"I forbid you from insulting Linlin!"
"Who says Linlin has no intelligence? Who says Linlin isn't as smart as a pet dog? My Linlin is exactly the same as she was when she was alive! Not only is she bright and understanding, but she can also do math problems!"
"Yesterday, I even took out her kindergarten math problems, and she got every single one right!"
"Can your pet dog do that?"
Wang Zizai's wife screamed with all her might.
Ying Chen looked at Wang Zizai's wife with shock and disbelief.
If Linlin retained some consciousness after death and remembered her parents, that would be considered normal.
But Linlin retained her pre-death intelligence after she died?
And she could do math problems?
How was this possible?
Among the ghosts Ying Chen had encountered, none had reached this level!
Only those who were great masters of the Xuanmen in life and survived after death through a wisp of obsession possessed some consciousness.
But that was a reflection of their own cultivation, completely different from a mortal little girl like Linlin.
Linlin had never practiced any Xuanmen arts, nor did she possess any magical artifacts to protect her. How could she reach this level?
Ying Chen instinctively disbelieved it.
He thought Wang Zizai's wife might be lying to protect Linlin.
"Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal!"
"Bind!"
Ying Chen completed the final stroke of the talisman and pointed it at Linlin.
Instantly, the talisman transformed into a small mountain and descended upon Linlin.
Although he didn't believe Wang Zizai's wife, Ying Chen still held back.
He had originally planned to kill Linlin directly, but now he changed his mind to restraint.
Seeing the rolling Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal, Linlin's small face was filled with terror.
Her frail body trembled.
Even the pervasive Yin lightning flickered and made rustling sounds.
It was clear that Linlin was truly scared.
But even so, Linlin did not take a single step back. She stood firm in front of her mother, unmoving.
The Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal tore through the void, carrying a mountain-like pressure, and descended upon Linlin's head.
Linlin raised her hands, channeling Yin Sha energy, trying to resist the Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal.
"If you had mobilized the Yin lightning, you might have had a chance to resist for a moment."
"But you chose to use the Yin lightning as a shield, protecting your mother entirely. Then you are like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, destined to die!"
Ying Chen sneered.
At the same time, he stared intently at Linlin's changing expression.
Logically, with Ying Chen's deliberate reminder, Linlin, in order to survive, would have unhesitatingly recalled the Yin lightning to block above her head.
But Linlin made no move. She continued to try to block the Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal with her tender little hands.
It was as if she completely ignored Ying Chen's words.
"Could it be... this little girl truly retained her full consciousness after transforming into a ghost?"
"Otherwise, this phenomenon is inexplicable!"
Ying Chen thought doubtfully.
With a slight movement of his finger, the descending force of the Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal lessened slightly.
Bang!
The Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal struck Linlin.
The immense force caused Linlin's body to shrink drastically, like a flickering candle in the wind, on the verge of death.
The Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal then morphed into a cage resembling a roulette wheel, instantly sealing Linlin within.
Only Linlin's helpless and weak figure could be seen, scurrying in terror within the cage, yet unable to find a way out.
Linlin was, after all, too young, and her control over Yin Sha energy was not proficient. She was no match for an old hand like Ying Chen, who had been suppressing ghosts for two thousand years.
If Ying Chen had not held back, Linlin would have long since turned to dust and ceased to exist.
"Please, let Linlin go!"
"I'm begging you on my knees!"
Seeing this, Wang Zizai's wife was heartbroken and knelt down before Ying Chen with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.
Her forehead hit the ground with solid thuds, and soon a pool of blood appeared on the ground.
"Mr. Ying, please show mercy and spare Linlin! I believe that even if Linlin has become a ghost, she is a good ghost. She was so kind that she wouldn't even step on an ant when she was alive. She would never hurt anyone!"
"I, Wang Zizai, am willing to give up everything, just to beg you to spare Linlin's life!"
Wang Zizai also knelt down and pleaded.
At this moment, he finally believed his wife's words.
His daughter was not dead, his daughter was still alive!
Just in a different form!
How ridiculous that he had thought his wife was crazy and had even slapped her.
He was the one who deserved the slap the most!
Ying Chen ignored the pleas of Wang Zizai and his wife and slowly stepped forward, standing before Linlin.
With a casual wave of his hand, the Reincarnation of Life and Death Seal dissipated with a roar, revealing Linlin's trembling figure.
"Don't try to escape. If you dare to run, I will kill you."
"Understand?"
Ying Chen said calmly to Linlin.
Linlin looked helplessly at her mother, then at her father, and finally at Ying Chen.
She nodded.
"Next, I will ask you a few questions. If you answer them correctly, I can consider letting you go and letting you reunite with your parents."
Hearing Ying Chen's words, not only Linlin but also Wang Zizai and his wife's eyes lit up with joy and hope.
"First question: Do you know who you are?"
Linlin had initially thought it would be a difficult question and was worried.
Upon hearing Ying Chen's first question, she immediately relaxed and replied, "I am Wang Yulin, five years old this year, a student in the senior class at Yanjing Wanjia Garden kindergarten."
"I... am already dead..."
Hearing Linlin's answer, Ying Chen's pupils contracted slightly.
Linlin's earlier answer was normal, but the latter sentence, "I am already dead," immediately made Ying Chen realize that Linlin might indeed be unusual!
Normal ghosts that exist due to obsession would not admit their death!
Their minds would remain permanently fixed on the day they died!
Ying Chen quickly composed himself and calmly asked, "Second question: Have you truly retained your full consciousness?"
This question was also simple.
Wang Zizai and his wife looked at Linlin with anticipation, almost unable to resist shouting "Yes!" for Linlin.
But to their surprise, Linlin shook her head and said confusedly, "I... I don't know..."
This answer instantly dashed Wang Zizai and his wife's hopes.
They both said with disappointment, "Linlin, how can you not know? You have retained your full consciousness, you are no different than when you were alive!"
"Heh heh." Ying Chen then looked at them and let out a faint laugh.
"If her answer were like yours, I might have killed her on the spot. Because a five-year-old girl cannot possibly comprehend what 'full consciousness' means!"
"Linlin's current answer is the correct one!"
"..." Wang Zizai and his wife were dumbfounded.
Ying Chen, this old trickster, had deliberately set a trap for a child!
If Linlin had not been innocent and honest, she might have fallen for it!
"Third question: Since your mother said you can do math problems, then I will..."
"Ask a language question!"
Wang Zizai and his wife were stunned again, and at the same time, they cursed in their hearts - old trickster!
"A person is not in their rightful place. Guess a character."
Ying Chen, however, posed a riddle.
The riddle didn't seem difficult, but it wasn't something a ghost with impaired consciousness could answer.
This type of riddle had a common characteristic: it required a bit of a twist of the mind.
And whether one's mind could twist in that way was the biggest difference between humans and animals, ghosts, and other beings.