Chapter 21: Who Moved Her Corpse?
Just woken up—forgot to update, my apologies.
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On the computer screen, on WeChat, wherever someone knew her, harsh and piercing words flew in like arrows: “Slut!” “Worthless whore!” “Do you even know what shame is?” “Unbelievable, there are women like this in the world—a real prostitute!”
She saw clearly: “Haishi Middle School Class Three Group” has removed you, “Haishi High School Class One Group” has removed you, “Jianshe Primary School Group” has removed you, “Donghai Workplace Group” has removed you…
Condemned by thousands.
“He… won’t die a good death!” In the final scene of the video, that once beautiful face was now haggard, eyes bloodshot, hair disheveled, raving at the screen: “I won’t let him go… Even if I die, I’ll drag his whole family down with me!”
“He destroyed everything I had! He will pay for this… He will definitely pay for this!”
The video ended there.
No one spoke.
Perhaps no one expected that this was the true story.
Who was right, who was wrong?
Perhaps it’s not so easy to say.
At the beginning, she was vulnerable, deserving sympathy. But in the end, she was worthy of contempt, of being spat upon.
Condemned by thousands, rumors become truth, and the actual facts no longer matter. The spit and nails of online language pierced her, mutilating her soul after death into something neither human nor ghost.
This is the meaning of infamy lasting a hundred years.
Arthas spoke slowly, “She must have jumped with her phone. The autopsy would reveal it, and then the video would be made public, dragging Wang Zemin down with her through death.”
Qin Ye continued, “Unfortunately, Wang Zemin must have gotten her phone first. He kept it as a trophy in his safe. Her obsession was to open that safe—because it held proof of everything. Even after becoming a ghost, she desperately clawed at the safe, leaving scratch marks.”
“What’s the point?” He sighed. “We had the password… Even after death, you didn’t get any smarter…”
“Feeling sentimental?”
Qin Ye shook her head, calm. “I’m not interested in her emotional history. She only died once—she knows nothing.”
“It’s precisely because there’s so much hate and sorrow that you must learn to live with a smile.”
A philosopher?
Arthas looked at Qin Ye with surprise and an inexplicable sense of fear—how did this guy suddenly develop such depth of thought?
These words are difficult to understand… There’s an air of philosophical contemplation that arises naturally… Is this really the same kid I usually spar with?
Are you truly happy? Is your smile just a mask for protection?
Humans… so hypocritical.
No wonder I switched careers to become a Death Knight… Hmm? Something seems off?
Boom… Lightning flashed, breaking the awkward atmosphere. Qin Ye spoke first, “Is it over?”
“It’s over,” Arthas affirmed. “Let’s find the fragments of the Yama Seal—once we find them, we leave.”
Qin Ye rummaged through the safe, but soon his brows furrowed. He searched carefully again, stood up, and shook his head in surprise.
“Nothing?” Arthas was stunned. “Impossible… Wang Zemin said it was here…”
Before the words finished, both fell silent.
---
“So that’s it…” After a few seconds, Qin Ye gazed deeply around. “We focused all our attention on this ghost, but overlooked the most crucial question.”
“Who sent Wang Zemin the Yama Seal fragment?”
“Before that, whose hands did this underworld artifact pass through?”
Arthas said gravely, “Not just that… Kid, you haven’t been a ghost official long enough, your experience is lacking, and you missed something else.”
“I’ll ask you the most critical question… Where did the incident originally take place?”
“Donghai Province.” Qin Ye’s eyes flickered, catching on to something.
“And now?”
He didn’t answer further.
Xichuan Province.
Donghai and Xichuan are thousands of miles apart. With her power, there’s no way she could have sought vengeance across such a distance.
“A vengeful soul becomes a ghost only if the corpse is nearby,” Arthas said meaningfully.
The answer was clear.
Someone, unknown who, learned of her tragic story. That person obtained the Yama Seal fragment, and transported her corpse thousands of miles to Xichuan!
Arthas’s voice grew heavier. “Kid… I don’t want to die. My life is basically tied to yours now. So let me lay it out for you.”
“Premise: The underworld is vacant, evil ghosts roam the world. Most souls are natural spirits, and no matter how many there are, it’s not dangerous. But every now and then, some lucky ones get blasted into areas heavy with yin energy by the underworld’s eruption.”
“Lady Meng should’ve told you—they’re waiting. The underworld’s imprint is too deep, and they instinctively fear ghost officials, afraid the underworld might open again. Nearly a century has passed, and some old ghosts… can’t hold back anymore.”
Qin Ye listened intently, not missing a word. She spoke gravely, “Here’s some basic knowledge: First, you need to know the classification of ghosts, from E to S—natural spirits, vengeful spirits, evil spirits, demonic spirits, transformed spirits, evil gods. There are also exceptions like household immortals and ancestral spirits.”
“And the underworld ranks are ghost officials, soul catchers, Wuchang, judges, prefects, Yama, and the special six ghost kings. Each level corresponds. In thousands of years of underworld work, we discovered early on…”
She took a deep breath and said, “The easiest way for ghosts to advance… isn’t killing.”
“It’s devouring!”
“Mutual devouring is the fastest shortcut for ghosts! Any ghost with some cultivation knows this. The underworld kept things in check, but now?”
Qin Ye frowned slightly. “You mean… someone wanted to devour the Wang family’s ghost, so they brought her corpse from Donghai to Xichuan?”
The Soul Sealing Orb nodded solemnly.
“Is it necessary?”
“Absolutely! Evil spirits are formed from obsessions. The stronger the obsession, the easier it is to evolve from vengeful spirit to evil spirit. The Wang family ghost’s obsession is extremely deep—she’s the perfect supplement for high-level ghosts! Kid, I have a theory, but don’t get scared…”
Arthas spoke with utmost seriousness, “I suspect… there’s at least an evil spirit in western China… raising gu.”
“Chaos is coming to the west.”
At the mention of raising gu, Qin Ye’s mind suddenly cleared.
So that’s it!
Yes… If devouring is easier for ghosts, then the Wang family’s situation is likely one of the gu pots!
Condemned by thousands, her soul mutated after death—what better nourishment could there be?
That’s why someone was willing to travel all the way to Donghai to bring her corpse back. That’s why they even used the Yama Seal fragment to cultivate this vengeful spirit!
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Qin Ye gasped, cold sweat prickling—if that’s the case… a ghost that has taken shape, a survivor from the collapse of the underworld… has finally let ambition loose.
“Not just an evil spirit…” After a moment’s thought, he concluded, “Above vengeful spirits are evil spirits. If the mastermind dared let the Wang family ghost evolve, that means it has absolute power over her. So its level… must be at least demonic spirit or higher!”
The Soul Sealing Orb nodded, voice heavy. “Demonic spirits… require several city-level Wuchang to subdue. You may not know how powerful a demonic spirit is—let me explain…”
She thought for a moment. “Your people have a movie called ‘The Corpse in the Village.’ Ever seen it?”
Of course!
Qin Ye nodded vigorously—Chu Renmei, a childhood nightmare, made him, a person soft on the outside and dark on the inside, afraid to look in the mirror for a week.
Never mind how long you’ve lived…
No matter how skilled you are, you still fear the kitchen knife…
“She was a classic demonic spirit, killed sixty-six people… Not a huge number, right? But the scariest thing about demonic spirits isn’t the body count. Unchecked, they could slaughter until the world turns dark.”
She took a deep breath. “Their true terror lies in the thick yin energy they accumulate, turning a place into a site of evil—a haunted house, a corpse farm. Ghosts instinctively gather where the yin is strongest, and if left alone, such a place becomes a nest of ten thousand ghosts!”
“Ha…” Qin Ye parted his lips, gently shook his head. There used to be the underworld to keep order, but now?
“That’s not the worst. Under the underworld’s control, at most they could create a nest of ghosts. But now, with no underworld, what do you think happens if that nest gradually gains order and structure?”
Qin Ye drew a sharp breath.
A new underworld!
A new hell!
“Is it insane?” He clutched his chest.
Arthas spoke with meaning, “Those who survived hell’s tortures were the most infamous villains in history—insanity is an understatement! And why are your legs shaking? Show some ghost official courage! Lucky for you I’m not your superior—otherwise, I’d have used your soul to light the lantern!”
“Nonsense! Wouldn’t you tremble if a mayor was after you? Light the lantern? As if it’d be your turn!”
I just want to hide under the tower!
I’ve already risked it once, now you want me to do it again?
“What are you afraid of!” Arthas scoffed. “If I still had my body, destroying it would be a snap.”
Qin Ye wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead. “Well… if I accidentally knocked over the gu pot, would the senior notice?”
“Senior?! Say that again!”
“What’s the excitement? One should use honorifics for elders…”
“You mean use honorifics for anything that threatens your life!”
“What nonsense, Little Arthas.”
Qin Ye coughed nervously, changing the subject. “Forget it… None of this matters now. What matters is, where is the Yama Seal?”
“It’s nearby… I can sense it…” Arthas pondered for a moment, then spoke with certainty. “The rooftop.”
“She jumped from there that year. Now, her corpse must be placed there!”