Time rewound to half an hour earlier.

Qingfeng Temple.

The square of the temple was now in complete chaos. Tables, chairs, and benches were all shattered across the ground, and a female ghost in red was in the center, painfully burned by a talisman.

Around the female ghost, four people lay slumped on the ground, clearly exhausted from a fierce battle.

“Wangxing! Where did you find such an effective talisman?”

The young man with naturally smiling lips panted heavily and shouted excitedly to the boy beside him.

The boy he called to panted as well, and after hearing his friend, he weakly replied: “I drew it myself. The temple master taught me before—it’s a purification talisman. He said it was difficult, and I hadn’t tried before. I didn’t expect it to work on the first try. I really am a genius, hehe.”

He said this while his eyes darted around and collapsed to the ground, still protecting the little boy behind him.

The little boy had just been rescued from the basement of the fierce ghost. The other two didn’t know why he had appeared there, but seeing his picturesque features, they didn’t dare leave him in the basement and kept him close instead.

Now, the little boy clung to the boy’s sleeve in terror, pressing tightly against his side.

“Brother Ye, are you okay?”

He asked worriedly, small and helpless like an abandoned kitten.

The boy patted the little boy’s back and ruffled his hair, comforting him: “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s okay, don’t be afraid, ah—”

Ye Wangxing forcibly swallowed the rest of the word, so it sounded like he was merely saying “ah” to soothe someone.

He quickly looked up at the female ghost, whose black aura was almost completely eroded by the talisman, and shouted to the young man beside him: “Dalu! Did you find out who the ‘Brother Li’ the female ghost mentioned is? If you can’t find him, go check the local news from before!”

The young man pushed up his glasses, glanced at the little boy clinging to his friend, his eyes flickering briefly with a dark light, and then searched as his friend instructed, shouting.

“Found it, found it! This temple was originally a bandit camp. After the founding of the country, bandits still roamed here, but all of them were publicly tried and sentenced in the crackdown of the 1980s!”

As the young man spoke, Ye Wangxing shouted excitedly to the female ghost: “Big sister! Big sister! We found the person who harmed our brother-in-law! They were executed back in the 1980s! If they’re reborn as animals, it’s enough for them to reincarnate over eighty times!”

While the boy joyfully held his phone to communicate with the female ghost, the man leaning against the pillar, still bleeding, frowned.

‘Last life, that guy surnamed Lu didn’t find this news so quickly. He and Master Ye—no, now it should be Young Master Ye—almost got killed by that female ghost before discovering it.’

‘Perhaps my slight changes caused a butterfly effect, letting that Lu find it early? Tsk, I had originally planned to wait until they were nearly killed to intervene, gaining their gratitude and seizing this opportunity. What a pity.’

Zhou Tianning stood in a Taoist robe like the mischievous young Taoist that monsters in storybooks liked to seduce.

Unbeknownst to others, his mind focused entirely on seizing others’ opportunities.

The jade pendant around his neck faintly emitted black aura. A person with Taoist cultivation could see that though Zhou Tianning looked righteous, he was actually engaged in raising ghosts.

‘Should I kill that boy now, my lord?’

A voice spoke in his mind. Zhou Tianning frowned and replied in his mind to the fierce ghost he had contracted with: ‘No, not yet—it’s not the right time. First, find a chance to kill Tang Fang.’

Zhou Tianning said lightly, glancing at his phone. He had just sent a message to Tang Fang. As long as he was useful now, Tang Fang would surely bring people over, conveniently helping with the aftermath.

Thinking of that man, Zhou Tianning’s eyes flashed with killing intent.

In his previous life, he had trusted that scumbag, promoted him to president, and was kicked aside, dragging the Zhou family into ruin and leaving them powerless. He had been reduced to an ordinary person.

On his thirtieth birthday, unable to endure the blow, he committed suicide by charcoal burning.

Before dying, he saw the news pop up on his phone, Tang Fang stood beside the powerful Master Ye.

He then recalled that when he first met Tang Fang, Ye Wangxing’s talent had been even greater, but he had been blind, always supporting Tang Fang. As a result, Tang Fang reached the presidency.

Now, he thought, if he could seize Ye Wangxing’s opportunity and grow stronger, he could naturally attain that position.

If others could sit there, why couldn’t he?

He returned to reclaim everything!

Moreover… Zhou Tianning held the jade pendant to his chest, his expression soft.

He also wanted to protect the ghost husband he had abandoned in his previous life.

He didn’t notice the young man who had been watching Ye Wangxing the whole time now looked at him with a hint of hostility.

“…Thank you, young comrade. If not for you, I would have wasted my years in vain and might have harmed others.”

The red-clad fierce ghost returned to her normal form after her resentment vanished, her two long black braids falling over her shoulders, radiating the simple beauty of that era.

“I didn’t do much. It’s mainly thanks to the government crackdown, and that news was actually found by my childhood friend.”

Young Master Ye smiled, ruffling his hair, his handsome face full of embarrassment as he was thanked by the fierce ghost.

His black round eyes and the nose turned pink from intense activity reminded the red-clad fierce ghost of the white Tao pine she had raised as a child.

Her heart instantly softened by three more points.

“…This Soul-Nurturing Jade has been the treasure that allowed me to survive until now. I’m about to reincarnate, so I won’t need it. If it were taken by a villain, it could cause trouble, so I’ll give it to you.”

The fierce ghost smiled and hung the jade pendant, green as jade, around the boy’s neck.

Ye Wangxing couldn’t refuse, but after taking the pendant, he spoke seriously: “Sister, if you don’t mind, I could set up a couple’s grave for you and brother-in-law in the public cemetery later?”

“That won’t be necessary. Grave prices have risen higher than housing costs. Since you live in the temple, I wouldn’t want you to spend unnecessarily. Just light a perpetual lamp for us, and it will be enough.”

Ye Wangxing fell silent: “…Sister, that really cuts deep.”

The red-clad fierce ghost didn’t respond, only smiling as she entered a door that had suddenly appeared behind her.

The battle with the fierce ghost had finally ended.

After catching his breath, Ye Wangxing stood up, holding the Soul-Nurturing Jade, and began wailing to his childhood friend, fretting about how to explain everything when the temple master returned.

“…Tables, chairs, benches—all of that costs money! Luckily, the founder wasn’t here, or it would have been too disrespectful.”

He wailed, spinning in circles like a small dog worried about being caught after wrecking a house.

“All right, all right, I’ll lend you money. If you can’t repay, you can come live at my place and do housework for life to pay it back.”

Lu Shi seemed to understand what he would say next when he heard the wailing. He looked at the energetic boy in front of him with a gentle gaze but teased aloud: “Ah! Dalu, I love you so much!”

Ye Wangxing immediately pounced on his childhood friend, careful to avoid the wound, and then shouted excitedly.

The young man laughed and hugged Ye Wangxing, and they started play-fighting.

Zhou Tianning watched them, a hint of contempt in his eyes. He noticed Lu’s gaze toward Young Master Ye carried something unusual—as if reminiscing.

Zhou Tianning felt something was off, but just as he was thinking, he turned and met the eyes of the little boy who had been rescued.

…The boy’s expression of grievance seemed even heavier than the ghost’s resentment earlier.

Zhou Tianning shivered and muttered to himself, wondering why he hadn’t seen the boy like this in his previous life.

While Zhou Tianning pondered, Ye Wangxing finally finished playing with his childhood friend and spoke to him:

“Big brother, thanks for what you did just now. If not for you, I probably would be dead. Should we go to a hospital? I know someone there.”

Zhou Tianning frowned again at Ye Wangxing’s overly familiar tone.

‘Two lifetimes, and I still can’t get used to his tendency to be familiar with everyone. At least now, since I’ve seized his opportunity, I don’t have to endure it, right?’

He walked over to Ye Wangxing, thinking it, but didn’t stop speaking: “Thanks, but these minor injuries can be healed back home.”

Zhou Tianning smiled faintly.

Young Master Ye, clearly one to repay kindness, checked on Zhou Tianning again and promised that if he ever needed help, he wouldn’t refuse.

“…Actually, I do have one ungracious request.”

Zhou Tianning pretended to hesitate and then spoke: “I wonder if your Soul-Nurturing Jade is for sale. I can offer 8 million.”

Ye Wangxing froze, his handsome face showing confusion, as if wealth had stunned him. After a long pause, his articulate mouth finally made a sound like a duck: “Gah?”

Zhou Tianning didn’t raise his offer recklessly, only patiently repeating his words.

Just as he finished, he felt a scorching gaze.

Zhou Tianning looked up and met the eyes of Lu, standing beside Ye Wangxing. Lu’s gaze was dark and hostile, as if looking at an enemy.

Zhou Tianning didn’t understand why Lu looked at him with such hostility. In his previous life, after today’s events, Lu had simply left. Although he had contact with Ye Wangxing later, it had only been as a friend.

Now he acted like a vicious dog, and Zhou Tianning didn’t know why.

Then he felt another gaze on him. Zhou Tianning frowned, realizing it was the little boy Ye Wangxing had rescued.

In his previous life, after being saved, the boy quickly left Ye Wangxing’s side, like Lu, going about his own life. Ye Wangxing rarely interacted with them besides occasional calls.

Now, their gazes made Zhou Tianning shiver, as if surrounded by vicious dogs.

Fortunately, Young Master Ye realized this, slightly adjusting the curve of his mouth before speaking: “Big brother, 8 million is a bit too much. I don’t want to take your money. Let’s wait until Master comes back—ah!”

Zhou Tianning had originally been watching Ye Wangxing, waiting for his decision, but in reality, he was already determined to succeed.

However, the next second, Ye Wangxing who had just spoken in front of him, suddenly disappeared from Zhou Tianning’s sight.

He instinctively took a step back and assumed a cautious stance.

Before Zhou Tianning could fully react, he felt a chilling and overwhelmingly oppressive aura pressing down on him from above.

It felt like a mountain crushing him, or like being submerged in the deep sea.

The black energy in the Soul-Nurturing Jade on his chest almost dissipated under the pressure.

Zhou Tianning was already seriously injured, and this sudden force immediately made him spit out a mouthful of blood.

His mind was still somewhat confused, unsure of what was happening, but his body reacted faster than his brain.

It was a shivering sensation radiating from his marrow—a feeling he had only ever experienced from one person in both his previous and current lives.

Or rather, from a ghost.

He forced himself to lift his head, and sure enough, that familiar yet strange figure was standing above him.

The Ghost Emperor, Xie Jiu.

He had appeared in his previous life as well, back when the Zhou family was still part of the Spiritual Association. After the spiritual energy revived, in a certain hidden realm, this figure had once fought a great battle with Ye Wangxing.

Zhou Tianning didn’t know the specifics, only that Ye Wangxing had been severely injured, almost dying, while the Ghost Emperor emerged completely unharmed, crushing everyone else with his presence.

But…

His appearance was supposed to be after the spiritual energy revival! At this moment, he should have been resting in the underworld. Why was he here?

Zhou Tianning thought in disbelief.

He then heard Master Li Guan’s voice, brimming with force, seemingly trying to seek justice for his apprentice, only to be pressed to the ground the next second, unable to move.

At this point, Zhou Tianning couldn’t care about past grudges, he had to escape this oppressive force as quickly as possible.

He prepared himself, even ignoring the subtle grit in the Ghost Emperor’s voice.

—Until that decisive “I don’t believe it” echoed.

Master Li Guan nearly collapsed onto the ground, and Zhou Tianning wasn’t much better. A bitter sweetness touched his throat, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Then he looked up at the figure in the sky in disbelief.

…Huh?

It wasn’t just Zhou Tianning who was incredulous, everyone present wore ridiculously stunned expressions.

The people in the center of the temple were blank-faced, while Master Li Guan and his colleagues looked dumbfounded.

The two who had been about to act also looked up, frozen in shock.

The Ghost Emperor didn’t care about the effect his words had on others—or perhaps he simply didn’t look down. He even held Ye Wangxing, who was struggling desperately, preventing him from breaking free.

He fixed his gaze on Ye Wangxing darting eyes and spoke slowly, word by word: “Boy, are you treating me like a fool? Who in their right mind would kiss their enemy for this reason?”

The Ghost Emperor’s voice was eerie, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression.

Zhou Tianning agreed internally, indeed, who would think it reasonable to kiss their enemy? Wouldn’t that cause nightmares at night?

Yet Ye Wangxing in his grasp continued to struggle violently, seemingly unaware of the pressure, trying to pull his face away from the Ghost Emperor’s hand.

While struggling, Ye Wangxing spoke, feeling wronged: “Why would I kiss my enemy? An enemy isn’t a lover! Of course, I kissed him just to annoy him!”

He grew more aggrieved, tugging harder at the man’s hand, veins bulging in his arms. If this had been an ordinary person, they probably wouldn’t have held out—either their arm would break or the muscle tear.

But to the Ghost Emperor, his arm didn’t move at all, his expression even carried a faint trace of knowing amusement.

“So… you wouldn’t kiss your enemy?”

Ye Wangxing nodded with difficulty.

The Ghost Emperor seemed satisfied with this answer. He released Ye Wangxing face and even thoughtfully set him down on the ground.

Master Li Guan and his colleagues exhaled in relief, and though Zhou Tianning remained slightly puzzled about the Ghost Emperor’s intentions, he also felt somewhat relaxed.

‘Looks like this is about to end’ Zhou Tianning thought, watching the Ghost Emperor in red descend to the plaza center with Ye Wangxing.

Ye Wangxing also seemed incredulous. He stared at the Ghost Emperor’s actions, eyes wide, but reacted in time to move away.

Yet before he could take a step, the Ghost Emperor pinched his face again, making his cheeks puff out slightly.

Zhou Tianning instinctively grasped his talisman again, thinking perhaps the Ghost Emperor intended to attack.

But before Zhou Tianning could attempt to flee, an utterly shocking scene unfolded.

The Ghost Emperor sliced open his own wrist, forcibly pouring the flowing ghost blood into Ye Wangxing mouth.

No matter how much Ye Wangxing struggled, he couldn’t resist the Ghost Emperor’s strength and magic, and he was forced to swallow the drop of ghost blood.

The next second, a crimson red line appeared, connecting the hearts of both of them.

A sudden strong wind swept across the central plaza, blinding everyone present. Only the Ghost Emperor’s voice could be heard through the gust, and Zhou Tianning thought the words sounded familiar, though he couldn’t make them out clearly.

When the strong wind finally subsided, Zhou Tianning opened his eyes and saw that the Ghost Emperor had already released Ye Wangxing.

Ye Wangxing was checking himself all over, turning this way and that like a monkey searching for fleas.

But after searching for a long time, he didn’t find any new marks on his body. Then, as if he had realized something, he looked shocked and formed a hand seal.

The red line appeared again, but the plaza no longer had the raging winds from before.

Zhou Tianning didn’t know what spell Ye Wangxing had cast, since in his previous life, Ye Wangxing had been like this—effortlessly using all sorts of strange and rare spells.

Zhou Tianning had long concluded that it must be due to the opportunities Ye Wangxing had gained later, which allowed him to know these spells.

However, he remained very puzzled, or rather, he had been puzzled ever since the Ghost Emperor appeared today.

Why did the Ghost Emperor appear here at this time?

Why did he ask Ye Wangxing that question? And after getting the answer, why did he not believe it?

Why had the Ghost Emperor poured ghost blood into Ye Wangxing’s mouth?

And the red line that appeared between them—why did it look so familiar?

Filled with questions, Zhou Tianning closely observed Ye Wangxing and the Ghost Emperor’s actions.

He saw Ye Wangxing staring blankly at the red line after forming the hand seal, pointing back and forth between himself and the Ghost Emperor like a fool.

The Ghost Emperor, however, seemed satisfied and did not get angry, he merely looked at Ye Wangxing’s silent performance with a teasing expression.

His chin was raised, a slight smile played at the corners of his mouth, and his appearance was captivating.

He had withdrawn his oppressive aura, which meant Master Li Guan and the others could probably move again.

However, when Master Li Guan’s colleagues reached him, they saw him still on the ground, mouth agape, staring motionless at his apprentice and the Ghost Emperor.

It was only when Fang Shitai, who had a good relationship with Master Li Guan, patted him that he snapped out of that stunned state.

“What’s with the shocked look? What did that red line represent?”

Fang Shitai was genuinely curious. Being a Buddhist practitioner, she didn’t know much about Taoist spells, and the Ghost Emperor’s magic was not ordinary. It was normal that she didn’t recognize it.

Besides, didn’t she see that Zhou Tianning also looked puzzled? It must indeed be a rare spell.

Master Li Guan trembled as he stared at the red line, his hands shaking like someone with Parkinson’s, nearly miscounting fingers as six on the left and seven on the right.

“If I’m not… seeing things, that red line represents…”

“An oath of unity.”

Fang Shitai and her colleagues finally realized what an oath of unity was, and Ye Wangxing wailing echoed across the plaza.

“—Are you insane?! You gave a marriage contract to someone you just met?! Have you been dead too long that your brain is broken?!”

“……??????”

Everyone present gasped in shock.

When Tang Fang arrived with others, this was the scene he saw.

Under the obstruction of his colleagues, Master Li Guan cried and wailed at Ye Wangxing in the center of the plaza, more sorrowfully than a father at his daughter’s wedding.

Meanwhile, Ye Wangxing was simultaneously consoling the delicate young boy who had thrown himself into his arms, while holding back a young man brimming with anger, seemingly ready to fight.

Zhou Tianning, who had sent the message, sat leaning against a pillar, staring blankly at the scene

—He couldn’t help but think that the posture really resembled Xianglin Sao.

The most striking, however, was the red-clad fierce ghost in the center of the plaza. Just its presence made Tang Fang nervous, realizing why Zhou Tianning had sent a message for help.

When Tang Fang saw the Ghost Emperor’s face, he was shocked and looked at Zhou Tianning in disbelief.

‘Me? Fight the Ghost Emperor? Is this for real?’

After everything was explained, Tang Fang couldn’t believe it even more.

His expression mirrored Master Li Guan’s from a few minutes earlier.

He extended his hand, trembling like someone with Parkinson’s, and pointed at the Ghost Emperor while speaking to the stunned Ye Wangxing: “You’re telling me, the Ghost Emperor, has formed an oath of unity with you? And now, you require registration as married in the human world?”

Ye Wangxing buried his face in his hands, letting out a wail, while the Ghost Emperor floated beside him in the air, looking completely justified.

Meanwhile, his friend surnamed Lu frowned as he sent messages, and the young boy rescued by him clutched Ye Wangxing arm, crying.

Ye Wangxing friend seemed to be trying to figure something out, but even Master Li Guan couldn’t think of a solution—how could he?

While Tang Fang thought this, the young man wearing glasses, as if seeing good news, immediately took out his phone and approached Ye Wangxing to show him the message.

Under Ye Wangxing incredulous gaze, the youth smiled shyly: “Wangxing, we were betrothed from birth. If you want to register as married, I should go first, right?”

The Ghost Emperor snorted disdainfully: “A birth betrothal? How can that compare to a heavenly oath?”

But Lu Shi didn’t give up. Still smiling, he said: “Our parents formally signed the marriage certificate and respected Heaven and Earth. I’m the legitimate spouse, at most, you’re the second wife.”

Ye Wangxing, who had buried his face in his hands, finally couldn’t hold back and screamed: “No! Lu, what are you saying?! What legitimate spouse, what second wife? I never intended to get married!”

At that moment, the young boy who had been crying and holding Ye Wangxing arm quietly wiped his tears, stood up, and whispered: “Um, can I be the third wife? Even as a concubine, I wouldn’t mind…”

Ye Wangxing looked at the chaotic scene and let out another piercing shriek.

“—What nonsense are you causing now?!”

 

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