Chapter 20

Xue Ming walked ahead with a shovel, muttering under her breath, “Even a clay figure has some temper. Everyone’s bullying me, huh? Just wait until I find your bones…”

“Brother, what are you mumbling about?” Ning Caichen caught up from behind and asked, leaning in closer.

Xue Ming replied, “Nothing, just talking to myself.”

Ning Caichen responded with an “Oh” without pressing further, then asked, “Are we really going to dig up someone’s grave?”

Xue Ming was already tired of persuading him. After breakfast, she had brought up the idea of digging up a grave, which Ning Caichen immediately rejected, repeatedly saying it was against ethical principles and highly disrespectful. Xue Ming didn’t want to dig alone either, not to mention the safety concerns; it would take her several days to do such physical labor. So, she spent a long time persuading Ning Caichen.

Finally, Xue Ming assured him multiple times that they were digging up the grave of an evil spirit in the temple and that it was to protect everyone’s safety. Ning Caichen reluctantly agreed. Still, after leaving the temple, he kept hesitating and repeatedly confirmed with Xue Ming.

Xue Ming got annoyed thinking about it, patted his shoulder, and said, “Brother, I won’t hide it from you anymore. Earlier in the temple, you didn’t understand the term ‘wife’ I used. It means that if you don’t come with me to dig up the grave, that evil spirit will first kill your wife, then your mother, marry you, and finally give birth to a ghost child. The mother and child will then torment you together, drain your yang energy, eat your heart and liver, and eventually kill you.”

Ning Caichen was dumbfounded, his face turning pale with fright. He chased after Xue Ming and asked, “Really?”

Xue Ming simply replied, “Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you, my good brother.”

For the rest of the journey, Ning Caichen indeed remained much quieter.

Xue Ming led the group out of the temple and headed north. After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at a sparsely wooded area. The trees here were not very dense, providing a relatively open view and scattered graves.

Xue Ming remembered clearly that Nie Xiaoqian’s remains were buried under a poplar tree, which had a crow’s nest on its branches. She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked around the graves, vaguely seeing a few crows perched on branches in the distance.

Pointing to that spot, Xue Ming said, “It’s over there.”

They walked through the scattered graves and saw a conspicuous poplar tree standing straight amid a dense grove.

Xue Ming confirmed the location, but Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng caught up with them before they could start digging. These two servants were very diligent, having finished their work at the temple before coming out.

Originally, Xue Ming’s plan was for her and Ning Caichen to go first, and when they got tired of digging, the two servants would take over. However, Xue Ming and Ning Caichen’s pace was too slow, and the two servants caught up with them just as they arrived.

Chun Ye took the shovel from Ning Caichen, and Qiu Sheng stepped forward to take the one from Xue Ming. Then, they were asked to sit and rest under the tree.

By noon, the sun was scorching, making their scalps ache. Xue Ming did not refuse and said, “We’ll take turns. When you get tired, I’ll dig.”

She only knew that Nie Xiaoqian’s remains were buried under the poplar tree, but she didn’t know the exact location or how deep it was. If they dug in the wrong place, they could be stuck there until dusk, which wouldn’t be good.

Like diligent oxen, Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng immediately rolled up their sleeves and started digging with all their might. Xue Ming and Ning Caichen sat under a tree about twenty feet away.

Ning Caichen, a young master accustomed to luxury, was already sweating profusely and looking pale after just a short walk. Despite the heat, his collar was still tightly buttoned, and he laid a silk handkerchief on the ground before sitting down, showing his meticulous nature.

“Brother, what do you plan to do after digging up the bones of this evil ghost?” Ning Caichen asked.

Xue Ming casually lay down on the ground, using her arms as a pillow, and looked up at the sky. The tree’s shade covered half of her body, and the warm sunlight made her squint comfortably. The sky was as blue as a crayon drawing, with thick clouds slowly drifting by. Xue Ming took a deep breath, feeling very peaceful at that moment. She lazily replied, “Of course, I’ll deal with her properly so she won’t cause trouble again.”

Ning Caichen asked, “What if she doesn’t listen to you?”

Xue Ming said, “If this evil ghost listened to me, would I need to dig up her bones?”

Ning Caichen continued, “Then what method do you plan to use to subdue this evil ghost?”

Xue Ming didn’t want to admit that she had learned this method from another evil ghost and had paid a considerable price for it. Even after a whole morning, her chest still felt numb, and the bite mark was still somewhat uncomfortable. She vaguely replied, “A wise person has their own tricks. Don’t ask too much, Brother.”

Ning Caichen tactfully changed the subject and started chatting with Xue Ming.

Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng were very efficient, digging a large hole in half an hour. Xue Ming was worried they might overexert themselves and get heatstroke, so she went to take over. However, it turned out she was the weakest among them. After a short while of digging, she started feeling dizzy, her clothes soaked with sweat, and her hands and legs trembling.

Xue Ming dug for a while and then rested, but eventually, her face turned so pale that the servants had to help her back to sit under the tree. They gave her a few sips from her water pouch, and her breathing became smoother.

Xue Ming knew that the water in her pouch was very potent. Last time, just two sips had restored her nearly crippled legs to normal. She had brought it this time, planning to drink it when she was too exhausted to continue, but she hadn’t expected to be unable to continue after just a few shovels. She remembered that Yu He had said walking the path to the underworld would cause her body to be invaded by yin energy. Today’s physical depletion might be related to last night’s events. Xue Ming felt like her body was riddled with holes from the yin energy, having to offer yang energy to Yu He and being eroded by yin energy. It seemed that even the effects of the Yang Gathering Talisman couldn’t keep up with the yang energy she was losing.

Xue Ming drank several more sips of water, quickly regaining her energy and her complexion improving significantly. Ning Caichen didn’t dare let her work anymore, so he had Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng take turns digging. Fortunately, the two worked efficiently, digging a circle around the poplar tree and finally uncovering the bones. Xue Ming got up to inspect and saw that the bones were wrapped in a straw mat and buried carelessly. It was unclear how many years they had been there, leaving only a dry skeleton.

Following Yu He’s instructions, Xue Ming found the spine and removed a piece of bone from the center, wrapping it in silk cloth. She thanked Ning Caichen and the two servants, then noticed the sun starting to set in the west. Without lingering in the countryside, she called everyone to return to the temple. Chun Ye removed his outer robe to wrap the bones in the straw mat and carried them back to the temple, placing them in the corner of Xue Ming’s room.

Xue Ming washed her hands and borrowed the usual grinding tools from Chun Ye. She returned to her room, closed the door, and began grinding the piece of spine. Since Nie Xiaoqian had been dead for a long time, the bone ground easily into a grayish-white powder. Xue Ming took out the bell from her bundle and poured the powder along the carved patterns on the bell. She thought the powder would leak out, but to her surprise, the bone powder seemed to disappear once it entered the bell.

Xue Ming poured the last bit of powder in and then took out a paper shaped like a knife from her pocket. Last night, she had made arrangements with Yu He. Besides rescuing Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng, he also had to teach her how to use the bell to collect souls. Yu He instructed her to take the central piece of the spine, grind it into powder, pour it into the bell, then cut her middle finger and let the blood drip onto the bell while calling the name of the owner of the bones.

Xue Ming had thought it through carefully. First, she had no sharp objects, and second, there was no alcohol for disinfection in this era. She was afraid that any random blade might give her tetanus. Biting her finger like in the movies was also out of the question. So she asked Yu He for a clean knife. Amusingly, he tore a piece of paper into the shape of a knife and handed it to her, saying it could be used as a knife.

Xue Ming stared at the bell in front of her, then glanced out the window. Seeing dusk approaching, she skeptically ran the paper across her middle finger. She felt a slight pain, and then a thin line of blood appeared. In no time, a bead of blood welled up and dripped down her finger. Xue Ming quickly squeezed her finger to let the blood fall onto the bell. The crimson liquid flowed along the intricate patterns and seeped into the bell.

Suddenly, Xue Ming felt dizzy, as if she had been hit on the head. Her vision blurred. She swayed and quickly supported herself on the table, gritting her teeth to stay upright.

The ritual wasn’t complete yet; there was one last step. Xue Ming held the bell and called out, “Nie Xiaoqian.”

The previously silent bell suddenly trembled slightly in her palm. Xue Ming called out again.

The bell emitted a faint sound, and the vibration became more pronounced. Xue Ming raised her voice and shouted, “Nie Xiaoqian—”

The sun set below the horizon, with the afterglow hanging in the sky as day turned to night. The bell, which had previously only emitted a dull sound, suddenly rang out with a clear, crisp tone, like the chime of jade pendants. A fierce wind blew in, slamming the window against the wall with a loud bang and blowing the items in the room askew.

Xue Ming, already unsteady, nearly fell over from the force of the wind.

“What have you done?” Nie Xiaoqian’s voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

Xue Ming hurriedly turned around to see Nie Xiaoqian standing silently behind her. She was wearing a flowing white dress, her hair elegantly styled, and a black veil covering her face, hiding the hideous scars. She looked at Xue Ming coldly, without any previous venomous glare or attempt to attack her.

Xue Ming steadied herself by holding onto the table. Seeing the faint dark red patterns on Nie Xiaoqian’s wrists, she smiled slightly, “Didn’t you want to kill me? Go ahead and try.”

Nie Xiaoqian didn’t move. “How did you know where my bones were buried?”

Xue Ming’s head was throbbing, and her strength was rapidly draining. But in this situation, it was the perfect time to act cool and intimidate Nie Xiaoqian. If she collapsed now, it would be embarrassing. She forced herself to endure the discomfort, speaking very slowly, and with labored breathing, she softly commanded, “Kneel.”

The patterns on Nie Xiaoqian’s wrists suddenly turned a deep crimson as if a hot iron had been pressed against her flesh. Her wrists sizzled and emitted white smoke. Her face twisted in agony, and she screamed in pain. An invisible force compelled her to obey Xue Ming’s command, forcing her to kneel on the ground humiliatingly.

Xue Ming looked at her and said, “Nie Xiaoqian, I have told you before that I do not wish to be your enemy. It is you who have repeatedly forced my hand, attempting to kill me. That is why I have done this. From now on, your soul will be at my command. If you defy me, I will grind your bones to dust and scatter your soul, making you disappear from this world forever. Do you understand?”

The pain in Nie Xiaoqian’s wrists continued, forcing her to lie prostrate on the ground, her body trembling. She responded in a quivering voice, “Xiaoqian understands!”

Xue Ming wanted to say more but felt warm liquid flowing from her nose. Her vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground. She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious. When she woke up, it was still night. The doors and windows were closed, and a lamp cast a dim, eerie light in the room. Xue Ming felt as if all the bones in her body had been removed, making it difficult even to sit up. Her chest felt extremely tight, and it took several deep breaths to alleviate the discomfort. She felt her body was nearing exhaustion.

Xue Ming rolled her eyes and noticed Nie Xiaoqian sitting by the table.

In some ways, Nie Xiaoqian and Xue Ming were quite similar; neither was particularly tough. She seemed to accept the fact that Xue Ming had controlled her soul quite well, probably because she had previously been forced to work for the Grandmother in the temple. Now, she was working under Xue Ming instead, which wasn’t much different.

“Awake?” Nie Xiaoqian said coolly. “You’ve been unconscious for an hour.”

An hour was two hours. Xue Ming silently calculated in her mind and slowly sat up, first touching her nose and finding no blood. Even such a simple action made her slightly out of breath. Leaning against the wall, she looked at Nie Xiaoqian.

Seeing Nie Xiaoqian sitting so calmly across from her made Xue Ming breathe a sigh of relief. Because Xue Ming realized that she no longer needed to run to Yu He every night for protection, Nie Xiaoqian could protect her. Moreover, her life was no longer in immediate danger, and she could finally get a good night’s sleep.

Just as she was thinking this, Nie Xiaoqian suddenly said, “You’re going to die.”

Xue Ming was stunned momentarily, not quite understanding, “What?”

“You have almost no yang energy left in your body,” Nie Xiaoqian said, grabbing a mirror from the table and tossing it onto Xue Ming’s bed. “The remaining yang energy is enough to keep you talking and breathing. Once it’s gone, you’ll die.”

Xue Ming reached for the mirror, finding her hand trembling uncontrollably. The mirror, which she could easily lift before, now felt heavy, requiring both hands to hold it. When she looked at her reflection, she saw her face was ashen, her lips pale, and her nose smeared with dark blood, making her look very strange, like someone gravely ill and on the brink of death.

Xue Ming felt like she had fallen into an ice cave as if the word “death” was written on her forehead.

“How could this happen? Didn’t you say that a person’s yang energy can be replenished with a good night’s sleep?” Xue Ming weakly questioned her.

“That’s true, it usually is.”

“I have a Yang Gathering Talisman.” Xue Ming hurriedly took out the item hanging around her neck. “It can’t be useless; I had so much trouble getting it.”

Nie Xiaoqian said, “I don’t know what kind of treasure that is, but since you entered this temple, your yang energy has depleted daily. It’s been especially severe these past two days, which is why you fainted earlier.”

Xue Ming understood what was happening. She had first gone to the Rakshasa Ghost Market and then walked the underworld path to retrieve Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng, which had severely eroded her yang energy. She had thought that she would recover with the Yang Gathering Talisman and a few days of rest, but her yang energy had been continuously depleting.
And then there was Yu He. That lecherous ghost must have absorbed too much of her yang energy. No wonder she always felt exhausted after leaving his place, unable to recover no matter how much she rested.

“How long do I have?” Xue Ming asked her.

“Just a couple of days,” Nie Xiaoqian replied. “Can’t you feel it yourself? When your yang energy is depleted, your body will be in great pain.”

Xue Ming was indeed in great pain now. Her head throbbed, her eyes burned, and her limbs felt extremely cold and weak, with fatigue filling every bone. Even just sitting was an effort. She hadn’t felt this bad in the afternoon, so she guessed that using the bell had also consumed a lot of her yang energy, which was why she felt this way now.

Xue Ming asked her, “What exactly can I do to replenish my yang energy?”

Without thinking, Nie Xiaoqian replied, “Naturally, through the union of yin and yang, by absorbing yang energy from a man to replenish yourself.”

Xue Ming’s expression changed for a moment. “Give me a proper method.”

Nie Xiaoqian sneered and said, “Have you heard of ‘extracting yin to supplement yang’? It’s a bedroom technique that is very beneficial for cultivation and effective for women. Most men have abundant yang energy, and the initial yang essence of a man with strong kidney fire is especially nourishing. As long as you have intercourse with a man, you can replenish the depleted yang energy in your body. This is the most proper method.”

Xue Ming looked troubled. Firstly, she couldn’t accept this method right away, and secondly, there were only three living men in the temple now—Ning Caichen and his two servants.