Chapter 377: and translation of title, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list of named entities appearing in these lines

I am not stupid; upon hearing Hong Nainai's words, I immediately understood her meaning. When I subdued Hong Nainai and made her my soldier, I had once promised her that I would find a disciple to help her accumulate incense cultivation and ascend to immortality early. Hong Nainai is a ghost, and the disciple she takes a liking to will naturally become what people commonly call a yin‑passing granny, a spirit granny.

However, I already said before that people capable of this profession are extremely rare.

Some say such people are born with incomplete souls, the more deranged they are, the greater their abilities. Others say such people have an extremely yin constitution, which is why ghostly yin masters seek them out.

I'm not sure exactly how it is, but I only know that such people are extremely hard to find, and they possess extraordinary talent, easily able to stride both the yin and yang realms, and moreover communicate with ghosts and deities.

"You mean she's suitable to be my disciple?" I reached into my bosom and pulled out that piece of Hong Nainai's jade pendant.

Not long after, Hong Nainai's figure also appeared.

"Yes…… Earlier, when you were speaking with her grandmother in the park, I had already noticed. The reason this girl keeps getting possessed is because she possesses this extremely yin constitution; many ghosts and deities want to take her as a disciple, but……" Saying this, Hong Nainai hesitated.

"But what……" I and Pangzi asked in unison.

"But her Spiritual Aperture has been injured; although ghosts and deities can possess her, they cannot form a contract with her." Pausing, Hong Nainai frowned again and said: "Of course, one can also force a contract, but that shouldn't be called a contract; it should be called body seizure."

Hong Nainai meant that if a certain spirit yin master possesses Shishi's body for a long time, over time Shishi's soul will be corroded, at which point the ghost spirit can directly control Shishi's body, becoming the new master of this body.

Because Shishi's constitution is special, she is the ideal vessel for long‑term residence of ghost spirits and evil spirits. Put another way, her body is, without doubt, like the Tang Sanzang meat that monsters in Journey to the West flocked to—except this meat is not for eating, but for dwelling.

This also explains why, after one exorcism after another, and one Daoist after another came, Shishi would just get better then fall ill again, over and over without end. Because she constantly attracts spirits; perhaps at this moment she is a normal person, the next moment she is possessed by a ghost. Driving away the ghost merely treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

"The urgent matter is that we should first drive away the spirit possessing Shishi's body; other things can wait." Pangzi said to me and Hong Nainai.

"You want……"

Pangzi raised the sandalwood box in his hand and said: "Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate."

I and Pangzi walked over to Shishi; on the other side, Silijing and Yao Yirong each supported Granny Zhao, who was weeping in front of Shishi.

After I and Pangzi reached the table, we each grabbed one of Shishi's shoulders and pulled her down from the table.

After pulling her down, I pressed Shishi onto the chair. At that moment, Granny Zhao, supported by Yao Yirong and Silijing, walked over to us.

"Two great immortals, please, you must save Shishi! She…… she was fine just a moment ago, but now those things have found her again; please, save her." As soon as she came over, Granny Zhao burst into tears begging us.

"Granny, don't worry; they are now using needles to drive away whatever is entangled on Shishi's body, and it's quite effective. We shouldn't disturb them; let them administer the needles in peace." Yao Yirong and Silijing each comforted Granny Zhao in a gentle tone.

Although I don't understand medicine, I also know that when performing acupuncture, the doctor must be wholeheartedly focused, especially for the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate—the angle of rotation, how deep the needle goes, all must be grasped precisely, and the demand for mental concentration is extremely high.

After Granny Zhao's emotions were soothed by Yao Yirong and Silijing, my mind also settled considerably. After I pressed the struggling Shishi onto the stool, I urged Pangzi to administer the needles quickly—who would have thought…… at that moment, Pangzi did something that made everyone's eyes pop out.

"Sigh, I say, whether you're an aunt, older sister, older woman, or uncle, elder, old sir, where did you come from and where should you go? At most, Little Fat, I'll burn you some extra paper money so you'll have something to spend and use down there—no worries about food or clothing." Pangzi first begged Shishi in a gentle tone for a long time.

"Are you male? If you are, I'll burn you a few big‑breasted beauties, with huge chests." After saying that, he gestured twice in the air with both hands; the two women beside him, hearing his lewd words and seeing his gesture, blushed with shame.

"Sigh sigh…… I say, can't you just tell me what you want? If you don't say it, how would I know what you need? If you tell me what you want, I'll certainly try to make it happen. If you don't say it, I don't know; if you do say it, I definitely know. Not telling me does you no good; telling me benefits everyone." Pangzi chattered on like a gossip, a living, plump Tang Sanzang reborn.

I was annoyed at his antics, about to speak up, when he suddenly switched to another demeanor.

"You bastard, dog egg, bird egg, salted duck egg—your past‑life grandma didn't love, your grandpa didn't care; as a ghost King Yama you don't accept judges or pay attention; alive you were no‑human, dead you're like a bird, and now you've utterly abandoned decency, clinging to someone's body and refusing to leave—do you think you're not a scoundrel?"

Seeing that flattery had no effect, Pangzi changed his expression again, rolled up his sleeves, put his hands on his hips, pointed at Shishi and scolded her wildly; this look was a bit like a market auntie quarreling, or rather a lady who scolds people as if composing poetry, speaking eloquently—a "refined" auntie.

Everyone was so shocked they almost dropped their jaws; I pulled Pangzi aside and asked in a low, doubtful voice: "Hey, what are you up to?"

Pangzi quietly said, "This is the procedure," and after saying that he stood up again and continued to scold Shishi at length.

After that, Pangzi's expression changed again, anger rising, his big copper-bell eyes glared fiercely at Shishi, and he said in a grim tone: "Get lost back to your old place; if you don't go back, I'll immediately strike you dead with a bolt of lightning."

If it were usual, I believe most children would be frightened to tears by this fierce appearance, but this time there is an exception: Shishi not only didn't cry, she kept a blank, wooden expression; moreover, she clenched her hands tightly around a candle, and if I hadn't been holding her hands down, she would probably have already shoved the candle into her own mouth.

"Huff..." Pangzi was tired from scolding, but Shishi still showed no reaction, her expression remained wooden as usual.

Seeing this, Pangzi gritted his teeth in hatred and took out a silver needle from the box.

While I was holding Shishi down, I couldn't help but mutter: "It would have been better if you'd done this earlier; why waste half a day's worth of saliva for nothing?"

The first needle landed as before on the Shao Shang point; Pangzi seemed particularly fond of the Shao Shang point.

"Hiss..." As the Shao Shang point was punctured, Shishi's expression finally changed.

"You Yangjian people, don't meddle in Yinjian affairs..." a hoarse, vigorous voice came from Shishi's body; it was an old male ghost.

"Hehe, Yangjian has its Dao, Yinjian has its path; you, a Yinjian person, abandon the great Yinjian road and instead run up to Yangjian to cause trouble—don't blame me, a Yangjian person, for meddling." Pangzi, gripping the silver needle, replied to Shishi.

"Young man, let me be frank: I've taken a liking to this girl and want to take her as my disciple." The old ghost shamelessly hid his true intention.

"You clearly know her Spiritual Aperture was injured from receiving it, yet you still possess her body; old sir, this doesn't look like taking a disciple but rather like seizing a body—aren't you afraid of heavenly thunder and earthly lightning?" Pangzi retorted.

"Hmph, you're not a Yin lineage disciple, so whether her Spiritual Aperture is injured or not is none of your business." Having his purpose exposed, the old ghost instantly flew into a rage.

No sooner said than done; after the old ghost finished speaking, Pangzi quickly seized Shishi's little palm and drove a needle into the center of her hand.

This point is the Laogong point, which is the "ghost path" among the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate.

Shishi's expression changed again; after the needle was inserted, her body trembled slightly.

"Can we talk properly now? Hey, I'll spend some money, buy some incense oil and candles to burn for you; let Shishi go, and we'll each go our separate ways—I won't hurt you." After saying that, Pangzi gave another hehe laugh: "You like eating candles so much—I'll give you red, yellow, white, black ones, a set each—how about that?"

"Hmph... I, after all, am a ghost who lingered some days in the City of Wrongful Death; how could I be so easily manipulated by a yellow-mouthed brat like you?" The ghost possessing Shishi snorted upward.

"Then what do you want in order to let her go? Anyway, I've decided to handle this; if we can't reach an agreement, I'll only be able to take you."

"Hmm, let me think," the ghost possessing Shishi rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a long time; then the corner of his mouth curved into an arc. Seeing that smile, I flashed a bad feeling—it was too cunning, as if hiding some scheme.

As expected, not long after, he said to Pangzi: "You just offended me; first kowtow to me, and if you kowtow enough to please me, I might just let this girl go."

"Damn..." Pangzi didn't speak; I first cursed, wondering why his smile made me uncomfortable—turns out he was plotting this nasty idea, making Pangzi kneel, which is literally trampling on his dignity.

"Don't listen to him; just stab his ghost seal directly, letting his soul scatter." I pried open Shishi's mouth, letting Pangzi thrust the needle in; I know this point is the lethal spot for an attached spirit body—once pierced, the spirit will instantly have its soul scattered.

"Wait... I'll kowtow, Hai Sheng, let him go."

In everyone's astonished gaze, Pangzi dropped to his knees, palms together, head bowed to the ground, and with a bang gave the old ghost a loud kowtow.

"Hahaha... a hoarse yet hearty laugh came from Shishi's body."

"Interesting, truly interesting; give me another kowtow to see."

With a bang, Pangzi kowtowed again.

"I say, isn't that enough? You're playing with my brother like this—believe it or not, I'll use my command flag to beat you until your soul scatters." His repeated teasing made me unable to suppress my anger any longer.

"Shishi" gave me a sideways glance and coldly said: "I haven't forced him; he's kowtowing voluntarily."

"Don't go too far." I shouted.

Pangzi stood up from the ground, interrupting me: "Now, can you let Shishi go!"

"Let… why should I let her go?"

When he uttered the first word, everyone's hearts were still quite glad, but once the whole sentence was spoken, everyone's hearts filled with fury; especially seeing him laugh so arrogantly, everyone became incensed. Even Yao Yirong, watching from the side, couldn't help but speak up to rebuke him.

"You bastard, even as a ghost you might not be so lacking in credibility? You speak so incoherently, you're simply bringing shame to the ghost realm!"

Grandma Zhao knelt down, weeping as she pleaded: "Sir Ghost, I beg you, show mercy and let my granddaughter go. My granddaughter has suffered enough at your hands since childhood; now she only has half a life left. Please, out of kindness and virtue, spare my granddaughter." As she spoke, Grandma Zhao kept kowtowing nonstop on the ground.

Pangzi's repeated concessions and the earnest pleas of an elderly old man did not move this old ghost at all; instead, he became more and more arrogant, pointing at Grandma Zhao and laughing loudly: "Kowtow, kowtow harder— the more you cry in sorrow, the happier I am… hahaha."

"Damn it…" I could no longer hold back, and I pried open his mouth again.

I shouted at Pangzi: "Pangzi, don't dawdle— quickly stab his ghost seal and wipe this bastard out completely!"

On the other side, Pangzi had already picked up a silver needle, his expression solemn and reverent.

Pangzi calmly asked the old ghost possessing Shishi: "You should know what consequences this needle will bring when I pierce it, right?"

"I know, my soul and spirit will be scattered," the old ghost said, showing no tension; instead, he arrogantly laughed: "But do you dare? If you pierce my ghost seal and scatter my soul and spirit, you will have to bear the karmic consequences, possibly even suffer a shortened life and ill-fated offspring— can you bear that?"

The old ghost's words made me involuntarily shudder— how could even the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate have side effects.

Pangzi showed no hesitation, instead twisting the needle with a solemn expression: "My father once said that a cultivator must not only accumulate vast merit, but sometimes also bear karmic guilt; for the greater good, we must make choices. Although the Daoist Sect advocates non-action, we Daoist practitioners also have the duty to subdue demons and eradicate evil."

He said, the silver needle in his hand flashed, slicing a swift arc of light through the air and piercing beneath Shishi's tongue.

------------。