It's Because She's Drop-Dead Gorgeous**
"Eighth Brother! Are you even human?!"
"She saved your life, and you're seriously letting her face something like this alone?!"
The girl's expression turned stern as she scolded him outright.
"What can I do? Your senior brother's useless!"
"That brother inherited the Sa lineage—he probably has some secret method to temporarily suppress the marriage contract."
"I wanted to save him too, but he wouldn't come back to Dragon Tiger Mountain with me!"
As he spoke, Jingfeng carefully watched his junior sister's expression.
Seeing her righteousness practically radiating off her face, Jingfeng knew—
There was hope!
"As cultivators, when our peers are in danger, we cannot stand by!"
"And besides—he saved you!"
"A life-saving恩 must be repaid a hundredfold!"
"Zhang Jingfeng, I don't care!"
"You must find a way to protect him!"
"Well… that depends on you…"
Jingfeng let out a quiet sigh.
"On me?"
"You forgot? Last year, Master beat that old man from Mount Mao at cards and won a black talisman."
"I remember it was a Jiazi Jade Shield Divine Talisman."
"With that thing, even a Ghost King wouldn't be able to touch him!"
"Ninth Sister, think of a way to take that black talisman out!"
After half a day of acting, Jingfeng finally hit the real point.
After all, he understood his junior sister very well.
Don't be fooled by her immortal, untouchable appearance—
That was only because she didn't find you attractive enough.
This girl was a hardcore looks-first type.
She always dreamed of a sweet, youthful romance—
But her standards were absurdly high: cultivation level and appearance.
Aside from Ning Chen, there really wasn't a second person in the cultivation world who met her requirements.
Talisman grades ran from low to high:
Yellow, Red, Blue, Purple, Black, Silver, Gold.
A Black Talisman was powerful enough to move mountains and split seas.
In the modern world, only that old man from Mount Mao could draw one.
Master treasured it dearly—Jingfeng wouldn't dare steal it himself.
But his junior sister?
Different story.
As Master's youngest disciple, she was spoiled beyond reason.
She once burned half the Celestial Masters' Manor down—
And nothing happened.
So what was stealing a talisman?
"Black talisman?"
"Let me think…"
The girl frowned, then reached into her pouch.
She pulled out a small, triangular black talisman and held it up to the camera.
"Eighth Brother—are you talking about this?"
"????"
"How is it with you?!"
Jingfeng's eyes bulged, jaw dropping in shock.
"I knew this thing was a treasure~"
The girl smiled smugly, lifting her chin.
"Yesterday I went to pluck Master's beard."
"To protect his beard, he let me pick one thing from his room."
"And the moment I saw this—I wanted it!"
"Alright then! That settles it~"
"Eighth Brother, I'm heading down the mountain tomorrow!"
"You better keep an eye on him for me. If he runs away, I'll hold you responsible!"
...
After she hung up the call, Jingfeng finally let out a long breath.
"Damn!"
"If I'd known the black talisman was already with Ninth Sister, why the hell did I put on that whole act?!"
Cursing once, Jingfeng suddenly grinned slyly.
"Master, Master… this time you're definitely not shortchanging Daoist here, right?"
"A demon like Brother Ning—pairing him with our Ninth Sister is more than fair!"
"Sure, he already has a ghost bride, but cultivators don't need to follow worldly rules!"
"If this really works out…"
"Our master-disciple line might finally be liberated…"
He nodded to himself.
Brilliant.
Absolutely brilliant.
Feeling immensely satisfied, Jingfeng started the car and sped away from Wanda Plaza, heading straight for a bathhouse in Jiangning District.
...
At the same time—
After pushing the car to nearly 300 km/h and taking a wild spin around Jiangning District, savoring the thrill of low-altitude flight—
Ning Chen finally returned to Tenglong Garden.
Jiang Qiuxin was already asleep, so he didn't disturb her.
After showering, he went straight to his bedroom.
Leaning against the headboard, he lit a cigarette.
With a thought, wisps of black smoke spilled from his body and gathered beside him, forming Hongdou's figure.
"Gongzi~"
"How do you feel after devouring those ghosts?" Ning Chen asked with a smile, holding her hand.
"Very good~ Gongzi."
"If I devour one more Tier-3 ghost, I'll be able to break through."
Hongdou nodded happily.
"Then tomorrow we'll go hunting again."
"Sooner or later, I'll help you cultivate into a Ghost King."
Ning Chen said confidently.
"I'll listen to you, Gongzi~"
Hongdou smiled softly.
"But… speaking of Ghost Kings, Gongzi…"
Seeing her worried expression, Ning Chen waved it off casually.
"I've already suppressed the marriage contract."
"She won't be able to find me for two months."
"There's always a road ahead of the cart."
"Relax—there'll be a solution."
He didn't explain further.
After all, the system was his biggest trump card—and even Hongdou couldn't know about it.
Thinking of the system, Ning Chen's eyes lit up.
He rubbed his hands and eagerly opened his personal panel.
Merit Points: 2000!
Holy hell!
Finally out of poverty!
Now he could finally act like a real gambler!
Seeing the bright numbers, Ning Chen grinned.
But he didn't rush to draw yet—
He still had an unclaimed reward from a previous choice.
Closing his eyes and resting his head on Hongdou's thigh, enjoying her gentle massage, Ning Chen mentally called out:
"System! Claim choice reward!"
Ding! Congratulations, Host has obtained [Golden Light Talisman]!
The moment the notification sounded, a massive surge of energy erupted inside Ning Chen's body.
Unlike the cold, eerie power of Spirit Capture—
This force was radiant and majestic.
As it spread through his body, explosive power flooded his limbs and bones.
At the same time, an immense amount of information appeared in his mind—
The cultivation method of the Golden Light Talisman.
After fully integrating it, Ning Chen's strength was already approaching Tier 5!
Sensing the change in his aura, Hongdou froze—
Then quickly hid the shock in her eyes.
An opportunity?
If it was Gongzi…
Maybe one day, he really could help her ascend to Ghost King.
After fully mastering the Golden Light Talisman, Ning Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Though still only at the beginner stage, he was more than satisfied.
Skills never weighed you down.
Someday, he might really do what the system joked about—
Piloting a mech and beating ghosts senseless.
Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
Shaking off the chaotic thoughts, Ning Chen prepared to draw the lottery.
As the saying goes—
When a woman lowers her head and you can't see her toes, it's because she's peerlessly beautiful.
Hongdou naturally belonged among the peerless.
Even though Ning Chen considered himself an "European Emperor" of luck, he still didn't dare be careless on his first draw.
Better to rub some luck first.
"Ah—Gongzi…"
Hongdou flushed faintly.
"It's fine… keep going."
Patting her hand, Ning Chen smiled calmly.
Then he spoke directly to the system:
"System—give me a double draw!"