Chapter 149, Chapter 50: The Lost Manor
[Cheng Yuzhou——]
A large swallow with a black back and white belly flew over the manor.
It flew and called out: "[Cheng Yuzhou, I'm going back...]"
The sound stopped abruptly, and Yanzi stared in disbelief at the wisps of black smoke billowing out.
The ghost story below was enormous, the largest ghost story it had ever created, but now its power was dissipating, and not a single human was to be seen.
The entire ghost story was empty, and Cheng Yuzhou was nowhere to be found.
The swallow immediately contacted the feather it had left inside Cheng Yuzhou's body, and was astonished to find that the feather had been broken off!
It broke!
Ordinary evil spirits have no power to resist it; they can even break their own feathers. Yanzi couldn't imagine the enormous amount of negative energy Cheng Yuzhou had accumulated during the two days she was gone.
The damaged feathers meant that he had lost all his power and had reverted to being an ordinary undead.
Damn it! It had told its master about Cheng Yuzhou, and the master had become interested. Now that Cheng Yuzhou was just an ordinary soul, how was it going to explain this to its master!
The swallow was furious. It couldn't contact the feathers, and after searching the castle, it still couldn't find Cheng Yuzhou.
It sped through the air, gazing into the distance, and finally spotted a figure near the barrier close to the exit.
A woman.
She walked slowly along the tree-lined path leading to the outside world.
Before they knew it, a breeze had begun to blow through the manor.
Like a punctured balloon, the wind in the manor grew stronger and stronger.
As the ghost stories dissipated, the influence of Cheng Yuzhou's brainwashing gradually disappeared. Over the past three days, Li Yufei recalled some things.
She finally remembered who Wang An'an's ex-boyfriend was.
Has she regained all her memories?
Is this all the real memory?
Is this all the manipulation he has of her?
For three whole years in the ghost story, with such cheating power, he just erased an ex-boyfriend from her mind.
Will she play a villain? She even has a former boyfriend from a basketball team!
Thirty years have passed, and this is all Cheng Yuzhou has accomplished until his death.
Memories of the past three or thirty years, and of Cheng Yuzhou, kept resurfacing. Li Yufei walked unsteadily, her feet treading the path she had come from.
Zheng Jianbin forcibly dragged her into this road;
The first time they tried going out, Song Xiaona went first, and Cheng Yuzhou carried her on his back behind her.
On this journey, Song Xiaona once again took the lead and spearheaded the way.
Without Zheng Jianbin and Cheng Yuzhou, it was Li Yufei herself who ultimately chose this path.
Men are all useless, Zheng Jianbin is, and Cheng Yuzhou is even more so; she has to make the decision herself.
She decided to dump Zheng Jianbin, that useless piece of trash;
She decided to take over Cheng Yuzhou's path and force him to follow her wishes.
Every decision Li Yufei made in her life was like this; it wasn't necessarily entirely righteous, but no matter when she looked back, she could have a clear conscience.
Cheng Yuzhou was completely flustered and at a loss, so let her decide their future path.
After everyone had left, she spent the whole day inspecting the area to make sure nothing was missed, and finally arrived at the barrier herself.
This is the manor that Cheng Yuzhou built for her; he hopes she can live a carefree and happy life here.
Li Yufei asked herself honestly, and these three years were indeed the happiest and most joyful time of her adulthood.
Even though it was filled with bizarre rules, strange ants, and disgusting demons, she actually did quite well here.
He kept saying he would treat her very, very well, mentioning it over and over again. It was unclear whether he was reassuring her or warning Cheng Yandong in his heart.
Regardless of which one it was, he succeeded.
Li Yufei turned around and took one last look at the desolate manor.
Cheng Yuzhou, he has been good enough to her.
No one could love her more than she could—not her parents, not her friends, but Cheng Yuzhou. He was the most dazzling rose in her life.
All the roses were showing Li Yufei their beauty, wanting her to be grateful, and wanting her to remember how hard they had worked for her;
Only Cheng Yuzhou, that idiot, grabbed his own heart and stuck it into the thorns, pretending to be a bright and beautiful rose.
Does he really think she can't see it? She laughs, he laughs; she cries, he cries. His bleeding heart beats with her breath. How could she possibly ignore it?
Stepping outside the barrier, this dreamlike world filled with roses will be completely reduced to an old dream of Cheng Yuzhou.
She won't let a dream trap her in life.
Cheng Yuzhou, come see him as soon as she finishes her funeral arrangements.
The woman turned her head and walked towards the exit.
A charred soul stood behind her, silently watching her, never leaving her side.
The Queen of the Underworld's box killed Cheng Yuzhou in [the world], and he could no longer see her, but he still exists in another world.
At this moment, he was just an undead who had lost all his special abilities.
He and Li Yufei were separated by life and death, and he had no way to persuade her, but fortunately, he never told her that the barrier would make people forget.
Once outside this barrier, Li Yufei will completely forget the past three years and all the pain he caused her.
She remains Zheng Jianbin's girlfriend, a distinctive beauty blogger, and will soon be participating in brand events.
She won't die, she won't be the second Fang Yuzhou, she still has countless wonderful days to live.
This is the best ending. Although he cannot watch her grow old, Cheng Yuzhou is still sincerely grateful and thankful.
That's good.
He watched Li Yufei leave with a gentle expression.
Li Yufei lifted her foot, about to leave, when suddenly someone darted in from the side!
"Huh!" She was startled, looking in surprise at the girl who had entered from outside the barrier.
What's going on? Aren't the ghost stories supposed to be ending? Why are new people joining now?
"Hey, um..." She was about to ask the girl to leave when she saw the girl in the gray hoodie look around.
Then, those big, clear black and white eyes locked onto Li Yufei.
Li Yufei felt inexplicably intimidated by her staring intently.
"You..." she began, when suddenly a thick cleaver appeared above Li Yufei's head.
hold head high?
There was no chance to dodge; everything happened in an instant. She didn't even see when the girl drew her knife. By the time Li Yufei regained consciousness, the sharp blade was already in front of her.
Pfft.
The swift, powerful cleaver suddenly stopped, as if it had struck something and failed to land a blow on Li Yufei.
The girl tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Li Yufei quickly stepped aside, shouting, "Who are you?! What are you doing?!"
The girl stared blankly at the shattered soul beneath the blade, then looked at Li Yufei beside her.
After repeated comparisons, she suddenly realized:
That woman who smelled like a lord wasn't a lord after all!
[Humans?!]
A row of black mist trembled and emerged from above the girl's head; even the words themselves conveyed a deep sense of panic.
How could this be? This ghost story clearly only has one entity, but she is not the lord!
She...she almost killed all living beings in the world.
Li Yufei stared in disbelief. She was all too familiar with this black smoke. This girl wasn't human; she was also a lord.
Are you from the ghost story next door, here to mourn Cheng Yuzhou?
Or was it Cheng Yuzhou's rival who seized the opportunity to take over the manor?
Cheng Yuzhou didn't even explain their complicated web of illicit relationships to her!
Just as she was wondering what was going on, the girl in front of her suddenly changed her flustered expression and looked sharply at what was behind Li Yufei.
Li Yufei turned her head and saw a huge swallow flying in the sky.
A few wisps of black smoke dissipated in front of Li Yufei, and the girl suddenly leaped up, soaring into the sky.
It's that again—
It glared at the black-backed, white-feathered swallow with a cold, menacing gaze.
Black smoke condensed on the blade; this time, she would not let this cunning bird escape.
The swallow stood frozen in mid-air, dumbfounded.
It flew over in a hurry, and before it could even be shocked that Cheng Yuzhou had turned back into an ordinary undead, it saw the familiar girl rush into the barrier.
It instinctively tried to run, but suddenly saw [the world's minions] attacking humans.
What's wrong with her? It's absolutely taboo to lay a hand on any living being in the world; even a fraudster wouldn't dare to do that.
Perhaps it's because Li Yufei is the only entity left in this ghost story, and she has a strong aura of a lord, which has bewitched [the world's minions].
But there is another possibility—this [minion] betrayed [the world].
If it's the latter, that's a huge piece of intelligence.
The swallow only looked for two more seconds before flapping its wings again, unleashing a chilling and powerful killing intent!
The swallow was unable to move the instant it was met with the flash of the blade.
It had no concept of death, but in that instant, the swallow felt an unprecedented fear.
boom--
The immense force struck, but the blade struck nothing; not a single swallow could be seen.
Just as the blade touched the swallow's head, the swallow transformed into a wisp of black smoke and drifted away into the distance.
Shi looked up immediately.
Before the barrier of the supernatural tales, a giant swallow with a wingspan of several meters flew across the sky.
This is an unusual reverse swallow. Unlike the common swallow with its black back and white belly, it has a white back and black belly. Except for its abdomen, the feathers on the rest of its body are as white as fresh snow, dazzling in the sunlight.
As it arrived, a rich, sweet aroma assaulted Shi's nostrils.
She hurriedly covered her mouth and nose, and the black swallow under the knife turned into black smoke, returning to the belly of the white swallow, becoming one of the hundreds of black feathers under the white swallow's belly.
The giant white swallow tilted its head back and tumbled, its snow-white wings turning into a whirlwind. In this dazzling vortex, it transformed into a light and graceful humanoid boy, slowly and gracefully landing on the ground.
Li Yufei was right next to it, watching helplessly as a huge white bird that blotted out the sky turned into a white-haired boy.
It, or rather he, had a beautiful face, with a touch of black highlights in his soft, snow-white hair.
Noticing Li Yufei looking at him, the boy turned around, smiling good-naturedly, and said, "[Hi.]"
Wow, it can even talk!
[fraud]
High in the air, the ten fingers gripping the machete tightened again and again. She stared intently at the boy on the ground, her usually calm emotions suddenly surging with turmoil, and wisps of black smoke rose and spread from her eyes and body.
[fraud--]
She had no room for anything else. As the blade passed overhead, black smoke billowed and rushed into the blade. She and the blade hurtled towards the white-haired boy like meteors.
Clang—!
The blade struck the boy squarely in the forehead.
With a bang, he exploded into dust under her knife, a large amount of white smoke billowing out. Shi's pupils shrank sharply, and he quickly covered his mouth and nose, but it was too late.
White smoke entered her mouth and nose, and she froze for a moment, stunned by the sweet taste in her mouth, unable to recover for a long time.
"[Is it sweet?]" the boy's voice sounded behind her ear.
Shi suddenly swung his knife back to slash, but the boy laughed and leaped away.
He kept a safe distance from Shi, and before Shi could raise his knife again, panting, he raised his chin and pointed at Li Yufei beside him, [Are you sure you want to fight in front of humans like this? I don't mind, Shi, I'd love to share candy with you, but that evil spirit over there took a knife for you for a human, and it's about to die now.]
The surging emotions subsided instantly, and Shi suddenly realized what he had just done.
If it weren't for that evil spirit that rushed up, she would have already killed [all living beings in the world].
The girl turned her head in surprise and looked timidly at Li Yufei.
Li Yufei opened her eyes, "What do you mean... what are you talking about, what evil spirits?"
"[I heard from my attendants about an evil spirit named Cheng Yuzhou.]" the boy chuckled, his jewel-like red eyes scanning the surroundings. "[He seems quite remarkable; not only does he manage the ghost stories impeccably, but he has also glimpsed some [laws] on his own. Most remarkably—this is the first time I've heard of a lord wanting to thank me in person.]"
[What a pity.] He sighed and shrugged. [I rushed over specifically to see him, only to find him instantly killed trying to stop his [minions] from wielding knives against humans.]
No, that's not it!
Black smoke formed words above the girl's head. She anxiously gestured to Li Yufei, "[I didn't mean to kill you.]"
Li Yufei's breath caught in her throat. "Where is he? He's not dead? He's still with me?"
[Yes, it's lying right at your feet.] The boy smiled, [like a doll whose cotton has been emptied, tattered and broken, so pitiful.]
"Cheng Yuzhou?" Li Yufei's legs went weak, and she knelt down.
She could see nothing, and frantically groped around on the ground like a blind person, "Are you really here? Cheng Yuzhou? Cheng Yuzhou!"
Shi opened his mouth, trying to speak, but found it difficult to utter a word in front of humans.
The boy, speaking meaningfully from afar, said, "According to the rules of the [world], humans who solve ghost stories in place of [minions] should be rewarded. But now... oh dear, Shi, you're so careless! If it hadn't been for it to take the hit, you would have killed the hero."
The girl glared at the boy resentfully.
That annoying [liar]! That incessant, inflammatory [liar]!
She wanted to kill him, but the woman in front of her groped in vain at the empty space, tears streaming down her face.
"Are you crazy, Cheng Yuzhou..." she muttered, her gaze unfocused. "If you're dead, fine, but if you're not, just stay alive! She killed me, so once I become a ghost, we can meet again, right? Why are you doing all this unnecessary trouble!"
She gestured helplessly, the black smoke above her head forming lines of words, but Li Yufei didn't look at her, so she couldn't see what she was saying.
The sight of the woman sobbing uncontrollably made Shi unable to lift his head.
She was always so impulsive. Unlike her other older sisters, she was not smart, did not know how to socialize, and was timid and clumsy.
"I'm sorry." A clear, melodious voice came from behind Li Yufei.
She turned around with tears in her eyes and saw the girl hiding under the hoodie timidly speaking.
[I...can grant you one wish.] She rarely spoke; her voice was delicate and hesitant, like a newly sprouted pea shoot. [...anything.]
"What?" Li Yufei was too tired; she had no idea what was going on.
Everything should have been settled. She was prepared to die and accepted the end of Cheng Yuzhou's existence, but suddenly someone told her:
Cheng Yuzhou is not dead.
He's still here, right beside her. He wasn't killed by her, but his soul was scattered while trying to save her.
My emotions are fluctuating wildly, but I don't know who to vent them on.
Li Yufei didn't want to investigate the identities of the girl and the boy; she didn't care whether they were human or bird, god or demon.
"You can really grant my wish?" His swollen, red fox eyes stared intently at the girl. "You're not lying to me? You're serious?"
Shi was startled by the fierce glint in her eyes and nodded hesitantly.
"Then I want to bring him back to life! I want him to become human again, can you do that too?"
He nodded.
Li Yufei opened her eyes.
She had no hope, but she never expected it to actually happen.
"Really? You're not lying to me?" She hurriedly crawled on her knees and grabbed the clothes she had picked up. "No side effects? He can turn back into a human?"
Touched by a human, Shi trembled slightly. She forced herself not to run away and nodded calmly, "Mmm."
"Then, then hurry up..." Li Yufei turned to the side, facing the empty space behind her, unsure of where to point, then turned back to urge the girl, "Quickly turn him back!"
He turned his head, bit off and pulled it off his body.
A pure black feather appeared between her teeth. With a forceful push, she shot the feather towards a spot in the open space.
The feather disappeared onto the ground, and in its place appeared the figure of a man.
Li Yufei's heart pounded. She stared blankly at the man who had reappeared before her, tears streaming down her face without her noticing.
He's back! He's really back!
Cheng Yuzhou... he's back!
"Cheng Yuzhou!" She rushed over and turned Cheng Yuzhou over on the ground, only to find his eyes closed, his lips pale, and he motionless.
"What's wrong with him?" she asked anxiously, looking at the boy and girl. "Why isn't he awake?"
"[He took a blow from [the world's henchmen], it's a miracle he didn't immediately dissipate.]" the boy laughed. "[Don't worry, with the feathers he picked up sustaining his soul, he'll awaken soon.]"
"Let's go." Shi gestured forward, "We can take him out now."
Li Yufei breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Upon seeing Cheng Yuzhou again, she had recovered and looked at the two of them suspiciously and warily: "Really no side effects? You don't want my soul as a trade? Did you implant some kind of controller inside him?"
He shook his head.
The boy raised an eyebrow: [I am very interested in him, but unfortunately, the number of feathers a spirit can carry is limited; a spirit can only hold a maximum of one feather. Moreover, judging from the situation, he probably won't be willing to cooperate with me anymore.]
"[Let's go quickly.]" Shi urged softly. "[This place is about to collapse, let's go quickly.]"
Li Yufei wiped the mist from her eyes.
She vaguely sensed the undercurrent of tension. The girl called Shi kept her grip on the knife hilt tightly, her whole body tense.
The two bird-like figures, one black and one white, were of unknown origin. Li Yufei didn't ask any questions and carried Cheng Yuzhou outside.
It's fortunate it was her; if it were any other girl, how many could carry Cheng Yuzhou that far?
Cheng Yuzhou is quite lucky to have such a wonderful wife.
As she stepped out of the barrier, Li Yufei secretly glanced back.
The girl was no longer in her previous spot. With her last glimpse, she saw the gray-black girl carrying a knife rushing towards the white-haired boy.
Li Yufei quickened her pace and carried Cheng Yuzhou outside.
Hurry up, hurry up, God help her get out before those two bastards start fighting and destroying the world.
Stepping out of the strange tale and past two S-curves, Li Yufei saw the nearest bus stop in the distance.
It's a car!
She was in high spirits, but her mind suddenly felt foggy.
A wisp of mist swirled in her mind, obscuring her memories of the ghost stories.
Wait a minute, wait a minute!
Li Yufei, holding Cheng Yuzhou, ran desperately toward the bus in the distance, her consciousness gradually fading and her steps becoming increasingly slow.
Suddenly everything went black, and a shocking wave of dizziness made her feel lightheaded.
Bang……
She fell to the ground. Li Yufei gritted her teeth and tried to support herself and Cheng Yuzhou, but despite several attempts, she couldn't stand up.
The dizziness intensified, and in my last moments of consciousness, I saw the bus that had stopped at the station driving away into the distance.
She opened her eyes, but her vision grew darker and darker until she could no longer see the car. All she could see was her left hand, which she was desperately reaching forward.
The unconscious Cheng Yuzhou lay on top of her, the sun shining on them from outside the barrier, the diamonds on their ring fingers melting like snow in the sunlight.
The dazzling fire and silver light turned into black smoke, dissipating in wisps, becoming the last memory of this strange tale and Li Yufei before she fainted.
...
...
"Madam's health is fine now."
"Then why haven't you woken up yet?"
"Don't worry, let's wait another day and see."
In her dazed state, Li Yufei heard someone talking.
That voice sounds so familiar...
Who is it...?
She felt like she hadn't heard that voice in a very long time...
As she forced her heavy eyelids open, intense pain immediately assaulted Li Yufei.
She gasped, then closed her eyes tightly again.
It hurts so much... My head feels like it's going to split open... It hurts so much...
"Feifei!"
A clear, gentle male voice rang in her ears, filling her with anxiety.
Li Yufei endured the pain and opened her eyes a crack.
Upon seeing the person beside the bed, she disregarded the pain and her eyes widened instantly.
"...Cheng Yuzhou?"
She was so shocked that she sat up... but she couldn't sit up properly because her whole body ached, as if she had been run over by a road roller.
“It’s me, Feifei, don’t move.” Her left hand was wrapped up. “You need to rest.”
"What rest?" Li Yufei looked at the man beside her in astonishment.
She had sketched this face hundreds of times; she knew his brow bone, his cupid's bow, and every single detail of him perfectly.
This is the face that has appeared in her memory and in her imagination countless times in the dead of night, when she is lonely and down. But he should never have appeared in front of her or in reality.
"You..." Li Yufei's eyes widened in horror, and she asked in a weak voice, "You've come back to life?"
Or did she see a ghost?
She really had forgotten.
Cheng Yuzhou held her hand tightly, his voice hoarse and choked with emotion, "I'll tell you, Feifei. Before that, take care of your health."
Li Yufei closed her eyes with difficulty.
Her whole body was burning hot, and she couldn't keep her eyelids open, so she fell into a deep sleep again.
Is this a dream...?
Did she dream about Cheng Yuzhou again?
As she fell asleep again, her mind seemed to play out one bizarre fragment after another, each containing the image of Cheng Yuzhou.
She tried to examine the fragments closely to see what they contained, but as soon as she focused her attention, they would flash through her mind, leaving her unable to grasp even a single detail.
When Li Yufei woke up again, she found herself in an unfamiliar room.
The room was empty. The feverish pain had subsided, but his throat was parched.
Where am I...?
Sitting on the bed, Li Yufei stared blankly for a while.
Then I decided to go out and get a glass of water.
She seemed to have been lying in bed for too long; her body was weak. After getting out of bed, she stood still for a while before she had the strength to walk.
Li Yufei pressed the doorknob of the room, then quickly withdrew her hand.
She stared in surprise at the large diamond ring on her hand—what was that?!
This is her wedding ring with Cheng Yuzhou from back then. She had long kept it hidden away in a box. How did it end up on her hand? Who touched her safe?
Li Yufei rushed out the door and bumped into someone.
"Oh dear, madam!" A familiar-looking old woman was carrying a tray at the doorway and was about to fall when Li Yufei quickly grabbed her.
Once she had regained her footing, the old woman let out a long sigh of relief.
Li Yufei looked her up and down and recognized her. "You are... Aunt Lin?"
Aunt Lin looked at Li Yufei and said with delight, "Madam is finally awake. The master just left. He was in a meeting in the study. I'll call him right away."
"What?" Li Yufei exclaimed in shock. "What wife? What gentleman?"
"Is Madam confused?" Aunt Lin laughed, handing her the tray. "Your voice is hoarse. Have some water, and I'll call the master right away."
She left happily, while Li Yufei stood there with the tray in hand, her gaze involuntarily drifting back to the diamond ring on her left hand.
Let me drink some water first, and think about it while I drink.
Glug glug.
With her hands on her hips, Li Yufei drank water while her fox-like eyes scanned her surroundings.
This was an unfamiliar villa; she had never been here before.
But since Aunt Lin is here, could the "gentleman" she's referring to be... Cheng Yuzhou?
Her hazy memories from the high fever resurfaced, and she seemed to see Cheng Yuzhou in a half-dream, half-awake state.
That's impossible!
Cheng Yuzhou has been dead for six years. She has watched the surveillance footage of his accident countless times and witnessed his burial. How could he still be alive?
unless……
After placing the water glass on the table, Li Yufei reached a surprising conclusion—
She time-traveled! She time-traveled to a parallel world!
Judging from the diamond ring on her hand, she wasn't reborn and traveled back in time; in this world, she was already married to Cheng Yuzhou.
But is the Cheng Yuzhou of the parallel world still the same Cheng Yuzhou she knows?
She had never had any contact with this Cheng Yuzhou, had no shared memories with him, and had no emotional entanglement with him.
Even if he is Cheng Yuzhou, there is no relationship between them. She will have to explain things clearly to this Cheng Yuzhou later.
"Feifei!"
With a shout, Li Yufei turned around and met the eyes of the man at the bottom of the stairs.
Six years later, that familiar figure appeared before her eyes, standing there alive.
The thoughts that had just been clarified crumbled in an instant.
A lump formed in her throat, and a jumble of chaotic emotions surged up, overwhelming Li Yufei.
“Cheng Yuzhou…” she murmured.
"Feifei!" Cheng Yuzhou walked towards her in a few steps, his brows furrowed with anxiety and worry. "You still..." "Cheng Yuzhou!"
Before he could finish speaking, she suddenly rushed into his arms like a cluster of beautiful roses, clutching his shirt and bursting into tears.
Why are you crying?
Li Yufei couldn't explain the reason either.
She had no time for a detailed analysis and completely overturned her previous decision.
Forget about this Cheng Yuzhou or that Cheng Yuzhou, all she knew was that she had seen Cheng Yuzhou again.
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A note from the author:
Our focus is on the three stories in the copywriting; the world system is just a system, and we won't go into detail here.
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