Chapter 145: Possessed Again

The people who had been fleeing slowly came to a halt, taking heavy breaths as they looked at me with expressions of utter shock. I recalled the Heavenly Chant Piercing blade and with a flick of my hand, the black-and-white dual fish symbols expanded violently, splitting into hundreds of Bagua diagrams that smashed toward the remaining fierce ghosts. Boom! Boom! Consecutive explosions rang out, and all the fierce ghosts vanished in that split second amid shrill shrieks. I retrieved the black-and-white dual fish symbols once more, and the village returned to its original state. However, there were still a few villagers I had failed to save, who had already fallen to the ground lifeless. Although I knew this was an illusion, these were still human lives after all.

Frowning, I sighed and was about to turn back when I heard several barks coming from the direction of the mourning hall. I jerked my head around and sprinted over. To shorten the distance, I even channeled the power of Daoist inscriptions, vanishing instantly from where I stood. When I reappeared, I was already at the entrance of Xiuying's courtyard. Behind me, gasps of astonishment rose once more from the crowd who had just escaped with their lives; golden Daoist inscriptions still lingered faintly where I had vanished. Ignoring them, I strode quickly inside.

Two large black dogs were now glaring menacingly at the coffin, their fur bristling all over and their tails tucked tightly between their legs. This was clearly a protective state triggered by a sense of danger. As I gazed at the coffin, the black-and-white dual fish symbols began to glow with a golden light, as if they too sensed something. Frowning, I stepped forward cautiously, but the moment I shifted my foot, a muffled crash echoed from the coffin lid. A tremendous force blew it directly out of the mourning hall, where it plunged straight into the earth of the village path. Everyone was startled, retreating more than ten paces before stopping to stare in panic at me inside the hall.

I kept my eyes fixed on the coffin and saw a figure slowly climbing up from inside. Xiuying had followed closely behind me all this time; upon catching sight of Dongzi, she let out a piercing cry and rushed forward. Reacting quickly, I reached out and grabbed her. Xiuying froze, looking at me with frantic agitation as she cried, "What are you doing? My husband has woken up, he's really woken up! Let go of me!"

"Don't be impulsive. Be rational. He is not your husband," I said, holding tightly to her arm.

Xiuying was stunned again. Believing I was deliberately trying to sabotage their reunion, she shrieked wildly, "Let go of me! My husband is right in front of my eyes, how could it not be him? Let go of me right now!"

With that, Xiuying grew desperate and sank her teeth directly into my arm. Stifling a hiss of pain, I jerked my arm back, grabbed her shoulders, spun her around, and pointed at Dongzi. "Take a good look at him! Is that really your husband? If you have a death wish, go wait somewhere else and stop acting like a lunatic with me!"

My temper flared as well. Hearing this, Xiuying took a careful look at Dongzi, then turned back to look at me, her emotional turmoil gradually subsiding. I slowly loosened my grip on her and said with a frown, "Stay in the back. I will save Dongzi, so stop acting recklessly."

The joyous expression on Xiuying's face instantly twisted into one of anguish as tears welled up in her eyes once more. Having settled the twins, Village Chief Pan also hurried over and pulled Xiuying back into the crowd. I kept my frown fixed on Dongzi. Dongzi stared back at me without the slightest movement, just watching me steadily like that.

Just as I was about to speak, footsteps sounded behind me again. Startled, without looking back, I thought to myself, *Dammit, who's here now?*

No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I heard Bao'er's voice calling out, "Daddy! Daddy, you're back! Bao'er missed you so much."

I froze. Watching Bao'er run past me, I tried to reach out and grab him, but Bao'er had already dashed up to Dongzi and thrown his arms around him. Dongzi remained silent, slowly lowering his head to look at Bao'er. A grotesque, ugly smile split his face, accompanied by a thin stream of saliva as he uttered his first words in a slow drawl: "Hehe, little tot, you really are cute."

As he spoke, Dongzi slowly raised his hand toward Bao'er's head. Catching sight of the long, razor-sharp nails growing out of Dongzi's fingers, my heart plummeted and I roared, "Fierce ghost, how dare you!"

***

The fierce ghost possessing Dongzi raised his head to look at me again, smiling with a dark, gloomy expression as he said, "What is there that I wouldn't dare? Hehe!!"

A surge of fury flared within me. Looking at Bao'er, I shouted, "Bao'er, come back here right now! Hurry!"

Yet Bao'er merely turned to me with a puzzled expression, looking innocent and bewildered as he said, "Big brother, what's wrong? This is my daddy."

Dongzi smiled again and said, "That's right, I am your daddy. You're my good son, and from now on the two of us will stay together forever and never be separated."

Understanding Dongzi's sinister intent, I yelled, "Fierce ghost, if you dare lay a finger on him, I will annihilate you!"

With that, I conjured the Heavenly Chant Piercing blade, pointing it straight at Dongzi. Dongzi looked at me with unconcern and said, "Hehe, suit yourself. I'd love to see whether your hand is faster or mine. But I advise you to put that weapon down, otherwise I can't guarantee whether this brat will die in the next second or the next minute. Heh-heh-heh..."

My brow furrowed deeply. Bao'er seemed to have fallen under a spell, growing hazy and vacant as his footing became unsteady. Keeping the Heavenly Chant Piercing blade raised, I said, "Try it if you've got the guts. If you dare touch him, you won't survive either. After all, you've already lost your chance at reincarnation."

Dongzi inspected his long, sharp nails, disgustingly licking them with his tongue before replying, "Is that so? Like I said, suit yourself. See whether you want him to die or me to die—I fear neither. Hehe!!"

Thus, the possessed Dongzi and I remained locked in a stalemate. Negotiation was completely useless, and Dongzi clearly had no intention of wasting any more time. Wiggling his fingers, he slowly drove them toward Bao'er's skull. I watched as blood began to ooze from Bao'er's forehead. Xiuying wept hysterically, struggling frantically to run over, but the people beside her held her back. Seeing this, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Fine! Fine! You win! I concede defeat, don't do anything rash!"

Dongzi burst into a gloomy, sinister laugh, looking at me as he taunted, "Hehe, look at that. Humans are just this fragile; emotions and desires ruin a whole lifetime."

Suppressing my boiling rage, I slowly lowered the Heavenly Chant Piercing blade and demanded, "What do you want?"

Dongzi gazed at me and stated, "I'm taking this child with me."

"Looking for a substitute?"

Dongzi did not deny it; he smiled and nodded. I drew a long, deep breath, my mind racing with various methods to rescue Bao'er. Sensing that I was deliberately stalling for time, Dongzi sneered, "Are you intentionally stalling, or are you testing my bottom line? Midnight has passed and the *Yin* hour is approaching; when the *Yin* energy wanes and the *Yang* energy rises, even if you let me go, I won't be able to leave. Do you really think such petty tricks can fool me?!"

Dongzi and I had been sparring for quite a while, and the time was rapidly approaching four in the morning. Outside the door, a large crowd of villagers still lingered—terrified yet unwilling to miss the spectacle. I smiled. A countermeasure had long since been devised in my mind; I was merely waiting for the right opportunity. Seeing me suddenly smile, Dongzi froze and blurted out, "What are you laughing at?"

"What am I laughing at? I am laughing at your ignorance, your stupidity, and your utter foolishness."

Staring at me, Dongzi instantly flared up. He drove his claws toward Bao'er's neck and snarled, "Say that again if you've got the guts!"

A cold smile touched my lips. "I'll say it again, so what? Ignorant and foolish!"

"Ah! Detestable human, I'll kill you!"

I had no idea what had finally triggered the fierce ghost's temper. Possessing Dongzi, the entity lunged directly, driving its claw toward Bao'er. With a flick of my finger, the Daoist inscriptions blazed into light. The moment the ghostly claw pierced the skin, Dongzi let out a shrill, agonizing shriek, struggling desperately to kill Bao'er, but the claw could no longer press downward. The power of the Daoist inscriptions was immense; thin wisps of smoke began to rise from around Dongzi's body, as if he were being roasted alive.

The possessed Dongzi wailed in bitter despair, crying out, "No! No! Why must I suffer endless humiliation in life, only to be trampled underfoot even after death? It's you self-righteous people who have driven me to my death twice! You are the demons! Humans are the true monsters! Ahhh!"

Hearing Dongzi's desperate cries, I slowly withdrew my smile. With his power being steadily sapped by the Daoist inscriptions, I no longer feared he could deliver a fatal blow. I stepped forward, pulled Bao'er behind me, and Xiuying rushed over instantly, snatching the child up into a tight embrace.