Chapter 25

The bizarre scene left everyone present speechless. The Zhao family had been practicing feng shui for many years and had seen countless things, but the sight before them still left them speechless for a long time.

Old Mr. Zhao's eyes rolled back, showing only the whites, and his thin, stick-like fingers trembled like chicken claws, as if trying to snatch a life.

I had already determined that Old Mr. Zhao was dead, his soul having left his body, and his lifespan was over. The ghost officials would likely take his soul away soon.

However, I noticed that the yin energy around Old Mr. Zhao's soul was particularly heavy, indicating that something was about to come and take him away. The ghost officials carry yin talismans from the underworld, so even with the ability to see yin and yang, their souls appear slightly lighter in color.

The yin soul that came this time looked like a small old man, but he stayed far away, cowering on the side, his own soul unstable.

The strength of ghost officials is not much different from other dead souls. Most are assigned tasks by the underworld, so the job of taking souls is very dangerous. If they encounter a soul with deep resentment, they might be counterattacked, making it difficult for them to return.

If a few ghost-avoiding talismans are placed, the ghost officials might not even dare to take the soul, only able to watch and wait for an opportunity. The small old man who came to take the soul was probably in such a situation.

Moreover, don't expect the Black and White Impermanence, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, or other powerful beings to help. They have high status, and unless ordered from above, they generally won't be moved to act.

However, the underworld has always had many yin souls, and they are not inflexible. Most of the souls sent to take others are those who have a connection with the target, such as deceased relatives or friends.

When the target sees a familiar face, their soul will follow, and this method has always been effective. Therefore, when an elderly person is about to die, the yin energy around them becomes very heavy, and they might mumble the names of those who have come to take them, saying that someone they know has come to take them, and soon they will pass away.

The old man hiding by the bed was either a relative of Old Mr. Zhao or a close friend.

Of course, if the soul has a strong killing intent, it won't care who comes to take it, and it will counterattack. After killing the ghost officials, they will become wandering spirits or bound spirits that harm people. Some particularly fierce ones, after absorbing enough life force, will turn into vengeful spirits, which are hard to deal with.

The underworld has many affairs, and it can't afford to lose too many yin souls. If they fail to take a soul once, they won't try again, as it's hard to find the wandering soul, and if they encounter a vengeful spirit, it would be a losing proposition.

Of course, if an important ghost official is killed, the underworld will take serious action.

My yin-communication talisman had long lost its effect. In the past few days, I had thought of several reasons why I could still see ghosts, and I concluded that it might be due to my own heavy yin energy.

Before, I couldn't see them because my wife was around, but now she seems to have expended a lot of energy, so I have returned to the state where I could see ghosts as a child. On the way back from Long Village, I almost became possessed by a ghost, which proves this point.

The ghost officials didn't dare to come, and Old Mr. Zhao's soul was at a loss, watching his own body move without any response.

Zhao Qian, quickly remove those ghost-avoiding talismans! I said urgently.

Everyone thought Old Mr. Zhao wasn't dead, but now he was, and the ghost-avoiding talismans might disperse his new soul. Seeing his soul unstable, I didn't care why his body was still moving.

Zhao Qian didn't react immediately, but Old Mrs. Zhao panicked. She didn't believe that her companion of many years would die at this moment, and she saw Old Mr. Zhao grabbing wildly and even standing up. Instinctively, she ran over to see what was happening.

I frowned but couldn't stop her. Old Mrs. Zhao ran over to hug Old Mr. Zhao.

Old Mr. Zhao seemed not to recognize her. His chicken-claw-like hands grabbed her neck before she could get close, squeezing with all his might!

Old Mrs. Zhao couldn't breathe, and her tongue was almost sticking out, just like Old Mr. Zhao.

Grandpa! Grandma! Zhao Qian cried out, forgetting what I had said and only thinking of pulling them apart.

I immediately ran over and held Zhao Qian tightly, not wanting her to get hurt.

Zhao Xi, Zhao Yuan, Zhao Zhou, and other relatives, seeing that I and Zhao Qian were by the bed, also ran over.

However, before they could get close, they heard a crack, and Old Mr. Zhao's hand was broken by the strong Old Mrs. Zhao!

Old Mrs. Zhao was a former Red Guard leader, and the Zhao family was not persecuted largely because of her. Even now, she was still very strong, much stronger than Old Mr. Zhao, who had osteoporosis and calcium deficiency. With one strong pull, she broke Old Mr. Zhao's hand.

Old Mr. Zhao's one hand hung strangely, but the other hand still clutched Old Mrs. Zhao's neck, his long, untrimmed nails digging into her neck, causing blood to flow.

Old Mrs. Zhao, seeing that her two sons and daughter hadn't come to help, became furious: What are you all standing there for! Don't save me! You ungrateful ones! Can't you see your father is trying to kill me!

A group of people immediately pounced on Old Mr. Zhao, holding him down tightly. Old Mr. Zhao kept struggling, muttering some incomprehensible ghost talk.

Old Mr. Zhao was indeed dead, and his soul was about to disappear, but these people still thought he wasn't dead. I shook my head and, taking advantage of the chaos, took away two ghost-avoiding talismans and a calming talisman, then quietly returned to my original position. Although I can draw such talismans, this one drawn by Shan Yun was clearly better, so I took it without hesitation.

Without the ghost-avoiding talismans, the ghost officials' soul stabilized and took Old Mr. Zhao away. Old Mr. Zhao seemed to have no resentment about his death and obediently went, and I felt as if I understood something, but I couldn't quite put it together.

Instead, the old master brought by Zhao Zhou looked at me with surprise. I glared at him and frowned: Old man, since you can see, why didn't you come to take away these talismans? Don't think I'll still consider you a good person, and I haven't settled the score for the curse you put on Zhao Qian. Better not let me catch you!

The old master seemed to have his thoughts read and just stood there, his expression unchanged.

Mr. Zhao has passed away, sighed Shan Yun, looking at Zhao Xi.

Zhao Xi was stunned: How could this be? How could this be? Didn't you put a calming talisman and ghost-avoiding talismans? How could my father still be possessed?

Not! Oh no! My ghost-avoiding talismans will disperse Mr. Zhao's new soul! Shan Yun, who wasn't a bad person but lacked experience with vengeful spirits, realized his mistake and was drenched in cold sweat.

My God! You old ninth cow nose! Give my husband's soul back!

Seeing that not only had Mr. Zhao died but his soul was about to be lost, everyone's eyes turned fierce. Old Mrs. Zhao immediately burst into tears, and her eyes turned green. She picked up a broom and hit Shan Yun's nose.

Shan Yun's nose bled profusely, but he still held out hope and couldn't make the same mistake again. When he ran to the bed, he saw that the talismans were gone, which surprised him.

The talismans are gone! Shan Yun said in a daze, they were clearly there just now.

I didn't say anything. I was like Lei Feng, doing good deeds without leaving a name, so I didn't tell them.

Without the ability to see yin and yang, and without burning incense, it's hard to see a light yin soul unless someone else's yin energy is as heavy as mine. Therefore, including Shan Yun and others, no one saw Old Mr. Zhao's soul being taken to the underworld.

Get out! Get out! You killed my father! I'll burn your Three Immortals Temple to the ground one day! Zhao Zhou, enraged, kicked Shan Yun in the buttocks. The other relatives were also furious, and if Old Mr. Zhao hadn't been struggling, they might have even beaten Shan Yun's disciple.

Brother! Look at the people you brought! They're all crazy! They must have done something to our father and even dared to say he's dead. Isn't this just lying to ghosts and spirits? Zhao Yuan, holding Old Mrs. Zhao's broom, chased after to beat Shan Yun, but was stopped by the other relatives.

Shan Yun shook his head and smiled bitterly. He had originally wanted to help Old Mr. Zhao drive away the vengeful spirit, but now, staying would only mean death. He left with his disciples, looking dejected.

Zhao Xi had no choice but to watch Zhao Zhou kick Shan Yun away, stunned. Now, not only had he not become the head of the family, but his father was dead. This would change the Zhao family's fate!

Old Mr. Zhao was definitely dead, and his body was possessed by a vengeful spirit. I could have the small vengeful spirit deal with it, but I couldn't figure out when or where the vengeful spirit possessed Old Mr. Zhao. If I had known, I could have stopped it.

The talismans you took were for Grandpa's soul, Zhao Qian said, tears streaming down her face. Grandpa had always been kind to her and taught her the family's feng shui secrets, which were passed down to males only. So, at home, she was a little princess envied by others.

Your grandpa was very kind and safely went to the underworld. He will be reborn, I comforted her. Although I didn't know what would happen to Old Mr. Zhao in the underworld, saying this would make Zhao Qian less sad, and his spirit might agree with me.

Zhao Qian immediately cried and wanted to go see her grandpa, but I pulled her back: There's still something on his body. Wait until Master Wu is done before you go.

I saved Zhao Qian's grandpa's soul, and she now trusted me completely. I had my reasons for not acting, so she just wiped her tears and watched.

The time had dragged on, and Zhao Xi had already left. Death is irreversible, little sister. You should accept it. The children are just holding Mr. Zhao's body; the soul inside is no longer him. Do you understand? Master Wu walked in, not bringing any disciples, just a backpack, looking like a sage. His words were very firm, making people believe him.

Mr. Zhao is dead. What should we do now? I really regret not having you come first. I wanted you to control the situation, but the children couldn't handle it, and the two young ones brought by the third daughter and the eldest son made things worse. Old Mrs. Zhao immediately cried, glaring at Zhao Yuan and Zhao Xi