Chapter 26: The Soul Cannot Be Summoned
The sky seemed to be getting brighter, and Cang Ming's eyelids were filled with lake blue light. After a while, she finally opened her eyelids and found herself curled up in someone else's arms like a dead person.
This is a familiar embrace, warm, solid, full of strength, and emitting the light scent of bamboo leaves. This is an embrace that I have never said goodbye to.
Cang Ming raised his face and saw his tight lips and jaw.
"General."
Cang Ming sat up in a daze and looked into his dark eyes. Wei Ci's eyes were filled with anxiety and worry, and his face was paler than before.
"Where are we? Aren't we underwater?" Cang Ming turned his head and looked around, and found that the two were in a conch.
After a while, I realized it was a cave with smooth walls, shaped like a conch. The cave entrance faced the river in the distance. The river was calm on the surface, but infinite dangers lay deep beneath the water.
"General, you have swum a long way underwater. The ghost ship is still some distance away from here." Wei Ci looked at her with eyes full of sadness.
Cang Ming remembered that he had once told him not to run around, and in the blink of an eye he dived into the water. How could others not be sad and worried?
So she said weakly: "Sorry, sorry."
Wei Ci looked at her deeply, as if he wanted to see through her: "Why should I apologize? It's my fault that I didn't keep up with you."
Cang Ming forced a smile: "How could that be? It was you who pulled me out, hahahaha. Where's Wu Lu?"
Wei Ci said, "He drifted away chasing Zhong Wuqi."
Cang Ming continued to laugh and said, "It doesn't matter. Immortals can't drown anyway, hahaha. As for that old guy Zhong Wuqi, he probably used some breath-holding pill, hahaha."
There was no smile on Wei Ci's face: "General, let's go back to the human world."
Cang Ming hurriedly said, "But where are Xisheng and Huayi?"
Wei Ci said with a serious face, "They will be fine. I have set up a barrier around the ghost ship. If I jump into the water to look for you, I won't be able to find you."
"Really?" Cang Ming looked at the river and said thoughtfully, "The song that lasted so long... turned out to be just a moment."
"General." Wei Ci grabbed her arm and wanted to say something. Cang Ming suddenly covered her face with her hands and started crying tremblingly.
Wei Ci half-knelt, holding her shoulders with both hands. Her shoulders drooped weakly, as if paper flowers were crushed by heavy snow, or as if starched clothes were wet and collapsed by rain.
Cang Ming raised his head and said with difficulty: "There is..."
Wei Ci said softly, "The most difficult things happen underwater. The Spring and Autumn Crossing reminds people of the deepest ties in their hearts, which is why so many souls can't make it through this stage."
Cang Ming said, "I heard the nursery rhyme my mother sang to me. That was many years ago. I thought I had forgotten it."
Without saying anything, he said, "Yes."
Cang Ming said, "You know, the nursery rhymes my mother sang to me were always about generals. Since I was little, I wanted to be a general, like my father."
Without saying anything, he said, "Yes."
Cang Ming said, "Under the water, I thought I could see my parents again. They died without a complete body, their souls scattered, and they failed to turn into ghosts. I tried to consult a Yin-Yang master to summon their souls, but it was useless."
Wei Ci said, "I know."
Cang Ming wiped his face with his clothes and found that his robe felt dry and warm. He didn't know what magic Wei Ci used to make it dry.
She forced a smile and said casually, "You see, my parents' affairs are my inner demon. I never know when they'll strike, but luckily you always help me."
"It's nothing. I'll always be watching over you." Wei Ci said quietly, "General, if you're tired, just take a rest."
Cang Ming said tiredly, "Yes, I'm very tired." After that, she knelt up, put her arms around Wei Ci's neck, and buried her head in his shoulder.
Wei Ci was as stunned as a statue, not knowing where to put his hands. Cang Ming leaned against him quietly for a moment, then gently let go and stepped back.
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her waist and back and pulled her forward.
She practically fell into Wei Ci's embrace, being tightly embedded in it, as if surrounded by a warm flame. She felt a slight shudder, but she couldn't tell whether it came from Wei Ci or herself.
Amidst the sound of Wei Ci's strong heartbeat, her heart also slowly calmed down. She raised her head from his chest and asked knowingly, "Wei Ci, this time when we hugged each other, it didn't seem like we were trying to save each other, nor did it seem like we were trying to take each other flying..."
Wei Ci loosened his arm in a panic, lowered his head and looked away, saying, "General, I am guilty of the offense."
A light red color appeared on Wei Ci's fair face, and even his ears turned red.
Cang Ming said again: "Wei Ci, do you think we will be general and subordinate in the future? Or something else?"
Wei Ci was speechless and looked at Cang Ming cautiously. It was hard to tell whether he was hesitant or wanted to ask her for instructions.
Cang Ming suddenly had an idea, thinking that the demon king might not be willing to openly associate with immortal Taoist priests.
Humans and ghosts have different paths, and gods and demons counteract each other. If I really become a god in the future, I might even be sent by the heavens to suppress the demon king.
After realizing this, Cang Ming suddenly felt a slight disappointment. She stopped talking, leaned back against the smooth cave wall, and looked at him in a daze for a moment.
Noticing Wei Ci's inquiring gaze, Cang Ming forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, your lips are pink, like flower petals, haha..." She had no idea what she was saying in her mind.
Wei Ci smiled helplessly and blurted out: "Little girl, you are talking nonsense again."
After saying this, both of them were a little dazed and stunned at each other.
Cang Ming felt that the tone of his voice was indescribably familiar, but when she thought back on her turbulent life, no one had ever said these words to her.
Wei Ci's pretty boy, who had just calmed down, began to show inexplicable nervousness again: "General, what I meant just now was..."
Cang Ming smiled faintly and said, "Let's go back to find Xisheng and the others."
The two walked out of the conch cave. Cang Ming was still thinking about what Wei Ci had just said. He asked absentmindedly, "Where did I drift from?"
Wei Ci smiled and pointed in a direction: "Over there."
Without the Ice Blade Sword in hand, and Cang Ming not being very good at drawing teleportation talismans, the two of them simply used their light body skills and leaped a long distance away.
Cang Ming Ling Feng jumped up, turned around and shouted, "Wei Ci, do you have any flying boots in your shop?"
As soon as Wei Ci landed, he tapped his toes lightly and jumped up again. He laughed dumbly and said, "As for this, I'm ashamed to say that I haven't received it yet."
Cang Ming said excitedly, "Then is there any clothing with wings?"
“…”
Less than three incense sticks later, the ghost ship appeared before their eyes, motionless and covered in dust.
Cang Ming did a somersault and jumped onto the boat, landing right in front of Xi Sheng: "I'm back!"
Xisheng stood in front of the cabin, hands behind her back, staring into the distance and whistling. Seeing Cang Ming land, she nodded without surprise, without stopping the melody.
Wei Ci also boarded the boat. Cang Ming glanced back at him and smiled, causing him to look uneasy again. The underwater shock seemed like a long time ago, and a new era seemed to be unfolding, but the two of them seemed to have something left unfinished. Even they themselves didn't know what to say, but they suddenly didn't dare to look each other in the eye.
Cang Ming knocked on the cabin door, and a faint response came from inside. She opened the door and walked into the cabin. Hua Yi was lying on her back on the mat, with the words "living is worse than death" written all over her body.
Cang Ming squatted down and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, the conditions were too bad for asking you to go out with us..."
Hua Yi whispered, "This is my fate..."
Cang Ming clapped his hands and spoke passionately: "Hey, little brother, cheer up, we are on the road again now!"
Hua Yi seemed deeply moved by her encouraging tone. Thinking of her long-lost home, her eyes filled with tears.
Xisheng had already whistled an entire exorcism song, and slowly ended with a series of variations at the end, leaving the lingering sound for a while.
Cang Ming came close to her and waved to Wei Ci. The three of them whispered to each other and conspired loudly.
Xi Sheng gazed into the distance and said solemnly, "I don't know where Wu Lu has gone. Although Zhong Wuqi's talent is mediocre, he is cunning and difficult to defeat."
Cang Ming thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we split up into two groups? One group will go find Wu Lu, and the other group will go send Hua Yi away."
Xisheng nodded and said succinctly, "I'll go find Wu Lu and help him beat Zhong Wuqi."
Before he said goodbye, he said, "General, you can give us your orders."
The bundle on Xisheng's head had disappeared. Cang Ming picked up the cloak on the deck and handed it to her: "I have the mask, the cloak is for you."
Xisheng never hesitated or refused. He took it and put it on, covering his head with the hood. He was silent and taciturn, just like a living merchant walking in the underworld.
Xisheng got off the boat, and Cangming suddenly jumped down as well.
Xisheng said, "It's okay, no need to send me off."
Cang Ming said: "No, I just suddenly remembered, do you recognize Wu Lu's current fake face..."
Shocked everyone.
Xisheng said, "I can't recognize it."
Wei Ci jumped to Cang Ming's side swiftly and said with a smile: "I can only rely on the Fairy of Music to recognize you."
Xisheng said: "You are very happy. Because I can't come back for a while."
Cang Ming gave an inappropriate laugh, then took out a leaf and said seriously, "We each have a talisman so we can sense each other and avoid getting separated."
The moment the leaf was handed to Xisheng, it turned into a yellow talisman. Xisheng put it in his sleeve and nodded to indicate that it was useful.
Hua Yi timidly got off the boat and stood next to Cang Ming. Cang Ming saw Hua Yi walking around voluntarily for the first time and asked in surprise, "Are you coming down to move around?"
Hua Yi said: "I don't want to be on top..."
Cang Ming suddenly realized and said hurriedly: "We just came down to talk, we won't abandon you, don't be afraid."
As she spoke, she snapped her fingers and summoned the Ice Blade Sword. The sword flew out from under the boat, causing the boat to bounce upwards.
Hanging the sword back on his waist, Cang Ming said calmly: "Okay, now this brother and I will take you back..."
The ghost ship suddenly leaped forward, and the people were caught off guard and dodged hastily: "?"
The ship leaped forward again, as if roaring and swearing at them. Then, suddenly, the ghost ship took off from the ground, landed in an arc, and glided away at full speed without looking back.
Cang Ming watched in amazement as it turned left and right on the land, passed through villages and mountains, and finally turned into a small dot and disappeared.
The ghost ship abandoned them and went back to find its master alone.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com