Lin Wan held the Yanling Saber that Lu Zheng had prepared for her, staring intently at the woman, her heart filled with tension.

Qiong Niang, leaning against the door frame, looked puzzled, not understanding how this seemingly inexperienced wanderer could discern that she wasn't human, but...

Mr. Zhang took a few steps forward, looking worriedly at Lin Wan and said, "Greetings to this young lady. Miss, have you mistaken someone? Qiong Niang's surname is Ye, not Shi."

Qiong Niang: ???

Lin Wan: ???

Lin Wan almost couldn't hold it together, while Qiong Niang had a face full of amusement, then feigned fear and tugged on Mr. Zhang, hiding behind him, "Zhang Lang, this lady is holding a knife, who... who is she?"

At the mention of the knife, Mr. Zhang felt a bit timid, but still mustered the courage to say to Lin Wan, "Miss, may I ask for your name, and what brings you to my home at this late hour?"

Lin Wan was infuriated, pointing the knife at Mr. Zhang, "You just meet a woman on the road and bring her home, aren't you afraid she might be a female ghost here to rip your heart out in the middle of the night?"

Mr. Zhang paused, forcing his brain to remember what Lin Wan had just shouted when she entered...

It seemed to be "Corpse Ghost," not some surname Shi?

Mr. Zhang suddenly turned back to see Qiong Niang's timid appearance, her face flushed, eyes evasive, showing no signs of a fierce ghost or corpse demon.

"Miss, have you mistaken... ugh!"

The next moment, in Mr. Zhang's eyes, Qiong Niang's fair face split open from the top of her head, revealing a grotesque, dark green corpse leaking foul-smelling ooze.

Mr. Zhang retched at the sight, pushing Qiong Niang away and madly running towards the door.

"Hmm?"

Qiong Niang, in the middle of her act, was taken aback, then realized her Skin Painting Technique was hindered. She reached up to her head and touched the slimy substance.

"Did the spell break on its own? What's going on?" Qiong Niang wondered, puzzled, "Have I used this skin too many times?"

"But it doesn't matter..." Qiong Niang looked up, her gaze fixated on Lin Wan, eagerly saying, "Your skin is so beautiful, it'll be mine in the future!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Watch the blade!"

Lin Wan leaped forward, breezing past the fleeing Mr. Zhang, her Blood Qi surging, the saber's edge howling as it slashed towards Qiong Niang.

"Roar!"

A sound unlike a human cry came from Qiong Niang's mouth as the beautiful girl skin was completely torn apart, revealing a gruesome corpse ghost, standing as tall as a person, oozing green pus.

Having experienced battlefields and seen numerous corpses, Lin Wan didn't vomit but was still quite nauseated.

"Snap!"

"Clang!"

The Corpse Ghost blocked the long saber with her hand, but the blade cut into her body, then was caught by her other hand.

"Die!" the Corpse Ghost screeched hoarsely, reaching towards Lin Wan's face.

Lin Wan forcefully withdrew her blade, evading the Corpse Ghost's claws, repelling the Yin Qi invasion, and countered by slashing at the Corpse Ghost's neck.

"Clang clang!"

"Crackling!"

Lin Wan and the Corpse Ghost were well-matched, each exchange intense and powerful in the secluded courtyard.

You use the Black Tiger Heart Stealing move, I respond with the Powerful Slash of Hua Mountain.

You conjure a wave of Yin Qi, I ignite a burst of the Blood and Qi Furnace.

Even Lu Zheng felt his hands itching, realizing he hadn't fought in a long time; the last time might have been when besieging Saintess Mingyi?

The Corpse Ghost's claws were terrifyingly sharp, capable of easily cutting open a mortal's chest and abdomen, but Lin Wan handled the Yanling Saber with such skill that she protected herself with a silver light, blocking the Corpse Ghost's attacks.

The fight between the two lasted a while with no clear winner, until Lin Wan swiped a shield from her bracelet, using it in her left hand to parry the Corpse Ghost's claws, then a backhand slash cut open the creature's shoulder.

"Roar!"

The Corpse Ghost howled, realizing she had numerous wounds on her body, oozing putrid fluid and her aura diminished greatly.

This wasn't the wilderness; it was a bustling county town. Although the patrolling Ghost Soldiers hadn't yet discovered the commotion, the Corpse Ghost dared not gamble, so she decided to flee, clawing at Lin Wan, then leaping to escape.

"Boom!"

A loud crash followed as the Corpse Ghost felt her head slam into an invisible, impenetrable wall, leaving her dazed and tumbling back into the courtyard, nearly losing her footing.

Corpse Ghost: ???

Suddenly, the sound of a blade cutting through the air was heard, and Lin Wan's Yanling Saber was already near the side of her neck.

The Corpse Ghost's hairs stood on end, avoiding the strike, but not without more deep cuts on her body.

Rising swiftly, she eyed Lin Wan with uncertainty, "Who are you?"

"Who am I? Go ask King Yama!" Lin Wan twirled her Long Saber, chuckling coldly.

"Who is King Yama?" the Corpse Ghost asked.

Lin Wan, "..."

A lack of common ground, it's best to just end it!

Lin Wan pressed the attack as the Corpse Ghost struggled to defend, attempting again to repel Lin Wan and flee, only to once again be blocked by the invisible wall.

"What is this?" the Corpse Ghost screamed.

It was naturally a True Qi barrier casually set up by Lu Zheng, which the Corpse Ghost's low cultivation couldn't even sense, leaving her to crash futilely against it.

"Clang clang!"

"Crackling!"

Lin Wan finally saw an opening, using her shield to topple the Corpse Ghost, then slashed diagonally, decapitating her with a single strike.

In the next moment, the Corpse Ghost lay decapitated on the ground, her body dissolving into a thick sludge, emitting a foul odor that gradually seeped into the courtyard soil.

"Phew—"

Lin Wan exhaled deeply, putting away the shield and Yanling Saber, "Finally dead!"

On the other side, as the Corpse Ghost revealed her true form, Mr. Zhang, who had been cowering in the corner of the courtyard, also let out a sigh of relief, "Finally dead!"

Seeing the Corpse Ghost dead, Lin Wan sheathed her saber. Zhang Yu brightened his eyes, straightened his clothes, composed his expression, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in greeting, "I am Zhang Yu, greetings to the young lady. Thank you for saving my life. I have nothing to repay you with, but may I know your name, so I can remember it fondly? As it's late, why not stay at my place and report to the officials tomorrow?"

Zhang Yu couldn't even manage the slightest concealment, but how could Lin Wan, being a police officer, not see through his intentions?

Honestly...

Lin Wan cast an oblique glance at Zhang Yu, her cold gaze sending shivers through him, "Miss, you..."

Lin Wan gave no answer, simply leaping over the wall and leaving.

Watching the direction Lin Wan disappeared, Zhang Yu felt a sense of loss, then noticed he felt cold, probably from being covered in sweat from fright and then catching a chill from the wind.

Startled, Zhang Yu rushed back inside, diving under the blankets to shiver in fear.

He didn't dare catch a cold, as he might not have money for medicine.