Chapter 9: The Ghost Keeper

Hearing this question, Zhao Erhu clapped his hands and spoke with a hint of mystery, “Exactly. That’s one of the strange aspects of this case!”

“The magistrate once gave strict orders not to execute Ma Tiezhu. That’s why he’s survived until now and become the oldest living death row inmate.”

“Lord Lu, isn’t that peculiar? Why would the magistrate take an interest in a mere peasant?”

“If there were some old connection, wouldn’t a single word be enough to get him released?”

“But if there’s truly no tie, why bother giving a special order? I confess I’m too dull-witted to understand it.”

Zhao Erhu shook his head, his face full of confusion.

“The magistrate? This matter is actually tied to the Wuling County magistrate?” Lu Sha narrowed his eyes, growing ever more certain that this was no simple affair.

“Yes, the magistrate himself gave the order, though he’s never once come to check on Ma Tiezhu.”

“And after that one order, it’s as if he forgot about the man entirely,” Ma Tiezhu said.

“Is that so?” Lu Sha murmured, then after a moment’s thought, continued, “Later, bring Ma Tiezhu to my cell.”

“Huh? Understood!” Zhao Erhu was startled but quickly agreed.

Though he had no idea why Lu Sha was interested in that half-crazed farmer, he simply did as he was told.

…

That very afternoon, Ma Tiezhu was brought to Lu Sha’s cell.

His gaze was vacant and he was silent, like a walking corpse.

He crouched in a corner and didn’t make another move.

Lu Sha was in no hurry to question him and went about cultivating the “Turtle Essence Qi Method” as usual. After he finished, he took a stroll around the death row cell.

For a condemned prisoner to wander freely in the death cell—such an absurd thing could only happen with Lu Sha.

The first time the other inmates saw this, many of them howled like madmen, desperate to break free as he had. All they got in return was a severe beating from the guards.

But as Lu Sha’s strolls became routine, they grew numb to it.

They all understood that Lu Sha’s connections in death row ran deep—he was not someone to provoke.

Strangely, even when Lu Sha opened the cell door and stepped out, Ma Tiezhu remained unmoved.

He sat there dazedly, showing no sign of wanting to escape, not even bothering to glance up!

He truly seemed like a corpse that could still breathe.

Lu Sha observed it all in silence, saying nothing.

Time passed by bit by bit.

Night soon fell.

Lu Sha and Ma Tiezhu lay on opposite sides, having exchanged not a single word all day.

…

The night deepened and deepened.

Finally, at the third watch, a vague black shadow slipped out from Ma Tiezhu’s shadow.

It was the cat ghost!

“Meow… meow…”

Once free from Ma Tiezhu’s shadow, the cat ghost let out a series of gleeful, sinister cries.

Its fiery amber eyes swept around and fixed upon Lu Sha, who was sleeping nearby.

With half a month’s practice of the “Turtle Essence Qi Method,” Lu Sha’s vital energy was far more abundant than that of ordinary condemned men.

In the eyes of the cat ghost, the typical death row inmate was like a faint candle flame, barely glowing.

Lu Sha, by contrast, was a blazing bonfire, radiating heat without end—a highly tempting target!

The cat ghost drifted above Lu Sha, preparing to suck his essence.

But just then, Lu Sha’s eyes snapped open, shooting forth a beam of blood-red light!

He had been feigning sleep all along, waiting for this chance.

The blood-red beam from the Hundred-Eyed Ghost struck the cat ghost’s phantom body.

It howled in agony, its illusory form twisting and convulsing, eight tails lashing wildly, clearly in great pain!

But this cat ghost was no weakling; it was nearly equal to the Hundred-Eyed Ghost.

Though it had been caught off guard, it did not collapse.

Its form contorted and shifted, becoming hideous and monstrous—half ghost, half cat, with several terrifying human faces flickering across it, as it broke through the red light and pounced at Lu Sha with a snarl!

Lu Sha showed no fear. He reached out and grabbed for the cat ghost.

If anyone else had witnessed this, they’d think Lu Sha had a death wish, daring to physically grapple with a ghost.

Yet in the next instant, when his hand met the cat ghost, he seized it by the throat, gripping it tightly!

“Meow! Meow! Meow!”

The cat ghost struggled and shrieked, but Lu Sha’s hold was unyielding—there was no escape.

The twisted shadows seeping from the cat ghost’s body gradually stabilized and withdrew back inside it.

It was being suppressed!

…

Was Lu Sha truly just a mortal?

Clearly not!

The sinister black lotus within his spiritual sea was unfathomable, granting him the power to create and command demons.

Lu Sha had long since discovered that the eerie black lotus exerted a terrifying suppression over all manner of monsters and ghosts.

For instance, on the very day he arrived, he’d easily captured and subdued the wraith in his cell, using it as material to create the Hundred-Eyed Ghost.

Of course, Lu Sha could not directly subdue demons vastly stronger than himself.

It wasn’t that the black lotus was incapable, but rather that his own strength was still too limited to wield its full power.

Lu Sha surmised that as his own power grew, so too would his ability to suppress monsters.

So first he had the Hundred-Eyed Ghost severely wound the cat ghost, then struck himself to subdue it!

Things proceeded just as he’d anticipated.

The cat ghost’s body was ethereal, yet it could not break free from his grasp, as though shackled by some invisible force.

Soon, it ceased struggling, collapsing limply in Lu Sha’s hand, its eight tails drooping.

Seeing this, Lu Sha commanded the Hundred-Eyed Ghost to crawl from his eye socket, preparing to devour the cat ghost.

Lu Sha’s intentions were clear.

This cat ghost was a fine specimen and could serve as material for creating his next monster.

Yet, lacking ingredients of similar grade, he couldn’t produce a second monster anytime soon.

It would be better to let the Hundred-Eyed Ghost devour it and grow stronger.

…

“Wait!”

Just as Lu Sha was about to act, a voice came from the adjacent cell, halting him.

Both his right eye and the Hundred-Eyed Ghost, now perched on his arm, turned together toward the source.

Old Zhang from next door pressed his face close and said, “A nine-tailed cat ghost, just one tail short of perfection—devouring it now would be such a waste!”

“It’s like feasting on a grand meal that’s only eighty percent cooked—isn’t that a shame?”

Faced with Lu Sha’s ghastly appearance, Old Zhang showed not a hint of fear or surprise, only deep regret.

Lu Sha’s eyes flickered. “A nine-tailed cat ghost? Old man, you’re familiar with this thing?”

A trace of recollection flashed in Old Zhang’s eyes. “I’d nearly forgotten, but seeing it just now brought memories back.”

“A cat ghost is born from a human spirit, fond of feeding on essence.”

“Though not a particularly powerful specter, once it grows its ninth tail, its strength will soar dramatically.”

“If you want to consume it, wait until then.”

Lu Sha pondered this.

Though the Hundred-Eyed Ghost was slightly weaker than the cat ghost,

his own ghost was still in its infancy, possessing only a single blood-red eye.

The cat ghost, by contrast, already had eight tails and was on the verge of achieving its perfect form.

Clearly, the two had vastly different potential!

On the other hand, Old Zhang continued,

“Besides, if you devour the cat ghost now, you’ll draw the attention of whoever raised it. No matter how you look at it, it’s not worth the trouble.”