Chapter 82: My Husband

When we arrived at the ancestral hall, Niu Dahuang crouched down to inspect the grains he had scattered around the coffin earlier that day. Now, they had all turned black, as if scorched.

“So it really is you!” Niu Dahuang exclaimed.

The grains he scattered had been blessed at the Mountain God Temple, capable of divining fortune and warding off evil. Their blackened state meant something sinister was lurking.

“Even binding the coffin with ink lines and sealing it can't hold you. Seems I'll need to use something stronger to deal with you,” he said, pulling a handful of glutinous rice from his pocket.

He tore off the red cloth draped over the coffin and scattered the rice onto it.

The grains rattled against the coffin, making a crackling sound. At the same time, a blood-curdling scream echoed from within.

Suddenly, there was a muffled thud from inside. The seven large silver nails on the coffin lid popped out, rolling onto the floor. The ink lines crisscrossing the coffin began to smoke and slowly faded away.

Niu Dahuang gestured for me to step back. The coffin lid cracked open, and black mist seeped from within.

Then, with a loud bang, the lid flew out of the ancestral hall, nearly hitting us.

Amidst the swirling black mist, a pair of withered hands, as thin and dark as black chicken claws, reached out from the coffin.

“Who dares disturb the affairs of this Immortal Lady?” came a chilling, spectral voice that made my scalp tingle.

Niu Dahuang and I instinctively retreated to opposite sides of the hall as the black fog thickened. Within it stood a shadowy figure, slowly drifting forward.

She gradually took form—it looked like the same suspicious apparition that had entered my room earlier. Dressed in Qing dynasty garb, she held a long smoking pipe. Her face was deeply lined, but now, she stood firmly on the ground, no longer half-floating. Her body seemed much more solid, not the half-real, half-illusory state usually seen in ghosts.

I whispered to Niu Dahuang, “She doesn’t seem like an ordinary ghost.”

He replied, “Your wife is a ghost too, but she’s cultivated a Yin body, so she appears no different from a living person. This old lady is likely the same—she’s refined her Yin body.”

I recalled Master Li’s teachings about the Yin body. Ghosts cultivate just as living beings do: refining essence into Qi, then Qi into spirit. Once they have a true spirit, they gain a Yin body, just like monsters. With a Yin body, they can assume human form. This meant the old lady’s cultivation had reached at least the level of true spirit, otherwise she couldn’t manifest a Yin body.

No wonder no one could deal with her. A ghost of such power—if even real Daoists came, they might not be able to handle it, and could even have their souls devoured.

After stepping out of the hall, the old lady sniffed the air greedily and said, “Ah… it’s been so long since I’ve encountered such fresh living scent!”

She sniffed as she looked us over, a bizarre smile on her face. “Which one of you will come over first and let me have a taste?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be so lucky,” Niu Dahuang replied, reaching for his anti-ghost tools, only to find his pockets empty.

I, too, felt strange, but couldn’t recall what was happening.

At that moment, the old lady burst into laughter, her shrill cackle dizzying. She said, “Is that so? Whether you’ll be lucky or not isn’t up to you. Even if you two are wandering Daoists with some skill, look at yourselves now—you don’t even have bodies. How will you fight me?”

We were both stunned. I glanced down and saw I was half-real, half-illusory. Turning to Niu Dahuang, he was the same.

“We’re in trouble, Yi. She’s stolen our souls!” Niu Dahuang cried, signaling me to retreat quickly.

In soul form, neither of us could use our abilities. If she captured our souls, she might really devour us, and we’d be powerless.

We turned to run, but after only a few steps, we froze in place. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her black claw-like hand resting on our shoulders.

She sniffed me, then Niu Dahuang, and paused, looking at him in surprise. “You’re still a virgin?”

The question made Niu Dahuang wish for the earth to swallow him. His expression was painfully awkward.

“Since you’re pure, I’ll try you first,” she said, opening her mouth to bite his neck.

“Wait!” I shouted.

“What, can’t wait for your turn?” The old lady turned to me, giggling.

Even with a true spirit, once the soul is hooked, it’s just an ordinary ghost soul. Only by controlling the body and adjusting Yin-Yang Qi can one wield true spirit power. Niu Dahuang was the same—his abilities depended on his physical form.

To die at her hands like this would be humiliating. I had no choice but to stall for time. “Immortal Lady, I don’t think your methods are right.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?” she asked, moving closer and sniffing me.

“Immortal Lady, did you eat many souls during the day?” I pressed, hoping to delay her.

“Yes, quite a few. But their souls were filthy, stained with blood, nowhere near as sweet as yours.”

Her mouth watered as she spoke.

“Then, may I ask who brought you those souls and knocked them out for your enjoyment?” I continued.

She sneered, “Young man, I know what you’re getting at. The Ma family deserved to die. I ate their souls as heaven’s justice. As for you two, your souls are irresistible. If you’re afraid of pain, I’ll save you for later and eat him first.”

Just then, a sudden wind swept through the courtyard.

The swirling sand made Niu Dahuang and me waver. The old lady sensed something, dragging us toward the ancestral hall.

Before she reached the hall, a woman in red appeared, blocking her path. Her red dress billowed in the wind, stunningly beautiful.

“Lady Bai, do you know who you’re holding?” the woman asked coldly.

Her commanding presence left me speechless—it was Weiyang. From the way she addressed Lady Bai, it seemed she knew the old woman.

“They’re just two wandering Daoists. They claimed to catch ghosts, overestimating themselves, and ended up in my hands. Miss Ye, are you here to split the spoils?” Lady Bai sneered.

“Fine, this older soul is yours,” she said, shoving Niu Dahuang toward Weiyang.

Weiyang caught him, formed a seal with her fingers, and tapped his temples and philtrum. With a whoosh, Niu Dahuang dissolved into blue smoke. Moments later, I heard him opening the door in the nearby house.

“You ungrateful thing! I gave you a soul to enjoy, and you returned it. How dare you!” Lady Bai fumed.

Weiyang retorted, “Lady Bai, let him go too, or don’t blame me for getting rough!”

Lady Bai snorted, “You think you can threaten me? Since you care so much for him, I’ll eat him now!”

She lunged at my neck.

At the same time, Weiyang’s eyes turned crimson.

Lady Bai froze. Weiyang’s hands, wrapped in red silk, whipped out, slashing toward Lady Bai. Realizing danger, Lady Bai tried to leap away, but the silk ensnared her, slamming her to the ground. Bound tight like a cocoon, she couldn’t escape.

Another strip of red silk wrapped around me, pulling me instantly into Weiyang’s embrace.

“Lin Yi, are you alright?” Weiyang asked worriedly, brow furrowed.

“I’m fine.” Seeing her concern, my heart felt refreshed.

She nodded, formed another seal, and tapped my brow and temples. I felt the world spin and tumble, and then opened my eyes to find myself lying in bed.

Outside, I could see Weiyang and Lady Bai.

Lady Bai climbed up, saw my soul restored, and raged, “Ye Weiyang, I respected your former status in the sect, that’s why I showed courtesy. Yet you not only refuse my kindness but restore their souls! I merely caught two random people for a snack—why must you oppose me at every turn?”

“Take a good look—are they just anyone you can grab?” Weiyang retorted.

“A young brat and an old man—what status could they possibly have? If I eat them, so be it!” Though defeated, Lady Bai remained furious.

“He is Lin Yi—my husband!” Weiyang declared. Her words startled me; it was the first time she called me her husband in front of someone else, without hesitation.

“What?”

Lady Bai was dumbfounded, glancing at me in utter shock.

The next moment, she rushed toward me. I clenched my fists, ready to defend myself, but instead, she knelt before me and bowed her head.