Chapter 8

The ghost's wailing grew lower, but the sorrow in her cries grew deeper. Her form twisted, her soul unstable, and she seemed to be fading away. I quickly pretended to sigh.

Sigh, a cursed bond. Since she has begged to this extent, Sister-in-law, please spare her life. I said with a heavy, old-fashioned sigh.

I didn't expect Sister-in-law to show no mercy and simply respond with a cold snort.

The little ghost was already making strange noises, her black eyes rolling as if they would turn white if they could. She seemed on the verge of vanishing.

Sister-in-law, you...

Say 'please.'

Please? I was taken aback for a moment, then remembered how my grandmother always treated Sister-in-law with utmost respect, using 'please' for everything. I realized how high and mighty Sister-in-law was.

Suppressing my reluctance, I said softly, Sister-in-law, please, I beg you to show mercy and spare this little ghost.

Call me Princess Ninth.

Yes, Princess Ninth, please show mercy and spare this little ghost. Isn't it, I mean, you are my sister-in-law, no matter how temperamental you are, how can you bully me like this?

Hmph, very well. Since even he is begging me to show mercy, I won't make things difficult for you, a mere little ghost. However, you had better behave yourself. If you show any signs of rebellion, I will make you vanish into thin air! Sister-in-law warned the little ghost mercilessly, her harsh words sending shivers down my spine.

The little ghost immediately started mumbling in fear and bowed to me again and again.

I sighed in relief, but I couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed by the little ghost's servile attitude. We are both unfortunate beings, human and ghost.

Your remaining lifespan is not enough for me to stay in the human world for long. Is there anything else you want to say to me? Sister-in-law still looked as if she didn't want to be approached.

I want to see you, just once. Since time is short, words are not as meaningful as a single meeting. I was very curious about what Sister-in-law, dressed in ancient attire, looked like.

Thirty years of lifespan, are you willing?

She said it coldly, not sounding like the Sister-in-law who secretly tugged at my clothes every day.

Thirty years of lifespan for one look? Princess Ninth, Princess Ninth, this isn't extortion or robbery, this is a matter of life and death!

Fine. I gritted my teeth and nodded. With no tomorrow, I'm in a dire situation now. My grandmother said I have a one in ten chance of survival. Thirty years, what's that? If I have it, take it.

Is thirty years of your lifespan worth one look at my true form? Sister-in-law was silent for a moment, seemingly surprised by my answer.

Ha, you've watched me grow up since I was a child. For twenty years, you've protected me from death countless times. Just for that, thirty years is nothing. If I can't even see you once in my life, what's the point of living? I might as well die. I laughed, thinking this is how it's portrayed in TV dramas, and I was chilling myself.

After I finished speaking, Sister-in-law remained silent.

But just as I was about to give up, she turned around.

In that long, fleeting moment, she made me feel that all the women in the world were mere mortals in comparison.

I don't know how old Sister-in-law is now, but she doesn't look older than me.

Without any elaborate makeup, a light touch of powder made her look stunning, even her blood-red lips seemed ethereal.

What caught my attention was that her closed eyes made her look very peaceful and serene, as if the harsh words were not spoken by her.

Are you still a ghost? You look like a fairy.

I felt ashamed. The one look I got for thirty years of lifespan was worth it. Her regal and beautiful aura was not something a ghost could possess. Her original identity must be significant, which is why my grandmother always used 'please' with her.

I took a deep breath, wanting to say something, but Sister-in-law gave a lonely smile and vanished like steam.

All I saw was a blood mist, which eventually disappeared.

I composed myself and found the soul jar in the coffin, covered with countless spells, thinking this must be the little ghost's dwelling.

Enter. I ordered her to return to the palm-sized soul jar, then pressed my finger on the lid. Following the book I had read, I pricked my middle finger with a bamboo stick and slowly drew the spell.

I have a background in art, but it still took me a long time to write the spell. This was the first step in raising a ghost, and it was the step I had practiced the most as a child, imagining sealing a ghost.

After drawing the spells on the soul jar, I went to my grandmother's bedroom, locked the door, and found some talismans. I wrote twelve talismans with the names of the ghosts and ghost kings, placed them on the table in order, and lit three incense sticks, inserting them into the ash pot where the soul jar was placed.

Raising a ghost is a serious matter. I was cautious and careful, not daring to make a single mistake, even in the pronunciation of the spells.

Come out, blood food. After completing the ritual, I commanded the soul jar on the ground.

The soul jar shook irregularly, and soon the lid popped open.

The little ghost slowly stretched her head out of the jar, her black eyes staring at me from below, then she turned her head slowly, the sound of her bones cracking making me, her master, jump in fear.

She extended her tongue and licked my still bleeding middle finger. After tasting the blood, she showed her sharp fangs.

I then remembered she was not a human girl but a real ghost. To ensure the ritual's success, I watched her coldly and did not stop her.

She bit me, her sharp teeth breaking my skin, and I felt the coldness and the loss of my essence.

Suddenly, I heard a commotion outside the bedroom. My heart raced, and I quickly pulled my hand back, but the little ghost, seemingly unaware, continued to bite me, making my heart sink.

Stop! Worried about what was happening outside, I thought she had sucked enough essence after being tortured by Sister-in-law, so I immediately stopped her.

She stopped feeding and gently licked my wound with her cold tongue.

For a moment, I felt a sense of pleasure from her licking, but I quickly reminded myself that I was feeding a ghost and that something was happening outside, so the pleasure quickly vanished.

You have consumed my essence. From now on, you will be under my control and serve me. I will provide you with blood food regularly. If either of us breaks this pact, we will be punished by the ghosts and ghost kings. Do you understand? I quickly lit another incense stick and placed it on the altar dedicated to the ghosts and ghost kings.

I am raising a ghost, so I worship ghosts, not gods.

The little ghost nodded vigorously, having no objections. After being tortured by Sister-in-law, she would not dare to resist me, even without the pact.

Unlike a spirit, a ghost has a certain level of consciousness, so it is normal for her to fear more powerful ghosts.

The twelve incense sticks burned as if someone was smoking them, quickly shortening. This indicated that the ghosts and ghost kings agreed to the pact, and if we broke it, we would be punished by the ghost kings and meet a terrible end.

I hurriedly put away the palm-sized soul jar, not daring to look inside, knowing it contained a piece of the little ghost's bone, a necessary part of raising a ghost.

I opened the bedroom door, and Yu Xiaoxue was still unconscious. I was relieved, but when I looked at Zhang Yidan's side, my heart sank. Where was Zhang Yidan? Even Zhou Xuan's body was gone!

I woke Yu Xiaoxue up.

When Yu Xiaoxue came to, she was startled, as the last thing she saw was the ghost emerging from the coffin. She was still shaken, but seeing me safe, she quickly calmed down. Where's Egg?

I just went to my grandmother's room and don't know where he went. Let's go find him. I said, pulling Yu Xiaoxue out of the room.

Yu Xiaoxue, who had just woken up, almost tripped over the threshold.

I quickly caught her.

The softness of her chest brushing against my arm made me think of her as an attractive girl in her late teens, and I, being a normal man, couldn't help but have some thoughts. If I didn't drool, I might as well give up raising a ghost and practice the Kuihua Manual instead.

But just as I was thinking, a cold wind blew from behind, making me shiver and let go of Yu Xiaoxue's arm.

It seems Sister-in-law may have disappeared, but her jealous nature is very real.

Yu Xiaoxue had been unconscious, so she didn't understand my actions and still thought I was a gentleman. She fanned her face, which was flushed from the heat, and soon her cheeks turned red.

I looked at Yu Xiaoxue, whose face was pale from the night's fright, and saw her blushing. On the surface, I didn't say anything, but my heart was filled with ripples for this girl who had experienced life and death.

Zhang Yidan and Zhou Xuan had disappeared together. I thought he might have taken her outside the village to bury her, so I took Yu Xiaoxue to the village entrance.

However, when we reached the village entrance, I was stunned.

Yu Xiaoxue's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth, unable to speak.

In the cemetery, Zhou Xuan was gone, and Zhang Yidan was lying on the ground with a pair of scissors piercing his chest, a strange smile on his face, dead.

My eyes instantly turned red, and tears streamed down my face.

He was my childhood friend, Zhang Yidan, a good brother to Zhang Yuanyi!

Zhang Yuanyi! Zhang Yidan! I ran over, looking at the guy who used to tease me, shaking his gradually cold body, hoping he was just playing a trick on me.

Unfortunately, his eyes were wide open, black blood streaming from them, his ears, and his nose, and he had a strange smile, a terrifying sight.

The scissors that killed Zhou Xuan were the same ones his child had taken, and he had been killed by his child.

Father killed mother, son killed father. The ghost's debt, his ghost child had killed him in broad daylight, defying the heavens.