Half an hour later.
The red-clad malevolent ghost, bruised and swollen from its struggle, squatted on the ground, its pale eyes fixed on the small child sitting at the table, filled with overt terror and trepidation. Its left sleeve hung empty; it wasn't born with a disability, but rather, its arm had been torn off by the child, crumbled up... and then eaten.
"Hehe, Big Sister, can you speak now? If you're stubborn, Yao Yao will be just a tiny bit hungry, you know!" Yao Yao's eyes sparkled. This malevolent ghost's cultivation was not shallow, and its Yin Qi was dense, making its arm exceptionally fragrant to eat. Yao Yao felt a lingering desire for more.
"I can speak, I can speak! Please don't eat any more, my ancestor!" The red-clad female ghost shivered in fright. In all her years, both as a human and a ghost, she had never been so desperate.
"Alright, then speak!" Yao Yao was somewhat disappointed by the answer, but still stopped. She had just promised that if the ghost explained, she wouldn't eat anymore. She had to be a trustworthy child!
"Master, this matter really can't be blamed on me."
"I've been dead for so many years, and I've always been a diligent, good ghost. Someone begged me, saying that if I helped him turn his luck around and make money, he... he... would find me a man..."
The malevolent ghost, seeing that Yao Yao genuinely kept her promise and didn't act, breathed a huge sigh of relief. Then, a wave of grievance washed over her. She then spilled the beans, detailing the entire story.
Her name was Xiao Fengxian, originally from the ancient dynasty. She died too young, before marrying and naturally had no descendants. Moreover, she was the only daughter in her family.
When her parents were alive, they would still come to worship her once or twice. But decades later, after her parents passed away, her grave became a lonely, forgotten mound.
Two months ago, a man, guided by someone unknown, stealthily arrived at her grave late at night. He prepared fine wine and delicious dishes, burned incense and spirit ingots, and began making offerings to her. This was certainly a rare occurrence.
As a centuries-old ghost, Xiao Fengxian naturally knew that if someone inexplicably came to worship at a grave, they most likely had a request. However, the scent of incense and spirit ingots was simply too fragrant.
She had "eaten dirt and drunk wind" for centuries, and her mouth had long since lost all flavor. Now, faced with such a sumptuous feast, even though she knew the other party had ulterior motives, she couldn't resist.
Xiao Fengxian thought, 'I'm already dead, anyway. Ghosts eating offerings aren't like living people who can tell if something's missing. They mainly consume the 'qi' within it.' All living flesh and blood possess 'qi', which maintains their vitality.
In food, this is most directly manifested in taste and nutrition. Without 'qi', food might look perfectly fine on the surface, but when actually eaten, it would taste like chewing wax. Moreover, no matter how much was eaten, the body wouldn't receive corresponding nutrition, merely filling up with empty calories.
Of course, if what the latter asked was within her capabilities, helping this sensible junior wouldn't be an issue. After all, give and take makes for a lasting relationship. Having convinced herself of this,
she feasted heartily. The food was very rich and prepared with care, which inexplicably gave her a good impression of the worshiper. Thus, she leisurely waited for him to state his request.
However, who knew the latter had such patience? He didn't make any wish. In fact, several subsequent times, he also said nothing, which made her wonder if she was overthinking things. But suddenly one day, the latter came again, his expression weary.
He mumbled a long, incoherent story. The female ghost learned that he had encountered difficulties, that he couldn't overcome them, and that he probably wouldn't come to worship again.
This immediately panicked the female ghost, who had become addicted to offerings. When she died, she was still too inexperienced to see through the cunning "fishing" techniques of the present era.
So, that very night, she entered his dream and gave him a great deal of help, thereby successfully helping him overcome his difficulties. After that, the latter's offerings became even more frequent. And when he learned that she had died unmarried, he suddenly proposed taking the initiative to choose a Netherworld Marriage partner for her.
"I... I refused at first, but he... showed me a picture of Young Master Ke, and I... agreed." Xiao Fengxian's voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost inaudible. She really couldn't be blamed.
This boy simply appealed too much to her preferences. Moreover, his eyebrows and eyes subtly resembled the top scholar she had admired during her lifetime...
"Although he helped me sign the Netherworld Marriage contract, I truly didn't mean to harm anyone, Master. Please believe me." Her emotions were somewhat agitated, not because she was timid,
but because after becoming a ghost, she had an indistinct awareness that if she harmed anyone, there would be great terror. Not daring to harm people was one thing; furthermore, she genuinely liked this man and would never harm him.
"Big Sister, even if you didn't intend to harm Big Brother, the Yin Qi on you is essentially poison to Big Brother!" Yao Yao's chubby little face was now furrowed, her milky voice very serious. Of course, she knew the latter hadn't harmed anyone.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have held back the power of her Soul-Reaping Chains just now. The moment it pierced through the chest, the other party would have been annihilated.
"This matter was indeed my indiscretion." A hint of awkwardness flashed across the latter's pale face. Yao Yao, seeing that the latter admitted her mistake quickly, revealed a sweet smile.
She had been worried that this Big Sister wouldn't admit her mistake! If that were the case, it would have been difficult for her, as the latter hadn't harmed anyone, so it wouldn't have been right to be too harsh.
"Big Sister, you and Big Brother are, after all, of different realms, human and ghost. And the Netherworld Marriage contract was also formed by deceiving Big Brother."
"Such a relationship is not good. It's inherently unfair. Regardless of whether you truly like Big Brother, Yao Yao will intervene to dissolve this relationship." The ghost occupying the latter's marriage palace was originally a problem because husband and wife are one entity—this wasn't just a simple platitude.
The longer the relationship between husband and wife, the more their destinies intertwine. For the living, it might not be a major issue, but for the dead, it's different. The destiny of the dead has essentially been erased from the heavens and earth;
the more they become entangled with the illusory and unknown, the more they will encounter unspeakable great terrors. Most directly, this leads to financial ruin and bad luck...
Xiao Fengxian opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed her words, because the meaning in the latter's eyes clearly wasn't open for negotiation. "I... I... will leave it to Master to decide." She reluctantly glanced at the man sitting in the chair. Afterward, she withdrew her gaze and slowly lowered her head.
Seeing her expression, Yao Yao sighed deeply. This female ghost sister indeed had some karmic entanglement with Big Brother. However, it was ultimately a shallow fate, far from a predestined bond spanning lifetimes. Since they missed their chance back then, there would be no further connection.
"By decree!" Yao Yao slowly extended her small hand, like plucking a zither string, and abruptly severed the marriage thread between the human and the ghost.
"Ah!" With the severing of the marriage thread, Xiao Fengxian couldn't help but let out a cry of pain, her face turning slightly pale. However, that was the extent of it. After all, she hadn't relied on plundering and devouring the fated person's qi and blood, otherwise the backlash would have been far greater.
As for the other party involved?
Ke Xiaodong only felt as if some shackles had broken on him, and he experienced an indescribable sense of lightness!
"Master, I... I... what happened to me?" he asked, somewhat shocked.
Yao Yao paused before remembering that Big Brother was a mortal and couldn't see or hear ghosts. So, she patiently recounted what she had just done.
Ke Xiaodong fell silent upon hearing this. To be honest, he was quite angry at first, inexplicably gaining a "ghost wife." Who would be happy about that? But upon reflection, the latter had at most caused him some embarrassment and no significant actual harm. Since the Master had already helped him resolve it, then so be it.
"But Master, you have to make her tell me who that bastard was who harmed me so badly!" Ke Xiaodong clenched his previously loosened fists again. If his mother hadn't found the Master this time, he might have ended up suffering from 'depletion of essence' and dying. If he had died like that, he wouldn't have the face to meet his ancestors in the afterlife.
However, things weren't much better now. His poor mental state during this period couldn't be hidden. Rumors about him 'messing around' outside were rampant at school. His roommate even showed him some messages; some bastard had created a school-wide "Mr. Exhausted" ranking, and he was firmly in first place, hundreds of votes ahead of second.
"I know this! Big Sister said his name is Qin Zheng, but that's not his real name. He lied to Big Sister." Yao Yao knew how to build suspense. Hearing the first half of the sentence, K
e Xiaodong was about to retort that he didn't know anyone named "Qin Zheng." But before the words could leave his mouth, he heard the Master take a sharp turn in the conversation, causing his words to catch in his throat.
"Cough... cough," he cleared his throat and asked, "Then, Master, do you know his name?" His inner thought was more of exasperation; the other person even deceived a ghost, their character was truly questionable. Since he had suffered such a great loss this time, he had to get his revenge no matter what.
"Of course I can," Yao Yao replied softly. "His real name is Ban Jie!"
As soon as these words were uttered, Ke Xiaodong froze. His face was filled with disbelief. Many suspicious names had flashed through his mind, but he had never considered the person the Master mentioned. Because the other party was none other than his usually good roommate, with whom he often laughed and chatted. He couldn't understand what motive the latter could possibly have.
Yao Yao shook her head and said, "Big Brother, it's very simple. Because he felt that you stole the girl he liked, and he wants to take revenge on you!"
The cause of this matter was somewhat clichéd. The girl the person who wanted to harm Big Brother liked only had eyes for Big Brother and completely ignored him. Normally, if a relationship didn't work out, both parties would simply move on.
After all, the concept of 'fate in marriage' is largely about destiny; it's not a big deal. However, the latter's personality had a problem. He didn't think it was a matter of fate not aligning, but rather believed that the girl had been stolen from him. And during that time, Big Brother often walked around with the girl. Over time, the other person naturally overthought things.
He was extremely petty and enjoyed taking revenge. He somehow learned that by worshiping at graves and making offerings, one could ask ghosts and deities for help. And then, without any fear, he directly tried it.
It turned out he was lucky enough to encounter Fengxian, who had no intention of harming people, and his offerings were very sincere. And so, through this back and forth, he almost succeeded.
Yao Yao's expression was strange; she didn't quite understand why such foolish and malicious people would possess such inexplicable luck. But that didn't matter. She had already saved the fated one, and he would handle the rest himself.
Qing Yun, who had listened from beginning to end, suddenly felt a pang of emotion. In this world, not only must one guard against arson and theft, but now, one must also add a new precaution: guarding against one's own brothers!
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