AU Extra — Young Boy’s Illusory Dream (8)
This entire series of movements was practically seamless. Gu Mang was first left dumbfounded, and then, with lingering fear, he touched his own chest.
Wow. He’s not human. There was absolutely no warning before he attacked. He didn’t even blink, just went straight in and hit him. And that’s not even the most important part. The most important part is…
Could it be that it’s already over???
That was way too one-sided!!
However, neither of them was an innocent, harmless sort. Even after the old Cucumber Ghost had fallen to the ground, they did not lower their guard. They continued staring intently at the corpse that had taken form, feeling that things couldn’t possibly be this simple.
Sure enough, a moment later, the corpse suddenly stiffened and sprang upright, opening its bloody maw and lunging fiercely toward Mo Xi!
That attack was truly fierce. The old lecherous ghost’s two extremely fleshy lips nearly landed on Young Master Mo’s body. Fortunately, Young Master Mo’s movements were ruthless and swift. Not only did he dodge quickly, he raised his leg and kicked again.
This time, he kicked the man directly in the face.
The Cucumber Ghost let out a miserable scream.
“Ah!! Damn you! You can hit me, but why do you have to hit my handsome face?!”
“…”
“You’ve ruined my face! You’ve shattered the spring dreams of countless ghost girls and ghost wives! You’ve ruined the reputation of the entire ghost world!”
“…”
“You’re definitely jealous of my heroic appearance and outstanding talent!”
Gu Mang couldn’t help laughing when he heard this from the side. He laughed so hard that he bent over.
“Hahahaha, this ghost is pretty interesting. Junior Brother Mo, it says you’re jealous of its beauty.”
The more Mo Xi listened, the more ridiculous it became. Seeing the other party shouting angrily while swinging the shredded cucumber beneath his waist and advancing toward him, he found it even more unbearable.
He kicked him again and said sternly,
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“Y-you—you—you kicked my face again! The entire ghost world will remember you! You bad man, your heart is so vicious!”
“…”
This time, Gu Mang really laughed until he staggered.
But just then, a sudden sinister wind arose.
The Cucumber Ghost instantly transformed into a mass of black smoke and shot toward Gu Mang through the air!
“Holy shit!”
Gu Mang’s eyes widened.
This ghost isn’t stupid! It knows how to make a feint and attack from the other side?!
He was just about to turn around and dodge when a talisman suddenly flew over diagonally.
Mo Xi shouted,
“Open!”
The talisman instantly crackled with lightning. Amidst the hissing streams of light, a protective formation of thunder curses suddenly descended around Gu Mang, completely surrounding him and guarding him from all sides.
Gu Mang was startled.
During the new disciple trial, they did not have weapons of their own. All the weapons and talismans had been placed into the Qiankun Pouches the Elders gave them before they left.
There were only a few things inside: several ordinary iron knives and swords, a hidden-weapon case, and eleven sheets of talisman paper.
Nine were for attack.
Only two were defensive thunder talismans.
Mo Xi had actually used such a precious talisman on him…
Gu Mang stood inside the thunder barrier and stared somewhat blankly at Mo Xi, who had once again engaged the Cucumber Ghost outside.
Confused, he asked,
“Why are you wasting a talisman on me? I’m your senior, you know.”
Mo Xi had drawn his iron sword and was already fighting the Cucumber Ghost, every move whipping up a gust of wind. Hearing this, he turned around and shouted furiously,
“Wasn’t it you who said you couldn’t do anything and asked me to look after you?!”
“…”
Big brother!!
Gu Mang was stunned.
That was obviously a joke!! Who would actually take such a lame joke seriously?!
At this point, Gu Mang couldn’t even speak.
He watched Mo Xi’s figure dancing with his sword in the wind, feeling both annoyed and amused, anxious and guilty, yet also inexplicably soft-hearted.
Standing inside the barrier, he watched Mo Xi outside. His black eyes beneath his long lashes remained fixed on the battle.
For the moment, he had no intention of intervening.
Young Master Mo’s swordsmanship was fierce and decisive, without the slightest unnecessary movement. The iron sword moved faster and faster in his hands until it practically became a blurred flash of light.
The Cucumber Ghost was simply no match for this young master.
But after observing carefully for a while, Gu Mang still felt that something was wrong.
“Whoosh!”
Just then, Mo Xi brought his sword down.
With one slash, he cut the transformed male corpse cleanly in half at the waist!
Instantly, countless streams of black blood sprayed everywhere.
Gu Mang focused his eyes and suddenly shuddered.
He knew what had felt strange just now.
Every time Mo Xi pierced the ghost with his sword, the “blood” that spilled onto the ground left no trace whatsoever.
The moment it touched the ground, it disappeared.
This ghost was cunning.
That wasn’t blood at all.
It was…
A buzz sounded in Gu Mang’s mind as he suddenly understood.
He shouted fiercely,
“Junior Brother, come over here!”
Mo Xi held his gleaming iron sword. Beneath the moonlight, he turned his handsome face sideways. His dark-brown eyes moved as he looked at Gu Mang.
But he did not understand what Gu Mang meant, nor why Gu Mang had suddenly said this.
In his eyes, he genuinely regarded Gu Mang as a useless Senior Sister who needed a junior to protect her when fighting.
Therefore, he did not pay much attention to Gu Mang’s reaction.
Gu Mang’s expression had completely changed.
“Get inside the barrier!”
Before Mo Xi could answer, a thick smell of blood suddenly rose behind him.
He abruptly turned around.
A rotting corpse suddenly burst out of the earth behind him, sand and dirt spraying as it lunged to kill him.
Mo Xi immediately drew his sword to block it, but the rotten corpse bit down on his arm.
Mo Xi grunted.
Taking advantage of the moment, he slapped an explosive talisman onto the rotten corpse’s forehead, then violently pulled his bitten arm free and retreated several yards.
“BOOM!”
The rotten corpse was blasted into dust.
Mo Xi lowered his eyes and took a breath, his face turning iron-gray as he stared at his injured arm.
Then he suddenly turned toward Gu Mang and shouted fiercely,
“Don’t come over!”
“What are you talking about! You—”
“Don’t move!”
Seeing that Gu Mang refused to listen, Mo Xi suddenly pointed toward the thunder barrier.
In an instant, a Tengshe seal appeared on the thunder barrier.
It was a restraining spell that only pure-blooded nobles could cast and dispel!
“…”
After casting the spell, Mo Xi regulated his breathing. His chest rose and fell heavily. His originally neat black hair had become slightly disheveled, with several strands of ink-black hair hanging beside his cold and handsome face.
His Adam’s apple moved.
Gritting his teeth, Mo Xi said quietly,
“…You’ll be safer inside the barrier.”
He also knew what was wrong.
That Cucumber Ghost that did not bleed but only emitted black smoke was not its true body at all.
Like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, after realizing that it was no match for Mo Xi, that thing had taken advantage of being struck by Mo Xi’s sword to disperse its spiritual body.
It had pretended that the scattered pieces were blood splashing onto the ground, when in reality, it had silently slipped into the soil.
It had then waited for Mo Xi to lower his guard before taking form again and launching a surprise attack.
Mo Xi bit his lip.
He watched as a mass of black-purple energy rapidly crawled and surged upward from his wound along his arm.
His expression became increasingly grim, and his breathing gradually grew muddled and heavy.
This ghost was far too cunning.
He could sense that even the thing he had just blown into dust with the explosive talisman was probably not its true body.
It seemed to possess a certain ability to instantly infiltrate and attach itself to other things.
Such as soil.
Such as—
Mo Xi closed his eyes.
Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.
—His own body.
“Hahahaha! Yes! You guessed correctly!”
Suddenly, a sharp voice tore through the night.
It belonged to the Cucumber Ghost.
But now, it was coming from Mo Xi’s body.
Mo Xi’s eyes snapped open.
His gaze was filled with furious hatred as he stared at the wound on his arm.
At some point, the wound had transformed into a blood-covered mouth.
It was tearing open his flesh, opening and closing.
“I’m inside your body! So what if you’re a cultivator? You still got possessed by me all the same! Hahahahaha!”
Mo Xi shouted angrily,
“Get out of me!”
“I can’t beat you, so naturally the safest place for me is inside your body. I’m not stupid. Why would I come out? So you can use me as a straw target and beat me again?”
Seeing how arrogant it was, the flames of anger in Mo Xi’s eyes burned even more fiercely.
He pulled a dagger from his Qiankun Pouch.
Then, gritting his teeth, he actually intended to cut out the flesh on his own arm!
Gu Mang watched in horror from inside the barrier.
But because he was bound by the Mo family’s pure-blood restraint spell, he couldn’t move at all.
Mo Xi had truly been ruthless.
He had sealed every one of Gu Mang’s movements.
This kind of forbidden restraint spell had originally been created to make it easier for nobles to rule over commoners. For half a shichen, the restrained person could not move of their own accord.
Unless the caster or a higher-ranking noble intervened, the only choice was to wait until the time passed and freedom of movement returned.
The blade was about to plunge into his own arm when the bloody mouth instead twisted into an increasingly distorted smile.
“Hahaha, hahaha! Go ahead and stab yourself! Do you think cutting out this wound will let you get rid of me? Young Master, you’re so naive.”
“My evil aura has already spread throughout your limbs and bones. Even if you have spiritual power protecting your body, you absolutely won’t last much longer.”
“You’ll become just like those men I possessed. You’ll lose consciousness, lose your reason, and be completely at my mercy. Hahahahaha!”
“…”
Mo Xi bit his bluish lips.
The Cucumber Ghost was telling the truth.
He could already feel his entire body beginning to grow feverishly hot, and his vision was becoming dizzy in waves.
But Mo Xi’s pride was such that even his uncle, Mo Xianting, had repeatedly tried to break him down without ever managing to make him show the slightest weakness.
How could he possibly surrender to a lecherous ghost whose manhood had already been shredded into strips?
Mo Xi’s face was pale, his voice hoarse.
Word by word, he said,
“You… can forget it.”
“What can I forget? Heh heh heh. Young Master, you have courage, and you have spiritual power, but neither can defeat my evil aura.”
“Once you completely lose your mind, I’ll be able to control your body and do whatever I want with it—I’ll use your body to indulge in every kind of lewd act. Hahaha! Heroes are buried in a bed of sensual pleasures. By then, you might even have to thank me!”
Mo Xi’s breathing had already become extremely rapid.
His gaze was gradually becoming disordered.
Yet he still endured stubbornly.
Leaning against the ancient peach tree, he raised his head and gasped,
“You can’t do anything.”
“Heh, at this point you’re still talking tough! Fine, then.”
It seemed to intensify its invasion of Mo Xi’s body.
Mo Xi gave a muffled groan and turned his face away.
His abyss-like black eyes cast a gaze toward Gu Mang.
He said,
“The Mo family’s restraining barrier is enough to last more than half a shichen. Even if I’m possessed by you, you…”
His chest heaved violently.
He closed his eyes and swallowed with difficulty before continuing,
“You still can’t move even one finger of Senior Sister Gu. Besides, do you think… that in more than half a shichen, she won’t be able to think of a way to deal with a lowlife like you?”
“Hahahaha! Young Master, you’re too funny!”
“You think that after I possess your body, I won’t be able to control your body and release the restraints around her?”
“…”
“The beauty you brought with you is both pretty and wild. Besides, isn’t she your wife? I’m using your body to get with your wife. That’s perfectly natural!”
The bloody mouth became more and more excited as it spoke, its tongue smacking noisily like a glutton salivating over food.
“What? Scared now? Hahahaha! Even if you’re scared, it’s useless. Now that I’ve successfully possessed you, you’re no longer of any use!”
Mo Xi closed his eyes and breathed for a while.
Before the fierce ghost could react, he suddenly opened his eyes.
His dark-brown pupils moved.
He raised one hand.
Crack!
He actually bent the fingers of his left hand backward until they dislocated!
It was horrifying.
No one had expected the situation to suddenly turn into this.
Mo Xi raised his eyes.
His pale face could barely conceal the ruthless determination in his expression.
He gritted his teeth.
“You’re dreaming!”
“You—!”
“My hand is broken. I can’t form any hand seals.”
Mo Xi’s voice was chilling as he clenched his teeth.
He lowered his eyes.
“Do as you please.”
The bloody lips fell silent.
After a while, they suddenly let out a vulture-like, wild laugh.
“Hahahaha—! Good! You’re ruthless! I’ll give you that!”
“But this barrier of yours can protect your precious sweetheart. Can it protect all the other women nearby too?!”
Mo Xi’s eyes abruptly opened.
His gaze was as cold as lightning.
He shouted,
“You dare!”
“What wouldn’t I dare? I’m a lecherous ghost who was chosen from thousands upon thousands. What could I possibly be afraid to do?”
“You…”
Mo Xi was consumed by fury.
Combined with the evil presence invading his body, his throat became blocked for a moment, and he couldn’t say another word.
Only his long, thick eyelashes trembled violently.
“You ruined my comfortable night, so I’m going to use your body to visit brothels and sleep with seven or eight women. I’ll piss you off and ruin you. Heh heh!”
The evil fire coursed through him more and more violently.
Mo Xi’s one remaining movable hand pressed against the ground, his fingers sinking deeply into the soil.
He no longer spoke.
His forehead was covered in sweat as he desperately resisted allowing the ghost to take control of his body.
He persisted for more than another stick of incense.
Finally, his gaze began to scatter.
At the very end, his face was pale, his chest rising and falling violently. His eyes were bloodshot yet moist with pain.
He looked at Gu Mang inside the barrier.
His lips moved slightly.
He murmured indistinctly,
“You have to… st-stop… me…”
As he said this, black-purple evil energy climbed upward from his arm.
He suddenly lowered his head.
Beneath his fine, disheveled bangs, that handsome, sharply defined face had become completely lifeless.
Gu Mang had practically exhausted all the spiritual power he could mobilize before he finally managed to forcefully break through the restraining spell sealing the barrier.
He shouted,
“Junior Brother Mo!”
“…”
After a long while, Mo Xi finally showed the slightest reaction.
His fingertips moved.
Then he suddenly opened his eyes—
But when he raised his head, his eyes were already an abnormal crimson red.
Gu Mang’s heart tightened.
He wanted to say something else, but once again, the Mo family’s barrier sealed him completely.
He couldn’t utter a single word.
He couldn’t move even an inch.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Mo Xi stood up and walked away beneath the silver glow of the Wu Hook blade, disappearing into the darkness of the wilderness.