The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

"ah--!"

Chen Siyao screamed in fright, closed her eyes, and instinctively swung the paulownia wood sword in her hand, slashing wildly forward.

The hanged ghost that lunged at her was struck by the sword, letting out a sharp, piercing scream—not a human voice, but the sound of metal scraping against glass, so sharp it hurt the eardrums. Its body, like paper burned by fire, began to curl, blacken, and turn gray at the edges.

It struggled to retreat, but the sword wounds on its body clung to it like a malignant tumor. In three seconds, less than three seconds, the hanged ghost dissipated. Not vanished, but scattered—like dust blown away by the wind, drifting away bit by bit, leaving nothing behind in the end.

Another hanged ghost pounced. Chen Siyao didn't have time to think; she instinctively swung her sword again. The same scream, the same disappearance.

The room fell silent.

The corridor was quiet.

Chen Siyao stood rooted to the spot, holding the paulownia wood sword in the same swinging posture. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her throat. But she wasn't afraid—she even felt a little exhilarated.

"I...I actually did it?" She looked down at the paulownia wood sword in her hand, then at the empty room, her voice filled with disbelief. "Am I that amazing?"

Yang Wanqing stood to the side with her mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

In the live stream:

[I am Ying Zheng]: Holy crap! Yao Yao killed them all with a single sword strike! What kind of godlike skill is this?!

【Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood】: Yaoyao, you're amazing! You're my goddess!

[Dongmen Chuixue]: Is it possible that the Supreme God's sword is more powerful? That sword is clearly no ordinary weapon.

[Life is not worth living: - Yao Yao is so cool! A resounding victory in the first battle, amazing!]

[No takeout delivery: Yao Yao has bathed in the Jade Pool and eaten spirit beast meat! Her physical condition is completely different now!]

[Qin Jia Xiaoyu: Yes! Yao Yao's skills are now far superior to those of ordinary people.]

Chen Siyao, who had initially been a little uncertain upon seeing the comment, now felt a surge of smugness. She raised her chin, snorted at the camera, and said, "See? I'm awesome, right? It's not that my sword is so amazing!"

[Dongmen Chuixue: Good, good, good, Yao Yao is amazing. The sword is just an aid.]

Chen Siyao became even more smug: "Of course! I'm awesome now! Who do you think you are!"

Yang Wanqing tugged at her sleeve and pointed to the person lying in the corner of the room. It was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing pajamas, curled up on the floor, motionless.

Chen Siyao suppressed her smugness and quickly walked over. Yang Wanqing squatted down, placed the incense under his nose, and gently swirled it around. The silvery-white fragrance drifted into the man's nostrils, his eyelids twitched, and then he suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ghosts! Ghosts!" he screamed, sitting up abruptly, his face deathly pale and his whole body trembling. "Hanging from the ceiling! Two of them! They're trying to grab me!"

Chen Siyao squatted down and pressed her hand on his shoulder: "Uncle, don't be afraid, the ghost is gone."

The man froze, looking up at the empty ceiling, then at the paulownia wood sword in Chen Siyao's hand, and then at Chen Hao standing in the doorway. His lips trembled as he stammered, "N-nothing?"

"It's gone. I chopped it down." Chen Siyao patted his shoulder. "You should go downstairs now, it's not safe here."

The man got up and staggered towards the door, but stopped after a couple of steps, turning back to look at his house: "What am I going to do here? Can I still live here?"

Chen Siyao was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Hao.

Chen Hao stood at the doorway, his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent. When he saw his sister looking over, he quickly raised his hands to his chest, made a hand seal, and pretended to gesture, muttering something under his breath—though he didn't actually say anything.

"Oh, this." He put his hand down. "Once all the souls are eliminated, we can come back to live here."

Chen Siyao felt her brother's behavior was a bit strange today, but didn't think much of it. She turned to the man and said, "Did you hear that? You can come back to stay after this is all done. Hurry up and go downstairs, someone will be there to meet you."

The man ran away, thanking him profusely.

Chen Siyao stood up, dusted off her knees, and said to the camera, "Family members, first household, done!"

[Fudan University's most handsome student: Yao Yao is so cool!]

[Yifan Daoren: A positive energy broadcaster! Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda!]

[Qin Jia Xiaoyu: This is only the first household; there are many more to come. Go Yaoyao!]

Chen Siyao gripped the paulownia wood sword tightly, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's go! Next house!"

The door to the second apartment was ajar. Chen Siyao gently pushed the door open with the tip of her paulownia wood sword. The room was a mess—the sofa was overturned, the coffee table was broken, the walls were covered in scratches, and broken glass and photos were scattered on the floor.

Three spirits huddled in a corner. One of them was a drowned ghost, soaking wet, with its hair tangled on its face like seaweed, leaving a pool of foul-smelling water with every step it took.

One was a starving ghost, so thin it looked like a skeleton, its skin clinging to its bones, its ribs protruding one by one, its mouth open, a dark void inside, empty of anything.

There was another one whose face was obscured, shrouded in a cloud of black mist, with only a pale, pupil-less eye visible through the fog.

Chen Siyao did not hesitate. She rushed in, her paulownia wood sword sweeping across—where the golden light passed, the drowned ghost screamed, turned into a pool of black water, and then evaporated.

Another stab—the starving ghost was struck in the chest by the sword tip, and was sent flying backward as if burned, crashing into the wall and dissipating. The third one wanted to run, the black mist drifting towards the window. Chen Siyao chased after it, slashing down with her sword. The black mist was torn apart by golden light, and the souls inside screamed and dissipated.

Three swords, three souls. Clean and efficient.

A young couple was lying in the room. Yang Wanqing used the "Resurrection Incense" to revive them. The two hugged and cried for a while before Chen Siyao persuaded them to go downstairs.

The third household had four spirits. Chen Siyao killed three of them, but the fourth tried to escape through the window. It was bounced back by Chen Hao's Soul-Suppressing Technique, fell to the ground, and was finished off by Chen Siyao with a sword strike.

A family of three lived in the room: parents and a little girl of about seven or eight years old. When the little girl woke up, she saw the glowing paulownia wood sword in Chen Siyao's hand, and her eyes lit up: "Sister, are you a fairy?"

Chen Siyao was stunned for a moment, then smiled, squatted down and patted her head: "Yes, I am a fairy, and I came here specifically to save you."

The little girl smiled happily, and as her parents carried her downstairs, she turned back and waved to Chen Siyao, saying, "Goodbye, fairy sister!"

Chen Siyao waved to her.

Yang Wanqing whispered from the side, "When did you become a fairy?"

Chen Siyao declared confidently, "My brother is a god, so of course I'm a fairy!"

Yang Wanqing thought about it and it seemed to make sense. But something also seemed off.

In the live stream:

[I am Ying Zheng: Yao Yao is a fairy? Then what is a high god?]