The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 33.1

Yu Ruoyin had a dream.

She saw many people in her dream.

Her mother, father, grandmother, Zhuang Ciyue, and Jiang Huaining…

Her parents’ faces were already somewhat blurred, her grandmother’s appearance wasn’t very clear, and Zhuang Ciyue’s noisy voice drifted further and further away. Even in the dream, she couldn’t grasp anything; not a single piece of clothing belonged to her. They all turned their backs to her and walked away until they completely disappeared.

Yu Ruoyin tried hard to chase after them, and her outstretched hand clutched Jiang Huaining’s sleeve.

She softly pleaded, “Don’t, don’t go, don’t leave me alone.”

Jiang Huaining coldly pulled the sleeve fabric from her palm. The feeling of her palm becoming emptier tormented her heart. Yu Ruoyin couldn’t help but sob, “Don’t you like me? Why don’t you want me?”

Her wrist was suddenly seized, and her body was lifted by Jiang Huaining.

There was no trace of tenderness.

“Yu Ruoyin.” Jiang Huaining placed one hand on her shoulder and waved the other towards the air. A full-length mirror suddenly appeared before them. Jiang Huaining pointed at the mirror, her cold, merciless voice pressing into Yu Ruoyin’s ears: “Look at yourself. Are you two in any way similar?”

Yu Ruoyin followed Jiang Huaining’s finger to the mirror. The mirror did not show her face, but a piece of flying, thin gauze dress.

Exquisite fabric, lively steps.

She heard that unfamiliar voice again: “My Lord, My Lord!”

“No, no…” Yu Ruoyin covered her ears, trying to dispel the sound.

The hand that had just covered her ears was gripped tightly by Jiang Huaining, then pulled down forcefully, crudely and ruthlessly.

Jiang Huaining was malicious.

Maliciously, she leaned close to Yu Ruoyin’s earlobe and pressed her canine tooth against the skin, causing a slight sting.

Yu Ruoyin fearfully shrunk her head, but Jiang Huaining did not stop her malice. At her most terrified moment, Jiang Huaining opened her mouth, and a frigid voice emerged from her lips, cutting off Yu Ruoyin’s last shred of warmth: “I don’t like you, at least not the current you.”

…

“Hoo!”

Yu Ruoyin sat up abruptly, her back already drenched in sweat.

She reached out and pinched her wrist hard. The appearance of a red mark and the clear pain made her feel reborn.

It was a dream.

It’s good that it was a dream.

The dream was too real; her heart still felt sharp pain.

Yu Ruoyin put her hand down, accidentally touching something smooth. She lowered her head sideways and saw a fair, lotus-root-like arm. Moving her gaze up slightly, she saw a long, pale, clean neck. The faintly visible veins were clearly noticeable, and further up were plump, delicate lips, the extremely light color not detracting from their beauty.

Yu Ruoyin leaned closer.

She was very, very close to Jiang Huaining.

The warm breath from her lips could redden Jiang Huaining’s skin, yet she lacked the courage to get any closer and sample Jiang Huaining’s sweetness.

It was still the weakness in her bones at work, clearly desperate for possession, yet timid and hesitant.

Yu Ruoyin slowly moved away from Jiang Huaining’s lips. Her dry lips finally landed on Jiang Huaining’s forehead: “Pretty wife, good morning.”

—

It was now three o’clock in the afternoon on July 17th. One week had passed since she first met Jiang Huaining, and nine hours had passed since they returned from the Ghost Market. Next, they should go to Yin City to take Nan He to meet Gou Nanchun and determine if that Gou Nanchun was the one she was looking for.

She forgot to ask Lu Qingzhen this morning when they returned to the Four Spirits Shop whether the Gou Nanchun she found was the older or younger one. However, since Lu Qingzhen didn’t even know the Gou family had two Gou Nanchuns after investigating, the greatest possibility was that joining the Underworld not only required drinking Meng Po soup but also cutting off the cycle of reincarnation to prevent infernal officials from investigating their past lives.

So, even if she wanted to ask if the one in Yin City was the elder or younger one, Lu Qingzhen probably couldn’t answer.

Nan He said the ghost general’s soul aura was familiar, so the ghost general should be…

Yu Ruoyin gave up.

Whichever Gou Nanchun it was, they would be familiar enough to Nan He. Furthermore, Nan He herself couldn’t distinguish whether she was looking for the elder or younger Gou Nanchun.

She decided to listen to Lu Qingzhen and go to Yin City first.

After washing up, Yu Ruoyin looked for paper and pen to record the time and important events and made arrangements for the next steps.

She hoped she could be of some use instead of waiting for Jiang Huaining to wake up before dealing with these matters.

According to her hypothesis, Nan He and people related to Nan He held the power she needed. She couldn’t wait for Jiang Huaining to wake up. Of course, she wouldn’t act rashly; fundamentally, she was still a coward.

Yu Ruoyin was not in a hurry to leave. She gazed deeply at the peacefully sleeping Jiang Huaining and opened the Witch Painter’s Secret Command.

The Witch Painter was indeed the most powerful type of witch, possessing the powers of both a Spirit Painter and an Infernal Painter.

Their true method was replication. Powerful Witch Painters could replicate the abilities of all demons and spirits. They also possessed their own unique methods for fortune-telling and physiognomy, complete sets of talismans and arrays, and even incorporated the techniques of the Paper Figure Master to create Ghost Soldiers. Of course, these were too difficult and too varied for Yu Ruoyin. What she needed most now were simple and effective means of self-preservation.

Arrays and fortune-telling could be set aside for now, and creating Ghost Soldiers was too hard.

She couldn’t learn advanced talismans, so she could only start with the introductory ones. However, most introductory talismans were related to changing luck and had almost no offensive capability.

Yu Ruoyin searched for a long time before finding two useful talisman patterns:

The Borrowing Infernal Talisman  and the Infernal Suppression Talisman

The Witch Painter’s talismans were different from the Daoist school’s. Daoist talismans were generally used on ghosts and monsters, while the Witch Painter’s talismans were used on oneself.

The Daoist Borrowing Infernal Talisman, when placed on a ghost’s body, could borrow the ghost’s qi to mask the user’s yang energy.

The Witch Painter’s Borrowing Infernal Talisman, after drawing in Infernal qi and being applied to oneself, would draw the power of the target with the induced Infernal qi into the talisman. A Witch Painter wearing the Borrowing Infernal Talisman could temporarily ghostify their body.

The Borrowing Infernal Talisman was like a container; the more advanced it was, the more Infernal qi it could hold.

Being able to draw in Infernal qi and ghostify oneself to enhance power made this a very useful foundational talisman for Yu Ruoyin.

As for the Infernal Suppression Talisman, the Daoist version could restrict the actions of ghosts and evil creatures, but the Witch Painter’s version was slightly different.

There were two ways to draw the Witch Painter’s Infernal Suppression Talisman. One was to forcefully strip or replicate others’ power to strengthen oneself and deter evil. The other was for others to voluntarily deposit their power into the Infernal Suppression Talisman for the Witch Painter to use. The drawing methods were different, but the use was the same: to borrow others’ influence to strengthen one’s own power. Therefore, the strength of the Witch Painter’s Infernal Suppression Talisman depended not only on the Witch Painter but also on the subject whose power was borrowed.

The Infernal Suppression Talisman could not be considered a foundational talisman. The first method of drawing it was difficult to succeed with, even for a top-tier Witch Painter. However, the second method was much simpler, and Yu Ruoyin was focused on the second method. She knew she was not strong, but the Four Spirits Shop had someone strong.

Relying on others for rescue was unreliable, but seizing others’ power into her own hands was different.

Yu Ruoyin found the Moon-Luminance Paper and Cloud Zither Sand

She unfolded and cut the Moon-Luminance Paper, gazing at the gauze-like paper in a trance. The soft, sheer paper was veiled with a faint moonlight, warm and beautiful. This was paper nourished by spiritual energy and the night moon, having undergone long-term nurturing before being placed on her desk, costing Nirvana of the Formless Pavilion considerable effort.

Yu Ruoyin suddenly felt confused. Could she truly be a Witch Painter?

If not, wouldn’t she be wasting this paper?

She raised her hand and uncovered the Cloud Zither Sand. The Cloud Zither Sand was different from cinnabar; it was pale white, like powdered pearls, and the shimmering silver light within added to its beauty.

They were all works of art, making her hands appear dull in comparison.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t understand why she had so many strange thoughts. Her heart and mind seemed to have serious problems, constantly ready to bury her in the dust, yet ready to become obsessive in the next moment. For instance, the very next second after doubting herself, she had already picked up the fine-hair brush.

Before the brush could descend, Yu Ruoyin took out a knife.

The book stated that if a Witch Painter’s talent was insufficient and they couldn’t use their own spiritual power, they could introduce fresh blood into the Cloud Zither Sand to compensate.

Yu Ruoyin wasn’t sure if a body whose surface vitality was maintained by Jiang Huaining’s power could be used this way, but she had no better alternative. She simply cut her palm and let a large amount of fresh blood flow into the Cloud Zither Sand. The moon-white Cloud Zither Sand did not turn red with her blood but slowly changed to a pale cyan.

This reminded Yu Ruoyin of the cyan mist. Before even starting to draw, she felt she was halfway successful.

With a stable mindset, the writing became smoother.

The first sheet, failed.

The second sheet, failed.

The third sheet still failed…

Yu Ruoyin grew more and more anxious as she drew, and the more anxious she became, the more she failed.

It wasn’t until the seventh sheet that Yu Ruoyin could completely reproduce the pattern in the book with a single stroke.

When the tenth sheet was finished, cyan chains appeared on the edge of the Moon-Luminance Paper. Although only a small section, this was evidence of the successful Borrowing Infernal Talisman.

The book said that the level of a Daoist talisman depended on the number of Daoist patterns  with more patterns indicating a stronger talisman. For the Witch Painter, chains would appear on the successful talisman’s edge; the longer the chains, the stronger the talisman’s power. A top-tier Witch Painter’s chain markings would surround the entire edge of the talisman. Yu Ruoyin didn’t expect to become that powerful right away, as long as she could succeed and prove she could be a Witch Painter.

After all, she was now a dead person, and learning Daoism was impossible.

Only Witch Painting, and only Witch Painting, was an option.

Yu Ruoyin breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly continued drawing talismans. When she finished the seventh Borrowing Infernal Talisman, the chain became two small sections.

She wanted to continue, but a series of blurry outlines suddenly appeared before her eyes, making her feel faint.

Her body had reached its limit.

Yu Ruoyin hurriedly put away the unfinished Moon-Luminance Paper and Cloud Zither Sand. Three hours had passed since she started drawing talismans; it was now 6:30 PM.

Yu Ruoyin walked to the bed and lay down again, leaning against Jiang Huaining.

Only when she smelled the fragrance on Jiang Huaining’s body did she feel her mood improve.

She wanted to just lie there and fall asleep against Jiang Huaining, but reason told her she should go see Nan He now.

If she stayed quiet in the room, Zhuang Ciyue would also worry.

“Pretty wife…” Yu Ruoyin had a lot to say to Jiang Huaining, but the words died on her lips.

Yu Ruoyin was afraid.

Afraid that the unconscious Jiang Huaining could still hear her.

Because she wanted Jiang Huaining to wait, to wait until she became a little stronger, better than the girl in the memory that had suddenly appeared. Then, perhaps she would have the courage to honestly tell her that she had indeed seen some of Jiang Huaining’s past at Lotus Pearl.

It was contradictory.

The things she wanted to tell Jiang Huaining were precisely the things she least wanted her to hear.

Yu Ruoyin found a black crossbody bag, packed the finished talismans inside, and only then felt a real sense of personal growth.

She sighed softly, preparing to go find Nan He, but suddenly remembered what Jiang Huaining had said, and she turned back.

Yu Ruoyin sat on the edge of the bed, quietly gazing at Jiang Huaining’s sleeping face.

The room was so quiet that only faint breathing could be heard. She had already decided to go to Yin City before Jiang Huaining woke up, so she had to choose whether or not to bring Jiang Huaining. She might not be able to return before Jiang Huaining woke up, and she didn’t want to leave the unconscious Jiang Huaining here.

Xia Yu was not a reliable employee and might take the opportunity to bully Jiang Huaining.

Yu Ruoyin’s mind wandered, but her body made the choice faster than her head.

She lifted Jiang Huaining out of the quilt, dressed her neatly, and specifically found several sets of clothes to put into the Red Jade Fruit. Only then did she carry her on her back and head downstairs.

“Pretty wife, you definitely don’t want to be separated from me either.”

She muttered to herself as she walked downstairs, carefully carrying Jiang Huaining on her back.

Yu Ruoyin was the last to appear. Lu Qingzhen had already tidied up the counter, preparing to open on time.

Xia Yu and Jiang Huaining were similarly injured, but Xia Yu was not unconscious and was currently lying on the sofa drinking wine, with Nan He feeding her next to her. Across from them was Zhuang Ciyue, who was constantly rolling her eyes, and next to Zhuang Ciyue was the now-awake Zhuang Huaishu.

Lu Qingzhen was the first to spot her and Jiang Huaining on her back.

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