《100 Ghost Collection》


 Prologue

    Prologue ~ Ghost Witch (high)


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    The first wife¡¯s daughter with a good reputation of Li Yuanwai¡¯s family was going to get married soon, the husband was the noble son of the Shen family. The Shen family specially prepared ten miles of marriage dowry for this wedding ceremony, it caused countless envy from admiring eyes. Everyone knew that this was a beautiful marriage well-matched in social and economic status.


    *Yuanwai ¨C wealthy landlord


    The two families were joyously preparing for the wedding. They were awfully busy, so no one noticed that on some early mornings, Li Yuan Bao stealthily sneaked out of the mansion.


    Li Yuan Bao was the second daughter of Shen Yuanwai and his concubine. This identity was destined to lead her to live an entirely different life from her older sister. An identity that unwaveringly bonded to her throughout her life, she was unable to break away and unable to resist.


    Yuan Bao liked the Shen family¡¯s noble son. It originated on that afternoon day, she was in the loft embroidering flowers. The wind blew the silk fabric and it swayed and floated out the window. She got up to look for it and saw under the loft was a handsome nobleman wearing a sky blue brocade robe holding the silk fabric. He looked at her with a slight smile: ¡°You embroidered this?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very beautiful.¡±


    In a moment¡¯s glance, she had fallen hopelessly fond of this refined nobleman from just a simple conversation.


    However, when the Shen family came to propose marriage, her father was partial and gave the opportunity to her older sister. From childhood to adulthood, the best things were always the older sister¡¯s. She had always lived her life at ease but after she heard her father¡¯s conversation with the Shen family master behind the cotton screen and when she saw her older sister¡¯s blush, she felt envious; a deep hateful envy for this older half-sister.


    Why are some people always lucky?


    She once heard the cleanup stable hands talking to someone about a wizard that could utilize legendary venomous insect living outside the town in a densely foggy and wooded area. As long as he was given money, he would sell a legendary venomous worm.


    Li Yuan Bao did not have much money but she had some gold and silver jewelry. She packed all the jewelry inside the wrapping cloth. She wanted to buy two legendary venomous insects, one for her father, so that he would not be so biased, and the other for Shen family¡¯s noble son ¡­


    Afterward, she could then live out her days happily together with him.


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

 CH 1

    Ch 01 ~ Ghost Wizard (high)


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    ¡°Qi Tian¡± was the only thing that his father and mother left him before their early demise. It was only that the people of the outside world called him the Ghost Wizard, so he had gradually forgotten his own name, too. After all, it was a name that no one would call, so it naturally lost its meaning.


    Since childhood, he had raised legendary venomous insects. The people in the secular world always had numerous worries and long-lasting desires that could never be satisfied. The legendary venomous insects that he raised could satisfy the needs of certain people. Therefore, even though he lived alone in the densely foggy forest, there were still many people who were not afraid to die and cross over the swampy forest just to seek for only one legendary venomous worm.


    Qi Tian had his own rules, one legendary venomous worm for ten gold ingots, could not negotiate the price, no exceptions.


    However, in this vast world, there was always one person who could become someone¡¯s unexpected.


    Early that morning, he saw Li Yuan Bao in the swamp. She had been struggling in the mud all night. The lower half of her body was caught in the swamp, her hair was disheveled, and her difficult situation was written across her entire face. She could barely hold onto the broken branches with her upper body and all the tears in her eyes were of regret and despair.


    Qi Tian could roughly understand her desperation but did not know what she was regretting.


    Hearing sounds of footsteps slowly but steadily approaching, Li Yuan Bao exerted herself to raise her head. Her hoarse voice called out: ¡°Help, help¡­¡±


    Help, help me. After she saw Qi Tian¡¯s face, she swallowed these three words into her belly.


    It should be like this. Qi Tian understood that he was born with legendary venomous worms within his body. The legendary venomous insects had already become a part of his body that would live and die with him. They exist and migrate in his blood. Even his skin was uneven with bumps and dips and green veins covered the whole area, it was hideous and frightening.


    No one would think that this face was good-looking. When he was young, he was called a ¡°demon¡± and was driven away by his clan¡¯s people. It was because of this disgusting face that his father and mother had lost their lives for being on the move and from being exhausted all day long.


    Qi Tian looked at her for a while and then turned away indifferently to leave.


    At this moment a trembling hand pulled the hem of his black cloak: ¡°Help, help me¡­¡±


    Seeking survival was an instinct, even if the captured driftwood could be demons and ghosts in her eyes.


    Qi Tian was slightly startled, and then squatted down very calmly to one-by-one pry open Yuan Bao¡¯s fingers. His movements were unhurried and ordinary, like brushing off the mud that had stick to his clothes. Yuan Bao was terrified looking at the disgusting green veins covering the entire back of his hand. She watched his movements and said not one word in her desperation.


    ¡°Help, help me.¡± When Qi Tian left, he heard her desperate cries in the swamp, like a helpless puppy begging to keep on living, ¡°I beg of you. Please, save me¡­¡±


    His footsteps stopped. He turned his head to see her whole face wet with tears and her eyes were filled with despair. So he nodded lightly: ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Qi Tian¡¯s parents died early, so from a young age, he was lonely and wretched that developed his reclusive and eccentric personality. He did not distinguish between good and evil. Over the years, no matter what kind of person came to ask for the legendary venomous insects, so long as they could pay the price, he would sell. He did not save people or kill people. He only sold legendary venomous insects.


    But in this world, there were always accidents.


    When Qi Tian went to get the rope and went back to find Yuan Bao, she had already fainted. He thought for a while and then went forward to shake Yuan Bao awake.


    At this moment, all the bones in Yuan Bao¡¯s body hurt like it was crushed. She fainted because she really could not endure it anymore. Now she was awakened, which was undoubtedly a type of extreme torment for her.


    She laboriously opened her eyes to see Qi Tian had come back. Even though at this moment, his face was still ugly that scared people but the light in Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened: ¡°You came back to¡­ Save me?¡±


    Qi Tian did not respond but when the light in Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes gradually faded away, his hand covered in green veins suddenly pinched her cheek.


    The pinch scared Yuan Bao witless and she dazedly looked at him with her eyes wide.


    After Qi Tian pinched for a while, he asked: ¡°This face is so plump, how much meat does this face need to eat to become this way?¡± He had not spoken for a long time so his voice was coarse and unpleasant to hear like the sound of a knife cutting a porcelain plate. He thought this line aloud to himself and unconsciously closed his mouth.


    Yuan Bao was dumbfounded but saw that he had asked seriously. Also, her own small life was held in his hand, so she answered honestly, ¡°I was born with it, my teacher called this baby fat.¡±


    ¡°The feeling is¡­ Not bad.¡±


    Yuan Bao endured the humiliation and stiffened her smile: ¡°You can pinch some more.¡±


    Qi Tian guilelessly pinched some more, he pinched until her cheek was nearly swollen. He saw Yuan Bao¡¯s teary eyes filled with grievances, he suddenly returned to himself and let go of her face. He took out the rope and went into position to place it on Yuan Bao¡¯s body. Yuan Bao was emotionally moved to tears but in the next moment, when Qi Tian placed the rope around her neck, she became scared that her face had no color. Yuan Bao was confused and flustered, with one hand, she grabbed Qi Tian¡¯s hand and with the other, she clutched the rope hanging on her neck and alarmingly asked: ¡°What¡­ What are you doing?¡±


    Qi Tian thought for a moment: ¡°Pull out.¡±


    ¡®Pull out? Who? Loop the rope around her neck to pull her out?¡¯


    Yuan Bao smiled fearfully: ¡°No, no, wait a minute. Hold on, brave warrior¡­ Brave warrior!¡±


    The thick, coarse rope tightened and firmly carved itself into Yuan Bao¡¯s slender, white neck. Her pale complexion immediately swelled purplish-green and her ten fingers stiffened and curled up like claws. Her index finger would not give up and kept on pointing at Qi Tian. Both of her eyes violently protruded like eyes of a malicious spirit that was ferociously digging into Qi Tian¡¯s body. Qi Tian took ahold of the other end of the rope and exerted his strength to pull. He tried his best to save Yuan Bao.


    In fact, Yuan Bao was indeed saved by him but it consequently resulted in losing a greater half of her life.


    He poked and poked at the plump face of the unconscious woman, and then Qi Tian picked Yuan Bao up and carried her step by step to his wooden house in the deep forest.

 CH 2

    Ch 02 ~ Ghost Wizard (high)


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    ¡°Yuan Bao.¡±


    * Yuan Bao ¨C her name means silver or gold ingot


    There was an unpleasant voice calling her name, Yuan Bao frowned and unwillingly opened her eyes. She saw a plain and humble roof, a simple and crude wooden bed, and a cold, damp quilt covering her body. She carefully sniffed the quilt and was immediately assaulted by a pungent, moldy smell that made her want to retch.


    Her neck was swollen all around, she strenuously turned her body over to get off the bed and on her clothes, there was still dried mud. She nearly fell down from all over body fatigue but the most uncomfortable pain was still her neck.


    She unhurriedly inhaled a few breaths to slowly calm down and blinked her eyes to examine the dimly lit little room. With one glance, she took in the simple and ordinary furnishings around the room. It was just that on the table there was a dark purple bundle that appeared out of place. She curiously stepped forward and untied a small opening in the bundle to look inside, she was dumbfounded.


    It was a pile of gold ingots arranged inside and the golden glare dazzled the eyes.


    ¡°Ten pieces.¡± The coarse voice came from outside the door. Yuan Bao heard the voice and she became rigid from head to toe. She touched her neck with some lingering fear but could not contain her curiosity and went to the door. She quietly cracked a small opening to peep outside.


    Outside the yard, there were two men standing opposite each other. She glanced and recognized that black silhouette was the man that had looped the rope around her neck. At this moment, he wrapped himself in a black robe and even his eyes were barely showing. The man opposite in blue clothes handed over a golden box to the man in black. The man in black weighed the box¡¯s weight, and then extended his hand. She did not know what thing was given to that man in the blue clothes that caused him to shudder from head to toe. Then finally, he clutched his hands close and frantically ran away.


    Yuan Bao watched in a trance.  When the man in black turned around, Yuan Bao happened to catch sight of his eyes reflecting the sun¡¯s brilliant rays inside his big gown. The sunshine projected the green veins on his bumpy and uneven face even more stereoscopically dreadful.


    Yuan Bao covered her mouth to suppress the shriek in her throat and with a ¡°bang,¡± she closed the door.


    At that time, she was in a life or death situation so she did not pay attention to these things. Now she had paid attention and only felt a burst of vicious coldness at the bottom of her heart. Just now, she nearly saw the worms wiggling beneath the skin of his face. She roughly understood, the densely foggy forest, the frightening appearance, and accepting money to sell legendary venomous insects, this was the Ghost Wizard that she was seeking.


    She had to make a deal with this kind of person¡­


    The footsteps outside the door gradually approached, Yuan Bao felt nervous and hurriedly hid behind the table. She guardedly and terrifyingly watched the man push the door open to come inside.


    Qi Tian¡¯s eyes temporarily stopped on her chubby cheeks. After he waited and saw Yuan Bao¡¯s spine started to tremble, he lowered his eyes, went to the table to sit down on one end, poured himself water, and then quietly gazed at her. The room was silent for a long time as Yuan Bao constantly dripped cold sweat. Then she nervously twisted her index fingers and asked: ¡°Are you¡­ Still selling legendary insects?¡±


    Qi Tian restrained the emotions in his eyes and gently nodded.


    Li Yuan Bao clenched her teeth and for once struggled with her thoughts. Finally, she threw caution to the wind and said: ¡°I want to buy two.¡±


    ¡°Twenty ingots.¡±


    Li Yuan Bao touched the gold and silver jewelry hidden between her bosoms: ¡°I only have some jewelry¡­ Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He had his rules. He did not like gold and silver; he only liked ingots because that thing had a fairly smooth and round texture.


    Li Yuan Bao was somewhat anxious. Her older sister and the Shen family¡¯s noble son¡¯s wedding day was set for next month; she did not have time to delay: ¡°But I really need the legendary worms, can you¡­ Can you be a little flexible?¡±


    Qi Tian was aloof and indifferent while his fingertips followed around and around the lip of the circular teacup. He really liked this kind of smooth and round texture.


    Inside the ignored Yuan Bao¡¯s heart, she was both disappointed and sad, and her round mouth unconsciously pouted.


    The water in the teacup reflected the form of her pouty lips. Qi Tian¡¯s finger could not help itself and plunged into the water but only received a damp finger. He lifted his head and his eyes affixed upon Yuan Bao¡¯s mouth: ¡°Come here.¡± He beckoned Yuan Bao over with a crook of his finger.


    Yuan Bao was afraid and took a step back. She touched her neck, somewhat scared and alert: ¡°If, if, if you really can¡¯t be flexible, then don¡¯t be flexible, I accept¡­¡±


    Qi Tian stood up, went around the table, and walked straight to Yuan Bao.


    Once again, Yuan Bao saw the worms crawling beneath the skin of his face but this person appeared to feel absolutely nothing at all. He simply approached her indifferently. Yuan Bao was panic-stricken, she retreated backward again and again, and finally with nowhere else to retreat, she knocked against the wall. Qi Tian extended his hand towards her and Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes became really round. She saw a black legendary venomous worm under the skin on the back of his hand jumping around like a fish jumping on the water, and then sank back into the skin covered in green veins. Yuan Bao got scared and her face turned white.


    Qi Tian¡¯s hand approached closer and closer to her face. Yuan Bao closed her eyes tightly and only had two words, accept misfortune, left in her heart.


    After a moment of silence, the fingers that carried a normal body temperature lightly touched her lips. The index finger and thumb twirled her lips like fiddling with a round piece of meat.


    ¡°Round.¡± Qi Tian concluded.


    His extremely unpleasant voice resonated in her ear. Yuan Bao was startled and opened her eyes. His other hand twirled on her ear, while Yuan Bao was dumbfounded, he said: ¡°Round.¡± Then finally, he pinched Yuan Bao¡¯s face, kneading and pinching back and forth, very much like he was enjoying the feel of it, ¡°Very round and very soft.¡±


    Yuan Bao thought this ¡°Ghost Wizard¡± must be crazy: ¡°Is it possible that¡­ Yours is both hard and square?¡±


    The ugly face slowly approached and with one bite, he nipped Yuan Bao¡¯s lips, sometimes he nibbled and sometimes he licked. Yuan Bao was thoroughly struck dumb; she could even feel the tip of this person¡¯s tongue occasionally had legendary worms roaming through.


    When he left, Yuan Bao only felt a burst of nauseating sourness in her stomach that made her want to vomit.


    Qi Tian enjoyed it very much and narrowed his eyes: ¡°Stay with me for twenty days.¡± He said, ¡°I will give you two worms.¡±


    Yuan Bao only felt chills in her stomach, and she finally awakened from the fear. She shook her head repeatedly, panicked and pressed against the wall moving sideways: ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t want the legendary worms anymore.¡±


    Qi Tian was dissatisfied and narrowed his eyes: ¡°You want them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want them anymore!¡± The fear at the bottom of Yuan Bao¡¯s heart had finally reached its climax. She trembled and moved to the side as far away from Qi Tian as possible. She rubbed hard at the places he had just touched, ¡°I don¡¯t want them anymore. I just want to live better. I just want to live as good as my older sister. I just don¡¯t want to be neglected¡­ But if I stay with you for twenty days, even if I have the legendary worms, I still won¡¯t live well anymore.¡±


    He saw her moving farther and farther away. The fear and disgust on her face became more and more apparent; Qi Tian¡¯s appearance became colder.


    In his memory, the outsiders had such a face, ice-cold and pointed-sharp that made people disgusted. He reached his hand out to Yuan Bao: ¡°You want to go, leave the flesh on your face.¡±


    Yuan Bao was intimidated by these words, she saw Qi Tian approach her with a single step, and she started to run away.


    Qi Tian coldly snorted, waved his arm, and a legendary venomous worm flew out from the palm of his hand. It stuck to the nape of Yuan Bao¡¯s neck. Yuan Bao let out a melancholic groan as the legendary worm sank into her flesh and disappeared under her skin. The light in her eyes gradually faded away.

 CH 3

    After Qi Tian planted the Gu into Yuan Bao, he was confronted with the most difficult problem ¡ª eating food.


    *Gu ¨C legendary venomous insect/ worm


    His physique had already changed long ago because of the Gu. Every day, he just needed to drink morning dew and could move about freely. However, after starving for two days, Yuan Bao¡¯s complexion became very unsightly. When he touched her face, the texture of her flesh felt greatly reduced, for this reason, Qi Tian was very dissatisfied.


    So on that day, Qi Tian hunted a wild pheasant in the Dense Foggy Forest.


    He lit a fire in the back courtyard, hung the pot on a shuddering frame, and then threw the live pheasant into the pot. He covered it with the lid and listened to the sounds inside the pot going from an eruptive landslide to a death-like silence. He cooked the food until it was scorching black, and then put it on the tray to bring to Yuan Bao.


    This was the first meal that Yuan Bao had eaten since the past two days. The burnt and scorched food stained her mouth. The smell wafted up and assailed the nose making it hard to endure but Yuan Bao did not complain once as Qi Tian fed her. She opened her mouth, obediently chewed twice, and then swallowed.


    For a long time, Qi Tian had been tormented by the Gu and had lost his taste buds. When he saw her eating so obediently, he felt that perhaps the food he made just looked bad. Maybe in the future, he could raise Plump Face like this. When he thought of that, he felt a deep sense of accomplishment.


    ¡°In the future, we will be together.¡± He scooped up a spoonful of black food and awkwardly shoved it into Yuan Bao¡¯s mouth. A little ¡°flour¡± flowed down the corner of Yuan Bao¡¯s mouth, he did not avoid it and used his sleeve to wipe her mouth, ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll raise you.¡±


    Naturally, Yuan Bao could not answer ¡°no¡± because likewise, she could not answer ¡°yes¡± either.


    But her stomach was extremely honest and answered ¡°no.¡±


    ¡°Barf!¡± A vomiting sound woke Qi Tian up from his sleep next to Yuan Bao. Dissatisfied, he released the hand that was pinching Yuan Bao¡¯s ear. Qi Tian opened his eyes to look at the person in his arms vomiting and spasming all over. He immediately furrowed his eyebrows and got up from the bed. Then he helped Yuan Bao sit up but she was still unsteady. Once again, her throat made a vomiting ¡°wa¡± sound and she spewed vomit onto Qi Tian¡¯s face.


    The room immediately stank to high heaven.


    Qi Tian¡¯s complexion did not change at all. He calmly wiped his face and moped away the gooey black stuff. He raised his head and stared at Yuan Bao for a while before he said coldly: ¡°You did it on purpose.¡±


    Yuan Bao¡¯s gaze simply stared lifelessly ahead.


    Qi Tian ruthlessly poked her face: ¡°You¡¯re not being good.¡±


    Just like retaliation, the sound of his voice had not yet faded away, when Yuan Bao vomited her guts out again. A slime of mucus stuck to his whole body, and then her stomach made several ¡°grumbling¡± sounds. Qi Tian subtly narrowed his eyes.


    This woman¡­ Actually had diarrhea on his bed!


    For the first time in his life, he experienced a feeling of disgust.


    Qi Tian spent all night cleaning up Yuan Bao and himself. The next morning, he carried Yuan Bao out to sit in the courtyard, and then he cleaned the room up himself. At midday, he once again carried her back into the room, and then sat down to rest for a while. He touched Yuan Bao¡¯s face and was very dissatisfied with this current sensation of skinniness. He remembered that it was time for Yuan Bao to eat again. He just stood up to go make a fire but suddenly remembered the reason why he, himself, was so busy like this.


    He revisited the situation and then suddenly realized that it was actually the food that he cooked¡­ Was poisonous.


    Being aware of this point, he felt somewhat defeated.


    Should he remove the Gu and release her back home, then wait for her to nourish her plump flesh, and then recapture her¡­ As this idea flashed in Qi Tian¡¯s head, he furrowed his brows. After his contemplation, he turned around and went out of the Dense Foggy Forest.


    This was the first time in ten years that he had left the Dense Foggy Forest in order to ¡ª enter the kitchen.


    This was probably the most wretched thing he did in his life ¡ª crouching on the old roof beam in the smoke-filled kitchen to stealthily learn how to cook.


    Qi Tian was gifted a bright and excellent memory but one day of peeping still could not allow him to improve his skills as much. So tonight, he only brought back to Yuan Bao some steamed buns. But in regards to the infected Yuan Bao, these steamed buns were already the ultimate delicious delicacy.


    When she ate, her expression did not fluctuate but only her speed of swallowing food was much faster than yesterday.


    Afterward, Qi Tian touched Yuan Bao¡¯s fully-fed, rounded stomach and his countenance was satisfied: ¡°The feeling of touching here is also very pleasing. On some other day, I will let you eat hot, steaming food that will not make you vomit and have diarrhea.¡± He poked at the flesh on her face, ¡°I¡¯m responsible for feeding you until you¡¯re full. You¡¯re responsible for using your strength to fatten your flesh.¡±


    Yuan Bao just kept silent.


    As the soft candlelight illuminated the side of Yuan Bao¡¯s face and the shadow cast upon her curved eyebrows and eyelashes, for a moment, she gave Qi Tian a type of illusion that she was nodding and smiling. He could not help but lose his soul. His palm covered in blue veins enclosed her cheek, stroking softly: ¡°You have dimples.¡± He guessed, and then ordered, ¡°Smile.¡±


    Yuan Bao obediently bent the corners of her lips up and the rigid smile was enough to make her sweet dimples appear.


    His ugly finger picked at her shallow dimple. He gently stroked it like an addiction: ¡°Everything on your body is very soft.¡± He poked as he wondered, ¡°Are there no bones at all?¡±


    Yuan Bao simply smiled rigidly, while Qi Tian looked at her, lost in his thoughts: ¡°Smile again, a little more happily.¡± Yuan Bao obediently widened the curvature of her lips but her eyes still held no emotions. However, Qi Tian immediately fingered her pursed lips, following the curvature of her mouth.


    Suddenly he remembered, it seemed like there had never been anyone smiling like this in front of him.


    The outsiders hated him, feared him, and yet thirsted for his help. He had seen smiles of disgust and flattery, had seen disdain and fear, but had never seen anyone who simply smiled in front of him. Even if it was merely curling the corners of her lips like this.


    Qi Tian¡¯s eyes brightened faintly: ¡°I like this smile of yours. In the future, you will often smile like this for me to see.¡± He wrapped up the steamed buns that Yuan Bao had not finished, ¡°In the future is a very long, very long time.¡±


    This voice was ear-piercing and unpleasant to hear but it carried expectations and happiness that made someone unable to ignore.


    Several days after this, all that Yuan Bao ate were steamed buns, while Qi Tian ran into town every day. Five days later, he made a fire in the courtyard, hung the pot on a shuddering frame, and cooked a simple bowl of congee. He fed Yuan Bao spoonful by spoonful until it was all gone.


    *congee ¨C rice porridge


    This evening, he looked at her with solemn, rapt attention; even his eyes did not dare to blink all night.


    This night was peaceful.


    The next day, when Yuan Bao woke up, her complexion was as rosy as before. Qi Tian rubbed her belly and said with a flat intonation that carried some hints of smiles: ¡°I can raise you now.¡± The fingertips of his other hand caressed the edge of the bowl, ¡°Look, I can raise you now.¡±


    Yuan Bao simply sat woodenly on the bed, not in the least influenced by his joy.


    Qi Tian did not care and ordered once again: ¡°Smile. You should be very happy, indeed.¡±


    She obediently curved the corners of her lips but her smile was still rigid and empty.


    Qi Tian squatted down, looked at her smile, and immediately pushed the corners of her lips up. The room quieted, two living people staying together that surprisingly no sounds of breathing could be heard. He stood up and left the room to make breakfast. Once again, he cooked a bowl of congee for Yuan Bao and he fed her just like yesterday.


    For Qi Tian, this was already quite enough.

 CH 4

    At night, Qi Tian was wiping down Yuan Bao¡¯s body. In the past few days, he had raised Yuan Bao very well, which made her face smoother and rounder. As Qi Tian stroked her fleshy lips, he unconsciously got closer and licked the corner of her lips. Immediately afterwards, the Gu inside his body was also excited. With a jump, it slid across the tip of his tongue.


    *Gu ¨C legendary venomous insect/ worm


    Qi Tian narrowed his eyes but still chuckled lightly. When he wiped Yuan Bao¡¯s arm, he saw the fine hair on her skin was standing upright, creating goosebumps along her skin.


    He suddenly came to his senses and murmured absentmindedly to himself: ¡°Do you hate me so much¡­¡±


    Under the candlelight, Qi Tian¡¯s hand, which was covered in blue veins, was placed against Yuan Bao¡¯s hand, which was clean and fair; he suddenly saw the Gu on the back of his hand jump. His fingers immediately shrank back and he quickly hid his hands in his wide sleeves.


    So it turned out that he was indeed ugly, which made people feel disgusted.


    As he stared at the corner of Yuan Bao¡¯s lips for a while, he took a cotton cloth to gently wipe her down and said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to hate me.¡±


    No one knew whether this order was carried out by Yuan Bao or not. It was because from then on, even if Qi Tian did not notice it himself, he had gradually suppressed his desire to touch Yuan Bao. Deep down in his heart, he thought that if he did not touch her, then she would feel less disgusted.


    On one afternoon, Qi Tian and Yuan Bao were sitting side by side in the courtyard basking in the sun. An elegant nobleman in white clothes leisurely walked over like he was going for a walk. In one hand, he was holding a package, while in the other hand, he was swinging a folded fan. With a disdainful gaze, his eyes passed over Qi Tian and stopped on Yuan Bao¡¯s body thoughtfully.


    Qi Tian narrowed his eyes and said to Yuan Bao. ¡°Go into the house.¡± Yuan Bao obediently stood up and went inside.


    The nobleman in white pursed his lips and smiled indifferently, throwing the package in his hand to the ground: ¡°Three man-eating Gu.¡±


    As Qi Tian looked at the gold ingots in the opened package, the gold ingots sparkled with golden light. However, he suddenly felt that these things were not as beautiful as before. Also with a disdainful gaze, he looked at the nobleman in white and said, ¡°Not selling.¡±


    The nobleman narrowed his eyes and looked at Qi Tian for a while, then with a smile, he said, ¡°Okay, I have never force anyone to do anything they don¡¯t want to do.¡± He pointed to the house and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that on the way here, I heard that the Li family¡¯s second young lady was missing. I listened to the Li family¡¯s description of her, it seems that the description somewhat fits that young lady from earlier. You¡­ ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my wife.¡±


    The nobleman nodded thoughtfully: ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s the case.¡±


    A few days after the nobleman in white left, Qi Tian still took care of Yuan Bao as usual, but he would  occasionally ask Yuan Bao, ¡°Do you want to go home?¡± After that, he would immediately say, ¡°Don¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    In actuality, he was afraid to hear her answer.


    When all the ingredients were about to be used up, Qi Tian told Yuan Bao to sit in the chair obediently. Then just like he had done several times before, he left the Dense Foggy Forest by himself. However, he did not know that this time, after he left, another figure silently sneaked into the house.


    ¡°Oh, this face is very round and cute.¡± As the nobleman in white smiled, he pinched Yuan Bao¡¯s face and asked, ¡°You¡¯re the Li Family¡¯s second young lady?¡±


    Apart from Qi Tian¡¯s words, she did not listen to anyone else¡¯s orders, and naturally she could not answer anyone else¡¯s questions. It was just that, currently, her face had turned red as if she could not hold back her joy. Even though her gaze remained stiff, the nobleman in white still understood what she meant: ¡°So it turns out that you¡¯ve been implanted by the Gu.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so excited, is it because you know that someone came to save you?¡± He said with a laugh, ¡°I am very lucky that I bump into you here. Do you know how much is the reward that the Li Family put out to find you? I was thinking, if I could get this much money just by saving you the right way, then if I took this opportunity to become the ideal son-in-law of the Li Family, I would be able to sit back and enjoy living in comfort in the future.¡±


    The man¡¯s breath sprayed into Yuan Bao¡¯s ear: ¡°Oh, I smell the fragrance of a virgin, that stupid wizard still hasn¡¯t touched you yet?¡±


    As Yuan Bao¡¯s pupil shrank, her complexion began to turn white.


    ¡°But what should I do? If your body is still undefiled, then the Li Family will not even look at me, someone from Jiang Hu.¡± He smiled, ¡°Looks like I just have to¡­¡± His hand landed on Yuan Bao¡¯s waist. Qi Tian did not know how to help someone get dressed, so Yuan Bao¡¯s belt was always tied loosely. With a light pull of his finger, Yuan Bao¡¯s belt fell to the ground.


    He laughed loudly, picked Yuan Bao up, and put her down on the bed: ¡°Oh, your skin is so soft.¡± He laid above her, covering her bosoms. His smile became more and more joyful.


    Yuan Bao¡¯s lips started to tremble involuntarily. With her delicate appearance, it aroused the man¡¯s desire even more. He frowned: ¡°Tsk tsk, you cry so much that my heart aches for you.¡± Before the sound of his voice faded away, he only felt a cold aura leap into his spine, then his entire body shook: ¡°Impossible, I obviously took the Gu Repellent¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, the man¡¯s face immediately turned bluish black and his skin quickly withered, then he immediately fell down to the ground, watching Qi Tian standing coldly behind him. He did not dare to believe it and uttered: ¡°King¡­ King of the Gu.¡±

 CH 5

    ¡°Plump Face.¡± Qi Tian kicked away the dead man on the ground and sat down by the bed. When his gaze fell on Yuan Bao¡¯s chaotic clothes, murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and many wiggling black worms suddenly emerged from the already withered corpse on the ground. After Ingesting the corpse completely, they crawled away on their own, hiding in the dark recesses of the house.


    Then Qi Tian helped Yuan Bao rearrange her clothes and fasten her belt. He helped her sit up and patted her back stiffly: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    When his rough voice fell into Yuan Bao¡¯s ear, her body, which was originally only slightly stiff, began to tremble uncontrollably. Her stiff gaze was staring fixedly in front of her, but big tears were rolling down from the corners of her eyes. Qi Tian momentarily panicked, then he used his sleeve to wipe her tears away again and again, but he still could not stop her tears from falling.


    ¡°Plump Face, no crying.¡±


    He ordered softly, but Yuan Bao did not follow his command. As if Yuan Bao had fallen apart, the tears in her eyes kept falling down uncontrollably. When Qi Tian¡¯s sleeve was all wet, he patted her on the back like comforting a child and patiently coaxed her with his unpleasant rough voice.


    Yuan Bao could not hold back her tears, she kept crying until her eyes were red and swollen. Qi Tian did not even dare to help her wipe away her tears anymore.


    ¡°Does your eyes hurt?¡± He asked. Yuan Bao was like an out-of-control puppet, no longer giving him any responses. He clenched his fist and said hoarsely, ¡°If you cry anymore, then it¡¯ll blind your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Plump Face, don¡¯t cry anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m heartbroken, don¡¯t cry anymore.¡±


    However, no matter how loud or angry he pleaded, Yuan Bao did not listen to him. Whereas, she did not make a scene or even let out a scream, she just sat there silently shedding tears. It was unknown who was more tormented.


    Unable to bear it any longer, Qi Tian covered Yuan Bao¡¯s lips with his own. He opened her tightly-clenched jaw and gently pushed the tip of his tongue inside. As he swiped his tongue back and forth, he easily retrieved the black Gu. Then he softly whispered against her lips: ¡°I¡¯ll let you go, okay? I¡¯ll let you go, so don¡¯t cry anymore. ¡±


    *Gu ¨C legendary venomous insect/ worm


    As soon as he said these words, Yuan Bao¡¯s body immediately softened. She finally closed her eyes and fainted in his arms.


    That night, Yuan Bao¡¯s breathing was heavier than usual like a living person. As Qi Tian hugged her, he did not understand why he was able to sleep more peacefully than usual.


    Early the next morning, Qi Tian was kicked out of the bed. As he rubbed his eyes, he was still somewhat disoriented. When he looked at the woman huddled into a ball up on the bed, he was momentarily stunned to see Yuan Bao, who was ¡°very much alive.¡± Then he remembered that last night he had removed the Gu in her body.


    When he stood up from the ground, he went to hold Yuan Bao¡¯s hand as usual, wanting to take her to freshen up. However, Yuan Bao wrapped both her arms around herself tightly and quickly hid herself in the corner. To some degree, her eyes displayed both fear and alertness, but for the most part, her eyes restrained the animosity that she felt: ¡°Don¡¯t come near me, you¡¯re going to implant the Gu in me again?¡±


    Qi Tian¡¯s outstretched hand froze slightly and his fingers curled up. He lowered his eyes and said, ¡°Your hair is messy, it¡¯s time to freshen up.¡±


    Yuan Bao¡¯s jet-black eyes were even more alert. Her expression held indifference and disgust, it was no different from those outsiders¡­


    Qi Tian suppressed the pain in his heart as he ordered her with a sullen expression: ¡°I forbid you to be afraid of me.¡±


    How could she not be afraid, seeing his terrifying and disgusting face slowly approaching, Yuan Bao¡¯s calm expression finally cracked just a little bit. She looked  around in a panic, trying to find an opening to flee. When Qi Tian¡¯s hand pinched her chin, Yuan Bao could not suppress the fear in her heart. With one foot, she ruthlessly kicked Qi Tian¡¯s core, and his lean manly figure immediately bent in half.


    As Yuan Bao turned deathly white, she said: ¡°You said you¡¯ll let me go, you said you¡¯ll let me go¡­¡±


    His solar plexus, the place where Yuan Bao kicked, was throbbing with pain. The Gu in his body was crawling chaotically under his blue veins, screaming to get out and devour Yuan Bao completely. As he forcefully suppressed the fishy smell surging up in his throat, he gently massaged both sides of his temples to calm down the agitated organisms inside.


    When he finally raised his head, he saw Yuan Bao shivering in the corner. Her head leaned against the wall and her hair was a mess around her face. His eyes softened as he reached out and said, ¡°Let¡¯s freshen up.¡± He was so fond of helping her wipe her face. The flesh of her skin was so soft, when he immediately poked at it and released it with his finger, it bounced right back, full of vitality.


    When Yuan Bao remained motionless, Qi Tian narrowed his eyes, and then finally his eyes lowered: ¡°After you freshen up¡­ I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    Yuan Bao sized him up distrustfully. The two of them looked at each other for a long time. After a while, Yuan Bao rubbed her face in defeat. She took a deep breath and said: ¡°A gentleman¡¯s words¡­¡±


    Qi Tian did not like to look into the mirror. This vanity mirror was specially purchased for Yuan Bao. He was carefully combing her hair, washing her face, and gently helping her wipe her hands. Yuan Bao shrank back in awkwardness. His actions made her feel as if she was still a little child.


    ¡°Sit still.¡± As he firmly pulled her retreating palm back, his movements became even gentler. It was like he was dealing with a treasure. Suddenly, images of Qi Tian holding gold ingots and obsessively wiping them clean every day surfaced in Yuan Bao¡¯s mind. She only felt a slight chill running up her spine, and could not stop herself from shrinking back again.


    Qi Tian gazed at her unhappily: ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± His gaze made Yuan Bao momentarily stunned, so much so that she forgot to move. Right at this moment, Yuan Bao discovered that this ugly-looking man actually had a pair of extremely beautiful eyes. When she looked into his crystal clear eyes, the blue veins on his face unexpectedly became very indistinct.


    When he noticed that her gaze stayed on him for a long time, Qi Tian raised his head and inadvertently asked: ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Yuan Bao¡¯s heartbeat suddenly jumped. She looked away and poutingly said: ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not a child anymore, I know how to get myself ready.¡±


    Qi Tian did not pay any heed to her words, and still meticulously wiped her fingers: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Yuan Bao was startled, but then she remembered that the two of them did not even know each other¡¯s names. She hesitantly said: ¡°Yuan Bao.¡±


    The movements from Qi Tian¡¯s hand momentarily paused, and after a moment of silence, he said: ¡°Yuan Bao is great.¡± It was unknown whether he was saying that as a person she was great, or the sparkling gold light of a ¡°yuan bao¡± was great.


    *Yuan Bao ¨C her name means silver/ gold ingot


    Yuan Bao silently moved her eyes away and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her complexion was pink like a rose and her face was unmarred like jade; this man actually did not let her suffer in any way¡­ He always took care of her very well. Yuan Bao thought that maybe this ¡°Ghost Wizard¡± was not as scary as he was in the legend. Maybe he was just lonely and wanted someone to keep him company. Or maybe he just wanted to use another person¡¯s existence to prove that he was still alive.


    ¡°What¡­ What¡¯s your name?¡± After asking this question, she regretted it.  No matter what this man¡¯s name was, she would never have anything to do with him in the future. Asking this question was just superfluous.


    ¡°Qi Tian.¡±


    She unconsciously wanted to say this name, but in the end, her rationality set in and she bit her lips to prevent the words from slipping.


    Between the two of them, they should not need to know about each other that much.


    ¡°Can I leave now?¡± Yuan Bao asked cautiously.


    Qi Tian nodded silently. The rock that was weighing heavily in Yuan Bao¡¯s heart was slowly removed. She released a sigh of relief, and looked at Qi Tian with her bright eyes: ¡°So¡­ About before, thank you for saving me.¡± Then Yuan Bao carefully passed by Qi Tian¡¯s side. As she walked out the door, she saw that Qi Tian was sitting there all alone. Her heart could not bear it, but after she held it in for a long time, she finally said: ¡°Actually, if you have nothing to do, you can go for a walk around the town. You¡¯re much better than the rumors.¡±


    Then Yuan Bao turned around, but before she could step out of the courtyard, she suddenly felt a cold sensation on the back of her neck and the familiar feeling transmitted into her brain. Before Yuan Bao fell into a coma, she just wanted to point her finger angrily at Qi Tian and curse his damn mother.


    With a ¡±slap,¡± the man in the house had ruthlessly hit his right hand and coldly said to himself: ¡°Vile person.¡±


    As expected, from beginning to end, he could never be a gentleman, he could only be a vile person who broke his promise.


    After implanting the Gu into Yuan Bao again, Qi Tian found that it was difficult for him to be as happy as he was before. When he was freshening her up, he was eager to see her slightly blushing face and her eyes that did not dare to look directly at him. When he was done feeding her the food he made, he wanted to hear her assessments about his cooking, regardless if it was good or bad. When he was just about to wake up or just about to fall asleep, he wanted to hear her give him gentle well-wishes¡­


    As his requests began to grow more and more, it became more and more difficult to satisfy his wants.


    However, a puppet could only give him company. Besides, he did not dare to let Yuan Bao awaken, he was afraid to see the difference and disgust in Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes, in the eyes of the person whom he was falling deeper and deeper in love with. Those emotions of hers would only make him dislike himself more and more.


    On one afternoon day, he was holding Yuan Bao¡¯s hand, sitting in the courtyard, soaking up the sun, when he caught sight of the sun shining fully on her face. Qi Tian tilted his head from side to side and looked at her for a long time, then he said: ¡°Dearest Plump Face, give me a smile.¡±


    Yuan Bao had executed this order many times, and she was very adept in curling her lips. Qi Tian frowned: ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± As the curvature of Yuan Bao¡¯s lips disappeared, Qi Tian pressed his fingertips to the outer corners of her eyes, ¡°Smile from here.¡±


    Once again, Yuan Bao curled her lips stiffly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡±


    He corrected her over and over again, trying to make her smile just the way he wanted. It was for naught, he only got more and more disappointed.


    Then Qi Tian impatiently pressed his lips against Yuan Bao¡¯s lips, wanting to suck the Gu out. However, when he thought of Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes after she woke up, he only pressed his lips against hers for the longest time. He did not do anything else, and finally left her lips in silence. He could feel her body trembling. He could feel her rejection and refusal. He clearly understood how unwelcome he was. He stroked her hair as if he was comforting a child: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I just¡­¡±


    He just wanted to be close to her, wanted to feel the warmth of human affections, that was all he wanted.


    Qi Tian did not know how many days or nights had passed since he faced this Yuan Bao, but in the end, he still decided to let her go. That night, before going to bed, he embraced Yuan Bao, burying his head in her neck and saying softly: ¡°Give me a smile.¡± He closed his eyes, while his fingers stroked her lips. As he felt the curvature of her smile, he imagined her eyes filled with laughter.


    Qi Tian could not help himself and his lips also turned up into a smile. However, when he opened his eyes to look at her, her gaze was just as it was before, a deadly stillness.


    He re-buried his head on Yuan Bao¡¯s shoulder, rubbing against it: ¡°Do you really hate me so much¡­¡±


    At midnight, when Yuan Bao opened her eyes, the deadly stillness from before was already swept away. Outside the window, the bright and beautiful moonlight was imprinted into her eyes, which made everything in the room clear. She slanted her eyes to look at Qi Tian, who was sleeping soundly for a long time, before she dared to move cautiously to the side of the bed and leave his embrace. The coldness of the night could permeate into people¡¯s bones, as Yuan Bao landed on the ground with her bare feet, she shivered violently. She did not dare to wear her shoes because she was afraid that any sort of sound would awaken this man.


    When she got to the door, she gently opened it and  the night wind rushed in, startling Yuan Bao. She panicked and looked back at Qi Tian, who was still sleeping quietly.


    However, as soon as Yuan Bao turned to glance back at him, she discovered that she was unable to take a step outside.


    The man was like a child, curled up alone on the bed. When the moonlight shined on him, the room was bright and cold at the same time. At night, the patterns of veins on his face were much calmer, not so ferocious and scary. He should have been a handsome man. Suddenly, Yuan Bao remembered the pair of crystal clear eyes that she accidentally witnessed the last time.


    He¡­ Was actually just afraid of loneliness, just like she was afraid of being locked up in the loft, forced to  embroider flowers. When she was slowly exposed to the fresh air outside, she could not stop herself from being attracted to it, just like when she met Nobleman Shen.


    He and she had very different circumstances, but they were both equally lonely.


    If he did not use this way to interact with her, then she would probably accept him and even fall for him. After all, he treated her better than anyone else, but she could not live like a puppet. Yuan Bao knew very well that things like beauty did not last forever. So she was afraid that it was not because of her appearance that attracted him, but that her own life and death was the only thing in his mind to control.


    As Yuan Bao¡¯s hand, that was holding the door, clenched into a fist, she gritted her teeth and fled for her life.


    She forgot to close the wooden door, so it constantly made sounds of ¡°creak-creak¡± as the night wind blew past it. Qi Tian¡¯s face was buried in his pillow, after a long silence, he reached out his hand and touched the fabric shoes under the bed. He opened his eyes, frowning slightly: ¡°Dearest Plump Face¡­ You forgot to wear your shoes.¡± The man¡¯s voice rang out in the empty room, but the woman¡¯s warmth was already gone.


    In the middle of the night, the Dense Foggy Forest was cold and frightening. During the entire way, Yuan Bao just ran as swift as she could, regardless of whether the ground in front of her was a swamp or not. She heard that person mentioned before that her father spent a lot of money to find her. Perhaps in her father¡¯s heart, he still cared about her, his daughter born from a concubine. She no longer wanted to take revenge on her older sister. She no longer wanted to fall in love with Nobleman Shen. She could go back, admit her mistake, then obediently follow her family¡¯s arrangement to get herself married, and then¡­


    Then what?


    Yuan Bao stopped running. Then she would marry a man, who¡¯s face she had never even seen, embroider flowers in a new loft, raise a child, and live the second half of her life like that? What was the difference between living like that and becoming a puppet being controlled by someone else?


    She was stunned. Suddenly, not too far away, there was a flash of fire, dazzling in the night fog. Yuan Bao¡¯s first reaction was that Qi Tian had caught up to her, so she quickly found a bush to hide in. However, after that, she thought that it would not be a big deal after all, if he happened to find her¡­


    As she was thinking that, the fire from afar was getting closer and closer. Then Yuan Bao was able to see clearly that it was actually two big men. Their faces were somewhat familiar to her. Yuan Bao thought for a while and suddenly remembered, these two were the Li Family¡¯s hired thugs! Did her father send them to save her? Yuan Bao was so happy that she wanted to call out, but she suddenly heard one of the two men say: ¡°When we find the second young miss, do we really have to kill her?¡±


    In an instant, Yuan Bao¡¯s entire body became cold and stiff.


    ¡°The master¡¯s words, you actually dare not to listen?¡±


    ¡°Hey, the bad thing is that this happened before the eldest young miss got married. The second young miss has been missing for so long, I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯s no longer pure¡­ Our residence cannot have such a stain.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so worried about this! You should think about this instead, what should we do when we encounter that Ghost Wizard!¡±


    The two men were still chattering about something else. After Yuan Bao finished listening to those words, her brain droned on and on, and then her legs lost strength and she fell immediately to the ground.


    When the two hired thugs heard the noise, they immediately became alert: ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± As the light of the fire came closer and closer to Yuan Bao, she was actually staring blankly at the bright moon in the sky, her heart was filled with self-loathing and despair.


    The two thugs cut through the underbrush and saw Yuan Bao sitting inside, both of them were stunned: ¡°Second¡­ Second young miss?¡±


    As Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes slowly fell onto the broadswords in their hands, the other person looked around cautiously: ¡°The Ghost Wizard is not here, so it¡¯s a great time to make a move!¡±


    Yuan Bao nodded, that was right, it was a great time to make a move. In this marshland, she was in danger again, and this time she could not blame anyone else. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the owner of those crystal clear eyes. Would that person be sad to see her gone when he woke up tomorrow morning? After he discovered that she died an unsightly death in the swamp, how would his heart feel? After a moment of emotional release, would he feel a slightly more painful loneliness¡­


    However, she probably would not get a chance to find out about these things.


    As the blade reflected the moonlight, it chopped quickly at her, Yuan Bao closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come.


    A crisp ¡°ding¡± was heard. When Yuan Bao opened her eyes blankly, she just saw the big broadsword break into two pieces, and the big man, who was holding the sword, got thrown away like a fluttering kite.


    In front of her, the big black cloak was like a wall that blocked and isolated the murderous intents and moonlight, giving her the best protection that she needed in the darkness of the night.


    The two big men screamed and bawled as if they had seen a ghost, trying frantically to run away and escape.


    When Yuan Bao raised her head to look up at the man¡¯s ramrod straight spine, he gently turned his head. His breathing was slightly rushed, and the Gu inside the blue veins of his face wriggled violently, actually making him look like a devil from hell.


    Yuan Bao lowered her eyes, thinking that he must want to implant the Gu into her again.


    Instead, a pair of embroidered shoes were thrown into her lap. Qi Tian said coldly: ¡°If you run around without shoes, then you need a spanking.¡± His tone of voice was as if he was lecturing a child.


    Yuan Bao was stunned as she hugged her shoes for a while. Then she raised her head to look up at his serious expression. After a long silence, she suddenly laughed out loud. Qi Tian blinked his eyes, and his furious anger was blown away by her laughter. However, Yuan Bao did not laugh for long before she began to whimper and cry again.


    As his entire body froze, his eyes wandered around for a long time, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± He crouched down and wanted to rub her head, but was afraid of the disgusting look in her eyes. So he momentarily froze, then he finally said, ¡°I won¡¯t implant the Gu into you anymore. I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    Yuan Bao cried even louder, just sobbing and criticizing: ¡°Last time¡­ You said that, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true this time.¡±


    Yuan Bao kept crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, it¡¯s really true.¡± He ruthlessly hit his own right hand, and with a serious expression, ¡°Honestly.¡±


    Yuan Bao kept crying as before. Qi Tian was really panicking now. He did not know whether he should crouch down or stand up. He did not even know where to place his hands and feet: ¡°Dearest Plump Face, don¡¯t cry anymore, I¡¯ll promise you anything.¡±


    ¡°Can you¡­¡± Yuan Bao said halfway, choking and sniveling on her mucus. She coughed for a long time and was unable to complete her words, so Qi Tian quickly nodded: ¡°Anything you want.¡±


    Yuan Bao¡¯s coughing slowly calmed down and she whispered: ¡°Can you not implant the Gu in me and not drive me away?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I can.¡± After reflecting back on the meaning of her words, Qi Tian was stupidly stunned, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I already have no other places to go. So if I don¡¯t want to become a specimen for you to raise the Gu, then can you still take me in like before?¡±


    Qi Tian¡¯s throat became dry: ¡°You¡­ Always thought I considered you a specimen?¡±


    Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes were moist: ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡±


    Qi Tian was silent for a long time, unable to suppress the smile on his lips. He nodded and said: ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t implant the Gu into you, I won¡¯t consider you a specimen¡­ And I will still take you in like before.¡±


    Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes became even more moist: ¡°So you are a really good person.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I will treat you very well. Put on your shoes and let¡¯s go home.¡±

 CH 6

    ¡°Yuan Bao, can I marry you?¡±


    The woman who was washing the dishes dropped the bowl from her hand and broke it: ¡°Wh-wh-wh¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, I went to the Li Residence to propose marriage with one hundred gold ingots. Your father was very happy and allowed you to marry me.¡± Qi Tian came up behind Yuan Bao and hugged her waist, ¡°Can I marry you?¡±


    Before Yuan Bao could respond, suddenly a crisp clear sound of silver bells was heard in the courtyard. She thought it was strange and her head peeked out to look. She only saw a woman in white clothes standing calmly and alone within the courtyard. Yuan Bao thought that she was another person coming to request for the Gu. So Yuan Bao pulled Qi Tian¡¯s sleeves  over and over, while he rubbed her face over and over. Then he resentfully let her go and went into the courtyard.


    *Gu ¨C legendary venomous insect/ worm


    When the woman caught sight of Qi Tian, unlike all of the other people, she did not reveal fear or disgust. Rather she lightly nodded her head and said: ¡°I am Bai Gui.¡±


    Qi Tian simply did not care about her name and only said: ¡°One Gu for ten gold ingots.¡±


    Bai Gui took out a writing brush from her sleeve and indifferently asked: ¡°Do you like the Gu?¡±


    Qi Tian frowned: ¡°I like Yuan Bao.¡±


    ¡°Do you still feel angry because of your loneliness?¡±


    Qi Tian looked at Yuan Bao and still had not answered the question. In a blink of an eye, Bai Gui¡¯s figure appeared before Qi Tian like a demon. The writing brush in her hand lightly pointed at the center of Qi Tian¡¯s heart. Qi Tian¡¯s complexion immediately changed like he was suffering an immense pain that swiftly brought him to his knees.


    When Yuan Bao saw this, she was startled. She hurriedly lifted the bottom of her clothes and hurriedly rushed over to support Qi Tian.


    While on the tip of Bai Gui¡¯s writing brush, there was a greenish-black Gu struggling violently. She said: ¡°I have collected the demon in your heart.¡±


    For Qi Tian, Yuan Bao felt distressed that even her eyes became red and she indignantly glared at Bai Gui. However, when Bai Gui gazed at Yuan Bao, her eyes were unexpectedly gentle, so gentle. Then she put the writing brush along with the Gu inside her clothes: ¡°Live your days well.¡± A cool breeze blew up and the silver bells rang a crisp clear sound, and then before Yuan Bao¡¯s eyes, this woman suddenly vanished like smoke.


    Yuan Bao thought that she probably must have really seen a ghost. She was dumbfounded for a while but then she heard the sound of Qi Tian coughing. She suddenly awakened: ¡°Qi Tian¡­¡± Yuan Bao stared blankly, ¡°Where¡­ Where are your Gu?¡±


    The center of Qi Tian¡¯s heart was still in constant pain. He extended his hand and looked at the palms and backs of his hands, only to discover that the blue veins on his body had miraculously disappeared. The Gu, which had accompanied him for decades, had unexpectedly disappeared from inside his body!


    He¡­ Had become a normal person.


    ¡°Yuan Bao, do you like this?¡±


    ¡°How obnoxious! You¡¯re even more beautiful than me!¡±

 CH 7

    Hello dear readers!


    Happy mother¡¯s day to all of you out there in the world. I hope you guys have a wonderful weekend full of cherished memories!


    I decided that I¡¯m going to pick up ¡°Yu Feng Xing¡± or ¡°Accompanying the Phoenix¡± by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang. I¡¯m currently catching up on reading the English translations. I think I¡¯m halfway through reading the available translations online.


    So keep an eye out for that!!


    By the way, if you, my dear readers, like what I do, please support me by giving me Ko-fi! Also, if you use an ad blocker and can disable it for my website, that will be so awesome! The Ko-fi and the website ads helps maintain this website of mine. I will appreciate it so much!


    ~ Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    The night wind tore at the war flag fiercely.


    ¡°General!¡± The Colonel of the Tun Cavalry, Zhang Shang, lifted the curtain and entered. His solid armor slammed to the ground, creating a heavy sound. He was trembling with joy, as he cupped his fist and reported: ¡°The Emperor of Xu has been captured!¡±


    Behind the desk, the man in black armor responded indifferently, not surprised at such a result. It was unclear what item he was playing with in his hand, but he looked so spellbound by it.


    ¡°General?¡±


    At this time, he appeared to have come to his senses and his slanted phoenix eyes fell on Colonel Zhang heedlessly: ¡°Then take me to see him.¡± The words were simple but with a hint of contempt, ¡°The Emperor of Xu.¡±


    Her master.


    The once prosperous imperial capital was now dyed in blood. The two rows of armored horses coldly stepped onto Black Tortoise Avenue and directly entered the imperial city through the demolished palace gates. As the desolate wind blew across the bluestone stairs in front of the Ultimate Supreme Palace, the corpses of the Xu Kingdom¡¯s Imperial Army were still writhing. Drop by drop, the corpses¡¯ blood were trickling down the flight of steps.


    Step by step, the bluish-black shoes with gilded gold stepped into the sticky pool of blood and entered the Ultimate Supreme Palace. At the entrance of the palace, his soldiers surrounded the main hall, but for some reason no one entered it.


    When the soldiers saw him coming, they all bowed and saluted, respectfully giving him a path.


    Seeing the scene in the hall, even with his indifferent temperament, he could not stop himself from being startled. More than a dozen dead soldiers used their bodies as shields to block the throne. Each and every one of them were hit by at least a dozen arrows. They stood up straight and tall, but their breath was already gone. No one fell down; and a grave aura still surrounded them, as if someone dared to invade, then they could still raise the long sword in their hand.


    They were like the last shield, protecting the last dignity of the entire country.


    ¡°People from Xu Kingdom are worthy in terms of loyalty, righteousness, and bravery.¡± He praised softly, and immediately took a bow and arrow from the soldier next to him. As his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, the sharp arrow whistled and impaled straight into the right knee of the person standing in the middle. He remembered that he had received intelligence that Xu Kingdom¡¯s Captain of the Imperial Army had an old injury on his right knee.


    As expected, not long after, the man¡¯s tall body suddenly collapsed, like the collapse of a pillar. When he went down, the last wall erected by the other dead soldiers also collapsed and fell apart in an instant.


    It was as if their kingdom had completely crumbled.


    Huo Yang regretfully lowered the bow. At this moment, he heard the soldiers gasp. When he looked up, he saw the Monarch of Xu Kingdom, wearing a black and red court dress, sitting still and upright on the imperial throne. His eyes were clear and his expression was majestic, still very much alive.


    While before him, there was an extremely thin imperial guard kneeling in front of the imperial throne, holding a long sword that was propped against the ground. He was facing the entrance of the hall, his hair was hanging down messily. Like all the others, he was impaled with the same amount of arrows and his breath was also already gone. The only difference was that he was a woman.


    Huo Yang¡¯s body paused, as his eyes stared fixedly on her body. Then he walked into the hall absentmindedly.


    On the throne, the Monarch of Xu Kingdom¡¯s desperate and desolate laughter seemed to have closed in on his ears, but also seemed to have drifted far away. What flashed across Huo Yang¡¯s mind was that of a sunny day. The woman proudly patted his injured leg and said: ¡°I, the genius doctor, just saved your life. Just give me a chunk of meat to eat, that¡¯s not asking for too much.¡±


    Such a flamboyant and presumptuous person¡­


    As the soldiers outside the main hall filed neatly inside the hall, the Monarch of Xu Kingdom finally stopped laughing, ¡°The country has lost its home! Towards my ancestors, I am ashamed! Towards the entire country, I am ashamed! Towards the people of Xu Kingdom, I am ashamed! The Great General of Wei Kingdom, you can kill or gut me if you want, I just ask that you, noble general, spare the innocent people of Xu Kingdom.¡±


    Huo Yang did not answer.


    The Monarch of Xu Kingdom covered his face and laughed: ¡°Forget it¡­ Since you refused to accept the letter of surrender three days ago, then you must have the intention to kill the weeds and eliminate the roots completely! So, what¡¯s the purpose in begging you! What¡¯s the purpose in begging you!¡± After saying that, he raised his head and swallowed the poison.


    The war between the two kingdoms of Xu and Wei only lasted for three months. The Wei Kingdom quickly and violently attacked the Xu Kingdom, therefore, the war was won quickly and beautifully. After a moment of silence, the soldiers, who were present, burst into cheers.


    However, Huo Yang¡¯s expression was solemn. As he quietly set foot on the throne, he stepped on the corpses of the imperial guards that were around him and walked straight towards that woman. He reached out his hand, suddenly realizing that the tips of his fingers were trembling slightly. He steadied his state of mind, as his fingers lightly traced over her lower jaw.


    That was right. It was this face, even though her face was now covered in blood and her body was now covered in filth, how could he not recognize this face.


    It was just that now she could not open her eyes, could not talk, could not breathe, could not do anything at all.


    ¡°Su Tai¡­¡± He called out softly, his teeth clenched slightly. This woman, who betrayed him or perhaps he should say who was never loyal to him, was a cunning spy, an assassin from Xu Kingdom¡­ She was just someone who had accidentally saved his life, and then like a thief, she stole whatever was left of his pathetic but sincere heart.


    As an inexplicable anger rose within Huo Yang¡¯s heart, he raised his hand and slapped her hard. Su Tai¡¯s cold body fell to the ground. She did not get angry. She did not curse him. She did not scratch at him like a ruffled cat.


    She just laid there quietly, like a corpse¡­


    She was just a corpse now.


    Huo Yang¡¯s mind momentarily went blank.


    Down below, the cheering soldiers were all startled by his sudden action and they all fell silent for a while. As Huo Yang¡¯s gaze roamed over Su Tai¡¯s body, his eyes suddenly stopped on her belly. He saw her lightly covering her belly with her non-sword hand, even a slight protrusion could be seen under the soft leather.


    His face immediately turned white and his heartbeat began to pump frantically.


    ¡°Military doc!¡± he shouted, ¡°Send the military doc here immediately!¡±

 CH 8

    Ch 08~ Ghost Corpse (Beginning)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    ¡°Cut open her belly for me.¡±


    This order made the military doctor dumbfounded: ¡°General¡­ This¡­ I¡¯m not a coroner.¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    Seeing Huo Yang¡¯s cold expression, the military doctor gritted his teeth and took out a dagger to cut Su Tai¡¯s stomach. When the food in her stomach spilled out, the military doctor was stunned again. Among the contents, he picked up a brown object to examine, then he checked the arrow wounds on Su Tai¡¯s body. His expression was deeply shocking for a while, but he could not help himself as he praised her with a trembling voice: ¡°She¡¯s really a heroine¡­¡±


    Huo Yang narrowed his phoenix eyes dangerously: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°General, what this woman ate recently was all grass roots and tree bark¡­ The arrow wounds on her body didn¡¯t hit any vital places. She was ¡ª She was starved to death.¡±


    When Huo Yang heard this, his entire body was shakened.


    The capital of Xu Kingdom was surrounded by the army of Wei Kingdom for a fortnight, so the city was completely depleted of armament and food. The soldiers present, perhaps even the monarch¡¯s stomach were full of grass roots and tree bark. Under such circumstances, the people of Xu Kingdom actually placed their lives on the line to fight back for three whole days in this condition¡­


    Wait, they delivered the letter of surrender, but Huo Yang did not receive it at all.


    Huo Yang¡¯s face became even colder. He ordered the military doctor: ¡°Continue to cut downwards.¡±


    The military doctor could not bear to do it: ¡°General, why can¡¯t you let a woman like this keep an intact corpse¡­¡± The soldiers below also began to have objections.


    Huo Yang turned a blind eye to it all and coldly said: ¡°Cut.¡±


    As the dagger continued to cut downwards, opening Su Tai¡¯s abdomen, the military doctor suddenly shouted in horror, frantically dropping the dagger: ¡°She¡­ She had a baby! She was pregnant!¡±


    The words were like thunder exploding in everyone¡¯s ears.


    Huo Yang crouched down, his fingers probed her abdomen. Inside her abdomen, there laid a tiny life that was already dead. It was as big as his fist. Its entire body was bluish-purple, cold and transparent. He could even see the growing bones and internal organs.


    ¡°For such a size¡­ How many months was it?¡± His voice was hoarse.


    The military doctor was also in a state of confusion, he respected this woman¡¯s heroism and loyalty to her kingdom: ¡°About¡­ About four months or more.¡±


    Four months? It was four months? She was still with him then.


    She was pregnant¡­ With his child. This realization made Huo Yang¡¯s heart tighten violently. The blood in his heart lurched, sometimes burning his heart, sometimes freezing him to the marrow. In front of his eyes were bursts of blackness. Suddenly, a ¡°clang¡± was heard, his eyes fluttered slightly, and he saw something drop from her left hand ¡ª It was a half of a peachwood comb.


    This half and the half hidden inside his clothes just happened to form a pair. This was because he had personally carved it for her¡­


    ¡°With one stroke of this comb, inseparable until age of old, this promise¡­ Will be dearly cherished. Huo Yang, when we become really old, if I can still hold your hand like this, wander the shaded trails in the woods together, and peacefully watch the dappled sunlight, then it¡¯ll be so great.¡±


    Her words still echoed in his ears, but the woman from that time, who smiled contentedly, was now separated from him in life.


    He should hate her. He should whip her corpse three hundred times. He should turn her bones into ashes¡­ However, at this moment, he only remembered the warm but sad smile on her lips from that day. The bone-shattering smile that filled up the entire sky and gradually influenced all his thoughts.


    Huo Yang felt an immense amount of grief in his heart. Then a stench rushed up his throat, he pushed it down with all his might.


    For what reason, even when this woman died, he could not find any semblance of peace. He retracted his hand and stood up coldly: ¡°I, the general, respects Xu Kingdom¡¯s Imperial Army for their loyalty. Therefore, I¡¯m specially allowing the soldiers to have a generous burial on the outskirts of the imperial city.¡± His voice was surprisingly hoarse, carrying an indifference that made people feel fearful: ¡°Henceforth, Xu Kingdom no longer exists.¡±


    For the defeated army, a generous burial just meant burying the soldiers together in a mass grave.


    Three days later, the blood-stained imperial palace of Xu Kingdom was washed clean, and all the corpses in the city were buried on the outskirts. The capital of Xu Kingdom was as clean as if nothing had happened. In this war, the Great General of Wei Kingdom won absolute victory. The Emperor of Wei was overjoyed with the unexpected news, he sent an official to take over Huo Yang¡¯s work, and at the same time honored Huo Yang back to Wei Kingdom with a grand welcome.


    No longer would anyone remember the paper-white face of their great general in the imperial hall from that day. No longer would anyone remember where the pregnant woman, who pledged her life to protect the Monarch of Xu Kingdom, was buried either.


    All of the stories appeared to have been buried deep within the ground.


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

 CH 9

    Ch 09~ Ghost Corpse (Beginning)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    At midnight, the moonlight was like water. In the forest, on the outskirts of the capital of Xu Kingdom, a woman in white was leaning against a tree. She lowered her eyes, her calm gaze stared at the newly turned sandy soil under her feet. It was moving.


    Suddenly, a white hand popped out from under the ground.


    Su Tai stiffly crawled out from the ground. Her limbs were both cold and frozen, and they did not listen to her commands. When she looked up, she saw the woman in white standing before her. The corners of her lips moved slightly, but before she could make a sound, the woman immediately said: ¡°Don¡¯t speak.¡±


    ¡°I am Bai Gui, and I want to take away the demon in your heart.¡± The woman said, ¡°But your obsession is too heavy. You can¡¯t let go of the things that happened during your life, and you hold the demon in your heart too tightly, so I can¡¯t take it away.¡±


    Su Tai did not understand Bai Gui¡¯s words. The only thing that she felt was her empty abdomen. So as soon as she looked down, she immediately froze. She saw that her stomach and intestines were hanging all over the place outside her body, even the baby¡¯s umbilical cord was among them. There was no blood. There was no pain. When she was alive, she studied medicine, so naturally she knew that she could not possibly survive in a situation like this, but she also knew that she was very clear-headed at the moment.


    Su Tai was horrified and looked at the woman in front of her with uncertainty.


    As if reading her thoughts, the woman nodded and said: ¡°That¡¯s right, your corpse came back to life. There¡¯s still a single breath left inside your chest. Right now, you can only use your words once. Once your last breath is released, you will truly die.¡±


    Su Tai lowered her eyes, quietly looking at the dead fetus on the ground, not knowing what was going on in her mind.


    ¡°Your obsession is too deep. In this lifetime, if these words fail to resolve the dilemmas in your heart, then after your death, you will inevitably become a malicious spirit and will never get to be reborn.¡± Bai Gui paused, ¡°Have you carefully thought about what you¡¯re going to say?¡±


    Su Tai was silent for a long time, but she finally nodded. Even though she was not in a rush to speak, her hands shook slightly as she picked up her internal organs and unborn child. She expressed her helplessness as she looked around, not knowing where she could put them.


    Bai Gui took out a needle and thread from her sleeve and gave it to Su Tai: ¡°Let¡¯s stitch you up.¡±


    Su Tai took the needle and thread, then she placed her internal organs back in their original position. Unable to completely control her cold and stiff limbs to the point when she clumsily placed her stomach back in, her intestines would fall out. By the time she placed her baby back in, her movement paused, but then, stitch by stitch, she began to suture her wound. Her expression was flat. She did not grieve nor did she panic. She only did the thing that she should be doing firmly.


    ¡°Miss Su, I, A Gui, admire you.¡± As Bai Gui waved her sleeve, her figure disappeared into the night. In the forest, her breathy voice was the only thing that remained in the forest, ¡°When you say that phrase, I will come again.¡±


    When Su Tai finished suturing her body, she stood up stiffly and slowly adapted to her ¡°new¡± body. Step by step, she walked out of the forest.


    The sandy soil in the forest had just been dug up, underneath it lay countless corpses of Xu Kingdom¡¯s soldiers. Xu Kingdom was wiped off the face of the earth. Therefore, from now on, she, Su Tai, no longer had a country, no longer had a home, no longer had a child, she just had her lonely self.

 CH 10

    Ch 10 ~ Ghost Corpse (Middle)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    On the fifteenth day of the first month, it was the Lantern Festival. On the east side of Justice Seal City, the fireworks were dazzlingly beautiful in the night sky.


    Su Tai gazed blankly up at the fleeting beauties in the night sky; in her mind¡¯s eyes, images of Huo Yang¡¯s smiling face as he rubbed her head kept surging up repeatedly: ¡°I don¡¯t know where you came from that you have never even seen fireworks before. When the next Lantern Festival comes around, I will take you to see the fireworks on the east side of Justice Seal City.¡±


    No one expected that this year¡¯s Lantern Festival would turn out to be a separation of life and death.


    After crossing through thousands of mountains and rivers from Xu Kingdom to the capital city of Wei Kingdom, she finally found Huo Yang¡¯s residence, the Tranquility General Residence. However, she discovered that she had no way of approaching him. He was the Great General of Wei Kingdom, the emperor¡¯s favorite; how could it be possible to meet him in person easily.


    In the beginning, their first encounter was the biggest mistake of their lives ¡ª she found Huo Yang when he was gravely injured, this kind of luck did not happen every day.


    Su Tai could not speak, so she did not know what else she could do. Therefore, all she could do was crouch at the door to the General Residence, waiting for a ¡°chance encounter¡± with Huo Yang. Strangely enough, after Huo Yang¡¯s triumphant return, he stayed in his residence all day, he did not leave nor did he attend court. As Su Tai waited for a fortnight, with each passing day, her hopes gradually died.


    Perhaps, their fate was really over.


    She was just thinking about it, when she suddenly heard the door to the General Residence make a ¡°creak.¡± One after another, the guards inside filed out, clearing the area outside the mansion, and Su Tai had to be driven into a corner.


    When the red jujube-colored Liu Yue was led out of the door by a guard, Su Tai¡¯s eyes lit up, it was his horse.


    A moment later, Huo Yang walked out of the mansion dressed in black clothes.


    This was the first time they met after four long months of separation. Huo Yang looked like he had lost some weight. Su Tai opened her mouth and almost made a sound. In desperation, she tried to run towards him, but her zombified legs made it inconvenient to do so. She almost jumped forward when a nearby soldier, who was afraid that she would frighten the general¡¯s horse, punched her in the abdomen. In actuality, Su Tai was not in pain, she just unconsciously clutched her lower abdomen. When she lifted her head again, Liu Yue was just a trail of dust.


    Su Tai did not hesitate and immediately gave chase.


    In the midst of the Lantern Festival, the East Side Night Market was very lively.


    When Su Tai found Huo Yang, he was giving a teenage boy in bright clothes a lesson. A young married woman with a panicked look was standing behind Huo Yang, while onlookers all spurned the teenage boy, saying that he would not even spare a pregnant woman, so he should get beaten up. However, as they watched on, everyone¡¯s faces gradually changed. Huo Yang¡¯s moves were cruel, every hit was fatal.


    As vicious currents were radiating out of his eyes in waves, Su Tai knew that he was thirsting for blood.


    Although on the battlefield, Huo Yang was a demon. However, in court, he was always forbearing and would never thirst for blood over some trivial matters. What did this teenage boy do to make him so angry¡­


    Seeing the teenage boy vomit foamy blood all over the ground, the young married woman was so scared that her legs went soft. As she fell to the ground, she clutched her belly and retched her heart out. When Huo Yang finally stopped, at this time a scholarly man holding a lantern in his hand hurriedly squeezed in from the crowd: ¡°My wife! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°My husband!¡± When the young married woman received the man¡¯s support, she leaned into his chest and quietly burst into tears. The man panicked: ¡°Are you hurt anywhere? Will it affect the pregnancy?¡±


    As Huo Yang kicked away the teenage boy who had fainted, he turned to look at the married couple. Both of them were chilled by his gaze, finally, the scholarly man said: ¡°Thank you very much¡­ For your excellency¡¯s helping hand.¡±


    When Huo Yang¡¯s gaze fell on the woman¡¯s belly, his eyes changed and he softly asked, ¡°How far along are you?¡±


    ¡°Almost¡­ Five months along.¡±


    Just for a moment, Huo Yang became somewhat absent-minded: ¡°Is pregnancy difficult?¡±


    The woman was dumbfounded: ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t have much of an appetite and I get tired easily.¡± She rubbed her belly as her expression suddenly became gentle, ¡°But because of this baby, it doesn¡¯t feel difficult.¡±


    Huo Yang suddenly remembered that day where Su Tai¡¯s stomach only contained tree bark and grass roots. Although she was dead, her expression was still resolute and peaceful. She was like a resilient sword, without the slightest hint of fragility and softness of a woman. She also carried a stubbornness that could shock any man. Disregarding herself and the baby in her belly, she ruthlessly chose to live or die for her country¡­


    She really was a heroine!


    Huo Yang gritted his teeth with hate, but behind the turbulent hatred there was a hidden wound that ripped through his chest, pouring an ice-cold pain into the marrow of his bones, making him feel suffocated all day and all night.


    He turned away and went to sit astride the horse, Liu Yue, no longer watching the loving couple.


    Only then did Su Tai come back to her senses from the two questions that he had just asked. When she looked up, Huo Yang had already ridden his tall horse through the street full of lanterns; the image of his back became really blurry. Suddenly, Su Dai thought, if she did not say her last words, would she be able to continue to ¡°live¡± forever? With him, ¡°inseparable to age of old¡±¡­


    This thought proliferated wildly like a weed.


    Huo Yang, who was on horseback, seemed to have sensed something and his eyes darted around. Su Tai turned around and the navy blue cloak hid her figure. Even though the street was noisy with people, Su Tai could still hear the sound of the horse¡¯s hooves approaching.


    Did he¡­ See her?


    As Su Tai nervously pulled at her clothes, her dead heart felt like it was beating again. Su Tai could not stop thinking about what his expression would be when they met again. Would his mental state be in chaos, or did he¡­ Still care about her?


    Her lips curled up bitterly as she came to the conclusion that he should not care about her. What Huo Yang hated the most was betrayal and deception. She touched his bottom line, otherwise he would have accepted that letter of surrender; he must really hate her in his heart.


    While her mind was churning, she heard the sound of hooves stopping beside her. Then the stall owner¡¯s solicitous voice came forth: ¡°Guest, are you buying tiger-headed shoes? How old is your child?¡±


    ¡°Five months.¡± His deep voice reached Su Tai¡¯s ears clearly. She hid herself within the navy blue cloak and quietly moved off to the side.


    ¡°Is it a boy or a girl?¡±


    When Huo Yang was silent for a long time, Su Tai could not stop herself from looking over. She saw him looking at his fingertips blankly, his calm face could not hide his desolation: ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t know.¡±


    The stall owner was immediately speechless.


    After Huo Yang left, Su Tai gently stroked the pair of tiger-headed shoes for little boys. She knew that their child was a very healthy boy.

 CH 11

    Ch 11 ~ Ghost Corpse (Middle)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    Just after the end of the first month, the Wei Kingdom and Rong Kingdom in the north started a war. The people of Rong were very aggressive, which caused the military situation on the borders to become very urgent. Therefore, in the imperial court, an imperial decree and the General Seal was once again in Huo Yang¡¯s hands.


    After the morning court ended, the Emperor of Wei summoned Huo Yang alone. In the Imperial Study, the emperor handed a letter to Huo Yang and said: ¡°I, the emperor, heard that in the last war with the Xu Kingdom, you did not accept the letter of surrender. Nor did you read its contents, was there a reason?¡±


    ¡°Even though the Xu Kingdom was small, it strongly advocated loyalty and righteousness. If I didn¡¯t destroy their beliefs completely, I was afraid that it would only become more troublesome.¡±


    The emperor nodded, then he pointed to the letter in his hand and said: ¡°Recently, when I, the emperor, was browsing over the documents of Xu Kingdom, I found this letter among it. After reading it, I, the emperor, realized that this was a personal letter written by a woman of Xu Kingdom to you.¡±

 CH 12

    Ch 12 ~ Ghost Corpse (Middle)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    The wind and snow beyond the Great Wall were hectic, the people of Rong were fierce, but Huo Yang utilized his army like a genius. He forced the people of Rong to retreat almost to the mountain pass. The war lasted for a fortnight, the defeated people of Rong retreated in defeat by hundreds of miles. After Huo Yang¡¯s victory, he still pursued them. His intention was to let the people of Rong know not to dare to send troops to invade the Wei Kingdom again in his lifetime.


    The longer the front line lasted, the longer it was dragged out, when Huo Yang realized that this was a plan to lure his soldiers into the abyss, it was already too late.


    In due course, Huo Yang led the Light Cavalry of three thousand soldiers to raid the Rong¡¯s military camp. However, what laid in wait for them was only an empty military camp in the lowlands. Huo Yang ordered an immediate withdrawal, but there was no time, an army of thirty thousand Rong soldiers surrounded the troop of Wei soldiers.


    The Prince of Rong was arrogant and haughty, he had Huo Yang surrounded but did not rush in to attack. He stood aloft at a commanding height, excitedly enjoying the grave expressions frozen on the faces of the Wei soldiers, who were usually brave: ¡°Huo Yang, this fight with you was an even match. It¡¯s a pity that I, the prince, will have to kill you today.¡±


    The red jujube-colored Liu Yue stood out in the wind and snow, Huo Yang was wearing a black fur coat, his expression was calm, without any panic: ¡°Prince, please don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s undeserving to you and also insulting to me.¡±


    The Prince¡¯s face darkened, and he sneeringly said: ¡°Since the general said so, so what if I, the prince, is insulting you.¡± He waved his hand, thirty thousand cavalry swarmed down and the bloody battle began instantly. No one noticed a thin, weak soldier in Rong attire quietly blended into the battlefield.


    On all four sides, there were sounds of fighting, just like the Xu Kingdom¡¯s last defensive battle. Su Tai was slowly approaching Huo Yang, while he was riding atop the horse. Although he was easy to spot, he was not easy to save. Su Tai clenched her teeth, she agilely snatched a broadsword from a Wei soldier next to her, and knocked him unconscious with the back of the sword. When Su Tai turned around, the broadsword in her hand flew out and plunged straight into Liu Yue¡¯s belly.


    The Ferghana horse neighed immediately. Its front hooves flew out, killing many of the Rong soldiers who were besieging it. However, under the serious injury, the horse quickly lost its strength. Before its front hooves came back down, one of the Rong soldiers desperately rushed forward and chopped off its front legs.


    With a loud rumble, Liu Yue immediately collapsed. When Huo Yang jumped off the horse, the sword in his hand moved and four to five heads fell to the ground. He patted Liu Yue¡¯s head with a pained expression. Then Huo Yang raised his head to look in Su Tai¡¯s direction, his cold eyes filled with an unspeakable rage.


    Su Tai quietly revolved herself behind one of the Rong soldiers. She was still thinking about how to approach Huo Yang, when suddenly a low groan was heard in the air.


    He flew over and quickly chopped the person in front of Su Tai into two pieces. As the stench of blood splashed all over Su Tai, she looked up into Huo Yang¡¯s bloodthirsty eyes.


    They came face to face with each other in such an unprepared situation. She saw the look in his eyes gradually went from bone-chillingly cold to utter disbelief.


    In the midst of the blood, the battlefield, and the endless slaughter, it seemed to make up for the moment that they did not get to see each other one last time in Xu Kingdom.

 CH 13

    Ch 13 ~ Ghost Corpse (Ending)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    ¡°Su¡­¡± As soon as Huo Yang tried to speak, Su Tai suddenly came back to her senses, she rushed forward and hugged Huo Yang.


    The person who hugged him no longer had the fragrance and softness of the woman from the past. When the cold armors interlocked with each other, a sharp and crisp sound was heard. However, there was no breathing to be heard in his ears, and there was a strong rotten smell coming from her body. As all the senses invaded Huo Yang¡¯s emotions, he became dumbfoundedly absent-minded.


    Su Dai took the opportunity to take off the big fur cloak on his shoulders, and casually threw it on the ground; the armor on Huo Yang¡¯s body was no different from that of an ordinary soldier. With a few steps, Su Tai dragged him into the chaotic battlefield. Thereby, the thirty thousand soldiers could no longer clearly distinguish who was the Great General of Wei Kingdom.


    Huo Yang was dragged away by Su Tai for a length of distance before he came back to his senses: ¡°You killed Liu Yue¡­ To save me?¡± Su Tai turned her back on Huo Yang and walked ahead of him, he frowned, ¡°Su Tai!¡±


    The person in front of him stopped. When Su Tai turned around, she waved her hand and a fine white powder scattered about. Huo Yang¡¯s eyes widened and his body immediately softened: ¡°You¡­ Plotted against me again.¡± Su Tai caught his limp body and heard him murmuring, trying to stay clear-headed: ¡°Nevermind, forget it¡­¡±


    This sigh was more desolate than helplessness. As if from now on, his life would be lost in her hands, so he should forget this life.


    Su Tai did not show the slightest emotion, she did not even show the endless struggle she had with Huo Yang. Then Su Tai slowly retreated into an empty tent. She took out a Rong soldier¡¯s attire from inside her clothes and helped Huo Yang put it on.


    Su Tai knew that in such a situation, if she wanted Huo Yang to abandon the three thousand soldiers and escape alone, he would never do it. From the bottom of his heart, this man was both extremely brave and dedicated. She had to kill his horse, to drag him down from under the eyes of the enemy, to turn him into a speck of dust within the crowd, because only in this way could she save him.


    It was because the taste of death was so terrifying. It was a kind of despair that no matter how one repressed it, it would be expressed in one¡¯s eyes. It was a kind of panic that no matter how much one consoled oneself, it would well up in one¡¯s throat. It was a kind of helplessness that no matter how determined one¡¯s heart was, one¡¯s nose would still smell the stench of blood.


    She was softhearted, she did not want Huo Yang to experience that kind of taste.


    Su Tai waited until the sound of slaughtering outside the tent gradually subsided, then she carried Huo Yang out on her back. The three thousand soldiers of the Wei Kingdom were completely annihilated.


    The cold air was filled with the smell of fresh blood. When Su Tai lowered her eyes, she followed a Rong troop out of the camp to go treat the wounded soldiers and quietly left the battlefield. As soon as she got midway through he journey, she killed dozens of wounded soldiers, robbed their horses, and took Huo Yang through the icy snow-covered valleys to find the main camp of the Wei Kingdom.


    She had never been so grateful for this zombified body. If it was the Su Tai from before, the injuries she suffered on the battlefield would have been enough to take her life. This body did not feel pain, did not age, did not die, if she did not say her last words, she could live like this forever.


    However, to live like this forever meant nothing to her.


    She clearly felt that her emotions were gradually disappearing with the death of her body. She no longer felt touched, no longer felt sad, the only thing that remained was her obstinate persistence.


    When Huo Yang woke up, all the wounds on his body were bandaged completely. Looking at his surroundings, he seemed to immediately understand what Su Tai had done on the battlefield. He rolled over and got out of the bed. He opened the tent and stepped outside. The soldiers guarding outside the tent immediately saluted him. Huo Yang asked: ¡°Where¡¯s the woman who brought me back?¡±


    ¡°To answer the General, she seems to be gone.¡±


    Huo Yang¡¯s face immediately changed: ¡°Without military orders, how dare you let someone in the enemy¡¯s attire go!¡±


    The two soldiers immediately knelt down and tremblingly said: ¡°When the General came back with that woman¡­ The General appeared very close to her, these subordinates thought that, thought that¡­ So we did not dare to stop her.¡±


    Huo Yang frowned tightly, but before he could say another word, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a woman dressed in gray standing not too far away, staring at him. The two soldiers who were kneeling were instantly happier than anyone else: ¡°General, she¡¯s back!¡±


    Su Dai looked at Huo Yang, her eyes were as calm as water. She nodded gently at Huo Yang, then turned around to leave. Huo Yang clenched his fists tightly, there were countless questions in his heart. Back then, he personally watched the military doctor cut open her stomach, so how could she still be alive now? Why was she here? Why¡­ Did she save him?


    He involuntarily followed Su Tai, leaving the military camp. Su Tai slowly walked to a vast ice-covered area.


    The cold wind beyond the Great Wall brought big feather-like snow sweeping across their faces. The two of them, one before and one after, walked quietly in the omnipresent whiteness. Huo Yang suddenly felt that in the next moment, the woman could turn into a feather and fly away.


    ¡°Su Tai.¡± Finally, he could not stop himself from calling out. However, besides her name, Huo Yang could not find anything else to say for a while. Su Tai continued to take a few steps forward, then suddenly she squatted down and dug out a white herb in the icy snow-covered ground. This herb was extremely effective in treating external injuries. She waved at Huo Yang, motioning him to come over.


    When she placed the herb into Huo Yang¡¯s hand, her icy fingers gently touched his warm palm, which stunned the both of them.


    Su Tai thought that if she could forget the past, how great would it be to let go of everything and stay by his side forever. However, that was impossible. They were divided by betrayal, separated by life and death, interlaced by national hatred, she could not forget, so she could not be with him anymore.


    At this moment, the questions that were churning thousands of times in Su Tai¡¯s heart ¡ª ¡°Why did you not accept the letter of surrender? Why did you let the Xu Kingdom perish so tragically? Why did you have to kill until the very last one? You did not want me, nor did you want your child, were you that loyal to your emperor? Was it not okay to take even half a step backward? Or was it because you wanted to take revenge on me for my betrayal, to make me lose face when I come face to face with the soldiers and citizens of the Xu Kingdom in the underworld?¡±


    At this point, all the questions were no longer relevant. Even if Huo Yang accepted the letter of surrender, in the end, it could not change the fact that he destroyed the Xu Kingdom.


    He was loyal to his country, while she wanted to protect her emperor.


    Su Tai suddenly realized that from the very beginning, fate had already made them strangers.


    Su Tai brushed off the pile of snowflakes on Huo Yang¡¯s shoulder, just like that summer when she wiped the sweat from his forehead under the shade of a tree. She tried to smile, but in the end, she could not do it and gave up. Silence flowed between the two of them, then Su Tai finally took Huo Yang¡¯s hand and pressed his hand against her belly.


    The skin beneath the fabric was unexpectedly uneven. No matter how she arranged those internal organs, they would always pile up into a mess, announcing the fact that she was dead.


    Su Tai gently said: ¡°Huo Yang, it¡¯s a boy.¡±


    Huo Yang shivered violently and shrunk back like he was scalded. Su Tai willingly let go of his hand, she looked down at her belly and rubbed it gently, even though there was no expression on her face, but the gentleness in her eyes were enough to make Huo Yang breathe with burning pain.


    Su Tai wanted to say that this child was just like him, very healthy and quite beautiful. However, life did not give her the opportunity to speak again.


    She took a step back, while Huo Yang stretched out his hand to pull her back subconsciously. However, as soon as his hand touched her arm, Su Tai seemed to have shattered, carrying the love and hatred that no longer existed, following the cold wind, blending into the snow-covered sky, fluttering away.


    Without even the time to react, Huo Yang had to watch her disappear right before his eyes.


    This scene would later become his nightmare, clinging to him every night, without a shred of tranquility.


    With a ¡°whoosh,¡± the peachwood comb fell on the snow. Huo Yang stood frozen in place. In the blink of an eye, he saw a pale-white hand picking up the wooden comb on the ground. It was unknown when this woman in white appeared. It was as if her white clothes were blending and fusing into the boundless world. She fished out a writing brush and tapped the wooden comb with it, saying consolingly: ¡°I have collected the demon in your heart.¡±


    Huo Yang was still despondent.


    Bai Gui raised her head to look at Huo Yang, who appeared to be dejected. Her cold but breathy voice said mercilessly: ¡°Your demon, I can¡¯t take it away.¡±


    From now on, this man could not let go of his memories nor could he relive his past¡­


    Only the painful yearning was left to grind into his bones and penetrate his heart.

 CH 14

    Ch 14~ Ghost Painting (Beginning)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    On a warm spring day of the third month, the weeping willow outside the Liu Family¡¯s young lady¡¯s boudoir was growing just fine and when the warm breeze swept across the water, it created layers of ripples.


    However, an angry figure stomped and smashed the courtyard. A maid in pink was shouting, running out of the courtyard: ¡°Master! Master, it¡¯s not good. The young lady is having a temper tantrum again!¡± Behind her were the sounds of broken porcelain vases and sad mournful cries.


    As the maid in pink turned the corner, her head collided into a man¡¯s body. The latter calmly supported her and then politely withdrew. The maid panicked, looked up, and became momentarily mesmerized, a very beautiful¡­ Taoist priest.


    Behind the man, there was a middle-age man scolding: ¡°Stupid girl, how rude and impetuous! Why¡¯re you blocking the way, let the Taoist priest go in!¡±


    At this time, the maid returned to her senses and timidly responded. The middle-aged man still wanted to scold, but the young Taoist priest waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± His voice was soft and pleasant to hear, it carried a peaceful force that made one feel instant tranquility. The Taoist priest went around the maid and slowly entered the courtyard. A moment later, a porcelain cup was thrown out and smashed on the ground, and along with it came a woman¡¯s shrill voice: ¡°Get out! All of you get lost! There are ghosts here¡­ There are ghosts!¡±


    When Jing Ning looked at Miss Liu¡¯s face, his brows furrowed slightly. He took out a yellow talisman from inside his clothes. As he chanted incantations, he approached her.


    The maid and Old Master Liu watched on nervously. They saw that Miss Liu¡¯s expression gradually calmed down. When Jing Ning gave the yellow talisman to Miss Liu, her expression became warm and gentle like how she was before she got sick.


    ¡°Hold it firmly and wait outside for a moment.¡±


    Miss Liu clutched the talisman tightly and obediently left her boudoir. With a ¡°click,¡± the door to the boudoir was locked from the inside. Jing Ning¡¯s eyes slowly scanned every corner of the room, then his eyes stopped at the painting behind the incense burner.


    Beneath the weeping willow, a woman in a goose-yellow dress was leaning against a tree, as if she was admiring the fish, as if she was deep in thought, but also as if she was spiritually lost. The mole under her eye made her look as if she was crying, creating a sad atmosphere. In an instant, Jing Ning recognized that this painting depicted Miss Liu, but then he immediately realized that the person was not Miss Liu.


    His footsteps had just barely moved and he had not done anything yet, when suddenly he saw the painting blossomed outward and a head popped out from the painting. The child-like woman rolled her eyes in a pretentious manner and stuck her tongue out at him, as if using this stupid appearance could scare him away.


    After she finished making that ghost face that could only make children laugh, she quickly retracted her head and hid it like a turtle.


    For a moment, Jing Ning was stumped, but then his eyes narrowed slightly. It was the first time he had seen such a stupid demon. With an icy expression, he walked over and knocked on the incense table: ¡°Come out.¡± The painting was deathly silent. Jing Ning formed a spell with his fingers and an orange-yellow flame flared up in his hand: ¡°Since you have not sinned for long, I originally wanted to spare you, but¡­¡± He used the flame to lightly roast the painting, ¡°If you want to continue to do evil, don¡¯t blame me for being impolite.¡±


    The painting still remained silent for a while. Then, as if she could not bear it any longer, the woman stuck her head out again, sweating profusely. She stuck out her tongue wickedly and made a ¡°hissing¡± sound, creating an inferior quality threat.


    Without any expression, Jing Ning extinguished the fire in his hand and agilely snatched her long tongue.


    The woman¡¯s face was startled and it paled in shock. Jing Ning¡¯s lips curled up slightly, and there was a rare smile in his gentle voice: ¡°It¡¯ll hurt a little bit.¡± After saying that, he unceremoniously pulled her tongue and dragged her out of the painting.


    ¡°Ow! OOww¡­¡± The woman in yellow, who was dragged out of the painting, huddled aggrievedly on the ground, holding up her tongue that could not be retracted for the moment, while she wept secretly in pain.


    Jing Ning nonchalantly wiped the saliva on his hand onto the painting, smearing the vivid weeping willow. The woman in yellow tearfully cried and angrily glared at him, then with a lisp, she said: ¡°Shameless.¡±

 CH 15

    100 Ghost Collection by Jiu Lu Fei Xiang


    ¡¶°Ù¹í¼¯¡· ×÷Õß: ¾ÅðØ·ÇÏã


    Ch 15~ Ghost Painting (Beginning)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    Being accused of being shameless, Jing Ning did not even care, he just asked indifferently: ¡°Demon Painting, how do you address yourself?¡±


    The female demon arrogantly hmphed and turned her head away. Jing Ning lightly flicked his index finger and a bright flame flew straight towards the female demon¡¯s forehead. The flame seared her, making her scream again. With a good temperment, Jing Ning asked again: ¡°How do you address yourself?¡±


    She stuffed her tongue back into her mouth and swallowed her saliva sullenly. The name of a demon was like an incantation. Once known, the demon was equivalent to being controlled. She leered at the flame on Jing Ning¡¯s index finger, her lips trembled. As she choked with emotions, she wiped at her tears pitifully. With a lisp, she said: ¡°Mo Hua, my name is Mo Hua.¡±


    Jing Ning nodded: ¡°Why do you want to harm the Liu Family¡¯s young lady?¡± Mo Hua¡¯s eyes looked around, not wanting to answer this question. When Jing Ning softly called out her name, Mo Hua stiffened from head to toe and unwillingly answered: ¡°The person who painted me was a scholar. He had always admired Miss Liu. Last month, when he heard that Miss Liu was engaged¡­ He jumped into the river and drowned. I was the last painting he painted. I heard his last wish. He had always wanted to marry the Liu Family¡¯s young lady. I was left without other choices, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You wanted to kill Miss Liu and let them keep each other company in the Netherworld?¡±


    Mo Hua nodded dejectedly: ¡°The scholar was so pitiful. I just wanted to help him fulfill his last wish.¡±


    ¡°Although your intentions are good, the fate of humankind from birth to old age, from sickness to death are determined by Heaven. How can you kill another person to satisfy another person¡¯s selfish desire?¡± Jing Ning said, ¡°Based on the fact that your nature is not bad, I will let you go today. In the future, cultivate well and don¡¯t do evil things again.¡±


    Mo Hua nodded obediently.


    Jing Ning was silent for a moment, and then said: ¡°Next time, don¡¯t stick your tongue out too much, you¡¯ll be easily caught.¡±


    Mo Hua tilted her head and thought about it, ¡°But this trick is very useful. The Liu Family¡¯s young lady was so scared of me¡­¡±


    Once again, Jing Ning was silent for a while. Mo Hua gazed at him eagerly. When Jing Ning saw her watery eyes and red snotty nose, his heart suddenly softened and he gently asked: ¡°If you sincerely want to cultivate the Path of Taoism, then I can teach you.¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Hua¡¯s eyes lit up radiantly. She scrambled to Jing Ning¡¯s feet, hugged his thighs, and exclaimed: ¡°Master is above me, this disciple¡­ This disciple is below you! I will let Master do whatever you see fit with me!¡±


    Once again, Jing Ning was silent for a while. He gently removed Mo Hua¡¯s hands from his thighs: ¡°From the way that I see it, you also have to learn about culture.¡±


    ¡°I can learn anything.¡± Mo Hua raised her head to look at him, ¡°Master, how do you address yourself?¡±


    ¡°Jing Ning.¡±


    ¡°Jing Ning.¡±


    ¡°Call me master.¡±


    ¡°This name, Jing Ning, is very smooth and steady to say.¡±


    ¡°You still have to call me master.¡±


    ¡°Master Jing Ning.¡±


    Jing Ning looked at Mo Hua¡¯s upturned face, and felt that if she had a tail, then she would wag it at him, too. Based on the occasion, he patted her head: ¡°I have never accepted a disciple. Your aptitudes are a bit on the stupid side, but I believe that Heaven will reward the diligent. I will teach well and you will study hard. One day, you will at least learn how to pretend to be smart.¡±


    Mo Hua nodded happily: ¡°I¡¯ll definitely live up to Master¡¯s expectations!¡±

 CH 16

    Ch 16~ Ghost Painting (Middle)


    Editor & Translator: Sonrisa t.n.t


    ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~


    Mo Hua¡¯s demonic power was mediocre, she had never left the scroll painting for more than six hours. This time, in order to follow Jing Ning in cultivation, she ruthlessly left her real body in Liu Mansion, but who would have expected that she would be so sleepy after barely holding on for a full day. She started to stagger, slanting to the left and falling to the right.


    Jing Ning narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw this: ¡°I thought that there was no other demon with the worst aptitude than you in the world, but beyond my imagination, I, your master, didn¡¯t expect you to be even lower than the lowest threshold limit¡­¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, with a ¡°plop,¡± Mo Hua¡¯s entire body slumped down into a sitting position, paralized like mud. Then she began to cry aggrievedly: ¡°Master¡¯s being prejudiced towards me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m being prejudiced towards you.¡±


    It was rightfully so for Jing Ning to be straightforward, but the tears on Mo Hua¡¯s face were unsure whether to continue to fall or roll back in dejectedly. After thinking about it for a while, she decided that she should cry even more desolately: ¡°I thought Master Jing Ning was a kind-hearted Taoist priest, but I didn¡¯t expect, I didn¡¯t expect¡­ Wwuu, perhaps Mo Hua really made a mistake in choosing a marriageable partner. I entrusted myself to the wrong person. This life of mine is completely over¡­¡±


    Jing Ning slanted his eyes at her: ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    Mo Hua shook her head and just focused on crying desolately.


    Jing Ning was silent for a long while before he took out a blue and white porcelain bottle from inside his clothes. When he pulled out the red cork, the fragrant aroma flowed out immediately. Jing Ning softly said: ¡°This is a medicinal pill made from the Blood-Red Lotus on Heavenly Mountain. It can help you condense ten years of cultivation within three days, and make your cultivation practice ten times faster than usual within the next fifty years. This helpful pill is from me, your master, to you¡­¡± Before he could even finish speaking, a fair and delicate hand quickly snatched the porcelain bottle out of his hand.


    She lifted her head and stuffed all the medicinal pills in the bottle into her mouth.


    Jing Ning narrowed his eyes dangerously, his light voice carrying a hint of menace: ¡°I, your master, think you should thank your master for his kindness first.¡±


    With a mouthful of medicinal pills, Mo Hua was chewing it up, while opening her big innocent eyes and asking vaguely, ¡°Isn¡¯t it already expected that the master gives the disciple a first meeting gift?¡±


    Jing Ning nodded in understanding: ¡°So then, where is the disciple¡¯s formal ceremony gift for the master now?¡±


    A pair of perfectly round eyes rolled in circles. Finally, Mo Hua swallowed what was left in her mouth, and said happily, ¡°Here, right here.¡± She jumped up, bounced over to Jing Ning¡¯s side, and like a thunderbolt, she firmly kissed Jing Ning¡¯s face.


    This sudden shock caused his indifferent heart to skip a beat. Before his vision, Mo Hua¡¯s face was filled with a dazzling smile: ¡°Don¡¯t those monsters who repay their gratitude often say that the biggest gift is to devote one¡¯s life to the other, how about I promise myself to Master?¡±


    Jing Ning was silent for a long time, then he forced himself to look away and sighed: ¡°You should really learn about culture first.¡±


    Mo Hua looked at him expectantly: ¡°Master, teach me.¡±


    Jing Ning involuntarily turned his head away and suddenly had the urge to escape. After allowing Mo Hua to stare at him for a long time, he pretended to be indifferent to it: ¡°It¡¯s better that I, your master, teach you magic first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll learn everything that Master teaches me. I¡¯m completely Master¡¯s person, too.¡±


    The meaning of these words sounded a bit strange,  but Jing Ning thought about these words with a very righteous mind. Mo Hua was his disciple, so it was not too strange for her to say this. He nodded and said, ¡°You need to remember this, I, your master, am teaching you magic for you to use to clear your cultivation path, you must not use it to hurt others. If you violate my sect rules, then I will personally take care of you.¡±


    Mo Hua blinked at him and did not respond.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    Mo Hua scratched her head: ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand. You haven¡¯t really made it clear yet. How are you going to personally take care of me? Become a concubine?¡±


    Jing Ning took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes: ¡°I will have to go find a teacher to teach you about culture first.¡±


    Mo Hua lowered her head in grievance, but there was a hidden smile on her face. Master did not know that the scholar who painted her was a very good teacher.