Chapter 20: Reduced to Ashes

“Don’t… don’t… don’t hurt my grandmother!” The little spirit girl clung to Shang Wuyong’s leg, her upturned face full of pleading.

Seeing her like this, my heart ached with a dull pain.

“I am not your grandmother! What use is your begging! Who do you think you are?” The old woman’s face twisted with ferocity as she shrieked at the little spirit girl.

“You shameless old hag! I’ll destroy you!” Shang Wuyong roared in fury. He quickly formed a complicated series of hand seals, then launched an attack at the old woman.

“No!” The little spirit girl hurriedly let go of Shang Wuyong’s leg, trying to leap up and block the attack.

But she had already been gravely wounded by a sword-finger earlier; her soul was badly hurt. She simply couldn’t get up.

“You think I’m afraid of you?!” the old woman snarled menacingly, advancing instead of retreating, her sharp claws raised high as she pounced at Shang Wuyong.

There was a heavy thud. Shang Wuyong staggered back four or five steps before regaining his balance.

Looking at the old woman, her soul had grown much more insubstantial, and the sickly green tinge on her face had faded considerably.

It was clear from this brief clash that both sides had underestimated each other’s strength. Both had suffered for it and were wounded.

But comparatively, the old woman was hurt a bit more severely.

“Brother! Are you alright?” Shang Wuwei called out, rushing over in two strides to shield Shang Wuyong, his voice filled with concern.

Shang Wuyong kept his mouth tightly shut, his throat moving as he forced himself to swallow the blood that threatened to spill out.

“Brother! Are you alright?” Shang Wuwei asked again.

Shang Wuyong finally caught his breath, glaring at Shang Wuwei. “I… I’m your elder brother!”

Ah… the two of them, honestly…

I didn’t even know what to say. Was this really the time to argue about that?

“You little wretch, aren’t you coming over here? Do you really want them to beat me to death?” At that moment, the old woman, her face twisted in pain, shouted sharply.

The little spirit girl had been caught in the crossfire during their clash. She’d been thrown aside by the shock, and now lay weakly against the wall nearby.

Hearing the old woman’s words, she struggled, then slowly began crawling toward her.

I was so enraged I let out a furious roar, quickly pulling out a Spirit-Binding Talisman and tossing it at the little spirit girl.

“Restrain!” With my low incantation, the talisman exploded, transforming into chains that bound the little spirit girl tightly.

“Aah!” The little spirit girl let out a heart-wrenching scream, struggling with all her might.

If she were at her full strength, my talisman could never have held her. But now, she was gravely injured and couldn’t break free.

“Stop moving!” I called to her, my heart aching.

The situation was perfectly clear now. This little spirit girl was Gu Xiaogang’s daughter. After attaching herself to that dog named Da Jin, she’d managed to grow into a four- or five-year-old child.

After the old woman’s death, she’d treated the little spirit girl with cruelty.

It was plain to see, no matter how the old woman treated her, the little spirit girl obeyed her every command, even risking everything to protect her.

Faced with this, who could bear to hurt such a pitiful child?

“Grandma! Run… run now! You’re no match for them! Please, go!” The little spirit girl, realizing she couldn’t break free of my talisman, lay on the ground and cried out to the old woman.

Hearing her shout, my heart ached terribly.

But the old woman remained unmoved, pointing at the still-struggling spirit girl and yelling, “You have no right to call me grandma! Useless thing! Didn’t you say I’m supposed to be powerful now? Then why can’t I even defeat these two little bastards? You lied to me! You must have! I knew it, you never wished me well!”

“Damn it! I’m done with you!” My anger blazed. The little spirit girl had done everything for her, and yet the old woman not only showed no gratitude but kept on cursing her.

She’d barely been a month old when the old woman killed her. Even now, the wretched old hag felt not a shred of remorse, only spewing venom.

I stood with my compass and cane, chanting incantations, forcibly drawing on the scant spiritual energy within me as I charged at the old woman.

With my chant, the compass needle spun rapidly.

Then I drew out a talisman and, with a stroke across the compass, spiritual energy leaped into my hand.

I used that energy to activate the talisman—one of Master’s Heavenly Pentathunder Talismans, of the fifth rank in the White Tier.

This was the strongest attack I could currently muster.

“Restrain!”

With a low shout, the talisman shot out from my hand.

The old woman sensed its approach and shrieked, charging at it with ferocity.

Lightning crackled as the talisman exploded, halting the old woman’s charge and making her scream in pain.

Even with the boost from my spirit power, the White-Tier fifth-rank talisman still wasn’t powerful enough. Even injured, the old woman was barely harmed.

“Xiaowei! Step aside! Let me!” Shang Wuwei shouted to me.

He bit his tongue, spitting blood into his palm, then quickly formed hand seals and murmured incantations.

“Evil beast, die!” he bellowed, leaping high into the air.

“Grandma!” The little spirit girl, bound by my talisman, screamed in agony.

There was a thunderous crash.

The old woman, still reeling from my talisman, had no chance to react before Shang Wuwei’s attack crashed down like a mountain.

“Wretched girl, why aren’t you—” The old woman was still cursing, but her words turned into a shriek before she could finish.

Shang Wuwei landed, stumbling back two steps before barely steadying himself. His face was deathly pale; it was clear this attack had cost him greatly.

“Grandma…” The little spirit girl was still calling out, but her voice had grown weak.

After Shang Wuwei’s strike, the old woman’s soul had scattered into mist and vanished.

“Damn, she got off easy! I should have ripped out her soul, refined it, turned it into an oil lamp, and let her suffer a thousand years!” Shang Wuwei glared furiously at the dissipating mist.

He was right. Such an old woman deserved no pity. Destroying her soul like this was too merciful.

“Grandma!” The little spirit girl collapsed to the ground, still whispering the word.

Looking at her, I opened my mouth, but found myself at a loss for words.

Shang Wuwei, however, called out to her, “Little one, stop calling her! That old woman was wicked—she’s not worth your grief!”

“But… she was my grandma!” The little spirit girl looked at us with heartbreaking innocence.

Her words made my heart tremble and my eyes sting with sudden tears.

Such a simple, honest reason.

Even Shang Wuwei, usually so unfiltered and blunt, let out a long sigh and said nothing more.

“Little sister, do you… do you have any last wishes?” I took a few steps closer and asked her gently.

I knew she could no longer be sent to the underworld to reincarnate. In her state, it wouldn’t be long before her soul scattered and vanished completely.

“I… I…” The little spirit girl pursed her lips, looking as if she wanted to cry.

But she couldn’t. She was only a ghost, after all.

Ghosts have no tears.

“Would you like to see your father?” I asked.

“Yes!” She nodded eagerly, hope lighting up her eyes.

“Then I’ll bring your father and mother to see you, alright?” I said.

“Yes! Yes! But…” She was delighted, but soon lowered her head in disappointment.

“It’s alright. Trust me. They love you.” My heart ached, but I forced a gentle smile and spoke softly to her.

She nodded silently.

Seeing this, I quickly turned and shouted to Guo Shiping, “Hurry! Go fetch Gu Xiaogang and his wife—quick!”

Guo Shiping, hearing my words, immediately ran off to find them.