The four Masters stood before the entrance of Graveyard Town, its thick fog curling ominously across the broken roads. Time had not been kind-rubble and ruins were scattered as though the town had been ravaged and forgotten for centuries.
"D-Dàgē, it's so creepy in here," Zhou Xilun whispered, hiding half his face behind his fan.
Cao Jun shot him a glare, exhaling sharply. "This is where people vanish without any trace, Xilun. They say the other side of the town is nearly desolate because no one dares cross it anymore."
Wang Zhaoting tightened his grip on his sword. "It's no wonder. Once the rumors spread about disappearances, people would rather turn back than risk their lives."
"Isn't there a way around to reach the other towns?" Jiangli asked, gaze steady but voice low.
"If there were, do you think anyone would choose to pass through this cursed place to risk their life?" Cao Jun snapped.
"Dàgē..." Xilun murmured, concern soft in his tone.
"There is another route," Jin Weixing said, emerging from the mist behind them. "But it's by sea, and takes days for people to cross."
"Isn't that still safer than dying here? These people really had no choice..." Zhaoting muttered.
Jin Song stepped beside his father, smiling faintly. "Even if they take the water route around, the ghosts from Graveyard Town can still reach them. The spirits here are not bound by land alone."
The four masters now stood at the town's edge, their clans and disciples fanned out behind them, swords intact inside their sheaths, wards at the ready.
"Move forward," Weixing commanded.
As they entered the heart of the town, the fog thickened, swirling around their ankles and muffling their steps. The wind whistled through broken doors and collapsed roofs, sounding like whispers from another world.
"It's like the fog's alive," Xilun whispered as he fanned the thick fog before him.
Zhaoting curnched his nose, "It's so smelly too."
Then-a loud crack emrged from afar. The group froze from their tracks, their eyes widened from the noise.
"What was that?!" Cao Jun exclaimed, unsheathing his sword.
They turned toward the sound, but the fog shielded everything from view, making it hard for them to see.
Jiangli tensed, fingers tightening around his sword's hilt just beofre it fully unsheaths. He glanced over his shoulder as if waiting for something to happen.
"Master Lai, do you see something?" Xilun asked, stepping cautiously closer.
Suddenly Jiangli's ears moved, a figure lunged from the mist. Inhuman, with pale skin and empty eyes-it moved like a man, but twisted and unnatural.
Jiangli slashed just in time, slashing it down, causing it to fly a few steps back.
"W-What was that?" Zhaoting asked, his body trembling.
"For months, we've never truly known," Weixing said grimly. "They look human, but their movements... their motives seems off... something's wrong with these ghosts."
Jiangli sheathed back his sword, as he slowly tried approached the corpse cautiously.
"What are you doing?" Cao Jun called, raising an eyebrow making Jiangli pause.
"I want to see what we're dealing with," Jiangli replied.
"For what? You're going to get yourself killed." Cao Jun rolled his eyes.
Jiangli glanced behind his shoulder, voice calm. "Their skin is so pale, their eyes are hollow, but something's off about their movements... their bodies feel too real when it happened."
"Master Lai, What are you trying to say?" Zhaoting asked, stepping closer.
Jiangli looked to Weixing. "You said people go missing here, correct?"
"Yes. For months."
"Then here's my question-why are there no bodies lying around in this town?" Jiangli asked. "We've been walking for an hour, yet not one body has been found."
A quiet murmur spread through the crowd.
"He's right," Xilun said, brows furrowed. "If ghosts only take souls, then their victims bodies should be here laying around. But there's nothing."
"Father, this Master is clever," Jin Song whispered.
Cao Jun scoffed. "It proves nothing. Maybe the ghosts hid the bodies somewhere, so that new travelers wouldn't get scared crossing this town. Then suddenly they all mutated and turned into a ghost."
"This entire town is a warning enougj. They don't need to hide anything to scare people off," Zhaoting countered. "Even I wouldn't dare to cross such a place after some scary rumors."
Jiangli turned to the body again and approached, as the others followed.
He crouched down, his eyes narrowing around the body. He then stratched hi hand, examining the ghost's chest, pressing his hand there.
"There's no heartbeat now," he said.
"Of course there's not-it's already dead," Cao Jun said.
Jiangli met his eyes. "I'm from the Shadow Sect. We are trained to hear even heartbeats-even beneath walls with low noises. When it attacked, I could hear a faint heartbeat from its chest."
Cao Jun laughed dismissively. "From that distance? Don't lie to us."
"Dàgē, he's telling the truth," Xilun insisted. "Assassins usually have great hearing skills."
Jiangli checked the pulse, then ran his fingers along the scalp of the body. His hand stopped upon feeling a hard like metal.
"What is it?" Zhaoting asked, curiously.
Jiangli tugged-and pulled out a small metal nail from the head.
Everyone froze in shock, murmured echoed around.
Weixing stepped forward, expression darkening. "That... that's..."
Jiangli held it up. "This looks like something the Qi Clan would use."
"Of course, why did we never thought of that. That explains the strange movements... Their dark cultivation techniques." Weixing's voice turned bitter.
"Master Lai, how did you know?" Xilun asked, awe in his voice.
"A mind-control technique hidden in plain sight. It's a simple trcikery that someone uneducated enough would use." Jiangli replied.
Zhaoting turned to Weixing. "What kind of needle is it?"
"The Hasty Needle. It controls minds of people, sometimes even after death."
"So they were alive but also perished-trapped between life and death," Jin Song said.
Another growl echoed from the fog. Then another. Then more came from elsewhere.
They stood up immediately, startled by the sudden noise. The disciples formed a protective circle. Swords gleamed out as they unsheathed them one hy one.
"They're coming," Jiangli muttered.
"It's hard to see with this fog," Xilun groaned. He then threw his fan into the air. It whirled above them, absorbing the mist of fog.
The fan slowly absorbed the fog, and as it cleared, the ghosts were revealed-dozens of them surrounding the circle.
"Father! We're surrounded!" Jin Song warned.
Cao Jun smirked. "Let's end this."
He charged first, sword slicing through the nearest ghost. The other cultivators followed. Xilun danced through the battlefield with his fan, striking ghostly necks one by one on his way.
Weixing sword floated out of his hand, slashing ghosts on its own as he fought hand in hand.
"Clan Leader Jin! There's too many-I need to use my talisman!" Jiangli shouted.
"Go! But only this once!"
Jiangli drew symbols into the air and slammed a talisman to the ground. A swirling shadow pool formed beneath him. From it, four shadowy assassins emerged.
"Whoa, that's incredible," Zhaoting gasped.
The shadow warriors joined the battle, striking fast.
Meanwhile, Jin Song etched a giant circle around them, placing talismans at each curve, forming a containment field.
As the shadows began to get wounded, they started to get weak, the shadows began to fade slowly weakening. Eventually, they dissolved back into Jiangli's body who looked tired.
He collapsed to his knees, panting as he clutched his chest. A ghost rushed at him from behind but he slashed just in time.
But another struck from behind. Startled he turned around but missed the time, the ghost slashed hurling him backward into the ground.
Jiangli cried out in pain, spitting blood. His sword clattered away from his grip.
The ghost approached, picking up Jiangli's blade. It then slowly approached Jiangli as it crawls away. It grabbed him by the throat, then slashed his left palm slowly with its claw.
Jiangli screamed out louad, gathering the attention of everyone.
"Master Lai!" Xilun cried.
Then, a flash of steel piarced through the ghosts chest, saving Jiangli just in tims.
Jiangli stood up, immediately picking up his sword. "Thank you... Clan Leader Cao," Jiangli gasped.
Cao Jun didn't reply but instead rolled his eyes and turned away.
Xilun rushed to Jiangli's side. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine..."
"Father! The circle is ready!" Jin Song yelled.
The cultivators gathered outside the glowing barrier, raising their palms around the edge.
The ghosts inside the circle followed, but was blocked by the circle's spiritual bafrier
Streams of energy flowed from the cultivators into the circle. The ghosts trembled, then one by one, collapsed.
The ghosts screeched as they scratched their heads, while others clawing at the edges trying to escape.
Jiangli stood in silence, blood running down his hand and from his mouth. The world spun around him.
Soon the ghosts fell inside the circle one by one, their bodies making a loud thud that made a loud echo.
The cultivators collapsed to the ground, holding onto their chest.
"Father are you okay?" Jin Song asked as he supported his weakened father.
"Master Lai!" Zhaoting yelled, rushing to Jiangli's side.
But Jiangli saw only the fog from earlier-endless, pale, and heavy-before his eyes closed and he fell to the ground.
"Master Lai!" Xilun called again, his voice cracking.
END OF FLASHBACK