Chapter 3: Ghost Knocking on the Door at Midnight The ghost eye enters the stomach. A huge feeling of satisfaction instantly surrounded Zhang Jiuyang, like drinking ice in summer, all the pores in his body felt comfortable. Most importantly, the hunger that had penetrated deep into his bones was finally satisfied. His abdomen emitted bursts of thunderous sounds, and the picture of Zhong Kui chewing ghosts in his mind shone brightly. The Zhong Kui in the painting seemed to come alive, with an ominous aura. The ghost eye is an extremely yin thing. For ordinary people, taking it is like eating arsenic. However, after Zhang Jiuyang took it, not only was he fine, but his dantian was like a blazing furnace, digesting and decomposing the power of the ghost eye, and then nourishing his limbs and bones and flowing through the meridians throughout his body. Although it was his first time eating ghosts, Zhang Jiuyang had an amazing sense of familiarity, as if he had eaten them millions of times. Eating ghosts had almost become an instinct engraved in his blood. At this moment, he finally understood the secret of the "Zhong Kui Chewing Ghosts" painting in his sea of consciousness. Zhong Kui was a Jinshi from Mount Zhongnan during the Tang Dynasty. He had a strange appearance and was upright and incorruptible. He won the palace examination and was dismissed because of his appearance, so he angrily crashed into the Golden Palace and sacrificed his life for justice. During the Tianbao period, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang suffered from spleen disease in the Lishan Palace. He could not be cured after long-term treatment. One night, he dreamed of a huge man with extraordinary appearance catching little ghosts and swallowing them. He called himself Zhong Kui, and he specialized in eating evil ghosts. When Xuanzong woke up from the dream, he recovered immediately. Therefore, he named him the Holy Lord who bestows blessings and protects the house. The name Zhong Kui then spread throughout the world. The "Zhong Kui Chewing Ghosts Picture" in Zhang Jiuyang's mind gave him a magical power that was almost instinctive - eating ghosts! Perhaps this is also the innate magical power of the Heavenly Master Zhong Kui.
That is why he often feels extremely hungry, even if he has a full meal. Because after gaining the ability to eat ghosts, his real food is no longer grains from the human world, but... evil ghosts! Feeling the power constantly surging from his dantian, Zhang Jiuyang was extremely excited. This magical power is really amazing. If he keeps eating evil spirits, can he become an immortal without practicing? However, the next moment, it was as if a basin of cold water was poured over his head. Pfft! Zhang Jiuyang felt as if he had fallen into an icy river, with ghosts howling in his ears, and countless negative emotions began to flood into his mind. Anger, pain, struggle, unwillingness, resentment... His body kept sinking and the surroundings became darker and darker. In the cold river water, he vaguely saw a white shadow. It seemed like... a bridge? The next moment, darkness completely enveloped him. call! Zhang Jiuyang suddenly opened his eyes, breathing rapidly, his forehead covered with sweat. He was still in his home, and there was no water around, not even a water tank. Was that...the ghost girl's memory? Zhang Jiuyang vaguely understood something. The ghost-eating ability was not perfect. He would bear the resentment of the ghosts and see some vivid scenes from the ghosts' previous lives. At this moment, he was still frightened. He was almost overwhelmed by those dark emotions just by swallowing an eye. If he had eaten the whole female ghost, he would probably be doomed today. His intuition told him that if he really couldn't withstand the impact of the resentment, his end might be miserable. It seems that this ghost-eating ability is also a double-edged sword for him. However, Zhang Jiuyang could also understand that using a mortal body to control the power of gods is bound to come with a price. To Zhong Kui, these resentments were like a speck of dust, but to Zhang Jiuyang, they were like a mountain. It was my first time eating a ghost. Overall, although the process was a bit thrilling, the result was still surprising. At this moment, Zhang Jiuyang felt that his whole body was full of strength. His body became much stronger, with smooth muscle lines bulging on his arms. When he lifted his clothes, his abdominal muscles were faintly visible. He went from being a weak and frail boy to a strong and masculine man. In addition, what surprised Zhang Jiuyang the most was the faint heat flow in his body, which flowed as he wished, as if he were at the mercy of his arm. Could this be the legendary spiritual power or magic power? He could feel that because of this warm current, he had undergone some kind of transformation in the essence of his life, and was no longer just an ordinary man with a strong body.
But what exactly this transformation is still needs further exploration. Today's harvest was huge, and Zhang Jiuyang had a happy look on his face. It was already pitch black outside the window. It seemed that he had just swallowed a ghost eye, but no one knew how much time had passed. He lay on his bed, holding the talisman and the willow branch in his hand. Although it was pitch black around him, he was no longer afraid, but he was too excited to fall asleep. Zhang Jiuyang simply studied the heat flow in his body. After an unknown amount of time, he finally fell into a drowsy sleep. However, not long after, he was awakened by a knock on the door. Boom!Boom!Boom! Zhang Jiuyang put on his clothes, opened the door and looked around, it was still pitch black. The night seemed to grow deeper, and even the moon in the sky was hidden in the clouds, but he found that he could see more clearly in the dark and did not even need a lamp. It was very quiet all around. Apart from the knock on the door that elicited sweet dreams, not even the chirping of cicadas or the barking of dogs could be heard. Not normal! The knocking continued, insistently. "Who is it?" Zhang Jiuyang shouted. The knocking on the door suddenly stopped, and then a familiar voice was heard. "It's me, your Aunt Wang!" Zhang Jiuyang's heart moved. It turned out to be Aunt Wang, the pork seller in the county. The pork she gave him today was still on the chopping board in the kitchen. But why would Aunt Wang knock on her own door in the middle of the night? "Xiaojiu, open the door quickly, save my man, he is possessed by evil spirits!" Zhang Jiuyang walked to the door and was about to open it, but he was a little cautious and asked, "Aunt Wang, how much is a pound of pork?" The person outside the door seemed to have fallen into silence. Zhang Jiuyang's hair stood on end instantly and he clenched the willow branch in his hand. If the other person was really Aunt Wang, she would definitely not know how much a pound of pork costs! He had read some strange stories, which mentioned that when some ghosts were unable to enter a house to harm people, they would disguise themselves as people the other party was familiar with, then knock on the door and call the person out, and then wait for an opportunity to harm them. Did he meet one today? Fortunately, the next moment, the sound outside the door sounded again. "Isn't a pound of pork eight cents? Xiaojiu, please open the door quickly. My man will not be able to survive if you wait any longer!" "Just think of it as aunt begging you, okay?" Aunt Wang's voice sounded extremely anxious, and she was already at a loss. Zhang Jiuyang hesitated for a moment, then thought of her care and help for him today by the river. He sighed and opened the door. In the darkness of the night, Aunt Wang was carrying a man on her back. Her face was covered in sweat, and she was breathing heavily with an anxious look on her face. Her home is at the east end of the county, some distance from here. I guess she ran here without carrying her husband on her back in a hurry. Zhang Jiuyang's eyes fixed.
In the darkness of the night, the big man on her back slowly gave him a gentle smile, his palm gestured as if picking up a flower. The seven-foot-tall man made a shrill voice like a woman. "My eyes...are they delicious?" …… (End of this chapter)