Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 23: Family Head Shang’s Past

“How did you figure out that he was a Painted Skin Ghost?” Tao Yaoye asked the burning question Steward Zhang never found the answer to even until he died.

Lu Yang cleaned up the aftermath and used a broom to sweep the Painted Skin Ghost’s ashes into a small clump. Taking the hint, Tao Yaoye also took out a bamboo winnowing dustpan [1] to collect them.

“It’s simple. Think back to what the parrot said. ‘Who are you? Where is Steward Zhang?’ After we met Shang Yuan, she deliberately chased us away because she wanted us to stay away from the Shang Family. This implied that the current Steward Zhang was no longer the one Young Miss Shang knew and was also extremely dangerous.

“Thus, there are three possible reasons Steward Zhang was replaced.

“First, Steward Zhang was possessed. But why would an old monster possessing others stay in the Shang Family for so long? If it were me, the first thing I’d do after possessing the person would be to leave Taiping Village and find a favorable place with good feng shui to continue cultivating. Besides, Steward Zhang’s cultivation isn’t worth much mention. Possessing Family Head Shang instead would be more beneficial.” Lu Yang tried to put himself in another’s shoes.

“Second, someone was disguised as Steward Zhang. But this doesn’t make sense either. There is nothing valuable in the Shang Family. Why pretend to be Steward Zhang? It can’t be that he has a fetish for serving others, right? Even if there is something valuable in the Shang Family, couldn’t he have just snatched it? With his Advanced Foundation Establishment cultivation, no one would care even if he crawls through Taiping Village.

“The third possibility is that he was a Painted Skin Ghost. Painted Skin Ghosts love collecting human skin and disguising as humans, assuming their identities and continuing to live among humans.”

Painted Skin Ghosts were humans when they were alive and ghosts when they were dead. They could be considered as a type of ghost cultivators. Most ghost cultivators faced some psychological issues. For example, Painted Skin Ghosts hate having their identities exposed. They would try their best to convince themselves that they were human, speaking and acting like humans. When they got bored of it, they would switch to another skin and begin a new life under another identity, repeating this cycle.

Lu Yang’s reasoning was logical and well-supported, making Tao Yaoye look at him with admiration. I can’t see any traces of the timid Senior Brother Lu on the flying vessel. Despite us possessing the same amount of knowledge, I couldn’t come up with as many ideas so quickly. This is a difference in our mental agility.

“Keep the ashes well. They’re proof that we’ve completed the mission.” Lu Yang took out two white porcelain bottles that were as tall as his palm and stored the ashes in them.

The Painted Skin Ghost is an extension of the mission, so it can be considered as a part of the mission. The rewards for killing a Painted Skin Ghost will definitely be more than finding a parrot.

There were sounds of running footsteps from outside the room, and they stopped outside the door, as if several people had been jolted awake by a nightmare and come to the east wing to check on the situation but dared not enter.

It was not hard to guess the identity of the person behind the door. Lu Yang laughed resoundingly, “Family Head Shang, come in. I have already slain the Painted Skin Ghost. It’s very safe here.”

Bang! Family Head Shang pushed open the wooden door with the matriarch, young miss, and servants standing behind him. All twelve of them wore a relieved expression as if they had just cheated death.

“Master immortals, thank you for slaying the Painted Skin Ghost and saving all twelve lives of the Shang Family!” Family Head Shang knelt with a thud, followed by everyone else behind him.

As the Painted Skin Ghost ghost was temperamental, after it got tired of a steward’s identity, it would very likely slaughter everyone in the Shang Family!

“Family Head Shang, you exaggerate. Exterminating demons and devils and upholding justice have always been what we, disciples of the Dao-Seeking Sect, are supposed to do.” Lu Yang had never seen such a grand gesture before, and he was startled. He hurriedly helped each of them up.

Family Head Shang explained, “Please forgive us, master immortals. The Painted Skin Ghost was unpredictable, appearing in one moment and disappearing in another. I also don’t know where he came from. Ever since this Painted Skin Ghost pretended to be Steward Zhang, he forbid us from leaving the estate. If someone visited, he didn’t allow us to mention his existence, otherwise, only death would await us!”

Shang Yuan was also embarrassed. She was originally a gentle girl from a wealthy family, but she had to act like she was cold in her boudoir so that she could get Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye away from danger.

Family Head Shang continued, “It’s a pity that I have retired and been living reclusively in the countryside. All my valuables from when I was a cultivator have already been exchanged for gold, silver, and jewelry, which are useless to you, so I’m afraid I can’t repay you with that. Please let me know what you need. I’ll fulfill your request even if it means selling off whatever I have.” He wasn’t being polite but genuinely wanted to repay the favor for saving their lives. However, his current wealth was no different from scrap metal to disciples of the Dao-Seeking Sect.

It turned out that Lu Yang did need something.

“I heard that you encountered a life-threatening great horror while raiding tombs, and that was what made you decide to quit once and for all and exit the cultivation world. May I know what happened then?”

Tao Yaoye also looked at Family Head Shang, her curiosity piqued. Tomb raiding, life-threatening, great horror, quit once and for all—these words definitely sound like a very enticing story. Maybe there’s even a great fortuitous opportunity. She liked exploring mysterious places and the unknown best.

As for Lu Yang, he wasn’t as interested as Tao Yaoye in exploring the unknown, but he did like listening to strange tales.

Family Head Shang’s eyes twitched. If he could be honest, he wished from the bottom of his heart that he didn’t have to recall that frightening past. However, since it was a question from his life-saver, he couldn’t decline.

He dismissed everyone else, especially Shang Yuan, who tried to secretly stay behind, leaving behind only Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye. “What I’m about to say must not be shared with anyone else.”

Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye nodded.

Only after receiving their assurance did Family Head Shang recounting the events from twenty years ago. “Back then, I, Shang Zhongtian, was at the Qi Training Stage, I was also somewhat famous in the world of tomb raiding. Though not infamous, it was still to the extent where many people disliked me as soon as they saw me.” Family Head Shang said, arms akimbo, as he reminisced his golden years.

On the contrary, Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye didn’t understand why Family Head Shang was so proud of it. What they didn’t know was that people in the same trade were enemies, and competition existed between tomb raiders. The fact that Shang Zhongtian could have such a reputation indicated that his skills were superlative.

Family Head Shang continued with his story. “I had always been cautious when raiding tombs. I never touched those large tombs and ancient tombs. ‘There are ghosts in large tombs and immortals in ancient tombs.’ All of us in this trade knew this saying.”

The “ghosts” he mentioned weren't small ghosts at the Foundation Establishment Stage like the Painted Skin Ghost. They were powerful entities that ruled dominion among ghosts.

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“Qi Training cultivators are poor, and any valuable items they have are passed on to their descendants. How would they have burial goods worth mentioning? I didn’t touch Qi Training cultivators’ tombs because there was no profit to be gained.

“Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators have a bit of wealth, and they would usually leave most of their assets to their descendants, leaving a small portion for their burial. It was precisely this small portion that was enough for me to make a gold bucket.

“Unfortunately, one who walks by the river will inevitably get their shoes wet. That time, I was originally going to dig into a Golden Core cultivator’s tomb. When I got to the end, I realized that it was a tomb within a tomb. The Golden Core cultivator’s tomb was just an accompanying burial—the main tomb belonged to a Nascent Soul cultivator!

“According to the rules of our trade, we can’t dig a tomb of someone with a cultivation far higher than ourselves, but I let my euphoria get the better of me. At that time, I thought that I was at the peak of Qi Training. If I really had to run, my speed could rival that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Besides, tomb raiding wasn’t about fighting. I could be loosely considered to be at Foundation Establishment too. I thought that there wouldn’t be much danger in raiding a Nascent Soul cultivator’s tomb that had just fallen into my lap.

“Hence, I offered incense to my ancestors. After praying for their protection, I began to excavate the Nascent Soul cultivator’s tomb.”

1. This is what a bamboo winnowing dustpan looks like. ☜