Before Zhao Xi could react, a strikingly handsome man dressed in black had already taken a seat beside her.
As a feng shui master, Zhao Xi knew exactly what this was.
A ghost!
For a moment, every hair on her body stood on end.
Instinctively, she hugged her legs and shrank against the edge of the bed, her teeth chattering.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Her voice trembled with fear.
"Wife." Xu Yichen leaned closer, his eyes filled with longing.
Admittedly, despite the eerie way he had appeared, Zhao Xi couldn’t help but be momentarily entranced by his handsome face.
"Why do you call me that?" A faint blush crept onto her cheeks for some reason.
In all her life, she had never seen such a good-looking man.
Even if… he was a ghost.
But who said ghosts had to be harmful?
Zhao Xi touched the jade pendant around her neck. If she wasn’t mistaken, this man had emerged from it.
"Because you are my wife," Xu Yichen said, taking her hand.
His skin was cool to the touch, but undeniably real.
This meant the man before her was incredibly powerful.
"Did you know me in a past life?" Gathering her courage, Zhao Xi sat up and studied the man beside her—the more she looked, the more pleasing he became.
"Wife." Xu Yichen didn’t explain his identity, simply resting his head against her chest.
Zhao Xi melted instantly.
She loved men who clung to her like this.
She even reached out and patted his back.
"So… are you the one inside my pendant?"
Xu Yichen pursed his lips for a moment before whispering, "Wife, I’m hungry."
Zhao Xi froze.
"What… do you eat?" she asked hesitantly.
But she already knew what ghosts fed on.
Their own kind.
"Wife, don’t play dumb, silly." His voice was so tender and doting that Zhao Xi’s face flushed again.
Then she remembered—the ghosts on that mountain, the ones she hadn’t fully dealt with yet.
Wasn’t this perfect?
"I know where to find what you need. Let me change, and I’ll take you there." Her face lit up with excitement.
"Thank you, wife." Xu Yichen smiled brightly.
Hearing that, Zhao Xi covered her face, feeling warm all over.
"Don’t call me that. I’m not used to it. Just call me Zhao Xi," she said awkwardly.
"Alright." He nodded slightly.
"Xi’er," he murmured instead.
Just the sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine.
"Let’s go now," Zhao Xi said.
Her face was still burning. Truthfully, as a feng shui master, she had always struggled to fit in. Her roommates avoided her, leaving her feeling deeply lonely.
Now, with such a handsome man by her side, her heart raced uncontrollably.
And a powerful man at that—wasn’t that every girl’s dream?
At least, that’s what Zhao Xi believed.
"Alright." Xu Yichen followed behind her.
Zhao Xi couldn’t contain her excitement. Having such a gorgeous man cling to her was beyond thrilling.
Meanwhile, Little Nailuo sat by the control panel, watching Zhao Xi’s flustered expression with amusement.
"Si, is she drunk? Does she actually think the male lead likes her?" Little Nailuo smirked.
Delusional. How cringe.
Si cleared her throat.
"Mutual benefit is still a kind of beginning, I suppose."
But when it came to romance novels, Si had never been one to judge.
If it fulfilled young girls’ fantasies, that was normal—even if most romance writers were single anyway.
"Whatever, I don’t get it. Should we tell Little Wei?" Little Nailuo glanced at Si.
Without hesitation, Si relayed the news about Zhao Xi and Xu Yichen heading to the mountain.
"If you leave now, you might make it in time. Any later, and those ghosts will be gone."
For a ghost, complete annihilation was too steep a price.
Si didn’t want to see that happen.
"Huh? Should I go now?" Little Wei set down her bowl, stunned.
"If she’s taking a male ghost up the mountain, it’ll take at most two hours. You can still catch them," Si said.
Little Wei didn’t waste another second.
"Where are you going?" Youyin stood up as Little Wei rushed out.
"Emergency. I’ll explain later." That was all Little Wei left her with.
But Youyin followed anyway. If Jiang Xixi was in a hurry, it had to be about the ghosts on the mountain.
She cared about what happened to them.
And if something was wrong, the culprits were definitely the male and female leads.
Youyin pressed her lips together. The female lead hadn’t destroyed Jiang Xixi, and soon after, she had awakened Xu Yichen.
According to the novel, Xu Yichen was a heroic spirit who died in battle a thousand years ago.
But Youyin knew the truth—Xu Yichen had devoured countless innocent souls for his own gain. His crimes were unspeakable.
Luckily, Youyin was fast. By the time she reached the street, Little Wei was still there.
"Take a car. It’ll be quicker," Youyin suggested.
"Fine." Little Wei agreed—it was faster than using qinggong over such a distance.
Thankfully, it wasn’t rush hour. Otherwise, getting there would’ve taken forever.
When they arrived, only one car was parked at the base of the mountain.
They were too late.
"I’ll go ahead. You follow." Little Wei summoned her staff and gave it a light tap.
"Be good and hurry up," she muttered before mounting it sideways.
In moments, she reached the graveyard halfway up the mountain.
A thick black mist shrouded the peak, giving her the same eerie feeling as the nightmare array—though this time, it was far more sinister.
This was a death sentence.
Little Wei clenched her jaw.
At the summit, she saw several ghostly figures dissolving into gray orbs, sucked into Xu Yichen’s body.
"Stop!" She leaped down, her staff blocking their path, her gaze icy.
Xu Yichen’s eyes gleamed when he saw her.
"Not bad," he mused, admiration flickering in his gaze.
Though this ghost’s soul was incomplete, Xu Yichen sensed an overwhelming spiritual energy within her.
Something was off, but one thing was certain—she was a walking feast.