I logged into Mr. Zombie

After nightfall, the Li family's courtyard was already packed with people.

The noisy neighbors and gesticulating elders made the place a chaotic mess.

The handsome young man was talking to Boss Li.

Mr. Li completely denied the haunting of his home, claiming that his family had accumulated good deeds for generations and that a virtuous family would not attract misfortune.

"The Taoist priest has arrived!"

As the crowd parted, a handsome Taoist priest with a tall and upright figure approached.

With a steady gait, he walked with a brisk pace.

He's just too young, making it hard to believe he has real talent.

But many people present had bought his talismans and firmly believed that he truly possessed magical powers.

"That demon possesses immense magical power. You shouldn't have joined in out of mere curiosity and put yourselves in danger." The Taoist's first words startled everyone.

"Taoist Master, can't you even protect us here?"

Yes, we're with you.

That's how people are; they have no sense of crisis until danger actually happens in front of them.

Seeing that his attempts to dissuade it were futile, the young Taoist priest had no choice but to take out a talisman and instructed, "You must carry this talisman with you at all times. If that thing has no grudge against you, it will not harm you. If you are really afraid, recite the name of the deity on the talisman."

"We've long heard that the master has a way to protect us!"

"Master, could you give me a few more? I want to keep them at home."

"It has to be the Taoist priest, a true master."

With many people around, their previous fear seemed like an illusion, and some of the bolder ones even began to discuss whether the culprit was actually a locust spirit.

Suddenly a very faint sound rang out.

"Who?"

The room fell silent instantly.

I can't hear clearly.

But because they couldn't hear clearly, people were afraid, so they held their breath and tried hard to listen carefully.

There was the sound of a woman crying and sobbing outside the door.

Someone said, "It sounds like it's coming from the old locust tree."

Everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, and their hair stood on end.

"Waaah~" The woman's sobbing suddenly rang out, as if it had come from a great distance and suddenly appeared right next to her ear.

Everyone was trembling with fear, but no one dared to run away. They clutched the talismans given to them by the young Taoist priest and subconsciously recited the names of the gods on the talismans.

"The Celestial Guardian of the Heavenly Might, the Mysterious Flood Dragon, the Holy General of the Mighty Spirit..."

The dark clouds completely blocked out the light overhead, and the yard was pitch black, with nothing visible.

A wisp of will-o'-the-wisp suddenly lit up.

"what!"

The scene was noisy.

"It's haunted! It's really haunted!" someone shouted.

Some people screamed so hard they were heartbroken, almost passing out.

A gust of cold wind swept through the hall, slapping against everyone's faces.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the dark sky, and moonlight shone down. A disheveled woman stood in the doorway, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Mr. Li stared wide-eyed, panting heavily.

"Waaah~" the woman sobbed, her head bowed. "Do you still remember me? You killed me back then..."

"Shut up, you charlatan!"

Boss Li roared angrily, his body trembling.

"What is he going to do?" someone exclaimed.

To everyone's surprise, Mr. Li rushed over in a fit of rage, as if he intended to fight her to the death.

"I'd always heard that Mr. Li didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but I never imagined he was so brave." Some people expressed their admiration.

Mr. Li was not lying before, as he was able to face the evil spirits right in front of him without fear.

Mr. Li took two steps, but then collapsed to the ground with a thud and remained motionless.

When the others looked again, they found that the strange woman had disappeared.

"Taoist priest, master, immortal! Where is the female ghost?" Someone had already knelt down beside the young Taoist priest.

It wasn't out of awe, but because my legs were too weak to stand up.

"You all wait here!" The young Taoist priest said solemnly as he strode out.

The others craned their necks to look, feeling the cold wind whistling into their collars. It was pitch black all around, and a shrill-sounding female ghost could emerge from any corner.

"Wait, I'll go with you!" The handsome young man hurriedly followed.

Seeing this, the others, as if they had found a leader, huddled together and followed, afraid of being left behind.

Mr. Li lay motionless on the ground. When he was turned over, his face was ashen, and he was already dead.

A crowd of people huddled together in front of the locust tree.

The young Taoist priest shook his head and sighed: "So that's how it is. She wasn't a vicious female ghost, just a pitiful woman."

The handsome young man seemed to be reading something, his tone stiff and his intonation unchanging: "So it's the work of the Locust Tree Fairy?"

It sounds like he's responding to a joke.

Even the people next to him couldn't help but glance at him a couple more times.

There really are people in this world who speak like they're reading a book.

“Not the Immortal of the Locust Tree.” The Taoist priest glanced at the handsome young man, as if complaining that his acting was too poor and lacked emotion.

He took two steps and came to the locust tree. He said with great emotion, "It is a sacred tree. It was originally able to protect this place for a long time, but the resentment here is getting stronger and stronger, and it can no longer suppress it."

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized that the locust tree was not an evil demon, but a divine tree.

The young Taoist priest pointed to the ground: "Dig this up."

Some of the bolder people came and dug up the ground, only to find a corpse buried inside.

"Why is there a corpse buried in Mr. Li's house?"

"It looks like a female corpse."

The person buried had already decomposed, but the clothes had not yet decayed, making it easy to identify the gender.

The Taoist priest remained silent, then pointed to another place: "And here too."

After unearthing several corpses, even without saying a word, everyone had their own conclusion.

The only person who could successfully bury a body under the nose of Mr. Li of the Li family could be himself.

Considering his wives, servants, and others who either died or disappeared in his home, the truth becomes clear.

As for the exact reason, Mr. Li, who had already collapsed and died, probably could not answer that for them.

Some people reacted quickly and kowtowed to the locust tree.

This led everyone else to kneel down.

Strands of spiritual light emanated from the locust tree, transforming into a blurry figure that bowed to the young Taoist priest, saying, "Thank you, Heavenly Venerable."

……

"What exactly happened?" the seventh princess asked, still wearing her makeup.

With long hair draped over her shoulders and her face smeared with white paint, her pale face, now revealed after the eerie environment was gone, only made her look adorable.

“Mr. Li’s wife had an affair and he killed her with his own hands, burying her in the yard. Later, the maid who accidentally found out about this was also dealt with,” Tan Wenjie said. “After that, he became fond of the feeling of killing and often couldn’t control himself.”

Seventh Princess: "So he was scared to death like that?"

"Perhaps it's because I've done too many bad things."

"At least Qiu Rou can inherit this store, and she can live a comfortable life after giving birth to her child."

Tan Wenjie shook his head.

Even the kindest relatives and friends cannot turn a blind eye to such a mountain of wealth; all the lack of conflict stems from the fact that the benefits are not yet sufficient.

However, there's no need to explain this to the Seventh Princess.

If Qiu Rou were a smart person, she would know that the most urgent thing is to find a man. For a pregnant woman, the wealth of the Li family is not a blessing or a curse, but a death sentence.

There's no need to worry about a woman who understands that a mother's status depends on her son.

Leaving the Li residence.

The Seventh Princess removed her makeup and transformed back into her original fairy-like appearance: "So that locust tree was the one you wanted to enlighten, huh? Cousin Erlang, why are you looking at me like that? Didn't you wash yourself properly?"

Yang Jian:"……"

It's better to keep some things from the Seventh Princess; being able to participate in them personally would be an interesting experience.

If you were to explain to her that Tan Wenjie was actually tricking her into pretending to be a ghost, and that there was no need for such a huge sacrifice, I reckon Princess Seven would be furious.

When I turned to look at Tan Wenjie again, I found that he winked at me and held up a finger.

Lie.

"Are you two hiding something from me?" The Seventh Princess keenly sensed that something was amiss.

"I mean, you're amazing. Without you pretending to be a female ghost, there would definitely be no way to clear the name of the locust tree spirit. It might have really become a scapegoat and been burned to charcoal. The Seventh Princess has done a great service."

The seventh princess proudly raised her chin, then realized something was amiss.

"Are you trying to soothe a child?"

I was caught. I need to adjust my attitude and try to soothe children over ten years old next time.

Tan Wenjie patted his money bag: "Come on, I'll treat you to something to eat."

The way he changed the subject was so awkward that even Yang Jian, who was standing next to him, thought it was outrageous. Had Brother Jie's interpersonal skills declined? That shouldn't be the case.

Moreover, he knew that his cousin, the Seventh Princess, was clever and quick-witted, and there was no way she could be distracted.

Another argument was inevitable, and this wasn't the first or second time the two of them had argued.

Yang Jian was prepared to mediate the fight, but things did not go as he expected.

The Seventh Princess skipped in front of Tan Wenjie, walked backwards with her hands behind her back, and asked, "How much did you cheat?"

Tan Wenjie's expression was serious: "How can you say it's a lie? If you convert to the faith of Celestial Venerable Tan, demons will stay away."

"Pfft!" The Seventh Princess burst out laughing. Yang Jian: "..."

Is it that Tan Wenjie's deception skills have declined, or is Princess Qi's cleverness just dulled today? It's a bit hard to tell.

"Give me some!" The Seventh Princess raised her hand.

Tan Wenjie stepped aside: "Hey, you're still trying to snatch it?"

In the early morning, more and more pedestrians appeared.

The three people and one dog walked away into the distance along with the rising sun.

However, the person and dog in the background seem a bit superfluous.

"I'll treat you to some fine wine another day."

"Seventh Princess, what are you saying? Money is nothing but dirt in my eyes, it can't compare to the friendship between us. Take it and spend it as you please!"

"Haha, the money's in hand! Cousin, come quick, your big sister's treating you to something delicious, but don't give him any."

Yang Jian, who had been left behind, quickened his pace: "We're here."

He couldn't help but think to himself, "If only my third sister were here too, with Brother Jie and my cousin here, everyone would be happy."

This is the life he wanted.

After shopping in the morning and having a simple meal, Yang Jian was about to leave to return to Guanjiangkou.

The man and his dog left.

Tan Wenjie looked at the Seventh Princess who was following beside him: "Seventh Princess, aren't you going back?"

The Seventh Princess said, "A day in heaven is a year on earth. It's no big deal for me to spend three to five months in the mortal realm."

"No wonder."

"What's so strange?"

"If your celestial maidens disappear for a day or two, no one will even know. In the mortal world, a year or two will have passed in the blink of an eye, and by then the children will have been born."

The Seventh Princess blushed slightly, glanced quickly at Tan Wenjie's profile, then lowered her eyes again: "Do you really think all celestial maidens yearn for the mortal world?"

Tan Wenjie didn't speak, he just kept counting on his fingers.

"what are you doing?"

“Count them.”

He had heard of many stories of fairies falling in love with mortals, stories that were bound to happen in the future: the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, the Seventh Princess and Dong Yong, the Third Holy Mother and Liu Yanchang, and later, the fairy of the Pixiang Palace and Kui Mulang, and so on.

Seventh Princess: "..."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

The longer I spend with Tan Wenjie, the more often I roll my eyes at him, yet he's the most amusing one.

"The Weaver Girl longs for the mortal world? I would never do that," the Seventh Princess emphasized, but noticing Tan Wenjie's very impolite gaze, she asked, "What's with that look? Don't you believe me?"

Tan Wenjie nodded: "I believe you!"

“I swear!” said the Seventh Princess.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Tan Wenjie raised his hand to cover her mouth. "Don't blame her if she's upset. Heaven is above, she was just talking nonsense."

The Seventh Princess pulled his hand away: "Pah! You still don't believe me."

"I believe you!" His answer was still very straightforward.

He believed in the fairy-like girls' love-struck minds, which would immediately take effect when the time came.

The Seventh Princess is now vowing to make things difficult for her future self.

"I believe you, but what if?"

"Is there anyone in this world who can make me yearn for the mortal world?" The Seventh Princess rolled her eyes at him.

The tragic end of her own aunt Yao Ji, the decline of the Weaver Girl, and other such events all served as reminders to her that her desire to enter the mortal world would not end well.

Fairies should be independent and self-reliant.

"Where are you going next?" the Seventh Princess asked.

"Of course I'm going back to work. If you're really curious, why don't you come with me for a day and I'll show you how tiring it is for us grassroots workers."

Grassroots level?

It must be another word Tan Wenjie created himself; it was her first time hearing it, but that didn't prevent her from understanding it.

She did not refuse Tan Wenjie's suggestion, as she also wanted to see how the famous Tan Tianzun handled worldly affairs and how he inspected the Three Realms.

Weiling Temple.

After years of development, the temple has been expanded once again, standing against the mountain with stone steps spiraling upwards.

The rich aroma of incense wafts through the air.

"The master is back!" The judge and others shouted excitedly when they saw Tan Wenjie arrive.

However, upon seeing the Seventh Princess, they shrank back abruptly.

"Seventh Princess!"

"Go and get the book." Tan Wenjie walked to the altar of his idol, picked up a peach and took a bite. "Today, the Seventh Princess is working with me."

"Huh?" The judges exchanged bewildered glances. "Sir, this...this isn't appropriate."

"You are the masters, and I am the master?"

"Yes!"

They obediently handed the book to the Seventh Princess with both hands.

"This is where the pilgrims request their offerings, this is what's happening in our sphere of influence, this is the visiting cards from fellow cultivators in the surrounding area, this is..."

After quickly explaining how to use it, they wisely withdrew.

Tan Wenjie sits imposingly in a chair in front of the offering table. To the average person, the clay sculpture appears to be glaring and exuding divine power, but in reality, there is a living deity sitting in the chair.

The Seventh Princess turned to the first page: "Three hundred miles away, a water ghost is harming people."

"Dispatch troops to drive away the ghost."

"Soldiers and horses?" the Seventh Princess asked, puzzled.

"Shadow puppets and soldiers? Forget it, I'll do it myself." Tan Wenjie bent down, picked up the token on the table, and said, "Next."

“A kind person has passed away.”

"Bestow merit upon him, escort him into reincarnation, and grant him great fortune and longevity in his next life."

"besides……"

"..."

The Seventh Princess talked for a long time, until her mouth was dry.

I never expected to talk so much with Tan Wenjie, and now my throat hurts.

"Couldn't you hire a few more celestial officials?"

"Huh?" Tan Wenjie was lost in thought. "What did you say?"

"I say, you should hire more celestial officials to do your work."

“Impossible.” Tan Wenjie shook his head. “The positions of the celestial officials in each temple are fixed.”

The Seventh Princess did indeed remind him that it's not easy to do things alone, but raising a large number of private soldiers under the watchful eye of the Heavenly Court is simply asking for trouble.

Some things have to be done secretly.

Working at the grassroots level is tiring, but it's not Tan Wenjie who is tired.

The Seventh Princess could clearly see that the other person had dozed off several times, only managing a couple of perfunctory "uh-huhs".

After that, she simply stopped asking questions and approved everything she could help with herself. Asking a question was just a waste of her voice.

By evening, the seventh princess herself became dazed and started yawning incessantly.

In a distant corner, they were anxiously watching the judge's register, fearing that the Seventh Princess might make a mistake and they would have to do the work. They didn't even dare to cause trouble for the Seventh Princess.

"I am a devout woman and wish to ask for a marriage." The person entered the hall and kowtowed.

The seventh princess instantly perked up; she was no longer sleepy when this was mentioned.

Tan Wenjie, who was shaken awake by being grabbed by the arm: "..."

Does he hold any of the following divine roles: matchmaker, god of happiness, or god of marriage? Although he can cut the red thread of fate and help people find a partner.

Being too devoted to a believer is not necessarily a good thing, as it can easily lead to taking on work outside one's authority.

The woman was a young lady from a prestigious family, but the man she loved was a poor, pedantic scholar. She dared not let her family know about this, but she hoped that she and her lover could be together forever, so she came here to pray to the gods.

It just so happens that Tan Wenjie also has a divination tool, but he rarely uses it. As long as the request is reasonable, he will grant it.

The water chestnut cup bounced several times after hitting the ground.

The interplay of yin and yang signifies the agreement of the divine.

Before the woman could even rejoice, the Holy Grail, which had fallen to the ground, rolled twice and transformed into a Yin Grail.

"God, do you also believe that it's impossible for us?"

The woman didn't believe it and threw the cup again.

But no matter how many times she throws it, it will eventually turn into a yin cup.

"What are you doing?" The Seventh Princess finally couldn't help but question Tan Wenjie as he squatted on the ground and reached out to turn the water chestnut cup.

Tan Wenjie turned his head and asked, "What is she here for?"

Seventh Princess: "Please pray to the gods."

Tan Wenjie nodded: "Yes, that's why God doesn't agree."

“Even if you don’t approve, I will still marry him!” The woman suddenly stood up, turned around and left resolutely.

“You will lose a believer,” the Seventh Princess said.

“This is called the Liang-Zhu… Romeo and Juliet effect.” Tan Wenjie paused before continuing, “The stronger the external obstacles, the stronger their relationship will be. If they really have divine help and everything goes too smoothly, they will break up quickly even if they are together.”

The Seventh Princess simply didn't believe it, thinking that Tan Wenjie was just making things up.

"Is being well-matched in social and economic status really that important?"

“Important.” Tan Wenjie nodded.

Only when families are of similar economic standing can they share the same values; otherwise, a simple outhouse would be enough to scare away 99% of the rich girls who want to elope for love.

We need to exclude the absolute best of those obsessed with romance, like the Seventh Princess. (End of Chapter)