Chapter 40 The Haunted Lotus Gate

"It's Ah Li back!"

"Senior Brother!"

Su Ying'er couldn't stop calling him, and fearing that Ye Li would come to take her life, she nervously huddled in the corner and dared not move.

On the other side, Lu Ziting ran in the direction of the sound of the zither, which was coming from the tea room.

Once upon a time, he and Ye Li often played music together in harmony.

He brewed tea and played the flute, while A-Li played the zither; they were like a divine couple.

When the emotions were running high, he said that as soon as he heard Ah Li's piano playing, he felt refreshed and invigorated. If he could, he would like to listen to Ah Li play the piano every day.

At that moment, the sound of the zither began, and Lu Ziting suddenly realized that it seemed like he hadn't heard Ye Li play the zither for a very long time.

Why?

When did it start?

It seems... that Ying'er was sick that day, and he rushed back to get medicine.

Ye Li, who had made an appointment with him, stopped him. "Senior Brother, weren't we supposed to play the new score together today?"

His mind was filled with Ying'er's delicate face, and he scolded, "Ying'er is sick, and you still have the mood to play those decadent songs? If you hadn't insisted that Ying'er go to the mountaintop to practice breathing exercises, how could Ying'er have caught a cold and fallen ill?"

Ye Li was stunned. "The spiritual energy there is the most abundant. It would be twice as effective to draw qi there."

"Enough, Ye Li. I never thought you were this kind of person. Just because I talked to Ying'er a few more times, you became jealous and tried to take revenge. A narrow-minded person like you is not worthy of playing such an elegant instrument that only gentlemen can play. Move aside."

"..."

Ye Li didn't say anything that day, she just glanced at him and left with her zither.

Lu Ziting also regretted whether he had spoken too harshly, but when he thought about how Ye Li had taken the zither away in a fit of pique over such a trivial matter, he realized that she was indeed a bit willful and completely lacked Ying'er's kindness and understanding. It would be good for her to learn a lesson.

He had originally planned to have Ye Li bring the zither back after a while, but Ying'er said that an empty zither table didn't look good, so she added a screen with a hundred flowers for him and often danced in front of it for him to see.

The zither may be elegant, but it cannot compare to the captivating beauty of dance.

As time went by, he forgot what had originally been placed there.

At that moment, the sound of a zither came from behind the screen, and the familiar melody evoked Lu Ziting's memories.

The beautiful memories of the past are still vivid in my mind.

His voice softened unconsciously as he gently called out, "Ah Li."

"You... are back."

The melodious sound of the zither seemed like a beautiful woman's response.

He said through the screen, "Ah Li, you really went too far this time. But now that you're back, you must know you were wrong. As long as you kneel down and apologize to Ying'er, and then endure the punishment in the Discipline Hall, I will do my best to plead with Master for you so that you can stay in the sect."

"I know you've been going against Ying'er all this time because you love me, but you've hurt her so badly, I have to give her an explanation. I've already agreed to become Ying'er's Daoist partner, our marriage contract..."

He had intended to sever all ties, but upon hearing the music, Lu Ziting seemed to see the beauty behind the screen. Unlike Su Ying'er's cuteness and charm, Ye Li was aloof and had a refined and otherworldly appearance, like a fairy.

Recalling her fair skin and jade-like figure, his heart fluttered, and he grasped the edge of the screen. "Actually, we've been together for so many years, and even without a formal title, our feelings for each other will not change. Ying'er is kind-hearted by nature and is definitely not the kind of person who can't tolerate others. Why don't we follow the example of Ehuang and Nüying and create a beautiful story?"

The music stopped.

Ye Li's eyes were full of mockery; she didn't actually hate Lu Ziting for changing his mind.

If he could honestly admit his change of heart and openly break off the engagement with her to be with Su Ying'er, she would think more highly of him.

Even if he couldn't do it, his wholehearted devotion to Su Ying'er could be considered as a sign of his courage and responsibility.

But his words about Ehuang and Nüying just now completely exposed his character.

They preach morality and virtue, but in reality, they are utterly despicable and immoral.

The thought that she almost became a Daoist partner with such a person and spent her life with him made Ye Li feel utterly disgusted, as if a toad had licked her feet.

Outside the screen.

Seeing that Ye Li did not refuse, Lu Ziting took it as a yes and directly pulled back the screen, "Ah Li..."

There was no one behind the screen.

Lu Ziting was stunned and could hardly believe his eyes.

Noticing the cabinet next to him, he assumed Ye Li was hiding inside and frowned as he reached for the cabinet door.

"Ah Li, stop fooling around, come out and come with me to apologize to Ying'er."

The cabinet door opened, and Lu Ziting was so startled that he took two steps back.

Inside, the twin swords were prominently displayed.

Mingming had placed the sword on his bedside table.

How did it end up in the closet?

If Ye Li isn't here, then where did the music just now come from?

A chill ran down Lu Ziting's spine. He looked around and saw the half-closed window opening and closing in the wind.

He tentatively called out, "Ah Li?"

No one answered, as if everything that had just happened was merely his illusion.

-

That night, Lu Ziting dreamed of Ye Li again.

In his dream, he played a duet with Ye Li. When the piece ended, he stepped forward and gently called her "A Li".

Ye Li raised her head, two lines of bloody tears streaming down her cheeks, her face expressionless.

"Ah Li!"

Lu Ziting woke up with a start.

He picked up a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead; it was a dream.

As he was wiping, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He raised his hand and saw that the handkerchief was covered in blood.

"ah!"

He panicked and dropped it.

When he picked it up again, the handkerchief was clean and there was nothing on it.

How could this be? He clearly saw it!

Lu Ziting was restless and wanted to wash his face to calm down.

When I finished washing my face and was about to dry it, the spot where I had hung the towel was empty.

He looked up and saw a blood-red Taoist robe hanging on a rack, fluttering in the wind.

"ah!"

As Lu Ziting screamed in despair, Su Ying'er's screams also rang out from next door.

"Ah! Someone come here!"

Lu Ziting rushed over, "Ying'er! What's wrong!"

Su Ying'er's face turned pale, and she couldn't say a word as she pointed at the footprints on the ground that didn't belong to her.

Lu Ziting breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Su Ying'er was alright. Fortunately, he had placed a protective barrier on Su Ying'er yesterday.

He comforted them, "It's alright, it's probably just our junior brothers playing a prank on us, don't be afraid."

However, this is just the beginning.

Strange things happened frequently in the following days.

Around midnight, someone would knock on the door.

When Lu Ziting opened the door to check, there was no one there.

As soon as I lay down, I heard footsteps getting closer and closer.

When he lit the candle, there were only wet footprints on the ground, and no one was to be seen.

Su Ying'er wasn't much better off; she often heard the sound of chains ringing around her along the bed curtains.

It sent chills down the spines of anyone who heard it.

Whether she closed the window or not, it would creak and groan in the middle of the night.

She trembled with fear and often didn't dare to sleep all night.

In just three days, the two of them turned ashen-faced.

That day, Wen Yao came to change Su Ying'er's dressing and was startled when he saw them.

What's wrong with you all?

Lu Ziting didn't want to say much in front of Su Ying'er, so he pulled Wen Yao outside and told her about the strange "ghostly" events that had been happening recently.

"Haunted?"

Wen Yao's expression was solemn. "The Heavenly Gate Sect has a mountain-guarding formation and is a celestial sect. How could it be haunted, unless..."

What is it?

“Ah Li”.

"impossible."

Lu Ziting denied it without even thinking, "After the strange incident, I placed magical artifacts everywhere. Even if someone in the Nascent Soul stage came, there would be a sound. It couldn't be her."

Wen Yao stared straight at him, enunciating each word clearly, "I'm not talking about people, but ghosts."