The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 24

Jiang Huaining returned quickly, not only bringing back Zhuang Suping but also the long-missing Xia Yu.

It seemed they had quarreled—both their faces were sour.

Yu Ruoyin hesitated whether to ask, but Lu Qingzhen was already faster:

“Xia Yu, did you make Boss Jiang angry again? Looks like I’d better hurry up my plan to move into the Four Spirits Shop. Otherwise, if you anger Boss Jiang to death, I won’t even last till autumn.”

She was always like this.

Complicated thoughts, overly sensitive and doubtful—either overthinking or hesitating—and always beaten to the punch by others.

Yu Ruoyin felt a little envious of Lu Qingzhen, envying her straightforwardness, how she just said everything aloud. It wasn’t exactly a virtue, but at least she wouldn’t bottle things up and hurt herself.

Xia Yu irritably rubbed her ears. Even without drinking, her tone was sharp:

“Lu Qingzhen, I already told you, I’ll kill you before autumn comes.”

“Then I’ll just accept my fate and curse you a thousand times before I die. I won’t let you live too comfortably.”

Xia Yu sneered: “Don’t tell me you’ll say even as a ghost you won’t let me go.”

“You’re dumb.” Lu Qingzhen rolled her eyes. “I’m already a ghost.”

Xia Yu wanted to snap back, but Lu Qingzhen didn’t give her the chance.

She circled over to Jiang Huaining, chattering:

“Boss Jiang, are you okay? Did Xia Yu make you angry? If she did, you must tell me. Even if I can’t beat her, I’ll definitely scold her for you. Oh, and I have to tattle—your little wife did business behind your back.”

Lu Qingzhen had tattled before.

Yu Ruoyin’s thoughts wandered. In her ears was Jiang Huaining’s gentle, steady voice:

“Ah Zhen, she has the right to. Our Ah Yin is the boss lady of the Four Spirits Shop.”

Her voice was so pleasant. Yu Ruoyin’s ears, and even her gaze, were pulled toward her—only to meet a tender smile.

Jiang Huaining wasn’t really a gentle person, yet she poured all her gentleness onto her.

It was strange, and yet so intoxicating.

Yu Ruoyin lost herself for a moment. Jiang Huaining walked slowly closer:

“What kind of business did Ah Yin do?”

The soft question tugged her back. Instead of answering, Yu Ruoyin noticed Jiang Huaining’s pale lips and instinctively asked first:

“Aunt Ning, are you alright?”

Jiang Huaining was a little surprised. Her trembling lashes betrayed her inner unrest. But she was skilled at controlling emotions—her tone quickly smoothed:

“I’m fine. Very fine.”

The heat in her gaze burned Yu Ruoyin’s skin inch by inch. She flinched away—just in time to see Sang Qian struggling out of her arms.

Blood dripped from Sang Qian’s frail body, marking her path with streaks of red.

“Sang Qian!”

She heard Yu Ruoyin’s call but didn’t stop.

Her weak face was filled with determination. Dragging her broken body, she moved step by step toward the faintly breathing Zhuang Suping.

Her arms had no strength, so she pushed with her legs; when her legs failed, she wriggled forward with her body.

Xing Ruoyan moved to intervene, but Jiang Huaining stopped her.

With Jiang Huaining’s restraint, no one else dared act.

Yu Ruoyin felt uneasy. She didn’t think Jiang Huaining was so coldhearted. Then she remembered her suspicion—that Jiang Huaining wanted Sang Qian’s gratitude. At once she sprang forward, uncharacteristically decisive, and dragged Zhuang Suping to Sang Qian’s side.

Sang Qian cast her a grateful glance, trembling hands reaching for his neck:

“Why… why did you destroy everything of mine? My sister, my daughter, my… master, weren’t you my master? How could you treat me like this, you…”

She coughed up blood and shredded flesh, spattering it across Zhuang Suping’s face.

Though already older, Zhuang Suping looked barely thirty, even younger than Sang Qian.

His limbs were immobile, only his head turning with difficulty.

He glared at her venomously:

“How did I end up with such a stupid disciple? I thought you were crazy, but you’re just a fool. Risking your life to ruin my plans. If you’d joined me, with our talents, how many jade puppets couldn’t we have raised? Jade puppets! With proper cultivation, their power rivals jade corpses. If we had jade corpse power, never mind your sister, your niece, that adopted brat—even if the whole world died, it would be worth it!”

Zhuang Ciyue could not endure it anymore and rushed forward:

“How can you… how can you think so crazily? Do you want to destroy the world?”

“Destroy?” Zhuang Suping chuckled darkly. “It’s only a few dead people. Not so frightening. The Underworld is full of ghosts—send them to reincarnate and there’ll be people again. If the Underworld insists guilty ghosts can’t reincarnate, why keep them rotting there? Better to send them all back to life. And those wicked souls reborn as humans, used for corpse refining—wouldn’t that help the Underworld? I’d be solving their problems, hahaha!”

His laughter grew more manic. Sang Qian clenched her hands, but she had no strength. Her hands on his neck left no harm.

Yu Ruoyin had been silently watching, when suddenly something hard was pressed into her palm.

Turning, she saw Jiang Huaining’s calm expression.

It was a finely carved dagger.

No words, no orders—yet Yu Ruoyin understood. She drew the blade and held it toward Sang Qian.

“Do you want a knife?”

Grateful, Sang Qian seized the dagger with shaking hands.

Zhuang Suping flinched, his composure breaking:

“You… Sang Qian, would you kill your own master?”

“You’re no master of mine.” With all her might, she thrust at his neck. But she was too weak—the sharp point dulled, leaving only a shallow mark.

Zhuang Suping sneered: “You really—”

His words cut off. Yu Ruoyin had grabbed Sang Qian’s hand and forced the dagger in deeper.

He could only choke, while Yu Ruoyin whispered:

“I’ll help you.”

Trembling with fear, yet resolute, Yu Ruoyin drove Sang Qian’s hand again and again into him. Blood blurred her vision, the metallic stench flooding her nose.

She was terrified—terrified enough to curl up and hide—yet her motions were firm.

Stroke after stroke.

Until Xing Ruoyan yanked her away. She was stunned. From the beginning, Yu Ruoyin had seemed timid and weak, hardly formidable even under Jiang Huaining’s wing. But now, soaked in blood, her face crimson, all those impressions shattered.

“Are you crazy? If you kill, you’ll never reincarnate properly. Your soul will face trial in the Underworld—maybe even Hell’s punishment! Do you think Boss Jiang can storm the Underworld to save you? Even with her backing, you’ve broken the rules!”

A strange silence fell. Then Xia Yu’s laugh rang out:

“She never could anyway… pfft—”

Her words choked off as blood and tiny sparks spewed from her lips, scorching her clothes.

Everyone froze. Lu Qingzhen was first to recover, clapping:

“Serves you right! Retribution at last!”

Xia Yu glared at her, then looked to Jiang Huaining.

She chuckled low, said nothing more.

Yu Ruoyin tried to rejoin the conversation but couldn’t find a chance. She pulled free of Xing Ruoyan’s grip, crouching by Sang Qian again:

“Is it enough?”

“You—”

Xing Ruoyan reached for her again, but Lu Qingzhen blocked her.

“Come on, loosen up! That guy was scum. Dead is dead. Who cares who killed him? Anyway—hehe—Boss Jiang’s woman won’t die so easily…”

“What do you mean by that? Can Boss Jiang really—mmph—”

This time it was Xing Ruoyan’s turn to have her mouth covered.

Rigid and honest by nature, she was neither lively nor perceptive like Lu Qingzhen.

Zhuang Ciyue muttered: “Ex-girlfriend, an inflexible enforcer like you must be rare.”

“Shut up!” Lu Qingzhen raised her hand, silencing her. She leaned close to Xing Ruoyan, eyes gleaming with gossip:

“Ex-girlfriend? What’s that about?”

The moment she loosened her hold, Xing Ruoyan stiffened, correcting herself solemnly:

“My lord, I will not watch you break the rules. If you intend to use extreme measures to extend your wife’s life, then kill me first.”

“Tch.” Xia Yu sneered: “She’s stricter than you. But I don’t follow rules. Just so you know—their jade cores belong to me.”

Xing Ruoyan protested: “Lord Xia, that’s against the rules!”

“I know. Didn’t I just tell you?” Xia Yu strode closer, hand landing on her shoulder with a smile: “I’m not one for rules.”

Xing Ruoyan struggled but couldn’t break free. Even weakened, Xia Yu’s strength overwhelmed her.

She turned her eyes to Jiang Huaining: “My lord, won’t you intervene?”

Jiang Huaining ignored her, instead kneeling by Yu Ruoyin to check Sang Qian’s condition.

As Xing Ruoyan tried to speak again, Lu Qingzhen wrested her away from Xia Yu, clamping her mouth:

“Ugh! You’ll be the death of me. Xing Ruoyan, you’re the most inflexible enforcer I’ve ever seen. If you’re so obsessed with rules, remember this the Four Spirits Shop is my jurisdiction. What happens there isn’t yours to meddle in.”

Xing Ruoyan stared at her in disbelief. The two locked in silent standoff, while everyone else dared not speak, watching the Four Spirits Shop crew with wary eyes.

Jiang Huaining paid them no mind, instead asking Yu Ruoyin again:

“Ah Yin, what business did you want to do?”

“She…” Yu Ruoyin supported Sang Qian. In Sang Qian’s expectant eyes, she answered:

“She just wants to see her sister again.”

Jiang Huaining did not immediately agree.

“Her sister’s soul has long since dispersed. This is no simple matter.”

Sang Qian trembled, reaching for Jiang Huaining, her breathing ragged:

“Just once just one meeting! Even if only in a dream—please!”

Jiang Huaining pushed her hand aside, cold and detached.

“Ah Yin, even I struggle to gather a dispersed soul. It would take great effort, at cost to myself. Would you have me injured for her sake?”

?

Yu Ruoyin froze. She studied Jiang Huaining’s face and was shocked to see her complexion hadn’t worsened. Remembering her inability to lie, panic rose.

She was telling the truth. Helping Sang Qian really would hurt her.

No—this couldn’t be allowed!

Yu Ruoyin wanted to refuse, but Jiang Huaining, hidden from Sang Qian’s view, gripped her palm tightly.

Yu Ruoyin fell silent, then reluctantly whispered:

“…I understand. Aunt Ning, please help her.”

“You ungrateful brat! You don’t care at all about Boss Jiang—” Lu Qingzhen stormed forward, shaking her shoulders. “If Boss Jiang gets hurt, will you take responsibility? Boss Jiang, let’s just return this one. She’s not worth—”

“I’ll take responsibility.”

Jiang Huaining’s words silenced her.

She reached toward Sang Qian:

“Don’t worry. I’ll let your family reunite. Briefly, but you’ll see them. The price—yours and your daughter’s souls will disperse earlier than fated.”

The scroll reappeared, unfurling midair to reveal the three eight-mouthed beasts. The red beast leapt out, bit Sang Qian’s finger—not severing it, but drawing a single bright drop of blood—then returned to the scroll and shut its eyes.

It was a merciful price. After all, Sang Qian and Tong Sangqian’s souls would have scattered soon anyway.

Lu Qingzhen exploded again:

“Not just one—her whole family? Boss Jiang, what are you thinking?”

Jiang Huaining calmly rolled up the scroll, smiling at Yu Ruoyin:

“This is Ah Yin’s first business. Of course it must be done perfectly.”

“You little ingrate, what did you feed Boss Jiang?”

Lu Qingzhen’s fury was completely blocked by Jiang Huaining. Yu Ruoyin wasn’t wounded by her words, but she still felt pain—not from misunderstanding or scolding, but from worry over Jiang Huaining’s body, and confusion over why she insisted on this.

Was Sang Qian’s gratitude really so important?

Yu Ruoyin pitied Sang Qian, but she also ached for Jiang Huaining.

When Sang Qian tried to finish Zhuang Suping off, Jiang Huaining stopped her:

“Wait. If all her enemies die, He Meijie’s soul will scatter too soon. She won’t see her mother.”

“Thank you.” Sang Qian clasped Yu Ruoyin’s hand, pouring out gratitude to her.

She respected Yu Ruoyin more, not knowing it was Jiang Huaining’s arrangement.

Yu Ruoyin thought this, but dared not say it. She would wait—wait until Jiang Huaining was willing to tell her.

The Red Jade Fruit suddenly flared bright. Yu Ruoyin glimpsed two violently trembling figures within. She reached out, but Jiang Huaining pointed first:

“Ah Yin, it seems they want out.”

Yu Ruoyin froze, then stroked the fruit.

Its light blazed, and the twin ghosts emerged, rushing for Zhuang Suping, their wrath like black fog pressing down to crush him.

They looked ready to bite his throat out.

Before they could, Jiang Huaining waved, dispersing the black miasma and tossing them aside.

They rose again, unyielding.

“Wait.” Yu Ruoyin panicked they’d kill him too soon. What if He Meijie hadn’t finished off He Fengxi yet? If all were dead, she might miss seeing Tong Weixue. Swallowing her fear, she barred their way:

“What do you want to do?”

Though powerless, her words were enough for Jiang Huaining to restrain them.

In that moment, Jiang Huaining seemed her loyal enforcer—though the truth was reversed.

She wasn’t sad, only confused.

She didn’t understand Jiang Huaining at all.

And she dared not ask, for fear of her cold eyes or sharp warning.

Her heart was too fragile—just one look from Jiang Huaining could tear it to shreds.

Under Jiang Huaining’s pressure, the sisters regained clarity. The younger, eyes red, pointed at Zhuang Suping:

“He… he killed my sister, scattered her soul!”

Yu Ruoyin blinked, then pointed at the elder:

“Isn’t your sister right here?”

The younger froze, staring at her sister’s face.

“Yes… she is here.”

Yu Ruoyin wanted to ask more, but then saw He Meijie’s corpse dragging He Fengxi back. Priorities shifted. She resealed the sisters in the Red Jade Fruit—the jade puppets were neutralized, so the rest would be simpler.

Xia Yu opened the barrier, and they each prepared to return to their domains.

Their vengeance complete: Sang Qian had once killed He Fengxi twelve years ago, and now obliterated his soul again. Xia Yu claimed the corpse cores. Xing Ruoyan grumbled, but Lu Qingzhen—normally Xia Yu’s enemy—took her side, blocking Xing Ruoyan so aggressively that the latter stormed off faster than the wounded Daoists.

After Xing Ruoyan left, Jiang Huaining invited the lingering Zhuang Ciyue:

“Would you come back to the Four Spirits Shop with us? I have better healing medicine there.”

Zhuang Ciyue was surprised. She had stayed because she still had things to say to Yu Ruoyin—never expected an invitation to the Four Spirits Shop, usually off-limits.

“Can I?”

Jiang Huaining nodded:

“You’re Ah Yin’s friend, so naturally you’re mine too. Your grandaunt also… counts as a friend.”

Yu Ruoyin thought she had almost said “grandaunt” but held back because of the age gap.

What to do?

It felt… a little cute.

Yu Ruoyin wanted to laugh at herself, yet couldn’t help it.

Jiang Huaining noticed her twitching lips and gave her a strange look:

“What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

Jiang Huaining stared, as if the words you’re lying were written on her face.

Yu Ruoyin only wanted to smile more.

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