"What do you want?"
Mingyue stood up in anger, shouting loudly. She had already made concessions, yet Ji Shiyou was still unwilling to let go.
"Mingyue, you misunderstand. I don't want anything from you. We both hid our identities from each other, but in comparison, yours was unintentional, not a deliberate concealment. You even told me you had a feud with the Seven Fiends. But I not only hid my identity as the Nine Nether Yama, but I also concealed my past conflict with the Seven Fiends. Furthermore, I exploited your kindness and used moral pressure to make you stay. Comparing the two, I feel ashamed. If we just call it even like this, my conscience will be tormented. Therefore, I must accept punishment for this matter."
Back then, Ji Shiyou had lied to Mingyue to sign the hundred-day pact. He had been bothered by it ever since. He didn't want to deceive Mingyue. Today, with both their identities revealed, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Mingyue's generous offer to let bygones be bygones made him feel even more ashamed. Compared to Mingyue, he felt somewhat dishonorable, so he voluntarily offered to accept punishment.
"Since you insist on accepting punishment, I won't be polite."
Although she found it admirable that this man could face his mistakes directly without shirking or taking advantage, Mingyue secretly gave Ji Shiyou a few more points in her heart. However, since he actively sought punishment, she would naturally grant his request and said, going with the flow, "Alright."
In the secret room of the teahouse, Gui Sha was growing impatient. Three hours had passed. The red-clothed Yin soul he had dispatched had not returned. He was certain that the red-clothed Yin soul had attacked Ji Shiyou. This proved that Ji Shiyou was indeed severely injured and depleted of both vital energy and blood. If Ji Shiyou hadn't been injured, the Yin soul wouldn't have been able to get close and would have returned long ago. The only explanation for its prolonged absence was that the Yin soul had discovered Ji Shiyou's weakness and seized an opportunity. It had directly attacked, but Ji Shiyou, with his extraordinary talent, was still stubbornly holding on, which was why it had taken so long.
Gui Sha pondered for a few minutes and then released the big-headed ghost and the infant spirit together. He sent them to support the red-clothed fierce ghost and join forces to kill Ji Shiyou. Gui Sha sat cross-legged in the secret room, determined to kill Ji Shiyou.
Meanwhile, at the old Ji family mansion, the aroma of cooking filled the air. Mingyue's punishment for Ji Shiyou was to cook a sumptuous dinner for everyone. She was already starving. Ji Shiyou readily agreed and went into the kitchen. He began to showcase his culinary skills, stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying, quickly preparing a table full of delicious dishes.
"So this is what it's like after death. It's quite interesting."
As Mingyue ate heartily, Jun Hui, holding his rice bowl, kept looking at the red-clothed Yin soul in the golden cage. While Ji Shiyou was cooking, Mingyue had made arrangements. Zhen Lu and Zhe Cheng had taken away all the people from Jiuyou and Wushang. Gui Sha's method was to control Yin souls to harm people. More ordinary people would be of no help and would only be a hindrance if they stayed. Mingyue was confident that she alone could handle the situation. Only Jun Hui was very interested in Yin souls and insisted on staying to witness it. Mingyue had opened his heavenly eyes, intending for the red-clothed Yin soul to scare him, and Jun Hui had left. To her surprise, Jun Hui was not only unafraid but extremely interested, looking at the Yin soul as if it were a pet.
"Sister-in-law, you said this Yin soul is raised by Gui Sha. Can I also raise one as a pet?"
The more he looked, the more he liked it. Jun Hui suddenly had the idea of raising a ghost for fun.
"Yes! Raising ghosts is very easy. You just need to capture a recently deceased soul, sign a contract with it, and then it will feed on your vital energy, spirit, and essence. You'll be able to communicate with it, and it will obey your commands."
Before Mingyue lay a pile of bones from sweet and sour pork ribs. She picked up the last piece from the plate and said indifferently, "During the hundred-day pact, Jun Hui calling her sister-in-law was not wrong. She didn't want to waste time explaining. It was just a title; as long as he knew he was addressing her, it was fine."
"Feeding on vital energy, spirit, and essence. Does that have any effect on the body?"
Jun Hui was a doctor and knew how important vital energy, spirit, and essence were to a person in traditional Chinese medicine. He asked cautiously.
"It's nothing much, just rapid aging and a shortened lifespan. Someone with a hundred years of lifespan might only live to forty or fifty if they raise ghosts. But that's enough, isn't it? What's the point of living so long? It's so boring!"
Mingyue poured the sweet and sour pork rib sauce onto her rice and ate with a blissful expression. For some reason, whenever she ate Ji Shiyou's sweet and sour pork ribs, her sense of happiness would surge. She would also find Ji Shiyou very pleasing to the eye, and her score for him in her heart would skyrocket.
"Then I'll pass. I'm very fond of my life. Besides, I find living quite interesting and not boring at all."
After learning how much it would cost to raise a Yin soul as a pet, Jun Hui decisively gave up. He turned to focus on his meal, but at that moment, a chilling gust of wind blew past, piercingly cold. Jun Hui couldn't help but shiver, and the rice bowl in his hand slipped and shattered on the floor with a crack.
"They're here!"
Mingyue and Ji Shiyou exchanged a glance. Mingyue then took out a talisman and placed it on Jun Hui.
"What is that?"
Jun Hui, chilled to the bone by the Yin wind, was startled by Mingyue's sudden touch and jumped up from his seat.
"Shen Da Fu, a protective talisman for you. If the person bearing this talisman is attacked by a Yin soul, a divine spirit will protect them, ensuring their life. However, the spirit that possesses you is random."
Mingyue hadn't destroyed the red-clothed Yin soul directly but had instead imprisoned it in the golden cage. This was to lull Gui Sha into a false sense of security and to make him continue his attacks. This way, she wouldn't have to take the initiative and could wait for Gui Sha to come to them. Her cultivation was profound, and she wasn't afraid of Yin souls. Ji Shiyou had a mysterious light screen, and he could protect himself from Yin soul attacks. The only one left was Jun Hui. Therefore, Mingyue placed a Shen Da Fu on him, ensuring that Jun Hui would not be harmed even if he faced a Yin soul.
"Let's go out and see."
Ji Shiyou stood up, and moonlight began to glow around him. Since he had opened his heavenly eyes, he could see the light screen on his body. He could now control the appearance and disappearance of the moonlight, but that was all. He hadn't discovered anything else due to the short time. Mingyue also stood up and walked directly outside the villa without a word. Jun Hui, empowered by the talisman, felt the chill dissipate. Seeing Mingyue and Ji Shiyou leave the villa, he followed behind out of curiosity to watch the excitement.
"This is also a Yin soul? It's truly magnificent! If raising ghosts didn't shorten one's lifespan, I would definitely raise one exactly like this."
Outside the villa, Jun Hui saw that dark clouds had enveloped the old Ji family mansion, with Yin winds swirling and an eerie aura pervading the air. Within the dark clouds, a fierce ghost, about ten feet tall with a head as large as a bushel basket and a green face with fangs, was hidden. Jun Hui, upon seeing it, immediately liked it. He ran ahead of the two and pointed at the Yin soul in the sky, shouting. His tone was as if he had seen a dog he liked while out for a walk and wanted to raise one just like it. The big-headed ghost in the air saw the three of them appear. It opened its massive mouth, and a torrent of Yin energy surged down like a tidal wave from the sky.