These red silk ribbons could be understood as a weapon of Ming Yi's. While not quite his soul-bound weapon, they were what he used most comfortably.
Sometimes, when he wanted to grab something slightly out of reach, he would use these ribbons.
Shoot them out, wrap them around, pull them back, and the item would be in his hand.
And now, the red silk ribbons locked onto that shifty, rat-faced man according to Ming Yi's will, wrapping tightly around his neck.
With just a single squeeze—
—the shifty, rat-faced man's neck would snap, killing him instantly.
But then, heavenly tribulation lightning would strike from the sky.
Over the past few days, Bai Ci had read plenty of materials regarding the supernatural rules of this world, and one of them clearly stated:
Ghost Immortals have rules; the Heavenly Dao has balance.
Those who transcend Yin and Yang must not slaughter mortals at will.
If there is no karmic connection, killing a mortal without authorization will inevitably trigger a divine backlash. It will damage one's cultivation, shatter one's immortal foundation, and destroy centuries of Dao practice in an instant.
In other words, as a Ghost Immortal, one could not kill ordinary people at will unless that mortal owed them a karmic debt. Only then could they act.
Otherwise, they would have to face the heavenly lightning—with absolutely no room for negotiation.
Whether the lightning struck hard or light depended entirely on the severity of the violation. To put it simply, it depended on how many innocent mortals had been killed.
There were only two types of people a Ghost Immortal could kill freely. First were those who had already stepped—or at least had one foot—into the cultivation circle, regardless of whether they were from the East or the West, or whether they believed in deities, God, or demons.
You could kill them, and they could also find a powerful backer to kill you.
Second were those bound by karmic connections.
However, Bai Ci hoped this shifty-looking man fell into both categories.
Given Ming Yi's personality, he was the type to settle scores on the spot. Therefore, the likelihood of this shifty man having a personal grudge against Ming Yi in this lifetime was actually very small.
Even if some karmic entanglement existed, the connection between a Ghost Immortal and a mortal was incredibly fragile.
A mortal's lifetime of merits, demerits, good, and evil would be judged by the Underworld after death. Once they entered reincarnation, everything was wiped clean.
Once a person entered reincarnation, all past grudges were cleared. If a Ghost Immortal tried to collect on an old debt, it would be considered acting against heaven.
To put it simply: Dear customer, we only support settling grudges on the spot. Don't let waiting turn into a lifetime of regret.
Take a step too late, and the person would reincarnate, the karma would dissipate, and any further attempt at revenge would invite a heavenly lightning strike.
And Bai Ci had absolutely no desire to find out what it felt like to be struck by heavenly lightning.
Of course, there was a loophole. One could find some minor ghosts to scare the reincarnated enemy half to death, and while they were trembling in fear, arrange an opportunity for them to step into the cultivation circle.
Terrified out of their wits, the reincarnated enemy would naturally grasp at any straw, eagerly throwing themselves into the cultivation world.
Once they were officially part of the circle, one could settle the score as they pleased.
This loophole only worked if the reincarnated enemy was a normal, ambitious person. If they turned out to be incredibly thick-skinned, lazy, or preferred to just "lie flat," then one could only scare them a little to vent some frustration.
Crack—
The unexpected happened. Just as the ribbons began to constrict, the sharp, resonant hum of shattering jade rang out.
From beneath the shifty man's shirt, a warm yet resilient pale-golden light suddenly erupted.
Buzz—
A low, heavy vibration echoed as the golden light formed an invisible barrier, firmly blocking the red silk ribbons' fatal strike.
Boom—
The two forces collided. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an invisible wave of energy that rebounded inward.
It was a powerful backlash triggered by the external ward—gentle yet overbearing—surging straight back into the meridians of the spirit body.
Ming Yi, who had forcefully taken control of the body, was instantly disrupted, his spellcasting cut short by the backlash.
In the next instant, the bone-chilling cold born of his hatred receded completely. Control of the body returned to Bai Ci in a sudden, jarring shift.
In the library corner, the shifty-looking man froze. His scalp went numb, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
There was no helping it; Ming Yi's killing intent had been far too intense to hide.
But then, if he had hidden it, he wouldn't be Ming Yi. His grudges and enmities were always straightforward, never hidden or understated.
The shifty man's Inspiration stat was also quite high. Though he couldn't explain exactly what had just happened, the bone-chilling dread of being locked onto by something frigid and the suffocating sensation of near-death were terrifyingly real.
It felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around his throat, a hair's breadth away from crushing his windpipe.
Still trembling with fear, the man hurriedly reached inside his shirt, pulling out a jade amulet that still carried his body heat. It was now covered in a dense web of spiderweb-like cracks.
Its luster had completely faded, and a lingering chill clung to the deep fissures. The amulet was entirely ruined after taking the full brunt of a Ghost Immortal's attack.
Bai Ci's gaze locked onto the shattered jade amulet, her eyes narrowing.
She could see it clearly.
Even though the surface was fractured and the design was incomplete, she recognized the engraving at a single glance.
Carved on the surface of the protective amulet was a perfect circular ring. Inside the ring was a strange bird with long wings, a straight tail feather, and a twig clutched in its beak. Though the engraving was crude, it was unmistakable.
It was identical to the unique mark stamped on the paper figure that had been spying on them earlier.
A clue had practically delivered itself to her doorstep.
The shifty man had no way of knowing the sheer scale of the attack he had just survived. He only knew that the protective amulet he wore close to his chest—one supposedly capable of blocking a blow from a malevolent spirit—was now completely shattered.
“Uncle Yun, save me! I've run into something dirty!”
“It's a malevolent spirit—an incredibly powerful one! My jade amulet shattered!”
It was unclear what the person on the other end of the line said, but the man immediately bolted toward the library exit. His frantic, clumsy steps bore none of the contempt and composure he had shown just moments ago.
He scrambled and stumbled toward the library doors, fleeing in absolute, desperate panic.
“Catch him.”
Just as the man was about to burst through the library doors, Ming Yi's voice, cold and laced with fury, echoed in Bai Ci's mind.
Those two short words carried none of his usual lazy impatience or mocking amusement. There was only a heavy, suffocating coldness and raw hatred that made her chest tighten.
This was the first time Ming Yi had ever spoken to Bai Ci with such gravity, and it was the first time she had ever heard him sound this way.
In the past, even when he was annoyed, his tone remained condescendingly dismissive—the cold indifference of an immortal looking down on a mortal, a superior observing an ant.
Unlike Bai Ci, who had noticed the man because of his phone call and the engraving on the amulet, Ming Yi had never paid much attention to the Zhao family's affairs. Frankly, he simply did not care about them.
He didn't care whether the Zhao family lived or died. The raw fury he displayed only proved one thing: this was Ming Yi's personal grudge.
This was a pure, deep-seated hatred that had simmered for hundreds of years without ever fading. It was a personal vendetta—a blood feud.
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