Yu Baohua was truly infertile, which fueled his obsession with having a child to carry on his lineage.
He woke early and returned late, toiling tirelessly to earn money for a trade with the Mountain God, offering the finest tributes. Yet, no matter how many sheep, or even more expensive offerings he presented, the Mountain God refused.
With no other recourse, Yu Baohua went to the mountain shrine empty-handed. Before the incense had even fully burned out, he dared to say to the Mountain God, "As long as you grant me offspring, I am willing to pay any price!"
As soon as he uttered these words, the incense finished burning, and not a single ash fell.
However, the Mountain God did not speak, leaving Yu Baohua unaware of the price he would have to pay.
He returned home filled with doubt. In his sleep, he entered a pitch-black place. Though he could see nothing, he felt a pair of eyes staring at him coldly.
Those eyes belonged to the Mountain God. Ning Wei found this scene remarkably familiar; after all, it was her usual haunt.
There, the Mountain God asked him again, "Are you willing to pay any price, as long as I can grant you descendants?"
A chill ran down Yu Baohua's spine. He hadn't expected such an honor as to be personally visited by the Mountain God in his dreams for an inquiry.
What hesitation could he possibly have? He immediately nodded in agreement, "I am willing to pay any price, as long as I can have a descendant."
After saying this, Yu Baohua felt something being drawn from him, and his strength vanished instantly.
When he opened his eyes again, it was dawn. As he sat up, he pondered the reality of the dream.
His body felt merely a little weak, likely due to skipping breakfast.
So, Yu Baohua quickly ate his breakfast and headed out. He was about to have his own child soon, and raising one was no easy feat. He needed to earn more money.
Yu Baohua poured all his energy into making money, completely oblivious to his body growing weaker day by day. The flesh on his body gradually disappeared, yet he attributed it to exhaustion and weight loss.
Until one morning, when he opened his eyes, his body felt incredibly heavy. He couldn't get out of bed.
Mustering all his strength, he lifted his hand and saw that he was no different from a withered old man.
His hand fell, and he never managed to lift it again.
Lying in bed, Yu Baohua clearly felt something slowly draining from his body.
As the setting sun disappeared from his sight, he finally closed his eyes forever.
Next, his corpse was discovered, and Yu Jiansheng handled his funeral arrangements.
After Yu Baohua died, his ghost flew to the mountain shrine, trapped within its confines and unable to leave.
It was only then that Yu Baohua realized the tribute the Mountain God demanded was his life.
"But I don't have any descendants yet! Mountain God, are you deceiving me?" Since he was already dead, Yu Baohua felt emboldened to speak.
"Wait patiently," was all the Mountain God left him with.
After Yu Baohua's funeral rites were completed and his coffin was buried, Yu Jiansheng and his wife moved into Yu Baohua's home that very day. This was the opportunity the Mountain God had spoken of.
Yu Jiansheng had so meticulously handled Yu Baohua's funeral precisely to legitimately inherit all his assets.
However, Yu Baohua's visible assets were not substantial. Yu Jiansheng knew well that more money had been hidden away by his cunning uncle.
Hearing this, Ning Wei felt a pang of guilt, as some of that money had been taken by them.
That night, the Mountain God took Yu Baohua to his home and, through a dream, facilitated a transaction between Yu Baohua and Yu Jiansheng.
As long as Yu Jiansheng made Fangfang pregnant, he was willing to reveal all the hiding places of his money to Yu Jiansheng.
This transaction was effortless for Yu Jiansheng, so he readily agreed.
However, Yu Baohua added a small wish: he wanted to possess his nephew's body. This way, once Fangfang became pregnant, he could consider himself to have descendants.
Yu Jiansheng was initially reluctant. But Yu Baohua told him that he was merely a ghost and, even after possessing him, could not impregnate a living person. Yu Jiansheng himself would feel nothing; it was merely about having a sense of participation.
Yu Baohua used all the eloquence he had in his life for this matter, and Yu Jiansheng eventually agreed.
The outcome was as everyone knows: Yu Jiansheng, possessed by Yu Baohua every night, forced himself upon Fangfang daily.
To conceive sooner, Fangfang unconsciously absorbed Yu Jiansheng's vitality, nurturing the ghost child within her belly – those little black snakes.
By the final night, when Fangfang successfully conceived the ghost child, Yu Baohua had only a breath left.
All of this mirrored Yu Baohua's past experiences. However, his nephew was luckier, as people discovered the trouble at the Yu residence during the day and summoned Ning Wei to save them.
Alas, Yu Baohua's scheme, even after sacrificing his life, still failed to fulfill his obsession with descendants.
Thinking of this, Yu Baohua furiously glared at Ning Wei.
The Mountain God had fulfilled his end of the bargain and would not intervene further.
Yu Baohua used all his remaining energy to break through Ning Wei's seal and, with his claw-like, black ghostly hand, reached towards Ning Wei's heart.
Ning Wei quickly pulled Fangfang to her feet, then bit her finger and formed hand seals.
She unleashed a lotus seal, meant for expelling evil, directly onto Yu Baohua. He burst into white smoke as if on fire and vanished completely in an instant.
"Is... is he dead?" Fangfang covered her mouth in astonishment, still reeling from the day's events.
"He was already dead. But this time, he's dead beyond any possibility of return. I've even made him lose the chance to reincarnate," Ning Wei said, showing no sign of cruelty.
From the moment she entered this line of work, her master had told her, "You possess abilities others don't, the power to control the passage of ghosts. Whether this is a blessing or a curse for you is uncertain. As your master, I only wish to remind you that everything you do is recorded. Do not burden yourself too much, lest you end up like them, without a chance to reincarnate."
But Ning Wei cared not for these words. Her life had not been a happy one, and so she chose to act as she pleased.
Fangfang, unaware of the karmic implications, felt only that Ning Wei had acted on behalf of heaven.
She looked at Ning Wei with gratitude, offering many thanks.
Ning Wei covered her mouth with her hand and winked playfully, "Don't thank me just yet. As the most unfortunate victim in this ordeal, I plan to give you a gift."
Fangfang looked bewildered, but Ning Wei had saved her life, and she had treated Ning Wei with such unfriendliness before.
Recalling this, Fangfang felt too ashamed to accept any gift.