Chapter 35: Tainted Blood

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Perhaps enlightened by the Purifying Heart Mantra, the little ghost bound inside the white jade bottle soon grew quiet.

It no longer seemed quite so vicious, and its eyes gazed at me peacefully.

It seemed my gamble had paid off. The Purifying Heart Mantra still affected it.

I crouched down and picked up the white jade bottle.

Looking at the little ghost inside, I said gently, “You can understand what I’m saying now, can’t you? You were being used. I’m not your enemy.”

“You came into this world only to suffer such a calamity before you were even born. I won’t kill you. I’ll help you cross over so you can reincarnate. Are you willing?”

At my words, the little ghost inside the bottle nodded. Clearly, it had understood me.

Seeing that it agreed, I finally let out a long breath of relief.

When my grandfather was alive, he had often warned me that whenever I encountered a little ghost that could be redeemed, I should avoid killing it whenever possible.

Doing so would also help me accumulate spiritual merit.

Besides, this little ghost was truly pitiful. Before it was even born, someone had refined it into a child spirit.

It had not only been denied the happiness of life, but had also been tormented after death.

What a wretched soul.

I sighed deeply, took a Supreme Salvation Talisman from the shoulder bag I carried with me, and began chanting the incantation, preparing to redeem the little ghost before me.

“By the decree of the Supreme One, may all beings be redeemed. May lonely spirits and wandering ghosts share in divine radiance. Those with heads shall transcend; those without heads shall be reborn. Wherever this sacred talisman reaches, may it pass freely in every direction. Whether male or female, each shall bear what is their own. Whether rich or poor, honored or humble, all is ordained by Heaven. By decree, all beings shall swiftly be reborn!”

When I finished chanting, I pressed the salvation talisman onto the white jade bottle.

The little ghost bound inside began rapidly fading before my eyes. It seemed that it was finally breaking free of its restraints.

“Go on to reincarnation. May you be born into a good family in your next life.”

I lit another Guiding Talisman. Its faint flame drifted forward, and the little ghost floated away after it.

Watching this scene, I finally relaxed the tension that had gripped me.

Next, I had to find out why Liu Qingqing wanted to harm me.

Or rather, who was controlling her and making her try to kill me?

But just then, a powerful killing intent suddenly erupted behind me.

It was utterly pure, carrying the force to crush me into a pulp.

I sidestepped the attack, then turned around and stood ready for battle.

I wanted to know who was trying to kill me as well.

“You think that little spell is enough to redeem me? That’s nothing but wishful thinking. You’re courting death!”

At some point, the little ghost had broken away from the Guiding Talisman’s flame and appeared behind me.

Now that it realized I had discovered its presence, it gave me an eerie, sinister smile.

Then it shot toward me at tremendous speed, extending two pitch-black hands toward my neck.

Fortunately, I had learned martial arts from my grandfather back home, and my skills were fairly decent.

When I saw the little ghost attack, I swiftly dodged to the side once more.

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The little ghost seemed determined to kill me.

If that was how things stood, then I had no reason to hold back.

“You’re the one courting death. Don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

This little ghost had actually dared to play tricks in front of me, as though it were mocking my intelligence.

Since that was the case, what else was there to say?

I would simply destroy it and be done with it. There was no need to waste any more effort.

Without hesitation, I took out a Soul-Suppressing Talisman and struck the little ghost with it once more.

The moment the talisman hit, its body, floating in midair, staggered violently and nearly fell.

But the ghost’s malevolent energy was extremely strong. It quickly steadied itself and charged at me again.

What I found even more unexpected was that when my Soul-Suppressing Talisman struck the little ghost, an intense pain suddenly shot through my chest as well, as though an iron hammer had smashed my lungs and internal organs.

Something was clearly wrong.

Fortunately, I had studied extensively under my grandfather, and I quickly realized what had happened.

At last, I understood what the red substance smeared over my name had been. If my guess was correct, it was menstrual blood.

The person controlling this little ghost had not only mixed my birth details into its refinement, but had also smeared my name with a woman’s menstrual blood.

As a result, the refined ghost’s hatred toward me had multiplied several times over.

The thought frightened me.

At that moment, I finally understood the terrifying nature of the geomantic underworld Uncle Hu had spoken of.

Whoever wanted me dead had clearly planned everything with one goal in mind: to finish me off.

I could endure the backlash and destroy this little ghost.

But just as I was about to do so, I changed my mind.

I would not kill it for now. I would use it to find the person behind it.

I wanted to know who held such a deep grudge against me that they wanted me dead at all costs.

I shot a Binding Soul Spell from my sleeve, sealing the little ghost back inside the white jade bottle.

Only after seeing it sealed once more did the tension in my heart ease slightly.

I let out a long breath and secretly marveled that all my years of arduous cultivation had finally proved useful.

If I had been even a little weaker today, this little ghost might have taken my life.

Its master was truly vicious.

After laying plans in secret for so many years, he certainly would not let me off so easily.

But who could he be?

Could it be one of my grandfather’s enemies from before his death, seeking revenge by killing me?

I had not the slightest clue, so I carried the white jade bottle to Uncle Hu.

He was practicing in the courtyard. When he saw me come looking for him, he seemed somewhat surprised.

“What’s wrong, Qiyue? Did something happen? You look awful.”

Uncle Hu put away his saber and hurried over to me.

“Uncle Hu, do you know who has been in my room recently? And whose white jade bottle is this?”

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I handed the white jade bottle to Uncle Hu, but the instant he took it, his expression changed.

“Qiyue, this bottle is Xiaojun’s favorite possession. I clearly put it in his car before he left. How did it get back here?”

Uncle Hu’s face turned pale, and an ominous premonition arose in both our hearts.

“Could something have happened to Xiaojun?”

That was the only thought in either of our minds.

Uncle Hu immediately took out his phone and called his parents, who lived far away in the countryside.

Only after Old Master Hu assured him that everything was fine and that Xiaojun was playing with the other children in the village did Uncle Hu’s expression return to normal.

“Let me think, Qiyue. Don’t panic.”

Uncle Hu lowered his head and pondered for a moment before finally speaking.

“The day Liu Qingqing came to see you, she was carrying a white gift box. Since it was a private matter between the two of you, I didn’t feel comfortable asking about it.”

“But who would have thought that the contents of that white gift box would nearly cost you your life?”

Could it really have been Liu Qingqing?

How was that possible?

I had gone to great lengths to exorcise the demons plaguing her family.

When I learned that she did not want to marry Chen Feng, I had even risked entering the water to subdue the evil spirit, and fought against the geomancy masters from the provincial capital.

Yet this was how she repaid me?

My emotions became unbearably complicated.

Could she really have tried to kill me simply because I refused to let the two of them get back together?

If that was true, then Liu Qingqing’s heart was far more vicious than I had imagined.

Just then, Uncle Hu continued, “Qiyue, don’t get angry yet. I thought about it carefully. There was something slightly abnormal about Liu Qingqing that day. There was a trace of demonic aura on her, though it was extremely faint.”

“If I hadn’t practiced Aura-Sensing, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it either.”

Uncle Hu’s words gave me a new lead.

Could Liu Qingqing have been possessed by a demon, which was why she had suddenly wanted to kill me?

If that was the case, I would feel somewhat better.

“Uncle Hu, are you certain? She really had demonic aura on her?”

From what Uncle Hu had just said, I could vaguely confirm that there was definitely something suspicious about Liu Qingqing.

“Qiyue, I’m certain! At first, I thought the demonic aura left on her had simply not been completely removed. But judging from what you’ve just told me, it seems she may have been possessed by a great demon!”

Uncle Hu spoke with absolute certainty, his expression growing extremely grave.