Chapter 155 - 154: Sneaking a "Snack

Chapter 155: Chapter 154: Sneaking a "Snack

"I guess being at the top for so long gave Lin Hongtao the delusion that the world revolved around him. He thought everyone had to obey him, that he could have anything he wanted, and that no one was allowed to say ’no’." Zhou Qi sneered. "He wishes."

Gu Qingyin sighed, swept up in the drama. It had been a while since she’d heard some good gossip, and this was surprisingly addictive. She couldn’t help but press, "After your divorce, did he get together with that secretary?"

On that topic, Zhou Qi wasn’t too sure herself. "I heard they didn’t. Apparently, he just paid her off. But the secretary wasn’t willing to let it go and kept pestering him for a while. I’m not clear on what happened after that."

Gu Qingyin hadn’t had her fill of the story yet. She cleared her throat, adopted a professional tone, and asked, "How did your husband die? Did anything unusual happen before his death?"

Zhou Qi shook her head. "I don’t know. He was perfectly fine before we went to sleep. By the time I woke up, he was gone. The autopsy report said the cause of death was cardiac arrest, but my husband was in excellent health. The chances of him having a sudden heart attack are minuscule."

Gu Qingyin nodded. "Did your husband die at home?"

"Yes." Zhou Qi’s eyes filled with grief. "If ghost souls really exist, why hasn’t he come back to see me?"

Gu Qingyin didn’t want to shatter her hope, but some things had to be said. "If he was killed by an Evil Ghost, your husband’s ghost soul is likely already gone."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... it was probably eaten by the Evil Ghost."

Zhou Qi’s face turned deathly pale. She murmured, "Eaten...?"

The next second, an intense hatred flared in the eyes of this woman, who had remained relatively composed since they’d met.

"Lin Hongtao! How could he be so vicious! My husband doesn’t even have a chance to reincarnate! He’s gone forever!" Zhou Qi trembled with rage, her eyes bloodshot.

"That’s just a guess. After all, we haven’t confirmed that the Evil Ghost is Lin Hongtao," Gu Qingyin offered weakly. "Let’s go to your house first and take a look."

’Still, based on past experience, it was almost certainly the case.’

Zhou Qi sat motionless, taking deep breaths to compose herself.

Gu Qingyin waited patiently across from her.

After a long moment, Zhou Qi spoke again, her voice tired and hoarse. "I’m sorry. We can go now."

Zhou Qi had driven herself, so Gu Qingyin got into her car, giving the Huo Family’s driver a temporary break to find a place to rest and wait.

「Half an hour later」

The car entered a villa complex with a stunning view of the lake.

’Even without knowing property prices in Hang City, one look at the location and the layout of the villas was enough to tell that Zhou Qi’s husband must have been a very successful businessman. What a shame.’

"Master Gu, please come in." Zhou Qi pushed the door open and led the way inside, explaining, "I was afraid other people might get caught up in this, so I gave all the household staff time off. It hasn’t been cleaned in a few days, so it might be a little messy. I hope you don’t mind, Master Gu."

Gu Qingyin shook her head silently, carefully surveying the interior.

’As expected, there was no trace of a new ghost.’

Gu Qingyin searched the house from top to bottom, occasionally placing a talisman in certain spots. When she had inspected every area, she turned to find Zhou Qi watching her with an expectant gaze.

"There’s nothing out of the ordinary," Gu Qingyin said delicately.

Zhou Qi froze for a second. The light in her eyes slowly died, replaced by a bone-deep hatred. "Master Gu, I don’t care who this ghost is. I want its soul obliterated!"

’It’s not fair. That Evil Ghost murdered someone and devoured their ghost soul, and it still gets a chance to go to the Underworld and reincarnate?’

But Gu Qingyin shook her head. "We should still send it to the Underworld if we can. An Evil Ghost like that needs to get a taste of Hell."

Zhou Qi, who had been displeased just a moment ago, brightened at her words. "Exactly! He should be thrown into the Eighteen Layers of Hell to experience a fate worse than death!"

"When will it come for me?" Zhou Qi was already getting impatient.

Gu Qingyin plucked a wisp of ghost energy from Zhou Qi’s body. "It’ll most likely come tonight. It can’t wait, either."

「That evening」

Zhou Qi personally cooked a full spread of dishes. Although she had no appetite herself, she couldn’t be a poor host to Master Gu.

Gu Qingyin ate with gusto. After the meal, she paid for her dinner by drawing a talisman in Zhou Qi’s palm with vermillion.

"Normally, a living person can’t touch a ghost soul. But with this talisman, when this hand touches one, it will temporarily make the ghost soul corporeal." Gu Qingyin smiled faintly. "In other words, you’ll be able to hit it with this hand."

Zhou Qi was incredulous. "I can touch a ghost?"

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow. "Scared?"

"I couldn’t ask for anything more!" A vicious glint appeared in Zhou Qi’s eyes. "I forgot to mention, I’ve been practicing Sanda since elementary school. I’m pretty good at it."

’Gu Qingyin clicked her tongue inwardly. ’Pretty good? She looks like she’s ready for a massacre!’’

With preparations complete, the two of them returned to the bedroom to wait.

The clock struck midnight, and the atmosphere in the villa shifted abruptly. The temperature plummeted, and an unholy gust of wind even tore away some of the talismans Gu Qingyin had placed.

Downstairs, an endless cacophony began: the CREAK of dragging tables and chairs, the CLINK and CLATTER of colliding dishes, and the beeping of various appliances.

Zhou Qi jumped at the sudden noise, her body tensing instantly. "It’s here!"

Gu Qingyin’s brow furrowed. "So noisy in the middle of the night."

Zhou Qi gripped her hand, the one with the rune, and swallowed hard. "Should we go down now?"

"No, let’s wait for it to come up," Gu Qingyin advised. "And stay far away from the door and windows."

Zhou Qi didn’t understand why, but she retreated into the walk-in closet anyway.

The Evil Ghost downstairs raised a ruckus for a long time, but the second floor remained silent, as if no one could hear a thing.

"Damn it!"

The Evil Ghost couldn’t help but reveal its form, glaring viciously at the ceiling with a pair of scarlet eyes.

Upstairs, Gu Qingyin’s lips curled into a smile. "Our lack of reaction is the greatest taunt to an Evil Ghost. Relying on noise to get attention... that’s a tactic for a three-year-old. How childish."

Zhou Qi found the analogy a little funny, but she was too nervous to laugh.

Downstairs, everything suddenly went quiet.

Zhou Qi suddenly felt like no place was safe.

Gu Qingyin, on the other hand, rose unhurriedly and whispered, "Here it comes."

The next second, the door was thrown open with a BANG, slamming hard against the wall. Simultaneously, all the glass in the room exploded with a deafening CRASH from the blast of ghost energy.

Zhou Qi instinctively ducked, covered her head, and screamed. When the noise subsided, she looked up. ’Thank goodness I listened to Master Gu,’ she thought, her heart still pounding. ’Otherwise I’d have been sent flying or ended up covered in glass.’

Gu Qingyin stood in the center of the room. Debris was everywhere, but the one-meter radius around her remained pristine.

She looked at the snarling, vicious Evil Ghost before her and calmly said, "Yun Jing."

Huo Yunjing instantly materialized and pounced.

The Evil Ghost was stunned for a moment before immediately fighting back.

But whether in terms of its years as a ghost or its level of power, the Evil Ghost was no match for Huo Yunjing. It was only natural that it was being completely overpowered.

Huo Yunjing was quite cunning himself. He took advantage of the fight to pin the Evil Ghost down and sneak in a few bites.

Gu Qingyin usually forbade him from eating ghosts. Only at times like this could he sneak a little snack...