Travel through the heavens

Chapter 293 Immediately Slay the Evil

Gu Yueqing sat upright behind the desk, her face calm and composed, without the slightest ripple. Only in her bright, star-like eyes did a sharp glint occasionally flash across her face.

As Wang Shunsheng's trembling voice fell, Gu Yueqing turned her gaze to a silver-armored captain beside her with a sharp face and bulging temples: "Zhao Kuo."

"Your humble servant is here!" Zhao Kuo immediately clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his voice loud and clear.

"Send a squad of city guards, equip them with the necessary gear, and have them immediately follow me to Xishui Street in the South City to exorcise the ghost." Gu Yueqing's order was concise and powerful.

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Kuo turned around, the armor plates rubbing together with a sharp clang, and strode away.

Gu Yueqing then looked at the pale-faced Wang Shunsheng again, her tone calm and reassuring, and said, "Mr. Wang, we'll have to trouble you to take us to the place where the ghost is hiding."

Wang Shunsheng nodded repeatedly: "Good! Good! General, I'll take you there!"

Gu Yueqing nodded slightly, her gaze falling on Fang Muye, who had been standing quietly by the sidelines, and said, "You... go back to the manor first."

Fang Muye met her gaze, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and said calmly, "General, I have often heard of the Zhenfu Division's reputation for exorcising ghosts and demons, but I have never witnessed it in person. Would you be so kind as to accompany me and have a look?"

Gu Yueqing stared at Fang Muye for a moment and saw that he was calm and composed, with deep and clear eyes. He did not show the fear that an ordinary scholar should have. It was as if he was not going to catch ghosts, but going to the theater to watch a play. The strange feeling in her heart immediately resurfaced.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, but you have to stay by my side and don't do anything rash no matter what you see."

"Okay," Fang Muye replied with a smile.

Gu Yueqing stood up, not wearing armor, but simply pulling a red cloak over her shoulders and walking outside.

Fang Muye and Wang Shunsheng followed closely behind, while Chen Song and the other captains dispersed.

The three arrived at the front courtyard, and soon Zhao Kuo arrived with ten patrol guards, their footsteps low and orderly.

These city guards were all dressed in black armor, with standard long swords at their waists. Four of them also carried a uniquely shaped short crossbow on their backs. The arrowheads of the crossbow bolts had a faint dark red sheen, and the shafts were engraved with fine runes, clearly indicating that they were not ordinary weapons.

In addition, each of them had a small, bulging leather pouch hanging from their waist. Although Fang Muye could not see what was inside, he could faintly smell the scent of cinnabar.

Just like Gu Yueqing, Chen Song, and Zhao Kuo, Fang Muye still couldn't detect the same pure and ethereal Daoist aura as Yu Lingzi in these patrolling guards. However, they were all full of energy and vigorous in their blood, clearly indicating that they were all highly skilled in martial arts.

Zhao Kuo reported in a deep voice, "General, everyone has arrived."

"Let's go!" Gu Yueqing gave the order and took the lead.

The group walked silently and quickly, passing through the crisscrossing streets and alleys of Anping City, heading straight for Xishui Street in the south of the city.

Wherever she went, pedestrians gave way, their eyes filled with awe as they looked at the somber female general and the silent, menacing city guards behind her, whispering among themselves about where the evil spirits had appeared again, but none of them went to watch the spectacle.

Xishui Street is located in the southern part of Anping City. The street is mostly lined with well-off residential courtyards, and it is not too far from the Zhenfusi (a local administrative division).

Under Wang Shunsheng's guidance, the group soon arrived at a rather quiet courtyard. The courtyard wall was not high, and the two wooden doors were wide open.

Gu Yueqing raised her hand, and the team stopped instantly, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Her gaze was sharp as a hawk's, sweeping across the courtyard walls and gates. Although she didn't see anything unusual, based on her rich experience and a certain intuition, she sensed a faint, sinister aura lurking within the courtyard.

Gu Yueqing did not rush to give the order, but instead took out a palm-sized round object from the leather pouch at her waist and held it in her hand.

Fang Muye glanced at it and saw that it was a bronze-cast object similar to a compass, engraved with the Eight Trigrams, with a pointer in the middle. At this moment, the pointer spun around and pointed directly into the courtyard.

The ghost is still in the yard!

"Zhao Kuo, make the arrangements." Gu Yueqing's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Kuo understood and immediately turned around, beginning to issue a series of instructions in a low voice to make arrangements.

"Li Dayong, Du Feng, Sun Jingxing, and Wang Zonghai, the four of you will take up high positions in the four directions, draw your crossbows, seal off the entire courtyard, and prevent the evil spirits from escaping."

Four agile city guards immediately responded, leaping swiftly like raccoons onto the courtyard wall or the roof of the neighboring house, occupying the four corners of the courtyard. Their crossbows, bearing the evil spirits, were aimed at the courtyard, the crimson arrows gleaming with a dark light, exuding a dangerous aura.

"The rest of you, follow me into the gate. Qian Wenbin and Feng Shiyuan, wielding the Evil-Slaying Blade, will charge forward to engage in battle. Zheng Xiuyuan and Wei Ming, wielding the Spirit-Binding Rope, will provide support from the sides. Yang Yanbo and Lü Cheng, wielding talismans, will hold the line and provide support!"

Zhao Kuo continued to give orders, and the remaining six patrol guards quickly split into three groups.

Two of them drew their long swords, the red runes on the blades gleaming faintly.

Two more people took out a dark-colored rope, with dark metal wire wrapped around it.

Finally, the two took out several yellow talismans from their waist pouches, holding them tightly between their fingers. The talismans were decorated with cinnabar runes for warding off evil and dispelling malevolent influences, and their spiritual light was faintly visible.

Fang Muye observed this clearly from the side and admired it in his heart: "With the Demon-Slaying Blade, a weapon that is effective against ghosts, as the vanguard, they engage in close combat; the Spirit-Binding Rope is specifically for capturing; the talismans can both interfere from a distance and attack from afar; and the Demon-Slaying Crossbows provide precise sniping from the outside. The division of labor is clear, and they are good at both offense and defense. This Zhenfu Division really has a mature set of tactics for dealing with ghosts, and it is definitely not just brute force."

Seeing that the plan was in place, Gu Yueqing nodded slightly to Zhao Kuo.

"The Suppression Division is here to punish evil! Evil spirits, come and be brought to justice!" Zhao Kuo understood and immediately roared, his voice booming like a bell, carrying a chilling righteousness and a murderous tone, as he rushed into the courtyard first.

Six city guards followed closely behind, their steps steady and their sharp eyes scanning the area ahead.

Fang Muye and Gu Yueqing also stepped inside, but Wang Shunsheng didn't dare to go in. He just shrank behind the door and peeked into the courtyard.

The courtyard was laid out in a serene and elegant manner, with flowers, grass, stone tables and benches. However, as soon as Fang Muye entered, he sensed a cold and sinister aura lurking in the side room diagonally opposite the courtyard gate, where the door was tightly closed.

"Evil spirit, show yourself!" Zhao Kuo roared at the side room.

A moment later, the door to the side room opened, and a beautiful woman gracefully walked out, bowed to everyone, and said softly, "This humble servant greets all the generals."

If it weren't for the fact that everyone knew her background, who could possibly associate her with the painted-skin female ghost just by looking at her appearance and demeanor?

After bowing, the female ghost looked at Wang Shunsheng, who was hiding behind the door, and sighed softly, saying mournfully, "Wang Lang, I have no intention of harming you. If you are afraid of me, I will leave. Why bother inviting the generals of the Zhenfu Division?"

Wang Shunsheng did not respond, but simply swiftly withdrew his head behind the wall.

Zhao Kuo glared angrily and shouted, "Since you are a ghost, you should go to the underworld to await reincarnation. Instead, you are lingering in the human world and mingling with the people. You must be plotting something sinister. Today, my Zhenfu Division will purge the evil spirits and restore order to the world."

"I have my own reasons, why must you force me, General?"

As the female ghost sighed, suddenly, a dense black aura surged from her body like a burst dam, spreading outwards.

Before long, the entire courtyard was shrouded in a thick black mist, making it impossible to see more than three feet away with the naked eye.