Chapter 122: The Fifty-Year-Old Malevolent Spirit [2]

In Fengmen Village, Wang Fugui sat alone in his courtyard, silently smoking his dry tobacco. He was anxious about his son's safety and terrified that his own misdeeds would be brought to light. After the farce had ended, the villagers had avoided Wang Fugui like the plague, fleeing his courtyard as if terrified of being implicated. Everyone knew exactly what Wang Fugui had done.

"Sigh!" He let out a heavy breath, though it was unclear whether it was out of regret or helplessness.

Before he could even catch his breath, a cold dagger was pressed against his throat.

"You old beast, it's your turn now," Zhang Qi said with a sneer, standing behind him. Yang Xuefei, who was gagged and had her hands tied with a rope, was tethered to Zhang Qi’s waist.

"Did you kidnap my son? Who on earth are you?" Wang Fugui asked, his voice trembling.

"You want to know who I am so you can seek revenge after you die?" Zhang Qi slowly began to slice into Wang Fugui’s neck. "I won't tell you. I want you to die with your eyes wide open, just like you made my sister die!"

Wang Fugui was an old man with one foot already in the grave. Without a shred of strength to resist, he could only feel his throat being slowly cut open. The process was agonizingly slow, causing him unbearable pain; he only wished for death to come quickly.

Yang Xuefei watched this brutal and terrifying scene from the side, tears streaming down her face. She feared that after the village head, she would be the next one Zhang Qi would kill.

"Zhang Qi, stop it." Yan Yu and his companions appeared at the courtyard gate, the Fatty and Master Cao exhausted to the point of sitting directly on the ground.

"You really are like ghosts that refuse to leave..." Zhang Qi’s expression suddenly changed. "Where is my sister?"

"Don't worry, she's fine." Yan Yu held the plush toy, from which the muffled, struggling screams of Ye Han could still be heard.

"If you dare to touch a single hair on my sister's head, I will kill you!" Zhang Qi roared.

"I have no need to harm her. By now, enough people have died. I don't even want to stop you; I just hope you won't hurt innocent people," Yan Yu said. "Release Yang Xuefei."

Zhang Qi scoffed and kicked the half-throated Wang Fugui to the ground. "You can't stop me."

Wang Fugui lay on the ground, blood pouring uncontrollably from his neck. His life was drawing to a close. "Save... save me... save me..." He struggled, reaching a hand out toward Yan Yu.

Yan Yu would not ignore any life, but for a man like Wang Fugui who disregarded the lives of others—

"Are you serious?" Yan Yu summoned a bolt of Palm Lightning and held the plush toy up before him.

Zhang Qi’s face shifted. "Don't you touch her!"

"Let Yang Xuefei go!"

"You... fine, we release them both at once!" Zhang Qi shouted.

Yan Yu silently retracted his Palm Lightning and released Ye Han from the plush toy. As soon as she was freed, Ye Han tried to bite Yan Yu, but she was controlled by Zhao Qingqing.

Zhang Qi said coldly, "Three... two... one... let go!"

Neither side let go. Yan Yu’s expression darkened.

Just then, the dying Wang Fugui let his hand drop limply, his pupils dilating. Wang Fugui was dead.

Ye Han’s resentment suddenly surged several times over. Zhao Qingqing failed to restrain her for a moment, and Ye Han escaped, watched helplessly as she returned to Zhang Qi’s side.

Three people who had been the vessels for Ye Han’s resentment were now dead. If Zhang Weiwei died as well, she would be plunged into eternal damnation.

"It seems... you no longer have any bargaining chips." Zhang Qi smiled triumphantly and pulled Yang Xuefei back to his side. In his hand appeared a wooden dagger, carved with complex patterns.

Yan Yu did not recognize the patterns, but he saw the goat’s head emblem in the center of the dagger.

"The Ghost Valley Sect?!"

"You know of the Ghost Valley Sect?" Zhang Qi pressed the dagger against Yang Xuefei’s chest and said coldly, "This is the dagger my master gave me. As long as I plunge it into Yang Xuefei’s heart, my sister will be able to borrow a corpse to return to life!"

Yan Yu merely replied indifferently, "You’ve been deceived."

"What?" Zhang Qi’s movements froze.

"There are indeed ways to borrow a corpse to return to life in this world, but it is certainly not the way you describe," Yan Yu said. "It was the people from the Ghost Valley Sect who told you to do this, wasn't it? Don't you have even the slightest doubt?"

"My master would not lie to me! Stop your gibberish!"

"You know a bit of Taoist arts yourself; you should understand these principles. If you truly trusted this 'master' of yours, you wouldn't be hesitating and arguing with me right now," Yan Yu said.

Zhang Qi gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. "You... I don't believe it. Even if he lied to me, I've already killed so many people—what’s one more!"

With that, Zhang Qi lunged with the wooden dagger, aiming it fiercely at Yang Xuefei’s heart!

"Yan Yu!"

Yan Yu’s expression changed. Just as he was about to rush at Zhang Qi, a figure moved faster than him, reaching Zhang Qi first! It was Zhang Weiwei!

Zhang Weiwei shoved Yang Xuefei aside, and Zhang Qi’s dagger plunged deeply into Zhang Weiwei’s back!

Yan Yu’s pupils contracted. In an instant, blood poured from Zhang Weiwei’s seven orifices. She let out a cry of agony, and strands of her soul began to drift out of her body!

"That’s Weiwei’s soul!" Zhao Qingqing exclaimed.

Zhang Weiwei collapsed to the ground, looking up at Ye Han, who hovered above her. Her soul was dissipating. With her remaining shred of consciousness, she let herself weep, and using her final bit of strength, she said to Ye Han with immense guilt: "I’m sorry!"

Zhang Weiwei had made a mistake; it was she who had caused Ye Han to lose her life. For the rest of her days, Zhang Weiwei had lived in repentance, apologizing to the stream outside the village every day, torturing herself into madness. She had only ever wanted a chance to apologize.

Now, she had achieved her wish.

Her soul slowly faded away, and the resentment in Ye Han’s heart was thoroughly unraveled.

"Ah..." Ye Han opened her mouth and let out a harsh, eerie cry. In that single moment, the resentment radiating from her surged, and her cultivation reached the level of a fifty-year-old spirit!

Yan Yu felt a sense of dread.

Zhang Qi looked at his sister with intense excitement. "Sister, we have slaughtered all your enemies, and now we have a body. Hurry and return to life!"

Ye Han closed her mouth and glanced down at Zhang Qi.

Then—she swiped a palm, sending Zhang Qi flying!

Zhang Qi took the full force of the blow, crashing into the courtyard wall as the crumbling stones buried him. Not only was he physically injured, but his body was also flooded with Yin energy; his state was terrifyingly dire.

"Sister... what’s wrong with you... I’m your own brother!" Zhang Qi screamed in disbelief.

Ye Han paid no heed to his cries. Her gaze swept coldly across everyone present, making even Yan Yu’s scalp tingle. A fifty-year-old vengeful spirit was the strongest opponent he had ever encountered!