Chapter 53 I Miss You So Much in This World
When Ling Shu heard her speak so formally, her heart felt like it had plunged into a winter river, the chill penetrating to the bone. Even Zhuang Jinfu was telling her to maintain the proper politeness. That must really not be her mother anymore. She loosened her grip on the person.
She took a step back.
But then Wen Ji said, "You are Shu'er's master?"
Shu'er, that's what her mother calls her.
Ling Shu was stunned.
In the past, she and her mother hid in various places. Wenji rarely let her come out to see people. The outside world only knew her by name, but had never seen her in person, let alone affectionately called her "Shu'er".
Wen Ji cast a scrutinizing gaze at Zhuang Jin Fu. Zhuang Jin Fu composed himself, bowed respectfully, and greeted her with lowered eyes, "It is I, Master's Wife."
Wen Ji nodded.
Zhuang Jinfu glanced at Ling Shu, who was standing to the side without reacting, and reminded her, "Ling Shu."
Ling Shu realized this wasn't a dream. Yin Yu took her hand and led her to Wen Ji's side: "When she didn't admit it, you pounced on her. Now that she's admitted it, you're afraid to get close?"
The ghost of one's own mother is visible and tangible in front of the living, but she can no longer accompany one to continue living. The separation between the living and the dead is a bittersweet feeling.
Tears rolled down her cheeks silently.
"Mother," she called softly.
"Mother is here."
Wenji took her hand, pulled her into her arms, and patted her back gently, just like she used to coax her daughter who had fallen while playing in the trees: "Shu'er, don't cry, Mother is here."
My mother's embrace is cold.
Ghosts are cold.
"I heard you spend all your time visiting brothels and never mention me. I thought you had forgotten me." Ling Shu's voice choked with emotion as she hugged her back, burying her face in her chest, and poured out her pent-up frustration.
Wen Ji said gently, "My dear child is someone I should keep in my heart."
"Is Mother doing well here?"
"Very good. Where is Shu'er? Is your master good to you?"
Mentioning Zhuang Jinfu sent a jolt through Ling Shu, making her feel a tingling sensation and an involuntary heat rising in her ears and cheeks. However, she wanted to keep her thoughts hidden. Since she had already decided to keep her distance from Zhuang Jinfu, she didn't want others to see her intentions and cause her any trouble.
She realized that Zhuang Jinfu was not someone she could climb up to.
The age difference of over three hundred years, the status at the top, and the supreme magical power are all distances that she can never cross in this life. Zhuang Jinfu, whom everyone in the Shangqing Sect respectfully calls Immortal Venerable, can only be the person in her spring boudoir dreams.
The deeper the love, the greater the fear.
Their relationship wasn't something that could be formed simply by mutual affection.
Even the impulsive and reckless Ling Shu has learned to consider the future.
She felt the sorrow of unrequited love from Gu Wan's story. Gu Wan's three hundred years of obsession was a bloody precedent. Both of them cultivated the path of ruthlessness, and she did not want Zhuang Jinfu to become the next Gu Wan.
When you love someone, you unconsciously start thinking about your future with them.
Ling Shu couldn't imagine what her future would be like with Zhuang Jinfu.
Ling Shu knew she couldn't give Zhuang Jinfu any future; her feelings would only... make Zhuang Jinfu's life more and more chaotic.
Even today, there's no question of mutual consent between them.
Therefore, it is important to know when to stop.
"My master is very good to me." Ling Shu said this without daring to look up or at Zhuang Jinfu. She wiped away her tears and pressed her hand to her face, feeling the rising temperature. Because of this temperature, she was afraid that her closest mother would discover her desire for the cold moon in the sky.
She once longed to tell the world about her feelings, but now she only wants to hide them away and be a little flower quietly enjoying the moonlight.
Yin Yu laughed and said, "She's doing very well. The Immortal Venerable only has her as his disciple. Don't be fooled by the Immortal Venerable's cold demeanor and indifference towards everyone. In reality, he treats Ling Shu very well, cherishing and protecting her like a rare treasure, afraid that she might fall if he's not careful."
Wen Ji raised her eyes, her smile gentle. She patted her daughter lightly, signaling her to let go, then bowed to Zhuang Jinfu and said softly, "Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Immortal Venerable. With you here, I can rest assured."
Zhuang Jinfu walked over slowly, took her hands in his arms, and said, "Master's wife, there's no need for such formalities."
When Zhuang Jinfu helped her up, Wen Ji noticed the teeth marks on the back of her right hand. Her eyes flickered, and she understood.
Wen Ji said, "My daughter is unruly and has been spoiled since she was a child. If she has offended the Immortal Venerable in any way, please forgive her. If she does something wrong, please do not indulge her just because she is helpless and alone. She should still be punished accordingly."
Zhuang Jinfu hummed in agreement and said, "Ling Shu is very sensible and has never caused any trouble."
Hu Shi rolled his eyes. Twenty-three people were almost trapped and killed in the spirit array of Bitan Mountain. The spiritual energy of the entire Shangqing Sect was out of balance for several days. Suspects of robbery and murder were not tried on the execution platform. These things were all done by ghosts.
Seeing Hu Shi roll her eyes, Ling Shu kicked her in the butt and looked at her with a sly, threatening gaze. Hu Shi staggered and gave her the middle finger, and Ling Shu kicked her again.
Hu Shi angrily said, "You...!"
Wen Ji turned around and looked at the two of them. Ling Shu grabbed Hu Shi and took her arm, saying with a grin, "We're catching flies."
Hu Shi had no way to express his suffering.
The four of them stayed there for a day and had a reunion dinner together in the evening. The food was served on a separate table with two separate hot pots in the middle. Wen Ji and Yin Yu sat on one side, while the other three sat on the other side, talking across the food.
After the meal, Wen Ji took Ling Shu out to play. The mother and daughter strolled along the street, and Wen Ji asked Ling Shu, "Shu'er, is there anyone who likes you?"
Without thinking, Ling Shu replied, "No."
"Does Shu'er have someone she likes?"
Ling Shu's heart skipped a beat, and a cold, distant figure flashed through her mind. She dismissed it and said, "No."
Seeing her reaction was clearly different, Wenji asked again, "Are you friends?"
"No." Ling Shu regretted saying it as soon as she finished speaking. "I mean, I don't have anyone I like."
Wenji paused, then changed the subject: "Your mother doesn't want you to be with her."
"You have no future."
"Shu'er, don't go against societal norms to like someone."
Ling Shu understood her meaning and who she was referring to.
"I know."
"I don't like anyone."
Wenji patted her hand: "I hope you won't take the wrong path I did, and won't repeat my mistakes."
Ling Shu nodded silently.
It started to rain, like the night was weeping.
They hid under the eaves, intending to wait for the rain to stop before leaving, but the rain showed no sign of stopping.
The streets were deserted.
A man in white, carrying an umbrella, came through the rain.
The rain poured down, and a layer of water accumulated on the ground.
The aloof and ethereal man approached her and handed her two umbrellas.
Ling Shu stared at her blankly, forgetting to answer.
Wen Ji noticed her absent-mindedness, took the item herself, and said with a smile, "You are so thoughtful, Immortal Venerable, to go out in such heavy rain."
Zhuang Jinfu hummed in agreement and turned to leave.
The mother and daughter followed behind her under an umbrella, returning to the inn. They happened to run into Hu Shi, who was soaked to the bone and hurriedly ran in. Hu Shi complained, "What terrible luck! It started raining as soon as I went out!"
Ling Shu remained silent. Looking again at the person who brought the umbrella, she only saw a figure going upstairs.
Wenji led Lingshu upstairs to their room and, as before, stayed with her until she fell asleep.
Ling Shu couldn't sleep. Her mind kept replaying the image of that person who came in the rain, and the thought of leaving Dayuan Town tomorrow and saying goodbye to her mother.
Wen Ji tucked her in: "Can't you sleep?"
"Hmm." Ling Shu opened her eyes, moved her body, leaned closer to Wen Ji, and smelled the familiar fragrance on her body. "I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'll miss you so much."
"Mother can't bear to part with Lingbao either." Wenji gently stroked her hair, looking at her with affection and cherishing her dearly. "My only precious child, you must live well in the mortal world. You must eat well every day. I don't want you to achieve anything great in the Shangqing Sect. I only hope that you are happy every day."
“Lingbao knows, Mother,” Lingshu nestled into her arms, her voice choked with sobs, “I missed you so much in this world.”
"Don't think about me too much, it will make me uneasy." Wen Ji wiped away her tears, and couldn't help but shed tears as well.
Ling Shu was taken aback: "Then I won't want to think about it anymore."
Wen Ji's tears turned to laughter, and she chuckled softly, "How did your mother treat you?"
"I hate her."
“You are still young and half-demon. It’s too hard for you to live alone in this world. You still need to go to the Wang family to recognize your ancestors and return to your clan. With the Wang family supporting you, it will be easier for you to live alone.”
Ling Shu sniffled, stopping her tears: "I have a master, I don't want to go to her house."
“Master is an outsider after all.” Wen Ji’s tone softened. “Our Shu’er also needs her own home. Be good and show some respect to your mother.”
Ling Shu angrily said, "She wanted to kill me, why should I respect someone who wants to kill me?"
Wen Ji seemed to have expected this, and felt heartbroken. She could no longer protect Ling Shu in this life: "Didn't she not kill you in the end? She was afraid that you would cause trouble in the future. After all, you have a thousand-year-old demon core. She was also afraid that others would make a move against you. She first made a show of force and threatened to kill you. With her status, if she has decided to kill someone, she has not yet made a move. How could others dare to make a move against you?"
"She wants to protect you."
Ling Shu got out of her arms, turned around, and said with her back to her, "I don't like it."
In fact, she also sensed that Wang Lifu was treating her differently. At first, she did have the idea of killing her. Later, after the Shuijiahu killing formation incident, she rarely saw her. She even felt that the person who helped her break out of prison was Wang Lifu.
It's true that she killed Sun Wang, but the matter of Qian Yu and Zhou Qi doesn't make sense.
Wen Ji: "Go to sleep, it's very late."
The next day, at daybreak, Ling Shu, sporting panda eyes, bid farewell to Wen Ji and set off for Tongxuan City.
Yin Yu said that the last token was in Tongxuan City, which was also the main city of this secret realm, and the realm lord would be inside.
Regarding the question of why the second token was inside Gu Wan's body, Yin Yu said, "It's probably the Realm Lord. It's a bit strange. He talks in a way we can't understand all day long, and says that everything is the will of the 'System.' I guess this was also arranged by the 'System.'"
The other three were completely confused, but it didn't matter, since they had the token in hand anyway.
The four entered the city smoothly. This time, instead of looking for an inn, Yin Yu led them to a mansion, a wealthy and powerful family.
An older woman opened the door, saying that the master of the house had not yet returned, but she had already instructed the servants to prepare a room. She led the four of them inside.
Ling Shu was quick-witted and knew that Yin Yu must not have brought them here randomly, so the third token must be related to the people here.
At noon, the host returned, and Ling Shu inquired and found out that there was indeed a guest staying there, a human.
But things didn't go well.
The host said, “Yin Yu told me that I know you all came for the token. To be honest, the token is on my friend. She ran into some thugs today and ran away. She didn’t know the way and accidentally went towards the direction of the pit.”
As she spoke, the host wiped her sweat. She had just returned from outside, covered in dust: "I led people over there, only to find that there was no one outside the pit."
"Later, I was still not giving up, so I called out to her and heard her respond. Only then did I feel relieved and went back to find someone to help me, but no one was willing to help me."
The host took a sip of water and walked out, saying, "I'm really sorry, I have to go out and find more people to help."
Ling Shu called out to her, saying that they could go and save her.
The host expressed his gratitude repeatedly, adding, "The ground outside the pit is unstable, and there is an undercurrent beneath the soil, like a river. If you are not careful, you will fall into the pit. We need people with earth spirit roots to identify where you can step. You must be very careful."
Ling Shu pondered, "We need to find someone with an earth elemental root to help us clear the way."
Yin Yu laughed and said, "I am an earth spirit root."
"Okay, okay."
The four of them went together. After all, it was the Necropolis, and they had already witnessed how powerful it was. No one would feel comfortable letting any of them go alone.
Of course, Hu Shi was an exception. She was worried about the other three. She couldn't bear the thought of them running away with the tokens, so she went along to keep a close eye on them.
Outside the pit, not a blade of grass grew; it was a desolate wasteland. The black soil was completely flat, without a single pebble, and there was no discernible difference in appearance.
The place where they were standing was still a lush green meadow, but further ahead was a clearly defined, barren patch of land outside the pit.
Yin Yu tossed a bracelet over, and the bracelet landed on the ground. Instantly, a large pit sank in the ground, swallowing the bracelet. Soon after, a patch of soil rose up, the surface of which was smooth, as if the bracelet had never been thrown in.
Yin Yu: "Everyone be careful."
Earth-based spells were laid out, brown spells covering the soil, revealing stepping circles one after another. The circles changed extremely quickly, and after watching for a while, the pattern became clear.
The lit circle stays on for between three and five counts.
Yin Yu said, "Don't go over there yet, I'll go check the edge of the pit."
Yin Yu followed the circle on the ground and jumped across, successfully reaching the edge of the pit. She stretched out her serpentine waist and leaned down to look down.
She exclaimed in surprise, "She didn't fall to the bottom of the pit! She's clinging to the rocks on the pit wall!"
Yin Yu walked as if on flat ground, returning lightly. She asked Ling Shu for the rope that had been used to tie Hu Shi up, then turned back. The three of them pulled from the outside while Yin Yu went over to release the rope.
The person was hoisted up very quickly.
About five zhang away, Ling Shu could see clearly the tall and spirited woman dressed in black. Wasn't that... Zhao Chi?
What is she doing here?
When Zhao Chi arrived, before she could even catch up with him, she hurriedly delivered some bad news: the token had fallen into the pit.
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud bang came from the bottom of the pit, and a raging green fire burst forth.
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