The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 14

Through Jiang Huaining’s explanation, Yu Ruoyin came to understand the difference between a jade corpse and a puppet corpse.

A jade corpse is a kind of zombie, while a jade puppet is a kind of puppet zombie.

Zombies generally arise when the resentment of a dead body accumulates in the throat, when baleful energy grows too strong, or when the geomancy of a burial site is disturbed, causing corpse transformation. Puppet zombies, on the other hand, are created intentionally—through arrays, corpse poison, or problematic graves, forcing a corpse into transformation.

Neither zombies nor puppet zombies have consciousness. But zombies hunt living beings, driven by a bloodthirsty instinct, while puppet zombies are usually controlled.

Zombies are ranked in seven levels by cultivation.

• The lowest are white-haired zombies, freshly transformed, covered in white hair, slow, dull, and stupid.
• Next are black zombies, formed after at least a hundred years of absorbing natural essence. They are immensely strong, move by leaping, and top-level ones may even have a faint self-awareness to avoid danger.
• After them come purple zombies, requiring at least a thousand years to form. They are faster and more ferocious, their consciousness becoming clearer. They select fine blood, absorb moonlight as power, and grow drastically stronger at night.
• After absorbing enough moonlight, purple zombies become flying zombies. They still leap, but can also fly, covering a thousand miles in one night. Hard to capture, they even start to form a new soul.

From that point on, they are no longer called zombies, but move closer to becoming human. The weakest among them are wandering corpses.

Wandering corpses possess a complete three souls. They no longer only crave blood, but also long for souls, using others’ souls to mend their own. Their power condenses like that of demons, eventually forming a corpse core. With this, sunlight no longer harms them much; though not fully able to live under the sun, they suffer only mild damage. Their limbs loosen, able to walk like humans—though to move quickly, they still fly or leap. Their faces remain pale and eerie, yet they resemble the sickly rather than the dead.

Above them are jade corpses. These develop complete souls and seven spirits, their bodies crystal-like, white and lustrous, with a strange allure. Even seasoned cultivators are easily bewitched. Their corpse cores can absorb sunlight’s power, letting them move freely in the day. Their strength is terrifying.

But to evolve from a white-haired zombie into a jade corpse requires at least five thousand years of moonlight.

Over four thousand years ago, nearly all jade corpses in ancient tombs were forcibly awakened and slaughtered. Those that survived were sealed back into tombs, never to escape.

Thus jade corpses are considered extinct. For another to appear would take at least a thousand years. This was why Jiang Huaining said it was likely a jade puppet instead.

The final stage is the heavenly corpse, seen only in legend.

It is said heavenly corpses are, in some sense, resurrection itself: with whole souls, warm skin, normal body temperature, undying and indestructible, no longer needing blood, wielding overwhelming power—able to summon storms, kill unseen, even cultivate. In another telling, they are not corpses at all but corpse immortals.

Puppet corpses follow a similar seven-tier path: corpse puppet, puppet zombie, purple puppet, silver puppet, spirit puppet, earth puppet, and the highest, jade puppet.

Puppet corpses are weaker than true zombies. Only at the purple puppet stage can they rival a century-old black zombie, and even a jade puppet is only on par with a low-tier wandering corpse.

That is, if they are raised normally.

Unlike in movies Yu Ruoyin had seen, the underworld actually permits some people to raise corpses. These people came from the Corpse-Driving Sect, and the reason traces back four thousand years to the era of demonic calamity.

Back then, with travel slow and costly, poor families could not afford horses. When their loved ones died far from home, returning them for burial was near impossible. Thus arose corpse drivers—who, for a small fee, animated corpses through special means and led them home.

They fulfilled the wish of the dead to return to their native soil. Though they dealt daily with corpses, they had no real way to fight zombies. During the calamity, however, the Underworld needed every hand against demonic creations, including zombies.

Numerous corpse drivers lacked power, so the King of Hell granted them permission to raise one zombie each for protection.

These zombies were usually loved ones or beneficiaries who voluntarily signed contracts before death. Their souls entered reincarnation, but their bodies remained to guard the living.

Because of such bonds—blood ties or karmic debt—these zombies required no human blood, only incense and chickens, and were seldom violent. Thus, a purple puppet was only equal to a black zombie.

They rarely harmed people and perished when their masters died. They could even be trained to fight zombies. After the war, the Underworld still tolerated their existence.

That was the lawful practice.

But in the shadows, evil sorcerers raised zombies without restraint. They sacrificed descendants, imprisoned souls, all to create stronger puppet corpses. Such methods, though powerful, destroyed merit and drew universal condemnation.

Only through such cruelty could one raise a jade puppet. Normal raising made reaching that level almost impossible.

Jiang Huaining’s point: someone was maliciously refining corpses.

Lu Qingzhen was shocked.

Xia Yu’s face darkened. Yu Ruoyin thought she saw Xia Yu smirk strangely at her.

Jiang Huaining may have noticed Xia Yu’s oddness. She gestured toward her: “Come upstairs with me.”

But when she glanced at Lu Qingzhen, she hesitated—unsure if she should leave her alone with Yu Ruoyin.

Xia Yu sneered: “If you don’t trust her, lock her up.”

Yu Ruoyin shrank back, afraid Jiang Huaining might actually do it.

But Jiang Huaining only lowered her voice to Lu Qingzhen: “Ah Zhen, don’t talk recklessly. You never liked Xia Yu—don’t let her goad you this time.”

Lu Qingzhen looked baffled.

But Yu Ruoyin understood—Xia Yu had deliberately called Lu Qingzhen here, hoping she would reveal more.

She ought to thank Xia Yu, yet what Xia Yu wanted probably wasn’t anything good.

It might even harm her relationship with Jiang Huaining.

Ill intentions.

Yu Ruoyin edged away, but Lu Qingzhen was a chatterbox.

Her blood-red eyes swiveled, she checked the stairs, then leaned in close.

She scrutinized Yu Ruoyin. “Tell me—what’s different about you? Why would Boss Jiang give you half her spiritual energy? Even if you’re her fated person, it doesn’t make sense. What if history repeats—ghost kings, heavenly corpses, immortal demon kings, deadly arrays everywhere…”

She stopped, suddenly realizing something. “No wonder Boss Jiang called it a jade puppet. Jade corpses died out four thousand years ago.”

Yu Ruoyin only caught one phrase: fated person.

“What fated person?”

“You, of course.”

Unlike Xia Yu, who barely spoke, or Jiang Huaining, who chose what to reveal, Lu Qingzhen blurted everything, wanted or not.

“That night, I was going to Four Spirits Teahouse, but Boss Jiang told me she had divined her fate—she’d soon meet her destined one, so she closed shop. Of course I was curious. She said an anomaly would appear on Longyu Street, and the first person to cross into the border of yin and yang would be her fated person. That sounded fun, so I offered to help.

“I told her fate shouldn’t be so abrupt—it needed a chance meeting. She agreed, and promised me a Violet Imperial Talisman if I did well. So I found you. I planned to scare you so Boss Jiang could save you, and you’d be touched enough to pledge yourself. Then she’d accept. Perfect plan.

“But you didn’t cooperate. For the talisman, I shoved you through anyway. Don’t blame me—without me, you’d never have such a beautiful, powerful wife.”

It was the truth, but something felt off.

Yu Ruoyin leaned closer, coaxing: “Sister Qingzhen, what’s a Spring Immortal?”

“Spring Immortal? What’s that?”

She didn’t know.

No wonder Jiang Huaining said lying brought retribution.

From the start, Jiang Huaining hadn’t spoken a single true word.

Yu Ruoyin had suspected her appearance on Longyu Street wasn’t coincidence. Indeed, it was arranged.

She had expected deceit, so wasn’t too angry—just puzzled. “Sister Qingzhen, why does Aunt Ning suffer retribution when she lies?”

“You noticed so fast?” Lu Qingzhen was shocked. “I knew her over three thousand years before I realized it.”

Actually, Jiang Huaining had told her directly.

Yu Ruoyin hadn’t explained yet when Lu Qingzhen continued: “I don’t know why, but Boss Jiang can’t lie. Whenever she does, she coughs blood, sometimes even loses strength. So she almost never lies—she’s very honest.”

She had lied plenty.

Yu Ruoyin muttered inwardly, but also worried: “Does it last long?”

“No idea.”

If Lu Qingzhen said she didn’t know, she really didn’t. She was always willing to talk.

And Yu Ruoyin truly wanted someone to talk to, to voice her confusion, even without answers.

Forgetting her grudge, she drew closer. “Sister Qingzhen, why is Aunt Ning so good to me? Just because I’m her fated one?”

That seemed too much.

Risking coughing blood to deceive her into staying, even giving half her spiritual power…

Do spirits all believe in fate so deeply?

“No idea.” Lu Qingzhen shook her head, disheartened.

“But maybe your body’s special—bringing Boss Jiang endless benefits!” Her disappointment quickly shifted to excitement. “Want to find out?”

“Yes.”

When Yu Ruoyin nodded, Lu Qingzhen pulled out her black jade token again, grinning. “Let’s check—maybe your body or fate is special.”

Yu Ruoyin hesitated. “Can you… really?”

“Not by myself. Boss Jiang’s energy covers you. But with this—my underworld token. Every ghost officer has one. It connects to the Underworld, reveals lives, warns of danger. High officers’ tokens even hold Heaven’s blessings. Mine’s special—bridging Four Spirits Teahouse and the Underworld. It carries both Boss Jiang’s and the King of Hell’s power. Maybe it can glimpse her secrets.”

She laughed slyly.

Unreliable, but Yu Ruoyin had no better choice.

“Alright.”

Lu Qingzhen checked the stairs, dragged Yu Ruoyin into a corner, pressed the token into her palm, then pulled out a sharp knife. “I’ll first disperse some of Boss Jiang’s power in your palm. Then cut your finger and drip blood on the token.”

And she acted at once.

Pain spread in Yu Ruoyin’s palm, though the red jade fruit on her neck didn’t react.

The pain grew unbearable. Lu Qingzhen panicked. “Forget it then—”

“No.”

After a pause, Lu Qingzhen continued. She didn’t clear all Jiang Huaining’s energy—stopping with a third left. “Alright, now.”

Yu Ruoyin bit her lip and sliced her finger. Too deep.

But instead of blood, white fragments mixed with flesh spilled out.

Both froze.

Lu Qingzhen squeezed her palm—her flesh collapsed into a thin sheet of skin. No blood, no bone, no sinew.

The more she pressed, the more fragments poured out—tiny shattered bones, even snapped blood vessels.

Yu Ruoyin was dumbfounded. Lu Qingzhen reacted first, yanking away the token, grabbing her hand, covering the wound.

Red light flared in her palm. When she pulled away, the wound was gone.

Touching again, everything was normal—bone, flesh, intact.

Lu Qingzhen exhaled. “I lost some soul force, but patched it.”

“Sister Qingzhen…” Yu Ruoyin bent her finger, lips trembling. “Am I already dead?”

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