Chapter 154
Chapter 154
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: The Ghost Spirits of Hubei
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Mu-heun listened to the various stories from Bi Chwi-hak and Wei Guo.
After some conversation, he realized the situation was turning quite serious.
The gist was that, while not on the scale of Ok-hwa County, monsters were conducting cruel experiments on humans all across the central plains.
And recently, traces of beings presumed to be ‘ghost spirits’ had also begun to appear.
Wei Guo recounted a story he had heard from an inn worker.
“This is a rather recent occurrence. Here in Hubei Province, in what you could call its capital, Wuhan. A little south of Wuhan, there's a city called Xianning. Recently, there was a story about a 'Painted-Skin Ghost' that eats human hearts being discovered there.”
“A Painted-Skin Ghost...!?”
A ghost...
“Indeed. People these days don't know much about it, but if you look through ancient texts, it's said that Painted-Skin Ghosts often appeared in human territories up until about three hundred years ago.”
“...I've read about it in the texts, so I am aware.”
The Painted-Skin Ghost was one of the most notoriously cruel types of ghosts.
These beings, whether monsters or ghosts, had existed since ancient times, but they had long since vanished, leaving only records behind.
One thing was certain: they were not human. The Painted-Skin Ghost was a terrifying spirit that survived by eating human hearts.
According to the texts, its appearance was so grotesque that it invoked disgust.
And such creatures are active in the central plains...!?
‘This is no ordinary matter.’
Recalling what he had read in the ancient texts, the ghost was said to wear the skin of a beautiful woman to hide its hideous form and approach people.
It would kill a beautiful woman, devour her insides, and then wear her skin. By day, it would walk around in the guise of a beautiful woman, and by night, it would feast on human hearts.
Afterward, it would shed the ‘skin’ it wore and disappear—a truly evil spirit.
But, like the Mai, Penghou, and Wangliang, it should have vanished long ago. How could it have reappeared?
Seeing Mu-heun's expression grow serious, Wei Guo grinned as if satisfied and continued.
“Hehehe, it seems you know about the Painted-Skin Ghost. But the information doesn't end there, so don't be surprised. The problem is that this ghost isn't wearing the skin of a woman, as the texts describe.”
“...What!?”
It doesn't wear a woman's skin?
“According to what we've confirmed through the members of the Haomun, all those who have gone missing due to the Painted-Skin Ghost... were martial artists.”
“...!?”
‘Martial artists? Not delicate women?’
“That's right. The creature wears the skin of a martial artist.”
This wasn't just no ordinary matter; it was a catastrophe. A creature wearing the guise of a martial artist was an entirely different problem from one wearing the skin of a common person.
In the current central plains, the martial artists of the Jianghu were beings that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to confront.
One wrong move could get your head lopped off, and if they so desired, annihilating a village they disliked was an easy task.
Wouldn't the authorities capture them for destroying a village? No. A martial artist who reached a certain level of skill could erase all traces of their presence.
Even if officials came to investigate, it was difficult to uncover incidents that martial artists had intentionally concealed. This was because the traces couldn't be followed with common sense.
That's why it was traditional practice for incidents caused by martial artists to be handled by other martial artists.
The reason regions with great sects or prestigious clans prospered was because they suppressed those who would kill and steal using their martial arts.
‘Right. This makes it an even bigger problem.’
A ghost spirit wearing the skin of a martial artist meant that there could be such beings within the great sects or prestigious clans.
What if a Painted-Skin Ghost killed a sect elder or a great elder of a clan and wore their skin? It was painfully obvious which direction that sect or clan would head.
A sign that evil gods, ghost spirits, and monsters were infiltrating human society.
Furthermore, since they wore human guises, there was a chance they couldn't be distinguished even by scent.
‘What should I do?’
As Mu-heun showed a worried expression.
Bi Chwi-hak and Wei Guo smiled as if amused, and this time, Bi Chwi-hak spoke up.
“That's not all. I've gathered information from my hundred thousand Beggars' Sect members, and it seems there's a very peculiar ghost here in Hubei.”
“A peculiar ghost?”
“Indeed. A ghost called the O-gi-gwi, the 'Five Strange Ghosts,' which brings death by smelling its victims, has appeared.”
“The O-gi-gwi, you say...”
The O-gi-gwi was another evil spirit he had read about in the texts.
Another ghost.
After monsters, now evil spirits...
Mu-heun raised a question.
“How do you know they are the O-gi-gwi?”
“Don't take the Beggars' Sect's information lightly. Even beggars have eyes, ears, and sharp judgment.”
“...Besides, I'm sure the Sect Leader gathers all the information from the members, filters it meticulously, and tells me only what is certain.”
“Of course! That's right. You? You seem to know what's important, don't you?”
“Haha, I wasn't doubting you.”
“Well, right. Anyway. Three weeks ago, an incident occurred at an inn in Hubei. I felt something was off about it, so I ordered my members to investigate.”
“What happened?”
“According to the investigation, long, snake-like beings split into five and sniffed the sleeping guests at the inn. The next day, those guests were all found dead.”
“That matches the characteristics of the O-gi-gwi.”
“Oh? You knew about the O-gi-gwi as well?”
“...I've read about it in the texts.”
“You really are a book lover. Tsk. A friend who walks a different path from me, I see.”
“Haha...”
“Anyway, the O-gi-gwi, also known as the Five Masters with One Eye, is said to have a habit of moving in a group of five bodies as one.”
“Yes. And since only one of the five ghosts that make up the O-gi-gwi has eyes, the other four cannot act independently.”
Bi Chwi-hak, inwardly impressed by Mu-heun's knowledge, said.
“Correct. However, there was something different from the texts. These ghosts are known to visit people who are neither good nor evil, people without fortune or blessing, while they sleep, and sniff them one by one.”
“That is what I know as well.”
“However, this case is a bit different. From what I've heard, the guests who died at that inn were all good people. And what's more, they were all martial artists.”
“...”
Just like the monsters in Ok-hwa County, the ghosts he was now hearing about were quite different from how they were described in the texts.
The texts could be wrong, but Mu-heun felt there was something more to it.
The O-gi-gwi. This ghost was a very special one.
A ghost twisted like five snakes. They were five in one, and one in five. They made people sick and brought them to their deaths through smell.
The peculiar thing was that they didn't transmit disease with their own scent; they made people sick by smelling the person's scent.
According to the texts, when the first ghost smells a person, they fall ill, and as the ghosts continue to smell them in order, the illness worsens.
And when the fifth ghost smells them, they die.
It was a ghost that originally appeared in the central region of Zhejiang Province, and there were even vivid witness accounts. They only harmed those in deep sleep, so it was said that in that region, people tried to sleep lightly.
‘Killing people by smelling them...’
Not making them sick by emitting a scent, but causing illness and death by smelling a scent. This had to be seen as a type of formation or ghost art, not a simple fragrance.
It was highly likely that the O-gi-gwi's ghost art was a form of curse that drew in a person's scent.
“I understand. Was there any other information?”
“Of course, there was.”
Bi Chwi-hak spoke about another ghost spirit that his members had investigated.
One of them was the mischievous 'House Ghost,' the Taek-gwi.
A ghost spirit that plays terrifying pranks in a house, drives the owner into a state of fear, and takes the house.
Making plates and bowls fly through the air was just the beginning; it was said to make objects disappear and even cut the hair of the people living in the house.
Many people were said to have fainted from fright.
In truth, they were known to originate from remains buried in the house. Therefore, it was common for the Taek-gwi to disappear naturally once the remains were removed.
However.
The Taek-gwi Bi Chwi-hak was talking about didn't seem to be a ghost spirit originating from remains in the house.
There were even cases where the foundation of the house was demolished and the ground dug up, but no remains were found. So, the origin of their birth was also unknown.
The problem was that many of them had been recently discovered in Hubei, and the ones that were found had attacked small sects and taken the martial artists somewhere.
Just then, Wei Guo spoke.
“Actually, I've recently heard about a ghost spirit here in Wuhan as well. One that looks like a small child.”
“...!”
Mu-heun couldn't hide his surprise.
The child he had seen before entering the Martial Alliance. He had sent Cheon-hyang to investigate it and had a rough idea of their whereabouts.
Of course, he hadn't fully grasped the situation and could only observe the vicinity.
But he hadn't had any solid leads yet, and now Wei Guo, the leader of the Haomun, had mentioned it.
“What do you know about that child ghost spirit?”
When Mu-heun asked with a serious expression, Bi Chwi-hak and Wei Guo smiled warmly and replied.
“I heard that the evil spirit in the form of a child reaches out its hand to lure people when it sees them. They say it waves, greets them, and so on.”
“Do you have any idea what that ghost spirit's name is?”
“Hmm... I do. It seems it was likely a Hyenang.”
“A Hyenang...”
“Indeed. It seems they lure and capture people, then drag them off somewhere.”
‘Now that I hear the name, I remember.’
A ghost in the form of a child.
However, they belong to the weaker class of ghosts. I've never heard of them moving anywhere, especially because of their fatal weakness of dying if they leave their designated spot.
And yet, they're abducting and dragging people away in Wuhan, Hubei?
It would be more unnatural to think there isn't something behind this.
Mu-heun quickly began to organize his thoughts.
‘If my prediction is correct, this isn't just an ordinary matter or a catastrophe. It's a great disaster that could endanger the entire Martial Alliance.’
The conclusion was singular.
‘The Martial Alliance is in danger.’