Category: Female Lead Was Coaxed Away by the Villain Again [Quick Transmigration]

Chapter 128: Money is Really Tempting (1)

Jiang Zhiyan opened her eyes, a smile still lingering on her face, but it vanished after she received the plot information.

Xie Liaoyi in this world was actually married! And that scumbag of a husband was constantly cheating on her. The plot was a cliché “rake turns over a new leaf, marriage before love” story. Tsk, someone who still flirts around after getting married, disgusting!

“Host, calm down,” the System said soothingly.

Jiang Zhiyan sat up in bed and looked for the female lead’s contact information. The female lead in this world was named Jin Shuang. “Does she know about his affairs?”

“Yes.”

“Then why doesn’t she get a divorce?” Jiang Zhiyan gritted her teeth, although she knew it was part of the plot, she was still very annoyed.

“How would I know? The author didn’t say, but it’s a business marriage,” the System said. “Calm down, this is a society ruled by law.”

Jiang Zhiyan sat cross-legged on the bed, studied the plot, and then sent Jin Shuang a message.

In the original plot, the female lead was hopelessly lovestruck. She hoped this version, who had a fragment of Xie Liaoyi’s soul, wasn’t, or she would truly go crazy.

[Jiang Zhiyan: Are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner.]

[Jin Shuang: ?]

“Host, you’re being too aggressive, is it possible that your relationship isn’t good, that you’re not even close?” the System reminded her.

“I know, if I don’t take the initiative in this situation, I’m doomed,” Jiang Zhiyan said, nervously clutching her phone.

[Jin Shuang: Is there something you need?]

[Jiang Zhiyan: Something very important.]

[Jin Shuang: What time? Where?]

Jiang Zhiyan quickly chose a restaurant, sent the location, and set the time for 6 pm.

She got out of bed and started getting ready, looking at herself in the mirror.

In this world, she had just graduated from university and was basically unemployed. Because she liked the male lead, Mu Chen, she disliked the female lead, Jin Shuang. However, Jin Shuang was a few years older than the original owner and usually ignored her.

It was their first meeting in this world, and Jiang Zhiyan was excited. She arrived half an hour early, sat in the private room, and hearing the door open, immediately looked towards the entrance.

Jin Shuang entered, pushing open the door, and glanced at the time: “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not really,” Jiang Zhiyan said, her gaze fixed on Jin Shuang.

Jin Shuang put her bag aside and sat down opposite Jiang Zhiyan.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Jin Shuang: “Mu Chen has cheated on you so many times, are you really not considering divorce?”

System: ???

“What a direct approach,” the System was shocked, so straightforward?

Jiang Zhiyan observed Jin Shuang’s expression. Jin Shuang was stunned for a second, looked at Jiang Zhiyan, her expression remarkably calm.

“You’re not still planning to stay in this marriage, are you?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned at Jin Shuang. “Don’t be so lovestruck.”

“Host, how can you even say that?” the System was speechless, it had never seen anyone more lovestruck than Jiang Zhiyan.

“I’m not human,” Jiang Zhiyan said matter-of-factly.

Jin Shuang looked at Jiang Zhiyan and still didn’t speak.

“Get a divorce first, only after losing you will he realize your worth,” Jiang Zhiyan said earnestly.

“Okay.”

Jiang Zhiyan: ???

She had just said that casually, why did Jin Shuang agree so readily?

The System was also shocked, was she that casual about it?

Jiang Zhiyan couldn’t tell if this person was lovestruck or something else.

“Let’s order,” Jin Shuang said.

“You just agreed like that?” Jiang Zhiyan hadn’t expected to succeed today, she thought she would have to persuade her for at least ten days or half a month.

Jin Shuang nodded: “I think you’re right, but it’s a business marriage, the process might be a bit complicated.”

“I don’t think it’s that difficult, I’ll help you gather evidence of his infidelity, so you can get more compensation in the divorce,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Jin Shuang.

“Thank you,” Jin Shuang nodded.

Jin Shuang and Mu Chen were still maintaining a loving image in public. If Jin Shuang made a fuss, it would severely damage Mu Chen’s reputation and might even affect the company’s stock price.

Fortunately, in this world, the Jin family was on Jin Shuang’s side. After Mu Chen’s infidelity was discovered by the Jin family later, they kept persuading Jin Shuang to get a divorce, so there was no need to worry about them obstructing it.

“You can order,” Jiang Zhiyan handed the menu to Jin Shuang.

Jin Shuang looked at the menu and said casually: “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to care about my matters.”

“I’ve always been concerned about you,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Jin Shuang glanced up at Jiang Zhiyan, then lowered her head and ordered a few dishes.

Since they were leaving anyway, Jiang Zhiyan decided to use her remaining points to obtain evidence of Mu Chen’s infidelity, no point in wasting them.

The two weren’t close, and Jin Shuang didn’t talk much, she was also very polite, responding to Jiang Zhiyan’s words courteously, but not warmly.

It was normal, after all, their relationship wasn’t good.

Halfway through the meal, Jin Shuang’s phone rang, she picked it up, glanced at it, and frowned.

“Hello?”

Jiang Zhiyan looked up at Jin Shuang.

“I’m having dinner outside.”

“Just send him back, don’t send him to my place.”

“I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“I’m busy, I’m hanging up now, you handle it.”

Jiang Zhiyan, listening to Jin Shuang’s cold tone, suddenly felt that she was very amiable when talking to her.

“Mu Chen?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“His assistant,” Jin Shuang put down her phone and smoothed her hair. “Sorry.”

“Hm?”

“I shouldn’t answer calls during dinner.”

Jiang Zhiyan pursed her lips: “No need to be so polite, it’s fine…”

“I thought you liked Mu Chen,” Jiang Zhiyan asked tentatively.

“Who knows,” Jin Shuang said, twitching the corner of her mouth.

Jiang Zhiyan felt there was a hidden meaning in her words.

“So what time are you going home tonight?” Jiang Zhiyan continued to ask.

“I’m not going back,” Jin Shuang said. “We don’t live together most of the time, only when he’s drunk outside does his assistant try to send him to my place.”

Jin Shuang wiped her fingers: “Thankfully I locked my bedroom door before leaving.”

Jiang Zhiyan raised her eyebrows, her delight evident: “I see, so your relationship really isn’t good.”

“Then where are you going after dinner?”

“To another apartment,” Jin Shuang said.

Jiang Zhiyan felt a little disappointed: “I thought you meant we could go out for a while when you said you weren’t going home tonight.”

Jin Shuang thought for a few seconds: “That’s fine too, where do you want to go?”

Jin Shuang wasn’t working now, so she had plenty of time.

“Let’s walk around to digest our food, then watch a late-night movie?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Jin Shuang.

“Okay,” Jin Shuang nodded.

The smile on Jiang Zhiyan’s face brightened, and Jin Shuang, seeing her smile, also felt her mood improve, she smiled back.

After dinner, Jin Shuang paid the bill first.

“We agreed that I was treating you,” Jiang Zhiyan sighed softly.

“You can treat me next time,” Jin Shuang said, swiping her card.

Jiang Zhiyan: !!!

There would be a next time!!!

What did this mean? It meant that she didn’t mind having dinner with her! And even wanted to interact with her further!

Jiang Zhiyan smiled faintly and followed Jin Shuang out of the restaurant.

A long silence followed, Jiang Zhiyan racking her brains for a topic of conversation, she glanced at a billboard, would it be too stupid to comment on its color?

“What do you want to do after the divorce?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Jin Shuang fell into deep thought.

“I don’t know,” Jin Shuang frowned slightly. “There are many things I don’t know, I can’t even remember why I married him in the first place, I even gave up my job for him, I seemed to be very much in love with him.”

“Then focus on the divorce lawsuit and use his money to make a comeback,” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “I don’t know about other things, but I’m certain you don’t love him.”

“Really? Actually, I didn’t have a career to make a comeback from before, it was just an ordinary job,” Jin Shuang said seriously.

Jiang Zhiyan was stunned for a second, then laughed: “You’re actually making jokes now.”

“I’m serious.”

Jiang Zhiyan, looking at Jin Shuang’s serious expression, wanted to laugh even more, it was rare to see Xie Liaoyi’s face with such a serious expression, it struck her funny bone.

Jin Shuang looked at Jiang Zhiyan, puzzled, then looked away, also chuckling.

The two wandered around the mall, which was still open, and bought some small items.

“I’ll pay,” Jin Shuang said, stopping Jiang Zhiyan, who was about to pay.

“That’s too embarrassing.”

“His card,” Jin Shuang said, taking out a card from her bag. “I suddenly remembered this, it’s a pity I didn’t remember it during dinner.”

“Buy more,” Jin Shuang added. “Might as well use it.”

“I think she definitely doesn’t love Mu Chen,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “How can she say such things with a straight face?”

System: …

In the plot, the female lead was always reluctant to spend Mu Chen’s money, mostly using her own, sometimes even giving him money. But this one, after discovering she had Mu Chen’s card, wanted to buy the entire mall.

Now Jiang Zhiyan could see more of Xie Liaoyi in her.

The drunk male lead was lying on the floor of his living room, his phone buzzing constantly with transaction notifications.

He struggled to get up, opened his phone, and looked at it: ?

Was he seeing things? Why didn’t he recognize the numbers? How many digits were there?

He tried to count, but his arm went limp, and he collapsed, falling asleep again.

“It’s a pity it’s so late, I could have bought a car too,” Jin Shuang sighed softly.

Jiang Zhiyan could tell she was truly regretful, thinking about the things Jin Shuang had bought for her just now, she felt like they could fill her entire living room.

“Let’s go shopping again tomorrow during the day,” Jin Shuang said, judging by Mu Chen’s personality, he probably wouldn’t ask for the money back. “Let’s go get some custom-made dresses.”

“What movie do you want to watch?” Jin Shuang looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “I’ll buy the tickets.”

Jiang Zhiyan opened her phone, casually picked a newly released romance movie, and Jin Shuang glanced at it and went to buy the tickets.

“This feeling is really strange,” Jiang Zhiyan said, looking at Jin Shuang’s retreating figure, feeling emotional.

“Indeed…” the System said hesitantly.

“How much did she just spend?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Eight figures,” the System glanced at the amount.

Jiang Zhiyan twitched the corner of her mouth, she hadn’t looked at the prices at the time, but it was probably around that amount, after all, Jin Shuang was basically trying to empty the stores. “I wonder how the male lead is reacting right now.”

“He’s drunk, passed out drunk.”

“The male lead is really rich,” Jiang Zhiyan said, opening her own account balance and taking a look, six figures was also a lot, but it was nothing compared to the male lead.

Chapter 127: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (13)

After failing to negotiate with Xie Yunzhi, the Xie family naturally wouldn’t sit idly by. They launched their own campaign, promoting the Xie family and trying to regain some business. Their tactic was “The Previous Head of the Xie Family Returns,” as he became the second person to be certified by the underworld.

They believed that the more experienced old man could overshadow Xie Yunzhi.

However, this only made the Xie family look even more pathetic, their younger generation unable to compete, they had to resort to bringing back a retiree.

“What were they thinking? None of the younger generation passed, so they bring out a retiree?” Xie Yunzhi said, scrolling through her phone, looking at the latest news about the Xie family.

“They have no other choice, they probably couldn’t find anyone more capable, the Xie family has truly declined,” Jiang Zhiyan said, looking at the phone over Xie Yunzhi’s shoulder. “No wonder they kept trying to get you to return.”

The younger generation of the Xie family could exorcise ghosts, but their skills were mediocre, the underworld’s standards were simply too high.

Regardless of how ridiculous others found it, the Xie family’s strategy of advertising their retired former head was successful, attracting quite a bit of attention, many still believed that older meant more reliable, and the Xie family was, after all, a century-old establishment.

Xie Yunzhi didn’t care, she already had a long waiting list of clients, but seeing the Xie family seemingly making a comeback, she discreetly leaked the information about the vengeful spirit haunting the Xie family to their rivals.

The other families had long suspected the reason why the Xie family was haunted, but because they had no proof, and the Xie family’s position was secure before, they didn’t dare make any accusations, they could only pretend not to see. And now, the Xie family’s foundation had finally been shaken, but they were trying to regain their footing by bringing back a retiree, this was causing headaches for the other families who were trying to compete with them, and the information Xie Yunzhi provided was perfect.

Jiang Zhiyan saw the articles revised and embellished by the rival families. She suspected they had hired professional writers, watching the videos, she felt like the Xie family was portrayed as the ultimate villain, it was clear that the competition in this field was truly fierce.

The Xie family tried to suppress the news online while publicly maintaining an air of innocence, condemning their rivals’ shameless slander.

But at this critical juncture, Xie Yunzhi’s aunt announced her departure from the Xie family. She had also passed the underworld’s assessment, and regarding the exposed information about the Xie family online, she sneered, although she didn’t explicitly say anything, her attitude spoke volumes.

There was no need for Xie Yunzhi to do anything more; the situation was incredibly chaotic.

After being besieged for half a month, the Xie family finally admitted it. To gain sympathy, several elders of the Xie family came forward and apologized, standing there with tears streaming down their faces, looking very pitiful.

Xie Yunzhi quietly posted the prices of the three elders’ clothes under the posts sympathizing with the Xie family, instantly reducing the number of people feeling sorry for them.

“Are you trying to ruin us?” a member of the Xie family called Xie Yunzhi.

“Of course not, but just apologizing isn’t enough, what’s your compensation plan for her?”

“She’s already a vengeful spirit, how can we compensate her? How?” the Xie family member said through gritted teeth. “Not everyone is as unconventional as you, making deals with vengeful spirits.”

Xie Yunzhi sneered and hung up.

“Alright, don’t be angry, we’ve done enough,” Jiang Zhiyan said, nuzzling Xie Yunzhi’s neck. “Let’s go, she wants to handle this herself.”

“Then I won’t be able to see the outcome,” Xie Yunzhi muttered.

“I’ll tell you,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xie Yunzhi. “Although I’m not usually interested in what happens after we leave a world.”

Jiang Zhiyan put her arm around Xie Yunzhi’s neck. To avoid freezing Xie Yunzhi, she couldn’t touch her for long periods, she had to wait until night to enter her dreams, it was truly agonizing.

And now Xie Yunzhi sometimes even worked overtime at night, her sleep time decreasing.

For someone who wanted to be glued to Xie Yunzhi, not being able to cuddle freely was torture.

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan’s resentful gaze and sighed: “Then I’ll listen to you.”

Before leaving, Jiang Zhiyan obtained a reduced sentence for the original owner from the underworld, after all, she had contributed so much, and the original owner hadn’t harmed anyone outside the Xie family.

This was the last thing Jiang Zhiyan could do for her.

Returning to the System space, Jiang Zhiyan immediately checked the subsequent events in that world.

As soon as she and Xie Liaoyi left, the vengeful spirit went straight to the Xie family to seek revenge. Xie Yunzhi didn’t follow, or rather, she didn’t even try to stop her, either because she didn’t react in time, or because she didn’t want to.

Jiang Zhiyan thought she would go on a killing spree, but she didn’t, she just let her resentment permeate the entire Xie family estate, occupied their mansion, and demanded they find her remains and rebury them, but after so much time, where could they possibly find them? But that wasn’t her concern.

“She’s much calmer than I thought,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “Indeed, if she wasn’t calm, she would have gone on a rampage long ago, she prefers psychological torment.”

The vengeful spirit went to the underworld herself. The Xie family members involved in the incident hadn’t reincarnated yet, because of their sins, they were doing community service in the underworld, and seeing a familiar face, they were almost scared out of their wits, she traveled between the mortal realm and the underworld, giving the living and dead members of the Xie family a little scare.

After realizing that the vengeful spirit didn’t intend to harm anyone, Xie Yunzhi let her be. She hadn’t seen her for a long time, just occasionally receiving gifts from her, like gold bars and other valuables, clearly found in the Xie family mansion.

Jiang Zhiyan also noticed that Song Zhili had tried to contact Xie Yunzhi several times, but was blocked by the vengeful spirit.

She raised an eyebrow: “How interesting.”

Jiang Zhiyan collected Xie Liaoyi’s soul fragments, held them in her arms, then lay back on the bed: “I’m going to find the Main God, I’ll be back later.”

The System sighed dramatically: “Host, are we really parting ways?”

It expressed its reluctance emotionally, then glanced at Jiang Zhiyan and found that her soul had already left.

System: What a heartless woman!

The Main God, sensing Jiang Zhiyan approaching, quickly searched for her coordinates, preparing to hide, but it was too late.

“Main God, what a coincidence, long time no see, I came looking for you last time, but you weren’t here.”

Hearing Jiang Zhiyan’s calm and polite voice, the Main God was puzzled for a second and became wary: “What do you want this time?”

“I’m planning to leave, do you have any objections?” Jiang Zhiyan’s voice became even more polite, although her question didn’t really give the Main God any choice.

“You’re leaving?” The Main God’s voice was clearly filled with delight.

Jiang Zhiyan: …

Although the Main God tried to suppress their joy, genuine happiness was difficult to conceal, Jiang Zhiyan felt like they were about to light firecrackers in celebration.

Jiang Zhiyan had always known that the Main God disliked her, but she didn’t expect it to be this much, she hadn’t even done anything, just become mentally unstable after Xie Liaoyi’s accident.

“When are you planning to leave? Have you collected all of Xie Liaoyi’s soul fragments?” The Main God checked and, seeing Xie Liaoyi’s current state, was a little surprised. “No wonder you want to leave… Hm? Why did you devour the world consciousness of my small world? Don’t you two go too far.”

“She didn’t do it on purpose,” Jiang Zhiyan defended Xie Liaoyi. “Don’t you know her? She loves peace the most, it must have been the world consciousness of that small world that provoked her, I’ve encountered world consciousnesses that tried to prevent me from taking fragments before.”

The Main God looked at Jiang Zhiyan intently: “I approve, leave whenever you want, but remember, don’t come back after you leave.”

Jiang Zhiyan sighed softly, looking at the Main God: “I suddenly feel reluctant to leave you, sigh, don’t worry, I’ll definitely come back and visit often, after all, this is where I was born.”

“Just get out of here.” The Main God approved Jiang Zhiyan’s request and then kicked her out of the Main God space.

Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she heard the Main God laughing uproariously.

“Am I that annoying?” Jiang Zhiyan glanced at a robot floating nearby, it looked at her, then quickly changed direction.

Jiang Zhiyan: ???

Someone must be targeting her, why else would even robots avoid her?

Jiang Zhiyan returned to her own space and opened her eyes, the System’s whimpering cries echoing in her mind, sounding surprisingly realistic.

“Why are you crying?” Jiang Zhiyan frowned.

“Wuwuwu, we’re going to be separated, I’m sad, wuwuwu, Host, will we ever meet again?” the System cried, its voice getting louder.

“Yes, because we haven’t left yet, I haven’t collected all the fragments, so you can cry later, I’ve never seen such a crybaby System,” Jiang Zhiyan said helplessly, then paused. “I’ll ask her, if she’s willing to take you with us, I’ll take you.”

System: !!!

“Then I can retire early?” the System asked excitedly. “Oh my god, will I be the first System to retire?!”

“So you’re crying just because I can retire early?” Jiang Zhiyan asked faintly.

“Of course not, hahaha,” the System gave three dry laughs, its voice becoming more obedient. “Host, I’m very simple, I’m just reluctant to part with you, and who wouldn’t be happy to hear they can retire early?”

Jiang Zhiyan ignored it, placing the soul fragments in the System space, they emitted a soft glow, seemingly resonating with something.

“Wife, I miss you so much,” Jiang Zhiyan murmured. “Let’s go, next world.”

Perhaps, perhaps she would be able to see a complete and healthy Xie Liaoyi in the next world.

She closed her eyes peacefully.

Chapter 126: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (12)

When Jiang Zhiyan entered Xie Yunzhi’s dream that night, she couldn’t find Xie Liaoyi’s consciousness, only the original female lead’s consciousness, which was in a deep sleep.

So she really was pulled into a meeting. This was the first time Jiang Zhiyan had witnessed it firsthand, and she found it amazing that Xie Liaoyi could do this.

Xie Yunzhi, looking at the few remaining conscious fragments, felt an urgent need to return.

“There’s no need for a meeting if there’s nothing important, I’ve already relayed the message to her,” Xie Yunzhi said, her hands clasped on the table.

“In such a hurry?” the fragment next to her asked curiously.

“Mm, she said she would come find me in my dreams tonight,” Xie Yunzhi said, flipping her hair, a hint of smugness in her voice.

“But we have a lot to discuss today, with fewer people, there’s even more for us to discuss.”

Xie Yunzhi: …

---

Jiang Zhiyan wandered through Xie Yunzhi’s dreamscape, which was very orderly, with clear boundaries, and then nothing, just a vast, empty space, quite boring.

“Host, why don’t we go back?” the System suggested.

“No, I’ll wait here.”

Xie Yunzhi, on the other side, repeatedly urged them to hurry up, she knew these people were deliberately stalling, each of them very cunning. Finally, the meeting ended, and they could return. Xie Yunzhi was the first to disappear, and seeing Jiang Zhiyan in her dream, she immediately threw herself into her arms.

“Hugging in a dream doesn’t feel real,” Xie Yunzhi said, burying her face in Jiang Zhiyan’s chest. “Although you feel warm.”

Jiang Zhiyan kissed Xie Yunzhi’s forehead: “I’ve been waiting for a long time, what took you so long?”

“Nothing much, they were jealous that I was going to meet you in my dreams, so they deliberately stalled,” Xie Yunzhi said, wrapping her arms around Jiang Zhiyan’s waist. “This is the first time I’ve seen myself blocking my own way.”

“It’s also my first time, so what are your thoughts?”

“It means I’m too happy right now, so happy that I’m even jealous of myself,” Xie Yunzhi winked at Jiang Zhiyan, gently hooked her little finger, and kissed her earlobe. “What about you?”

Just as Jiang Zhiyan was about to speak, the two fell from the sky, landing on something soft and cloud-like. Jiang Zhiyan looked up at Xie Yunzhi above her.

“Why are you so proactive today?” Jiang Zhiyan asked, narrowing her eyes. “There must be a catch.”

“Can’t I be proactive sometimes? And I feel like I’ve always been proactive,” Xie Yunzhi said with dissatisfaction.

“You use your eyes to hint that I should be proactive, then pretend to be reserved,” Jiang Zhiyan said, holding Xie Yunzhi’s shoulders and pulling her down.

There was no hesitation in their kiss, only a direct and passionate exchange.

The sensations in the dream were strange, intense stimulation spreading from her soul to her body. Xie Yunzhi writhed on the bed, her face flushed, she unconsciously gripped the bedsheet, seemingly about to wake up, but instead falling into an even deeper sleep.

When Xie Yunzhi woke up the next morning, her head felt heavy, and her body felt unclean. She sat up, saw the half-crumpled bedsheet, and rubbed her temples.

It was just a dream, and she was alone this time, why was it even more intense than with two people? Xie Yunzhi looked around, not seeing Jiang Zhiyan, she didn’t know where she had gone.

Xie Yunzhi glanced at the time, took a quick shower, tidied up a bit, grabbed the bedsheet, and went to the balcony. On her way back, she passed by the kitchen and saw Jiang Zhiyan trying to manipulate the cooking utensils.

“What are you doing?” Xie Yunzhi asked.

“Trying to make you breakfast.”

“No need, I’ve already ordered takeout,” Xie Yunzhi said, taking two steps back as she saw the kitchen knife waving in the air. “You should rest.”

“I’m not tired, are you?” Jiang Zhiyan put the knife back and floated to Xie Yunzhi.

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan and noticed a hint of color on her face.

“I think you’re about to be promoted from the ranks of vengeful spirits. I wonder if touching you won’t freeze my hand then.”

Jiang Zhiyan snorted: “So, if my touch is cold, you don’t want to hug me anymore?”

“I do, but didn’t you not let me hug you yesterday? I’m here to check on the progress of your jade house and gold statue,” Xie Yunzhi said with emotion. “As expected, no matter how much money you earn, it’s never enough.”

“Are you complaining that I’m high-maintenance?” Jiang Zhiyan asked faintly.

“Of course not, I’m blaming myself for not earning enough.”

A smile appeared on Jiang Zhiyan’s face, satisfied with Xie Yunzhi’s answer, she happily spun twice in the air.

Because of the new assessment in the underworld, all the mystics were too busy to bother them. Xie Yunzhi easily passed the test and became the first officially certified mystic in the mortal realm, her business booming.

Some people spread rumors about Xie Yunzhi keeping a vengeful spirit, but no one believed them, and even if they did, no one cared, after all, she was certified by the underworld, what else was there to say? Some even questioned the qualifications of those spreading the rumors.

Xie Yunzhi started receiving more jobs from outside City A, much to the annoyance of her competitors, but there was nothing they could do, outsiders thought the “Xie” referred to Xie Yunzhi, not the Xie family.

Xie Yunzhi’s apartment was constantly visited by clients. To avoid disturbing her neighbors, she moved to a larger villa, which also allowed her to dedicate a room for offering incense to Jiang Zhiyan.

When Xie Yunzhi’s fame completely overshadowed the Xie family, they finally couldn’t sit still any longer. The Xie Family Head personally flew to City A to see Xie Yunzhi.

“What do you want?” the Xie Family Head asked directly. “I don’t think our Xie family has wronged you in any way.”

“You haven’t wronged me personally, but you wronged her,” Xie Yunzhi pointed at Jiang Zhiyan not far away. “As the Family Head, you should know what happened back then, right?”

The Xie Family Head looked at Xie Yunzhi and frowned slightly: “Just for this?”

“Just? For this?” Xie Yunzhi’s face darkened, looking at him. “A human life, is it that insignificant in your eyes?”

“It was to save more people, she was suitable, and her parents volunteered her,” the Xie Family Head said, frowning at Xie Yunzhi. “Sacrificing one person to save several villages, it was worth it.”

“Let’s not discuss whether it was worth it or not. Permanently suppressing her, preventing her reincarnation, what was that for?” Xie Yunzhi looked at him coldly. “Based on my understanding, that wasn’t part of the ritual, were you afraid of revenge?”

“And was it really to save people, or to boost the Xie family’s reputation? You know the answer yourselves. You turned her, who died saving people, into a vengeful spirit, and even encouraged others who didn’t know the truth to hate her, what was that for? To cover up your inhumane actions and maintain the Xie family’s face?”

“You did so many terrible things, how can you be so self-righteous?” Xie Yunzhi looked at him.

“Then what do you want?” the Xie Family Head asked, taking a deep breath and looking at Xie Yunzhi. “You’re a member of the Xie family.”

“We severed ties a long time ago,” Xie Yunzhi said, twitching the corner of her mouth. “You shouldn’t be asking me what to do, you should ask her. As for my opinion, I think the Xie family’s current status is undeserved, both your foundation and your descendants seem unqualified.”

“I’ll do as she says,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Then let’s take the first step, Xie Yunzhi smiled: “Let’s take the first step then, explain to everyone why she’s been attached to the Xie family.”

The Xie Family Head’s face darkened: “Impossible.”

“Fine, you’ve made your choice,” Xie Yunzhi nodded, stood up, and extended her hand. “You can leave now.”

“The Xie family’s centuries-old reputation, I won’t let it be ruined in my hands.”

“Then step down, hand over the position of Family Head to someone else, then it won’t be ruined in your hands,” Xie Yunzhi said, looking at him with a hint of mockery. “A good solution, isn’t it?”

The Xie Family Head didn’t speak, his face dark as he left.

This conversation was doomed to end unpleasantly from the start. The Xie Family Head looked back at the grand house and sighed softly, he had thought Xie Yunzhi would return to the Xie family and help them reach greater heights, who knew it would turn out like this?

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “As expected, truly shameless.”

“They’re still using the incident where she saved those villages as propaganda, of course, they won’t contradict themselves. Let her handle it herself, after so many years, she doesn’t really care about what happened back then, she just wants those people dead, his words just now further intensified the conflict,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“But after we leave, the female lead might not be merciful towards her. At your current cultivation speed, she might even become a Ghost Immortal,” Xie Yunzhi said, she felt it would be a pity if a better future was ruined because of those people.

“Let her choose for herself, we’re not involved, as for the female lead… let her choose too, she already knows the truth,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xie Yunzhi. “The female lead’s character is quite good, she should be able to come up with a good solution.”

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan, narrowing her eyes: “The female lead’s character is good? So you like her?”

Jiang Zhiyan punched Xie Yunzhi’s shoulder: “I only like your character.”

“But I’ve also had many different characters, which one do you like the most?”

“I like you no matter what,” Jiang Zhiyan said, opening Xie Yunzhi’s phone and showing her the time. “Just a friendly reminder, you’re going to be late.”

Xie Yunzhi immediately stood up and rushed out with her bag.

No matter how much money she earned, she still panicked when she was about to be late for a class that took attendance.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Xie Yunzhi asked, getting into the car.

“I was listening to you attentively,” Jiang Zhiyan said, sitting down in the passenger seat and looking at Xie Yunzhi’s profile.

Chapter 125: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (11)

Xie Yunzhi’s mother still felt awkward, but since she had no other choice but to accept it, she stopped dwelling on it and urged Xie Yunzhi to write down the cultivation methods. She also made an agreement with Jiang Zhiyan that, even when floating, Jiang Zhiyan had to stay on the ground and walk with her feet.

Although she had seen Jiang Zhiyan many times, seeing her float in the air was still a bit frightening.

That very afternoon, after the agreement was made, Jiang Zhiyan and Xie Liaoyi returned, claiming it was out of consideration for her mother, not wanting to scare her.

Her mother was speechless, watching as the person and ghost left. She noticed that when following Xie Yunzhi, Jiang Zhiyan didn’t float around randomly, staying obediently under Xie Yunzhi’s umbrella.

She shook her head, clasped her hands together, took a deep breath, and prayed: “Heavens, please bless my daughter and keep her safe.”

…

Xie Yunzhi suddenly awakened during a regular class. She glanced at Jiang Zhiyan, who was floating beside her.

Jiang Zhiyan froze for a second, sensing something from her gaze, she looked at Xie Yunzhi questioningly, and Xie Yunzhi smiled faintly, looking away.

Jiang Zhiyan: !!!

“She’s awake!” Jiang Zhiyan shouted excitedly to the System.

“Huh? How can you tell?” The System didn’t understand, there was no outward indication.

“Intuition.” Jiang Zhiyan moved closer to Xie Yunzhi and touched her neck with her icy hand.

Xie Yunzhi shivered slightly, suppressing a stronger reaction: “Don’t.”

“You remember everything?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Mm,” Xie Yunzhi confirmed.

“Not paying attention in class,” Jiang Zhiyan said pointedly.

Xie Yunzhi rested her chin on her hand and wrote on a piece of paper: “I told you, remembering you is my top priority, this isn’t considered not paying attention in class, it’s called seizing every second.”

“Tsk,” Jiang Zhiyan snorted. “You always told me to be quiet during class, I wouldn’t dare talk to you if I wasn’t sure you were awake.”

“As I said, that was when I wasn’t awake,” Xie Yunzhi continued writing. “Study hard, get a scholarship, don’t miss any opportunity to make money.”

“But I’m a ghost now,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “I don’t have many expenses.”

“I’ll offer you incense and build a statue for you,” Xie Yunzhi wrote.

“Forget it, that’s like keeping a vengeful spirit as a pet, it’s not good for you,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xie Yunzhi. “Just having you by my side is enough.”

“Whatever,” Xie Yunzhi said, resting her chin on her hand.

“Then what about after we leave?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Xie Yunzhi chuckled: “You’re actually worried about this now?”

“It’s all because of you,” Jiang Zhiyan said, putting her arm around Xie Yunzhi and closing her eyes. “I’m afraid you’ll overthink things, I don’t mind.”

After class, Xie Yunzhi contacted someone to have a solid gold statue made for Jiang Zhiyan, and the jade house was also on the agenda. The money she had saved over the years was almost all spent, and her mother also contributed some.

Because both Xie Yunzhi’s mother and Xie Yunzhi refused to return to the Xie family, many people came to try and persuade them, and after hearing that she was planning to build a solid gold statue, the mystical world exploded.

Jiang Zhiyan was already a headache for the Xie family, a Jiang Zhiyan receiving incense offerings might become a headache for the entire mystical world.

Xie Yunzhi blocked all the people trying to persuade her and continued her daily routine of going to school and working.

Seeing that they were so idle, Jiang Zhiyan thought of her limited entertainment options in this world, she wrote another article and sent it down, the article was titled On the Inappropriate Influence of Half-baked Mystics on the Underworld, hoping the underworld would implement some screening and restrictions on the practitioners in the mortal realm.

The underworld civil servants strongly agreed, they had been tormented before, and now it was time to torment those above them. They worked overnight to create an assessment plan and convinced the hesitant higher-ups.

The various families, who had never been able to contact the underworld before, were overjoyed to be contacted, and after seeing the assessment criteria, started thinking about which field to switch to.

Jiang Zhiyan did some research, her current character only harmed the Xie family and hadn’t really hurt any innocent people, so if she followed the normal procedures in the underworld, her punishment would definitely be lighter than the ending in the book, after all, the Xie family was the one who started it.

Her current actions might even help reduce the original owner’s sentence, but she didn’t know what the original owner wanted.

A reduced sentence, or mutual destruction with the Xie family.

“After following you for so long, I feel like she wants mutual destruction,” Xie Yunzhi said, holding Jiang Zhiyan’s little finger, a chill creeping up her arm, she curiously kissed Jiang Zhiyan’s lips and shivered.

Jiang Zhiyan reluctantly moved away from Yu Qici’s lips: “Stop kissing me, even hospitals can’t cure that.”

“I’m not that weak,” Xie Yunzhi continued to hold onto Jiang Zhiyan. “It’s a pity this world doesn’t have androids, otherwise, I could rebuild your physical body, I’ve seen many synthetic dolls, but they don’t seem suitable for you, and the manufacturing process takes too long.”

“Just float like this,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “Being able to occasionally touch you is enough for me, how’s the progress on your end?”

“Almost there,” Xie Yunzhi said, holding Jiang Zhiyan’s wrist and writing the word “escape” on her palm.

Jiang Zhiyan instantly understood what Xie Yunzhi meant, Xie Liaoyi was now confident she could escape the Main God’s control, so she didn’t want to go back.

“But I still have fragments there,” Jiang Zhiyan frowned.

“We’ll bring them out in the next world, I’m not the priority now,” Xie Yunzhi looked into Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes. “You are.”

“The next world? That shouldn’t be a problem for me, I’ll talk to the Main God,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “They find me annoying, we don’t have to become enemies.”

“What if they don’t let you go?” Xie Yunzhi asked worriedly. “What if you’re in danger? Don’t you still owe a lot of points?”

“Why would they keep me? To cause trouble for themselves? And I haven’t been using any points recently, I don’t owe anything! I even earned some!” Jiang Zhiyan said, twitching the corner of her mouth with dissatisfaction. “Although I haven’t really been working, I’ve always been like this, they don’t receive any energy feedback from the small worlds, to them, I’m just an unkillable and unmanageable existence.”

The System, listening to their conversation, initially didn’t sense anything amiss, but the more it listened, the more it felt something was wrong.

“Host, what are you planning to do? You’re not planning to leave, are you? What about me if you leave?” the System cried out.

“Just find another host, it’s not a big deal, didn’t you always want a more obedient host?” Jiang Zhiyan said nonchalantly. “I wish you luck with your next host.”

“That’s easy for you to say, but…” the System whimpered. “Although I don’t have a heart of flesh, I also have feelings, okay? Although I can erase my memories, I’m reluctant, even though, Host, you’re not a good person at all.”

Jiang Zhiyan felt a headache coming on from the System’s crying. She sighed softly, looked at Xie Yunzhi, and pointed at her head.

Xie Yunzhi couldn’t help but laugh: “Is your System very talkative?”

“Yes, it even secretly goes online to chat with netizens when it’s bored,” Jiang Zhiyan said helplessly. “It doesn’t follow the System manual at all, it’s very troublesome.”

System: ???

“You, a tasker who constantly violates the rules and flirts with the female lead, how dare you accuse me of not following the rules and being troublesome!” The System paused. “Wait, how did you know I secretly go online? I was very careful.”

Jiang Zhiyan didn’t answer the System’s question, just released Xie Yunzhi’s hand: “Don’t hold it any longer, or your arm will be crippled.”

Xie Yunzhi rolled over and lay on the sofa, rubbing her arm, took the hot water bottle beside her, tucked her hand under the blanket, then took a talisman and stuck it on her arm, looking at Jiang Zhiyan: “Where do you want to go after we leave?”

“To the small worlds we’ve been to before,” Jiang Zhiyan said, her lips curving into a smile. “We’ll take pictures as souvenirs, after all, many of those places only have your image recorded, then we’ll go to new worlds, hopefully leaving our footprints in every world.”

“Soon,” Xie Yunzhi said. “It’ll definitely be very soon.”

The System didn’t quite understand: “What do you mean? The two-person missions you did before? Did you have another System before me?”

It always felt that these two were very strange.

“No,” Jiang Zhiyan said lazily. “Because I used to be a System, otherwise how could I follow the Host? You’re so stupid, after being with me for so long, you haven’t learned anything.”

“Huh?” the System cried out, thinking about all the inconsistencies. “No wonder… but why are you a tasker now? I’ve never heard of a System becoming a tasker.”

“I’m special, I’m the first System in the system to be classified as ‘living,’ and my authority and level are very high, the rules restrict me, but they can’t completely restrict me, I became a tasker because I didn’t want to be a System anymore, I kept messing around in the Main God space, and they found me annoying,” Jiang Zhiyan said casually, with a hint of pride. “Mm, the most important thing is, Xie Liaoyi gave me my name, it was her first gift to me.”

The System gagged.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Xie Yunzhi.

“No wonder she always wants to destroy worlds…” the System couldn’t help but complain, it felt that if it weren’t for Xie Liaoyi’s restraint, Jiang Zhiyan would have already destroyed many worlds.

“Go to sleep early, I’ll enter your dreams tonight,” Jiang Zhiyan whispered.

Xie Yunzhi raised an eyebrow, looking at Jiang Zhiyan, and smiled: “Even if you come to my dreams, I might not be there.”

“What, do you have a date in your dreams?”

“Other fragments,” Xie Yunzhi said. “Fragment Number One is trying to take us away through dreams.”

“Your description sounds a bit terrifying,” Jiang Zhiyan said, biting her lip. “I won’t wake up tomorrow and find that you’re not you anymore, will I?”

Xie Yunzhi laughed: “That probably won’t happen, they told me to appease you before taking me away, so have I appeased you?”

She reached out her other hand, caressed Jiang Zhiyan’s face, and quickly pecked her.

Chapter 124: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (10)

“Then just a little bit,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Okay.” Xie Yunzhi nodded, but as soon as her palm felt the slightest touch, it disappeared. “Really just a little bit.”

“It’s harmful to you, even if I restrain myself from harming you, it’s in a vengeful spirit’s nature,” Jiang Zhiyan explained.

“So we can’t hold hands or hug in this world?” Xie Yunzhi asked, frowning and sighing deeply.

“There will be plenty of time for that later,” Jiang Zhiyan reassured her.

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan, desperately wanting to remember, wanting to understand the emotions in Jiang Zhiyan’s eyes when she looked at her.

The more missions she took on, the more proficient Xie Yunzhi became. In just a few months, she seemed like a seasoned veteran of thirty years, she no longer swung her sword randomly, and at first glance, she even had a somewhat immortal-like air.

Her reputation in City A was established, and now, without needing introductions from the Xie family, people came to her directly.

Xie Yunzhi had wanted to keep a low profile, so she hadn’t advertised her services, pretending to be someone who wasn’t good at socializing and just focused on her work, but now people thought her reticence made her seem even more like an expert.

Rushing between school and work every day, the jade house Xie Yunzhi was preparing for Jiang Zhiyan could be even bigger now.

“At Xie Yunzhi’s current growth rate, she might be able to single-handedly eliminate you one day, even without the male lead,” the System said, looking at Xie Yunzhi with emotion.

“She won’t,” Jiang Zhiyan said, looking at Xie Yunzhi, who had just cleaved a ghost in two with a single sword strike. “And she should be waking up soon.”

“How can you tell?” The System didn’t understand, looking at Xie Yunzhi, it only felt that she had indeed accepted Jiang Zhiyan’s presence, but there weren’t any other noticeable changes.

“A fragment has already ascended, her realm has increased considerably recently, when she senses the rules of this world, she should be able to directly perceive the information left by that fragment,” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “And she’s already started to question the nature of this world, doubt is the first step towards awakening.”

The System didn’t quite understand, looking at Xie Yunzhi’s sharp swordsmanship, its heart tightened: “She does seem like she’s about to awaken, she’s the only one in this world who can wield a sword like a Sword Cultivator.”

Xie Yunzhi hurried towards Jiang Zhiyan, jumping and skipping, looking exceptionally excited.

“Jiang Zhiyan,” Xie Yunzhi called, jumping down from a platform, startling Jiang Zhiyan, thankfully, she landed safely.

“What is it?”

“I remembered a little bit,” Xie Yunzhi said. “Just now.”

“Remembered what?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“I’m not telling you, I’ll tell you when I remember everything,” Xie Yunzhi said, putting away her things and winking at Jiang Zhiyan.

Jiang Zhiyan followed Xie Yunzhi: “You’ve learned to be coy.”

“Learned it from you,” Xie Yunzhi said, glancing at her smugly.

Xie Yunzhi’s classmates could clearly sense that she had become much more cheerful recently, no longer seeming lifeless, and she often had a smile on her face. However, she was also more distant than before, with an aura that kept others at bay, out of sync with her surroundings, as if she would leave this world any day.

Xie Yunzhi glanced at the message on her phone, swiftly deleted it and blocked the sender, then put her phone away. Jiang Zhiyan didn’t see the message, but noticed the change in her expression, even though the displeasure was fleeting.

“What happened?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“Nothing,” Xie Yunzhi shook her head.

“You seem distant,” Jiang Zhiyan sighed softly.

Xie Yunzhi said with some exasperation: “The Xie family asked me to be wary of you, saying that if I’m capable enough, I should find a way to save myself, don’t delay, the longer I wait, the more troublesome it will become, they said they would provide appropriate assistance.”

“And what did you say?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“I blocked them,” Xie Yunzhi said, spreading her hands. “There’s nothing they can do to me now.”

There was indeed nothing they could do.

The person who messaged Xie Yunzhi, realizing they had been blocked, slammed the table angrily: “She blocked me, what do we do now?”

“Those who don’t listen to their elders will suffer the consequences, she’ll regret using such methods later,” another person said sarcastically, their tone filled with dissatisfaction.

“What methods?”

“What else? Despicable methods of colluding with a vengeful spirit, hmph.”

“Colluding with a vengeful spirit? I knew it, how could anyone master those things so quickly? I bet she subdued those vengeful spirits last time because of her collusion with another vengeful spirit.”

“That’s really strange, that vengeful spirit has always been unyielding, what methods did she use?”

“How about this, we expel her from the Xie family, so she can’t work in this field anymore! Everyone in City A wants to consult Xie Yunzhi now, it’s affecting our business too.”

“Do you think she cares? Her mother only has her as a daughter, she probably won’t stay in this field anyway, she’ll inherit the family business,” the old man said, stroking his beard. “Forget it, leave her alone, her mother gave us a donation, let it be, we’ve already warned her, as long as she doesn’t cause us any trouble later, it’s fine.”

The others exchanged glances, thinking about Xie Yunzhi’s wealthy mother, greed flickering in their eyes: “Only a daughter, not a son after all, why not our Haohao…”

“That branch of the family has always passed down their skills to women, not men, keep that to yourself, don’t make yourself look bad.”

The speaker looked surprised and said indignantly: “That’s really rare.”

“Hmph, keep your son to yourself, he’s useless, he hasn’t even memorized the basic texts after a whole year,” Xie Yunzhi’s aunt said, rolling her eyes. “How dare you covet everything, tsk.”

“How dare you speak to me like that!”

“Heh, I’ll speak nicely after you compensate me for the losses caused by your useless son!”

Hearing that he had to pay, Xie Tong immediately tried to change the subject.

Although they had been warned, many people in the Xie family still had ulterior motives, after all, the Xie family’s business was quite large.

Five days later, Jiang Zhiyan and Xie Yunzhi learned from Xie Yunzhi’s mother that the Xie family wanted them to return to the main family.

Xie Yunzhi’s mother wasn’t very happy, she knew the Xie family was doing this for money, and their branch had worked very hard to separate from the main family, she felt like she would be scolded by her ancestors if she went back.

But thinking about Xie Yunzhi, she was hesitant. She glanced at Jiang Zhiyan, who was floating by the dining table, and frowned.

“No,” Xie Yunzhi refused, frowning.

“But your situation…” Although Jiang Zhiyan hadn’t harmed Xie Yunzhi, and their relationship even seemed quite good, a vengeful spirit was still a vengeful spirit, she could control herself now, but who knew what would happen later? She had recently seen a lot of information from the Xie family, most vengeful spirits eventually lost control.

“They want me to save myself,” Xie Yunzhi looked at her mother. “And…”

Xie Yunzhi recounted how Jiang Zhiyan became a vengeful spirit.

“The reason she’s not harming me now might be because we’re still essentially from two different families. If I return to the main family, it might trigger her to lose control,” Xie Yunzhi said.

Jiang Zhiyan nodded in agreement.

“And I’ve divined it, those people have ulterior motives,” Xie Yunzhi looked at her mother. “Mom, we’re the real family, you have to trust me, those people, we just share the same surname, we were one family hundreds of years ago, there’s no blood relation now, there’s no need to feel guilty towards them, you’ve given them enough money.”

“If I lose control, she’ll deal with me, you don’t have to worry, the Xie family really can’t help at all, if they could, I wouldn’t be following your daughter around now,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Xie Yunzhi’s mother looked at Jiang Zhiyan, then at Xie Yunzhi, feeling like there was something strange between them: “What… exactly is your relationship now?”

Jiang Zhiyan hugged Xie Yunzhi and winked at her mother.

Her mother’s mouth twitched, her eyes widening slightly, then she picked up the cup beside her and took a sip of water. She considered herself someone who had seen the world, but she was still shocked.

“Are you two crazy?” her mother asked, taking a deep breath. “How can a human and a ghost be together?!”

“It’s very cost-effective. Saves on electricity bills in the summer, no risk of cheating, she doesn’t snore at night and disturb my sleep, and I don’t have to buy tickets when we go out, very economical. I can also provide various mystical consultations, definitely more comprehensive than what the Xie family knows, because I’ve lived longer and dabbled in many areas,” Jiang Zhiyan said with a smile.

Her mother took another sip of water.

“Being with a vengeful spirit shortens your lifespan,” her mother said, putting down her cup and coughing twice. “If you love her, you should stay away from her.”

“She can already live past thirty now, I’ve taught her cultivation methods, she might even live to be one hundred and fifty, it’s a pity there’s not much spiritual energy in this world, otherwise, she might even live to be fifteen hundred and fifty,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Xie Yunzhi’s mother opened her mouth, took a bite of food, and after thinking for a few seconds, asked: “Can I do it too?”

“Yes, although I don’t usually teach others, you’re her mother after all, but your talent isn’t as good as hers, living healthily to over a hundred should be possible,” Jiang Zhiyan’s tone remained gentle. The System rarely saw Jiang Zhiyan so patient with someone who wasn’t Xie Liaoyi.

Xie Yunzhi’s mother looked at Jiang Zhiyan, wavering between temptation and suspicion.

“Just accept it, you can’t defeat me anyway, acceptance is your only option.”

Xie Yunzhi’s mother: …

Xie Yunzhi took a sip of soup and looked at her mother, who rubbed her temples: “Forget it, do as you please, I can’t control you, as long as you don’t worry me, I’m satisfied.”

“Then when are you going to start cultivating? Have Xie Yunzhi write down the cultivation method for you.”

“Why write it down?” Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at her, puzzled: “You haven’t memorized it after all this time?”

Chapter 123: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (9)

“You can’t let the client watch while you’re exorcising ghosts,” Jiang Zhiyan said seriously. “Otherwise, your commission will be halved.”

After all, many people didn’t just care about whether the problem was solved, but also the performance. Those scammers earned high salaries because they acted like masters.

Jiang Zhiyan looked away from Xie Yunzhi. It was a good thing it was late, and this place was known for being haunted, so there was no one around, otherwise… Xie Yunzhi being possessed might become trending news.

There were many ghosts here, but few were powerful, which made it good practice for Xie Yunzhi. And after discovering that she was actually quite capable, many ghosts started fleeing towards a certain location.

Jiang Zhiyan descended. The two ghosts who had been fighting Xie Yunzhi, seeing Jiang Zhiyan, clutched their severed limbs in fear and also ran in the same direction.

The moment they entered a certain space, Jiang Zhiyan saw a rift appear in mid-air.

“What is that?” Xie Yunzhi also noticed it. “Didn’t you say you weren’t going to interfere? Why did it appear again?”

“I sensed something good and came down, these are too weak, not even fun for practice,” Jiang Zhiyan said, floating over, reaching out to touch the area where the rift had appeared, sensing the fluctuation of Yin energy, she reached inside, then withdrew her hand.

“Find a shovel and dig it up.”

“About how deep?” Xie Yunzhi asked.

“I don’t know, but there’s probably something down there, dig, once you dig it up, the problem here will be solved.”

Xie Yunzhi sighed softly: “Digging in someone’s garden in the middle of the night…”

“Keep whatever you dig up.”

“That kind of thing… the client probably doesn’t want it.” Xie Yunzhi dug about half a meter deep, and her shovel finally hit something hard. She glanced at Jiang Zhiyan and reached out to pull it out. It was a reddish metal fragment, she didn’t know if the red color was rust or blood, it felt strange to the touch.

“What is this?”

Jiang Zhiyan leaned closer and looked: “It looks like a broken piece of some burial object.”

Xie Yunzhi looked around, picked up a plastic bag from the ground, put the fragment inside, then quickly wiped her hands.

“Keep it, don’t tell anyone,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Why?” Xie Yunzhi didn’t understand.

“Something that can connect Yin and Yang, allowing ghosts to pass into the mortal realm, of course you should keep it for yourself.”

“Honestly, based on your description… it doesn’t sound like a good thing,” Xie Yunzhi frowned. “If I keep it, what if ghosts come looking for it?”

“They won’t, I’m here,” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “Are you suspecting I’m trying to harm you? It’s a good thing if used properly, just throw any harmless ghosts inside, killing too many ghosts is also a sin.”

Xie Yunzhi pursed her lips: “Hearing those words from a vengeful spirit is really strange.”

Jiang Zhiyan was about to speak, but Xie Yunzhi glanced at her: “You seem to really like me, then I’ll keep it, but is the baleful aura too strong?”

“I’ll teach you how to deal with it after we get back,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Xie Yunzhi was truly curious about Jiang Zhiyan, why did she have a grudge against the Xie family? How did a family like the Xies even offend Jiang Zhiyan? Was the Xie family really that powerful many years ago?

“You… no, the previous one, what was her grudge against the Xie family?”

“The Xie family used human sacrifices many years ago to suppress an evil being.”

“Huh?” Xie Yunzhi’s eyes widened. “Is that a proper method?”

“Clearly not, the Xie family has whitewashed their history, they weren’t exactly righteous in the beginning.”

Xie Yunzhi pursed her lips: “No wonder she’s attached to the Xie family, I would be too.”

“If she could reincarnate, she probably wouldn’t be attached anymore,” Jiang Zhiyan chuckled. “They were afraid she would report them after she died, so they suppressed her soul along with the evil being, who knew there would be unrest later, and she would be released.”

Xie Yunzhi didn’t know what to say: “It’s you now, then what about her?”

“I’ll disappear later, and it will be her again.”

“Huh?” Xie Yunzhi frowned. “Then you want me to marry you? You’re going to abandon me?”

Jiang Zhiyan took a deep breath: “You’ll understand when you’re lucid, I don’t want to talk to someone whose mind isn’t clear, I’m leaving, fill the hole and go back.”

“Can’t you just help me?” Xie Yunzhi sighed. “But why was that skeleton here?”

“Some old ghosts like to move house with their bones, and many souls attach themselves to bones after death,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “No one lived here before, and it’s so spacious and beautiful, who wouldn’t like it? And there aren’t many people here at night.”

Xie Yunzhi: …

“I’m starving, let’s go, let’s get some late-night snacks,” Xie Yunzhi said, putting her hands on her hips. “My sleep schedule, which I’ve maintained for so long, is about to be ruined.”

“It’s fine, just stay up until midnight and then sleep.”

“You really don’t know how to be considerate,” Xie Yunzhi said, giving Jiang Zhiyan a disappointed look.

“I am considerate, my heart aches for you, if you don’t believe me, I can dig it out and show you.”

“There’s no need for that,” Xie Yunzhi said, leaving with her bag, then after making sure everything was fine, she messaged the homeowner.

They seemed to have been waiting for her message. Seeing Xie Yunzhi’s concise “It’s solved,” they felt inexplicably relieved.

They cautiously checked the surveillance footage, but after the garden lights turned on, the footage went dark, they could only vaguely hear sounds of fighting, it only returned to normal when Xie Yunzhi left with something in her hand.

“Was that really not a show? This girl is too young.”

“Someone should go back and sleep there tonight to find out.”

“You try it first.”

…

Not many restaurants were still open at this time, even the night market was almost deserted. Xie Yunzhi casually ate something at a street vendor’s stall and sat on a bench, looking at the street: “It feels both lively and deserted.”

“What’s lively about it?” the stall owner asked, looking around warily.

“I meant there are many stalls here,” Xie Yunzhi paused. “Have there been any strange incidents here recently?”

Could it be this coincidental?

Xie Yunzhi didn’t really want to continue working after finishing a job, but her conscience prompted her to ask.

“Yes, some people here received hell money,” the stall owner said mysteriously. “You know, most people use electronic payments now, few use cash, so everyone remembers clearly when they receive cash, it was clearly real money when they received it, but when they counted it later, it turned into hell money.”

Xie Yunzhi looked at the stall owner, a little puzzled: “Do you always tell your customers this kind of thing? No wonder there are so few people eating here.”

Stall owner: …

“But you’re quite conscientious,” Xie Yunzhi continued.

Hearing this, the stall owner’s hand, which was reaching for a talisman, trembled slightly.

“Of course,” the stall owner still took out the talisman. “So, do you want to buy a safety talisman? It’s been consecrated, very effective, only five yuan.”

“No,” Xie Yunzhi glanced at it and shook her head. “This doesn’t look like a safety talisman, more like a luck-changing talisman.”

Xie Yunzhi put down her chopsticks and pinned the stall owner to the table. He struggled to get up, but felt like a cold mountain was pressing down on him, immobilizing him, he looked at Xie Yunzhi in terror.

“There are still people using this kind of scam these days, taking both your money and your life.” Xie Yunzhi called the Xie family, who arranged for someone to pick her up. After dealing with the situation until four in the morning, Xie Yunzhi finally returned home.

“The Xie family said they would investigate whose luck he changed, but I feel like… they won’t,” Xie Yunzhi said, resting her chin on her hand.

“They will.” The Xie family was on the female lead’s side, although some of them weren’t exactly virtuous, they were generally “good people.” “Not many people in the Xie family know about what happened back then, they see themselves as good people.”

“I’ll find an opportunity to tell them…” Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan sincerely. “Will that lessen your resentment?”

“No need, just leave it, there’s no proof, even if you tell them, they won’t admit it, they’ll just think you’ve been deceived by me, they might believe you in their hearts, but they won’t admit it, because it would damage the Xie family’s image.”

Xie Yunzhi exhaled deeply, looking at Jiang Zhiyan, she felt extremely unhappy. Although Jiang Zhiyan didn’t seem sad at all, the thought of her being used as a sacrifice made her heart ache.

She truly believed Jiang Zhiyan now.

She really had forgotten many things.

Xie Yunzhi reached out and hugged Jiang Zhiyan.

Xie Yunzhi successfully resolved this incident, even doing a good deed for society along the way, earning praise from all sides, and the Xie family felt even more confident in entrusting the matters in City A to her.

Xie Yunzhi didn’t really want to do it, but seeing the commission, she felt like she could.

“Why are you working so hard? You’re not short of money,” Jiang Zhiyan frowned. “You’ve lost weight recently.”

“But my muscles are firmer now,” Xie Yunzhi flexed her arm. “I’m planning to have someone carve a small house out of jade for you, you can come with me to choose the jade later.”

“No need, the current jade bracelet is very comfortable,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “The size doesn’t really matter.”

“Of course it matters, the current one is too small,” Xie Yunzhi wagged her finger. “And I don’t trust the Xie family’s things, who knows what they’ve done to it.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to save money? You’re not even sure if I’m her.”

“But my intuition tells me you are,” Xie Yunzhi pondered for a moment. “I dreamed of you hugging me and crying last night, I don’t know why you were crying, and I also heard many people talking to me.”

“What did they say?”

“They told me to be nicer to you,” Xie Yunzhi said, leaning against the sofa.

“Were they being sincere? Or did someone tell them to tell you to be nicer to me?”

“Of course they were sincere, it was a dream,” Xie Yunzhi raised her hand. “I want to touch your face.”

“It’s very cold.”

“I still want to touch it,” Xie Yunzhi said, looking at Jiang Zhiyan intently.

Chapter 122: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (8)

Xie Yunzhi encountered Jiang Zhiyan for the first time, truly understanding the meaning of Jiang Zhiyan’s previous words.

“The Xie family gave me a mission,” Xie Yunzhi said, glancing at Jiang Zhiyan, holding her fingers.

“What?”

Xie Yunzhi pushed the tablet towards her: “I haven’t decided whether to accept it yet, but I’ve only just started learning, isn’t it too much to make me do fieldwork already?”

“Is the Xie family that short-handed?” Xie Yunzhi frowned.

She had already found the Xie family unreliable and somewhat looked down on them, now even more so. She seriously doubted if their reputation as a first-class family was exaggerated, self-proclaimed, or perhaps, there simply weren’t any more competent people in the mystical world, they were all unreliable.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, practical experience is necessary,” Jiang Zhiyan said. “Song Zhili is a typical example of someone who only knows theory, he hasn’t faced any real challenges, and his mentality is weak.”

“You seem to know him quite well,” Xie Yunzhi raised an eyebrow.

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Knowing his weaknesses will allow me to deal with him more effectively,” Jiang Zhiyan said with a smile.

Xie Yunzhi: …

Xie Yunzhi was very curious about what Jiang Zhiyan had done. Song Zhili had indeed been very quiet recently, hadn’t appeared even once. Before, even with his injured leg, he still came to find her, she had thought his determination was very strong, not easily swayed.

As expected, it was more reliable to follow a vengeful spirit, none of the “righteous” people were capable.

Xie Yunzhi sighed softly: “So should we accept this job?”

“How much does it pay?”

“It shouldn’t be much…” Xie Yunzhi said, flipping to the last page, then her eyes widened slightly seeing the amount. “One hundred thousand? I’ll take it! I thought a practice job wouldn’t pay much, it’s actually quite lucrative, no wonder they all dislike me.”

One hundred thousand wasn’t a lot of money for Xie Yunzhi, but it was much more than she expected. She was currently studying a major that might not even earn her six thousand a month after graduation.

Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xie Yunzhi, this outcome wasn’t surprising to her at all.

“Don’t you want to look through it first?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

“It’s just a haunted house,” Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan. “For someone who lives in a haunted house every day…”

“I’m going to watch you from outside.”

Xie Yunzhi: ???

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan, having been leaning lazily against the sofa, she sat up straight upon hearing her words.

“Huh? You’re saying I have to go alone?”

Jiang Zhiyan nodded: “This is your training, after all.”

Xie Yunzhi took a deep breath and pursed her lips: “What if there are many ghosts?”

“Haven’t you already learned many talismans? Prepare more before you go,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “As expected, cold words from a cold mouth.”

Jiang Zhiyan narrowed her eyes and stared at Xie Yunzhi.

“What’s with that look?”

“How do you know my mouth is cold? Did you secretly kiss me?” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xie Yunzhi and clapped her hands.

Xie Yunzhi ignored her.

“Don’t worry, since they’re entrusting you with this task, it probably won’t be life-threatening,” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “Of course, there’s still a small chance it might be.”

Xie Yunzhi: ???

“You really know how to comfort people.”

“If I go with you, no ghost will dare show themselves,” Jiang Zhiyan said helplessly. “If there’s really a problem, I’ll come find you.”

Xie Yunzhi felt slightly reassured.

“Be confident, you’re very strong,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

Xie Yunzhi looked at the mission details again, the location was in City A, a well-located villa built thirty years ago. The owner bought it five years ago, but rarely lived there. They only renovated and moved in this year because their child was getting married. After moving in, strange things started to happen, like the garden lights turning themselves back on after being switched off, seeing shadowy figures running in the garden, and all the flowers being picked overnight…

Later, they dug up a skeleton in a corner of the garden. Forensic analysis showed that the skeleton was eighty years old, which was strange, there shouldn’t be an eighty-year-old skeleton here, because this land had seen three different houses built on it in those eighty years, yet it was still there.

The owner had even invited someone to perform a ritual, then continued to live there, but strange things continued to happen.

“What do you think is the cause?” Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan.

“Ghosts.”

Xie Yunzhi continued to look at Jiang Zhiyan with a deadpan expression: “Are you being serious?”

“We’ll know when we get there, there’s no point in speculating.”

Xie Yunzhi sighed.

To deal with this, Xie Yunzhi had to spend a night there. Because of the haunting, the family had moved to another house, so she would be alone. They were so scared that they just left her at the door and ran away.

Xie Yunzhi dragged her suitcase, feeling a bit speechless, but still took the key and went inside.

During the day, the villa was quite beautiful, with flowers blooming in the garden, but there was a clearly damaged patch. She walked over and took a look, there was definitely ghostly energy there.

She didn’t know where it was hiding, after all, ghosts couldn’t just disappear into thin air.

Not seeing the ghost directly made Xie Yunzhi relieved, it probably wasn’t a powerful ghost, the kind like Jiang Zhiyan, who could roam freely in broad daylight and slap people, was terrifying.

Xie Yunzhi calmly entered the house, stayed in the guest room as instructed by the owner, then toured the entire villa and returned to her room.

She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

She was used to having someone chattering beside her, it felt strange being alone.

She yawned and set an alarm for 10 pm.

…

Jiang Zhiyan wasn’t in this area, she was still in her own apartment, watching TV.

“Aren’t you going to take a look?” the System asked.

“Nothing will happen during the day,” Jiang Zhiyan said, floating cross-legged in the air. “But wasn’t this incident solved by Song Zhili in the book?”

“Mm, but you’ve already sent Song Zhili packing.”

“He actually went back?” Jiang Zhiyan was surprised. “Were my words that effective?”

Jiang Zhiyan shook her head: “Tsk, as expected, no one can compare to my Liaoyi.”

Jiang Zhiyan smiled, filled with pride.

System: …

“Keep an eye on her, call me if anything happens.”

“Okay.”

This book was from the female lead’s perspective, not the male lead’s, so there were no details about how Song Zhili handled this incident, it just said he solved it and gained a good reputation.

…

Xie Yunzhi’s alarm didn’t go off. She slept until 11:30 pm. When she opened her eyes, the house was dark and silent, for a moment, she felt like she was trapped in a box.

She picked up her phone, saw the time, frowned, immediately sat up, turned on the light, then quickly got up and opened the curtains.

The garden was brightly lit, and there were several tables set up, as if for a banquet.

Xie Yunzhi frowned, it was a beautiful scene, but also very eerie.

She took out a talisman, which spontaneously combusted upon unfolding, there hadn’t been such a strong Yin energy during the day, but now… Xie Yunzhi felt like she had entered a gathering place for ghosts.

Xie Yunzhi touched her stomach, rummaged through her bag, and stuffed a piece of bread she bought earlier into her mouth.

After eating the bread, she checked the time again, five minutes until midnight.

She suspected something terrifying would happen at midnight.

Time ticked by, there was no clock here, but she could hear the clock in her heart ticking.

Xie Yunzhi clenched her fists, looking at the “people” who suddenly appeared at the tables, and the food laid out. Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be from different eras.

So these ghosts held gatherings in this house every day?

The Yin energy grew stronger. Xie Yunzhi gripped the talismans and noticed a ghost at one of the tables looking up at her.

Then, one after another, the ghosts all looked up.

Xie Yunzhi saw a ghost fly towards the window, then twist its head off its neck.

“She can see me! She can see me!” it shouted, its long tongue licking the window. “Ha ha ha, is this the expert they found to catch us? Is she scared to tears?”

Xie Yunzhi took a deep breath, opened the window, and slapped the talisman on its forehead, watching as it fell vertically from the window, clutching its head. Her racing heart calmed down a bit.

However, her actions also meant the start of a “war.” The ghosts in the garden, who had looked relatively normal before, now revealed their terrifying forms.

Xie Yunzhi ran downstairs, holding a stack of talismans and a peachwood sword, silently chanting exorcism and purification incantations.

Jiang Zhiyan watched from afar: “She’s really brave, there are thirty-four ghosts in the garden.”

“Should we eliminate them? They don’t seem to be vengeful spirits, just wandering souls,” the System said.

“According to the rules of the mortal realm, any ghost that harms humans can be eliminated, it’s up to her, but to solve the problem here, these ghosts aren’t the key,” Jiang Zhiyan said, drawing a circle on a certain spot with her hand. “Isn’t that spot where Yin and Yang converge? It appeared suddenly, which means it emerged from somewhere, there’s probably something buried underground.”

Jiang Zhiyan paused, suddenly realizing something: “The male lead has a magic weapon that can connect Yin and Yang, didn’t he get it while handling this incident?”

She looked at Xie Yunzhi, who usually ate so elegantly, now wildly waving her peachwood sword, sticking talismans on the ghosts whenever she found an opening, her image completely ruined, nothing like an “expert.”

Chapter 121: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (7)

When Song Zhili woke up in the hospital, three days had already passed. He had lost a significant amount of weight in those three days. Seeing the person sitting beside his bed, he coughed a couple of times and asked, “Dad, is Miss Xie alright?”

His father’s expression twisted slightly. “She’s fine. What could happen to her?”

He desperately wanted to complain and vent his frustrations, but felt embarrassed about revealing that he had been taken to the police station for questioning.

The Song family was already displeased; after all, bailing out their son, then the father, was incredibly embarrassing.

“That vengeful spirit, she’s too powerful,” Song Zhili said, frowning and clutching his chest, coughing again. “Didn’t they say I’m a nemesis of vengeful spirits?”

Song Zhili now suspected the family elders had been deceiving him. After all, he wasn’t disconnected from the internet, and he knew there were many people who built up children just to tear them down.

He suddenly felt a sense of despair, perhaps he was just an ordinary person, although he was considered exceptional within the Song family, perhaps he was the only one barely presentable.

His father watched as his son’s spirits deflated: “Of course you’re a nemesis of vengeful spirits! You’re just too weak right now. She’s a centuries-old vengeful spirit with many dirty tricks up her sleeve. Of course you can’t defeat her in a straight fight.”

“Tsk,” Jiang Zhiyan said, poking her head in through the window. “So you resort to slander when you can’t win, huh?”

Song Zhili, in the hospital bed, and his father, sitting beside him, both fell silent, then simultaneously turned to look at the window.

“Come on, Song Zhili, tell him, did I slap you in the face? Did I sneak attack you? Weren’t you the one who attacked me in the cafeteria? And you didn’t even manage to hurt me.”

Song Zhili opened his mouth, his already dejected expression falling further.

Song Zhili’s father glared at Jiang Zhiyan; he had encountered her at the airport before, but she hadn’t spoken to him, so he hadn’t paid her any attention: “What do you want?”

“Was the police station comfortable, young master Song?”

Song Zhili’s father’s face twisted in anger. Song Zhili initially thought she was talking to him, but noticing Jiang Zhiyan’s gaze, he looked at his father, puzzled.

“What are you doing here?” his father asked again, knowing Jiang Zhiyan was deliberately trying to provoke them.

“Paying a visit, after all, I’m the one who injured him, it wouldn’t be right not to visit,” Jiang Zhiyan floated inside. The already cool, air-conditioned room became even colder. “I am a polite vengeful spirit, after all.”

“Are you able to get out of bed now, or are you going to look for Xie Yunzhi?” Jiang Zhiyan asked, looking at Song Zhili, who was staring at her, silent.

“If you’re going to look for her, then you better get a VIP room at the hospital,” she continued. “Every time you go, I’ll beat you up, but don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”

She said this with a smile.

Song Zhili clenched his fists: “Why do you insist on following her?”

“What’s it to you? This is between me and the Xie family,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Song Zhili’s father. “If you don’t want your son to be hospitalized every few days, then take him back, there are so many things to deal with, why bother with me? You can’t defeat me anyway, it’s a waste of money and police resources.”

Song Zhili glared at Jiang Zhiyan: “One day…”

“I know, don’t bully the young when they’re poor, don’t bully the middle-aged when they’re poor, don’t bully the elderly when they’re poor, and respect the dead, mm, when you die, I’ll probably still be around, you can continue to bother me, and when you become a ghost, I can just swallow you whole,” Jiang Zhiyan said with a smile. “Just thinking about it is wonderful.”

The System, looking at Song Zhili’s expression, commented: “I think you’re going to anger him to death.”

“How could that be?” Jiang Zhiyan waved at the two of them and turned to leave. “I hope I never see you again.”

After Jiang Zhiyan left, Song Zhili leaned against the pillows, his face devoid of emotion.

“Cheer up,” his father said, patting his shoulder.

“Dad, is it possible I’ll never be able to defeat her, even in death?”

…

When the System relayed Song Zhili’s words to Jiang Zhiyan, she was a bit puzzled: “Is the male lead’s mental fortitude that weak?”

“A proud genius gets slapped twice and lands in the hospital right after leaving seclusion, it’s a huge blow to his ego.”

Jiang Zhiyan twitched the corners of her mouth and sighed softly: “He’s so weak and fragile, he doesn’t deserve the female lead.”

System: …

“He should just go home and retire,” Jiang Zhiyan scoffed.

When Jiang Zhiyan returned, Xie Yunzhi had just finished a class. She looked at Jiang Zhiyan, annoyed that she had missed an entire class, held her phone to her ear, and asked, “Where did you go?”

“I went to visit Song Zhili and suggested he get a VIP room at the hospital,” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xie Yunzhi. “I think he’ll leave you alone for a while.”

Xie Yunzhi’s lips twitched: “You’re really vicious.”

“Don’t you think I’m being kind?” Jiang Zhiyan said, sounding aggrieved.

“I thought you went on a date with some pretty ghost.”

“Why would you think that? Are you jealous?” Jiang Zhiyan asked, sounding surprised.

Xie Yunzhi coughed a couple of times: “Not jealous. There was just a ghost here asking where you went.”

“If you’re not jealous, then why are you using coughing as a cover?”

“I just have an itchy throat.” Xie Yunzhi rubbed her throat and coughed again. “Well, maybe you have a ghostly girlfriend, I don’t know.”

“No, I don’t,” Jiang Zhiyan said with dissatisfaction. “I don’t have a girlfriend, I only have a wife.”

Xie Yunzhi snorted.

“Why did that ghost want to see me?” Jiang Zhiyan didn’t understand. Logically, in this world, besides the Xie family, no one, human or ghost, should have any connection to her.

“She said she was from the underworld,” Xie Yunzhi said. “She told you to stop sending articles to the King of Hell. What did you even write?”

Jiang Zhiyan looked enlightened and showed Xie Yunzhi her masterpieces.

Xie Yunzhi was speechless: “Did you secretly take a policy writing course?”

Jiang Zhiyan blinked, giving her an innocent smile.

Xie Yunzhi found Jiang Zhiyan to be very unusual, completely different from an ordinary centuries-old ghost, though she had never actually met any other centuries-old ghosts.

“But what do your articles have to do with the King of Hell? Why would someone come up here and warn you?”

“Maybe because the King of Hell thinks my writing is good and actually listened to my suggestions,” Jiang Zhiyan blinked.

Xie Yunzhi immediately understood and looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “I have a feeling you’ll be in more trouble than me soon.”

Centuries-old vengeful spirits were rare, but there were many underworld officials who were centuries old.

“You’re right. I should make some plans.” Jiang Zhiyan nodded.

Jiang Zhiyan decided to write another article, asking the King of Hell to protect the personal safety of those who offered advice and suggestions.

Xie Yunzhi had been very busy recently, with a lot of schoolwork, and she also had to find time to study those extra things, but thankfully, she learned quickly, especially when it came to talisman drawing, but the faster she learned, the stranger it felt, because she felt like she had learned these things in another time and space.

And she still didn’t understand why Jiang Zhiyan could also draw talismans. She had subtly asked the Xie family, but they insisted that vengeful spirits absolutely could not draw talismans.

As expected, the Xie family was unreliable, she had to rely on herself. She didn’t quite understand what the Xie family was even good for.

So, when another underworld official appeared, she captured them.

The ghost and the human stared at each other. Xie Yunzhi felt like she had just casually grabbed with the talisman Jiang Zhiyan taught her, she hadn’t expected it to actually work.

“Did you deliver my message to Jiang Zhiyan?”

“I did,” Xie Yunzhi said. “I helped you. In return, answer a question for me.”

“Go ahead,” the underworld official paused. “Of course, I can’t tell you anything that involves heavenly secrets.”

“This definitely doesn’t involve heavenly secrets! Why would I ask about that kind of thing? People are already saying I won’t live past thirty.” Xie Yunzhi lowered her voice. “I’m asking you, if a vengeful spirit can draw talismans…”

“Then it’s not a vengeful spirit,” the official said, stroking their chin. “Normally, no ghost can draw talismans.”

“No exceptions?” Xie Yunzhi pressed.

“None.” The official spoke with certainty, then, looking at Xie Yunzhi’s expression, asked suspiciously, “You’re not going to tell me Jiang Zhiyan can, are you?”

The official gasped. “I’ll have to look into this. This is truly unprecedented, unheard of.”

“Actually, forget it, don’t ask,” Xie Yunzhi said, suddenly regretting her question, worried she might have caused trouble for Jiang Zhiyan.

The official took a few steps, then her expression shifted from excitement to confusion. She looked around. “Why am I here?”

She patted her forehead, thought for three seconds, and without further thought, returned to the underworld.

Xie Yunzhi used the method Jiang Zhiyan taught her to perform a divination, but she couldn’t divine anything. However, she had a feeling that Jiang Zhiyan being able to draw talismans and perform divinations was related to the rules of this world.

Jiang Zhiyan floated in through the window: “Another underworld official came?”

“You knew they were coming, so you ran away?”

“I hate trouble. What did they say? Your expression is strange.”

Xie Yunzhi hesitated for a moment, then recounted what had just happened.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Jiang Zhiyan waved her hand dismissively. “She won’t ask.”

“Why?”

“There’s a bug in the world. The world will fix it itself. It won’t let this bug become known to too many NPCs.”

“A bug?” Xie Yunzhi felt like her head was about to explode. “Do you mean… that kind of bug? NPCs? Aren’t we NPCs?”

Xie Yunzhi sat cross-legged on the floor: “How can this world be both mystical and scientific?”

“It’s a matter of different dimensions.” Jiang Zhiyan looked at Xie Yunzhi and extended her hand. “Only the two of us are together.”

Xie Yunzhi reached out and patted Jiang Zhiyan’s hand, expecting her hand to pass through, but this time, she felt an icy touch, just for a moment, but it felt like her fingers were freezing, the coldness spreading throughout her body.

Chapter 120: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (6)

The next morning, Jiang Zhiyan woke Xie Yunzhi up promptly at six. Xie Yunzhi, with a sullen expression and an unapproachable aura, left the room. A few people who had intended to provoke her, seeing her expression and the floating Jiang Zhiyan, immediately shut up and ran away.

“What cowards,” Jiang Zhiyan said, speechless.

Xie Yunzhi’s lips twitched.

The lessons at the Xie family estate were even more sleep-inducing than her university classes. Xie Yunzhi felt like she was only staying awake through sheer willpower.

And she really didn’t understand, the things being taught weren’t difficult, why couldn’t the others in the class understand? She felt like she would progress much faster with one-on-one lessons.

This attitude further displeased the others, but there was nothing they could do. After a morning of classes, the Xie family instructor couldn’t help but look at Xie Yunzhi differently.

“I’m still alive, but my spirit is dead,” Xie Yunzhi said.

“Really? I think you’re quite lively,” Jiang Zhiyan said, circling Xie Yunzhi. “I’m going to see what the Xie family is having for lunch.”

Xie Yunzhi: …

“They’re eating quite well,” Jiang Zhiyan said, standing outside the kitchen. The System listed the dishes the Xie family had prepared, like a waiter reciting a menu.

“Indeed, it sounds delicious, I’m getting hungry just listening to it,” Jiang Zhiyan said. Ever since eating barbecue that day, she couldn’t stand not having anything to eat.

On her way back from the kitchen, Jiang Zhiyan ran into the Xie Family Head, and their eyes met.

“I want to eat too, prepare a portion for me,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

The Xie Family Head ignored her and tried to leave.

Jiang Zhiyan followed him, emanating resentment, and he stopped after walking ten meters, practically gritting his teeth as he said: “I’ll have someone arrange it.”

Jiang Zhiyan was satisfied.

The System realized that Jiang Zhiyan was quite shameless.

“Every meal,” Jiang Zhiyan added.

The Xie Family Head’s face darkened, he didn’t want to speak, but he had to agree.

During Xie Yunzhi’s lesson time, Jiang Zhiyan, using the same tactic, gained VIP treatment at the Xie family estate.

If the Xie family members initially wanted Xie Yunzhi to stay longer, they now just wanted her to leave quickly, taking Jiang Zhiyan with her.

Jiang Zhiyan demanded a high-quality jade bracelet as tribute. The Xie family tried to seal her inside it, but it didn’t work, and they were even beaten up. After that, they completely gave up.

After a chaotic day, when Xie Yunzhi expressed her desire to leave early, the Xie family didn’t object and agreed immediately, perhaps because they were afraid of Jiang Zhiyan. They said they would send her scanned copies of the books later.

So she booked a flight for early the next morning.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Xie Yunzhi said.

“No trouble at all, killing two birds with one stone,” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “The Xie family’s food is quite good.”

“But I don’t want to come back here again, I’ll just reminisce in my dreams.”

“But I can’t sleep.”

Xie Yunzhi paused: “Oh, right. Did you take the Xie family’s jade bracelet?”

“I did, it’s quite comfortable.”

“Then keep it,” Xie Yunzhi said. She had been wondering whether to buy a new one for Jiang Zhiyan, but then she thought, why spend money when there’s a free one? She had to save money.

As soon as she boarded the plane, Xie Yunzhi fell asleep, she was truly exhausted.

However, as soon as she fell asleep, she realized she wasn’t truly asleep, her body was asleep, but her soul was wide awake.

Buried memories resurfaced, and Xie Yunzhi’s expression twisted for a few seconds. She rubbed her temples, it seemed like she had done something bad, she had mocked other fragments before, as expected, they were all fragments of the same person, so their actions were similar.

But Jiang Zhiyan was really strange! Constantly saying she liked her, if it weren’t for her subconscious telling her Jiang Zhiyan was a good person, she would have thought she was a pervert.

The ascended Xie Liaoyi, seeing that almost everyone was present, started the meeting. Xie Yunzhi could feel a strong pull from her, she had clearly absorbed quite a few fragments, and she didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that her divinity was more stable than during the last meeting, even though not much time had passed.

“I devoured a world consciousness,” her first words were like a bombshell.

“Huh?”

Exclamations echoed.

“It wasn’t intentional, it tried to trip me up, probably didn’t expect me to have ascended,” her tone remained calm. “There hasn’t been any reaction from the Main God yet, I don’t know if they haven’t noticed or if they’re not around.”

After a few seconds of silence, another fragment spoke: “The Main God is also a god, is it possible for us to separate from the Main God system?”

“It should be possible, after our accident, we were essentially disconnected from them, but if that’s the case, what about Zhiyan? Do we accompany her on missions until she retires?”

“She should be able to leave, considering how often she destroys worlds, I think we can negotiate with the Main God and have them release her, and if we all ascend, but can’t take her with us, that would be too pathetic, we’ve already collected seventy percent of the fragments, and communication with most world consciousnesses is smooth, I can almost sense which small world Zhiyan is in.”

Xie Yunzhi sat quietly and raised her hand: “Then can you come find me first?”

“Is Zhiyan with you now?”

“Mm,” Xie Yunzhi nodded.

Xie Liaoyi Number One thought for two seconds, then shook her head: “I refuse, we’re working separately, there’s no need for both of us to be in the same world, and judging by your situation, you’ve caused trouble again.”

Xie Yunzhi smiled: “I didn’t cause that much trouble, it’s fine, after we merge back into the main body, we’ll all share the consequences.”

“That’s not an excuse for your recklessness, be careful.”

“I don’t want to be reckless, but I can’t remember,” Xie Yunzhi sighed again, thinking about the things she had unconsciously said. “I only remember to save money and become a god, I chanted Jiang Zhiyan’s name so many times, why can’t I remember?”

“Interference from the world consciousness is normal,” Xie Liaoyi Number One said. “Most world consciousnesses are relatively easy to communicate with, some try to keep our soul fragments, but it’s not a big problem, after I devoured a world consciousness, they’ve all become quite cooperative.”

“Haha,” Xie Yunzhi gave a couple of dry laughs, she was relieved, but her own pressure hadn’t lessened at all.

Thinking about meeting Jiang Zhiyan later, Xie Yunzhi couldn’t help but sigh deeply and pat her forehead, she hoped she wouldn’t say anything that would give Jiang Zhiyan leverage again.

Her consciousness retreated, and she fell asleep, only waking up when the plane landed. She opened her eyes and saw Jiang Zhiyan’s face floating in front of her.

Xie Yunzhi considered buying economy class in the future, Jiang Zhiyan probably wouldn’t float this close to her if she did.

“You’re awake?” Jiang Zhiyan asked, looking at Xie Yunzhi expectantly.

Xie Yunzhi nodded, looking at Jiang Zhiyan, she looked even more familiar now, but the more she tried to remember, the more elusive the memory became, and her head started to ache.

She looked at Jiang Zhiyan a few more times, feeling irritated.

“What’s wrong?”

Xie Yunzhi shook her head: “I feel like I’m so close to remembering who you are.”

“I’m your wife.”

Xie Yunzhi felt like Jiang Zhiyan might be telling the truth, but it was too strange without any context.

As soon as they left the airport, they were stopped by four large men in black. The middle-aged man leading them was wearing a Tang suit and holding a fan. He looked at Xie Yunzhi with a smile: “Miss Xie, please come with us.”

“Who are you?” Xie Yunzhi asked warily, taking two steps back. “I don’t know you.”

“My surname is Song, I just want to have a chat with Miss Xie,” he said, his smile seemingly kind, but his aura was oppressive, clearly putting on airs.

“What does your surname being Song have to do with me? I still don’t know you,” Xie Yunzhi frowned, wanting to leave.

“Miss Xie,” he said, reaching out to stop her.

The next second, Xie Yunzhi turned and ran in the opposite direction. The men in black quickly gave chase, attracting the attention of passersby.

“There’s a police station on the left,” Jiang Zhiyan reminded her.

Xie Yunzhi immediately changed direction and ran towards the police station.

If there’s a problem, find the police.

She knew who these people were, but she didn’t want to go with them, it would be too troublesome, she just wanted to go home and sleep.

Seeing the police, the men in black stopped, the two sides facing off, many people stopped and watched.

The old man in the Tang suit from the Song family arrived after a while, seeing the situation, he felt a headache coming on, how did things become like this?

He brought four men in black just to look more imposing, who knew Xie Yunzhi would be so straightforward, not even giving him a chance to explain properly.

“It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding,” he said with a smile, raising his hand. “I just wanted to invite Miss Xie over for a chat.”

“What misunderstanding? I don’t want to go, and you even sent these people to chase me, I don’t even know you! Blocking people at the airport, is that how you invite someone for a chat? You look like some new type of scammer!” Xie Yunzhi said, standing behind the police, agitated.

After Song Zhili was taken to the police station, his father was also brought in for questioning.

After returning home, Xie Yunzhi called her mother and then informed the Xie Family Head, and as Jiang Zhiyan predicted, the Xie family was very unhappy.

“They won’t bother me anymore, will they?” Xie Yunzhi asked.

“I’m not sure about the others, but Song Zhili will definitely continue to bother you,” Jiang Zhiyan said.

“Huh?” Xie Yunzhi looked disgusted. “Why? Is he like a leech?”

Jiang Zhiyan’s voice, floating in the air, was also ethereal, laced with sarcasm: “I did a divination, you two are a perfect match, destined to be entangled.”

“I don’t believe in those things,” Xie Yunzhi waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, aren’t you going to be engaged to me? As my future wife, if he comes to harass me again, just send him back to the hospital.”

“Future wife now, are we?”

“Isn’t that good? I agree with what you said,” Xie Yunzhi looked up. “But I can’t kiss you, I can’t touch you…”

“You can actually kiss me, but you’re too weak, wait until you’re stronger, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.”

Chapter 119: My Guardian Spirit is Dead (5)

Xie Yunzhi felt like Jiang Zhiyan was getting back at her, but she had no proof. She decided to stay put, sat down in the living room, and called her mother, recounting the day’s events.

She didn’t even have to mention going to the Xie family estate; her mother offered to take her.

“Is she with you right now?”

“Mm,” Xie Yunzhi replied.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid. According to that person, this vengeful spirit has been following me for a long time, I just couldn’t see her, and nothing has happened to me all these years,” Xie Yunzhi said, looking at Jiang Zhiyan not far away.

“I’ll take you to the Xie family estate tomorrow.”

“The day after tomorrow, I don’t have class then,” Xie Yunzhi said. “They haven’t been able to solve this for so long, one day sooner or later won’t make a difference.”

Her mother was a bit exasperated, but couldn’t refute her, it was true, but it also made her even more anxious, didn’t that mean there was no way to solve this?

“Life and death are predestined, wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven,” Xie Yunzhi said.

“Then you have to defy fate for me!” Her mother said angrily and hung up.

Xie Yunzhi blinked, put down her phone, looked at Jiang Zhiyan, leaned back on the sofa, and sighed softly.

The takeout arrived. Xie Yunzhi got up to open the door. Worried Jiang Zhiyan wouldn’t have enough, she ordered a lot.

She observed Jiang Zhiyan, who was sitting in front of a pile of barbecue, not chewing, just sniffing.

Xie Yunzhi, a seasoned horror movie viewer, picked up a skewer, took a bite, then quickly spat it into the trash can, her face contorted in disgust.

Jiang Zhiyan glanced at Xie Yunzhi, a bit speechless: “Isn’t there food for you over there?”

“Just curious,” Xie Yunzhi took a sip of water. “The texture is strange.”

“I don’t know, I haven’t tasted it,” Jiang Zhiyan said, asking Xie Yunzhi to pour her a glass of juice. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this full.”

Xie Yunzhi glanced at her: “Don’t you eat people?”

“I don’t, I don’t know about the previous one.”

Xie Yunzhi stared at Jiang Zhiyan: “This is the first time I’ve heard of a vengeful spirit having a split personality.”

“The world is a vast and wondrous place,” Jiang Zhiyan replied.

Xie Yunzhi twitched her lips; she didn’t understand why Jiang Zhiyan always had so many illogical retorts.

She had originally planned to eat less tonight, but the aroma of the barbecue was too tempting, and she ate quite a bit.

The next morning, while taking out the trash, she felt like the other person taking out the trash was looking at her with a judgmental gaze.

She calmly threw the trash into the bin and quickly left.

Without Song Zhili, today was a particularly peaceful day, although more people were gossiping about her and avoiding her.

Early Friday morning, Xie Yunzhi’s mother came to pick her up and take her to the Xie family estate.

“Is she with you?” her mother asked.

“Mm,” Xie Yunzhi pointed diagonally in front of her. “Over there.”

Her mother’s face paled.

“I can open her eyes,” Jiang Zhiyan offered.

“Mom, she said she can let you see her,” Xie Yunzhi said.

Her mother: ?

“You’re communicating with her?”

“She’s very noisy,” Xie Yunzhi said with a hint of disgust.

Her mother’s eyes widened in alarm, but thankfully, nothing happened.

“Then, let me see…” Her mother took a deep breath, and just as she was about to tell Xie Yunzhi to prepare herself, a translucent figure appeared next to her daughter, and she stumbled back in fright. “H-Hello.”

“Hello, no need to be so polite, we’re family now,” Jiang Zhiyan said with a smile.

Her mother’s face paled even further, and she gave a couple of dry laughs: “Are you coming with us too?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Jiang Zhiyan floated into the car.

Xie Yunzhi and her mother got in the car and shivered from the cold, there was no need for air conditioning.

The Xie family estate was in City D, and they had to take a plane. Jiang Zhiyan followed them, floating around the plane. Xie Yunzhi was used to it, but her mother wasn’t, her face pale. The flight attendant asked her several times if she needed anything.

“I’m not going to do anything to you, why are you so scared?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Her mother shook her head: “I have a weak heart, why do you insist on following my daughter?”

“I like her.”

Her mother’s eyes widened. If Xie Yunzhi hadn’t been holding her, she would have probably fainted.

“Mom, just ignore her,” Xie Yunzhi said, giving Jiang Zhiyan an annoyed look.

Xie Yunzhi’s mother had contacted the Xie family in advance, and they sent a car to pick them up. They seemed fully prepared, but Jiang Zhiyan still managed to get into the car, their preparations seemingly useless against her.

The Xie family members could clearly see Jiang Zhiyan, and seeing that their preparations were ineffective, their expressions turned grim, but there was nothing they could do, they could only drive on.

Everyone in the car was silent, their expressions equally unpleasant, the calmest one was Xie Yunzhi, who was being stared at by Jiang Zhiyan.

Xie Yunzhi felt increasingly skeptical of these people, if she had been considering whether to listen to the Xie family before, she was now leaning towards Jiang Zhiyan.

Although making a deal with a vengeful spirit was risky, at least there was hope, and her life was already in Jiang Zhiyan’s hands.

After so many years, these people hadn’t made any progress at all.

Xie Yunzhi felt a hint of disdain, she felt like she had some talent, the talisman she drew yesterday had worked on her first try… She suddenly realized something, was it possible that she had to save herself?

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan, who was floating on the car roof, forget it, she would leave it at that for now, she couldn’t bring herself to attack Jiang Zhiyan, she would figure something out when Jiang Zhiyan actually tried to take her life.

The Xie family estate, after hundreds of years, was still in its original location, occupying a large area. From afar, you could see bamboo shoots emerging from behind the walls.

They got out of the car. The Xie family member leading them wanted to explain the rules of the estate, but Jiang Zhiyan had already floated inside.

“So many rules, so little skill,” Jiang Zhiyan said, annoyed.

The Xie family member’s expression darkened, but he still explained the rules.

Jiang Zhiyan looked down at the estate, arms crossed, the resentment of a vengeful spirit instantly spreading throughout every corner of the Xie family estate.

She heard screams, and the person who had just said “no loud noises,” his face grim, looked up and glared at Jiang Zhiyan.

Someone boldly threw talismans at her, which Jiang Zhiyan collected and stacked neatly on the ground, the Xie family members’ expressions turning even uglier.

This was no different from slapping the Xie family in the face, but they couldn’t do anything to Jiang Zhiyan.

The Xie family went to have a meeting. Jiang Zhiyan didn’t follow, just floated in the air, eyes closed.

As expected, the Xie family had Xie Yunzhi undergo a series of tests. After confirming her talent, their eyes lit up with delight.

“It seems like you’ll have to rely on yourself to solve this,” the Xie Family Head said to Xie Yunzhi, his tone serious.

Xie Yunzhi nodded: As expected.

Xie Yunzhi’s mother frowned, dissatisfied, but there was nothing she could do.

Xie Yunzhi sighed softly, the Xie family gave her a few books to read, all on the list Jiang Zhiyan had given her, they weren’t valuable books, you could buy them online.

A wasted trip. The Xie family wanted her to stay, but how could she? She still had scholarships to earn and awards to win, she couldn’t possibly not attend school, so they switched to online classes, she could come and get the books after she finished reading them, and stay at the Xie family estate during summer and winter vacations.

Just thinking about it was troublesome.

The Xie family members talked to Xie Yunzhi for a long time. Xie Yunzhi, looking at Jiang Zhiyan floating outside, watching her, felt like she was being gloated at.

And she felt like the Xie family was in decline, because they kept implying that the future of the Xie family rested on her shoulders.

“Can you memorize the contents of their books? I don’t want to keep coming back here,” Xie Yunzhi said, annoyed just thinking about it, the plane tickets weren’t even reimbursed, a round trip cost two thousand, her entire monthly allowance.

Jiang Zhiyan: ?

“You’ve lived for so long, and you haven’t memorized anything?” Xie Yunzhi continued to ask.

“I’m a vengeful spirit, your request is unreasonable,” Jiang Zhiyan paused. “Although I do know what’s in those books.”

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan: “You’re much more reliable than the Xie family.”

“Then why did you even bring me here?” Xie Yunzhi didn’t understand.

“To block the Song family.”

“Oh, I forgot.”

Xie Yunzhi wanted to leave that afternoon, but she was forced to attend an afternoon of basic lessons, although she had already drawn the talismans Jiang Zhiyan taught her yesterday, in the Xie family’s eyes, her talisman drawing didn’t conform to their standards at all.

Her mother left first, and Xie Yunzhi was scheduled to leave on Sunday afternoon.

Hearing this, Xie Yunzhi felt terrible. Sleeping in the guest room of the Xie family estate at night, she felt very uncomfortable.

“I feel like I’m incompatible with this place,” Xie Yunzhi said, staring at the ceiling. “I have to wake up at six tomorrow.”

“Six o’clock,” Xie Yunzhi emphasized again, this went against her biological clock, ever since starting university, she woke up at seven and slept at midnight, this disruption of her routine made her extremely unhappy.

“You figured that out after just one afternoon of lessons?” Jiang Zhiyan asked.

Xie Yunzhi hugged her blanket and turned to Jiang Zhiyan: “I don’t need to calculate to know that, most people here don’t like me, their looks make me uncomfortable.”

“A bunch of idiots who could barely get by, and now a genius like you appears, making them look even more foolish, and you’re so hardworking, of course, you’ll be ostracized, after all, even though the Xie family is in decline now, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse,” Jiang Zhiyan said with disdain.

“I don’t care,” Xie Yunzhi said, twitching the corner of her mouth. “Am I really a genius?”

“Mm,” Jiang Zhiyan responded.

“So can I really get rid of you?”

“No,” Jiang Zhiyan said, looking at Xie Yunzhi with dissatisfaction. “Don’t you think it’s a bit much to discuss this in front of me?”

“Isn’t telling you directly proof that I don’t have such intentions?”

“Who knows, you’re very cunning,” Jiang Zhiyan grumbled.

“Then isn’t it strange? You said I have to learn these things to become a god, but even after becoming a god, I still can’t defeat you? What are you? Isn’t this logic strange?”

Jiang Zhiyan floated to Xie Yunzhi, reached out, and poked her chest: “You won’t attack me.”

Although Jiang Zhiyan shouldn’t be able to touch her, Xie Yunzhi still felt the poke in her chest, she smiled: “You’re very confident.”

“What’s the conflict between you and the Xie family?” Xie Yunzhi asked.

“I don’t know, I told you, I’m not the same ghost as the last one.”

“If there’s no grudge, why are you following me?”

“Because I like you.”

Xie Yunzhi looked at Jiang Zhiyan and suddenly felt exasperated, the conversation always circled back to this. “I’m going to sleep, wake me up at six tomorrow morning.”