The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 36.2

The largest number of ghosts were gathered around these two tables. Every ghost’s eyes glowed green, and they all looked like they were staring at livestock on an altar, ready to rush forward and dismember the corpses at any moment.

The sheer number of ghosts was incalculable. Yu Ruoyin felt like everywhere she looked, there were ghosts, and strong ones at that.

Ghost ranks are typically divided into Ordinary Ghosts, White-Clothed Ghosts, Vicious Ghosts (Li Gui), Blue-Filmed Ghosts (Qing She Gui), Red Vicious Ghosts (Hong Li Gui), Red Fiend Ghosts (Hong Sha Gui), Rakshasa Ghosts (Luosha Gui), and Ghost Kings.

Excluding ghosts officially employed by the Underworld, the eyes of ghosts who haven’t killed are green, while those who have tasted blood have red eyes.

Green eyes indicate they haven’t committed evil, while red eyes belong to malevolent spirits.

In the same rank, malevolent spirits are much more powerful than normally cultivated ghosts.

The world was currently peaceful, with the Underworld cooperating with both the Demon and Human races, making malevolent spirits scarce. However… a vast crowd of malevolent spirits stood before them, with the weakest being at the Vicious Ghost level.

Yu Ruoyin’s heart dropped. They seemed to have stepped into extreme danger.

Even Zhuang Huaishu’s expression was grim.

At a glance, there were at least two hundred dead bodies, including Daoists, but no floating souls nearby. It was highly likely that something had already devoured them.

Since they arrived in a sedan chair, the ghosts naturally assumed they were allies: “Newcomers are here!”

Before Yu Ruoyin could react, a shoulder hooked onto hers: “Come on! Drink!”

The ghost hooking her was a kind-looking woman. If one ignored her crimson eyes and long, sharp fingernails, she seemed very approachable.

She was wearing casual clothes with a dark plaque hanging at her waist.

The pitch-black plaque looked like jade and had carvings on it.

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t read the words on the plaque, but the more she looked, the more familiar it became.

That’s right, a Ghost Plaque!

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t be mistaken.

She had interacted with Xing Ruoyuan, and Xing Ruoyuan’s Ghost Plaque was also worn at her waist like this.

Could she be a Ghost Messenger?

Why would a Ghost Messenger be mingling with these malevolent spirits, eating human flesh?

What on earth was going on?

Yu Ruoyin didn’t have time to figure it out. She was half-dragged, half-pulled to a table, and a wine cup was pressed into her hand.

She looked down. What was handed to her was a cup of blood.

Tiny scraps of meat floated on the bright red liquid. The smell of blood filled her nasal cavity. Yu Ruoyin’s stomach churned violently. She desperately held back a retch. Trembling, she held the cup, afraid to bring it to her lips, while being surrounded by ghosts at the table.

Her toe hit something hard. She looked down and realized there was a vat under every table, specifically used to collect the flowing fresh blood.

The vat at her feet not only had floating scraps of meat but also some white, mushy substance that didn’t look like bone fragments—it looked more like… brain matter.

“Ugh…” Yu Ruoyin tightly gripped the cup with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, just barely managing not to vomit.

“Ugh!”

Yu Ruoyin had just suppressed her urge to vomit when Zhuang Ciyue’s dry retching sounded beside her.

Zhuang Ciyue and the others, like her, were surrounded by ghosts at the table and given a cup full of blood. She had been with Zhuang Huaishu for three years but had never seen such a bloody scene. Being short-tempered, the cup didn’t stay in her hand for long before it fell to the ground.

She hadn’t vomited until a nearby ghost, seeing her drop the cup, picked up a wine cup and shoved it toward her mouth.

Being suddenly forced to drink a mouthful of blood, Zhuang Ciyue found it impossible not to vomit.

Her exaggerated reaction attracted the woman’s attention. The woman floated forward a couple of steps, and with a slight flick of the Ghost Plaque at her waist, the Hallowancer’s runes on Zhuang Ciyue’s face instantly faded, exposing her aura.

The ghosts shrieked: “A person! A living person! And one contaminated with Yin energy!”

Their expressions were not fear, but excitement.

It was the look of hunters spotting quality prey.

Zhuang Huaishu shot Zhuang Ciyue a glare, two cold words popping out: “So impressive!”

Despite the scolding, her hand moved toward her chest. She pulled out a necklace with a dark red crescent moon pendant. She removed the moon, flicked it forcefully, and the moon transformed into a bone brush. With a light sweep of the brush, a white mark appeared on her face. The moment the mark flashed, a group of White-Clothed Wandering Souls suddenly appeared behind her.

Every single one of those wandering souls looked exactly like the woman.

Zhuang Huaishu’s instantaneous reproduction of a hundred ghosts stunned not only Yu Ruoyin but also the crowd of ghosts.

The woman had some status among the ghosts. Floating at the front, she chuckled: “A Hallowancer, huh…”

She fixed her gaze on the brush in Zhuang Huaishu’s hand: “That brush of yours is quite nice!”

“Then I’ll give it to you.”

Zhuang Huaishu casually threw the brush out. The vermillion bone brush flew straight toward the woman. The woman reached out to catch it, but the moment the brush neared her, it transformed into a huge vermillion beast, whose sharp fangs instantly bit into the woman’s arm.

The woman was startled and quickly tried to pull away.

With a strong yank, her arm was ripped off. The huge beast reverted back into a brush and flew back into Zhuang Huaishu’s hand.

Two red threads grew from the tip of the brush and hooked onto Zhuang Huaishu’s arm, as if it were afraid of being abandoned by her.

Yu Ruoyin and the others were not fools. Taking advantage of the ghosts being stunned by Zhuang Huaishu, they quickly fled behind her. Zhuang Ciyue had recovered. She spat several times, then sarcastically looked at the woman: “What a fool! A Hallowancer’s bone brush recognizes its owner! The contract is still active. Even if my Grand-aunt dies, the bone brush will return to her ghost master. You won’t get it!”

Zhuang Huaishu pressed her brow: “Can you say something auspicious at a time like this? My death won’t benefit you.”

She was quite displeased with Zhuang Ciyue.

Zhuang Ciyue spat twice more: “I misspoke. Grand-aunt is invincible. Tiny malevolent spirits are nothing to her.”

“Shut up.”

Zhuang Huaishu’s face was full of dark lines. She suddenly glanced at Yu Ruoyin: “It’s quite a sacrifice for you to remain friends with her for so many years.”

?

Was this the time to talk about that?

Not only did Yu Ruoyin find Zhuang Huaishu’s attitude too casual, but Zhuang Ciyue did too.

She straightened Zhuang Huaishu’s shoulder: “Grand-aunt, hurry up and fight.”

“I’m injured.”

Zhuang Huaishu leaned against the wheelchair, extremely lazy: “Can’t beat them.”

Can’t beat them?

You were so arrogant just now?

Yu Ruoyin doubted her ears. She looked up at the ghosts. The hundred duplicated wandering souls were already entangled in a fight with the ghosts, but their power was clearly inferior, and they were dissipating quickly.

“At least you know your place.” The woman injured by Zhuang Huaishu walked up. She took out her Ghost Plaque and pressed it against her arm. Unfortunately, her arm did not grow back as expected. Her expression was shocked: “My arm… what’s going on…”

She suddenly looked up at Zhuang Huaishu: “There’s something wrong with your brush!”

Zhuang Huaishu didn’t bother to answer her. She merely raised the tip of her brush.

The soft brush tip instantly pierced the palm of her other hand. The brush tip stained with fresh blood quickly wrote the character for ‘Fate’ (mìng) on her arm.

The moment the character lit up, the Ghost Plaque in the woman’s tight grip slipped out and flew into Zhuang Huaishu’s hand.

The woman lunged forward: “Give me back the Ghost Plaque!”

“Stolen property can’t recognize a new master.”

Zhuang Huaishu flicked the brush tip again. The ‘Fate’ character glowed once more. The Ghost Plaque in her hand instantly shot out a black chain, instantly binding the woman.

Upon seeing the black chain, the woman’s face suddenly twisted and became hideous.

She urgently cried out: “No! No!”

The Ghost Plaque did not dim because of her screams. Instead, the chains tightened, actually dragging her into the Ghost Plaque.

Yu Ruoyin was slightly stunned: “This is…”

Zhuang Huaishu, for once, offered an explanation: “This is not her Ghost Plaque. She is only a Fate-Severing Ghost Messenger. This plaque should belong to Mei Jingwan, the Soul-Reaping Ghost Messenger who truly controls Yin City. The plaque of the authority-holding Ghost Messenger has control over the subordinate Fate-Severing Ghost Messengers, so she was trapped inside the plaque.”

That wasn’t the point. The point was…

Before Yu Ruoyin could ask, the question was shouted out by Zhuang Ciyue: “Grand-aunt, why can you use Mei Jingwan’s Ghost Plaque? Do you have such a technique but didn’t teach me?”

“Shut up.” Zhuang Huaishu tossed the Ghost Plaque to Yu Ruoyin: “I can’t use it. Maybe it’s thanks to Boss Jiang.”

Yu Ruoyin didn’t believe that excuse.

Jiang Huaining was currently unconscious, and they all saw clearly that Zhuang Huaishu used her own blood.

Zhuang Huaishu didn’t give them a chance to ask any more questions. She pushed Zhuang Ciyue: “Hurry up and run! I can’t beat this many ghosts!”

Zhuang Ciyue still wanted to argue, but Nan He, pushing the wheelchair with one hand and grasping Yu Ruoyin with the other, started running.

Yu Ruoyin quickly pulled Zhuang Ciyue, who was still rooted to the spot.

They ran in the direction Zhuang Huaishu pointed. The ghosts behind them grew in number. Yu Ruoyin took a breath: “Grandma Zhuang, where are we running to?”

“To find the owner of the barrier.”

“Huh?”

Zhuang Huaishu gripped the armrest of the wheelchair to prevent Nan He from pushing her too fast and throwing her off. Her voice was slightly shaky: “Do you really think that many powerful malevolent spirits could be running rampant right under the Underworld’s nose? This barrier must be a formation. There’s something in the formation boosting their power. If the barrier is broken, their power will vanish.”

She pondered for a moment: “It’s pointless to waste time fighting them. After all, it’s not that they are strong, but the barrier’s owner is. If we exhaust our strength on them, we will surely die.”

This was why Zhuang Huaishu ran after dealing with that Fate-Severing Ghost Messenger. Among those ghosts, perhaps only this Fate-Severing Ghost Messenger had any real power independent of the formation.

The ghosts were getting closer and closer.

Zhuang Huaishu cursed irritably: “Hanging around like a haunting spirit.”

She called a stop: “Nan He, you take the little girl and go first. I’ll hold them off for a little longer. You’re a spirit, so your perception is more acute. Take the little girl to the place with the strongest smell of blood. If I’m not mistaken… there might be an altar there, which is the source of these ghosts’ power. Even if the barrier isn’t broken, damaging the altar can deplete most of their strength.”

“Okay!”

Nan He’s greatest virtue was her obedience. She lifted Yu Ruoyin and floated away, quickly heading towards the place Zhuang Huaishu had mentioned.

Yu Ruoyin’s entire body was suspended in the air.

She wasn’t worried about herself, only that the ropes tied around her weren’t secure enough.

Yu Ruoyin put the Ghost Plaque into her satchel and forcefully gripped the ropes, ensuring the coffin wouldn’t fall off her.

She was also a little worried about Zhuang Ciyue and Zhuang Huaishu. Zhuang Ciyue and the others, however, weren’t worried about themselves at all. Yu Ruoyin could still hear them arguing: “Grand-aunt, how do you know about formations? Don’t only Hallowancers specialize in formations? Did you keep secrets and not teach me!”

“Shut up, Zhuang Ciyue, you’re so annoying! You’ve been best friends with that little girl for so many years, why can’t you learn to be a little quiet like her…”

She was quiet because she didn’t understand.

She…

She clearly wanted to avoid being a burden to Jiang Huaining, which was why she came out to find someone before Jiang Huaining woke up. Yet, she ended up burdening Zhuang Huaishu and the others again.

Her fate might truly be bad; even in a half-dead state, she could still bring misfortune to those around her.

Yu Ruoyin felt a pang of guilt. Nan He’s gentle voice spoke up: “You haven’t burdened them. I’m the one who burdened you all. It was me… I wanted to find Nanchun.”

Sometimes, Yu Ruoyin truly suspected Nan He could read minds. She perceived the emotions in her heart too clearly.

Yu Ruoyin was ultimately soft-hearted. Seeing Nan He distressed, despite her own terrible mood, she still comforted Nan He: “Don’t think that way. Maybe none of us are burdens. If we can break the barrier, we… we would have done a great service.”

That’s what she said, but her heart felt otherwise.

She didn’t believe she had such capability.

She only hoped not to startle Jiang Huaining again and cause her further injury. Otherwise… she would regret bringing Jiang Huaining out.

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