"Heh, you said even my master would give you three points of respect, but look, the moment my senior brother made a move, you couldn’t even last a few moves. Don’t try to act all high and mighty. Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?" Su Qing mocked the Ghost Granny, who was still lying on the ground.

Yang Tian was indeed impressive. He instantly saw through the Ghost Granny’s witchcraft and subdued her in a few moves. Her paper spirits and Yin soldiers were no match for him.

If it weren’t for the overwhelming strength disparity, the Ghost Granny wouldn’t have been defeated so easily. It seemed she could only play her tricks in front of us juniors.

"Kill me if you want. Don’t waste time talking," the Ghost Granny said defiantly, still trying to hold on.

I found this strange. Wasn’t she supposed to be an old woman? Why did she look no older than thirty? Xiaozi Xing said she was 28 when she married the paper ritual master, which should have been many years ago.

"Ghost Granny, Ghost Granny… I thought you were an old hag," I muttered, puzzled by the situation.

The Ghost Granny sneered, "You believe rumors? I was only 18 when I married the paper ritual master, and that was just over a decade ago. I have many enemies, so I rarely show my face. Only a few have seen me."

So, she had many enemies? That made things more interesting. Why not hand her over to them? She wasn’t begging for mercy, so she was essentially admitting that we wouldn’t dare kill her. After all, killing someone in this era meant paying with our own lives, and as righteous people, we wouldn’t resort to murder, nor would we cover it up with special methods. Killing her wouldn’t be worth it.

But if we handed her over to her enemies… Considering her appearance, it seemed likely that she would wish she were dead.

The Ghost Granny’s expression shifted when she realized what I was thinking. She hadn’t expected me to be so "despicable."

"Heh, it’s too late. You’ve missed your chance to kill me. We’ll meet again," she said coldly. She suddenly bit off one of her fingers, and blood sprayed from the stump, splashing onto her body.

In that instant, white smoke started rising from her body. She began to wilt, her skin changing color, and finally, she transformed into a paper effigy.

What kind of sorcery was this? How could a living person suddenly transform into a paper figure? Where did the Ghost Granny go?

Yang Tian furrowed his brows and muttered, "Cutting off her finger to save herself... Looks like I underestimated her."

He then turned and looked at a tree behind us, where a black talisman was hanging. Yang Tian used his peach wood sword to take it down.

Most talismans are yellow, but I had never seen a black talisman before. This one didn’t look like the traditional yellow ones. Its symbols were snake-like, and the ends featured skulls, with traces of blood smeared across it. It looked eerie and sinister.

Yang Tian explained that the black talisman was an evil talisman, one that only malevolent sorcerers would use. The Ghost Granny’s witchcraft wasn’t particularly powerful, but when combined with the paper ritual, it became more mysterious. He had underestimated her, which allowed her to escape.

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When Yang Tian removed the black talisman, the dark clouds surrounding the area dispersed, and the sun finally broke through, shining on our faces.

The dew had been gathered, and the Ghost Granny had been driven off, so we could finally deal with the Corpse Fetus.

Yang Tian had brought a Corpse-Dissolving Talisman for Xu Meng, and the best part was that he didn’t ask for any money. He simply said that he would talk to me later, and the talisman would be considered a personal favor.

Talk to me? But we barely knew each other. What could he possibly want to discuss? This was our first meeting, after all.

When I asked him about it, he kept it a secret, saying he would explain after we dealt with the Corpse Fetus.

Su Qing was annoyed, asking why Yang Tian hadn’t spoken to her in so long, but was now eager to talk to someone he’d just met. She acted like a little fan in front of him, and it was clear that she had a crush on him.

But Yang Tian remained cold and quiet, barely responding. Even when Su Qing, with her beauty, tried to act cute and asked for a hug, he didn’t react at all. He was colder than Dai Jieying. Yet, the way he looked at Su Qing had that warm, protective brotherly vibe.

Back at Xu Meng’s place, Yang Tian mixed the Corpse-Dissolving Talisman with the morning dew, then began chanting, making intricate gestures with his fingers as he performed the ritual.

About ten minutes later, the talisman dissolved into the dew. Xu Meng took the mixture in a bowl and drank it.

At first, Xu Meng didn’t feel much, but gradually, she began to feel a wriggling sensation in her stomach. The pain intensified, and her face turned pale as she gasped, "It feels like something inside me is moving… it… it wants to come out!"

Su Qing cursed. She hadn’t expected the Corpse Fetus to have consciousness so soon. If it kept thrashing like this, Xu Meng would be in trouble. The Corpse-Dissolving Talisman didn’t take effect immediately.

At that moment, Yang Tian shouted with great force, "Demon, you don’t belong in this world! If you dare show yourself, I will make sure your soul is obliterated and you’ll never be able to reincarnate!"

His voice echoed with such power that it seemed to suppress the presence inside Xu Meng. Her pain diminished significantly. Half an hour later, her stomach stopped cramping, and though she was covered in blood, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

Gradually, her stomach flattened, and everything seemed to return to normal. The Corpse Fetus had been successfully expelled.

Xu Meng, now pale and weak, was clearly exhausted, but she was going to be fine. She suddenly dropped to her knees and thanked us profusely, saying that no one had ever been so kind to her in her life.

Xu Meng was truly pitiable. Just as the Ghost Granny had said, her fate had been a cruel one, burdened with misfortune since birth.

I quickly helped her up, telling her not to thank us. She needed to focus on resting, and we didn’t need any gratitude. It was enough that we had helped her.

With the Corpse Fetus issue resolved, Yang Tian didn’t stay any longer. He chose to return with me to the tattoo shop, while Su Qing rushed back to school for her early class.

When we arrived at the tattoo shop, I noticed that Xiaozi Xing was absent. It was strange. I called him, but he didn’t pick up. There was no message left behind either.

I turned to Yang Tian and asked, "Yang Tian, this is our first time meeting. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Without a word, Yang Tian immediately removed his Taoist robe, revealing his broad back.

I was taken aback.

Across his entire back was a tattoo that left me speechless—it was… the King of Hell!

Getting a King of Hell tattoo was no small matter. The King of Hell is the ruler of ghosts and spirits, and a symbol of judgment over the undead. It was known for its ability to absorb Yin energy.

A King of Hell tattoo was extremely ominous. If someone’s Yang energy was weak, it was better not to get one. If you could withstand it, the tattoo could suppress ghosts, bring good fortune, and protect you from evil. But if you couldn’t handle it, the King of Hell would cause you to be crushed by its power, leading to death. This tattoo was more dangerous than one of the "Eyeless Guan Gong," and if you failed to endure it, you would suffer unimaginable torment in the afterlife.

Tattoo placement was crucial. When placed on the back, it was said to protect against evil spirits and even save your life in perilous situations.

I looked closely at the tattoo, noticing that its ink seemed to be ghostly in nature—an Yin-type ink. What kind of spirit was used for a tattoo like this? The thought of it intrigued me.