Chapter 93: Vicious

Hearing the man pour out the truth, the group felt a sense of melancholy for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Pah!" Lin Qingyue was the one who spoke. "An incompetent man is incompetent regardless of the circumstances. Even if it were monogamy, do you think someone like you would be able to take a wife? Don't be ridiculous. Women aren't objects; would monogamy automatically entitle you to one?"

"Even if future generations reform and order men not to take concubines, what would that change?"

"Lust is a man's inherent flaw. Unless one lacks the financial means to support it, or is an individual of exceptionally high moral character, men will still stray and keep mistresses."

After hearing this, Hong Yao chimed in, "Exactly! All men in this world are fickle. The reason you, this vengeful ghost, hate concubinage is simply because you couldn't attain it. If you had money and power, you would have multiple wives and concubines; you would never be content! Men are the sort of thing that should be wiped out entirely! Dead and gone!"

"Hey, hey!" Xie Shouzheng protested. "Don't go painting us all with the same brush! Although I am a man, I am absolutely upright and only wish to be a conscientious, good person!"

Dongfang Qi also added silently, "I am an upright person as well; I am definitely not unfaithful."

Lin Qingyue did not want to delve deeper into such matters.

This was, after all, a broad social issue that could not be resolved overnight or by any one individual.

What they could resolve at this moment was only the ghost before them.

"Regardless of how you lived your life, since you have already become a ghost, you must no longer interfere with the normal order of the living world. Let go of your obsession and go report to the Underworld yourself."

Zhang Goudan's ghost said, "But I am still unwilling! I haven't taken a wife yet; I haven't truly lived as a man even once in this life. To die like this, how can that be?"

Xie Shouzheng asked, "Then what do you want?"

Zhang Goudan rubbed his ghostly hands and said, "I see that you all seem very capable. Could you help me host a ghost marriage? That way, I could have a companion in the Underworld."

"No!" Lin Qingyue refused coldly. "If you hadn't committed grave sins, perhaps I could have considered helping you fulfill a wish. But you have harmed people!"

Some of the innocent women he possessed, while in a state of impaired consciousness, injured their husbands' bodies; one can imagine what their future lives in their in-laws' homes would be like.

There was another who was so frightened that she suffered a mental breakdown, was returned to her maiden home by her husband's family, and had her dowry reclaimed. In the end, that poor girl jumped into a river and committed suicide.

How were they anything but innocent? Why should they have to suffer such collateral damage?

"I will count to three. Either go to the Underworld yourself, or I will scatter your soul!" Lin Qingyue had no patience to waste words with him; she did not have such overflowing sympathy.

"One."

Zhang Goudan was still arguing his case: "How about letting me have a night of pleasure with the concubine of this house? Anyway, the man of this house won't be able to be a man anymore, so I..."

"Three!" Lin Qingyue swung her palm, and the ghost didn't even have time to scream before his soul was scattered.

Even Hong Yao was startled: weren't they people from the government? How could they act so ruthlessly?

Xie Shouzheng was stunned: "You didn't even call out two..."

Lin Qingyue said, "He talked too much."

Xie Shouzheng: "... No, we could have clearly sent him to the afterlife. Even if he was wrong, it wouldn't be too late to settle accounts in the Underworld. There was no need to be so brutal, right? Someone who didn't know better might think you had a grudge against him."

Lin Qingyue said, "I have no grudge or enmity with him. It's just that someone like him, even if he went to the Underworld, would only go to suffer torture. He wouldn't even be able to reincarnate as a beast in his next life. It's better to just scatter him and be done with it."

Xie Shouzheng whispered, "But you are a public official after all; you should still act according to the law."

Lin Qingyue said, "That's in the capital. Right now, we are wandering sorcerers—right, brother?"

What could Dongfang Qi say?

"You are right, sister."

Xie Shouzheng: "..." This only makes this official look like a pedant!

With the dissipation of the ghost, the matter that had troubled Yushi Town for so long was resolved.

The proprietress begged Xie Shouzheng and Hong Yao to help her carry the injured people back into the house, and sent her household workers to fetch a doctor to treat them.

As for the concubine who had been possessed, she was still in a coma and was carried back to her room by Hong Yao.

Seeing the concubine, the proprietress asked with some unease, "When will she wake up?"

"Tomorrow." As Hong Yao spoke, she glanced quietly at Lin Qingyue.

Just a moment ago, Hong Yao had inadvertently seen Lin Qingyue quietly cleanse some of the memories of the unconscious girl. This way, after she woke up, she would not remember being possessed by a ghost tonight, and her mind would not be affected by it.

One moment she was acting ruthlessly to eliminate a ghost, and the next she was helping that girl.

Lin Qingyue—what kind of person was she, really?

The proprietress sighed, "My husband has already become like that; I imagine he won't be interested in women anymore. Tomorrow, after that girl wakes up, let her decide for herself whether to stay or go."

Hong Yao asked, "She almost snatched your husband; don't you hate her?"

The proprietress said, "Why would I hate a little girl? It was my husband who wanted to take a concubine; if it weren't her, it would have been someone else. Can I vent my anger on her? Sigh, why must women make things difficult for women!"

Seeing that Lin Qingyue and her group were about to leave, the proprietress hurried out after them:

"We really owe you a lot tonight; otherwise, who knows what this disaster would have turned into! My home doesn't have anything else, but the jade ornaments in the shop are worth a little..."

As she spoke, she took a jade bracelet from the counter and handed it to Lin Qingyue: "When you first entered the shop, I noticed you kept looking at this bracelet. I'll give it to you to wear for fun."

Fearing Lin Qingyue wouldn't accept it, the proprietress added, "These white jades aren't worth much. I heard that red jade has been mined recently; that is the true treasure worth a thousand gold. Unfortunately, the supply is too low, and small shops like ours can't get any."

Saying this, she picked out a white jade hairpin for Hong Yao: "If you don't mind, take it and wear it."

Hong Yao was surprised: "I get one too?"

She was following Lin Qingyue and the others as a captive; once she took revenge on Miao Dong, she was supposed to surrender to the Xuanjing Division.

The proprietress probably didn't know her identity and thought she was a companion of Lin Qingyue's, which was why she was giving gifts of gratitude.

She was about to refuse, but heard Lin Qingyue say, "Take it and let's go; it's getting late, let's find an inn to rest."

Since they had indeed put in the effort, they should accept the gift of thanks. Integrity—that didn't exist.

Dongfang Qi also smiled and said, "Accept it." However, as he turned to leave, he quietly dropped two ingots of silver.

On the road as they left, Hong Yao rode on her horse, looking down at the white jade hairpin she had just received.

She couldn't help but think of her own situation. Because she was harmed by a man, she had come to hate all humans, even wanting to rely on eating people to improve her cultivation.

Yet among humans, there were those who were treacherous and evil, as well as virtuous women like the proprietress, and capable individuals like Lin Qingyue who possessed great power but were willing to protect the weak.

Therefore, her previous venting of anger was truly wrong!

After pondering for a long time, she raised her eyes and said to Lin Qingyue in the carriage, "Although I have spent several years drifting in the marketplace, I was blinded by love and never truly understood human nature. Tonight, I have benefited greatly. Miss Lin, thank you."

The carriage curtain fluttered, and a lazy voice came from within: "You should be glad that your hands are not stained with the blood of the innocent; otherwise, your fate would be the same as that ghost's just now."

"Yes, I am very glad!" Even now, reflecting on it, she felt a lingering fear: fortunately, she hadn't committed a grave mistake! ===== CHAPTER 94 =====