Chapter 156: 156 【Sister‑in‑law, the Lin Jiaming who harmed Yao Liang is dead!】

156 【Sister‑in‑law, the Lin Jiaming who harmed Yao Liang is dead!】

But he never imagined that when he went back to that courtyard again, it was already deserted.

Lin Jiaming's face showed terror as he lowered his head to look at his own stomach.

That man had disappeared—what should he do?

He recalled how that man had asked him whether he wanted Yao Liang to suffer unbearable bodily pain or to lose his life.

He chose the latter without hesitation.

Actually, he had once thought it unnecessary to take a life, but because he had been overly honest since childhood, everyone tried to take his belongings.

He really liked this girl, yet why were so many people still coming to compete with him for her?

So when that man appeared, he advised him to follow his baser instincts, saying those people were just bullying him, they were stumbling blocks on his path to light; as long as he kicked them aside, he could grasp what he liked—including that girl!

Shatter, destroy, stumbling block.

At that moment, those three words completely filled his mind and were endlessly magnified.

A voice in his head kept repeating, saying that man was absolutely right.

Thus he pawned his three years of luck to eliminate Yao Liang, who was currently trying to steal his 'beloved thing'.

Three years of luck—he still needed to go to graduate school; on campus luck was useless, and by the time he entered society to make his mark, the period would have expired.

But now, facing the empty house across the way and his increasingly painful abdomen, he suddenly came to his senses.

The things he liked, including that girl, were never his possessions!

Unfortunately, his reason at the time did not overcome his dark side.

But now it was too late; he felt as if he were about to die.

The pain kept intensifying, his vision blurred until total darkness.

In a daze, Lin Jiaming seemed to see two people walking toward him.

Among them was that man!

But he had no strength left—it really hurt.

Moments later.

An old man and a man wearing leather clothing and a mask stood before Lin Jiaming.

The old man with a full head of white hair, his hands resting on a black dragon‑headed cane, sighed and said lamentingly, 'Ah, this is human nature.'

The man glanced at Lin Jiaming, saw his lifespan draining rapidly, and frowned: 'Grandfather, isn't this a bit excessive? If you hadn't used illusion arts, he wouldn't have lost his reason and judgment.'

Back when he first contacted Lin Jiaming, he had only wanted to guide him toward the first option to complete the pawn transaction—three years of luck, enough to mess around with that Yao Liang, which would be a huge profit.

But he never expected his grandfather to cast an illusion behind the screen on Lin Jiaming, causing him to lose his reason outright, turning what was originally the first choice into the second.

'Heh, my illusion arts aren't yet capable of controlling thoughts; it's his own weak will—who else to blame? His inner darkness already outweighs his light; I merely gave him a little nudge, never expecting such a pronounced effect.'

Hearing this, the man pressed his lips together, his gaze drifting, unsure what he was thinking.

The old man patted his shoulder, saying, 'You're just soft‑hearted! Don't forget, to achieve great things one cannot be so petty. We are to revive the former glory of the spirit‑medium school! Eliminating that little girl of the Tushan family is merely a side benefit!'

The man said nothing.

The old man, looking vexed that iron wouldn't become steel, took a deep breath, changed the subject, and asked, 'I sent you to help that ghost named Lu Cheng—did you finish the task?'

The man nodded, 'I've already sent "her" to H Country.'

'Hmm, good. Remember, we must keep making deals before the curse on that Tushan girl is lifted; once I successfully refine those items, we'll use them to ward off heavenly punishment and survive the lightning tribulation—then our spirit‑medium school will return to the occult world! Hahaha...'

In the man's ears was his grandfather's manic laughter; before his eyes lay Lin Jiaming, clinging to a single breath and about to suffer a backlash, and a flicker of conflict crossed his gaze.

'It's late, the night is cool—grandfather, go back first; I'll wait here.'

'Alright, I'm heading back now. Oh, by the way, I've already picked the next target—remember to go and complete the pawn transaction with him; this time I want to see how that Tushan girl will choose.'

The man said nothing, merely nodding.

The old man, who knew him well, said before turning away, 'Tonight I want to see Lin Jiaming's soul; you'd better rein in that compassionate heart of yours, or family law will punish you!'

The man's body stiffened; after the old man stepped away, he replied, 'Understood, grandfather—I will bring his soul back and toss it into the Soul Refining Furnace.'

The old man didn't answer and soon vanished into the night.

The man simply watched Lin Jiaming lying on the ground, his chest's faint rise and fall gradually ceasing.

He let out a silent sigh: 'If grandfather hadn't been here today, I could still have saved your life, but your luck has been pawned, so it's sunk to rock bottom—I dare not defy him.'

Having said that, he took out a jade bottle, collected Lin Jiaming's soul inside, and also disposed of that Yin Ghost Fetus.

After erasing every trace spotlessly, he slipped away soundlessly.

It was late in the night, around four or five in the morning, and the sky was still dark.

Nearby street cleaners and garbage trucks began their shifts one after another.

Suddenly, a scream rang out across the street.

'Ah! A corpse! Come quickly, someone—there's a young man dead here!'

Xie Jingting and Yao Liang learned of Lin Jiaming's death only when police came to the school to investigate.

Xie Jingting sent a message to Tushan Jiu.

【Sister‑in‑law, the Lin Jiaming who harmed Yao Liang is dead!】

Having received the message, Tushan Jiu had just finished breakfast and was preparing to go out to pawn a knife.

Seeing this, she was not surprised.

Going by the spirit‑mediums' modus operandi, plus the previous incident, it seemed they were eager to complete many deals, gathering items like lifespan and luck to achieve some goal.

They just don't yet know what that purpose is.

But Tushan Jiu isn't in a hurry either.

Geese leave echoes; people leave traces.

As long as there is a goal, a tail will eventually show up.