Chapter 171: You Won’t Steal My Credit, Will You?
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Yu Zhi Yi remained silent, her gaze fixed calmly on Cao Zhao Di.
It was Cao Zhao Di who broke the silence with a low chuckle.
Her laughter grew louder, tinged with despair. The howling wind seemed to echo her turmoil as her body began to twist and change. Her hair suddenly lengthened, her already crimson eyes gleaming with a sinister light. Her hands, now exposed from her sleeves, bore nails that grew at an alarming pace into ten blood-red claws.
Ou Yang Shuo’s face turned pale. “This is bad! She’s losing her mind!”
Though all Fierce Ghosts were dangerous, a ghost who had lost their sanity was an entirely different matter. A rational Fierce Ghost could be reasoned with, even persuaded to leave Cao Nan Village. But a mindless one? There would be no reasoning—only relentless violence.
Fierce Ghosts did not feel pain. Unless they were destroyed outright, they could maintain their peak combat strength indefinitely.
No respite. No retreat.
You Bing Yue’s lips trembled. In her past life, she had been an elite assassin, skilled in taking countless lives without hesitation. But those were humans. No matter how formidable a human might be, there were always methods to deal with them. Killing ghosts, however, was beyond her expertise.
At the sight of this rampaging ghost, her legs nearly gave way beneath her.
The others did not fare much better. Their faces were pale, expressions taut with fear. Among them, only Ou Yang Shuo and Du Zi Heng maintained a semblance of composure, shielded as they were by their own strength and the protective Talismans provided by Yu Zhi Yi.
Oh, and Liu Fei Yang. Standing close to Yu Zhi Yi, he had yet to feel the chilling effects of the ghost’s malevolent aura. To him, Cao Zhao Di’s maddened state was terrifying to behold, but it was merely a visual shock, unaccompanied by the soul-crushing weight of her ghostly presence.
Just as the group teetered on the edge of despair, Yu Zhi Yi acted. A single Talisman flew from her hand and struck Cao Zhao Di squarely. “Wake up.”
A flash of golden light erupted, dispelling the malevolent energy around Cao Zhao Di entirely. Her long hair, claws, and the eerie red glow in her eyes vanished in an instant. Even the ghastly wound on her face, caused by the villagers’ violence, disappeared without a trace.
For a fleeting moment, clarity returned to her eyes. But it lasted only a heartbeat before pain overwhelmed her once more.
Clutching her head, she began to sob. “They… they were devoured by me!”
As the truth emerged, the pieces of the tragedy fell into place. After the Fan siblings died, their souls had lingered in Cao Nan Village. They had witnessed Cao Zhao Di’s suffering but, being mere ordinary spirits without any powers, they were helpless to aid her.
When the enraged villagers drowned Cao Zhao Di, her head smashing against the riverbed rocks in the process, the siblings had approached her, trying to offer comfort.
But Cao Zhao Di had died consumed by hatred.
She hated the injustices she had faced since childhood, the heavens for taking away her only source of warmth, the ignorant villagers, and… Cao Yao Zu.
The moment of her death turned her into a Fierce Ghost, and her first act was to devour her younger brother Fan’s soul.
When she attempted to consume her elder sister Fan’s soul as well, the Golden Light of Merit emanating from Sister Fan’s body wounded her, jolting her briefly back to lucidity.
Realizing she had destroyed her own brother’s soul, she was overcome with anguish and spiraled back into madness. To prevent her from devolving into an unreasoning Evil Ghost, Sister Fan selflessly transferred all her accumulated Merit to Cao Zhao Di, enabling her to maintain clarity of thought.
However, during the transfer, the unhinged Cao Zhao Di devoured Sister Fan, who had no Golden Light of Merit left to protect herself.
This gruesome act rapidly transformed Cao Zhao Di into a powerful ghostly entity. Yet, it was Sister Fan’s Merit, now intertwined with her essence, that kept her rational.
The memories of these events were so excruciating that she chose to submerge herself in the river and sleep away her torment. If not for Cao Yao Zu later awakening her, she might have remained dormant for eternity.
Liu Fei Yang was dumbfounded. “Those siblings… their lives were so tragic.”
“M–”
A sharp, deathly glare cut him off mid-sentence.
Quickly pivoting, Liu Fei Yang pleaded, “Madam, is there any way to bring back their souls?”
Yu Zhi Yi shook her head. “They were consumed by a fellow ghost. That’s a complete annihilation of the soul. If it had been immediately after they were devoured, there might have been a way to extract them. But too much time has passed. Their essence has already merged into Cao Zhao Di’s form as pure Ghost Energy. Not even a Golden Immortal could restore them now.”
Cao Zhao Di whimpered in agony. “Why? Sister Fan, why were you so foolish?”
Yu Zhi Yi sighed. “Because she was a kindhearted girl.”
Had Sister Fan not been so virtuous, she could never have accumulated such vast Merit at such a young age.
Turning to Cao Zhao Di, she added, “Despite devouring two souls, Sister Fan’s voluntary gift of her Merit cancels out your sins. I will now disperse your Malignant Energy, so you can reincarnate.”
“In your next life, you may be born into a loving family, cherished by your parents, and enjoy a life of harmony and joy.”
Cao Zhao Di remained silent for a moment before casting a deep look at Cao Yao Zu. “What will become of him?”
“What specifically are you asking?”
“Will he be found by the Fan family?”
Yu Zhi Yi pondered briefly. “Yes. In fact, the Fan family has already connected the siblings’ disappearance to Cao Nan Village and issued a bounty for information. Once this matter concludes, it won’t be long before they discover that Cao Yao Zu is Sister Fan’s flesh and blood.”
Cao Zhao Di hesitated but then sighed in relief. “That’s good.”
She had been conflicted about whether to let Cao Yao Zu return to the Fan family. However, if his return could bring justice to the Fan siblings, it was not necessarily a bad thing.
More importantly, she sensed the immense Righteous Aura radiating from the woman before her. She trusted that Yu Zhi Yi would ensure Cao Yao Zu faced justice.
As her last lingering resentment dissipated, her soul turned translucent.
Yu Zhi Yi formed hand seals and softly chanted the Rebirth Incantation. Moments later, a deep, shadowy door appeared behind Cao Zhao Di.
When the door manifested, the temperature by the river plunged. Fortunately, Cao Zhao Di stepped through quickly, and the door vanished as silently as it came.
After Cao Zhao Di’s departure, Cao Nan Village appeared even more desolate.
Cao Yao Zu tried to flee, but before he could take more than a step, You Bing Yue lunged forward, slamming him to the ground. “You dare run?!” she snarled.
In short order, she had him securely tied up. Her gaze swept over Yu Zhi Yi’s calm expression as she coldly declared, “I subdued him, so the credit is mine. As an official of the court, you’d best not compete with a humble bounty hunter like me for this achievement.”
Her righteous indignation stunned everyone present—except Yu Zhi Yi.