Ghost Catching System

Chu Hao rubbed his eyes, thinking he was dreaming. The shadow was too vast, blocking out the sky like a dark curtain whenever he looked up.

The fierce wind swept through again, shaking the inn as if it could barely withstand the force.

”Kiddo Chu, come out and help!” the toad bellowed.

Chu Hao rushed out of the inn and immediately saw a gigantic eagle circling in the darkened sky above. It was beyond any size humans could envisage, unimaginably huge.

Its wings spanned over a dozen meters. Its talons, hanging from its belly, were three to four meters long—many times larger than the great eagles in ’Divine Eagle Couple.’

No wonder a single flap of its wings could whip up such fierce winds that the inn seemed ready to blow away.

The toad had somehow grown to four or five meters in size, resembling a small house. Its back was covered in bumps that were as translucent as Treasure Jade. It squatted on the ground, glaring at the eagle above and angrily shouted, ”Which flat-feathered beast dares to disturb This Emperor’s sleep?”

The eagle seemed to be provoked and dived down swiftly.

Angered, the toad opened its mouth and spewed out a huge fireball. It exploded with a BOOM, causing the eagle to retreat.

The eagle continued to circle overhead, staring intently at the toad.

This is like a real-life monster battle from the movies, Chu Hao thought, speechless.

Chu Hao jumped onto the toad’s back and asked, ”Where did it come from?”

The toad, clearly in a bad mood, replied, ”RIBBIT! How would This Emperor know? This flat-feathered beast charged at me as soon as it saw me. Speaking of which! Kiddo Chu, get off This Emperor’s back! I’m fastidious about cleanliness; you’re like a flea up there!”

The toad hopped around, trying to shake Chu Hao off, feeling extremely uncomfortable, as if Chu Hao were treating it like a mount.

Chu Hao grabbed one of the jade-like bumps on its back and said, ”This isn’t an eagle; it must be a Kunpeng Bird.”

With contempt, the toad replied, ”Don’t speak nonsense if you don’t understand. It’s not as if I, This Emperor, haven’t seen Kunpeng Birds before. A true Kunpeng Bird is a supreme Divine Beast that can soar as a Peng and dive into the sea as a Kun, omnipotent. With my current state, I would have probably been done for if it were a real Kunpeng Bird.”

That made sense, Chu Hao thought.

The toad added, ”Those eagles that ambushed me today—this one probably came for revenge on their behalf.”

Chu Hao looked up at the giant eagle and said, ”Even as a bird, one should be reasonable, right? Your underlings attacked my pet first, and now you come to make trouble. Is that justifiable?”

He wasn’t sure if the giant eagle comprehended, because he couldn’t feel any Monster Qi from it, but rather a sense of vast righteousness.

Hearing this, the toad instantly became furious, hopping around and exclaiming, ”Kiddo Chu, how can you speak like that? Who is your pet? Speak clearly!”

Chu Hao quickly tried to soothe it, saying, ”A slip of the tongue.”

The toad nodded with satisfaction but then suddenly realized something was off. It started hopping again, cursing, ”Damn it! You’re trying to placate *me*? Are you still implying I’m your pet? This Emperor will slaughter you!”

Chu Hao jumped off the toad’s back. This toad is too sensitive, he thought. What’s the big deal with taking a little advantage of it? Who would want such an ugly pet anyway? If I had to choose, I’d take that impressive giant eagle above. That’s real power.

The toad was extremely displeased and shouted, ”Flat-feathered beast, if you’re brave enough, come down here! This Emperor will finish you off!”

The giant eagle, clearly agitated, began to beat its wings frantically.

The wind howled, and the inn shook violently.

Strange, Chu Hao mused. Despite the fierce storm outside, the people inside the inn are sleeping soundly, as if none of this is happening. Only Diao Chan ran out.

This time, the giant eagle dived down, its talons aiming for the toad.

The toad was also enraged and exclaimed, ”Behold! This Emperor’s Immortal Water! I SPIT!”

Even the Ghost King would have a hard time escaping if struck by the toad’s spit.

But the eagle, while mid-air, suddenly increased its speed dramatically, as if it had teleported, avoiding the toad’s spit and swooping down.

The toad was taken aback and vanished in an instant. The eagle grasped at nothing, its talons clawing a two to three-meter-deep hole in the ground. Had they caught the toad, it might not have died, but it would have certainly lost a layer of skin.

The giant eagle, unsuccessful in its attempt, flapped its wings and soared back into the sky.

It was then seen that the toad had reverted to its original size; it was too small for the giant eagle to maintain as a target.

The toad looked at the two-meter-deep trench and the shattered rocks beside it, its confidence wavering. ”Bro Eagle,” it said, ”we don’t have to fight to the death, do we? Let’s sit down and have a proper talk.”

Chu Hao, too, was alarmed. I always felt this giant eagle wasn’t a demon, he thought. It lacks any trace of Monster Qi.

Then, a voice, clear and resonant, spoke a series of foreign syllables that echoed throughout the heavens and the earth. Chu Hao and the others heard them distinctly. The giant eagle gave the toad a final glance, then turned and flew away.

The voice seemed to be recalling it.

The toad sighed in relief and cursed, ”That giant eagle must have the bloodline of a Kunpeng Bird! Its speed just now was incredible; I nearly took a tumble.”

Indeed, the speed at which the giant eagle had dodged the spit was almost indistinguishable from teleportation mid-air. Even Chu Hao was stunned for a moment.

Chu Hao looked in the direction where the giant eagle had vanished and asked, ”Whose voice was that just now?”

The toad muttered, ”That giant eagle must have a master.”

Tibet is so mysterious, Chu Hao thought. Anywhere else, such a giant eagle could be considered a Demon King, not to mention its strength. If it hadn’t been summoned back by someone, a fierce battle would undoubtedly have ensued. But for such a giant eagle to have a master... how terrifying must that individual be? Could it be the Tathagata Buddha himself?

「The next day.」

The guests staying at the inn seemed utterly unaware of the previous night’s events, aware only that the wind had been blowing outside.

Chu Hao asked Ma Bozhen, ”Old Master Ma, didn’t you feel anything strange last night?”

Ma Bozhen, who had slept very comfortably, said, ”Strange? What do you mean?”

Just as I thought, Chu Hao concluded. The giant eagle didn’t intend to harm ordinary people. It only came looking for trouble last night because the toad had barged in and killed many of its young.

They continued their journey and after half a day’s travel, finally arrived.

Near Dalarri Snow Mountain in Tibet, there are many snowy mountains. This particular one is said to be among the sacred mountains, renowned for producing various medicinal herbs like caterpillar fungus, snow lotus, fritillary bulbs, and so on.

At noon, someone came to welcome Ma Bozhen. As the president of the Herbal Ingredient Association, he was a respected figure throughout the country.

”Teacher Ma, my grandfather sent me to pick you up.” A fifteen-year-old Tibetan boy was waiting outside the county town.

Ma Bozhen smiled and said, ”Duoji, you’ve grown up.”

Duoji led everyone to his home.

An elderly man in his sixties welcomed them at the door, smiling and saying, ”Ma Duo, long time no see.”

Ma Bozhen laughed heartily and gave the old man a bear hug, saying, ”Long time no see, Zaxi.”

Ma Duo was the name Ma Bozhen used in Tibet.

Ma Bozhen introduced, ”Old friend, this is Chu Hao, a friend I’ve brought with me. He’s come to Tibet hoping to purchase a Blood Lotus Flower. Would you be willing to part with yours?”

Zaxi looked at Chu Hao and asked with a frown, ”Young man, what do you need the Blood Lotus Flower for?”

Chu Hao replied, ”Grandpa, the Blood Lotus Flower is very important to me.”

Zaxi said, ”I can give you the Blood Lotus Flower, but I don’t want money. I only ask that you fulfill one wish for me.”

Chu Hao replied, ”Please tell me your wish, Elder. I’ll do my best to fulfill it.”