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The golden light emanating from Ming Fei's talismans was infused with the yang energy of heaven and earth.
When it shone upon a person, it would feel warm and comforting. However, for malevolent spirits, this golden light was akin to boiling hot oil—contact with it caused their flesh to disintegrate and their insides to combust.
Though Ming Fei had yet to awaken her spiritual eyes and could not see the ghostly infant, her other senses remained intact, and she could still hear sounds.
The piercing shriek nearly ruptured her eardrums. She reflexively clamped her hands over her ears, but it took her a moment to process what was happening.
Meanwhile, Ruan Zhengzheng, who had been visibly agitated just moments ago, suddenly shot to her feet. Her face turned deathly pale.
"What… What have you done to my Xing'er?!"
Seeing the infant writhing in agony on the floor, her gaze turned venomous as she glared at Ming Fei. The pretense of friendliness she had maintained earlier vanished without a trace, replaced by an expression that seemed ready to devour someone alive.
Ming Fei was momentarily stunned by the woman's enraged face. But when she connected the dots with the earlier shriek, realization dawned on her—this woman had attacked her just moments ago!
"This is my question to you!"
"Do you really think no one will find out what you've done?"
With no need to keep up appearances any longer, Ming Fei's demeanor instantly turned icy cold.
She sneered at the woman, utterly disgusted by the audacity to accuse others so brazenly while harboring such malicious intent herself.
And judging by the woman's reaction, it was clear that her secret weapon had been dismantled by the master's intervention.
This newfound confidence emboldened Ming Fei.
"There's always someone stronger than you. Your failure today guarantees that everything you stole will be returned to me."
"No… It can't be… I won't lose!"
Perhaps it was Ming Fei's overwhelming confidence that sent a shiver down Ruan Zhengzheng's spine. Despite her attempts to conceal it, her panic was evident.
It was understandable—her most powerful trick had been shattered in an instant by Ming Fei.
Without her tricks, and with an unpredictable master aiding her opponent, how could she possibly hold onto the stolen luck?
Even though no one answered, Ruan Zhengzheng knew deep down that she couldn't defend it.
After all, she had grown accustomed to the benefits of her sudden rise to fame and was now completely addicted to them.
To take all of that away and reduce her back to obscurity was something she simply couldn't accept.
Without hesitation, she shoved Ming Fei aside, scooped up the wailing ghostly infant, and attempted to flee.
"Think you can escape? Not a chance!" Ming Fei wasn't about to let her get away so easily. With lightning-fast reflexes, she blocked her path.
Driven by the urgency to rid herself of misfortune, Ming Fei unleashed an unexpected burst of strength. Grabbing the woman by her hair, a fierce struggle erupted between them.
Ruan Zhengzheng was startled by the woman's sudden ferocity. The sharp pain in her scalp forced her to fight back.
But with the ghostly infant in her arms, she was at a disadvantage. In the midst of their scuffle, she suddenly felt her arms go empty.
Looking down, she realized the infant she had been holding was gone.
This revelation left her momentarily stunned, followed by a frantic search.
Her eyes darted around until they landed on three figures emerging from the bedroom.
Leading the way was none other than a three-and-a-half-year-old child.
The adorable little girl, with her snow-white complexion tinged pink, was wrapped in a pitch-black chain.
At the other end of the chain was the missing infant, now bound tightly.
Sensing imminent danger, the infant thrashed violently, but its struggles were futile against the soul-binding chain representing the laws of the underworld.
"It turns out this little one belongs to you, Big Sister. No wonder it listens to you so obediently," Yaoyao remarked casually.
She glanced at the grotesque ghostly infant before noticing the maternal connection between it and the woman fighting Ming Fei. This confirmed that they were indeed mother and child.
Her small face crinkled like a dumpling at the realization.
Infants who perish just before birth carry immense resentment within their undeveloped bodies, making them prime candidates for becoming malevolent spirits. Their powers far exceed those of ordinary ghosts, and due to their incomplete consciousness, they are both strong and easy to control—ideal tools for sinister purposes.
Thus, despite its prohibition in Daoist practices, many practitioners secretly raise ghostly infants.
Among these methods, there is one particularly expedient approach: using one's own flesh and blood.
By killing their own child just before birth—when it is most hopeful about entering the world—the resulting resentment surpasses that of any other method. Such infants are born with abilities rivaling those of red ghosts.
However, this method is exceedingly cruel, violating the principles of heaven, earth, and humanity, and is universally condemned.
Yaoyao had only heard tales of this practice from the old Taoist priest. To witness it firsthand was shocking, and since she hadn't concealed her discovery, everyone present was equally stunned.
After all, infanticide, ghost-raising, and stealing fortune were each explosive topics on their own.
And here was a woman guilty of all three.
"You monster! How could you harm your own child like this? Are you even human?"
Especially for Ming Fei, who already despised Ruan Zhengzheng for her use of black magic, learning that the woman had not only harmed her but also raised her own child as a ghost filled her with revulsion.
Only someone with a thoroughly rotten heart could commit such atrocities!
Yet, instead of anger, Ruan Zhengzheng merely laughed in response. "Am I a monster? Hahahaha, you're absolutely right—I am insane."
"When that child's father swindled me out of all my savings and destroyed my career three years ago, I lost my mind."
"Why should I give birth to a son for that scum? I'm perfectly satisfied with how things turned out."
"He'll help me seize good fortune, ensuring I live comfortably and even more gloriously than before. Isn't that wonderful?"
If it weren't for being caught by the person in front of her, life would have been incredibly sweet.
Bloodshot veins now surfaced in Ruan Zhengzheng's eyes, her features contorting into a grotesque mask.
She glared fiercely at Yaoyao and Ming Fei, devoid of remorse, her eyes brimming with malice.
In her view, raising a ghost wasn't wrong—it was her hesitation that had been the mistake, giving her opponents time to find a master capable of countering her.
Had she acted sooner, everything would have been hers.
Her words left Yaoyao and the others in stunned silence. In her twisted logic, they saw pure, unadulterated evil—a manifestation of wickedness too difficult to comprehend.