Chapter 5 A Melodramatic Show

Chapter 5: Dogblood Drama

The three arrived outside Xu Juanjuan's room, and the door swung open on its own.

Inside, a middle-aged woman in a qipao lay quietly on the bed as if asleep, while a young girl sitting beside her tightly held her hand.

"Dear!" Lao Xu exclaimed in shock, stepping past Gu Qingyin to rush forward.

"Stay back!" The girl by the bed suddenly snapped.

Lao Xu froze in place. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but it was completely unlike his daughter's. His face paled—the ghost had fully possessed Juanjuan's body!

Qin Zhen also reacted, shouting anxiously, "Celestial Master!"

Gu Qingyin stepped forward, calmly observing Xu Juanjuan.

"You're a Celestial Master?" Xu Juanjuan's expression was wary but tinged with disdain. Over the past few days, she had encountered enough Celestial Masters—none could stand against her.

Gu Qingyin silently studied her before finally fixing her gaze on the girl's abdomen. She suddenly understood—no wonder this spirit was so hard to exorcise. It wasn’t just one ghost, but two.

Xu Juanjuan instinctively covered her stomach, her expression turning fierce. "What are you looking at?"

Gu Qingyin smirked slightly, adopting a negotiating stance. "What do you want?"

Xu Juanjuan hesitated, then turned to Lao Xu and declared bluntly, "I want to marry him." This was her unfinished business as a spirit. If this Celestial Master couldn’t help her achieve it, she’d take matters into her own hands.

Gu Qingyin blinked, then turned to Lao Xu, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, with a suspicious look. "An acquaintance? No wonder she’s fixated on your daughter and no one else."

Qin Zhen was also surprised, but soon a look of understanding flashed in his eyes, his expression turning complicated.

"Is the child in her belly yours?" Gu Qingyin made a reasonable guess.

At this point, denial was pointless. Lao Xu nodded bitterly. "Yes, it's mine."

Gu Qingyin pressed further, "Did you kill her?"

"I didn’t!" Lao Xu retorted loudly. "She died in an accident!"

"I did have an affair, but I never once considered divorcing my wife. I love her deeply. So when she got pregnant, I told her to get an abortion and gave her a large sum of money."

"But she never went. Instead, she used the money to secretly carry the pregnancy to term. Only when her belly grew too big to hide did she tell me she wanted to keep the baby." Lao Xu’s face darkened. "Of course I refused!"

"The day she died, she was on her way to my company to cause a public scandal—to expose the affair to my wife through others. But she got into a car accident on the way and was killed instantly, taking the unborn child with her."

"I admit, when I heard the news, I was secretly relieved." Lao Xu explained urgently. "But I never wanted to harm her. It was all just an accident."

"Liar!" Xu Juanjuan screamed. "You were the one who promised to divorce your wife! Otherwise, why would a top graduate from a 985 university like me lower myself to be your side piece? I did it for love, but you just wanted to play around!"

"You lying cheat! Bastard! You ruined me, destroyed my future, and yet you get to keep your happy family like nothing happened? You think money can make up for it? Dream on!"

Lao Xu also lost his temper, roaring, "If you hadn’t seemed so obedient back then, do you think you’d have ever gotten into my bed? I gave you a car, an apartment—but you weren’t satisfied! You even dared to try to replace my wife! Look at yourself—do you even deserve it?"

Xu Juanjuan, likely consumed by rage, let out a shriek of rage and charged at Lao Xu, releasing Mrs. Xu’s hand. Her charge was fierce, but the moment she got close, golden light blasted her back.

Lao Xu sneered, pulling out a jade Guanyin amulet from his collar and gripping the Protective Talisman in his other hand. "Come at me again if you’ve got a death wish!"

Xu Juanjuan was hellbent on mutual destruction, charging again wildly.

Qin Zhen watched anxiously from the side, shouting, "Lao Xu, watch out! You'll hurt Juanjuan's body!"

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Qingyin bypassed them and walked to the bedside. She first used a Yin-Absorbing Talisman to absorb the yin energy from Mrs. Xu's body, then applied a Soul Stabilizing Talisman to secure her three souls and seven spirits. Finally, she tucked a Protective Talisman into Mrs. Xu's hand.

By the time Juan Juan regained clarity from her rage, she realized her newly acquired hostage had slipped away.

Gu Qingyin smiled. "Now it's time to address your issue. Considering you're also a victim and haven't yet caused irreparable harm, I’ll give you two choices." She flexed her wrist, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. "Will you come out willingly so I can send you to reincarnation, or shall I drag you out and shatter your soul?"

Before Juan Juan could react, layers of black mist surged from her abdomen, coalescing into a vague ghostly infant form in midair before diving straight toward Gu Qingyin’s stomach.

The ghostly infant actually sought to invade Gu Qingyin’s womb, attempting to use her body to nurture itself into a fully matured ghostly form.

A cold glint flashed in Gu Qingyin’s eyes. "You’re asking for death."

With a single slap, she struck the ghostly infant. A sharp *pop* sounded as the ghost exploded, dispersing into pure yin energy that scattered in all directions.

"Ah! My child!" Juan Juan shrieked madly, her eyes bloodshot as she lunged at Gu Qingyin. "I’ll kill you!"

Gu Qingyin grabbed a seal from her bag and pressed it against Juan Juan’s forehead.

In the next instant, Juan Juan’s body convulsed, and a shadowy figure was hurled out—the female ghost that had possessed her.

Gu Qingyin then retrieved a bottle from her bag, pointing its opening at the ghost. The ghost let out a piercing scream before being sucked into the bottle. A yellow talisman sealed it shut, and the bottle was tossed back carelessly into the bag.

"Put her on the bed," Gu Qingyin said, gesturing at the unconscious Juan Juan on the floor.

Lao Xu snapped out of his daze and moved to comply, but Qin Zhen was quicker, scooping Juan Juan into his arms with great care and gently placing her on the bed.

Gu Qingyin was stunned too, not to mention Lao Xu.

Gu Qingyin blinked, her gossipy instincts flaring, but the timing was off—she had to focus on saving the girl first.

She approached the bed, looking down at Juan Juan with a regretful sigh.

"What’s wrong? Is Juan Juan in bad shape?" Qin Zhen asked anxiously.

Unable to resist, Gu Qingyin arranged cinnabar, brushes, and other tools on the nightstand while asking, "Qin Zhen, why’re *you* so jumpy? More so than Boss Xu. Anyone would think *you’re* Juan Juan’s father."

Qin Zhen stiffened, instinctively glancing at Lao Xu—only to find the man staring back at him with a dark, unreadable gaze.

Startled, Qin Zhen averted his eyes and hastily explained, "Master Gu, you jest. I’ve known Juan Juan since she was a baby, and Lao Xu and I have been friends for decades. I care about her."

Really? That’s it?

Gu Qingyin wasn’t entirely convinced, but seeing Lao Xu accept the explanation with visible emotion, she decided not to press further. Clearing her throat, she said, "Boss Xu, mix your blood into the cinnabar."

For the cinnabar blend, she had added nearly ten ingredients. The final and most crucial component was blood from a family member.