The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 56.1

The mastermind had likely integrated the power of the Summer Spirit just as Yu Ruoyin had. She had no intention of showing her face; before Jiang Huaining and the others could find her, she withdrew the formation. Even though Qiu Luo (Autumn Fall) had not yet arrived, the Yin-Yang Twin Chess Formation had already mostly collapsed. It was only through the power of Kang Miaoxian and Jiang Huaining maintaining the edges of the barrier that the outside world remained stable.

The light wall of the barrier line was growing thinner and thinner; it would soon disappear entirely.

It wasn’t that Jiang Huaining and Kang Miaoxian were weak, but rather that the foundational formation of the barrier had been extracted. If they wanted to maintain it, they would have to reconstruct the entire array, which was less efficient than simply creating a new barrier.

Jiang Huaining mentioned that Qiu Luo was now awake, but they had to hold out until she arrived. The rotation of the Four Spirits required a formal handoff; Qiu Luo could only complete the transition from summer to autumn by borrowing the power of the Summer Spirit within Yu Ruoyin’s body. So, they had to wait.

The only saving grace was the symbiotic relationship between the Four Spirits and Jiang Huaining.

Qiu Luo knew Jiang Huaining’s location and would arrive soon.

It was too hot.

The temperature within the formation was unsuitable for both the dead and the living.

Zhuang Ciyue was already drenched in sweat. She forcibly dragged the struggling Zhuang Huaishu toward the coffin area.

Originally, she had wanted to take Yu Ruoyin with them, but upon realizing that Yu Ruoyin—having absorbed the power of the Summer Spirit—wasn’t particularly bothered by the heat, she gave up on the idea. Huddled by the coffin, she wiped away beads of sweat and looked up at the sun, which seemed to be pressing down from the sky, growing larger and more terrifying. Her heart raced: “Boss Jiang, do you have some kind of misunderstanding regarding the word ‘soon’?”

Currently, the surviving humans and ghosts—aside from Jiang Huaining, Kang Miaoxian, Yu Ruoyin, and Nan He—had all crowded near the coffin. Some of them weren’t part of their original group and hadn’t dared to speak, but after Zhuang Ciyue spoke up, they began to chime in.

Because Yingzhu had let something slip, they all essentially knew that the chaos of four thousand years ago wasn’t started by some “Evil Path,” but by Chun Chen (Spring Sink) of the Four Spirits Shop.

Their respect for Jiang Huaining had diminished to varying degrees, and some even spoke out harshly.

“To think the Four Spirits Shop, legendary saviors of the world, was actually the source of the disaster.”

“Boss Jiang, the mess your shop caused has made so many of us suffer with you. People from the Four Spirits Shop truly deserve to die…”

“…”

A thin red line appeared on the speaker’s neck—the mark of a razor-sharp fingernail. The owner of that nail was Yu Ruoyin.

She had moved with extreme speed, striking without warning.

Had it not been for the crimson beads of blood clinging to Yu Ruoyin’s index and middle fingertips, Zhuang Ciyue and the others wouldn’t have even realized she was the one who did it.

Zhuang Ciyue’s eyelids twitched violently: “Xiaoyu, you killed someone.”

Yu Ruoyin looked down at her hand. Fresh, bright red blood dripped from her fingertips. Her gaze gradually became infatuated.

She didn’t seem to loathe the blood; she seemed to like it.

Like.

Yu Ruoyin’s heart skipped a beat. She suddenly realized she was no longer the timid girl she once was. Thanks to the mastermind and Xia Yu, she possessed immense power. She didn’t even need the techniques of a Painted Shaman to easily kill a person tainted by Yin.

Not just him; she could kill many people.

That’s right.

Yu Ruoyin could now kill anyone who disrespected Jiang Huaining.

If she so wished.

Yu Ruoyin was no longer that powerless little girl; she now had the ability to protect Jiang Huaining.

Her lips curled; she actually laughed.

Zhuang Ciyue watched in horror. Zhuang Huaishu patted her shoulder: “What are you talking about? The man isn’t dead yet.”

Not dead!

Yu Ruoyin turned to look at the man. A clear bloody gash marked his neck; though the wound was deep, Yingzhu had promptly stopped the bleeding.

His face was a mask of terror, his breath coming in small gasps as if afraid to alert Yu Ruoyin.

What a pity.

Yu Ruoyin felt a twinge of disappointment.

As she took a step forward, the man scrambled back two steps with incredible speed, nearly hiding behind Yingzhu.

Would Yingzhu save him again?

Unlikely.

Yu Ruoyin tried to step forward once more, but the Red Jade Fruit on her neck suddenly flared. A faint golden light emerged to form a barrier, separating Yu Ruoyin from the disrespectful man. Yu Ruoyin remembered then—when she had charged forward earlier, the Red Jade Fruit had also emitted a golden light. It was that light that had hindered her, preventing her from slitting his throat.

Yu Ruoyin knew exactly who the Red Jade Fruit represented.

She looked toward Jiang Huaining. Jiang Huaining sensed the gaze and looked back, her eyes still filled with the same gentle indulgence, as if she were unaware of what Yu Ruoyin had just done.

But how could she not know?

It was Jiang Huaining’s power holding her back. Jiang Huaining seemed to have anticipated her actions. But why did she have to know?

Yu Ruoyin disliked the feeling of being seen through, especially by Jiang Huaining. If Jiang Huaining had predicted her ruthlessness, did that mean she was no longer a “good person” in her eyes? How could that be allowed?

Jiang Huaining was so good; she should be good too.

Yes, she was good.

What does a good person do? Save the dying and help the injured?

Yes, exactly.

Yu Ruoyin forced a smile. She said to the man, “Come here. I won’t kill you.”

The man cringed, shaking his head in sheer terror.

Yu Ruoyin frowned. She pulled out the White Jade Bone Pen, crafted from Jiang Huaining’s own bone.

Forget the man—even Yingzhu was startled: “Yu Ruoyin! Don’t go crazy again!”

Again? Why “again”?

Yu Ruoyin had no heart to calculate the deeper meaning of Yingzhu’s words. Her pen tip flicked lightly, and a faint green mist emerged, coalescing in mid-air into a Green Talisman. The talisman sank into the man’s body, and the prominent bloody gash vanished at high speed. She pursed her lips: “See? I am saving you.”

This was also a technique of the Painted Shaman—gathering one’s spiritual energy into a talisman to heal others. It was a type of auxiliary charm.

It looked simple, but in reality, it required the practitioner to have abundant power.

The old Yu Ruoyin couldn’t have done it; now, it was effortless.

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t yet fully control her surplus power, but with such rich spiritual energy, these methods became exceptionally easy.

She took pride in her masterpiece, her smile becoming more “sincere”: “Does it still hurt?”

“I… I’m fine.” The Taoist, who had been injured by her and then healed by her, couldn’t bring himself to smile. He clutched his neck and huddled cautiously behind Yingzhu, as if only by hiding deep enough could he stay alive.

Yu Ruoyin touched her face. She believed she was smiling very amiably.

She circled around Yingzhu, ensuring the man could clearly see her smile before repeating: “Don’t be afraid. I’m saving you~”

The little Taoist shuddered violently under her “kind” smile. He instinctively grabbed Yingzhu’s sleeve, his feet turning cold and his voice trembling: “Th… thank you. I know I was wrong. I definitely won’t speak ill of Boss Jiang again. Can you just… stay away from me?”

Yu Ruoyin withdrew her gaze and returned to her original spot.

She looked at the grown man huddling like a quail behind Yingzhu with great confusion: “Sister Yingzhu, he seems very afraid of me. Why?”

Hearing her ask “why,” Yingzhu rolled her eyes in exasperation: “Because right now, you look more like a ghost than I do.”

Like a ghost?

Yu Ruoyin touched her face again. She thought Yingzhu was lying to her.

How could she look like a ghost? Now that she had the power of the Summer Spirit, she was far removed from her previous half-dead state.

Like a ghost.

Nonsense.

Yingzhu probably had a grievance against her. Since she was Jiang Huaining’s friend, she would forgive her.

Yu Ruoyin gave up on talking to Yingzhu and turned to ask her best friend, Zhuang Ciyue, with total sincerity: “Sister Yue, is my smile not gentle? Why is he afraid of me? Is he just a coward?”

“Xiaoyu…” Zhuang Ciyue had to summon all her courage just to approach Yu Ruoyin. She took a long, deep breath before daring to touch Yu Ruoyin’s forehead, facing that eerie smile: “Xiaoyu, are you… sick?”

“Sick?” Yu Ruoyin couldn’t see her own cold eyes, nor could she see how terrifying her “skin-deep” smile looked. She was confused by Zhuang Ciyue’s words: “Sister Yue, I’m very healthy.”

If those surrounding Yu Ruoyin weren’t Underworld Messengers or people tainted by Yin, Zhuang Ciyue would have surely suspected she was possessed. Looking at this Yu Ruoyin—who was so different from the soft, timid friend she remembered—she could only convince herself that Yu Ruoyin was ill. She patiently checked Yu Ruoyin’s condition. Upon feeling that her arm was unusually scorching hot, she felt a momentary sense of relief: “Xiaoyu, you have a bit of a fever. You’ll be fine once it breaks.”

Yingzhu’s face contorted. She tugged at Zhuang Huaishu: “Is your grand-niece-in-law mentally unstable?”

Anyone with eyes could see Yu Ruoyin was perfectly healthy; her state was far better than theirs, as they relied on the coffin for cooling.

Zhuang Ciyue was practically deceiving herself. Zhuang Huaishu wanted to say the same, but out of habit of contradicting Yingzhu, she sneered: “Heh, maybe she’s sick with anger because you helped an outsider.”

“…” Yingzhu yanked her sleeve back, glaring fiercely at the Taoist before telling Zhuang Huaishu: “What do you know? His mouth is foul, but he doesn’t deserve to die.”

“Then who deserves to die?” Yu Ruoyin blinked slowly. A crimson light had appeared in the depths of her eyes. She stared straight at Yingzhu: “Sister Yingzhu, do you also think the people of the Four Spirits Shop deserve to die?”

“No! No matter who dies, Jiang Huaining shouldn’t!”

Yingzhu immediately caught the trick. Upon hearing this, the red in Yu Ruoyin’s eyes faded slightly.

Unfortunately, in the next moment, those eyes turned red again: “Sister Yingzhu, he said Auntie Ning deserves to die. Doesn’t that mean he deserves to die?”

“…” Yingzhu deeply regretted engaging with Yu Ruoyin. She had no doubt that if she answered incorrectly, Yu Ruoyin would transfer that hatred onto her. But she truly didn’t know what to say. Zhuang Huaishu and the others showed no intention of helping her. She couldn’t help but shout toward Jiang Huaining: “Jiang Huaining! Control her! You’re the only one who can!”

Jiang Huaining wanted to, but she was currently unable to pull herself away. She could only look in their direction and gently shake her head at Yu Ruoyin… but that wasn’t enough to stop her.

“Sister Yingzhu.” Yu Ruoyin suddenly grabbed Yingzhu’s arm, her voice turning much colder: “Why are you yelling at Auntie Ning?”

“I… I wasn’t.”

Yingzhu found it hard to defend herself; at most, her voice had just been a bit loud.

Yu Ruoyin’s palm was burning hot. Having integrated the power of the Summer Spirit, the current environment within the barrier was extremely advantageous for her.

Simultaneous with her questioning of Yingzhu, the sun in the sky began to drop fireballs.

The fireballs fell unerringly toward Yingzhu’s position.

They were reacting to Yu Ruoyin’s anger. Yingzhu was beyond frustrated: “Knowing full well you’d turn into this ghostly mess, why on earth did I help you snatch that spiritual power? Why…”

Yingzhu hit another restriction. Before she could finish her sentence, she began to cough up blood.

Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she broke free from Yu Ruoyin’s grip and instantly vanished from the spot. The fireballs were targeting her; she couldn’t let them hit the others standing by the coffin.

Being the expert she was, even in this extreme heat, Yingzhu successfully condensed a sphere of frost and snow to meet the fireballs head-on.

Before Yingzhu collided with the fire, a woman suddenly drifted in from outside the barrier. She wore a dark brown long dress with maple leaves embroidered along the hem. As the maple leaves swayed, she appeared beside Yingzhu. With one hand she caught the ice sphere, and with the other, she blocked the fireball, extinguishing it with a burst of clear water from her palm.

Seeing her, Yingzhu immediately reverted to human form and hugged her: “What took you so long? Your little thing has gone mad.”

Little thing?

Who was she talking about?

Yu Ruoyin was dazed; the woman was also stunned.

The woman didn’t respond for a long time, until Jiang Huaining called out to her: “Qiu Luo.”

“My Lady.” The woman answered hurriedly, anxious to approach Jiang Huaining. She struggled to break free from Yingzhu’s embrace: “Miss… you’re holding me too tight.”

Ghost girl?

Yingzhu’s expression turned sulky. She reluctantly released the woman and watched her walk toward Jiang Huaining, muttering irritably: “This isn’t fair.”

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