On the sofa in the living room sat a man holding prayer beads. His face was delicate and handsome, his expression gentle. He didn’t look fierce or menacing at all.
But standing before the glass window, Mu Bai still didn’t dare to get close. His face showed panic, and he froze in place.
If the thing ghosts in the underworld feared most was the underworld’s wardens, then second would be monks and Taoist priests.
Those bald monks were always intolerant of evil, unable to stand the sight of any spirit. Once they discovered one, they would never hesitate to strike and destroy it.
Although there were some powerful malicious ghosts who could fight against monks and Taoists, not fearing their talismans or prayer beads.
Unfortunately, Mu Bai wasn’t among them. Forget approaching monks or Taoists, he was even terrified of the eight burn scars on the bald monk’s head inside the living room.
He looked at his new target, who sat on the sofa in a black shirt with neatly rolled-up sleeves, one hand holding a purple clay teapot.
His posture was tall and upright, lips curved faintly as he spoke slowly through the rising steam, “Master, I suspect my house has been entered by a ghost.”
Across the sofa, Honghui paused in surprise, not understanding why the man suddenly said such a thing.
Yan He flicked the edge of his teacup with his finger, lips still curved as he drawled, “I’ve heard your reputation is widely known, master. Countless evil spirits caught by your hands.”
“I’ve also heard that whenever you capture them, you hang them under the Bell Idol, and that idol is said to be the king of ghosts who loves to catch little ones for drinking.”
“And not only that, you also seal other evil spirits into wine jars, never to see daylight for a hundred years. Is this true?”
Honghui: “???”
He looked blankly at the man opposite him, wondering when he had become a ‘master,’ and since when he’d had the hobby of catching and sealing ghosts.
After a long silence, he hesitantly squeezed out one word, “Yes…”
Yan He smiled faintly, his eyes drifting casually toward the window, and asked, “Then, master, have you ever caught little ghosts who like to brag? How should such little ghosts be dealt with?”
The ghost outside had been pretending to be calm, eavesdropping against the window. At those words, his face turned even more panicked. He hurriedly floated upward, no longer daring to cling to the glass.
He didn’t even plan to eat tonight’s meal anymore, turning away at once to leave.
But after only drifting a few steps, he heard the man inside suddenly change tone, his voice carrying a subtle hint of amusement, “But just now, master, you checked carefully and told me my house has no little ghosts. Perfectly safe, right?”
Honghui: “…”
When had he ever said there were no little ghosts?
This house was filled with yin energy, how could there be none?
So who exactly was Yan He talking to?
But seeing the man’s gaze on him, Honghui hesitated for a while, then reluctantly murmured, “Yes… no little ghosts here.”
The ghost Mu Bai, who had been fleeing, froze in place. He turned his head back, staring at the bald monk who had just said there were no ghosts.
Just now, so many little ghosts had gathered outside. Any capable monk or Taoist should have noticed something wrong. How could this bald monk claim there were no ghosts?
Mu Bai grew suspicious. He slowly floated closer again, pressing against the window to watch the bead-holding man carefully.
Could it be that those burn scars on his bald head were fake? Was he just a fraud out to scam people?
But… they didn’t look fake at all.
Muttering to himself, Mu Bai kept staring at the two men inside.
Yan He’s eyes flicked to the side. He had already noticed the flustered little ghost creeping back. Setting his teacup aside, he suddenly told Honghui, “Since the master’s inspection is done and there are no ghosts here, let me see you out.”
Honghui: “???”
He had barely sat for half an hour, why was he suddenly being sent away?
He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the man across from him smiled, “Master, would you like your payment in check or cash?”
Mu Bai let out a sigh of relief. So the bald monk really was a fraud after all, tricking rich people for money.
Still, doubt lingered. He no longer dared to swagger about, but instead watched carefully from the window, studying both his new target and the bald monk.
Five minutes later
At the courtyard gate, Honghui stood with prayer beads in hand, bewildered, while Yan He jingled his car keys.
Just as Honghui was about to ask what had really been going on, he suddenly felt the beads in his hand heat up from nearby yin energy.
His expression sharpened instantly. He turned swiftly, eyes fierce, his hand darting into his wide sleeve to draw out a talisman.
But before he could take it out, a long, strong hand pressed against his sleeve. Honghui froze, looking up.
Under the dim yellow courtyard lamp, the tall, handsome man pressed his sleeve lightly, smiling faintly, “Master, didn’t you just say there were no ghosts here?”
Honghui paused, then after a moment’s hesitation, put the talisman away, nodding reluctantly, “…Right.”
Yan He glanced at the little ghost peeking nearby and said, “Truly a fraud after all…”
The ghost seemed reassured, edging closer and closer to Honghui, as though realizing he couldn’t sense him. At last, it perched right on Honghui’s bald head, doing who-knew-what.
Mu Bai studied carefully and realized the burn scars were real. He floated down again, keeping cautious distance from them.
Yan He: “…”
Meanwhile, Honghui only felt his head unusually cold tonight.
Yan He coughed lightly, “Let me drive you back.”
Honghui touched his smooth bald head and nodded.
Half an hour later
A black Maybach slowly stopped at the foot of a desolate mountain. The forest was so overgrown it nearly swallowed the stone steps leading upward.
At the top of the low mountain stood an ancient temple, hidden deep among the trees.
In the passenger seat, Honghui turned to the man beside him and asked doubtfully, “Why did you say earlier that there were no ghosts in your house?”
Leaning back in his seat, one arm on the window, Yan He said lazily,
“There were ghosts but not lustful ones, just a little ghost that presses on people in their sleep.”
Honghui looked surprised, “A ghost that causes sleep paralysis?”
Yan He nodded. Since childhood, he had been extremely sensitive to spirits and evil. He could hear much more than ordinary people. The little ghost’s chatter with the others outside, he had heard it all.
Honghui frowned, “Then why didn’t you let me capture it earlier?”
Yan He didn’t answer right away. He toyed with the prayer beads on his wrist, his face hidden in shadow. After a while, he said calmly, “There are always ghosts around me.
Why can’t it be him?”
Honghui froze. He opened his mouth, hesitated, and said, “Even so… it’s still a ghost.”
Yan He, “He’s not an evil ghost.
Other ghosts annoy me when I see them, and it’s too easy to sin by killing them.”
Honghui: “…”
No wonder, the uglier the ghost, the faster Yan He killed it.
In the past, there had been evil spirits who didn’t even wait for him and his master to arrive before that, Yan He had already strangled them to ash and flushed them down the toilet.
Back then, he had even sighed to his master that Yan He was relentless in destroying evil, only to later realize it was simply because it pleased his eyes.
Honghui was silent for a few minutes. Having known Yan He for over ten years, he understood the man’s temperament.
In the end, he could only say pitifully, “In that case, just let that little ghost stay by your side for now. When Master comes back in a few months, he can decide how to deal with it.”
Yan He gave a low hum of agreement. He watched as Honghui, carrying his bundle, got out of the car, prayer beads in hand, and gave a slight bow before heading up the stone steps hidden by thick forest.
The mountain moonlight was clear, blurring his figure. In his gray monk’s robes, his back gradually disappeared among the steps, his shadow alone in the moonlight.
The engine of the black Maybach soon rumbled to life, driving off toward the lamp-lit avenue.
Half an hour later
Yan He stood at the entryway. He set down his car keys while lifting his gaze toward the living room.
The living room was empty; the little ghost that had been clinging to the window earlier was nowhere to be seen.
He raised his brows slightly, unfastened his wristwatch and placed it on the entryway cabinet, then padded forward in slippers toward the living room.
The spacious living room was utterly still.
Tilting his head slightly, Yan He thought of the bedroom, the little ghost’s favorite place.
He walked toward it, pushed the door open, and found the room empty.
Yan He stopped in his tracks. From the living room, to the study, to the bathroom, and even the bedroom, no sign of the little ghost anywhere.
Had it been frightened away?
His throat moved faintly as he recalled the ghost’s panicked retreat when it saw Honghui earlier, and the frightening nonsense he himself had said.
After all, there was no Bell Idol, no “little ghosts to drink with.” Those had only been stories to tease the ghost.
After a while, Yan He returned to the living room and switched on the robot vacuum. The round-headed machine dutifully cleaned the spotless floor.
In the past, the buzzing of the vacuum would have quickly drawn the little ghost dashing out in excitement but now, there was still no trace of it.
It seemed it had truly been scared away.
Yan He stood still for a long while before crouching down. Lowering his eyes, he switched off the buzzing vacuum.
The clock in the living room ticked toward eleven. Yan He straightened up, lips pressed tight, expression unreadable as he walked toward the bedroom.
The bedroom was empty. As usual, he opened the wardrobe to take out his sleepwear.
But the instant the wardrobe door opened, Yan He froze.
Through the narrow crack of the wide, light-gray wardrobe, a figure leaned sideways against the back wall, nestled among his clothes and sleeping soundly.
Through that gap, he could see only half the boy’s face, pale cheeks too thin to hold any flesh, soft black hair falling over his brows, eyelashes long like crow feathers.
He had secretly hidden himself inside the wardrobe, burying into Yan He’s clothes, as though thinking that would cover up some of his yin aura.
Completely unaware that now, from head to toe, he was suffused with Yan He’s scent.
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ChaptersChapter 1 · New TargetChapter 2 · Pervert Little Ghost?Chapter 3 · Little one is MischievousChapter 4 · New MountChapter 5 · Fake Master?Chapter 6 · Blanket StolenChapter 7 · A presentChapter 8 · Rhino HornChapter 9 · Clinging like body PillowChapter 9 · Meeting Old FriendChapter 11 · Just like ChildChapter 12 · New AddictionsChapter 13 · Jinxed StarChapter 14 · Creeping out the old IdiotChapter 14 · Creeping out the old IdiotChapter 15 · New Set of ClothesChapter 16 · Big Wife, Little WifeChapter 17 · Chapter SE 17: Raising as A SonChapter 18 · Another Ghost?!Chapter 19 · Scared away the Evil ghostChapter 20 · NingNing’s SoulChapter 20 · Chapter SE 20: NingNing’s SoulChapter 21 · Green TeaChapter 22 · VisitChapter 23 · Turned into DollChapter 24 · Reunited with Yan HeChapter 25 · I’m UglyChapter 26 · I will stomp youChapter 27 · Ghost AgainChapter 28 · Looking for new HostChapter 29 · Just a BiteChapter 30 · Chapter SE 30: BurnChapter 31 · Trapped Again!Chapter 32 · Call me Lord Official….Chapter 33 · I devote myself to you completely…Chapter 34 · Husband or son?Chapter 35 · Ghost sleep during Day time….Chapter 36 · You could buy more than four thousand sticksChapter 37 · Gu TingChapter 38 · Looks familiarChapter 39 · You’re sleeping with my ancestor?!Chapter 40 · Great great great great GrandsonChapter 41 · We can afford itChapter 42 · HotpotChapter 43 · New StoryChapter 44 · Past Memories…Chapter 45 · Kidnapping Ancestor!Chapter 46 · Copy Buddhist scripturesChapter 47 · Ancestor Flew away…Chapter 48 · Xiao He might not be spending his birthday aloneChapter 49 · May everything go as you wishChapter 50 · I lied…Chapter 51 · Young Master turned into half humanChapter 52 · LettersChapter 53 · Lord OxChapter 54 · Male… destined love???Chapter 55 · A kindred spiritChapter 56 · Chapter SE 56: I like YouChapter 57 · Yan ZhangChapter 58 · Is two hours a bit too short?Chapter 59 · Going down the middle is indeed the correct choiceChapter 60 · Excel spreadsheetsChapter 61 · He had forgotten to tell A’Sheng.Chapter 62 · The person he disliked most had become the young mistress?Chapter 63 · Rip him to shredsChapter 64 · I was wrongChapter 65 · Lord Mu is very happyChapter 66 · I’m about to get marriedChapter 67 · I want to go on a date with youChapter 68 · You’d probably overturn the entire underworldChapter 69 · Head tableChapter 70 · It was meChapter 71 · Junior King of HellChapter 72 · His wife is a little ghost who lies on the bedChapter 73 · Chen LanChapter 74 · Sister in LawChapter 75 · Chapter SE 75: Pick up my boyfriend from workChapter 75 · Extra 1Chapter 76 · Can you still talkChapter 77 · Aren’t you going to ask about yourselfChapter 77 · Extra 3Chapter 77 · Extra 2Chapter 78 · How many ordinary little spirits dare fall in love with the Yan King?Chapter 78 · Extra 4Chapter 79 · I never realized that the bird man’s status was so high… Yan KingChapter 79 · Extra 5Chapter 80 · I’ve ridden on the little Yan King’s headChapter 80 · Extra 6Chapter 81 · Is… this very important?Chapter 81 · Extra 7Chapter 82 · Young master… will you marry me?Chapter 82 · Extra 8Chapter 83 · He’s just a stubborn little old manChapter 84 · End of Main StoryChapter 93 · Extra 9Chapter 94 · Extra 10