The next second, Jiang Shumiao appeared.
Zhuang Xiyan's eyes lit up when she saw her, and she hurriedly ran over.
"Princess."
The relentless ghost stopped in surprise. "This child is quite powerful, but this is my dream realm. Once you're here, you can't get out... Ah..."
Jiang Shumiao raised her hand and pulled him directly towards her.
The demon, its neck gripped by her, stared at her incredulously. "How is this possible? Who...who are you?"
His pupils suddenly widened as he saw the golden light emanating from Jiang Shumiao's body.
"You...you're a deity?"
Jiang Shumiao looked him up and down. "He can still look the same as he did when he was alive. It seems he has done a lot of evil. He deserves to die!"
The evil spirit trembled, "I...I'm already dead, please spare me, Great Immortal! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness, I'll never dare to do it again..."
Jiang Shumiao slapped him so hard his nose and eye were crooked, and said fiercely, "Don't cry, speak properly."
The evil spirit immediately stopped crying.
Zhuang Xiyan was still in shock, and she was even more dumbfounded when she saw this scene.
Jiang Shumiao began to interrogate, "You've been dead for several years, why haven't you gone to the underworld to be reincarnated?"
The evil spirit couldn't defeat her, so it had no choice but to back down and confess honestly.
"I died in the war. Because so many people died during that time, the ghost messengers couldn't catch them all, and I managed to escape. Later, I met someone who told me that I could cultivate by devouring other ghosts. So I..."
Jiang Shumiao frowned even more deeply.
"Ordinary people can't see ghosts at all. Did you encounter a Taoist priest?"
"I think so."
The evil spirit, still being choked by her, dared not move an inch. "Originally, I didn't dare. Although I'm not a great philanthropist, I haven't done anything bad either. But he told me that if I didn't cultivate, I would be caught by the ghost messengers sooner or later. I didn't go to the underworld immediately, which violated the rules of the underworld and would be punished. Demons and evil spirits roam the mortal realm, yet they can still cultivate. Ghosts are transformed from humans, the masters of all things, so naturally they can also cultivate. Since I escaped the Book of Life and Death, I must have had great fortune. I listened to his words and began to cultivate, becoming a ghost cultivator."
Jiang Shumiao slapped him again, causing his nose and eyes to become crooked once more.
"Eating souls is called evil cultivation! Also, as long as you don't do evil, even if you are caught by the ghost messengers in the future and go to the underworld, you will only be given a minor punishment at most, and you will still be able to reincarnate smoothly. You have been deceived."
The evil spirit was shocked.
Jiang Shumiao then asked, "What is a ghost marriage?"
The demon's eyes darted away.
Jiang Shumiao raised her hand, and seeing that she was about to hit her again, the evil spirit hurriedly said, "Great Immortal, spare me! I'll talk, I'll tell you everything."
He glanced at Zhuang Xiyan, who was hiding behind Jiang Shumiao, "Two months ago, Yan... no, Madam Zhuang, went to the temple to pray to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, hoping to have a child soon."
Jiang Shumiao glanced at Zhuang Xiyan.
Zhuang Xiyan blushed and nodded gently.
“I’ve been married for almost two years and still don’t have a child. My mother-in-law has been complaining for a while, and my mother is also urging me to have one. She’s even given me a lot of folk remedies, but none of them have worked. I heard that there’s a Guanyin temple outside the city that’s very effective, so I thought I’d go and give it a try.”
Jiang Shumiao nodded, then turned to ask the ghost.
"And then what?"
"After these years of cultivation, I can come out during the day as long as there is no sunlight. I know that some stone statues, after receiving incense offerings from the mortal world and gaining the power of faith, may be able to take human form. I wanted to go and see, thinking that such a temple with perpetually flourishing incense offerings must have the righteous energy of the esoteric sects, but it turned out to be nothing special. I felt indignant that such a lifeless object could receive incense offerings, so I wanted to smash that hypocritical Guanyin statue."
The evil spirit no longer dared to lie, fearing a beating. Even with dark thoughts in its heart, it had no choice but to confess honestly.
"Then I saw Mrs. Zhuang. I...I fell in love with her at first sight, and..."
Zhuang Xiyan was both ashamed and angry, but due to the upbringing she had received since childhood, she ultimately couldn't utter a curse and could only turn her head away from the evil spirit.
It's fortunate that it's a ghost; if a human were to harass her like this, even if she's innocent, she would still be criticized.
Jiang Shumiao remained calm. "A ghost marriage requires birth dates and times. How did you obtain them?"
The evil spirit lowered its head guiltily, "She's her sister."
Zhuang Xiyan was shocked and exclaimed, "Who did you say?"
The evil spirit dared not look at her. "Your sister, Zhuang Xiuyan."
Zhuang Xiyan staggered back a few steps, muttering to herself, "How is this possible?"
Zhuang Xiuyan is her younger sister, born of the same mother, who is six years younger than her and has just turned 18 this year. Because of her disfigured appearance, she is quiet and taciturn, while her sister is the complete opposite—smart, beautiful, and mischievous, and is especially favored by their grandmother.
"Why? Why did she do this to me?"
Zhuang Xiyan never imagined that one day she would be betrayed and schemed against by her closest relatives.
The evil spirit felt guilty and heartbroken seeing her like this, saying, "Because she's jealous of you."
"envy?"
Zhuang Xiyan reacted as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world, "She has been the center of attention since she was a child. I am the ugly duckling. What is there for her to be jealous of?"
The evil spirit sighed softly, "It is precisely because of your contrast that she appears so perfect, and everyone likes her more. Except for one person, and that is your mother."
Zhuang Xiyan was stunned.
The evil spirit continued, "Think carefully, didn't your mother love you more?"
Zhuang Xiyan nodded.
"I was born with red spots on my face and rarely went out. Even my father would sometimes sigh when he saw me, and my grandmother thought I was an unlucky omen, even considering sending me away. My mother refused no matter what and protected me with her life. During those years, she and my father became somewhat estranged, and she even handed over the household management to my second aunt, focusing solely on taking care of me. Until later, when Xiuyan was born..."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
