Chapter 53

Due to the influence of the Ghost Gate, the area within a few miles is filled with ghost energy, resulting in a dense cloud and no sunlight. Ordinary people who approach will be haunted by the ghost energy and their yang energy will be damaged. If they stay too long, they will soon die from the exhaustion of yang energy.

Even a Heavenly Master wouldn't be able to stay for long in such a dense ghostly aura. To prevent ordinary people from straying in and to protect the Ghost Gate seal, the state has been closely monitoring this area. Now, to capture Xu Jizong and the others, they've surrounded it with heavy troops, but they've also maintained a considerable distance from the area enveloped by the ghostly aura.

A military off-road vehicle passed through layers of checkpoints and headed for the Ghost Gate. A few hundred meters from the edge of the ghostly aura, Qi Yue said, "Stop! You can't get any closer."

Fan Xiuping, who was driving, didn't really want to stop. He wanted to go in with Qi Yue, but considering that Director Lin, an ordinary person, was also in the car, he had no choice but to stop. He angrily slammed the steering wheel and said bitterly, "I thought that as long as we surrounded the Ghost Gate area, they would eventually come out and surrender themselves after being left without water and food. I didn't expect these old thieves to be so audacious as to dare to touch the closed Ghost Gate. Aren't they afraid that if they are not careful, they will become the sinners of the world?"

The seal of Ghost Gate had failed at this very moment, and everyone knew there must be a trick. But they couldn't just leave it alone. This matter concerned the safety of the human world, and there couldn't be any carelessness.

Qi Yue was the only one capable of handling the Ghost Gate seal; anyone else lacking the strength to resist the erosion of the ghostly energy would have a hard time. Even with the numerous supernatural devices now being researched by the Special Management Bureau, ordinary people would still be greatly affected.

So Qi Yue was the only one who could go in. In fact, they wanted to send more people in, but Qi Yue refused because he was enough. More people would be useless and would just be a meaningless sacrifice. They only needed to provide support outside.

This move by Xu Jizong and the others was a blatant conspiracy. But it was the most effective one. It was easy to imagine what would await Qi Yue once he entered.

Director Lin sneered, "They even dare to capture the spirits of martyrs and refine them. What else can't they do?"

When they mentioned the ghosts who were captured to train their souls in the old house, the anger in their stomachs burned even more fiercely.

After leaving the ancient house, Qi Yue shared his soul-recalling method with the Special Management Bureau, who then arranged for personnel to summon the spirits of the heroes and innocent souls that had dissipated within the ancient house. It seemed that thanks to Qi An, the spirits that had not committed murderous acts had been saved, but the suffering they had endured in the past few years was enough to become an unforgettable nightmare for them.

To this day, many ghosts become frantic and their spirits unstable when they mention this incident. Many have even lost their sanity. If they aren't cared for long enough, the aftereffects could carry over into their next life, leaving them either mortal or frail and prone to premature death. Even Qi Yue couldn't say for sure how long this would take. This speaks volumes about the depth of the Heavenly Master Association's sins.

Instead, Qi Yue comforted them: "Strength can defeat skill. Any scheme or trick is nothing in the face of absolute strength. All you need to do is take good care of Shuangshuang for me so that I don't have to worry about anything."

This wasn't because he was arrogant. If it was before, he would have been cautious. But now that he had learned how to use the Golden Light of Merit, not only had his strength increased greatly, but even the Heavenly Master's spells and arrays against ghosts and monsters couldn't harm him. That was why he was so fearless.

Director Lin hesitated to speak, and finally said nothing. He just opened the car door for Qi Yue and made a solemn promise to him: "Don't worry, no matter what happens, we will take good care of him for you and will never let him be bullied again. We will not reduce the benefits that the Gu family deserves. But you must be careful. We don't care about the lives of others, but you must come back safely! And..."

Director Lin looked at the dark and cloudy Ghost Gate Land a few hundred meters ahead and said earnestly, "Qi Yue, when you come back, go learn to drive and get your driver's license! With a driver's license, you can drive anywhere you want."

Qi Yue's face darkened and he said unhappily, "It's only a few thousand meters. I can get there in an instant even without a car." Aren't they just bullying him because he died early and didn't even have time to take the driving test?

Director Lin asked, "Can you take Gu Yunshuang with you?"

Qi Yue was stunned by the question.

Director Lin continued, "I've read the yearbook you and Gu Yunshuang wrote when you graduated from elementary school. You both wanted to go on a road trip together, traveling all over the beautiful land of our motherland. Once you learn to drive, you can make your wish come true. Go on a road trip around the country with Gu Yunshuang and take in this magnificent land that you've protected."

Qi Yue was stunned, and he also understood the hidden meaning in Director Lin's words - the authorities did conduct a thorough investigation on him and Gu Yunshuang, but no matter what, he was a hero who saved the country and the people, and he was also a citizen of the country. The country would not regard him as an alien and be on guard against him at all times, or restrict the freedom of him and the people he cared about most. He could come and go freely and travel happily and easily with Gu Yunshuang.

It has to be said that after experiencing the betrayal of the Tianshi Association, Qi Yue was still quite wary in his heart. Although the official showed that they were willing to accept him, he could no longer fully believe it. Especially after learning that he was a blood demon, he understood more deeply the meaning of "those who are not of my race must have different hearts."

But he was not stupid. He still pretended to have complete trust in the country. He just concealed some information about Xue Sha in the report on the ancient house incident to prevent his superiors from linking it to him.

He had originally thought that no one would notice his alienation and caution, not even Gu Yunshuang had noticed. Unexpectedly, Director Lin still noticed it.

Regardless of whether what Director Lin said was true or false, Qi Yue was deeply moved at that moment. His eyes warmed slightly, and he smiled more sincerely: "Okay, when I come back, you must arrange the best coach for me and send me a luxury RV."

Fan Xiuping didn't notice anything unusual in their words, but in order not to put pressure on Qi Yue, he pretended to be relaxed and said, "How can a luxury saloon be enough? Don't you need a car for daily use? At least you need another luxury car."

Director Lin wasn't angry at all and laughed along, "Okay, as long as Qi Yue passes the driving test, I'll immediately apply for your driver's license. I'll even argue your case and block the leaders' door every day until it's approved. So remember to come back safely. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain to Gu Yunshuang."

Qi Yue nodded happily, waved to them, and walked towards the Ghost Gate with ease. As soon as he stepped into the Ghost Gate, he turned into black mist and disappeared.

The forced smiles on Director Lin and Fan Xiuping's faces disappeared. They immediately returned to the temporary command center and ordered to closely monitor the situation at Ghost Gate and be ready to assist Qi Yue at any time.

The closer Qi Yue got to the Ghost Gate, the darker his heart grew. When he'd emerged from it, the ghostly aura hadn't been this strong. A chilling wind blew, and from all directions came a faint sound resembling the whistling of wind, yet also the wailing of countless evil spirits. A few days had passed, and the ghostly aura had grown so dense. It seemed the seal of the Ghost Gate was indeed faulty. Fortunately, he hadn't asked anyone else to come with him, or else he'd have had to worry about them.

When Qi Yue arrived at the seal of Ghost Gate, he saw Xu Jizong and others forming a formation to resist the dark red evil spirit that was continuously gushing out from a gap in the seal of Ghost Gate.

The evil spirit was fierce, and under the influence of the increasingly dense ghost energy, Xu Jizong and his companions were extremely exhausted. Their faces turned pale and their eyes gradually became hazy, which was a sign that the ghost energy had entered their bodies. At this time, if they escaped from the ghost gate immediately, they might still have a chance of survival. Staying here and holding on would be like waiting for death.

But in order to block the gap in the seal of the Ghost Gate and prevent the evil spirits inside from coming out, they all chose to grit their teeth and continue to defend.

When they saw Qi Yue coming, their eyes, which were about to become chaotic and silent, suddenly burst into bright light.

"Qi Yue, you're here!"

"Great! The seal is now blocked!"

"Good boy, you came at the perfect time! I almost thought we were going to die here today!"

"Yue boy, what are you doing standing there? Come and help!"

"I can't hold on any longer! I can't hold on any longer, ah, come faster!"

…………

Qi Yue was in a trance, as if he had returned to seven years ago, in the same place. They were comrades fighting together, trusting each other, and working together as the main force to resist the invasion of ghosts.

******

Just when Qi Yue stepped into the ghost gate and cut off contact with the outside world, Gu Yunshuang received an unexpected yet reasonable call.

Jiang Honghui invited him out for a chat.

Gu Yunshuang refused without thinking: "Mr. Jiang, I think I have nothing to talk about with you."

Jiang Honghui said, "Don't you want to know why your adoptive father is in a coma? I know his special case has attracted the combined efforts of Dr. Wu and Dr. Edward to treat him, and they've achieved considerable success, but I can only tell you that it's useless. Medical means can't cure him. Moreover, his coma is his self-protection. Once he wakes up, he'll be truly close to death."

Gu Yunshuang's expression changed, and he asked in a cold voice, "What are you doing to my father?"

Jiang Honghui said: "This has nothing to do with me, on the contrary, it has something to do with you."

"Me?" Gu Yunshuang didn't really want to believe it, but he had a bad feeling in his heart.

Jiang Honghui said with a melancholy tone, "Shuangshuang, I know you don't believe me, but I still want to say this: how could a parent give up their child unless absolutely necessary? Back then, your mother and I were so eager for your arrival. We thought of many names for you before you were born, and we ultimately settled on Jiang Mingshuang, hoping that you would live up to your name, shining like the moon and standing proudly against the snow and frost."

Gu Yunshuang's grip on the phone tightened slightly, and his voice became even colder: "My name is Gu Yunshuang, Shuang as in unparalleled in the world, not Jiang Mingshuang."

The person on the other end of the phone paused, his tone helpless yet tolerant, and a little bitter: "Okay, Tianxia Wushuang, this name is better. Come out, I can tell you everything about you. You probably don't want to hurt your adoptive parents and your childhood sweetheart because of you, right?"

Gu Yunshuang was silent for a moment and agreed.

After agreeing on a meeting place, Gu Yunshuang was in a confused mood, so he didn't notice the shadow under his feet twisting a few times like smoke.