Zhou Huanyi felt a shiver run down his spine upon hearing this. This ghost was truly committed to a desperate course of action. The most critical task now was to force the female ghost out of Wang Qiang’s body; if this continued, she would certainly commit suicide with him.

Mr. Old Wang watched from the side, unable to remain seated, and stood up, intending to move forward and help his son.

Seeing Mr. Old Wang about to act, Zhou Huanyi shouted sternly, "Mr. Wang, don't move! Sit back down!" He then thrust his ghost-subduing hand seal towards Wang Qiang, immediately followed by throwing a handful of glutinous rice at Wang Qiang’s body.

Mr. Old Wang froze. Thick white smoke billowed off Wang Qiang’s body, accompanied by the female ghost's piercing shriek. Then came Wang Qiang’s agonizing cries as he slowly extended his hands; they began to rapidly wither, the flesh on the back of his hands starting to rot away.

"Ah! It hurts, Guo Hua! As long as you don't let me die, I'll do whatever you say! Stop torturing me!" Wang Qiang was already begging Guo Hua now.

But the female ghost’s reply was sharp: "So you know how to beg me now? When you killed me, when you abandoned me, you never thought twice. I'm telling you, as long as you die, I don't care what happens!"

Seeing there was no time to waste, Zhou Huanyi commanded loudly, "Stars in formation, hear my orders! Three Stars rise, sever your index fingers until they bleed, and point them at Wang Qiang!"

The three stars of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity each bit their index fingers until blood flowed and pointed them toward Wang Qiang. Zhou Huanyi bit both his index fingers until they bled, grabbed the glutinous rice beneath him, dyed it red with his finger blood, and then hurled the large handful towards Wang Qiang’s head. The rice formed a net in the air, tightly enveloping Wang Qiang.

"Guo Hua, I'm using this move out of necessity. I didn't want to use this 'Blood Net' technique, but now I just want you to stay put quietly," Zhou Huanyi said with unwavering determination, clearly full of confidence—truly calm amidst chaos.

"Zhou Huanyi, you really have the heart to use such a brutal move? Ah!" the female ghost complained while struggling, but she couldn't break free. Attached to Wang Qiang’s body, all of Wang Qiang’s blood vessels were taut.

Dongzi saw Zhou Huanyi's move was effective, slapped his behind, stood up, and asked, "Brother, what move is this?"

Zhou Huanyi ignored him. Old Song answered from the side, "This is called the Blood Net. It’s used within the formation to lock the ghost soul in place, gradually dissolving her malevolence!"

"Oh!" Dongzi seemed to understand and nodded repeatedly.

"You want to dissolve my malevolence? Why is my life so bitter, why? I refuse!" After Guo Hua cried out, Wang Qiang collapsed onto the ground, writhing within the formation spanning three to five meters.

Zhou Huanyi retracted his hand seal, his expression suddenly relaxed. He spoke in a very gentle tone to persuade the female ghost, "Guo Hua, you must have had your reasons for acting today. Can you tell me about them?"

"Tell you? On what grounds should I tell you my story? Aren't you still trying to capture me? Stop that fake sympathy!"

Zhou Huanyi smiled faintly, "My goal from the beginning has been to help you reincarnate peacefully, preventing further trouble. You need to understand that consequences are inevitable. You are stuck in the Intermediate Realm now—you can't be a proper ghost, nor can you be reborn as a human. What are you striving for? Is that final breath truly so important?"

"It was precisely for that breath that I jumped off the building! I gave him so much, why did he want to kill me, why?" The female ghost wept as she spoke, and tears streamed from Wang Qiang's eyes.

"Don't you want someone to share your pain? Look how pitiful it would be if you and Wang Qiang perished together now. Not even a single person would know why you died—at the very least, after your death, no one would even come to lay flowers at your grave. What's the point, young lady!" Zhou Huanyi racked his brain, trying his best to avoid harming Wang Qiang and resolve the situation peacefully.

The female ghost seemed hesitant after hearing Zhou Huanyi's words, falling silent for a long time. Strangely, Wang Qiang’s pain also lessened, and he stopped making sounds of agony.

Seeing the timing was right, Zhou Huanyi pressed his advantage: "Guo Hua, Guo Hua, we understand a little about your background; we know your life was hard, and your death was even harder. Just vent your grievances to us!"

Zhou Huanyi's words took effect. The female ghost began to murmur, "Zhou Huanyi, you have me trapped today. Since you are willing to listen to my troubles, I will tell you. But I must take Wang Qiang with me. I also tell you, I've studied folk witchcraft for days—with my current appearance, hahahaha, my malevolence pierces the heavens! Don't even think about stopping me!"

"Very well, tell me first. After you finish, we won't stop you from doing whatever you wish!" Zhou Huanyi agreed to Guo Hua's terms.

Guo Hua sat up, using Wang Qiang's body, and said, "I was born in a rural village in Jilin. My family was very poor when I was young. Later, yearning for the prosperous and luxurious life in the city, I came here with my boyfriend. But I knew nothing and was incapable of doing anything. Out of desperation, I chose to become a lady of the night. But because of this, my former boyfriend abandoned me. I didn't blame him, but later, I met Wang Qiang in a KTV. At first, I was only after his money, but as time went on, he was incredibly generous to me; he indulged my every whim, and I fell deeply in love with him!"

"Then why did you go find other men behind his back?" Wang Xiaohe interrupted Guo Hua's narrative.

Hearing this, Guo Hua lifted Wang Qiang's hand and started slapping Wang Qiang's face: "Are you spreading nonsense? I stopped being a lady of the night for you! I’m grateful to you! I can ignore my mother back home and stay by your side. My distant cousin came to visit me, and I only took a little of your stinking money to help him out. Look at your attitude! If you didn't want to give it, fine, but you accused me of returning to my old ways—you just wanted to dump me, didn't you? Yes, I was cheap, but that was before. After I got together with you, even though I was initially after your money, did I ever do anything behind your back? You tell me, why did you still want to kill me?"

Wang Qiang, still sitting on the ground, couldn't control his hands, which continued to slap his own face. Wang Qiang's face had swollen up like cotton candy, resembling a huge pumpkin head placed on his neck.

Wang Qiang spat up blood, gasping out words: "That was just me being momentarily confused! Didn't you say you were going to kill me, that you’d cheat on me everywhere outside?"

"That was just angry talk, can't you even tell that? Besides, did I do it?"

"You didn't, but I had to get ahead of you!" Even in this state, Wang Qiang was still stubborn, arguing his reasons.

Zhou Huanyi quickly stopped him: "Wang Qiang, shut up! Let Guo Hua speak. No matter what, you were the one who committed murder."

"You bastard! I came looking for you, and you were already plotting to kill me! You bound my hands with your wretched belt, stuffed me into a box, and threw me into the river. Tell me, if that’s not murder, what is it?" As Guo Hua spoke, tears streamed down Wang Qiang's face, blood splattering from the corners of his mouth. She continued, "Luckily, I had a good fate; I was discovered, and I survived. It gave me time to study the laws of witchcraft. Hmph, I’ll learn anything that can cure you."

"Guo Hua, why did you want to kill the others too?" Zhou Huanyi actually knew why she wanted to kill the others, but his goal was to make Guo Hua reveal it herself, which would dissipate her malevolence faster.

The female ghost, using Wang Qiang’s expression, became very smug and said through his mouth, "Those few bastards actually helped Wang Qiang throw me into the river, including that driver. He was just driving the box at the time. I was originally planning to forgive him; if he had just let me ride in his car, Wang Qiang wouldn't have lived today. Who knew he didn't even wait for me and just drove off? Luckily, I caught up to his car from behind—hmph, it was better to just let him die!"

"Guo Hua, do you know the retribution for doing this?" Zhou Huanyi said earnestly and deeply.

The female ghost’s fury rapidly escalated, and she shouted, "Hmph, Zhou Huanyi, don't talk to me about retribution! Look at your own disciple! Look at what he did! I’ll tell you, it’s only because he has done some good deeds in the past that I’m preparing to let him live a little longer. If I feel pleased, I might spare him, otherwise, he absolutely must die. But given today’s situation, he is doomed to die. Hahahaha, Zhou Huanyi, don’t you want to expel him from the sect?" Following this, the female ghost burst into wild laughter, and then, using Wang Qiang’s head, she looked toward Old Song.

Old Song’s eyes were slightly unfocused, a hint of sorrowful tears welling up within them. He gazed at Zhou Huanyi, unable to speak.

Zhou Huanyi slowly shifted his gaze to Old Song and spoke sternly, "Song Zixuan, I am speaking to you today as your Grand Master. I have already guessed quite a bit about your affairs, from your actions at the beginning until now, but I still hope you will confess it yourself."

Old Song’s tears suddenly streamed down, and he stammered, "Grand Master, it is my fault. This condition of my arm now is self-inflicted, it is retribution! I..."

"Speak now. Confession brings relief; if you don't speak, you will have no chance to redeem yourself!" Zhou Huanyi said strictly yet sincerely.

Old Song tightly squeezed his eyes shut and used his elbow to wipe away the tears at the corners of his eyes. He let out a long breath and said, "This whole thing is because I was greedy for money. After Wang Qiang threw Guo Hua into the river, he came to me asking me to perform a ritual for Guo Hua. I refused at first, but this fellow used both soft and hard tactics on me, and finally, I yielded to his cash. I took the job. So, I began performing the standard farewell ceremony. Even the Buddha statue on him was obtained after I went with him to Baoguang Temple for consecration, specifically because I feared this woman's residual malice would be too strong after her death and harm others."

Wang Qiang, possessed by Guo Hua, turned his head and glared viciously at Old Song, cursing, "You old fool! You wanted to seal my soul because people paid you, to make me lose my mind and ability to complain, right?"

"Alas, I was blinded by greed at the time. Wang Qiang promised to help me expand my burial garment shop. I thought if that really happened, I could not only bring glory to my ancestors but also revitalize the lineage! But..." At this point, Old Song lowered his head silently, with what looked like tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "Grand Master, it’s all my fault; I messed up this matter..."

"Zixuan, you... how could you do such a thing?" Zhou Huanyi was furious upon hearing this, but he suppressed his temper, straightened his posture with great dignity, and asked, "Do you know the sect rules?"

"Expelled from the sect..." Old Song murmured, slowly lowering his head, speechless.

Suddenly, three or four crows flew down from the sky, cawing wildly. The crows landed all over Old Song’s shoulders and began pecking at the rotten flesh on his arm. Old Song felt a piercing pain, and the hand gesture for setting up the net formation instantly slipped. Immediately following this was Old Song's scream: "Ah!" Along with the cry, the flesh on Old Song's left arm was pecked into holes by the crows; what flowed out was not fresh blood, but thick, dark mucus.

Old Song rolled on the ground incessantly, but the Blood Net covering the female ghost Guo Hua instantly fractured at one corner. Seeing the danger, Zhou Huanyi shouted urgently, "Zixuan, stand up! That's an illusion!" Just as Zhou Huanyi spoke, the female ghost Guo Hua shot out from the broken section of the Blood Net toward the edge of the rooftop.