A Couple Seeks Help

After saying this, Zheng Que did not take Zhao Lao’er’s eggs and headed directly toward his own home.

Zhao Lao’er’s wife had been married into the family for several days now, but so far Zhao Lao’er was still alive and well.

This indicated that the wife’s strength was likely inferior to that of the Calling Ghost, and with his current cultivation level he could probably handle her.

However, to be cautious, he decided to first master the two spells his master had taught him today, then take Qing Li along to Zhao Lao’er’s house.

If everything went smoothly, he would gain another ghost servant.

If something unexpected happened, he should still be able to protect himself without issue.

As for the eggs Zhao Lao’er had offered: with a ghost currently residing in that household, Zheng Que wasn’t sure whether the food from there was safe.

After walking for a while Zheng Que soon arrived at his doorstep. Just as he was about to enter, he saw an unfamiliar woman sitting on his threshold.

The woman wore a faded green beizi and a pale yellow silk skirt, her hair styled in a low, loose bun held in place by a wooden hairpin. She sat with her head bowed, face buried in her arms, shoulders trembling slightly as if she were crying.

Zheng Que immediately frowned. He couldn’t see her face clearly and had no idea whose daughter she was.

Thinking this, Zheng Que observed the woman before him and tentatively asked, “Young lady, whose daughter are you? Why are you here?”

Hearing Zheng Que’s voice, the woman immediately looked up, revealing a pale, delicate face. Her brows were slender, her eyes dark and expressive. Though not breathtakingly beautiful, she had a gentle, modest charm. Tearfully, she pleaded, “I am Zhao Lao’er’s newlywed wife. My maiden surname is Sun, and my given name is Cui’er.”

“After being betrothed to Zhao Lao’er through matchmaking and my parents’ arrangement, I have always upheld wifely virtues, attending to my duties morning and night, never daring to forget.”

“But for some reason, my husband not only avoids me every day, refusing to see me, but he also refuses to eat any of the meals I prepare.”

“Even just now, he found someone to beat me out of the house!”

“My fate is truly bitter. I beg you, Young Master, to take pity on me and help!”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, her appearance pitiful.

Zheng Que frowned as he looked at her. Zhao Lao’er’s newlywed wife??

He had just agreed to help Zhao Lao’er, and now Zhao Lao’er’s wife had immediately sought him out.

Was this a coincidence?

Or had something happened at Zhao Lao’er’s home that he was unaware of?

His thoughts racing, Zheng Que dared not act rashly. Instead he replied cautiously, “I understand. I have some matters to attend to now, but I will come to the Zhao household later.”

Sun Cui’er immediately said happily, “Thank you, Young Master!”

With that, she did not linger. She stood up, bowed and turned to leave.

Zheng Que stood in place, watching her walk away into the distance before finally opening his door and entering the house.

He closed the door behind him and went to the inner room to sit down. Just as he was about to begin cultivating, he saw Qing Li’s translucent figure hanging from the beam once again.

Ever since losing to him the day before, Qing Li had ceased all communication with him.

Of course, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, when he was cultivating she remained very quiet and did not disturb him.

Wasting no time, Zheng Que immediately began cultivating the 【Yin Gathering Art】 and the 【Spirit Eye Technique】.

Following the steps Daoist Qu had explained, he began silently reciting the incantation for the 【Yin Gathering Art】 while simultaneously forming a series of hand seals.

Feeling the Spiritual Qi within his body rapidly deplete, a mass of cold, yin-laden air swiftly gathered above Zheng Que’s head.

As he formed the final hand seal, the airflow transformed into a dark, ink-like cloud.

This yin cloud spread across the entire ceiling of his room, its Yin Qi so dense it seemed almost tangible. The light in the room grew extremely dim, the temperature plummeted rapidly, and mottled frost flowers condensed in the corners.

This was the yin cloud conjured by the 【Yin Gathering Art】, capable of blocking sunlight and absorbing surrounding Yin Qi.

Beneath this yin cloud, his ghost servant could unleash its full nighttime combat strength even during daylight.

At this moment Qing Li, who had been hanging from the beam all along, took a long, pleasurable breath of the yin cloud.

Having mastered the 【Yin Gathering Art】, Zheng Que immediately ceased forming hand seals, and the Spiritual Qi within his body stopped depleting.

Without the support of his Spiritual Qi, the yin cloud above his head began to dissipate at once.

In the blink of an eye, the darkness, the frost, the yin cloud: all vanished without a trace.

The hazy, chilling sensation brought by the 【Yin Gathering Art】 dissipated completely.

Immediately afterward Zheng Que closed his eyes and began cultivating the 【Spirit Eye Technique】.

He silently recited the incantation in his mind, guiding the Spiritual Qi within his body to circulate rapidly along a specific pattern, converging toward his eyes.

The 【Spirit Eye Technique】 consumed noticeably less Spiritual Qi than the 【Yin Gathering Art】, but its difficulty was considerably higher.

Zheng Que circulated the Spiritual Qi within his body seven or eight times before finally grasping some of its intricacies.

The next moment he abruptly opened his eyes, and a sharp, cold gleam shot from his pupils like an unsheathed blade.

Having successfully activated the 【Spirit Eye Technique】, Zheng Que immediately saw a faint white light emanating from his hands and throughout his entire body. The light flickered like flames, resembling a pure form of energy pulsing slowly at a certain frequency.

Zheng Que understood that this was the Spiritual Qi within his body. Having just cultivated two spells, he had already expended a significant amount, which was why the light now appeared relatively weak.

With this thought he looked up at Qing Li.

Qing Li remained hanging from the beam with her back to him, her entire body exuding thick black energy. The energy seeped out like viscous black smoke, nearly dyeing her white robes black. Compared to the white light within him, it was at least ten times denser.

Seeing this, Zheng Que immediately realized that Qing Li’s current strength was likely far greater than his own.

Moreover, it was still daylight. Once night fell, her aura would likely grow even more powerful than what he was witnessing now.

Having roughly determined the strength gap between himself and Qing Li, Zheng Que closed his eyes and halted the 【Spirit Eye Technique】.

He had now mastered both spells, having spent only about a quarter of an hour in total.

Zheng Que was well aware that his rapid mastery of these two spells, as well as the 【Ghost Taming Art】, was likely related to the growth of his Divine Soul.

Each time the Book of Life and Death recorded a new name, it strengthened his Divine Soul.

Moreover, when he practiced the 【Spirit Eye Technique】 just now, he had not encountered the side effects his master had warned of. This was likely because the Yin Qi within his body had all been absorbed by the Book of Life and Death.