Qi is easy to pass on

Chapter 3

Seeing the corpse aura emanating from the evil spirit, Zhou Qiang knew he was in trouble and hurriedly shouted, "Master, be careful of the corpse aura!" He then pulled out the Soul-Destroying Thorn and plunged it into the top of the evil spirit's head. The evil spirit screamed in pain. Maggots and a white, viscous substance oozed from its head, a truly disgusting sight. Old Man Le Shui, however, seemed completely unconcerned about the corpse aura and actually inhaled it. Zhou Qiang witnessed all of this and thought, "This is terrible." He had heard his master say that even a tiny amount of corpse aura could kill someone, and this time his master had inhaled it all... Zhou Qiang dared not think further. His fear had vanished; his rage had reached its peak. He pulled the Soul-Destroying Thorn from the evil spirit's head and began stabbing it wildly into its body, shouting, "I'll teach you to harm my master! I'll teach you to harm my master! I'll kill you!" The evil spirit's face was contorted in pain, looking utterly terrifying. Suddenly, he exerted his strength, and both Old Man Le Shui and Zhou Qiang were thrown to the ground. Zhou Qiang, ignoring his own pain, rushed to help Old Man Le Shui up, and said to him in a tearful voice, "Master, you've been poisoned by corpse poison..."

Turning to look at the evil spirit, the spirit laughed, reaching its hand into its mouth up to its elbow, then pulling out a handful of unknown poisonous insects, and said with a smile, "Today I'll make you both die here." With that, it floated towards the old man Le Shui. Zhou Qiang shielded his master with his body, thinking that this was the end for him.

Meanwhile, Old Wang was almost home, feeling happy. Suddenly, he saw his second son approaching, whistling and carrying two wreaths. Old Wang ignored him and continued walking. Wang the Second, thinking, "What's this old geezer doing?" ran over and stopped him, asking, "You old codger, what are you doing with those two incense sticks?" Old Wang seemed terrified of Wang the Second, and like a schoolboy who had done something wrong, he lowered his head and told him everything. Wang the Second was furious. He thought that if his elder brother came back to life, he wouldn't be able to inherit Old Wang's estate, and ordered, "Put out the incense!" Old Wang didn't hesitate, walked past Wang the Second, and continued walking. Suddenly, Wang the Second kicked him, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt. Old Wang lay on the ground, his eyes fixed on the incense stick, muttering, "Luckily, it didn't go out." Old Wang Er said smugly, "Hey, I'm going to beat you up today, you old codger, and you didn't even cry out in pain!" He then kicked him again.

Old Wang didn't care at all and continued crawling forward. Wang the Second continued, "Have you forgotten how your eldest son treated you? Have you forgotten that last time you peed a little outside the toilet, your brother smeared your doorway with poop? Have you forgotten how your brother beat you when you gave his child two pieces of candy and the child had a toothache? Have you forgotten how your snoring woke your brother up and he smashed your windows? And you even saved him, you old bastard!" He got angrier and angrier, acting as if he were so filial, and started kicking and hitting Old Wang.

Old Wang endured the pain, still smiling. His last words before collapsing were—"Thank goodness, the incense hasn't gone out." The ghost of Wang's eldest son stood beside him, helplessly watching his pitiful yet respectable father. He screamed desperately, trying to strike Wang's second son, but he couldn't hit him, because he was an out-of-body ghost, not a complete ghost, and therefore lacked the abilities of a ghost.

On the other side, the evil spirit, clutching a poisonous insect, pressed it onto Zhou Qiang's body. Zhou Qiang, his eyes tightly shut, awaited death. The evil spirit's laughter grew fainter. When Zhou Qiang opened his eyes, the evil spirit's expression told him it had seen something terrifying, muttering, "Purple aura, purple aura!" The poisonous insect pressed against Zhou Qiang, along with the evil spirit's arm, turned into white smoke and floated away. The evil spirit let out another strange cry and tried to escape. At this moment, the green ghost that Old Man Leshui kept returned. The green ghost tightly embraced the evil spirit, and no matter how much the one-armed evil spirit struggled, it was futile. Old Man Leshui shouted, "Disciple, use the Soul-Destroying Thorn to pierce his navel and drain his ghostly energy!"

The evil spirit cried out, "No! No! I'll find someone else to take my place, please spare me, sir!" Zhou Qiang, disregarding everything else, used his dagger to pierce the evil spirit's navel as his master had instructed. Perhaps due to Zhou Qiang's lack of skill, only a tiny bit of ghostly energy was released from the evil spirit's stomach. At this moment, Old Man Le Shui struggled to his feet and said to Zhou Qiang, "Give me the Soul-Destroying Thorn, I'll do it." Before Zhou Qiang could hand the Soul-Destroying Thorn to his master, he heard Old Wang Er's cursing outside. He turned to look at his master, who gestured for him to go out and investigate.

When Zhou Qiang went outside, he saw Wang Lao Er still relentlessly beating Lao Wang Tou. He stepped forward and kicked Wang Lao Er to the ground. Wang Lao Er was startled, glanced at Zhou Qiang, and wisely ran away. Zhou Qiang, holding the Soul-Preserving Incense in one hand and carrying Lao Wang Tou into the house with the other, attributed his strength to Le Xi Po's daily "early morning walks."

After entering the house, Zhou Qiang placed Old Wang on a bed in another room. He then went to the room where the Wang father and son were lying, and gave incense to Old Man Leshui. Old Man Leshui placed two sticks of incense into the mouths of the Wang father and son respectively. A short while later, the Wang father and son woke up. The eldest son's first words were, "Where's my father?" Zhou Qiang pointed to the room where Old Wang was lying, and the father and son rushed over, bursting into tears—more like wailing than crying.

In the room, Zhou Qiang told the old man Le Shui the whole story. The old man Le Shui looked at the evil ghost being hugged by the green ghost, smiled strangely, and said, "I've thought of a way to punish Wang Lao Er."

After Old Wang woke up, his three generations of children and grandchildren embraced and wept bitterly. When they finished crying, Master Leshui and his apprentice signaled that they had to leave. Before leaving, Old Wang expressed his deepest gratitude to Master Leshui and his apprentice, saying that they had not only saved the Wang family father and son but also changed the family's relationship. After saying this, he insisted on giving Master Leshui twenty yuan. Before he could finish speaking, they heard Old Wang shout from inside the house, "Dad, come and eat dumplings! We've been waiting for you." Old Wang smiled and went back into the house.

On the way home, Zhou Qiang carried Old Man Leshui on his back and cautiously asked, "Master, how is your corpse poison?" Old Man Leshui smiled and said, "When I summoned that evil spirit, I lit three incense sticks. The first one is called 'Ghost-Attracting Incense,' which is to attract the evil spirit. The second one is called 'Anti-Poison Incense,' which is just in case I get infected with the corpse poison." Hearing that his master was alright, Zhou Qiang's mood brightened, and he continued to ask, "What's the third incense stick for?" Old Man Leshui smiled mysteriously and said, "I won't tell you for now." Zhou Qiang pretended to be angry and said, "Master, you have a trick up your sleeve!" After saying that, the old man laughed.

On the third day, the Wang family held a funeral. It wasn't Old Wang the First, nor the Wang father and son, who died, but Old Wang the Second. ===================================================================================== Chapter Eleven: The Art of Dream Interpretation - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. Heavy snow blanketed the entire Yinfeng Village in white. Old Man Leshui had essentially passed on all his skills to Zhou Qiang. Sometimes, Zhou Qiang would wake up earlier than Old Man Leshui at night, quietly turning off his alarm and sneaking off to the cemetery. He had encountered the "ghost market" alone before, but he wasn't as panicked as the first time. He would greet the ghost vendors occasionally, and after they packed up, he would begin studying and practicing his martial arts. Sometimes he would fall asleep when he was tired. However, whenever he woke up, he would find himself covered with a blanket. He knew Old Man Leshui had been there, and had even gone back to get the blanket before returning. Sometimes, Old Man Leshui would accompany his beloved disciple to the cemetery, but he coughed less, perhaps because Zhou Qiang always carried a thermos of hot tea. In the mornings, he still mechanically pulled the cart for his "early morning walk." Calling it a "morning stroll" is an understatement; it's more like a run. Zhou Qiang has gone from struggling to pull the cart to the village entrance to now being able to pull it almost all the way to the Hebei border. Every morning when Zhou Qiang reaches the Hebei border, a female ghost appears and excitedly calls out to the wild ghosts beside her, "Look, look! He promised to help me get revenge!"

Only Granny Le was always sighing and looking worried. Old Man Le Shui and Zhou Qiang both knew that Granny Le was worried that she wouldn't be able to find a successor for her Qi Yi technique. Zhou Qiang had also asked Granny Le to teach him Meng Yi and Yu Yi, but Granny Le always said that Zhou Qiang's Yin energy was weak and that practicing his martial arts would harm his body. After saying that, she shook her head and left.

That day, a heavy snow fell from the sky. Zhou Qiang was fast asleep, curled up in bed. Grandma Lexi and Old Man Leshui were chatting on a bench inside the house. Suddenly, the door opened, and a middle-aged man in his forties entered. The man walked in expressionlessly. Grandma Lexi asked, "Young man, what brings you here?" The man took off his sunglasses, and Grandma Lexi couldn't help but burst into laughter. Old Man Leshui, who was blind, heard Grandma Lexi's laughter and asked what was wrong. Grandma Lexi, preoccupied with her laughter, ignored Old Man Leshui, whose cheeks flushed red. He snorted and went back inside.

The middle-aged man clearly didn't care about Le Xipo's mockery. After Le Xipo finished laughing, the middle-aged man spoke: "Grandma, I always have nightmares at night. I dream that someone wants to kill me, either stabbing me with a knife, strangling me, or throwing me off a cliff. Also, when I get up, I can't move or speak, and also..." Before the middle-aged man could finish, Le Xipo interrupted, "Hmm, is that why you came to me?" She then gestured for the middle-aged man to sit down. The middle-aged man, wiping the stool, said, "Grandma, you have to save me! I think I've been possessed by an evil spirit this time." Le Xipo agreed without hesitation, thinking, "Finally, it's my turn to unleash my power." Le Xipo told the middle-aged man to wait a moment, packed some things, and said goodbye to Old Man Le Shui before heading out. Old Man Le Shui called out to her, "Hey, take Ji Ye with you, give him some exercise!" He then slammed his cane against the bed, followed by Zhou Qiang's cry of "Ouch!" which shook the snow off the tree branches.

The middle-aged man helped Le Xipo and the half-open-eyed Zhou Qiang into his car, and they drove to Jinan City, Shandong Province. On the way, Le Xipo learned the middle-aged man's identity. It turned out his name was Song Peng, the owner of a medium-sized restaurant in Jinan. A month ago, someone died from drinking at his restaurant. The death was one thing, but the deceased's family was another. They came to the restaurant every day to cause trouble, ordering VIP food and drinks but refusing to eat or drink, and leaving immediately without paying after all the food was served. Later, Song Peng hired some thugs who would beat up the deceased's family whenever they entered the restaurant. After being beaten several times, the deceased's family stopped entering the restaurant and instead placed colorful wreaths at the entrance, even hanging a sign that read, "Those who want to die, come in." This angered Song Peng, who found the deceased's family's address and ordered people to guard their door, beating them every time they came out. They are still guarding the door to this day.

Le Xipo simply nodded and closed her eyes to rest. The middle-aged man was also bored, thinking he might as well talk to the child behind him. When he turned around, he saw Zhou Qiang lying asleep on the back seat, drooling all over half of it. The middle-aged man didn't dare to say anything, inwardly grumbling, "My designer seat cover!"

"We've crossed the Jinan border, we're almost home," Song Peng said. Grandma Le Xi, still with her eyes closed, said, "Hmm, let's go check on your restaurant first." Zhou Qiang woke up at this moment. He opened his blurry eyes and vaguely saw a black aura above Song Peng's head. He immediately sat up and cried out, "Grandma, be careful! There's black aura on that person's head!" Grandma Le Xi glanced back at Zhou Qiang and said, "This black aura is caused by a vengeful ghost that has been haunting him for a long time. I saw it as soon as he came to our house. Don't be alarmed." Zhou Qiang said "Oh," and Song Peng chimed in, "Yes, yes, I knew I was possessed! Grandma, you're amazing! You're truly a divine being, and this young man too!" He turned to look at Zhou Qiang, their eyes meeting. Suddenly, Zhou Qiang turned away from Song Peng. Song Peng knew Zhou Qiang was secretly laughing at his dark circles.

Upon entering the restaurant, all the waiters were dumbfounded to see their boss fawning over an old rural woman.

Le Xipo carefully observed the surroundings of the restaurant. Zhou Qiang also took out his compass and checked the needle. Seeing nothing unusual on the compass, he looked up at Le Xipo. Le Xipo seemed to have discovered something and stopped at table number fourteen. Zhou Qiang and Song Peng followed. Le Xipo casually grabbed a stool and placed it on the table, saying, "He died at this table, sitting on this stool, right?" Song Peng was astonished, his mouth agape. Not only was Le Xipo's statement completely accurate, but the fact that this old woman could lift a stool with one hand and throw it on the table so effortlessly was truly astonishing. Zhou Qiang patted Song Peng's shoulder, and Song Peng finally came to his senses and nodded repeatedly. Le Xipo smiled and said to Zhou Qiang, "Ji Ye, do you know why I could tell?" Zhou Qiang looked at the two ants on the ground and nodded, saying, "Grandma, I know, this is the art of divination." Le Xipo smiled without answering. Song Peng quickly changed his tune and cried out, "Living Bodhisattva, save me!"

Le Xipo straightened her expression and said, "Raging ghost, I'll subdue you tonight!" ====================================================================================== Chapter Twelve: Possession of the Ancestral Master - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Song Peng's family lives in a well-known villa in the city center. The villa complex consists of eight separate villas within high walls, each occupying approximately 500 square meters. Several luxury cars are parked inside. Song Peng lives in the first villa upon entering the complex. It's clear that the villa is inhabited entirely by wealthy people.

It was already six o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived at Song Peng's house. Song Peng kept asking Le Xipo when she would start the ritual, and Le Xipo slowly replied, "After you go to sleep." Upon hearing this, Song Peng immediately lay down on the bed to sleep, but he just couldn't fall asleep. He kept getting up to ask Le Xipo if she was done, and then he kept asking Zhou Qiang if he was asleep. Zhou Qiang got annoyed and didn't bother to answer him. Song Peng still hadn't fallen asleep by eleven o'clock at night, so he got up again to ask Le Xipo. Le Xipo said, "This isn't going to work this afternoon, Ji Ye." After saying that, she gave Zhou Qiang a look. Zhou Qiang had long been fed up with Song Peng's nagging, so he went up and slapped Song Peng on the head. Song Peng never expected that he would fall asleep like that.

At 11:50 AM, a gust of cold wind blew into the room. The windows and doors were closed on such a cold day; how could a cold wind have gotten in? Zhou Qiang wondered. Le Xi Po said, "Ji Ye, open your third eye and protect me. I'm about to perform a ritual. When you see red smoke rising from his head, put this in my mouth." She handed Zhou Qiang a Qi-based diagram with the character 'Return' written on it. Then, Le Xi Po muttered something and fell asleep on the sofa. Zhou Qiang opened his third eye, gripping the Soul-Destroying Thorn, and observed the situation. "Dong, dong, dong..." The living room clock struck twelve. Suddenly, Zhou Qiang saw a plume of black smoke drift in from somewhere, eventually entering Song Peng's mouth.

Song Peng's face showed a pained expression, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

In his dream, Song Peng ran and ran, then stopped, panting heavily, seemingly exhausted. Looking up, he saw a disheveled, disfigured ghost wielding a long knife, grinning menacingly at him. The ghost raised the knife and swung it at Song Peng, who screamed for help. At that moment, the ghost stopped, letting out two strange cries. Song Peng opened his eyes and saw Le Xi Po behind him, one hand gripping his neck, the other yawning. Song Peng exclaimed with delight, "Grandma, you finally appeared! Otherwise, I would have died!" He then scurried behind Le Xi Po. Seeing Song Peng hide, the ghost cried out again, then suddenly twisted its head 180 degrees, baring its large black teeth and laughing loudly, before biting down on Le Xi Po's hand.

Zhou Qiang observed his surroundings and suddenly noticed a row of teeth marks on Le Xipo's hand. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly took out an incense stick and lit it. Once the incense had burned out, Zhou Qiang grabbed a handful of ash and smeared it on Le Xipo's hand. This incense, called "Ten Thousand Flower Incense," was an essential ingredient for detoxification and dispelling turbid qi, and Zhou Qiang's use on Le Xipo's hand was perfect. White smoke hissed from Le Xipo's hand, and Zhou Qiang breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Zhou Qiang noticed something pressing down on Song Peng. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was not something else, but another vengeful ghost. The ghost was pressing down on Song Peng with its rotting body, occasionally licking Song Peng's face with its green tongue. Song Peng's expression became even more unsightly.

"Sleep paralysis, damn it!" Zhou Qiang said, standing up. The vengeful ghost seemed to know Zhou Qiang could see it, chuckling twice and asking, "Kid, you're not simple. You can actually see me!" It then licked its nose and eyes, probably trying to scare Zhou Qiang. Zhou Qiang, however, had spent a lot of time in graveyards; this little scare didn't seem to frighten it. Without hesitation, Zhou Qiang grabbed the Soul-Destroying Dagger and charged. The vengeful ghost then noticed the purple aura emanating from Zhou Qiang, but it didn't underestimate him, easily dodging the attack and jumping onto the window. This almost caused Zhou Qiang to stab Song Peng. Zhou Qiang was now enraged, saying something even students in 2002 would say: "Fine, let's fight one-on-one!" The vengeful ghost burst into laughter, and Zhou Qiang's face turned red. He realized that having a ghost fight someone who had studied Taoism was utterly ridiculous. Enraged, Zhou Qiang ran to the vengeful ghost and stabbed it. The dagger seemed to have missed the vengeful ghost; instead, bursts of laughter echoed from the ceiling—the ghost's voice. The ghost blew a puff of black smoke at Zhou Qiang, who instinctively covered his mouth and rolled away from the spreading black smoke. Zhou Qiang pulled a piece of white paper from behind him, bit his finger, and drew something on it. He held the completed Qi Yi diagram between his index and middle fingers, muttering, "The 65th generation successor of Qi Yi acts on behalf of Heaven, hoping the Ancestral Master will grant me magical power." He then swallowed the Qi Yi diagram. At that moment, Zhou Qiang felt a burning heat throughout his body, and his consciousness slowly faded. Suddenly, a thunderclap struck. Zhou Qiang stood up, his face mature, and said, "Those who bully my Qi Yi disciples, kill them!" His eyes turned bloodshot, and he slammed his fist against the wall. The vengeful ghost seemed to be electrocuted, falling to the ground with a shriek.

Zhou Qiang walked expressionlessly toward the vengeful ghost. The ghost knelt trembling, kowtowing and pleading, "Master, spare me! Master, spare me! This lowly ghost was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! Spare me! This lowly ghost will go..." Before the ghost could finish, Zhou Qiang flicked his right hand, and the ghost's head was blown off. Zhou Qiang grabbed the headless corpse and head, muttering something. The vengeful ghost let out a terrifying scream as its head and body turned into yellow powder, eventually becoming sand.

Zhou Qiang calmly went to the mirror and examined himself, muttering, "This sixty-fifth generation disciple is quite good-looking, fair-skinned and rather cute." He chuckled twice and then fainted. Two minutes later, Zhou Qiang woke up, rubbing his aching head. He saw the sand on the ground and smiled, thinking that his ancestor had possessed him and destroyed the vengeful ghost. He stood up and saw a ghost crawling towards Le Xi Po not far away. Without a word, Zhou Qiang picked up the Soul-Destroying Thorn and slashed at it, striking the ghost's hand. The ghost cried out and vanished in a puff of green smoke, leaving only the severed arm. Zhou Qiang cursed, "Damn it, you got away!" He wondered why there were so many ghosts in his house.

Zhou Qiang returned to Le Xipo's side to watch over her, wondering how his mother was doing. ============================================================================================= Chapter Thirteen: The Vengeful Ghost Closes Its Eyes - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Le Xipo, bitten by the vengeful ghost, quickly withdrew her right hand and took two steps back. The vengeful ghost laughed, "Old woman, you've been poisoned by my corpse poison!" Le Xipo realized her carelessness. The vengeful ghost continued, "Hurry up and get off Song Peng's body, or you're dead." The vengeful ghost's words were indeed reasonable; either Le Xipo would die from the corpse poison, or Song Peng would most likely not escape it. It seemed the vengeful ghost was determined to kill Song Peng today. As Le Xipo hesitated, she suddenly saw white smoke rising from her right hand. Le Xipo knew Zhou Qiang had already cured her of the poison.

"You vengeful ghost, you drank yourself to death, don't blame others," said Le Xipo righteously. Song Peng nodded repeatedly behind her. The vengeful ghost, however, was unconvinced and said, "Old woman, I just want revenge. If you don't leave, don't blame me." The vengeful ghost watched Le Xipo for a while, and seeing that she had no intention of leaving, it flew towards her in a rage. Le Xipo kept her eyes tightly closed, muttering something. Then, Le Xipo suddenly opened her eyes, startling the vengeful ghost. Le Xipo's eyes were glowing red, like two small light bulbs, and her face had turned deathly pale. Le Xipo's constitution was already extremely Yin, and after using the Yin Gathering Technique, she emitted even more Yin energy, causing even Song Peng behind her to tremble. The vengeful ghost also sensed the immense Yin energy emanating from Le Xipo and dared not approach. Ghosts generally prefer homes or graveyards where yin energy gathers, because yin energy can help ghosts increase their magical power. However, ghosts do not like ghosts with more yin energy than themselves. In other words, ghosts with heavy yin energy have higher magical power, while ghosts with light yin energy are more likely to be harmed or even devoured by them. Therefore, ghosts with light yin energy will usually choose to hide or run away when they see ghosts with heavy yin energy.

The vengeful ghost asked tremblingly, "You... are you a human or... a ghost?"

"I'm your grandmother!" With that, Le Xipo stepped forward, grabbed the vengeful ghost, and lifted it up. The ghost was already curled up, its hands covering its head, like a frightened puppy in Le Xipo's hands. Le Xipo stared expressionlessly at the ghost, who also stole a glance at her, wondering what this inhuman old woman wanted. Le Xipo turned to Song Peng and said, "Kill him." She pulled a jade hairpin from her hair and handed it to Song Peng. Upon hearing that Le Xipo wanted him to kill the ghost, Song Peng shook his head vigorously. Seeing that she couldn't rely on Song Peng, Le Xipo decided to do it herself. She threw the ghost to the ground, picked up the jade hairpin, and plunged it into the ghost's navel. A puff of black smoke billowed from the navel. The ghost's resentment had been released by Le Xipo, and it deflated like a punctured balloon. The ghost's eyes, filled with bloody tears, looked at him with such resentment. The vengeful ghost's fingers were making a rattling sound on the ground.

Upon seeing this, Le Xipo cried out in alarm, "A vengeful ghost contract?!" With that, she kicked the vengeful ghost aside. A vengeful ghost contract is a written document drawn by a vengeful ghost before reincarnation or the dissipation of its soul. This document is published in the ghost realm's announcement system upon the ghost's disappearance. Its meaning is simply: "Whoever helps me kill XXX, I am willing to go to the eighteen levels of hell in your place, or have my body enjoyed by you in the next life." After its publication, evil ghosts reach an agreement with it, forming a vengeful ghost contract.

At this moment, Granny Lexi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she hadn't let the vengeful ghost finish writing, otherwise things would have been much more troublesome. The vengeful ghost weakly murmured, "My parents..." Granny Lexi saw that even the vengeful ghost was a filial son, still thinking of his parents before his death, and felt a pang of reluctance. Suddenly, Granny Lexi walked towards the vengeful ghost and covered its navel, which was emitting black energy, with both hands. The yin energy on Granny Lexi's body slowly flowed into the vengeful ghost's body. Song Peng, puzzled, wondered why she was saving the vengeful ghost when she was about to kill it. He quickly said, "Granny, if you save him, I'll..." Granny Lexi explained, "Granny, my lifespan is running out, but I haven't found a successor for my Qi Transformation Technique." She wiped her sweat and placed her hands on the vengeful ghost again. Song Peng was shocked and said, "Granny, are you going to pass on your Qi Transformation Technique to this vengeful ghost?"

Grandma Lexi finished her work, glanced at the vengeful ghost, and stood up with a smile: "Of course not. Have you ever seen someone pass on their ghost-catching magic to a ghost? I want this ghost to help me find an apprentice." The vengeful ghost woke up at this moment, stood up, and kept his eyes fixed on Song Peng. This terrified Song Peng, who quickly hid behind Grandma Lexi. Grandma Lexi smiled and said, "It's alright, it's alright. He probably won't harm anyone now. He carries my yin energy and is under my control. But if I die, he might still come back to find you." Upon hearing this, Song Peng almost cried, silently praying, "Grandma, please don't die."

“Song Peng, could you help take care of the vengeful ghost’s family? After all, they died in your restaurant, you should at least offer some compensation,” said Granny Le. Song Peng nodded while keeping a close eye on the vengeful ghost’s expression, afraid of angering it and making it jump over and bite him. The vengeful ghost looked at Granny Le gratefully, and Granny Le looked at the vengeful ghost kindly, smiling without saying a word.

"Come into my jade hairpin," said Granny Lexi calmly. "The yin energy inside can be used for your cultivation." The vengeful ghost nodded, transformed into a wisp of black smoke, and disappeared into the jade hairpin. Seeing the ghost vanish, Song Peng's movements became natural. He turned to Granny Lexi, looking at her gratefully, and said, "Grandma, please be my godmother. I will serve you well until the end." Granny Lexi looked at the middle-aged man before her and sighed inwardly, "If only I had a son! Unfortunately, I'm cursed by fate. If I were to take you as my godson, you would die too."

Looking at Le Xipo's kind expression, Song Peng thought it should work out this time. Unexpectedly, Le Xipo's face darkened, and she said in a low voice, "If you want to die sooner, then recognize me as your godmother."

"..." Song Peng was speechless.

Le Xipo took out a Qi Yi diagram from her bosom and stuffed it into Song Peng's mouth. Song Peng felt a burning sensation on his head and fainted.

Just then, Zhou Qiang saw a puff of red smoke rising from Song Peng's head. He quickly stuffed the Qi Yi Diagram that Le Xipo had given him into Le Xipo's mouth. Le Xipo coughed once, her face slowly regaining its color, and then she opened her eyes and looked at Zhou Qiang.

The next morning, Song Peng's dark circles had disappeared. He praised Le Xipo as a celestial being, a fairy descended to earth, and so on, but he never mentioned the word "godmother" again. He then took Le Xipo and Zhou Qiang to the home of the vengeful ghost's family. Song Peng apologized profusely and finally left 100,000 yuan as a token of his remorse. The vengeful ghost's family wasn't unreasonable; they talked about the ghost's past and then fell silent. Only a drop of blood remained on the ground beside Le Xipo's jade hairpin; perhaps only Le Xipo knew that it was the vengeful ghost's blood and tears.

At noon, Song Peng invited Le Xipo and Zhou Qiang to his family's restaurant for lunch. At the table, Song Peng kept saying thank you. Le Xipo also greeted him with a smile, but Zhou Qiang looked very unhappy. Le Xipo asked, "Ji Ye, why aren't you eating? Is it not good?" Zhou Qiang honestly replied, "Grandma, let's go home. I miss Master. I can't eat all this meat and fish. I wonder if Master has eaten yet?" His voice trailed off. Le Xipo looked at the twenty-year-old young man, almost in tears, and thought, "You've only been gone a day and you already miss Master? You're such a wimp." Le Xipo then ate her meal hastily and asked Song Peng to take her home.

Upon arriving at her doorstep, Song Peng stuffed two thousand yuan into Le Xipo's hand. Le Xipo didn't refuse; Qi Yi never asked for money when exorcising ghosts for others, accepting whatever amount was given. Song Peng held Le Xipo's hand tightly, talking incessantly. Zhou Qiang opened the car door and rushed into the house, grinning foolishly at his master whom he had been thinking about day and night. ========================================================================================== Chapter Fourteen: Song Peng's Neighbor - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by

Afterwards, Zhou Qiang recounted to Old Man Le Shui everything about how he caught the ghost at Song Peng's house, how the patriarch possessed him, and so on. Old Man Le Shui listened attentively, nodding as he spoke. However, Zhou Qiang's spittle rained down on Old Man Le Shui's face, which Old Man Le Shui tirelessly wiped away. Zhou Qiang, puzzled by his master's actions, asked, "Master, is it really necessary? I'm telling you what happened, why are you wiping your sweat like that?" This made Old Man Le Shui both amused and exasperated. After Zhou Qiang finished speaking, Old Man Le Shui said, "Ji Ye, you said there's more than one vengeful ghost in his house. It seems things aren't that simple." He pondered for a moment, then raised five fingers and continued, "Within five days, this person will definitely return." Old Man Le Shui nodded in agreement. Zhou Qiang looked at Old Man Le Shui and then at Old Man Le Shui, not understanding what his master meant, but he also nodded solemnly, as if it were a certainty.

The next day, Old Man Leshui asked Zhou Qiang to fetch the *Qi Yi Jing* (Book of Changes) and taught him how to interpret it. Zhou Qiang handed the *Qi Yi Jing* to Old Man Leshui, who threw the book on the table, bit his left middle finger (which had the number "64" written on it), and wrote four large characters on his right palm: "The Blind Still Exists." He slammed the book on the table with a "smack," and the *Qi Yi Jing* flipped through dozens of pages due to the air pressure before returning to its original state. Old Man Leshui told Zhou Qiang to open the *Qi Yi Jing* and take a look. Zhou Qiang was delighted; the book was filled with densely packed characters from beginning to end. Zhou Qiang said to Old Man Leshui, "Master, I'll take it and study it." He turned to leave, but Old Man Leshui blocked his way with his cane. Old Man Le Shui smiled mysteriously and said, "This is not something you can see. Do you want to be blind too? The founder set a rule that you must interpret it yourself, and the interpretation will vary depending on the individual's fate. I am just giving you a demonstration. Try it yourself."

Zhou Qiang thought to himself, "What's so difficult about this?" He threw the scriptures on the table, gritted his teeth, bit his finger until it bled, and said to the old man Le Shui, "Master, what should I write on my right hand?"

"Auspicious purple clouds come from the east. That's what it says in the Qi Yi ancestral genealogy," said the old man Le Shui with anticipation.

"Okay." After saying that, Zhou Qiang wrote four crooked characters on his right palm and slammed them on the table with force, his strength not much less than that of Old Man Le Shui. However, the Qi Yi Jing seemed to barely turn four or five pages before automatically closing. Zhou Qiang knew there weren't many words inside, so he remained silent. Old Man Le Shui, hearing his disciple's silence, asked, "Ji Ye, what's wrong?" Zhou Qiang answered in a low voice with difficulty, "Master, when you used your power, the Qi Yi Jing turned dozens of pages, but when I used my power, it only turned a few pages."

"Huh? This is something new." Old Man Leshui was also puzzled. After thinking for a while, he seemed to remember something and hurriedly said, "Jiye, take a look at what's written in the Qi Yi Jing!" Zhou Qiang had never seen his master so excited since he came to his master's house. He quickly opened the book and started reading, explaining to Old Man Leshui as he read, "Master, besides the first three pages that I could see at the beginning, there are methods for opening the third eye with true qi, methods for controlling ghosts and killing people, methods for borrowing lifespan from heaven and changing fate, methods for eating ghosts, and..." Before Zhou Qiang could finish, Old Man Leshui burst into laughter, saying to the sky as he laughed, "Thank you, Ancestral Master, for giving me such a good disciple!" Then he said to Zhou Qiang, "Disciple, the content that Ancestral Master asked you to decipher is basically all forbidden techniques."

Zhou Qiang was also taken aback and asked in confusion, "Forbidden technique?"

“That’s right. Forbidden techniques are divination arts that our ancestor forbade his disciples from using. Countless generations of disciples have wanted to witness the power of forbidden techniques, but none of them could. Yet you can decipher them. It’s truly a divine arrangement. I never thought that I would be able to receive a disciple who can learn forbidden techniques in my lifetime.” Old Man Le Shui was overjoyed.

"Master, how about we learn together?" It seemed that Zhou Qiang didn't care much about the Qi Transformation Forbidden Technique.

Old Man Le Shui nearly fainted with anger upon hearing this, saying, "You little bastard, you don't know what's good for you! The patriarch told you to learn, so learn it properly! Don't try to stir up trouble." Old Man Le Shui ordered Zhou Qiang to study the Qi Yi Jing in the room, while he happily leaned on his cane and ran to the kitchen next door. After a while, Granny Le Xi ran into the room with a smile on her face, looking at Zhou Qiang as if he were a monster. Then Old Man Le Shui called Granny Le Xi out of the room, gave her fifty yuan, and told her to go to the shop to buy pork ribs.

Actually, Zhou Qiang was quite happy, because he would finally no longer have to bite his finger to open his third eye.

In the following days, Old Man Leshui forbade Zhou Qiang from practicing his skills at the cemetery, but he still insisted on running every morning. Old Man Leshui believed that Zhou Qiang's courage no longer needed training, but his physique needed continuous improvement. Every day after his run, Zhou Qiang would study the I Ching, and in the afternoon, he would occasionally accompany his master to "diagnose" people. Of course, some homeowners from other places who wanted fortune telling and feng shui consultations would come to Yinfeng Village to ask Old Man Leshui for help. Sometimes, when Old Man Leshui didn't want to go, he would tell Zhou Qiang to go by himself. At the young age of twenty, he had become a household name in Yinfeng Village and neighboring villages as "Master Ye Zi."

Old Man Leshui predicted that Song Peng would return within five days, and sure enough, he did. On the afternoon of the fifth day, a car drove into Yinfeng Village and stopped in front of Old Man Leshui's house. Two people got out of the car: Song Peng and an unfamiliar face. The unfamiliar man tugged at Song Peng and whispered, "Brother Song, is it true that he can catch ghosts? I don't usually believe in superstitions. If what he says doesn't work, we'll leave." Song Peng smiled confidently and said, "Brother, trust me. Look, my panda eyes are gone, aren't they? That old woman is amazing. Let's go inside." After saying that, Song Peng went into the house, and the unfamiliar man followed him in, displaying a disdainful expression.

"Is Grandma home?" Song Peng asked as he walked into the house. At that moment, Granny Lexi came out of the kitchen. Seeing that Song Peng was someone she knew somewhat, she spoke with a warm, familial tone, smiling as she invited the two of them inside. The stranger thought to himself, "She hasn't even made any money yet, and look how happy this old woman is," and then snorted.

At that moment, Mr. Le Shui was listening to the radio in the main room. Upon hearing that someone had arrived, he turned off the radio. Song Peng introduced him to Granny Le, "This is my neighbor, his name is Gao Ruyi. This brother has something he'd like to ask you..." Before Song Peng could finish, Gao Ruyi interrupted with a smug expression, "My luck with money hasn't been very good lately. I'd like to ask Granny Le to take a look at my fortune, is that alright?" Granny Le's gaze fell on old man Le Shui.

Old Man Leshui spoke up, "May I take a drop of blood from your finger?" He then retrieved an incense burner from under the table. Granny Lexi took five incense sticks from inside the house, lit them, and placed them in the burner. Next, Granny Lexi handed a needle to Gao Ruyi. Old Man Leshui gestured for Gao Ruyi to smear the blood on the incense burner. Gao Ruyi did as she was told, thinking, "Let's see what tricks you're up to." After five minutes, Granny Lexi examined the incense and told Old Man Leshui the length of each stick. Old Man Leshui smiled and explained to Gao Ruyi, "You see, the middle stick burns the slowest, so it's naturally the tallest. The two on either side burn the fastest, so they're the shortest. The two outermost sticks burn the slowest, so they're the tallest. What does this look like?" Gao Ruyi was completely baffled, unable to understand. Suddenly, Song Peng shouted, "Yuanbao!"

Old Man Leshui said, "That's right! Since you're destined to have a fortune, your luck in wealth probably won't be too bad." At this moment, Old Man Leshui also realized that Gao Ruyi wasn't looking at his fortune but testing him. While Gao Ruyi's blood was still wet, Old Man Leshui ordered Granny Lexi to bring an incense stick and place it in the incense burner. The incense stick shook in the burner, then with a crisp sound, it broke! Although Old Man Leshui couldn't see it, he could hear the crisp sound. Then, Old Man Leshui's face turned extremely ugly, and he shook his head.

Song Peng couldn't figure it out and scratched the back of his head. Gao Ruyi, on the other hand, realized she was in trouble; this was clearly a trap! She figured the old man would start by claiming he'd encountered a ghost, then perform a ritual to swindle money. Unexpectedly, the old man said, "Go back now. Whatever happens at home, come back to me in three days. Don't come back in less than three days! Otherwise, you'll be in serious trouble." Gao Ruyi snorted and turned to leave, thinking, "Back? I'll never come back." Seeing Gao Ruyi leave, Song Peng, along with Granny Lexi and the old man Lexi, said goodbye and left as well. Watching Song Peng and Gao Ruyi leave, Granny Lexi asked, "What's wrong, Senior Brother?" The old man Lexi just kept shaking his head.

That day, Old Man Le Shui was sitting in the main room listening to the radio, wondering why the child hadn't arrived yet. Could he be dead? Suddenly, the door was pushed open with a bang. Gao Ruyi rushed into the room, then knelt down abruptly, her usual demeanor completely gone, crying, "Sir, help me!" ======================================================================================== Chapter Fifteen: The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Gao Ruyi recounted the events of the past three days while sobbing. The first day was relatively quiet, except that Gao Ruyi, his wife, and his sister heard terrifying laughter at night. On the second day, Gao Ruyi's sister was accidentally hit and killed by a car on her way to work; her death was gruesome, and the driver fled without a trace. An examination revealed no safety issues with the car's accelerator or brakes, and her body was taken to the hospital morgue. When Gao Ruyi returned home the following evening, he found his wife missing. He didn't think much of it, assuming she had gone out to play mahjong. On the third day, when Gao Ruyi woke up, he saw his wife sharpening a knife in the living room. Confused, he asked why she was sharpening the knife. His wife grinned maliciously and said she was going to kill him. She then picked up a kitchen knife and attacked Gao Ruyi. Fortunately, Gao Ruyi had practiced martial arts for several years and dodged her attacks, locking her inside the house. He then rushed to Song Peng's house.

While chuckling gleefully, Song Peng said, "You should have told your mother-in-law the truth when I took you to her house that day. What kind of fortune-telling is this? What she said makes sense. It's only the third day now; you'd better not go out. You'll probably get hit by a car." Gao Ruyi turned pale and couldn't speak. Song Peng, however, was magnanimous and didn't hold his rudeness against her, letting Gao Ruyi stay at his house for the night. When Song Peng woke up on the fourth day, he found Gao Ruyi missing. He was puzzled, unaware that she was on her way to Hebei.

Gao Ruyi drove slowly, slowing down whenever he saw a large car in the distance, fearing he would suffer the same fate as his sister. He arrived at Old Man Leshui's house with bated breath and hurriedly ran inside, where he knelt down and begged Old Man Leshui for help.

After listening to Gao Ruyi's account, Old Man Leshui turned off the radio and shouted, "Jiye, hurry up and pack your bags, come with me to rescue people!" Zhou Qiang was in the inner room reading the Qi Yi Jing, having just finished the last page. Startled by Old Man Leshui's call, he scurried out. Seeing the person kneeling on the ground crying, he knew another mission was imminent. Zhou Qiang looked at Old Man Leshui and said, "Master, let me go by myself. You should rest at home." Old Man Leshui smiled and said, "This time it might be more troublesome; you might not be able to handle it. Go and tell your mother-in-law; we need to leave as soon as possible." Gao Ruyi nodded repeatedly; he trusted this young man completely.

They drove in silence. Gao Ruyi, seeing her villa in the distance, said to Old Man Leshui, "Sir, we're almost home." Old Man Leshui nodded. Inside the courtyard, the three got out of the car. Old Man Leshui took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Such heavy yin energy! Jiye, come with me for a walk around this courtyard." Zhou Qiang hummed in agreement and helped Old Man Leshui walk around the large courtyard, saying, "Master, the layout of this courtyard is clearly a 'Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea' diagram! The arrangement of these eight houses is different, and the direction the windows face is also different. Gao Ruyi's villa has poplar, willow, elm, and locust trees planted in the east, west, south, and north respectively. The locust tree is in front of the main gate, but the windows are at the back of the courtyard. It should be 'Zhang Guolao riding his donkey backwards', right?" Old Man Leshui chuckled and said, "That's right, my disciple, you learn very quickly. It seems this house..." "A master has designed this." Turning to the worried Gao Ruyi, he said, "Kid, I bet you're the poorest person in this courtyard." Gao Ruyi blushed and said, "Sir, you're right. Of all the villas, mine is indeed the cheapest." The old man explained, "The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea painting is a ghost-suppressing painting. The power of the Eight Immortals is not to be underestimated, but this painting has a weakness: it lies with Zhang Guolao's donkey. Zhang Guolao's donkey has no magic power, so evil spirits can easily possess it, causing Zhang Guolao to be bullied by the ghost. Therefore, your house is the most likely of the eight villas to be targeted by evil spirits." The old man pointed down and continued, "This used to be a graveyard, right? You'd better ask."

Gao Ruyi hummed in agreement, took out his phone, and called a friend—the same friend who had introduced him to the villa and served as the engineer during its construction. Gao Ruyi rattled off a few words on the phone before hanging up. He walked over to the old man, Le Shui, and whispered, "My friend said that six workers were killed by falling rocks during the construction of this villa, but since it's in the city center, the news was quickly suppressed and didn't spread. Afterwards, I heard that the foreman in charge also jumped off a building." His expression grew panicked as he spoke.

Old Man Leshui gestured for Gao Ruyi to open the door, but Gao Ruyi shook his head repeatedly, saying, "My wife has gone mad. She's inside with a kitchen knife, trying to kill someone." Zhou Qiang, annoyed, frowned and said, "Are you ever going to stop?! Just do whatever we say, don't forget we're here to save you." He then ran to the large locust tree facing the main gate and placed a mirror there. Gao Ruyi carefully opened the door and made way for him. Zhou Qiang glanced at him, snorted, and went inside. He saw a woman with long, flowing hair sitting motionless on the sofa, assuming she was Gao Ruyi's wife. Zhou Qiang walked towards the madwoman, standing before her. The madwoman looked at Zhou Qiang, tilted her head, and asked with an innocent, puzzled expression, "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?!" This stumped Zhou Qiang. He didn't know if the woman was truly mad or possessed, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. He turned to look at Gao Ruyi. Suddenly, the crazy woman started baring her teeth and making a face. Her eyes seemed to be laughing, but her mouth seemed to be crying. Taking advantage of Zhou Qiang's unpreparedness, she grabbed a kitchen knife from behind and slashed at him!

"Disciple, be careful!" Old Man Le Shui shouted, but remained standing motionless. Gao Ruyi looked at Old Man Le Shui in confusion, thinking, "Are you really blind?"

Hearing Old Man Leshui's words, Zhou Qiang quickly dodged to the side, tearing a large hole in his cotton-padded coat. Looking at his beloved coat, Zhou Qiang thought, "This was a gift from my master! I'm going to fight you to the death today!" He then pulled out the Soul-Destroying Dagger from his back waist, ready to stab the madwoman. Seeing this, Gao Ruyi, realizing he was about to kill his wife, hurriedly shouted, "Young man, don't hurt my wife!" Zhou Qiang hesitated for a moment, then inserted the Soul-Destroying Dagger into his back waist, dodging the madwoman's cleaver while shouting, "Go find me a rope, thread will do too!" Gao Ruyi looked around, thinking there was no rope in the house. Fortunately, Old Man Leshui was prepared, taking a strand of white thread from his pocket and handing it to Gao Ruyi, gesturing for him to take it. Gao Ruyi took the thread, ran inside, placed it on the table, and then ran back to the door, so he could easily escape if anything happened.

Zhou Qiang broke free, grabbed the white thread, then bit his tongue, spitting blood onto his left hand. He said, "I hate pain the most! You made me bite my tongue, I'll beat you to a pulp!" With that, he used his bloodied hand to trace the white thread, which instantly turned red. Zhou Qiang pulled out a Soul-Destroying Dagger from his back and threw it, knocking the madwoman's kitchen knife away. The madwoman tried to pick up the knife, but Zhou Qiang lunged forward, grabbed her hair, and pulled it back, causing her to scream in pain. Gao Ruyi, heartbroken, wiped away tears. Zhou Qiang then threw the madwoman onto a chair and quickly bound her with the red thread. The madwoman then lay motionless, as if she had lost her soul. Strangely enough, this small piece of sewing thread could bind such a large person.

At this moment, Gao Ruyi saw Old Man Leshui walk over and followed him. Old Man Leshui touched the madwoman's forehead and said, "The evil spirit has left her body. Don't let her go yet, or it will be difficult to deal with if the evil spirit possesses her again."

"Master, when are we going to deal with that evil spirit?" Zhou Qiang asked.

Old Man Le Shui confidently said, "Eight o'clock tonight." ==================================================================================== Chapter Seventeen of "The Successor of Qi Yi": The Evil Ghost Killed Zhou Qiang - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by

Knowing he had nowhere to retreat, the evil spirit had no choice but to fight. It stretched out its black claws and lunged at Zhou Qiang, who dodged to the side. By then, the evil spirit couldn't retract its arm. Zhou Qiang clamped the evil spirit's elbow under his armpit, and with a swift swing of his knife in his left hand, the entire arm severed. The evil spirit howled in pain, staggering back two steps and clutching its wound, which gushed a disgusting, dark green liquid. Zhou Qiang was surprised to see such dark green ghost blood for the first time. It seemed the evil spirit harbored considerable resentment. Ghost blood is generally categorized as black, green, yellow, and white. Black blood is the unique color of demons. But the evil spirit Zhou Qiang was facing had dark green ghost blood, clearly indicating that this vengeful spirit was trending towards becoming a demon.

Zhou Qiang dared not be careless, his eyes fixed on the wounded demon, waiting for its next move. The demon, bleeding profusely, muttered, "Give me back my life." With that, it stretched out its other hand towards Zhou Qiang. The demon's arm was a full three meters long. Zhou Qiang had no time to hesitate; he jumped back, accidentally dropping the Soul-Destroying Thorn on the ground. As he reached for it, the demon's arm could still extend, its claws grabbing Zhou Qiang's neck. The demon then pulled Zhou Qiang backward, one end against the wall. Now, Zhou Qiang was suspended in mid-air, his face growing increasingly pale. He tried to call for his master, but the words wouldn't come out. He was struggling to breathe, his vision blurring, and finally, he could only hear the demon's sinister laughter before his eyes closed.

The evil spirit didn't release Zhou Qiang despite his unconsciousness; instead, it tightened its grip, as if it wanted to tear him to pieces. Suddenly, a ball of fire blew up from the side, scorching the evil spirit's outstretched arm. Instantly, the room was filled with the stench of burning flesh, even Gao Ruyi, who lacked the ability to see clearly, could smell it. The evil spirit turned to look in the direction of the fire, seeing it was flames exhaled from Old Man Leshui's mouth. The evil spirit released the unconscious Zhou Qiang and glared fiercely at Old Man Leshui. Before the evil spirit could unleash its fury, Old Man Leshui made his move first. He strode towards the evil spirit and swung his cane at it. The evil spirit quickly retracted its outstretched arm, blocking the blow, and then its arm coiled around Old Man Leshui's cane like a snake. Old Man Leshui chuckled and said, "Let's see what you can use to block my fire needles." With that, Old Man Leshui took out a Qi Yi diagram covered with small characters from his pocket, held it between his fingers, and chanted, "Summoning Qi Yi magic weapon—fire needles to exorcise ghosts!" After he finished speaking, the Qi Yi diagram quickly emitted white smoke and burst into flames. After the flames disappeared, a red-hot embroidery needle appeared in Old Man Leshui's hand.

Gao Ruyi, holding his wife's hand, watched as the old man Leshui performed his ritual, marveling at the wondrous sight. The old man Leshui plunged a fire needle into the demon's navel. The demon howled, and dark green blood spurted from its navel, splattering onto the old man's face. The demon's ghostly aura dissipated, revealing its true form. Even Gao Ruyi could now see the demon's appearance, and she was utterly terrified. The needle's eye was still visible in the demon's navel, and the old man Leshui forcefully pushed the needle in as well. Suddenly, flames erupted from the demon's body. The demon roared in agony, rushing to the terrified Gao Ruyi, its claws reaching for her. The old man Leshui was too late. The claws recoiled as if electrocuted the demon the moment they touched Gao Ruyi's body. The demon finally realized it was the old man Leshui who had manipulated it. Helpless, it lay down, its outstretched arms gripping the ground. The flames gradually subsided until they were extinguished. All that remained was a pool of dark green, viscous substance emitting white smoke.

Gao Ruyi took a deep breath, thinking how close she had come to disaster. Looking again, she saw Old Man Leshui sitting beside Zhou Qiang, head bowed and silent. Old Man Leshui touched Zhou Qiang's forehead; Zhou Qiang's body was now ice-cold. Old Man Leshui listened; Zhou Qiang was no longer breathing.

Zhou Qiang is dead! Old Man Le Shui simply couldn't accept this fact. Sitting on the ground, he forced a smile, pushed Zhou Qiang, and said, "Kid, don't play dead. Get up! I'll hit you with my cane!" His voice choked with sobs, and tears streamed down his face.

"You're destined to have seven lives, how could you fall so easily? Don't you want your master anymore?" Old Man Le Shui said, still unwilling to give up.

Zhou Qiang's ghost has now left the house with Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Zhou Qiang saw four ghosts outside the villa watching the house. Among them was the hand that Zhou Qiang had chopped off at Song Peng's house.

"Am I dead?" Zhou Qiang asked.

"Why is it that every ghost says the same thing to us two brothers as soon as they see us?" Horse-face ignored Zhou Qiang and said to Ox-head.

Niu Tou chuckled and replied, "If I'm not mistaken, his next sentence is..."

"Let me go back!" Zhou Qiang said, because he felt he shouldn't die like this. He knew Old Man Le Shui was still waiting for him inside, and he knew his master was old; if he really died, his master would be very sad. He also knew he had seven lives and wouldn't die so easily.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face exchanged a smile, and Horse-Face continued, "Old Ox, he really did say that. Hehe, it seems you've finally used your brain."

Ox-Head and Horse-Face ignored Zhou Qiang, continuing to mock him as they walked. After walking for an unknown amount of time, as they entered a grove of trees, a strangely dressed old man appeared ahead, blocking their path.

Although the old man had his back turned, it was still possible to tell that he was dressed in ancient white robes, with long white hair and a whisk in his hand. As soon as Horse-Face saw the old man blocking the way, he asked, "Old man, who are you? Why are you blocking the path of my brother and me?" The old man turned around, stroked his beard, and said, "Only a few thousand years? Have you two forgotten this old man?"

Ox-Head stared wide-eyed, stammering, "Old...old...I am Li Er!" Horse-Face also stammered, "Shouldn't you be called Taishang Laojun?" ================================================================================== Chapter 18 of the Qi Yi Successor: Taishang Laojun - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

“That’s right.” It was indeed Laozi, who smiled and stroked his beard. Zhou Qiang was startled. Could this be the Laozi, Li Er, whom their ancestor had saved? Ox-Head and Horse-Face immediately went from anger to joy, their murderous intent vanishing in an instant. Horse-Face walked to Laozi's side and said humbly, “May I ask what business the Great Immortal has with us two?”

Laozi raised his whisk and pointed at Zhou Qiang, saying, "We've come for him." Ox-Head and Horse-Face looked at Zhou Qiang in surprise, thinking that this kid wasn't anything special. They then looked at Laozi again, waiting for him to continue.

"This person must not die!"