After Marrying the Evil God - Chapter 33

“Can we talk properly now?”

The little girl nodded through her tears.

Seeing this, Xie Chouzhuang’s expression softened slightly. “No more screaming?”

The little girl nodded obediently once more.

“What is your name?” Only after receiving her promise did Xie Chouzhuang peel off the Silence Talisman.

“My name is Panpan,” she answered meekly.

“Were you the one behind the haunting in this house?”

Panpan shook her head and cast a timid, secret glance toward a ceramic flower vase sitting in the living room.

Xie Chouzhuang followed her gaze.

It was a very ordinary vase, about 30 centimeters tall, with a slightly rough texture and dull colors. A few bouquets of roses were tucked inside, but due to long-term neglect and a lack of water, the flowers had long since lost their vitality. The edges of the petals were curled and yellowed, and a faint, foul odor emanated from them.

Xie Chouzhuang sensed that something was hidden inside. He produced his Spirit-Binding Brush and slowly approached. As he drew closer, a soft rustling sound suddenly erupted from the silent vase.

Initially, the sound was barely perceptible like a light breeze rustling through grass but it quickly grew louder and clearer, sounding as if claws were incessantly scratching the interior of the ceramic.

Suddenly, with a sharp whoosh, a massive rat lunged out from the mouth of the vase like a bolt of lightning!

The rat was a full half-meter long, covered in messy, bristling grayish-black fur. Its tiny beady eyes glowed with an eerie red light as it stared fixedly at Xie Chouzhuang, baring sharp, jagged teeth. It was a terrifying sight.

Their eyes met, and the rat suddenly let out a shriek, pouncing toward Xie Chouzhuang!

“A rat this big? It must have reached spirit-attainment,” Xie Chouzhuang thought with a start. However, his reflexes were lightning-fast. He stepped to the side, narrowly evading the rat’s razor-sharp claws.

Screech—!

Accompanied by a piercing, grating sound, the rat’s claws struck the mirror-smooth marble floor. The momentum sent sparks flying and left a long white gouge in its wake.

“Big Brother, you have to be careful! This rat is very powerful; it almost ate me earlier! I won’t stay and get in your way of subduing the demon—I’m going to hide!” Panpan shouted in terror before swiftly bolting through the doorway into the inner room.

“She certainly runs fast,” Xie Chouzhuang’s mouth twitched. He felt a gust of wind as she passed, and before he could even react, Panpan had vanished.

The massive rat scurried and jumped frantically around the room, knocking over several items.

Xie Chouzhuang raised his hand and infused it with spiritual energy. In the air, he rapidly traced line after line of pale blue light. These traces shimmered with a faint glow and interlaced at an incredible speed, as if an invisible pair of hands were weaving a great net. In the blink of an eye, a dense grid of pale blue lines appeared in mid-air, intersecting and connecting to form a cage of spiritual power.

Simultaneously, Xie Chouzhuang flicked his brush, creating a light breeze. The pale blue traces seemed to hear a summons and converged toward the tip of his brush.

When all the traces had gathered, Xie Chouzhuang gave the brush a forceful flick and shouted, “Go!”

In an instant, the countless lines merged into a single entity, transforming into a massive square cage that slammed down, trapping the fleeing rat firmly within.

“All done,” Xie Chouzhuang said, tapping on the bedroom door.

Panpan poked her head out. Seeing the rat struggling desperately inside the blue cage, she hopped out with a skip in her step.

“Big Brother, you’re so amazing!”

“You’re coming with me too!” Xie Chouzhuang tapped Panpan with his brush, temporarily sealing her within the Spirit-Binding Brush. After circling the house to ensure the problem was fully resolved, he hooked one of the blue spiritual lines and began dragging the rat toward the exit.

“Nothing happened, right?”

Outside, Liu Yi was pacing back and forth anxiously. Xie Chouzhuang had been inside for nearly twenty minutes, and since the door had closed, not a sound had been heard.

Recalling the miserable state of the previous masters who had entered the house, Liu Yi couldn’t help but shudder. He gritted his teeth and decided to go in and check. Just as he reached the door, Xie Chouzhuang pushed it open and walked out.

“Are you okay?” Liu Yi craned his neck, trying to peer into the room.

Xie Chouzhuang held out one hand with an expressionless face, hoisting the massive rat before him. “Here. Your ghost.”

“Holy crap!” Liu Yi was startled by the sudden appearance of the giant rat. He jumped back in pure terror.

“This… this rat was in our house the whole time?” Liu Yi was horrified, his eyes wide enough to pop, his voice nearly breaking.

Hearing this, Xie Chouzhuang shook his head slightly. “Not exactly…”

Liu Yi let out a small sigh of relief, silently thanking the heavens that things weren’t as bad as he had imagined.

A second later, Xie Chouzhuang added nonchalantly, “There was also a child spirit.”

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue. Liu Yi’s heart, which had just begun to relax, shot back up into his throat. The breath he took was stuck halfway, refusing to go up or down.

“Then… where is the ghost?” Liu Yi asked, his voice trembling with difficulty.

“Taken care of,” Xie Chouzhuang said lightly.

“Oh, Master!” Liu Yi looked like he was about to burst into tears. “Is this house still livable?”

No one would feel comfortable after living with a giant rat and a ghost for over a month. Xie Chouzhuang patted his shoulder sympathetically. “It’s fine. The house has been cleansed; it’s perfectly safe for people now. If you feel uncomfortable, you can hire someone to give the place a deep cleaning.”

Liu Yi remained in a daze, nodding blankly as he watched Xie Chouzhuang walk away.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people in this residential area; otherwise, Xie Chouzhuang carrying a rat that size would have certainly caused a scene.

Xie Chouzhuang looked at his husband’s car, then at the struggling rat on the ground. Remembering that the Occultists’ Association had a specialized research department, he took a photo of the rat and sent it over along with the address.

Less than two minutes later, his phone rang.

The person on the other end was likely seeing this type of rat for the first time, as their voice carried an irrepressible excitement: “Mr. Xie, are you certain you want to sell this rat to our research department?”

“I’m certain.”

“Fantastic! We’ve already contacted local team members; they’ll be there shortly to pick up the cargo. We will issue the corresponding amount of Spiritual Gold based on its value within two to three days. Please keep an eye on the ‘Where Can the Evil Ghost Run’ app to confirm the payment.”

“Alright.”