Jiang Qiyun carried me on his back, walking through a bright light. It seemed like we only took a few steps, and just as I couldn’t help but peek out of curiosity, the bright light suddenly vanished—

I looked around; this was my room.

He set me down on the bed, crossed his arms, and asked coldly, “You have that much free time? Free enough to bump into ghosts?”

“…How was I supposed to know there were ghosts there? I was just out shopping.”

His attitude really annoyed me.

Others might be jerks, but he was a complete ghost jerk.

“Have you forgotten what I told you? Now that the spirit embryo has been formed, you should be even more careful. Any harm—”

“Any harm, and your efforts for seven days would be wasted! Right? You really had it tough.” I retorted angrily.

I fear you, I resign myself to my fate, I won’t take medicine.

What more do you want?

Jiang Qiyun’s face was frosty, his eyes as cold as ice blades.

Within his deep, dark pupils, a golden iris seemed to swirl faintly, giving me the illusion of watching magma flow in the abyss.

A dangerous yet fatally attractive feeling.

“Mu Xiaoqiao.” He leaned in close and said in a deep voice, “How many times have I told you to recognize your status? You are my wife in a ghost marriage, and that won’t change even in death. You should be aware and protect what’s in your womb.”

I still resented him.

Usually, he was forceful, disregarding my physical condition—that I could endure! But that time in the car, he even ignored my mental state!

I was so scared then! My dad’s life was uncertain, and that red ghost face was screaming about chopping off my limbs! About digging out my womb! I was nearly scared to death, okay?

And what happened? He just threw me in the car and did it, without a single word of comfort, not a hint of gentleness, and he even wondered why the bed was all wet last night and why it was so rough today!

“Don’t make it sound so nice, ‘wife in a ghost marriage,’ am I just a breeding tool? Just like those shady ads—‘uterus for rent,’ except I’m cheaper, I’m used for a sacrificial debt repayment, I can only meekly endure, I can’t cry out in pain, I can’t be afraid, I can’t be unwilling!”

My long-suppressed grievances burst forth.

My dad was comatose in his hospital bed, all this talk about Yin energy seeping into the bones, about karmic debts needing repayment, about ten million… This family, so indifferent to life and death, I’ve had enough of it.

Jiang Qiyun narrowed his eyes, “So what do you want? If the person who made a blood alliance with you two years ago wasn’t me, you would be like that middle-aged woman now, turned into a walking corpse under the Ghost King, bearing his child. Is that what you want?”

I shuddered, what did he mean by that?

“…Knowing too much is not good for you, the only thing you need to do now is to protect what’s in your womb.” He paused, frowning and repeated, “And stop wearing those high heels!”

“…Got it!” I answered irritably. He was being too controlling!

“I’m busy, Mu Xiaoqiao, there are too many things I need to handle. I can’t always arrive just in time! You wearing those shoes, you couldn’t even run if you needed to, how would you wait for me to come save you?”

His cool voice made me shiver.

So he did care about my safety a little?

Alright, my safety also affects the seed he has sown, he has no reason not to worry.

Thinking this, I calmed down a bit, knowing that taking emergency contraception now was useless anyway.

I couldn’t help but place my hand on my belly, which softened his icy demeanor a bit.

“I want to ask you, my dad he…”

He shook his head, “The cycle of heaven, the debt of karma, even gods must face tribulations.”

I gritted my teeth silently, and asked, “I want to learn the way, can you teach me?”

“You?” He paused, clearly displaying his disdain, “You’re not cut out for it, and besides, you’re past the age for receiving profound teachings, just save yourself the trouble.”

This guy really knows how to infuriate someone!

“Can’t you be a bit more tactful? I’m trying to find a way to save my dad!” I yelled.

There was a soft knock at the door, and my brother twisted it open and peeked inside, “You two, if you’re coming back, could you please use the front door? Suddenly appearing in the room, I thought we were being robbed!”

Jiang Qiyun said he was busy, but to me, it just sounded like another excuse from a ghostly jerk.

Well, he is a lord of the underworld, even if he rolls in the sheets with a beautiful ghost secretary, he could still claim it’s part of his job.

I began to supplement my knowledge by reading books at home, and my brother started dabbling in my dad’s business.

He was calling my dad’s old clients one by one, asking them to keep supporting us, which made me feel a bit sorry for him—he had to bow to money too.

Just when he was facing constant rejections, a blindingly shiny sports car parked in front of our shop, and a flashy, long-legged man in a suit walked in gracefully.

It was that Armani-suit guy from the hospital.

As soon as he saw me, he immediately tried to charm me, clearly a playboy.

“Hello, do you remember me?” he walked straight up to me, extending his hand for a shake.

My brother, quick on the uptake, blocked his hand, grabbed it and shook it, saying with a smile, “You’ve got good taste, heading straight for the most valuable thing in our store, but sorry, my sister is priceless, not for sale.”

He laughed awkwardly, quickly saying, “No offense meant, just that your sister is very beautiful, quite memorable.”

My brother crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow, “Are you here to confess? Then I’ll have to see you out.”

“Alright, alright, just joking. I’m here on serious business.” He handed out two business cards, “My name is Hou Shaowen, that old man in the hospital was my grandfather.”

He sat down and explained in detail about his grandfather, who had been suffering from nerve degeneration, then insomnia, and recently started losing his clarity of mind. However, his medical exams didn’t show any serious issues.

Hou Shaowen had quietly consulted a spiritualist, who said the old man was suffering from nightmares, suggesting more physical activity so that his body, once tired, could sleep more soundly. Once his vital energy was replenished, the spiritualist could perform rituals to drive away the nightmares.

Nightmares? My nightly dreams, do they count as nightmares?

I wasn’t to the point of losing clarity of mind, at most just sporting a pair of dark circles.

“So, what did you come to our shop for?” my brother asked directly.

Hou Shaowen glanced at me, seeming a bit hesitant to speak.

“Let me put it this way, Master Hou, my sister is the owner of this shop, if you don’t want to say then feel free to leave,” my brother said nonchalantly.

“When did I become the owner? Isn’t Dad the owner?” I whispered.

My brother whispered back, “Nonsense, I’m setting up a fallback for when we negotiate the price!”

Hou Shaowen nodded, “Alright, since your sister is an adult, I’ll speak plainly… The spiritualist said my grandfather has been weak for too long, he needs to replenish his vital energy, they need a virgin for that thing, but given my grandfather’s current condition, he might need external help to complete it, the spiritualist told me to find a genuine Happy Buddha bronze statue.”

My brother stifled a laugh, asking, “Happy Buddha bronze statue? Is the spiritualist from the Vajrayana sect?”

“Yes, a genuine one, price is no issue,” Hou Shaowen said earnestly.

My brother pulled out a leather case from under the counter, rummaged around, and placed two statues on the counter, smiling, “Which posture do you like?”

Posture?

I took a good look, oh my heavens! So eyes burning!

They were in the poses of a man and woman during intimate moments, with exaggerated carvings of their private parts!