After a moment of silence, Teng Yi continued, "I have seen his body. By human standards, I will marry him."

"Bang!"

Mu Yu suddenly stood up and bumped his knee against the table, causing it to shake a few times. He winced in pain but didn't pay attention to it. He quickly glanced at Zhang Erniang and gestured with his eyes, signaling her not to ask any more questions and to just send the person away.

"Zhang Erniang was momentarily stunned by those words and then, with a nod of her head, she accepted his meaning."

"She cleared her throat and said, 'You may not know this, but there is no such thing as a man marrying into a family in human society. Furthermore, love between humans and ghosts is not recognized. How about having him make a tablet for you to pray to every day and gain some merit for doing so?'"

Teng Yi's eyes were fixed on Mu Yu. "I want him, and if I have to leave, I will take him with me."

Zhang Erniang looked a little troubled as she glanced at the man and ghost in front of her. She wanted to say that this child was just a little cute and well-behaved, but how could this ghost have taken a liking to him? Moreover, this ghost came from the sea, so it was bound to be unusual among creatures from large rivers and lakes. While her skills and knowledge in dealing with weak ghosts were passable, she surely couldn't control this supernatural being. There was also a possibility of angering him, so she thought it would be best to delay him and find a way to deal with him later.

After a moment's thought, she asked: "You mentioned karma earlier. May I ask what kind of karma it is?"

"A few hundred years ago, after I finished my cultivation, I went for a stroll by the shore. I was seen by my past self and that's how it all started."

Mu Yu hurriedly said, "This is unclear, what are you talking about?"

Zhang Erniang said, "I just took a glance at it, I'm afraid it won't create any cause and effect, right?" (Note: The translation is done in a manner consistent with American English.)

Afterwards, Teng Yi said a sentence and Zhang Erniang immediately knelt down and knocked her head three times, summoning the divine dragon.

He said, "It was just that one moment when I failed to transform into a dragon during the Heavenly Tribulation."

Muyu was frightened by Zhang Erniang's actions and immediately got up, but the gaze of the ghostly creature forced him to sit down again.

"Zhang Erniang got up from the ground, feeling a bit unstable on this wooden stool. Her expression, surprisingly, was even more anxious and restless than Mu Yu, who was directly involved in the situation."

"Dragon transformation! His cultivation has actually reached the stage of undergoing dragon transformation tribulation. In this lifetime, she has followed her master to learn Daoist techniques and has only seen a spiritual snake. Her master has never seen a river dragon before. Unexpectedly, this child, when left alone, turns into a dragon-like creature. How can she help him conclude this?"

Mu Yu tightly held Zhang Erniang's hand, but his hand was sweaty and he couldn't hold it steady. Unexpectedly, the ghostly creature stood up at this moment and leaned over to look into his eyes. A pair of wicked and unrestrained eyes appeared in the midst of the dark mist.

"The face of the ghostly figure was only one inch away from his face, yet he still could not make out the features and appearance of his face clearly. It seemed as if his whole face was a facade and only his eyes were real."

Mu Yu's heart was thumping in his chest, as though it were trying to jump out. He widened his eyes and held his breath until the ghost slowly moved away from him and sat down again. Only then did he take a deep breath.

"Zhang Erniang also naturally witnessed the movements of the ghostly entity. The scene was simply described as heart-stopping and thrilling, with several imprints being pinched onto her hand back due to the child's tension."

Teng Yi spoke again, "It's already late, go ahead and sleep. I'll come look for you tomorrow night."

The black mist across the table gradually dissipated. The ghostly creature disappeared without a trace and the mist vanished completely. Only then did the two of them finally breathe a long sigh of relief, feeling like they had been given a second chance at life.

Mrs. Zhang held his hand tightly. "Child, don't be afraid. Auntie will think of a way. They say evil cannot overpower righteousness. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to the Taoist temple and ask my master for help. He's an immortal with incredible abilities, so he'll surely find a solution."

The next day, Zhang Erniang took Mu Yu up the tallest mountain in the village and found the Qingfeng Taoist in the Taoist temple. She then carefully explained the details of the situation to him.

The elder Taoist always wears a green robe with his white hair kept long. Despite being over 88 years old, he is still full of energy and doesn't seem like someone whose body has been buried in the yellow soil. He even holds a duster in his hand, giving him the air of a truly accomplished Taoist master.

Speaking of this Qingfeng Daoist, he is also a legend in this area. During the Cultural Revolution, there were constantly large-scale struggle sessions held, causing a great uproar. Even those who had a slight inclination towards superstition in the surrounding ten miles and eight villages were targeted for struggle, but he was the only one who remained unscathed, and the Taoist temple was also not dismantled.

"This Taoist temple is located at the highest point of this mountain, and is unfortunately covered by various trees. Unless you know it's there, no one would know there's a temple located there. Maybe that's the reason why it hasn't been demolished. Today, only one person lives here. When something happens in the village, the villagers come to him and he can always be found in the temple, no matter the time of day."

As for Zhang Erniang, who was half a Taoist nun and a shaman, at that time she was only in her twenties and had just married into the Li family. When she was in her twenties, she was also a village beauty, both pretty and curvaceous.

The two sons from the Li family are very protective of their daughter-in-law. As soon as they heard someone wanted to take her away, they grabbed their knives and stood guard at the door. They would attack anyone who approached, really going for it and not just bluffing.

Several batches of people came one after another, but they were all chopped back by Li Er. Later, there weren't many people who dared to come and cause trouble. Until the rumors gradually subsided, everyone naturally forgot about it, thinking that Li Er was a brave young man during his lifetime, but they forgot how his reputation spread.

"Zhang Erniang, trembling with fear, led Mu Yu standing in front of Dao Chang, hoping that the old man would be willing to save this child."

After contemplating for a moment, the Daoist nodded in agreement and said, "Yanyang, I have agreed to this matter only because you are my disciple. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have agreed to help."

The Taoist priest lifted his duster and said, "A dragon spirit in the sea? Involving past life karma? What a joke. When this child was born, I saw that his fortune was extremely weak, and he had a dying sunfire lantern on his shoulder. He's been seeing ghosts every day since he was little. If he really meets a dragon spirit this time, he must think carefully about whether to persuade the dragon to clear his name or to use a magical tool to suppress him and prevent future disasters."

Zhang Erniang's face brightened and quickly asked Mu Yuhu to bow his head and thank the Taoist. "Thank the Taoist quickly. Being able to receive the protection of the senior is a blessing that you cannot cultivate in your entire life."

Mu Yu obediently knelt down on the ground and respectfully thanked him.

Zhang Erniang cooked two meals and went back to the old house to catch a big rooster to be slaughtered and stewed. The night quietly fell once again.

The Taoist priest was dressed in a formal Taoist robe, with a Bagua battle array inscribed on his back. He wore a Taoist hat on his head and stood at the Taoist altar within the Taoist temple. In his hand was a bowl of ink made by mixing chicken blood, which was placed beside him.

On the table of the Taoist official lay all the necessary items: a small sword made of copper coins strung together, a peach wood sword, vermilion ink and yellow paper talismans, a copper mirror, and so on.

"Mu Yu and Zhang Erniang stood by, watching the Taoist priest perform his spell without blinking."

"A round full moon hangs high on the treetop."

"The trees outside the courtyard suddenly made a "crackling" sound, and a gust of wind blew from the front."

The Taoist spoke in a low voice and said, "He has arrived."

Immediately, a black mist opened the courtyard gate and surged in, stopping in the center of the courtyard.

The strong black mist made the Taoist secretly frightened. He wondered in his heart what kind of cultivation level this ghostly creature had reached, as it could turn its fierce energy into substance. Even without opening his heavenly eyes, he could see it clearly. He was afraid that this monster could soon cultivate its physical body, and if forced to, even if it meant sacrificing half of his life's cultivation, he would have to subdue it.

He spoke: "I have heard that a great immortal has come to this village. I have stayed here tonight on purpose, hoping to catch a glimpse of the great immortal's esteemed appearance."

The black mist came swiftly towards Mu Yu without any hindrance, causing Mu Yu to instinctively take a step back and shrink into the embrace of Auntie Zhang Er. "When will Mu Yu and I get married?" she asked.