Chapter 7

The first thing she felt was the dull pain from her bones hitting the hard bedboard as she turned over. Accompanied by the lewd sounds entering her ears, Xue Ming suddenly realized something. She had asked for an upper room in the inn, where the bed was covered with two layers of soft bedding, making it very comfortable to sleep on. It shouldn’t have been this hard. Only the bed in that ghost temple would be so bone-crushingly hard.

Ghost temple?!

Xue Ming suddenly opened her eyes and saw the moonlight casting a pale light on the ground through the open door, revealing the vague outlines of the room’s interior. An empty room, an old table, and the familiar lampstand on the table—all of these indicated the environment she was currently in.

Xue Ming immediately broke out in a cold sweat, sat up with a start, and looked around. She saw that her luggage, which had been placed at the head of the bed, was still there, and the bedding covering her had turned into the black robe she had taken off in the morning. The room hadn’t changed at all; even the door remained as it was when she left in the morning.

Xue Ming rubbed her eyes hard, thinking she was dreaming. She raised her hand to slap herself but couldn’t bring herself to do it, so she pinched her thigh instead. The pain made her gasp, almost collapsing. She had traveled all day to escape this ghostly place, only stopping to rest when she was utterly exhausted. She thought she had finally left, but after just one sleep, she found herself back again. Fear spread in her heart as if it was devouring her bit by bit.

Xue Ming fell into a state of despair, her whole body cold. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed she couldn’t escape.

The sounds from the next room grew louder, almost to the point of screaming. Xue Ming climbed out of bed, hurriedly put on her clothes, and cautiously stepped out of the room. Everything that happened last night was still vivid in her mind. At night, the temple was a place where demons and ghosts ran rampant. If she stayed in this broken room, she might be surrounded by those little ghosts again.

Xue Ming always put her safety first, no matter the environment. The first thing she considered was a way out. After leaving the room, she found the courtyard quiet, with many of Zhao Sheng’s luggage from Lanxi piled up. The tall weeds had been completely cleared, making the place look more spacious. She realized the sound wasn’t coming from the next room but from the east wing diagonally opposite. Only that room had a faint light, casting two overlapping shadows on the window. The woman’s body was highly flexible, twisted into a position impossible for an ordinary person, as if she had no spine, looking very eerie. The man’s shadow was much less impressive, just very hardworking, and judging by his heavy breathing, he seemed exhausted.

Xue Ming looked around and saw no one. No matter how loud the noise was, the other rooms were dark, and it seemed no one else heard it except her. She bent down and quietly walked over, noticing the window wasn’t fully closed, leaving a small gap.

Xue Ming wasn’t interested in watching a live erotic scene; she wanted to confirm if the ghost inside was Nie Xiaoqian. If it were Nie Xiaoqian, Xue Ming would tell her she was now willing to accept the previous deal, give her some yang energy, and then ask her to explain what was happening. Otherwise, if this continued, she might die of exhaustion from running away before the ghosts could eat her.

Xue Ming pressed herself against the window, peeking inside through the gap. The room was brightly lit, and the two figures inside had changed positions, now tightly entwined. The man’s rough, dark skin contrasted sharply with the ghost woman’s pale, bloodless complexion. The bed creaked under their weight, the sound piercing through the night. The ghost woman’s face was obscured by her long hair, which swayed wildly, making it impossible to see her features.

The man was Zhao Sheng, who had entered the temple during the day. He was clearly exhausted, but at this crucial moment, he couldn’t stop, panting heavily like an ox plowing field all day and night. The scene was extremely unsightly. The ghost woman’s voice grew louder, winding and twisting in a way that made Xue Ming’s skin crawl.

The sight was shocking, but Xue Ming forced herself to watch for a while. She saw the ghost woman throw her head back and scream, causing her hair to fall and reveal her face.

Xue Ming then realized that this ghost was not Nie Xiaoqian. She was extraordinarily seductive, and her fox-like eyes were even more bewitching.

As Zhao Sheng reached his peak, shouting in ecstasy, the ghost woman’s hair suddenly came to life, wrapping tightly around his face, layer upon layer. Zhao Sheng immediately struggled frantically, clawing at his face to remove the thick hair, but it was all in vain. The hair tightened further, and Zhao Sheng’s struggles weakened within moments. He collapsed onto the bed, his body twitching slightly, clearly at death’s door.

Xue Ming watched in horror, her limbs stiff with fear. Just as she was about to sneak away, she suddenly saw the ghost woman turn her head, her eerie, enchanting eyes locking onto Xue Ming’s face.

Xue Ming’s scalp tingled with fear. She took a big step back, reacting faster than elderly people grabbing free eggs at a supermarket, and sprinted away.

A few seconds later, a loud “bang” behind her pierced through the silent night. The wind also became sharp, as if something was rapidly approaching from behind.

Xue Ming glanced back and was terrified. She could no longer care about her aching legs and immediately transformed into Bolt, her legs moving as fast as they could, starting a new night and a new escape journey. She saw the ghost woman floating in mid-air, draped in a plain white robe, with black hair flying wildly. Her skin was ashen, her eyes devoid of pupils, only white sclera remaining. Her expression was twisted and ferocious, and sharp claws were outstretched, chasing after Xue Ming in a menacing manner.

This was the actual appearance of an evil ghost, and just one look made Xue Ming’s legs go weak.

However, with the experience of escaping the previous night, Xue Ming knew where to run. Unfortunately, this ghost woman was much faster than the little ghosts from the night before. The wildly flying hair wrapped around Xue Ming’s arm in no time, quickly coiling around it.

Xue Ming was immediately pulled to the ground by a strong force, her back scraping along the ground. She screamed in terror. Just as she was about to be dragged back by the ghost woman, she saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye, and the hair wrapped around her arm was suddenly cut off, all the force disappearing.

Xue Ming quickly got up and tore off the remaining hair from her arm. Looking up, she saw that the white flash was a long silk cloth being retracted by someone on the roof.

Under the bright moon, she saw Nie Xiaoqian standing on the roof in white clothes, accompanied by a cute and charming young girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen. The two ghosts stood side by side, looking much better than the ghost woman below.

The ghost woman below glared at Nie Xiaoqian with resentment and growled, “Nie Xiaoqian, we have always minded our own business. Why are you ruining my plans?!”

Nie Xiaoqian smiled and said softly, “Sister Liu Man, I saw this prey first. You can’t snatch food from someone else’s mouth.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Ming realized that these two ghosts were fighting over her as food. Seeing that they had a grudge against each other, she seized the opportunity and immediately got up to run.

Seeing her prey about to escape, Liu Man couldn’t bother arguing with Nie Xiaoqian and immediately gave chase. However, Nie Xiaoqian intentionally blocked her, floating down with her white silk ribbon.

The two ghosts had previously fought over many people in the temple, and their enmity was long-standing. They started fighting fiercely, with the white silk and black hair entangling each other, stirring up dust and debris. The two ghosts were evenly matched, and the fight was intense.

Nie Xiaoqian didn’t seem to have a life-or-death struggle and withdrew to the rooftop after a while. “Let’s stop. Grandmother forbids internal fighting. If she finds out, we’ll be punished again.”

Liu Man’s face twisted angrily, and she spat out a threat, “I’ll settle this with you later!”

Seeing Liu Man chasing again, Nie Xiaoqian called out, “Sister Liu Man, don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you go any further, you’ll enter the lotus territory. Don’t disturb the one inside…”

Before she could finish, Liu Man had disappeared.

Liu Man was very fast and soon spotted Xue Ming’s fleeing figure. She increased her speed, and her chaotic hair transformed into countless hands, reaching out to entangle Xue Ming.

Xue Ming raced against time, now running on the lotus pond walkway. The house’s door was in sight, but the countless strands of black hair bound her hands and feet. Within seconds, it felt like she was being weighed down by dozens of kilograms, exhausting her to stand. Then, a sharp scream came from behind, and a massive force hit her back, causing Xue Ming to fall to the ground.

Liu Man pressed down on her, muttering something, but the intense pain made her mind hazy, and she only vaguely heard the words “rare.” She struggled desperately, pushing with her palms and flailing like a stranded fish. Liu Man leaned in, opening her mouth wide to reveal sharp teeth and an ugly, long tongue, and bit into her neck.

A sharp pain shot through her, and just when Xue Ming thought she was going to die, a cool breeze swept over her, and the previously closed door suddenly opened.

In a sorry state, Xue Ming instinctively turned to look and saw Yu He standing in the doorway. He had changed into a moon-white robe adorned with green bamboo leaves at the hem. His long hair was half-tied, with a cloud-patterned wooden hairpin, giving him a scholarly and elegant appearance. If not for his snow-white skin, dark nails, and gorgeous eyes, it would be hard to tell if he was a human or a ghost.

“Lord Yu He, save me…” Xue Ming reached out to him with a trembling hand, her delicate fingers clawing at the ground. Her moist black eyes were full of desperation, showing a strong will to survive.

Yu He looked down at her indifferently as if it had nothing to do with him.
Suddenly, a bright light flashed across the ground in front of the house, followed by many strange and beautiful patterns that seemed to be illuminated. The light flashed briefly with golden light, quickly approaching Xue Ming.

A piercing scream echoed, and Xue Ming felt a sudden lightness. When she turned to look, the ghost woman on top of her was now thrown a yard away. Half of her head looked as if it had been scorched by a red-hot iron, becoming a rotting blur, with half her body twisted and deformed, exposing white bones. The ghost woman’s face was full of terror, covering the rotting side of her face, trembling all over, not daring to say a word, and fled immediately.

Seeing this, Xue Ming collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, gasping for breath, unable to muster the strength to get up.

However, Yu He did not intend to leave her there. Instead, he bent down, grabbed her wrist, and easily pulled her up.

Xue Ming stiffened with fear, feeling the icy touch on her wrist, making her shiver. Knowing Yu He’s abilities, she dared not struggle and let him pull her into the house. His steps were steady and unhurried, yet very fast, causing Xue Ming to stumble.

They soon reached a familiar place for Xue Ming—the hot spring room.
Yu He brought her to the edge of the spring and, without any hesitation, threw her in. The warm water enveloped her completely, and the sudden suffocation overwhelmed her. Having undergone intense physical exertion, Xue Ming couldn’t adapt and struggled with all her limbs. Fortunately, the hot spring wasn’t deep. Her feet soon touched the bottom, and she stood up. The water reached her chest, and her soaked robe became extremely heavy.

Xue Ming had to untie her belt and remove her outer garment, allowing her body to float more easily. She glanced towards the shore but could no longer see Yu He’s figure. Just as she thought Yu He had left and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a cold touch appeared behind her, pressing against her already-soaked back, enveloping her.

Xue Ming was startled and instinctively turned her head, but a hand suddenly lifted her chin, gripping her neck and jawbone, completely controlling her fragile lifeline. Xue Ming knew it was Yu He’s hand from the ice-cold temperature. These ghosts appeared and disappeared unpredictably, which Xue Ming could understand. However, he was too close, and her thin summer clothes were almost transparent when wet, making the skin-to-skin contact extremely noticeable, causing Xue Ming’s hair to stand on end. Her wet clothes clung to her body, and through the poor-quality fabric, one could vaguely see her wrapped chest and slender waist. Yu He’s dark, deep eyes traced along her wet clothes, his gaze moving slowly. Further down, it was obscured by mist and water, faintly visible.

After intense exercise, Xue Ming’s body was extremely hot, much hotter than the temperature of the hot spring. Because of this, Yu He’s cold body could feel the heat from the young girl even more. He lifted Xue Ming’s neck slightly, and his thumb pressed against her jawbone and tilted it to the side, revealing her delicate neck and the bright red teeth marks on it.

Liu Man’s teeth had not yet pierced her skin but left a relatively obvious tooth mark. Yu He’s fingertips rubbed it, like a gentle caress.

Xue Ming didn’t know what he wanted to do. Her neck felt painful and itchy, but she was stiff and didn’t dare move. Although the male ghost behind her didn’t have noticeable mood swings, she didn’t feel his gentleness, especially when some small movements played tricks on her, making Xue Ming feel like she was being slaughtered.

After a long silence, Xue Ming couldn’t help but break the silence first, whispering: “Lord Yu He…”

Before she finished speaking, Yu He’s hand suddenly became stronger, and the hot spring water seemed to rush to her neck. His cool fingertips rubbed a place repeatedly, like scrubbing.

Xue Ming felt the pain and was about to dodge it, but Yu He suddenly lowered his head, and his tall body leaned down, biting her neck with his head tilted.