The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 57.1

After the Yin-Yang Double Chess Array vanished, Ming Shan Village returned to its state as a deserted wasteland. The barren grounds outside were filled with the people Jiang Huaining had sent out in advance. Except for a few whose souls had been destroyed within the array—causing their physical bodies to die as well—most were alive, though trapped in a deep coma.

Xing Ruoyuan and the other Underworld messengers immediately became busy, arranging to wipe the survivors’ memories and return them home.

The mother-daughter soul shells drifted out from the Red Jade Fruit in Yu Ruoyin’s possession. Jiang Huaining took Yu Ruoyin’s hand and lightly tapped their foreheads; they instantly dissolved before Yu Ruoyin’s eyes into faint blue particles. Some drifted toward the deceased mothers, others toward the dead children—born of obsession, and dissipating once that obsession faded.

To many, the death of such young lives was unbearable. Zhuang Ciyue couldn’t understand it: “Why does the mastermind have such a grudge against women and children? Does she really hate seeing mother-daughter warmth that much?”

Zhuang Ciyue’s casual remark turned Ying Zhu’s face deathly pale. She gripped Jiang Huaining’s wrist, trying to hide her unease.

Glimpsing Ying Zhu’s movement, Yu Ruoyin leaned in and yanked her away. Although Qiu Luo had briefly comforted her earlier, it hadn’t changed Ying Zhu’s fundamental nature.

Yu Ruoyin stroked the fresh red marks on Jiang Huaining’s wrist, her gaze as predatory as a wolf’s, ready to snap Ying Zhu’s neck at any moment.

Jiang Huaining remained gentle, but there was a sadness in her eyes that Yu Ruoyin couldn’t fathom. Panicked, Yu Ruoyin instinctively tightened her grip on Jiang Huaining—so tight she left new red marks of her own.

“Auntie Ning…” she called out, but found she had nothing more to say.

Once Yu Ruoyin approached, Ying Zhu tactfully stepped aside, returning to Qiu Luo’s side and staring at her repeatedly.

Qiu Luo felt puzzled: “Lord Wheel-Turning King, is something wrong?” Having heard Ying Zhu’s identity from Lu Qingzhen and the others, Qiu Luo was respectful toward this Underworld deity.

Ying Zhu didn’t appreciate the respect. Instead, a sudden flash of irritation crossed her eyes. “Nothing. I just think you are indeed a good mother… of course, only to specific people… cough, cough, cough!”

Ying Zhu didn’t get to finish. She broke into a fit of violent coughing, spitting out droplets of black blood.

Jiang Huaining’s expression shifted. “Shut up! Do you want to die?”

“Is there even a point in me living?” Ying Zhu sneered, suddenly consumed by nihilism. “I’ve caused a disaster. You said it yourself, Jiang Huaining—I caused this. I was the one who gathered her soul, and I was the one who lost it. She… cough…”

The coughing worsened. Jiang Huaining pinched Ying Zhu’s cheeks, forcing her mouth open, and shoved a bead inside. Once Ying Zhu swallowed it, her voice vanished entirely.

Having silenced her by force, Jiang Huaining’s tone turned cold: “If you want to die, let Shan Rong take your power first.”

Ying Zhu struggled, clearly defiant.

Qiu Luo, ever loyal to her boss’s words, was dissatisfied with Ying Zhu’s reaction. She pressed a hand on her shoulder: “You are a deity. Every deity has an absolute mission. That is your duty. You cannot die before your responsibility is fulfilled. Even if you truly wish for death, you must first find a successor for your power to ensure the Wheel-Turning King’s position is occupied and the Cycle of Reincarnation operates normally.”

The earnest Qiu Luo didn’t seem aggressive; she spoke of morality and duty, yet her presence felt like a gentle spring breeze.

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t help but stare at Qiu Luo. Sensing the gaze, Qiu Luo reached out her hand toward her. Yu Ruoyin didn’t move. She felt the sensation Qiu Luo gave her was too strange.

Beside her, Jiang Huaining took her hand and guided it into Qiu Luo’s palm.

“Auntie Ning!” Yu Ruoyin admitted she liked Qiu Luo, but she hated Jiang Huaining pushing her toward her. It made her feel unloved. She had a fierce possessiveness over Jiang Huaining and hoped for the same in return. “Auntie Ning, are you pushing me away to someone else?”

Jiang Huaining hadn’t expected this reaction; she froze for a moment. Her hand hung in mid-air, and she looked down, appearing uncharacteristically helpless. “I thought you liked her.”

Yu Ruoyin liked Qiu Luo because she felt like a mother, but she wasn’t her actual mother. She felt that Jiang Huaining, as her “wife,” should have exclusive possessiveness over her. If Jiang Huaining didn’t, did that mean she didn’t love her?

This conclusion was unacceptable to Yu Ruoyin. Since gaining the power of the Summer Fish, she hadn’t been calm. She couldn’t think straight, only her craving for Jiang Huaining remained clear.

“Auntie Ning…” Yu Ruoyin pulled her hand away from Qiu Luo.

Just as Yu Ruoyin was about to argue, several corpses outside the array suddenly floated into the air. As if coming back to life, their eyes snapped open with looks of gratitude toward Yu Ruoyin before closing again. Faint green mist seeped from their foreheads, intertwining and surging toward her.

It was that same green mist, that familiar spiritual energy.

Previously, He Meijie and Nan He had led her to people possessing this mist—first Sang Xi, then Lu Qichun. Yu Ruoyin had wondered if the mother-daughter spirits would be connected to someone similar, but she hadn’t expected so many people to possess it.

The first two times were because Sang Xi and Lu Qichun were grateful to her. But this time? She hadn’t even done anything yet. Was simply bringing the spirits back to their origin enough to earn this power of gratitude?

She wasn’t sure, and she couldn’t ask the dead.

The green mist accumulated, growing thicker and darker. Zhuang Ciyue and the others watched as it bored into Yu Ruoyin’s forehead. Simultaneously, golden mist drifted from the Red Jade Fruit on Yu Ruoyin’s chest into Jiang Huaining’s body.

Because the spiritual energy Jiang Huaining had left on Yu Ruoyin was fading, Qiu Luo only just noticed: “My Lady, why did you place your spiritual energy on Little Yu?”

Jiang Huaining didn’t answer because Ying Zhu had rushed to her side again. Ying Zhu gripped Jiang Huaining’s arm, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly. She was desperate to speak, but Jiang Huaining remained impassive. Her eyes were devoid of emotion—flat, almost cold. “Ying Zhu, calm down. It’s not like you only just guessed it was her.”

“Who?”

Kang Miaoxian had already been leading Kang Shuming away, but seeing the strange behavior of her “grand-aunt,” she turned back.

Jiang Huaining and Ying Zhu seemed bound by similar restrictions; they always spoke in half-truths. Jiang Huaining answered Kang Miaoxian indirectly: “The soul.”

“Kang Nanhua!” Kang Miaoxian blurted out. Jiang Huaining neither nodded nor shook her head, but Kang Miaoxian was certain. “Manager Jiang, where is Kang Nanhua?”

Even before regaining her memories, Kang Miaoxian had little respect for this ancestor. Now, knowing they all bore a curse because of Kang Nanhua—turning lovers into “aunt and niece”—her resentment had only grown. Hearing this involved the missing soul of Kang Nanhua, she refused to leave.

Kang Shuming tugged at her, but she wouldn’t budge. Kang Miaoxian rounded on Jiang Huaining: “Where is she?”

Jiang Huaining didn’t answer. She was still looking at Yu Ruoyin with deep, lingering longing, as if every look might be her last.

An inexplicable panic seized Yu Ruoyin. She wanted to get closer to Jiang Huaining, but the green mist acted as a barrier. As more mist entered her body, her consciousness blurred, and she fell into a deep slumber once again.

She entered another dream. No, it wasn’t a dream.

Yu Ruoyin was no longer an observer. She stood in total darkness, the only light coming from a bright green fruit in her palm. It felt cool and looked hard, but it was soft to the touch—giving the illusion that she could crush it with a little effort. Yet, no matter how hard she squeezed, it remained unchanged.

She raised her hand to throw it away, but before she could, the fruit expanded and transformed into a human figure. She looked to be in her early twenties, with delicate skin and lips like flowers. She was beautiful, yet her eyes were clear and innocent.

Yu Ruoyin was still in her throwing posture, which placed her hand very close to the woman’s waist. She tried to pull back, but the woman grabbed her hand.

“Sister!” she cried out.

The unfamiliar voice and sudden proximity made Yu Ruoyin uncomfortable. She struggled to pull away, but the grip tightened.

The woman was persistent. Ignoring Yu Ruoyin’s resistance, she called out again, “Sister!”

“I don’t have a sister.”

This disappointed the woman. Her grip became so heavy her nails dug into Yu Ruoyin’s flesh. Though it hurt, the woman laughed joyfully. “Sister, you’re still the same. You still only love Mother. But I still love you, and I’ll only love you more from now on.”

Madwoman. Even crazier than Kang Miaoxian.

Thinking of Kang Miaoxian, Yu Ruoyin noticed a striking resemblance between the woman and her.

Yu Ruoyin gasped, “You… you’re Kang Nanhua!”

“Sister, do you remember me? It seems my method worked. Maybe I should kill the other seasonal spirits too and give their power to you? Then you’d remember me completely, and remember how hateful those gods were!”

“Are there really gods in this world?”

Kang Nanhua seemed free of any restrictions; she spoke without hesitation. “Yes! There were many, but then they all died, haha! I killed them!”

She laughed wildly, her expression both proud and manic. “Regrettably, one didn’t die. Though she can’t really be called a god anymore. Even with her divine bones destroyed, she still puts on that ‘love all living beings’ act. She still prioritizes saving people. If I hadn’t gone easy on her, Sister, you wouldn’t have survived.”

“Are you the one who set the array?”

“I’m impressive, right? I killed all those people so easily and set the array without anyone noticing. I lured you all here; otherwise, I really wouldn’t have been able to kill Summer Fish.” Kang Nanhua admitted it instantly, confessing everything without being prompted. “Sister, having power must feel good, right? I gave that to you. You must want to praise me. Go ahead, praise me.”

She tilted her head, offering her ear to Yu Ruoyin, waiting for a compliment.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t want to praise her; she wanted to tear her face apart. How could she boast about murdering innocent people?

Yu Ruoyin reached for her Bone Pen, but before she could touch it, Kang Nanhua reacted. Her face shifted instantly to a cold, sharp expression. She lunged and grabbed Yu Ruoyin by the throat, her nails piercing the skin. “Sister, you blame me for being wicked? But didn’t you just want to kill that innocent Taoist yourself?”

How did Kang Nanhua know? Had she been watching from the shadows the whole time?

Kang Nanhua didn’t answer. She loosened her grip slightly and stroked Yu Ruoyin’s face with her free hand. “Actually, I should thank those gods. If they hadn’t cursed you, Sister, you wouldn’t have become so much like me! Being equally wicked makes us feel like real sisters. It’s a pity they didn’t curse Mother too. It would be so interesting if Mother became like this! It seems neither you nor I have Mother’s good luck… Hmm… Mother must have taken all the luck for herself, which is why we’re so miserable. Why don’t we make her suffer for once?”

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