Chapter 27

Lu Man was quite willing to spend money and booked a rather luxurious room, its splendor comparable to Yan Yuhe’s bedroom. A table full of steaming hot dishes was quickly served one after another. Having been busy for a long time, Xue Ming was already starving and immediately started eating without a word.

Lu Man sat beside her. Although she didn’t eat, she kept talking, telling Xue Ming about Jiang Ruoming. It seemed they had some cooperative relationship. The first thing Jiang Ruoming did upon arriving here was to find Lu Man, but after meeting, they had a dispute and parted ways angrily. The reason was that Jiang Ruoming had killed too many people. To create a corpse-nurturing Yin-gathering formation, she killed many innocent mortals. This sinister formation was the scene Xue Ming witnessed tonight. She first sewed the person’s mouth shut, then nailed their hands and feet, and finally placed them on the formation, letting it drain their yang energy until they died. Thus, the person’s body would become something like a storage container, filled with resentful yin energy. The cruelty of this technique left Xue Ming in awe. She deeply understood the state of a body with depleted yang energy, which was akin to torture, having to feel oneself die slowly from yang depletion. She couldn’t imagine how tormenting it would be.

Being a ghost on a path of cultivation, Lu Man strongly opposed such sinful acts, so they eventually parted ways.

Xue Ming kept her head down, eating silently and listening. She noticed that Lu Man didn’t actually distinguish between her and Jiang Ruoming.

According to her, Jiang Ruoming realized Yan Chixia had chased her to the ghost realm. Unable to escape, she had to abandon her physical body and flee, leaving half of her soul in her body to keep it alive while hiding the other half. This is why Xue Ming is now in a state of having no memory and no abilities.

Lu Man believed that Jiang Ruoming had separated her good and evil souls, with the evil soul leaving and the good soul remaining. She took the opportunity to confess to Xue Ming, saying, “I really like you as you are now. Your previous self was truly unlikable.”

But Xue Ming knew better than anyone that she was a complete soul from the 21st century, not half of Jiang Ruoming’s soul. She didn’t argue; instead, she grabbed a duck leg and started eating, her mouth full of grease. She asked vaguely, “So, a soul can’t leave the body for too long, right?”

Lu Man nodded, “If a soul leaves the body for too long, the body will gradually die. Even if the soul returns, it will become like a walking corpse.”

“Do you think it’s possible that Jiang Ruoming doesn’t want this body anymore?” Xue Ming asked tentatively.

“Absolutely not,” Lu Man said, observing her expression and softening his tone to comfort her. “Don’t worry, you and Jiang Ruoming are originally one soul. She won’t harm you to take over the body, and I will do my best to help you occupy the main soul.”

Xue Ming found it amusing. If Jiang Ruoming still wanted this body, why did she abandon it in the first place? Moreover, as soon as the villain left, Xue Ming traveled here to keep the body alive, struggling between life and death for so many days. Then she would have to return the body to Jiang Ruoming to continue her evil deeds in the mortal world, while she herself would go to the underworld to drink Meng Po soup.

Xue Ming chuckled, thinking to herself: How could there be such a good thing in this world? Might as well let the Leshan Giant Buddha come down and let me sit up there.

She took a big bite of the duck leg, her cheeks bulging, filled with the aroma of roast duck, enjoying it immensely. She laughed and said, “Whoever wants to die in this world can die, but I want to live.”

Xue Ming ate her fill, carefully wiped her mouth and hands clean, and then shook the bell to summon Nie Xiaoqian.

Nie Xiaoqian’s soul was weak, and as soon as she appeared, she looked resentful. But when she saw Lu Man, her expression turned to surprise. “A Man?”

Seeing her reaction, Xue Ming immediately pointed at Lu Man and said, “Do you know Little Golden Immortal? She is Little Golden Immortal.”

Nie Xiaoqian’s eyes widened in shock, and she floated around Lu Man, stammering, “Little Golden Immortal? Are you the one who played the Jade Face Ghost King like a fool?”

Lu Man raised her eyebrows and grinned, “Sister Xiaoqian.”

Xue Ming felt much better, realizing she wasn’t the only one in the dark. Seeing Nie Xiaoqian’s bewildered look, it seemed she knew nothing either.

Xue Ming rummaged through her pouch and placed a pile of paper money and incense on the table. These were things she had taken from the Heaven and Earth shop before. She had asked the old man about it, and he said they were for the dead. At that time, she took them out of spite, but now they were actually useful.

Xue Ming took out Nie Xiaoqian’s bones and placed them on the ground, borrowing a flame from Lu Man. She said, “Nie Xiaoqian, these things are treasures. I’m burning them for you now, so you must protect me well in the future and be grateful, understand?”

Nie Xiaoqian floated over and examined the incense, doubting, “What kind of treasures are these?”

Xue Ming chuckled, showing off, “Just watch.”

She casually took a basin and sat before Nie Xiaoqian’s bones, lighting the incense and burning the paper money in the basin. Soon, wisps of blue smoke rose, surrounding Nie Xiaoqian, and her translucent soul began to fill in bit by bit.

Nie Xiaoqian closed her eyes and felt it, exclaiming in delight, “This feeling of being filled with Yin energy is so comfortable!”

Xue Ming generously threw handfuls of paper money into the fire. She knew very well that she couldn’t fight others, but Nie Xiaoqian could. These incense and paper money differed from the usual ones and could enhance a ghost’s cultivation. Xue Ming had taken a lot and gave them all to Nie Xiaoqian.

Nie Xiaoqian’s soul was greatly nourished like a fish in water, happily floating around Xue Ming. She said, “You don’t look very devout. You should be kneeling in front of my bones.”

Xue Ming glared at her and scolded, “Don’t push your luck. I haven’t even burned paper money for my own mother. Burning it for you is already good enough, and you want me to kneel? Why don’t I do a handstand while burning it for you?”

Nie Xiaoqian, chastised, floated back to Lu Man’s side and curiously asked, “Why were you in the temple before? Were you looking for the Jade Face Ghost King?”

“The Jade Face Ghost King?” Lu Man said in surprise, “He died a long time ago. How could he be in the temple?”

“Dead?!” Nie Xiaoqian was also quite surprised.

“A month ago, he had bad luck and ran into Yan Chixia. He was instantly obliterated.”

Nie Xiaoqian turned to look at Xue Ming, her eyes full of confusion. “But…”

Xue Ming was no longer surprised. After reaching a conclusion, she could understand the critical points with little thought. She had previously wondered why a ghost would be so generous, sacrificing its own cultivation to replenish her yang energy. Now, she realized that Yan Chixia was actually a living person. For some reason, his physical state was extremely similar to that of a ghost, and he had impersonated the Jade Face Ghost King. Thinking about it now, it was quite amusing. She was a fake Yan Chixia, Ning Caichen was a fake Ning Caichen, and the Jade Face Ghost King was also a fake. The temple was full of impostors.

Xue Ming couldn’t help but laugh, muttering, “Yan Yuhe really played the part well.”

Lu Man seemed to recall a terrifying scene and shivered. She turned to Xue Ming and said, “Remember, if you encounter Yan Chixia, don’t think about anything; just run. No ghost has ever escaped from him unscathed.”

“I’m not a ghost,” Xue Ming said.

Lu Man replied, “Indeed, you are not yet, but Yan Chixia came down the mountain this time to hunt you.”

“Not me,” Xue Ming corrected her, “Jiang Ruoming.”

Lu Man shrugged, indifferent to the distinction. Xue Ming didn’t argue further. After burning the paper money, she took out Ning Caichen’s body. This was the only body she managed to save during the earlier chaos. The others hanging on the trees probably didn’t meet a good end. As soon as she took out the body, Ning Caichen appeared, his smoky form looking like it could be blown away by a gust of wind. He stood in the corner of the room, looking like a weak and timid scholar.

Xue Ming instructed Nie Xiaoqian to remove the stitches from his mouth.

Nie Xiaoqian was initially reluctant, but she went over and used her long nails to pick the stitches. As soon as a large amount of yin energy escaped, her eyes lit up, and she inhaled it greedily.

Ning Caichen looked at Nie Xiaoqian resentfully, unable to express his anger. Once the stitches on his mouth disappeared, he finally spoke, “You killed me, so why save me?”

Xue Ming replied, “It’s complicated, but I wasn’t the one who took your life. I know you died unjustly. Once we get out of here, I’ll find a proper place to bury you.”

Upon hearing this, Ning Caichen began to cry, his sobs extremely sorrowful, perhaps due to being a ghost. The sound was so pitiful that it gave Xue Ming goosebumps. She sat obediently, trying to exude an aura of benevolence, and gently said, “Don’t cry. Although I can’t avenge you, if I ever get the chance, I’ll speak to the officials in the underworld to ensure you have a good reincarnation.”

Though she said this, Xue Ming had no real connections to help Ning Caichen, but it was a comforting gesture.

“Can you stop her from absorbing my body?” Ning Caichen choked out through his tears.

Xue Ming turned to see Nie Xiaoqian engrossed in absorbing yin energy from Ning Caichen’s mouth. His once full body was now deflated, gradually revealing the shape of his bones. Xue Ming called Nie Xiaoqian to stop, but she pretended not to hear. So, Xue Ming picked up the nearly burnt-out incense and threw it at her head. Only then did Nie Xiaoqian release Ning Caichen’s body, licking her lips in satisfaction. This replenishment healed her injuries completely and significantly increased her cultivation, making her look almost alive.

Xue Ming stood, tidied things up, and then put away Nie Xiaoqian and Ning Caichen. She stretched and said, “That’s it for now. I need to sleep and regain my energy.”

Lu Man didn’t need to rest. She stood up and said, “I’ll go out to gather information. You escaping from under Yan Chixia’s nose will definitely make him furious. He might even use the Jade Face Ghost King’s power to issue a wanted order. We can’t stay here for long. Once you wake up, we’ll move to another place.”

After she left, the room became quiet. Xue Ming was about to get up and undress when suddenly, a flame ignited out of thin air in front of her. She was startled and took two steps back. Then, a childish cry came, “Help me… help me…”

Xue Ming shouted in her heart: Shit! and blurted out, “What’s ghost are you?”

“It’s not a ghost, it’s me…” The flame in front of her extinguished, and a small shadow floated out, forming the shape of a child. Xue Ming squinted and saw that the same child had given her the immortal water and directed her to the Rakshasa Ghost Market to buy the Yang Gathering Talisman. She hadn’t seen him since he entered the temple a few days ago, and Xue Ming had almost forgotten about him. She didn’t expect him to come to her at this time. Xue Ming asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you crying?”

The child’s clothes were tattered, less luxurious and neat than when she had seen him. He sat on the ground, rubbing his eyes and crying loudly, “I’m trapped. Please come and save me.”

Xue Ming had never seen such a beautiful child, and he cried so pitifully that she immediately felt a bit soft-hearted. She squatted down and asked him, “What’s going on? Don’t cry. Tell me, and I’ll find a way to help you.”

The child sobbed and said, “Evil spirits caught me. They want to eat me. Now, I can only come to you for help.”

Xue Ming paused, feeling a bad premonition. Isn’t this little immortal quite powerful? How could ghosts catch him? She asked, “Which evil spirit caught you?”

You Yin said, “It’s that dead crow. He deceived me and took the opportunity to capture me!”

Xue Ming pondered for a moment. Could this dead crow be the Hundred Crow Ghost King? She thought she had spoken too soon and quickly stood up, showing a troubled expression. “You’ve come to the wrong person. I can barely protect myself right now, so I can’t save you.”

Hearing this, You Yin became angry and said, “I have helped you several times before. When you went to the Rakshasa Ghost Market, I even gave you an item to hide your yin energy. You can’t just let your benefactor die!”

Xue Ming thought for a moment and suddenly understood what he was referring to. She gestured at her neck, “Are you talking about the sachet I wore around my neck? So, you made me go out and return without any memory that day?”

You Yin wiped his tears and said, “I saw that you had too much yin energy on you. You would have been targeted if you had entered the ghost market rashly. So, I kindly gave you an item to hide your yin. Otherwise, do you think you could have stood safely in the ghost market?”

“You should have told me in advance. I thought I was possessed.” Seeing him cry so pitifully, Xue Ming felt a bit guilty, remembering that he had indeed helped her before and seemed like a kind-hearted child. She softly said, “I can’t guarantee I can save you, but I’ll try to think of a way. First, tell me where you are now.”

He raised his hand and handed her a grass sprout, looking at Xue Ming pitifully. “You must come and save me.”

After two more cries, You Yin disappeared into the air. Holding the grass sprout in her hand, Xue Ming felt mixed emotions. She realized that there really was no free lunch in this world. However, thinking of You Yin’s pitiful appearance, she couldn’t bear it and decided to discuss it with Lu Man when she returned.

She waited a while, confirming that no one else would appear, then removed her clothes and went to soak in the pool in the next room. The water in the pool was hot and steaming, and once her body was fully submerged, her nerves finally relaxed, and she let out a long sigh.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional sound of stirring water. Xue Ming rested her head on the edge, her body completely relaxed, floating in the water. Suddenly, she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.

She thought of Yan Yuhe. Since their encounter, she had survived several times in his hands. It had only been a few days, but it felt like they had known each other for a long time. Xue Ming’s journey from distrust to trust in him resulted from careful consideration and deliberation. However, the truth was suddenly revealed when she believed Yan Yuhe was a good ghost she could trust. Someone told her that it was all a setup, that he was deceiving her. His goal was to strip her soul, but he wasn’t wrong because he was a righteous figure, and her identity represented the antagonist.

This feeling was similar to a breakup. Xue Ming wasn’t angry; she just felt a sour and stuffy sensation in her heart, like a ball of pent-up frustration, inexplicably aggrieved. She buried half of her face in the water, blowing bubbles filled with resentment, thinking that Jiang Ruoming was once Yan Yuhe’s junior sister. Could it be that Yan Yuhe still couldn’t tell that this body had a new owner after these few days of interaction? She was kind, upright, broad-minded, and timid, completely different from the villain Jiang Ruoming.

While Xue Ming was complaining in her heart, she suddenly felt a cold hand on the back of her neck, lifting her head out of the water. Xue Ming screamed in fright and turned her head sharply, only to see Yan Yuhe, who had somehow appeared soaking beside her, looking at her expressionlessly.

Seeing his face, Xue Ming was scared out of her wits and instinctively tried to get up and escape. But as soon as she got halfway up, she realized she wasn’t wearing any clothes and quickly sank back into the water, retreating a bit to put some distance between them. She angrily said, “You’re a person, not a ghost. Can you not make an entrance like this? Do you want to scare me to death?”

Yan Yuhe didn’t react to her scolding, just let his deep gaze fall on her and asked, “Where did you go?”

“You’ve already found me, so why ask such a stupid question?” Xue Ming muttered, then suddenly realized something. She looked around and saw that thick fog had gathered around them, completely obscuring the surroundings. She understood and said, “Oh, it’s a dream again. Why can anyone enter my dreams? I should put up a sign saying anyone who enters has to pay me.”

Yan Yuhe moved closer, narrowing the distance between them, and stared at her, asking, “Why did you leave?”

“Leave? I didn’t leave, I escaped.” Xue Ming snorted, turning her back on him, and began to accuse him, “Yan Yuhe, you are really good at deceiving people. From the first time we met, you were lying. When I told you my name was Yan Chixia, you were secretly laughing at me, weren’t you? I originally thought you were a reliable, good person, but I didn’t expect you to be plotting with others on how to deal with me. If I didn’t escape, would you strip my soul?”

Yan Yuhe didn’t respond. Xue Ming waited for a moment. Hearing no movement, she quietly turned her head to look at his face, wondering if he was mocking her. Instead, she saw him lean in, his hands wrapping around her waist under the water, pulling her back into his arms. His cold chest pressed against her hot, white back, their bodies fitting together perfectly. He lowered his head, his breath falling on Xue Ming’s ear, his soft fingers gently stroking her collarbone, and said in a low voice, “You threw away the Yang Gathering Talisman. The yang energy in your body will soon be depleted.”

Xue Ming struggled a bit, finding his arms as strong as iron and holding her tightly. She had to give up and say, “It’s just yang energy. There are many ways to obtain it, not just from you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt her chin tighten as Yan Yuhe grabbed it, forcing her to lift her head and expose her slender, fragile neck. His tone finally changed slightly, with a hint of displeasure: “Who do you want to find?”

Xue Ming felt a bit embarrassed being held so tightly while completely naked. His grip kept tightening, making it difficult for her to breathe. She raised her hand to pinch Yan Yuhe’s wrist and turned to meet his dark, beautiful eyes.

It was rare to see other emotions in his eyes. Xue Ming smiled gently, “Yan Yuhe, whether you’re slaying demons or cleaning the house, it has nothing to do with me. I haven’t done anything evil before and won’t do it in the future. If you’re looking for someone, find your junior sister who has already escaped. Don’t come looking for me. As for the matter of yang energy, you don’t need to worry. I can replenish it with any man; it doesn’t have to be you.”

Xue Ming bit his wrist and said, “Leave my dream immediately.”

The next moment, she opened her eyes and found herself half-lying by the pool, having fallen asleep. There was still no one around. She laughed twice, “It really is my dream. I can control it.”

It felt pretty satisfying to stand up to Yan Yuhe in the dream. Xue Ming climbed ashore, cleaned herself up, casually threw on a loose robe as pajamas, and rolled up in her bedding to sleep. This time, she had a peaceful, dreamless night.

*

Yan Yuhe stood amid the wrecked hall, with large pillars full of cracks, indicating significant damage. Various pieces of glass and jade were shattered and scattered everywhere, showing severe destruction.

Hundred Crow walked in, looked around, and laughed, “Brother Jade Face, who provoked you to get so angry?”

Yan Yuhe coldly replied, “Get out.”

“Hey—” Hundred Crow walked over, put his arm around Yan Yuhe’s shoulder, and patted his chest to comfort him, “Isn’t it just a runaway concubine? Orders have been given to find her, and she shouldn’t have escaped the ghost realm. But speaking of which, you should reflect a bit. First, there was the little golden immortal, and now this one ran away, too. Maybe your skills in bed aren’t what they used to be.”

Yan Yuhe didn’t move. Suddenly, a sharp wind sounded in the air, and in an instant, Hundred Crow’s arm was severed entirely and flew away.

Hundred Crow laughed heartily, picked up his severed arm, reattached it, and teased, “Don’t get angry over a little plaything. I just caught something rare yesterday. Liu Li and Bai Duo have also arrived. Let’s have a few drinks together and let you all see something new.”