Chapter 58 The Holy Maiden of Miao Territory and Her Beloved Wife (Twenty-Eight)
The Holy Maiden's Coffin
"I, Xu Shou, cultivated the Corpse Demon Path and eventually became a Great Gu Master. I originally intended to refine all the Gu Masters of Miao Jiang into my Corpse Gu, but a little girl beat me to it. Now that she has obtained the Immortal Gu, she is no longer the same as before, and even I can no longer make a move against her."
"As the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances. I will present the coffin of the Holy Maiden to Shui Mingsheng and become her first meritorious subject. You former righteous people will be left far behind me!"
Xu Shou mocked the Gu Masters of Daobei Ridge, then took away the coffin of the Thousand-Year-Old Saintess.
As a Gu master capable of creating corpse Gu, Xu Shou knew all too well how many corpses were underground. On the first day the Path to the Upper Ridge opened, Xu Shou's Corpse King Gu infiltrated the Stele Ridge to search for the so-called maze within. Although Shui Mingsheng found the wooden box first, Xu Shou also found a coffin.
That was the coffin of the Thousand-Year Saintess! It was said that the coffin contained the Saintess's last treasure, but the strange power emanating from it made people hesitant to make a move!
Xu Shou realized he couldn't open the coffin, so he decided to give it to Shui Mingsheng as a favor.
"Xu Shou, what are you doing sneaking around here?" Shui Mingsheng asked.
"I have come specifically to present Lord Shui with the coffin of the thousand-year-old saintess, in order to help you obtain the relics of the third level." Xu Shou cupped his hands and said, "I only hope that Lord Shui will spare my life."
“I am not one to kill indiscriminately. What did you do that made me want to kill you?” Shui Mingsheng asked.
"Then I am relieved and hope to serve you under Lord Yu Shui's command."
"Get out of here. Leave your things behind."
"Yes, yes." Xu Shou retreated awkwardly.
Shui Mingsheng stared at the coffin left outside Qingyu Tower, his expression inscrutable.
Xin Fang spoke first: "Ming... Ming Sheng, the coffin is here. I wonder if there's a trap."
Shui Mingsheng suddenly became the number one Gu Master in Miao Jiang. In Miao Jiang, where strength is respected, she can be called the great-grandmother of all Gu Masters. Everyone calls her "Lord Shui", which makes Xin Fang a little confused.
Shui Mingsheng had originally planned to spend a few days of leisure time with Jiang Yiqing at Qingyu Tower, but unexpectedly, the coffin was delivered to her. If she didn't open it, wouldn't those people watching her laugh at her and think that she was too afraid to open it?
“I want to see what’s inside the coffin.” Shui Mingsheng stepped forward.
Jiang Yiqing pulled her back, and she had that same uneasy premonition she had before in front of the Five Poisons Cave.
However, this time Shui Mingsheng did not listen to her. She waved her hand away and came to the coffin.
Jiang Yiqing stood there, stunned.
When no one was watching, Shui Mingsheng's face showed a look of pain, but she secretly hid it.
Shui Mingsheng attempted to open the coffin using her own power, but even with two powerful immortal Gu, she was still unable to open the coffin made of thousand-year-old cedar wood.
There seemed to be a powerful restriction on the coffin, which could only be activated by a power of the same origin.
Shui Mingsheng used the power of the Divine Hands; his pure white hands, like the hands of a mother embracing her child, gently and easily opened the coffin lid.
As the coffin lid was opened, everything inside was revealed to everyone.
It was the body of the thousand-year-old saintess preserved with the "Incorruptible Gu," still retaining the appearance she had at the last moment of her life.
Startled, Shui Mingsheng took a step back.
Jiang Yiqing and Xin Fang hurriedly followed. Jiang Yiqing covered her lips, her eyes filled with disbelief, and said, "This is the Holy Maiden..."
She was an extremely beautiful woman, dressed in white, with a flower wreath on her chest. Beside her lay a divine object emitting an eerie light, shaped like a bell. Surrounding her were countless Gu worms, glowing like fireflies, all of which were the immortal Gu worms she had used in her previous life, and they still refused to leave her side.
"Junior Shui Mingsheng greets the Holy Maiden." Shui Mingsheng said, looking at the Insect-Summoning Bell and holding it in his hand.
“The third layer of the Holy Maiden’s mystery is the insect-summoning bell, isn’t it?” Shui Mingsheng said with some pride. “With this bell, I can, like the Holy Maiden, preside over the sacrifices, receive the protection of the mountain god, and rule over the vast Miao region.”
"Mingsheng, watch out!"
When the two shouted in unison, Shui Mingsheng was still immersed in this fantasy. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but it was as if someone had put this psychological suggestion on her, making her feel that she was the only one who mattered in the world. Even though she knew that this was not the real her, she could not resist this suggestion.
The moment she revealed her weakness, a hand grasped the Insect-Summoning Bell along with her. As the bell rang, the White Emperor Dream Gu and Red Lotus Nirvana Gu on Shui Mingsheng's body seemed to sense it and were shaken out of her body. Her soul also seemed to be shaken by something, and it seemed that half of her three souls and seven spirits were about to be drawn out. Fortunately, the Love Gu realized that things were not going well and held her soul back.
"Holy Maiden?!" Shui Mingsheng reacted and questioned, "You're actually trying to seize my soul? Why are you doing this?"
Everyone saw the saintess's body float up from the coffin. Although her eyes were not open, she seemed to be half-alive. Her voice descended from above, sounding extremely eerie—
"Shui Mingsheng, your mission is over. I am very grateful to Miao Jiang for nurturing such an outstanding descendant as you. Let me walk the road ahead for you."
"No, what are you saying?" Shui Mingsheng looked at her in horror: "Did you design the inheritance just to find a suitable person to refine it? You want to sacrifice my flesh and blood as your vessel to revive yourself?"
"Otherwise, do you think a pie will fall from the sky?" The saintess's voice was authoritative yet tinged with mockery.
"No, you can't do this. I promised Yiqing that I would protect her for the rest of my life. You can't separate us." Shui Mingsheng looked at Jiang Yiqing. At this moment, she realized how wrong she was. After gaining power, she became busy and no longer cherished every minute and second she spent with her.
But now, the pain of loss makes the love potion restless and uneasy in her body, causing her heart to ache terribly.
"Shui Mingsheng, is your lover the most important thing to you? No, your desires are more important. Let her go. Your greed will ultimately harm you and her as well."
Shui Mingsheng tried to resist, but her Gu worm had already merged with the Saintess's Gu worm. What was hers was now the Saintess's. Not only did she have no strength to resist, but she also felt her consciousness being assimilated with the consciousness from the Saintess.
At that moment, she seemed to have been completely brainwashed, and she even began to distrust herself.
What was she striving for to get to where she is today? She already had Yi Qing, but she didn't cherish it and instead went to participate in some kind of competition.
She was too greedy, thinking that all the things she had gained were due to her good fortune. She hadn't put in any effort, so how could she expect to receive such a reward for nothing?
Most importantly, her heart was truly aching; the love potion was telling her that she had done something to hurt Jiang Yiqing.
She no longer deserves to be by her side.
...
"No!!!" Jiang Yiqing's shout pulled Shui Mingsheng back from the brink of despair: "That's not how it is!!!"
"Jiang Yiqing, what, do you want to save your lover? What can you possibly do?" the saintess asked arrogantly.
"It's you! You've been staying on Ming Sheng's body all this time. You used your consciousness and power to infiltrate her. You're like a shameful voyeur, trying to take everything from her, yet you call it a treasure!" Jiang Yiqing shouted, her cheeks flushed. She had never been so angry before. "I don't believe someone like you can be the Holy Maiden of Miao Jiang!"
"What do you know?" The saintess's voice sounded angry, and she accelerated the speed at which she seized Shui Mingsheng's soul. She had to complete the transfer of consciousness before the power of the holy hand disappeared.
However, the Trust Gu beside her flew up and flew from her place to Jiang Yiqing's side.
As Shui Mingsheng saw the light emanating from the Trust Gu grow brighter and brighter, her eyes were no longer dull, as if they had been infused with a new will and belief.
"Yiqing, thank you, thank you for trusting me..."
Shui Mingsheng hugged Jiang Yiqing tightly, as if she wanted to merge her into her own body. She had never longed for anyone so much in her life. Seeing her was like seeing her complete self.
"Thank you for helping me find myself... I can't live without you..."
"Mingsheng, I will always believe in you, even if my heart is broken." Jiang Yiqing leaned on her shoulder, feeling like crying from what she said. She raised her hand and gently wiped her eyes as she spoke.
Sensing her feelings, the love potion made Shui Mingsheng experience the pain of heartbreak, but she smiled and felt a sense of happiness.
She would never let Yiqing get hurt again, but before that, she had something important to do.
"What do you want to do? After you replace me, are you going to search for your lover from your past life?!" Shui Mingsheng loudly questioned the Holy Maiden, "Tell me, is that so?!"
"..." The Holy Maiden fell silent, and she tried to argue: "What are you talking about? She is already... dead."
"You know she's already gone, so why do you still want to replace me? Do you want to find her reincarnation? But will the reincarnated her be the same person? Even if she is, are you going to use someone else's flesh and blood to have a relationship with her? Even if you accept it, will she accept it?"
"How will you know if you don't try?" The saintess's voice carried a hint of bewilderment and a neurotic obsession.
"For your inexplicable obsession, are you willing to sacrifice me and Yiqing to accomplish all this?" Shui Mingsheng said, "How are you any different from those hypocritical fellows in Miao territory? Are you still the thousand-year-old saintess I admire? Are you still the ancestor who has been revered by everyone on this land for thousands of years?"
"..." After a long silence, the Holy Maiden said, "Shui Mingsheng, are you saying that you can be my successor, and you can become the next Holy Maiden that everyone reveres?"
"Am I not good enough?" Shui Mingsheng regained her inner resolve and questioned, while tightly gripping Jiang Yiqing's hand.
This time, she would never brush her aside, she would never let her go again, never.
"You're only eighteen, your foundation is shallow, and your power is insufficient," the saintess sneered. "Everything you have is thanks to me. What makes you think you can become me?"
“I don’t understand, but I will learn, I will take action, I will do my best and do everything I can,” Shui Mingsheng said. “Sooner or later, the people of this land will recognize me.”
"My estate is enormous; can you afford it?"
Shui Mingsheng looked at Jiang Yiqing and said, "Okay. If I do anything wrong, Yiqing, you must tell me."
"Will you listen to me?" Jiang Yiqing asked.
Shui Mingsheng's eyes gradually welled up with tears, as if they were about to fall. She said, "I will, I will listen to you, I will listen to everything you say."
When Xinfang saw her genuine emotions, his eyes welled up with tears, and he turned his head away, afraid of being laughed at.
“…Alright, Shui Mingsheng, I will pass on everything I have to you.”
"This junior is here." Shui Mingsheng bowed to the Holy Maiden of a Thousand Years of Life and bowed to her as her disciple.
“I haven’t done well enough. I hope you can do better than me.” The Holy Maiden said, “As a Holy Maiden, your spiritual power can reach heaven and earth. You are a celestial being. I will teach you the Human Immortal Gu and plant it in Jiang Yiqing’s body so that you can be together forever.”
Shui Mingsheng looked at her with emotion, not expecting that she had thought about these things. In her impulsiveness just now, she may have misunderstood the Holy Maiden.
"This is a lesson I learned from my own failures..." the saintess said. "I searched for a thousand years before finding the Human Immortal Gu, but it can't revive the deceased. It's truly... a pity."
"Senior, you have suffered so much all this time." Jiang Yiqing also felt that she had spoken a bit too harshly just now. She thought that if she lost Shui Mingsheng, she would not be able to be as calm as her: "Junior Yiqing, thank you for your kindness, thank you for bestowing the Immortal Gu upon me."
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