Chapter 35: Life and Death Together (2/2)

Thankfully, it was just a child ghost—after 常年 (long - term) exposure to the mortal world, the corpse poison wasn't as potent as legend. Still, my priority was pasting the Soul - Suppressing Talisman on the ghost's forehead or seizing the bronze bell first.

Watching the ghost's nimble movements, exposing my back meant suicide. No matter how I slashed with the sword, the ghost showed no sign of tiring. It clearly feared the Seven - Star Sword, but I'd be the first to collapse from exhaustion at this rate.

As I tangled with the ghost, Liu Changsheng suddenly bellowed: "Yin spirits of Zhoujiazhuang, I'll give you a chance to atone! Capture Zhang Dabao, and I'll spare your descendants!"

My heart sank at his words. Around me, yin winds howled. Those departed spirits, aware they were about to be annihilated, saw Liu's offer as a sliver of hope in death.

A torrent of yin spirits rushed at me, their malevolent winds forcing me to wildly swing the Seven - Star Sword. After forcing the ghost back by my calf, I spun to grab 糯米粉 (glutinous rice powder) from my satchel—this could briefly suppress yin spirits. But human speed paled next to that of yin spirits. Nearly a hundred spirits pounced, their icy winds making me dizzy. Just as I couldn't hold on, a pair of cold small hands clamped my neck, the force instantly cutting off my breath.

Was this how I'd die? I was only in my early 20s, unwilling to perish like this. Though Yi Zhai had been smashed, I was confident I could rebuild it, and Zhao Na needed my care after her father's tragic death. But the ghost's strength was too great. As my head spun from oxygen deprivation, Old Wang suddenly leaped up from the ground, charging at me with all his might. He thrust me aside, then dug his fingers into the ghost's eyes.

This struggle caused the wheat stalk inserted in the ghost's neck to fall out. The ghost, which had been wildly fighting me, regained its consciousness. It hugged its head and wailed: "Why? Why does everyone abandon me? Why!"

Somehow, Old Wang had obtained silver powder. He threw it into the air, and with the wind, the yin spirits 扑向 (pouncing on) me all rapidly retreated. "Go paste the Soul - Suppressing Talisman!" he shouted at me.

Ignoring the pain in my body, I gritted my teeth and ran over, slapping the talisman hard on the ghost's forehead. The ghost then bent backward, somehow curling its childlike body into a ball. 紧接着 (immediately after) came the stench of decay, and the ghost literally melted into a puddle of sludge before my eyes.

Above the mixture of rotting flesh and bones, a young boy squatted and 嘤嘤 cried. I knew this must be the ghost's original soul. The Soul - Suppressing Talisman had separated the spirit from the corpse ghost. Without the yin spirit's intervention, it naturally lost its ability to harm others.

Old Wang, 脸色惨白 (pale - faced), panted heavily: "Raising a child ghost connects the master's bloodline. Now he's also seriously injured."

As I stood there in a daze, Liu Changsheng not far away suddenly groaned, spat out a large mouthful of blood, and collapsed to the ground. Clearly, with the ghost destroyed, he'd suffered a severe 反噬 (backlash).

Just then, the crying boy spirit seemed to spot something exciting. It suddenly leaped into the air, charging straight at Liu Changsheng with bared fangs and claws, roaring: "You betrayed me! I'll kill you!"

"Hurry, stop him! Let the Seven - Star Sword taste blood!" Old Wang shouted again.

Without delay, I slashed my palm with the Seven - Star Sword. As blood stained the blade, I rushed toward the ghost and slashed hard. The ghost's form wavered, and it let out miserable howls. Taking advantage, I quickly took out 糯米粉 (glutinous rice powder). After forcing the ghost into a corner, I used the rice powder as a boundary, trapping it within.

The ghost screamed at me furiously: "Why won't you let me kill him? He lied to me! I had such a miserable past life, and he turned me into a child ghost that can't be reincarnated. He promised to take care of me but betrayed me. What's the point of such scum living? Let me kill him! Kill him! I want to die with him!"

"Dare to say another word, and I'll annihilate you now!" Old Wang said, trembling as he stood up.

"Are you okay, Master?" I asked hurriedly.

Old Wang waved me off, explaining that we couldn't kill the ghost now—doing so would mean killing Liu Changsheng. "Right now, Liu Changsheng is just suffering backlash; he'll recover soon. Because he used his lifeblood to 祭练 (cultivate) the ghost and swore a poisonous oath, the two are now 同生共死 (bound by life and death)."