Chapter 25: Breaking the Greed "Didn't you see a ghost?"

Sun Zhenbao was so frightened that she peed her pants and crawled to Li Qingqing, crying. She sat on the ground and suddenly grabbed the hem of her skirt, looking up and crying, "Li Qingqing...you, you didn't see a ghost?"

Li Qingqing was confused and looked in the direction Sun Zhenbao pointed. The gauze curtain was fluttering and shimmering in the moonlight. It was the spinning gauze curtain that Susu had begged Sun Zhenbao to replace not long ago.

Li Qingqing squinted her eyes and looked around, but saw nothing unusual. Sun Zhenbao in front of her was so frightened that he didn't dare to look back. Several followers outside the house heard about it and immediately came in to search, but they didn't find the "ghost" that Sun Zhenbao mentioned.

"Young Master Sun, there are no ghosts here. You must be exhausted these past two days. You'd better get some rest early." The attendant squatted beside Sun Zhenbao, patted his shoulder, and spoke to him as if he was talking to a child. The whole Sun Mansion was coaxing this "immature" Young Master Sun.

At night.

On the bed, the nurse half-carried Sun Zhenbao, reaching out a hand to pat his back. Although spring had arrived, the nights were still bitterly cold. A brazier was lit in the room, crackling from time to time, its flames dancing and swaying on the bed curtains.

"Nurse, I'm feeling sick..." Sun Zhenbao leaned his face against her chest, breathing deeply. Susu was supposed to be in bed tonight, but she'd disappeared somewhere, and no one in the Sun residence knew. Sun Zhenbao was so anxious that he tossed and turned in bed, the heat in his body refusing to subside. He felt utterly miserable.

"Young Master Sun, it's... it's late at night and I can't find you another one," the nurse stroked Sun Zhenbao's back, pressed his face against her chest, and continued with a shy smile, "If you don't mind, I'll take Susu's place tonight and I'll find you a new one tomorrow."

The flames burst with a small sound, the white bed curtains trembled continuously, the shadow of a person was reflected on the curtains, and the wet nurse's voice was low and delicate, which was almost unbearable to hear.

"Master, do you want more?" The nurse stretched out her voice, a little tired. She was half-sitting on the bed, her figure a little unclear through the bed curtains. "I'll go get a basin of hot water for you to wash yourself."

A pair of withered hands stretched out from behind the curtain. The wet nurse stretched her head out and wanted to pick up the candlestick on the table, but was scratched by something. She screamed in a low voice, causing the drowsy Sun Zhenbao to suddenly open his eyes. He slowly got up and hugged the wet nurse from behind.

"What's wrong with you, wet nurse? Don't go asking for hot water. I haven't had enough fun yet." Sun Zhenbao's voice was sticky.

The candlelight in the room was dim, but the wound on the wet nurse's hand could be clearly seen - she had been scratched by something, leaving a cut. Blood was gushing out and dripping onto the ground, red and black.

"It's okay, sir, lie down first, I'll be back soon." The wet nurse pushed open the door to stop the bleeding, leaving a pool of blood in front of the bed.

*

Riverside.

It was late at night and the other side of the river was pitch black, with only a few lights on, twinkling like sparks.

At the foot of the mountain, four figures as black as iron sat cross-legged at each end, their hands wrapped in red thread, the coils and bells entwined to form a circle. In the center of the formation, Qin Yanheng, shed his daytime princely attire for a purple Taoist robe adorned with dragons, phoenixes, and auspicious clouds, sat on the ground, his eyes closed, dozing.

Normally, no one except the person who set up the formation and the four guardians was allowed to approach the demon-catching formation. If they were to accidentally be exposed to demonic energy, they would be bedridden for a month or so. However, the formation required the person who set up the formation to possess a magical weapon for protection. In other words, the Golden Dragon Sword was also a prerequisite for the formation to be activated. Therefore, the Golden Dragon Sword's current owner, Luo Qingling, was forced to remain within the formation.

The sound of the river flowing beside her ears made Luo Qingling glance at Qin Yanheng, who sat beside her, feeling a little nervous. It was the first time she had seen Qin Yanheng practicing in his Taoist robes. She had originally thought he was merely a Taoist disciple in name only, but now it seemed he was indeed quite powerful. Even the four renowned Taoist priests in the capital had to obey his orders.

"If you don't want to be associated with evil, stop peeking at me." Qin Yanheng half-opened his right eye, his black pupils looking at her, his eyes extremely clear under the moonlight.

"I didn't peek at you." Luo Qingling explained subconsciously. She was just a little panicked, afraid that the corpse demon would rush over if she wasn't paying attention, although it should be extremely safe with Qin Yanheng by her side.

Qin Yanheng closed his eyes, fiddling with the Golden Dragon Sword, which no longer belonged to him, a silent smile on his face. Did she think he wouldn't notice her gaze if he closed his eyes? Oh, what a joke! She was less than an arm's length away from him, the golden hairpin on her head jingling from time to time. Who else could she look at but him?

"Okay, you didn't peek. You stared at me blatantly for half an hour. If you keep staring..."

"I didn't see it!" Luo Qingling suddenly raised her voice. How could he be like this! It really... really pissed her off. Although she didn't know why she was angry, she just felt very angry.

The person next to him chuckled but didn't say anything. Luo Qingling felt more and more upset and even had the urge to hit someone.

"Um, Young Prince, Madam Luo, may I bother you for a moment?" Bai Ruxue, who was closest to the two of them, spoke weakly. He stretched his neck to get closer to Qin Yanheng and wanted to say something, but was scared back by the latter's glare. He shifted his hips and smiled awkwardly, "We've been waiting here until midnight, why hasn't there been any movement from that corpse demon? Could it have gone into hiding somewhere?"

Bai Ruxue said what everyone was thinking. A few hours ago, after the young prince ordered the blockade of Qi County along the river, he hurriedly set up an array by the river and waited for the corpse demon. In the young prince's own words, "The corpse demon can't swim, and it can't stay in the water all night. She must find a chance to come ashore tonight, so we just wait on the shore."

But it was almost midnight, and the corpse demon hadn't made a single move. Would this trick really work? Bai Ruxue leaned over to look at Qin Yanheng, her mouth wide open as she spoke again, "Young Prince, how about we try something else..."

“Ring, ring, ring—”

The bell on the red string swung suddenly, and the sound was crisp and piercing. It was particularly clear in the pitch-black mountains and sounded extremely creepy.

Qin Yanheng, who was still dozing off just now, suddenly opened his eyes. He swung the Golden Dragon Sword in his hand into the air. A golden light flashed, and yellow talismans filled the sky. The talisman paper wrapped around the dragon and flew straight towards a place.

"The corpse demon has appeared, follow it!" Qin Yanheng picked up the Golden Dragon Sword and took half a step out of the formation, but suddenly stopped. He turned his head to look at Luo Qingling, then stepped back and hugged her with one hand. With a step, the two of them shuttled through the mountains and forests.

The wind whistled in his ears and fallen leaves flew in his face. Luo Qingling turned his head to avoid the flying branches, but his chin accidentally hit Qin Yanheng's shoulder. The latter hissed and said nothing.

The scenery before him suddenly opened up, no longer the dense darkness of the forest. Not far away, lanterns shone brightly in front of a gate, their red candlelight casting a long shadow on the ground. The golden dragon stopped in front of the mansion and vanished in the air in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a series of floating yellow talismans. Luo Qingling was about to speak when he saw the talisman swirl in a circle before suddenly charging into the mansion.

"Oh no, that corpse demon must have gone in!"

Qin Yanheng sank his Qi into his Dantian, and with Luo Qingling, he lightly jumped into the mansion. The two of them trotted along, following the talisman paper. They hadn't had time to look at the plaque on the door just now, and now they had no idea where they were.

*

In the room.

After buttoning Sun Zhenbao's shirt for the final moment, the nurse sighed contentedly, then lay down beside him, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. The window in the room was half-open, and from time to time the sound of the night wind could be heard. Normally, this sound of the forest wind was extremely soothing, but tonight, for some reason, the nurse felt a little uneasy.

Sun Zhenbao beside her had already fallen asleep with a loud snore. The wet nurse tossed and turned several times but couldn't fall asleep. She thought it was because the lattice window was open and the cold air came in, otherwise why would she feel uneasy and cold all over while lying in bed?

Thinking of this, the wet nurse quietly got up and tried to close the window, but accidentally pulled the wound she had just suffered. She felt a stinging pain on her hand, and the smell of rust immediately filled her nostrils.

It's broken and bleeding again.

The nurse watched the unstoppable bleeding, her heart fluttering, her heart stopping for a moment. She thought she had caught a cold and didn't take it seriously. She simply stood up and reached out to draw aside the bed curtains.

black.

A pair of pure black eyes without whites appeared in front of him.

"Ah - there's a ghost!" The wet nurse screamed and turned around to throw herself on Sun Zhenbao. She felt a pair of cold hands on her shoulders, with sharp nails and five fingers piercing her shoulders. However, the wet nurse didn't care about the pain at this moment. She grabbed Sun Zhenbao with both hands and kept shouting.

"Where can the dead monster escape!"

The purple-robed youth's voice was clear and mellow, tinged with anger. He burst through the door, strode forward, and kicked away the corpse demon lying on the nurse's shoulder. The nurse looked over and saw a handsome young man who had appeared in the mansion at some point, struggling with the corpse demon.

Luo Qingling stood by the door, Golden Dragon Sword in hand, his eyes fixed on the corpse demon. During the day, the corpse demon's legs had been amputated, but now a full pair had grown. Its nails were long and sharp, and its black hair, draped over its body, completely obscured its face. Droplets of water dripped from its hair, making it look like a water ghost crawling out of the water.

"Corpse demon, why don't you show yourself quickly——"

Qin Yanheng pulled a talisman from his sleeve, bit his index finger, and drew a revelation talisman, hoping to force the corpse demon to reveal itself. With a furious shout, he flung the yellow talisman at the corpse demon in front of him, then formed a seal with one hand and muttered something.

"What can you do to me with just a boy like you?" The corpse demon's voice was hoarse and it was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman.

Unexpectedly, the word "boy" actually made Qin Yanheng fly up in anger. He turned around, grabbed the Golden Dragon Sword from Luo Qingling's hand, and flew towards the corpse demon. He single-handedly grabbed the latter and pinned it to the ground. With the tip of the sword against the corpse demon's neck, Qin Yanheng angrily shouted, "Can't a boy catch you?"

He had never seen a monster teasing people before dying!

Just as Qin Yanheng was suppressing the corpse demon with his backhand, Sun Zhenbao, who was hugging the wet nurse on the bed, took a closer look, screamed, pushed the wet nurse away, and suddenly rushed over, interrupting Qin Yanheng's spell.

"It's Susu! It's Susu!"

Who is Susu? Luo Qingling and Qin Yanheng exchanged glances from a distance.

Unexpectedly, Sun Zhenbao bumped into the table with his foot, and the candlestick that was originally placed on the edge of the table suddenly fell to the ground. The flames ignited the carpet, and in the blink of an eye, the fire spread to Qin Yanheng's feet. The latter suddenly jumped back a step and suddenly let go of the hand that was holding the corpse demon.

The flames separated Qin Yanheng and the corpse demon. The corpse demon turned its head to look at the half-open stained glass window, then rushed to the window and jumped into the pond in Sun Mansion with a splash.

The fire in the room was blazing.