Wang Xianzhi took a deep breath and leaned closer, looking at General Black Tiger's lips. He couldn't get past his own mental block. "Oh, Master, I can't bring myself to do it!"
Zhao Yan beckoned. "I'll teach you a way."
As Wang Xianzhi leaned in, Zhao Yan pinched his cheeks on both sides and moved him closer to General Black Tiger.
*Smooch!*
Wang Xianzhi's eyes widened. He felt a surge of warmth flood his entire body, followed by a sense of refreshing clarity.
"Ugh!" General Black Tiger thrashed his head desperately, turning away and spitting violently.
Zhao Yan: "!"
"Disciple, have you been eating shit?"
Wang Xianzhi: "..."
Zhao Yan examined Wang Xianzhi and nodded. The yin energy had significantly dissipated.
Although some yin energy remained in his body, it wouldn't cause fatal damage. He could resolve it by getting more sun exposure and eating more soybeans daily.
Hearing the car horn outside, Zhao Yan wondered if Wu Jiaxin had arrived.
She walked to the door and saw a familiar car. Zhao Yan turned back and said, "Disciple, quickly get General Black Tiger, it's time for us to go."
Wang Xianzhi tried to lead General Black Tiger, but before he could get close, General Black Tiger disdainfully dodged him.
It scurried towards Zhao Yan, nudged the car door open, and hopped onto the passenger seat.
"Sister Zhao, did you teach General Black Tiger how to open car doors?" Wu Jiaxin exclaimed in surprise from inside the car.
Zhao Yan was also a bit surprised. "No, I didn't."
She realized that General Black Tiger had eaten a thousand-year-old wild ginseng, which would surely boost its intelligence.
She felt envious, thinking all the good things were going to the dog.
Then she remembered that General Black Tiger was her dog too, so the benefits wouldn't go to outsiders.
With that thought, she felt much better.
Zhao Yan got into the back seat, and Wang Xianzhi followed.
As they drove, Wang Xianzhi held his hand to his mouth and blew on it, then sniffed it deeply. "Doesn't smell like anything."
Zhao Yan asked, "Disciple, where's your bottle for the soul worms?"
Wang Xianzhi took it out of his pocket. "Here it is."
Zhao Yan took it. "Give it to me. When we get back, I'll help these soul worms find peace."
Wang Xianzhi replied, "Okay. By the way, Master, aren't we going to help the female corpse find peace too?"
"Lan Jing and the others took the female corpse. They said it's one of Old Master Long's pieces of evidence."
The car drove to the large villa where Wang Xianzhi lived.
Wu Jiaxin locked Han Lin and his two disciples in a room.
To prevent Han Lin and his disciples from escaping, they were tightly bound with hemp ropes.
When Zhao Yan entered, Han Lin and his disciples were still unconscious.
"Master, what should we do with these three?" Wang Xianzhi asked.
"We'll deal with them after they wake up. Let's help the soul worms find peace first."
With that, Zhao Yan walked to the door and asked Wang Xianzhi to prepare the candles and paper. She took out over twenty soul worms and helped them find peace together.
Unfortunately, the soul worms, having been refined from children's souls, had very fragmented spirits.
However, helping them find peace was much better than them becoming wandering ghosts.
After helping them find peace, Zhao Yan, fighting off her sleepiness, managed to draw a talisman before going to bed.
When she woke up the next day, Zhao Yan got out of bed and washed her face. Wang Xianzhi then informed her that Han Lin and his disciples had woken up.
They were shouting incessantly in the room, their spirits seemed quite good, but their faces were frighteningly pale.
"Their ghosts have been scattered, so naturally their complexions wouldn't be good," Zhao Yan commented.
She pushed open the door and walked in.
Seeing Zhao Yan enter, the three men became extremely agitated, glaring at her and wanting to fight her.
Zhao Yan's expression had been cold outside the door, but as soon as she entered the room, she became amiable. "Oh, Master Han, you must have worked very hard. I'll untie you now."
"Disciple, untie them."
Wang Xianzhi was stunned, looking at Zhao Yan in confusion.
Last night, Han Lin had tried to rob them, and now she was untying them?
Recalling Zhao Yan's personality, he knew that if his master was doing this, she must have her reasons.
He immediately walked over and untied Han Lin and the others.
Han Lin and his disciples exchanged glances. They had been prepared to fight Zhao Yan to the death.
Seeing Wang Xianzhi untie their ropes, it was their turn to be bewildered.
"I'm truly sorry, Master Han. I was indeed a bit too rough last night. We in the Xuanmen should prioritize harmony!"
Zhao Yan refilled a teacup and offered it to them.
Han Lin looked down at the teacup but didn't drink from it.
"Kill me or flay me, as you wish. If I, Han Lin, so much as frown, then I'm not surnamed Han," Han Lin said, straightening his chest.
Zhao Yan gave him a thumbs-up. "Excellent! Master Han is indeed a grandmaster. I can't match your spirit."
"Yesterday, I was indeed a bit impulsive. After thinking all night, I feel that someone like Master Han should be a friend, not an enemy."
"Especially after investigating Master Han's background, I was truly surprised to find that Master Han has disciples all over the capital."
Han Lin narrowed his eyes at Zhao Yan, suddenly understanding why Zhao Yan had changed her demeanor.
She was undoubtedly worried about his disciples coming to seek revenge, and she adopted a 'better safe than sorry' approach.
He had many disciples, and if they attacked, Zhao Yan might not be able to withstand them.
With this thought, a coldness appeared on Han Lin's face, and he instinctively wanted to put on airs.
However, he then considered his own predicament. Putting on airs at this moment would be inappropriate. If he angered Zhao Yan, he would be the one to suffer.
Since Zhao Yan had offered him a way out, Han Lin didn't push the issue. He realized the initiative was no longer in his hands, and his expression softened considerably.
"I also made a mistake last night. I should have discussed things properly with Miss Zhao instead of trying to seize it by force."
Zhao Yan sighed. "You and I are both from the Xuanmen. We should unite. Internal strife is truly inappropriate."
"However, after thinking all night, Master Han, you took such a risk to snatch my wild ginseng. Is this wild ginseng very important to you?"
Han Lin nodded. "As a ghost cultivator, I deal with ghosts year-round, and I inevitably accumulate some yin energy. That hundred-year-old wild ginseng can suppress the yin energy in my body, making it very important to me. If it weren't important, I wouldn't have resorted to such measures."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan put on an expression of reluctant sacrifice. "I see. I'm willing to befriend you, Brother Han. I'll give this wild ginseng to you."
"However, I know that you wouldn't take advantage of me if I gave it to you like this, would you, Brother Han?"
Hearing this, Wang Xianzhi instantly recalled that Old Master Long had said this wild ginseng was a poisonous ginseng.
Keeping it on him would bring no benefit, only harm.
When Zhao Yan said this, a sly smile appeared on his face. No wonder Zhao Yan was showing such a friendly demeanor.
So that was it.
At the same time, Wang Xianzhi felt a chill run down his spine.
His master was truly devious.