Chapter 25 – I have a magic weapon

Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen

Since it was confirmed to be a wrongful death, the rest of the matter became much easier.

Master Wu Chen couldn’t help but interject, “Wait, how is it easier?”

Su Ling pointed to the footprints on the ground innocently, “Isn’t the culprit already quite obvious?”

Master Wu Chen choked up, retorting, “But where is the culprit? How did it commit the crime? Where did Mr. Qian’s soul go? How can we catch it? These questions haven’t been answered…”

“So troublesome.” Su Ling wrinkled his nose in disdain, then turned to the Judge and asked, “Judge, may I borrow your Judge’s pen?”

Master Wu Chen gave a sarcastic “Ha,” saying, “How could the Judge’s pen be lent out so casually…”

Before he could finish, the Judge voluntarily handed over the pen: [You may.]

Master Wu Chen silently covered his face—this was painful.

Su Ling happily accepted the Judge’s pen. He traced the patterns on the pen’s shaft, then pointed it in Mr. Qian’s direction, made a stroke—somehow, the sensation felt oddly familiar to Su Ling.

From all directions around the room, Mr. Qian’s soul gathered, piece by piece, under the Judge’s pen, repairing the original cracks and finally transforming into Mr. Qian’s likeness.

Mr. Qian’s eldest and second sons, who had been silently watching, couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward with tears in their eyes.

Mr. Qian’s soul was extremely faint in color, looking incredibly weak. Nevertheless, he reached out his hand and gently touched the heads of his eldest and second sons.

The second son hesitantly spoke, “Dad…”

That ethereal right hand inevitably passed through both of their bodies. Mr. Qian silently bowed his head for a long time, seeming to finally grasp the reality of his own death.

Su Ling held the Judge’s pen, but didn’t urge him to speak.

Only when Mr. Qian had calmed down did he finally speak slowly, saying, “Boss Su, thank you.”

Su Ling’s gaze was calm and profound, as if seeing through the passage of time. After a long pause, he quietly uttered two words, “Blood oath.”

Sheng Ze watched Su Ling in silence, something deep within him seemed to be stirred. His expression changed several times, until finally, like snow falling in the mountains, silently covering the various emotions buried beneath the deep snow.

Mr. Qian hung his head, not denying, “I was too foolish.”

Su Ling returned the Judge’s pen to the Judge, and that sense of profound meaning that enveloped him completely disappeared—it seemed like the same silly Su Boss as before.

Su Ling shook his head, a mix of disdain and pity in his tone, “No wonder you refused to say anything last time, turns out you made a blood oath with a ghost. By making a blood oath, you’re essentially living under its surveillance. The moment you speak, you’ll meet your end, right?”

Mr. Qian remained silent.

Su Ling couldn’t understand, “Your life is good enough—wealth and prosperity, a full house of descendants—why would you still make a deal with a ghost?”

Mr. Qian gave a bitter smile, “But the fortune of our family ends with me.”

Eldest Young Master Qian stood frozen in place.

The Judge swiftly began flipping through the Book of Life and Death, finding Eldest Young Master Qian’s fate: “Eldest Young Master Qian, male… in his youth, he will be prosperous and successful, but in his old age, he will face poverty and desolation.”

The young Taoist blurted out, “That’s too tragic!”

Su Ling was also surprised, at a loss for words on how to comfort them.

Mr. Qian looked mournful, “As I’ve grown older, I don’t really care much about my own fate. I’ve been hoping for the future of the next generation.”

The young Taoist Qihuang nodded along, feeling a sense of sorrow.

Master Wu Chen reached out and smacked the young Taoist on the back of his head, saying, “You don’t even have a girlfriend, what do you know?”

“Well, in any case, you want to exchange some good fortune for your offspring, right? I understand.” Su Ling tried to steer the conversation back, curious, “What did you trade for? Your lifespan?”

“How could that be possible? I still want to hold my grandchildren!” Mr. Qian said, “I just thought… to share a bit of my fortune with them…”

Su Ling suddenly realized, “I see, so you ended up reneging on the deal?”

Mr. Qian nodded in frustration.

Su Ling sighed, “Money belongs to the earthly realm, you can’t bring it when you’re born, can’t take it when you die. So if you don’t agree, even the ghost can’t forcefully take it.”

Mr. Qian awkwardly cleared his throat, softly explaining, “That’s also something a certain Taoist reminded me of. As long as I don’t agree, the ghost can’t take me away.”

Su Ling clapped his hands, “And then the ghost uses a black cat’s body to harass you, scare you, drive you mad, ultimately forcing you to fulfill the deal… No, since you’re already dead, perhaps that black cat isn’t satisfied with the original deal anymore, but wants your lifespan, right?”

At this point, Su Ling basically figured out the whole story.

Mr. Qian said indignantly, “The ghost is harming people, Boss Su, please help me!”

Su Ling looked disdainful, “That’s not right, right? If you don’t have any grudges, it means you willingly offered up your life.”

Mr. Qian was firm, “Impossible!”

Su Ling squinted, “Are you sure you didn’t make any new deals with the black cat? It doesn’t have to be formal, maybe you just casually agreed to something…”

Prompted by Su Ling, Mr. Qian vaguely recalled saying something like, “If you want this life, then take it”?

Damn, was he being played?

He was on the verge of collapse and said that offhandedly?

Su Ling insincerely expressed regret, “Tsk, how pitiful.”

After saying that, Su Ling turned back and earnestly advised the two young Taoists, “See? This is the consequence of talking nonsense to spirits.”

The young Taoists nodded obediently, indicating they wouldn’t speak carelessly.

Master Wu Chen:…

Why does he always feel a sense of impending danger of being third-wheeled?

Eldest Young Master Qian quickly sought Su Ling’s help, “Boss Su, my dad was deceived! You have to find a way to help us.”

Su Ling rolled his eyes, “How can I help? You made the deal yourself, and what you said, you must fulfill, even if you kneel!”

Eldest Young Master Qian stuttered, then changed tack, “Well, what about malevolent spirits harming people? You can’t just ignore that, right?”

This seemed to strike a chord with Su Ling. After seriously contemplating for a moment, he surprisingly nodded, “Makes sense, we need to get that black cat back.”

The Judge quietly floated over, approached Su Ling, and emitted black mist with dignity, asking, “Need any help?”

Su Ling waved his hands repeatedly, boldly refusing, “No need, I have a divine weapon! It’s mighty and fierce, capable of taking on hundreds at once!”

Sheng Ze raised an eyebrow, suppressing his inner restlessness and pride, subtly puffing out his chest, ready to step in at any moment.

Su Ling clasped his hands and clapped three times.

Then, a huge silkworm baby descended from the sky—Thud—its chubby body creating a deep pit upon landing.

The silkworm baby cooed cutely at Su Ling, then joyfully and confidently lifted its upper body.

Round and chubby.

Indeed—

Extremely mighty.

Extremely fierce.

Capable of taking on hundreds.

Sheng Ze:…

The Judge:…

Eldest Young Master Qian:…

Isn’t this the monster that was captured from the Qian family a few days ago?!

Su Ling didn’t consider the impending panic of the others; after releasing the silkworm baby, he raised his hand and formed a seal.

With his movement, a delightful and unique fragrance gradually filled the room.

Mr. Qian sniffed and was intrigued, “What’s that smell? It’s so enticing…”

Su Ling glanced at him, his eyes subtle and playful, “It’s the smell of human qi. The aroma of human flesh, simply referred to as human qi.”

Mr. Qian: !!!

Su Ling nodded sympathetically, “Yes, because you made a deal with a ghost, you are now also part of the evil spirits. However, before you harm anyone, I will hand you over to the underworld.”

Su Ling licked his teeth, comfortingly saying, “This way, you won’t have a chance to do evil, and you won’t end up in hell. Aren’t you feeling lucky and thankful that you met me?”

Mr. Qian:…

Perhaps, a little bit.

After a few minutes of the fragrance lingering in the air, a faint noise was heard from the window sill.

Instinctively, everyone looked in that direction.

The black cat skillfully crossed the windowsill, its thick pads landing on the ground, supposed to be silent. However, perhaps due to the incense Su Ling had laid out, the footsteps of the black cat suddenly became remarkably clear.

The black cat’s eyes glowed with a bloody hue, greedily looking towards Su Ling, its fur bristling, appearing fierce and menacing.

Su Ling shook his head disappointingly, “Once you’ve developed a desire for human flesh, I can only send you to the underworld.”

—Otherwise, he wanted to keep it in the company to keep the silkworm baby company!

“Tuanzi, attack!” Su Ling pointed his finger, commanding.

Tuanzi wriggled its body and swiftly pounced.

Su Ling withdrew the seal, naturally removing the scent for the black cat, returning its eyes to their normal shiny green.

It let out a roar at the silkworm baby, extending sharp claws, engaging in a fierce fight.

“Guji!”

“Meow!”

“Guji Guji!”

“Meow meow meow!”

…

Onlookers watched in astonishment at this pet battle royale¹Lmao imagine pokemon.

Judge Wu casually produced a bag of sunflower seeds from somewhere and shared them with everyone. So, except for Tuanzi and the black cat, everyone stood on the sidelines, eagerly enjoying the show.

Su Ling: “Tuanzi truly lives up to its name, with that body slam, the black cat must be close to coughing up blood.”

Master Wu Chen: “The black cat is no pushover either, those claws, tsk tsk, that fat, tsk tsk tsk…”

Young Taoist Qihuang: “Actually, truth be told, they’re fighting quite intensely, very majestic.”

Young Taoist Shanyao: “But for some reason, with this Guji-ing and meowing in the background…”

The Judge couldn’t resist joining in with a cloud of black mist: [It just looks extra silly!]

Author’s note:

Silkworm Baby: Have any shame? Do any of you ghosts have any shame? You actually let a pet like me take on that ferocious black cat!

Black Cat: Meow—!

Silkworm Baby: You dare provoke me? Just wait—Guji! Guji Guji!

Onlookers munching on sunflower seeds: Crunch crunch crunch…

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• 1
  Lmao imagine pokemon