Chapter 518: An Idea
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"This means that if you do not unseal the ghost and fulfil the criteria of staying with it for one night, you will still die. This is the contents of the contract! It will not change because you have received the truth in advance!"
After hearing Lu Bingqi's description, Fang Yuan sighed. "Interesting... A pawnshop which secretly harvests the souls of humans and spreads curses around?"
"None of this is interesting, okay?"
Lu Bingqi rolled his eyes. "As soon as the pawnshop knows that I cannot pay the price, they will immediately confiscate the soul which I have pawned to them!"
"Alright, alright, it's just a ghost, right?"
Fang Yuan causally threw the piece of Enmity Blood Jade into the array.
"What are you doing?"
Jiese the monk was shocked. With that, the three of them witnessed the blood streaks flowing out from the jade, staining the entire floor of the room a blood-red hue.
"Bloop! Bloop!"
The blood was being absorbed by the floor as though the entire room had come to live.
Fang Yuan had a much easier time in initiating the array as compared to Lu Bingqi. In an instant, a sinister vibe filled the atmosphere.
"Oh, Buddha... what have you done?"
Jiese the Monk looked at Fang Yuan and was devastated.
"Since he will die if he cannot complete the task, let's try completing the task for him!"
Fang Yuan shrugged his shoulders. To him, it would cost him almost no effort to seal the ghost back.
"Even if you want to unseal the ghost, you have to let me be prepared!"
Even Lu Bingqi had given up all hope. At least unseal my eye first... That ghost will surely target me first!"
"There's no need for that!"
Fang Yuan raised his fist and smashed into mid-air.
"Bang!"
A female ghost in white appeared. As soon as she saw Fang Yuan, she shrieked, turned around and fled... fled...
"Amituofo, oh Lord Buddha... what have you done to the female ghost?"
Jiese the Monk mumbled to himself.
"Whoosh!"
Beside him, Fang Yuan had already turned into an illusionary shadow. In an instant, he appeared above the female ghost. Like a sun, he radiated heat and light and his shocking aura stunned the ghost. Quickly, he transformed into the shape of a giant eagle. "Heavenly Eagle Claw!"
"Bang!"
As the claw struck down, the female ghost disintegrated into powder.
The sinister vibes which once filled the room quickly dissipated and was long gone.
"Mmm? What did you guys say? I didn't hear it too clearly..."
Fang Yuan turned around and looked at the both of them.
"No... Nothing much!"
Lu Bingqi and Jiese the Monk were both utterly confused. Was that the terrorizing ghost which had toyed with them and forced them into desolation?
Why did she seem like a piece of flimsy paper in front of Fang Yuan?
"Amituofu... This is a miracle! This is the first time I have seen the power of an Arhat[1] in a human!"
Jiese paid his greetings to Fang Yuan and treated him like a living Arhat.
"You are able to use martial arts to destroy a ghost? I'm afraid that even the number one martial artist in the world is unable to do that, right?"
Lu Bingqi's eyes were wide open. "I now trust in your abilities. I hope that... you are able to seal that Hell up!"
"This of course... We still have an entire night. You can repeat everything that you have said just now, but don't miss out on a single detail!"
Fang Yuan forcefully stomped on the ground, creating a hole in the floorboards. A white shadow seemed to have disintegrated once more.
"If you are smart, leave us alone. Otherwise, I will destroy you!"
The female ghost in white was destroyed by Fang Yuan too many times and could not restore its form in such a short time. Therefore, it was temporarily forced into hibernation.
Indeed, she had obediently left them alone and no longer pestered them.
"Take a look... Isn't she reasonable?"
Fang Yuan dusted his hands, crossed his legs and sat down while looking at the both of them.
'Compared to that female ghost, you're more like the ghost!'
Jiese the Monk and Lu Bingqi were speechless. Slowly, they accepted reality and their speechlessness turned into relieve and happiness.
"Who would've thought that we will have such a powerful person among us humans that is able to counter ghosts with pure martial arts! This is unbelievable!"
Jiese the Monk mumbled under his breath.
"This is because of my unique physical stats!"
Fang Yuan shook his head. For a normal person, having 2 to 3 times the stats of the average human would already be impressive enough.
Such physical properties were still too weak against ghosts and curses. Therefore, most humans had already lost all hope in resisting.
However, it was different for Fang Yuan. Although Fang Yuan's stats were disrupted on his arrival, he was still able to break through the limit of the average human in this realm. Together with his Spirit Sealing Body complementing his combat power, Fang Yuan's physical condition was 10 times the normal human and his strength was overbearing. Even if he were to be severely injured, he would not die and instead, he would be able to recover in no time.
Such survivability and combat power would make Fang Yuan like a monster! He could be the only one powerful enough to deal with ghosts!
'Even if anyone were to become as strong as me through their martial arts, they will at most be able to destroy Spirit Level ghosts. Before a Murderous Level ghost, they will barely ensure their own survival. Against a Strange Level ghost, they have almost no chance of winning! No! They have zero chances of winning! They will be poor souls being toyed by these Strange Level ghosts... however, if they were to have the exorcism techniques and concoctions from the Tantai Family, they might just have a slim chance of survival!'
Fang Yuan knew his own limits and did not dare to be reckless before a curse which was at the Strange Level.
The only thing he could rely on now was his Spirit Sealing Body.
He was not confident of entirely sealing up the Paranormal Pawnshop.
After all, he had to find the source of the curse before he could entirely seal up the Strange Level curse. It would be useless to seal its split entities or other low-levelled curses.
"Since the physical form of the Paranormal Pawnshop is in the alternate dimension, can you bring us there?"
It was nightfall and a bonfire was lit in the middle of the Chen Residences. A fragrant and plump chicken was roasted over the fire. Jiese the Monk was salivating as he smeared seasoning all over the chicken. He was incredibly skilled at it and it seemed like he had secretly drunk alcohol and ate meat before.
'Jiese, oh Jiese. It seems like other than lust, this monk is after everything else...'
Seeing this, Fang Yuan rolled his eyes. Although he knew that this was not what Jiese's name meant, he could not help but think that way.
Slowly, he shifted his attention to Lu Bingqi.
"This... Even we the 'traders' can only enter the pawnshop after smearing our blood on a name card after surviving our encounter with the life-threatening evil ghost. Only then will we be able to engage in a trade... Normally, we will not be able to enter the place."
Lu Bingqi scratched his head. "Right... To think about it, I had already received the name card of this pawnshop before the accident happened. I had casually placed it in my wallet. Could this be a reason why I was chosen to enter the pawnshop?!"
He smiled sheepishly.
Obviously, if he knew the truth behind the pawnshop and how scary the pawnshop really was, he might not have made the same decision as he did previously.
"Namecard? Let me take a look!"
Fang Yuan glanced down and took a black name card from Lu Bingqi.
There was a dim glow to the name card and the words were in gold. It had a luxurious appearance.
"What's written on it?
Jiese the Monk took the name card from Fang Yuan and was filled with curiosity. However, he realised that could not read the words as well.
"Paranormal Pawnshop!"
Lu Bingqi spoke in a soft voice. "I've looked for normal humans and even exorcists to try reading the name card only to realise that only us traders are able to see the words on the card clearly!"
"Hmm, it seems like there is a layer of protection being cast on it..."
A gold hue flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes as he suddenly gazed towards Lu Bingqi. "Hmmmmmm... We cannot remain passive. We need to actively seek them out."
"Actively seek them out? What do you mean?"
Lu Bingqi suddenly felt a chill down his spine as he could sense hostility from Fang Yuan's glare.
"Although we have unsealed the ghost, you still need to spend the night in the Chen Residences, right?"
Fang Yuan smiled and looked at Lu Bingqi. "As soon as you leave the premises of the Chen Residences, the pawnshop will interfere and confiscate what you have mortgaged, right?"
"Yes... that's right..."
Lu Bingqi sounded hoarse.
He had mortgaged his soul! If the pawnshop were to confiscate it, he would die on the spot.
"Are you still intending to struggle in this Hell all for that slim chance of hope?"
Fang Yuan's voice was tempting. "The rumour that you might redeem your soul might just be a hoax... You can test it out! In the real world, I have confidence that I am still able to retain your soul even if the pawnshop were to attempt to confiscate it."
"Keke... forget it!"
Lu Bingqi forced a smile.
Compared to Fang Yuan who he knew nothing about, he would prefer to trust the pawnshop more. At least, the pawnshop would honour their promises.
"Jiese, what do you think?"
Fang Yuan looked towards the monk by his side.
"Amituofo..."
Jiese had already gobbled down an entire drumstick and was wiping the oil from his mouth before showing a straight face. "Since Mister Lu is already on the path of evil, if he continues to live, he will continue to engage in trades with the pawnshop and in the process release ghosts and curses to cause harm for the world. Considering the outcome, I cannot let all of these happen!"
"F*ck! I knew that you are not a good monk from the beginning!"
Lu Bingqi spoke with anger.
His life was on the line. Of course he wanted to retaliate! However, after seeing Fang Yuan's abilities from the previous fight, he knew that he did not have much of a choice.
With that, he rolled his eyes in disgust. "What do you guys intend to do? Tell me!"
"It's simple. Break the deal, make the pawnshop interfere and from there, we shall test its abilities..."
Fang Yuan looked around. "This place is very suitable... Of course, I will have to make some preparations. Monk, if you have any secret moves, use them now. I'm afraid you won't have a chance later."
"Amituofo, that is what I am thinking as well!"
After a full meal, Jiese the Monk restored his calm and revered look. "It will be a good deed if we are able to settle this 'Hell' once and for all!"
[1]: Theravada Buddhism defines Arhat as one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved nirvana.