Volume One: The Soul-Gathering Gourd and the Soul-Igniting Lamp Chapter 78: Confronting Fear

Through the thick fog, a raised scythe seemed ready to send Li Hetang’s head flying from his shoulders at any moment…

At this critical juncture, rage surged within Gu Mo.

With a burst, ghostly flames erupted once more from Gu Mo’s body as he sprang upright.

Clutching the measuring rod, now wreathed in eerie fire, he hurled it like a javelin with a fierce wind.

A sharp clang rang out—the raised scythe was instantly split in two by the measuring rod. The figure wielding the weapon darted back into the dense mist…

The broken blade of the scythe dropped between Li Hetang’s legs.

In a flash, Gu Mo dashed forward, his steps tracing the Seven Stars Heavenly Gang pattern.

When Gu Mo reached Li Hetang’s side, he found Li already stripped to the waist, looking like a lamb awaiting slaughter!

Gu Mo frowned deeply, grabbed the gluttonous ghost and tossed it into Li Hetang’s arms without a glance back, shouting,

“Fuzzball, take care of this troublemaker!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than Gu Mo snatched up the measuring rod from the ground and charged into the mist in pursuit…

Within seconds, the thick fog swallowed him completely; the scarecrow’s silhouette was nowhere to be seen.

Standing still, Gu Mo drew the Soul-Burning Lantern from his waist once more.

Boom—

A faint green ghost-fire flickered back to life.

Seeing this, Gu Mo was sure the other scarecrow was very close.

He cradled the lantern and slowly adjusted his direction.

As he turned in a full circle, a silvery, tinkling laughter echoed around him.

“Hehehehe~”

At the sound, Gu Mo immediately frowned.

‘What’s this? That’s a woman’s voice? Shouldn’t it be a scarecrow?’

Doubtful, Gu Mo began to speculate boldly.

Perhaps this woman was the Bound Spirit Master herself!

At that tense moment, the Soul-Burning Lantern in Gu Mo’s hand suddenly flared up fiercely.

Startled, Gu Mo quickly ducked down.

Whoosh!

A fearsome scythe swept in from behind.

Testing his reflexes, Gu Mo realized these fiends were indeed devious—always striking at blind spots, utterly without scruples!

Crouching, Gu Mo gripped the measuring rod and swept it backward.

Clang!

Without turning, Gu Mo knew the fiend had blocked his all-out strike with the scythe.

In a split second, Gu Mo rolled forward, hugging the ground, measuring rod at the ready.

But the sight before him made Gu Mo’s heart jolt.

“Damn—it really is a woman?”

Before him stood a shapely woman dressed in a black combat suit that did nothing to hide her alluring figure.

As Gu Mo sized her up, the woman stared back with blood-red eyes.

With each breath, she gripped the scythe’s wooden handle—now blade-less—and her beautiful face twisted into a bizarre, chilling grin.

Looking closer:

Her jet-black hair was tied in a ponytail, her delicate face framed by exquisite features—fluttering lashes, slender brows, eyes as limpid as autumn waters (though now glowing red), a high-bridged nose, and lips painted a fierce red, slightly parted.

This was no ordinary woman—she was a siren incarnate!

Gu Mo gazed for a second, sensing something odd.

This woman seemed familiar—where had he seen her before?

After a quick mental search, realization dawned.

The blood-eyed woman before him was the very target of the rescue mission—codename O!

With that, Gu Mo’s speculation deepened.

This girl was shrouded in wisps of black energy, her eyes unnaturally strange.

Could she have been bewitched by the scarecrow?

Gu Mo tightened his grip on the measuring rod, preparing to subdue her gently. (He mustn’t use lethal force.)

If she happened to be involved with that scoundrel Li Hetang, the latter would surely make Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou’s lives miserable afterward!

Thus resolved, Gu Mo rose, advancing on O with the Seven Stars Heavenly Gang steps.

At the very first clash—

Crack…

Wait, something wasn’t right!

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A crisp snap!

The wooden handle in the girl’s hands was instantly broken in two by the measuring rod.

Showing off his skills, Gu Mo wasted no time, circling behind O with the Seven Stars Heavenly Gang steps, and unleashed the Fuxi Serpent Fist, wrapping his arms around O’s slender waist, ready to subdue her!

A faint, elegant fragrance wafted into Gu Mo’s nostrils.

But then—snap, snap!

With a ghastly grin, O twisted her neck a full one-hundred-eighty degrees!

“Hehehehe~”

Gu Mo’s heart lurched, cold sweat breaking out all over him!

In a sudden shudder, the woman’s lovely features transformed in an instant into a ghastly visage of desiccated straw.

Gu Mo quickly let go, but the scarecrow’s iron nails had already pierced through the ghost-fire, driving deep into Gu Mo’s flesh.

With a wet squelch, Gu Mo staggered back several steps, putting distance between them, as searing pain radiated through his body.

With a sideways glance, Gu Mo saw his tracksuit was riddled with holes.

A chill wind blew, and the O in front of him had fully become a scarecrow!

Looking closely, this scarecrow stood only about 1.7 meters tall, shorter than the earlier pumpkin-headed one. Its straw-filled head wore a withered yellow hat, and its body was studded with rusty iron nails.

Gu Mo’s expression darkened as he grumbled inwardly:

‘Are you kidding me? Using rusty nails? Now I’ll have to get a tetanus shot!’

On second thought, Gu Mo relaxed a little.

Since his opponent was now just a scarecrow, there was no need to hold back.

With a sly grin, he reached for his waist.

After several frantic pats, his smile froze.

‘Damn, the Soul-Attracting Gourd is still with the gluttonous ghost. Even if I defeat the scarecrow, I can’t destroy that black talisman for good!’

The more Gu Mo thought about it, the angrier he became, so he brandished the measuring rod and prepared to fight.

Suddenly, the scarecrow swung its straw-stuffed arms.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

A hail of densely packed iron nails shot toward him.

Gu Mo’s body tensed, a chill running down his spine.

If those hit, he’d be riddled like a sieve—drinking water would pour right through him!

With no other choice, Gu Mo darted nimbly left and right.

Thump, thump, thump—

The iron nails, flying like bullets, buried themselves in the tall grass.

Snap, snap, snap—

Blades of grass were instantly cut down.

Gu Mo’s steps grew heavier as he fled.

Looking down, he saw his brand-new sneakers caked in yellow mud.

“Face your fear!”

A deep, menacing voice sounded, and the waist-high grass seemed to come alive, coiling tightly around Gu Mo’s legs.

Losing his balance—thud!

Gu Mo pitched forward, getting a mouthful of mud and smashing his front teeth against his lip, blood spurting out.

In fury, Gu Mo summoned all his strength.

Boom!

Green ghost-fire blazed around him.

A chorus of shrill screams filled the air as swathes of grass withered instantly.

Whoosh!

A fresh volley of iron nails whizzed toward him.

Seeing danger, Gu Mo gritted his teeth and rolled to the side.

The sharp grass withered at once where the ghost-fire passed, but Gu Mo was already caked in mud.

If someone wrapped him in lotus leaves now, he’d be a beggar’s chicken ready for the oven!

After several rolls, Gu Mo sprang up, gripping the measuring rod.

In the nick of time, he darted through the grass in a half-arc, ghost-fire flickering around his waist.

The swoosh of iron nails pursued him relentlessly, biting at his flesh.

Peeking out, Gu Mo saw the nail-shooting scarecrow was now close at hand.

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In a flash, Gu Mo kicked off with both legs, shielding his face as he pounced on the scarecrow like a wild beast.

With a sickening squelch, the iron nails pierced him again, sending chills through his whole body.

Enraged, Gu Mo’s eyes bulged, gripping the scarecrow’s head with both hands and the measuring rod.

Haah!

The scarecrow glared back with blood-red eyes, trying to take control of Gu Mo’s mind.

A sinister red light flared—Gu Mo snapped his eyes shut and pinned the measuring rod with his knees.

With both thumbs, he gouged deep into the scarecrow’s eyes.

Roar—

A heart-rending shriek pierced Gu Mo’s ears.

The nail-studded scarecrow clawed at his back with its iron-nailed legs.

Squelch, squelch—

Eyes still shut, Gu Mo felt a chill on his back, knowing he must be riddled with holes.

In desperation, he slapped wildly with ghost-fire-wreathed hands.

Slap, slap, slap, slap—

At last, Gu Mo felt his hand swing through empty air and opened his eyes.

The straw-hatted head had been knocked far away.

The scarecrow’s body beneath him was limp and still.

With that, Gu Mo’s nerves finally relaxed.

“Damn, that hurts like hell!”

He twisted his shoulders to look—blood soaked his tracksuit.

Still seething, Gu Mo kicked the scarecrow a few more times to vent his anger.

Fearing it might rise again, he called out a few times into the mist.

In the blink of an eye, a gust of wind slammed into him.

Thud!

Gu Mo felt as if a cannonball had struck his abdomen, his organs trembling from the blow!

Smack—

Dropping to his knees, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face flushed with rage as he shouted at the gluttonous ghost.

“Fuzzball, you damned thing! Are you trying to kill me?”

The gluttonous ghost, chastened, cocked its head and blinked its big, teary eyes at Gu Mo, meowing in apology.

Face contorted with pain and embarrassment, Gu Mo barked,

“Since when did you learn a foreign language?”

With laughter and curses, Gu Mo had the gluttonous ghost fetch the Soul-Attracting Gourd and burned the scarecrow to ashes with ghost-fire.

As expected, a black talisman was hidden within the scarecrow.

At this point, Gu Mo was in awe of the Bound Spirit Master’s power—downright terrifying!

Task complete, Gu Mo shouldered his measuring rod, drew back the ghost-fire, and made his way back toward Li Hetang.

When he found Li Hetang, Gu Mo squinted, dumbstruck by the sight.

Li Hetang was sitting comfortably, munching on a compressed biscuit, with an energy drink at his feet and an empty syringe lying forlornly beside him.

Seeing Gu Mo, Li Hetang looked up with a contented smile and asked,

“Mr. Gu, all done? Where’s codename O?”

At this, Gu Mo’s face darkened and he cursed,

“You little bastard, you really are something. I’m out there fighting for my life, and you’re having a snack!”

Li Hetang grinned sheepishly, “A narrow escape—just thought I’d take a break.”

Gu Mo didn’t mind, taking the energy drink for a swig.

Li Hetang broke off some biscuit for the gluttonous ghost.

After a short rest, Gu Mo asked,

“Li Hetang, what happened to you just now? Did the scarecrow mess with your mind?”

Li Hetang’s face changed instantly, his handsome features twisting.

“Scarecrow? What scarecrow? It was clearly codename O who got possessed!”

At those words, Gu Mo felt a chill run down his spine, his breath caught, and he blurted out a string of curses.

“Damn—we’re in big trouble!”

…