The pus and rotten flesh on Zhao Jiayao’s body fell off in chunks, the decayed flesh turning into mud, the blood into streams, emitting a nauseating stench of rot.
Shi Pengpeng, fearing contamination from the corpse poison, quickly took two steps back.
As the flesh and blood completely peeled away, a stark white skeleton was revealed.
The cold wind whistled through the hollow skull, making a “ho ho” sound.
The skeleton, still unwilling to give up, waved its long arms, trying to grab Shi Pengpeng.
“Still causing trouble, thinking you’re the White Bone Demon?” Shi Pengpeng sneered, raising her hand.
The Four Symbols Talisman Array activated once more, instantly binding the skeleton and pressing it to the ground.
Two more talisman flames ignited, setting the skeleton, the mud of flesh and blood on the ground, and the massive paper house standing on the hillside ablaze.
The paper house, originally burned from the mortal world, had become a thing of the underworld, impervious to ordinary flames.
Only the talisman flames, imbued with the essence of Yin and Yang, could erase it.
The yang fire blazed fiercely, and all illusions turned to smoke.
Zhao Jiayao let out a piercing wail, but it was futile.
Whether it was the wealth of the mortal world or the glory after death, everything vanished into thin air.
Shi Pengpeng clapped his hands, “I told you I’d make your grave smoke, and I delivered.”
On the other side of the hill.
Yan Jing was cornered by a dense crowd of paper effigies, with a steep, pitch-black slope behind him, covered in tall grass, making it impossible to see how deep it was.
With no way to retreat, Yan Jing had no choice but to stop and face the paper effigies head-on.
The clouds had dispersed, and the silvery moonlight shone down, revealing flat, pale faces.
Countless black holes replaced their eyes, staring straight at him.
Though they had no expressions, they exuded a strong sense of greed.
The red paper mouths opened and closed, emitting a chilling, thin sound—
“Yi-yi—”
“It’s it’s a body we can possess—”
The paper effigies were originally lifeless, without souls, only a breath of yin energy keeping them active.
Normally, they couldn’t possess a living person’s body.
The stiff paper hands raised one after another, eagerly reaching out to tear at Yan Jing.
“Damn it!” Yan Jing felt like he was falling apart, cursing silently in his heart, “Shi Pengpeng, you’re still such a jinx.”
Then, in a last-ditch effort, he closed his eyes and swept his leg, kicking the two closest paper effigies away.
Though he hadn’t formally trained like Shi Pengpeng, he had learned some self-defense martial arts, and handling one or two paper effigies wasn’t a problem.
But there were simply too many paper effigies, and they were mindless.
After losing control of the grave array, they acted purely on instinct.
Even if knocked down, as long as their limbs were intact, they would immediately get back up.
“So want, so want to possess, give me—”
“He’s mine-“
At first, Yan Jing’s limbs felt weak, acting purely on instinct, but gradually, he became numb, and his strikes grew stronger.
However, two fists were no match for four hands, and with the yin energy attached to the paper effigies, each punch felt like hitting a block of ice.
Over time, his limbs stiffened without him noticing.
As his movements slowed slightly, a paper effigy seized the opportunity and grabbed his wrist.
“Yi ya ” The paper effigy’s mouth opened wide, filled with the greed of a ghost, “Got it—”
Yan Jing felt a bone-chilling cold in his wrist, as if ice needles were piercing his pulse.
The yin energy rushed through his bones, quickly spreading through his body, almost freezing him entirely.
The hollow eyes of the paper effigy widened in disbelief, as if it couldn’t believe what was happening.
“Yin and Yang-reversible—”
At the critical moment, Yan Jing’s wrist suddenly twisted.
He had always worn a high-end branded watch, which most people saw as just another accessory of the wealthy, rarely paying it much attention.
As his wrist turned, a faint talisman technique rippled out.
“Qilin has arrived “Yan Jing murmured softly.
In the distance, a roar of a beast seemed to echo.
The paper effigy that had been gripping him let out a piercing scream and vanished instantly.
Seeing this, the other paper effigies grew fearful and turned to flee.
Yan Jing’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled a bit.
Just then, a familiar girl’s voice cut through the night air.
“So, you’re the ones bullying my Jingjing!”
Two talismans appeared amidst the crowd of paper effigies, and flames erupted, instantly igniting the paper figures that filled the mountainside.
Amidst the blazing fire, Shi Pengpeng walked forward, dressed in a red paper wedding gown.
She reached out her hand to him, smiling brightly. “Brother, I’m here to save you.”
Yan Jing instinctively blinked.
The flames were so intense that they blurred his vision, and for a moment, he mistook her paper gown for a real wedding dress.
Her smiling eyes resembled a sparkling spring pond, adorned with peach blossoms.
Yan Jing’s heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly began to race uncontrollably, leaving him momentarily stunned.
“Brother? Brother?” Shi Pengpeng waved her hand in front of his face, making a chopping motion.
“Don’t be scared, I’ve taken care of these things.”
Yan Jing snapped out of it, feeling slightly embarrassed, and turned his head away, coughing lightly.
“Who said I was scared?”
Shi Pengpeng found it amusing but quickly corrected herself. “Oh, my mistake then.”
Yan Jing: “……..”
Like the paper house, the paper effigies were already yin entities that had been burned once.
The talisman flames merely incinerated the remaining yin energy.
Soon, the dense crowd of paper effigies disappeared completely, leaving not even a trace of ash.
The empty hillside was now only swaying with unyielding silvergrass.
“Let’s go,” Shi Pengpeng beckoned, taking a couple of steps forward.
When she noticed Yan Jing hadn’t moved, she turned back, puzzled. “Brother, what’s wrong?”
Yan Jing looked at her hand.
Had she been about to hold his?
After a moment of hesitation, he awkwardly spoke up, “My leg seems to be cramping. Can you help me up?”
“Sure.” Shi Pengpeng didn’t think much of it and extended her hand again. “Here.”
“Mm.”
Yan Jing grasped her hand.
Her slender, soft palm, with its unique warmth, instantly soothed the tension he had felt all night. “Alright.”
And so, Shi Pengpeng carefully led Yan Jing by the hand as they walked back.
Along the way, she asked, “I think I saw the Qilin talisman technique earlier. Did you use it?”
Zhong Ziqing had once mentioned that Yan Jing possessed a Qilin talisman.
Yan Jing, who had been gazing at their overlapping shadows, absentmindedly replied, “Mm.”
“Impressive,” Shi Pengpeng remarked.
“As expected of a natural-born master of Yin and Yang. My classmates could stay up all night memorizing incantations and still not match your innate talent.”
Yan Jing snapped back to reality, his eyelid twitching. “Are you taking this chance to subtly mock me?”
“You’re too paranoid,” Shi Pengpeng replied without changing her expression.
“Getting angry harms your health.”
Yan Jing sneered, “I’ll just cut your salary later, and you’ll behave.”
Shi Pengpeng instantly changed her tone, “I was wrong. You’re not a sly person at all. You’re the best dad in the world.”
She was incredibly adaptable.
“……” Yan Jing was both amused and exasperated by her.
This money-grubber only had eyes for cash!
He could only shake his head helplessly, “You…”
Shi Pengpeng giggled, then asked curiously, “Who drew that talisman for you? It looks pretty impressive. Can I take a look?”
Yan Jing didn’t hesitate, “No.”
Shi Pengpeng didn’t expect such a blunt refusal and wrinkled her nose, “How stingy.”
Yan Jing’s expression stiffened slightly.
After a pause, he added, “That talisman is embedded in my watch. It’s not easy to take out.”
“Oh,” Shi Pengpeng said casually, “Never mind then.”
Yan Jing glanced down at her, “Don’t you know how to draw them yourself?”
“I do, but I’ve never been very good at it,” Shi Pengpeng sighed.
“Drawing talismans like that takes too much mental energy. I managed it once when I was a kid, but I’ve never been in the right state of mind since…”
Yan Jing seemed to recall something as well, his gaze deepening. “Hmm,” he murmured, “I didn’t expect that talisman to still work either.”
His voice was low, almost as if he were speaking to himself.
Shi Pengpeng was puzzled and wanted to ask more, but at that moment, they arrived back at the Zhao family’s graveyard.
What she saw next left her stunned.
Two figures were busy working in the graveyard.
Earlier, when the Zhao family’s grave array was still intact, An Ting couldn’t cross the boundary of the graveyard.
He could only help his girlfriend carry the bucket of manure nearby, leaving Lin Lele to complete the task of splashing it alone.
Now that the grave array had been deactivated, An Ting had joined in as well.
Lin Lele divided the remaining bucket of manure into two portions, giving half to her boyfriend.
Together, they diligently fertilized the other graves.
From the Zhao family’s ancestors to the recently deceased Zhao Jiayao, none were spared.
They even meticulously calculated the amount of manure for each grave, ensuring fairness-a bucket of excrement evenly distributed.
Lin Lele was still fuming.
If it weren’t for the lack of proper tools, she would have dug up all the graves.
Noticing Shi Pengpeng’s return out of the corner of her eye, Lin Lele stopped and asked with concern, “Master, is your boyfriend okay?”
“Huh?” Shi Pengpeng quickly clarified, “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“?” Lin Lele paused, her gaze slowly shifting to their intertwined hands.
“Oh,” Shi Pengpeng realized and let go of Yan Jing’s hand.
“He had a cramp in his leg. I was just helping him.”
Lin Lele:”=_=”
This guy looks so impressive, but he’s actually this weak?
Yan Jing’s hand was now empty, and seeing Shi Pengpeng’s eagerness to distance herself, he felt a strange sense of discomfort.
Not long ago, she had been actively trying to set him up on a blind date.
But perhaps it was for the best.
It was better not to have too much entanglement between them, or things might become awkward in the future.
Yan Jing grumbled to himself, his thoughts shifting rapidly.
Shi Pengpeng, completely oblivious, went on to explain the whole situation to Lin Lele.
“It can really work like that?” Lin Lele was dumbfounded.
She only knew about the filth in the mortal world.
She had never imagined that even the underworld could be bribed.
“There’s nothing strange about it,” Shi Pengpeng said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Humans and ghosts are two sides of the same coin, separated only by the division of yin and yang. Just as humans have selfish desires, so do ghosts.”
However, there was one thing she didn’t mention.
Although ghosts and deities could be bribed, the act of forcibly abducting someone from the next life under the guise of a past life’s name was too horrifying to contemplate.
Such an act completely defied the natural order of the universe and was intolerable across the three realms.
Of course, this was something ordinary people didn’t need to know.
Shi Pengpeng lit a yellow talisman and handed it to Lin Lele and said, “You should do it yourself.”
“Alright,” Lin Lele nodded, taking out the ghost marriage contract and placing it over the flame of the talisman, thus putting an end to this absurd ghost marriage.
Shi Pengpeng glanced at the vast cemetery, where grave mounds stretched endlessly.
Every tombstone was made of the finest stone, crafted with the best techniques, each detail showcasing the prominence of the Zhao family.
But now, every corner of this cemetery reeked of the stench of excrement.
The ghost bride they had so carefully selected had personally destroyed their ancestral graves.
The rotting corpse ghost they had painstakingly nurtured had also completely dissipated into nothingness.
A few days later, a headline exploded on the trending topics of Cat Paw Video-
“Outrageous! Notorious Building Materials Merchant Zhao Family Exhumed 40-Year-Old Grave for Ghost Marriage!”