Chapter 9: “Sister-in-law! You’re Off Topic!”

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Xie Jingting immediately recognized the voice—it was the same woman who scolded him that afternoon, Tu Shanju!

For the first time in his life, he thought someone’s voice could sound that good—like a celestial melody sent from heaven.

He repented without hesitation: “Sister-in-law, I was wrong! Save me! I’m inside the car!”

Then, feeling grateful, he turned to Zhang Huihui outside the window and added, “It’s okay, we’re saved now! My sister-in-law is amazing—she’s a debt knife-bearer! She can definitely handle ghosts!”

Nearby, Xie Shiyu and Xie Jingzhou, who had followed them into the fog: “……”

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they never would’ve believed that their usually arrogant younger brother could be so flexible and groveling.

He seemed to have completely forgotten about his earlier tantrum at the airport—or how dismissive he had sounded on the phone just minutes ago.

To be fair, Xie Jingzhou had also completely forgotten that he claimed to be a die-hard materialist.

Xie Jingzhou said nothing, but gripped tightly onto the little scissors that Tu Shanju had given him.

Sure, his little brother had luck and fortune on his side—but he didn’t!

Before Tu Shanju entered the fog, she warned him to hold onto the scissors properly. That was the only way to avoid being affected by the surrounding yin energy. Otherwise, he’d suffer serious consequences.

Meanwhile, Zhang Huihui, still hanging on to Xie Jingting for dear life, brightened with hope at his words. “Wuwuwu, that’s great! I thought we were goners for sure!”

As the two talked, Tu Shanju appeared in front of the car.

Her hands were in her pockets, and she was casually biting on a pink lollipop stick, giving her a roguish vibe that clashed completely with her serene white Han-style Zen robes.

Tu Shanju glanced at Zhang Huihui outside the car, still gripping Xie Jingting, then turned to the red-clad ghost woman inside, who was also clinging to him. Her gaze finally settled on Xie Jingting.

She tilted her head, sounding slightly annoyed. “Can you two let go of my third brother? He looks pretty uncomfortable.”

The moment the ghost heard Tu Shanju speak, her expression changed. Her voice became sharp and shrill. “You… you’re from the mystical sects?”

“Not really.”

The ghost’s eyes widened. “You’re lying to a ghost?! If you’re not from the mystical sects, how could you have broken my ghost spell?!”

Tu Shanju smirked. “You just said it yourself—I’m lying to a ghost. So… isn’t that kind of a stupid question?”

“Pffft—ahahaha!” Xie Jingting and Zhang Huihui couldn’t hold it in anymore. With someone reliable backing them up, they burst out laughing.

The ghost: “……You’re all looking to die! I’m taking both this car and this man today—none of you can stop me!”

As soon as she spoke, the dispersing white fog thickened again.

The temperature around them dropped sharply.

Xie Jingting shivered violently, his face instantly pale.

The car started moving once more.

But this time, it wasn’t slow—it accelerated in a flash, speeding toward Tu Shanju at over 100 km/h.

From a distance, both Xie Shiyu and Xie Jingzhou frowned, starting to run toward her—but stopped themselves, remembering her earlier warning.

Tu Shanju, meanwhile, didn’t even flinch. Her expression remained calm.

“Ah! Sister-in-law, get out of the way! It’s gonna hit you! Big Bro, Second Bro—why are you just standing there?! Save her!”

Xie Jingting was too panicked to care anymore. He shouted while furiously stomping on the brakes.

But it was useless. Before he could even finish shouting, the car was already upon her.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

Then, suddenly—

Thud!

His entire body lurched forward, face slamming into the windshield.

The car had stopped.

Tu Shanju had slapped it to a halt.

Everyone—people and ghosts alike—stood dumbfounded, jaws dropped at the unbelievable scene.

Even Xie Shiyu’s face showed rare shock.

Then he recalled how she had eaten eight bowls of rice at dinner and said, “People in our line of work need strength.”

Back then, he’d glanced at her skinny arms and legs, thinking she was exaggerating.

Now? He was seeing firsthand exactly how strong she was.

The ghost, realizing the tables had turned, leapt out of the car to flee.

But Tu Shanju wasn’t about to let her go. In three swift strides, she caught up—and smashed the ghost with a clean blow to the head.

The ghost staggered forward, then turned back in disbelief, staring at Tu Shanju.

A second later, she crouched down, hugging her head in agony. “Aaaah—it hurts!”

Tu Shanju shot her a sideways glance. “Love-brained and still feel pain?”

“You aborted a nearly fully formed baby just because a scumbag said he didn’t like kids, ruining your fertility for life?”

“You saw him cheat with your own eyes but refused to believe it, insisting he had his reasons?”

“He said he knew you liked red sports cars, and once he made it big, he’d buy you one—so you scammed your parents out of their retirement savings to fund his business?”

“Your mother died from a heart attack, your father fell seriously ill, and you couldn’t face it, so you jumped—”

“Enough! Stop talking!”

The ghost screamed, cutting her off.

She crouched there, trembling, face buried so low no one could see her expression.

Zhang Huihui let out a sigh. “Damn… that’s even scarier than ghost possession. That’s… true love.”

Tu Shanju gave her a glance, her gaze sliding down to Zhang Huihui’s feet, but she quickly returned her attention to the ghost.

She sighed faintly.

“All the things I just said—any one of them could’ve been your obsession. But you—your priorities were all wrong.”

“And most importantly—not everyone who drives a red sports car is a scumbag. My third brother is not a scumbag. He hasn’t even dared confess to the girl he likes. He’s very devoted. You got the wrong guy.”

Not far away, Xie Jingting had just recovered and was being helped out of the car by Xie Jingzhou. Hearing this, he choked on his own spit and began coughing violently.

Tu Shanju tilted her head and looked at him. Then she asked seriously, “Am I wrong? Didn’t you start liking her in your first year of high school—”

“Sister-in-law! You’re off topic!” Xie Jingting quickly interrupted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Uh, she… she’s pretty pitiful. Haha. Really pitiful.”

Tu Shanju frowned slightly. She sensed that Third Brother didn’t want her to reveal his long-term crush.

Fine. She’d spare him the embarrassment… for now.

But he called the ghost pitiful?

Sure, the scumbag ex was definitely the true culprit who deceived her, and she was the victim.

But Tu Shanju didn’t find her that pitiful.

She’d traveled the land with her grandfather since childhood and had seen plenty of tragic and unjust situations—she was used to them.

When it came to malicious ghosts who harmed the living, they had every right to strike them down and shatter their souls—as long as the incident was documented and reviewed later.

If this ghost had taken a life, she wouldn’t have wasted a word. She’d have obliterated her already.

Tu Shanju showed no sympathy. “Pitiful? I don’t think so. After you realized the truth, why didn’t you use the law to punish that jerk?”

“You died, then turned your obsession into ghostly power. Why didn’t you go after the one who wronged you? Why harm innocent people instead?”

“In the end, you’re just a coward. You ran from reality while alive, and even in death, you can’t face the truth about yourself.”

“If anyone is pitiful, it’s your father—left behind, grieving for a lost wife and daughter, alone in a nursing home, waiting to die!”

Tu Shanju’s words cut like knives. And the moment she mentioned the father—

The ghost shot to her feet.