Yun Qi calmly formed a hand mantra, and the four Copper Coins darted into the female ghost's body.
The female ghost trembled violently and let out a heart-wrenching scream, grabbing at her own hair and pounding her head against the ground, rolling in agony.
"Ah, ah, ah! I was wrong, Master, I was blind to Taishan! Please spare me, I won't dare again."
The piercing voice carried a trace of pitiable misery.
Yun Qi waved her hand, and the pain on the female ghost's body lessened considerably. Struggling to sit up, she shivered uncontrollably, her red dress and black hair scattered across the floor. She still looked terrifying.
Yun Qi squinted and smiled sweetly, a gesture that was like sunshine piercing through dark clouds—unexpectedly uplifting.
"See, wouldn't it have been easier if you had listened earlier? I'm a good kid; I don't like fighting."
The female ghost felt heavy-hearted. She wanted to ask, "Look at the wounds on me—how can you say such a thing with a straight face?"
But she didn't dare.
"Speak, why are you fixated on my uncle?" Yun Qi asked as she crouched down, her large phoenix-like eyes blinking a few times. Crouching like this, she resembled a small bundle—innocent and adorable.
"It's not that I'm clinging to him; it's that he emits resentful energy and summoned me. Whenever I sense resentful energy, I involuntarily follow it..."
"Nonsense! When did I ever summon you? You're a ghost—I'm human! Why would I summon a ghost to scare myself?"
"You did summon me. Once I sense your aura, it's like a cat smelling fish—it's irresistible."
Yun Qiuce thought this female ghost deserved a beating; even in Ghost City, she still lied through her teeth.
Yun Qi stood up and approached Yun Qiuce. Without warning, she yanked a Jade Pendant from around his neck and held it up to examine under the pale moonlight.
Yun Qiuce winced in pain, baring his teeth. "Qi, what are you doing? That was a birthday gift from my buddy Pang Hu. He told me it's Cinnabar—super valuable."
Under the moonlight, the Jade Pendant revealed a small red speck at its center, with thin, thread-like red veins radiating outward—like blood vessels.
Yun Qi turned to glance at her uncle and sighed, looking exasperated like a little adult.
Yun Qiuce scratched his head nervously, unsure of what was happening but feeling like his niece's gaze brimmed with disappointment.
"Tell me your story first. Why does this Jade Pendant carry traces of your soul?" Yun Qi's voice was soft, even warm, yet her calm and clear eyes overflowed with an almost therapeutic energy.
The female ghost didn't understand therapy, but facing such eyes seemed to ease the Vicious Energy consuming her. A bitter smile crept onto her pale face. "Because I was killed by that Jade Pendant…"
"What?" Yun Qiuce exclaimed. "Impossible. This Jade Pendant is so small—it couldn't kill someone."
"That's just your ignorance. You haven't seen the ancient jade from back then, which could be as large as a fist," the female ghost said, her black pupils casting a disdainful glance at Yun Qiuce.
Yun Qiuce was silenced by her glare. "Fine, whatever you say. So, who killed you with it?"
"My lover, the man I eloped with. Later, he fell for the daughter of a wealthy family and wanted to marry into their household. I became an obstacle in his way, so he killed me with the Jade Pendant we brought while eloping. Afraid of being implicated, he sold my corpse to a family for a ghost marriage after my death and had the Jade Pendant carved into smaller pieces to be sold. Because I had escaped from home, no one investigated my disappearance, and I died in vain and without clarity," she explained.
The driver suddenly interjected, "Weren't you married in a ghost marriage? Why is it just you here… just one ghost?"
Yun Qiuce asked, "Wait, you're still here?"
"Young Master, how could I abandon you?"
The female ghost shifted her dark pupils toward the driver. "Because the hate I carry after my death is too strong—it's weighed me down and kept me from reincarnating."
The driver said, "Oh, so even ghost marriages rely on mutual consent."