figure suddenly flashed past the entrance of Zhengqi Manor, and the young Taoist yelled,

"A ghost! Kid, I see it’s inconvenient for you being alone. Though you stole my horse, your attitude in admitting it was not bad. Come over and see how a mage like me catches ghosts!"

"Is that a ghost, Great Mage?"

Li Ping’an asked in a mocking tone.

"This mage will open your eyes today! It’s dangerous for you to stay here alone. Follow me, I can even protect you!"

"Alright, alright."

Originally, Li Ping’an thought to see the Taoist make a fool of himself, but seeing the man show his true warm-hearted nature, he felt a better impression and followed him out, also curious about who was pretending to be a ghost outside.

The two men sprinted out one after the other, only to see eight ghostly figures dressed in white, with long tongues and disheveled hair, hanging from the large pagoda tree in front of the gate—extremely frightening in the deep night.

Li Ping’an stood still, squinting and chuckling,

"Great Mage, get to it! The ghost is waiting for you! Haha!"

"Hmph!"

The young Taoist haughtily drew his sword to exterminate the ghosts.

The eight ghostly figures saw the young Taoist draw his sword and come at them, immediately landing and engaging in combat with him.

"Presumptuous demons, accept your death!"

The young Taoist fought fiercely, his sword technique fluid as he slashed left and right, moving up and down in sync, while the eight ghostly figures, agile in their movements, could only dodge continuously as they failed to land their attacks.

With a swoosh, as Li Ping’an was enjoying the spectacle, two hidden ghosts suddenly attacked from his sides. Li Ping’an had already known their details, but wasn’t sure of their intentions. Thinking that the young Taoist would step forward, he decided to act like an ordinary bystander and see what these ghosts wanted to do, ready to intervene if danger arose.

"You ghosts are quite playful, even using swords to kill, hahaha!"

Li Ping’an dodged while mocking.

"Hmph!"

The two ghostly figures, furious, snorted coldly and charged at Li Ping’an with all their might.

Li Ping’an dodged skillfully, though the two ghosts believed he was afraid of them, and persistently harried him, going for the kill. Left with no choice, Li Ping’an swiftly climbed up a large tree and taunted the two ghosts below,

"Can’t even kill a person, and you dare call yourselves ghosts?"

The two ghosts became even angrier and simultaneously leapt up, one landing on the main trunk to stab with its sword, and the other at the edge of the branch where Li Ping’an was standing, throwing out its sleeves to bind around Li Ping’an’s waist, trapping him tightly.

As for Li Ping’an, with his hands behind his back, neither angry nor agitated, he simply swayed his body to dodge the ghostly sword.