Chapter 171

Chapter 171: You Won’t Steal My Credit, Right

Yu Zhi Yi did not answer; she only watched Cao Zhao Di quietly.

Cao Zhao Di began to laugh, low at first, then louder and more desolate.

As the wind rose, her form twisted hard; her hair shot long, her already scarlet eyes burned with a strange red light, and her fingernails grew like crazy into ten red talons.

Ou Yang Shuo’s face changed and he said: “Not good. She is about to lose her reason.”

Although both were vengeful ghosts, one with reason and one without were nothing alike.

A rational vengeful ghost could still talk with them. They might even bargain to make it leave Cao South Village.

But a mad vengeful ghost would not talk at all.

And a vengeful ghost felt no pain. Unless you killed it, it would keep fighting at full strength.

It would not stop until one side died.

You Bing Yue’s lips trembled.

In her past life she had been a top killer who took many lives without blinking.

But that was killing people.

No matter how strong a person was, if she chose the right method, she could get it done.

Killing a ghost was beyond her.

Forget killing; just seeing this raging vengeful ghost made her knees weak.

The others looked bad too.

Only Ou Yang Shuo and Du Zi Heng looked a little better. One had the strength to protect himself; the other had Yu Zhi Yi’s protective talisman.

Oh, Liu Fei Yang’s face was fine too, because he stood right next to Yu Zhi Yi. The evil energy could not reach him, so he only thought the ghost looked scary.

That was a visual shock, not the feel of ghostly energy pressing on him.

Just when the group could hardly hold on, Yu Zhi Yi threw a talisman and said: “Wake up.”

A flash of golden light wiped away all the evil energy around Cao Zhao Di. Her long hair, long nails, and the red light in her eyes vanished. Even the horrible wound on her smashed face was gone.

For a heartbeat, her gaze turned very clear.

But the clear look lasted only a moment before pain filled it again.

She clutched her head and sobbed: “They… I ate them!”

It turned out the Fan siblings had not left Cao South Village after death. They had seen what happened to Cao Zhao Di, but as common spirits with no power, they could not help her.

When the angry villagers pushed Cao Zhao Di into the river and her head struck a rock by the riverbed, splitting her skull, the two came to her side to comfort her.

But Cao Zhao Di had died with great hatred.

She hated the unfairness she had faced since childhood, hated heaven for stealing her only warmth, hated the ignorant villagers, and hated… Cao Yao Zu.

At the instant of her death she became a vengeful ghost and devoured the soul of Brother Fan nearby.

When she moved to swallow Sister Fan too, the golden light of merit on Sister Fan burned her, and she woke for a short time.

Knowing she had eaten Brother Fan’s soul, she was in agony and was about to go mad again.

To keep her from turning into a mindless evil ghost, Sister Fan transferred all her merit to Cao Zhao Di so she could stay rational.

But during the transfer, the unthinking Cao Zhao Di devoured Sister Fan too, now that she lacked the protection of that golden merit light.

So she became a strong ghost quickly, and because she wore Sister Fan’s merit light, she could stay rational.

The memory was too painful. To forget it, she sank to the bottom of the river to sleep.

If Cao Yao Zu had not later called her awake, she might have slept for a long, long time.

Liu Fei Yang gaped and said: “Those two siblings were too tragic.”

He blurted: “Da…”

A death stare swept over him.

Liu Fei Yang swerved just in time and said: “Lord, can their souls be brought back?”

Yu Zhi Yi shook her head and said: “They were eaten by another ghost. That means they are gone for good. If it had been right after Cao Zhao Di swallowed them, there might have been a way to pull them out. But it has been too long. They have turned into pure ghost energy inside her body. Even if the Grand Supreme Golden Immortal came, there would be no way.”

Cao Zhao Di whimpered in pain and cried: “Why… Sister Fan, why were you so foolish?”

Yu Zhi Yi sighed and said: “Because she was a kind girl.”

If Sister Fan had not been so kind, she could not have gathered so much golden merit light at such a young age.

Yu Zhi Yi said to Cao Zhao Di: “Although you devoured two souls, Sister Fan willingly gave you her merit. That cancels your sin. I will disperse your evil energy now, and you can be reborn.”

She added gently and said: “In your next life, you can be born into a happy family, with loving parents, a good match, and a safe, joyful life.”

Cao Zhao Di was silent for a moment, then looked deeply at Cao Yao Zu and asked: “What about him?”

Yu Zhi Yi asked in return and said: “What exactly do you want to know?”

Cao Zhao Di asked: “Will the Fan clan find him?”

Yu Zhi Yi thought for a moment and said: “Yes. In fact, the Fan clan has already sensed that the siblings’ disappearance is linked to Cao South Village, and they have issued a bounty notice. Once things here are done, it won’t take long for them to learn that Cao Yao Zu is Miss Fan’s child.”

Cao Zhao Di considered, then let out a long breath and said: “Good.”

She had been torn about whether to let Cao Yao Zu return to the Fan clan.

But if his return could bring the Fan siblings’ injustice to light, that was not a bad thing.

Most of all, she could feel the righteous energy on the young woman before her.

She believed this woman would not let Cao Yao Zu escape the law.

As her last bit of obsession faded, her soul turned see-through.

Yu Zhi Yi formed hand seals and softly chanted the mantra for rebirth.

A moment later, a deep, dark doorway appeared behind Cao Zhao Di.

When the door opened, the air by the river grew colder.

Thankfully, Cao Zhao Di soon stepped through, and the door vanished.

After she left, Cao South Village looked even more desolate.

Cao Yao Zu tried to run, but as he moved, You Bing Yue leaped over, flipped him to the ground, and shouted: “You still want to run?”

Soon she had him tied up. Her eyes slid over Yu Zhi Yi’s calm face, and she said coldly: “I’m the one who stopped him, so the credit is mine. Official Yu, you are an Imperial Court official; you won’t steal a small bounty hunter’s credit, will you?”

Her words sounded so righteous that everyone but Yu Zhi Yi was stunned.