Chapter 42 Tang Clan Ghost: Ghost?

There's a ghost!

Tang Yu pushed open the door and saw Tang Yang playing with a nine-linked ring on the bed to pass the time.

Although the boy's face was pale, there was still some color in his lips; he looked weak but was clearly alright. Her anxiety subsided slightly.

What started as a casual glance turned into a radiant smile when Tang Yang recognized his sister. His eyes lit up instantly, and he tossed aside the nine-linked rings in his hand, beaming like the rising sun: "Sister! You're back!"

He tried to get up, but Tang Yu quickly stepped forward and pressed him down. She then took his hand and checked his pulse for a moment before finally feeling completely relieved.

She raised her hand and gently tapped his forehead, then said softly, "You knew you had poison in your body that hadn't been neutralized, yet you still followed Xiao Ge and acted recklessly."

Although the words were a reprimand, they also carried a long-lost concern, which sounded only gentle to Tang Yang. He smiled, his eyes crinkling, and pulled on Tang Yu's arm in a coquettish manner, his face regaining some color.

“We can’t stay stuck in the Tang Clan forever, being forbidden from going here and there. Look, we’ve finally come across the martial arts tournament that happens once every three years. If we miss it, we’ll have to wait another three years.”

Tang Yu sighed, unwilling to say anything harsh again.

Seeing this, Tang Yiqing shook her head and laughed, turning the blame to another culprit: "Given Yangyang's physical condition, who could agree to let him go? But when Third Uncle led his men to Cangwu Mountain, they discovered that Xiaoge had hidden him in a box and secretly brought him along the way."

“Yangyang wanted to go, how could I refuse?” Tang Ge’s eyes darted around, his imposing manner immediately deflated. “But it really was because of me, it was my fault…”

Seeing that he was feeling guilty again, Tang Yang subtly tugged at Tang Yu's sleeve, his eyes pleading.

"It's alright." Tang Yu was soft-hearted and naturally couldn't bear to blame him. She reached out and patted her younger brother's head, and said in a low voice, "I have found the Blood Hibiscus and brought it back to the Tang Clan. As long as we understand how to use it, this poison can be cured. Don't blame yourself too much."

"Blood Hibiscus?!" everyone exclaimed.

Actually, when they discovered Tang Yu had stolen the prescription and left alone, they guessed she had come to find the medicine. Upon her return, they initially assumed she had found the ingredient in the prescription. However, they never expected she would bring back the legendary Blood Hibiscus, said to be able to cure all poisons.

"I'll tell you the details later." The story was too long for Tang Yu to explain in detail right now.

So he changed the subject and asked about another matter: "Tell me first, what exactly happened with the ghost?"

Having received forgiveness, Tang Ge regained his usual spirits and immediately replied, "That ghost was terrifying! That night, Yangyang and I were locked in the room, sleeping soundly, when suddenly we felt..."

"Wait a minute," Tang Yu interrupted, frowning, "Why were you locked in the room?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Ge's eyes immediately darted around, and he began to change the subject. Tang Yiqing, however, smiled and mercilessly exposed the misdeeds of these two "troublemakers."

About a month ago, heroes from all walks of life and various sects gathered at Cangwu Mountain to participate in the triennial martial arts tournament.

This includes not only the Tang Clan, but also the Tianji Clan, with whom they have a long-standing feud.

The two mischievous boys, who were always up to no good, decided to sneak over to the residence of the Tianji Sect disciples to cause trouble. They not only put a colorless and odorless laxative in the tea, but also sprinkled itching powder on the clothes they were wearing.

Unexpectedly, the Tianji Sect was no ordinary force. Their actions were noticed by one of them, and they were almost caught on the spot. Fortunately, the two were not only quick-witted but also exceptionally fast at escaping, managing to get back to their Tang Sect residence before the other side could catch them.

When the Tianji Sect members stormed in, demanding an explanation, the Tang Clan, always protective of their own, refused to back down, especially since they were showing weakness in front of their arch-enemy. So they forcefully drove them out.

But since they had caused trouble after all, and worried about Tang Yang's health, the Third Uncle was so angry that he ordered: "Since you're so naughty outside, I'll lock you two up together and have you reflect on your actions!"

Actually, it was because she was soft-hearted and afraid the two children would be bored that she locked them in a room. There were people guarding them outside, and they were not allowed to go out at will.

The first two days passed peacefully, but the third day coincided with the competition between the Tang Clan and the Tianji Clan. Third Uncle even sent two people out to join in the fun.

The two, who had been playing wildly all day, naturally slept very soundly when they returned to their room at night.

Unbeknownst to anyone, in the silent, dark night, a blurry black shadow was projected onto the white window frame. Under the moonlight, it distorted and became indistinct at first, but after swaying on the window paper for a moment, it gradually solidified into a thin human figure.

A gentle night breeze stirred, causing the window frame to tremble slightly. In the blink of an eye, the figure had silently drifted into the room and stood before the bed.

A night breeze blew by, the window frame swayed gently, and in the blink of an eye, the figure had silently drifted into the room and arrived at the bedside.

The two boys were fast asleep, completely unaware that a white-clad ghostly figure was standing beside them. Moonlight shone through the window paper onto "it," making it appear as if it were coated with a layer of cold white pearl light, with a cold jade luster, indistinguishable from reality, as if it had no substance.

Tang Yang, still suffering from the lingering poison within him, often slept restlessly at night. At this moment, Tang Ge's arm was pressing against his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. Awakening from a half-asleep state, he tried to push Tang Ge's arm away and change his position before trying to sleep again.

But the moment he opened his eyes a crack, his hair stood on end and his spine went cold.

There's a ghost!

Tang Yang was instantly jolted awake. Almost reflexively, he pulled out the hidden blade from under his pillow and hurled it at the ghostly figure. A flash of cold light, and the blade cut through the air with incredible speed and precision. But the white figure merely swayed slightly, easily dodging the attack. The blade didn't even touch a single strand of its clothing.

The female ghost before them had disheveled hair, and her features were obscured in the darkness, but her deathly pale skin was clearly visible. She slowly reached out towards the two of them, her long, thin, and pale fingers covered with tiny cracks, and several joints were abnormally and eerily bent, as if she were about to rip open their chests and remove their hearts.

Tang Yang felt a chilling cold rush towards him, making his scalp tingle. In his fear, he didn't have time to think. He pulled the dazed and unconscious Tang Ge behind him and, at the same time, channeled his inner energy into his palm and struck the ghostly figure!

"Bang--!"

The ghostly hand actually caught the palm strike. With a jolt of force, the ghostly figure was forced back several steps. It then lightly leaped backward and landed steadily a short distance away, before gazing silently at the two of them.

At this moment, Tang Ge also fully woke up. When he saw the scene before him, he gasped for breath. The two people and the ghost just stared at each other, and for a moment, none of them made a move.

In those empty, ghostly eyes, they could even discern a hint of inexplicable sorrow and grief.

Before he could even take a closer look, Tang Yang, who had just used his internal energy, felt a sharp pain in his chest, and a black mist of blood spurted out.

Upon seeing this, Tang Ge's heart tightened, and his pupils contracted sharply. Though slightly flustered, he swiftly drew his long sword from beside the bed, shielding Tang Yang with unwavering courage, and roared fiercely, "Get out!"

The white-clad ghost's face held an even deeper sorrow.

But the next moment, her white robes swayed slightly, her body floated lightly, and she silently leaped out of the doorway, disappearing into the endless night.

Tang Yang couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed unconscious. Tang Ge hurriedly caught him and used his inner energy to suppress his fall.

When the Tang Clan members arrived after hearing the noise, they went to look for the ghostly figure, but it had already vanished without a trace.

Tang Yiqing sighed, "Fortunately, Doctor Si was also attracted by the martial arts tournament and was also at Cangwu Mountain, which allowed him to temporarily suppress the recurrence of the poison."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yu frowned even more deeply: "Since you had already met Doctor Si at Cangwu Mountain, why did the sect leader still write to her, urging her to come to Shu?"

The atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy. After a long silence, Tang Ge finally spoke through gritted teeth, his tone tinged with anger: "Yangyang's health failed, so Third Uncle sent someone to take us back to Tang Clan ahead of time. But that ghost is persistent and chased after us halfway! Fortunately, everyone was on guard, but she still managed to escape again."

He paused, his fist clenching slightly: "Later, we even spent a lot of energy and time deliberately erasing the traces along the way, but no matter how we tried to cover it up, the female ghost could still find us easily."

Tang Yu's heart tightened, and she pressed, "What happened next? Did she return to the Tang Clan... and then she was able to catch up?"

After another moment of silence, Tang Yu understood the answer, but still found it hard to believe.

The usually gentle and composed Tang Yiqing showed a rare hint of unease, and said in a deep voice, "You know the Tang Clan is heavily fortified with traps and hidden weapons. Even a ghost, let alone a human, would have no chance of infiltrating silently. Yet she not only appeared in the inner sect, but even..."

As she looked up and met Tang Yu's gaze, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes: "Father, we can't catch her either."

Tang Yu was horrified. The Tang Clan leader's martial arts were already among the best in the martial arts world, and he also had complete control over the territory within the clan, yet he still couldn't catch that "ghost"?

The appearance of the ghostly figure within the Tang Clan startled Tang Yang, causing his blood and qi to surge once more. The previously suppressed poison erupted again, even more dangerous than before. Left with no other choice, the Clan Leader had to write to the Divine Physician Si, hoping she would come and help treat him again.

At this point, a soft knock came from outside the door.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the person slowly walking in with a bowl of medicine in his hand was none other than the little divine doctor Si Huo.

She was too thin, so frail that she seemed like she could be swept away by a gust of wind. Her face looked aloof, but her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been up all night, with dark circles under them, adding to her haggard and fragile appearance.

Who would have thought that such an ordinary girl would become the pinnacle of martial arts medicine, surpassing even the legendary Physician Si of yesteryear?

"Little Divine Doctor Si." Tang Yiqing hurriedly stepped forward, took the medicine bowl from her hand, and then took the opportunity to introduce the people in the room to her.

Si Huo's reaction was a little slow. His gaze swept across the faces of the people in the room, but finally landed squarely on Xie Xingzheng, who was standing silently in the corner of the room, and lingered there for a long time.

Tang Yiqing smiled and patted Tang Yu's shoulder, saying softly, "Dr. Si has been busy for several days with Yangyang's illness. Yu, you should thank him properly."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yu immediately bowed in gratitude, her expression sincere. Si Huo then seemed to snap out of his daze, averting his gaze and nodding faintly.

She then turned to Tang Yang, who was pinching his nose and drinking medicine, and asked in a low voice, "Is he feeling better?"

Tang Yu replied softly, "I checked her pulse, and it shouldn't recur anytime soon."

Si Huo nodded, his gaze lingering on Tang Yang for a long time. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at Xie Xingzheng, the confusion in his eyes almost tangible.

She finally couldn't resist and stepped forward, politely asking, "...May I take your pulse?"

Xie Xingzheng did not refuse and extended his wrist.

Si Huo lightly touched the pulse point with his fingertips, his expression gradually becoming solemn, and his gaze fell on the lifeless eyes of the man, remaining silent for a long time.

"strangeness……"

A hint of doubt gradually surfaced in her eyes as she murmured softly, "Is this poison contagious? What, another one?"