Volume 3, Chapter 205 – We Have Talismans, Why Fear Ghosts?

“Hehe, did you all see that just now? That Qi woman’s face was so ugly—like she got knocked up by a man and then dumped.”

On the misty forest path, Qu Zhen sneered mockingly.

“What face? She’s been here so long and still doesn’t dare show herself. That shameless bitch doesn’t even have a face to begin with!”

Xie Mei chimed in beside her.

“I thought she was supposed to be some big-shot cultivator. A slight change in our pace and she was completely helpless. And to think people actually relied on her!”

“Yeah, I almost feel bad for the villagers. Who knows if they’ll even make it halfway before getting eaten by ghosts tomorrow?”

Huang Bo and Huang Long took turns agreeing, their words practically singing in harmony with their wives. Such was the way of the mortal world—wives held ten thousand times more authority than their husbands.

“Enough talking. It’s getting late—we need to hurry!”

Huang Kaiyou urged from the side. For some reason, an ominous feeling had settled in his chest. Ever since leaving the village, his eyes had been darting around restlessly.

“What’s there to fear? We’ve got protective talismans from an immortal sect. Even if we walked at night, we’d be safe!”

Qu Zhen spoke without a shred of reverence, the talisman pressed against her skin radiating a faint warmth that kept her fearless.

“Exactly! I had someone fetch this talisman from the prefecture capital—a genuine Huxiao Sect charm, way better than that third-rate Honghua Sect nonsense.”

Xie Mei added, puffing her chest. Though she hadn’t traveled much, the prestige of the Huxiao Sect was something even she had heard of.

“……”

Seeing his daughters-in-law so confident, Huang Kaiyou swallowed his protests. But unease still gnawed at him.

Truthfully, he had opposed the idea of the family traveling alone from the start. But against the combined will of his daughters-in-law, resistance was futile. In this household, they were the ones who ruled.

Huang Kaiyou continued scanning their surroundings when, suddenly, a frigid gust of wind swept past. His already frayed nerves sent a violent shiver down his spine—and the warmth from his protective talisman vanished in an instant.

“Why did it get so cold all of a sudden?”

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He tightened his collar, only to bump into his wife, Zhou Fang, who had stopped abruptly in front of him.

“Why’d you stop for no reason?”

Huang Kaiyou grumbled.

“It wasn’t me—our daughter-in-law stopped first.”

Zhou Fang gestured ahead.

Huang Kaiyou craned his neck and saw his youngest daughter-in-law, Qu Zhen, standing rigidly in place, legs trembling, her gaze locked onto something in the distance.

Following her line of sight, Huang Kaiyou squinted through the thick mist. Visibility was poor—only about ten feet ahead—but there was nothing there.

“Xiao Zhen, why aren’t you moving? What’s wrong?”

He softened his tone as much as he could.

“Th-There’s… a n-naked child… standing on the road ahead… D-Don’t you see it?”

Qu Zhen’s trembling finger pointed forward.

“Huh? There’s nothing there.”

“Yeah, what child? And naked? In this wilderness? Wouldn’t it freeze to death?”

The younger men behind her laughed it off.

Qu Zhen’s shaking intensified. She now understood—she had truly encountered a ghost.

Three yards ahead, a child no older than two stood on the path, its back turned to her. Its skin was a sickly, corpse-like gray.

“Y-You really don’t see it?”

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She turned back, desperate for confirmation.

“Zhenzhen, stop messing around. How many times have you pulled this prank? Who’d believe you now?”

Xie Mei rolled her eyes dismissively.

Qu Zhen opened her mouth to argue—then froze.

Something horrifying had happened.

Huang Bo, who had been walking behind Xie Mei moments ago, had vanished. In his place stood a woman in a bloodstained white dress, her face buried against Xie Mei’s back. From Qu Zhen’s angle, all she could see was a tangled mess of long, unkempt hair.

Her vision darkened. Summoning every ounce of courage, she leaned forward, trying to glimpse the woman’s face.

“Mommy, count to three… then come find me.”

A child’s voice whispered directly behind her, so close it felt like the speaker was pressed against her neck.

Qu Zhen’s breath hitched. Her heartbeat pounded like thunder, deafening her own ears.

She whipped her head around—nothing.

Then, she felt something slithering between her legs, crawling up her skirt like an icy octopus.

Panicked, she reached down to stop it—but the thing was too fast. In the blink of an eye, it burrowed into her abdomen.

Her stomach began to swell grotesquely.

Terror-stricken, she yanked up her skirt and pressed against her belly, trying to force the thing out.

“Found you… my precious.”

A woman’s voice hissed in her ear.

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Before she could react, searing pain exploded in her lower back. A skeletal arm punched straight through her abdomen, tearing out her intestines—and the thing inside—like gutting a chicken.

Qu Zhen stared at the gaping hole in her stomach, her face contorted in agony as she collapsed.

Before everything went dark, her fading vision caught one last sight:

There was no ghostly woman. No child.

Only Xie Mei, standing over her with a dagger, face twisted in horror.

That night, Qi Huang lay in bed, pondering her next steps. Once her worries were resolved, she could focus entirely on growing stronger. With “Cat’s Tears” as capital, she could even put out bounties for Ghost Tomatoes instead of searching for them herself.

“Honestly, I don’t get it. With your looks and cultivation, why did you marry that Huang Qi? He’s average-looking and weak.”

Yao Yao suddenly spoke up.

“Am I really that bad?”

Qi Huang sighed internally but defended herself aloud: “I think he’s quite handsome! And he’s kind, respects elders, helps others, gentle—”

“Stop! I’m gonna puke! Ugh, women in love really do lose all brain cells. Even we Nine Nether Demon Cats aren’t as shameless. Look at my sister—she’s locked up with a bunch of males, but she hasn’t given any of them the time of day.”

Qi Huang glanced over and, to her surprise, found it was true.

“Aren’t cats supposed to be… less picky? I was even thinking of hiring a midwife for her in advance.”

“That’s ordinary cats! We Nine Nether Demon Cats are highly intelligent and loyal. We choose one mate for life—no compromises. Unlike you.”

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Yao Yao sniffed proudly.

“That’s impressive. Even most humans can’t claim that. These days, mortal women chase wealth while male cultivators collect concubines. The world’s morals have collapsed.”

Qi Huang genuinely admired it.

“Then can you do it?”

Yao Yao smirked.

“Me? Of course not.”

Qi Huang answered without hesitation. Her current identity was just a temporary act. Once she returned to her real life, she’d have to find her true partner.

“Wow, you’re really a slut. Should I tell your husband?”

Yao Yao threatened mockingly.

“Go ahead. He won’t care.”

Qi Huang was unfazed.

“And you dare criticize the world?”

Yao Yao nearly laughed in disbelief.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Qi Huang had her doppelgänger gather the villagers to depart. But a quiet worry nagged at her—what if they stumbled upon her Second Uncle’s family’s corpses on the road?

Could she handle it? Could her grandfather?

Uneasy, she extended her Divine Sense ahead, scouting the path.