Chapter Twelve: Evil Always Gets Its Due

I snapped my fingers, and immediately two bodyguards walked in.

“Strip him naked and coat him with honey. Let him have a taste of being devoured by ten thousand ants,” I said coldly, my face expressionless.

The bodyguards tore Zhang Hanshan’s clothes off in no time at all, leaving him completely exposed. Then they grabbed a bucket of honey, preparing to brush it onto his body.

“Just put it on his lower part,” I instructed.

“What are you trying to do? You’ll regret this! The Commander won’t let you get away with it!” Zhang Hanshan screamed in terror.

“The Commander? That old lecher? He’s already perished, body and soul,” I sneered.

“Impossible…”

I ignored him, taking a seat not far away and lighting another cigarette. My addiction to smoking wasn’t particularly strong, but in situations like this, I had to light one just to steady my nerves.

Outwardly, I appeared calm and cold, but it was all a façade. I didn’t fear fighting or brawling, but to inflict such a cruel punishment on a living person—this kind of psychological impact was no small matter, even for me.

The two bodyguards finished brushing the honey, then brought in a burlap sack, placing it inside a circle I’d made earlier with insect-repellent powder. Within the circle hung Zhang Hanshan, and to help the ants climb up, they thoughtfully propped a stick between his legs, also coated in honey.

The sack was opened, and a writhing ball of ants tumbled out. Drawn by the scent of honey, they surged toward Zhang Hanshan like a tide.

“No… No…” Zhang Hanshan was terrified out of his wits. He’d taken five or six lives himself, and ordered at least a dozen more, but even so, he couldn’t withstand this ordeal.

In an instant, a mass of ants clustered between his legs. Zhang Hanshan’s face twisted in agony as he let out shrieks that barely sounded human.

Only when his screams faded did I signal for the bodyguards to scatter the ants with insect powder. His lower body was a bloody, mangled mess—too gruesome to behold.

“Now tell me, do you know He Wenjing?” I asked coolly.

“Yes… I do,” Zhang Hanshan replied, shrinking back as he looked at me, as if he were staring at a demon.

Under my interrogation, Zhang Hanshan recounted the entire story.

He had always been a lecher, especially fond of female students. But he never had the patience to court anyone—he’d either throw money at them or use threats. Any girl he set his sights on rarely escaped his grasp.

One time, he went to Linjiang Conservatory of Music in search of new prey. The moment he saw He Wenjing, who stood out like a crane among chickens, he launched his pursuit.

But He Wenjing wasn’t in need of money, and she had no intention of trading her body for more. She despised Zhang Hanshan, so she never gave him a pleasant response.

For the first time, Zhang Hanshan actually persisted for three days, when normally he’d give up after one. Out of patience, he decided to go after He Wenjing’s father, He Xiaobing.

He Xiaobing was a businessman worth millions, but compared to the Zhang family, he was insignificant.

Yet Zhang Hanshan didn’t use financial means to ruin He Xiaobing; that would’ve taken too long. Instead, he acquired some evil artifact from that old ghost known as “the Commander” and got He Xiaobing addicted to gambling. He soon lost everything, and under the influence of that evil item, He Xiaobing killed someone and was promptly arrested.

He Wenjing went from a princess to a pauper overnight. Desperate to save her father, she pleaded with Zhang Hanshan.

She had resolved to sacrifice her body for her father’s sake, dressing provocatively for their meeting. But by chance, she overheard Zhang Hanshan and Zhang Huixiang discussing a plot to murder Xu Baoguo’s family.

Shocked, He Wenjing made a noise and was discovered by Zhang Hanshan. She fled in terror, but he ran her down with his car, killing her on the spot.

“Damn it. Scum,” I growled, clenching my teeth and slapping Zhang Hanshan hard.

Then I took out the necklace and said, “He Wenjing, he’s all yours now.”

I stepped out of the room. Not long after, Zhang Hanshan’s terrified screams echoed from inside.

“Humans are more terrifying than ghosts,” I murmured.

The reason I’d tortured Zhang Hanshan so mercilessly was to completely shatter his will. He had killed so many that his aura of malice could intimidate and harm an ordinary spirit like He Wenjing. But with his will broken, he was utterly helpless.

Soon after, the Zhang family collapsed. Involvement in economic and violent crimes led to the arrest of almost all the core members.

The most miserable were Zhang Huixiang and her nephew Zhang Hanshan—one went mad, the other became an imbecile, both confined to a mental institution.

...

I sat naked in a large wooden tub filled with steaming medicinal liquid.

This one bath cost nearly a million.

Xu Baoguo was a shrewd man. Since that day, he’d assigned someone specifically to handle matters for me, all related to money, of course.

I felt no guilt; it was what I deserved.

The medicine seeped into my body, strengthening me at the very core.

Every living person has a vital energy known as yang qi—the more abundant it is, the stronger the body, and vice versa.

At that moment, the Nether Dragon’s Eye at my chest stirred once again.

A thread of yin and a thread of yang dissolved completely.

At the same time, two streams of energy flowed from the Nether Dragon’s Eye into my body—one surged into my dantian, enhancing my spiritual power; the other spread through my limbs and bones, fortifying my physique.

When the medicinal bath cooled, I awoke from a mysterious trance, distinctly aware of the surging vitality within me—a feeling I’d never experienced before.

The bathwater, once black as ink, was now clear as spring water.

Originally, this tub of medicine was meant to be absorbed over six sessions. According to the Great Netherworld Yin-Yang Manual, the liquid would gradually lighten with each use, indicating how thoroughly the medicine was absorbed.

Now it was crystal clear after one use. Had I truly absorbed all its potency in a single session?

I stood, donned a robe, and eagerly began to examine the changes in my body.

I could feel the abundance of yang energy inside me, but using the art of Qi Observation, it appeared concealed, not obvious.

This was because I cultivated the art of balancing yin and yang. My energies were harmonized—not like some people whose vigorous yang energy blazed like fire in a crowd.

Just then, the curtain was suddenly stirred by the wind, though the window was tightly shut.

Looking up, I saw a shadow by the window.

Her long hair floated, revealing delicate, beautiful features.

It was He Wenjing. The ghostly aura around her was almost gone—her obsession resolved, her resentment dissolved, and with no lingering attachment, there was no longer any reason for her spirit to remain.

He Wenjing drifted before me, silent, and gently embraced me.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome,” I replied with a smile.

“You’re my first man. I’ll remember you,” she said softly, cupping my chin and pressing her lips lightly to mine.

Her ghostly form began to fade. Smiling radiantly, she waved to me, then vanished completely.

A sense of loss welled up inside me. She wasn’t sent off to reincarnation by the legendary Ox-Head and Horse-Face; she simply ceased to exist.

So, there were no gods in heaven, and no eighteen layers of hell below.

Ghosts, like humans, were simply beings that appeared under certain conditions.

That realization left me somewhat heavy-hearted.

…

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and my life returned to normal.

I was still in the emergency department, but had been officially promoted ahead of schedule to attending physician at the First People’s Hospital—envied and resented by my fellow interns.

My relationship with Wang Meiyu hovered between friendship and romance, an ambiguous state.

The reason was me—busy at work, and after hours, occupied with cultivating the Great Netherworld Yin-Yang Manual. In a month, I’d only had dinner with Wang Meiyu twice and seen a movie once.

Every day at the hospital, life and death played out before me. I’d witnessed the birth of several spirits, but most dissipated within ten minutes.

So, I believed that ghosts were rare, only forming under harsh conditions. I might only be able to use the Yin-Yang arts a handful of times in my life.

But if that was the case, how could I ever unravel the mystery of my parents’ strange deaths?

That day, I had the day off, and so did Wang Meiyu. I’d originally planned to visit the Underworld Emporium on Wuyi Lane to hunt for yin-cultivation artifacts to test a certain technique.

But seeing the expectant look in Wang Meiyu’s eyes, I changed my mind and agreed to accompany her to a concert.