Ghost Catching System

Chu Hao had indeed gone to Tibet in search of the final medicinal herb, known as the Blood Lotus Flower.

This herb, according to legend, could only be found on the Big Snow Mountain in Tibet. It was a rare sight, appearing only once every few years. Even when spotted, it wasn’t guaranteed to be picked. Some Blood Lotus Flowers would bloom only to be buried by heavy snow within a day, rendering them impossible to find.

This time, Chu Hao went to Tibet with Ma Bozhen, and Baby Diao Chan accompanied them as well.

When Diao Chan heard they were going to Tibet, she wanted to tag along for fun. She’d heard that the local customs in Tibet were fascinating and the scenery incredibly beautiful.

According to Diao Chan, during the Three Kingdoms period, Tibet was part of the Western Regions, which at that time consisted of a collection of smaller kingdoms.

Besides the three humans, there was also a toad.

This Warty Toad, upon hearing Chu Hao was going to Tibet, insisted on tagging along.

Chu Hao, naturally, refused outright.

However, the toad threatened to spit if it wasn’t allowed to come.

Chu Hao wasn’t afraid of it—the toad’s spit was just too disgusting. So, he relented and brought it along, though he forbade the creature from speaking, worried it might scare Ma Bozhen.

The three humans and one toad took a flight to Lhasa.

Ma Bozhen was somewhat curious and asked, ”Little Chu, why did you bring a toad with you?”

Chu Hao replied, ”It’s a pet that insisted on coming along.”

The toad communicated telepathically, grinding its teeth, ”Kid, you dare call this Sovereign your pet? Are you looking for a beating?”

Despite its indignant words, the toad’s eyes were fixed on Diao Chan. The young beauty was so stunning that her first appearance had made the toad’s heart race.

Huh! She’s not a living person, the toad perceived at a glance, discerning the true nature of Diao Chan’s soul.

Chu Hao glared at it and said in a low voice, ”You’d better not get any ideas about my Baby Chan, or I’ll finish you.”

The toad looked at him with disdain. ”Do you think this Sovereign is that kind of character? I don’t touch my bro’s women.”

Chu Hao retorted with equal disdain, ”Who said we’re bros?”

The toad seethed telepathically, ”Becoming bros with this Sovereign is a blessing you’ve earned over ten lifetimes, yet you dare to scorn it?”

Chu Hao decided to ignore it.

The plane took off and arrived at Lhasa Airport a few hours later.

Tibet’s scenic beauty is boundless, making it one of the rarest and most distinctive places in the world. One can traverse mountains and seas, finding wildflowers blooming everywhere, alongside deserts, grasslands, the Gobi, holy lakes, and snow-capped mountains.

The Tibetan people are also renowned for their warm and enthusiastic hospitality.

Ma Bozhen mentioned he had visited Tibet more than five times, and each visit evoked different emotions. He considered it one of the few paradises on Earth.

Ma Bozhen said, ”We’re heading to Dalarri Snow Mountain, located in Cuomei County, Shannan Region, Tibet.”

They hired a local vehicle and a guide for a considerable sum and then set off.

Undeniably, Tibet’s highways were a scenic wonder in themselves. Gazing out, the road seemed to merge with the snow-capped mountains, as if leading to a sacred land.

Ever since Diao Chan took up fashion design, she had been taking photos with her camera, asserting that all design originates from nature.

The toad, not wanting to witness Chu Hao and Diao Chan’s public displays of affection, hopped onto the roof of the SUV to lie down.

Everything was quiet until, suddenly, a THUMP resounded from the roof. The driver stopped the car.

There, a male eagle, over a meter long, lay on the car roof—stone dead.

The Tibetan driver quickly pressed his palms together in a prayer gesture, murmuring in Tibetan, clearly unnerved by the sight.

The toad telepathically cursed, ”QUACK! Even a little bird dares to ambush this Sovereign! What goddamn rotten luck!”

The toad certainly had its share of bad luck. It had been lying on the car roof when an eagle swooped down, intending to eat it. Infuriated, the toad retaliated with a bite, killing the eagle instantly.

The driver urged, ”Honored guests, let’s get back in the car quickly. This is a bad omen.”

Chu Hao and Diao Chan looked puzzled.

Ma Bozhen, who understood such matters somewhat, explained, ”In Tibet, eagles are considered Divine Beasts. For an eagle to die inexplicably on our car roof is a bad omen for Tibetans.”

Chu Hao nodded. He knew the toad was responsible.

After they had driven a bit further, the toad suddenly cursed loudly, ”Still more of them?”

In the sky, eagle after eagle circled overhead, apparently targeting the toad.

The toad was furious. It felt like a tiger stranded on flat plains being bullied by dogs—a perfect example of its current plight. Do they think this Sovereign is easy pickings just because I’m a toad now? it fumed. ”A bunch of feathered fiends!” With a snort, it opened its mouth and spat out a fireball.

The fireball detonated in mid-air, incinerating one eagle, which plummeted to the ground as ash.

However, this only enraged the other circling eagles, which continued to swoop down.

”You feathered freaks!” the toad roared. ”This Sovereign will burn every last one of you!”

A rapid succession of fireballs, like bullets from an assault rifle, shot out, striking down eagle after eagle until the skies were finally clear.

Watching the eagles fall, Chu Hao felt a strong urge. I should go pick them up and have a taste. They’re wild game, after all, he mused.

As evening approached, the driver pulled up to an inn, a solitary establishment on a desert highway. He announced, ”We’ll rest here tonight. It’s not safe to drive after dark.”

Chu Hao asked, ”Why isn’t it safe?”

Ma Bozhen explained, ”If you drive these roads at night, you might encounter... unclean things. This is considered one of those long-haul highway zones where, reportedly, thousands of people go missing each year.”

Chu Hao’s interest was immediately piqued. As a hunter of ghosts and demons, he wasn’t afraid of such things. On the contrary, if something shows up offering Experience Points, that would be ideal!

”How do they go missing?” Chu Hao inquired.

Just as Ma Bozhen was about to speak, the driver called out, ”Guests, we have some Tibetan specialties here! The food is excellent.”

Chu Hao and the others went inside.

They ordered some dishes and began to chat as they ate.

Ma Bozhen said, ”These disappearances are very strange. The locals claim people are taken by the Divine Eagle, either as servants or perhaps as food for the winter.”

Chu Hao commented, ”That sounds too fantastical.”

The driver, sipping soup nearby, interjected, ”Sir, it’s not like that. The Divine Eagle truly exists. I’ve even seen it once myself.”

Even Ma Bozhen chuckled; he clearly didn’t believe such tales.

Diao Chan asked, ”The Divine Eagle—what does it look like?”

The driver recalled, ”Once, I was driving home on a highway. The sun was suddenly obscured, and a fierce wind kicked up outside, making my car rock violently. There was a herd of wild yaks by the roadside; a third of them were snatched away! One yak even fell from the sky—it was a gruesome sight, dead on impact.”

Chu Hao probed, ”So, you didn’t actually see the Divine Eagle itself? Couldn’t it have been the wind that swept the yaks away?”

The driver shook his head. ”If it had been such a strong wind, my car would have been blown into the air too.”

Could there really be such a thing as a Divine Eagle? Chu Hao pondered.

After dinner, everyone chatted for a while before retiring for the night.

With other people present, Diao Chan was too embarrassed to share a room with Chu Hao, so she got one for herself—the peerless beauty was, after all, quite modest.

Around two in the morning, a fierce wind began to howl outside. The windows rattled violently, jolting Chu Hao awake. He thought about getting up to close them.

Suddenly, the moonlight streaming through the window vanished, plunging the land into complete darkness.

Instantly wide awake, Chu Hao looked up. The moon and stars were gone. Instead, a colossal dark shadow wheeled in the sky above.