Chapter 129 Expired Ghost Path.

Ying Ya summoned a crow and had it follow behind Feng Feng.

She wrapped Fengmian in rattan and tied it tightly to her back.

"Go ahead and tell them for me that Fengmian and I are going home first."

She had her back to Ying Ya, so her expression was not visible.

"I'll carry Fengmian on my back..."

“No need.” She waved her hand. “Don’t let his height fool you, he’s taller than me, but he’s as light as a feather when I carry him.”

"Then I'll come find you soon. Will you wait for me at Tian Sun Temple? I'll be there very soon."

Feng Feng turned his head and gave him a smile.

"Okay, I'll wait for you at the foot of Tiansun Mountain. There's a hotel there, before..."

She seemed to remember something and didn't continue speaking.

"Little crow, please tell her for me that I hope she can find out about her origins and that everything will go as she wishes."

Feng Feng waved his hand, turned around, and walked into the morning mist.

Perhaps it wasn't as she said. Feng Mian was, after all, an adult. She didn't stand straight; she was bent over and her back was hunched. Every step she took into the mud seemed heavy and difficult.

Ying Ya returned to the Yun family's village and knocked on Xia Zhu's door.

She looked terrible, with dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept for days. Ying Ya had to wave his hand in front of her because he noticed that Xia Zhu's eyeballs seemed to have stopped moving flexibly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xiaofeng and I are going home, she asked me to come..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Zhu pushed past him and rushed out the door.

Ying Ya immediately called out to her, "Xiao Feng has been gone for a long time, and is probably already out of Nan Huo."

He saw her stop on the stairs, her tall, thin figure looking somewhat hunched.

"Oh," she replied, her hands hanging at her sides.

She said she hoped you could find out about your origins.

Xia Zhu didn't speak, only looked at the courtyard downstairs. After a while, she turned around, walked up to Ying Ya, and reached out to remove the jade charm from her ear.

Those belong to the Feng family.

"Xiao Feng told you to keep it."

Xia Zhu paused, her hand resting on the cold bead.

"She said this can control your abilities and prevent you from easily entering dreams," Ying Ya repeated Feng Feng's words, word by word.

"I have no more magic power." She lowered her hand, and Fu Yu tugged at her earlobe, pulling at the small, piercing wound that itched a little. "I probably can't enter the dream world either."

Ying Ya was taken aback, but he had already completed the task Feng Feng had given him. He didn't want to say anything more and just wanted to leave immediately and catch up with her.

After a moment of silence, Ying Ya put his hands in his pockets and walked past Xia Zhu down the stairs.

"Oh, right." He suddenly stopped in the middle, turned around and looked at Xia Zhu standing at the door, "Xiao Feng also said that he hopes everything goes well for you."

Is everything going as planned?

Xia Zhu didn't speak. The footsteps gradually faded into the distance, indicating that Ying Ya had probably already left.

She actually felt she should say something, ask him to tell Feng Feng to apologize to her, but then she thought that apologies are meaningless if they are not said in person.

Even if you say "I'm sorry" to their face, the dead can never come back.

Leaving from here, we need to go to the Wind Chasing Path of Plum Blossom Mountain. The closest place to the Feng family should be the Heavenly Grandson.

go home.

She remembered Feng Ye's face, her long reddish-brown hair wrapped in a headscarf, with only a few strands falling out and brushing against the back of her neck.

She remembered that the cotton coat was still tucked in her backpack. When she left the Feng family, she still had to wear thick clothes. In the blink of an eye, spring had passed.

She went back to her room and rummaged through the bedside table to find her backpack, which was bulging with stuffing in addition to the clothes and some other personal items.

She just remembered it and decided to take it out to take a look. She unzipped the zipper and reached in. The back of her hand touched something cool. She pulled aside the clothes inside and saw a food storage container with a blue lid.

Xia Zhu plopped down on the edge of the bed, placed the food container on her lap, opened the lid, and inside were several sandwiches, wrapped in parchment paper and separated by layers of ham, lettuce, and truffle sauce.

A layer of fog formed on her glasses. She wiped it haphazardly with her finger, picked up a sandwich, and stuffed a bite into her mouth, but couldn't taste what it was.

She forgot to close the door when she came in, and now a pair of legs have appeared in the doorway.

Xia Zhu blinked and saw Ying Huo through her blurry glasses. She showed him the food container in her hand and took another bite.

"Feng Mian made this for me, would you like some?"

With her mouth full, her speech was somewhat slurred. She chewed a few times and finally managed to taste it.

Salty.

It was so salty, so salty, that she almost cried.

The two sat on the edge of the bed, taking turns eating the remaining sandwiches.

Ying Huo frowned and pouted, "It tastes awful." Then she looked at the empty box in Xia Zhu's hand, her expression turning grim, and she asked in a loud voice, "When was this made?"

Xia Zhu chewed on what was in her mouth, then slowly shook her head. "Yesterday? The day before yesterday?"

She turned to look at Ying Huo.

He said slowly, "Last week?"

Ying Huo's face paled, and he couldn't swallow the food in his mouth. Spitting it out would damage his image, so he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and reached out to snatch the remaining sandwich from Xia Zhu's hand.

"Stop eating! Stop eating!"

However, Xia Zhu's wrist was as hard as steel, and no matter how Ying Huo tried to bend it, she wouldn't budge.

"I told you not to eat it! It's expired!"

"I want it!" Xia Zhu's expression remained unchanged, but she sped up her mouth and forced the last bite into it.

"Why are you so stubborn!" Ying Huo was so angry that he wanted to throw the empty box in her hand away, but when he turned around, he saw water droplets hanging on her eyelashes and four lines of tears running down her chin.

He loosened his grip, turned his head away, and sighed softly.

"It's filthy."

Xia Zhu swallowed the food in her mouth, and the bright sunlight outside the door dimmed in an instant. She looked up and saw Ji Yinxiu standing by the door, so she breathed a sigh of relief and got up.

"Do you remember that old woman from last night?" Ji Yinxiu asked as soon as she came in.

She was taken aback, having assumed he had come to say goodbye as well.

Ji Yinxiu then said, "I met her on my way here. She seemed to have something to ask you. She said she was waiting for you by the stream in the village."

Xia Zhu nodded, glanced back, and Ying Huo walked over, passing between the two of them.

"Let's go together, maybe there's something you want to know."

Ying Huo went downstairs first, leaving only Ji Yinxiu and Xia Zhu inside. Xia Zhu couldn't help but ask him, "Aren't you going back to Xuanyuan Hill?"

Ji Yinxiu didn't look at her and followed Ying Huo out the door.

"Let's resolve your own issues first."

Without his figure to block her view, the sunlight pierced her eyes, forcing her to squint, her eyes rimmed with heat. Xia Zhu felt powerless to handle anything before her, whether it was stopping someone from staying or moving forward herself.

My former confidence seemed to have vanished overnight.

She was as cautious as possible, even when walking in the sun.

The brook babbled softly, its surface shimmering in the sunlight. A gentle breeze rustled through the green trees on either side, creating a soft, rustling sound with the water. The sun was already stinging against their skin, and Xia Zhu, who had been walking behind the two with her head down, only looked up when she heard some thumping sounds.

The old woman I saw last night was sitting on a rock by the stream, washing a coarse cloth in the water and pounding it with a mallet. Ji Yinxiu said the old woman's name was Jinmei, and although she looked only sixty or seventy, she was actually close to a hundred.

Grandma Jinmei was an old woman who had witnessed several generations of the Yun family, which is why she knew about the demon god Ru Shou and could see the strangeness in Feng Mian's body.

When the old woman saw Xia Zhu and the others coming over, she quickly put down the pestle in her hand, stood up, rubbed her hands on her clothes, and beckoned Xia Zhu to sit down next to her.

"Quick, come here quickly."

She took Xia Zhu's hand and patted the back of her hand repeatedly, her somewhat cloudy and moist eyes fixed on her face.

"Grandma, you were looking for me?" She avoided the old woman's gaze, then quickly apologized, remembering her harsh attitude last night. "I was too hasty last night, and my tone wasn't very good. I'm sorry."

The more he spoke, the softer his voice became.

Jin Mei shook her head repeatedly, "I don't blame you, I don't blame you..." Her eyes remained fixed on Xia Zhu, and she said something in a gentle tone that made Xia Zhu's breathing quicken.

She said, "You don't know who you are, that's why you came to Nanhuo, right?"

Xia Zhu looked up and met her eyes. The answer she had been searching for, despite all the price she had paid, seemed to be right on the old woman's lips.

But the old woman patted her hand and said, "Don't rush, let me tell you a story first, okay?" The rough texture on her palm seemed to have a calming effect, and the silver pendants on her ears shone in the sunlight.

"The Yun family has never left Nanhuo for generations. Few other families know about our internal affairs. For example, the outside world has never known that the head of the Yun family has always been a joint position held by two people."

Xia Zhu was startled and asked, "Are they Yun Jiu and Yun Xian?"

The old woman nodded. "Only the lineage that can produce twins can become the head of the Yun family. This has been the case for thousands of years. Until Yun Jiu was born, her mother was pregnant with twins, but for some reason, only Yun Jiu was born."

“The clan originally disagreed with letting Yunjiu inherit the position of clan leader, but her mother died in childbirth, and her mother’s older sister had left home and disappeared several years ago. There was no other way, so everyone had to accept this result and let Yunjiu inherit the position of clan leader when she was old enough to understand.”

Jin Mei looked at Xia Zhu, her tone somewhat expectant, "Do you know what kind of responsibilities the head of the Yun family bears?"

She thought for a moment, "Could it be a One-Line Gu?"

“That’s right. The responsibility of the Yun family head is to guard the First Line Gu, which is a magical treasure bestowed upon the Yun family by the gods. It is the only medicine in the world that can bring the dead back to life. Such a precious thing being kept in the Yun family will surely bring about a deadly disaster. Therefore, the existence of the family head is to sacrifice for the First Line Gu and for the entire Yun family when necessary.”

It's strange. The purpose of the magic weapon bestowed by the gods is to save lives, yet those who protect it are willing to sacrifice generation after generation for it. Xia Zhu couldn't understand the logic behind it, but she didn't know what to say. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked Granny Jinmei, "Is the feud between the Ji family and the Yun family of Puyang because of the One Line Gu?"

She recalled what she had seen in Isuzu: the female cultivator must have known about the existence of the One-Line Gu and wanted to obtain it to revive Yu Chan, which is why she led the Ji family's followers south and massacred the entire village.

The old woman nodded solemnly. "That's right. The god Zhuanxu was probably the only one who knew the whereabouts of the One-Line Gu. That's because our god didn't just send down one magical artifact. She traveled far and wide and even went to Sun and Moon Mountain. I heard my great-great-grandmother mention it; that other divine artifact was something like..."

“Isuzu…” Xia Zhu murmured, then everything makes sense.

"You actually know?" The old woman was somewhat delighted, gripping Xia Zhu's hand tightly, her eyes sparkling, her voice trembling slightly, "Then...then do you know who the god who possesses the One-Line Gu and the Fifty Bell is?"

Xia Zhu looked into Granny Jinmei's eyes and hesitated before replying, "There is only one supreme god in the Nine Heavens, it should be him..."

"Nine Heavens?" The old man looked incredulous, his sparse brows furrowing deeply, clearly angered by her words. "Our God is never high above; She is among us, forever with her children..."

"She is the mother of the earth."

"It is the Mother Goddess Nuwa."

Nuwa? Xia Zhu's mind went blank for a moment, but when she came to her senses, she had a sudden realization. Indeed, if the entire mythological system was led by women, then why was the most important chief deity a man?

However, she had heard Yinglong describe it before, and she had also seen the image of the main god in the mural of Nüba, which was clearly a male.

Is it possible that there has never been only one God?

"The image of the main god is recorded in the annals of several major families, not Nuwa as you say," Ji Yinxiu said with some doubt.

Unexpectedly, Granny Jinmei angrily pointed at him, "Several major families? Doesn't our Yun family belong to the divine bloodline family? Our ancestors saw the Mother Goddess with their own eyes! Ten thousand years ago, she lived with us! She is definitely not the Nine Heavens Goddess that you people talk about!"

“Child…child…” Granny Jinmei excitedly grabbed Xia Zhu’s hand and called out to her earnestly, “The Mother Goddess only bestowed one branch of Gu upon the Yun family, but you have another branch on your body. Ajiu told me that she saw the mark on your body, and it is exactly the same as the Mother Goddess’s! You…you must be the reincarnation of the Mother Goddess! You must be!”

"She is not."

Before Xia Zhu could react, another voice refuted her. She turned to look at Ying Huo and saw him frowning slightly, avoiding her gaze.

“She is not,” Ying Huo added. “She is not Youjiao.”

Xia Zhu withdrew her gaze, staring blankly at her hand still being held tightly in the old woman's palm.

So that's how it is.

He always knew that the name he had once uttered was that of another supreme god who truly existed in this world.

Nuwa and Youjiao are the same person, but Ying Huo was never looking for her.

That's right, Xia Zhu thought. How could she be a god? She couldn't even save Feng Mian. She couldn't do anything. How could she be such a being?

"Summer candle".

"Summer candle".

Someone squatted down in front of her, shaking her shoulders with both hands. She looked up blankly, and Ying Huo's gray eyes were like a mirror. She saw her own reflection in them, which seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

“Xia Zhu, you are not You Jiao. I have always known that you are not her.”

"Really?" Her eyes were unfocused, her mind seemingly rusted. For a moment, she didn't quite understand why she was sitting there, only knowing that the stream in front of her was flowing. It would continue eastward.

"Then who am I?"

"You are you, you are just Xia Zhu." His tone was somewhat anxious, and he tightened his grip on her shoulders slightly.

"I am me?"

Xia Zhu just stared blankly at the stream. A leaf fell from the tree, dropped into the water, and created ripples. It lingered in place for a few seconds before drifting away with the current.

She squatted by the stream, where several small fish swam around in the crystal-clear water. Xia Zhu stretched out her finger and poked it into the cool stream, feeling the water flow around her fingertip and then quickly converge back together.

In the past few days, she has been coming here to daydream. The main reason is that she did not learn about her background from the old woman that day. She had only eliminated one option. Then she began to live an idle life, wandering around the stream all day with her limbs dragging.

Perhaps because she hasn't read for a long time, her thinking ability has clearly declined recently. She can't think of anything to do or think about; she only knows that when it's time to eat, she should go out after eating.

Ji Yinxiu became quite busy, helping the villagers with chores every day, working in the fields, and occasionally catching fish by the water with the few children from the Yun family. Xia Zhu had never seen him like this before; it was as if he had suddenly become more down-to-earth and found something he enjoyed doing.

As for Ying Huo, Xia Zhu didn't know what he was doing. She hadn't seen him for several days, but every time she went out for a stroll, she always felt that someone was following her, but when she turned around, there was nothing there.

However, Xia Zhu didn't have the energy to analyze it right now; she was busy strolling around and daydreaming.

Do some things that ordinary people like Xia Zhu should do.

She picked up a stone at her feet and threw it into the water. A drop of water splashed into her eye. Xia Zhu lowered her head and covered her eye. A piece of the world was missing. She couldn't help but laugh out loud. The breath she exhaled from her nose went into her sleeve with a comical sound.

Just like everything she's always done.

The most tragic thing is that there was a moment when she genuinely felt that she might be a savior.

Ah, what about bringing the dead back to life and changing the world?

Miraculous, unique abilities—it was all just a blessing from a Gu worm.

That's ridiculous.

She actually fantasized that she was different, that she wasn't ordinary.

Now, reality has slammed her back into the ground. She is nothing, can do nothing, and is no different from before—rustic, unable to speak, and the people around her don't stay; they all come and go.

Reality is far crueler than school. She can't stand aside and pretend to be indifferent. She looks forward to returning to the old house every two weeks, so she can continue to be the carefree and lonely Xia Zhu.

She mustered her courage and stepped forward, hoping to do something for these people, hoping to change the world, to become an indispensable part of them, and to be firmly bound to them.

She covered her eyes before she finally saw her own infatuation.

There are no special or miraculous things in this world; she should accept her fate.

The waxing and waning of things are finite; she could no longer cling to anything, nor could she hold onto anything more.

Even at this moment, she herself felt that Xia Zhu was no longer Xia Zhu.

Are you crying?

A clear female voice rang in my ears.

She was startled and stiffly lowered her hands.

Yun Jiu bent over, tilted her head, and smiled.

“I didn’t cry,” Xia Zhu replied dryly.

“It’s okay to cry, everyone cries.” She squatted down like Xia Zhu, her fair hand reaching into the water to gently create a ripple. “Sister, I’ve brought you back to the Yun family. Can you do me a favor?”

"Help?" Xia Zhu was a little discouraged; she didn't think she could do anything more.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Yun Jiu winked at her. "Can you help me find my dad?"

Xia Zhu stared at her face; there was a shallow indentation above the corner of her mouth.

"Are you Yun Huan?"

"Oh dear, we've been found out. What's wrong, sister? You can help A-Jiu but not me?" She looked at Xia Zhu with a smile. "A-Jiu and I have the same father."

Xia Zhu wiped the water droplets from her face and stared straight ahead expressionlessly.

“If I remember correctly, your father is already dead.” She reached out and rubbed her leg, which was a little numb. “Ji Yinxiu told me that the power of your Yun family is the way of ghosts.”

"Summoning souls and ghosts, finding a dead person, isn't that easy?"

Yun Xian had the same expression as before, even smiling more brightly. She squinted her eyes and didn't speak, but instead took off the small bag that she always hung on her waist, untied the knot, and handed it to Xia Zhu.

"This is Mom, this is Grandma, this is Auntie Aduo..."

Xia Zhu felt a chill run down her spine as she recounted her treasured knowledge; the small bag was filled with fragments of grayish-blue severed fingers.

Yun Xian smiled and took out a finger from inside, pressing it affectionately against her face. Xia Zhu clearly felt a cool breeze blowing from underground. Yun Xian's hair swayed gently, as if an invisible hand was tenderly caressing her.

"The Yun family's spell to summon the souls of the dead requires a part of the deceased's body."

"But sister, I don't even know where Dad died."

The ground beneath her feet was trembling slightly. With a splash, a precarious stone by the stream finally fell into the water due to the force of the movement. Xia Zhu felt a strange movement under her shoes; the surrounding soil began to collapse irregularly.

It's like something is trying to pop out of the ground.

Yun Xian sighed in feigned annoyance, but Xia Zhu couldn't discern any other emotion in her expression.

"For so long, everyone has been helping me find my father's body, but we have searched every corner of this land and found not a single bone fragment."

"Sister, where do you think he could have gone?"