"Husband, what are you doing? Tying me up..."
"You're not Yvonne, not at all. Tell me, how did you kill Yvonne?"
Wesley Zhang gripped the knife, eyes bloodshot. At this moment, he could see clearly: inside Yvonne Yang's body was the fierce, twisted gaze of Feng Liyun.
No matter how Feng Liyun tried to defend herself, Wesley Zhang's murderous intent only grew. He raised the knife, intent on killing Feng Liyun. The monk, unable to watch any longer, intervened, hoping to stop Wesley Zhang from committing murder. Afterwards, Wesley Zhang decided to secretly imprison Feng Liyun in the death cell.
Both Wesley Zhang and Master Jin were convinced it was Feng Liyun who caused Yvonne Yang's death. The monk then placed Yvonne Yang into the urn, hoping to take it far away and resolve the curse.
"Master Wesley, are you really so eager to kill your own wife?"
Suddenly, a chilling voice echoed through the air—it was the Red Mask Agent. With a whoosh, he appeared before Wesley Zhang. Before Wesley could call for help, blood was already dripping from his chest—the Red Mask Agent had pierced Wesley Zhang's heart with a single finger.
"Still so bloody... Sigh, I'll summon a ghost later to temporarily take Master Wesley's place."
The old Taoist was indeed present, but before the monk could speak, the Red Mask Agent struck him down with a punch, leaving him barely alive on the ground.
At that moment, Feng Liyun burst into manic laughter. The Taoist untied her, and then the Red Mask Agent strode step by step toward Master Jin.
"You heretical fiends!"
Then the Red Mask Agent removed his mask. In an instant, Master Jin was stunned—it was Old Wang's face. He was speechless with shock.
"Master Jin, what's wrong?"
"You... you..."
"I'll give you one chance to live. Tonight, run—run far away, and I'll spare you. Otherwise, tonight, you'll be the murderer."
Old Wang pointed at the monk, who was barely alive. Amid three bursts of wild laughter, Master Jin hoisted the monk onto his back and ran, escaping Suzhou city. By the time they reached the outskirts, the monk could go no further.
"Master, it's me..."
The monk coughed up blood, choking on his words. From his hand, he produced a broken string of prayer beads.
"Master Jin, take this. Bring the female ghost to Qingming Mountain and seek out Master Zhiqing. Only he can deal with these heretical fiends."
After saying this, Master Jin buried the monk and hurried to Qingming Mountain. At that moment, memories stirred in my mind—Master Zhiqing? Isn't he the teacher of Master Zachary Wu and Zhang Anle?
Following my memories, I traveled on. Over a month later, Master Jin, exhausted from the journey, finally arrived at Qingming Mountain—a great peak shrouded in mist and clouds. The locals all said a virtuous and highly skilled Taoist lived here.
Master Jin immediately started up the mountain. The path was treacherous and steep, and the cliffs were shrouded in fog. Several times, Master Jin nearly fell off the precipice. At that moment, he encountered a Taoist carrying a small bamboo basket, his gaze clear and upright, looking to be in his thirties, dressed in tattered robes. I recognized him at once—it was Master Zachary Wu.
As if clutching a lifeline, Master Jin followed Master Zachary Wu up the mountain to a dilapidated Taoist temple. There, he recounted everything that had happened, from beginning to end.
In his account, he also mentioned that it was Old Wang who had inquired and introduced him to the Taoist skilled in Mount Mason Order techniques.
With a loud bang, Master Zhiqing slammed the table and rose in fury, his hair bristling with anger.
"To think there are such heretical fiends in this world! Wuju, Anle, bring out my Chongyang Star Pole. We descend the mountain at once to slay these demons!"
At that moment, I saw Master Zhiqing holding the urn that had sealed Yvonne Yang. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something, his beard puffing and eyes glaring in outrage.
"Master Jin, do you know why they let you go?"
Master Jin shook his head. Only then did Master Zhiqing explain: normally, when a person dies, if they have deep attachments to the living world, they become a ghost. Yvonne Yang's longing for Feng Liyun had reached an uncontrollable level. Once taken far away, unable to sense Feng Liyun, her longing would turn into resentment. In an instant, that accumulated grudge could cause Yvonne Yang to transform into a formidable ghost, possibly even breaking through the limits of a fierce spirit to become a Blue Wraith.
Though Master Jin only half understood, he knew those people were truly malicious. He never imagined Old Wang was involved. But Master Zhiqing thought otherwise—perhaps the Old Wang Master Jin knew was already dead, replaced by another. The real goal was to obtain a powerful ghost and use this ritual to create something new, conducting a cruel experiment.
Behind the ruined temple was a dripping stone cave, shimmering with colors. Sunlight streamed through mountain crevices, turning it into a natural art gallery. Master Zachary Wu and Zhang Anle entered the cave.
"Senior brother, you go in. It's slippery inside—how about I hold a rope for you?"
Zhang Anle took out a rope. Without much thought, Master Zachary Wu went in. But Zhang Anle simply tied the rope to a stone pillar and left, waiting outside. Inside, the cold was intense.
Gradually, Master Zachary Wu emerged, holding a sword wrapped in cloth, cold air swirling around him. The two brothers spoke little; their relationship was truly strained.
Back at the temple entrance, Master Zhiqing radiated golden light, palms pressed together, the ceremonial whisk on his back twitching. The urn was cracking, just as Master Zhiqing had warned—black mist kept spilling out, and Yvonne Yang's resentment could no longer be contained.
"I want my sister—I want my sister!"
With a bang and a piercing howl, the urn exploded. Yvonne Yang emerged, shrouded in black mist, claws extended, attacking Master Zhiqing.
"Master, catch the sword!"
Master Zachary Wu shouted, tossing the sword bundle. With a rip, the cloth tore in a flash of golden light—a sword adorned with star patterns landed in Master Zhiqing's hands. He slashed twice, dispelling the black mist around Yvonne Yang, then leaped into the air, holding a golden talisman. With a smack, he stuck it to Yvonne's forehead. Amid her screams, the golden talisman curled up into a ball, which Master Zhiqing pocketed along with the sword.
"Master, we should just destroy her. A ghost like this will never regain her sanity."
Zhang Anle said this, but Master Zhiqing glared at him, then tossed the golden talisman to Master Zachary Wu.
"Wuju, keep it safe. Heaven cherishes life. This female ghost may never recover, but someday, perhaps she will. As Taoists, we must not kill lightly—be it human or ghost. Anle, I've told you so many times, you still harbor resentment. When we return, you will meditate and reflect."
Afterwards, Master Jin led Master Zhiqing and his two disciples down the mountain toward Suzhou. Along the way, Master Zhiqing subdued many ghosts—not killing them outright, but giving them a chance to survive. Most were rendered harmless, and only then did he leave them.
But Master Jin grew anxious—the pace was slow, and especially since Wesley Zhang had been killed, he feared he would be blamed for countless crimes.
"Don't worry, Master Jin. I, the old Taoist, will destroy those heretical fiends when we arrive. Only such people will I show no mercy. And if any of our fellow Taoists are involved, I will be even less forgiving."
"Master, aren't there a few called Ghost Sovereigns in the ghost world now? You..."
Master Zhiqing glared at Zhang Anle.
"Indeed, those evil ghosts are causing trouble, but they haven't yet harmed the living world. That's why our Taoist sect hasn't intervened. If they ever do, I will join my fellow Taoists to confront them."
That night in Suzhou, Master Zhiqing went to the ruined temple and found the corpse. After a careful inspection, he couldn't make sense of it.
"Master, what is this?"