Chapter 21

Xue Ming stood in the courtyard with the intertwined locust trees for the third time. She rolled her eyes, thinking, “Not this dream again.”

Just like the previous two times, Xue Ming pushed open the door and saw the male ghost sitting inside. Having been frightened by him once before and knowing that his eyes would bleed, she was mentally prepared this time. She entered the room and asked the ghost, “Who exactly are you?”
Perhaps due to the heavy yin energy in her body, this dream was much clearer. She saw the ghost slowly turn around, revealing a sorrowful face with blood tears streaming down his cheeks. He sat motionless, staring intently at Xue Ming.

“Do you have something to say to me?” Xue Ming asked, “Are you wronged? Or did you die too tragically and want to drag me along? I have no grievances with you, so why do you keep haunting me?”

The ghost appeared young, not wealthy but not poor either, and certainly not dressed like a monk. This left Xue Ming guessing. Feeling frustrated, she sighed and pulled a stool to sit beside him, saying, “As the saying goes, familiarity breeds friendship. This is our third meeting, so let’s not be strangers. You don’t speak or tell me who you are. Scaring me once or twice is useless. I’ve gotten used to being frightened in this temple. If you want me to do something, at least give me a hint.”

The ghost continued to stare at her silently, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Xue Ming thought the ghost probably wanted her to help avenge him or collect his remains. Seeing his resentful yet pitiful appearance, she felt he wouldn’t harm her. “How about this: tell me who killed you, and I’ll seek justice for you, okay?” Xue Ming tentatively asked.

The ghost’s eyes suddenly changed, filled with hatred, and he made a startling move. He raised his hand and pointed at Xue Ming.

Startled, Xue Ming stood up, her back cold with fear. “Why are you pointing at me? I asked who killed you.”

The ghost’s expression became more ferocious and sinister. Then, Xue Ming noticed his lips were sewn together with bloody threads, sealing his mouth shut!

Xue Ming was so frightened that her scalp tingled. She kicked her legs forcefully and woke up from the dream, her heels hitting the wall painfully. She sat up and rubbed her feet.

It was already daylight, and outside seemed gray, like a cloudy day. Xue Ming was drenched in sweat. She casually wiped her forehead, feeling extremely heavy. She struggled to get out of bed and walk to the table; even those few steps exhausted her, and she felt dizzy as if she might collapse at any moment. She grabbed a water pouch and took a few sips.

The cool liquid slid down her throat, comforting her as if it were repairing her nearly withered meridians. Last night, Xue Ming had talked with Nie Xiaoqian for a short while before her strength gave out, and she fell asleep. However, upon waking, her condition had not improved and had even worsened.

Last night, Nie Xiaoqian suggested that she absorb yang energy through the method of yin-yang union, but Xue Ming couldn’t accept it and asked for another method.

Nie Xiaoqian said that human blood also contains yang energy, and drinking it directly could replenish her. However, Xue Ming’s body was so depleted that to restore it to a life-sustaining state, she would need to drink at least half of a person’s blood. This second method was even more absurd. Not only was drinking human blood a perverse act that crossed her moral boundaries, but even if she overcame her psychological barriers, drinking half of someone’s blood would be enough to kill them, making it an impossible task.

Nie Xiaoqian sarcastically said, “Then just wait to die.” She seemed eager for Xue Ming to die. If not for the bell restricting her, she could have taken Xue Ming’s life that night. It was unclear whether her suggestions were sincere or if she was hiding something.

Feeling frustrated, Xue Ming shook the water pouch, which was still half full. This miraculous water had indeed kept her barely alive, but it would run out eventually, and she didn’t have much time to think.

She took a wooden stick from the corner of the room and walked out slowly. This crutch had been found by Qiu Sheng when her legs were in severe pain, and after her legs healed, it had been left in the room, now coming in handy again.

Upon leaving the room, she saw the dark sky, with black clouds gathering. The air was hot and humid, sticking to her skin and making her uncomfortable. Xue Ming stood under the eaves, where Chun Ye was collecting clothes. Seeing her, he asked with concern, “Hero Yan, how is it? Are you feeling better?”

Last night, he brought Xue Ming a meal, which she declined because she felt unwell.

Unable to stand for long, Xue Ming sat down under the eaves and shook her head, saying, “Still not feeling well.”

Hearing voices outside, Ning Caichen came out and, seeing Xue Ming’s pale face, said worriedly, “This place is remote, and we can’t find a doctor. I have some medicine with me. How about letting Qiu Sheng prepare some for you?”

Xue Ming knew her condition wasn’t an illness and that she couldn’t take medicine indiscriminately, so she weakly replied, “Thank you for your concern, but my current weakness is unexplained, and I can’t take medicine randomly. I must decline your kind offer.”

Ning Caichen looked around and sighed, “I have read many books but know little about medicine. I am ashamed that I cannot help you.”

At this point, Xue Ming was too tired to converse politely and simply waved her hand dismissively. Her gaze fell on Chun Ye and Qiu Sheng in the courtyard. Both appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. Chun Ye was slightly taller, with a round face and a sunny disposition, while Qiu Sheng was more robust, with darker skin, resembling a physical education student. Both had ordinary looks with no distinctive features. Ning Caichen, on the other hand, stood out. He was tall, comparable in height to Yu He. His features were handsome, and his attire was luxurious and refined, exuding an inexplicable charm and elegance. If Xue Ming had to choose one of these three as a partner for the yin-yang union, Ning Caichen would be the most suitable. However, she was not close enough to Ning Caichen to consider such intimacy, and he might not be willing either. In the original story, he had righteously rejected Nie Xiaoqian’s advances. Moreover, he was Nie Xiaoqian’s destined partner, making it difficult for Xue Ming to take such a step.

“Ah—” Xue Ming sighed deeply, her voice filled with struggle and despair.

Ning Caichen tried to comfort her, saying, “Perhaps you are just exhausted. Resting for a couple of days might help.”

Resting for a couple of days would mean death for me, Xue Ming thought to herself. She didn’t want to do anything and just slumped in the chair. Her entire body was in discomfort as if all her bones had been drained of marrow, leaving only an empty shell filled with painful fatigue. She spent the whole day sitting there, eating only a little and not feeling hungry.

As night fell, a cool breeze arose, and a bolt of lightning struck, followed by a torrential downpour. Xue Ming, leaning on her stick, returned to her room. She felt as if she were under anesthesia, her mind foggy, with no apparent awareness of her actions. Sometimes, she was lucid, and sometimes, she was confused. When she regained some clarity, she found herself lying on the bed.

This must be what it feels like to be drained of yang energy. She wasn’t in severe pain, but she could feel her life slipping away.

Xue Ming’s consciousness was hazy. She closed her eyes to rest for a moment, and when she opened them again, she suddenly saw a crane standing before her. The phrase “riding a crane to the west” popped into her mind, and she blurted out in panic, “Am I dead?”

The crane looked at her with round, intelligent eyes like a clever child.

Xue Ming suddenly realized, “Are you Dear Crane?”

The white crane immediately ran to her side, circling her twice. Its red feathers brushed against her fingers, and it flapped its wings happily.

“Is it really you?” Xue Ming was astonished. If this crane was here, then Yu He…

She then realized she was no longer lying on the hard bed but standing in Yu He’s room. The pain from her weakened yang energy had vanished, and she felt no discomfort. Xue Ming recognized this state; she knew she was dreaming.

Turning her head, she saw Yu He sitting on a soft chair to her left. His posture was relaxed, and he was clad in white robes, with his long hair tied up and some strands falling over his shoulders. He was holding a book and reading intently. The bright light in the room illuminated his handsome face, a face that always made Xue Ming marvel at its beauty. Looking closer, she saw that the book in Yu He’s hand was actually the erotic art book she had mistakenly picked up earlier.

“So studious?” Xue Ming remarked sarcastically.

Yu He glanced at her briefly and ignored her comment, asking calmly, “Why haven’t you come these past two nights?”

Xue Ming was much bolder in the dream, especially since he was already troubled by her physical condition and had been depressed all day. Naturally, her attitude towards Yu He was not good. “Are you still waiting for me to deliver yang energy to you? I’m telling you, from today on, I’m not going anymore! I want to terminate the transaction of transferring yang energy with you.”

Yu He asked, “Why?”

“You still have the nerve to ask why? If it weren’t for you absorbing so much of my yang energy, would I be like this now? I had to use a cane to walk and find a man to perform some yin-yang union technique to replenish my yang energy. You’ve harmed me so badly, and you still ask why I won’t come to you.” Xue Ming snarled.

Yu He calmly said, “Come to me, I can save you.”

Xue Ming finally vented her anger and snapped at him, “Why should I come to you? Do you think I want to rush to throw my life into your hands? Even if I must find someone, it should be a living man.” She emphasized the last sentence with two heavy tones.

Yu He’s expression changed slightly. His brows and eyes seemed tinged with coldness. His emotionless eyes stared at Xue Ming, and he asked in a chilling tone, “Who do you want to find?”

Xue Ming knew it was a dream, but she couldn’t help feeling a chill down her spine. After a moment of silence, she finally said stubbornly, “In any case, it’s not you.”

After saying this, she suddenly opened her eyes and woke up. As soon as she took a breath, she felt a liquid rushing up her throat.

Xue Ming hurriedly turned over and grabbed the edge of the bed, then vomited a large mouthful of black blood, all of it landing on her shoes, making a mess. She was so frightened that she trembled all over, realizing that she was really going to die this time. She crawled off the bed using her hands and feet to grab the water pouch. After hurriedly opening it and taking two big gulps, it turned out to be of no use.

Xue Ming threw down the water pouch and stumbled out the door. Outside, the sky was dark, and it was pouring rain. The rain’s sound created a tremendous noise, constantly flooding Xue Ming’s ears, each sound like a death knell. She pounded on Ning Caichen’s door with all her might, shouting, “Ning Caichen, open the door! Save me!”

Xue Ming knew he was a righteous person. Now, pounding on his door was to get a bit of his blood, at least to stabilize her body and deal with this emergency first.

After a few dull thuds of knocking, the door in front of Xue Ming was pulled open from the inside. She instinctively looked up and immediately felt a chill all over. It wasn’t Ning Caichen who opened the door, but Yu He. He was dressed exactly as Xue Ming had seen him in the dream. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating his handsome face as bright as day. His eyes and brows were full of coldness, and he looked down at her with a slightly lowered gaze, exuding an unfriendly aura.

Out of the corner of her eye, Xue Ming saw that behind him was his own bedroom. She suddenly remembered that Yu He had used this trick before, connecting his bedroom with the streets of the mortal world. Xue Ming realized that what she had just experienced might not have been a simple dream.

When their eyes met, a thunderbolt crashed from above, making a loud noise. Xue Ming’s body trembled, and she instinctively took a step back in a bid for survival, turning to flee. Unexpectedly, a hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her back with great force. Her back pressed against a cold, firm chest.

Xue Ming stretched out her hands and struggled a few times, her fingers hooking onto the door frame, but she was too weak. She was easily carried into the room, and then the door slammed shut with a bang.