I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 87

Chapter 87

The little girl was unaware of Xie Qingling’s Mystical Power, so she didn’t know she had become invisible in the eyes of other Ghouls. Surrounded by these three ferocious-looking Ghouls, she was left with only the instinct of fear, clinging desperately to Xie Qingling’s shoulders and trembling uncontrollably.

The Invisibility effect of “Hidden breath” could only last for five minutes. After each use, she had to wait for her Core to recharge fully before using it again, and this energy accumulation period also took five minutes. This meant she had only five minutes to devise a countermeasure before she could use Hidden breath a second time.

Xie Qingling had to figure out a solution within this limited timeframe.

But it was more than enough.

Ling Fang had said that if other Ghouls were alerted, she needed to kill the strongest one to intimidate the rest.

So, among the three GhoulsFood and Sex Ghost, Rakshasa Ghost Woman, and the Meat Stall Ownerwhich was the most powerful?

“The Rakshasa Ghost Woman and Food and Sex Ghost had conspired to sell the Rakshasa Ghost Woman, but due to her fearsome reputation, their stall attracted no customers.”

From this, it could be inferred that Food and Sex Ghost was likely weaker than the Rakshasa Ghost Woman; otherwise, why wouldn’t others fear its reputation as well?

Thus, she needed to choose the right target from the remaining two Ghouls.

Xie Qingling glanced at the cleaver in the Meat Stall Owner’s hand, which had been chopping the Long-Tongued Ghost into howls of pain, then at the Rakshasa Ghost Woman’s slender, seductive figure swaying left and right, momentarily unsure of her decision.

It wasn’t easy to tell.

Then she’d just take them all out.

Having made up her mind, Xie Qingling gripped Blood Oath tightly, quickly circled behind the Meat Stall Owner, and raised the blade.

She intended to decapitate the Meat Stall Owner with one strikea Spirit User’s body was like a natural vessel that, through breathing exercises and training, could capture the human energy “Spirit” from the world, making the body stronger. Having been a Spirit User for several months, Xie Qingling’s body had been tempered during this time, growing more powerful than before. With each strike, she could exert greater force; for a Ghoul like this, attempting a single decapitation should be the most efficient approach.

However, the moment she caught sight of the layers of fat piled on the Meat Stall Owner’s neck, she instantly dismissed the idea of ending the fight with one blow.

The Meat Stall Owner was heavily built, covered in thick fat. Although it was a Ghoul, not human, there was no guarantee that this thick layer of fat didn’t offer some protective function.

One strike might not be enough to sever its head.

Xie Qingling immediately changed her plan. With the little girl on her back, she pushed off the ground with her feet, leaping high over the Meat Stall Owner’s head. With a swift motion of her left hand, she slashed out, blinding the Meat Stall Owner in one eye.

The Meat Stall Owner let out a cry of pain, howling loudly as one hand clutched its bloody eye.

The Hidden breath effect was broken, and Xie Qingling’s figure instantly became visible to all the Ghouls.

The Rakshasa Ghost Woman’s eyes fixed on her, and she flicked her tongue, spitting out a small trident from her mouth. The trident gradually enlarged before being hurled toward Xie Qingling.

Xie Qingling could feel a howling gust of wind brushing past her ears, carrying a foul, bloody stench.

She immediately crouched low and dodged to the side. The Rakshasa Ghost Woman’s trident struck the blind and bewildered Meat Stall Owner instead.

The baleful aura of the Rakshasa Ghost surged through the trident’s tip into the Meat Stall Owner’s body, causing it to stiffen as if frozen solid. It let out an even louder howl, its face contorted in agony.

In that split second, while the creature remained rigid, Xie Qingling drove the short blade in her left hand deep into the Meat Stall Owner’s foot. The Blood Oath pierced through its foot, pinning it to the ground.

Instantly immobilized, the Meat Stall Owner flailed its cleaver wildly in self-preservation, managing only to drive back the Rakshasa Ghost Woman who was attempting to retrieve her trident.

Seizing the opportunity, Xie Qingling drew a pistol from her thigh holster and fired two shots into the blind Meat Stall Owner’s head.

Two loud bangs echoed, and the Meat Stall Owner’s body collapsed.

One ghoul eliminated.

Xie Qingling pulled the Blood Oath from the ground and turned to face the Rakshasa Ghost Woman.

The Rakshasa Ghost Woman’s strikingly beautiful face twisted with fury. She flicked her tongue and produced another slender trident, poised to continue the fight, when Xie Qingling uttered a low command: “Soul Return!”

As the words faded, the Meat Stall Ownerwhose body had just begun fading from the head downward after deathstiffly rose to its feet.

It had “revived.”

The Rakshasa Ghost Woman wore an expression of sheer disbelief, but before she could react, the Meat Stall Owner swung its greasy cleaver horizontally at her.

The oily, cold blade left a bloody gash across the Rakshasa Ghost Woman’s face.

She hurled her trident at the Meat Stall Owner, but the creature felt no pain. Even as its body continued to dissipate, it stood firm before Xie Qingling, completely blocking the Rakshasa Ghost Woman’s attacks.

Witnessing this, the Food and Sex Ghost had long since fled. The little ghosts that had gathered to watch the battle scattered as well.

Seeing the tide turn, the Rakshasa Ghost Woman attempted to escape, but Xie Qingling had no intention of letting her go.

The second Hidden Breath duration ended, and Xie Qingling vanished from the ghouls’ sight once more.

When she reappeared, the Rakshasa Ghost Woman’s head was already rolling on the ground.

The Rakshasa Ghost Woman was dead, but not entirely.

Like the Meat Stall Owner, her body gradually faded starting from the fatal wound. Yet, before fully disappearing, she rose again as if resurrected.

Xie Qingling, a mere human, stood between the two ghouls. Though physically small, she appeared utterly protected.

“Guard me until the end of this path, before your bodies vanish completely,” Xie Qingling commanded, then continued forward.

The Meat Stall Owner and the Rakshasa Ghost Woman walked mechanically on either side of her, their forms dissipating with each step.

Intending to feast, these Fierce Ghosts now stood as protectors beside a human.

They were silent, fading Ghost Guardians, deterring any ghouls that dared approach.

And Xie Qingling, that delectable Psychic, had become an untouchable menace in the eyes of all other ghouls.

The bodies of the Rakshasa Ghost Woman and the Meat Stall Owner grew increasingly faint, gradually vanishing from sight. Xie Qingling had also nearly reached the end of the bustling street of the Ghost Market.

Before her eyes, the chaotic scene of demons dancing wildly was gone, replaced not by liveliness but by a steep slope overgrown with wild grass.

Xie Qingling set the little girl down and asked, “Where is your home? Just over this slope, right?”

The little girl nodded, her face as pale as paper flickering with a look of admiration. She said, “Sister, you’re so amazing.”

“Not really. We’re going this way, right?” Xie Qingling confirmed again.

As they walked, the little girl asked, “How are you so powerful, sister? Can you teach me? I’m afraid others might bully me.”

“No.”

“If you don’t teach me, I”

“Though I’m not particularly powerful, I could probably kill ten little ghosts like you with one punch. If a little ghost talks too much and wastes energy on speaking, it’d be even easier to finish off,” Xie Qingling said casually.

The little girl immediately covered her mouth and refused to speak another word.

As they walked on, a small hillside appeared ahead. On the slope stood an elderly couple supporting each other.

They had been standing there long before Xie Qingling arrived, waiting through countless years of the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

Their hair was white, their faces deeply wrinkledthey looked nothing like people who could still have a daughter.

Yet they indeed reached out and picked up the little girl, crying uncontrollably.

It seemed the order of this family’s deaths was terribly mixed up.

“Waaah, my darling, my darling…”

“Let Mama look at you, darling… Mama missed you so much…”

The family hugged each other, weeping bitterlya touching scene, if one ignored the fact that the couple’s tears were as red as blood.

Seeing her task nearly complete, Xie Qingling turned to leave.

Just then, the little girl wiped her tears and said between sobs, “Oh, kind sister.”

The little girl said, “You brought me home. I want to repay you with the world’s most valuable treasure.”

“Oh?” Xie Qingling showed some interest. “Tell me, what treasure will you give me?”

“Return to the base of the three willow trees at the bridgehead. There’s a large rock there. I buried something beneath ita treasure I’ve cherished for years. I entrust it to you now.”

The little girl’s voice drifted faintly, soon vanishing into the air as the family of three disappeared.

What appeared before Xie Qingling then were two low graves, with a small new grave added beside them.

“Alright then, goodbye.” Xie Qingling waved toward the small grave as a farewell, then walked down the slope alone.

Before her lay the bustling Ghost Market once more.

[You have stepped back onto this lively Ghost Market. Though two terrifying Fierce Ghosts were recently eliminated, the Ghouls of the market remain undeterred, their festive atmosphere growing even more vibrant.]

The Pipa Spirit still played its mournful, unheeded tunes by the roadside. Before it lay a skull-shaped bowlstill busking for survivalthough now the bowl contained a pair of wide-open, unblinking eyeballs.

The Hanging Ghost failed to sell its noose, but quickly pivoted to a new venture: transforming itself into a swing, cradling others as they swayed back and forth.

After silently cursing the Meat Stall Owner’s ruthless exploitation, the Long-Tongued Ghostwhose tongue grew an inch whenever it spoke ill of othersregained its elongated tongue. Picking up the butcher’s cleaver, it inherited the stall and its trade, frenziedly chopping its newly grown tongue to continue the business of “hanging a sheep’s head but selling dog meat.”

This time, none dared cast covetous glances toward Xie Qingling, each merrily and busily pursuing their own endeavors instead.

Xie Qingling strode boldly through the Ghost Market once more, and this time, nothing happened.

Returning to the three willow trees by the bridge, she hesitated briefly before crouching down. Locating the stone the little girl had mentioned, she plunged Blood Oath into the earth and began digging.

She, too, was curious about what treasure the girl had left her.

Dig and dig, dig and dig.

Finally, Blood Oath loosened the soil, revealing a small pit.

At last, Xie Qingling saw the treasure buried deep underground by the little girl.

Time had rotted the cloth bag meant to hold the treasure into mere frayed threads; the fabric crumbled at the slightest touch.

From the tattered remnants, Xie Qingling retrieved a handful of glittering, cool-to-the-touch, multicolored glass marbles.

“…”

“I…” Xie Qingling fell silent for a moment. “I… thank you.”

“Thank you for thisthe most priceless treasure in the world.” She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Scooping up the marbles, Xie Qingling headed back.

She boarded the speedboat, riding the wind and waves all the way back to Future City.

After returning the boat at the scenic area’s ticket office, she left.

It was already past 8 p.m.the liveliest hour for spirits.

The streets were still a chaotic dance of ghosts. Some wept, some laughed, others shrieked and howled.

Xie Qingling had progressed from initial headaches to utter indifference, taking it all in stride.

Patrolling the streets, she could now handle the ghosts’ bizarre and often unreasonable demands with relative ease.

Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept past. The spirits clustered around her scattered in all directions, some cursing loudly.

Xie Qingling looked over and saw Dai Xingyu sprinting at incredible speedlikely leveraging the Herdsman’s long-legged advantagebut notably, a ghost clung to his back, half-floating in the air from the sudden acceleration.

From behind, it looked as though Dai Xingyu had flown a kite from his head.

Xie Qingling: “…”

Though unsure what he’d been through, it clearly hadn’t been easy.

The department members were truly working themselves to death tonight.

Dai Xingyu wasn’t the only one darting frantically through the city.

Soon, Xie Qingling encountered Yu Wei.

Surrounded by a spectacular entourage of little ghosts, Yu Wei cut a striking figure.

Little ghosts clung to each of his legs, two more hung from his arms, and another was draped over his neck.

Even worse, one little ghost had perched on Yu Wei’s head, attempting to tie his hair into little tufts. Yu Wei’s hair was naturally a short crew cut, with a few strands of white mixed into the black, prickly to the touchimpossible to gather into tufts. Undeterred, the little ghost pinched the tips of his hair and tugged outward, as if trying to pull them longer through sheer force.

Yu Wei had a high tolerance for pain and didn’t grimace or flinch at the discomfort. He maintained his usual calm and gentle expression, though a hint of helplessness crept in.

No sooner had he pulled one little ghost off than another scrambled onto his head. Yu Wei was at a loss, overwhelmed and flustered, unable to keep up with their antics.

Xie Qingling couldn’t stand to watch any longer. She walked over, patted Yu Wei’s shoulder, and said, “Brother Yu, watch this.”

“I’ll give you the world’s most precious treasure.” Xie Qingling pulled out the glass marbles given to her by the little girl and opened her fingers, letting the smooth, round beads slip through the gaps.

Clink, clink, clink…

The marbles bounced a few times on the ground before scattering like flowing glass, spreading out rapidly.

Under the streetlights, the colorful beads reflected a particularly dazzling glow.

At the sight, the little ghosts cheered, immediately released Yu Wei, and scattered in all directions, chasing after the marbles.

Yu Wei was finally free.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, let out a soft sigh, and said, “Xie Qingling always has a way.”

He looked thoroughly shaken, clearly worn out by the little ghosts’ mischief.

“I thought you were good with kids, Brother Yu,” Xie Qingling teased with a laugh. “I never expected these little ghosts to climb all over you like that. You can’t indulge them too much. If I were you, I’d put on a stern face and flash that big blade of yoursthen they wouldn’t dare bother you.”

Yu Wei gave a wry smile. “But that would scare them and make them cry…”

Still, he nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Xie Qingling.”

“Well, I’ll get back to my patrol then.” Xie Qingling waved to Yu Wei and continued with her duties for the day.

Later, on the cross-river bridge, Xie Qingling fished out a pair of ghosts who had tried to drown themselves for love, and at the same time, she hauled Ling Fang out of the river. He was floating stiffly on the surface, looking as though he didn’t have long to live.

Ling Fang was covered in slimy waterweeds, with a few small fish tangled among them. The weeds clung to his body, blending him into the darkness of the river and almost serving as a second layer of clothing.

Soaked and drenched, it was unclear how long he had been in the water or why he had gone in.

Xie Qingling pulled Ling Fang ashore, laid him flat on the bank, and performed chest compressions for CPR. Before long, Ling Fang coughed up a large amount of water and began hacking violently.

He was alive.

After catching his breath, Ling Fang explained, “I encountered a Scapegoat Water Ghost. It tried to drag me under. I killed it, but my body was hit by a curse and went stiff. I couldn’t get out in time.”

His leg had cramped up.

“It’s not a big problem, I’ll be fine in a moment.” Ling Fang carefully assessed his physical condition and said, “If you had arrived any later, I would have swum up on my own.”

Xie Qingling gave him a complicated look. This was the first time she realized how disheveled and strained Ling Fang became when dealing with ghouls alone after leaving the team.

Considering Ling Fang was a proud man with some of the arrogance and condescension typical of a leader, anything she said now might come off as hurtful.

So Xie Qingling could only gently pat his damp shoulder and say, “Well, I believe you.”

Her tone inevitably carried a hint of pity.

“…Get lost.” Ling Fang, his face pale, urged her to leave quickly.

Xie Qingling wisely stepped away.

Having witnessed her leader in such a sorry state, she knew she had to behave carefully to avoid earning his resentment. Although Ling Fang wouldn’t stoop to such pettiness, it was still better not to push her luck.

What if she ended up having to write a self-criticism again?

Xie Qingling continued patrolling along the river on Riverside Avenue. Before long, she encountered Ye Anran.

In Ye Anran’s area, things were far less chaotic.

The spirits here were remarkably well-behavedneither crying nor causing trouble. Instead, they lined up orderly in front of Ye Anran’s stall.

If any spirit tried to cut in line, the others would promptly stop them.

Xie Qingling gazed at the banner fluttering in front of Ye Anran’s stall, which read “Healing the World,” and felt a twinge of envy.

She didn’t know what ailments these spirits were being treated for, nor how Ye Anran diagnosed them, but the work seemed effortless, and the spirits appeared content.

In contrast, if she were to set up a stall in her own field, probably no spirits would willingly approach.

Next, Xie Qingling patrolled another district, which was under Shen Huaizhou’s charge.

The spirits here were even more docile and quiet than those at Ye Anran’s post.

Like Ye Anran, Shen Huaizhou had a long queue in front of him. The line consisted of spirits of all ages and genders, each waiting their turn to speak with him before moving on at the urging of others.

Since Shen Huaizhou hadn’t put up a banner like Ye Anran’s “Healing the World,” Xie Qingling had no idea how he managed it. She could only look at him with admiration.

Shen Huaizhou noticed her as well.

Pressing his lips together, he watched her until she walked away before resuming his tasks with the spirits.

After these brief, chance encounters with her colleagues, Xie Qingling continued rushing around, helping spirits with their various bizarre and unreasonable requests.

Along the way, she assisted an illiterate spirit by sorting through stacks of paper money and offerings to find the bundle inscribed with his name, locating the money his family had burned for him.

Later, she helped an elderly spirit who had lost his way home due to urban redevelopment and demolition, guiding him to his relocated residence and successfully sending him home.

She encountered another ghost who was waiting for someone but couldn’t remember who. After searching for a while, of course, she couldn’t find the personmost likely, they were gone. The ghost couldn’t be found either. The Ghost Gate opens not only in Future City; even if the person the ghost was waiting for had also become a ghost, they might not appear in Future City. Finding them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially since she couldn’t even remember who she was waiting for.

“Forget it, I’ve waited for many years; one more year won’t make a difference. I’ll keep waiting and waiting. Maybe one day, I’ll suddenly run into that person and remember, or perhaps they’ll still recognize me,” the female ghost said sorrowfully and desolately, then continued standing on the bridge, watching the passing spirits.

Xie Qingling moved on to search for the next ghost.

The desires of mortals in this world are largely similar. If one were to speak of wishes, based on a person’s identity, one could guess with near certaintystudents want good grades, workers want wealth, the sick want health, those craving power want status, and those yearning for love want a good marriage. But spirits, having departed from the human realm, have escaped the shackles of worldly fame and fortune, broken free from the constraints of mortal flesh, and distanced themselves from the torment of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Their desires and pursuits are utterly beyond the easy comprehension of ordinary people. Some remain tied to the mortal world, while others are completely unrelated, wildly varieda basketful of ghostly ideas, with cunning schemes emerging endlessly.

Xie Qingling felt that the department should give this overly laborious night a name: “Night of Saving Spirits and Alleviating Suffering.” Fortunately, such an occasion occurred only once a year, or it would truly exhaust people to death.

The patrol mission lasted until the late night, and Xie Qingling’s duties were nearing their end.

The spirits on the streets had mostly departed.

By now, the first light of dawn had appeared at the horizon. The sun was about to rise, the night was about to pass, and the Ghost Gate was about to close.

Though the streets were still dim and the sky not fully bright, more pedestrians gradually appeared.

Standing in the faint light of dawn, Ling Fang’s voice came through the earpiece: “Stand down, return to the office.”

Upon receiving the order, everyone ended their patrol and returned to 221 Central Street.

When Xie Qingling arrived at the office, the lights were brightly lit, and the other five were still gathered in the hall without having left.

The Logistics Department had prepared a lavish feast for the weary group, set to one side.

There was wine, meat, and vegetables.

On another table, an array of beverages and snacks was laid out. Ye Anran held a deck of cards, shuffling them continuously.

Seeing Xie Qingling return, Ye Anran called out to her, “Hurry, after eating, let’s play Ghost Catching Cards.”

“Ghost Catching Cards?”

“And Truth or Dare.” Ye Anran smiled, urging her, “It’s a tradition. Besides today, there’s no other chance to play. Come quickly, we’re only missing you.”