The Han family’s son smiled, showing his little white teeth.
"Alright, then! I’ll be your brother, and I’ll ask my parents to adopt you."
He reached out his hand to the little ghost queen.
The little ghost queen stared at that soft, pale hand, dazed for a moment, before asking, "Do you really mean it?"
The Han family’s son nodded confidently, "Of course, my father taught me that a gentleman never goes back on his word!"
The little ghost queen didn’t understand famous quotes or sayings; she only knew that the Han family boy had agreed wholeheartedly.
Indeed, Han Zhiyu and his wife were kindhearted. When they saw their son bringing back an adorable little girl, they adopted her without hesitation.
The little ghost queen was elated. Finally, she had a brother and parents who loved her!
She left her territory and returned home with the Han family.
However, as a ghost king, to live among humans under sunlight, she had to use her ghost powers, which would taint the Han family with ghostly energy, affecting their fortune and lifespan.
The little ghost queen had no idea about any of this; she only wanted to stay with her family.
Yet, the youngest son of the Han family couldn’t bear the effects and soon fell seriously ill.
Han Zhiyu and his wife sought out every famous doctor and tried every bitter medicine to no avail.
Finally, a servant quietly spoke to them, saying, "Master, Madam, ever since you brought Miss back, Young Master has fallen ill. She... she might be a cursed child. Otherwise, why would she be an orphan? Such a person will only bring calamity if she stays, and I fear Young Master’s illness will never improve."
Han Zhiyu furrowed his brows, torn between his worry for his son’s recovery and his fear that the little ghost queen couldn’t survive without them.
Ultimately, Mrs. Han, deeply worried for her biological son, suggested they temporarily send the little ghost queen to a farm to see if their son would recover before deciding.
The little ghost queen overheard this and flew into a rage.
In her eyes, Han Zhiyu and his wife sending her away was akin to abandoning her.
Immediately, her ghostly aura surged, revealing her ghost form as she prepared to destroy the Han family.
Unexpectedly, a Nascent Soul cultivator, following the ghostly aura, arrived just then. The cultivator happened to be a talisman master, and a single Ghost-Suppressing Talisman caused the little ghost queen immense pain.
After several rounds, the little ghost queen could no longer defend herself, deeply ensnared within an extermination talisman array and on the brink of obliteration.
Han Zhiyu rushed over to plead, "Master! She is my daughter—please, show mercy!"
Mrs. Han added, "Yes, please, Master, show mercy and allow her to reincarnate peacefully."
Despite her agony, the little ghost queen could hear their words and stared at them blankly.
"Ahem! You may call this humble one ’Firewood Chopper,’" Xuan Jingmo said with a sweep of his dust brush, feigning an air of mystery. "She is a ghost king wreaking havoc in her territory. Since following you, you’ve already become tainted with ghostly energy. Your son’s grave illness is due to this. Now that you know her true nature, you should step back. I will summon divine lightning to exterminate her."
Han Zhiyu, visibly anxious, blocked the talisman array. "Master, she became a ghost king at such a young age; clearly, she has suffered greatly. Please, Master, show compassion and grant her a chance to live."
"True, she was tortured to death by her own parents, but that does not justify her evil deeds! She has harmed many; the heavens will not tolerate it!" Xuan Jingmo said sternly.
More importantly, exterminating the ghost king would earn him merit, further advancing his cultivation. After all, he had been stuck in the Nascent Soul realm for far too long.
However, Mrs. Han, now covering her face and crying, said, "Master! She suffered such abuse at the hands of her own parents. Can’t you show some leniency?"
She now only regretted not being kinder to the little ghost queen.
Han Zhiyu’s eyes reddened as he added, "We are willing to sacrifice ten years of our lives in exchange for her survival."
"Impossible. A ghost king is a ghost king. No excuse can warrant forgiveness."
Xuan Jingmo swept them aside with a flick of his dust brush and summoned a Heaven Thunder Talisman.
The sky rumbled as dark clouds gathered, thunder rolling ominously.
Han Zhiyu struggled, still trying to save the ghost king, but Xuan Jingmo found him annoyingly persistent. With a flick of his wrist, he sent Han Zhiyu reeling to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
The heavenly lightning struck, its explosive sound illuminating the world like daylight.
"No!" Han Zhiyu shouted.
"Father... Mother..." The little ghost queen felt the ferocity of the lightning and knew she was doomed to be obliterated. She shut her eyes in terror.
Even as a thousand-year-old ghost king, she was still a five-year-old child.
Just when she braced herself for the unbearable pain, she felt a warm embrace.
The person holding her had an overwhelmingly powerful aura, but without aggression; she felt warmth and peace instead.
She opened her eyes to see a woman of unparalleled beauty, ethereal and dust-free. Her red and black gown billowed in the wind as she raised a finger, effortlessly blocking the lightning and breaking the talisman array.
Xuan Jingmo was stunned, noticing the faint ghostly aura surrounding her despite her beauty.
"Where did this ancient ghost come from!" Xuan Jingmo brandished his sword and lunged toward her.
If he could subdue her, he would be immensely meritorious.
The woman raised her beautiful eyes.
With a delicate movement of her fingers, she pinched the sword, burning away all its spiritual energy along with the blade.
Her red lips parted as she spoke, "For such a hostile Daoist as you, your cultivation will amount to little."
Xuan Jingmo, unable to pull his sword back despite channeling all his spiritual energy, felt sweat gather on his brow as he sensed danger.
For someone who had slain countless demonic cultivators, this was unprecedented humiliation.
"Hah! You—what does an ancient ghost know of cultivation!" he barked in anger.
The woman let out a cold laugh.
A divine mark appeared on her forehead as divine energy gathered in her fingers, throwing Xuan Jingmo aside.
Xuan Jingmo tumbled to the ground, his spiritual energy churning uncontrollably, causing him to cough up blood as his sword fell before him.
Clearly displeased, the woman remarked, "While I may be ancient, calling a lady an old ghost is rather impolite."
Xuan Jingmo, staring at the red divine mark on her forehead, was utterly shocked.
With supreme divine power and ghostly energy combined, who else could she be but Death God?!
He immediately knelt, "This humble one pays respects to Death God!"
From Han Zhiyu’s perspective, he only glimpsed Death God’s profile and the divine mark before fainting.
The shopkeeper paused his story here.
Xie Beihan, utterly engrossed, grew furious when he stopped. "Keep going! Why did you stop?"
He was eager to know if Firewood Chopper had been killed by Death God and what fate awaited the little ghost queen.