Chapter 19

Alright, I'm tired and need to rest. Where am I sleeping tonight? I said, waving my hand to summon the little ghost.

The little ghost was still happily drinking a can of orange soda. Seeing that I wanted to sleep, she wrinkled her nose and immediately bared her sharp teeth, which made me feel a chill down my spine. She was like a tiger.

Driving away ghosts is no different from driving a tiger to devour a wolf; if not well taken care of, they can turn on you.

However, I have always been reserved, so even though I was scared, I kept a straight face and frowned when she didn't come over.

Seeing that I was unhappy, the little ghost became obedient and slowly approached me with the soda can in her hands. Her way of walking, a few inches off the ground, was terrifying, especially with her red clothes and black eyes. When she got angry, the veins on her neck and forehead would bulge, which was beyond human endurance.

She obediently wrapped her arms around my neck, and I turned my head to look at Zhao Qian. To my surprise, Zhao Qian was already frozen in place, clutching her heart and breathing heavily, unable to speak. If I weren't here, she would have fled long ago.

"I'll go tidy up the room for you right away." Zhao Qian mechanically stood up and almost ran to the room on the first floor.

I followed her inside.

The place was luxuriously decorated, with a computer and TV as standard equipment. There were many books on the bookshelf, mostly about various schools of thought, but mostly Taoist, with few Buddhist ones.

"Is this your study?" I asked.

"Yes, I specially customized the upstairs. There's only one bedroom and one guest room. The guest room is for Xiao Xue, and the rest has become my small training ground. So, except for the large living room on the first floor, only the study is left. I'm sorry, but you'll have to make do. If you don't like it, I can sleep in the study, and you can sleep in my bedroom." Zhao Qian said apologetically.

Zhao Qian's study was quite large, over thirty square meters, and even had a bed for naps, making it a multifunctional bedroom, actually more luxurious than the guest room.

"No problem, a girl's room is off-limits. This is fine. Can I use this computer?" I asked bluntly. With a computer, I can check the latest news and various information, which is essential.

"Yes, but don't delete my photos or work information." Zhao Qian said cautiously.

"Sure, no problem. I'm not interested in those. I just use the search engine occasionally." I explained.

While I was observing the surroundings, Zhao Qian bent down to make the bed. She had already changed into casual clothes upstairs, wearing a loose white shirt and a blue pleated skirt, which was quite eye-catching.

Looking closely, her figure was indeed impressive, and her buttocks were well-developed. No wonder if her brother hadn't carried her today, she might not have escaped. Now, looking at her, I felt my mouth go dry.

Although I like women, I'm not a beast or a pervert, so I immediately stopped my wandering eyes. Besides, I was a bit afraid that my sister-in-law would be jealous. If she got angry, I wouldn't be able to sleep all night. In the past, whenever I tried to get close to other women, she would make things difficult for me, and in the end, she would say I was sinister and strange.

There wasn't much to tidy up in the study, just the messy bedding. After tidying it up, it was fine.

"It's late. You can sleep now. We'll leave early tomorrow morning." Zhao Qian's natural movements had the quiet elegance of a well-bred lady. She was about my age, which indeed made men feel attracted.

"You should also go to bed early and don't oversleep tomorrow." I teased her with a smile.

Zhao Qian gave me a playful glare and then smiled. "Okay, good night. You too."

I watched her leave and locked the door before opening my grandmother's leather suitcase.

There weren't many things in the suitcase, just some new fabrics given to my grandmother by others. Inside, carefully wrapped, was a "Primary School Workbook" with a cover printed in traditional characters, and some empty jars with intricate spell carvings. I thought these jars were more advanced than the one the little ghost had, and I suspected they were things my grandmother had used.

The little ghost stood next to me. When she saw me take out one of the jars with a small hole, she reached out her hands, held the empty jar, and kept stroking it, looking sad.

I thought this empty jar might have once housed a ghost that was very important to the little ghost, or she wouldn't have this expression.

Then I found another cracked jar in another package. Although this jar had carvings in seal script, it was even more damaged, almost unrecognizable.

When the little ghost saw this jar, she started to sob. I had already guessed that this suitcase was the one my grandmother took to Xiaoyi Village to settle accounts, and the jars inside were the truly powerful ghosts she had raised.

Flipping through the contents, I found some fragments of jars wrapped in red cloth. These fragments were terribly broken, as if they had been smashed on the ground, losing their shape.

I could imagine the intensity of the battle. My grandmother must have summoned a group of ghosts, creating a spectacular scene. I took out the little ghost's simple jar from my pocket and compared it, feeling a mix of emotions.

In terms of the intricacy of the jars, this one was not in the same league as the broken ones. One was a minor ghost, the other possibly a ghost king.

My grandmother took only the powerful ghosts, leaving the little ghost behind, perhaps knowing that this trip would be one-way.

A cold wind suddenly blew from behind me, and I knew that the Ninth Princess was angry.

The little ghost's pale hands kept stroking the fragments, her lips pursed, and tears fell like beads, a silent sob. It seemed that each destroyed jar had gone through a brutal battle, causing the ghosts inside to vanish, and the jars to shatter.

The relationship between the little ghost and these ghosts was probably more than just friendship, perhaps even teacher-student or parent-child.

I extended my hands and gently held the little ghost in my arms. "We will avenge this. We will send them to hell, just as they came."

The little ghost clung to me and sobbed loudly, perhaps the first time we truly connected.

After comforting the little ghost, I picked up my grandmother's yellowed primary school workbook and read a few pages. I discovered that this book was actually a record of her life, with each entry detailing her experiences.

It started from when my grandmother inherited the tradition and ended with her return to Xiaoyi Village.

Calculating my grandmother's age, I found that the early part of her life was very eventful, with most of the entries before she was thirty. I didn't read them in detail, but the later entries, which included my involvement, I read carefully. The writing was messy, and the events were simple.

For example, the entry about the Ninth Princess: "Inherited from the Daoist lineage, the Ninth Daughter of Heaven, reincarnated to save and die, a blood-red cloak, both divine and ghostly, sought in a hundred ways, descended to marry my grandson, a great fortune."

This entry showed my grandmother's joy, but it was just a brief mention. Earlier, when she was in her twenties, there was another entry: "Inherited from the Daoist lineage, the Ninth Daughter of Heaven, sought in a hundred ways, but no response, unknown reason, alas, sad."

This indicated that the Ninth Princess was very proud. The ghost-raising tradition had passed down the Ninth Princess from the Daoist lineage. She was both divine and ghostly, immortal, and very powerful, but there were almost no records of her battles. It seemed very difficult to summon her. My grandmother had tried to summon the Ninth Princess when she was young but failed.

It wasn't until she agreed to marry me as a child bride that she was finally summoned, which my grandmother probably couldn't understand.

However, the diary also recorded my grandmother's early career, where she went to places with heavy yin and resentment, and the arduous process of subduing and raising ghosts. There were also entries about her adventures with a ghost mask.

Thinking of the ghost mask, I opened the suitcase and indeed found one. This mask covered most of the face, leaving only the right side open. It had a crack, and my grandmother would wear it during battles or when she didn't want to reveal her identity. It looked sinister, like something a villain would wear, which is why others called my grandmother "Old Demon Zhou." Wearing it, one couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.

The patterns on the mask were simple and fierce, resembling those from the pre-Qin era, with many irregular scratches, indicating it was an antique. However, if worn today, people might call you a fool, but it could fetch a good price at an antique market.

Thinking this, I put it back in the box. Although I wouldn't sell it, I didn't plan to wear it. Then I continued searching the primary school workbook for clues about the little ghost.

When I read an entry from my grandmother's middle age, my fingers finally stopped: "Yin Feng Town, a phoenix once came, a hidden lotus, made me beg for mercy, from then on, my life, lonely but with a companion."

The little ghost smiled through her tears, as if this entry was about her.

"Where is Yin Feng Town? It's not on any map, right?"

Considering my grandmother's age at the time, I thought this Yin Feng Town might be the Dead Town. So, the little ghost is from the Dead Town?

"Are you from Yin Feng Town? The Dead Town?" I asked.

The little ghost nodded and then shook her head.

"A phoenix once came, so you're not from Yin Feng Town, but you died there? Then my grandmother found you and brought you home?" I asked. This means the little ghost was indeed raised by my grandmother decades ago, not for battle but to keep her company in her loneliness, as she was preparing to retire to Xiaoyi Village.

The little ghost nodded vigorously, confirming my words.

This led me to various speculations about the little ghost's background. Of course, if I want to get the true information, I need to learn the ghost language, which is the most important step in the ghost-raising secret technique.

After returning from Yin Feng Town, the diary entries became fewer, and the time gaps grew longer. Most were about people who came to my grandmother after she found the abandoned Xiaoyi Village, and then stayed there due to their own reasons.

The next page starts with an ad.

The next page ends with an ad.