Chapter 55 Part 2

He wanted to crawl over and grab Yinyu’s skirt, but seeing her cover her nose, he didn’t dare, and pleaded, “Fairy Maiden, Fairy Maiden!”

The souls, seeing he would leave, all showed anger, opened their mouths and spat Ghostly Qi. Strands of Ghostly Qi turned into a bundle of thread, all shooting toward him.

The man didn’t even have time to shout for help before the Ghostly Qi reached him.

A golden light flashed, and the threads were cleanly severed, falling to the ground and vanishing instantly.

This time, fear appeared on the ghosts’ faces. They looked at each other, quickly swallowed their Ghostly Qi back, and in an instant, they all turned their heads back up to worship the stone statue, muttering in doubt.

“She must really be a Fairy Maiden!”

The man blinked and after a while came to his senses, saying in fear, “Thank you, Fairy Maiden, for saving me!”

“She’s a Fairy Maiden?” the souls spoke again.

“Is the Fairy Maiden mightier than the deity of this statue?”

“I don’t know, will I die?”

“What nonsense, immortals can liberate ghosts; they wouldn’t wipe us out!”

“But some bad immortals will only liberate you after killing you; you’ve seen it!”

Yinyu, annoyed by the noise, looked down at the Ear Whisperer God in her arms, quiet for once, and for the first time thought the wooden puppet so pleasing.

The Ear Whisperer God rolled its eyes and said slowly, “I’m not as noisy as them.”

Lian Sheng snapped her fingers, and the Lotus Pattern Arc Light shot over, abruptly halting, suppressing the souls in the distance into silence.

Yinyu turned in surprise: “Are we keeping them?”

“Wuxian still has to come, so of course we keep them.” Lian Sheng walked toward the statue and placed her hand on one ghost’s head, asking, “Tell me, is the person who bound you here called Wuxian?”

That ghost showed a bitter smile: “How would you think I know? I don’t. I’ve stared at this statue for twenty years and still don’t know her name.”

Lian Sheng asked again, “If she bound you here, why does she still come to liberate you, and only three each year?”

“I don’t know! I only know each year three can leave, and everyone’s in line!” The ghost sobbed continuously.

Getting no answers, Lian Sheng simply patted the ghost’s head, and it froze, even its eyeballs unmoving.

The Lotus Pattern Arc Light covering the entire cave hadn’t dispersed, making the place bright and even the Yin Energy seem a bit warmer.

Lian Sheng turned and said, “Let’s go, we’re leaving.”

Yinyu, however, pointed toward the statue’s ear and said, “Look there.”

But when she looked again, the mottled traces behind the statue’s ear had vanished, as if filled in.

She paused, curled her pointing finger into her palm, frowned, and said, “Never mind.”

Lian Sheng glanced over but saw nothing suspicious, and continued walking out, saying, “I’ll erase these souls’ memories so they remember nothing. Otherwise, when Wuxian comes, it’ll be impossible to keep it hidden.”

“Good technique,” Yinyu followed.

The man who had wet his pants followed tightly behind, afraid that if he lagged a step he’d be left behind, while shouting in a suppressed voice, “Fairy Maidens, wait for me! You must take me out!”

“Truly noisy,” the Ear Whisperer God said with an air of superiority.

Passing through the rough passage, they again encountered the Jiangshi frozen in place.

The Jiangshi, upon smelling living breath, all rolled their eyes, drool flowing all over the ground.

Lian Sheng walked straight through them and turned back, extending a hand to Yinyu.

Yinyu stared at that surprisingly beautiful hand, still teasing with her mouth, but placed her own on it, saying, “Worried I’m too scared to walk? I am a bit scared.”

Lian Sheng gave a faint smile and said blandly, “The Yin Energy is strong here; I’m afraid you’ll get cold.”

The truly ghost-fearing man sobbed quietly, his steps so stiff they almost matched the Jiangshi.

Leaving the cave, they saw the Altar of the Abandoned again, and the blazing red fire.

Surrounded by smoke and flames, the man choked as soon as he came up, squinting around and said in terror, “This is the place! When they wrapped me and threw me in, my feet got burned and I was sweating profusely. I realized then they must have brought me to the Altar of the Abandoned!”

Tears streaming from the smoke, his eyes fixed on that peach tree, he exclaimed, “But… how is there a tree here!”

Yinyu surprisingly liked such lively things. Previously living in the bustling market was precisely because the market was full of people; she liked the vitality there.

She approached the peach tree, couldn’t help pinching a leaf again, and the leaf once more slipped away like a fish.

She couldn’t help but laugh, flicked it with her bent finger, and looked up at the treetop, saying, “Peach trees are said to suppress evil, but how can a mere peach tree suppress so many evil entities below?”

“Perhaps it’s only meant to keep them from coming out,” Lian Sheng said.

Not impossible, but…

Yinyu frowned, “But the spirit essence of the peach tree will eventually be exhausted.”

“Indeed.” Seeing Yinyu playing happily with the leaf, Lian Sheng also reached out to touch it, saying, “It looks full of life, but its spirit essence is nearly depleted. Otherwise, no Jiangshi would have escaped.”

“What happens when it’s exhausted? Replace it with another?” Yinyu examined it left and right, a trace of pity in her heart.

This peach tree, perhaps knowing nothing, was about to wither.

The man beside them was already afraid, and now even more confused, unable to interject a single word.

“Then I don’t know.” Lian Sheng released the peach leaf, turned and said, “Let’s leave first, don’t let anyone see.”

The man’s face lit up with joy: “Yes, yes, let’s leave first!”

Yinyu, carrying the wooden puppet, walked out of the great fire, saying, “You’re afraid of being seen? Can’t you just make them forget with a wave of your hand?”

“If they’re mortals, it’s not appropriate to interfere too much,” Lian Sheng said coldly.

The man following behind was terrified, his gaze flickering, and tremblingly asked, “You two… aren’t human?”

Yinyu smiled meaningfully, “Yes, once we’re out of this Altar of the Abandoned, I’ll eat you.”

Whether the man believed it or not, he almost knelt on the spot.

With each step forward, the raging fire behind them closed in an inch. Once the man’s heel left the Altar of the Abandoned, the parted fire wall fully closed.

The fire closed quickly; the man yelped as his foot was scalded again, but he dared not cry out, just silently endured.

Leaving the Altar of the Abandoned, Yinyu naturally was going back to the inn with Lian Sheng, but with each step they took, the rescued man followed.

She glanced over and said, “Eager to be eaten?”

The man shook his head repeatedly and cautiously said, “Didn’t I say I’d be a beast of burden for you two? If I don’t follow, how can I be a beast of burden?”

“I also said there’s no need,” Yinyu said patiently.

The man looked miserable, both anxious and scared. “Can’t you two fairy maidens take me with you? I… I can’t go back to that place. If I run into the Kang family again, they’ll definitely throw me back in!”

Yinyu wasn’t that compassionate; she said lazily, “If you keep following, I’ll really get annoyed.”

Lian Sheng said nothing.

The man, who hadn’t knelt before, now abruptly knelt, his knees thudding heavily into the snow, and begged piteously, “Please, fairy maidens, take me away! I don’t want to die! You two have the heart of bodhisattvas; can’t you take me along a little further?”

This person is truly greedy, Yinyu thought to herself, and looked toward the one with an actual bodhisattva heart.

“We won’t be leaving Dark Snow Heaven yet,” Lian Sheng said, opening her paper umbrella.

The ribs and paper looked frail, but no matter how the wind raged, the umbrella stood as firm as cast copper.

The man’s tears flowed wildly as he stammered, “Th-then I… I still want to follow you two, I…”

“What’s your name?” Lian Sheng suddenly asked.

The man was delighted and quickly said, “Answering the Fairy Maiden, Zhong Yutian!”

Unexpectedly, Lian Sheng’s next words were, “Your fate is not to end; your days are still many. Just seek good fortune on your own.”

Yinyu laughed out loud; this was indeed the kind of thing “Yu Zezhi” would say. She snuggled up to Lian Sheng, with an air of relying on her power, and said with a smile, “Don’t rush to seek death.”

Though “your days are many” wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing to hear, Zhong Yutian had no desire for an early death, so he immediately scrambled up, cupped his hands in salute, and staggered away.

After coming out of the Altar of the Abandoned, the cold rushed at them again. Yinyu blew into her palms, her bones aching from the cold, and said, “Let’s go back, it’s so cold.”

Lian Sheng uttered three words coldly: “Return at once.”

Yinyu teased slowly and lazily, “Treating me so well, if I fall for you, when will you fulfill my wishes?”

Lian Sheng looked at her steadily, then after a moment gave a light, scoffing laugh, her expression melting like ice and snow, and said, “I’m afraid you couldn’t handle it.”

The words were full of implication, making Yinyu’s heart itch, but recalling the events in her dream, it wasn’t that unbearable anymore.

She grasped the umbrella handle and looked back with a mix of docility and laziness, “The word ‘love’ is like admiring the moon in a secluded valley—fragrance of flowers, but also thorns. Whether it’s bitter or not, you have to try to know.”

But she didn’t linger; she who seemed affectionate was also she who retreated completely. She was the banker who enriched herself at others’ expense, caring only for her own satisfaction, not others’ lives. Like reeling in a fishing rod, she turned and lifted her chin, saying, “Shall we go, Boss Yu?”