The Hatred of Having One's Wife Stolen

Provincial Graduate Guo was taken aback by Yin Yunze's question. He pointed to himself and said seriously, "Your Lady Qingnü, can't you tell? I'm already dead! And I've been dead for several years!"

"Oh, right, you were a dead man to begin with."

Yin Yunze then realized she had asked the wrong question, so he readily changed the subject. "So, you didn't have your soul scattered!"

"Lady Qingnü— " Provincial Graduate Guo's face showed a hint of helplessness as he spread his hands and said, "I've helped you before, haven't I? Why don't you wish me any good things!"

At this moment, the little fox spirit held up the Soul-Capturing Pearl to Yin Yunze and whispered, "Your Majesty, after I rescued you, I discovered Lord Guo's presence on you. Then, seeing that Lord Guo's soul was unstable, I took it upon myself to place him inside the Soul-Capturing Pearl to nurture him—"

As a follower, the little fox girl was naturally able to sense that Provincial Graduate Guo had been granted the position of Subordinate Deity by Yin Yunze.

As a fox spirit who was one rank below the Subordinate Deity, she naturally addressed Provincial Graduate Guo as "Master."

As for why there was an extra adult?

As a good Servant, what you need is not to question, but to honestly accept the reality.

Do gods need to explain their actions to a lowly follower like you?

Hearing the little fox girl's words, Yin Yunze finally understood what was going on.

Simply put, after the little fox girl dragged Yin Yunze back, she discovered Provincial Graduate Guo, who was being protected by Yin Yunze under his tail.

Then, because of Provincial Graduate Guo's Subordinate Deity status, Yin Yunze took it upon himself to find the Soul-Capturing Pearl and placed Provincial Graduate Guo inside to nurture him.

It was because the Soul-Capturing Pearl had the ability to block senses that Yin Yunze hadn't sensed Provincial Graduate Guo's presence before, and thought that his soul had been scattered.

"Xuan'er, you did very well."

After generously patting the little fox girl's head and praising her, Yin Yunze realized what was happening and drew upon the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to create Shelter skill, which he then channeled into Provincial Graduate Guo's body.

As Provincial Graduate Guo absorbed the Yin Qi generated by the Shelter skill, his originally illusory soul body solidified considerably.

Feeling his soul recover, Provincial Graduate Guo quickly cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Lady Qingnü!"

"No need to thank me! I should be thanking you!"

Waving his hand, Yin Yunze smiled and said, "It's wonderful that you're still alive and existing! Thank you for your righteous help back then!"

Unfortunately, it was his first time communicating with a dead person, and Yin Yunze wasn't quite able to use the words he normally used for the living.

Provincial Graduate Guo, of course, didn't mind these subtle details of wording, nor did he take credit. He shook his head and said, "What I did is nothing! Anyone would have stepped in to help the Lady Qingnü if she had been harmed by villains!"

You're not human!

Without actually uttering that complaint, Yin Yunze asked instead, "Speaking of which, I only know you by the title Provincial Graduate Guo. I wonder if Provincial Graduate Guo is your real name?"

"Because I once achieved the highest rank in the provincial examination, I am honored to be addressed as 'Jieyuan' (解元) by others." Upon hearing this, Provincial Graduate Guo said softly, "Actually, my given name is simply 'Jing' (净). My surname is Guo, and my given name is Jing (净), meaning pure and clean—"

"Guo Jing?" Upon hearing this, Yin Yunze immediately became respectful. "That name alone sounds like the name of a great hero!"

"Great hero?" Upon hearing this, Guo Jing felt he was somewhat out of touch with Yin Yunze's pace and shook his head helplessly, saying, "I am but a weak scholar with no strength to even kill a chicken—"

"----"

Upon hearing Guo Jing's words, Yin Yunze immediately pictured his grotesque, fanged, and resentful appearance.

Those are considered too weak to even kill a chicken. Are you talking about some kind of ancient, exotic species?

Thinking of Guo Jing's resentful appearance, Yin Yunze asked curiously, "By the way, since you are the top scholar, why are you so resentful? And why have you reminded me time and time again about your relationship with the City God? Why did you say that the City God is a lecherous fiend?"

Judging from Guo Jing's repeated reminders to Yin Yunze about this point, Guo Jing clearly has a grudge against the City God.

Unfortunately, Yin Yunze also has a grudge against the City God. In addition, the fox and the ghost have a life-or-death bond, and in the heat of the moment, Yin Yunze appointed the other to Subordinate Deity position.

It can be said that Yin Yunze and the Ghost King Guo Jing are natural allies!

Although Guo Jing appears to be severely weakened, once he becomes Subordinate Deity, as long as Yin Yunze sets up Guo Jing's memorial tablet or statue in the temple, he can receive incense offerings to help him recover. In addition, with the Shelter skill replenishing Yin Qi, he will definitely recover much faster than Yin Yunze's divine body.

Given that Yin Yunze is currently short of manpower, how could he easily let go of such a potential helper?

"This is a long story—" Upon hearing Yin Yunze mention the City God, Guo Jing's expression turned extremely ugly:

66

I once had a childhood sweetheart, and we were deeply in love—"

This is a somewhat clichéd story, the kind that's quite conventional: a loving couple encounters a tyrant who lusts after the wife's beauty, leading to a tragic tale.

However, the tyrant in the story is the City God, who makes ordinary people even more powerless to resist.

After seeing the beauty of Guo Jing's wife, the City God began sending his subordinates every night to steal her soul back to the City God to defile her.

During that period, Guo Jing happened to be preparing for the provincial examination.

In order not to affect Guo Jing's exam, Guo's wife endured the humiliation.

It wasn't until Guo Jing passed the provincial examination and set off for the capital to take the imperial examination that his wife, unable to bear the humiliation any longer, ended her life with a white silk ribbon.

Unfortunately, Guo Jing fell seriously ill on his way to take the imperial examination and had to turn back halfway.

But upon his return, he received the news that his wife had inexplicably hanged herself.

Under this double blow, Guo Jing fell seriously ill and could not recover.

It was during those final, half-dead moments that Guo Jing overheard the conversation Black and White Impermanence, who were standing guard nearby preparing to capture the soul.

It's unclear whether the Black and White Impermanence n't bear to watch anymore, or if they intentionally wanted Guo Jing to die knowing the truth.

From the conversation Black and White Impermanence, Guo Jing finally learned just how much humiliation his wife had suffered during this time.

Moreover, Guo Jing's serious illness, which affected his ability to take the imperial examination, was not due to bad luck, but rather because the City God sent a plague demon to infect Guo Jing.

After all, the wife of a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination, the wife of a provincial-level imperial examination, and the wife of a metropolitan-level imperial examination are three completely different levels of trouble.

The City God could have his way with the wife of a scholar, but he'd have to think twice before doing the same with the wife of a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

The City God would also have a headache dealing with the wife of a scholar who had passed the imperial examination.

Therefore, the City God would never give Guo Jing the opportunity to go to the capital to take the imperial examination and obtain fame.

A dead person is the most thorough way to cut off the chance of obtaining fame and fortune.

In other words, the City God not only killed Guo's wife, but also planned to kill Guo Jing as well.

After realizing that his wife and he himself were about to be killed by the City God, how could Guo Jing not feel resentment?

At this moment, Guo Jing heard one last piece of news: the spirit of his wife was also suffering in the hands of the City God.

Before the City God, death is never a release, but rather just the beginning.

The hatred stemming from the murder of his wife and his own death, the resentment of having his salary and wife taken away.

With such deep-seated hatred, how could Guo Jing not be filled with resentment?

After listening to Guo Jing's story, Yin Yunze felt a chill run down his spine.

Guo Jing is really pitiful.

As a man, Yin Yunze could empathize with the situation.

If you didn't feel incredibly resentful after something like this happened, you'd be a ghost!

No wonder, he looks like a frail scholar, but once he unleashes his power, he can defeat even the Black and White Impermanence.

No wonder Judge Li was having a headache, and even Ox-Head and Horse-Face were wearing long faces. After all, if Guo Jing were to unleash her power, they would also get a good beating.

Because of the City God's petty strife, such a ghost king has emerged, and his subordinates have to deal with it. What worker wouldn't be scrambling in this situation?

Fortunately, because of his academic achievement as a top scholar, the Dynastic Karmic Luck could help suppress Guo Jing's resentment most of the time, allowing him to remain clear-headed.

After suffering a loss and nearly being killed by the City God, only surviving thanks to awakening his teleportation Divine Ability, Guo Jing learned his lesson.

For the past few years, Guo Jing has been staying near the City God.

One reason was to prevent beautiful women from following in the footsteps of Guo's wife.

Another reason is that Guo Jing has never given up the opportunity to take revenge on the City God.

After understanding the cause and effect, Yin Yunze realized that Guo Jing, though pitiful, was actually a chosen ally!

"Provincial Graduate Guo, that City God's wicked deeds are truly outrageous!" Looking at Guo Jing, Yin Yunze said solemnly, "Don't worry, if there's a chance, I will definitely help you get rid of this wicked City God!"

While speaking, Yin Yunze played a subtle trick, changing his plan from jointly dealing with the City God to helping Guo Jing avenge himself.

"Thank you Lady Qingnü!" Upon hearing Yin Yunze's words, Guo Jing was overjoyed. "Lady Qingnü is indeed just as Brother Peng described, a true deity! Though a fox spirit, she is more benevolent than any human god! Unlike that City God, who wears human skin but does only the deeds of a beast!"

"Brother Peng?" Ignoring Guo Jing's flattery, Yin Yunze quickly picked up on the form of address.

And the only person with the surname Peng that Yin Yunze knew in this world was. "Peng Shulan?"

"Yes! Peng Shulan, Brother Peng. We are neighbors."

Upon hearing this, Guo Jing sighed, shook his head, and said, "In my youth, I was disobedient and even had many complaints about Brother Peng because of his actions. But after my death, I realized that it was I— the City God—who, after my death, ordered the ghost messengers to forbid anyone from worshipping me—"

It was Brother Peng who erected a memorial tablet for me and offered sacrifices without ceasing, which allowed me to cling to life until now. It was also from Brother Peng that I learned about the Lady Qingnü —and it was from the image of the deity that Brother Peng worshipped that I was able to behold the face of the Lady Qingnü.

"I see----"

Yin Yunze never expected that this matter would eventually involve Peng Shulan.

Of course, while Peng Shulan played a significant role in guiding the decision, the reason Guo Jing was willing to take action was Yin Yunze's establishment of a porridge stall and his act of extending credit for Fox Rice.

It was through this act of disaster relief that Guo Jing came to recognize Yin Yunze, the Lady Qingnü, as a benevolent deity.

Guo Jing's scholarly spirit made him feel that compared to him, a wicked ghost who might lose his mind and wreak havoc on the world at any time.

Clearly, Yin Yunze, this benevolent deity who helped the people, had more reason to live.

Therefore, at that time, Guo Jing helped without much thought.

This can only be described as Yin Yunze reaping the good results of his good deeds.

Having learned the ins and outs of the matter, Yin Yunze immediately had a new idea in mind.

However, seeing the fatigue on Guo Jing's face, Yin Yunze thought for a moment and decided to put it aside for now.

In any case, when dealing with that 700-year-old City God, don't expect to achieve it all in one step; you have to proceed gradually.

Thinking this, Yin Yunze said to Guo Jing, "Alright, let's stop here for today. Your injuries haven't healed yet, so focus on recovering first. Once you're fully healed, we'll discuss how to deal with the City God!"

"Thank you very much, Lady Qingnü." Although she still had something to say, Guo Jing could only return to the Soul-Capturing Pearl to recuperate due to her poor condition.

After injecting a few more Shelter to increase the concentration of Yin Qi within the Soul-Capturing Pearl, Yin Yunze handed it to the little fox girl. "Xuan'er, I'm entrusting this Soul- Soul-Capturing Pearl to you for safekeeping for now."

The little fox girl had been kept in good condition, so Yin Yunze didn't bother looking for anywhere else to store her.

Upon hearing this, the little fox girl wagged her tail and happily accepted the Soul-Capturing Pearl: "Yes! I will definitely keep Lord Guo's safe!"

Reaching out to ruffle the little fox girl's hair, Yin Yunze turned to Zhang Yufei, whom he had neglected for a long time. "Fei'er, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."