Chapter 14: The Radish Manifestation

When Shi Shouzhuo heard the disciples’ cries for help, his face darkened as he strode in with several others.

The first thing he saw was Can He—who should have been tightly bound by the Bodhi Rope—now rubbing his wrist, his face flushed with drunkenness, standing there fuming with anger.

“What’s going on?” Shi Shouzhuo’s brows furrowed. Seeing the guarding disciples tense as if facing a great enemy, and then glancing at what appeared to be a dazed and ordinary radish spirit, he immediately felt irritated.

He didn’t take Can He seriously at all, assuming the Bodhi Rope had simply loosened by mistake. He snapped at the disciples, “What are you panicking for? Can’t even handle a trivial task. If it came loose, then tie the radish back up—tight this time!”

The moment those words left his mouth, Xie Suoyan, who was still tied up nearby, felt his pupils contract sharply, screaming internally.

You people really have no idea!

He had seen with his own eyes what Can He looked like when he lost his temper in Wujian Prison—that raw, unrestrained fury…

“Radish. Again with the radish…” Can He muttered under his breath, glaring furiously at Shi Shouzhuo. “And an ordinary one at that?!”

Where exactly were the eyes of these humans and ghosts?!

Everyone who saw him called him a radish!

Shi Shouzhuo had no sense of the danger looming. In fact, he found the drunken spirit’s anger rather amusing.

He lifted his chin arrogantly and said, “Truly one of the strangest things in the Three Realms—who would’ve thought Qi Jiangyuan would fall for… such a plain little radish.”

No spiritual power to speak of, yet so brazenly defiant.

One of the disciples chimed in, “That kind of demon—his tastes are bound to be strange. Falling for a radish spirit isn’t too surprising.”

“What kind of person is he?!” Can He was completely enraged. “I think you’re the ones who talk big about avenging your sect, but thirty thousand years have passed and your cultivation hasn’t even brushed the edge of His Highness’s!”

He was so furious he rattled off several idioms he’d just learned.

Shi Shouzhuo tried to hold back, but Can He kept hitting his sore spots again and again. Finally, he snapped and barked, “What are you standing around for? Tie him up already!”

One of the disciples obeyed, drawing his sword. A sharp beam of Yuehua Sword light slashed toward Can He, who could barely stand upright.

“Waaah… don’t hit me!” Can He squeezed his eyes shut in fear, his long lashes trembling. Instinctively, he raised a fist to block.

With a dull thud, the sword strike was stopped by his fist.

A jolt of numb pain shot through his hand. Can He’s eyes welled up instantly, shimmering with tears as he blew on his reddened knuckles, whining, “Oww… that really hurt…”

The disciple who attacked felt a terrifying force surge through the hilt of his sword. His palm split open at once, blood gushing out. His hand trembled violently, and the sword he had wielded for years shattered into fragments of mundane iron, clattering to the ground.

Xie Suoyan, one of the victims of this mess, wasn’t even surprised anymore. But the sneer on Shi Shouzhuo’s face froze instantly, turning into stunned horror.

This was not the strength a Transformation Stage spirit should possess!

Had this radish spirit been hiding his true power all along?!

“Everyone, attack! Take him down!”

Realizing something was very wrong, Shi Shouzhuo shouted sharply, striking together with the other disciples.

The pressure of the Void Refinement Stage burst forth without restraint, shaking the wooden cabin to pieces. The Yuehua Sword Technique unfolded, its cold sword lights forming a cage that closed in on Can He’s frail figure.

One disciple lunged straight for Can He’s unguarded back.

But just as the sword was about to touch his robes, the youth’s figure flickered and vanished like a slippery fish.

“Where did he go?!”

Their hearts clenched as they looked around in panic, faces going pale.

Just moments ago, they thought he was a harmless drunk radish. Now, an inexplicable chill crept over them.

“I’m right here!” Can He’s drunken voice rang out—from right behind Shi Shouzhuo.

Shi Shouzhuo suddenly felt his hand go light. Looking down, he saw that his treasured sword had been snatched away by Can He.

Can He held the sword and bent it like a twig. When it wouldn’t budge, he huffed and slammed it to the ground, then jumped on it twice. “That’s what you get for calling me a radish!”

The action was so childish it was almost comical—but it made Shi Shouzhuo’s scalp tingle.

His life-bound weapon¹, its spiritual glow dimmed under those stomps, was on the verge of severing its connection with him.

“Damn you!” Shi Shouzhuo snatched a disciple’s sword and lunged again, this time with murderous intent.

Can He stumbled drunkenly, weaving and swaying, barely dodging the blade. But somehow, each time the sword came close, he managed to avoid it by a hair’s breadth—as if luck itself was on his side.

But gradually, Shi Shouzhuo sensed something was off.

Their sword strikes felt like they were sinking into a mire, constantly neutralized by some soft, resilient force.

At that moment, countless white tendrils quietly unfurled from Can He’s fingertips.

These tendrils were like living threads of white silk, incredibly nimble as they coiled toward the swords of the group.

“Watch out! Don’t let that creepy thing wrap around you!”

Shi Shouzhuo instinctively sensed danger. He swung his sword in a flurry, slicing through many of the incoming tendrils.

Can He blinked, then grew even more displeased, crying out in distress, “Do you have any idea how precious ginseng root is? It can extend your lifespan! How could you just go around chopping it up?!”

The tendrils seemed endless. Even more terrifying, the moment they were severed, Shi Shouzhuo felt a significant amount of his Spiritual Power being siphoned away through them!

This is…?!

More tendrils surged forward, their relentless pursuit evoking a chilling image and technique in both his and Xie Suoyan’s minds—

Qi Jiangyuan’s Soul Threads.

One brimming with vitality, the other steeped in deathly stillness—completely different, yet the clinging, bone-deep entanglement felt eerily similar.

Xie Suoyan hung his tongue out for a long moment, stunned into silence, his heart pounding with dread.

It wasn’t just that this technique resembled Qi Jiangyuan’s Soul Threads—it was the whole experience of being dragged along in a fight that felt all too familiar.

Deep inside, the Long-tongued Ghost couldn’t help but feel a wave of lingering fear.

Thank goodness he’d had the sense not to truly offend this radish ancestor…

After absorbing a bit of Spiritual Power, Can He seemed more energized. Watching the group still stubbornly resisting, he began to grow impatient.

More and more disciples of the Yuehua Sect arrived, joining the fray.

In an instant, swordlight flashed and spells howled through the air, plunging the battlefield into utter chaos.

Can He weaved through the crowd, still staggering drunkenly. As his fluttering sleeves caught a sharp gust of sword wind, a tear opened, revealing bloodied scratches on his pale arm.

But the Little Radish merely brushed a fingertip across them, and the wounds healed instantly—visibly, before their eyes.

And he didn’t even seem to realize he’d just cast such a high-level healing technique!

Xie Suoyan: …!

And he claims he can’t heal?!

The fight had somehow devolved into a strange stalemate.

Despite their overwhelming numbers and full arsenal of techniques, the Yuehua Sect still couldn’t take down a single drunken radish flailing about without rhyme or reason.

The longer Shi Shouzhuo fought, the more alarmed he became. He finally realized that this radish spirit’s strength was unfathomable—far beyond anything they had anticipated!

Tied up on the side, Xie Suoyan watched anxiously. Though he couldn’t move, his tongue was still free.

When he saw a disciple attempting to sneak up on Can He from the flank, he suddenly lashed out his long tongue, wrapping it around the disciple’s ankle.

“Ah!” The disciple stumbled with a yelp, his attack instantly falling apart.

Xie Suoyan doubled down, whipping his tongue wildly, thoroughly disrupting the Yuehua Sect’s coordination. They were forced to divert attention just to guard against that revolting tongue.

Just as Xie Suoyan gave another vigorous flick of his tongue, there was a soft clatter—a small object slipped from the slightly open sleeve pouch, falling to the ground.

It was the palm-sized little horse figurine.

“My lifeline!” Xie Suoyan cried out in horror, and his tongue instinctively shot toward it to retrieve it.

Shi Shouzhuo caught sight of the object out of the corner of his eye. The moment he recognized it, he forcefully swept aside Can He’s attacking tendrils, twisted his sword, and drove the tip straight toward the little horse, intent on destroying it.

“Stop!” the Ghost Fiend roared in agony, struggling to lunge forward.

The sudden turn of events startled Can He as well, but he remembered how much Xie Suoyan treasured that figurine. He reacted almost instinctively.

White tendrils darted out, narrowly beating Shi Shouzhuo by a split second, snatching the little horse up and pulling it back.

But in that brief moment of distraction, Can He’s defenses faltered for a heartbeat.

Shi Shouzhuo, ever the seasoned fighter, seized the opportunity and unleashed his long-prepared killing blow.

Several terrifying sword beams, infused with the full cultivation of a Void Refinement Stage cultivator, tore through the air with a shrill howl, aimed straight at Can He’s heart, dantian², and other vital points!

By now, they had completely abandoned the idea of capturing bait alive. All they wanted was to kill this radish on the spot!

“Little Highness, watch out!” Xie Suoyan shouted in terror.

Can He seemed to sense the unprecedented threat as well. The haze of drunkenness lifted slightly, and a flicker of panic flashed in his clear eyes.

He tried to dodge, but every direction was sealed off—there was nowhere left to run…

“You dare touch what’s mine? Tired of living, are you?!”

A voice, icy to the bone and seething with boundless fury, exploded in everyone’s ears.

In an instant, the entire world was swallowed by shadows thick as ink. Light vanished, and the temperature plummeted to freezing.

Countless black Soul Threads appeared out of thin air, moving faster than the sword energy and wrapping around it with deadly precision.

Crack—crack—

A wave of tooth-grinding shattering sounds rang out as the indestructible sword energy was instantly crushed and unraveled by the Soul Threads, breaking apart into scattered motes of spiritual light.

Qi Jiangyuan stepped out from the shadows, placing himself directly in front of Can He.

His black robes billowed without wind, ghostly aura surging around him so thick it nearly took form. His gaze swept coldly over the scene, filled with unmasked killing intent.

The moment Can He saw it was him, his tense body relaxed. The grievance he had been stubbornly holding back burst forth like a dam breaking. He pointed at Shi Shouzhuo and the others. “It was them! They ambushed me the moment I left your side and nearly beat Xie Suoyan into a pulp!”

“And then they kidnapped me! Just threw a black cloth over my head! Can you guess why they kidnapped me? They wanted to use me as bait to lure you in and then kill you! Absolutely vile! Despicable!”

“But the most, most, most outrageous thing of all!” Little Radish cried out in anguish, “They actually dared to say I’m a radish! And not even a special one—just a regular radish! The nerve of them!”

The Ghost Messengers who had arrived with Qi Jiangyuan all turned in unison to stare at Shi Shouzhuo: …

That really was going too far!

Even we wouldn’t dare say that!!

Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze swept over Shi Shouzhuo’s pale face, his killing intent sharp enough to flay him alive.

Shi Shouzhuo knew there was no way out. He roared, “Qi Jiangyuan! You let that radish spirit run wild and destroy my disciple’s artifact! Today, the Yuehua Sect will act on behalf of the heavens! Form the array! We’ll kill this Ghost King on the spot!”

The remaining disciples fought to suppress their fear and began forming the array.

Qi Jiangyuan’s lips curled into a cold smile. He was just about to raise his hand and crush these ants when Can He, behind him, suddenly objected.

“I already told you, I’m not a radish!” Can He mimicked Qi Jiangyuan’s disdainful tone. “And you think you can touch my ghost?”

With that furious shout, a vast, ocean-like aura surged into the sky, shaking the entire mountain!

Under everyone’s horrified gaze, an enormous, unimaginable radish-shaped phantom began to slowly form behind Can He.

“W-what is that?!” Shi Shouzhuo’s voice trembled uncontrollably. All his earlier arrogance crumbled into primal fear in the face of this sight.

The colossal radish, responding to Can He’s will, slowly raised a leaf as large as a mountain ridge and gently slapped it down toward the stunned crowd below.

Shi Shouzhuo’s pupils shrank. He poured all his power into activating every protective artifact he had, but it was like being hit by a mountain. Blood sprayed from his mouth, his bones cracked like dry twigs, and he collapsed to the ground, grievously wounded and unable to even stand.

Qi Jiangyuan watched with a flicker of helplessness in his eyes. Countless Soul Threads surged forth and effortlessly wrapped around the fleeing Yuehua Sect disciples, crushing them and even shattering their souls.

Several Void Refinement Stage cultivators, considered top-tier powers in the Human Realm, were utterly powerless before a radish and a Ghost King.

Shi Shouzhuo’s lips quivered. At last, he realized how foolish it had been to try and trap Qi Jiangyuan.

After delivering that terrifying strike, the massive radish let out a drunken burp, exhaling a thick wave of innate spiritual energy that slowly dispersed into the air.

Can He himself swayed, then began to collapse sideways like a limp noodle.

Qi Jiangyuan appeared beside him in a flash, catching the drunken little radish just before he fell.

The moment he felt safe, Can He shrank back into his palm-sized form, landing precisely in Qi Jiangyuan’s hand.

Even his leafy top drooped listlessly.

Qi Jiangyuan quickly and carefully cupped the little radish in his hands, inspecting him for injuries.

To his dismay, he found a nearly invisible tear on one of Can He’s green leaves. His eyes turned so dark and murderous they could kill.

The radish in his palm rubbed against his fingers, completely forgetting that Qi Jiangyuan had deceived him earlier. He began pouring out his grievances in a pitiful tone, describing the earlier fight in vivid detail, making himself sound utterly helpless.

“They tied me up with such thick ropes, it hurt so bad,” he whimpered. “I couldn’t fight back at all. I just had to watch those scary swords stab at me…”

Qi Jiangyuan’s ghostly aura surged wildly, a storm of heartache and fury.

Shi Shouzhuo coughed up another mouthful of blood in rage.

Who was the one who beat us so badly again?!

“Winners rule, losers die. Kill me or spare me, do as you please.” Shi Shouzhuo forced out the words, his face twisted with hatred. “Qi Jiangyuan, if you don’t kill me today, then even if I become a vengeful ghost or fall into the depths of depravity, I swear I’ll never let you two shameless bastards off!”

Can He let out an even louder, more aggrieved wail. “Look at him! He’s still threatening me! It’s all his fault I had to burn through all the Spiritual Power I just managed to gather!”

His whole little radish body trembled with rage.

If he hadn’t run out of Spiritual Power, he wouldn’t have been forced back into his original form, relying on the Yin Qi from Qi Jiangyuan to slowly recover.

Qi Jiangyuan gently stroked the little radish’s leafy top with his fingertip, his voice icy as he said to Shi Shouzhuo, “Do you really think you can become a vengeful ghost?”

Shi Shouzhuo choked, suddenly recalling the image of Qi Jiangyuan crushing the soul of his fellow disciple.

“You just rest for now. I’ll take care of things here,” Qi Jiangyuan said softly to Little Radish.

Having his fur smoothed, Can He was finally coaxed into calm. With a reluctant “hmph,” he slipped nimbly into Qi Jiangyuan’s sleeve, nestling against his arm to slowly recover his depleted cultivation.

“Where’s Xie Suoyan?” Qi Jiangyuan lifted his gaze, voice cold.

“Here! Your Highness, I’m right here!”

Still tied up in the corner, Xie Suoyan quickly rolled over, trying to draw attention.

Hearing the voice, Can He poked his chubby white radish head out from the edge of Qi Jiangyuan’s sleeve, his leafy crown swaying.

Xie Suoyan thought about how he hadn’t contributed a thing earlier and had even become a burden. Guilt surged in his chest. “Little Highness…”

The little radish stared at him for two seconds, then withdrew again.

Only after confirming that Can He wasn’t angry with him did Xie Suoyan finally feel a weight lift from his heart. When he turned to look at Shi Shouzhuo and the others, his eyes were already filled with murderous fury.

These people had nearly ruined his ghostly future, almost destroyed his lifeline, and even kidnapped the Little Highness’s precious radish. Old grudges and fresh hatred surged together.

A Ghost Messenger beside him helped undo his restraints. Xie Suoyan grabbed his chain and said viciously, “Your Highness, how should we deal with Shi Shouzhuo?”

The moment Qi Jiangyuan gave the word, he would end them both without hesitation.

Qi Jiangyuan slowly raised his hand. Soul Threads silently wrapped around Shi Shouzhuo’s temples, ready to end his life in an instant.

“Wait.” Can He’s soft voice called out from within the sleeve.

The little radish slowly crawled out again, struggling to climb up onto Qi Jiangyuan’s shoulder. Standing there, he shouted, “You liar! You still haven’t given me the Sweet Spring!”

He’d had to rely on himself again!

“Send word to the people from the Yuehua Sect. If they want him alive, they’d better bring me the Sweet Spring! A whole lot of it!”

Qi Jiangyuan paused in thought at those words.

Perfect—he could use this to reel in an even bigger fish.

His gaze swept coldly over the gravely injured Shi Shouzhuo. With a slight motion of his hand, he signaled to Xie Suoyan. “Take him away. Keep a close watch.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Xie Suoyan stepped forward to carry out the order.

“You wait too.” Can He called out again, using a root to hand over a small pouch to Xie Suoyan. “Here, your lifeline.”

“Next time, don’t bring something like that out with you. You keep losing it—it’s such a hassle.”

How many times had it been now? Xie Suoyan really had nerves of steel!

Xie Suoyan was overjoyed, quickly and respectfully accepting it. He immediately began inspecting it thoroughly.

Only after confirming there was no damage did he breathe a sigh of relief, as if he’d just recovered half his life. “I have to keep it on me at all times. Little Highness, you may not know this, but for us Ghost Cultivators, losing this thing can be catastrophic!”

He paused, then solemnly offered repeated thanks. “Thank you, Little Highness, for saving my bone ashes³.”

Can He’s leafy top perked up instantly: …?

What now, ashes?!

He suddenly remembered Xie Suoyan licking his own ashes with his tongue…

“I’m sorry.”

The little radish didn’t even know what he was apologizing for. He silently retracted his root and rubbed hard against Qi Jiangyuan’s sleeve.

Author’s Note:

After leaving the Longevity Ruins, the Radish-Ginseng realizes he’s the number one radish in the world.

[Radish-Ginseng’s Signature Moves]

1. Gather all his Spiritual Power into his fist, close his eyes during a fight, and wail “Don’t hit me!” while accidentally smashing the enemy’s magic weapon.

2. Shoot out countless roots to wrap the enemy up like a dumpling and drain all their cultivation.

3. Manifest a massive phantom of his radish form—just as dazed as the real one, but with world-ending power. After the fight, it might even burp out a puff of Spiritual Power.

Translator’s Notes