Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

As he screamed for help, the assistant squeezed his eyes shut. I’m really dead this time. Brother Zhao Rong, Miss Lili, Yu Lan, Xue Lan, and that beautiful girl Xueli I just met at the Ghost Hunting Academy... farewell.

Meanwhile, as Fierce Ghost East City lunged toward the assistant, he chuckled to himself. What a haul today. First, I’ll kill the man, then I’ll violate the woman...

However, at that critical moment, a massive explosion suddenly rang out, blowing the tomb of Fierce Ghost East City wide open.

Faster than words could describe, Zhao Rong leaped in front of the assistant, shielding him. ”Assistant, are you alright? We’ve come to rescue you!”

The assistant, his hair blasted into an afro and his face black with soot, stared at Zhao Rong’s sudden arrival with a mix of joy and terror. ”Brother Zhao Rong, how did you just... fall from the sky? I really thought I was a dead man... I can’t believe you actually came to save me. Thank you, thank you so much! If I have a next life, I swear I’ll be reborn as a woman! I’ll cook for you, wash your clothes, and bear your children to repay you for saving my life!”

Seeing the assistant was unharmed, Zhao Rong said, ”Don’t thank me. If you’re going to thank anyone, thank Xuelian. It was thanks to the dynamite she carries that we blew this sturdy tomb open. Otherwise, we would have had the will to save you, but not the strength.”

Hearing that it was the beautiful Xuelian and her dynamite that had saved him, the assistant turned his head to her and said gratefully, ”Xuelian, you usually seem so petite, cute, and gentle. I never would have thought you’d carry dynamite with you. Thank you, Xuelian... If there is a next life, I will be your loyal servant...”

Before the assistant could finish, Lili strode forward and punched him to the ground. ”Dammit, can you shut up for a second? We’re about to rescue Yu Lan, so stop distracting us!”

Knocked to the floor, the assistant pointed toward the tomb passage ahead. ”Yu Lan is tied to the bed! Fierce Ghost East City is going to violate her! Hurry up and save her!”

Hearing that a ghost was about to violate someone, Zhao Rong immediately performed a front flip and landed inside the tomb passage. Lili and Xuelian followed close behind.

However, when Zhao Rong saw the scene before him, he froze. Fierce Ghost East City was the one tied to the bed, while Yu Lan was sitting calmly on a stool nearby.

Staring at the scene, Zhao Rong asked in astonishment, ”Yu Lan, the assistant said Fierce Ghost East City was going to violate you. Why are you sitting on a stool while he’s the one tied to the bed?”

Lili’s eyes went wide with disbelief. ”Yu Lan, I didn’t know you had such... intense tastes.”

Xuelian also spoke nervously. ”Yu Lan, don’t tell me you’re really going to...”

Just then, Yu Lan snapped awake. Seeing Zhao Rong, Lili, Xuelian, and the assistant standing not far away, she burst into tears. ”I thought... I thought I was going to die today...”

Zhao Rong rushed over and embraced her, comforting her. ”It’s alright, you’re safe now. We came to rescue you and capture this fierce ghost.”

At that moment, Fierce Ghost East City also regained consciousness. Seeing his tomb blown to smithereens, he roared with fury, ”Damn it! Who blew up my tomb? I’ll kill you!”

Zhao Rong stepped forward, observing the fierce ghost. He felt that the ghost didn’t look much different from an ordinary person. He immediately turned to the assistant beside him. ”Quick, get over here and stand in front of me. I want to try a mysterious rank advanced Martial Technique, the Mountain-Piercing Bull Fist.”

Hearing that Zhao Rong intended to use a Martial Technique on a ghost, the assistant said with great surprise, ”Brother Zhao Rong, even though you saved me, I have to give you some advice... Your Mountain-Piercing Bull Fist is powerful, but it’s for hitting people, not ghosts...”

Before the assistant could finish, Zhao Rong yanked him over. ”Less talk. Let’s just try it. If I can take care of it, we won’t have to bother Wang Huazi.”

The reason Zhao Rong dared to confront Fierce Ghost East City was that his Daoist robe was embedded with the ghost king, Wang Huazi. With Wang Huazi as his backup, he wasn’t the least bit afraid of the ghost before him.

Suddenly, Fierce Ghost East City revealed a terrifying new form. His face turned green, his teeth grew into fangs, and his hair became a long, red mane. He charged at Zhao Rong, shouting, ”Perfect timing. I’ve been needing some yang energy lately. Since you’ve all delivered yourselves to my doorstep, I’ll kill all of you and absorb the yang energy from your bodies!”

Hearing that the ghost wanted to absorb human yang energy, Lili was puzzled. He’s a ghost, so why would he need to absorb human yang energy? Could it be... he’s not a ghost at all?

Just as Fierce Ghost East City charged, Zhao Rong unleashed his Mountain-Piercing Bull Fist. Instantly, a powerful gust, infused with Inch Force, shot past the assistant toward the ghost. The charging ghost was suddenly blinded as the gust kicked up a cloud of yellow dust. At the same time, the force of the punch blew the wig from his head and the mask from his face.

When the group saw that Fierce Ghost East City had been wearing a wig and a mask, they were all stunned.

Lili said in disbelief, ”I thought only we humans wore wigs. I never imagined ghosts would wear them too...”

Xuelian stared at the unmasked ghost, her voice filled with incredulity. ”Everyone, look! Doesn’t Fierce Ghost East City look a lot like Zhao Bo, the dean of the Ghost Hunting Academy?”

Zhao Rong took a closer look and exclaimed in shock, ”He doesn’t just look like him. He *is* Zhao Bo, the dean of the Ghost Hunting Academy!”

Seeing that his identity was exposed, Zhao Bo—who was both Fierce Ghost East City and the dean—let out a loud laugh. ”You’re all going to die anyway, so it doesn’t matter if my identity is revealed.”

Looking at the man before him, Zhao Rong asked, completely baffled, ”Zhao Bo, are you a human or a ghost?”

Zhao Bo snorted. ”I am both human and ghost.”

Hearing this, Lili immediately ventured a guess. ”He might be a new type of species, a half-human, half-ghost hybrid.”

Zhao Bo cackled madly. ”You guessed right! And for that, none of you are leaving here alive.”

Zhao Rong shielded the three women and confronted the ghost. ”As the dean of the Ghost Hunting Academy, the missions you gave your students were just a way to send them to their deaths.”

The realization dawned on Xuelian. ”You disguised yourself as Fierce Ghost East City to absorb the yang energy of living people for your own selfish gain!”

Zhao Bo looked eager for a fight. ”I’ll tell you the truth,” he said. ”The only way to cultivate the Dao is by absorbing the yang energy of the living. Only by breaking through Level 30 can I enter the next realm!”

Hearing that the creature before him was also a cultivator, Zhao Rong couldn’t help but ask, ”How many people’s yang energy do you need to absorb to break through?”

Zhao Bo did a quick calculation on his fingers. ”To advance one level, I need the yang energy of one hundred living people. To break through a realm, I need to advance ten levels. I’ve currently absorbed the yang energy of 2,955 people. I’m only five short of breaking through to the next realm! And just in time, the five of you have delivered yourselves to me. Heaven itself is helping me break through! Once I do, I’ll rule the entire Ghost World of the Wang Family Village!”

Listening to him, Zhao Rong nodded. ”So, you’re not just the dean of the Ghost Hunting Academy, you’re also the ruler of the Wang Family Village’s Ghost World.”

Zhao Bo laughed heartily at Zhao Rong’s words. ”My plan began the moment I arrived at the Ghost Hunting Academy in Wang Family Village. I hid it well, but I never thought I’d be found out by a few new students like you.”

At that moment, as they all faced off, the vice dean of the Ghost Hunting Academy suddenly leaped in from outside. Everyone was startled by his abrupt appearance.

Zhao Rong looked at the seemingly frail man. ”Aren’t you unable to catch ghosts? What are you doing here in the Wang Family’s public cemetery?”

The assistant, who had been listening intently, stared in amazement. ”Vice Dean, what are you doing here?”

The vice dean ignored them both, pushed his way through the group, and jumped to the front to confront Zhao Bo. ”Zhao Bo! So you’re Fierce Ghost East City! When you arrived in Wang Family Village, destitute and desperate, I was the one who took you in. I never imagined you’d repay my kindness with such treachery—a real-life ’Farmer and the Snake’ story!”

Though surprised by the vice dean’s arrival, Zhao Bo’s eyes still lit up. ”Vice Dean, I thank you for taking me in and training me. However, humans and ghosts walk different paths. Our principles are not the same, so we cannot work together. We are from different worlds and are destined to go our separate ways.”

The vice dean stared hard at Zhao Bo. ”I’ll ask you now: were my wife and child killed by you?”

A cold sneer crept across Zhao Bo’s lips, and his expression turned menacing. ”Yes. So what? They found out my secret. In this world, anyone who discovers my secret must die.”

Hearing the confirmation that Zhao Bo was indeed the man who had murdered his wife and daughter, the vice dean let out a furious roar. ”I’ll kill you!”

Seeing the vice dean charge, Zhao Bo spoke with cold indifference. ”You? You think you can fight me? You’re just rushing to your death. Today, I’ll absorb the yang energy of all six of you to help me break through to the next realm!”

With that, Zhao Bo lunged at the six people before him.