Boîte corporelle

Chapitre 17

"Isn't he in bed?" Eighteen asked without turning his head. Hu Yiyi shuddered upon hearing this. "It seems he's not in bed..." Indeed, Cai Meng wasn't in bed. Luckily, he wasn't in bed, otherwise he would have been crushed into a meat patty by Hu Yiyi in the heat of battle.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and look!" Elder Tianxing's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. Everyone immediately started searching. It wasn't under the bed, it wasn't on the floor, it wasn't under the books. Ling'er was so anxious that she even opened the drawers of the writing desk to look, but still nothing! Where on earth is Cai Meng?

"Stop looking, he's right here." Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. They saw Cai Meng floating in the air before slowly landing on the bed. The Wolf King followed behind him.

"Wolf, you're back! Was everything alright?" Chang Xiao asked with a smile. The Wolf King nodded: "Everything went well. These are Cai Meng's three souls and seven spirits." He then handed a gray bag to Ling'er.

"How did Mengmeng's body end up with you..." Ling'er asked, puzzled.

“I just got back and found that none of you were in the dorm. Only Hu Yi was fighting with a stranger. I was afraid that if I hurt Cai Meng’s body, there would be no hope of bringing him back to life, so I took him out…”

"Then why didn't you pull them apart?" Ling'er interrupted the wolf king.

"They're fighting so fiercely, I can't separate them," the Wolf King said.

"Ling'er, quickly give me that bag. You all go out first. Thank you, Wolf King, for saving my beloved disciple's life!" He was about to bow down when Chang Xiao stopped Elder Tianxing, saying, "Elder, you flatter me. Blue Tears are on Cai Meng's chest." He then gestured for everyone to leave. Elder Tianxing's eyes reddened with gratitude.

No one dared to go far; they simply stood guard outside the dormitory door.

"Just wait until Mengmeng recovers, I'll deal with you two!" Ling'er glared fiercely at Hu Yi and Shiba. The two lowered their heads and remained silent. "Do you know! I bought that computer by working part-time! Huh? You two pay me back!" Hu Yi, still with his head down, pulled something from his pocket and shoved it into Ling'er's hand. Ling'er looked at it and saw it was a luminous pearl. Seeing this, Shiba pulled something from behind his back and shoved it into her hand as well—good heavens! It was an axe!

"Alright, alright! You can keep the axe yourself! I'll keep the beads." Ling'er thought this deal seemed pretty good, so she generously returned the axe to Shiba.

At that moment, Cai Meng's voice came from inside the dormitory: "Master..."

Ling'er was relieved to know that Cai Meng was alright, so she said, "Let's go in and take a look."

Cai Meng was leaning against the bed, his complexion much rosier than before, though still slightly haggard. Upon seeing Ling'er, he said, "Senior Sister, you've come too?" His gaze then swept over the crowd, and suddenly, as if seeing a monster, he froze, jumping up and shouting, "Demon! Prepare to die!"

Everyone was startled by Cai Meng's actions. Who is the monster? There are plenty of non-humans in this room. Ling'er looked at the Wolf King, then at Hu Yi, and then at Shi Ba. Although none of them are human, they can't be considered monsters, right?

"Mengmeng? What's wrong with you? Hurry up and thank these three devils... oh, no! These three friends!" Ling'er pointed at the Wolf King and said, "If it weren't for him, your soul would be locked up in the underworld right now!" She pointed at Hu Yi and said, "Hu Yi is my demon servant, not a devil, although he didn't do anything to bring you back to life... Speaking of you, if it weren't for him, you would still be lying in the cold forest. He carried you back from a long way..."

Cai Meng interrupted Ling'er: "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be lying in this cold forest!"

Chang Xiao stared at Shi Ba with a puzzled look. Although Cai Meng was physically weak, his mind must be clear. Although Shi Ba was originally a bear spirit, he had not sensed any evil aura from him. Could it be that there was some misunderstanding?

Eighteen stood there blankly, staring at Cai Meng with his mouth agape. He couldn't understand why his brother, whom he had carried for so long, was so fierce to him after waking up. Was it because Hu Yi had pulled his scalp bald and he wasn't used to it? But it wasn't his fault!

Ling'er walked over and patted Cai Meng's head: "Little Mengmeng, what's wrong? Although Shi Ba is a bit slow, I promise he's not a bad person, really!"

Cai Meng pulled his senior sister's hand off his forehead and said, "Senior sister! Why don't you believe me? Master! You must believe what I'm saying, right?"

Elder Tianxing hummed a Huangmei opera tune as he turned his head away. Clearly, Elder Tianxing did not believe that Shi Ba was the murderer who killed Mengmeng.

"You monster, stop pretending to be all idiotic and pitiful here! Didn't you dare show your fierce and menacing appearance in front of everyone?" With that, she swung her hand at him.

"Stop!" Ling'er blocked Cai Meng's attack. "Let's talk this out. Don't fight before things are clear! Otherwise, I'll call you Little Mengmeng in front of all these beautiful girls!"

"Oh my god... Is there such a threatening person?" Hu Yi touched his dark circles. He had been using a lot of internet slang lately, thanks to his Qingqingcao (a type of online slang).

"Alright! I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm not afraid!" Everyone sat down in the dormitory. Chang Xiao was afraid that there would be another fight soon, so he set up a barrier around the dormitory so that even if the house was really demolished, no one would hear it.

It turned out that Cai Meng was originally going to see his master, Elder Tianxing. The two had long ago arranged to travel to Mount Wutai. Cai Meng set off two days early, staying at a small local inn while waiting for his master. He then called Afei over. Because Afei hadn't reached the level of cultivation to become a human, it couldn't be with Cai Meng all the time. Afei and Cai Meng hadn't seen each other for several months. Normally, Afei should have been overjoyed to see each other again, but it only flapped its wings anxiously. Cai Meng knew something unusual must have happened, so he flipped over and mounted Afei, saying, "If you find any demons or monsters causing trouble, take me there! I'll beat them to a pulp!"

Afei nodded hurriedly, flapped its wings, and took flight. Soon, it stopped in front of a grove of trees. Cai Meng landed and asked, "Is it in that grove?" Afei nodded, so Cai Meng said, "Don't worry, wait here for me. Watch me subdue that monster, and then you can brag about it to your master." Because Afei was so large, and the gaps in the grove were so small, it could only wait outside.

The deeper he went, the colder it became. He considered turning back to seek help, but then he remembered his boast to A-Fei; returning empty-handed would be incredibly embarrassing. So he forced himself to continue. The shadows of the trees swayed, and although the moon was large, only a faint glimmer filtered through the branches. In the southwest of the woods, he saw a faint blue light and quickened his pace. The blue light grew clearer, and he could vaguely make out a person's silhouette, waving something around. He tried to remain silent, hoping to avoid being discovered until he could ascertain the person's identity. But fate had other plans. Just then, he tripped over some weeds. Although he didn't fall, the person still spotted him! "Who goes there?" a sinister voice called out.

“Just passing by, I’m just passing by…” Cai Meng knew from the voice that he was no match for the man and did not want to fight.

"Passing by? I'm afraid you'll lose your life here!" the man said with a sneer.

"Why? I didn't say I wanted to fight you!" Cai Meng looked back, trying to run away if he couldn't win the fight.

"Because you saw me!"

"Hey! You're being so unreasonable!" Cai Meng was a little unconvinced. After all, he was a level three hunter!

"I'm unreasonable? Has this world ever been reasonable to me? Even a bear has better luck than me!" As he spoke, he walked over, and Cai Meng finally saw clearly that the man was holding an axe!

Because Cai Meng hadn't brought any weapons, he was at a great disadvantage. This man was more skilled than him, though he had hoped that someone so large would be slow, but that hope was dashed. The man was huge, but incredibly agile! Cai Meng decided to run, as saving his life was paramount. However, this man clearly knew the area well, having lived in this forest for a long time. Cai Meng could only defend, unable to attack, forced to hold his ground. Gradually, despair set in; he felt he might truly perish there. Suddenly, he saw a dagger in the distance, gleaming with a blue light. The blue light he had just seen must have come from it. Cai Meng thought that if he could get the dagger, he might still have a chance to turn the tide. Just as he was thinking this, his mind wandered, and he was struck in the chest. He felt a sweet taste in his throat, and spat out a mouthful of blood. Cai Meng tried to move closer to the dagger, but the man struck him with a palm strike, giving him no chance. So he intensified his attack, only attacking and not defending, and suddenly a hard fist slammed into Cai Meng's head. Cai Meng gradually felt his consciousness blurring, and everything in front of him spun around. Before he fell, he saw the man also fall, saying hatefully, "If it weren't for your meddling…why would I have had to wait another month…"

Cai Meng's memory ends here. As soon as he regained consciousness, he saw that person, Eighteen, was still with his master and senior sister. Although the person's expression was different from last night, Cai Meng could still recognize that it was him who killed him, and he was still holding the axe from last night.

Ling'er knew there was something fishy about this, so she asked Shiba, "Did you see Cai Meng last night? I hate people who lie!"

"No, I have a habit of falling asleep easily on the night of a full moon. I went to bed early yesterday, and I saw you guys just before dawn, and then I asked you for money..." Eighteen explained.

"Do you have any twin brothers who can also become human?" Chang Xiao asked.

"No……"

“Even if they are brothers, why do they even have the same axe?” Cai Meng asked.

"But I really didn't kill you, and I don't have that kind of ability!" he said, looking at Ling'er.

Ling'er lowered her head and thought for a long time. Although she was more skilled in magic than Cai Meng, Cai Meng was not an ordinary person. Moreover, the magic of hunters was specifically used to deal with demons and monsters. There was no reason why he would be killed by a bear spirit who had cultivated for three hundred years, even if he had obtained the Three Treasures by chance.

At this moment, Elder Tianxing, who had been silent for a while, said, "Eighteen, let me see your axe."

Eighteen quickly handed the axe to him. Before Elder Tianxing could say anything, the Wolf King's voice rang out: "No wonder! So that's how it is!"

Chang Xiao and Elder Tianxing nodded in sudden understanding. Ling'er, puzzled, asked, "What exactly is going on? What are you men doing?"

Chang Xiao smiled and said, "Ling'er, all the mysteries have been solved!" Shi Ba was still dazed, looking at this and that. Ling'er saw that his blank look didn't seem to be faking it and said, "Could it be the axe..." Chang Xiao nodded and said, "No wonder you're a level two hunter!" Hu Yi said, "Tch, if she hadn't been expelled because of me, she would definitely be a level one hunter by now!" Shi Ba touched his bald patch of scalp: "What's wrong with my axe? It's not rusty!" "How could it be rusty? Not only is it not rusty, but it's also very sharp!" Chang Xiao stared at the axe as if it were alive.

A resentful voice rang out: "Hmph, I never thought that all my efforts over the past two hundred years would be wasted!"

"If something doesn't belong to you, you won't get it even if it takes two hundred or two thousand years, let alone two hundred years. Besides, Blue Tear is an ancient treasure with a spirit. It knows how to recognize its master. Even if you get it, you can forget about achieving your goal!" Chang Xiao slowly stomped to Shi Ba's side.

Eighteen heard an unfamiliar voice and looked around, but saw no one else coming in. He noticed everyone staring at his axe and asked, "What's wrong? Do you think I stole this axe?"

Hu Yi rolled her eyes at him: "Shut your bird beak!"

"But I'm not reconciled! Why is Heaven so unfair to me?" The voice rang out again, and Eighteen finally realized that the voice came from the axe in his own hand! Startled, he let go, and just as the axe was about to hit the ground, a cloud of black smoke rose and enveloped the surroundings. When the black smoke dissipated, a man appeared before everyone.

“Heaven is sometimes unfair, but I believe that every cause has its effect! Since you have been dead for many years, why do you still linger in this world and take lives?” Chang Xiao stared at the man.

"I have been a ghost for over two hundred years, and I have only taken a life once, out of necessity!" The man lowered his head, as if he had something to hide.

Seeing that the man wasn't the ferocious monster she had imagined, Ling'er said, "No choice? How could killing be no choice?"

The man looked up at Ling'er and said, "What if you're about to get something you've been searching for for two hundred years, and someone comes out to snatch it from you?"

Cai Meng said, "When did I ever steal anything from you?"

"Weren't you trying to steal Blue Tears?"

"Blue Tears? What are Blue Tears?" Cai Meng asked, puzzled.

“Yes! What exactly is this Blue Tear?” Ling’er asked.

"Ling'er, do you still have no recollection of Lan Lei?" Chang Xiao stared intently at her.

This was the second time he had asked her this question. Ling'er wondered if she really had a connection with the Blue Tear, and if she had forgotten it. So she desperately searched her memory, but found nothing: "No, I have no recollection at all. Is there something you're hiding from me?" Ling'er shook Chang Xiao's arm.

"This blue tear...it..."

"Blue Tears can bring the dead back to life!" Elder Tianxing interrupted Chang Xiao.

"Why? How can a dagger possess such power?"

"Didn't Chang Xiao say that Blue Tears is an ancient treasure? I just can't understand why you want to snatch Blue Tears too? Since you know the use of Blue Tears, you should also know that there are three types of people that it cannot save!" Elder Tianxing said.

"How could I not know! It's just..." The man didn't finish his sentence.

"You just want to use the power of Blue Tears to suppress the eighteen souls, right?" the Wolf King said after a long silence.

"Three hundred years ago, I was just an ordinary woodcutter, living with my elderly mother. We were poor and couldn't afford a wife. I didn't blame my mother; she was widowed at thirty and had raised me all these years with great difficulty. But she always felt this was a worry, and as I grew older, she was constantly frowning, eventually falling ill and bedridden. We had no money for her medical treatment, so I decided to go up the mountain to gather ginseng, hoping that with luck, I could nourish her body. I entrusted my mother to the aunt next door and went up the mountain. But then, a torrential rain started, pouring down like rain from the sky. The mountain path was already steep, and I lost my balance and fell down the mountain. I wasn't afraid of dying, but who would take care of my mother? My soul drifted home and I saw my mother weeping uncontrollably..."

"Then how did you possess the axe?" Ling'er asked.

"What is your connection with Shiba?" Chang Xiao pressed.

"I was destined to live, but fate took pity on me and allowed me to remain in the mortal world. Although I can't do much to help my mother, I can stay by her side at any time and even enter her dreams at certain times. My mother has gradually recovered from the pain of losing me. Logically, I should be content, even if heaven was unfair to me, it has made amends in some ways. But then, it was another rainy day. My mother looked outside, seemingly thinking of me again. I died on a rainy day. My mother, tears streaming down her face, trembled as she went outside. The rain was getting heavier. I wanted to tell her not to go out, that getting wet would..." She was sick, and her health was already poor, but there was nothing I could do. I saw my mother fall to the ground, and I couldn't even lift her up. Haha, I just watched until the aunt next door came and found my mother, who had been dead for a long time. The aunt's family was poor and couldn't afford a coffin, so my mother only had a straw mat to wrap her in. I wanted to cry, but no tears came out. How could a ghost have tears? It wasn't until I witnessed that I realized that heaven is blind! I can't wait for others to give me charity; I must fight for everything myself! As he spoke, a look of resentment appeared on the man's face.

Chang Xiao quietly stood in front of Ling'er and asked, "What exactly made you become selfish?"

"I'm selfish? Hmph! If you hadn't thrown Sanbao off the cliff, how would that stupid bear have gotten it? It was just an ordinary beast, while I was filial to my mother and helped my neighbors in my lifetime, yet I ended up dying tragically on a cliff, unable to even be buried properly, and watching my mother die in the rain without even a coffin! If it were you, would you continue to feel sorry for others or become a kind-hearted wandering ghost?"

"Wait a minute! Did you just say that Chang Xiao threw away the three treasures?" Ling'er asked, puzzled.

"Who else could it be but him? I will never forget his face!" the man said bitterly.

Chang Xiao was startled and didn't know how to explain. At this moment, the Wolf King said, "That's not Xiao, but his ancestor. It's not surprising that they look alike." Ling'er didn't notice that Chang Xiao nodded gratefully to the Wolf King.

"Oh? Is that so? Since you put it that way, I'll assume you're my ancestor!" the man said with a sinister smile.

"And then what happened? Since you hate Eighteen, why didn't you kill it and get the three treasures yourself?" Hu Yi asked.

"Why should I kill it when I have no grudge against it?" the man blurted out, but then immediately added, "I won't kill it because it has already consumed the Three Treasures, has shed its demonic nature, and possesses the conditions to become an immortal. How easy would it be to kill it? So I risked the destruction of my soul and body to become one with it, and I want to gradually control its mind!"

"How come I didn't know you existed? Besides, if someone hit you with a box, and you opened it and found the Three Treasures inside, would you not eat it?" Eighteen didn't seem to blame the person too much for taking over his body, which almost made him disappear.

"Although my abilities are limited, hiding myself is still a piece of cake!"

"You must know that Blue Tears can enhance the power of the spirit body, thus accelerating your control over Eighteen? And the appearance of my disciple Cai Meng at this time made you extremely nervous, ultimately leading you to kill him?" Elder Tianxing said slowly.

"Yes! Due to my limited abilities, I can only appear on the night of the full moon each month. Last time I came out, I was spotted by a giant eagle, probably a hunter it brought."

"No wonder, I saw you fall down before I died!" Cai Meng was no longer so agitated.

"That's still not right!" Ling'er said. "Since Mengmeng died so suddenly, she definitely didn't have time to write that SOS letter. So who gave the letter to Afei?" She then pulled out a note she had received from Afei from her clothes. Cai Meng was puzzled: "What note? I didn't write anything!" She took it, opened it, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's my handwriting! But I'm sure I never wrote anything like that!" She looked at the person, who said, "It couldn't be me either. When you died, I felt I couldn't control my stupid bear's thoughts!"

"Don't keep calling me 'Stupid Bear'! You wild ghost!" Eighteen said, frowning.

Ling'er chuckled, "A wild ghost? How did you even come up with that?" Then she asked, "By the way, what was your name when you were alive?" She felt that the person wasn't inherently bad, but fate had been unfair to him. Anyone in his shoes might have developed some kind of mental disorder, and there was no psychologist to treat him...

“My name was Wang Qingshan when I was alive,” the man said.

Elder Tianxing said, "If the note wasn't written by my disciple, then who wrote it? And the handwriting is exactly the same?"

Everyone was completely baffled.

Ling'er looked at Elder Tianxing and said, "Uncle-Master, now that Mengmeng is alright, can Wang Qingshan be released?"

Elder Tianxing remained silent, while Ling'er said, "Since none of you object, I'll take that as your agreement?"

Hu Yi said, "I'll agree as long as you swear you won't hurt anyone again. You're so pitiful, and you have such bad luck. Even a bear is luckier than you... Ouch! Ling'er, you slapped me in the face again. You know I'm going to see Qingqingcao later!" Hu Yi protested to Ling'er.

"Who told you to talk so much! Since no one has any objections, it would be a real pity if Wang Qingshan were to be ruined after cultivating for so many years..." She looked at him and said, "But you can't harm people! I really need you to swear an oath. Can you keep it?" She knew that although people nowadays don't value their promises, for ghosts and some cultivated demons, oaths are always counted.

Wang Qingshan nodded and said, "Thank you all for not pursuing my mistake!"

At this moment, the wolf king suddenly said, "Do you know why your life was so tragic?"

Wang Qingshan shook his head.