Chapter 110, Chapter Eleven: The Lost Manor
The swallows flew for a long time.
Finding an evil spirit obsessed with that idiot is incredibly difficult.
Birds of a feather flock together. Clever evil spirits don't like fools, and those who like fools are often not clever themselves. Giving them feathers is a waste.
The swallow was almost about to give up on this idea when it passed by a lost manor and saw a wandering ghost there.
The spirit was very clean, untouched by any malevolent energy, yet it inexplicably attracted it.
[You haven't spilled blood, but I can smell hatred on you.] Swallow tilted her head to look at him. [What do you hate?]
The young undead hovered atop the castle, showing no surprise at a bird's greeting.
He looked down at the humans entering and leaving the manor, each one taking a little from his manor, adding a little, or modifying a little.
"I hate those termites." After a long pause, he said softly, "They destroyed my home."
The swallow told him: "Under the protection of the [world], it's difficult for [spirits] to affect living beings, but you can at least frighten them."
"No, I don't want this place to become a haunted house," he said.
[Why? You're a ghost yourself, why would you care if your house is haunted?]
"This isn't just my house," the young spirit whispered, "it also has a mistress."
Yanzi understood; she was a romantic at heart.
[Ghosts are trapped where they die, but you didn't die here, yet you're trapped here.] It examined the spirit named Cheng Yuzhou with interest. [It seems you have a deep attachment to this place. I like obsessive spirits; they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Let me hear your story. If I'm satisfied, I'll grant you new life and let you meet that 'mistress.']
Cheng Yuzhou glanced at it.
He was forced into the business world at the age of 15, so he knew very well that one should never take a free lunch.
He couldn't let Li Yufei get into danger.
"I know what you're worried about," Yanzi chuckled. "You want to protect her from danger, but have you considered that she might be facing misfortune somewhere you can't see?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the indifferent spirit of the dead suddenly emitted a strong emotional fluctuation.
That was exactly what Cheng Yuzhou was worried about.
Before he could pull her out of her snake-like family environment, he suddenly left her.
The swallow flapped its wings, realizing that he had taken the bait.
[Think about it. I can give you strength. Although you still can't leave here, at least you'll have a chance to see her again and be by her side.]
Having learned its lesson from that foolish dog, the swallow took its feathers, gained power, and transformed into a human. It then abandoned its original mission and happily went off to become a nurse.
Although the spirit before me harbored resentment, it wasn't as twisted as the madman from last time, and it had no intention of revenge. Nine times out of ten, it would run away after I stole its feathers.
The swallows learned their lesson and would never be foolish enough to send their feathers out first.
Its judgment was correct; this person was indeed a bit smarter than that silly dog and was quite cautious.
The swallows circled him for a week, but he didn't say a word.
[Fine, you win.] The swallow didn't have time to waste with him. [I'll leave the feather for you; if you change your mind, you can eat it yourself.]
It left a trimmed feather for Cheng Yuzhou, so that even if he was really tricked, he would suffer less loss.
After being away for half a month, the swallow had almost forgotten about it when it suddenly discovered that its feathers had been incorporated into a spirit.
It hurried back, and as soon as it flew into the castle, it saw a strange barrier rising around it, and the young undead with a physical body was holding a long, sharp dagger.
The gleaming blade dripped blood, staining the entire bed with its stench. A thirty-year-old man lay dead before him.
The swallow was taken aback: [You changed your mind?]
Cheng Yuzhou plunged the sashimi knife into the corpse's abdomen, the sharp blade cutting through the skin and muscle tissue as smoothly as cheese.
He stuffed the knife, hilt and all, into the corpse's belly, concealing the murder weapon, then turned to Yanzi and asked, "[How do you make him disappear?]"
The swallow paused.
The man's once clear and bright eyes were now dull and lifeless; Yanzi liked his decisive and straightforward manner.
[You cannot kill him while he is unconscious. Your power comes from negative emotions; the more fearful, sorrowful, and desperate a person is, the stronger your power becomes.]
It stood on the man's abdomen, where the knife had been buried, [It's alright, this is your first time, I'm glad you were willing to try, I can give you a small reward.]
A wisp of gray-black smoke rose from between the swallow's glossy feathers, swirling around Cheng Yuzhou's fingertips.
[Can you feel the power? Use it to eliminate those things that are in your way.]
Feeling the power surging into his body, Cheng Yuzhou didn't rush to use it. Instead, he said to Yanzi, "[It's not enough.]"
[Isn't that enough? More than enough to destroy the evidence!]
"[That's not enough,'" Cheng Yuzhou said, glancing at the corpse on the bed. "[I'm willing to cooperate with you, but I need some initial capital.]"
This is a very reasonable request. The swallow initially thought the same way, so it not only gave the evil spirits feathers to walk among the world, but also gave them some "start-up capital" to help them prepare for the initial stages of their project.
Then that stupid dog used it to rent apartments, forge resumes, and work odd jobs!
Having learned its lesson, it did not give Cheng Yuzhou any extra strength.
But he had already started a strange tale. Although it was unclear why he suddenly changed his mind, his gaze didn't seem like he was going to give up easily.
What triggered him?
[Alright, alright, I'll give you a little more.] Swallow warned, [but remember, the moment you step outside the boundaries of the ghost stories, all power will crumble, your [spirit/energy] will immediately dissipate, and you'll revert back to being an invisible ghost.]
Don't be like that crazy guy before, who was halfway through harvesting when he suddenly went into a love-struck state and stopped caring about anything else, just letting Kuku unleash his energy.
[Hmm.] Cheng Yuzhou lowered his eyes. [I understand.]
He understood that keeping Li Yufei confined to the manor would cause her pain;
But even when she was free, she didn't seem happy.
His Feifei, a girl as proud as the blazing sun, had cried twice in just half a day.
The first time, it was his fault; he hurt her.
She was crying so hard, and this man named Zheng Jianbin actually abandoned her, went out to have fun with his friends, and even asked the receptionist to bring up two packs of tissues so she could continue crying.
Cheng Yuzhou was too shocked to react for a moment.
The second time, he witnessed the entire argument with his own eyes.
Reporting once an hour?
The most extravagant dream Cheng Yuzhou had ever had was for Li Yufei to forbid him from leaving her sight.
He couldn't imagine that someone as unruly as Li Yufei could tirelessly track her lover's every move every hour.
Zheng Jianbin, what makes him so lucky, what makes him so happy?
There's something about him that he lacks, something he hasn't done for Li Yufei...
Cheng Yuzhou felt as if he were watching an unbelievable fairy tale.
The prince, living in a dream castle, was ungrateful and grew tired of the princess's patience and gentleness.
He argued with her, disciplined her, complained that she was too controlling, which made her anxious and tearful, and even teased her with a smile.
Cheng Yuzhou really wanted to kill him.
He took out the feathers left by the swallow for the first time.
The jet-black feathers emitted an ominous luster, like Pandora's box. After much hesitation, Cheng Yuzhou finally put it away.
He followed Li Yufei out the door and watched her rush to the front desk, but then keep glancing at the elevator and the corridor, waiting for that man to catch up and say something nice to her.
She waited and waited, until even the receptionist couldn't stand it anymore and asked.
Those bright, fox-like eyes were filled with tears—the least expressive face Cheng Yuzhou had ever seen on Li Yufei, and the most expressive face he had ever seen on Fang Yuzhou.
He took out the feather once again.
He didn't swallow it, but only borrowed a little bit of its strength.
Having absorbed a few feathers, Cheng Yuzhou controlled the front desk and opened their former marital home for Li Yufei.
The furnishings there have changed a lot, but they should still please Li Yufei. At least the roses seen from there are to her liking.
Cheng Yuzhou hoped that the room would bring a smile to Li Yufei's face.
But as he followed behind her, he noticed that she kept pausing as she walked towards her room, glancing back out of the corner of her eye.
She didn't receive Zheng Jianbin's advances, but instead received his goodnight message and a transfer of tens of thousands of yuan.
The seventh floor of the castle was the place where Cheng Yuzhou put the most effort.
The furniture that was once placed here, from the pull tabs of the drawers to the hidden snaps on the ornaments and handles, all had miniature portraits of Li Yufei embedded inside.
He revised the design drafts more than ten times, making sure that every window on the seventh floor could see the vibrant roses.
She finally arrived at the love nest he had carefully prepared, but standing here, amidst Cheng Yuzhou's carefully concealed longing, she wept in loneliness and sorrow.
Feifei… she is the radiant sun, how dare that man humiliate her like this!
Cheng Yuzhou stepped forward and tried to touch her.
He passed right through her body, leaving only a few wisps of wind behind.
She fell asleep with tears in her eyes.
Cheng Yuzhou returned to Zheng Jianbin's room and saw the man lying on the bed, playing games on his phone.
He continued into the microphone: "What are you trying to coax? Let me tell you, Li Yufei is a tyrant. When she's angry, she's like she's taken a berserk drug, completely irrational. If you go near her at this time, you're just asking for trouble."
"Sigh, we still need to talk, but I'll have to wait until she calms down before I try to coax her."
"Two more days? I'm having a major hemorrhage today!"
"Eighty thousand!"
"I asked the tour guide, and the most expensive room here is on the sixth floor, 28,000 a night. She booked a room on the seventh floor, which is almost 40,000. Holy crap, who is this guy who stole my butt!"
“Yes,” he sighed heavily, smacking his lips, “that beauty really spends money, I’m going to be broke.”
"I know, I know."
"Her face is made up, but the problem with Li Yufei is not just her face. She has been learning dance since elementary school, and now she is a blogger and works out. She is incredibly hot, and her eyes are so captivating... I really can't bear to part with her. I'll just spend another year to see how she does."
"Alright, alright, that's enough. Time for bed. I have to get up early tomorrow to apologize to my aunt."
Cheng Yuzhou picked up the feather for the third time.
Li Yufei used to dislike seeing him, so he had to keep his distance from her.
Cheng Yuzhou had investigated her boyfriends, but he couldn't know how they interacted with Li Yufei in private.
He never threatens anyone to break up with Li Yufei. How is that any different from asking someone to hand over all their possessions to him? No one would agree to that.
He always thought that everyone was just like him, overjoyed to have won Li Yufei's favor; that everyone would be as grateful as he was, and do their best to serve her.
Cheng Yuzhou had questioned God many times about why He was being treated so unfairly.
God didn't take him away when his mother died, nor when Li Yufei resented him, but instead took him away just when he was finally about to become Li Yufei's husband.
Why was his life so unfortunate?
It wasn't until this moment that he truly saw the state of Li Yufei's relationship with her boyfriend; he saw the true face behind her lover's facade.
His death and his waiting were all for the sake of learning these truths!
He was completely wrong. They weren't human at all; they weren't like him.
Facing this black feather that he found so enigmatic, Cheng Yuzhou suddenly felt a strong sense of conviction.
By sheer coincidence, his soul was bound to their manor;
By sheer coincidence, a world-changing feather appeared in his hand;
By sheer coincidence, not long after he received the feather, Li Yufei appeared before him—
This is no coincidence! It's destiny!
Heaven was guiding him, leading him to see things clearly and return to Li Yufei's side to protect her from evil influences.
There was no need to hesitate any longer; this was his mission, and he had to do it.
Cheng Yuzhou swallowed the feather and wiped away the dust and dirt from the goddess statue.
He reconstructed his body in the likeness of Zheng Jianbin and stood outside Li Yufei's bedroom door before sunrise.
As the sun rose and its rays streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto Cheng Yuzhou, he felt an unparalleled sense of glory.
He couldn't help but smile, straightening his chest as if entrusted with a great responsibility, suppressing his excitement, and waiting for the door to open.
He has never impersonated anyone, not even his own mother.
Cheng Yuzhou should have felt guilty for deceiving Li Yufei, but every time he heard about Zheng Jianbin's actions during their subsequent interactions, Cheng Yuzhou became indignant and furious.
His anger toward Zheng Jianbin gave rise to a strong sense of justice and mission.
He did nothing wrong; he had to do it, just as he insisted on marrying her back then, to take her away from the den of snakes and rats.
His only mistake was that he was so excited that he only realized after destroying Zheng Jianbin's body that the items would perish along with their owners and return to the real world.
And even if he doesn't take action, the dead will disappear from the ghost stories after 24 hours.
He should have asked Yanzi about many details from the beginning, but he let his emotions cloud his judgment.
He still remembered the two sets of clothes Zheng Jianbin brought, and could make replicas of them; it was a pity about Zheng Jianbin's phone.
Cheng Yuzhou was unable to check the contents of his phone before it disappeared.
He took out his phone.
This phone only replicates the appearance of Zheng Jianbin's phone; it's basically empty except for basic software. We must be careful not to let Li Yufei see it.
In addition, Cheng Yuzhou recalled the day he killed Zheng Jianbin, and remembered that when he made the move, Zheng Jianbin's phone screen lit up briefly.
It seemed someone had sent him a message, but Cheng Yuzhou didn't check it in time.
Fortunately, no one has contacted us yet; hopefully, the information comes from outsiders.
Regardless, he was too careless and needs to be more cautious in the future.
But whether or not to perfectly impersonate Zheng Jianbin—Cheng Yuzhou disagreed on this point.
If Zheng Jianbin's behavior pattern is completely replicated, then killing Zheng Jianbin would be meaningless.
Now he is "Zheng Jianbin". Even if Li Yufei doubts him, he will correct "Zheng Jianbin's" attitude and make the "Zheng Jianbin" body worthy of her precious feelings.
This is very risky; Psyche, holding the candle, will eventually see Eros's true face.
The adaptation in "The Covenant" was merely a beautiful dream for him; the anger and separation that followed the revelation of the truth are the most widely circulated original version of Psyche's story.
He longed to see Li Yufei, yet he dared not see her.
He hoped the candlelight in her hand would illuminate his face; yet he also feared that she would see his true appearance.
Therefore, Cheng Yuzhou had to seize one of his powers.
He will not abuse the stolen ability; when things have reached a point of no return, this power will be his last resort.
Zheng Jianbin has many bad habits, the first of which is his sense of time.
With only a short time left before his agreed-upon hour with Li Yufei, it was about time for him to return to her side.
Having used Zheng Jianbin's identity for a day and a night, Cheng Yuzhou still feels as if he's on a cloud.
He really did become her lover—
How can you become the kind of lover she worries about if she doesn't see you for even an hour?
Cheng Yuzhou pursed his lips, and even after blowing in the night wind for more than forty minutes, his head was still burning.
They've been inseparable these past two days. She smiles at him, praises him, allows him to kiss her fingertips, and even saves him again.
After high school, Cheng Yuzhou never experienced such sweet love again, and he was slightly tipsy and dizzy.
The hazy intoxication had just cooled down with the night breeze when Cheng Yuzhou returned to the castle and passed through the front courtyard. He looked up and saw the bright white moon and Li Yufei both in front of him.
She stood on the castle steps, gazing into the distance, and instantly locked her gaze on him.
The scent of roses from the backyard wafted into the front yard on the breeze. She lifted her skirt and ran towards him, the soft clatter of her short heels echoing.
Cheng Yuzhou stamped his foot. He had imagined this scene countless times when he was building this manor.
The six years they spent building the manor were the six years when their relationship was at its most strained.
Unable to see her, he drifted through life relying on fantasies in his mind.
In my imagination at the time, what would Li Yufei say after she ran towards him from the castle?
It could be a loud, energetic "Get lost, I hate seeing you."
Perhaps pressured by his parents, he couldn't bring himself to say it: "Cheng Yuzhou... that..."
They might simply walk right past him, completely ignoring him.
Regardless of the reason, Cheng Yuzhou was secretly happy to meet Li Yufei.
"You're finally back!"
Fantasy and reality overlapped, and she ran towards him through the illusion, grabbing his sleeve and anxiously looking him over. "I was so worried! I had to come out to check every five minutes. I should have gone myself. Why are you alone? Did you encounter any ghosts outside?"
Cheng Yuzhou was slightly taken aback.
Her bright fox-like eyes were filled with concern, and the rose perfume she wore was more intense than any naturally grown rose.
In a daze, he seemed to hear the church bells ringing, which made him dizzy and mesmerized.
"Why are you standing there like a dazed fool?" Li Yufei waved her hand in front of his eyes. "Hey, are you alright, Zheng Jianbin!"
Zheng Jianbin
As the bells fell silent, Cheng Yuzhou snapped out of his reverie.
He lowered his eyelashes and smiled, "It's nothing, I didn't run into anything on the way."
Li Yufei breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I've been worried sick ever since you left."
"I'm sorry, Feifei, I made you worry." Cheng Yuzhou reached out and took Li Yufei's hand, his fingers interlacing with hers. "If you're still worried, we'll act together from now on and never be apart again."
"That would be best." In a situation like this, two people are definitely safer than one.
Her hand was a little cold and a little tight.
Li Yufei loosened her grip, but the other person immediately tightened their grip even more.
She couldn't help but turn her head to look at the man beside her, and asked hesitantly, "...Zheng Jianbin, are you really... alright?"
Cheng Yuzhou turned around and softly hummed in response.
"It's just that you seem different from usual."
If it were the usual Zheng Jianbin, seeing her run out, he would probably scold her for not staying indoors properly; he would also think she was making a fuss over nothing, that he was a grown man and there was nothing to worry about.
But he actually apologized to her so honestly.
Li Yufei scrutinized Zheng Jianbin with suspicion.
Could he be possessed by a ghost...?
Her suspicions were undisguised, and Cheng Yuzhou paused in his steps.
He turned and stood in front of the fountain in the front courtyard.
"Feifei," he called softly.
Li Yufei stopped immediately: "What are you doing?"
The man approached her, a certain aura emanating from him.
It wasn't the scent of shampoo from the castle bathroom, nor was it his usual antiperspirant; instead, it was a cool rose fragrance, similar to yet different from hers.
This fragrance is clearly Cheng…
Li Yufei suddenly noticed a glint in Zheng Jianbin's eyes.
The light was strange; she had never seen black light before.
He moved his lips, but the sound of the fountain drowned out his voice. Li Yufei only heard the last sentence: "...I'm really okay, I'm fine."
He felt wonderful, better than ever before.
Sleepiness washed over her, and Li Yufei's eyes glazed over, making it difficult for her to concentrate.
"Okay," she said, still feeling dizzy, no longer dwelling on it, "I'm glad you're alright."
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Author's Note: From God's perspective: Li Yufei scolded Zheng Jianbin, stomped on his foot, and ran out to book a luxurious room for herself.
Cheng Yuzhou's perspective: Wu Zetian was humiliated by being banished to Ganye Temple.
Cheng Yuzhou: She saved my life from the clutches of evil spirits, and I must spend my whole life repaying her.
Don't worry about where the evil spirits came from.
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