Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Meng Yingying, her chin held by him, looked up at him with a slight smile: "I don't like others getting hurt because of me, it would make me feel guilty." Shang Mang scoffed: "Then you can get hurt because of others?"
Meng Yingying's expression suddenly became awkward. She turned around and walked forward, retorting with his words from before: "I'm willing."
Shang Mang followed behind her, keeping a half-step distance so that she was always in his sight. He said, "I won't let you get hurt because of others."
Meng Yingying remained silent, but couldn't help saying, "But you wanted to kill me the first time we met."
The road wound its way through the landscape. Shang Mang looked at the ground, remaining silent. Meng Yingying didn't press him further. The tranquility they had shared just moments before seemed like an illusion. The instant she asked the question, a fleeting panic gripped her heart. She couldn't understand Shang Mang. His words that night were like a spell; whenever she uttered them, she would react.
Unease, fear.
"I will hate you forever, until you fall in love with me." What did he mean by those words that slipped out? His mission score was the highest among all the missions, but the system said that reaching the score didn't count as a successful conquest. So what counted as a successful conquest? Meng Yingying couldn't control herself. She raised her hand to pinch her forehead, her mind a complete mess, unable to think straight.
With such a high level of affection, why has he never said "I like you" to her? Meng Yingying pinched her forehead, trying hard to clear her mind. But it remained a complete mystery.
She lowered her eyes, her gaze unfathomable.
After they had gone far away, a person slowly walked out of the dilapidated temple. He stood with his hands behind his back, as straight as a pine tree in front of the temple.
Shang Mang seemed to sense something, squinting as he turned around. He saw a pair of blank eyes staring at them. As he walked, the crisscrossing branches and leaves blocked his view, and the figure that had been there was long gone. He looked back at the horizon, where the sinking seemed to be accelerating.
On the way back, A-Qiao was very quiet, not saying anything else, eerily quiet.
It was already getting dark when they reached the foot of the mountain. The area below was peaceful and quiet, with roosters crowing and ducks quacking, making even a sound seem offensive. Everyone in the village stayed home that night. A-Qiao followed them to the village chief's house, stopped, and asked, "Are you coming back with me tonight?"
Zhou Xiuqi politely replied, "No need to trouble yourself."
Ah Qiao pouted and sighed, "Well then, it's a real pity." Then she turned and left without saying anything more, leaving the others with their own thoughts.
Meng Yingying watched A Qiao's departing figure, thinking that now she could have a good chat about what was to come. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, and a strand of hair stuck to her lips, making her itchy. She reached out and brushed the hair off.
Standing opposite her, Kong Fusheng's expression changed. Meng Yingying frowned strangely, and the next second she watched as he stretched out his arms and pushed her. Meng Yingying felt a dull pain in her chest and staggered backward, her steps unsteady. She retreated several meters before regaining her footing. When she looked up, she stared at the scene in front of her in disbelief and muttered to herself, "What the hell is this?"
Where she had just stood, a charred arm stretched out, frantically grabbing at the soil. With each grab, the soil caved in, oozing a dark red liquid. Kong Fusheng's feet were gripped by a black hand, and he cursed with a headache, "I give up."
Zhou Xiuqi frowned, drew his sword, and slashed at the hand. The hand broke off, releasing black energy. His expression changed, and he took out a talisman from his chest. With a slight movement of his fingers, the talisman was attached to their respective bodies. Only then did he say, "This resentment can enter the body of a living person."
Kong Fusheng jumped off the ground, pulled out his flute, and Zhou Xiuqi pressed him down, saying, "You mustn't play it; these resentful spirits cannot be dispelled."
Kong Fusheng had no choice but to put the flute back into his waistband, pull out the gourd hidden there, and said urgently, "Then we can only use this."
"Heaven and earth are dark, myriad vengeful spirits, all spirits retreat!" He gritted his teeth and chanted the incantation. Golden light flashed on the gourd. Xiao Zheyu was stung by the light and forced to close his eyes. Runes surrounded the gourd. After it grew to a gigantic size, it flew into the sky. Kong Fusheng clenched two fingers. The golden light shone on them. Those black hands instantly disappeared into the ground. He gasped and said, "Senior Zhou, quickly find the source."
Zhou Xiuqi nodded and turned to leave, but Meng Yingying quickly called out to him, "Senior Brother!" Zhou Xiuqi paused, then turned his back to her and said, "Come on." Meng Yingying smiled and followed, but Shang Mang reached out and grabbed her. Meng Yingying turned around, her purse bobbing on her head, and asked, "What are you doing?"
Shang Mang said coldly, "I'm not comfortable staying here." After saying that, he grabbed her and followed Zhou Xiu. Meng Yingying looked at his back. The Mountain Ghost Coin was hanging at the end of his hair. With each step, the curled ends of his hair moved. She felt a tremor in her heart. Why did she feel a sense of security? She touched her heart.
With each step he took, the ornaments on his body made a lot of noise. Meng Yingying suddenly asked, "Why do you always wear so many ornaments? Don't you find it noisy with all that jingling?"
Hearing her question, Shang Mang lowered his eyes and his throat bobbed as he said, "I'm willing." He glanced down and saw Meng Yingying mimicking his "I'm willing" in a sarcastic tone. Shang Mang chuckled, "Do you think I can't see that?"
Meng Yingying looked up: "So what if I saw it? I did it just for you."
Meng Yingying saw Zhou Xiuqi ahead, broke free from his grasp, summoned the Calamity, and stepped forward: "Senior brother, what is the source like?"
Zhou Xiuqi held his sword, but his heart was filled with confusion. He shook his head: "Anything is possible. The source is the resentment of the dead. It will be extremely difficult to find it tonight." Meng Yingying heard Zhou Xiuqi say it was difficult, so it seemed that the dead were not an easy place to deal with.
Meng Yingying: "Where should we start looking?"
Zhou Xiuqi gripped his sword tightly. He looked around; the source might be hidden somewhere, and he certainly wouldn't find it so easily. Zhou Xiuqi didn't move, and Meng Yingying had no choice but to stand with him in the center. She turned to look at Kong Fusheng, whose face was bitter; he was clearly persevering.
"The door is open," Shang Mang said. Meng Yingying followed his gaze and heard mournful voices. Villagers, their bodies charred black and unrecognizable, came out. Some had lost their legs, some their hands, and some had their eyeballs floating on their cheeks.
"It's so hot...it's so hot...help...help...someone save me..." A face pressed against hers, the stench of a burning corpse spreading out. Meng Yingying's throat tightened. The face had no features, it looked like a black lump of charcoal, and the mouth made a creaking sound.
Meng Yingying took a breath, raised the Calamity, and swung her hand to cut off its head. The head rolled to the ground, still emitting mournful cries, now even sharper. The sound pierced her mind, her arm went numb, and she pressed her left hand against her arm, forcefully suppressing the trembling.
Countless resentments swept in, and Zhou Xiuqi, gripping the Evil-Repelling Sword, called out in the gaps, "Meng Yuan, concentrate!"
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