Ghost Stories Series 10

Chapter 33

"Qingluo, is he really your husband?" Shiba paced anxiously in circles.

"Brother, you can tell the answer from her expression!" Hu Yi's face also lit up, and he spoke to Shi Ba with a rare gentle tone. This was truly a tremendous surprise.

"If it's a jade flute, why isn't Qingluo reacting at all?" Cai Meng was a little confused.

Yi Lin and Chun Yuan knew roughly about Qing Luo's situation, and seeing this unexpected surprise, they couldn't help but feel happy for this poor Nuwa woman.

Qingluo stood quietly in place, staring intently at the familiar figure before her. She dared not blink, afraid that he would disappear in the blink of an eye. She also dared not move, afraid that all of this was a dream, and that if she moved, the dream would end, leaving only the heartbreak of an empty house.

“Luo’er…” a hoarse and weak voice rang out.

As she uttered that call, Qingluo's tears fell like broken beads. Was it really Yuxiao? She could hardly believe her eyes. She turned to Ling'er in a daze, and Ling'er nodded to her with tears in her eyes, indicating that this was not a dream. She said, "Qingluo, he is the Yuxiao you've been longing for day and night! What are you still standing there for?"

"Jade flute, jade flute..." Qinglu murmured, large tears falling from her beautiful but empty eyes, her feet rooted to the spot, motionless.

"Luo'er, Luo'er, what's wrong?" Yu Xiao asked in a hoarse voice, slowly approaching the woman he had loved for a thousand years and longed for for months.

"Let's go back first." Chang Xiao looked at Kuang Ao, who had returned to his original appearance. He knew that Yu Xiao and Qing Luo must have endless things to say to each other. He was familiar with this feeling, but unfortunately, he was not so lucky and could not tell her anything.

"Yes!" Ling'er nodded. The ill-fated couple in front of her had suffered too much.

"So...so touching!" Hu Yi sobbed softly, his eyes red-rimmed. How could his Qingqing be such a decrepit old man already?

"But I want to hear what they have to say!" Eighteen stammered.

"You gossip king!" Cai Mengyi, Lin Chunyuan, and the other two exclaimed in unison! "We despise you!"

"But what about Uncle Zhang?" Ling'er slowly walked to Zhang Guoqiang's body. "Ling'er, we can only pretend we didn't see it!" Chang Xiao said.

"Why?"

"Because we couldn't explain to the police station the cause of his death, nor could we explain why he was still going in and out of the police station the day before yesterday, even though he had been dead for almost half a year," Chang Xiao said in one breath.

"Then... I want to send him to his home." Tears welled up in Ling'er's eyes, and Chang Xiao could only nod in agreement. That was all they could do.

It was already 3:30 in the morning when they left the bar. "Ling'er, tell us the address. Let's take him home. If someone sees you, you'll be in trouble. Chun Yuan and I don't come here for a year or two, so nobody knows us. Besides, he's still asleep." Yi Lin pointed to Kuang Ao, who was still fast asleep.

"Yes, and we should also head back to headquarters to report!" Chun Yuan said. "Are you leaving so soon?" Ling'er asked, somewhat reluctant to see them go.

"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. This is not the place to talk. Let's part ways here. Junior sister, please take good care of yourself!" Chun Yuan said.

"Brother Chang, be more lenient with her. This girl can be quite infuriating at times, but she's pretty good most of the time," Yi Lin said as he took Zhang Guoqiang's body.

"Hehe, would I dare not give way to her? Farewell, gentlemen!" Chang Xiao said, clasping his hands in greeting.

When everyone returned to Ling'er's residence, they were immediately stunned by the two people sprawled out on the living room floor!

These two were none other than Teardrop and the Wolf King!

"My God... these are the Wolf King and Sister Pearl?" Hu Yi and Shiba practically stuffed all ten of their fingers into their mouths!

Although Chang Xiao and Ling'er didn't say anything, everyone could clearly see that the corners of their eyes were twitching incessantly.

Cai Meng threw the eighteenth stone on the ground, as if admiring something.

"Let's... wake them all up!" As soon as Ling'er said this, everyone nodded. They had so many questions to ask these three people who were sleeping like pigs.

But no matter what they tried, the three guys just wouldn't wake up! Finally, Hu Yi stamped his foot and said, "Looks like I'll have to use my trump card!" He took a basin full of cold water from the bathroom and stood blankly in front of the three, as if pondering something. He held the basin of water for a full ten minutes, but still couldn't spill it!

"Tch! I thought you had a lot of guts! I bet you wouldn't dare splash Pearl Sister!" Eighteen said sarcastically, her hands behind her back.

Upon hearing this, Hu Yi rolled her eyes at Shi Ba and said, "Who said I wouldn't dare?"

With a "whoosh," Hu Yi threw the basin out the window. As the water splashed, Hu Yi had a small mirror in his hand, and he was secretly observing his masterpiece in the mirror.

"Ah—" Tears welled up with a start and sat up. "Who did this?" When her gaze fell on Hu Yi's face, the small mirror in his hand was crushed with a "smash"!

"Pearl, what exactly is going on?" Ling'er had a premonition that if she didn't quickly change the subject, she would lose a demon servant!

"What's wrong?" Teardrop asked, puzzled. At this moment, the Wolf King and Arrogance also woke up.

"Where is the Eastern Inspector?" the arrogant and cold man asked.

"Alright! We're home! Stop pretending to be so cool! Tell me, how many things are you hiding from us?" Ling'er glanced sideways at the arrogant man sitting on the ground.

"How could I have kept anything from you? It's just that you never asked, so of course I didn't tell you!" Kuang Ao chuckled, returning to his usual self.

"Master, what happened?" Tearsdrop was completely confused. When she first woke up, she sensed that Kuang Ao was different from before. A domineering aura emanated from him. She was certain that if Kuang Ao released all his power, it would be at least 70% of her own. This could not help but surprise her.

So Ling'er told Leizhu'er and the Wolf King everything that had happened at the bar.

By then, it was already getting light. "Incredible! Arrogant! You're amazing!" Teardrop patted Arrogant on the shoulder.

"Hehe... not at all, not at all?" Kuang Ao scratched his head sheepishly.

"Wolf, why couldn't I sense you just now?" Chang Xiao asked after a long silence.

The wolf king was taken aback, then looked at Tearsdrop and the two of them blushed instantly, leaving everyone bewildered. Had the sun risen in the west? "Teardrop and I are together..." the wolf king said shyly.

"Wait! Wait!" Ling'er interrupted him, "What did you just call her?" She pointed at the teardrop with a surprised expression.

"Pearl...Pearl, is something wrong?" the Wolf King asked guiltily, though he himself felt very uncomfortable.

"Didn't you always call her a snake demon? Why are you calling her Pearl now?" Ling'er couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Master!" Tears welled up as Leizhu stamped her foot, her pretty face flushed red. Everyone present felt their blood pressure rise... Good heavens! Even if the sun rose in the west, it wouldn't have surprised them this much!

"Sister Zhu'er can actually act cute..." Hu Yi kept repeating this sentence, his eyes lifeless, as if he had suffered some great blow.

“Brother! This is true! You have to hang in there!” Cai Meng patted him on the shoulder and said.

Chang Xiao actually stepped forward and touched the wolf king's forehead, saying, "Wolf... can you tell me what happened?"

“Nothing happened. You can’t sense me, I guess it’s because of the barrier. That barrier was set up by me and Zhu’er together. You can’t sense me because you can’t pass through Zhu’er’s barrier, and Ling’er can’t sense Zhu’er because she can’t pass through my barrier…”

"That's not what I'm asking! I'm asking how you've changed so much?" Chang Xiao waved his hand.

"Nothing really happened! Pearl truly lives up to her title as the Holy Maiden of the Nuwa Clan!" The Wolf King's eyes were filled with love as he gazed at Pearl's flushed face. Because they had jointly set up a barrier this time, they weren't afraid of harming innocents during their duel and hadn't held back from unleashing their full power. This allowed them to both understand each other's abilities, leading to mutual admiration and a feeling of regret for not having met sooner. Although they had known and fought for hundreds of years.

"Arrogant, how do you know that Zhang Guoqiang is the Eastern Inspector?" Tears quickly changed the subject, otherwise Hu Yi and the others would keep asking endless questions.

“At first, I wasn’t sure either. I was just wondering why there hadn’t been any news about the Eastern Inspector since the arrival of the Sect Leader Lian Yun and the Western Inspector. Until that day, when Zhang Guoqiang came to the house to see the master, I noticed a familiar aura about him. After all, we are both demons, so our senses are more acute. Later, I heard Qingluo say that Yu Xiao was also out of his mind when he killed her that day, which reminded me of when I was controlled by Lian Yun. Moreover, I had secretly investigated and found that when Yu Xiao was taken away by the police car, only Zhang Guoqiang had the ability to kill him. Therefore, I have concluded that Zhang Guoqiang is the Eastern Inspector.”

His arrogant words made everyone look at him in a new light.

"The Eastern Inspector has seen you many times, how come he didn't know you were a prince?" Chang Xiao asked, puzzled.

"I... how could I be considered a prince?" The arrogant man lowered his head in embarrassment.

"You're not the Demon Emperor's son?" Chang Xiao asked in surprise. If he wasn't a prince, how could he have such terrifying power?

"I am the son of the Demon Emperor, but I am not a prince. I am merely an illegitimate child," he arrogantly mocked himself.

Back when they first met in the Extreme Realm, everyone knew that Kuang Ao was a hybrid of human and demon. But what they didn't know was that this "hybridity" was a deep-seated problem for Kuang Ao, a problem that could never be resolved.

"My mother was abducted from the mortal realm by him. The Demon Emperor did love my mother, I suppose, fearing that the other concubines might harm her while he was away. So he arranged for her to live in a secluded place outside the palace. He would only visit her on certain days. Therefore, very few people knew of our existence. However, my mother was human, and she couldn't adapt to the demonic energy of the Extreme Realm at all. So she passed away from illness when I was just five years old. I've never understood why she didn't take me with her and escape. She had every opportunity, because the barrier of the Extreme Realm isn't very harmful to humans, and she could have easily passed through it." The arrogant man gripped his hair tightly with both hands.

“You don’t understand. Arrogant, your mother isn’t leaving because she loves your father.” Ling’er grabbed Arrogant’s hands.

“My mother loves him? But she will die. She will die if she stays in the Extreme Region!” Kuang Ao sobbed softly.

“Arrogance, you don’t understand. There are people who will live for love and die for love, and your mother was one of them. For her, dying beside your father was enough. One day, when you truly love someone with all your heart, you will understand her.” Ling’er’s gaze turned to Chang Xiao, who seemed lost in thought. Meanwhile, Tears and the Wolf King stared at each other.

"But... after she dies, who will take care of me? Will she know how lonely I am..." Kuang Ao desperately suppressed his emotions to keep from crying out loud.

Hu Yishiba and Cai Meng stepped forward one after another, the four men holding hands tightly, everything understood without words.

"Where is your father?" the wolf king asked. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so why would he disregard the life and death of his own flesh and blood?

"I don't want to see him. I ran away as soon as I was old enough to understand. He's the one who killed my mother! I haven't been back to the Helpless Forest where they live. And I'm an illegitimate child, so..." Kuang Ao didn't finish his sentence. Although he said he hated him, he was still his father, the father who gave him life. Otherwise, why would he have lingered at the edge of the Helpless Forest for three days and three nights after hearing about the assassination of the Demon Emperor? From then on, he truly was an orphan. So he swore to the heavens that he would avenge his enemy, no matter where he was. This was also why he so cruelly killed the Eastern Inspector. At this moment, Yu Xiao and Qing Luo had returned.

"I pay my respects to all my benefactors!" Yu Xiao knelt on one knee and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Get up quickly." Chang Xiao hurriedly helped him up. Yu Xiao was still very weak, his body barely visible.

"Holy Lord, Holy Maiden, please accept Qingluo's bow."

"Alright, alright, we've found the jade flute, why are you still crying?" Ling'er pulled her arm.

“You are a member of the Nuwa clan, so of course I have an obligation to protect you. Why thank me?” Tearsdrop smiled. “But what are your plans for the future?”

"Yu Xiao and I want to find a quiet place to live in seclusion. The wickedness of this world hasn't changed in a thousand years; I can't handle it." Yu Xiao was deeply remorseful. He still vividly remembered the day he met that half-mad hermit. How could he have imagined that the person who called him brother would harm them? If he hadn't let the wolf into the house, how could Qing Luo have gone through so much suffering? Thinking of this, he couldn't forgive himself.

“You’re wrong. When you met Zhang Guoqiang, he was still Zhang Guoqiang,” Chang said with a smile.

"Then him?" Yu Xiao asked, puzzled.

“Zhang Guoqiang and you have known each other for a year, but the Eastern Inspector’s violation of his body is a recent event.”

"So Brother Zhang never harmed us..." Yu Xiao murmured.

“However, we still want to stay away from the world.” Qingluo took a deep breath and said, she couldn’t take any more risks. She couldn’t guarantee she would be able to handle the consequences if another accident happened.

"But I'm afraid we won't be able to find a quiet place now," the wolf king said.

"I remember now, you can go to the Realm of Light together!" Ling'er blurted out.

Chang Xiao broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing the mention of the Realm of Light. Did she still subconsciously think of that place? "Holy Lord, how could I not want to go to the Realm of Light? It's just that Yu Xiao..." Qing Luo sighed. The Realm of Light wasn't a place anyone could go to. Even though Yu Xiao was different from other mortals, he was still human. Entering that place was no easy feat.

“It’s alright, the God will definitely accept you…” Ling’er was startled by her own words. She had never even met the God, so how could she know him?

"Ling'er..." Chang Xiao groaned. He knew that sooner or later, everything would repeat itself.

"I..." Ling'er smiled awkwardly, not noticing the equally surprised Lei Zhu'er and Wolf King.

“Qingluo, as long as you bring just one thing with you, the God Lord will definitely agree,” Leizhu’er said solemnly.

"Pearl, are you talking about Blue Tear?" the Wolf King asked.

"That's right! It's Blue Tears!"

“But Blue Tear isn’t always…” Qingluo was about to continue when she was stopped by Tear’s gaze.

“That’s why the God granted your request,” Tearsdrop said.

Chang Xiao nodded gratefully to Lei Zhu'er. If Lan Lei were there, it would only speed up Ling'er's recovery of her memories.

"Master, do you think it's alright?" After all, it belonged to Ling'er, and she was only making a suggestion; she didn't have the authority to make the decision.

"What does a dagger matter as long as it can help Qingluo and Yuxiao?" Ling'er said generously, but for some reason, she felt a little reluctant.

"Qingluo really doesn't know how to thank everyone for their great kindness!" she said, pulling Yuxiao to bow and thank everyone again.

Tears stepped forward to stop her: "Qingluo, as the Holy Maiden of the Nuwa Clan, I pray for you. I hope you and Yuxiao will be together forever!" With that, she took out the Blue Tear and handed it to her.

With teary eyes, Qinglu bid farewell to everyone. She and her lover were going to seek a peaceful life away from the world, something that should have been a cause for celebration. However, leaving behind those who had helped her during her most difficult time was truly heartbreaking. Yuxiao hugged her tightly at the right moment and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"By the way, Qingluo, if you see that girl named Meiniang, give her this." Shiba lowered his head and took out a piece of paper from his pocket.