Chapter Fifteen: Pregnant with a Shadow Child

Of course, she was not a lustful female ghost, but a malevolent one. She wasn't kissing me—she was trying to beguile me. Her purpose was singular: to take my life. As to why, I could not say. Perhaps it truly was for my blood.

Seeing through her ruse, I hastily seized her arm and, with a sudden twist, pinned her beneath me. Wei Qi had already told me that the most urgent task was to capture these three escaped little ghosts. My second uncle had sent me to find Wei Qi not just to preserve my life, but also to learn from him. Since I was following him, I had a duty to help. With the Dragon Abyss Sword in my hand, I ought to put it to use.

But the strength of Yu Fang, now possessed by the ghost, was formidable. Just as I managed to press her down, she flipped me over in an instant, pinning me instead, her face contorted in a hideous, menacing snarl—the look of someone intent on biting me to death.

"Who are you? Why are you possessing Yu Fang? I have the Dragon Abyss Sword, you know!" I panted as I wrestled with the ghost.

"So what if you have the Dragon Abyss Sword? So what if you have talismans? Now that I’m inhabiting this woman’s body, do you dare kill her?" The voice was utterly different from Yu Fang’s; I recognized it—it was the same voice I’d heard in the dark room.

Kill Yu Fang? I couldn't, and I didn't dare. But this little ghost was far too brazen—not only unafraid of me, but even of my spiritual weapon. What was I to do? I recalled Wei Qi's words: some ghosts fear my blood, especially the malevolent ones.

I could not hesitate any longer. Clutching Yu Fang, I bit through my tongue, gathered a mouthful of blood, and spat it onto her face, regardless of the revulsion. Yu Fang shuddered violently, as if struck by lightning, and slowly collapsed onto the bed.

I was still shaken, unable to react, until a bloodcurdling scream erupted from the bathroom. I grabbed the Dragon Abyss Sword from under the bed and rushed over. What I saw inside was horrifying.

A woman in a blood-red dress, her hair so long it nearly hid her face, stood there. The flesh on her face sizzled and burst; I could see clearly as the decayed flesh scattered wherever my blood had touched her. In places, the bone showed through. So Wei Qi was right—some ghosts really did fear my blood.

The red-dressed ghost twisted and writhed in agony, her scissor-like hands clawing at her own face. Yellow pus oozed from her eye sockets, and she ripped the flesh from her face with her own fingers. She thrashed as if trying to twist her own neck off.

"Uhhh... Wang Dachuan, I... I’m going to kill you! I’ll eat your flesh and drink your blood!" Her voice was not as clear as before, but I heard her words. Glancing at the Dragon Abyss Sword in my hand, I was tempted to finish her off. But I remembered my grandmother’s words: always hold compassion in your heart, whether toward people, animals, or even spirits and monsters; if you can show mercy, do so—never pursue utter annihilation.

Her advice echoed in my ears. Though Wei Qi had told me to show no mercy to malevolent spirits, I decided to spare her. As I hesitated, the ghost suddenly stopped writhing, her hollow eyes fixed on me as she walked forward.

"Stay back! If you come any closer, I'll kill you!" I shouted, terrified, instinctively retreating. In that instant, she sprang at me, razor-sharp fingers lunging for my throat. Desperate, I raised the Dragon Abyss Sword to block her. With a sharp sound, the blade pierced right through her body.

I was stunned—how could a simple peach wood sword suddenly be so sharp? As the sword penetrated her, the red-dressed ghost went slack, her terrifying face losing all strength. Her arms dropped limply to her sides and she moved no more.

I stood there, dumbfounded. Had I just killed a ghost? How was that possible? I pulled the Dragon Abyss Sword from her body, and she crumpled slowly to the floor like a corpse. Staring at the withered remains, I didn't know what to do. Only when I heard Yu Fang’s shrill cry from outside did I remember there was someone else in the house.

Sword in hand, I walked out to find Yu Fang sitting there, her face streaked with blood—my blood—which now marred her once pretty face, making her look as fearsome as a ghost herself.

"Wang, what... what just happened?" Yu Fang looked at me, frightened and pitiful.

I quickly explained that she’d been possessed again. Seeing her bloodied face, I hurried to the bathroom to fetch a towel and clean her up, figuring we’d discuss what to do with the ghost afterward. If Yu Fang saw herself in the mirror now, she’d probably faint from fright.

But when I entered the bathroom, I was startled—the ghost I’d just killed was gone. Only chaotic, bloody footprints remained. Had she revived and escaped? Or...? I didn't have time to ponder. I wet a towel, returned, and while Yu Fang wiped her face, I recounted everything that had happened. The poor girl seemed numb, only nodding, not even caring where the ghost had gone.

Dawn finally arrived, but Yu Fang remained shaken, so much that she wouldn’t even go to the bathroom without me. After she’d freshened up, she left for the police station, asking if I’d stay with her again that night. I said I would if she wanted, and she replied that she’d pick me up from the hotel after work.

On the way back, I wondered who would be there for her when Wei Qi and I returned to Wei Family Vegetable Village. At the hotel, I knocked on Wei Qi’s door. He was sprawled on the bed, fast asleep, his posture suggesting he’d had a rough night too—probably spent half the night fighting ghosts like I had.

"Uncle Qi, what’s the situation?" I asked, seeing him lying there like a pig.

"We’re in big trouble. Shang Xiaoyun is pregnant," he muttered, rolling over.

I laughed and told him he was off-topic—what did Shang Xiaoyun’s pregnancy have to do with us? Wei Qi suddenly sat up. "Dachuan, it’s very much our concern. Last night, Shang Xiaoyun’s husband, now a malevolent ghost, assaulted her—she’s carrying a ghost fetus. You tell me if that involves us!"

What? That’s insane. "She got pregnant last night? How do you know?"

"Of course I know—the belly was already swollen! Ghost fetuses grow quickly. If we don’t deal with it within seven days, Shang Xiaoyun will give birth to something neither human nor ghost, and she’ll die as a result," Wei Qi said helplessly.

I was dumbstruck. So there could be such a thing as a ghost-human pregnancy? Wasn’t supernatural love supposed to be romantic? "Uncle Qi, what were you doing last night? How did you let her ex-husband get to her? What do we do now?"

"Don’t ask. We were all sleeping in the living room, she was in her bedroom. She must have dozed off, and then we heard her scream. By the time we rushed in, her stomach was already huge."

"So what now?"

"What else? Sleep first and figure it out when we wake up," Wei Qi grumbled, then promptly went back to sleep, splayed out like a pig.

I had no choice but to return to my own room. After unlocking the door, I thought of my ghost bride, Wang Ying, and the terrifying, hideous red-dressed ghost at Yu Fang’s house. It seemed ghosts, like people, could be beautiful or ugly.

The room was silent. I knew Wang Ying wouldn’t appear at this hour, so I lay down to rest. But my mind was filled with the terrifying face of the red-dressed ghost—I worried she’d return to take revenge.

"Dachuan, you’re back?" Just as my thoughts ran wild, Wang Ying’s voice came from the bathroom.

I sat bolt upright. Wasn’t she not supposed to appear in the daytime? But there she was, leaning casually against the bathroom doorframe. This was no dream.

"Wife, I’m back," I replied, feeling glum as thoughts of the red-dressed ghost lingered.

"Dachuan, why haven’t you been carrying me with you lately? Have you been out with other women at night?" Wang Ying grinned coldly, approaching me.

I could only manage a wry smile. This was bad—after spending the night with Yu Fang, her scent was inevitably on me, and I had no idea how to explain. This ghost’s nose was keener than a dog’s; she’d surely catch Yu Fang’s scent and probably strangle me again.