A Husband and Wife Seek Help

After saying this, Zheng Que didn't take Zhao the Second's eggs. He headed straight for his own home.

Zhao the Second's wife had been married into the family for several days, yet Zhao the Second was still alive and well.

That meant his wife was probably weaker than the Call-Sound Ghost. With Zheng Que's current cultivation, he could likely deal with her.

Still, to be on the safe side, he decided to first master the two techniques his master had taught him that day, then bring Qing Li, his Ghost Servant, along to Zhao the Second's house...

If everything went smoothly, he'd gain another Ghost Servant.

And if anything went wrong, he should still be able to protect himself.

As for the eggs Zhao the Second had offered... there was a ghost living in his house now, and Zheng Que wasn't sure whether the food there was safe.

After walking a short while, Zheng Que soon arrived at his front door. He was about to go inside when he noticed an unfamiliar woman sitting on his threshold.

She wore a green jacket that had faded almost to white, a yellowish silk skirt, and her hair was done up in a drooping bun with a wooden hairpin stuck at an angle. Head bowed, face buried in the crook of her arm, she had her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were crying.

Zheng Que frowned. He couldn't make out her features from where he stood and had no idea whose daughter she was.

He scrutinized the woman before him and ventured, "Miss, whose daughter are you? Why are you here?"

At the sound of Zheng Que's voice, the woman immediately lifted her head, revealing a pale, unadorned face. She had fine brows and bright eyes, her pupils dark as lacquer. Though she was no peerless beauty, she had the gentle charm of a girl from a modest household. Now tears streaming down her face, she sobbed, "I'm Zhao the Second's new wife. My father's surname is Sun, and my childhood name is Cui'er."

"After I was promised to Zhao the Second by my parents' decree and the matchmaker's word, I've always upheld a wife's duties, paying my respects morning and evening without fail."

"But for some reason, my husband avoids me day after day and refuses to see me. He won't even touch the food I make."

"Just now, he even found someone to beat me to death!"

"My fate is truly wretched. I beg you, young master, take pity on me and help me!"

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, and she looked utterly pitiful.

Zheng Que frowned at her. Zhao the Second's new wife?

He had only just agreed to help Zhao the Second, and now Zhao the Second's wife had come looking for him!

Was it a coincidence?

Or had something happened at Zhao the Second's house that he didn't know about?

His thoughts raced. Zheng Que didn't dare attack her outright, and instead replied with great caution, "I understand. I have something to take care of right now. I'll go to the Zhao household a little later."

Sun Cui'er immediately brightened. "Thank you, young master!"

With that, she didn't press him further. She stood, curtseyed, then turned and left.

Zheng Que stayed where he was, watching her walk away. Only then did he open the door and go inside.

He closed it behind him, went to the inner room, and sat down. He was just about to begin cultivating when he saw Qing Li's translucent figure hanging from the beam again.

Ever since Qing Li had lost to him yesterday, she hadn't spoken to him at all.

Of course, that wasn't a bad thing for him. After all, she was very quiet while he cultivated and didn't disturb him.

With that thought, Zheng Que wasted no time and immediately began cultivating the [Yin Gathering Technique] and the [Spirit Eye Technique].

Following the steps Daoist Qu had explained, he began silently reciting the incantation for the [Yin Gathering Technique], forming one hand seal after another.

As he felt the spiritual energy within him rapidly drain away, a mass of cold, yin-laden air gathered quickly above his head.

With the final hand seal, the air transformed into a cloud as dark as ink.

The cloud spread across the entire ceiling, its yin energy so dense it seemed almost solid. The light in the room dimmed, the temperature plunged, and mottled frost formed in the corners.

This was the yin cloud conjured by the [Yin Gathering Technique]. It could block out sunlight and absorb yin energy from its surroundings.

Beneath this cloud, his Ghost Servant could fight with the strength she had at night, even in broad daylight.

At that moment, Qing Li, who had been hanging from the beam all this time, drew in a deep breath of the yin cloud, clearly savoring it.

He had mastered the [Yin Gathering Technique]. Zheng Que stopped forming hand seals at once, and the spiritual energy within him stopped draining.

Without his spiritual energy to sustain it, the yin cloud above his head immediately began to dissipate.

In the blink of an eye, the darkness, frost, and cloud... all vanished without a trace.

The disorienting chill brought by the [Yin Gathering Technique] also disappeared completely.

Next, Zheng Que closed his eyes and began cultivating the [Spirit Eye Technique].

He silently recited the incantation as spiritual energy coursed rapidly through his body along a specific path, gathering toward his eyes.

The [Spirit Eye Technique] consumed far less spiritual energy than the [Yin Gathering Technique], but it was considerably more difficult to master.

Zheng Que circulated spiritual energy through his body seven or eight times before finally grasping some of its intricacies...

The next moment, he snapped his eyes open. A sharp, icy glint flashed from them, like blades drawn from their sheaths!

After successfully casting the [Spirit Eye Technique], Zheng Que immediately saw a faint white glow suffusing his hands and his entire body. It flickered like flame, yet also seemed like a pure form of energy, pulsing slowly at a steady rhythm.

He understood that this was the spiritual energy within him. He had already spent a great deal of it cultivating the two techniques, so the energy left in his body now looked rather faint.

With that thought, he raised his head and looked at Qing Li.

Qing Li still hung from the beam with her back to him. Thick black qi streamed from her body like viscous smoke, almost turning her white robes black. It was more than ten times denser than the white glow within him!

Seeing this, Zheng Que immediately realized that Qing Li was much stronger than he was.

And it was still daytime. At night, her aura would surely be even more powerful than what he could see now!

After gauging the approximate difference in strength between himself and Qing Li, Zheng Que closed his eyes and stopped circulating the [Spirit Eye Technique].

He had now mastered both techniques, and the entire process had taken only about fifteen minutes.

Zheng Que knew very well why he had learned them so quickly. Whether it was these two techniques or yesterday's [Ghost Controlling Technique], it was likely because his spiritual soul had grown stronger.

Each time the [Life and Death Book] recorded a new name, it increased the strength of his spiritual soul.

Besides, when cultivating the [Spirit Eye Technique] just now, he hadn't encountered the side effect his master had mentioned.

That was probably because the yin energy within him had all been absorbed by the [Life and Death Book]...

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