Chapter 68 Corpse Village, Glass Flower House (Part 3) First update... Greed is good...
Shi Xianxue's thoughts suddenly took a strange turn when he called her "sister" in such a soft voice.
Shi Xianxue couldn't help but recall that when they first met in the Black Mountain Cave, he had also called her "sister."
But at that time, he was stomping on her back with his feet, his face full of malice as if he were taking her life, no different from Yama, the King of Hell.
Wu Xiutang is now very well-behaved and as innocent as fresh snow. Shi Xianxue naturally finds this novel and also feels a despicable sense of relief.
If he were sober, the atmosphere between them would not be so harmonious, and she might be ruthlessly kicked out. But now that he has lost some of his memories and become without any sharp edges, he no longer thinks too much. On the contrary, she can get along with him without any pressure and doesn't have to worry about their relationship collapsing at any time.
If it weren't for these terrifying withered ghosts, Shi Xianxue would actually quite like Wu Xiutang like this.
However, the withered ghosts outside began to growl restlessly, as if they were whispering and discussing when would be the best time to attack.
The Chuyun Sword within the sleeve emitted a warning tremor, and with Shi Xianxue's silent permission, it transformed into a streak of bluish-white sword energy that rushed towards the horde of corpses.
Only then did Shi Xianxue have time to comfort Wu Xiutang.
Despite her tall and slender figure, Wu Xiutang huddled up like a child, burying her face in her own shoulder, too ashamed to lift her head.
It wasn't that I was afraid the withered ghosts would tear me to pieces since I had no cultivation, but rather that I was so terrified by their ugliness that I couldn't bear to look at them.
Shi Xianxue is a simple-minded womanizer who likes anything that is beautiful, while Wu Xiutang cannot stand anything dirty. Perhaps in his eyes, everyone else in the world except himself is a strangely ugly thing.
His aesthetic standards are so rigorous as to be almost perverse.
But at this moment, Shi Xianxue wanted to use "cute" to describe Wu Xiutang for the first time.
Overwhelmed with maternal love, she hugged him tightly. "It's okay, don't be afraid, your sister will protect you."
Wu Xiutang whimpered twice like a puppy and clung to Shi Xianxue.
Shi Xianxue couldn't see his expression, but that didn't stop her heart from melting softly, like cotton candy being baked in the sun.
Wu Ying couldn't bear to look, but still couldn't help reminding him: "Protect? How can you protect it? The withered skin ghost can't be killed."
Because they are nothing but inanimate objects.
Its heart was sacrificed to this forest, voluntarily giving up its human form to become this unacceptable creature, forever trapped here.
Everything is in balance, and the way of Heaven is just; therefore, there will be gains and losses.
They are even more demanding than the Snow Woman, making it impossible for them to leave the village, and ultimately they will be impossible to kill again.
So even though the owner was annoyed by them, he just planted them in the backyard.
Where exactly did Shi Xianxue get her methods and strength?
Just as Wu Ying had said, the Chu Yun Sword passed through the body of the withered ghost, bringing out black smoke. However, when the Chu Yun Sword returned, it was found that the wound that had pierced the withered ghost had already healed completely. The Chu Yun Sword paused in surprise for a moment before several dry, muddy, and filthy hands grabbed the sword.
The murky black mist quickly entangled the Chuyun Sword, leaving it no time to escape. Several bolder withered ghosts stepped into the flower house.
The three males simultaneously hid behind Shi Xianxue.
Shi Xianxue was also feeling uneasy. Her combat power had always been extremely weak. She had used up almost all of the talismans in that bag, leaving very few. However, the number of withered ghosts was still increasing, and the remaining talismans wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth.
As the withered ghost drew ever closer, its maggot-infested, blackened hand with sharp nails reached out. Realizing there was no obstacle in front of it, the nails quickly turned black and grew longer, clawing at Shi Xianxue's face.
Shi Xianxue's breathing quickened, and she recklessly stepped forward. The moment her palms touched the withered ghost's skin, they began to heat up.
After the blinding light subsided, the withered, emaciated ghost had vanished from its spot, replaced by a young woman dressed in coarse cloth.
Her face was still in a daze, her hands outstretched like claws, but the black fingernails in her vision turned into a normal, lustrous color.
She slowly withdrew her hand and found that the rotten flesh and maggots on the back of her hand were gone. She raised her arm and touched her face, and found that her skin, which was originally drier than tree bark, had become smooth, elastic, delicate and firm.
Immediately afterwards, all human senses returned to her body.
The world before her eyes became vibrant and colorful; she smelled the fragrance of flowers and felt that the world was in flux.
The woman found it hard to believe that she, whose heart had been sacrificed, could regain her human body.
The withered ghosts behind them, who were about to tear them to pieces and eat them, were clearly stunned.
Who could have imagined that their companion, who had lived as a ghost for so many years, would suddenly regain life and return to the human form they had thousands of years ago?
Shi Xianxue patted her chest and let out a long sigh.
Wu Ying said that the withered ghosts could not be killed, so since they could not be killed, Shi Xianxue decided to let them live.
Fortunately, because Shi Huaiyu's spirit merged with her, it wasn't too difficult for her to restore them to human form.
However, no matter how abundant her spiritual energy is, it will eventually be exhausted when faced with so many withered ghosts.
But with this kind of scarcity marketing, Shi Xianxue doesn't believe the other withered ghosts won't be tempted by such a companion who can relive their youth.
Just as she was about to reveal her identity to lure the withered ghost, the woman, who had been admiring herself, suddenly lost control of her emotions, clutching her head and screaming.
Then he escaped from the glass flower house at a speed of 100 meters per second.
The bewildered Shi Xianxue and the withered ghosts were left looking at each other in confusion.
The scene fell silent instantly, and Chu Yunjian seized the opportunity to escape, flying back behind Shi Xianxue, trembling with fear.
Shi Xianxue gazed thoughtfully at the standard terrified faces of those withered ghosts, her mind gradually becoming active. She took a step forward and stretched out her hand.
The withered ghosts actually took a big step back in unison, as if they had seen some terrifying monster.
But they're the monsters, aren't they?
Wu Ying poked its head out from beside her feet. It was clever and could immediately figure out the reason from the terrified look in the withered ghost's eyes. So it laughed rather strangely and slipped into Wu Xiutang's clothes.
The flamingo, simple-minded as it was, exclaimed "Wow!" and looked at Shi Xianxue with starry eyes, filled with utmost admiration.
"It really is you, Yukiko."
Shi Xianxue readily accepted the flamingo's admiration and advised him to keep a low profile.
It turns out that the withered ghosts are fearless, and the only thing they fear is the restorative power of the Goddess of Wushan.
Tracing back to the source, thousands of years ago, they offered their hearts as sacrifices to this land, perhaps willingly.
Shi Xianxue thought of the extreme Zhou Xianghan.
To obtain the Snow Woman's heart, she would stop at nothing, willing to give up everything, even if it meant being trapped in the snow mountain for her entire life, in order to gain eternal life.
For them, time stood still, but Shi Xianxue helped them make their hearts beat again and restore their human bodies, which was a disguised way of depriving them of their immortality.
Perhaps in their eyes, freedom, appearance, and eternal life are not worth mentioning here.
That's why they avoid Shi Xianxue like the plague.
"Get out of here immediately, or I'll turn you back into humans and make you experience the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death all over again."
This is downright intimidation!
It is the most vicious curse!
The withered ghosts looked at each other, and in each other's eyes they saw a great fear of the passage of time.
As Shi Xianxue threateningly stepped out with her left leg, the withered ghosts could no longer suppress their fear. They let out hoarse hisses and fled like the wind, dragging their severed limbs.
The flowers and plants in the yard were trampled beyond recognition.
But the crisis can be considered to have been resolved.
Shi Xianxue's stomach was actually aching slightly from the tension.
Everything just now was merely her speculation. If her speculation was wrong, she would probably fight them to the death.
But thankfully, she was lucky.
Her tension eased, and she turned around, gently comforting Wu Xiutang, afraid he might be frightened.
"Don't worry, I've got it sorted out."
Shi Xianxue's voice stopped abruptly, as if it was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say anything.
Because the boy was staring at her intently, his dark eyes filled with undisguised and passionate emotions that blatantly assaulted her, forcing her to retreat helplessly.
But she only took one step back before the boy who had caught up with her grabbed her face with his knuckles and pecked her lips.
“Sister.” Wu Xiutang looked down at her, her whole heart filled with her, overflowing with a kind of blind infatuation, “You are so amazing.”
For a moment, Shi Xianxue felt that Wu Xiutang was out of character.
She was a little overwhelmed and a little giddy. When she saw that Wu Xiutang wanted to kiss her again, she quickly covered his mouth.
The boy's breath hitched. He was momentarily confused, then his throat bobbed, and his dark eyes pressed closer. His large, thick hand gripped the back of her neck, which she tried to pull away from, and delicate kisses landed on her palm like butterflies.
"Sister." The boy's voice was muffled and low as it was covered by a palm, "I want a sister."
Shi Xianxue's heart pounded, and she involuntarily slurped her throat, feeling inexplicably parched by his reckless words.
"Stay with me forever."
--
The weather was exceptionally fine, with clear skies and light clouds, and golden rays of light shimmered through the forests and mountain streams, making the village appear tranquil and beautiful.
Shi Xianxue decided to give Wu Xiutang and Wu Ying a bath on this rare warm day.
Leaving the flower field that was all show and no substance, she found several empty houses. Although no one lived there, they were kept relatively clean and had all the daily necessities.
Most importantly, Shi Xianxue saw a huge wooden tub, which was just right for Wu Xiutang to use for bathing.
She didn't know how to use cleaning magic, so she could only fetch a few buckets of clear water, chop down trees and gather firewood, and boil bathwater on the stove. Knowing that Wu Xiutang was quite picky, she also picked a few roses, washed them, and sprinkled them on the water.
Having prepared everything, she went to call Wu Xiutang.
Wu Xiutang was like a willful child, refusing to take off his clothes to bathe, and sitting on the ground playing with Wu Ying's fluffy tail.
Wu Ying didn't dare to lash out at his master, so he only dared to pick on the weakest one. Just as he was breathing on Shi Xianxue, he saw her grab his master by the collar and lift him up, saying in a fierce tone, "Are you going to wash or not? If you make a fuss again, believe me, I'll beat you up."
After saying that, she even brandished her fist at him as a threat.
Wu Xiutang didn't care and turned his head to continue playing with Wu Ying's tail.
"Fine, you won't listen to me, huh?" Shi Xianxue let go of his hand, provoking him. "Then don't talk to me anymore. I dislike dirty, stinky kids who don't like to take baths."
Wu Xiutang remained unmoved.
Most children don't like taking baths.
Shi Xianxue deflated, like a flustered and helpless new mother. She rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the wooden tub shrouded in white mist, and gradually began to drift off into thought.
Then his gaze gradually shifted to Wu Xiutang's face.
He sat by the window with his head tilted to the side, his expression focused. The backlighting cast a golden glow around him, and his face had a youthful look. When he looked down at the corners of his eyes, he appeared innocent and endearing.
It was by some strange twist of fate.
Shi Xianxue moved closer.
Wu Xiutang noticed her approach and, without the slightest hesitation, wagged his tail and snuggled up to her.
He stopped just inches away, as if deliberately enticing him. Shi Xianxue's sweet scent subtly drew him in, causing his body to heat up and swell.
"Sister..." He began to swallow hard.
"Go take a bath, and I'll give you a kiss, okay?"
His face clearly showed an expression of delight at this good thing, and without Shi Xianxue urging him, he quickly began to strip off his clothes.
Soon they were completely naked.
Before Shi Xianxue could stop her, she was splashed with water from the wooden bucket.
The boy's black hair floated on the water like silk, revealing only his deep, upturned eyes. His eyelashes were wet, and when he looked at her, he resembled a little white fox rolling in the snow, its fur soaking wet.
She couldn't watch any longer; she was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist doing something bad to Wu Xiutang.
Shi Xianxue left a message saying "I'm going to cook" and ran out in a panic.
If she keeps watching, she really will kiss him fiercely.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she ran out of the yard, she was hit in the face by a blast of sluggish air.
The woman she had given a new human form held a rusty kitchen knife to her neck.
A rusty kitchen knife is barely enough to chop firewood, let alone kill a person.
But if this person is strong and cuts her, it would be bad if she got tetanus.
Shi Xianxue showed no panic in her eyes and raised her hands to indicate that she was not a threat. "Let's talk this out. Using knives and guns will only hurt our harmony."
"Peaceful? I'm already being merciful by not killing you, and you still have the nerve to talk about peace!" The woman looked somewhat broken, with bloodshot eyes and dark circles under her eyes. She looked listless and very unwell.
How could she be so energetic?
Corpse Village was her territory, but now she had to hide in her own territory. She needed to sleep after regaining her human form, but she dared not close her eyes, fearing that if she woke up, her tribesmen would devour her until not even bones remained.
In just a few days, she lost a full ten pounds!
The thought of this made the woman grit her teeth in hatred.
"Change me back! Or I'll take you down with me!"
“You can’t turn back.” Shi Xianxue spread her small hands, indicating that she was powerless. “I am a member of the Wushan tribe. I have the power to repair, but not the power to destroy. Even if you kill me and perish with me, you still can’t turn back.”
"Ahhh!!!" The woman began to scream wildly, as if she could not accept this fact at all. The kitchen knife was swung away and landed at Shi Xianxue's feet.
"Damn it! Why me! Why me, the poor thing!! I'm going to be eaten by my people, eaten up! Until not even my bones are left!!"
"If I can't go back, I can't go back," Shi Xianxue said indifferently.
The woman was incredulous.
"Have people in the outside world become so cold and inhumane? How could you say such cold words? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this state! You, you have to take responsibility for me."
Without making a sound, Shi Xianxue kicked the kitchen knife at her feet a little further away.
“I’ll take responsibility. Since you’re not staying here, why not go out and explore? After being stuck in time for thousands of years, and now you’ve regained your human form, don’t you find it incredibly boring to be like a frog in a well? You can’t go back to your original form anyway, so why not take this opportunity to travel and see how colorful and diverse the world outside is?”
"Outside?" She had never thought about such things. As dutiful withered ghosts, they were to guard this place for generations and had never had the idea of leaving.
She wasn't fooled.
"The outside world is so nice, why did you all flee to this godforsaken place? Besides," the woman squinted, looking at her suspiciously, "I think you're so happy you don't want to go home at all, and you have the nerve to advise others."
Shi Xianxue's eyes flickered, and she casually replied, "I have my own ideas, and I will leave when the time is right."
"When?" the woman wanted to ask further.
Shi Xianxue waved her hand and said, "You're being long-winded."
The woman was not fooled. Her heart, which had been closed and stubborn for thousands of years, was not so easily swayed. She even felt that she had become more shrewd and decided to observe Shi Xianxue and the others more carefully before making a decision.
She unceremoniously settled into the courtyard.
The withered ghost had no need for language or a name. Thousands of years had passed, and many things had become very blurry. She had also forgotten what her name was, so she began to pester Shi Xianxue.
Unable to bear it any longer, Shi Xianxue casually said, "Let's call her Xiaomei. It's simple, easy to understand, and beautiful."
Having a new name, the woman felt increasingly different from her former kind. She began to look down on their carnivorous and barbaric ways and yearned for the new world of civilization that the fire ibis had mentioned. She pestered Shi Xianxue every day to go out.
Shi Xianxue kept putting things off, and finally, unable to bear it any longer, she simply disappeared one hot afternoon and didn't return until sunset.
Xiao Mei asked the flamingo, "Why doesn't she want to go out? Are there enemies outside the forest waiting to kill her?"
Wu Xiutang lost many memories. He became stubborn and childish. He lost his bone-chilling coldness and ferocity. He spoke less when interacting with people than before, only uttering single words. When facing Shi Xianxue, he was willing to say a few more words and especially liked to be close to her.
Seeing that she had disappeared, they couldn't wait any longer and went out to look for her.
The flamingo leaned back on the couch like a lord, and when it heard Xiaomei's question, it began to cackle, "With the master here, who would dare to chase after her?"
"But this isn't a paradise, so why is she so reluctant to leave?" Before Wu Xiutang returned, it was just a gloomy cemetery where crows returned to their nests at nightfall.
After Xiao Mei returned to her human form, she became increasingly disgusted with this place. "There's nothing here, and I'm surrounded by those stinky, withered ghosts all day long. I might as well leave, but what's there for her to miss?"
The flamingo crunched on an apple, thinking, "Maybe she's reluctant to part with the glass flower house her owner built for her. After all, she's the most greedy person I've ever met."
Xiaomei expressed her understanding and sighed, "Being greedy is good. It's better than being greedy for something worthless, illusory, and stinky."
---
Shi Xianxue did not want to leave, but she was not greedy as the flamingo claimed.
Shi Xianxue left the village and wandered alone for a long time before finding a river covered with fallen leaves.
After failing to call the system again, the expression on her face suddenly disappeared, her pupils became unfocused, as if she were staring at the river or somewhere else, her shoulders slowly slumped down, as if she had fallen into a slump, and gradually became motionless.
A stream of wind and moonlight, the cold weather and sparse red leaves, the river surface covered with a layer of shimmering shallow ice, like a shattered dream.
She seemed oblivious to the chill, sitting alone on the shore for a long time.
When I think of certain things, I feel like crying, but my face is red, swollen, and numb from the cold wind, and my tear ducts feel blocked, so I can't shed a single tear.
Even though she was reluctant to believe it, everything that happened in Beiyong City was clearly proving one fact to her.
A fact she was powerless to change, one that was enough to crush her will.
The mission was fake, the system was fake, and even the world she longed to return to was just one of the three thousand worlds, a virtual space that Zhou Huaiyu had casually created when she was a child.
Her life, her emotions, everything she gave was all a lie.
Even she herself was not whole, but rather a part of Zhou Huaiyu's soul that had been separated from her.
So all her previous efforts to go home were just a joke. The system lied to her, about the world in the book and the 30 million reward for completing tasks. It might not be the system at all, but a bug that split off from that world.
They were all lying to her.
And what about Mom?
Is Mom a fake too?
Shi Xianxue felt devastated just thinking about it.
Why did things come to this?
If you hid her in the Three Thousand Worlds, why bring her out? Just when she was determined to finish her mission and go home, you ruthlessly exposed all this bloody truth, telling her that her world was fake and that her efforts to go home were a joke.
How vicious, how cruel.
She was a timid person by nature, always habitually running away from problems. She was unwilling to leave the forest on her own initiative, and even less willing to face everything outside. Perhaps by staying here and not seeing those people or doing those things, she could find temporary peace.
The twilight descends amidst the swirling mist, and the moon washes over the tall paulownia trees.
She finally realized that she had been out for too long. Thinking that there were people waiting for her in the courtyard, Shi Xianxue stood up, supporting her legs which were numb from poor blood circulation, and wanted to hurry back.
The cold wind gave her a headache and made her body feel icy, but her mind was perfectly clear.
As she turned around, she noticed a figure a few steps away. Her vision was blurry, and the roses on the tree looked like a brocade spread out, bending the branches. The figure was leaning against the bent trunk, its lips pale from the cold wind. When it saw her about to leave, the branches behind it first pressed down with their weight, and as the weight disappeared, the bent branches were finally freed.
The branches straightened up with a rustling sound, and bright petals and yellowed leaves clung to the boy's hair. He was always very clean, but he didn't seem to care. When he saw Shi Xianxue's gaze on him, his bright eyes were clear and he jumped around like a puppy wagging its tail.
He rushed over and hugged her with all his might.
Filled with longing and joy, her emotions surged and pounded, carrying the unique warmth of youth that shattered her weathered appearance.
"elder sister."
Shi Xianxue patted his shoulder, signaling him to let go, but he had been waiting for her obediently for a long time, and had finally managed to hold her in his arms, so how could he easily let go?
Shi Xianxue couldn't break free.
Wu Xiutang's embrace was indeed very warm. She was shivering from the cold, so she stopped resisting and let him hold her, giving her the only warmth under the night sky.
"Sister, are you unhappy?" the boy asked cautiously.
He had actually found her a long time ago, but she was sitting alone on the shore, lost in thought. Even without getting close to her, Wu Xiutang could keenly sense Shi Xianxue's dejected mood.
As if abandoned by the whole world, her figure appeared lonely and desolate.
Wu Xiutang wanted to hug her like he was now, to tell her that he was still there for her, that she wasn't alone.
But since she chose to leave and come here alone, it means she didn't want to be disturbed.
Wu Xiutang could only wait for her silently and obediently not far away.
Shi Xianxue buried her face in his chest and remained silent.
"If I'm unhappy, my sister can kiss me and that will make me feel better. But if my sister is unhappy, will kissing her make her feel better?"
Shi Xianxue gave his arm a silent punch with her small fist as a warning.
Wu Xiutang stopped talking and held her tightly in his arms, quietly keeping her company as she processed her bad emotions.
After an unknown amount of time, Shi Xianxue's hazy, hoarse voice came through.
"Wu Xiutang, I'm so scared."
"I'm afraid you're fake, but I'm also afraid you're real."
She was so confused. Nobody told her what to do next. Who should she trust?
When all the truth is revealed, will she be able to bear it?
Wu Xiutang could hardly understand what she was saying, but he could clearly feel Shi Xianxue's low spirits. Her body was trembling, as if she was trying her best not to let her tears fall. She was tense, fragile and extremely sensitive.
Her arms tightened around his waist, and his heart ached with a bittersweet feeling, drawn to her presence.
But whether in the past or now, he is not good at coaxing people.
Wu Xiutang pursed her lips, looking somewhat troubled.
But he wanted to say something to please her, to make her as happy as possible.
"What are you afraid of, sister?"
"No matter who I am, whether I am real or fake, I will always love my sister, and only my sister."
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