Xu Qin’s face darkened as he recalled the humiliation he’d suffered on Cat Paw Night—forced to let someone grope his abs in public, with the entire crowd shouting about it.
He’d lorded it over Longevity Island for so many years, always the one toying with others.
When had he ever been so disgraced?
He took a deep breath, barely suppressing his anger, and tried to maintain the composure befitting a man of importance.
Just as he was about to speak, he caught Yan Jing’s eyes—an impatient glance as Yan Jing pulled Shi Pengpeng closer and said disdainfully, “Don’t look at such indecent men.”
After a pause, Yan Jing added, “If you want to look, look at me.”
Shi Pengpeng coughed lightly, looking innocent as she said, “I wasn’t looking on purpose. There are just too many of his clips online—sometimes you see them without meaning to.”
Xu Qin: !!
‘These two are doing this on purpose!’
His composure as a big shot shattered completely.
Xu Qin dropped his smile, the backlighting making his whole figure seem even gloomier.
He ground his teeth.
“This body is useless for anything respectable. Back then, the Mystic Sect crowd came at me so fiercely I had no choice but to improvise and pull a cicada-shedding-its-shell move. It was just a stopgap…”
He let out a cold laugh, his gaze sticking to Yan Jing like a viper in the dark.
“An Unwithering Bone, a miraculous bone that can cross between life and death, yet it’s wasted on a coward like President Yan, who’s too scared to walk alone at night. Wouldn’t it be better in the hands of someone more capable…”
With those words, he raised his arm and drew a longsword from behind his back.
The sword was pitch black, gleaming under the moonlight with a gemstone-like luster.
It was none other than the Corpse Liberation Treasure Zigan Sword.
Shi Pengpeng’s eyes grew sharp.
“You want the Unwithering Bone too?”
Staring at the familiar sword, realization dawned on her.
“So from the start, you never intended for Zhao Xiwen to seize my brother’s body!”
She had never understood why Longevity Island would go to such lengths to set up an array for Zhao Xiwen, abduct Yan Jing to Benan Ling Palace, only to hand Zhao Xiwen a fake Zigan Sword—ruining everything, even tricking the evil god.
The Zigan Sword was rare, but compared to the loss of the entire palace, it was nothing.
Only now did she finally understand: the Imperial Preceptor and Ouyang Jue had never planned for Zhao Xiwen to succeed.
Zhao Xiwen was just their tool for an experiment.
But what exactly were they testing?
If all they wanted was to seize Yan Jing’s body, there was no need for all these theatrics.
Xu Qin had managed to possess the edge-case man’s body easily enough; he clearly wasn’t new to this, and didn’t need Zhao Xiwen to rehearse it.
Unless what they wanted was more than just possession…
“Shi Pengpeng, you’re clever. Your skills are nothing to scoff at either,” Xu Qin’s voice was sinister.
“Thanks to you, all our arrangements in Benan went up in smoke, and our connections in the Underworld are ruined as well…”
“Don’t pin this on me.” Shi Pengpeng spat in defiance.
“It was you and the Underworld Registrar fighting like dogs over there. You gave him the fake sword and got him killed. Don’t blame me!”
Xu Qin: “….”
“Sharp-tongued!” Xu Qin snorted coldly, raising his sword to the moon.
“Tonight, I’ll settle all these old scores at once.”
The raised blade flashed with a chilling light, sending a wave of chilling cold through the air.
Where the sword pointed, a rigid corpse suddenly leapt out, appearing stiff and upright beneath the full moon.
The driver gaped in terror.
“G-ghost, that ghost—”
Shi Pengpeng and Yan Jing both looked up, their eyes flickering with surprise.
Yan Jing exclaimed, “A jiangshi?”
Strictly speaking, jiangshi are not ghosts but strange corpses.
Usually, they arise from unresolved grievances or due to corpse poison or problems with grave feng shui resulting in corpse transformation, also known as “jumping corpse” or “wandering corpse.”
Born as an Unwithering Bone, Yan Jing had encountered countless demons and ghosts since childhood—but never a jiangshi.
With cremation now universal, everyone turned to ash after death, preventing corpse transformation entirely.
Yet Longevity Island had somehow managed to procure a jiangshi.
Clearly, it wasn’t a post-PRC corpse—it must have been dug up from some ancient tomb.
Shi Pengpeng’s expression was grave.
“It’s a youshi.”
In the gentle moonlight, the jiangshi’s shriveled head, blood-red eyes, long purplish-black claws curved like hooks, and blade-like teeth bared outside its lips—all radiated a reeking stench of blood.
To avoid detection during cold-chain transport, the jiangshi had been wrapped in white bandages, but now they’d all fallen away, exposing a body covered in white fur.
It was, unmistakably, a thousand year old youshi.
Among jiangshi, youshi are especially formidable.
Born from the world’s accumulated resentment, they have at least a thousand years of cultivation.
They feed on moonlight, and at their peak can travel freely between the worlds of yin and yang, undying and indestructible, cast out from the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
With one more step, it could become the Jiangshi King Hanba, bringing drought wherever it went.
“Shi Pengpeng, let’s see just how capable you really are!” Xu Qin swung his sword.
The youshi opened its mouth and exhaled, a surge of dense corpse energy sweeping forward with a fierce wind.
“Ahhh, ghost—” The driver tried desperately to crawl away, “I want to go home—let me go home—”
But how could he outrun a youshi?
He was about to be killed by the corpse’s energy when a yellow talisman suddenly flew over, sticking to his nose and mouth.
He instantly went limp and fainted.
As Shi Pengpeng formed a hand seal, she hooked her foot under the driver and kicked him into a patch of grass by the puddle left by Wangxiang.
Wangxiang’s water had a purifying effect, and with her protective talisman, the driver would be safe from corpse poison for now.
The youshi moved with terrifying speed, flickering to within ten meters of Shi Pengpeng in a single instant.
Shi Pengpeng flicked her wrist, launching two yellow talismans like arrows.
The youshi howled, shifting sideways in a blur to dodge, letting the talismans miss and continue flying straight toward Xu Qin.
“Tricks for children!” Xu Qin sneered, swinging his sword.
A fierce wind blew, scattering the talismans and burning them to ash.
But in that brief moment, Shi Pengpeng had already finished another hand seal.
“From Two Forms, Four Symbols arise—Command!”
Four talisman papers appeared at the east, south, west, and north of the youshi.
Vermilion ink glowed, and the crisscrossing lights formed a cage.
It was the Four Symbols Talisman Array.
The Four Symbols represent Shaoyang, Taiyang, Shaoyin, and Taiyin, corresponding to Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu—the four celestial constellations.
As a formation, it not only trapped its target, but also drew the essence of the Two Forms to destroy evil spirits.
“Six Ding, evil spirits are stilled. Six Geng Six Xin, evil spirits are divided. Six Ren Six Gui, evil spirits are destroyed.” Shi Pengpeng recited a Blood Kill Incantation—one she rarely used—without hesitation.
The incantation resonated with the Four Symbols Talisman Array, layers of pressure bearing down on the youshi.
“Roar—” The youshi let out a tortured howl, lifting its head to the moon.
Silver moonlight shone on its crimson eyes, and the moon’s essence was drawn ceaselessly into its body.
“It’s evolving!” Shi Pengpeng’s eyes grew cold.
“We can’t let it keep feeding on the moonlight.”
She pointed, and a yellow talisman appeared above the youshi, its magic severing the link between the jiangshi and the moon.
But in a flash, the talisman burst into flames.
Xu Qin had once again activated the Zigan Sword, breaking her spell.
Not only that, but he followed up with another sword strike, the blade slicing toward Shi Pengpeng like a furious storm.
Shi Pengpeng had no choice but to shift her focus and meet Xu Qin head-on.
With her attention divided, she could no longer stop the youshi from absorbing moonlight.
With a thunderous boom, the youshi, now full of essence, tore the talisman papers away with a swipe of its hand.
The Four Symbols Talisman Array collapsed.
The youshi straightened and leaped with its arms outstretched and lunged at Yan Jing.
“Brother, look out!” Shi Pengpeng shouted, but was immediately blocked by the power of the Zigan Sword.
Xu Qin’s cultivation was far superior to Zhao Xiwen’s.
With one hand wielding the sword and the other forming seals, his sword energy crisscrossed the air, tangible and deadly.
Shi Pengpeng was forced to concentrate fully on the duel, unable to spare any attention elsewhere.
“Shi Pengpeng, so this is all you’ve got?” Xu Qin taunted, glancing at the isolated Yan Jing.
“President Yan, your little girlfriend is too busy to save you now. You useless coward, you should’ve handed over the Unwithering bone long ago…”
He was cut off by the roar of a wild beast.
Yan Jing didn’t dodge—instead, he raised his fist and punched the youshi’s hand without hesitation.
The fierce power of the Qilin Talisman Technique exploded from his fist.
With a loud bang, the youshi was sent flying, its ten hooked claws snapping off and clattering to the ground.
“Puh!” The youshi spewed out a cloud of corpse energy.
If it weren’t already a dried corpse, it would have been coughing up blood.
Xu Qin: ?
“Heh, didn’t expect that, did you?” Shi Pengpeng grinned, baring her teeth.
“My brother has a Qilin Arm.”
Xu Qin: “???”
‘A Qilin Arm, seriously?!’
Xu Qin had planned to take out Yan Jing first, but never expected that Yan Jing, in such a short time, would have mastered talisman techniques and could unleash such forceful Qilin power.
So this is the Unwithering bone’s gift?
Xu Qin’s gaze darkened, his greed intensifying.
He immediately retreated, swiping his left middle finger along the Zigan Sword.
His fingertip split open, blood pouring out.
The sword drank eagerly, its blade glowing with a demonic red.
The Corpse Liberation Treasure Zigan Sword drew on the forces of yin and yang, its tip pointed at the moon overhead.
Yan Jing’s pupils shrank.
“Pengpeng—!”
Shi Pengpeng also saw the change in the moon.
The power of the Zigan Sword was truly terrifying.
The blood-red blade pierced the air, as if it had stabbed the moon itself.
The silvery moon turned crimson, moonlight pooling like blood and pouring into the youshi below in a torrential flood.
Shi Pengpeng knew things were dire.
With no time to hesitate, she flicked her finger, and a metallic clang rang out in the air.
A yellow talisman shot forth, as sharp as a blade, slashing straight at Xu Qin.
“Talisman Soldier,” Xu Qin narrowed his eyes.
“So, your spiritual veins have recovered.”
He’d known about Shi Pengpeng’s Talisman Soldier, but seeing it in person was still unbelievable.
She was so young, and her Talisman Soldier was far sharper than most.
It was said she’d even refined her own Mana into it, making her Talisman Soldier more exquisite and forceful than any other.
Because her Four Pillars Eight Characters were so strong.
That talent, that ingenuity, and the courage to use her own fate as a weapon—her potential probably surpassed even the Unwithering Bone.
A pity.
They only wanted the Unwithering Bone, nothing more…
Xu Qin felt a pang of regret.
But no matter how strong Shi Pengpeng was, it was useless—he’d long since prepared for her Talisman Soldier.
With a twist of his wrist, a heavy black orb appeared in his palm, a golden ring at its center like a pupil.
It was the Wang Xiang Eye Bead, refined into a magical tool.
With a thought, the bead released a faint white energy.
The air grew damp, white mist rising around them.
Wangxiang’s concealment art!
‘Not good!’ Shi Pengpeng’s heart jolted—her control over the Talisman Soldier was weakening.
In the next instant, with a metallic clang, her Talisman Soldier was knocked to the ground by Xu Qin.
Shi Pengpeng quickly changed her seal, recalling the Talisman Soldier and sending it out again.
But after several rounds, her attacks barely affected Xu Qin.
Wangxiang couldn’t fight, but it could hide.
It concealed every trace of energy within Shi Pengpeng’s casting range, severely affecting her judgment and her connection with the Yin-Yang Bureau.
For a Daoist, this was a fatal disadvantage.
If Xu Qin weren’t here, she could deal with Wangxiang directly.
If Wangxiang was not here she could go all out against Xu Qin.
But Xu Qin and Wangxiang complemented each other perfectly, leaving Shi Pengpeng stretched too thin.
“Pengpeng!”
Yan Jing also noticed the dire situation, swinging his Qilin Arm as he rushed over.
At that moment, the youshi roared and pounced at Yan Jing again.
The refrigerated truck’s headlights illuminated the youshi, now swollen to twice its previous size after absorbing moonlight.
Its once-shrunken head was now bloated, its bulging red eyes like twin lanterns.
It moved at blinding speed, a howling wind in its wake.
“What a shame. Just a bit more and it could have become the Jiangshi King.”
Xu Qin regretfully withdrew the Zigan Sword.
The blood on the blade faded, returning to its obsidian gleam.
The edge-case man’s body had never been trained, not strong enough for this.
The blood it could provide was limited, but it was still enough to deal with Yan Jing.
The Unwithering Bone was formidable, but Yan Jing’s cultivation time was too short.
His earlier Qilin Talisman Technique was impressive, but Xu Qin could tell his foundation was shallow.
He was no match for a peak youshi.
Shi Pengpeng realized this too and tried to split her attention to help, but Xu Qin kept her locked in combat with the Zigan Sword.
Meanwhile, Yan Jing soon found himself overwhelmed, his throat seized by the youshi.
“Qi—Qilin to me!” Yan Jing struggled, slapping out a Lunfu.
But his energy was spent, and the spell lacked its earlier force.
The youshi, now at the height of its power, slipped between yin and yang, dodging the Qilin’s roar.
Not only that, it quickly sensed Yan Jing’s special constitution.
Its blood-red eyes widened, and an eerie smile appeared on its stiff face.
Jiangshi are neither human, ghost, demon, nor immortal, and have no place in the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
But if it could attach itself to the Unwithering Bone it could reverse death, forge a soul, and re-enter the Six Paths.
“Heh-ha—” The youshi let out a greedy hiss, its withered hand tightening on Yan Jing’s artery, trying to inject corpse energy into him.
Yan Jing grunted, fighting back with the protective charms and methods he’d long used to ward off spirits.
His amulets flared to life.
But against a youshi, it wasn’t enough.
Shi Pengpeng fought Xu Qin while keeping a worried eye on Yan Jing, seeing his face grow paler by the second.
In desperation, she swung a fist at Xu Qin.
Her punch was backed by her Eight Characters—harder than iron—forcing Xu Qin back a step.
In that brief moment, she flicked her hand, sending the Talisman Soldier flying at the youshi.
But midway there, the mist thickened, clinging to the Talisman Soldier and masking both its edge and the youshi’s corpse energy.
The Talisman Soldier lost its target, stabbing into a rock beside the youshi.
No good—if she didn’t deal with Wangxiang first, she couldn’t use the Talisman Soldier effectively.
But with Xu Qin here, he’d never give her the chance.
And Yan Jing couldn’t hold out much longer.
Xu Qin saw her frustration and laughed.
“Shi Pengpeng, watch closely as the youshi kills Yan Jing! Once he’s dead, it’ll be your turn.”
He turned to Yan Jing and said, “President Yan, stop struggling. You can’t hold out against the youshi. Don’t worry—I won’t let it take your body for itself. I’ll just let it borrow your power for a bit. It’s just one step away from becoming the Jiangshi King. Once I join forces with the king, I’ll kill your little girlfriend, and you two can die together…”
Yan Jing gritted his teeth.
“Don’t… you… dare…”
But then Shi Pengpeng suddenly called out, “Brother, listen to him. Let the youshi use your Unwithering Bone for a while.”
Yan Jing: “?”
Xu Qin: “??”
Even the youshi paused, its movements faltering: “???”