Chapter 50

I left the bathroom door in a daze and walked to the end of the corridor. The dojo was simply furnished but had a clear layout, the work of a master. The table was well-equipped with various tools, even those unrelated to feng shui masters.

I recalled that Zhao Qian’s master, besides her grandfather who had initiated her, was also a female hermit. It seemed that some of the items belonged to the female hermit.

Where did this female hermit go, leaving behind so many things? However, with Song Wanyi around, I couldn’t dwell on these items. I arranged the talismans I had drawn, rearranged the tools on the table, lit twelve high-quality incense sticks, and began to recite the incantation.

At the end, I used a brand new surgical knife stored here to cut my middle finger and began to rewrite some incantations in the soul jar, just as I had done when subduing Xi Jun, though the incantations were slightly different.

Come, blood food. I looked at Song Wanyi kneeling beside me, feeling a bit embarrassed as I extended my middle finger. If it were Xi Jun, I wouldn’t have felt any pressure.

But Song Wanyi was a female ghost of the same age as Zhao Qian and Yu Xiaoxue, and she was an unordained mountain deity. Feeding her in this way, like feeding chicks or ducklings, seemed a bit inappropriate, making me feel uncomfortable.

Song Wanyi silently knelt beside me, her eyes, black with a hint of red, fixed on me, her face expressionless.

This made me feel awkward with my finger extended in the air.

She had never consumed anyone’s essence blood before. As a mountain ghost, there were plenty of things she could eat, and the mountain’s spiritual energy was sufficient for her daily activities. It wasn’t wrong for her to disdain human essence blood.

So, directly consuming essence blood was a very new experience for her.

She looked at me, then extended both hands to hold mine. After a moment’s thought, her red lips parted and lightly touched the blood droplet on my middle finger.

Song Wanyi’s lips were a deep red, different from Xi Jun and somewhat unlike a typical fierce ghost. She was clearly much more powerful. The moment her red lips touched my essence blood, she seemed to feel a burning sensation that penetrated her body, and her eyes immediately lit up.

She took my hand and began to suck, and I could feel a steady stream of blood flowing out of my body. I had lost a lot of qi and blood last night, and now, after returning from the mountain, I had to feed her essence blood, which made me feel dizzy.

However, Song Wanyi seemed to have developed a taste for it. When I instinctively tried to pull my hand away, a hint of reluctance appeared in her eyes, as if she was very unwilling to stop.

I immediately recalled almost using the soul bell to hook her soul before, and I quickly regained my composure, shouting, "Stop!"

Song Wanyi was startled awake, seemingly realizing that her unconscious actions had included a technique to entice me to continue supplying her with blood.

But she quickly concealed her panic, extended her tongue, and gently licked the wound on my middle finger, licking away the last trace of blood.

The scene was tender, like a couple flirting, and I felt goosebumps all over my body. Song Wanyi, who seemed like a well-bred lady, sometimes acted in ways that sent shivers down my spine. Her inherent charm made it seem as if she didn’t need to use any techniques to ensnare souls; her every move could accomplish it.

I suppressed the agitation in my heart, cleared my mind of impure thoughts, and lit the incense again, placing it on the altar.

You have consumed my essence blood, and from now on, you will be under my control and be driven by me. I will regularly provide you with blood food. If either of us breaks this agreement, we will be pursued by the ghosts and spirits of the four directions and the eight regions. Do you understand?

I quickly lit the incense and placed it on the paper talisman inscribed with the names of the ghosts and spirits of the four directions and the eight regions.

Song Wanyi nodded and knelt to worship the ghosts and spirits.

After the ceremony, I had Song Wanyi enter the new soul jar and carried the old one to the peach tree in the yard, finding a good spot to bury it.

Now that I was even raising a fierce ghost, burying ashes under the peach tree in the yard was something I could do. After all, I was surrounded by ghosts, so it didn’t matter anymore.

Back in the study, I turned on the computer and began searching for red clothes on some fashion websites, calling Xi Jun to watch beside me.

Xi Jun wrapped her arms around my neck, her eyes fixed on the various bright red ancient costumes appearing on the computer screen.

Soon, she found a luxurious outfit similar to the phoenix crown and red robe her sister-in-law wore.

I immediately opened the color printer and printed out the image.

Xi Jun was overjoyed when she saw the image of the outfit similar to her sister-in-law’s, her eyes not blinking.

I need to ask your sister Zhao Qian first, to see how she can pass it to you. But the phoenix crown is out of the question; it’s only used for weddings, and you’re still young, so let’s not include the crown, okay? I said to Xi Jun.

Xi Jun nodded vigorously, as if urging me to take care of it.

Actually, I don’t think she was particularly interested in the crown; she just thought the outfit her sister-in-law wore suited her.

I took the printed diagram and walked out of the study, finding Zhao Qian sitting on the sofa with Yu Xiaoxue.

Zhao Qian was wearing a simple dress, her face still red, seemingly not having recovered from the incident in the bathroom. When she saw me approaching, she turned away, looking very uncomfortable.

Qian. I greeted her.

Brother Tian. Zhao Qian looked at me, her face flushed.

Yu Xiaoxue was watching TV and eating candy, glancing at us and feeling very curious, not knowing what had happened between us.

It’s like this. I have a set of clothes that Xi Jun really likes. Her current outfit is too simple, and I was wondering if I could burn it for her. It’s a bit difficult, but can you help her? I carefully handed her the diagram.

Zhao Qian noticed that I didn’t seem to care about the bathroom incident and that I had a real request, so she took the diagram and looked at it for a moment before saying, "There’s no problem. We can use five-colored paper as the material, carefully cut it, and burn it for her."

I asked, "Is the five-colored paper the green, yellow, red, white, and black paper money used to burn for ghosts or the spirits of deceased children? But is there such a large sheet?"

Yes, it’s available at the dojo. I’ve done this kind of work before. There was a rich man’s daughter who drowned in a river and kept appearing in his dreams. The rich man told me that in his dreams, he saw his daughter without clothes, saying she had no clothes to wear in the netherworld. Although the rich man had burned many clothes for her, it didn’t solve the problem. After some research, I found out that the paper used for burning wasn’t the right kind, so it didn’t work.

I found the five-colored paper, cut it according to the style of the clothes she liked, and burned it for her. The next day, the rich man was happy to tell me that his daughter appeared in his dream again, wearing the clothes I had burned for her, and said she liked them very much and could finally be reborn. Zhao Qian told me this, clearly excited because she could help me, as she usually relied on my help.

I see, naked. As I listened to her, I thought about the bathroom incident and, for some reason, blurted out.

Zhao Qian’s face instantly turned red, and even Yu Xiaoxue couldn’t stand it: "Brother Tian!"

Oh! Oh, sorry, I was distracted. I thought the rich man would feel very embarrassed seeing his daughter naked, so it needed to be solved quickly. It’s a good thing he met you. I blushed and made up an excuse.

Brother Tian! What are you thinking! When did I say the rich man was a man? She was a woman. Zhao Qian took the diagram and ran upstairs.

See, Brother Tian is so bad, he made Sister Qian angry. You should go apologize to her quickly. Yu Xiaoxue stuck out her tongue.

I pinched my brow and shook my head. I don’t know what they’ve been talking about lately, but Yu Xiaoxue and Zhao Qian’s relationship has become better than mine, and they don’t help me out anymore.

I was indeed a bit distracted, and I don’t know why, maybe because of the loss of qi and blood. I’ve been feeling a bit dazed today, with my mind often going blank.

After Yu Xiaoxue’s reminder, I took Xi Jun’s soul jar upstairs to apologize and to give her a new home.

But when I got upstairs, Zhao Qian was already in the bedroom with a pile of five-colored paper, and the door was closed.

It seems Zhao Qian is really upset. I think I should reflect on myself today.

Changing Xi Jun’s home wasn’t difficult, as it was part of the process of upgrading a ghost. This had been mentioned multiple times in my grandmother’s books.

When a ghost’s abilities improve, the original soul jar, which can no longer contain the increased power, might break. If the owner doesn’t replace it with a higher-level soul jar, the ghost’s soul might dissipate.

The process was similar to before, and blood food was necessary. Despite my qi and blood deficiency, I cut my middle finger again and fed Xi Jun with blood to form a new contract.

Everything went smoothly, and Xi Jun was very satisfied with her new soul jar, as she had chosen it herself.

I suddenly felt a severe qi and blood deficiency. When I stood up, I felt dizzy and almost fell onto the table.

I originally wanted to wait for Zhao Qian to finish making the clothes and burn them for Xi Jun, but I couldn’t wait anymore. What I needed most was rest, so I struggled to stand up, held the railing, and went downstairs.

Xue, I’m going to take a nap. I didn’t sleep last night and feel very tired. I’ll probably wake up around lunchtime. The Zhang family will have guests, so you and Zhao Qian should prepare the meal and wake me up when they arrive. I said this and opened the study door.

Okay, Brother Tian! I’ll let you try my real cooking skills. Yu Xiaoxue waved her little fist.

I closed the door, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. I touched my forehead, which was very hot; I seemed to have a fever.

Xi Jun, Song Wanyi, protect me. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Since childhood, I had rarely had a fever because my sister-in-law took care of me in secret. This time, something must be wrong.

I fell onto the bed, and in a daze, I saw Xi Jun come out of the soul jar, looking very worried as she came to check on me.

Song Wanyi frowned and knelt beside the bed, looking concerned.

I don’t know when, but a loud shout woke me up.

Ruxia, one day! After investigation: born in a yin year, yin month, yin day, yin hour, and yin minute, your life is incomplete, and your yang life is short. You have committed two major sins: altering your fate and killing a ghost officer! We, by order of the netherworld, are reopening your case to claim your life! If you resist, you will immediately suffer the punishment of tongue-pulling and oil boiling!