I was caught off guard and startled.
Director Qian also trembled slightly but quickly regained his composure and shouted sternly, "In this vast world, beneath the bright sun and moon, how can evil spirits and monsters make a racket?"
As the saying goes, righteousness prevails over evil. While Director Qian's aura of righteousness wasn't as strong as Hu Wenhui's, his voice was firm and full of inner conviction, creating a powerful presence.
The female ghost, after being reprimanded, appeared to shrink back, her face becoming blurry as it reflected off the doorframe.
Fearing that Director Qian might scare her away, causing her to lock the door again and leaving Shen Wei Guo in grave danger, I quickly said, "If you have any unfulfilled wishes, you can ask. I will fulfill whatever I can."
The ghost replied in a soft, sorrowful tone, "I have no other wish, except to stay with Shen Lang forever."
Her words were pitiful, and it was hard not to feel sympathy for her.
But in our line of work, there's a rule: you cannot deceive a spirit once you've made a promise. If you break it, the consequences will be carried over to the next life, entangling you in a heavy karmic debt.
Without hesitation, I replied, "That's impossible. The living walk the path of yang, and the dead walk the path of yin. They are incompatible. If you truly love Shen Wei Guo, you should leave him. Otherwise, you will harm him."
I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about love, but I understood that during the chaotic times of the Republic, women, already vulnerable, were often displaced. Whether from high society or common folk, many women longed to find a man they could depend on for life.
When someone has a need, it's easy to become emotionally attached.
Considering that she might be a passionate person, I decided to appeal to her emotions.
As expected, when I spoke like this, her expression became hesitant.
I softened my tone and said, "A love destined in one life should remain in that life. You are from the previous life. Why linger in this one? I will arrange for someone to help you pass on. In your next life, you will find a suitable partner. Continuing this attachment will only harm both yourself and Shen Wei Guo."
Huang Jiu seemed to want to speak, but I quickly covered its mouth and gently said to the ghost, "Let Shen Wei Guo open the door. I won't harm you, and I won't harm him."
The female ghost's face reflected in the door grew pained and conflicted, muttering to herself, "Our fate has always been shallow, yet the love is so deep."
I said, "Why not meet before you were married? You could return the pearl with tears in your eyes. Is this the kind of helplessness you still wish to bear in your next life? Only through reincarnation can you truly grasp your fate in the next life and avoid regret."
She asked softly, "What will happen to Shen Lang if I leave?"
I was worried about angering her, so I replied gently, "I will guide him and tell him the truth. Moreover, love that flows like a gentle stream will still bring you back together in the end."
"Love that flows like a gentle stream, and we meet again in old age... Is that really how it will be?" She repeated my words, and as her face appeared on the iron door, two streaks of tears formed.
Ghost tears!
I was startled.
It's said that ghosts cannot shed tears, and demons have no soul.
It seemed that old sayings couldn't always be trusted.
Seeing the two tears trickle down the door like water stains, I couldn't help but sigh.
Since ancient times, those who are deeply in love are often left with regret. The most painful thing in life is parting after a reunion.
Thinking back to the time when I left last, Shen Wei Guo and she must have been together day and night. Their feelings had deepened.
With a sigh, I quietly reached out and caught the two drops of ghostly tears.
The tears landed in my palm and immediately turned into two transparent beads, cold and chilling to the touch.
This was purest yin energy, incredibly rare.
I wrapped it with my Dao Qi and held it tightly in my hand.
Later, I would use it to enhance my spiritual vision, taking it to the next level.
The ghost sighed deeply, and her face vanished from the door. Soon after, the door lock turned, and Shen Wei Guo opened the door.
When I saw him, I was taken aback. He was disheveled, his eyes sunken, and his skin was dull and yellow, lacking all vitality. He was nowhere near the energetic person he once was.
It was clear that they had been intimate, and if this had continued for a few more days, Shen Wei Guo's life would have been in danger.
"Wei Guo!" Director Qian cried out in pain, reaching out to help Shen Wei Guo, but I stopped him, saying, "Old Director, he's not in his right mind. Don't touch him."
I glanced around the room. The 70-square-meter storage room had been cleared to make space for a bed of cotton sheets. Clearly, they had been at it more than once.
The bronze mirror was placed neatly on a cabinet, surrounded by roses, arranged romantically.
The woman in the qipao stood in front of the mirror, her expression pained, yet filled with wariness.
I stuffed Huang Jiu back into the cat bag, worried it would say something inappropriate and anger the female ghost.
After all, there's an old saying that women are quicker to turn on you than a page in a book—especially if they're a ghost.
I stretched out my hand, signaling that I meant no harm. When the ghost didn't react aggressively, I cautiously entered the room.
Inside were several ritual items, and the gathering of yin energy created an environment for the female ghost to manifest.
However, after staying in such an environment for a long time, even if the ghost didn't drain Shen Wei Guo's essence, his yang energy would gradually erode and deplete.
I turned to Shen Wei Guo and said, "Look at him now. Do you really love him?"
The ghost bit her lip and sorrowfully said, "Shen Lang, I'm sorry. I don't want this either, but I just can't control myself."
Seeing her guilt, I quickly said, "It's not too late for you to leave him. Can you leave the mirror?"
She nodded.
I sighed in relief.
The reason she could appear during the day was that the yin energy had dispersed. Now that she could leave the mirror, it showed that she was not connected to the demon sealed inside.
I asked, "Have you seen the demon in the mirror?"
When the fox demon was mentioned, a trace of fear appeared on the ghost's face, and she shook her head. "It's very powerful. I'm afraid of it, so I don't dare approach. I've only seen it from a corner of the mirror."
It seems that the fox demon was so powerful that even sealing masters couldn't destroy it. It must be a great demon of its time. As a little ghost of just over a hundred years, she certainly didn't dare provoke it.
I gently asked, "You're afraid of it, but you must have seen it. How many tails does it have?"
"Eight!" The ghost answered quickly, showing that she had spied on the fox demon more than once.
My heart sank. If it had been sealed for so many years, how could it still have eight tails?
That meant Huang Jiu's teeth might not be able to handle it.
But just then, the ghost added, "Wait, it should be nine. But only three tails are real, while the other six are just illusions."
When she said nine tails, Huang Jiu sprang upright in the cat bag, instinctively wanting to run away. But when it heard that six of the tails were illusions, it couldn't resist and squeezed out of the bag.
Before it could speak, I quickly covered its mouth and thrust a blood spike into the cabinet, saying, "I need you to leave the mirror now and temporarily reside in this blood spike. Can you do that?"
The ghost hesitated for a moment and asked, "Can I say goodbye to Shen Lang?"
I replied, "I will give you time, but not now, and not here."
The ghost hesitated again before transforming into a wisp of green smoke and entering the blood spike.