River of Oblivion
The chilling memory sent a shiver down Wang Xiaoxia's spine. It took her a while to come back to her senses and remember Old Jiang's words.
"Old Jiang, do you think that puppet gu was refined by Cui Heng?" Wang Xiaoxia asked, sitting on the ground, his gaze cold and calm.
She seemed to have guessed it, so she waited quietly for Old Jiang to tell her all of this.
"I remember that a hundred years ago, the only prince of the demon race died tragically while searching for the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. The demon king was grieving, and the demon race and the ghost race developed a rift. Coincidentally, at this time, a person claimed to be the demon king's illegitimate son and brought the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron back to the palace. Later, the cauldron somehow fell into the hands of the young master. At that time, the young master had a brother who was infatuated with a mortal woman and asked the young master for a puppet Gu. The young master used his heart's blood to refine one for him. After that, the Gu disappeared without a trace." Old Jiang recalled that it was an old story from a hundred years ago, but he remembered it very well.
"This Gu is not easy to refine; once it's planted, there's no cure," Old Jiang added.
So that's how it is. Wang Xiaoxia couldn't help but smile bitterly. So that's how it is! No wonder the jailer in the cell was so respectful to Cui Heng, a demon beast, that day. No wonder Cui Heng was unwilling to mention the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. It's likely that the so-called illegitimate son of the Demon King was Cui Heng in disguise. It's hard to say who killed the Demon Clan's eldest prince. His brother? It must be Cang Ze!
She recalled what Cui Heng had said to her that night. She was afraid that the person who saved him back then was Cang Ze's father. That's right, Cang Ze was Xuan Ming's son, which was why Cang Ze hated her people so much.
Thinking of this, Wang Xiaoxia couldn't help but grit her teeth and laugh coldly. A chill pierced her bones from her back. She blinked, and her gaze turned icy as well.
"If it's just a puppet, why bother refining it with your own blood and sweat?" Wang Xiaoxia couldn't help but ask with a cold laugh.
Why go to such lengths to kill a mere mortal like her?
"It's not just anyone's heart's blood that's needed; it has to be from someone who has fallen in love. Only when someone has fallen in love will the mother Gu protect the child Gu from death, and only then can the child Gu coexist with the mother Gu. Humans have short lifespans, so there have been demons who have refined this Gu for the sake of their beloved mortal women, hoping to live and die together," Old Jiang explained.
His eyes were wide open, the pale yellow in his pupils already somewhat cloudy, yet still radiating a childlike innocence.
Wang Xiaoxia couldn't help but smile wryly. Old Jiang didn't understand the meaning of that smile, only assuming she didn't believe him, so he emphasized his words:
"real!"
Wang Xiaoxia nodded and smiled bitterly. It wasn't that she didn't trust Lao Jiang, but she found it laughable. If Cang Ze wanted to kill her, it would be so easy. Why bother to go through all the trouble of refining this puppet gu to bind her soul, making her wish for death but unable to live?
Has he fallen in love? How ridiculous.
What did Cui Heng do for Cangze a hundred years ago? Who injured him? Was his maternal grandfather's death related to him?
The more she thought about it, the colder she felt. She had thought that someone who had nothing to do with these grudges had become a participant. But Cui Heng! Is it because you know my identity that you are so cold to me? Wang Xiaoxia couldn't help but sneer self-deprecatingly.
"Xiaoxia, what's wrong with you?" Old Jiang looked at Wang Xiaoxia with some curiosity, not understanding why she seemed to have suddenly changed her expression.
Wang Xiaoxia came to her senses, and her cold gaze softened. Old Jiang was just a blade of grass, and all these things were none of her business.
"It's nothing, Lao Jiang, I might have to go," Wang Xiaoxia said softly to Lao Jiang, giving a faint, bitter smile.
She didn't want to drag Old Ginger into this conflict. Plants like Old Ginger, which are spice-type plants, usually don't live long enough to become spirits. It was only by chance that Old Ginger received the blood of the demon beast Bai Ze. Ginger is warm in nature and is compatible with Bai Ze's blood, which is why it gained some spiritual power and barely transformed into a human form. Although it looks like an old man, it is only a little over a hundred years old, more than ten years younger than her, Wang Xiaoxia!
Her spiritual power was so weak that she would accidentally revert to her original form even when she slept, so how could she bear to let him get involved in this messy and filthy place?
"Where are you going? When are you coming back? How many days will you be gone?" Old Jiang asked in rapid succession.
He was reluctant to let Wang Xiaoxia leave. With the young master gone, if she were to leave as well, all that would be left for Old Jiang was endless loneliness and desolation.
"I'm going to take care of something. I'll be back when I'm done," Wang Xiaoxia said, comforting him like a child, a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes were filled with bitterness.
She knew Lao Jiang was reluctant to part with her, but she didn't want to deceive him, nor could she bear to see him sad.
"Alright, then you should come back soon. Young Master also said that he won't leave after everything is over. Then the three of us can live here together. You make your medicine, and I'll cook my meals," Old Jiang said happily, grinning widely, filled with endless fantasies and hopes for the future.
As far as he was concerned, he, the young master, and Wang Xiaoxia were already a family, and a family should naturally live together forever.
Wang Xiao smiled faintly, but the bitterness in her eyes had not faded at all. She took a deep breath and tried her best to look happy for Lao Jiang, not wanting to disappoint him. A simple plant like him should not be tainted by the troubles of the world.
"Old Jiang, I've heard that the River of Oblivion in the Underworld is very close to here. I've never seen it and I'd like to go take a look," Wang Xiaoxia said casually, pretending to be nonchalant.
The River of Oblivion is the closest place to death, the way back home for souls. This soul, neither alive nor dead, has never reached the River of Oblivion; it should have been her final destination.
"A hundred years ago, the demon and ghost races were locked in a fierce battle. To defend against the demons, the former Ghost King cleaved the Two Realms Mountain in two with a single stroke, creating a massive cliff between them. The cliff is bottomless, and at its deepest point lies the River of Oblivion. If you wish to see it, head northwest from here. If you're fast, you'll arrive in about a day. In the distance, you'll see a towering, dark peak that pierces the clouds. Once you cross that peak, you'll see the bottomless cliff. If you listen closely, you might hear the sound of flowing water. That's where the Ghost Realm and the Demon Realm meet. At the bottom of that ravine is the Underworld, and the River of Oblivion is right there." Old Jiang said, stroking his dry beard and looking at the withered herbs in front of him, pretending to be very knowledgeable. He nodded slightly.
"Okay," Wang Xiaoxia replied with a smile after glancing at Lao Jiang's pretentious manner.
She sighed, her eyes staring blankly at the herbs scattered on the ground in silence.
"Old Jiang, Cui Heng said he left you a dagger," Wang Xiaoxia finally asked after a long while.
"A dagger? It should be that one!" Old Jiang said, recalling that the young master had indeed left a dagger here in his early years. It was said to have some history and could be kept for self-defense.
"When I first met the young master, he was injured, and there was a dagger stuck in his arm. After I took it out for him, the young master left the dagger here, saying it was a treasure that could be used for self-defense. However, the young master has already set up a barrier here, so demons and ghosts cannot get close. Therefore, the dagger has been idle for hundreds of years," Old Jiang said after thinking for a moment.
If Wang Xiaoxia hadn't mentioned the dagger today, he would have almost forgotten about it. It had been sitting under his bed in his room, probably covered in dust.
"Could I borrow it for a moment?" Wang Xiaoxia asked.
Cui Heng had said that this dagger was stained with his blood, and Bai Ze's blood could gather spiritual energy; if gathered and used to kill, it would be enough to severely injure the ghost clan.
“Sure, I don’t really need it. You can have it if you need it,” Old Jiang said, getting up readily to retrieve the dagger.
Old Jiang never interfered in her affairs, and he treated Cui Heng the same way. He just stayed here quietly, content to be someone who could be of some use.
Although the dagger was covered with a thick layer of dust, it was well preserved by Old Jiang. Inside the cloth bag, there were two more layers of thick kraft paper wrapping it. Because it belonged to the young master, Old Jiang cherished it and never used it.
"Old Jiang, are you really willing to part with it?" Wang Xiaoxia asked, somewhat reluctantly, seeing how well the knife was wrapped.
"Since he has allowed you to take it, that's fine. I don't need it anyway," Old Jiang said generously, tearing the parchment to reveal a brand-new dagger inside.
This is not an ordinary knife. The patterns on the scabbard are extremely exquisite. Just looking at it from afar, one can feel its chilling aura and awe. It is not an ordinary object, but rather something belonging to a royal family of the ghost realm. Although it is a short knife, it is slightly heavy, and it should have been used by a man.
Wang Xiaoxia reached out and took the knife. It was quite heavy, making her hand feel a bit sluggish. She forcefully pulled the knife out of its sheath, and the cold, gleaming light shone directly into her eyes. A sweet, metallic scent of blood emanated from the knife—it was Cui Heng's.
The bloodstains could be wiped away, but the smell lingered. Upon closer inspection, two small characters were found engraved on the hilt of the knife: Chongli.
Wang Xiaoxia smiled calmly and sheathed the knife.
“Thank you, Lao Jiang,” she said.
The nights in the ghost realm are always more desolate than those in the human world. The eerie atmosphere chills one to the bone. Wang Xiaoxia, who has no body temperature, naturally cannot feel the cold, just like the many other ghosts.
Cui Heng did not return tonight, and the courtyard was unusually quiet. In two days, Cang Ze will be getting married, and they must all be in the Ghost King Palace at this moment.
In the corner of the courtyard, in Old Jiang's room, lay a withered, yellowed blade of grass. Wang Xiaoxia stood far away, not daring to approach, afraid that she might accidentally make a sound and scatter his spirit, preventing him from returning to human form. She held the dagger she had used during the day in her hand, and after a moment of silence, as if she had made a decision, perhaps tonight she should also venture into the Ghost King's Palace.
Nothing happened tonight. Cang Ze and Cui Heng had discussed the wedding arrangements early on and were resting in the palace. The Ghost King's Palace was different from the human world. The main hall was towering into the clouds, and a wide stone staircase stretched out from the palace. Countless pale blue ghost flames lit up on the stone pillars on both sides, and black chains extended from the ghost flames and wrapped around the stone pillars, which looked very eerie.
Although it was late at night, many ghost soldiers were still guarding the main gate of the Ghost King's Palace. Although Wang Xiaoxia had a pass, she could not wander around at night, so she had to enter through a side gate.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
