o face to meet them in the afterlife.When she found out that Xiao Yu not only saved her daughter but could also save their near-bankrupt company, she was naturally grateful to him."Yes! Doctor Xiao, p...Chapter 158: Taming the Little Ghosts

The Earth Ghost waved its sleeves lightly towards several little ghosts, sending a strong gust of Yin煞wind filled with a trace of its own Yin essence, instantly covering these little ghosts. Then it turned around and flew toward the Umbrella of Gathering Yin with them.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu closed the Umbrella of Gathering Yin and brought it back into the clinic.

Inside the house, when he reopened the umbrella again, the Earth Ghost immediately led these little ghosts out. After emerging from the Umbrella of Gathering Yin, they seemed very excited and looked back at it with reluctance.

"Your mother is inside; go say goodbye to her," said Xiao Yu to the little ghosts.

The originally excited little ghosts had their faces instantly darken upon hearing this. They lowered their heads and floated towards the resting room.

Seeing this, the Earth Ghost's face showed surprise as it turned around with wide eyes to ask Xiao Yu: "Young Master, are these little ghost’s minds really developed"

"Yes..." In response, Xiao Yu proceeded to explain their origins to the Earth Ghost.

"What... Nine Sons of the Ghost Mother" Upon hearing this, the Earth Ghost exclaimed in shock and alarm.

It was most knowledgeable about the Nine Sons of the Ghost Mother. It had participated in Zhong Kui’s battle back then and knew how formidable they were. Never did it expect to find such entities here, even if they hadn't yet fully taken form. Dealing with them once they have would be much harder.

"Young Master, this doesn’t make sense! The nine little ghosts of the Nine Sons Ghost Mother should all lack mental faculties; without minds, their actions are governed purely by instinct, driving them to attack and vent their grievances. Moreover, even when using an array formation, it is controlled by the Ghost Mother!" Suddenly, the Earth Ghost showed confusion as it asked.

"Sigh... Yes! This is what has me puzzled too," Xiao Yu sighed in agreement upon hearing this. He still couldn't figure out how such a situation could arise; was there some kind of mutation

The Earth Ghost’s eyes suddenly lit up as it glanced at the direction of the resting room and then asked Xiao Yu: "Young Master, does that child's mother often dream about these little ghosts being with her"

"Hmm! It should be that they dream about it every night!" Although Xiao Yu didn't know why the Earth Ghost asked this, he still answered.

"I think I understand why this is happening!" Upon getting Xiao Yu's confirmation, the Earth Ghost said with a look of realization.

"Oh, why"

Xiao Yu was also very curious about these little ghosts having minds. Hearing that the Earth Ghost knew the reason, he quickly followed up.

"The key reason should be their mothers; these little ghosts are limited by nature, but if they receive careful guidance from their mothers, they should all have a mind!" The Earth Ghost said slowly with a look of nostalgia in his eyes.

"This... This is possible" Xiao Yu exclaimed incredulously.

Xiao Yu knew how difficult it was to educate these little ghosts with underdeveloped minds into spirits with better mental capabilities than ordinary people.

"Hehe, Young Master, the power of maternal love can turn any impossibility into possibility!" The Earth Ghost said with a light laugh.

"Oh..."

Xiao Yu nodded thoughtfully. Although he still had some doubts in his mind, he couldn't think of another explanation besides this one.

"Young Master, do you know our true origin as the Five Element Ghosts" The Earth Ghost saw that Xiao Yu was still puzzled and asked him.

Xiao Yu was taken aback for a moment. Although he had found some information about the Five Element Ghosts in Zhong Kui's memories, it was all about what happened after they followed Zhong Kui. He couldn't find any information before that in Zhong Kui's memory.

Xiao Yu shook his head slowly and looked at the Earth Ghost with a puzzled expression: "I don’t know! There is no memory of your origins left by Zhong Kui!"

The Earth Ghost showed genuine admiration for Zhong Kui, exclaiming, "Grandpa Celestial Master is indeed trustworthy. He didn’t even inform his disciples of our origins!"

"Earth Ghost, since this concerns your secret, it’s best not to say more," Xiao Yu realized that the Earth Ghost was about to reveal some secrets concerning the Five Elements Ghosts.

The Earth Ghost sighed and said, "Now it doesn’t matter anymore. After the great calamity of heaven and earth, entering an era without divine laws, there probably won’t be many cultivators left. Even if there are, they’ll just be small fry!"

He never would have imagined that after a few hundred years had passed since the great calamity, cultivation circles would have fallen into such disrepair, with heavenly primordial qi becoming exceedingly thin.

"Actually, our existence is similar to theirs. We were all created through evil magic by someone. They made Nine Sons Ghost Mother, while we are Five Elements Ghosts. Originally, just like them, we should be mentally incomplete and turned into puppets by the person who created us for their cultivation and formation of magical arrays. However, our mother........"

When he mentioned his mother, the Earth Ghost fell silent with a look of nostalgia in his eyes. After a while, he continued, "We were born inside our mother’s womb, and she taught us gradually in her dreams. This enabled us to develop from being mentally incomplete at birth to having not only normal mental capabilities but even surpassing those of ordinary people!"

"Moreover, we Five Elements Ghosts also have a name that terrifies everyone in the cultivation world—Five Elements Malevolent Ghosts. But this term refers to when we lack consciousness; once a ghost like us gains awareness, they no longer exist as before. Unless their minds are erased and they’re recreated."

"So you mean these nine little ghosts can’t become Nine Sons Ghost Mother anymore even if they gain consciousness" After hearing the Earth Ghost’s explanation, Xiao Yu began to understand his intention.

"Yes, Young Master. The reason the Nine Sons Ghost Mother is so powerful is that the sons lack minds and are easily controlled by their mother, thus maximizing her power. However, when they acquire minds, they gain independent consciousness and can no longer be completely controlled by her; then their strength won’t surpass a regular ghost king."

The Earth Ghost didn’t tell Xiao Yu that all five of them were the same—they would display their maximum power only if their minds were erased. During their peak times, their might far exceeded the Nine Sons Ghost Mother’s.

No one else knew about this secret apart from Zhong Kui, who had promised to keep it confidential forever for them.

"Actually...... Actually, Young Master can help these nine rid themselves of their grudges. The Umbrella of Converging Yin can also serve as their residence. In the future, they might become your allies—just like how Celestial Grandpa helped us five clear our grudges and made the Umbrella of Converging Yin for us!"

The Earth Ghost looked at these little fellows like he saw his younger self back then, unwilling to let them enter the netherworld. Especially since, after entering it, with such pure yin qi, they’d only become food or puppets for other evil spirits.

"Oh..."

Xiao Yu responded and fell into deep thought. He was also tempted by the Earth Ghost’s proposal, but he didn’t know if it would be right or wrong to keep these little ghosts in the human world. If they caused trouble in the future, wouldn’t that be his fault

Time passed as Xiao Yu pondered. Gradually, he lifted his head and a confident smile appeared on his lips. He thought to himself, "Since Zhong Kui dared to keep the Five Elements Ghosts, why can't I keep these little ghosts As for the future, with me around, what kind of trouble could they cause"

Time slowly slipped away, and a red glow appeared in the eastern sky. The few small ghosts seemed to know their fate as they hung their heads dejectedly and floated out from the resting room.

Xiao Yu laughed involuntarily at the sight of them and said, "I have a way that can keep you from going to the netherworld. Would you like to hear it"

Upon hearing Xiao Yu’s words, the few small ghosts who had been hanging their heads suddenly lifted their heads up, looking eagerly at him.

Xiao Yu looked at them with anticipation and continued, "The method is that I will help you remove your grudges. But you can only live in the Umbrella of Gathering Yin. Of course, you may visit your mothers on the 14th day of the seventh month; otherwise, it’s not allowed because your yin energy might harm them!"

Although these small ghosts had good mental abilities, they were still young and only knew what their mothers taught them. They didn’t have any real experiences, so without thinking about it, they agreed when Xiao Yu said he wouldn’t send them to the netherworld and that they could see their mothers.

Xiao Yu asked them to stand beside him and lightly drew arcs in the air with his fingers. Several strands of golden light flickered on his fingertips as he pointed at the foreheads of the small ghosts, gently touching their heads. When Xiao Yu’s finger touched their foreheads, the grudges that bound them dissipated instantly.

The few small ghosts felt an instant sense of relief when the grudges dissipated from their bodies, and their formerly frenzied bloodthirsty emotions vanished without a trace.

The sky gradually brightened. Xiao Yu formed a hand sign and lightly pointed at the Umbrella of Gathering Yin.

A suction force came out from the umbrella, instantly pulling in the few small ghosts. Xiao Yu asked the Earth Ghost, "What about those two ghost fetuses"

"Haha, Young Master doesn’t need to worry. In fact, this Umbrella of Gathering Yin can also store ghost fetuses, and their effect isn’t worse than when they are in their mother’s bodies. Back then, because I was the youngest and still a ghost fetus, this function was specially crafted for me by Grandfather Healer!" The Earth Ghost said with a light laugh.ght also have a similar thought—she didn’t want the young man to know that she was a ghost, so she sent him away."You can see me, right"After the young man left, the female ghost looked at Xiao Yu and...