Longlin City.
Including the Hengfeng Sect, all the Tian Master forces have temporarily fallen silent.
Beneath the calm surface of the lake, undercurrents are swirling.
Within the Investigation Department, however, there is jubilation.
Having been "drilled" by the Level Six Fierce Ghost, all personnel who participated in the battle benefited greatly. Shen Hui and Tang Mian directly advanced in rank—the former jumping from Level Two, Third Tier to Level Three, First Tier, and the latter from Level Three, First Tier to Level Three, Third Tier.
The remaining few investigators also made some progress.
This operation can be said to be a resounding success.
Of course, the chief credit undoubtedly belongs to Qi Quan.
To be more accurate, all the credit belongs to Qi Quan, as the others merely had the opportunity to gain experience under the expert's control.
The expert possesses the ability to hold up the sky and the sea; they were just lucky to follow behind and get some scraps.
As soon as Qi Quan returned to her residence, she received a call from Li Guoyan.
"Thank you very much, Consultant Qi, for your assistance to Longlin City. A bonus will be issued shortly. Please check for it in time." His words were quite formal.
Qi Quan: "A pleasure working with you."
"You are a person of true character, Master, so I won't beat around the bush." Li Guoyan changed his tone and said with a laugh, "Master, now that you've captured that ghost, how do you plan to handle it?"
Qi Quan asked bluntly: "You want me to continue training troops in this way?"
"Exactly."
Qi Quan: "Can you control this ghost?"
"That's why we ask you to spare some time from your busy schedule to add a bit of experience for our seedlings."
"My time is precious."
Her lifespan was still too short, not enough for her to squander.
Li Guoyan replied without hesitation: "How about issuing a bonus based on the effectiveness of each training session? It won't take up too much of your time—once a week, at the location in Longjiang City."
System: [Wow, they're really asking the seedlings to line up to be tortured.]
Qi Quan thought for a moment and replied: "Agreed."
"You probably still have the two Tian Master souls in your possession?"
Qi Quan: "What about them?"
"Yan Wu is dead. Currently, the only ones who might be connected to the evil cultivator organization behind the ghost marriage case are probably those two." Li Guoyan said solemnly, "Keeping them with you is naturally the safest."
Qi Quan was surprised: "Dead?"
"Yes, he suddenly exploded and died during the interrogation." Li Guoyan's voice sounded somewhat heavy. "He was the most valuable Tian Master we had captured for information, but unfortunately..."
Qi Quan: "Without him, there will be others."
Li Guoyan laughed, "Master, you are truly broad-minded."
After ending the call, Qi Quan sat on the bed to cultivate.
[Expert, "Nation's Fortune Enduring" has tipped "Diary of a Wealthy Family" with a thousand deep-water torpedoes!]
Qi Quan curved her lips into a smile. A few more missions, and she could live to a hundred.
The next day, Zhang Chengyan arrived early, bringing a sumptuous and delicious breakfast.
"Master, are you returning to Longjiang today?"
Qi Quan: "Yes."
"Then let's go together!" Zhang Chengyan said excitedly. "Master, why not ride in my car? I'm an extremely steady driver!"
Shen Hui: "..."
Don't steal his job, okay?
Qi Quan: "No need."
Zhang Chengyan sighed lightly: "I feel so useless, never getting a chance to serve the Master."
"..."
Tang Mian shuddered all over. The white lotus tone was truly horrifying.
The system timely suggested: [Expert, how about bringing some Longlin City specialties back? Butler Su and the others have never been able to go out. Thinking about it, they're really pitiful. Why not bring them some specialties?]
Qi Quan was taken aback for a moment. Good idea.
She asked Zhang Chengyan: "What are the specialties of Longlin City?"
"Specialties?" Zhang Chengyan's eyes lit up. "I'll ask my uncle right away!"
He immediately ran out to make a phone call.
Shen Hui: "..."
He could have been asked too.
"Master, news from the city bureau: the murderer of the female ghost has been found. It's a member of Huan Yang's own clan. They have been apprehended," he reported.
Qi Quan nodded.
System: [That young lady was truly pitiful. Even after death, her reputation was slandered. The murderer from the Wei family, relying on the backing of Tian Masters, was utterly lawless!]
Qi Quan: [Justice has long arms.]
Sometimes, it just hasn't arrived yet.
In no time, Wei Qi arrived, transporting a large quantity of local specialties.
Qi Quan took out her phone: "I'll scan to pay."
"No, no, no need!" Wei Qi hurriedly refused. "Master, you saved Xiao Qian's life. No matter how much I give, it's not enough. You mustn't give me money!"
Qi Quan: Alright then.
She put her phone away.
Wei Qi was immediately delighted.
He personally moved a pile of specialties onto the car for Qi Quan's return journey and even stuffed Zhang Chengyan's car full, earnestly instructing his nephew: "You must deliver all these things to the Master's home. Don't miss anything!"
Zhang Chengyan: "Don't you trust me to handle things? Even if I get lost, I won't lose the Master's things."
With everything loaded, Qi Quan got in the car and set off.
As soon as she returned to the Lakeside Villa, before the specialties could be unloaded, Meng Yunzheng came to visit.
Qi Quan handed the specialties over to Zhang Chengyan and the others and sat down in the living room.
"Senior, I've already investigated some things about the northern suburbs, but I'm not sure how accurate the information is," Meng Yunzheng said respectfully.
After all, he hadn't seen the great ghost himself.
Qi Quan: "Tell me."
"Thirty years ago, Longjiang City wanted to develop its economy and began attracting investment. Many corporations came to Longjiang for development projects, which required a lot of land. One corporation took a liking to the area in the northern suburbs, but back then it wasn't empty land—it was a village."
Thirty years ago, the urban area of Longjiang City was very small; the northern suburbs fell under the category of countryside.
Qi Quan nodded: "And then?"
"To get that land, they naturally had to relocate the residents first. Perhaps due to limited oversight at the time, the developers were overbearing and unreasonable. They threw some money at the residents, directly demolished the houses, and disregarded the people's demands."
System: [That's too much! Just because they have money doesn't mean they can do whatever they want!]
Meng Yunzheng sighed lightly and continued: "That was the villagers' lifelong hard work! Before development could begin, the authorities had issued a notice stating that construction could only start after all villagers had relocated. Some villagers were willing to relocate, others were not. Conflicts arose between the unwilling villagers and the developers, which were only resolved after official mediation. But one household never agreed."
System: [Could it be that great ghost? Were they killed in a conflict with the developers?]
Qi Quan: ...
"Actually, it wasn't that they disagreed." Meng Yunzheng continued: "That family only had an old lady. Her son had gone to work outside and hadn't returned. Communication was difficult back then—no telephones, letters took many days to arrive. There had been no news from her son. The old lady refused to move, saying she would wait for her son to return."
"She could wait, but the developers couldn't. Every day delayed meant more money down the drain."
Qi Quan's voice turned slightly cold: "So they forcibly demolished the house?"
Yes. During the forced demolition, the old lady desperately tried to stop them, was pushed to the ground, hit the back of her head on a brick, and didn't survive the rescue efforts.
System: [Wow! That's too cruel! What's the harm in waiting a few more days? She was just waiting for her son to return! It wasn't that she refused to relocate!]
"A few days later, her son rushed back, only to see his mother's remains and his home razed to the ground."
... That kind of grief and regret is hard to understand for those who haven't experienced it.
"It is said his father died early, and he was raised single-handedly by his mother. Their bond was extremely deep. He couldn't accept her sudden death, so he went to demand justice from the developers and even filed official complaints. But a dead person cannot be brought back to life. At most, he could only get the developers to pay some compensation and have the person who accidentally pushed his mother imprisoned. Since it wasn't intentional murder, a death sentence was impossible."
Qi Quan: "How did he die then?"
Meng Yunzheng shook his head. "That part is truly unclear. He just suddenly disappeared. No one knew he had died."
"However, two years later, after the factory was built and began operations, a major fire broke out not long after, burning down the factory and trapping many workers inside. Some speculated he had turned into a vengeful ghost seeking retribution."
Qi Quan, however, shook her head. "If he were seeking revenge, he would surely target the developers from back then, not innocent workers."
"If he truly had his wits about him, how could he have become a quasi-seventh-level powerful ghost?" Meng Yunzheng was puzzled.
Qi Quan said, "He hasn't killed anyone. That fire likely wasn't his doing either; it was probably just an industrial accident."
"Then he..."
"He carries the radiance of virtuous merit."
Meng Yunzheng was confused. "How could that be? A quasi-seventh-level powerful ghost possessing virtuous merit?"
"There is one possibility."
Meng Yunzheng smiled apologetically. "This junior is ignorant. I beg senior to enlighten me."
Qi Quan spoke slowly and softly. "It might be the fate of a Ten-Worlds Virtuous Being. If he hadn't suffered this ordeal in this life, his next life's fate would have been extremely noble."
Meng Yunzheng was startled, his eyes widening. "A Ten-Worlds Virtuous Being?!"
"Yes." Qi Quan also felt a deep sense of regret. "This life should have been his final one. If completed successfully, he would have been reborn into an exceptionally good destiny."
Therefore, after becoming a ghost, bolstered by the merit from his previous nine lives, he was able to grow into a quasi-seventh-level powerful ghost.
Of course, this was merely Qi Quan's speculation; she couldn't be entirely certain. Because one point was very strange: if he had become a ghost seeking revenge, as a quasi-seventh-level powerful ghost, he should have long broken free from the shackles of his place of death to go and exact vengeance.
Why did he remain in the northern suburbs?
The system was shocked: Does he himself know about this?
Qi Quan: Generally, one knows after death.
The system felt immense heartache: Then he... is just too tragic.
Just one lifetime short of completing his virtuous merit and being reborn into an extremely noble fate.
Argh! It's infuriating!
But—
Master, how do you know this was the final lifetime? Couldn't it be the ninth or eighth?
Qi Quan: Because only upon death in the final lifetime can one receive the merit from the previous nine lives, combined with this one to achieve completion. However, this lifetime itself hasn't truly been fulfilled.
Perhaps because of this, even with the aid of nine lifetimes' worth of merit, it still took the ghost thirty years to only reach the quasi-seventh level.
Qi Quan had never seen a Ten-Worlds Virtuous Being; she had only read about them in books. Everything was merely conjecture.
She asked, "What about the developers from back then?"
"After the factory incident, the developers suffered losses and lived in destitution," Meng Yunzheng said. "He died of illness ten years ago."
With the person dead, the karmic debt was settled.
Qi Quan said calmly, "What do you plan to do next?"
"It's like this," Meng Yunzheng replied. "Senior, I think we may need to communicate with the powerful ghost."
They truly couldn't find out the cause of the powerful ghost's death. They must meet him to clarify things before they can give him a proper resolution.
Due to the events of the past, the powerful ghost resents those developing the land in the northern suburbs, which is why the Song family encountered mishaps.
Judging from the previous minor accidents, he knew the Song family wasn't the one who developed the land back then... so initially, he just gave small warnings. But since the Song family continued their development project on his "territory," he had to resort to severe measures to make them back off.
Now that the Song family has dispersed their wealth and the whole family is crammed into a cheap rental, with no further accidents occurring, and the injuries of Mr. Song and his son healing remarkably fast, it's evident this powerful ghost is quite reasonable.
Truly worthy of a Ten-Worlds Virtuous Being.
Qi Quan nodded and said, "You can try."
Meng Yunzheng asked hopefully, "This junior has little experience and a low cultivation level. If I make a mistake facing the powerful ghost and anger him, wouldn't the loss outweigh the gain? I wonder if senior could spare the time to come along? You wouldn't need to speak, just lend this junior some courage."
After all, that's a quasi-seventh-level powerful ghost, the kind who could take a life in a fit of anger. He didn't dare joke about such matters.
Qi Quan happened to be interested in the Ten-Worlds Virtuous Being as well. Upon hearing this, she nodded and said, "Tell me once you've set the time."
"You just returned from Longlin City. Rest for a day. How about tomorrow?" Meng Yunzheng asked.
Qi Quan nodded.
Actually, the business trip wasn't very tiring. She had already replenished her expended spiritual power during the journey.
Longjiang City Station.
Yan Geng carried a light travel bag, following behind Yan Huai. He was thin and small, his entire frame hidden behind the tall Yan Huai.
"Brother Huai, should we find a place to stay first, or go to the Investigation Department first?"
He walked with his head down, not noticing Yan Huai had stopped, and bumped into his back with a thud. He asked blankly, "What's wrong?"
Yan Huai lifted his head to look towards the northern part of the city, his brow slightly furrowed. He said coldly, "There's a powerful ghost."
"Ah?" Yan Geng followed his gaze and his expression changed. "How could such a powerful ghost appear in Longjiang City? Should we go and subdue it?"
Judging by the density of the dark energy, its level was no less than sixth.
Although his Brother Huai was only at the sixth level, once his sword left its sheath, he could challenge opponents above his level. Vanquishing a sixth-level ghost wouldn't be a problem.
Yan Huai observed intently for a moment, then withdrew his gaze. "Let's go to the Investigation Department first."
"Alright."
Longjiang City Investigation Department.
Due to Yan Wu's explosive death, the atmosphere in the department was heavy.
He was a big fish. Digging deeper could likely have uncovered the mastermind behind it all, but unfortunately, the big fish was gone.
"Do you think, since this Yan Wu is from the Yan family in Longjing, could it be that..."
"That's the Yan family. Without sufficient evidence, would you dare approach them?"
"I'm just speculating. Could we follow this line of investigation?"
"Investigate the Yan family? The number one great family in Longjing is no joke."
Great families have countless methods. If they truly did evil, they would hide it very deeply. How could they let people discover it easily?
"Sigh, just who is so sinister, arranging ghost marriages all over the country? What's the purpose? Logically, with such capability, they shouldn't lack money."
"Who knows."
"Stop chatting. Someone's coming from outside."
"Who is it?"
"It's someone from the Yan family! Remember the Mystic Arts Grand Competition two years ago? The champion whose sword never left its sheath the entire time, Yan Huai!"
"Wow, a sixth-level expert!"
"Is he here because of Yan Wu?"
"Definitely."
At the entrance of the Investigation Department, Yan Huai and Yan Geng verified their identities and were led inside by a staff member.
"He died suddenly from an internal explosion last night during interrogation. His body already... only a few scraps of cloth remain."
Yan Huai's steps halted. "He's dead?"
He didn't know Yan Wu was already dead before coming.
"We absolutely did not use torture during interrogation. If you don't believe us, we can provide the interrogation recording."
Yan Huai said expressionlessly, "Please provide the interrogation recording, as well as the evidence your department used to apprehend Yan Wu."
"Certainly."
The staff led the two into an empty office and provided backups of the evidence and interrogation video.
Yan Huai opened the file first.
It detailed the facts and evidence of Yan Wu's illegal and criminal activities.
Ghost marriages, killing police officers, harboring criminals, and so on—each and every incident was clearly listed, with a complete and sufficient chain of evidence, leaving no room for error or fabrication.
Yan Huai's voice was cold as he asked, "Which branch of the family is Yan Wu from?"
By "which branch," he meant a certain collateral line of the Yan family.
The Yan family had been passed down for centuries, with deep roots and lush branches, making its personnel extremely complex. Just the main lineage to which Yan Huai belonged had many branches. There were at least several hundred clansmen of Yan Huai's generation, not to mention those elders with extremely long lifespans.
Yan Geng answered honestly, "He should be from the line of the family head's third cousin."
Third cousin?
Somewhat close to the family head, but rather distant from Yan Huai. He had focused on cultivation since childhood, hardly recognizing everyone in the main family, and had even less impression of these more distant cousins.
Yan Huai lowered his eyes, closed the file, and opened the interrogation video.
In the interrogation video, Yan Wu revealed nothing and did not confess. The Investigation Department personnel could do nothing with him and had no choice but to leave him aside. Unexpectedly, last night, in the unsupervised interrogation room, Yan Wu's eyes suddenly bulged, and his flesh and blood exploded.
The moment his body burst, the surveillance was also destroyed, capturing only an instant of the scene.
Even that brief instant was enough to send a chill down one's spine.
Yan Geng was puzzled, "He didn't say anything, right? Why did he die suddenly? Was it self-destruction or..."
"Abandoning the pawn to save the king," Yan Huai said with a stern expression, turning off the video.
Yan Geng asked doubtfully, "But given Yan Wu's tight-lipped nature and the Investigation Department's interrogation progress, there was no need for such a move."
Yan Huai said, "There was a change last night."
"What change?"
"Father instructed me to find out the reason."
Yan Geng's expression changed slightly. "You mean, the person behind him was worried we would use the family's methods to make Yan Wu talk?"
But Yan Huai had just received the order last night; only a handful of people knew. Who could have learned the news in such a short time and remotely caused Yan Wu's death?
Wasn't this too unbelievable?
Yan Huai stood up and left.
The Investigation Department's information was no longer useful. Yan Wu's inexplicable death made him sense a whiff of conspiracy.
"Brother Huai, where are we going now?"
"To Longlin City."
"What for?"
"To find out who subdued the Wetland Fierce Ghost."
"Oh, okay. Then what about the powerful ghost in Longjiang City we just saw? Do we ignore it?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
Longlin City, Hengfeng Sect.
Yu Lanzhi was also having people search for the one who subdued the ghost.
He really didn't want to believe that the Investigation Department could have a celestial master with such profound cultivation.
Feng Ke came to report, "Master."
"Did you find anything?"
"Disciple discovered this on the formation stones in the marshland." He handed over a talisman paper.
This was left behind by Qi Quan when she repaired the formation last night.
The talisman had already lost its efficacy and was now a spent talisman, but the cinnabar marks were still clearly imprinted on the paper.
Yu Lanzhi, with his rich experience, could tell at a glance the masterful skill in talisman art possessed by the one who drew it.
He narrowed his eyes and sighed, "Who exactly is this person?"
Feng Ke remained silent.
...
With the Wetland Fierce Ghost destroyed, overnight, the status of the Hengfeng Sect seemed to plummet. Previously, the sect's gates were bustling with activity, but now they were deserted.
All the various forces in Longlin City had quieted down.
They felt the official's strong stance and, after seeing the Hengfeng Sect's defeat, none dared to stick their necks out anymore.
If this continued, the mystical world of Longlin City would be suppressed by the Investigation Department.
"How is Huan Yang?" Yu Lanzhi asked.
Feng Ke lowered his head and said, "He violated the law. It's said he will face trial and will likely go to prison."
"..."
Yu Lanzhi handed the talisman paper back to him. "Take a photo and send it to other sects and families. Ask if they have ever seen a celestial master with this style of talisman drawing."
"Yes."
Every renowned talisman master has their own unique style of drawing talismans. The more profound their cultivation, the more distinct this style becomes.
Lakeside Villa.
Qi Quan had just finished coding a chapter when she received a call from Chen Feilu.
"Master, last night Brother Ning and I caught a fourth-level red ghost!"
Qi Quan put the phone aside on speakerphone, ate some fruit, and leaned back on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Not bad."
Chen Feilu said, "I haven't told Steward Su about this yet, afraid he might worry."
"Is it related to Su Nuannuan?"
"Yes. It's also thanks to the jade pendant you gave her, otherwise she would have suffered too," Chen Feilu said. "But this is the first time I've seen a ghost formed from animals."
"Oh?"
"We handed the ghost over to the Investigation Department. They told us this morning that the ghost was formed from the combined souls of some cats and dogs, all of whom were cruelly tortured and killed. They died horribly."
The system was indignant: 【Cats and dogs are so cute, why torture and kill them!】
"It was done by one of Su Nuannuan's roommates. In high school, her family was extremely strict, which drove her to psychological distortion. She vented all her dark emotions on stray cats and dogs. It's truly cruel! However, those cats and dogs had no consciousness, had harmed innocent people, and have already been dispersed. Su Nuannuan's roommate was expelled from the university because of this."
Qi Quan's brow twitched. "Strictly managed?"
"Yes. Her parents wanted their daughter to become a phoenix, forcing her to study every day and not allowing her to do anything else. Well, now she did get into Longjing University, but she became psychologically twisted."
Qi Quan: "..."
She forced Ling Sheng to study every day. Could she also drive him to become twisted?
She asked hesitantly, "Then besides studying, what else can one do?"
Chen Feilu didn't expect the Master to be interested in this. Without thinking, he said, "Studying with your head buried in books all the time isn't good for psychological growth. You need to go out and relax at appropriate times. When I was in high school, although my parents were strict with me, they occasionally took me out on weekends. A balance between work and rest, you know."
Qi Quan: "I see."
She was making Ling Sheng study textbook knowledge and also learn to draw talismans. Thinking about it carefully, since Ling Sheng arrived at the house, he had been trapped by the word "study" and had never gone out.
Qi Quan hung up the phone and called for Su Rong.
"Steward Su, are there any places for entertainment nearby?"
Su Rong: ?
He smiled and asked, "What kind of entertainment does the Master mean?"
Qi Quan: "The kind where one can relax."
Su Rong shook his head. "I'm not really sure about that. However, Young Master Du and the others are probably very familiar with Longjiang City's entertainment venues. Why not ask them?"
"That works too."
Su Rong asked curiously, "Does the Master want to go out and relax?"
Qi Quan said, "Not me, it's for all of you."
She shouldn't favor one over the others; taking Ling Sheng but not the ghost servants wouldn't be fair.
It would be best to find a place that doesn't... require ID for entry. Ling Sheng had been back for so long, and she still hadn't taken him to get an ID.
To be precise, he was still living off the books.
It wasn't that Qi Quan didn't want to help him get one, but the timing wasn't right yet.
"All of us?" Su Rong's eyes curved into a smile. "The Master is taking us out to play?"
"Mm."
"Then I'll go ask Young Master Du and the others right now."
Su Rong smiled and left the room, opening the group chat.
【Su Rong: Are there any places nearby suitable for four people to have fun?】
【Yang Su: Oh, Steward Su is going out to play?】
【Du Jiaming: The autumn weather is clear and crisp, it's truly a great season for an outing. Housekeeper Su, would you prefer something relaxing or something more thrilling?】
【Su Rong: Anything that helps clear the mind is fine.】
【Zhang Chengyan: I have an idea! I heard there's a well-reviewed resort in Changshun County, under Longjiang City. It's only about an hour and a half drive away. Want to give it a try?】
【Yang Su: I agree! I was actually planning to check it out. If Master and Housekeeper Su are going, I'll cover all the expenses!】
【Du Jiaming: You think you'll cover it? Housekeeper Su, I've already booked the tickets for the day after tomorrow.】
【Zhang Chengyan: You're quick on the draw! Housekeeper Su, that's four people, right? I'll send a car to pick you all up the day after tomorrow!】
【Yang Su: Damn it!】
【Su Rong: Thank you for the suggestion. I'll go ask Master.】
He returned to the room and told Qi Quan about the resort.
Qi Quan nodded in agreement. "Remember to inform Xue Hong and Ling Sheng."
"Alright."
At ten o'clock in the evening, a new chapter of "Diary of the Wealthy" was updated.
[In fact, I could see ghosts since I was a child.
Once, on my way home from school, I saw a person floating in the village pond. Thinking someone was drowning, I quickly ran to the village to call for help. When I returned, however, there was nothing in the pond.
The villagers thought I was a "boy who cried wolf" type of child and scolded me disapprovingly. I desperately tried to prove I hadn't been mistaken, even describing the person's clothing and the large black mole on their chin.
But after I finished speaking, the way everyone looked at me changed.
"Her parents just died, could she have seen something unclean?"
"What she described sounds exactly like Qi Erzhu, who drowned six years ago."
"Oh dear, I always thought this girl was a bit eerie. Turns out she can see unclean things."
"Stay away from her from now on, and don't get too close to her at school, understand?"
Only then did I realize what I had seen wasn't a person, but a ghost.
From then on, no one would play with me, so I started playing with ghosts instead. I made quite a few ghost friends, and they were happy to be able to talk to a living person.
However, just as there are good and bad people, the same goes for ghosts.
I met two powerful ghosts.
They were truly formidable; all the ghosts in the village listened to them.
But, two tigers cannot share one mountain, and two powerful ghosts cannot share one village.
They both wanted to be the king among the village ghosts.
One ghost was benevolent, friendly towards the villagers, and had a strong sense of justice. If thieves or troublemakers appeared in the village, he would go and scare them away. The other ghost was malevolent, only wanting to increase his own power, regardless of the villagers' lives or deaths.
Each ghost had their own followers, and neither would yield to the other.
But just as people can be greedy, so can ghosts. More and more ghosts, arrogantly wielding their supernatural ghostly powers, began to see the villagers as ants.
The benevolent ghost wanted to uphold justice but was threatened by the malevolent ghost using the villagers' lives.
One day, an outsider ghost appeared in the village, intent on bringing disaster to the villagers.
The benevolent ghost, finding his strength insufficient, pleaded with the malevolent ghost to help protect the homeland they all depended on.
The malevolent ghost said, "Let me be the boss from now on, and I'll help you get rid of this ghost."
The benevolent ghost was caught in a dilemma.
If he agreed, the home he loved would likely lose all justice in the future. If he refused, the outsider malevolent ghost would devour the entire village in the next moment.
What should he do?
I don't know what happened next, because I had already left the village for an orphanage.
At the orphanage, no one knew I could see ghosts. I made many friends, including ghost friends.
One day, a cute and pretty ghost friend was hiding in a corner, crying very sadly.
I approached her and asked what was wrong.
She said—]
The new chapter ended abruptly.
The readers were all stunned.
【Lose 20 lbs in 3 Months: Holy crap! The author actually left it here!!!】
【I Want Male Virtue Novels: Author, you have no heart!】
【Dying from Filial Piety: You actually learned how to cliffhanger, that's great progress.】
【Pythagorean Theorem abc: Author, update quickly, don't make me beg you on my knees!】
【If You See Me, Tell Me to Prepare Lessons: Hahahaha, author, you actually learned to cliffhanger, impressive!】
【Book Famine is Deadly: Ahhhhhh! What did she say?!】
【Today is Auspicious: One hundred depth charges!】
【Today is Profitable: One hundred depth charges!】
【Auspicious and Profitable: One hundred depth charges!】
This cliffhanger by Bai Shui Zhen Ren (White Water True Person) brought out many usually lurking readers. Everyone was on tenterhooks, venting their frustration in the comments.
The system was also unbearably curious: 【Big shot, please spoil it for me, ahhhhh!】
Qi Quan remained indifferent: 【Rejected for being ugly.】
System: ……
It never imagined that as a writing system that had read countless stories, it would one day be driven mad by a cliffhanger.
Ordinary readers focused on the last line.
Some who were in the know saw the deeper meaning within the text.
【Big shot, "Nation's Fortune Enduring" has thrown five depth charges for you!】
The system said in surprise: 【He used to throw a lot more before. Why only five this time?】
It wasn't complaining about the amount, just purely curious.
Qi Quan: 【Before, it was the salary and bonuses issued. This time, it's probably from his own pocket, spending his own money.】
【Oh, right.】
【Big shot, is the orphanage incident based on your personal experience from your previous life?】
Qi Quan: 【No.】
System: 【Didn't you think my suggestion to write about supernatural stories from your past life was good?】
Qi Quan: 【It was indeed good. What I wrote is someone else's story.】
【So, what exactly did that ghost friend say?】 The system still refused to give up.
Qi Quan pretended not to hear and focused on cultivating in peace.
Late at night.
In a cheap rental apartment in Longjiang City, Mrs. Song said tearfully, "How could this happen?"
Mr. Song's voice was full of bitterness: "I don't know either."
After his injuries had mostly healed, he went out to look for a job. After all, he was once the chairman of Shengyuan Real Estate, with rich experience and considerable ability. Finding a job shouldn't have been difficult.
Unfortunately, no one was willing to hire him.
Some were willing to give him work, but with an intention to humiliate him, which Mr. Song could clearly see.
If he couldn't find a job soon, the family's livelihood would be hard to maintain.
Mrs. Song was slightly better off. With introductions from Mrs. Zhang and others, she found a job in jewelry design.
She used to do this, had some talent, but after getting married and having children, she rarely did it anymore. However, with money and leisure time, her understanding of jewelry wasn't worse than other professionals.
This job suited her well.
But she had just started and hadn't received a salary yet.
The family of three was about to face dire straits.
Song Lin recovered from his injuries extremely quickly and was already able to walk around with a cane. Pale-faced, he said, "I'll go borrow some from Yingxue to tide us over, and also try my hand at stock trading."
Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to borrow money from his fiancée either.
Moreover, since he was discharged from the hospital, Qi Yingxue hadn't visited him once.
He had some suspicions in his heart, but he didn't dare to confirm them.
Mrs. Song's tears fell: "No, I'll go borrow some from Wei Suhe and the others. They are still willing to help me."
While the Song family struggled to get by, Qi Yingxue had already returned to her film set.
After the Wei Xu case was resolved, the crew resumed filming.
To catch up on the schedule, and with a new actor for the male supporting role, everyone's filming workload was very heavy.
Qi Yingxue finished filming her scenes for the day, her head feeling heavy and muddled. As she headed to the changing room, she overheard a group of people gossiping not far from the corner.
"Why is she still in the crew? How can they still use her?"
"She's the Qi family's young lady, how could they possibly kick her out?"
"What young lady? I heard she's actually a fake heiress."
"Didn't you see the Weibo hot search last time? The comments she posted looked so vicious. You really can't judge a book by its cover."
"If she's the fake heiress, then who's the real one?"
"Have you read 'The Rich Family Diary'? The author is probably the real one."
"Ah? So she must know, right? And she still deliberately left nasty comments under the real heiress's novel?"
"Yeah, her character is really no good."
Their voices faded into the distance until they were completely gone.
The cool autumn night wind swept up dust from the ground.
Qi Yingxue felt a chill seeping from deep within her body. She couldn't help but crouch down, wrapping her arms tightly around herself.
"Teacher Qi?" A clear, pleasant voice sounded.
Qi Yingxue's heart skipped a beat. She stood up and turned her head.
It was He Yang, the newly cast male lead number two. Handsome and refined in appearance, with a gentle and composed temperament, he was thirty-two years old. He had acted in many series, remaining moderately popular in the entertainment industry for ten years until, two years ago, he suddenly exploded in popularity, his worth multiplying.
Taking on this role was merely to repay a past favor.
"Teacher He, am I in your way?"
He Yang smiled. "No, I just saw you seemed upset. Was it because the director scolded you earlier?"
"No," Qi Yingxue shook her head. "I'm just a little cold."
He Yang's expression remained gentle. "I watched your scene earlier, Teacher Qi. You acted very well, very moving."
"Thank you."
"Teacher Qi, actually, judging from both your looks and your acting skills, you should be destined for great popularity. But recently, you might have hit a bit of bad luck, causing your career to dim somewhat."
Qi Yingxue inwardly mocked herself.
Wasn't she just having a run of bad luck?
Mocked by the entire internet, her family holding grudges against her, her fiancé suddenly falling from power, and now even minor roles in the crew could gossip about her behind her back.
Heh.
She forced out a resilient yet pale smile. "Life always has its surprises. I'll be fine once I get over this hurdle."
He Yang nodded. "You're right. However, once your luck is suppressed, as long as the person suppressing your fortune remains, you'll never be able to turn things around."
"You—"
"Teacher Qi, it's late. Get some rest early."
Leaving these words behind, He Yang smiled and walked away.
Qi Yingxue stood rooted to the spot for a long moment.
Suppressed? By whom? Besides Qi Quan, who else... could it be?
Before Qi Quan returned, her life had been smooth sailing. When had she ever been this wretched?
Qi Yingxue suddenly thought of He Yang's career path.
Ten years of obscurity, then sudden, explosive fame.
Her heart gave a violent thump.
The next day, the sky was gloomy, dark clouds blocking the sun as the chill of autumn began to envelop the world.
Qi Quan got into Meng Yunzheng's car and headed for the northern suburbs.
After the Song family incident, all projects in the northern suburbs had been halted. On the desolate, remote plot of land, construction materials were piled beside the foundation, covered only with waterproof tarps, the unfinished foundation exposed.
The originally abandoned factory had already been demolished.
Meng Yunzheng parked the car by the roadside, looked up at the towering black energy, and let out a low whistle. "Heard the Wetland Fierce Ghost in Longlin City was about this level."
Qi Quan: "Mhm."
Both were Level 6 major ghosts, nearly Level 7.
However, the Wetland Fierce Ghost's energy was black tinged with red, while the ghost here in the northern suburbs had faint golden light shimmering within its black energy.
Meng Yunzheng also saw the golden light and sighed, "What a shame, truly."
The two walked towards the source of the black energy.
Sensing their approach, the major ghost gradually directed its black energy to encircle them. Qi Quan protected herself with spiritual energy, so the black energy couldn't touch her and instead swirled around Meng Yunzheng.
Meng Yunzheng: "..."
Even a Ten-Worlds Virtuous Person picks the soft persimmon to pinch?
He was only Level 4, no match for a Level 6 major ghost.
But this ghost wasn't taking an attacking stance; it was just coiling its black energy around him. If he made the first move, the energy would likely shred him instantly.
Qi Quan stopped and looked at the most concentrated mass of black energy not far away. "Come out."
The black energy churned and rolled, a hoarse voice emerging: "Who are you? What do you want?"
Knowing he was no match for Qi Quan, he dared not act recklessly.
Meng Yunzheng: "Ji Shengzhe, we've already investigated the events of that year. If we can give you justice, are you willing to find release?"
"Release?" Ji Shengzhe's voice was low and hoarse, each word seeming to weep blood. "How can I find release?"
"You—" Meng Yunzheng's eyes suddenly widened in shock, stunned on the spot.
A man's figure materialized within the black mist.
He had regular, decent features, the kind that should have belonged to a sunny, kind young man. But a pair of gloomy, dark eyes made him appear twisted.
What shocked Meng Yunzheng wasn't his face, but the strange, vein-like protrusions covering it.
These protrusions were embedded in his soul body, emitting a dim golden light—a light that originated entirely from the Virtuous Merit golden glow on his body.
In theory, the merit accumulated over nine previous lifetimes, carried into this tenth life, should have been blindingly bright, or at least brighter than a lightbulb. But the golden light on Ji Shengzhe's body was already thin and faint, and it was still continuously being siphoned away!
Meng Yunzheng was speechless with horror.
He had been forcibly trapped here for thirty years, and someone had cast a spell to steal his Virtuous Merit!
This was utterly, despicably outrageous!
All the carefully prepared words he had planned to say were thrown out of his mind.
If this had happened to him, he'd probably have gone mad long ago.
A Ten-Worlds Virtuous Person truly lived up to the name.
The system asked curiously: [Big Boss, why did Director Meng suddenly turn ashen-faced?]
Qi Quan's gaze was solemn: [Ji Shengzhe is trapped here by a spell. The Virtuous Merit on his body has also been almost completely stolen by someone.]
The system: [I beep— beep— beep—!]
All the swear words were blocked.
Anyone would turn dark after something like this!
Toiling hard accumulating merit for nine lifetimes, only to have the tenth life cut short... fine, at least the nine lifetimes of merit could ensure a pretty good reincarnation. But damn it, all the merit was actually stolen!
The system was furious to the point of incoherence. [Big Boss, if his merit hadn't been stolen, with nine lifetimes' worth, could he have directly become a Ghost King?]
And now, he was only a Level 6 ghost.
Qi Quan: [Probably.]
When she passed by before, she had glanced briefly and knew this ghost hadn't committed any killings, but she wasn't clear on the specifics. She hadn't originally planned to get involved, but now she changed her mind.
The person who stole the Virtuous Merit must not be forgiven!
"Do you remember who killed you?" she asked.
Ji Shengzhe shook his head blankly. "I don't know. I don't even know how I died."
Qi Quan: "I can break the forbidden art that's stealing your Virtuous Merit for you."
Ji Shengzhe: "Condition?"
"No conditions."
Ji Shengzhe looked at her in surprise.
Qi Quan asked, "Do you want it broken?"
"Of course!" Even after suffering such injustice, Ji Shengzhe still retained a childlike innocence.
He seemed to have no wariness towards Qi Quan and agreed without hesitation.
Qi Quan walked up to him, her expression extremely cold.
She reached out her hand. Vast spiritual energy transformed into countless points of light, slowly seeping into Ji Shengzhe's soul body, attaching to the vein-like tentacles that were siphoning his Virtuous Merit.
"It might hurt a bit."
As soon as the words fell, Ji Shengzhe let out a painful roar.
The spiritual power attached to the tentacles transformed into countless tiny hooks, deeply piercing them and pulling in one direction.
Qi Quan's expression was cold and detached, her fingertips slowly dragging the tentacles, pulling them out by the roots.
At the moment of separation, Ji Shengzhe's soul trembled in agony, yet simultaneously, he felt an extremely gentle spiritual power soothing his spirit.
His lips trembling, he arduously uttered two words.
"Th... thank you."
Above the northern suburbs, the dark clouds slowly dispersed, and golden sunlight poured down, spilling over Ji Shengzhe's soul.
He felt a warmth he hadn't known in a long time.
