The Legend of Zhong Kui: Chapter Nine - The Demon of Lust and the Drunkard's Divine Deception

The entertainment district of the capital was a maze of wine shops, theaters, and pleasure houses. By day it seemed merely decadent; by night, it had become a hunting ground for demons who fed on human desire and weakness.

The Pleasure Quarter transformed into a hunting ground for demons

The Five Ghosts' intelligence was disturbing. "Three powerful demons have divided the district among themselves," Qin reported. "The Lustful Ghost controls the pleasure houses, the Greedy Ghost runs the gambling dens, and the Drunken Ghost oversees the wine shops. Together, they're draining the life force of the city's elite."

Fu Qu observed the district from a rooftop. "Look at them—officials, merchants, even scholars stumbling through the streets like walking corpses. They've been drained of vitality but keep returning for more."

Han Yuan added with disgust, "They're creating a cycle of addiction. The victims need stronger pleasures to feel anything, driving them deeper into corruption."

The most dangerous of the three was the Lustful Ghost, who could appear as anyone's deepest desire. "He shifts through three forms," the bat guide explained, "appearing as different types of beauty to different victims. Some see an innocent maiden, others a sophisticated courtesan, still others see whoever they secretly desire but cannot have."

"How do we fight something that becomes whatever tempts us most?" Fu Qu asked.

Zhong Kui considered. "We need someone immune to such temptation. Someone whose desires have already been fulfilled or destroyed."

That's when they encountered an unexpected ally—a notorious drunkard named Liu the Sot, who sat laughing outside a wine shop despite having no money to drink.

"You laugh while others despair," Han Yuan observed. "Why?"

Liu the Sot grinned, his eyes surprisingly clear despite his reputation. "Because I've discovered the secret—I'm too drunk on life itself to need wine, too in love with existence to need women, too rich in spirit to need gold. The demons avoid me because I have nothing they can tempt me with!"

Liu the Sot, the divine drunkard who is immune to demonic temptation

Zhong Kui saw through his disguise immediately. This was no ordinary drunkard but an enlightened sage pretending to be a fool. "You're immune to their corruption. Will you help us?"

"Help?" Liu laughed. "I've been helping! Why do you think this district isn't completely overrun? I've been neutralizing their wine, interrupting their seductions, and gambling away their cursed gold. They think I'm a harmless drunk, but I'm actually a divine agent—sent by the god of wine himself to prevent his gift from being corrupted."

Liu the Sot proposed a clever plan. "The three demons are planning to unite their powers tonight—they'll hold a festival of corruption to permanently bind the city's elite to their service. But they need all three forms of temptation working in harmony. If we can make them work against each other instead..."

The plan was brilliant in its simplicity. They would make each demon believe the others were trying to claim all the power for themselves. Greed would turn against Lust, Lust against Drunkenness, and Drunkenness against Greed.

"But we need bait," Liu added. "Someone important enough that all three demons will want to claim them exclusively."

Zhong Kui smiled grimly. "Then I'll be the bait. They know I'm here—let them think they can corrupt the great demon-queller himself."

That night, the district exploded in artificial celebration. Music filled the air, wine flowed like rivers, and beautiful figures danced in the streets. But underneath, Zhong Kui could see the truth—life force being drained, souls being bound, humanity being reduced to appetite.

The Festival of False Pleasures, where demons drain life force from victims

He entered the main pavilion openly, allowing himself to appear vulnerable to temptation. The three demons immediately sensed his presence and began competing for his corruption.

The Lustful Ghost appeared as various figures from Zhong Kui's past—lost loves, missed opportunities. But Zhong Kui had already faced his regrets.

The Greedy Ghost offered him rulership over the spirit world—"Why serve when you could rule?" But Zhong Kui valued justice over power.

The Drunken Ghost promised oblivion from all responsibility—"Forget your mission and simply exist in pleasure." But Zhong Kui's duty was stronger than any desire for escape.

As planned, Liu the Sot began spreading rumors among the demons' servants. "The Lustful Ghost plans to seduce Zhong Kui alone!" "The Greedy Ghost will claim all the credit!" "The Drunken Ghost thinks the others are weak!"

The three demons, already unstable from their nature, turned on each other. The Lustful Ghost accused the others of sabotaging his seductions. The Greedy Ghost demanded a larger share of the captured life force. The Drunken Ghost insulted both, claiming wine was the only true corruption.

Their fight destroyed their carefully constructed network. As they battled each other, their hold on the district's victims weakened. People began waking from their stupor, realizing how much they'd lost.

Zhong Kui seized the moment. With the demons weakened from fighting each other, he struck. Fu Qu's arrows pinned them in place, Han Yuan's spells bound their essence, and Zhong Kui delivered judgment.

"You took human pleasures—wine, love, prosperity—and turned them into chains. You made people slaves to what should have brought them joy. For this perversion of life's gifts, you face obliteration."

But Liu the Sot intervened. "Lord Zhong Kui, if I may suggest—complete destruction might not be the answer. These demons are manifestations of excess. Better to transform them into warnings."

Zhong Kui delivering final judgment to the three demons of the Pleasure Quarter

Zhong Kui considered, then modified his judgment. The three demons were transformed into guardian spirits—but reversed. The Lustful Ghost would now protect genuine love from false desire. The Greedy Ghost would distinguish between ambition and avarice. The Drunken Ghost would show the difference between celebration and escapism.

As dawn broke over the cleansed district, Liu the Sot shared wine with Zhong Kui and his companions—real wine, uncorrupted and honest.

"The secret," Liu explained, "is that pleasure itself isn't evil. The gods gave us wine, love, and prosperity as gifts. The demons' crime was turning gifts into poisons, freedom into slavery."

The district slowly returned to normal—still a place of entertainment, but no longer a trap for souls. The victims, freed from supernatural corruption, had to face the natural consequences of their excess, but at least now they had the chance to recover.

As they prepared to leave, the bat guide brought final intelligence: "Lord Zhong Kui, King Yama summons you back to the underworld. Your mission is complete—the major demons are defeated or reformed. The balance is restored."

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Continue the epic journey in Chapter Eight: The Black-Eyed Ghost at the Monastery of False Virtue and discover the beginning of the legend in Chapter One: The Ugly Scholar's Curse.