Sleepy Hollow

Chapitre 7

“Sigh…” Huang Jing said, “We were all used. He used Shan Liang’s desire for revenge, then stirred up my desire for revenge, and then he also used your love for me.”

"This person is terrifying, so terrifying." She gently stroked the weeping Huang Hua. The scene looked touching, but the blood flowing from Huang Jing's hands, which stained Huang Hua with blood, added a touch of horror to the atmosphere.

"Who? Who used you? And what is your purpose?" I couldn't help but interrupt their conversation.

Huang Jing turned around, and the blood that had been flowing calmly across her face began to splash outwards like river water hitting a stubborn rock. Seeing the situation was bad, we quickly took a few steps back. At that moment, she seemed to calm down, and the blood slowly receded to her feet.

"I can tell you what I know, but alas, hatred, hatred, has buried my rationality."

"Okay, go ahead and say it." But I knew she would definitely have a request of me, and if I wasn't mistaken, she wanted me to let Huang Hua go.

"Very good, very good, but you must grant me one request." Sure enough, that's what she said.

“No problem, I can let Huang Hua go, but he still has to face the punishment of the law.”

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [25]: "Haha~~~~" Huang Jing laughed loudly, and the entire liberal arts building swayed in her laughter. "Did I ask you to let him go? I wanted you to use the Seven Copper Coin Sword to pierce our conjoined bodies, so that I could be with him forever."

"What?" The three of us exclaimed almost simultaneously; this was unbelievable.

Love? Could this be love?

"Haha, you have no idea how deep our feelings are, nor can you understand our thoughts."

I can admit that at least most people in society cannot understand this kind of love. However, didn't Li Zheng say in his letter that Huang Jing liked Li Zheng?

"Don't you like Li Zheng? Why..."

"Li Zheng, humph, there's no way anyone could like someone like that?" she said coldly.

“You’re lying.” Li Xie stepped forward abruptly. “My brother was a good man. You killed him.”

"Are you Li Zheng's younger brother?" Huang Jing scrutinized him for a moment before continuing, "You're very good, unlike Li Zheng."

"If you say anything more about my brother..." Huang Jing interrupted him abruptly, and continued to ask me, "Will you agree or not?"

I looked at Huang Hua; he was completely wrapped in the blood flowing from Huang Jing's hands. It seemed that even if I didn't agree, Huang Hua couldn't be saved. Since that was the case, although their love was incomprehensible to others, I had no choice but to agree.

"Okay, I promise you. You can speak now."

"First, I want to ask you, what makes you so sure that Huang Hua was the creator of the Seven Stars Gate?"

Is this question related to what you're trying to say?

She didn't answer me, she just looked at me quietly, a bloody pillar at her feet pointing at me from afar.

"Hmph, because he did something very stupid; he handed me Li Zheng's so-called letter."

"letter?"

"Yes, and when he was talking to me, he also had a very strange expression on his face. I only realized now that it was the love he showed when he mentioned your name."

However, I only remembered him when I was tracking that figure just now, because he's the only one familiar with the Arts Building and with me.

"Oh..." She looked at Huang Hua, who was almost submerged in blood, and smiled bitterly. She said, "Actually, he was being used. If I had shown myself sooner, perhaps he wouldn't be like this. But I know that as long as I show myself, he will definitely be harmed by the Panlong Blood Curse on my body. Sigh."

Her voice was very beautiful; if it weren't for the blood covering her face, she would have seemed like a woman to be pitied.

Suddenly she changed the subject and said, "All three of you have been used by Li Zheng."

Upon hearing this, Li Xie was about to erupt in anger, but I quickly stopped him and said to Huang Jing, "Alright, continue."

She sneered and said, "You know I was taken by Li Haitao..." I nodded to indicate that I knew. Although she had died with hatred and become a wronged ghost, she still retained the shyness of a girl.

"Well, actually, I had no idea that the dean loved me. Shan Liang just lied to me and said that the dean had something to talk to me about."

"I know that too. Actually, I have a guess that Shan Liang is a descendant of Shan Fangfang from back then, is that right?"

Huang Jing was taken aback and said, "I didn't know. I always thought that she was willing to sacrifice herself for Li Zheng."

Huh? Why does she seem unaware of the existence of the wronged spirit Hu Xiaodie?

"After I died, my soul was drawn to the gate. Only then did I realize that it was all Li Zheng's doing. Including me, Shan Liang, Zhang Xue, the recently deceased dean, and two other people, as long as there is one more person's blood on an unlucky day and month, the Seven Stars Gate will be complete. Then, Li Zheng can find what he wants."

"Was this Seven Star Gate set up by Li Zheng? What is he looking for?"

"She couldn't possibly know, why don't you ask me? Hehe..." A voice came from Huang Jing's body, startling all three of us. Huang Jing looked at herself, completely bewildered. A moment later, the blood flowing from Huang Jing's body was drawn back in. I quickly told Li Xie to keep a close eye on Li Heng, because people born on unlucky days and at unlucky hours are rare, but now it was just Li Heng and me here.

I held Xiao Tao's hand and used the seven copper coin swords to draw the character "Dao" in the air in front of me. The pure energy coming from Xiao Tao's body mixed with my Bodhidharma energy and was injected into the character "Dao," which aroused a burst of yellow light and formed a protective membrane against the yin energy.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [26]: Huang Jing looked at herself in surprise. Suddenly her abdomen slowly split open and Huang Jing's upper body fell backward. Only a low murmur came from Huang Jing's mouth: "So it was you, it was you..." Huang Jing's body, which was cut in two, did not fall down. Instead, the blood that was collected slowly congealed upward at her waist, and a human figure gradually appeared in front of me.

--The person formed from congealed blood slowly emerged with eyes and nose.

Blood split open below the nose, revealing a mouth. Hair slowly grew, strand by strand, covering the entire face. Strictly speaking, it couldn't be considered a human face; perhaps "demon" would be a more apt description.

The recycled blood rushed onto our faces and splashed back at us, splattering against the protective film of the "Dao" character with a hissing sound. Xiao Tao suddenly gripped my hand tightly, her palms sweating profusely. I thought the child might not be able to hold on any longer, so I decisively pulled my hand away.

She stared at me in astonishment. I smiled at her and suddenly leaped through the protective barrier. Blood splattered onto my body, seeping into my skin through my pores.

I hadn't expected the Panlong Blood Curse to be so powerful. I immediately gripped the sword in my right hand and stabbed it fiercely into my left palm, causing blood to gush out.

"Lin Wei, what are you doing? You can't use the Borrowing Heaven and Earth Technique! It will shorten your lifespan by twenty years!" Xiao Tao shouted from inside the protective net. Of course, she was too exhausted to break through. Li Xie, whose magic skills were not proficient and who also had to take care of Li Heng, was also unable to spare any attention.

I smiled at Xiaotao again, and to be honest, I don't know why, but for the first time, I put the question of life and death aside.

I raised my left hand, drawing an arc in the air. Seizing the opportunity, I raised my right hand, wielding the copper coin sword, and drew the character "Dao" within the blood net. I shouted urgently, "Yin and Yang are boundless, Heaven and Earth borrow the law!" The blood character immediately emitted a dazzling purple light, and the blood splattered from the blood-covered figure turned into wisps of smoke under the purple light, causing the entire Arts Building to fall into a state of confusion.

The blood-soaked figure screamed wildly in the smoke, instantly giving one the feeling of being trapped in hell. This feeling also sent chills down my spine.

Soon, the smoke began to dissipate. I naturally took a step back, moved closer to Xiaotao, and asked, "Are you alright?"

They responded with a soft "Mmm," but their voices were very weak.

Just as I was about to look at them, Xiao Tao called out, "Lin Wei, look, in front of you..." I was startled and quickly took a step back, then looked straight ahead.

The blood-soaked figure had truly taken shape, with clearly defined muscle lines; it was only missing a layer of skin.

I stopped and looked at her, only to find that she was also staring at me. I snorted and was about to take a step forward when the person suddenly cried out, opened her mouth, and slowly spat out eight eyeballs, one by one, before stopping and standing up again, staring at me.

Her mouth moved slowly, and a dry sound came from her throat, "Hehe, hehe, I've finally come back to life."

I took another step back and whispered to Xiaotao, "Be careful, use your inner energy to calm your mind; she has a lot of yin energy." Then I turned around to face the monster and asked, "Who are you?"

"Hehe, aren't you supposed to be smart? Can't you guess who I am? You should have guessed by now." "Huh?" My left hand was still bleeding, and my body swayed slightly. I replied, "Hmph, I don't care who you are. Things that harm people should be eliminated."

"Hehe, ugh~~~~" She vomited again, then wiped her mouth with her right hand and said in a sinister voice, "I should have sensed you by now, Jia Dao, don't you remember yet?"

Jia Dao? I am Jia Dao? Why would she think that? Could it be... "Hmph, so you are Shan Fangfang."

"Hehehe, very good, you're still as smart as ever. After eighty years, I've finally waited for this opportunity."

"Hmph, just because I don't love you, you have to kill so many people?" Since I'm impersonating Jia Dao, I'll play the part convincingly. Because, let alone my current state, even if I were completely uninjured, I still couldn't deal with this ghost from hell.

"Hmph, do you know how deeply you've hurt me? I've always loved you, I was even willing to give you my father's fortune, but you abandoned me for that bitch Hu Xiaodie. Don't you know I'm carrying your child?"

I gave a wry smile and said, feigning helplessness, "I'm sorry, I really didn't know."

"Oh, so if you..." She revealed an expression that was hard to tell if it was a smile or not; the muscles in her skin contorted in a grimace, and a tiny trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry, even if I knew, I would still leave." I knew that such an answer would be absolutely disadvantageous for me, but I made the gamble, betting my own life.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [27]: “Waaaaah~~~” She suddenly screamed and murmured, “So you… then why did I do this?”

"Shan Liang, what was the purpose of your sacrifice? My granddaughter!" Sure enough, Shan Liang was Shan Fangfang's granddaughter, but the outcome was far beyond my expectations. I had assumed Shan Liang had sacrificed herself for Li Zhengcai, but unexpectedly… Just as I was pondering this, Shan Fangfang suddenly cried out, "I can't turn back now, Jia Dao, I'm sending you all to hell with me!"

When I heard this, I was shocked. I tried to lift the copper coin sword, but I found that I had no strength left in my right hand to lift it.

Just as she was about to pounce on me, a golden light flashed past my side. I was about to warn her when Xiao Tao cried out, "Ouch!" I forgot about my own safety and rushed to look at her. She seemed alright; it meant the golden light wasn't targeting her, but rather the ancient rain in her hand.

Gu Yu rolled to the ground, and the box lid was opened. A thick fog slowly wafted out from inside. At this moment, Shan Fangfang miraculously stopped and stared blankly at the rising smoke.

A familiar feeling welled up inside me. I looked at Xiao Tao and found her staring blankly at the smoke.

Before long, a human figure appeared in the smoke, and Xiao Tao shouted, "Grandpa!"

I looked into the smoke, and sure enough, a human figure that looked remarkably like me emerged. My guess was right; the wronged spirit in the ancient rain was Jia Dao, and Li Zheng… it seems I won this gamble. I chuckled to myself.

The Ancient Rain was originally a Taoist treasure that preserved souls. Now, the souls inside have been released, and the Ancient Rain is emitting a faint purple light, which resonates with the Borrowing the Universe technique I drew.

Jia Dao's soul floated in the air, slowly drifting to Shan Fangfang's side. He reached out his hand, and Shan Fangfang's eyes once again produced faint traces of blood.

When she saw Jia Dao extend his hand, she unconsciously reached out and shook his hand as well.

Just as their hands touched, the Arts Building shook.

I quickly went to Xiao Tao's side and then pulled her to Li Xie's place.

A large amount of blood gushed out from beneath Jia Dao and Shan Fangfang's feet, mixed with a faint white smoke, exuding an eerie aura. A moment later, a scream erupted from underground, sending a jolt through me; I almost fainted. Then, the sound abruptly stopped, and the place where the blood had been gushing slowly cracked open, revealing a hole about a meter wide.

"Haha, I finally succeeded." A burst of laughter came from the direction of Yongfang Hall.

“Hmph,” I said, looking at Xiao Tao and Li Xie, “the real mastermind is about to appear.”

The aged-sounding voice drew closer, and Xiao Tao, nervously clinging to me, whispered, "Lin Wei, what kind of vengeful ghost could he be?" I turned my face away and said softly, "You don't need to guess. You'll know when you see him. He's someone you know."

"You know him?" Li Xie was taken aback. I nodded to him and said, "You know him too."

The two of them looked bewildered, and just as they were thinking, the man appeared at the gate. Sure enough, it was the wandering Taoist priest, whose face was almost completely covered by a full beard, his voice was old, and his figure was unusually bloated.

As soon as he appeared, Shan Fangfang looked at him, but Jia Dao continued to gaze at Shan Fangfang with deep affection, seemingly unaware of his presence.

Jia Dao's unusual reaction aroused Shan Fangfang's suspicion.

She suddenly stepped back and said to Jia Dao, "You're not the Jia Dao I know. Who are you?"

"Haha..." The wandering Taoist laughed a few times, took two steps forward, and said, "He is Jia Dao, but he is missing three souls, so he is looking at you with the same feelings he has for Hu Xiaodie."

Ha ha……"

"What? Who are you?" Shan Fangfang's words had barely left her lips when she had already floated over. Just as she was about to touch the wandering Taoist priest, she suddenly froze in mid-air.

The wandering Taoist priest slowly walked forward, saying, "Shan Fangfang, do you think all of this was done by Shan Liang to revive you?"

Shan Fangfang seemed to be struggling, her mouth splitting wider and wider as she struggled.

“Master, oh no, it seems that it is inappropriate for me to call you, or for us to call you Master.”

“Oh,” he turned to face me, “so what do you want to call me?”

With Xiao Tao's help, I slowly took two steps closer to him and said, "Li Xie should call you brother, but we should call you Li Zheng."

His body jolted violently, and suddenly his left hand shot backward. The woman, suspended in mid-air, screamed, her mouth agape. I looked down and saw her mouth suddenly split open completely to the sides; the upper part of her mouth had detached from her body and was falling towards the opening. The rest of her body trembled violently, making a gurgling sound from her throat.