Chapter 77 The long life of the Tower Corpse, beginning from this moment, is one of endless suffering...
The soft, golden sunset bathed the mountainside in its crimson and gold light as a carriage slowly made its way towards Qingbai Mountain outside Luoyang.
Legend has it that a hundred years ago, a celestial being descended to the mortal realm at Qingbai Mountain. It is a blessed land with beautiful scenery and faces Huayan Temple from afar. The final site of the pagoda was located at the top of Qingbai Mountain.
The pagoda is solemn and majestic, towering and extraordinary, resembling a pillar to the heavens from afar. It has nine stories in total, each with six upturned corners, adorned with mythical beasts and hanging copper bells that jingle in the bleak wind.
"Alas, young man, you mustn't go in! The Buddha's relics will be sent to Luoyang in a few days, and we can't afford any mistakes at this crucial juncture!"
The attendant guarding the tower stopped Meng Cizhang as he got off the carriage and gave him a long explanation.
"I've come to see my brother. He's in the tower, isn't he? I just want to see him once, and I'll be out soon. Can't you make an exception?"
“Young Master Meng is indeed inspecting the tower, but we… cannot make an exception for letting people in!” The servants looked at each other, bowed deeply to Meng Cizhang, and said in unison, “Please, young master, do not make things difficult for us.”
Meng Cizhang's heart sank. He looked up at the towering tower and saw only four or five weary gray-black birds flying past it, but no other response.
Forget it, there are clearly so many people guarding this pagoda, how could there be anything "bad" as my sister-in-law said?
Meng Cizhang turned around, intending to return to the carriage, when suddenly the curtain moved and a sickly figure wrapped in a dark fox fur cloak emerged.
Her pale face appeared even more fragile and delicate against the backdrop of the heavy, ornate cloak, as if it would crumble at the slightest touch, like a withered leaf. Only her eyes held a certain weight, devoid of much emotion.
"Something has happened at the Meng residence. We must see Meng Shutai. What if you delay us by not letting us go?"
The servant glanced at the girl being supported by Meng Cizhang, knowing she was of high status, and hesitated before saying, "What business does your household have? If it is truly urgent, perhaps I should go and deliver a message?"
Urgent matter? Not really, and certainly not anything major. But Le Jin was not discouraged at all. With a slight smile, she told the servant, "Young Master Meng lost his wife today. It would be better if we delivered the news ourselves."
"What?!"
The servants were all dumbfounded, and Meng Cizhang, who was standing to the side, frowned and retorted in a low voice, "Why say such unlucky things? Bah, bah, bah."
Everyone was on edge because of her words. Suddenly, the pent-up frustration in Le Jin's heart eased a little, and her smile deepened unconsciously. So scaring people really is quite fun; no wonder Meng Shutai is such a pervert…
She stepped forward, took a small trinket from her pocket, and slipped it into the servant's hand.
"This is Lord Meng's private seal. With this, if the higher-ups ask you in the future, just say that he personally sent someone into the tower, and you won't be blamed."
Meng Shutai kept his word. Although Le Jin had broken the treasure, he had kept it with her and never taken it back. He never expected it would come in handy today.
The servants looked closely and realized it really was that person's item. Even lowly officials serving the imperial court were quick-witted; a few glances between them revealed that something was amiss. However, the servants held the person's private seal in their palms, and the cool, smooth jade reminded them that this was an inside story of the Meng family, something that was likely a tangled mess.
With a forced smile, the servant sighed and gestured for the guest to enter: "Please come in, sir. We will not disturb you."
In any case, with the private seal in hand, all power and responsibility rested with the Meng family. As Le Jin and Meng Cizhang walked step by step toward the pagoda, the servant turned around and found the guards, instructing them: "Quickly find the Imperial Guards and tell them that there is something strange about the Buddha relic pagoda. Have them send a team to guard it."
He watched as his guards mounted their horses and rode off down the mountain, silently praying that the night would be peaceful and uneventful.
As he climbed the white marble steps at the foot of the tower, with the tower gate right in front of him, Meng Cizhang suddenly stopped moving.
"What's wrong?" Le Jin glanced at Meng Cizhang, whose eyes were darting around, and understood immediately: "Are you too scared to go up?"
Taking his sick sister-in-law out on a whirlwind trip and sneaking onto important government grounds with her, Meng Cizhang felt this was the most rebellious day of his life. What terrified him most was that if he appeared before Meng Shutai, it would mean he believed his sister-in-law's words and suspected his brother of doing something wicked behind his back…
Meng Cizhang hesitated, and before he could speak, Le Jin patted him on the shoulder, "It's okay, I'll go find him myself."
Le Jin was already extremely grateful that he had sent her here, and she didn't want to pressure him about anything else.
Le Jin quickened his pace and pushed open the tower door, but suddenly turned back just as he was about to go in.
"I have something I'd like to ask you."
"What's up?"
Le Jin smiled brightly, "No matter what happened today, I hope you can take good care of Baoyin for me in the future."
“Baoyin? She’s your maid…” Meng Cizhang scratched his forehead. He thought Le Jin had just made up an excuse to force them to let him go, but now he really felt that it had the flavor of entrusting his son to someone.
As the afterglow of the setting sun gradually turned purple, Le Jin's smile was also affected, dimming slightly.
She used to cherish Baoyin so that she could return her to "Lejin" in the book after the mission was over. But who would have thought that "Lejin" would want to be free and didn't want anything, including Baoyin, who had grown up with her since childhood.
But during those anxious days, she had been by his side day and night, and Le Jin truly couldn't bear to part with her. She was just a lowly maid, and should have had a peaceful and uneventful life.
"I only ask this one thing of you: I will never bother you again from now on."
It must have been because the sun had set that Meng Cizhang felt an intense chill all over his body, and in an instant, he felt completely cold.
He rubbed his arms and finally nodded.
"Thank you! Cizhang, you are a good person."
Le Jin felt that the most admirable people in the world were "good people," and this praise was truly fitting for Meng Cizhang. She smiled one last time, then turned and disappeared into the dark offering tower.
Meng Cizhang leaned against the white marble balustrade, his heart suddenly trembling.
It was a mysterious familiarity that he couldn't even speak of, as if uttering it would be madness, yet it remained in his heart as a trace of warmth that transcended life and death.
——
Upon entering the offering tower, a chill swept over them. Le Jin frowned and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself.
To ensure the safety of the tower, they did not light any lamps after nightfall. But when she looked up, she saw a small oil lamp burning on the top floor, twinkling and shimmering like a star.
Meng Shutai should be there.
Le Jin was still a little scared. She wasn't so righteous that she could breathe normally even when facing death. With each step she took up the stairs, her calves weakened a little. By the time she reached the fourth floor, Le Jin was already half-crawling and leaning on the stairs, her mind filled with countless stars.
She sat on the stairs, looking down at the dark, winding staircase, which seemed to reflect on her journey. As Jiu'an, she had a clear conscience, but as "Lejin," she had never had peace. Baoyin's capture was most likely related to her. If she could end it all today, she could save Baoyin, and she wouldn't even have to go through the trouble of dealing with the Prince of Zhennan against her will anymore; all the burdens she carried would vanish...
Le Jin regained her strength, and with a shout, she propped herself up and continued climbing the tower. However, as she rounded a small window and looked out through the clear glass, she saw a silvery moonlight and, in the distance, Tiger Head Mountain.
She smiled wryly and sighed softly, "What a coincidence, we've all run into each other."
After climbing step by step to the top floor, Le Jin didn't even have the strength to stand up, and collapsed to the ground with her back against the closed door.
He was panting heavily, and the metallic taste of blood was rising in his throat, refusing to go away, no matter how much saliva he swallowed.
She spat out, but accidentally spat it onto a foot sticking out from behind the door. Under the light of the oil lamp, Le Jin could then see that it was no longer saliva but blood.
On the desolate and cold tower, a dim oil lamp flickered. Suddenly, someone appeared behind the door, coughing up blood again. In this situation, Le Jin should have screamed in fright, but thanks to Meng Shutai, she was able to calmly accept everything.
Following the spurt of blood upwards, the person behind the door was still wearing that deep purple gauze dress, its rich color like an inescapable dream. Le Jin suddenly laughed, "The first time I saw you, you were wearing a light color, weren't you? You used to like wearing light colors back then, why the sudden change?"
As she reminisced about the past, Meng Shutai stirred, and after a long while, he said, "After you died, I suddenly developed a liking for you."
The intense crimson blood of Jiu'an instilled in Meng Shutai a fondness for darker colors, but he himself was unaware of it until Le Jin asked him about it at this moment.
After answering, he squatted down and took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat. Le Jin was initially annoyed and wanted to turn her head away, but she was too weak and could only let him wipe her.
Aren't you going to ask me why I came?
"What else is there to ask? Things have come to this between us."
Le Jin chuckled, reflecting on her twisted relationship with Meng Shutai. It turned out that two people with no feelings for each other, separated by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, could be completely open and honest, as if standing in front of a mirror that could reflect their souls.
"Let Baoyin go. Why are you, a scion of a prestigious family, picking a fight with a young girl?"
Meng Shutai paused in wiping his sweat, his long eyelashes trembling uncontrollably. "No."
Baoyin, Baoyin, they are both about to die, yet she is still thinking about an insignificant maid.
Jealousy surged in Meng Shutai's heart, a bitter taste as choking as thick smoke. He had never looked so flustered. Le Jin mocked him, "You imprisoned Baoyin, taking her heart and flesh to make poison, but..."
She gently touched Meng Shutai's cheek, her thumb caressing his earlobe, her movements incredibly tender, but her words left no room for argument: "You've wasted your time. I'm not even from this world. Trying to kill me, trying to bind my soul to yours with evil poison, is all..."
Le Jin leaned close to that stunningly beautiful face and whispered in his ear, "Daydream."
A daydream? Meng Shutai chuckled. The poison had already entered Le Jin's body, and her life and death were in his hands. How could there still be a clear distinction between them? His dream had already come true.
Taking advantage of the situation, Meng Shutai pulled Le Jin into his arms, holding her light and airy body close to his chest. He stroked the back of her neck repeatedly, as if she were having a nightmare and talking nonsense, and he was comforting her.
He would never be angry with Le Jin; she was perfect in every way.
However, a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck, and Meng Shutai's pupils dilated as he felt blood flowing into his collar.
While Le Jin was being held by him in a state of blissful infatuation, she secretly took out the ivory dagger and stabbed it into the back of Meng Shutai's neck. The tip of the dagger pressed straight against his spine until it could not be pierced any further.
The ivory dagger had been under Meng Shutai's pillow all along. When Le Jin found it while searching the room, she was shocked. How could a person sleep peacefully every night with the murder weapon that almost killed him under their pillow?
But now, the dagger was in her hand again, and Le Jin was much more skilled at using it.
She flung Meng Shutai away, stood up, and walked toward the door, but suddenly a beautiful hand grabbed her ankle.
The wound was very close to his throat, and Meng Shutai felt the blood flowing faster from the back of his neck when he spoke, but he still spoke with a trembling voice:
"Don't go in, it'll scare you..."
Inside was a large, circular building, with one room per floor. The night wind was howling, and Le Jin could already smell the stench of blood and decay.
She kicked away Meng Shutai's hand and ran inside like a madwoman. Seeing her push open one partition door after another, Meng Shutai endured the pain, got up, and chased after her.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Le Jin immediately panicked, hoping to find out where he had locked Bao Yin up as soon as possible.
Her heart and mouth echoed Bao Yin's name, Le Jin's heart pounded wildly, tears welling in her eyes. She was fighting a desperate gamble; if she failed this time, falling back into Meng Shutai's hands, there might be no future for her…
"ah!!!"
Meng Shutai grabbed her cloak and pulled her back a few steps. Le Jin turned around in fright, her beautiful phoenix eyes filled with tenderness and worry.
"Don't run, or you'll be in pain again if you trigger the poison."
It's a ghost!
She yelled "Get out of here!" and without another word, she took off her cloak and rushed into the next cubicle.
As soon as the silk partition was pushed open, rows of corpses of varying sizes were hung, dividing the moonlit night outside the window into cold blue blocks, like a series of freehand screens.
The corpses had different colors: Jiang Tian was bluish-white, Mu Lin was purplish-gray, and He Shi was stiff and pale. The chaotic ochre-red bloodstains on their skin were the maple leaves that grew wildly on both sides of the riverbank, a fiery expanse that seemed to be about to roll down from the screen and grow to Le Jin's feet.
The hearts of each corpse were cut open, revealing either shriveled like bags or moist, sweet-smelling, deep red hearts that shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
The withered heart was ripped open, and a piece of flesh was ripped away; the still-fresh heart had a small, dark green, double-eared glass bottle, about the size of a little finger, hanging on its chest to collect the blood dripping from its heart.
The night breeze blew in, the glass bottle swayed in her heart, and the little rings on her ears kept jingling... Each "jingle" struck Le Jin's teeth, like a silver thread that had come to life and burrowed into her gums, gushing blood.
Among these people were Feng Yu'en, whose body was rotting but whose clothes she recognized; Song Chengzhi, whose face was burned to a crisp but whose identity she knew; Xie Xianheng, who had been gone for many days but had been beaten to a pulp; and even... the young novice monk from Huayan Temple who had looked after her horse. Beside the young novice monk was Bao Yin, whose fate was unknown.
"ah!"
Le Jin suddenly knelt down, her wailing cries broken and fragmented, as if her throat had been ripped apart. She couldn't utter a sound, but her heart ached as if pierced by a thousand swords.
Meng Shutai was just a hair's breadth away from her, but in the end, he couldn't stop her from seeing the tragic scene.
He coldly swept his gaze over the row of things, even feeling a little jealous that these vulgar and stupid creatures could cause Le Jin's emotions to break down so much.
“Making that poison requires raising corpses. The best feng shui in all of Luoyang is naturally here. Bringing them here was no easy feat; it took a lot of effort to dig and transport them on the spot. But it still wasn't enough, so I had no choice but to capture Baoyin.”
"Alright, alright, don't be afraid." Meng Shutai hugged Le Jin tightly, gently rubbing her head against the top of her head. The wound on the back of his neck reopened from the movement, but he didn't care. His hands caressed Le Jin's shoulders, half reproachful and half tender:
"You're always disobedient; telling you everything will scare you..."
The pain from his wound made Meng Shutai gasp for breath, hissing like a snake, yet his tone carried an inappropriate ecstasy: "Now you know to stay obediently in my arms, right?"
These words jolted Le Jin awake. Her consciousness struggled free from fear and pain, and she clearly shouted to herself: No! I will never!
She pushed Meng Shutai aside with all her might and ran to the window. The boundless night rushed into her eyes, and looking down, she saw layers of pagoda eaves and the light, tinkling of copper bells.
The night breeze cleared all her thoughts, and Le Jin suddenly understood.
Death is inescapable. Jiu'an will die, "Le Jin" will die, and all those who are destined to die will die. The reason "Le Jin's" soul lingers after death is to fulfill her wish to "not die," giving her an opportunity to continue her life.
It wasn't that "Le Jin" forced her to stay in the book; it was she who summoned "Le Jin."
Having figured everything out, Le Jin suddenly burst into wild laughter by the window of the tower.
Meng Shutai didn't know why her expression was so different, but he subconsciously stepped over and said, "Come down quickly!"
He reached out to Yue Jin, but his slender figure swayed like a leaf, then plummeted into the dark clouds, accompanied by the clear sound of copper bells, and fell down.
Meng Shutai's fingertips dangled in the air, a sharp ringing in his ears like needles piercing his skull, and before his eyes, the howling night wind still pushed the dark clouds, as if there had been no woman standing there, as if nothing had happened.
He tumbled and crawled down the nine-story tower, his headdress and jade hairpins falling to the ground, and even his shoes and socks coming off in his frantic run... He fell several times on the stairs, a gash appeared on his forehead, and blood dripped down like beads, hanging from the corner of his eye like a tear of blood.
Meng Shutai didn't even dare to breathe, rushing towards the outside of the tower. Every time he relaxed, his mind was filled with the image of Le Jin jumping down, her three words "daydream," and his own repeated questions—this staircase is so high and so long, how did she manage to climb it with her ailing body? Was she tired? Was she in pain…?
The moment Meng Shutai burst out of the tower gate, his hair was disheveled, his forehead was stained with blood, and his purple gauze robe had already fallen off, like a withered, strangely colored peony. He was neither human nor ghost, and ran towards the female corpse on the ground like a madman.
Meng Cizhang, pale-faced, knelt beside Le Jin a moment earlier. Meng Shutai shoved him from behind, causing Meng Cizhang to fall heavily to the ground.
"Ah Jin! Ah Jin!"
Meng Shutai picked up the body, intending to hold her tightly in his arms as before, but found that her back and waist were completely mangled from the fall from the tower, a soft mass that he couldn't tell if it was flesh or bone.
It felt like his heart was being crushed alive. For the first time, Meng Shutai realized how painful death could be.
That's terrible! Ah Jin will definitely never forgive him...
She was most afraid of pain, yet he caused her pain so many times...
Suddenly, his vision blurred. Meng Shutai didn't want to miss seeing Le Jin's face, so he quickly rubbed his eyes, but when he touched them, he found that they were tears.
Things he once found false and boring now fell out of his eyes.
Strange, the tears in my memory were always sticky and disgusting, so why are his tears scalding hot? Are they going to burn him through?
"Brother, what happened?"
Meng Cizhang lunged forward and grabbed Meng Shutai's sleeve. He was also terrified. He had been waiting idly at the bottom of the tower when he suddenly heard a heavy thud. He went to investigate and found that his sister-in-law was dead.
Meng Cizhang cried uncontrollably, unable to breathe. How could a perfectly healthy person die so tragically?
He desperately wanted an answer from Meng Shutai, but Meng Shutai grabbed him instead, his bloodshot eyes seeming to burst out:
"Did she say anything at the end? Tell me!"
Meng Cizhang's crying stopped in fright, tears streaming down her lips as she stammered, "She...she said something...but I don't know what it means."
Le Jin's smiling words were repeated by Meng Cizhang:
"I'm free. You'd rather be dead."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Imperial Guards summoned by the servants arrived, led by Yuan Jingming.
He almost dared not recognize the man, who looked like a madman or a stray dog, as Meng Shutai. He ordered everyone to stand still at a distance and stepped forward himself.
However, he hadn't taken two steps when he suddenly heard Meng Shutai roar madly at the person in his arms: "You can't do this to me! Come back! You're not allowed to leave! I—"
"I beg you..."
Meng Shutai's tears fell one by one onto the corpse, mingling with the pool of blood and bits of flesh.
Her elusive soul could never truly die. He didn't know where she came from, nor where she was going.
A life worse than death… Meng Shutai had always lived by this principle. But how could she be so cruel! Tearing apart his vast and boundless life, flaunting her own vibrant and flourishing vitality, and then abandoning him without hesitation…
Meng Shutai raised his head, looking blankly into the air, trying to find even the slightest trace of Le Jin, but there was nothing, nothing at all.
He knew perfectly well that she was somewhere in the crowd, but he had no way of finding her; if he committed suicide, what if she came back alive and kicking one day?
But when will she come back? He still doesn't know.
A sense of powerlessness swept over him, and everything before Meng Shutai seemed to wither away in the blink of an eye. He stood there, dazed, holding the mangled corpse. From that moment on, his long life would be a living hell.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Regarding the content, let me first address this: The concept of the poison is similar to some kind of evil magic in Thailand that controls souls, extracting the souls of the dead to achieve ultimate control. However, Le Jin didn't die from this magic; she committed suicide, meaning the spell was ineffective. It's my fault for not clearly explaining this aspect of the concept [pity]. I will revise it when I edit the story later.
Secondly, today's situation is a bit special. I was originally supposed to update before midnight, but thinking about the content of this chapter, I decided to finish writing it all at once, so I've been writing until now. Sorry for breaking my promise [crying][crying][crying] Everyone can leave a comment in the comment section of this chapter! There will be a small surprise within 24 hours~ [kissing]
Previously, it was said that *Yandere* would have four parts, and now the third part is over, yay! Next up is the male lead's torment; several chapters will be his solo performance. Even scarier than a male ghost is a male ghost who's become a widower, hahaha (those still by Meng Shutai's side: trembling with fear). Finally, we've reached this part! I can finally write a long, detailed account! I'll keep the female lead's whereabouts a secret for now, but I can assure you, she's living a happy and carefree life; all her suffering has come to an end! Also, regarding the rather abstract concept of "life and death" in this book, I originally wanted to explain it today while it's still fresh in my mind (the "explanation of expression" mentioned earlier), but then I thought that novels should leave room for readers' interpretations, which is the most basic ethics of online literature. So I'll wait until the whole book is finished before explaining it. But of course, first of all, all interpretations are welcome! Your feelings are the most important and the best standard! [cheering][cheering][cheering]
Thank you again to everyone who read this far! Saying it a thousand times wouldn't be enough to express how much I truly love you all. Love you all! [starry eyes]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
