Yan Zhang's wife had just finished speaking when the door slammed shut.
The candles in the hall flickered as if about to extinguish, and a howling, eerie wind filled the room.
Yan Jing, lying in the center, trembled uncontrollably.
Yan Zhang's wife said anxiously, "Master Zhao, my son."
Zhao Yan waved her hand and said, "It's alright, don't be nervous."
She watched as eight wandering souls gradually left Yan Jing's body.
The eight souls stood together, looking at the eight corpses on the ground. Their grim expressions softened considerably.
"This is the good wine and food the Yan family has prepared for you," Zhao Yan said, gesturing to the table beside them.
The eight souls turned their gazes towards the table.
Seeing their eyes slightly moved, Zhao Yan continued, "The Yan family truly had no knowledge of your presence, unaware that you were buried underground. If they had known and still dared to dig up your remains, then they would truly deserve blame."
"Furthermore, you have tormented their family of three enough. We hope you will let them off the hook."
The eight ghosts exchanged glances. The ghost in the middle suddenly sneered, "If we let them off like this, it would be too easy for this family of three."
"They dug up our bones, causing my daughter's remains to be gnawed by wild dogs. Look at the teeth marks on my daughter's leg bones, how can this be accounted for!"
Zhao Yan asked, "Then what are your conditions?"
The male ghost replied, "I want the entire Yan family to become our Yin food. We can absorb their Yang energy every day and night."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan narrowed her eyes.
She hadn't expected the eight ghosts to have such a large appetite, demanding the Yan family of three become Yin food, offering their Yang energy daily. Within three months, the family of three would be drained into husks.
"No," Zhao Yan refused.
The male ghost beside him scoffed, "If not, then you Taoist nun, quickly get out of the way. Considering you found our remains, we won't attack you."
Zhao Yan sighed. She had intended to appeal to their emotions and reason, but it seemed it wouldn't work.
"Xiao Wang, release Black Tiger General's leash," Zhao Yan said.
Wang Xianzhi was significantly less sensitive to Yin energy than Zhao Yan, but he still saw some mist formed by Yin energy.
Hearing Zhao Yan's words, he immediately loosened the leash in his hand.
Black Tiger General let out a bark and quickly charged towards the eight ghosts.
The eight ghosts, seeing Black Tiger General charging at them, were initially startled by such a large black dog. Once they reacted, they waved their hands towards the table.
The table flew towards Black Tiger General.
Black Tiger General leaped over the table.
"Good dog!" Wang Xianzhi exclaimed, clapping his hands.
Zhao Yan drew her peach wood sword, cupped her fists, and said, "Zhao Yan, disciple of Qingfeng Temple, I request your guidance!"
"Qingfeng Temple?" The eight ghosts were momentarily stunned by the name of the temple. Before they could react further, Zhao Yan, in coordination with Black Tiger General, attacked the eight ghosts, one person and one dog.
Although the eight ghosts had died over a hundred years ago, their remains had been buried underground for years, and they had no family to offer sacrifices. They were eight lonely spirits.
If they were soft persimmons that could be easily squeezed, trying to squeeze Zhao Yan was clearly not going to work.
After enduring three moves from Zhao Yan, the eight ghosts immediately knew they couldn't hold on.
Black Tiger General chased and bit at their heels, his fierce aura truly frightening the eight ghosts.
When Zhao Yan caught the eight ghosts, she immediately took out eight talismans and stuck them one by one onto their foreheads.
This instantly immobilized the eight ghosts.
She then swung her peach wood sword forcefully at their hindquarters.
"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. All of you, get down on the table, line up!" Zhao Yan said coldly.
The eight ghosts exchanged glances. As Zhao Yan's peach wood sword struck their hands, a "snap" sound was heard.
The eight ghosts trembled all over and immediately floated towards the table.
"Heh heh, Master, we were indeed a bit arrogant just now. But those words weren't spoken by us; they were spoken by our leader. He could only represent his personal opinion and not our collective opinion."
"Regarding the conditions you just mentioned, we wholeheartedly agree, right?"
The ghost beside him said to the ghost on his left.
"Yes, yes, yes, we agree very much."
Except for the ghost standing in the middle, the other ghosts nodded incessantly.
How could they have imagined that this Taoist nun's talismans were so powerful, and that this big black dog was so fierce in its biting?
The leader was about to say something else, but seeing Zhao Yan's gaze, he immediately smiled and said, "We are all kind ghosts. What we said just now was all in jest. You took it seriously, didn't you?"
Zhao Yan chuckled, and her peach wood sword struck her hand forcefully, "You truly bully the weak and fear the strong. If I weren't capable today, wouldn't I have been bullied by you eight ghosts?!"
The eight ghosts immediately shook their heads and waved their hands, "That's not true, Master. We only spoke fiercely; we are fundamentally kind. Our only intention was to teach them a lesson. If we truly wanted to take their lives, when my daughter possessed her son, we would have already killed their entire family."
"Master, think about it. With the strength of our eight ghosts, how could their family of three escape? Yet, they are still alive and well."
"Her son broke his leg, and although her husband was injured, we didn't strike any fatal blows."
As the eight ghosts spoke, they drifted back a few steps. This big black dog had left them with psychological trauma.
Seeing them retreat, Black Tiger General circled behind them, barking, "Woof woof woof..."
Seeing that the eight ghosts were terrified, Zhao Yan had Wang Xianzhi pull Black Tiger General back.
"Then my previous conditions..."
Before Zhao Yan could finish, the eight ghosts immediately nodded, "We agree."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Zhao Yan scoffed.
This comment sent a shiver through the eight ghosts, and their souls immediately entered their respective remains.
After the eight ghosts departed, the candlelight returned to normal, and the eerie wind instantly ceased.
"Buy eight coffins," Zhao Yan instructed Yan Zhang's wife.
Yan Zhang's wife quickly picked up the phone and used her connections to contact coffin sellers.
With money, efficiency was high. An hour later, a truck stopped, and eight coffins were carried down.
The eight skeletons were placed inside the coffins. The coffins were temporarily placed in the Yan family's hall, and they would find a propitious location tomorrow.
As long as the Yan family sincerely offered sacrifices, it was believed that these eight ghosts would also protect the Yan family, turning misfortune into a blessing.
"Master Zhao, my son has woken up," Yan Zhang's wife rushed down from the room, saying excitedly to Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan entered the room and took a look. The Yin energy on Yan Jing had been largely dispelled.
"I hope in the future you will consider others when you act, and not have such a wicked heart. Doing more good deeds will also accumulate virtue for you," Zhao Yan said earnestly.
Yan Zhang's wife immediately clasped her hands together and bowed deeply to Zhao Yan in thanks, "Master, please rest assured. In the future, I will definitely consider things from others' perspectives and do more good deeds."