Chapter 013: Forming a Bond

Wang Bo did not conceal anything and recounted his encounter with the fortune-teller.

The ghostly official listened patiently and then couldn't help cursing, "So it's that old fox, truly cunning."

Wang Bo was startled and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The ghostly official waved his hand and said, "This is not a place for talk. Follow me." With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely went upstairs.

Wang Bo, emboldened by his skill and courage, feared not even immortals, let alone a ghostly official. Moreover, he had no enmity with the ghostly official, who had no reason to harm him without cause, so he followed.

After the man and the ghost went upstairs, the madam came forward to greet them.

The ghostly messenger said, "Give me the finest room. I have important matters to discuss with this gentleman. Make sure no one disturbs us."

The madam nodded in agreement and took the initiative to lead the way, preparing a good room for Wang Bo and the ghostly messenger.

Then she closed the door and withdrew.

The ghostly messenger extended his hand and said, "Please, have a seat, my friend."

Wang Bo politely sat down on a chair. The ghostly messenger said, "Do you know who the fortune-teller who warned you is?"

Wang Bo shook his head; he truly did not know who that fortune-teller was.

The ghostly messenger said, "He is a disciple of the Jingyun Temple on Mount Nantuo."

Wang Bo was completely baffled. He knew of Wudang, Shaolin, Jinshan Temple, Daxiangguo Temple, Baima Temple, Louguan Taoism, Quanzhen Taoism, Qingcheng, Maoshan, Five Pecks of Rice, and the Way of the Celestial Masters, but he really had no idea what this Nantuo Mountain Jingyun Temple was.

Seeing Wang Bo's bewildered expression, the ghostly messenger slowly said, "Maybe you don't know about Nantuo Mountain Jingyun Temple, but you should have heard of Li Chunfeng."

Wang Bo nodded. He knew that—a famous figure from Emperor Taizong of Tang's era, who together with Yuan Tiangang compiled the Taoist classic "Tuibei Tu," hailed as the world's most extraordinary book.

This book prophesied major social and historical events from the Tang dynasty onward for thousands of years, all the way to a future world of great harmony.

The ghostly messenger said, "In his youth, Li Chunfeng once studied Taoism at Nantuo Mountain Jingyun Temple. The fortune-teller who stopped you was the previous generation's heir of Jingyun Temple. Unfortunately, in his youth, he was too obsessed with divination arts and lacked cultivation. Once, while telling fortunes for someone, he ruined another's good deed and was beaten to death."

Wang Bo: ...

This involuntarily reminded him of the Mud Bodhisattva from the world of Fung Wan—a man with low martial arts skills but skilled in fortune-telling, forced to tell fortunes for Xiong Ba.

After telling the fortune, he had to go into hiding to avoid being found by the martial world.

But even so, he ultimately met a miserable end—a truly tragic figure.

The ghostly messenger continued, "After that man died, a lingering resentment refused to dissipate, and he eventually became a cunning vengeful spirit."

Vengeful spirit?

Wang Bo frowned slightly. He could sense that the fortune-teller's ghostly aura was even more immense than that of other spirits, but...

Wang Bo said, "I can feel that he bears me no ill will."

The ghostly messenger said, "Of course he bears you no ill will. After all, his purpose in stopping you was to form a bond with you."

"Forming a bond?"

"Exactly. That cunning fellow turned into a vengeful spirit after death, refusing to enter reincarnation, unable to be reborn. Of course, if he wanted to enter reincarnation, he could, but he would have to disperse all his ghostly aura. However..."

The ghostly official couldn't help but laugh as he said, "However, that fellow leaked heavenly secrets while alive. Even if he reincarnates, he can only be reborn into the animal realm."

Wang Bo couldn't help but feel increasingly sorry for the fortune-teller.

Then the ghostly official continued, "That's precisely why he wanted to form a bond with you—to use your karma to avoid the calamity of being reborn into the animal realm."

Wang Bo was taken aback and said, "I can help him avoid this calamity?"

"Exactly."

"How to avoid it?"

"Simple. He just gave you guidance, placing you in his debt. When he is reborn, he can use this karmic connection to be reborn as your son, thus avoiding the calamity."

Wang Bo's face darkened. "Can it be like that?"

"Of course it can." The ghostly official chuckled lightly. "The most mysterious things under heaven are fate and karma. Even immortals and Buddhas fear them and avoid them. That fellow exploited your ignorance to force a bond with you. That's why I called him a cunning fellow."

Wang Bo was initially a bit angry, but he quickly came to his senses.

He wasn't from this world; his name wasn't even in the six paths of reincarnation here. Once he found the transmigrator, he could leave this world.

If, by then, the fortune-teller could still cross worlds to be reborn as his son, Wang Bo would accept it.

If he couldn't, then the bond would be for nothing.

With that thought, Wang Bo naturally stopped being angry.

"Alright, enough of that." Wang Bo waved his hand and quickly put the matter out of his mind.

The ghostly official said in surprise, "You take it lightly."

Wang Bo replied calmly, putting on the air of a Buddhist youth, "Since it has already happened, just go with the flow. Thinking about it now only brings more trouble."

The ghostly official smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Wang Bo then asked, "Let's talk about those vengeful spirits that escaped into the human world. Recently, in Yuzhou City under my jurisdiction, young women have been disappearing every night. I suspect it's related to those spirits."

The ghostly official said thoughtfully, "Yuzhou City, indeed it's very close to here."

Wang Bo asked, "Could you, brother ghostly official, tell me the identities of these vengeful spirits?"

The ghostly official did not hide it. "There are three vengeful spirits that escaped into the human world, known as the Blood Butcher Three Fiends. In life, they were three bandits who killed and robbed. They somehow obtained a fragmentary demonic technique, practiced using human lives, and committed many evils. Later, they were killed by the Duke of Tang. After death, their souls refused to disperse, turning into vengeful spirits that entered Fengdu to undergo punishment."

"But not long ago, a mysterious monk broke into Fengdu, causing turmoil, and the Blood Butcher Three Fiends took the opportunity to escape, wreaking havoc in the human world. I didn't expect those fellows to be hiding in Yuzhou City."

Hearing about practicing with human lives, Wang Bo was basically certain that the disappearance of young women in Yuzhou City was the work of those three bastards. He asked, "Brother ghostly official, do you have a way to find these three fiends?"

The ghostly official took a small bell from his waist and placed it on the table. "This is called the Soul-Searching Bell. Within a hundred paces, if it encounters a vengeful spirit, it will ring automatically. The more urgent the ringing, the closer the spirit."

Wang Bo was overjoyed and asked, "Could I borrow it? Once I find the three vengeful spirits, I will return it as is."