Her reaction was clearly suspicious!
Xie Haozhi strode forward and threw open the guest room door, revealing its contents.
“It’s you again,” said a figure wrapped head-to-toe in black fabric, only his vicious eyes visible. Xie Haozhi’s legs trembled.
As Li Guihua lunged, Su Yan delivered a swift chop to her neck, knocking her unconscious.
On the bed lay a child of about eleven or twelve. Li Qiao frowned. “Stealing lifespan invites divine punishment. He won’t survive this.”
“I was so close to succeeding!” the man snarled. “You ruined everything! If my son can’t live, you’ll all join him in the grave!”
Malicious energy radiated from his body.
Li Qiao immediately drew a peachwood sword from her pocket.
With a flick of her wrist, the black wrappings around the man disintegrated, exposing severe burn scars and tattered clothing.
The stench intensified.
Xie Haozhi and the Qing brothers retched. The smell of charred flesh was nauseating. Su Yan covered his mouth.
“Li Jiannan,” Li Qiao pressed her foot against his back, her voice icy. “Who helped you do this?”
“Hah! You’ll never know!” he spat. “I’d rather die than tell you!”
Even now, Li Jiannan showed no remorse.
This disfigured creature barely resembled a human—yet this was indeed Li Jiannan.
Xie Haozhi saw red. “You tried to kill us multiple times just to save your son? I’ll end you myself!”
His punches landed brutally. The Qing brothers joined in, beating Li Jiannan until his screams filled the room.
Li Qiao approached the bed, studying a talisman on the headboard. A dagger hovered above it, flanked by sinister black symbols painted on either side.
“Don’t touch my son!” Li Jiannan shrieked. “Stop! Don’t remove it—STOP!”
He strained against his captors, powerless to intervene.
Thanks to Li Qiao’s intervention, Li Jiannan’s cultivation had been completely destroyed.
“Your son is already dead,” Li Qiao said coldly. “Because of your actions, his soul will endure three layers of hell for a hundred years. Was stealing a few extra years of life worth condemning him to a century of torment?”
Li Jiannan shook his head wildly. “Impossible! I made sure—”
“Yes, you prepared everything—taking on the karma yourself, thinking you could fool the Underworld.” Li Qiao’s gaze flicked to a corner. “Did you really think the old judges would overlook this? More importantly… your son might not have wanted this.”
“What… what do you mean?”
Ignoring him, Li Qiao addressed the empty corner: “Would you like to see him?”
The others startled as a faint silhouette materialized against the wall.
“Xiao Zhi…!” Li Jiannan wept, ecstatic at the sight of his son’s spirit. When his restraints loosened, he scrambled forward—only for his arms to pass straight through the ghost.
His scarred face twisted in agony. “Xiao Zhi, it’s Daddy! This is all my fault! I regret everything! I—I couldn’t save you…”
“Dad, I’m already gone,” the boy said gently. “Please stop. You and Mom need to live well.”
“No! There has to be a way—”
Li Jiannan collapsed to his knees before Li Qiao. “Master, please! I’ll give anything—even my life! Save my boy! He’s only eleven!”
Even furious Xie Haozhi felt a pang, reminded of his own late mother.
Could the master truly bring Li Xiaozhi back?
Li Qiao observed the flickering spirit. “The dead cannot return.”
The boy had died days ago. His soul remained only because the time for departure hadn’t yet come.
In truth, Li Xiaozhi had already accepted his fate.
Li Jiannan’s face turned ashen.
“Your time is here,” Li Qiao told the boy. “The fault wasn’t yours. I’ll petition the Underworld to reduce your sentence.”
Stunned, Li Jiannan kowtowed deeply.
“Thank you, sister!” Li Xiaozhi beamed.
He glanced at his father, then at unconscious Li Guihua. A beam of light descended, and with one last smile, the boy vanished.
Just as repentant Li Jiannan opened his mouth to name his accomplice—
His heart seized.
Blood gushed from his lips as he crumpled, dead before he hit the floor.
First Auntie Wang, now Li Jiannan.
Both had been manipulated through parental love. The mastermind was harvesting souls—but for what unspeakable purpose?
Regardless, the cruelty was undeniable.
Li Qiao turned to Xie Haozhi. “It’s over. Call the police to handle the rest.”
“Understood.”
The trio remained visibly shaken long afterward. The horror lingered.
During the drive back, Li Qiao received their transfers—one million yuan total. She approved.
Having witnessed everything, Su Yan’s emotions were complicated.
The lengths parents would go to for their children…
More importantly: Little Sister Qiao is terrifyingly capable. I’m clinging to her coattails from now on.
“I’ll nap. Wake me when we arrive.”
“Sure thing! My driving’s smooth as silk,” Su Yan chirped.
As the breeze lulled her to sleep…
Meanwhile, at Li Corporation
Li Shanchuan and Li Shaojin had just bid farewell to Shen Group’s representatives.
“With Shen Group’s investment, our company will soar,” Li Shanchuan mused.
“Shen Juncheng’s definitely repaying Qiaoqiao’s favor,” Shaojin said.
While Father Shen trusted Qiaoqiao’s abilities, his own father still doubted her sanity. As Qiaoqiao would say: Some people only learn through suffering.
Their conversation was interrupted by Wang Qinglin’s call, inviting them to finalize investment terms at a mountain villa.
Li Shanchuan agreed readily.
Shaojin insisted on accompanying him.
“The assistant can handle this. You’re needed at headquarters,” Shanchuan argued.
“Nothing will go wrong,” Shaojin said firmly.
At the villa, Shaojin froze.
Wang Qinglin sat with a woman in his lap.
Unfamiliar face.
Familiar tattoos.
Familiar fingers.
Skin-stealing ghost.
The term exploded in Shaojin’s mind.
His fists clenched under the table, face carefully neutral.
“Why keep staring at me, handsome?” The woman giggled. “Do I have something on my face?”
Shaojin’s spine turned to ice.
“My apologies. That was rude.”
“Oh, I don’t mind being admired by someone so dashing~”
Shaojin internally: I fucking mind.
As Wang Qinglin nuzzled the creature, Shaojin mentally lit a funeral candle for him.
