I could not help it but avoid Mo Qing's gaze, and looked at the wooden-headed puppet beside him.
In this moment, the wooden-headed puppet next to him also turned its head to look at me. Sima Rong's teasing voice transmitted out from the motionless wooden face: "Ah, so that's how it is, this matter is indeed more important."
How did I not know before that this West Mountain Lord of mine could make someone withdraw so quickly in a panic like this?
I coughed and changed the topic: "Today, through Shen Qian Jin's mirror, I saw West Mountain Lord displaying great power. When did West Mountain Lord get so many wooden-headed puppets?"
"A few days ago, with senior brother's help, we quickly made the puppets within several nights." He said, "Now that my body is badly damaged, it's difficult for me to move about. So using the Mechanical Magic Technique to make several wooden-headed puppets, this can still be regarded as contributing a bit of strength to Wan Lu Sect."
I told myself even if it was like this, it was still great. He did not need to leave that small courtyard of his and could still help Mo Qing share the burden on this side. After all, being the West Mountain Lord for so many years, Sima Rong's abilities could not be underestimated.
Sima Rong's explanation to my question was not yet over, so he explained some more: "Coincidentally, the wooden-headed puppets made in the past few days can also transmit scenes from other places back, so today, I heard that you mentioned the former Sect Leader many times. Previously, I only heard that the former Sect Leader could enter your dreams, so right now, can you also communicate with her during the day?"
Sima Rong, you should be dragged outside and be chopped in half, argh!
Inwardly, I hated Sima Rong to the point of clenching my teeth, but outwardly, I did not even bat an eyelid: "Mhm, maybe she is relatively happier today." My heart suddenly jolted. I thought, anyways, Mo Qing knew that I was Lu Zhao Yao now. As long as I persisted in straightening my back and he did not expose me, then I would still continue this persistence.
Because… There were absolutely no advantages in exposing it. After all, I still had to use Zhi Yan's body to continue to communicate with these living people.
Mo Qing swept a glance at me, silently and speechlessly. However, at this moment, a shadow suddenly flashed behind me, kneeling on the ground, respectfully greeting Mo Qing.
I had already seen this person before, he was the newly established chief of the Dark Guards after Mo Qing ascended to the Sect Leader position.
I saw that after he got up, he went straight to Mo Qing's side and approached his ear to deliver a report. His voice was both soft and quiet. My hand performed the pattern for the Hearing of a Thousand Miles, planning to eavesdrop. I had not even fully utilized it when he had already finished reporting and backed away.
Mo Qing's complexion suddenly became somewhat cold: "First, go investigate."
"Yes."
I shot a glance at the wooden-headed puppet. Originally, I was planning to let Sima Rong ask what happened. However, Sima Rong stood still, a wooden face that did not utter a single word, so without any better option, I had to ask him myself: "What's wrong?"
Mo Qing bowed his head approving the documents, saying very naturally: "Xu Zhi and Qin Qian Xian stumbled upon some problems on the way back, but it's not an issue. So for the time being, you should go back and rest first."
Driving me away?
So I gave him my motive.
"Okay. I just came by to see Master and praise you for your awesome arrangement. There's nothing else, so I'll go back to South Mountain Lord's place first."
"Mhm."
I turned to leave. The moment I walked out the door, out of the corner of my eye, I glanced back into the room and saw Mo Qing, who had been approving documents had already set the brush aside. His face darkened, his lips pursed, and to some degree, he carried a severely thick murderous aura.
The person who just came to report, the information must not have been news related to Little Shi Qi. I took a few steps out of Wu E Palace, and looked at the clear night sky of Chen Ji Mountain that had remained unchanged for thousands of years. Unconsciously, my heart and my eyes became somewhat chilled from the blowing wind.
I guessed that more than half of it was related to Luo Ming Xuan.
When I winked back to Chen Ji Mountain, right in that moment, Shen Qian Jin and Guan Yu Tower's emissary were secretively talking, which happened to confirm my speculation. By the time I arrived outside the courtyard, I had drew the pattern for the Hearing of a Thousand Miles, so without having to get close, it was enough to clearly hear the emissary reporting the news to Shen Qian Jin:
"Somewhere in the celestial sects, there's auspicious rays of light, and in the sky, there's magical golden clouds that will allow the Golden Immortal to awaken."
My footsteps paused.
I looked at Gu Han Guang's courtyard before me, watching the lights inside the courtyard as far as my eyes could see. The longer I gazed, the deeper I looked. It was like seeing that day on Feng Mountain, the candle flame shining brightly above the happiness altar on Luo Ming Xuan's joyous day.
I extinguished his happiness candle, wasted up to nine precious swords, and finally inserted one of the swords into his heart. I devoted all my power to seal all of his blood vessels and aura. I froze every inch of his meridians, and practically wasted half of my life to eventually make him fall into a deep eternal sleep.
It was because I had sworn it.
Right from the moment I was rescued by my maternal grandfather from Luo Ming Xuan's murderous array. Right from the moment I lay motionlessly in the valley, struggling to endure those last few months, while I was at death's door. Right from the moment I crawled out of the valley and learned the news of my grandfather's death...
I had made countless vows.
You had the body of the Golden Immortal. You could live forever and not die. So I wanted to make you never again have a clear-headed day, and never again have the time for other people's interests. I wanted you to live a life quieter than death.
Without counting that year, I could talk about right now.
I wasted so much effort and spent so many thoughts. I destroyed Jin Zhou City, tore the Ten Great Celestial Sects apart, and ruined the Xian Tai Mountain Convention. What I wanted was to simply have Luo Ming Xuan in a deep eternal sleep.
However, right now someone actually said that the Golden Immortal would probably awaken?
I felt like God was playing a joke on me.
Based on what? Based on the drop of blood left on Liu Su Ruo's broken sword today?
I restrained my emotions and went back to my room to meditate. Although Mo Qing did say to investigate for solid information, it was the same as saying this information had not been verified yet. I could not be anxious, but had to wait patiently. I controlled myself, and just like this, never before in my life, I had diligently recited the Mindfulness Mantra for three days straight.
In these entire three days, I did not use Zhi Yan's body, I just sat in the room and silently recited the Mindfulness Mantra.
Waiting until the evening of the fourth day, I heard Guan Yu Tower's emissary in the next room saying: "The Golden Immortal is awake, the celestial energy fluctuated and swept across half of the land ruled by the celestial sects."
"Where'd he wake up?"
"It's still not clear yet."
Three days and three nights of reciting the Mindfulness Mantra was immediately a wasted effort.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt an anger that I had never had in many years, unwillingness and loathsomeness both rushed forth inside my heart. The heart-burning bitter resentment raged like a blaze, burning my internal organs that had long ceased to exist.
Right when night fell, after Zhi Yan finished taking care of Liu Cang Ling, she returned to the room. She was somewhat happy with the corners of her lips lifted: "Although Brother Cang Ling hasn't woken up yet, but today, South Mountain Lord said that his life is no longer in danger…" She paused her conversation, staring at me, somewhat afraid, "Great, Great Demon King… You… What's wrong?"
What was wrong with me?
I did not know, nor did I need to know.
My body suddenly flashed. I only felt that after becoming a ghost, my movements had never been so fast. I rushed into Zhi Yan's body and firmly pushed her out. So much so that her soul appeared to stumble for a bit, careening back a few steps, barely able to float steadily. She rubbed her chest: "Knocking against me, it really hurts… Great Demon King, you…"
"I'm going to the ghost market."
After leaving these words behind, I immediately used Zhi Yan's body to wink to the ghost market.
In the moment of winking, I vaguely saw that someone from outside the room had pushed the door to walk in. It was Mo Qing's black-robed body. But in the next moment, I landed in the desolate land of the ghost market.
Without hesitation, I unpossessed Zhi Yan's body and immediately stepped towards the small tavern behind the ghost market. But after drifting two steps, I saw a person come up beside Zhi Yan's limp body on the ground.
Sure enough, the person that I just saw was Mo Qing.
He crouched down and observed Zhi Yan's body. He repeatedly opened his mouth, as if he did not know whose name to call out.
Carefully rethinking this, ever since I had been using Zhi Yan's body, it seemed like he had never really said Zhi Yan's name. From the beginning, his attitude towards Zhi Yan was still extremely vile. When did it change? It was like it started from the time when Zhi Yan went to save Liu Cang Ling, who was imprisoned in the dungeon. At that time, when evening came, I abruptly entered Zhi Yan's body to block North Mountain Lord's staff.
Maybe… Starting from that time, he realized that I was Lu Zhao Yao.
He concealed it deeply, but nor did I go to investigate it.
Now, in such a situation like this, where my anger had reached its zenith but I was still ultimately calm. Immediately thinking about it, I had thought through it all. Right now for me, these things were no longer important. Even Mo Qing was not important, whether he likes me or not did not even matter.
I just wanted to get revenge.
Let that damned person, who had yet to die, return on the road to his never-ending sleep once more. Let my hand personally send him back.
So I turned to leave.
Behind me, I heard Mo Qing's figure standing up, his clothes sweeping across the withered grass and weeds on the ground. The rustling noises were like blades of fragmented grass sweeping across the apex of my heart, a bit itchy and a bit prickly.
"Where are you?"
I could hear Mo Qing's voice, he had lost a little of his usual calmness.
"I know you can hear me. You, come back. You can discuss anything with me. Whatever plans that you have, just leave it to me."
I ignored him, all other things could be discussed, but only this matter alone was impossible.
If Luo Ming Xuan did not awaken, then everything was easy to handle. I could borrow Zhi Yan's body, act coquettishly to Mo Qing, pretend to speak softly and warmly to him, let him help me and assist me, because at that time, my enemy was someone else.
But if Luo Ming Xuan woke up, then there would be no discussion.
Many years ago, I personally sealed him. Even if I squandered this life, I would not borrow somebody else's power in Wan Lu Sect because the fight with Luo Ming Xuan belonged only to me.
No one was allowed to help nor allowed to obstruct.
Even if I was dead, I would crawl out of hell, using my torn body and dried up bones, because I would still want to make the blood in Luo Ming Xuan's heart be dry forever.
As a ghost, if there was an obsession, then this was considered to be my one and only strongest obsession.
"You're not allowed to be alone!"
I heard Mo Qing's cry behind me and my heart tightened indescribably.
As if I could feel the pain and fear that he hid in the deep wounds of his body. I could also feel the warmth and ticklishness in the cracks of my ice-cold soul…
"Lu Zhao Yao!"
My footsteps paused, but it only paused for a moment, then it did not stop any more, and drifted straight into the forest.
No matter how warm or how ticklish, I still could not discuss it with Mo Qing. I wanted to get my own revenge, while he… Was still injured.
I floated to the small tavern and found Zi You: "Buy a Resurrecting Pill for me, some time in the future, I will find someone to burn paper offerings for you." I went straight to the point.
Zi You froze: "Why so suddenly…"
"Buy it or not?"
Zi You was just like Zhi Yan from a moment ago, he got somewhat spooked by me. I was very familiar with this expression of theirs. When I was alive, after I had killed Luo Ming Xuan, many people looked at me with the same expression, carrying dread and shuddering subconsciously.
For many years… I thought I would never see another person who would be so scared of my face again.
On the contrary, I somewhat cherished the memory.
"I… I'm just afraid that it's impossible…" I got up to leave, Zi You quickly reached out to stop me, but his hand simply passed through my soul, "Listen to me, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you! I'm here as a waiter because I cannot remember my own full name! I only remember my nickname, therefore, I can't even receive the money burn from the human world! I can only make money here in order to go to the ghost market to buy what I want to buy!"
I drifted towards the ghost market, while he kept chasing me with all his might.
I had taken the Energy Boosting Pill, so he could not catch up. The more his eyes rested on me, the farther I was, so he desperately shouted: "That's just the first! The second is that the ghost market does allow another person to help others buy things, but only if there's a family relationship!"
As I drifted further away, I could no longer hear his words. At this time, when I returned to the place where I had unpossessed Zhi Yan's body, Mo Qing had already taken her body away. I could guess where he was going, he wanted to go look for Luo Ming Xuan. Perhaps, he did not know what I could do after becoming a ghost, but he definitely must know that I wanted to go find Luo MIng Xuan.
I no longer cared about him, and continued to drift into the ghost market.
I stopped the old lady, who had been searching for a daughter-in-law in the ghost market all year round. I disclosed to her my eight-character birthdate, then I said: "I'm a virgin ghost. I'm willing to marry your son. Now let's immediately go get the posthumous nuptial handled for me. As your family's betrothal gift to me, I just want — you to buy a Resurrecting Pill for me."
The old lady stared at me for a while, then she immediately clapped her hands: "Ai-ya, okay, the looks are fine, the butt is curved, the eight-character birthdate is suitable, I finally found a match for my son! I have a daughter-in-law!"
Oh, yes, you got a daughter-in-law now. When I was alive, I thought that I would not get married even if I was beaten to death. Now that I was finally dead, I was going to get married after all.
Translated by Sonrisa t.n.t