Chapter 292

Chapter 292

◎Vengeful Spirit◎

Cheng Fengxian couldn’t find the necklace that had been thrown downstairs. His face turned as pale as paper, and he shook with uncontrolled panic. That thing was linked to his very survival—without it, he couldn’t even imagine how dire the consequences would be.

But he had clearly seen his father throw it down. There were no obstructions from the hospital room upstairs to the ground—how could it just disappear?

Forcing himself to calm down, Cheng Fengxian asked hospital staff if anyone had picked up a necklace on the lawn. Learning that no cleaners had been to the area yet today, he insisted on seeing the surveillance footage of the area.

Unfortunately, while the corridors had cameras, the grassy area marked off-limits had none. With the hospital’s constant flow of people, there was no way to track it down.

Panicking, Cheng Fengxian wanted to lock down the entire hospital and search everyone entering or leaving.

But that was impossible—he had no such authority.

Desperate to find the necklace, he called the police, reporting losing a necklace worth thirty million and insisting on a hospital-wide search.

The more he stirred up chaos, the darker Old Master Cheng’s expression grew. Though he already knew his grandson’s fate was tied to his youngest son, Cheng Fengxian’s behavior was appallingly vicious. Not only had he ruthlessly harmed his own family, but he showed no guilt or fear afterward—only single-minded selfishness.

Old Master Cheng wondered: If Cheng Fengxian, now causing such an uproar, found out who had the necklace, would he stoop to killing again to get it back?

The thought dealt him a harsh blow.

That was his son. No matter how much of a good-for-nothing wastrel he was, he was still the child he had raised. How had he become like this?

Outside the hospital room, the uproar persisted. Old Master Cheng could hear it clearly—some complaining about him refusing to release the "corpse," others blaming Cheng Fengxian for the chaos over a necklace.

Cheng Junan’s aunt remarked with icy sarcasm, "A thirty-million necklace? After losing so much on failed investments, he still splurges like this. They say parents only love two children—the eldest and the youngest. The company goes to the eldest grandson, the money to the youngest son. Those of us sandwiched in between get no love from either parent."

Hospital doors weren’t soundproof, even in VIP wards. This was a place for saving lives, not privacy. If Old Master Cheng could hear it, so could Ji Yuanting and Ji Nanxing, cultivators with heightened awareness.

Ji Nanxing glanced at Old Master Cheng. This family was in utter chaos. The wealthy really knew how to create complications, making everything more difficult.

He wondered how the old man felt now—his grandson’s fate uncertain, his son likely a criminal, and the remaining family members either fighting over inheritance or airing grievances.

On the surface, he had a house full of descendants, yet it felt like he was utterly alone.

Old Master Cheng knew everyone had their own selfish motives—that was the norm in wealthy families. True selflessness and harmony were rare. But he had believed that, no matter their personal agendas, they were still family.

Reality had dealt him a harsh blow.

Cheng Fengwan, his only daughter—back when his third child hadn’t been born yet, he already had an eldest son and a second child, a daughter. He wanted to raise the eldest as a pillar of strength and dote on his daughter as his little princess.

For her, he had gone to great lengths—giving her the best education, broadening her horizons, scrutinizing every potential match meticulously. Even after marriage, besides company shares, he had secured properties and funds for her.

So even if her brothers’ families later neglected her, she’d be financially secure for life.

All his careful planning, and in the end, all he got was "no love from either parent."

As the old man grieved for his family, Ji Nanxing’s phone buzzed. He checked the message and showed it to his senior brother. The bodyguard had already taken the necklace out of the hospital. Ji Nanxing instructed him to deliver it to the Bureau first—they didn’t know how many lingering ghosts Cheng Fengxian had killed with it or how much evil energy it carried. It had to be cleansed.

Ji Yuanting turned to Old Master Cheng. "The hospital has been informed. They know Cheng Junan’s situation is special and won’t handle his body carelessly. As for Cheng Fengxian, we’ll report this to the Bureau. Your family’s matter is no longer just about resolving supernatural grievances—if he’s committed crimes, he’ll face the law."

Now, they needed to uncover exactly what Cheng Fengxian had done.

Old Master Cheng lacked the moral conviction to disown his own son, but when forced to choose between a promising grandson and a monster preying on his family, the answer was obvious. At this point, the situation had spiraled beyond his control.

Ji Yuanting warned the old man to keep his bodyguards close. With Cheng Fengxian’s necklace gone, there was no telling what desperate measures he might take. Caution was paramount.

After giving their instructions, Ji Yuanting and Ji Nanxing left the hospital. Once outside, Ji Nanxing released Cheng Junan's soul from the golden bell.

As soon as he emerged from the bell, Cheng Junan was like an uncaged bird, practically flapping his wings in excitement: "Is this what being a ghost feels like? It's amazing! So light, like I could float away any second. And I can even come out in broad daylight—so ghosts aren’t affected by daylight?"

Watching Cheng Junan nearly fly off, Ji Nanxing tugged lightly on his Living Soul thread, pulling him back down: "You're still a Living Soul. If you fly off and can't return to your body in time, you’ll become a Lingering Ghost."

No one wants to die if they can live, so Cheng Junan quickly settled down. But after a brief silence, he couldn’t help but voice his confusion: "Earlier, I heard you say that this feigned death can deceive ghosts and spirits, and that it can cleanse the Grudge from my body. So once the Grudge is gone and I return to my body, will the Snakestring Sore be cured?"

Ji Yuanting gave a hum of agreement: "That’s a solution, but for you, it’s only temporary. You can’t stay in a feigned death forever—you’ll have to come back eventually. Whoever harmed you once can do it again. And the most important thing isn’t whether you live or die."

Cheng Junan: "If my life isn’t important, then what is?"

Ji Nanxing: "The source of the Grudge, of course. Ordinary grudge doesn’t produce so many sores. To put it in perspective, the last time this many sores appeared was centuries ago, in a small county where they secretly mined without reporting to the imperial court. When word got out, they collapsed the mine to silence the workers, burying hundreds alive. Those trapped miners struggled in vain, unable to escape, and died in agony. The resulting Grudge was so overwhelming that the magistrate who ordered it soon broke out in festering sores and died not long after."

Cheng Junan fell silent for a moment. "My uncle loves money, but in today’s rule of law society, he couldn’t have done something that terrible, right?"

Ji Nanxing: "Who can say for sure? We’ll know once we uncover the truth."

Ji Yuanting had far greater resources than Ji Nanxing and quickly dug up all of Cheng Fengxian’s businesses, past investments, and collaborations.

Ji Nanxing was also reviewing the findings: "Aside from this, can we find out where Cheng Fengxian got the Woundless Chain? And if the Grudge was originally directed at him but was transferred to Cheng Junan, there must be a Taoist master behind this."

Otherwise, how could an ordinary person pull this off? But if it was a Taoist master, wouldn’t they have any interest in the Woundless Chain?

Even someone like him, who had everything, felt an instant desire for the Woundless Chain upon seeing it. Such a powerful relic—what Taoist master wouldn’t want it?

Once the Woundless Chain was unleashed, Lingering Ghosts would be annihilated. Though its power was immense, a skilled Taoist master could control it—not necessarily annihilating ghosts with every use. It could be both offensive and defensive, even a life-saving trump card. What Taoist master wouldn’t covet it?

Soon, Ji Nanxing understood why the Taoist master behind this hadn’t taken the Woundless Chain for themselves—because they couldn’t. Their real target was Cheng Junan.

While Ji Nanxing and his senior brother were analyzing Cheng Fengxian’s records, the talisman he had left in the hospital room was triggered.

And not just lightly—his golden bell rang with urgent, rapid vibrations.

Ji Yuanting: "Is it trapped?"

Ji Nanxing immediately removed his bracelet, channeling power into the talisman from a distance: "Not an ordinary Lingering Ghost. This one’s strong."

He had set up a Heavenly Net Array in the room—aptly named, as it was designed to trap any ghost that entered, making escape nearly impossible.

Even a Vengeful Ghost would struggle to break free from this array. Yet, barely a minute had passed from the moment the array was triggered to the point where he had to reinforce it remotely.

Clearly, the ghost had sensed something wrong the moment it entered, realized it was trapped, and immediately tried to rip through the array. But this ghost didn’t just try to escape—it even attempted to crush the one who set the array.

Ji Nanxing had never encountered such a feral ghost before. Normally, a ghost’s first instinct was to flee. Talismans naturally suppressed ghosts—who wouldn’t flee their bane? Even Vengeful Ghosts were no exception.

But this one clearly had no intention of running. It wanted to rip the array—and then make the caster pay.

Ji Yuanting: "How’s it going? Can you handle it?"

Ji Nanxing: "Don’t worry. Now that it’s here, it’s not leaving."

Ji Yuanting nodded. "Keep it trapped. I’ll go deal with it."

Ji Nanxing placed the bracelet in the center, weaving hand seals. Strands of power, like threads, were drawn from the golden bell, pulsing with spiritual light as they wove through the air under his control.

The ghost in the hospital room naturally felt the strengthening talisman power. In response, it only hissed. It had faced Taoist masters before—how many overconfident ones had died by its hands?

But compared to a Living Soul, a Taoist master’s soul was stronger—and more nourishing.

This one seems a bit more capable than those useless fools. Once I catch him and devour this Taoist's soul, my power will surely grow stronger again.

While engaging in a battle from a distance with the Taoist, the lingering ghost glanced at the bed. He had thought he’d finally worn Cheng Junan down to death and could seize his body, only to find the body-soul connection wasn’t fully broken yet.

A body not fully detached from its soul could only be possessed, not replaced. Possession was merely borrowing—the body would decay and rot over time. Only replacement would allow him to truly take over the shell and live again.

No matter what, things had already come this far. There was no turning back for him now. He had to obtain Cheng Junan’s identity at all costs. To avoid exposure, the Taoist helping Cheng Junan had to be eliminated.

With a surge of malice, the Yin energy around the lingering ghost thickened. Just as he gathered strength to break through the talisman array and severely injure the Taoist behind it, a cold wind blew in through the window. The ghost turned his head and saw several cord-like tendrils flying in.

Sensing danger, the ghost immediately abandoned his attack on the array and dodged, trying to evade the incoming spiritual implements. But the moment he sidestepped, a kick sent him sprawling.

Then, with a light flick from the newcomer, the limp ropes became rigid like whips and were wielded mercilessly.

The ghost had intended to disperse into Yin energy to escape, but the array in the room was growing stronger, its restraining force increasing relentlessly. Unable to dodge, he took the hit full force from the magical tool in the man’s hand.

Ji Yuanting examined the ghost—sharp-featured and weasel-faced, his aura a foul, chaotic mix of bloodlust and overpowering Grudge energy. He must have devoured many other lingering ghosts to amass such power.

Looking down at the ghost on the floor, Ji Yuanting asked, "Was it you who caused the Grudge on Cheng Junan?"

Having consumed numerous souls and killed before, the ghost wasn’t one to yield after a single strike. Fighting back, he shouted, "The Cheng family owes me! They owe me!"

Ji Yuanting smirked coldly and lashed out with his spirit-binding rope again. "Was it you who caused the Grudge on Cheng Junan?"

The ghost snarled, "So what if it was?!"

Ji Yuanting struck him hard once more. "If it was you, then take your punishment like a proper ghost!"

After several lashes, the ghost felt his spiritual form nearly unraveling. Seizing an opportunity, he tried to flee, but the moment he flew up toward the window, he was met with searing, burning agony. He could even hear the sizzling of his own soul burning.

Too late he realized the array was still intact. He should’ve focused on breaking it first instead of trying to teach that Taoist a lesson.

With a flick of his wrist, Ji Yuanting sent his spirit-binding rope snaking around the ghost’s throat with a will of its own. A sharp yank sent the intangible specter crashing heavily to the ground.

The ghost scrabbled at the binding, but the moment he touched the Taoist’s tool, acrid smoke curled from his hands as he shrieked in agony.

Ji Yuanting tightened his grip, seizing the ghost’s form with one hand. "How many living souls have you devoured to cultivate into a Grudge ghost? No wonder your Grudge is so strong. You say the Cheng family owes you—did those souls you ate owe you too? What makes you so entitled that everyone owes you something?"

Having spent years in the entertainment industry, Ji Yuanting was a shallow beauty-lover. For an ugly, malevolent ghost like this, he showed no mercy.

Ji Nanxing sensed the resisting force vanish—likely subdued by his senior brother—and hurried to the hospital.

To monitor the situation, they hadn’t gone home but booked a hotel room across from the hospital. It didn’t take long to get there.

At the door, the guards stood frozen, clearly under a ghost’s illusion. Ji Nanxing didn’t dispel it, avoiding the hassle of explaining any commotion inside.

Pushing the door open, he found Old Master Cheng asleep on the couch in the suite, also ensnared in illusion, oblivious to the noise. Meanwhile, the ghost that had just been battling him was wailing piteously inside the room.

Entering, Ji Nanxing saw his senior brother wielding the spirit-binding rope like a whip, thrashing the ghost until it cowered in a corner, pleading for leniency.

The moment Ji Nanxing stepped in, the seemingly helpless ghost's expression turned vicious. Seizing the chance when Ji Yuanting turned at the noise, it lunged at Ji Nanxing.

The ghost had a plan. Trapped by the array, he couldn’t escape. The old man was in another room, and apart from the Taoist and the barely alive body, there was no one to possess—except this boy who’d just barged in.

If he could use the boy’s body to leave the room, even the most skilled Taoist wouldn’t catch him.

But his well-laid plan failed. Just as he poured all his strength into the lunge, he was kicked away before he could invade the boy’s body.

Ji Nanxing even frowned and took two steps back. "What the hell is this?"

A shadowy entity rushed at him the moment he entered, making him recoil.

The ghost was sent flying back to the corner by the kick, seethed with impotent rage. He was supposed to be a formless Yin entity—how could he keep getting kicked and beaten by living people today? What fresh hell was this?!