After Marrying the Evil God - Chapter 25

“Young man, you truly are a good person,” the woman said, her face filled with emotion.

“I have always been one to find joy in helping others,” Shen Hanwu replied, tossing a small porcelain bottle to her.

“Wonderful, simply wonderful…” The woman could hardly wait as she poured the contents into her mouth.

The next second, the ghostly energy on her body began to dissipate rapidly.

“You… you lied to me…” The woman looked on in utter disbelief.

“Wait, sister, you actually believed that?” Shen Hanwu looked back at her with equal disbelief.

“Didn’t we agree… Chinese people don’t lie to Chinese people…”

Shen Hanwu shrugged helplessly. “But you aren’t a person. You’re a ghost.”

Without further ado, Shen Hanwu collected both ghosts.

The two headed downstairs toward the backyard. The Yuan family’s basement was quite conspicuous, located right in the rear of the property. They exchanged a glance and descended the stairs.

At the bottom stood a rusted iron gate. It looked ancient, covered in layers of rust and mottled marks that gave off an eerie, chilling vibe.

Xie Chouzhuang reached out and gently pushed the gate. With a piercing creak, the heavy iron door slowly swung open, and a bone-chilling cold rushed out like a tide, making both men shiver involuntarily.

Once the door was fully open, the lights in the basement flickered on one after another. These weren’t bright, dazzling incandescent lights, but rather old-fashioned bulbs that emitted a dim, yellow glow.

By this murky light, a long corridor became visible, stretching deep into the darkness. Both the walls and the floor were paved with bluestone slabs. Due to being underground for so long, the air was exceptionally damp, and the ground was covered in a thick layer of moss. It felt soft and spongy underfoot, and water droplets occasionally dripped from the ceiling, adding to the pervasive chill.

“Do you think there’s really someone down here?” Shen Hanwu whispered.

“I feel like, given the intelligence of that female ghost from earlier, she couldn’t have come up with any other lie. She likely had a significant conflict with Yuan Mu; the reason she trusted you so easily was probably out of desperation to escape his control.”

“I thought it would take some effort, but who knew she’d be so easy to fool,” Shen Hanwu said, half-laughing, half-sighing.

“However, looking at it this way, everyone in the Yuan family has their own schemes. Even that younger son isn’t as innocent as the diary made him seem.”

“Exactly. Just thinking about it makes me want to puke.”

Only five minutes later, they reached the end of the passage. The space opened up abruptly, revealing an unusually wide area. In the center of the room stood a bizarrely shaped altar. An eerie pattern drawn in blood was meticulously painted upon it.

Xie Chouzhuang suddenly raised his hand, pointing toward a mountain of clutter piled in the corner to signal Shen Hanwu. Through the narrow gaps in the junk, a blurry human figure could be faintly seen.

The corners of Xie Chouzhuang’s mouth curled into a cold sneer. “Yuan Mu? Stop hiding. You’ve already slipped up!”

As soon as he spoke, the figure hiding in the corner shuddered violently. A moment later, accompanied by a low string of curses, a burly man slowly stepped out from the shadows.

It was indeed the hidden Yuan Mu. He glared at Xie Chouzhuang with a face full of rage, gritting his teeth. “It must have been that bitch! How dare she betray me!”

“She is your mother, after all.”

“Mother, my ass! That bitch almost got me killed. Enough talk! You’ve collected several of the ghost servants I raised, so you can pay me back with your lives! I’ve never tried a ghost servant raised by an Occultist before!” Yuan Mu laughed sinisterly.

With a flick of his hand, a small banner appeared, and a vengeful spirit in red lunged out.

“Holy crap! There really was one more ghost!” Shen Hanwu’s face paled. This red-clothed ghost looked far more powerful than any they had encountered before; it was likely the most troublesome one yet.

The two charged forward, but in just one exchange, they were swatted away by the ghost.

“I’ll pin down the ghost! You deal with Yuan Mu first and snatch that banner from him!” Shen Hanwu raised his peach wood sword and charged again.

“Right.” Xie Chouzhuang rushed toward Yuan Mu.

Seeing that Shen Hanwu had actually managed to delay the ghost, a trace of panic appeared on Yuan Mu’s face. He instinctively tried to run, only to be sent flying by a kick. He relied almost entirely on the ghost in the banner; his own strength was mediocre. Xie Chouzhuang’s kick sent him crashing to the ground, unable to get back up.

Seeing Yuan Mu injured, the ghost let out a piercing shriek and tried to rush forward, but Shen Hanwu held it back desperately.

Xie Chouzhuang snatched the small banner from Yuan Mu’s hand, but he suddenly felt an ill omen. It was too late; the banner was stuck firmly to his hand, suctioning him.

“You’re finished,” Yuan Mu sneered.

The struggling red-clothed ghost was sucked directly into the banner. Xie Chouzhuang could clearly feel the object draining his spiritual energy.

“What’s happening?”

“Don’t come over!” Xie Chouzhuang gritted his teeth, struggling against the banner.

But it was too late. Shen Hanwu had already reached out, and soon, he was suctioned in as well. Feeling his spiritual energy constantly draining away, Shen Hanwu struggled frantically, but to no avail.

“What the hell is this thing?”

“Hahahaha! You’re done for! This banner is a treasure I found by chance. First, it absorbs your spiritual energy, then your blood, and finally your essence—until you’re sucked dry!” Yuan Mu laughed toward the ceiling.

“This is seriously wicked!” Shen Hanwu cursed.

Feeling his power slipping away, Xie Chouzhuang surveyed his surroundings. “It’s the altar. The altar is glowing,” he said.

Yuan Mu’s expression stiffened. “So what if you know? Even explosives might not be able to destroy this altar.”

Xie Chouzhuang ignored him and looked at Shen Hanwu. “Do you have anything for protection?”

“Yes, my Master prepared a protective talisman for me before I left. It can block a full-strength strike from a Level 6 Heavenly Master. But why are you asking?”

“Can it protect both of us?”

“It can,” Shen Hanwu nodded.

Xie Chouzhuang muttered to himself, “It shouldn’t be that powerful, right?”

“What are you planning to do?” Shen Hanwu had a bad feeling.

“Get your talisman ready. I’m going to blow up the altar.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“The question is, are you sure about your Master’s talisman?”

“What does this have to do with my Master?”

Xie Chouzhuang raised his hand and threw out the talisman paper drawn by Ji Sixian.

BOOM—! A sound like a thunderclap exploded.

The altar was blasted away until not even ash remained. The bluestone slabs above made a cracking sound before splitting wide open.

With a massive rumble, the entire basement collapsed.

“Holy sh!” Shen Hanwu’s voice was drowned out by the explosion.

In front of the Yuan Family Restaurant—

Qian Wei lit a cigarette. “It’s been two hours. There hasn’t been a single sound. Nothing went wrong, did it?”

“That Shen Hanwu has a big background; his family has plenty of life-saving treasures. Xie Chouzhuang is from the Xie family and is on good terms with the Vice President; he definitely has treasures too. Relax, nothing will happen.”