The candles in the main hall flickered.
The Old Lady sat in a grand chair, the black cat's eyes closed once more as it curled up in her lap.
Wang Shouren stood at her side, slightly bent at the waist, speaking in a low voice.
"Spirits and monsters are born between Heaven and Earth. From birth, they carry a thread of spiritual resonance—the vital qi born from grasses, trees, mountains, and rivers, far purer than the yang qi of the living."
"I invited them here to drink wedding wine precisely for that thread of spiritual resonance within them."
"When the Joy Spirit's Killing Intent surges, that resonance naturally disperses. Once my formation core gathers it and pours it into my son's corpse, there is hope of adding a few degrees of ferocity to it."
The Old Lady fell silent for a moment, her withered fingers slowly stroking the cat's back.
"Your method is clever enough, but the spiritual resonance of wild spirits and monsters is mixed and impure. Once or twice is fine, but too much will instead clash with the corpse's foundation."
She paused for several seconds before continuing. "Your son currently has only three parts yin qi. Even with the spiritual resonance in the courtyard added in, he still cannot become a true Joy Spirit."
Wang Shouren's hand trembled slightly, but he kept his voice steady. "Then what does Elder Sister mean...?"
"What your son lacks now is not yin qi, but Killing Intent."
"Killing Intent?"
"That's right. Yin qi nourishes flesh and skin; Killing Intent nourishes sinews and bones."
"Your son's corpse already has three parts spiritual nature in its flesh and skin. If you want it to be complete, you must find a place where the Killing Intent is pure and bury him there."
Wang Shouren's