Chapter 13: Jade Puppet

Lu Qingzhen!

That Yin Official who insisted on shoving Jiang Huaining at her as a wife!

She did not look quite like that sticky, terrifying mess from that night. Without the disheveled hair covering her face, she appeared much better looking.

Lu Qingzhen grumbled twice and crawled up from the ground.

She pulled out a piece of black floral cloth and wiped her face, slowly revealing her originally pale skin and the few clusters of blue flames painted on her left cheek. “Although your spirit power origin is fire, you could still learn from Qiu Luo. Ask me first if I have time before summoning me, so I can mentally prepare. What if I was busy?”

“Heh, you’re the one the Netherworld sent to monitor our Four Spirits Shop. When we call you, you could possibly be busy?”

“What monitoring? You make it sound so ugly. I’m an important bridge for cooperation between the Netherworld and the Four Spirits Shop. Show me some respect.”

Xia Yu sat back down, crossed her legs, and sipped her wine. “I’m not Qiu Luo. I have no interest in doing extra things.”

“How is it extra?” Lu Qingzhen was not convinced. She sat fiercely across from Xia Yu. “Look at Qiu Luo. Not only is she the strongest among you four, but she’s also the gentlest. Don’t you have anything to say about that?”

Xia Yu clearly blanked out for a long moment before she came back to herself. “She’s lucky.”

“What kind of talk is that? Don’t all you Four Spirits share the same fate?”

Lu Qingzhen was dissatisfied with Xia Yu’s answer, but Xia Yu clearly did not want to chat with her anymore. She pointed at Yu Ruoyin, who was constantly minimizing her presence. “Our boss lady has something to ask you.”

“Boss lady?” Lu Qingzhen’s curiosity was instantly piqued. Her gaze turned to Yu Ruoyin. “It really is you!”

Lu Qingzhen’s expression gradually grew excited. She rubbed her hands eagerly. “How about it? Isn’t Boss Jiang a good wife?”

Xia Yu kicked fiercely at Lu Qingzhen’s ankle. “I called you here to answer questions, not to gossip.”

“You!” Lu Qingzhen winced in pain and sucked in a cold breath. She glared at Xia Yu several times. “If you’re asking me questions, then by business rules, you should help me out with a little something too.”

“Dream on.”

Xia Yu’s firm tone made Lu Qingzhen’s face fall. She glanced sidelong at Yu Ruoyin with her peripheral vision and suddenly perked up again. “Little sister, what do you say?”

“Me?” Yu Ruoyin shook her head. “I probably can’t help.”

Lu Qingzhen grew even more excited. “No problem. As long as you’re willing to help, your wife definitely won’t ignore you.”

She had designs on Jiang Huaining.

Xia Yu kicked her again, utterly speechless. “The Four Spirits’ duty is to manage the four seasons, not to clean up the Netherworld’s messes.”

“What kind of talk is that? The Netherworld never causes trouble.” Lu Qingzhen acted like old acquaintances with Xia Yu as she sat beside her. “If it was about souls, I wouldn’t be begging you. It’s zombies.”

The moment she heard it was zombies, even Xia Yu took some interest. “What level?”

“Jade Corpses!” Lu Qingzhen continued. “It’s strange. Ever since the Tomb Raiding Sect declined, it’s been rare to see any powerful zombies. In the past two days, two jade corpses suddenly appeared in Chong City, throwing the yin-yang world into panic. Seniors from the Maoshan Sect and Pinghu Mountain have already come out of seclusion. The Corpse-Driving Sect and Zhuang Family are also mobilizing. But zombies of this level last appeared over four thousand years ago. None of these successors have ever dealt with jade corpses. I figured if you lent a hand, it could reduce casualties. After all, you have experience against jade corpses.”

“Shut up.” Xia Yu, who had just been listening intently, looked unwell the moment Lu Qingzhen mentioned the events from over four thousand years ago.

She wanted Lu Qingzhen to shut up, but a faint cough sounded from the stairs.

Jiang Huaining had come downstairs at some point. She asked Lu Qingzhen, “Are you sure they’re jade corpses?”

Jiang Huaining’s condition looked much better than yesterday, but her mood was poor. She glowered darkly at Xia Yu and the table full of wine.

Xia Yu shot up at top speed, swept all the wine bottles off the table, and rushed to the back kitchen. Vomiting sounds soon followed from inside.

Not only Yu Ruoyin, even Lu Qingzhen watched in a daze. “What’s she doing?”

Yu Ruoyin came back to herself. “Auntie Ning said last night she didn’t want to see her drinking anymore.”

“No wonder then.” Lu Qingzhen chuckled happily, more than willing to see Xia Yu in such a sorry state. “If she doesn’t puke it up herself, Boss Jiang has plenty of ways to make her.”

“Right, Jiang…”

Lu Qingzhen wanted Jiang Huaining’s agreement, but she froze mid-sentence the moment she looked over.

Jiang Huaining had put on lipstick, which made her complexion look much better.

But Lu Qingzhen was a Yin Official. Her eyes were not like Yu Ruoyin’s.

She abruptly stood up, walked to the base of the stairs, looked up at Jiang Huaining, and said in disbelief, “Boss Jiang, your aura…”

Lu Qingzhen vaguely sensed something off and immediately pulled out a black jade token.

The jade quality looked similar to Jiang Huaining’s and Xia Yu’s black jade tokens, but the style had a more distinct difference. Hers was engraved on the back with a prominent ‘Yin’ character.

Black mist billowed out from the black jade token in her palm. The mist drifted straight toward Yu Ruoyin.

As the black mist approached, Yu Ruoyin felt a chill blast over her, making her hands and feet stiffen uncontrollably.

Suddenly, a stream of heat flowed out from the Red Jade Fruit and dispersed the chill for her.

Not only that, the Red Jade Fruit also emitted dazzling red light, instantly scattering the black mist.

Lu Qingzhen watched her too, but her gaze was not friendly. “How is that possible?”

She looked incredulously at Jiang Huaining. “Boss Jiang, your wife stole your spirit power.”

Jiang Huaining looked at her calmly. “You said she’s my wife yourself. How could it be stealing?”

“That’s not right! Anyone who takes your spirit power isn’t a proper match!” Lu Qingzhen looked at Jiang Huaining, then at Yu Ruoyin, gradually going frantic. “If those people outside find out the Four Spirits Shop owner has lost her power, it might turn into chaos like over four thousand years ago. For something this important, how could you not discuss it at all with Nether King?”

“Enough.” Jiang Huaining cut off Lu Qingzhen, clearly unwilling to let her continue.

Jiang Huaining wanted Lu Qingzhen to stop, but Lu Qingzhen had completely lost control. “No, I have to report this to the Nether King right away. The Four Spirits Shop shouldn’t open for business for now. We can’t let the regular customers notice anything. The news must be sealed. And Boss Jiang, you need to take back your spirit power quickly.”

“A’Zhen, quiet down.” Jiang Huaining suppressed the urge to cover Lu Qingzhen’s mouth. “It’s only half my spirit power. Besides, I can still use the spirit power on her.”

This time, Yu Ruoyin understood. She subconsciously reached out to touch the Red Jade Fruit.

This Red Jade Fruit was not some proof of identity at all. It was the condensation of half of Jiang Huaining’s spirit power.

Jiang Huaining’s calm response only made Lu Qingzhen more frantic. “Boss Jiang, you should still remember how chaotic things got back then. You… those great demons, which one was easy to deal with? Half your spirit power isn’t enough. You can use the spirit power on her, but if she’s unwilling to let you, forcibly using it will inevitably damage you. You… you’re confused!”

This fruit was actually so important.

No wonder Jiang Huaining said she did not need to learn spells to fight ghosts. She had already given her the best magic tool.

Half the spirit power of a ten-thousand-year spirit. Even if Yu Ruoyin knew nothing, she understood how weighty this gift was.

Last night, she had even blamed Jiang Huaining for brushing her off. She…

Yu Ruoyin felt deeply guilty. Noticing her little mood, Jiang Huaining quickly grabbed Lu Qingzhen. “A’Zhen, quiet.”

Jiang Huaining’s tone sharpened a bit.

Lu Qingzhen hurriedly put away the black jade token and nodded in agreement.

She was far more respectful to Jiang Huaining than Xia Yu was.

Yu Ruoyin thought of Xia Yu.

Xia Yu had just finished vomiting and came out from the back kitchen. The alcohol smell on her had dissipated, and she seemed much more sober.

Her attitude had improved too. She even spoke up for Jiang Huaining. “Lu Qingzhen, even if our boss became a cripple, I’m not dead yet. Do you think those demons would dare act out with me around?”

“You?” Lu Qingzhen did not have nearly as good an attitude toward Xia Yu as she did toward Jiang Huaining. She glanced disdainfully at Xia Yu. “You wish Boss Jiang dead every day. It’d already be good if you didn’t take the chance to stab her.”

Xia Yu laughed in anger. “Heh, then is your Nether King dead?”

“Lord Nether King.” Mentioning the Nether King calmed Lu Qingzhen down. Her eyes rolled as she came up with an idea. “Fine, I’ll report this to the Nether King. I hope she’ll agree to let me stay at the Four Spirits Shop.”

Even Jiang Huaining was a bit surprised by Lu Qingzhen’s change. “You want to move in?”

“Yes.” Lu Qingzhen puffed out her chest and pointed at Xia Yu. “I need to protect your safety, and keep an eye on her.”

“Idiot.” Xia Yu sneered maliciously. “If I really wanted to do something, you couldn’t watch me.”

“I know that, of course. But as long as we get through the summer, it’ll be fine.”

Xia Yu stared coldly at Lu Qingzhen. “I’ll kill you before autumn comes.”

Lu Qingzhen refused to back down. She craned her neck. “Go ahead and kill me. As the bridge connecting the Netherworld and the Four Spirits Shop, dying at a spirit’s hand is my fate!”

Lu Qingzhen struck a pose ready for heroic sacrifice. Jiang Huaining watched, finding it both funny and exasperating.

She did not join in Lu Qingzhen and Xia Yu’s argument. She walked to Yu Ruoyin’s side. “A’Yin.”

Ever since she learned how extraordinary the Red Jade Fruit was, Yu Ruoyin had been very quiet. She was not stupid and had some ability to sum things up. She could glean a lot from Lu Qingzhen and Jiang Huaining’s conversation.

Jiang Huaining’s status meant she needed great power. Not only to suppress great demons, but also to manage disobedient employees like Xia Yu.

She was just an ordinary person. She did not deserve half of Jiang Huaining’s spirit power.

This was probably why Xia Yu had called Lu Qingzhen before Jiang Huaining woke up. She was Jiang Huaining’s employee, so Jiang Huaining could control her mouth. But Lu Qingzhen did not answer to Jiang Huaining. She wanted to use Lu Qingzhen’s mouth to reveal the truth, make her feel inferior, and make her return the spirit power on her own.

If that was really the case, then Xia Yu had undoubtedly succeeded. It also proved that Xia Yu’s attitude toward Jiang Huaining was not as bad as she let on.

Yu Ruoyin looked up and said very seriously, “Auntie Ning, take back your spirit power.”

Ignoring how Jiang Huaining’s expression instantly worsened, she continued. “Won’t you teach me how to use talisman paper? Once I learn to use talisman paper, I’ll have the ability to protect myself. There’s no need to take back what’s yours.”

“Good girl!” Lu Qingzhen was overjoyed at her plea.

In contrast, Jiang Huaining’s face darkened. She coldly pushed away the approaching Lu Qingzhen and gently stroked Yu Ruoyin’s head. “Good girl, she was just talking nonsense earlier. Don’t believe a word of it.”

After Jiang Huaining spoke, her lip color paled a shade.

The one lying was not Lu Qingzhen. It was her.

Yu Ruoyin subconsciously supported Jiang Huaining and whispered carefully in her ear, “Pretty wife, I really don’t need the spirit power.”

She deliberately tried to coax Jiang Huaining, but Jiang Huaining did not buy it. She expressionlessly shifted her gaze away. “A’Zhen, can you confirm it’s jade corpses?”

She ignored Yu Ruoyin and steered the conversation back to the main topic.

Lu Qingzhen wanted to persuade her more, but Jiang Huaining’s poor complexion made her hold back.

“It’s not entirely certain. Everyone who’s seen a jade corpse up close is dead. Their souls were devoured too. We could only extract some soul fragments from the remains to judge, but the power felt very similar, and the killing method matched jade corpses too.”

Jiang Huaining paused, then suddenly said, “It might be jade puppets.”