Chapter 21
"I don't care if you're her or not." Jiang Zhuochen curled his lips in disgust. "But it's wrong of you to lie to me."
"That's my jade pendant, you can't take it away..." Liu He'an struggled, his left hand tightly gripping the area below his clothes. "That's clearly mine!"
Jiang Zhuochen was just racking his brains about where to hide the jade pendant when it came to him so easily.
"You can tell your sister this later." It's no use talking to him; he can't get rid of family matters anyway.
"No, I won't see her!" the old man said angrily. "She lived a whole life and now she's haunting me even after death. Why wasn't she thrown into the eighteenth level of hell by the ghost messengers!"
Jiang Zhuochen was hard to explain. Did these crazy people with crooked ways of thinking all have a particularly unique way of thinking?
He hooked two fingers together, and the icy, bone-chilling ghostly energy instantly burned the skin on the back of Liu Hehuan's hand. The intense pain made her instinctively flinch, and the ghostly energy seized the opportunity to pull her hand away forcefully.
The jade pendant landed steadily in Jiang Zhuochen's palm. The warm, lustrous jade shimmered slightly in the dim light, and he gently stroked its smooth surface with his fingertips.
Having helpers really makes a difference; Jiang Zhuochen remained calm and composed.
Meanwhile, it was past midnight, and the time to retrieve the soul had arrived.
The master's soul was drawn out by the longevity lamp. The moment the soul fell into the lamp, Liu He'an, freed from restraint, revealed her true, ferocious nature. The ghostly energy emanating from her body directly devoured Liu Hehuan's ghostly energy, and in an instant, visibility was reduced to zero.
"Give me your life!"
Jiang Zhuochen had never seen anything like this before. He didn't even have time to catch up with the spirits, and his whole body trembled.
Now it's not him saving his master, but his master saving him. He's only been cultivating for three years, what kind of stuff could he possibly understand?
Jiang Zhuochen hurriedly took out the life-saving tools his master had given him and scattered them around as if they were free. He fled all the way back to his residence and threw himself into the arms of Xu Xing, who had come down to meet him.
"Run!"
Taking advantage of the weakened ghostly aura, he used his spiritual power to throw the jade pendant into the third-floor window.
A piercing, inhuman scream, filled with a century of resentment and a desire for liberation, suddenly ripped through the silence. The sound seemed to come from the deepest depths of hell, shaking the houses violently.
A pale figure shot out like an arrow, accompanied by a biting wind and surging black energy, from the gap in the broken wooden window frame!
The blurry shadow gradually solidified, and Liu Hehuan's long hair danced wildly in the eerie wind, obscuring most of her face, revealing only a pair of empty eyes burning with extreme resentment, fixed intently on Liu He'an, who was shrouded in ghostly energy. Her fingernails were long and black, and her body was surrounded by a tangible black aura of resentment.
Liu He'an straightened her hunched back and walked normally. Before the violent heaving in her lungs had subsided, she looked up and saw the sinister face that seemed to want to tear her to pieces.
Liu He'an let out a low growl that sounded completely inhuman, "I can kill you once, and I can kill you a thousand times over!"
"I will never let you go again." Liu Hehuan's soft voice rang out clearly, tinged with a barely perceptible tremor. "I will tear you apart piece by piece, so that you can experience the pain I suffered in my life."
Her sleeves fluttered, her five fingers spread wide, and her black nails, whistling through the air, viciously clawed at the old man's face and heart!
A bone-chilling cold almost grazed Liu He'an's neck. A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes, and her claws transformed into blades as she slashed at Liu Hehuan beside her!
The two ghosts fought fiercely, and Jiang Zhuochen pulled Xu Xing away from the front courtyard, hiding in the nearby park.
The ghostly energies of both sides devoured each other, soaring into the sky and rapidly spreading outwards like splashed ink. The old, dilapidated streetlights were enveloped in the ghostly energy, leaving only darkness.
Jiang Zhuochen blocked the indiscriminate black mist, and suddenly he smelled an unusual scent, which then covered a large area of ghostly energy.
Realizing it was a maze, Jiang Zhuochen took out two golden pills and gave one to Xu Xing. Just as he swallowed it, he noticed a figure appear in front of him.
Liu Hehuan's body had almost receded into a transparent state, and even her voice carried a hint of weariness. "Please take the soul out of my body as well."
Jiang Zhuochen was taken aback, not expecting that Liu Hehuan also possessed his master's soul. He subconsciously looked at Xu Xing, and Liu Hehuan noticed the doubt in his eyes.
"Your master's soul originally stood against the evil spirit within its body. Only when the evil spirit weakens will more spiritual energy leak out, which is why those around you can sense it."
A glint of light flashed in Jiang Zhuochen's eyes; he had wanted to ask that very moment. "What else do you know?"
Why did she know that this was her master's soul? Why did she also know that Xu Xing could sense it?
Liu Hehuan shook her head. "There's not enough time now. We need to retrieve your master's soul immediately, or we'll all die here."
Jiang Zhuochen hesitated: "But forcibly taking it out will hurt you, and you might not live long even after dealing with that ghost."
"I can still last for an hour or two."
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Jiang Zhuochen had no choice but to take out the Longevity Lamp, cut off a wisp of its flame, and break through Liu Hehuan's heart.
Jiang Zhuochen couldn't bear to see the body swaying precariously for a moment. He gritted his teeth, drew the remnant soul away from the lamp, and forcibly extracted the fourth wisp of soul.
The ghostly aura surged immediately. Liu Hehuan dispersed the bewitching array and turned back before leaving: "If there's still time after this is over, I can tell you everything I know."
Jiang Zhuochen clung to the railing, stretched his neck, and shouted, "Sister, take this fight further away. It'll hurt innocent people here."
Liu Hehuan didn't reply to him, but the ghostly aura around them was becoming increasingly thin.
Xu Xing said calmly, "You seem to know everyone."
Jiang Zhuochen, oblivious to the sudden shift from anxiety to spectatorship, drawled out, "I don't know many people here either."
The two chatted casually for a while, and when they figured it was about time, Jiang Zhuochen got up.
"You stay here, I'll go find out what's going on. Don't wait for me."
It wasn't about gathering information; he was clearly eager to ask about his master's soul.
Xu Xing leaned against the pole and asked casually, "Can't I go?"
“It’s not that I can’t,” Jiang Zhuochen explained. “They should be in the mountains. I can get there faster by myself, but I’m afraid I won’t make it if I take you with me.”
The ghostly aura erupting in the distance had become so faint that he could barely detect it, indicating that time was running out.
Seeing his sincerity, Xu Xing said no more.
The last crimson blood moon in the night sky was completely hidden behind the thick, damp clouds that smelled of blood. The mountains, in the darkness, were like a lurking beast, silent and oppressive.
Half of the hillside at the top of the mountain had been forcibly cut away and leveled, exposing the bare mountainside as fresh, dark brown soil and rock fragments. Jiang Zhuochen approached cautiously.
Liu Hehuan sat on a broken tree trunk, her body appearing transparent in a chilling way. No longer a pale, solid form, she resembled a human silhouette forcibly condensed from murky water vapor and a faint, cold light.
The female ghost tilted her head, her eyes now only a blank, weary blackness. "Sorry, I suddenly ran out of energy."
Jiang Zhuochen shook his head and sat down next to her: "So, do you still want to talk now?"
"Let me think," the female ghost said softly. "Is there anything you want to ask?"
Jiang Zhuochen blurted everything out: "Why was Xu Xing able to sense my master's soul? What is their relationship? And do you know where I can find my master's soul again?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the one beside you is just an empty shell." Liu Hehuan's only wish had been fulfilled, and now she felt carefree and relaxed. She joked, "Perhaps the soul you're searching for belongs to him?"
Jiang Zhuochen sat up straight instantly, then slumped back down after realizing something. "But the longevity lamp isn't responding."
"The longevity lamp can only sense the soul, so of course it won't react to the empty body."
"Really?" Jiang Zhuochen's hope was rekindled.
Liu Hehuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, her gaze shifting back to the distant starry sky. "I was just saying, don't get too excited. After all, you don't belong to this world, and I don't understand the laws governing your place. As for where else your master's soul might reside..."
Wisps of extremely fine black smoke continuously drifted and dissipated from the edges of her ashen, translucent body.
After all, the other party had helped her a little. Not wanting to see him wavering between hope and despair, Liu Hehuan suddenly smiled as she looked at his expectant expression through the dissipating fog, taking advantage of the little time left.
"Go and look for it in Fanglin Town. Although I've been wandering in the human world for so many years, that's all I know."
Jiang Zhuochen looked up at the white mist dissipating into the air, only one sentence remaining in his ears:
"I hope your wish comes true too."
The moonlight, which had been hidden, reappeared, and its bright yellow light fell indiscriminately on the earth, even softening the speed at which the wind swept up the dust.
Back in his apartment complex, Jiang Zhuochen was filled with mixed emotions. Although it was just Liu Hehuan's guess and she told him not to take it seriously, Jiang Zhuochen couldn't help but start overthinking.
He ran back into the house, and when he opened the door, he saw Xu Xing's sculpted and aloof profile. He was somewhat surprised that the other person wasn't asleep; he circled around him, getting closer and closer.
Xu Xing narrowly avoided the attack. "What happened? What's wrong?"
Jiang Zhuochen mumbled, "Do you remember anything from before?"
Xu Xing asked, "From when?"
"The earliest time I can remember."
"He should be four or five years old."
"What's next?" Jiang Zhuochen persisted.
Xu Xing laughed, "Not many people remember what happened right after they were born, right?"
Jiang Zhuochen pursed his lips and remained silent, touching Xu Xing's arm to sense the longevity lamp again, but there was still no response.
Is it truly an empty shell, or was it never truly a person? Then why was he able to sense his master's soul?
Jiang Zhuochen lowered his eyes, and Xu Xing caught a fleeting look of disappointment. He suppressed his smile, a sense of irritation rising in his heart, instinctively feeling that the other party was definitely trying to get something from him about his master.
The feeling of being constantly compared to others, and being the one who is ignored, can really breed resentment.
"Is there something you want to say?"
Jiang Zhuochen shook his head. "Everything has been resolved. My sister just wished me all my wishes would come true."
Xu Xing felt increasingly uncomfortable thinking about how this person kept searching for his master's soul, and his face darkened.
However, Jiang Zhuochen was so absorbed in his own distress that he didn't notice the other person's sudden change in demeanor.
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com