Yu Yang looked at Xie Chi in surprise.
Xie Chi said, “Being able to move someone away so quickly clearly indicates they had this idea long ago and made preparations early. On the night of the birthday celebration, perhaps he decided to stop deceiving himself.”
Yu Yang fell silent upon hearing this.
The shadow guard turned through two or three alleys, finally stopping before a dimly lit lane.
“Young Master, they should be in the innermost room.”
Yu Yang was about to nod.
Xie Chi suddenly spoke.
“Come out.”
As his words fell, a lean man emerged from the alley entrance ahead.
The man said expressionlessly, “Shizi.”
Yu Yang was slightly taken aback.
The man had yellow paper on him.
[Auspicious: Sacrifice, Stove-making, Consecration, Wood-cutting]
[Inauspicious: Bathing]
Another member of the Celestial Guard…
“You’re from Dong Wei. Shouldn’t Dong Wei be in the southeastern region?” Xie Chi said calmly. “Has Sikong Shi arrived?”
“……” The man remained silent.
Xie Chi directly used qinggong, heading toward the courtyard.
Seeing this, Yu Yang glanced at the man and commanded, “Capture him.”
The shadow guard acknowledged and stepped forward.
The man’s expression changed abruptly.
“Who are you? Why are you arresting me?”
Yu Yang didn’t respond.
She watched as the shadow guard fought with the man, quietly retreating toward a slop bucket placed in front of a household at the rear.
Sure enough.
The man, adhering to the principle of “capture the leader first to capture the followers,” charged at Yu Yang.
Yu Yang was prepared in time.
She kicked the slop bucket, sending a bucket of slops at the man.
Bang—
The slops splattered on the ground.
Yu Yang silently recited: He bathed! He bathed in slops!
The next moment.
The man’s feet slipped, and he fell to the ground, his head hitting a protruding stone on the house, knocking him unconscious.
The shadow guard approached.
Stunned.
Yu Yang was amazed.
This inauspicious sign is so effective!
She said, “Keep an eye on him.”
With that, she finally walked toward the courtyard.
The small single-courtyard house was kept very clean.
A plot of land had been opened in the southeastern corner, planted with chrysanthemums that were in full bloom.
There was also a swing frame in the yard, with several velvet paper flowers tied to it.
Although no candles were lit.
The moonlight illuminated the scene in the courtyard, yet one could still sense a touch of gentleness within the tranquility.
If one ignored the woman in the courtyard.
The woman was tied to a chair with red rope, as if drenched in foul-smelling blood, filthy beyond recognition.
Additionally, she had a Bagua mirror and a peach wood sword hanging on her, many talismans pasted all over, and a circle of glutinous rice sprinkled around her feet.
It was Qu Manqing.
At this moment, Qu Manqing’s face was a mess of tears and dog blood, her mouth gagged, her eyes filled with terror, only able to desperately make muffled sounds.
Su Yingqian held a cloth in his hand, wiping the filth from Qu Manqing’s face as if no one else was around.
“A Yin, I shouldn’t have dirtied you. I’ll clean you up right away.”
The courtyard was very quiet.
Not far away, Gao Tuo was tied up like a zongzi, looking as if he had been beaten with no patch of good skin left, but at least he was still alive.
Xie Chi was standing face to face with a man.
The man’s aura was not weak.
Behind him, yellow paper read:
[Auspicious: Marriage, Prayers, Transactions…]
[Inauspicious: Opening Granaries, Sacrifice]
This should be Sikong Shi.
Sikong Shi had narrow, long eyes that looked somewhat gloomy, but the corners of his mouth were raised in a smile.
He looked at Yu Yang.
“This must be Qiyuan Hermit’s little disciple? The little junior brother who provides food and drink for our Su’an Shizi?”
Xie Chi said, “Jealous?”
Sikong Shi scoffed.
“I am a young master of Jin Wang’s mansion. Why would I be jealous of you?”
He looked at Su Yingqian and said, “Brother, you’re serving her like this, but the one feeling comfortable is that ghost, not your wife. If you ask me, you should just finish her off cleanly with one strike, then cleanse your wife’s body and erect a tomb for her.”
Su Yingqian paused in his movements, stood up, and said, “You make a valid point.”
“Mmmpfh mmph!” Gao Tuo began shouting.
Xie Chi silently walked over to Gao Tuo and pulled the cloth out of his mouth.
Grateful, Gao Tuo said, “Thank you, Shizi.”
Then he shouted toward Sikong Shi, “You can’t kill her! She’s a university student!”
Sikong Shi said, “What does being a university student matter? If she’s a ghost, she should be killed.”
Gao Tuo said angrily, “A university student can provide more useful information. Just two days ago, she told me about thermometers…”
Sikong Shi shook his head and said, “I’ll interrogate her for you, so you can’t say we Dong Wei are unreasonable and delaying state affairs.”
He took out a needle and said to Su Yingqian, “Don’t worry, I won’t leave any scars on your wife.”
Su Yingqian nodded slightly.
Sikong Shi looked at Qu Manqing and, under the woman’s terrified gaze, inserted the needle into her hand.
“Mmgh—”
The muffled sob trapped in her throat was unsettling enough.
The woman struggled frantically, tears and mucus streaming down her face, and soon lost control of her bladder.
At the same time.
Yu Yang saw the words “Remaining Lifespan Not Yet Exhausted” completely disappear from the Taiyin Black Ledger behind Qu Manqing.
Instead, the words “Submerged in the Ghostly Path” shone brightly.
Even more terrifying was that a young girl who looked like a student was clinging to Qu Manqing’s shoulder.
As if sensing Yu Yang’s gaze.
The girl looked up and smiled at Yu Yang, her lips silently forming the words: “Submerged in the Ghostly Path…”
A cold wind seemed to blow past.
Yu Yang couldn’t help but cough lightly.
Xie Chi turned his head and asked quietly, “There’s nothing much to see here anyway, that ghost will die. Would you like to go back first?”
Yu Yang glanced at the silent Su Yingqian and said, “I’ll leave with Shizi.”
Xie Chi nodded slightly.
Over there, Sikong Shi had already removed the cloth from Qu Manqing’s mouth. He smiled and said, “Miss Ghost, now tell me, do you know how to make that thermometer?”
Qu Manqing sobbed, “I-I do.”
Gao Tuo’s eyes lit up.
“Did you hear that? She knows! She’s a useful ghost!”
Sikong Shi raised his hand, “Little Tuo, keep calm.”
He crouched down, meeting Qu Manqing at eye level, and said gently, “Then tell me, how do you make a thermometer?”
Qu Manqing said in a trembling voice, “Glass tube, mercury… There’s mercury in the glass tube, with markings…”
Sikong Shi smiled and said, “I know about glass. May I ask how glass is made?”
“Glass, glass…” Qu Manqing trembled even more violently.
Sikong Shi said, “See, she doesn’t even know how to make glass. I remember how to make it, but she doesn’t. What use is she?”
He stood up and added casually, “And a glass tube? We can’t even produce a piece of glass right now, let alone a glass tube. Flying so high, aren’t you afraid of falling to your death?”
Gao Tuo was clearly disappointed too.
“She must know other things!”
Sikong Shi sighed lightly, “Alright then. Miss Ghost, is there anything else you know that could save your life?”
Qu Manqing said, “Yes, I can, I can draw, I can dance, I…”
Sikong Shi burst out laughing.
Then he grabbed Qu Manqing’s chin, stuffed the cloth back into her mouth.
And gave her another needle.
Noticing Su Yingqian looking at him, he spread his hands, “Forgive me, brother. Such a disgusting ghost possessing your noble wife – I truly sympathize with you.”
Su Yingqian looked at Qu Manqing.
He bent down and asked softly, “Can you really not return my A Yin to me? You ate her, didn’t you?”
Qu Manqing shook her head in terror.
Su Yingqian pressed the needle deeper.
“Why did you steal my A Yin’s body?”
“Was it you who killed my A Yin?”
“Or does she blame me, does she hate me, so she left…”
He suddenly stood up and walked toward the kitchen, “My medicine should be cool by now.”