After having the ghost recount the entire chain of events from start to finish, Su Youqi felt that the situation was somewhat complicated.
“Let me sort this order out,” Su Youqi said. “Huang Jie wanted his uncle, Huang Linzhi, to deal with me. You, who were attached to Huang Jie, happened to discover that Huang Linzhi was the very same culprit who had bullied you in school and caused you to jump to your death. You wanted to take revenge on Huang Linzhi, but he wore a protective amulet, preventing you from getting close to him. In your anger, you pushed Huang Jie off the building.
“However, you grew somewhat regretful halfway through, which is why Huang Jie is still alive to this day.
“Then, Huang Linzhi noticed something was wrong with Huang Jie, so he had a Taoist priest capture you. The priest tortured you to vent Huang Linzhi’s anger, and in the process, found out the whole story.
“After that, Huang Linzhi figured that Huang Jie was targeted because he asked his uncle to help deal with me, so he shifted his anger onto me, deciding to double down and torment me instead?”
The ghost nodded, indicating that this was exactly what happened.
Su Youqi thought to himself that Huang Linzhi’s train of thought was truly bizarre and convoluted.
Still, this uncle and nephew duo from the Huang family perfectly exemplified the saying: People of the same family enter the same door.
The uncle bullied people at school, and the nephew followed his exact example.
Su Youqi sneered. “I would like to see what kind of tricks they can pull.”
He had seen plenty of villains with more backing than the Huang family uncle and nephew, and these two were simply not worth worrying about.
Even after being tortured to such an extent, the ghost still had not forgotten to warn him, and in the end, had not delivered a fatal blow to Huang Jie. Su Youqi figured this ghost was genuinely kind-hearted.
After a moment of thought, Su Youqi asked the ghost, “Do you want to go be reincarnated?”
Unsurprisingly, the ghost shook his head. “No.”
“You want to take revenge on Huang Linzhi?” Su Youqi said calmly. “He has a protective amulet and has hired a Taoist priest to help him. Going after him now is just walking straight into a trap.”
Yet the ghost remained very calm. After a brief silence, he stared at Su Youqi, a faint spark of light gleaming in his eyes. “But isn’t he about to march to his own doom?”
The ghost wasn’t foolish.
After Huang Linzhi captured him, the Taoist priest had locked him inside a powerful, small bottle-shaped Dharma artifact and tortured him relentlessly, leaving him with no way out. Yet Su Youqi had been able to summon him effortlessly under those circumstances, which was proof enough that Su Youqi’s abilities far surpassed those of the priest.
Furthermore, Su Youqi’s disdainful reaction upon learning that Huang Linzhi wanted to cause trouble made it clear to the ghost that Huang Linzhi—someone previously considered insurmountable—was not even taken seriously by Su Youqi.
If going after Huang Linzhi himself was walking into a trap, then if Huang Linzhi truly dared to come after Su Youqi, he would most likely be walking into a trap as well.
Given Huang Linzhi’s vicious and twisted psyche, he was bound to deliver himself right to Su Youqi’s doorstep.
Therefore, all he needed to do was wait by Su Youqi’s side.
“You are quite clever,” Su Youqi remarked.
By saying this, Su Youqi was essentially agreeing to the ghost’s plan.
The ghost seemed to feel a bit guilty about using Su Youqi like this, but since he was already dead and had no material compensation to offer, he simply guaranteed: “Do not worry. If Huang Linzhi does anything against you, I will protect you with my life.”
This was currently the only bargaining chip the ghost possessed.
He turned out to be quite grateful and mindful of favors.
“In that case, you can stay by my side for now.” Su Youqi cast a soul-locking spell toward the ghost. “Do not struggle. This spell will not harm you; it is just to ensure you stay close to me.”
Since he decided to keep the ghost with him, Su Youqi had an obligation to look after him.
The ghost seemed well-intentioned, but he was still a spirit, possessing energy far surpassing ordinary people. The previous emotional trigger had almost caused him to kill Huang Jie, and there was no guarantee he would not get provoked and impulsively harm someone else again.
Therefore, keeping him bound nearby was the best solution, allowing Su Youqi to maintain absolute control over his movements.
Moreover, this offered the highest degree of protection for the ghost himself, especially since Huang Linzhi was likely stamping his feet in rage right now, desperate to capture him back.
Understanding Su Youqi’s concerns, the ghost calmly accepted the soul-locking spell.
“By the way, what is your name?” Su Youqi asked. Since the ghost was going to stay with him for a while, he needed a proper name instead of constantly addressing him as you.
“Zheng Ze,” the ghost replied with a smile. “I know your name is Su Youqi.”
From that day onward, Su Youqi began a life accompanied by a ghost.
Zhu Wenyu had a fragile constitution according to traditional fortune-telling, and whenever Su Youqi and Zheng Ze were around, he frequently felt a chilling breeze, getting teased several times for being physically weak.
Su Youqi went outside to request a peace talisman for him, then added his own spiritual reinforcement before secretly slipping it under Zhu Wenyu’s pillow, finally curing his constant chills.
In the middle of all this, Wang Ce came to look for Su Youqi once more.
Plagued by constant terror regarding the black mist on his legs, he had completely turned over a new leaf upon returning to school. Not only did he stop bullying his classmates, but he also started helping them and doing good deeds.
Motivated by redemption and a desire for peace of mind, he frequently went out of his way to help the very people he used to bully.
He followed Su Youqi’s instructions to the letter.
Therefore, seeing that Huang Jie had finally been discharged from the ICU, Wang Ce’s first thought was to guess whether Su Youqi had already dealt with the ghost.
Su Youqi did not tell him the whole truth. Instead, he vaguely brushed it off, saying most of the issue was gone though not entirely eradicated, and concluded with an old proverb: Do no wicked deeds, and you will never fear a knock on the door at midnight.
It was precisely this single sentence that ensured Wang Ce never dared to commit another evil deed for the rest of his life.
Given his special profession, Su Youqi had encountered all sorts of people. He knew very well that for someone like Wang Ce, using fear as a deterrent was far more effective than trying to reform them through moral preaching.
It could be considered an alternative wayward-youth rescue mission.
The wedding date arrived even faster than Huang Linzhi’s revenge.
Because it was a ghost marriage, although the Nan family executed all the proper rituals, they did not invite outside relatives or friends; only members of the main Nan family branch were present.
The ruthless Su family’s plans to use this wedding event as an opportunity to network and socialize were completely crushed.
Though the cultivation levels of the current generation of Su family members were subpar in Su Youqi’s eyes, they were still a lineage of celestial masters. To prevent anyone from noticing anomalies, Su Youqi left Zheng Ze behind in the dormitory before returning to the Su household, sealing him with two additional restrictions.
As a centuries-old prestigious clan, the Nan family adhered strictly to ancient traditions, executing an authentic historical wedding ceremony.
Because it was a ghost marriage, the traditional bright red ceremonial robes were replaced by profound black ones, bordered only along the very edges with a subtle streak of red.
Su Youqi was naturally handsome and refined, with bright eyes and a clear expression. Even when wearing the outdated clothes deliberately assigned to him by the Su family, his striking appearance could not be completely hidden. Dressed up so meticulously now, his elegance and charm were magnified tenfold.
The Nan family’s ancestral estate was enormous. It was said that the entire mountain belonged to the family; the lower sections had been developed into a villa district, while the very peak was reserved for the private ancestral residence.
The sprawling grounds, understated yet luxurious interior design, and the thick auspicious golden aura enveloping the estate—which could be spotted the moment one stepped out of the vehicle—clearly indicated that this wealth was accumulated over generations. It proved that the Nan family was not only wealthy, but also a lineage dedicated to accumulating good karma across generations.
Walking through the estate, Su Youqi felt that the Nan family easily rivaled the top-tier elite families he had known before transmigrating into the novel.
No wonder the Su family was willing to give up the pride of being a celestial master lineage, pulling every trick in the book just to attach themselves to the Nan family.
During the ceremony, it was the tycoon’s younger brother who held the tycoon’s ancestral tablet to bow to heaven and earth alongside Su Youqi.
Amateurs watched the spectacle, while professionals observed the mechanics. The celestial masters sent by the Su family stared intently at Su Youqi bowing to heaven and earth, looking somewhat disappointed that the tycoon’s actual soul had not attended.
If the tycoon’s soul had been personally present, the bond between Su Youqi and the Nan family would have been much deeper—which roughly translated to a deeper bond between the Su family and the Nan family, allowing the Su family to extract far more benefits from them.
However, the soul’s absence was also understandable. Given the Nan family’s dense golden aura of merit, that tycoon’s soul had likely long since transmigrated into another fortunate life.
Su Youqi, having just finished bowing to heaven and earth, was feeling equally distressed inside. What on earth is wrong with this marriage contract?
As an advanced celestial master, he realized something was amiss right away.
The exact moment the bowing ritual concluded, he felt his marriage bond line link up with the tycoon’s. To put it colloquially, the heavens had just issued them an invisible marriage certificate.
This carried even more legal and metaphysical weight than a marriage certificate obtained from the civil affairs bureau.
But that should not have been possible! He had explicitly calculated that, given the tycoon’s specific circumstances, a ghost marriage contract shouldn’t have been able to form between them!
That was the exact reason Su Youqi had dared to use this ghost marriage so fearlessly to trap the Su family.
And yet, he had ended up trapping himself instead!
Su Youqi felt a tiny pang of regret for a few seconds, but since the matter was already set in stone, regret was useless—he had no choice but to accept it calmly.
Besides, the situation was not entirely without a turning point; he just had to wait until later.
A quiet yet grand ghost marriage ceremony thus concluded. Neither the celestial masters of the Su family nor Su Youqi noticed that from the exact moment Su Youqi stepped through the gates of the Nan family estate, a lone soul had been trailing closely behind him.
That soul wore a ceremonial wedding robe identical to Su Youqi’s, featuring sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a dashing posture—instantly recognizable as a peerless dragon among men.
The soul followed Su Youqi step by step, completing the wedding rituals and bowing to heaven and earth alongside him. In the end, a marriage contract identical to Su Youqi’s circled around the soul’s form.
Needless to say, this soul was none other than the tycoon himself—the very person Su Youqi had believed would never trigger the marriage contract.
And that was precisely why the contract, which Su Youqi thought would never take effect, had successfully been sealed.
The Nan family treated Su Youqi with utmost respect, assigning him the tycoon’s personal bedchamber.
The room matched the minimalist yet sophisticated aesthetic of the entire estate. It looked deceptively simple, but any random ornament casually picked up from the room was a priceless antique. To sum it up in one sentence: Those darned wealthy people!
Still, starting today, Su Youqi was a wealthy person too!
When leaving home that morning, Su Youqi had refused to step out the door until Su Weiguang handed over the Nan family’s betrothal gifts along with the dowry the Su family was supposed to provide.
Left with no other choice and biting back his heartache, Su Weiguang had handed them over on the spot.
Furthermore, all the items Su Weiguang had previously cheated him out of had been carefully packed. Qin Shuya had specifically instructed the Nan family members sent to fetch the bride to bring every single item back to the Nan estate without missing a single piece.
None of the Nan family members had expected Su Youqi to possess such capability, successfully squeezing so much wealth out of Su Weiguang’s hands, which naturally made them regard him with even greater respect.