Chapter 45

Xiao Zheyu walked over, but didn't get too close. She simply stood behind Zhou Xiuqi, quietly observing him. She was very curious about Zhou Xiuqi, but also felt a vague sense of repulsion. She herself didn't know where this repulsion came from.

Opposite Zhou Xiuqi was a young man buying vegetables. He was hunched over, his neck bones protruding alarmingly, and he looked extremely thin. His vegetable stall was arranged neatly. Xiao Zheyu couldn't see anything special about this man. Xiao Zheyu took a step and walked towards Zhou Xiuqi.

The boy and Zhou Xiuqi turned their faces together, and Xiao Zheyu stopped in his tracks, his expression freezing.

The thin boy had sharp features and eyes as bright as amber.

Those eyes were so familiar. Xiao Zheyu looked at Zhou Xiuqi, who also saw her. His expression didn't change, and he walked over naturally. Xiao Zheyu waited for him to get closer. She didn't speak, and Zhou Xiuqi didn't seem inclined to either. Xiao Zheyu said, "Don't you have anything to say?"

Zhou Xiuqi lowered his head and remained silent. Xiao Zheyu could tell that he didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't press him. Instead, she repeated her question from earlier: "Where is the source usually located?"

Zhou Xiuqi naturally accepted this opportunity and replied, "The source is not fixed; it could be a person, an object, or anything that carries resentment."

Xiao Zheyu nodded and lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the boy again before quickly withdrawing it, and said, "It's almost noon."

"That's my younger brother." Zhou Xiuqi said abruptly, startling Xiao Zheyu, who was unusually momentarily confused, and asked, "Who?"

Zhou Xiuqi looked at the boy, his eyes filled with endless paleness: "My name is Xiuqi, and my younger brother's name is Xiushan."

"Everything in this village is fake, and he's long dead." His expression was one of calm acceptance of death. Xiao Zheyu, however, was not as surprised as she had expected.

Zhou Xiushan walked over, with Xiao Zheyu following behind him. Zhou Xiushan looked up; he was thin and frail, with withered arms. His eyes were bright and burning when he looked at people: "Hey, I know you. You must be the Taoist priests from outside that the village chief mentioned."

Zhou Xiuqi looked at him seriously, took out a talisman from his sleeve and handed it to him: "Your village has been quite unsettled lately. You are young, so take this to protect yourself."

Zhou Xiushan looked at it expectantly and asked, "Brother Daoist, are you really giving it to me?"

Zhou Xiuqi nodded and offered his hand. Zhou Xiuqi accepted it without ceremony, then bent down and picked up a cabbage: "Brother Daoist, sister, this is a cabbage that I grew myself. I'll give you five. Could you also give me a peace charm?"

Zhou Xiuqi didn't say anything, but simply took it out and gave it to him: "Thank you."

Xiao Zheyu watched as Zhou Xiuqi carefully held the peace charm, while Zhou Xiuqi hugged the cabbages. Zhou Xiuqi smiled brightly and said, "Brother, why are you thanking me? This should have been given to you."

Zhou Xiuqi shook his head. Zhou Xiushan glanced at him, swaying from side to side, and said hesitantly, "Brother, I think you look a bit like me."

Fearing he might misunderstand, she said, "I didn't mean to offend you, it's just my feeling."

Xiao Zheyu glanced sideways, while Zhou Xiuqi lowered his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering rapidly: "Perhaps, you are destined for the Dao."

Zhou Xiushan's eyes crinkled with laughter: "Really? Brother, a monk once came to my house and said the same thing."

Zhou Xiuqi frowned: "Don't believe him."

Zhou Xiushan stared blankly: "What? But the village chief said that the monk deliberately protected him from harm."

Zhou Xiushan frowned. "You believe me." His tone was firm. Their identical amber eyes met, and Zhou Xiushan nodded earnestly. "Brother, I believe you. Although I don't know why, I feel very comfortable when I see you. Maybe it's because you look like me."

Zhou Xiuqi's hand involuntarily touched his head, and he said in a very low voice, "I'm sorry."

...

Meng Yingying vaguely felt that this position was too uncomfortable and wanted to change it, but she couldn't stretch her arms or straighten her legs. She was very uncomfortable. She reached out to move the arm that was draped over her body, but the arm seemed to be stimulated and tightened suddenly, making her hold her breath for a second.

"Are you having trouble breathing?" he asked. Meng Yingying slapped his hand hard, but he seemed not to feel any pain and continued to tighten his grip: "Every time I get close to you, I feel like I'm suffocating."

"There is no hope, no response, you're pushing me."

Shang Mang pressed his face against her neck, then released her. Meng Yingying gasped for breath and yelled, "Who forced you, you madman? Then leave me!"

Shang Mang chuckled: "I'd leave you so you can live a carefree life? I'm not willing to do that."

"If I'm in pain, you'll be in pain too."

Meng Yingying struggled to her feet: "Don't you know that men and women shouldn't touch each other? What you're doing is absolutely perverted!"

Shang Mang chuckled and breathed close to her ear: "I didn't kiss you."

Meng Yingying was speechless at his twisted logic; only he could utter such words.

"You can't even get the positions right..." she said, then stopped mid-sentence.

Shang Mang raised an eyebrow and grabbed her chin: "You look down on me?"

Meng Yingying pouted, "How could I dare?"

"Shang Mang, if you don't like me, then stop doing these things to me. Whatever you want in the end, after I finish what I'm doing, you can kill me or do whatever you want, it's up to you."

Shang Mang said, "I don't want to."

Meng Yingying, with a headache, slammed her fist against his chest: "You're really sick." He won't listen to either soft or hard approaches; he's absolutely insane.

Thump thump thump—

"Meng Yuan, are you awake?" Xiao Zheyu's voice rang out from outside the door. Meng Yingying instantly tensed up and replied without thinking, "Not yet."

Xiao Zheyu remained quiet outside the door for a while.

Meng Yingying realized what was happening and wanted to punch herself, but she quickly said, "You're awake! What's wrong?"

Xiao Zheyu then continued, "Zhou Xiuqi has something to say, and he asked you to come out so we can all listen."

Meng Yingying wondered if Zhou Xiuqi had discovered something. From the bottom of her heart, Meng Yingying hoped that all of this would end soon. The longer she stayed in this village, the more she felt that she would develop an aversion to ghosts, the kind that would make her want to vomit at the sight of one.

Xiao Zheyu, not receiving a reply, called out, "Meng Yuan?"

Meng Yingying struggled twice: "My senior brother told me to go out." Shang Mang felt irritated when he heard the word "senior brother".

Meng Yingying felt her arm move and breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was still human. Her arm slid down to her waist, and her index finger probed into her abdomen: "I can't do what you want."

Meng Yingying felt a cold sensation in her abdomen and a tingling sensation in her back.

She was completely overwhelmed, and with a sudden burst of strength, she kicked him off the bed with a loud bang that shook the door.

"Get out!" Meng Yingying's breathing quickened, her mind buzzing. Shang Mang's behavior just now had gone too far. She looked at him coldly.

Shang Mang stood up, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He stared at him and said, "You're always like this. Whenever something happens to him, you can't wait to leave me alone." His gaze fell, and he turned his back.

All that remained was a swirling mist of blood. Meng Yingying raised her hand, but the torment in her heart weighed heavily on her hand as she did so.

She scratched her head hard: "What's wrong with him? He keeps saying nonsensical things." Does he have such a big grudge against Zhou Xiuqi?