The Legend of Zhong Kui: Chapter Six - The Liar Ghost's Deception and the Stolen Corpse

In a bustling merchant town, Zhong Kui and his companions encountered a peculiar case of poetic justice. A notorious swindler named Zhang the Deceiver had built his fortune through elaborate lies and false promises. But recently, he'd been behaving strangely—making increasingly outlandish claims that even he seemed unable to control.

Zhang the Deceiver in the bustling merchant town, his shadow moving independently

"Something's wrong here," Han Yuan observed, watching Zhang from a teahouse. "He just told three different people he was simultaneously a royal inspector, a Buddhist abbott, and a Daoist immortal. Even for a liar, that's excessive."

Fu Qu noticed something else. "Look at his shadow—it moves independently from his body. He's possessed."

Indeed, Zhang had been taken over by a Liar Ghost (诓骗鬼), a demon that fed on deception. But in a twist of cosmic irony, the demon had chosen its host poorly. Zhang was such an accomplished liar that he was actually lying to the demon itself, creating a bizarre feedback loop of deception.

The situation grew more absurd by the hour. The Liar Ghost tried to use Zhang to swindle a wealthy merchant, but Zhang's instinctive dishonesty caused him to lie about the lie, accidentally telling the truth and ruining the con.

"I've never seen anything like this," the bat guide reported, barely suppressing laughter. "The demon is trying to control him, but Zhang is so fundamentally dishonest that he's lying even in his thoughts. The Liar Ghost can't tell what's real anymore."

Zhong Kui saw an opportunity. "If the demon feeds on deception but is being fed false deception, it must be growing weaker. We can use this."

They approached Zhang directly. The Liar Ghost, seeing them through Zhang's eyes, tried to flee, but Zhang's compulsive need to lie kicked in. "I'm definitely not possessed by a demon!" he declared loudly, which of course meant he was.

The confrontation attracted another demon—the Corpse-Stealing Ghost (偷尸鬼), who had been working with the Liar Ghost. This grotesque creature specialized in stealing bodies of the recently deceased and puppeting them for various schemes.

The Corpse-Stealing Ghost emerging from the shadows

"Perfect timing!" the Corpse Ghost cackled. "I'll take Zhang's body once you exorcise the Liar Ghost. A professional swindler's corpse would be very useful."

But this revelation horrified even Zhang. The thought of his body being used after death—possibly more honestly than he'd ever used it in life—broke through his wall of deception.

"No!" Zhang cried out, and for perhaps the first time in decades, spoke pure truth: "I don't want to die! I don't want to be a puppet! I... I've wasted my life on lies!"

This single moment of genuine honesty created a vulnerability in the Liar Ghost's possession. The demon, which thrived on falsehood, couldn't tolerate pure truth. It burst from Zhang's body, manifesting as a constantly shifting figure whose face changed with every word it spoke.

"You ruined everything!" the Liar Ghost accused Zhang. "You were supposed to be the perfect host, but you're so dishonest you even lie to yourself!"

The Corpse Ghost tried to grab Zhang's body while he was weakened, but Fu Qu's arrows pinned its shadowy form to the ground. "Not so fast. This man may be a liar, but he's still living."

The fight that followed was unlike any they'd faced. The Liar Ghost attacked with false images—showing them illusions of victory when they were losing, defeat when they were winning. It created phantom allies who betrayed them and fake enemies who helped them.

The epic battle against the Liar Ghost's illusions

Han Yuan realized the solution: "Don't trust anything you see or hear. Trust only your inner truth!"

They fought with their eyes closed, guided by their spiritual sense rather than their physical senses. Zhong Kui's sword of justice, which could not be deceived, found its mark even through the illusions.

The Corpse Ghost tried to animate nearby graves to create an army, but the Five Ghosts (now reformed and helping) recognized their old companion and convinced the animated corpses that they were being used. The dead, having no reason to lie, simply lay back down.

With both demons weakened, Zhong Kui delivered judgment. The Liar Ghost was shattered by a blast of pure truth—Zhong Kui recited the absolute facts of its evil deeds with no embellishment or interpretation. Unable to twist or deny simple truth, the demon dissolved.

The Corpse Ghost begged for mercy, offering information: "There are more of us! A whole network! The demons have been organizing since you started your campaign!"

Zhong Kui considered, then made a unique judgment. "You'll be transformed into a guardian of graves, ensuring the dead rest peacefully rather than being disturbed. Your knowledge of corpse-theft will be used to prevent it."

As for Zhang the Deceiver, his moment of truth had changed him fundamentally. "I... I can't stop lying completely," he admitted. "It's too ingrained. But perhaps I can use it for good?"

Han Yuan suggested, "Become a spy against corruption. Use your skills to expose other liars and swindlers. Turn your vice into a weapon against vice."

As they left the town, with Zhang beginning his new career as a decoder of deception, Zhong Kui reflected on the case's strange irony.

"Evil often contains the seeds of its own destruction," he observed. "The Liar Ghost chose the most accomplished liar as a host, not realizing that someone who lies to everyone also lies to himself—and eventually, to the demon possessing him."

The Five Ghosts brought new intelligence about the demon network, but also a warning: "The demons have learned from these defeats. They're adapting, becoming smarter. The next ones won't make the same mistakes."

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Continue the epic journey in Chapter Five: Betraying Father's Memory for Power and discover the beginning of the legend in Chapter One: The Ugly Scholar's Curse.