"That's good." Su Ziyu wore an expression that seemed like he was smiling but said nothing.

Soon.

The blue lantern led him into an exquisite courtyard, where an armored puppet stood at the entrance. Her figure floated down from mid-air elegantly, then slightly bowed and said, "This is my residence."

"Please come in."

This person has an audacious courage, she has never seen such a bold mortal.

Su Ziyu stopped walking.

He glanced at the blue lantern before him and suddenly asked, "Will you have other guests tonight?"

"No." The blue lantern shook her head with a somewhat peculiar expression.

"Then I know what to do." Su Ziyu turned around and raised his hand, and instantly, a flash of lightning struck into the shadows in the distance.

Ah!

A piercing scream echoed.

Something hidden in the shadows seemed to have been struck and soon lost its breath.

The power of the thunder strike was too great.

Su Ziyu feared it might alarm the entire Ghost Capital, so he used the strength of Spiritual Lightning instead, and it appeared to have worked well.

"Gained 1 Source Power Value."

Su Ziyu wasn't sure what he had just struck and killed, probably a ghostly kind of demon, quite weak, and unexpectedly killed in one blow.

The ghost flames along the way stayed out of their path.

This unknown ghost thing had been lurking in the shadows, following them; Su Ziyu, who was exceptionally sensitive to the undead, used his perception ability to quickly notice he was being shadowed.

The blue lantern before him seemed shocked as well.

But she didn't look fearful, merely cast a cold glance at the shadow and said with a snort, "They dare follow me here!"

"Let me apologize to the guest!"

Clusters of eerie blue flames rose.

The blue lantern lightly waved her hand, and these flames flew out and vanished into the dark alleys in an instant.

This is a formidable Great Demon.

Su Ziyu discovered her true form was like a soul-binding object, with many ghosts bound inside the blue lantern.

"Are you a mage, guest?"

The blue lantern walked ahead to lead the way; the courtyard before them was decorated elegantly and luxuriously, resembling the residence of aristocrats, with a small pond in the garden containing some species of red goldfish that seemed unusual. The whole courtyard was empty, but as the blue lantern ahead clapped her hands, a few maids wearing puppet masks emerged from the shadows. The masks were in a Fusang-style ghost face, with tiny eyebrows, pale white faces, dark red lips, eyes filled with darkness, and hair styled into an elegant bun, concealing what lay beneath the mask.

The maids had extremely pale, slender hands, with black, sharp fingernails. As they stepped out, wearing clogs and carrying various fruits and snacks.

"Please sit." The blue lantern reclined lazily on the lounge chair, resembling a wealthy lady of ancient times.

Su Ziyu sat down curiously, glancing around, and suddenly asked, "Am I the only living person in the Ghost Capital?"

"You should be the only one here now." The blue lantern teased strands of hair with her long fingers, resting her chin on her white hand, gazing at him playfully and said, "But occasionally, a rather annoying guest comes in."

"Who?" Su Ziyu inquired.

The blue lantern, feeling a bit bored, picked up a fruit and said softly, "Abe no Seimei."

"Do you know him?"

Su Ziyu grinned faintly and shook his head, "No, but I've heard of him."

Abe no Seimei.

Heian Era.

Su Ziyu was beginning to understand the world's context.

"May I know your name, dear guest?" The blue lantern beckoned to a vacant space, and a ghost flame fell to the ground, transforming into six singing courtesans wearing masks. Donned in luxurious attire, they played music and danced gracefully, evoking poignant emotions with their somber melodies.

"Su Ziyu." Su Ziyu chuckled, once again focusing on the blue lantern.

Upon hearing this, the blue lantern pondered for a moment before tilting her head and remarking, "You are not a fish, how can you understand the fish's joy?"

Su Ziyu nodded with a smile.

He looked up at the moonlit sky, casually pulled out his collector's edition card and asked the blue lantern, "Care for a game? It's really fun!"

There was still some time before dawn.

Despite the friendly demeanor of the blue lantern, who knew what might happen if she got upset; Su Ziyu intended to pass the time and see what morning would bring.

"Is this that card game you mentioned?" The blue lantern curiously eyed the cards.

The collector's edition made by dwarves was exquisitely crafted, with even some minor magic embedded.

"Yes."

Su Ziyu felt his demon hunter's soul awakening, as he displayed the cards and explained the rules. The blue lantern quickly comprehended and nodded, "Oh, I see. It's quite an amusing little game."

"I know how to play now!"

"But!"

"I don't like your cards."

After saying so, the blue lantern reached into the ghost flame and pulled out something like a talisman paper. This Great Demon took a pen and drew on the paper for a while, and suddenly, newly printed cards emerged, emitting a faint eerie green flame, with ghostly faces that were either beautiful or ghastly.

The blue lantern eyed Su Ziyu with a half-smile, "How about playing with this deck?"

She picked up a piece of talisman paper and shook it gently; it revealed her likeness as a leader card.

Interesting.

This female demon is exceptionally clever.

Su Ziyu glanced at the cards she made, nodding, "Alright."

Unbelievable.

She comprehended the rules of Gwent in an incredibly short time and even created a deck centered around ghosts.

"How about a little wager?" The blue lantern expressed a half-smile, with eyes seemingly cold, and casually added, "If I lose, you tell me an interesting story."

"If I win, I'll tell you an interesting story."

Another story?

Su Ziyu didn't understand why this Great Demon was so obsessed with stories. Nonetheless, he pondered and nodded, "Alright, but I want to hear a story about yourself."

The blue lantern paused for a moment, then smiled even more charmingly, exhaling softly, "Sure."

Clap, clap, clap.

The blue lantern clapped her white hands, and the ghost ladies who were singing and dancing dissolved into blue smoke. An eerie wind arose from unknown sources, yet the blue lantern remained lazing comfortably, half-reclined on the longue, smiling, "Let's begin."

An unusual Gwent card duel commenced.

However, luck did not seem to favor Su Ziyu; barely ten minutes into the card duel, he quickly lost the first round.

There was nothing wrong with the cards.

But the card player had issues.

The blue lantern seemed aware of his trump cards, predicting his next move entirely.

Interesting.

Cheating, indeed.

Su Ziyu maintained a calm demeanor, unfazed, "I lost."

"Alright."

"I'll tell a story now."

Wearing a gentle smile, the blue lantern tilted her head as if listening attentively, remarking playfully, "It has to be an interesting ghost story."

"Does it need ghosts?" Su Ziyu mused for a moment, then raised his head, "I have it."

"But this story is a bit long."

The blue lantern appeared eager and laughed, "No problem. Tonight is long, and we have plenty of time to hear your story."

A discreetly eerie laughter sounded.

Ghostly blue flames wavered unpredictably in mid-air, as an icy wind blew, with a peculiar bronze mirror appearing outside the pavilion at some point.

"Alright." Su Ziyu glanced around, squinting slightly, causing the ghostly laughter to halt instantly, as if hands were choking their throats.

He casually picked up a fan and flicked it, speaking with measured tones, "Long ago."

"There was a place called Lanruo Temple."

......

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