I Can Devour Spirits

The saying goes that poverty breeds scheming. Although Sun Huang’s family’s tragedy was catastrophic, Wang Chun was facing such dire circumstances with New Year approaching, he barely had any choice.

After the three finished their discussion, they descended from the second floor of the tea house.

Duan Rong sat there, glanced at the backs of the three, and sighed softly without expression, ”During the New Year, she just lost her husband, why did you have to target her? You could have chosen anyone else.”

Those petty thieves enjoyed discussing their plans in this tea house, something Duan Rong had long noticed.

Such trivial matters he usually ignored, but since this involved Sun Huang, considering the care Sun Huang had shown him in the escort team, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

He definitely couldn’t just watch Liu Eying endure hardship and being bullied...

At midnight, Duan Rong donned the escort master’s attire and slipped out of Liu’s House like a phantom. Expanding his Divine Sense, he avoided the patrol of guards from Yuan Shun Escort Agency and flipped over a secluded section of the courtyard wall, landing softly in a shadowy alley.

Upon landing, Duan Rong darted into the shadows like a cat.

Duan Rong used the cover of shadows, swiftly reaching the wall outside Sun Huang’s house.

Standing in the alley outside Sun Huang’s house, Duan Rong noted the eerie silence around him, the cold night sky devoid of clouds, only a crescent moon casting a bleak white glow.

Raising his gaze, Duan Rong spotted Sun Huang’s kitchen next to the courtyard wall, its chimney protruding from the roof casting a shadow like a standing figure.

Springing lightly, Duan Rong landed atop the kitchen roof like a great bird.

Pressing low against the roof, Duan Rong peered into the courtyard, and was startled to see the yellow glow from a bedroom window by the main hall.

”Did I arrive late? Have those people already made their move?”

He remembered that they planned to act at the Hour of the Ox, yet he arrived nearly an hour earlier.

Standing there, Duan Rong swiftly expanded his Divine Sense, sweeping into the bedroom.

The bedroom appeared undisturbed, with Liu Eying lying in bed, but the lamp by her bedside had its wick burnt to extinction.

This indicated the lamp had been burning for quite some time.

An intuition struck Duan Rong; Liu Eying lit the lamp as she went to sleep.

Perhaps she couldn’t endure the bleakness of darkness, and though dim, the light might provide her a hint of warmth...

Duan Rong sprang lightly, landing softly like a falling leaf in the courtyard.

His Divine Sense enveloped the courtyard, seemingly searching for something, before suddenly focusing on a black pottery jar beneath the yellow-lit window.

The jar, nearly as large as a wine jug, was originally used by Sun Huang to store stewed beef, but due to his funeral, Liu Eying had served the beef to the guests.

Now, the jar is completely empty.

Duan Rong walked slowly over to it, and as he approached the window, the yellow light from the paper-like window fell upon his face.

His face was no longer its usual dark hue but pale as paper, as if dusted with a layer of ash.

More eerily, the face wasn’t Duan Rong’s but Sun Huang’s.

Clad in escort attire, standing at the window, he appeared as if Sun Huang’s spirit had returned to visit his wife...

After leaving the tea house, Duan Rong purchased some items, returned to Liu’s House, and tried the master-level Disguise Technique from the Jadeite Ring’s spirit devoured from Fang Jingbao.

Duan Rong contemplated that while he could fend off these people once, he couldn’t guarantee others wouldn’t target Liu Eying. He had to set a trap, clearing the hidden dangers for Liu Eying once and for all.

Standing there, Duan Rong’s bones suddenly emitted a faint crunching sound as he gradually contorted his body, fitting himself into the pottery jar.

Under the solitary widow’s window in the dead of night, Duan Rong’s action carried an indescribable eeriness...

Within just two breaths, Duan Rong had shrunken entirely into the pottery jar, vanishing from sight.

In the chilly courtyard, the yellow light from the window spilled mottled patterns upon the ground, illuminating the pottery jar beneath the window.

The surroundings were enveloped in silence, with only occasional distant yowls of stray cats breaking the stillness...

About an hour later, a faint rustling emerged from the courtyard wall near the gate, followed by a shadowy figure appearing atop the wall.

The person was dressed in night clothes, face covered. As he peered over the wall, he saw a patch of yellow light in the courtyard. Instantly, he shrank back and climbed down from the wall.

Outside the wall, a faint murmur arose, like ghostly whispers in the silent night.

Then, another shadow crept up the wall, eyes darting around the courtyard, fixing on the window emitting the yellow light. He vaulted over the wall, stealthily crossing the courtyard, and approached the luminous window. From his sleeve, he pulled out a dagger, puncturing a hole in the window.

Leaning towards the hole, he peered inside and saw Liu Eying asleep on the bed. The lamp by the bed was flickering...

He straightened up and waved towards the two heads peeking over the wall.

Two shadows climbed over the wall, glancing around as they crossed the courtyard to join him.

One of them took out a stick of incense, while the other lit a flint.

The incense was lit on the flint, then inserted through the hole in the window. Whatever it was made of, it burned rapidly, disappearing segment after segment almost visibly.

In just a few moments, the small bedroom was filled with a faint smoke.

One person’s eyes gleamed as he peered through the hole, whispering, ”This seductive fragrance is strong. Not just a woman, even a burly man would fall into a deep sleep for several hours.”

Wang Chun felt a surge of joy, not expecting things to go so smoothly.

But just then, a low, hoarse voice echoed through the silent night.

”You scoundrels, what do you want with my wife?”

Wang Chun’s scalp tingled as he looked at the two beside him, angrily saying, ”Not the time for jokes.” He thought they were trying to scare him.

Both of them looked tense, waving their hands.

At that moment, the voice sounded again. ”I’m asking you a question, why don’t you answer?”

The three shivered, confirming the voice wasn’t from any of them.

”Who?” Wang Chun asked, teeth chattering with terror.

Seeing no one else around but hearing a voice nearby, they felt a chill down their spines.

Suddenly, the sound of creaking bones rose, followed by a black shadow rising from the black pottery jar beside them, expanding in size!

It was like a ghostly demon art.

Their breaths caught as they saw a man in Escort Master’s attire, face ghastly pale, standing by the window, the yellow light casting on his face.

It was Sun Huang’s face, a bloodless, pale face!

Wang Chun wet himself instantly!

The scene was bizarrely terrifying, a black shadow rising from a pottery jar, standing pale-faced by the window.

”Whoever touches my wife, I’ll kill them!”

Duan Rong grabbed the big-eyed man, the one who had inserted the seductive fragrance through the window hole.

The three were paralyzed with fear, and before they could react, Duan Rong infused him with inner breath. With a ”puff”, he crushed the man’s neck, flesh mingling with blood squeezing through Duan Rong’s fingers.

Wang Chun was already scared out of his wits, collapsing in a mess.

The one called Rat had fled in spirit, seeing the ghost grab Huang Geng, he suddenly bolted, attempting to escape.

But as he moved, Duan Rong flicked his sleeve, a faint medicinal powder sprayed over Rat’s head.

Rat froze, collapsing to the ground...

To Wang Chun, it looked like Sun Huang’s ghost waved a hand and Rat collapsed instantly.

Wang Chun was beyond terrified, his courage shattered, barely alive! He knelt, kowtowing frantically!

”Grandfather Sun Huang! Ghostly Grandfather! I’m wrong, blinded by greed... Please, for my father’s sake, spare me this once, I’ll never dare again...”

Duan Rong looked at Wang Chun’s incessant kowtowing expressionlessly, and with another flick of his sleeve, the powder sprinkled out, and Wang Chun stiffened and slumped unconscious.