All Men Deserve to Die (Except for the Little Daoist Priest) [New book, please collect!]

It was originally agreed that Li Chu and a group of constables would guard the Xue family's residence, waiting for the vengeful spirit to appear.

However, the constables from the yamen were all very righteous. In front of the remaining female members of the Xue family, they each puffed out their chests and boasted, vowing to eliminate the evil spirits and restore their beautiful home.

After escorting the Xue family's women to a nearby inn, as dusk deepened, these constables all found excuses.

Some had sick mothers at home, some had wives who were cheating, some had mothers who were cheating... In short, they scattered like birds and beasts.

Finally, Zhou Dafu was furious: "Damn it, in the time it took me to go to the outhouse, these brats slipped away without me noticing! Little Daoist Priest Li, don't worry, I'll go catch them all back right now!"

After Constable Zhou finished speaking, he strode out valiantly, and then... never returned.

However, Li Chu already knew what kind of people they were.

He was also happy to have no one getting in his way while he was exorcising ghosts.

In the bedroom of the Xue family's side courtyard.

Li Chu sat on a Grand Preceptor's Chair behind a screen, his sword resting across his knees, quietly waiting for the vengeful spirit to appear.

This bedroom was cold and desolate, with extremely simple furnishings. It was a stark contrast to the luxuriously decorated master bedroom in the backyard, which was no wonder the Xue Family's First Wife felt such intense resentment when she was suddenly moved here.

On the bare rafter, there was a worn white mark – that was where the First Wife had hanged herself. The vengeful spirit she had transformed into would appear from here.

The night in Yuhang Town was quiet.

The evening breeze gently swayed the willow branches.

Because it was summer, the front and back doors and windows of the bedroom were open, and a draft blew in, feeling somewhat cool.

This coolness soon transformed into a slight chill.

It quickly became colder and colder.

Another gust of wind suddenly blew out the already dim lamplight in the room.

Li Chu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. Something had appeared!

Silently, in front of the screen, a hanging figure had appeared on the rafter at some unknown time.

Its neck was stretched long, its tongue lolling. Through the screen, one could see it was wearing heavy formal attire, which also looked like funeral attire in style.

When Li Chu opened his eyes and looked at her, he felt that the figure hanging there was also sizing him up.

After a long while, a faint, chilling voice echoed in the room: "All men must die—"

Li Chu frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "First Wife, you really didn't need to do this. If Xue Dayong wronged you, you recognized him as a faithless man, but why did you have to take your own life to get revenge?"

The Vengeful Spirit had little residual intelligence left. He didn't know if this conversation was effective, but he felt he still had to say what needed to be said.

Every Vengeful Spirit died with a grievance in their heart. He hoped they wouldn't dissipate into nothingness still holding onto that grievance.

But that voice rang out again: "All men must die—"

This time, the tone was even more piercing. The chilling wind outside howled more fiercely, whistling and rattling the door and window.

Li Chu spoke again: "I know you harbor resentment, but one cannot resolve hatred by harming oneself. Even if Xue Dayong was killed by you this time, you yourself will not have a good end. What's the point?"

The voice remained insistent: "All men must die—"

As she shouted this for the third time, the entire room turned bone-chillingly cold. Frost even condensed into fine mist.

Li Chu began to see illusions. Outside, the sounds of wedding music faintly echoed, but inside the room, a woman with a broken heart was tragically hanging herself in the darkness. It was the height of summer, yet felt like falling into an ice cave.

"Even if you transform into a Vengeful Spirit for revenge, you shouldn't take out your anger on all men," Li Chu continued, disregarding everything else. "If there is opposition in the world, it should only be between good people and bad people. It should never be between men and women. You harmed Xue Dayong and still aren't satisfied. How innocent were the Xue family's servants?"

Li Chu finished saying the last words he wanted to convey.

The figure hanging from the rafter began to sway, as if it might break free from the rope around its neck at any moment. A sharp voice, somehow emanating from that throat, cried out again: "All men must die—"

Li Chu listened to the unchanging cry and sighed helplessly.

Reasoning with a Vengeful Spirit was indeed futile.

The essence of humanity was repetition.

Vengeful Spirits even more so.

Bang!

With an explosion, the rope snapped. The hanging figure landed but didn't fall, instead standing firmly in place! The next second, it passed through the screen!

In an instant, Li Chu saw the true face of this First Wife.

She wore heavy, white funeral attire. Her face was a terrifying, ashen green, her features no longer recognizable from life. Most striking, of course, was her swaying, long red tongue.

She approached Li Chu, spreading her arms and lunging forward. Her overgrown nails were about to lash out, accompanied by her only line: "All men must..."

Li Chu's eyes narrowed, his right hand already gripping the scabbard.

He would draw his sword to kill the ghost in an instant!

But the First Wife's voice and movements froze simultaneously!

Her long neck suddenly stiffened. Her body arched, but instead of lunging, she hesitantly retreated two steps.

Because her hands were raised high, they were poised to strike like claws, but now they looked like a gesture of surrender.

"Man... man..." she whimpered, and after a long pause, choked out, "Such a handsome man."

Huh?

Confused black lines appeared on Li Chu's forehead.

What was this sudden compliment about? Although he heard this many times a day, hearing it in this situation was quite a novel experience.

"Men... all men..." The First Wife's scarlet blood-red eyes gathered and dispersed, as if she were undergoing a painful internal struggle.

Li Chu let her battle herself, not taking the opportunity to strike.

She swayed stiffly for a long time, and finally, it seemed the deep blackness gained the upper hand.

The surrounding gloomy wind suddenly stopped.

"If Xue Dayong were this handsome, I might not have hated him." Her voice calmed down, no longer the shrill tone.

Although it felt strange, but...

The Resentful Qi seemed to have lessened.

"First Wife... have you let go of the resentment in your heart?" Li Chu held the hilt of his sword, hesitating whether to draw it.

"Heh, it's not that easy." The First Wife shook her head and sneered, her long red tongue flicking back and forth.

It was a simple movement, yet it looked terrifying when done by her.

Upon hearing this, Li Chu prepared to draw his sword again.

His strength had already reached his wrist when he suddenly saw the First Wife look up, her terrifying, ashen face turning towards him.

"However, if you, young Daoist priest, are willing to hug me, then I might be able to let go."

Huh?

A circle of question marks instantly popped up above Li Chu's head.

He hadn't seen much of the world, and he truly didn't know if exorcising ghosts... involved this step?

"I've never hugged such a handsome man in my life," the First Wife added.

Her tone seemed a little shy?

Li Chu froze, staring at the First Wife's face, which was truly rather unsightly.

Moreover, letting a Vengeful Spirit get close was a very dangerous thing.

But...

If this could resolve her Resentful Qi...

Li Chu released the Scabbard with his right hand, his expression blank, and slowly opened his arms.

The First Wife seemed to show a smile on her face. She lunged forward, but did not extend her claws. She spoke her true feelings.

In fact, she did not manage to embrace Li Chu.

Ghosts were incorporeal, humans corporeal. The two could attack each other with spiritual energy, but could not touch.

As she flew towards Li Chu, her body began to dissipate.

A sliver of memory surfaced in her mind.

In her youth, handsome young men had proposed marriage. Though not even half as handsome as this Little Daoist Priest, he was still a renowned catch in the surrounding villages.

Yet, she had set her heart on the ugly Xue Dayong, because she felt that ugly people were more dependable.

Because of this, in the days that followed, she often harbored Resentful Qi towards Xue Dayong.

I gave up a handsome young man to be with you, you ugly thing, so you naturally have to treat me well.

With this mindset, even the most loving of couples would develop cracks.

Xue Dayong taking a concubine was, in reality, the last straw that broke her back.

She hadn't expected that the ever-cowardly Xue Dayong would dare to take a concubine against her wishes, and even dare to drive her to the side courtyard for that concubine.

Just as her Resentful Qi surged to the heavens, that person appeared...

Right!

The First Wife's eyes snapped open. She had something to tell this Little Daoist Priest!

But she could no longer speak. When a Vengeful Spirit lost its final breath of Resentful Qi, it would vanish into thin air.

Li Chu watched the First Wife dissipate as she flew towards him. He blinked and let out a sigh of relief.

Then, he touched his face.

Although he often heard others call him handsome, he didn't actually have a clear concept of it himself.

In fact, he always thought his appearance was utterly unremarkable.

This was because he was face-blind.