The Grudge Bride Liu Yiyi**
"Huh?! How did this drop too?!"
The Daoist didn't find a ghost core, but instead seemed to have discovered something else.
Ning Chen didn't pay it much attention.
After all, it didn't give Merit Points.
"Ahem—"
A dry cough drew the Daoist's attention back.
The Daoist, who had been cursing nonstop a moment ago, immediately straightened his face. He tucked the item he'd picked up into his robes, then walked over with a genial smile.
He formed a Daoist hand seal and spoke politely:
"Dragon Tiger Mountain, Celestial Masters' Manor.
Eighth disciple under the Old Celestial Master."
"Zhang Jingfeng, greetings, Daoist friend!"
"For today's assistance, I will surely repay you in the future!"
"May I ask how Daoist friend is addressed?"
Seeing how different he was compared to earlier, Ning Chen found it a bit hard to adjust.
Still, he returned the greeting with a bright smile, copying the hand seal gesture.
"Easy, easy!"
"My name's Ning Chen."
"Ning Chen?"
Zhang Jingfeng froze for a moment, then swept his gaze back and forth between Ning Chen and Hongdou—one man, one ghost.
Instant understanding dawned on him.
A trace of envy flashed in his eyes.
"As expected of Daoist Ning—a truly remarkable man!"
"No matter what, many thanks for today. I owe you a favor!"
"Come—let's exchange WeChat!"
"Dao—ah, ahem—this humble one is stationed long-term in Jinling. Call anytime if you need something!"
As he spoke, Zhang Jingfeng cheerfully pulled out his phone and opened WeChat's QR scanner.
He said he owed a favor, but in truth, he mainly wanted to befriend Ning Chen.
As a disciple of the Celestial Masters' Manor, his judgment was sharp.
This young man—barely in his early twenties—was definitely a Qi Condensation cultivator.
And he'd contracted a Tier-3 peak ghost bride.
Having this level of strength at such an age wasn't just genius—
It was monstrous.
And those ghost-capturing techniques earlier?
Absolutely inherited from the Sa lineage!
In the cultivation world, at this age, having this level of power—
One in ten thousand.
Hell, he could probably take ten of his junior sisters alone.
Befriending a monster like this?
Something you couldn't even beg for.
...
"A favor is too much," Ning Chen said calmly.
"But there is something I'd like to ask."
"Daoist, how much do you know about ghost activity in Jinling?"
After scanning Zhang Jingfeng's WeChat, Ning Chen asked directly.
He'd already thought this through.
He hadn't let Hongdou stop Zhang Jingfeng earlier precisely because of his background.
Right now, Ning Chen urgently needed Merit Points.
And the fastest way?
The cultivator circle.
Through Zhang Jingfeng, he could access more supernatural incidents.
And—
Judging from how the Daoist spoke earlier, and how he introduced himself—
This guy's background was not small.
Old Celestial Master's eighth disciple.
There was only one person in the Celestial Masters' lineage who fit that title.
But big background or not, Ning Chen didn't really care.
Give him time—
Sooner or later, he'd surpass even the Old Celestial Master himself.
After all—
He was a man running cheats.
...
"Ghost information?"
Zhang Jingfeng looked at Ning Chen strangely, then suddenly gasped.
"Daoist Ning… don't tell me you've been cultivating some kind of evil art?"
"Need ghost kidneys to restore your manly vigor?!"
"That won't do!"
"If you've got problems in that area, Daoist daddy here will take you to the Great Sword—"
"Guaranteed to give you overwhelming conquest vibes!"
Ning Chen: "..."
The corner of his eye twitched.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to kick this bastard in the face.
Ning Chen took a deep breath.
"Watch your words. Deserves death."
Hongdou's eyes flashed red, ghostly energy surging violently.
How dare he imply her Young Master wasn't capable?!
Slander!
Pure slander!
"Hongdou~"
Ning Chen raised a hand, shaking his head slightly.
"Gongzi~ this dead Daoist doesn't look like a good person!"
Stopped by Ning Chen, Hongdou shot Zhang Jingfeng a fierce glare before reluctantly reining in her ghostly aura.
Having just been cursed by a ghost bride, Zhang Jingfeng looked visibly awkward.
"Daoist, I'm really rock-hard!"
"I hunt ghosts to collect ghost cores for cultivation!"
"As for kidney-snatching—that's just a tactic for dealing with ghosts!"
"And besides—do I look like someone who needs a Great Sword to find confidence?"
Taking a drag from his cigarette, Ning Chen pulled Hongdou lightly by the waist and smiled smugly at Zhang Jingfeng.
"Uh… this…"
Seeing the two-meter-tall ghost bride leaning meekly against Ning Chen like a little bird, Zhang Jingfeng froze, utterly speechless.
Damn it.
So after all this—
The clown was me?!
"I misunderstood! Completely my fault!"
"No problem."
"Daoist, do you have any channels?"
Ning Chen waved it off and asked again.
"Yes! Absolutely!"
Zhang Jingfeng didn't press further and answered directly.
"How about this—I'll add you to a group."
"A group?"
Seeing Ning Chen's confusion, Zhang Jingfeng laughed and explained while operating his phone.
"Yep! A ghost-hunting group!"
"I'll pull you in, then message the group owner privately."
"Don't let the small size fool you—only about ten people—but every one of them's a talent, and they all talk nice!"
"Everyone has their own info channels for ghost sightings."
"If a ghost's strong, for safety, we share info and team up. Ghost cores or bounties get split by contribution."
"And Jinling's Spirit Management Bureau also posts bounty missions."
"This Wanda Plaza incident? That was one of their bounties."
"Thought it was a Tier-3 ghost—who knew it was a damn Tier-4?!"
"And in the end the ghost core didn't even drop!"
"Damn it!"
The more Zhang Jingfeng spoke, the angrier he got, cursing again.
Ning Chen only smiled.
"Then many thanks, Daoist."
"Don't call me Daoist—call me Jingfeng!"
"Once you're in the group, we'll have plenty of chances to work together!"
"At least this was a bounty mission—so even without a ghost core, it's not a total loss."
"Once the reward comes in, we'll split it fifty-fifty!"
As he spoke, Zhang Jingfeng suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Ah—almost forgot!"
"That ghost just now dropped this too."
"The Spirit Bureau's been collecting these lately."
He pulled out a red scroll from his robes.
"It can be exchanged for a bounty too."
Seeing the item in his hand, Ning Chen's pupils shrank.
The scroll was wrapped in dense red ghostly energy.
And its purity far exceeded that streamer ghost's.
"What is that?"
"You don't know?"
"This thing caused quite a stir in Jinling before."
"Over ten thousand unsigned marriage contracts scattered across eleven districts in one night."
"And the bride's name?"
"Liu Yiyi."
"Marriage contracts?"
Ning Chen's eyes flickered as he suddenly remembered a forum post he'd seen earlier.
His heart skipped.
"Holy hell—this is a ghost marriage contract, isn't it?!"
"Of course!"
"What normal person scatters tens of thousands of marriage contracts overnight?"
"And judging by the lingering yin energy—this was definitely made by a Ghost King!"
Zhang Jingfeng said firmly, then frowned.
"But no one knows what that ghost's actually planning."
"It's been three months, and no one's died because of these contracts."
"Could it be she's actually trying to find someone she likes to marry?"
"Just thinking about it gives me chills…"
As he spoke, Zhang Jingfeng couldn't help but shiver.