Chapter 13: Such an Ugly Old Ghost Part 2

The Dead Old Lady staggered around the circle like she was on stilts, emitting one screech after another like nails on metal. Then she swung her Cane at the red rope—or more precisely, at the copper coins and bells strung on it! The heavy Cane smashed down, shattering a bell if it hit one, breaking a coin if it struck one! Fortunately, these were not her Seven Ancient Copper Coins. These cheap trinkets from roadside stalls meant nothing to Wang Ya when destroyed! But once the Dead Old Lady smashed all the bells and coins, she would break free and come for her! Wang Ya could not let the Dead Old Lady keep smashing like this. Her eyes darted around, lingering on the raised Ebony Staff for two sweeps.

This Ebony Staff was indeed a fine item—sturdy and durable, more powerful than a steel pipe when swung. Most importantly, it worked well against people, ghosts, copper, and scrap iron alike. Even these treated but inferior copper coins counted as minor Magic Artifacts, made of copper with hard soil beneath—not steel plates—to absorb some force, yet they still shattered under one blow from the Ebony Staff! Wang Ya was young and had no need for a cane, but her seventy-something Grandma had leg issues from an old injury and now relied on a cane due to frequent pain in her advancing years. Once she dealt with this Old Ghost, picking up the Ebony Staff to give to her Grandma would be great! She did not mind that it had been used by a corpse—it was their line of work to deal with Yin Spirits and ghosts. If one minded the bad luck, one wouldn’t do it!

Wang Ya had no intention of killing for treasure. Anyway, it was just her and the Dead Old Lady here. Once she eliminated the Dead Old Lady, the Cane would be unclaimed. If she didn’t take it, Zheng Yanxia that cheapskate would get it when she arrived—Wang Ya wouldn’t allow that! Besides, selling this Cane would fetch far more than a million!

Wang Ya’s thoughts lingered on the Cane only briefly before returning to the Dead Old Lady. In that instant, over a dozen copper coins and bells on the red rope had been smashed, even sending some standing Willow Branches flying, opening a gap over a foot wide in the circle enclosing the Dead Old Lady. The Dead Old Lady lifted her crippled right leg to charge through the opening.

Wang Ya reacted swiftly, grabbing one ancient bronze coin from the Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation on the ground and flicking it with her fingers. It struck the Dead Old Lady’s extending right leg squarely, sending her flying back into the red rope on the other side, bouncing her back into the circle where she sprawled like a giant Turtle. Beneath her was a floor of Glutinous Rice. As the Dead Old Lady pressed down on it, sizzling sounds rose with blue smoke. She let out guttural wails, convulsing like she had malaria, her standing leg bones staggering several times before steadying.

In the brief moment the Dead Old Lady fell, Wang Ya seized the Seven Ancient Copper Coins and swiftly placed them around the circle in the Big Dipper Seven Stars positions. As the last ancient bronze coin fell into place, the Dead Old Lady shrieked as if thrown into a fire, rolling madly on the ground. That piercing wail was unlike any Wang Ya had heard—like a ghost’s trembling soul vibrating the air into a howl.

Wang Ya sneered inwardly. Comparing the coins from Zheng Yanxia to her own Seven Ancient Copper Coins and their damage to this Ancient Old Ghost, she thoroughly despised Zheng Yanxia.

Suddenly, the Dead Old Lady crawled up again, holding the Cane in front of her and charging outward like a madwoman! She looked as if freshly struck by lightning, blue smoke rising from her whole body. Her hair and scalp fell off together, exposing a horrifying skull. Her facial skin peeled inch by inch, chunks of flesh and rotten clothes sloughing off her body—she had become a hopping mass of putrid meat.

And at that moment, this mass of hopping rotten meat swung its Cane wildly at her ancient bronze coins! The Cane whistled through the air with a “whoosh.”

Hearing that sound, Wang Ya had no doubt that even a cow standing there would have its spine snapped by the Dead Old Lady’s Cane. Cold sweat broke out as she thought of her ancient bronze coins! She could not reach out to retrieve them and dismantle the Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation—the moment she did, the Old Ghost’s Cane would smash down on her. Coins or life? Wang Ya unhesitatingly chose life! But she could not just watch her ancient bronze coins get destroyed!

Wang Ya lunged to her backpack, grabbed it, intending to block the Dead Old Lady’s Cane—at least to slow it and absorb some force for rescue. But just as she seized the backpack, a “buzz” vibrated the air—not loudly, but shaking her eardrums with a “buzz.” Wang Ya cried out in agony, “My money!” She scrambled over, only to see the copper coins lying intact on the ground. Instead, the Dead Old Lady had crashed heavily into the center of the Big Dipper Seven Stars Formation, her rotten flesh splattering everywhere!

The rotten flesh smoked blue, oozed disgusting corpse fluid, and released an even thicker stench, making Wang Ya retch repeatedly. If she hadn’t emptied her stomach earlier, she would have vomited again.

Unable to bear the overpowering stink, Wang Ya pinched her nose and retreated repeatedly. She discovered bits of flesh splattered on her own clothes and jumped in disgust, shaking them off frantically! As she shook twice, she saw the Dead Old Lady crawling up again. Now, the Dead Old Lady’s flesh had sloughed off to expose bones throughout, with rotten muscles clinging. Her abdominal skin and flesh were gone, revealing pitch-black innards that dropped in foul clumps! After rising, the Dead Old Lady did not swing the Cane at the ancient bronze coins again but held it horizontally across her chest and charged toward the array’s edge with her leg bones!