Chapter 389

Chapter 389

◎Taken◎

After hanging up, Ji Nanxing told the Bureau to send a few team members while he headed straight to the Li residence. This ghost had already killed three people, and given how ruthless and calculated it was, the whole Li family was probably in its sights. Since the youngest daughter hadn’t returned yet, the next target was likely Li Heng.

He didn’t know what grudge the vengeful ghost held against the Li family, but as a Taoist, his job was to save lives before dealing with human-ghost conflicts.

Unfortunately, even pushing the driver to floor it the entire way, they were still a beat too late. Li Heng was gone, and the two agents watching the house were unreachable.

Xiao Ye frowned at the empty house. “What’s this idiot thinking? Is he trying to get himself killed? Naonao, see if you can find any clues. I’ll call the Bureau and have them check traffic cameras for Li Heng’s route.”

He Long handled things piece by piece while keeping the news quiet. The airport was packed, and though the crew had sealed off the body fast, plenty of staff knew about it. After a lot of hassle, Liu Qi’s remains were finally loaded into the car. When Ji Nanxing said Li Heng had run off, He Long nearly swore in front of his team.

“You can’t save someone who’s determined to die.”

Li Heng knew his family was doomed. Though he didn’t yet know his mother was dead, with his father and brother gone, he knew he was next. This time, he wasn’t about to let her live—he wanted to finish her off for good.

After taking out the two men watching him at the door, Li Heng drove to seek help from the master his family had worshipped for years—the Golden Dragon King.

But before reaching the Golden Dragon King’s place, Li Heng felt something was wrong. A road that should’ve taken no more than three traffic lights had taken him over twenty minutes.

Instinctively, he reached for the pendant on his chest, seeking comfort—but his fingers closed on empty air.

Li Heng jammed on the brakes and tore through his clothes—nothing around his neck, nothing inside, nothing under the seat. His face turned pale, shaking like a leaf.

“Impossible. I’ve been wearing it properly. It couldn’t just disappear.”

That was his only protection. He checked it daily—red cord intact, jade pendant undamaged. It was tightly woven, impossible to break, so there was no way it could’ve fallen off without him noticing.

In his panic, he didn’t notice the temperature dropping or the dark mist coiling up beneath his feet.

Realizing the charm was gone, Li Heng dared not step out. He tried calling the Golden Dragon King for help, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make the call—either the contact wouldn’t show, or he kept pressing the wrong keys.

His gut screamed something was wrong. No matter how scared he was, he shouldn’t be messing up such a simple task. He started to wonder if he was trapped in a dream.

Just then, icy fingers grazed his neck.

Li Heng went rigid with terror. Looking up, he saw in the rearview mirror a long-haired woman behind him, leaning over his seat, inching closer. Her hands tightened around his throat.

An icy voice hissed in his ear, “Husband… how have you been all these years? I haven’t been well. Not at all. Because I missed you. You married me in death—you might as well come down and stay with me. Your parents and brother are already here. Now it’s your turn.”

Li Heng struggled, but his limbs locked up. He could only stare as the ghost pressed closer, her grip tightening.

He fought desperately, but a human was no match for a ghost. Without his charm, he stood no chance.

The empty road was silent—so silent that Li Heng could only hear his own racing heartbeat. He tried to speak, but her fingers crushed his windpipe, silencing him.

The female ghost cackled, her glee growing as Li Heng’s face turned blue and pale. “Your family tricked me so badly. I died full of rage, and none of you will escape.”

Li Heng tried to plead, to say anything, but she gave him no chance. She didn’t care what he had to say—she had only one goal: take him with her!

A sharp ring cut through the air, momentarily breaking the ghost’s focus. But years of hatred and resentment allowed her to cling to clarity. With one final burst of strength, she plunged her hand into his chest, tearing through flesh and bone, squeezing his heart to pulp.

The pain made Li Heng jerk upright. Before he could scream, his soul was ripped violently from his body.

Life faded in an instant.

When Ji Nanxing followed the spiritual trail and arrived, he saw the long-haired ghost standing by the roadside, yanking Li Heng’s soul along behind her.

Li Heng’s body remained seated in the car, rigid against the backrest, his eyes wide open in terror—the look of someone who died with their eyes wide open.

The ghost wasn’t afraid of Ji Nanxing. She knew they were Taoists, but her revenge was complete, and that was enough.

Xiao Ye couldn’t see the ghost. As soon as he got out of the car, he rushed to Li Heng’s vehicle. After seeing the scene inside, he turned to Ji Nanxing and said, “Looks like he’s already dead.”

Ji Nanxing replied, “I know. I can see Li Heng’s soul.”

Xiao Ye glanced around. “What about the ghost that killed him?”

“She’s still here,” Ji Nanxing said.

As he spoke, Ji Nanxing looked at the female ghost: “What’s your grudge against them? Did you kill all the Li family members?”

The ghost smiled, her smile icy and sinister. “Yes, because they killed me.”

Li Heng’s soul was dazed for a moment before regaining clarity. He saw the ghost before him and the Taoist who had visited his home, screaming for help as if grasping at a lifeline: “Save me! Master Taoist, save me! My family was killed by her—she’s the evil spirit who murdered them!”

Ji Nanxing snapped, “Quiet.” He pointed. “Look inside the car.”

Li Heng turned and immediately saw his own body in the vehicle.

Li Heng was stunned. He was here, yet there was another him in the car? He looked down at himself and realized he was floating slightly above the ground.

This terror was worse than knowing the ghost had come for revenge. He was dead—he had actually died. But how could he die? His career had just begun, his future was so bright. He was only thirty, in the prime of his life. How could he be dead?

Li Heng couldn’t accept this reality. He lunged toward Ji Nanxing: “Master Taoist, save me! You must have a way. My body is still here—if I go back, can I come back to life? Master, I beg you, save me! I’ll pay any amount!”

Ji Nanxing said, “There’s no going back. She cut off your life force. You spoke your own fate.”

Li Heng stared at Ji Nanxing in horror and desperation, not fully understanding his meaning, his expression still dazed.

“You said your family had a hereditary heart condition,” Ji Nanxing explained. “Though they didn’t, your cause of death will be the same as your father and brother’s—listed as cardiac arrest.”

Li Heng shook his head frantically: “Save me, please save me! I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!”

But no matter how he struggled, a crimson thread tied him to the ghost, making escape impossible.

Some spirits can return to their bodies and revive—but only if the body is intact. Li Heng’s heart had been crushed by the ghost, snuffing out all life. There was no going back.

For his situation, Ji Nanxing had no solution. He wasn’t a god who could raise the dead. If Li Heng had cooperated earlier, there might have been a slim chance to negotiate with the ghost. But now that she had taken his life, it was too late.

Li Heng refused to believe it. He kept running toward Ji Nanxing, begging for salvation. But before he could reach him, an invisible force dragged him back, his soul trapped like a prisoner, pulling him once again to the ghost’s side.

The ghost looked at Li Heng and smiled faintly: “Why run? I told you I’d take you with me. You’re not going anywhere.”

As her words faded, a pale fog swirled in the distance. The ghost glanced at Ji Nanxing, then at Xiao Ye: “Thank you. If not for you, I’d never have had the chance for revenge.”

Xiao Ye couldn’t see her, but noticing Ji Nanxing’s gaze, he quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Nanxing placed a Heaven's Eye Charm on him, and Xiao Ye finally saw the otherworldly scene. He immediately hid behind Ji Nanxing in fright. The ghost’s appearance was terrifying—wreathed in dark mist, her body covered in inky-black symbols that flickered with the swirling darkness, resembling writhing black bugs from afar.

He wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but this grotesque sight unnerved him.

“She just thanked you,” Ji Nanxing told Xiao Ye. “If you hadn’t broken the protective charm on Li Rong, she wouldn’t have been able to approach the Li family. Her revenge succeeded because of you.”

Xiao Ye let out a nervous chuckle and said to the ghost, “Uh… you’re welcome?”

The ghost tilted her head at Ji Nanxing. “You’re not arresting me?”

Ji Nanxing looked toward the mist in the distance: "Your path is clear now. Since you’re not staying in the living world, why would I catch you?"

The female ghost: "I killed people. I thought you would arrest me."

Ji Nanxing: "If I caught you, it’d just be to help you move on. Since you’ve let go of your grudge and are willing to leave, there’s no need for that. As for the killings, the underworld will deal with that."

The female ghost wasn’t afraid of any so-called reckoning. All these years, she had only one thought—to kill the Li family. Once they were dead, she would be free.

But they had suppressed her, and their protective charms kept her from getting close—until Li Rong’s talisman was broken, giving her a chance for revenge.

Li Heng was the one she wanted dead the most, but he had bound her the strongest. She also knew she was on borrowed time because the Li family knew a powerful master. If given the chance, they would surely have him destroy her soul completely. So she didn’t dare waste a moment, nor did she play games of slow torment—she struck the moment she had the opportunity.

Fortunately, revenge went smoother than she expected. These monsters who’d tormented her, once stripped of their protections, were just ordinary people. She hadn’t even touched them—just seeing her scared them half to death.

So spineless, so scared of dying—yet they’d had the guts to kill.

The female ghost was surprised Ji Nanxing would let her go, but this was naturally the best outcome. She turned and vanished into the mist. Li Heng struggled desperately, but a red thread tied to his chest was firmly held by the ghost. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t get loose.

As his body faded from view, Li Heng cried out again: "No! I can’t die! I can still go back—let me go, Xiaofan! We used to love each other—how can you just let me die?"

The ghost glanced back, giving him a chilling smile: "Because we loved each other so much, I couldn’t bear to leave you behind."

With that, she tightened her grip on the thread and stepped fully into the mist. Li Heng, his heels barely scraping the ground, was dragged along—struggling but unable to escape—as she pulled him into the fog.

As their figures disappeared, the ghost’s voice echoed as if from another space: "Under the pear tree in the Li family’s old house on Minqing Road… please bury my remains. Thank you."

The mist dissipated, and the ghostly illusion faded. The noise of traffic shattered the quiet.

A crisp sound rang out. Ji Nanxing and Xiao Ye turned to look—a white jade pendant, tied to a broken red string, had fallen where the ghost had taken Li Heng.

Xiao Ye ran over and picked it up: "What’s this? Did they leave it behind? Payment for burying her?"

Ji Nanxing held the pendant up to the sunlight. Inside, a small fragment of bone was clearly visible.