Chapter 7, Zhao Guanggun

"Bold and wicked spirit, you dare to disturb the balance of yin and yang, seducing mortal men. Come with me to hell for judgment!" As he spoke, a cloth bag suddenly appeared in the hand of the ghostly officer. With a flash, the female ghost transformed into a wisp of blue smoke and vanished into the bag.

Ye Jiannan sighed softly; rather than creating an awkward situation, it would be better to return home. Thus, he turned around and began to walk back. Not far away, a figure hurriedly passed by, making no sound of footsteps, and soon disappeared at the entrance of Zhao Guanggun's house.

Uncle Zhao said nothing, but patted the female ghost's shoulder: "Don't be afraid, he is my nephew and will not harm you"

"Oh, could it be a ghost again?" Ye Jiannan's eyes flickered as he frowned. Although Zhao Guanggun had been a bachelor all his life, he was a very decent person. During his father's lifetime, he was very close to this man, perhaps because they were both bachelors, often drinking together. When they were children, Zhao Guanggun treated Ye Jiannan very well, always buying him some candies whenever he returned from the city.

"Jian Nan, this ghost is the result of me sacrificing ten years of my life. I asked your father to perform the ritual, so you need not concern yourself with it. Uncle Zhao would rather be dead than alive; he takes each day as it comes. Why must you force him, then?" Zhao Guanggun's pleading gaze was fixed on Ye Jian Nan

Ye Jiannan was speechless; it turned out that the underworld was by no means a holy land, and the ghostly officials were not administering justice impartially, daring to openly solicit benefits.

"Bold and wicked, how dare you seduce Uncle Zhao? Do you wish to have your soul scattered?" The peach wood sword held by Ye Jiannan was influenced by the ghostly aura, emitting a faint glow.

Ye Jiannan raised the peach wood sword, pausing in mid-air. Upon careful consideration, Uncle Zhao is already over forty years old; this request does not seem excessive. Everyone has physiological needs. Fortunately, Uncle Zhao did not resort to stealing someone else's wife, which is commendable. At the village head, Wang Guanggun engaged in deceitful practices, extorting widows, and climbing into other people's beds. Eventually, he was caught and killed by the enraged villagers.

It is indeed a ghost! Ye Jiannan bit his lip and kicked open the door.

The creaking of the floorboards and the woman's soft gasps were in perfect harmony. At first, she might have been concerned about being overheard, so she kept her voice low; if it weren't for Ye Jiannan standing at the door, one would hardly have heard anything. Later, perhaps unable to control herself, her voice grew louder, and her tone changed as well.

Ye Jiannan then realized that Zhao Guanggun could not see the underworld's ghostly officials. Seeing the ghostly official striding away, he hurriedly shouted: "Lord of the Underworld, wait, wait..."

"Uncle Zhao, why must you go through this again?" Ye Jiannan was well aware that the ghost before him no longer had such a pale complexion; there was a hint of color returning to its face, which was enough to prove that Zhao Guanggun was gradually approaching death. Once the ghost's yang energy reached a certain level and broke through the talisman, it would undoubtedly become a malevolent spirit

Ye Jiannan turned to leave, but he heard a strange laughter coming from the room. The laughter was quite eerie, and as a medium, he was well aware that such laughter could not be produced by a human.

At this moment, Zhao Guanggun also came out. Upon hearing Ye Jiannan's words, he realized that it was not Ye Jiannan who had taken in the female ghost. Therefore, he pleaded with Ye Jiannan, saying, "Uncle, I beg you for one thing. Your father has the Yin Supplement Pill; could you please give him one? Consider it as my request!" Zhao Guanggun looked at Ye Jiannan with a pitiful expression.

"Uncle Zhao, she is a ghost; she will drain your vital energy!" Ye Jiannan, holding his sword, stepped closer step by step

Ye Jiannan is a person who is grateful and values reciprocity. Upon witnessing a wild ghost entering Zhao Guanggun's home, how could he ignore it? Thus, he hurried back home, took a few talismans and a peach wood sword, and rushed to Zhao Guanggun's house.

While he was lost in his thoughts, the room was filled with the soft moans of a woman, accompanied by the creaking sound of the bed.

In rural areas, there are generally two types of kang (a traditional heated bed). One type is made of mud and water, known as a mud kang. The one that can produce sound, which is equipped with a bed board, is called a bed board kang

A woman lay on the edge of the kang with her legs spread apart, while Zhao Guanggun was engaged in piston-like movements. At that moment, the sound of a door being knocked startled the two, and they stared blankly at the doorway, even forgetting to finish their task, their graceful movements frozen in front of Ye Jiannan

What else can Ye Jiannan say? Given the current situation, Zhao Guanggun should still be able to live for more than a year. When Zhao Guanggun dies, he will have taken this ghost; let it not bring disaster to the world.

The ghost nodded slightly, yet its gaze remained fearfully fixed on Ye Jiannan. The imprisoned female ghost of the library was unable to use any ghostly powers.

Ye Jiannan cast a glance at the female ghost and noticed a glimmer of intelligence in the center of her brow, as she gazed intently at Ye Jiannan.

"Jian Nan, Uncle has lived his whole life as a bachelor. Just let him pass away peacefully. Your father knows this, but you are still young and do not understand!" Zhao Guanggun explained.

Father knows? Ye Jiannan was taken aback; how could his father stand by and watch Zhao Guanggun be drained of his vital energy and perish

At this thought, Ye Jiannan grasped the peach wood sword and turned to leave. However, at the doorway, a shadow appeared, and in a flash, it transformed into a robust man dressed in ancient attire. The man had two clusters of mustaches shaped like the character "八" and a bright red face, topped with an official hat. There was no need to ask; the ghostly emissary from the underworld had arrived

Ye Jiannan stood at the door of Yang Su's house, wondering how to enter and what to say once inside

"Why, Ye Laoguai is already dead, and the agreement between him and me has been nullified. Who are you, and why are you here to cause trouble?" The cold, icy gaze of Yin Si was fixed on Ye Jiannan

Ye Jiannan chased after her, and in a flash, Yang Su's shadow had already slipped through the front door of her house

Ye Jiannan immediately tightened his grip on the peach wood sword, slowly moving forward while holding a talisman in his hand

Jian Nan, is that you? Hurry back, Uncle Zhao will talk to you again tomorrow! Zhao Guanggun knows that Ye Jian Nan's father is a sorcerer, so he does not find it strange that Ye Jian Nan has two skills.

"You are deceiving me. This ghost is clearly a puppet; only a sorcerer would engage in such self-destructive acts that harm others." Ye Jiannan did not believe it, pointing the peach wood sword at the ghost lying on the bed

Upon thinking of this, Ye Jiannan's eyes turned green with envy. The notion of a romance between humans and ghosts can only exist in film and television works. In reality, who would dare to approach a ghost? To share a room with a ghost is akin to a slow suicide; once a person is drained of their vital energy by the ghost, they will eventually perish from the depletion of their life force.

Silently sneaking into the yard, the room was pitch dark, and nothing seemed amiss. However, Ye Jiannan was well aware that Zhao Guanggun liked to visit others and would return home very late, so he estimated that he had not yet come back!

Well then, this is a nourishing pill for the yin, take it!" As he spoke, Ye Jiannan took out a pill from his pocket and handed it to the ghostly envoy of the underworld.

"Wait a moment, I have a request!" Ye Jiannan exclaimed urgently

As he approached the doorway, he heard whispers coming from inside the room, and it was a man and a woman. The man's voice was rough, unmistakably that of Zhao Guanggun.

"Biyin Pill, hehe... So you are the son of the old monster Ye, that makes things easier. As long as you produce a Biyin Pill, this matter will be treated as if this office knows nothing about it..." Upon hearing the mention of the Biyin Pill, the ghostly officer from the underworld immediately changed his expression.

"Jian Nan, why did you take her? Uncle has treated you well. Are you really going to shatter Uncle's last dream?" Zhao Guanggun was furious, pointing his finger at Ye Jian Nan's nose.

"Young man, feel free to come to me for anything in the future. As long as you have the Yin Supplement Pills, this office can certainly provide you with a lot of convenience!" The Yin official said, and then poured out a female ghost from his pocket.

After the spiritual awakening, his eyes became capable of seeing the night as if it were day, thus allowing him to clearly perceive the entire scene on the bed

Someone cast a spell to capture the ghost, and the point of brilliance at the center of the brow is the talisman attached to the spirit. This kind of defiance against the natural order not only shortens the lifespan of the ghost but also that of the practitioner. How could my father allow such sorcery to exist

Ah—" The female ghost let out a sharp scream, and her entire body instantly burrowed into the quilt, while Zhao Guanggun also jumped onto the kang.

The ghostly figure turned around, casting a surprised glance at Ye Jiannan, and only then did he notice the peach wood sword in Ye Jiannan's hand: "Young man, you are a sorcerer. I will take this ghost away, no need for you to take action."

Ye Jiannan no longer believes in illusions, just as he once did not believe in the existence of ghosts. As a normal person, how could he experience illusions

Then the laughter suddenly ceased, and the room returned to silence once more, as if it had merely been his illusion

Could it be that Zhao Guanggun and the left-behind woman in the village have gotten together? In recent years, it has become common for rural workers to seek employment in the cities, leaving many women with their husbands away for work. It is not surprising that Zhao Guanggun and that woman have become involved, as after a long day of labor, a woman would naturally seek some enjoyment in the evening. With her own husband absent, it is only reasonable for her to seek companionship with the men in the village.

No, that laughter just now was clearly a ghostly laugh. Could it be that Zhao Guanggun is up to something?

"Wait, you cannot take her away!" Ye Jiannan, not knowing where his courage came from, stepped forward three paces to block the path of the ghostly messenger.