The ghost turned to look at me. Although I hadn't clearly seen her face before, I was certain this was the same ghost I'd encountered earlier.
This time, I could see her full appearance clearly, and it nearly made me vomit.
Previously, I hadn't seen her face, but now I could. Her eyes were oozing blood, her face wasn't just pale but carried a sinister darkness. Honestly, I had never seen such an ugly woman in my life.
"You're quite the smooth talker. I underestimated your abilities. In less than three days, you managed to find a so-called 'master.' Do you think this will solve your problem?"
Mr. Xian was being choked by the ghost, completely powerless to resist.
Seeing this, I couldn't believe it. Wasn't Mr. Xian supposed to be extremely skilled? Why did he now look so weak, helpless in the ghost's grasp?
"What exactly do you want? I wasn't the one who caused this to happen to you, nor the one who imprisoned you all these years. Why are you clinging to me so relentlessly?" At this point, I had no time to worry about Mr. Xian's predicament. All I knew was that if I wasn't careful, this ghost could very well kill me.
The previously calm ghost suddenly grew agitated. Her once smooth hair began flying wildly, and the blood from her eyes flowed even faster, as if it cost nothing. Terrified, I quickly took a few steps back to put some distance between us, hoping for a sense of safety.
"You think this has nothing to do with you? If not for you, would I have ended up in such a state? If not for you, would my child and I have been trapped for so many years? If not for you, would we have wasted 30 years tormenting those two vile people instead of reincarnating?"
It seemed I had touched upon something painful. The ghost grew more and more agitated.
Oh, great. Women, dead or alive, are so unreasonable. I didn't even know her; how could I possibly have wronged her? She's incredibly skilled at falsely accusing others.
"You call yourself a mother? Didn't you think before accusing me? How could I have restricted you and your child? I've never even seen you before. Did your brain die along with your body?"
The moment I finished speaking, I regretted it. How could I have forgotten that she's a ghost who could kill me with a mere flick of her finger?
But it was too late for regrets.
The ghost's face twisted in fury. I frantically searched for a place to hide.
"Then let me show you…" Before she could finish, her movements froze. Her face contorted even more grotesquely, her body twisting unnaturally. Then she became transparent and vanished completely.
Only then did I notice Mr. Xian. He was rubbing his neck with one hand, while the other held a copper coin sword about seven inches long.
Copper coin swords are a common item in exorcism lore. I hadn't seen Mr. Xian purchase one during our shopping trip, so it seemed he always carried one.
Having vanquished the ghost, Mr. Xian leaned against the wall, visibly fatigued. I quickly went over to support him.
"Mr. Xian, are you alright?"
He glared at me. "Why don't you try being choked by a ghost and see how it feels?"
I lowered my head, saying nothing. Once he had caught his breath, I spoke again. "Now that the ghost is dealt with, can we leave this place? This creepy place gives me the chills."
"Leave? Do you think we can just leave? I only destroyed her physical form, disrupting her yin energy. She's temporarily harmless, but don't forget—there's also her child. The smaller one will be the real challenge."
What?
Hearing this, I panicked. What did he mean the smaller one was harder to deal with? We hadn't even seen the child. I'd assumed the small coffin was just for show. Turns out there really was a child ghost? I scanned the surroundings warily.
Mr. Xian removed a coin from the copper coin sword and handed it to me. "Take this. It may save your life if necessary."
Holding the coin, I felt puzzled. If Mr. Xian himself couldn't handle the situation, how could this coin protect me?
Turning the coin over, I noticed it was engraved with "Yongle Tongbao." Faint golden lines ran through it. I recognized this from the records in the Yin-Yang Manual Mr. Xian had given me.
This was one of the Five Emperor Coins, once worn by an emperor. No wonder the ghost was so badly injured by the copper coin sword.
"If you're giving this to me, what about you?" I asked.
"Don't forget, I'm the professional here," Mr. Xian said, standing up and continuing forward.
Thinking it over, I realized he had a point. This was his field of expertise. My priority was simply to survive and not get in the way.
Following obediently behind him, we circled the basement several times but found no trace of the child ghost. However, the fragrance of the bone flowers grew increasingly intense. Although the illusion had been dispelled and couldn't trap us again, the overpowering scent was still unsettling.
"Mr. Xian, could it be that we're overthinking this? Maybe the child ghost isn't here at all?"
Suddenly, Mr. Xian stopped. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into his back.
"Damn it. We've been tricked," he said, his expression darkening.
"What do you mean? What happened?" I asked, still confused.
"We've been here for so long and only encountered the mother ghost. She stopped me from opening the coffin because she didn't want me to realize the child was already gone. They anticipated that I would send the Xu couple away. By now, those two are likely in trouble."
Saying this, he headed for the exit. Realizing the urgency, I immediately followed him.