Ghost Stories Series 10

Chapter 26

"Men, there are hardly any good ones!" Tears welled up as she looked at Qingluo, then at Ling'er, and couldn't help but think of Chang Xiao, another unfaithful man! He made her grit her teeth in hatred!

"No! Yu Xiao isn't like that, he's not that kind of person!" Qing Luo's firm tone was completely at odds with her trembling body.

"He's ruined you like this, and you're still defending him?" Tears welled up in her eyes. Why was love so important to people? Even if it broke their hearts and cost them their lives, they would do it without hesitation. She had never been in love, so she couldn't understand it.

"Yu Xiao? Is that your boyfriend?" Ling'er was a little sad. What a devoted woman. Is it destined that devoted women will always be hurt by love?

"Yes! We've been together for 1,200 years!" A happy smile appeared on Qingluo's face.

"Twelve hundred years? How could an ordinary person live that long?" Ling'er exclaimed in surprise.

"I will bind all my spiritual power to him, so that he may live forever." Qingluo said calmly, as if she were recounting something very ordinary.

"What?! You actually spent 1,200 years of spiritual power to keep a mortal alive? Don't you know what this means?" Tearsdrop couldn't believe it. For the Nuwa clan, spiritual power was everything. Once they lost their spiritual power, they were no better than ordinary people. She finally understood why Qingluo died so easily. Before she came, she had thought countless times about what kind of boundless magic that man possessed that could make a Nuwa clan member die without a complete corpse!

"I understand, but I love him. As long as I can be with him, I don't care what I have to give up!"

"You love him? Then what did you get in the end?" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I..." Qingluo collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, tears glistening on the grass. "Holy Maiden, you wouldn't understand. Even if he killed me, I wouldn't blame him at all! If I had another chance, I would still love him. Even if he killed me again!" Tears streamed down her face. "A thousand years ago, when my magical power was still very weak, I was captured by a Taoist priest. He said I was a demoness, that I would bring disaster to the country. Humans always have a prejudice against those stronger than themselves. Even though I've never done anything wrong. He used Taoist magic to suppress me in a Taoist temple deep in the mountains. From then on, I was trapped there. I don't know how many years I spent there, only that the young Taoist priests in the temple gradually grew old, and later gradually weakened..." Few remained, until none were left. I thought perhaps I would spend my entire life here. Although the Taoist priests were all dead and the temple was abandoned, the spells suppressing me wouldn't disappear. Looking out the window, below the cliff lay a dark, dense forest; my only companions were the birds in the valley and the howling mountain wind. I spent my days in despair. Until one day, Yu Xiao appeared! He had once been an official in the court, but due to the corrupt officials in power, he was powerless to change the situation and had no choice but to retreat to the mountains, living a life of peace and tranquility. Until he discovered a Taoist temple not far from him and found me, being suppressed. He initially didn't... Knowing I wasn't human, we talked through the window. His talent, his eloquence, and his imposing presence all captivated me, even though I knew we weren't the same kind. He asked why I was alone in this abandoned Taoist temple. I lowered my head, silent, afraid that if he knew the truth, he would despise and fear me like ordinary people. He didn't ask anything more. After a moment of silence, he left. I thought he wouldn't come back. But he returned the next day. I clearly remember his first words that day were asking him how I could get out. As intelligent as he was, in such a remote mountain, in such an abandoned Taoist temple, how could he not know I wasn't an ordinary person? But he said he believed I wouldn't. "Oh dear! Under my guidance, he broke the formation, and I was overjoyed to regain my freedom. The sunlight shone directly on me, warm and comforting, and his smile was warm too. I timidly told him that I was from the Nuwa clan, but not a demon. He smiled slightly and said, 'I knew it! Heaven has arranged a fairy for me to accompany me for life! I just don't know if this fairy is willing.' I nodded shyly. Not to mention that he was my benefactor, he was so outstanding, so different from ordinary people. How many lifetimes must Qingluo have cultivated to earn his favor?" Qingluo was immersed in the sweet memories of the past, her delicate face glowing.

Ling'er gazed at her silently. What Tears couldn't understand, she could; everyone who had truly loved would understand. A woman doesn't crave fine clothes and sumptuous food, nor great fortune and wealth; she only desires to be with the one she loves. Even a thatched hut would be as magnificent as paradise, and bitterness as sweet as honey. But could such love not withstand the test of time? Had it changed? Otherwise, why would he kill her?

"For a thousand years, I have never so strongly wished to be just an ordinary woman, someone who could simply stay by his side day and night. But he has always cherished me, loved me, and never looked down on or feared me because of my status. A thousand years of happiness and joy, now that I think about it, seems so short," Qingluo murmured.

"If he loved you, why would he kill you? Love can't withstand the test of time." Tears welled up in Qingluo's eyes, feeling sorry for her. What good was loving so deeply?

"No! He loves me! Even if he kills me, I still believe he loves me! I feel that he wasn't the one who killed me!" Qingluo said incoherently.

"What do you mean he didn't kill you? Didn't you say he killed you?" Teardrop looked at the clansman in front of her, who was blinded by love, and her head was spinning.

"He killed me, that's true, but I just don't believe it was him!"

"Oh my god!" Tears welled up in her eyes, thinking that Qingluo must have gone mad.

"Qingluo..." Ling'er suddenly didn't know how to comfort her. How could she comfort her so that she wouldn't be sad?

"Is he... alright?" Qinglu asked worriedly.

“He’s dead!” Ling’er answered softly, afraid of upsetting her.

Upon hearing this, Qingluo felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if a hand were squeezing it tightly, suffocating her. How could he be dead? How could he be dead? Although he had killed her, she still didn't want him to suffer even the slightest harm. Since arriving in the Realm of Light, she often thought about what would happen to him if he went hungry without her by his side. Who would cook for him and wash the dishes? What if he kicked off the covers at night and got cold? Although he had lived for so long, he still hadn't learned to take care of himself. She even wondered how he would survive without her spiritual power to sustain his life. If only he had eaten her inner core! It was a pity she hadn't had time to tell him then; his knife had come so suddenly, the shock had overwhelmed her. Otherwise, she would have had plenty of time to tell him to eat her inner core, and then he wouldn't have died.

"How did he die?" Qingluo's whole body tensed up, and she curled up into a ball.

"I don't know. After he killed you, the cleaning lady called the police. He died on the way back to the station with the police. The cause of death is unknown!" Ling'er knelt down, her heart aching, and stroked Qingluo's disheveled hair. Why bother?

"Why? Why is the cause of death unknown?" Qingluo held Ling'er's hand tightly.

“I don’t know! Captain Zhang from the police station came to me and briefly explained the case to me. They also couldn’t find the cause of death.”

"I want to see his spirit! Please let me see his spirit, okay?" Qinglu cried, her face streaked with tears, a sight that evoked pity in everyone.

Ling'er looked at Leizhu with difficulty and said, "I'm just an ordinary hunter, I don't have the ability to take you out!"

"You can do it! You are the Holy Lord, you have this ability!"

"I am the Holy Lord?" Ling'er was confused. The Holy Lord? What exactly is the Holy Lord?

"Qingluo!" Tears welled up and stopped Qingluo with her eyes. Seeing her heartbroken for love, Tears felt for the first time that it was right for her master not to regain her memories! How could she bear to watch her repeat the pain of the past?

"I'm sorry! Qingluo lost her composure! Please punish me, Holy Maiden!" She realized she had been too agitated and immediately knelt before the two of them.

"It's alright, get up!" How could Tearsdrop punish such a pitiful spirit? "But you must stay in the Realm of Light. Don't worry, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and get justice for you! I swear on the honor of the Holy Maiden of the Nuwa Clan!" She also wanted to understand why lovers who had been together for thousands of years had turned against each other without any reason.

“Zhu’er, it seems we still have to go to the Underworld. How could we have forgotten to look for Yu Xiao’s soul?” Ling’er said softly.

Although Qingluo had calmed down, she still looked pleading when she heard that Ling'er really wanted to go to the underworld to find Yu Xiao's soul. She knelt down again after getting up, and didn't say anything. She just stared at Ling'er quietly. She really couldn't understand why he would stab that knife into his heart.

Even the most hard-hearted person would feel pity upon seeing Qingluo's tear-streaked face, let alone Ling'er? She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "Zhu'er, is there any way..."

Tears seemed to be in a dilemma. In truth, she also wanted to take Qingluo out to find that scoundrel. However, she had just decided not to let her master regain his memories for the time being. What should she do?

Upon seeing this, Qingluo couldn't help but say in a trembling voice, "Holy Maiden, Qingluo doesn't want to make things difficult for you, I'll wait here..." Although she said this, tears still streamed down her cheeks, which were still wet with tears.

"Fine! I'll go all out!" Tears stomped her foot and pulled Qingluo, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet. "I'm not very confident, but I'll do my best!" She then said to Ling'er, "Master, please wait here for a moment. I'll be right back!"

Without waiting for Ling'er and Qingluo to say anything more, he turned around and hurried eastward.

"Holy Lord, Qingluo has caused you trouble." She bowed and gave Ling'er a deep curtsy.

"Don't call me Holy Lord anymore. I don't even know what Holy Lord is. I can't remember anything from the past, and I don't want to try to remember anything. I'm very satisfied with my current situation." Ling'er thought about her current university life. Although she often skipped classes without reason and her grades weren't very good, she really liked it there, and the four servants who acted like masters around her. They were usually noisy and annoying, and she always wanted to break off their contract with them, but whenever she was in trouble or danger, they would always stand up for her at the first moment. How could she not be moved? And... and Chang Xiao. No matter how heaven had played tricks on them in their past life, they still had this life, didn't they? Suddenly, she missed him so much. She missed his closed lips, his slender fingers, and the faint scent of tobacco on him. She loved watching him exhale smoke rings, whether he was serious or smiling. Did he ever think of her unintentionally?

"Is the Holy Lord lost in thought?" Qingluo's voice interrupted Ling'er's thoughts.

"Do you know where Pearl went?" she changed the subject.

"The Holy Maiden must have gone to plead with the God, but I can't understand why she didn't ask you to go?" Qingluo shifted her gaze to the direction where the teardrops disappeared. Would the God agree?

"God Lord? Who is God Lord?" Ling'er was first called Holy Lord by Lei Ting and Qing Luo, and now there is a God Lord?

"You really have no recollection at all?" Qinglu asked incredulously.

Ling'er shook her head, feeling that things were getting more and more complicated.

“The God Lord is the supreme god of the Light Realm, and he, like the Queen of the Dark Realm, possesses abilities beyond human imagination,” Qingluo said.

"The Dark Realm? Does that mean the Light Realm and the Dark Realm are irreconcilable enemies?" That's how it's written in novels, Ling'er laughed self-deprecatingly. Now it seems her experiences are much more complicated than those in novels.

"Holy Lord, you've remembered?" Qingluo exclaimed in surprise.

"No way?" Could it be that she actually fooled me?

"Then you must have remembered that the God is actually you..."

"Qingluo!" Tears suddenly appeared in front of the two of them, giving her a frantic wink, signaling her not to say anything more.

"Pearl, you're back? How did things go?" Ling'er also noticed Pearl's unusual behavior. Could it be that the God Lord disagreed?

Qingluo stood timidly to the side, nervously watching Leizhu'er, her heart pounding with anxiety. Would she ever see him again? Even if it was just a soul?

Tears welled up in her eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly. Ling'er had never seen her like this before, so she took her hand and said, "Tears, don't worry. I'll go and beg that God. He is the God of the Light Realm, so he must have extraordinary abilities. He can't be a heartless person, can he?"

"No! He agreed that we can take Qingluo out!" Leizhu realized that her expression had caused the two to misunderstand. However, who could remain calm after knowing this?

"I knew it! The God Lord would definitely be a good person! Qingluo, you can rest assured now!" Ling'er was so excited that she forgot about the strangeness in her tears.

Qinglu was overjoyed and burst into tears, unable to say anything for a moment. She was about to kneel down to thank the two of them when Ling'er stopped her. But Leizhu'er seemed oblivious, standing there motionless. What was wrong with her? Even Qinglu could tell that she had something on her mind.

"Holy Maiden? Did the God Lord make things difficult for you?" Could it be that the Holy Maiden suffered because of her? Qingluo couldn't help but shed tears at the thought.

"Zhu'er? What exactly happened?" Ling'er knew her well; if it were the God's reprimand, she wouldn't be so distracted!

“No wonder you’re a hunter, no wonder…” Tears murmured.

"Hunter? So what if I'm a hunter?" Ling'er was completely confused. She touched Leizhu'er's forehead—it wasn't hot! What was wrong with her? This touch made Leizhu'er tremble. Coming back to her senses, she asked, "What did I say, Master?"

"You said it's no wonder I'm a hunter, is there something wrong with that?" Ling'er asked, puzzled.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I wasn’t talking about you. I meant that the hunters have stood strong for a thousand years because… because of their effective governance…” Tears stammered, her gaze darting around.

"Zhu'er! Are you hiding something from me?" Whenever she lies, her eyes dart around, just like the last time she praised Ling'er's preserved egg and lean pork porridge as the most delicious thing in the world.

"I'm sorry! Please punish me, Master!" She then knelt down. Ling'er was stunned. Since their first meeting, when Leizhu had knelt once before, this was the second time! She quickly helped her up, saying, "What are you doing? I didn't blame you!"

“Pearl has a secret she cannot tell, Master…”

"Everyone should have their own secrets, and so should you, Pearl."

"No! I..." Tears were about to argue, but she found that she could not say anything, so she lowered her head and remained silent.

"Silly girl! I know everything you've done is for me!" Teardrop's loyalty and thoughtfulness are unmatched. It's not that Hu Yishiba is arrogant and disloyal, but Teardrop, who has known him for many lifetimes, understands him better than the other three, even better than Ling'er herself understands herself.

Thinking of Hu Yi and the others, Ling'er realized they were still waiting outside the Realm of Light. She couldn't help but say, "Zhu'er, let's take Qingluo out first. Hu Yi and the others are still waiting outside! They might worry if we wait too long!" Those guys could barge in at any moment.

Tears welled up as she nodded, her expression returning to normal, leaving Qingluo, who was standing to the side, stunned. She never imagined that the saintess she had admired since childhood would have such an emotional side.

On the way back, the three of them were each lost in their own thoughts and remained silent the whole way.

As soon as the three of them emerged from the lake, they saw Hu Yi, Shi Ba, and Kuang Ao standing around the lakeside, all sweating profusely. Hu Yi had even taken off his shirt, looking like he was about to jump up.

"Why didn't you wait properly? Why did you come here?" Ling'er was a little angry. These three guys never took her words to heart.

"Master! You're finally back!" Hu Yi exaggeratedly hugged Ling'er, and Shi Ba Kuang Ao also hurriedly came over and hugged her as well.

"You... let go! Cough cough! You're strangling me...!" I didn't die at the hands of the treacherous cat-faced old woman, I didn't die in the dangerous extreme region, am I going to be strangled to death by these three bastards?

Three screams rang out, and a breath of fresh air refreshed Ling'er's entire body. She realized how wonderful it was to be able to breathe! How come she hadn't noticed before?

Hu Yi was the first to stand up from the ground. For the first time ever, he didn't bother to tidy his appearance, and surprisingly, he didn't protest against Lei Zhu'er's violence at all. He ran to Ling'er's side, took her injured arm, and his eyes even reddened as he said, "Master, are you injured?"

Ling'er was taken aback. At this moment, Shiba and Kuang Ao also came over, their faces showing the same anxiety as Hu Yi's. Shiba said, "How could you be so careless? Look, the wound is so deep!" Kuang Ao blew on the wound, "Will blowing on it make it stop hurting?"

Seeing the three of them looking so anxious, Ling'er felt a lump in her throat and said, "It's alright, what's a little injury? Compared to the Extreme Domain, it's like heaven and earth."

"You said that at least in the Extreme Region we were by your side, and we could see you when you were injured and bleeding, but now..." Hu Yiyi's tears fell.

"It's nothing, just a superficial injury!"

It turns out that Hu Yi and the others suddenly sensed that Ling'er was in danger. Just as they were about to ask her what was wrong, the telepathic spell failed, which had never happened before. They thought something had gone wrong, resulting in the scene described above. Lei Zhu'er explained the failure of the telepathic spell by saying that the Realm of Light and the Human Realm belong to different spaces, so it was reasonable that they couldn't sense each other. However, due to the residual mental energy, it hadn't been completely blocked at the beginning, so they sensed that someone had attacked Ling'er, namely, the incident where she was stabbed by Meiniang.

Tears welled up and told the three of them about Qingluo's situation. They all felt sorry for her and vowed to get to the bottom of the matter.

Hu Yi, arrogant and overbearing, checked again and, after confirming there were no other injuries, pointed at Leizhu'er and shouted, "Didn't you say Master would be alright? Huh? Look! So much blood!"

Tears were rendered speechless by his words, and could only apologize repeatedly: "It's all my fault, I was too careless. I promise I won't hit you for three days, okay?"

"This is a matter of principle! Don't go off on a tangent!" Eighteen walked back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"Exactly! Thinks he's so great, huh? Pshaw, he's nothing special!" the arrogant man mocked.

"Forget it, how can we blame Zhu'er?" Ling'er was afraid that if they angered Lei Zhu'er, she would suffer again.

"No way! If we don't criticize her, who knows what serious mistakes she might make in the future?" The arrogant man continued, pouting.

"Exactly! We can't let her off so easily!" Eighteen continued pacing back and forth.

Hu Yi was about to say something when he felt a chilling aura coming from him. He immediately shut his mouth. Experience told him that keeping silent was the wisest choice at this moment!

"Eighteen, tell me how to punish her? Should she clean toilets for a month or work as a maid for six months?"

"That's too good for her! She should at least have to clean toilets for a month, work as a maid for half a year, and buy us good food for a year!" Eighteen exchanged a smug and arrogant glance.

Tears welled in her eyes as she glanced at Hu Yi, who quickly shook his head, indicating it had nothing to do with him. Then, the two men's pitiful screams echoed for a long time in this primeval forest unknown to the world…

The presence of Qingluo disrupted the cheerful atmosphere of the journey home. No one was in the mood to appreciate the scenery. The pitiful sight before them weighed heavily on everyone's hearts with each sigh. Then there was Leizhu'er. Though she tried her best to appear calm as usual, she couldn't hide it from her close companions. She was, after all, a girl so simple and straightforward that one could see right through her. Even with her profound magical power and few rivals, even as the Holy Maiden of the Nuwa Clan, she remained the same Leizhu'er: her eyes darting about when she lied, her adorable demeanor like a little bird when happy, and her wrath capable of tearing down a house when enraged.

Hu Yi and Ling'er exchanged a glance, and the two slowed down.