Chapter 140 Duan Lansheng wants to reconcile, and she's going to take advantage of this...

Lu Yuanyuan stared stiffly at his abdomen, her fingers damp. After a moment of blankness, overwhelming shock and anger surged into her heart.

She pulled her hand back forcefully, gritting her teeth as she said, "Duan Lansheng, you disgust me."

The infant's spirit should have died instantly if it had been crushed; it couldn't have wandered the world for half a day.

Without a doubt, Duan Lansheng must have done something to keep the child alive.

In his past life, Duan Lansheng could kill the child he didn't want without consulting her wishes. In this life, however, the roles are reversed; the child she doesn't want, he tries every means to keep.

It was never up to her to decide.

On what grounds?

Why is this so unfair?!

Lu Yuanyuan grabbed his neck and said sternly, "Tell me honestly, what kind of evil magic did you use to prevent the primordial spirit from dissipating?"

Duan Lansheng tilted his head back slightly, his face not only pale but also faintly ashen. He stared at her for a moment, then said slowly, "I didn't do anything."

Seven years ago, he thought he was dead.

For a long time, he lay motionless in a pitch-black place, as if he had bled to death. He thought that was the afterlife, a hazy, cold, and damp place, devoid of light and sound.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally vaguely realized that he seemed to still be alive—or rather, he had his first fully formed consciousness because he felt something lying above him through the soil, weak and powerless, yet persistent, as if trying to crawl into his arms.

Everyone had forgotten him, except for that thing that kept trying to get closer. He vaguely sensed its presence, though he didn't know where he was or what it was, it felt like a throbbing, urgent pain, as if connected to his very heart. Its presence reminded him that he couldn't give up his last breath; he had to live, even if it meant clinging to life, he had to crawl back to the world of the living.

When he crawled out of the soil, tall weeds had grown where he was buried, and the withered leaves were thick and damp. Curled up on the withered leaves was a very inconspicuous little puppet.

Duan Lansheng lowered his eyelids and smiled self-deprecatingly: "I know you hate me, and by extension, you hate it too, and wish that I would disappear from the world with it. But at that time, it was right in front of me, and I couldn't bring myself to do it."

It possessed a doll without eyes, ears, nose, or mouth, and could only crawl.

He had never dealt with anything like this before, nor had he studied puppetry, so he shouldn't have known how to transfer it out of the puppet.

However, for some reason, he learned that a secret technique for puppetry was hidden in a cave deep within Mount Mang. But at that time, Mount Mang was someone else's territory.

Worse still, because this puppet belonged to Lu Yuanyuan, it wasn't a perfect match for Yuanling. Therefore, it could only serve as a temporary residence for the latter. As time went on, Yuanling grew increasingly weak. In order to keep it, he had to take a risk and overextend himself to persuade Ji Shuo to attack Xuanzhao first.

Regardless, he eventually achieved his goal, arrived at Mangshan, and found this place.

The spirit successfully transferred out of the puppet. It was a soul without a physical body, and it still needed to be rebuilt into a physical body. Only he could do this task.

An unformed primordial spirit cannot discern its gender; he doesn't know if it's male or female, but deep down he actually prefers a daughter. However, he has no choice, because he must use his life to give it a new host. Therefore, this child will become very similar to him—for example, its physical structure will be that of a boy, its original form will have nine fox tails, and its future human form will resemble his childhood appearance.

It stumbled and scrambled to imitate him, gradually growing hands and feet, becoming a miniature version of him.

Only those pure, unblemished black eyes revealed the shadow of another person.

Because of this, his body was also affected, turning him into something like a monster. He used to be a Golden Core cultivator walking in dazzling light, but now he couldn't tolerate too much intense sunlight. The Golden Turtle Island where she lived was a place he couldn't approach.

Lu Yuanyuan's fingers trembled: "Why did you keep this from me, and keep it from me until now?"

“I don’t want you to think that I’m using the child to blackmail you and then transferring my hatred onto Tangyuan. He… likes you a lot and has always wanted to see you.”

Lu Yuanyuan retorted angrily, "Do you think you're not threatening me now?!"

Duan Lansheng's eyelashes trembled slightly. He pursed his lips, turned his thin face away, and seemed somewhat vulnerable: "If you don't want to acknowledge him, then just pretend we have nothing to do with each other. I won't go around spreading rumors."

At first, I was disheartened and didn't think much about it; I just didn't want my child to die in front of me.

But the human heart is never satisfied. After their reunion, his long-suppressed desires erupted. He couldn't resist testing the waters and discovered that she didn't seem to dislike Tangyuan; in fact, she treated Tangyuan very well. He felt like a creature trapped in the gutter, knowing full well that she didn't know this was his child, yet he shamefully felt a secret joy and fantasies, unable to resist pushing his luck. Whether it was pity or sympathy, he wanted to demand a title. He planned to wait until her attitude softened, then slowly let her know Tangyuan's origins. Perhaps, for the sake of the child, she would allow him to cling to her like a vine.

Lu Yuanyuan stared at him with bloodshot eyes, panting heavily, but her hand unconsciously loosened its grip.

After Duan Lansheng finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes, seemingly exhausted, and sank into the water. A string of gurgling bubbles burst on the surface, but there were no ripples from his struggle as a drowning man. The bubbles popped and then disappeared completely.

Oh no.

Lu Yuanyuan snapped out of her daze and quickly walked towards the deeper part of the pool. She bent down and groped around in the water; the pool was much deeper than it looked. With great difficulty, a strand of hair slipped through her fingers. With a strong tug, she dragged the unconscious person from underwater to the shore.

Duan Lansheng turned his head to the side, his eyes closed, but thankfully he still had a faint breath.

Lu Yuanyuan looked at his abdomen, forcefully wiped the water droplets from her cheeks, and still led Duan Lansheng back into the wooden house. Duan Lansheng's appearance was clearly abnormal, and she was in a state of turmoil, but she was still worried about Yue Hong's condition. As soon as she left him, she went back to the cave to search for him.

The barrier could no longer stop her, but she didn't see Yue Hong anywhere in the cave. Perhaps she would have to wait until Duan Lansheng woke up to find out what had happened over the past few days and nights.

Lu Yuanyuan stood stiffly in the dark mountain path for a while, then suddenly turned around and rushed down the mountain.

.

Late at night, she went alone to Xuanzhao's palace.

The night wind whipped her face, burning and stinging.

As an envoy, she would return regularly to handle official business. The palace guards already recognized her, and although they were somewhat surprised that she would come so late at night, they still let her pass without hindrance.

However, Lu Yuanyuan's purpose in coming here was not to find the Demon King. After passing through the garden, she turned into a side path when no one was paying attention.

Duan Lansheng confessed many things. She finally understood why she vaguely felt something bulging in his stomach, why the glutinous rice balls would sometimes suddenly evaporate, and why Duan Lansheng's wounds wouldn't heal, as if something was draining his life force...

But there are still many things that are unclear, or rather, things that Duan Lansheng is reluctant to clarify.

Did Duan Lansheng really not lie? If he didn't tamper with it, why could the shattered primordial spirit drift alone for so long?

Duan Lansheng had never been to Mangshan before, so how could he know that going there would solve his problem?

Perhaps only someone with a god-like perspective could know the ins and outs of this. Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but think of Xiao Ruo's system.

That thing might be able to answer some of the questions.

In the dead of night, a faint light still shone from Xiao Ruo's palace. Just as Lu Yuanyuan was about to approach, she noticed a crack in the door, and a familiar, disguised figure quietly slipped out. Who else could it be but Xiao Ruo?

Lu Yuanyuan stopped in surprise, and Xiao Ruo, noticing someone in the courtyard, looked up sharply. Seeing it was her, Xiao Ruo's face lit up with joy. She grabbed Lu Yuanyuan's wrist and said, "You've come at the perfect time! I was just about to look for you. Thank goodness we didn't miss each other!"

Xiao Ru was very strong, and without a word, she dragged Lu Yuanyuan deep into her palace. The maids were all gone, and the doors and windows were all closed. Xiao Ru turned the lamp a little brighter, then turned around and noticed something: "Why do you look so distracted? And why is your face so pale? Come to think of it, why are you looking for me at this hour?"

Lu Yuanyuan said in a hoarse voice, "I have some questions I'd like to ask your system."

Xiao Ru was somewhat surprised: "My system? Wait a moment, let me ask."

After communicating with the system in her mind for a while, Xiao Ru nodded: "It says it's okay, after all, we're all in the same boat now."

As soon as she finished speaking, the system's mechanical electronic voice sounded: "Lu Yuanyuan, what do you want to ask?"

The sound echoed throughout the empty palace. Yet, not a single branch outside the window was disturbed; all remained silent. Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but glance at Xiao Ruo's expression as she sat opposite her.

As if sensing her thoughts, the system said, "I am inside your brain. Our conversation is encrypted; only you and I can hear it."

Lu Yuanyuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and recounted the events without further hesitation: "...That's how it happened. Logically speaking, if an infant's primordial spirit is crushed, it should die on the spot. I want to know, why did it become an accident?"

The system was silent for a moment, then said, "Did you once help a child ghost in a dungeon?"

A copy? A vengeful child ghost?

A jumble of memories surged from the dusty past, and as Lu Yuanyuan recalled them, she suddenly opened her eyes in shock.

She remembered.

true.

The instance was called "Snow Plum Blossom," and it was the last instance she and Duan Lansheng experienced before the forced marriage plot unfolded. At the end of the instance, she secretly released the murderous ghost Xiao Tao, allowing her to be reincarnated.

Before reincarnation, Xiao Tao's phantom rushed into her arms, hugged her, and said that she had left her a gift.

But after all these years, she still doesn't know what Xiao Tao left her.

System: "Ghosts are born because the grudges from their previous lives were not resolved. Xiao Tao was a child who suffered humiliation and a difficult childbirth, and died tragically. Her parents also died tragically as a result. The ghost she became had extremely strong resentment, otherwise she would not have killed several people. Although she eventually chose to reincarnate, this powerful will remains. The gift she left you is to protect your descendants—perhaps related to her cause of death and her obsession."

"Therefore, Tangyuan's spirit did not die immediately after you crushed it. However, your psychic power can only protect it for a period of time. If there is no solution, it will still perish quickly after a while. Its luck lies in finding the puppet you made in time. The combination of the two is what allowed its life to continue."

Lu Yuanyuan's fingertips dug into her palm.

In other words, Duan Lansheng wasn't lying. Actively intervening and passively rescuing are two different things. She misunderstood.

The anger burning in my brain subsided considerably.

Both Xiao Tao's gift and the puppet she made were indispensable to creating this situation. Without either one, that fragile little life would not have been able to live to see Duan Lan survive.

Is this a cruel twist of fate?

Lu Yuanyuan took a deep breath, barely managing to calm herself down: "Then, why did Duan Lansheng know that the secret manual of puppetry was hidden deep in Mangshan?"

System: "I don't know about that."

Lu Yuanyuan was completely baffled: "How could you not know?"

The system, though questioned, did not get angry. It calmly replied, "【Snow Plum】is originally a copy of my host Xiao Ruo. I have the authority to access the data and the scanning process. As for your second question, that is Duan Lansheng's personal privacy, and I do not have the authority to investigate it."

The question was rejected, and Lu Yuanyuan gritted her teeth.

The system returned to Xiaoruo's mind. Xiaoruo crossed her arms and said, "So? Have you finished talking?"

Lu Yuanyuan snapped out of her daze, nodded reluctantly, and said, "Anyway, thank you. By the way, what's the matter that you were in such a hurry to see me about?"

Xiao Ruo said, "I finally saved up enough points today and just got the item to send you home. But I didn't expect it to be so troublesome. Once it's redeemed and out of the store, it has to be put into your body within twelve hours. Otherwise, it will quickly become ineffective, like a fish out of water or a flower without soil. Even if you hadn't come today, I would have set off to find you."

Put it inside the body?

That sounds really creepy.

Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is that?"

Xiao Ru waved her hand and said, "The specific usage is a bit complicated. I don't want to give you the wrong answer. Let my system tell you."

System: "This item is called [Soul-Crossing Thorns]. The user must bind to it before returning to Earth. Once swallowed, it will recognize you as its master. Rest assured, it will not harm its owner."

Golden light shimmered in the air, and countless tiny, firefly-like points of light appeared, swirling and converging. The light suddenly became intensely bright, growing increasingly dazzling, until finally, it transformed into a cluster of thorns, end to end, slowly rotating in the air like Saturn's rings floating in space.

Since it was exchanged with her own points, Xiao Ru seemed even more nervous than Lu Yuanyuan, urging, "What are you waiting for? Eat it quickly."

If it were just Xiao Ruo performing a solo act today, Lu Yuanyuan might not have believed her. But with the system, it's completely different. Perhaps that's why Xiao Ruo had the system endorse her. She paused, raised her hand, and the thorns in the light seemed to sense the call, drifting towards her. Even without touching it, she could feel a chilling aura.

Lu Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment, then cupped it in both hands, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.

She felt herself swallow a cool wisp of air; her tongue didn't touch anything, and with a quick movement of her throat, it went down. Immediately afterward, a strange warmth rose in her chest. It wasn't the burning pain that scorched her internal organs, but rather a warmth like that after drinking alcohol, mingling with her blood.

It looked cold, but it warmed me up when I ate it. Just as the system said, this thing didn't harm its owner. System: "It has entered your body and recognized you as its master. Your bond is in effect."

Lu Yuanyuan solemnly touched her chest: "With this, when the Ghost Emperor dies, I can simply fly into his right eye, right?"

System: "More than that. You can think of the Soul-Crossing Thorns as a spaceship that travels through time and space. Binding yourself to it is to ensure you are a passenger on this ship. Next, this ship needs sufficient fuel to start. Below, I will explain the specific method to you..."

The system clearly explained its usage, and Lu Yuanyuan's expression changed slightly.

Xiao Ru grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard, saying, "This is all I can do for you. You must remember how to use it! This broken world has already wasted too much of our time. Just go ahead and do it. Don't worry about being discovered. This is an item given by the system. The natives of this world won't notice it."

.

Lu Yuanyuan quietly came to the palace and quietly left. Before dawn, she returned to Mangshan and sat on the mountain path, where she could see the wooden house, hesitating to go forward.

The system told her that the Soul-Crossing Thorns needed to be nourished by Duan Lansheng's demon core. It wasn't that she was supposed to be so cruel as to dig out Duan Lansheng's demon core; after all, this world still needed to keep him alive to kill the Ghost Emperor.

The method of use is very simple. As long as Duan Lansheng eats this item, the Soul-Crossing Thorns will coil around the location of his demon core and absorb his power.

When the Ghost Emperor is defeated and the time tunnel opens, she will activate the artifact with a single incantation. The Soul-Crossing Thorns, saturated with power, will burst forth from Duan Lansheng's body and send her home. By then, the Ghost Emperor will be dead, and there will be no need to worry about whether Duan Lansheng's injury will affect the main storyline of this world. She can simply leave.

Lu Yuanyuan raised her head, gazing at the small house on the hilltop, its silhouette blending into the boundless darkness. She sat there motionless in the night, lost in thought.

When she discovered Duan Lansheng's secret, her mind was in turmoil, as if sparks were exploding within her—who could calmly accept having a child out of nowhere? However, the night breeze calmed her down, and she repeatedly recalled and pondered Duan Lansheng's unusual behavior over the past few days.

Even the most foolish, slow-witted, and self-deceiving person can easily arrive at an unbelievable conclusion.

It's very likely that Duan Lansheng still likes her now.

There was hatred and resentment, but it didn't seem to overshadow the positive emotions.

Putting herself in his shoes, if she were Duan Lansheng in this life, she would only want to skin and tear apart her enemy upon seeing him. Lu Yuanyuan couldn't understand what he was thinking.

But no matter how much she doesn't understand, the facts are the facts.

Going home might end all these entanglements.

In just half a day, she had been bombarded with so much information that her brain's processing center was about to shut down. She hadn't yet sorted out her emotions, but one thing was clear—she absolutely could not let Duan Lansheng know about the existence of the Soul-Crossing Thorns.

He went through so much trouble to stand before her again; the sunk costs were enormous. Once he discovers she's not from this world, and that the key to returning home lies with him, he certainly won't cooperate obediently and let her leave.

If you want to go home, you can only use deception.

They tricked Duan Lansheng into eating it.

A flash of white light illuminated the sky, and raindrops drifted in the wind, tearing through the chaos. Lu Yuanyuan slowly rolled her eyes and walked back into the house step by step.

The wooden gate wasn't locked, and the house was dark, just as it had been when she left. Entering the room, she saw that the bed was empty, but someone was sitting on the floor.

She always knew Duan Lansheng was a clean freak. Sure enough, he changed out of his wet clothes. But perhaps the movement of getting down had exhausted him, and he fell to the ground, unable to get up.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his eyes still somewhat unfocused.

Lu Yuanyuan watched him try to stand up, only to fall back down several times, before finally walking over and saying somewhat stiffly, "I'll do it."

Seemingly surprised that she would take the initiative to talk to him, Duan Lansheng paused, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. Something seemed to brighten in his eyes, like a spark in the embers that hadn't been extinguished by cold water.

Lu Yuanyuan squatted down, her Adam's apple bobbing. Knowing that he couldn't see her even though he was so close, she still slightly turned her gaze away.

She realized that she and Yin Xiaozhu were not actually that different.

When there's profit to be made, she can quickly weigh the pros and cons and act insincerely.

If she wasn't mistaken, Duan Lansheng did all these things simply because he wanted to reconcile with her.

After discovering his hidden thoughts, her first thought was that she could use this psychology to secure a way back home for herself—whether she needed it or not, it was still a backup plan.

She knew what Duan Lansheng cared about most and what he wanted most, so she decided to use that to deceive him.

With a slight effort, she helped Duan Lansheng up and sat him on the chair next to her. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Duan Lansheng suddenly grabbed her hand. His fingers were long and thin, and his face was etched with the shadows of the rain. His voice was a little hoarse: "You...aren't you angry with me anymore?"