Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

Ning Qiu Ning took one last look at the mansion before turning her gaze to the small box placed beside her.

A fresh start is necessary.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Confidence or Contempt?

The next day, it was already dark.

Chu Xunfeng pushed open the door to the small courtyard early in the morning, his exhaustion and excitement barely concealed, and strode towards Old Wang and the two ghosts, Hongzhu and Ergui, who seemed to be talking around the stone table.

"Young master." The two men also heard the noise and stood up to greet him.

After a period of mental preparation last night, Hongzhu has made up her mind to follow Chu Xunfeng down this dark path.

A change in mindset naturally leads to a change in attitude. Leaving aside the respect and solemnity, a truly serious attitude naturally brings about seriousness.

Chu Xunfeng glanced at Hongzhu, nodded slightly, and sat down on the stone bench. With a flick of his wrist, he placed a bulging pouch on the stone table. The pouch was full of Yin Qi beads. "Hongzhu, your task today is very simple: scatter these things throughout the Ghost Market. Don't worry too much about the method, and you don't need to deliberately conceal your tracks."

"Don't worry too much about the troubles that follow. If you can use them to create value, that's your skill too." Chu Xunfeng looked at the red-dressed female ghost who had perked up. "My only requirement is that it be natural."

Hongzhu understood Chu Xunfeng's meaning almost immediately, and subtly scattered these beads, which were not as pure as the Yin Qi beads seen the previous night, into the Ghost Market.

"Then, your task tomorrow won't be easy either. Use your connections to spread the word about the existence of Yin Qi Pearls." Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes. "The method already exists. Even for less refined Yin Qi Pearls, there are methods for mass production. Today was just the beginning; tomorrow..."

“The existence of the Yin Qi Pearl will attract the attention of the Foreigners’ Council.” Hongzhu smiled confidently. “If you asked me to do something important, I might not be able to guarantee that I could do it. But the things you just instructed me to do... I am confident that I can do them without leaving a trace.”

“No, the traces need to remain.” Chu Xunfeng glanced at the red candle, and seeing the female ghost hesitate for a moment, he explained briefly, “Otherwise, how could anyone find this courtyard?”

“So, let it happen naturally. What we’re doing isn’t a bad thing; it’s just a deliberate attempt to attract attention from those with ulterior motives.” Chu Xunfeng tapped the table, and after Hongzhu nodded, the young man turned to look at Old Wang.

“Old Wang, Hongzhu is going to see a lot of ghosts today. I don’t expect you to be of any help to her, but I hope you can go with her to broaden your horizons and learn about your other kin.”

Hongzhu smacked her lips. She couldn't say whether Chu Xunfeng intended for Old Wang to keep an eye on her, but she couldn't deny that this arrangement was somewhat necessary.

"I understand." Old Wang nodded vigorously. He had the same idea as Hongzhu. Young Master Chu's arrangement meant that he should keep an eye on things to prevent Hongzhu from embezzling these Yin Qi Pearls or to urge her to do her job.

"Remember, everything revolves around Hongzhu. How she does things is her own business. I'm entrusting the task to her, and you just need to learn from her how to do things." Seeing the two ghosts' different expressions, Chu Xunfeng explained his intention directly to prevent them from getting confused and messing things up.

"As for whether things will succeed or not, let me know the results." Chu Xunfeng glanced at Old Wang, who seemed lost in thought, and Hongzhu, who seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and nodded slightly. "Go, and report back to me when you return."

Old Wang nodded, while Hongzhu, with a broad smile, stood up and nodded vigorously to Chu Xunfeng, "Then we'll go."

Chu Xunfeng watched the two ghosts leave the courtyard and let out a long sigh of relief.

Outside the door, Old Wang followed behind Hongzhu, remaining silent.

“Old Wang, actually, at first I thought the same thing as you, that Young Master Chu wanted you to follow me so that you could keep an eye on me or monitor me or something…” Hongzhu directly cut to the chase and looked back at the middle-aged man following behind her.

"Hmm." Old Wang didn't think he could hide his shrewdness from Young Master Chu and Hongzhu, who was much smarter than him.

“However, we’ve all misunderstood one thing.” Hongzhu looked at Old Wang’s expression and suddenly chuckled, quite self-deprecatingly, “Young Master Chu doesn’t care at all. This bag represents a lot of things.”

As Hongzhu spoke, she shook the bundle of Yin Qi beads she was carrying. "This is the future of the Ghost Clan, the key to unlocking the doors of the Ghost Council. For us Ghosts, the existence, value, and method of creating Yin Qi beads represent endless wealth, and perhaps a more stable way to increase our strength..."

"But for Young Master Chu, who can create such a thing, its value is not much different from that of a roadside stone." Hongzhu was not explaining these things to Old Wang out of kindness.

Rather, it was out of gratitude for Chu Xunfeng's trust.

Even if she is a ghost, even if she is full of obsessions, it doesn't mean that she is a complete madwoman.

She didn't understand why Young Master Chu valued Old Wang so much, but under that premise, she could still extend some goodwill to Old Wang. Besides... she wasn't truly unaware of the situation.

At least, Old Wang and the ghosts she had previously introduced and befriended were quite different.

Old Wang was surprised for a moment, then tried to follow up on Hongzhu's words, "So... even if you really did keep these beads for yourself, the young master wouldn't mind?"

“No, Young Master Chu would mind. He might immediately choose to cooperate with another ‘Black Candle,’ ‘White Candle,’ or ‘Green Candle’…” Red Candle laughed self-deprecatingly. “Trust and contempt, I myself don’t understand Young Master Chu’s thoughts, but perhaps it’s appropriate to say he’s confident.”

As a result, combined with what Hongzhu said and Chu Xunfeng's attitude towards these Yin Qi beads, Old Wang understood.

“Young Master Chu is a landlord...you are a tenant farmer...and these beads are not seedlings...they are land?” Old Wang said uncertainly, while observing Hongzhu’s expression.

"Pretty much. If you really want to know how to make Yin Qi beads, it's through the land. These beads are just ripe grains." Hongzhu nodded. "As long as you have those not-so-outstanding resources, anyone can replace me. If you're smart enough, I wouldn't mind letting you do this all by yourself."

“Having control of the land, one naturally doesn’t care about the tenant farmers’ thoughts, or even their actions. The ability to create Yin Qi Pearls is the most important thing; everything else is irrelevant to Young Master Chu.” Hongzhu tossed the bag containing the Yin Qi Pearls to Old Wang.

Old Wang, who was still pondering the connection, was startled and hurriedly caught the bag, looking at Hongzhu with a puzzled expression.

“You keep it. When I ask, you take the beads out of the bag and give them to those people.” Hongzhu smiled at Old Wang’s puzzled expression. “As for why you should do this, when I go to meet people later, you have to do something to leave an impression on them.”

Old Wang nodded thoughtfully.

"Try to be more capable. You can't make a good person out of nothing, especially not among the demons."

“Young Master is not a member of the Ghost Clan, but he has his own business to attend to. Once he has finished his business and leaves the Ghost Clan, you will have to rely on yourself for everything.”

"While the young master is willing to help you, do your best."

Old Wang, clutching the bulging bag, nodded vigorously. "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Hongzhu."

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Malice That Submerges Beliefs

"Miss Hongzhu, shall we just contact three people?" Old Wang secretly weighed the brocade pouch in his hand; at least half of the Yin Qi Pearls were still ungiven away.

It was already noon, but the two ghosts hadn't even completed half of their task.

“I don’t really trust them, so we have to keep most of it ourselves, and then… use the help of those three people to disperse the remaining Yin Qi beads.”

"Miss Hongzhu, not to be rude... but do you really think those three women you found will cooperate?"

It's not surprising that Lao Wang has such a question.

After all, in Lao Wang's opinion, of the three people Hongzhu had approached today, apart from the young clerk he had met once before, the other two ghosts had not had pleasant interactions.

One of the ghosts got into a heated argument, and Old Wang didn't dare say a word. The other one started fighting as soon as they met. It was only because Hongzhu was strong enough to suppress the other one that Old Wang and Hongzhu could still go out on the street.

"Don't worry, since you've asked me to come and learn from you, I've naturally selected a few representative figures to contact." Hongzhu waved her hand dismissively. "Whether it's a verbal altercation, a physical fight, or a transaction based on good relationships, the Ghost Clan is a place where trade reigns supreme. As long as it's not a matter of life and death, like someone killing you and making you an enemy of the Ghost Clan, there's nothing that can't be discussed..."

"But no matter how many times I say this, it's not as real as letting you experience it firsthand." Hongzhu turned to look at Lao Wang with a half-smile. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Old Wang nodded. He kept Chu Xunfeng's instructions in mind and followed Hongzhu's lead in everything. Since Hongzhu had explained and was confident, Old Wang naturally wouldn't raise any objections. He obediently followed Hongzhu as they approached the most prosperous street corner in the Ghost City center.

“You haven’t cultivated before, so you’re a better target. In a moment…” Hongzhu turned to look at Old Wang behind her at the edge of the crowd. The female ghost hadn’t finished speaking when Old Wang was about to listen to Hongzhu’s next instructions.

A small figure suddenly darted out from behind Old Wang. Hongzhu paused abruptly, causing Old Wang to look at her with renewed attention, completely unaware of the figure that had appeared behind him.

With the help of both inside and outside, the short figure effortlessly chopped off Old Wang's fairly bulging fanny pack.

Old Wang was taken aback. Hongzhu deliberately lowered her voice and said to Old Wang, "Shout, 'Stop thief!'"

Old Wang was stunned for a moment. Everything happened too suddenly. Reminded by Hongzhu, he didn't even think before shouting at the crowded intersection, "Stop thief! Someone's robbing someone!"

Old Wang's shout was truly hoarse and desperate.

The already quiet street corner fell silent instantly, except for the child ghost who had snatched the small cloth bag from Old Wang's hand and was struggling to squeeze into the crowd.

After shouting, Old Wang didn't care about anything else and rushed straight towards the child-like ghost who was about to disappear from his sight.

He seemed to have completely forgotten that there was a girl named Hongzhu beside him.

Hongzhu stood with her arms crossed, silently watching as Lao Wang struggled to push through the crowd and headed towards his ally.

When acting, you naturally need people who don't know the truth to play the roles naturally, so that it looks more like the real thing.

There are naturally no enthusiastic people among the demons who would help catch thieves on the street. At this intersection, almost every demon chose the same option: to stand by and watch, without deliberately blocking or making way.

Old Wang, holding his breath, charged fiercely through the horde of ghosts.

The thief looked back several times, only to see Old Wang, whose eyes were almost bloodshot, getting closer and closer. Feeling that the distance was about right, the thief gritted his teeth, untied the cloth bag in his hand, and casually flung it out, spilling out all the Yin Sha Pearls and Yin Qi Pearls.

Old Wang was stunned. In that brief moment, only the clattering sound of the tough beads rolling to the ground echoed among the crowd.

The thief disappeared into the crowd and vanished from Old Wang's sight completely.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from somewhere in the silent crowd, "Rob it!"

In an instant, as if a ladle of water had been poured into boiling oil, the ghost horde erupted into chaos. In that instant, as far as the eye could see, all the ghosts rushed forward like madmen, each using their own means to snatch the Yin Sha Pearls that were rolling all over the ground.

Old Wang stood there blankly, then subconsciously turned around to look behind him.

Hongzhu grabbed Lao Wang and pulled him into the crowd. The two ghosts were quickly swallowed up by the surging crowd and disappeared without a trace. Not even a single ghost noticed them.

Every member of the ghost clan wants to find one or two Yin Sha Pearls to make a fortune.

Deep within the ghost market, amidst a maze of alleyways, Red Candle looked at Old Wang, who was still in a daze, and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Wh...what?" Old Wang stared blankly at the red candle.

"Ghost Clan, at that intersection just now, the malice of those people." Red Candle looked at Old Wang, who had a dazed expression, and smiled self-deprecatingly. "Did you feel a suffocating sensation, like waves of malice crashing down on you from all directions?"

Old Wang nodded silently.

"Alright, our mission is complete. There's nothing more for us to do now. Let's head back." Hongzhu called to Lao Wang as they prepared to return to their lodgings.

Old Wang stood there, then suddenly asked, "Why?"

"What?" Hongzhu stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the middle-aged man who appeared to be a member of the ghost clan. "Are you asking why I did this? Or about the plan or something? Or are you asking about the ghost clan?"

“All of them…” Old Wang was silent for a few seconds, “Those things just now, were they part of your plan?”

"More or less." Hongzhu nodded. "This is indeed the quickest and most convenient method, and it leaves behind quite a few clues, perfectly completing the task assigned to me by the young master. As for why this method was chosen..."

"Didn't the young master want you to broaden your horizons?" Hongzhu acted as if she didn't care, staring at Old Wang's dazed eyes. "That scene just now, you could say you barely got a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of the Ghost Clan, right?"

"You told me before that the existence of the Oni race cannot be judged solely by appearances..."