Li Qiao pointed toward the low eastern wall. Understanding her signal, Li Shaoyang followed as they quietly made their way over.
Seizing the moment when no one was around, the two leaped over the wall.
“Shut your damn mouth, you hag! Keep screaming, and I’ll end you right here!”
A sharp slap echoed through the temple.
Mrs. Xu—a woman of high society—had never been struck before. Enraged, she shrieked, “You lowlife scum! Illegal confinement is a crime—you’ll rot in prison for this!”
“Hahaha! The law doesn’t reach here. In these mountains, we are the law!”
“Why waste words on her? Just—”
“Hey now, no need to be so ruthless. She might be middle-aged, but she’s still fair-skinned and pretty. Why not gift her to my Second Uncle? The poor man’s never had a wife.”
“Not a bad idea! Hahaha… Maybe he’ll even give you a baby uncle!”
Cruel laughter filled the temple.
Mrs. Xu trembled with humiliation, hurling insults at the leering men—only to be slapped again.
“Sister Qian’s back!” someone shouted.
A familiar figure stepped forward, smirking. “Mrs. Xu… we meet again.”
“You—” Mrs. Xu’s eyes burned with hatred. Now, everything made sense.
This had been Sun Qian’s plan all along.
Sun Qian’s crimson lips curled as she gazed down at Mrs. Xu with eerie amusement. “I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to rush into my trap so eagerly. But this worked out better than I hoped.”
“What do you want?”
Ignoring her, Sun Qian turned away with a final taunt: “Don’t worry. You’ll see your precious son soon enough.”
“Sun Qian! Don’t you dare touch Xu Tong! He loves you—you heartless witch! SUN QIAN—!”
Her screams fell on deaf ears.
Once Sun Qian left, Liu Yusi finally stirred. “Qiuying… are you alright?”
She gasped at the sight of Mrs. Xu’s swollen, reddened cheek.
“That vile creature!” Mrs. Xu spat. “Yusi, what do we do now?”
“We wait.”
Qiaoqiao was clever—she’d realize they were missing.
Besides, Liu Yusi still had the protective talisman her daughter had given her. When Sun Qian approached earlier, it had burned against her skin…
That was what truly terrified her.
Was Sun Qian even human?
Outside the Mountain God Temple
Li Qiao’s eyes narrowed as she spotted the woman from last night.
“Qiaoqiao, you know her?” Li Shaoyang whispered.
“Xu Tong’s girlfriend.”
“Wait… so this was all a setup?”
Li Qiao didn’t answer.
Last night at the Xu residence, Sun Qian had radiated an ominous red aura.
Now, standing before the temple, that same bloody glow pulsed around her.
“We’re saving them.”
Slipping inside, they found Liu Yusi’s face lighting up with relief. “Qiaoqiao! I knew you’d come!”
“Get us out of here—NOW!” Mrs. Xu thrashed against her ropes.
Once freed, Liu Yusi quietly assured Li Qiao: “I still have the talisman.”
Satisfied, Li Qiao motioned to leave—then froze.
“Second Brother, take Mom and go. Fast.”
“You’re coming with us!”
“Can’t. But don’t worry.” She pressed a hand to his arm. “Remember the Nine Nether Steps I taught you. And hold onto the Ancestor Master. It’s your only protection.”
With a grim nod, Li Shaoyang clutched the spirit tablet tightly.
The moment they fled, a gale-force wind slammed the temple doors shut behind them.
“WHO DARES TRESPASS ON MY TERRITORY?!”
Sun Qian stood in the doorway—her face corpse-pale, eyes glinting unnaturally.
“Your grandma, that’s who,” Li Qiao shot back.
“You again.” Sun Qian’s voice warped into something guttural. “Here to ruin my plans?”
Last night, this girl had stormed in wielding a peachwood sword.
Now, she’d pay for that insolence.
“You won’t leave here alive. I’ll feast on your soul.”
Li Qiao scoffed. “A lowly Zhēngníng Guǐ (Fierce Ghost) acting all high and mighty? Pathetic.”
“You—you can see my true form?!”
Sun Qian’s human skin ripped away like paper, revealing a hulking monstrosity—tusked, horned, with eyes like rotting saucers.
Li Qiao wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. Even uglier than I imagined.”
The ghost roared. “YOU DARE MOCK ME?!”
“Mocking you was a bonus. My real goal?” She flicked her wrist; the peachwood sword ignited with golden light. “Sending you back to hell.”
“Arrogant brat! None of you will escape this mountain!”
As the ghost howled, shadows swarmed from the village—not living people, but lost souls, trapped between worlds.
Li Qiao’s grip tightened.
A mere Fierce Ghost couldn’t sustain this many spirits.
Something far worse was pulling the strings.
Down the Mountain
Li Shaoyang glanced back, heart pounding. Ancestor Master, protect Qiaoqiao…
Tires screeched as a car skidded to a halt.
Out stepped He Jingnian—and beside him, a Daoist priest in flowing robes.
“Qiaoqiao’s up there?” He Jingnian’s voice was steel.
“Yes! But Ninth Master He, that place is—”
“We’ll handle it. Priest Qingxu is with me. She’ll be safe.”
As they sprinted uphill, an invisible barrier threw them back.
“A barrier?” Priest Qingxu paled. “This isn’t just a Fierce Ghost’s doing. There’s a Ghost General here!”
Back at the Temple
Wind howled as Li Qiao shielded her eyes.
When it cleared, a towering figure loomed before her—
Armor-clad, spear in hand, crimson cape billowing.
His face was strikingly handsome, yet his eyes burned hellish red.
The air itself writhed with his power.
Li Qiao’s blood turned to ice.
“A Ghost General…”
