Chapter Eight: Ascension

After the coffin lid was closed once more, the entire space fell into silence.

“Tian Ge, have some tea.”

The old woman picked up a teacup and handed it to Chu Tiange.

Chu Tiange gazed at the teacup in her hand. A pitch-black liquid swirled within, exuding a pungent, putrid stench. He did not hesitate; he took the cup and drained it in one gulp.

As the liquid slid down his throat, a bitter taste flooded his mouth, as if he were savoring the flavor of life and death entwined. The old woman noticed the subtle change in his expression and smiled gently. “I forgot to remind you—this tea is nourished by the decaying aura after a corpse rots. It’s a fine thing, indeed.”

With that, she took the cup back and licked the dregs with relish, her expression calm, as if savoring a delicacy, lingering on the aftertaste.

Suddenly, Chu Tiange felt a strange chill rising from within. Wisps of yellow vapor coiled around his body, darting about like swimming fish.

It was not just the flavor of the tea; a peculiar power was flowing through him, prompting him to close his eyes and quietly sense the transformation.

A new aura had settled within him.

Ghostly energy.

Chu Tiange was not surprised. This was not his first time drinking the old woman’s brewed tea.

This ghost before him was peculiar—she could distill tea from decaying corpses. After drinking ghost tea, one would acquire a ghostly aura, enough to deceive other spirits.

“Still, you must be careful. The mistress cannot easily leave the Ghost Coffin, and though you now carry a ghostly aura, something has already set its sights on you.” The dwarf grinned broadly; after witnessing the man before him drink the ghost tea, he felt a new closeness.

“I understand. Thank you for the warning,” Chu Tiange nodded.

The old woman, the dwarf, and the blurred face at the window were all ghosts under the command of Lu Shiqi.

Three hundred years hence, they would become even more formidable—especially the face at the window, which would surpass the rank of Fierce Ghost and step halfway into the realm of Earth Fiends.

But for now, these three ghosts were not yet a true force to be reckoned with; still, each had condensed a Yin Core, allowing them to roam the underworld in human form—no ordinary ghost or cultivator could contend with them.

With these three ghosts standing guard, unless a Fierce Ghost appeared, there would be little to fear.

Led by the dwarf ghost, Chu Tiange arrived at a room in the rear courtyard where he would be staying for the next few days.

The dwarf ghost was about to leave when a thought struck him. He looked at Chu Tiange and held up four pale fingers.

“What do four fingers mean?” Chu Tiange asked, his gaze fixed on those bloodless digits.

“There are four taboos in Filial Town.”

“First: the filial sons mourn the dead. If you hear the wailing at night, whatever you do, do not open your eyes.”

“Second: during any of the twelve earthly branches—Zi, Chou, Yin, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, Xu, Hai—regardless of day or night, you must not see the sun or the moon. Even if you catch a glimpse, you must immediately hide. Otherwise… heh heh…” The dwarf’s grin revealed two rows of gruesome, white teeth, making his face all the more sinister.

“You must not see the sun or the moon?” Chu Tiange was taken aback, a little puzzled.

He had arrived at Filial Town at the You hour, when the sun was setting behind the mountains.

What would happen if one saw the sun or moon outside the hours of Mao and You?

As Chu Tiange pondered, the dwarf ghost continued.

“At Chou hour, the mourning ends. The courtyard must be swept and cleaned, lest ill fortune cling to you.”

“At night, all lights must be extinguished. During the day, lamps must be lit. Sleep too deeply and you’ll draw attention—after all, ghosts do not need sleep. Don’t become a nightmare’s prey.”

Having spoken the four taboos, the dwarf ghost withdrew, gently closing the door behind him. From outside, his voice drifted in once more.

“There’s no need to worry too much. After drinking Granny Ghost’s tea, most creatures won’t notice you. As for any lingering ill fortune in the courtyard, we’ll handle it. Just mind the other three taboos. Once you get through the night safely, you can look around Filial Town come morning.”

The moment the door closed, the room was plunged into darkness.

On the wall, a blurred human face seemed to watch, concealed in the gloom.

At that moment, Chu Tiange struck a tinder, using the feeble light to seal the window tightly.

Then he sat on the bed.

“No lights at midnight…”

In his previous life, he had contended with the uncanny for centuries, learning many taboos. Weak ghosts were limited in their ability to kill; they could only appear if someone violated a taboo.

Chu Tiange opened his palm. The jade pendant there shimmered with a mysterious radiance.

“The Jade of Supreme Purity—did the Grandmaster of the Water Moon Sect give this to Lu Shiqi?” Chu Tiange stared at the pendant, sensing a profound and unfathomable power.

The Grandmaster of Supreme Purity, master of Lu Shiqi and at the pinnacle of the Forgetting Sorrow Realm—alas, according to the original timeline, would perish in two months.

“It seems Lu Shiqi truly has the means to destroy a Fierce Ghost. The Grandmaster must have bestowed upon her a treasure capable of contending with such a foe.”

Chu Tiange tucked the pendant into his shirt, extinguished the tinder, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

With the Jade of Supreme Purity, ordinary ghosts would find it hard to approach. Chu Tiange closed his eyes and meditated on the Primordial Sword Canon.

He was the bait. The Celestial Bone was a great tonic for any ghost—let alone the Immortal Bone, which would surely draw the attention of a Fierce Ghost. To survive, he would have to rely on the Three Thousand Thundering Sword Steps.

Time slipped by unnoticed. At some point, a fierce wind arose outside the door.

Cold air swept into the room, making the entire house tremble.

Next, the door creaked, as if icy hands were pushing it open.

Whispers, mingled with weeping, sounded from all around.

“Why are you still crying?”

“Your father has ascended to heaven!”

“This is a happy occasion!”

“Raise the coffin!”

Suddenly, the mournful notes of a suona rang out, accompanied by the crash of gongs and drums. Countless white butterflies fluttered through the town.

White paper drifted everywhere. A filial son, dressed in red and shrouded in mourning garb, stood beside the coffin, dancing joyously.

“Mother, it’s time for us to go!”

“Today we bury Father. Tomorrow, I’ll attend your funeral!”

The whole of Filial Town was lit with candles and festooned with white ribbons, ready to see Father off to his grave.

“This time, Father has ascended to heaven. Now our family can afford a bride!”

“Tomorrow, Mother will ascend! Then we’ll have money to raise the children!”

The filial son danced wildly, as if praying to the heavens.

“Father! Your child has come to send you off!”

At that moment, Chu Tiange felt his hair stand on end.

The sound of the suona rose in his room, followed by the shrill screams of children, startled cries, the thudding of a coffin, and the old woman’s wrenching, desperate wails.

“That’s your father!”

With a cracking sound, Chu Tiange heard something shatter.

A burning sensation flared on his wrist—the jade bracelet he had bought from the sect’s treasure hall for three superior spirit stones, meant to ward off blood fiends, shattered in an instant.

In that single moment, it was utterly destroyed.

Clearly, this was a force beyond blood fiends.

“They” were right there in the room, watching him in the darkness.

“The first taboo: the filial sons’ mourning. Never open your eyes.”

A cold sweat gathered on Chu Tiange’s brow as he clenched his eyes shut.