That voice remained relentless: “All men must die—”

As she shouted this sentence for the third time, the entire room became bone-chillingly cold, with mist in the air condensing into a fine frost.

Henry Thompson also began to hallucinate. Faintly, the joyful music of a wedding could be heard outside, but inside the room, there was a heartbroken woman, hanging herself in utter darkness. In the height of summer, it felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

“Even if you become a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, you shouldn’t vent your anger on all men.” Henry Thompson, undeterred, continued, “If there must be opposition in this world, it should only be between good and bad people. No matter what, it shouldn’t be between men and women. Hurting William Brooks wasn’t enough for you—what about the innocent servants of the Xue family?”

Henry Thompson finished saying what he had to say.

The figure hanging from the beam began to sway, as if about to break free from the noose around her neck. That sharp voice once again emerged from her throat, somehow: “All men must die—”

Listening to the same cry as always, Henry Thompson sighed helplessly.

Reasoning with a vengeful spirit really was pointless.

After all, the essence of humanity is repetition.

And even more so for vengeful spirits.

Bang!

With a loud crack, the rope snapped. The hanging figure dropped to the ground but did not fall—instead, she stood firmly in place! The next second, she passed right through the screen!

In an instant, Henry Thompson saw the true face of this madam.

She wore a heavy white burial robe, her face a terrifying, deathly blue, her features no longer recognizable from life. The most striking thing was, of course, the swaying, long red tongue.

She approached Henry Thompson, raised both hands, and lunged forward, her ten fingers with rapidly growing nails about to strike, accompanied by her only line: “All men—”

Henry Thompson’s eyes narrowed, his right hand already gripping the sword’s scabbard.

Slaying ghosts with his sword would happen in the blink of an eye!

But the madam’s voice and movements suddenly froze!

Her long neck suddenly stiffened, her body hunched, but instead of pouncing, she hesitated and took two steps back.

Because her hands were raised high, what was meant to be an attack now looked more like a gesture of surrender.

“Men… men…” she whimpered from her throat, and after a long pause, uttered, “Such a handsome man.”

Huh?

A line of confusion appeared on Henry Thompson’s forehead.

What was with this sudden compliment? Although he heard this sentence many times every day, hearing it in this situation was quite a novel experience.

“Men… all men…” The blood-red light in the madam’s eyes gathered and dispersed, as if she was struggling painfully inside.

Henry Thompson let her battle with herself, not taking the opportunity to strike.

She swayed stiffly for a long time, and finally, it seemed the deep darkness within her prevailed.

The surrounding cold wind suddenly stopped.

“If William Brooks had been this handsome, maybe I wouldn’t have hated him.” Her voice calmed, no longer that shrill tone.

Although it felt a bit strange…

The resentment seemed to have lessened.

“Madam… have you let go of your resentment?” Henry Thompson gripped the sword hilt, hesitating whether to draw his sword.

“Heh, it’s not that easy.” The madam shook her head and sneered, her red tongue flicking back and forth.

It was clearly a simple gesture, but done by her, it was especially terrifying.

Upon hearing this, Henry Thompson was about to draw his sword.

He had already shifted his strength to his wrist, when suddenly the madam looked up, her terrifying, bluish face staring at him.

“But, if you, little Daoist, are willing to give me a hug, then maybe I can let go.”

Huh?

A row of question marks popped up above Henry Thompson’s head.

He really hadn’t seen much of the world, and truly didn’t know—was this part of the exorcism process?

“I’ve never hugged such a handsome man in my life,” the madam added.

Her tone even sounded a bit shy?

Henry Thompson was stunned, staring at the madam’s face, which was really hard to look at.

What’s more, letting a vengeful spirit get close was a very dangerous thing.

But…

If this could dispel her resentment…

Henry Thompson released the sword scabbard with his right hand, expressionless, and slowly opened his arms.

It seemed the madam smiled. She lunged forward, but did not extend her claws—she was telling the truth.

In fact, she never managed to hug Henry Thompson.

Ghosts are incorporeal, humans are corporeal. They can attack each other with spiritual power, but cannot physically touch.

As she flew toward Henry Thompson, her body began to dissipate.

Memories flooded her mind bit by bit.

When she was young, there were handsome young men who proposed to her. Though none were half as good-looking as this little Daoist, they were still famous for their looks in the area.

But she chose the ugly William Brooks, because she thought ugly men were more reliable.

Because of this, she always harbored some resentment toward William Brooks in the days that followed.

I gave up a handsome young man to be with you, an ugly one—you’d better treat me well.

With this mindset, even the most loving couple would develop rifts.

William Brooks taking a concubine was, in fact, the last straw that broke her.