"Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao!"
Ms Jiang's voice came from afar, growing closer. She hurriedly dragged a stiff-bodied man into the prince's mansion.
Dongfang Chenyuan glanced at them and sensed something amiss. He widened his eyes, pointed at Song Ce, and said solemnly, "His whole body reeks of death, with a red aura over his head. Song Ce is facing a bloody disaster! How bizarre, the last time we met he was fine, albeit a bit muddleheaded. How can one deteriorate so much in just a few days?"
"Zhaozhao, you're absolutely right. My son almost slipped away. Had I not been quick, he would have been chopped into mincemeat."
Ms Jiang's eyes were red and swollen, clearly she had been crying.
Outside the prince's mansion came the sound of commotion; someone was following Song Ce and the others, hoping to stir up trouble.
Xie Jiuxiao furrowed his brow lightly, Mu Hongxuan understood immediately and went out to drive them away.
"Prince, it's a group of hooligans claiming Song Ce owes them a lot of money. They are here for debt collection; the promissory notes are right here."
When Mu Hongxuan returned, he was holding a stack of papers.
"Tsk, this is a substantial sum. Last time he swore repeatedly that he would change."
Dongfang Chenyuan was dumbfounded as he looked at the amount on each note, all significant sums. "Could he be bewitched? Has he become addicted to gambling?"
Ms Jiang was so anxious she knelt on the ground, crying, "Prince, you know me well. Though my son's achievements might not be great, his nature is certainly not poor. A Ce has been behaving so strangely lately, he must have fallen victim to some wicked scheme."
Xie Jiuxiao, "Dongfang Chenyuan, check if there's anything unusual about him."
"There's a ferocious aura on his face, and a deathly air surrounds him. He's definitely got big problems."
Dongfang Chenyuan leaned in to look closely; Song Ce's eyes were vacant and dull, his lips were cracked at the corner, and his whole body was stiff like a corpse.
He took out a Three Pure Bells from his sleeve and shook it near Song Ce's ear.
Song Ce's eyes widened, and he let out a painful scream.
Then he went berserk, attempting to tackle Dongfang Chenyuan, but Mu Hongxuan kicked him over to the ground, pinning him down fiercely with a foot on his chest.
Dongfang Chenyuan patted his chest and said, "Wow, this is brutal! If I didn't know better, I'd think he was possessed by a ghost. This guy needs to be bound with my Ghost Binding Rope."
"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?"
Yu Nianzhao hugged Xie Jiuxiao's arm, yawning, "He's been cursed, commonly known as raising ghosts. Dongfang Chenyuan, can't you see the little ghost lying on his back?"
A gust of chilly wind swept through them, making everyone feel cold.
Dongfang Chenyuan stared perplexedly at Song Ce's back, "I see a clump of death aura."
"Wow, this little ghost knows Eye-blocking Skills too!"
Yu Nianzhao showed some interest, flicking a ray of golden light from his fingertips, hitting Song Ce's back.
Ah—
The little ghost let out a piercing scream, almost bursting everyone's eardrums.
They couldn't help but cover their ears.
Once they regained their composure, they saw a blue-black ghost sinisterly staring at them, firmly perched on Song Ce's shoulder, draining the yang energy from his body.
"Ah!"
Ms Jiang, who had never seen such a sight before, screamed, her whites rolling up, nearly fainting.
Xie Jiuxiao stepped forward, slowly removing the Buddhist beads from his wrist.
The winds blew even stronger.
All around, the voices of resentful ghosts echoed.
The little ghost also slowly raised his eyes, covetingly staring at Xie Jiuxiao.
As soon as the Buddhist beads were completely removed, the little ghost couldn't restrain itself and rushed towards Xie Jiuxiao.
At that instant, Dongfang Chenyuan swiftly pulled out a black leather bag and attempted to cover the ghost.
The ghost was also sly and cunning; sensing trouble, it shrieked and quickly retreated, clinging firmly back onto Song Ce's back.
Dongfang Chenyuan missed, quickly shouting, "Prince, put the Buddhist beads back on!"
The evil aura in the prince's mansion was intense. Even though the Dongfang Family had set up an Exorcism Array, many fierce ghosts still hovered above, watching Xie Jiuxiao's every move.
They were eager to seize the opportunity to take over his body!
This was indeed a rare opportunity.
Yu Nianzhao watched wide-eyed as a grimacing ghost face rushed towards Xie Jiuxiao!
"How audacious! Without the roaring of a tiger, you've mistaken me for a sick kitten? How dare you touch my people?"
Yu Nianzhao sneered, stepping forward, intertwining his fingers with Xie Jiuxiao's.
The coldness of his palm gradually thawed by a wave of warmth, dispelling the chill surrounding him.
Overhead, a burst of golden light erupted, fierce ghost screams resonated from all directions.
Quickly...
The fierce ghosts turned into a mass of black mist, fleeing faster than anyone else.
Oh dear!
Their mighty leader was here; what were they thinking?
When peace finally returned.
Xie Jiuxiao lowered his head, looking at Yu Nianzhao, his eyes usually cold as a chilly pool, now sparkling brightly.
"Xie Jiuxiao, are you crazy? How could you remove the Buddhist beads? Do you wish to let all the fierce ghosts invade your body? It's far too reckless."
Yu Nianzhao released her grip and sternly replaced the Buddhist beads back onto him. "Is this the method you've used before? If you get lucky once or twice, fine, but there's no guarantee next time. If you're trapped by a wild beast, then it's a big deal; even ten Dongfang Chenyuans wouldn't be able to pull you back!"
Dongfang Chenyuan, "..."
Somehow, he felt like someone was calling him incompetent!
Xie Jiuxiao's lips curled upward slightly; he calmly adjusted the Buddhist beads.
"Are you worried about me?"
"Of course! Who else would I worry about? You're mine!"
A precious supplement!
Yu Nianzhao spoke with impeccable confidence!
Yiu Renjian and Mu Hongxuan could see the arc of Xie Jiuxiao's lips nearly stretching to his ears.
Tsk tsk tsk!
It's the first time the prince has been confessed to by someone of the opposite sex; his heart must be fluttering!
Dongfang Chenyuan sighed lightly as he gazed at the empty black leather bag, "We almost caught it. This little ghost is more cunning than I imagined, how many years has this ghost been refined? Such a pest!"
Hiss hiss hiss—
The little ghost snarled and stuck its tongue out mockingly.
"Tsk, I can't take it anymore. I'll use my Ghost Binding Rope to tie it up and beat it out!"
Dongfang Chenyuan rolled up his sleeves, ready for action.
"Zhaozhao, can you save my A Ce?"
Ms Jiang placed her hope in Yu Nianzhao.
After all, Yu Nianzhao had just demonstrated great ability with a mere gesture.
"Ms Jiang, rest assured, since I've given you the Soul Calming Talisman, I won't let anything happen to him."
Yu Nianzhao glanced sideways at Dongfang Chenyuan, "It's just dealing with a little ghost; does it need to be so strenuous? Watch this!"
Dongfang Chenyuan, "Eh? Young lady, you can't..."
Yu Nianzhao approached Song Ce, squatted down, and grabbed the black aura atop the little ghost, pulling it cleanly as if uprooting a scallion from Song Ce's body.
Pa pa pa!
That's the sound of Dongfang Chenyuan being slapped!
Dongfang Chenyuan, "..."
He's finished! He's finished!
Could he perhaps take another junior apprentice?
Ah ah ah——
The little ghost was stunned. As his body floated in the air, he kicked wildly, spreading his claws to try and scratch Yu Nianzhao's face.