The rumor that the Qi Family’s Guiyang County Mistress had committed murderous sin and been seized by vengeful ghosts spread quietly through Wu Jing. By the time the Qi Family received word, it had already spread with great clamor — and with remarkable vivid detail.

Some people even claimed to have personally witnessed the back side gate of the Qi household carrying out a corpse in the dead of night. Because they feared dropping it, the body inside the mat had been jostled loose and tumbled out — the corpse had died in a horrifying state, with intestines exposed, both eyes wide open in a terrifying expression of death.

The Qi Family was connected by marriage to the Xuan Clan, and with this matter suddenly spreading, the various quarters of the city reacted in their own ways. Some storytellers in teahouses and taverns even seized the opportunity to write a tale called Lotus Pod Night Stories — a ghost revenge story — which drew considerable audiences and genuinely lent the taverns a boost in business in the run-up to the new year.

The Qi Family members who heard all of this were so enraged they nearly fainted. How had it spread so quickly — and spread with such precise detail — as though someone had been present and witnessed it firsthand? Not only was there not the slightest falsity to it, but even certain secrets known only to themselves had been leaked out.

Qi Xinfei was even more furious. Her maiden family’s younger sister had been smeared in such a fashion. Setting aside the complete ruin of her sister’s reputation — even she herself had no face left within the Rong Family.

Yet she had married into the Rong Family and was the Rong household’s mistress. Her maiden family’s people were under the Rong Family’s protection, and to have them so thoroughly humiliated — was this not a slap to the Rong Family’s face?

Qi Xinfei could no longer be bothered with her half-dead sister. She immediately rode in haste back to the Rong Family and, with embellishments and tears, poured out her complaints to her husband while discreetly turning the knife.

She knew full well that her younger sister was in the wrong, but she left out not a single drop of poison in the things she said. She did not know how her husband had spoken to the direct branch of the clan, but she had originally thought the direct branch would certainly ignore her and not come out to champion her maiden family’s cause. Yet the direct branch sent out two senior clan members to assist.

Qi Xinfei even had the sensation that her fortunes had turned. Of course — no matter what, her maiden family was a clan connected by marriage, and the Rong Family would naturally extend some protection. Not to mention — this was a slap to their own face. How could the Rong Family allow it?

That infuriating young lady of the Lang Family — just you wait.

Meanwhile — far removed from that rising swell —

Lang Jiuchuan still had no idea that A’Piao’s ghost-mouth had truly hit the mark, and that trouble was actually bearing down on her. She had procured a pile of fine goods on credit from the Tower of Heaven, and within two days, the Ou Family and the household of the Grand General Zhenyuan had each sent a large cart of lavish and precious new year gifts.

The gatekeeper’s people were growing somewhat numb to it all.

The Marquis’s household was nominally in mourning, yet during this stretch of time, every person of distinction sending gifts had directed them exclusively to that inconspicuous, newly-returned Ninth Young Lady.

Servants were always skilled at attaching themselves to the powerful and distancing themselves from the fallen. Seeing that the people of standing Lang Jiuchuan associated with were of distinguished status and presented generous gifts, they greeted her with smiling faces and warm enthusiasm.

And outside Lang Jiuchuan’s courtyard, the Lang Family’s young men drifted past at various times. After all, with the new year approaching, they were in mourning and unable to go out. Being a little curious about the village girl was as good a way as any to pass the time.

The young men found it unsuitable to converse with Lang Jiuchuan directly, but her cousin Caiyao was a different matter — she pulled along the reluctant Lang Cailing and came to her courtyard to visit.

“Ninth Younger Sister only just returned to the household. Even though we are in mourning right now and cannot be too active, once the mourning period ends, you will inevitably receive calling cards from various households and socialize with the young ladies of different families. When the time comes, we sisters can attend banquets together.” Lang Caiyao said with a warm smile.

Lang Jiuchuan replied without interest: “You are almost engaged — can you still go out like that?”

Lang Caiyao’s face turned red. She said softly: “It won’t be that soon.”

Lang Jiuchuan looked at the flush on her cheeks, somewhat baffled. Was getting engaged something worth blushing over?

She looked toward Lang Cailing, who was unusually quiet, and saw that her eyes were fixed on the exquisite small jade screen on the low table, staring so intently her eyes had gone red. Immediately finding it rather dull.

“I have things to attend to — you two can…”

Lang Caiyao hurriedly stood and said: “Then we will take our leave first.”

Lang Jiuchuan: “…”

She had only meant to tell them to make themselves at home.

Well — if they wished to leave, let them leave.

Lang Jiuchuan entered the study and retrieved from under the Seven-Star Diamond Pagoda the small paper figure she had stowed there. Inside it were the several vengeful ghosts she had rescued back at the Qi household — those that had nearly been blasted to pieces by the Five Thunders Talisman.

“Having been nourished these past two days, you should now be well enough to travel safely to the Yellow Springs. I will summon the underworld runners to escort you on your way — do not linger in the world of the living any longer.” Lang Jiuchuan looked at the several vengeful ghosts temporarily sheltering within the small paper figure’s frame and said: “Lingering too long in the world of the living — you either become a wandering soul, drifting aimlessly until you no longer remember who you are, and ultimately your soul dissipates entirely.”

The little fierce spirit gave a cold snort: “Don’t listen to her. As long as our power grows strong enough, we can become great ghosts — perhaps even cultivate into Ghost Kings.”

Lang Jiuchuan gave a cold laugh: “A vengeful ghost that transforms into a malevolent fierce spirit must take lives. Once you have killed, you will find reincarnation difficult even if you wish for it — and if you do reincarnate, it will only be into the animal realm or a life of hardship and misfortune. There is also the matter that before you can become such ghost fiends, you must first not be caught and dispersed by the righteous path. Otherwise, all that awaits you is the dissolution of your soul. Look at what happened to your companions today — a single Five Thunders Talisman left not even ash of them.”

The assembled ghosts trembled with fear.

The little fierce spirit still tried to stir them up. Lang Jiuchuan formed a hand seal with her fingers and used the Soul-Hooking Writing Brush to hook her out alone, then gave her soul a tap with the tip of the brush.

The Jade-Bone Talisman Brush carried within it the will of the divine. From that gentle tap alone, the little fierce spirit’s soul erupted in tremendous pain. Not even a scream escaped her — her soul-body began to thin, and the fierce and malevolent energy on her weakened by several degrees.

“If you wish not to live, one word from you is all it takes — I will send you on your way immediately. Why drag the others with you to their deaths?” Lang Jiuchuan toyed with the talisman brush, her fingers turning it nimbly. The brush spun through her fingers like a flower in bloom, with faint golden-light incantation characters rolling and flickering rapidly across it — dazzling the gathered vengeful ghosts until their soul-bodies grew weak.

The little fierce spirit eyed her with some wariness, a trace of fear in her gaze. This person — who looked so frail and delicate — was far more formidable than that old Daoist.

“The Qi Family people are none of them good. I was a third-tier maidservant attending Qi Xinyu. Simply because she had once been publicly rejected by the son of the Grand Counselor Xie, on that day I merely served a somewhat too-hot cup of tea — without even scalding her — and yet she used this as a pretext to vent her fury and beat me to death.” The little fierce spirit’s blood-red eyes leaked blood-tears, her voice sharp and piercing. “All of us died under her viciousness. We seek revenge — what wrong is there in that? Why do you block us?”

“I am not blocking you. On the contrary — I am the one who saved you from the Five Thunders Talisman, and I did so only because I found them disagreeable and acted on a whim.” Lang Jiuchuan said coolly: “I saved you for two reasons. First — I did not want you to truly become irredeemably malevolent spirits who would go on to harm innocent people, accumulate karmic debt, and see your souls unable to persist. Second — it is not worth becoming like this for her sake. After all, under the erosion of your Yin malevolence, her face is ruined, the foundation of her body is destroyed, and her life is already nearing its end. Is it worth trading your own souls for someone who is already on the verge of death?”

Lang Jiuchuan released all the vengeful ghosts and said: “If you believe it is worth it — you are free to leave. But I will say the ugly words plainly first: if you leave here and I encounter you harming innocent people in the future, do not blame me for the Soul-Devouring Talisman Brush in my hand.”

As she finished speaking, she flung her hand upward. The Jade-Bone Talisman Brush hung suspended above them — like a golden-lit blade — ready at any sign of dissatisfaction to cleave their souls to pieces.

All the ghosts: “!”

She says she is speaking plain ugly words, but what she truly means is — choose. Life or death. That is the threat, is it not!