Chapter 67: On the Verge of Death Part 4

Jin Banwei knew very well that as Ren Qiao fused with her body and revealed her true form from life, she had undoubtedly felt the pain from life once again. Though shorter than before, that pain was exceptionally clear.

She used to be afraid of ghosts and would cry from fright at Cheng Ying’s deathly appearance. But facing Ren Qiao’s deathly visage, she felt only heartache.

This was her beloved, her treasure.

“I’m sorry, Ghost Sister. I’m sorry.” Jin Banwei’s murmurs and sobs echoed in her ears. Ren Qiao’s embrace tightened bit by bit. She could feel how much Jin Banwei cared for her. But the one who should apologize was definitely not Jin Banwei.

As she fused with the Sorrow Po, Ren Qiao felt that pain again and gained some memories, though she still could not recall everything. She saw some scenes, some people—people whose eyes held only cold indifference and madness. No one was as gentle and full of pity as Jin Banwei.

To this day, she still felt that Jin Banwei was the best person she had ever met. With the fusion of the Sorrow Po, this realization became especially clear.

She had once thought that at least when she was alive, she had friends and family. But those eyes were too cold, chilling her to the core. It turned out that whether as Yu Li in life or Ren Qiao after death, the only one in this world who treated her well was Jin Banwei.

“Little Jin, you’re not the one who did anything wrong. Why are you apologizing to me?”

Jin Banwei held her, her voice low and steady yet firm. “I should have come earlier. If I had come sooner, maybe I could have changed all this. I saw it. I saw how much pain you were in, Ghost Sister. I’ll kill them—all of them. None of them will be spared. However much pain you felt, they’ll feel the same. I can do it. I definitely can!”

She was comforting Ren Qiao and also comforting herself, even saying encouraging words.

The more Ren Qiao heard, the more alarmed she became. She could feel Jin Banwei’s killing intent, but this was not right.

Jin Banwei was a good girl who held great kindness toward the world and its people. But… it seemed her own appearance had changed all that.

She should be the one apologizing to Jin Banwei.

Perhaps without her lingering words, Jin Banwei would still hold kindness toward most of the world and should not be consumed by hatred like this.

When she first met Jin Banwei, she thought she was a timid, crybaby girl. But after real contact, she discovered Jin Banwei was delicate and loved to smile. Her smiles were beautiful and warm, like sunlight spilling down. Such a good smile should always be on her face.

“Little Jin, it doesn’t hurt.” Ren Qiao was not trying to forgive those people. She was no longer Yu Li, after all. Having endured the vicissitudes of life, she was no longer naive or eternally kind. She did not hate them, but she also pitied how this good girl Jin Banwei had been dragged down by her.

She did not know exactly what had happened, but she guessed Jin Banwei had seen something. Jin Banwei had always had some strange abilities, so even if she had seen or learned something, Ren Qiao was not surprised.

She could feel the Sorrow Po’s fear and the bone-deep pain, but she did not want Jin Banwei to hurt with her. “Little Jin, can you calm down a bit? I really don’t hurt.”

The girl in her arms trembled uncontrollably, shaking with anger and killing intent. She had nearly clawed her own palm bloody. “Ghost Sister, don’t forgive bad ghosts. Don’t forgive bad demons.”

Ren Qiao sighed. “Little Jin, there are still some among them who are your kind. Let me handle my own grudge, okay? I can do it myself. Don’t kill for me.”

She was still so gentle, her eyes gazing at her overflowing with tenderness. But as Jin Banwei looked into Ren Qiao’s eyes, her mind flashed with the image of the snake demon gouging out her eyes. Jin Banwei took a deep breath. She did not want to show her emotional breakdown in front of Ren Qiao. She was already very angry, but her emotions were still hard to control. Those eyes, which should have held some tenderness, were filled with hatred. “Are they still human? Are they really still human? Ghost Sister, you’re wrong. They’re worse than beasts. You always say you’ll listen to me. Listen to me from now on, okay? I’ll kill them. Definitely!”

At this moment, Jin Banwei could not calm down at all.

Towering killing intent nearly swallowed her whole. For a moment, she even failed to understand why Ren Qiao was still so calm, why there was no anger on her face.

But she knew very well that although the Sorrow Po could bring Ren Qiao some memories, she still lacked complete ones. Even Yu Li with all her memories had never learned to hate—she was just too kind at heart.

Though changed in many ways, she still had a very, very good heart, full of kindness and gentleness toward her.

Jin Banwei loved Ren Qiao’s gentleness and had fallen into it, so she had no reason to blame her for it.

She loved her, hated those people, but could not blame the gentleness. Gentleness was never a sin—the sin belonged to those who hurt the gentle.

Jin Banwei pasted two pure heart talismans on herself, and her emotions finally calmed bit by bit. The anger lingered, and her bloodshot eyes still burned with killing intent. But facing Ren Qiao, there was still a touch of gentleness. Looking at Ren Qiao’s face covered in bloodstains, her fingertips trembled lightly. Even knowing this was just the true form from her death manifesting and not Ren Qiao’s current real wounds, she still did not dare touch her face, afraid of hurting her. “Ghost Sister, listen to me, okay?”

Jin Banwei’s emotions were too intense. While moved, Ren Qiao also felt heartache. “Little Jin, don’t kill for me, okay? I cannot bear it.”

“It’s not for you—it’s for me, for my heart.” Jin Banwei pointed to her heart, gazing at Ren Qiao through tear-blurred eyes. “Ghost Sister, it hurts me. It really hurts so much!”

The girl before her hated and resented because of her love.

Ren Qiao could only hold her tightly in heartache, her own tears slowly falling. “Little Jin, I know.”

She knew she loved her, knew her feelings ran deep.

Ren Qiao should respond more passionately, but without the Love Soul returned, she could not for the time being.

They embraced and wept, but an untimely voice rang out. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I must remind you: killing people will send you to hell.”

The speaker was that Yin Marshal. Jin Banwei knew he meant well, but… thinking back on everything she had just seen, she found it laughable. If killers went to hell, then… what about those people? They had not only killed Yu Li—they had killed over ten thousand besides her.

Why did they not go to hell?

Jin Banwei wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m not afraid. I’ve long lost my reincarnation path.”

Hearing Jin Banwei say she had no reincarnation path either, Ren Qiao’s body trembled. She looked at Jin Banwei in disbelief.

She only knew that fusing with the paper effigy had severed her own reincarnation path—she had not known Jin Banwei’s was severed too.

Jin Banwei gently stroked Ren Qiao’s head, her eyes full of tenderness.

The Yin Marshal was even more surprised. He suddenly glanced toward the silkworm cocoon holding Guan Jiyue. “You girls nowadays are really… so impulsive, casually severing your own reincarnation paths. No reincarnation means you can be carefree? The Guan Family girl wants revenge, and so do you?”

Jin Banwei nodded. She looked at Ren Qiao but spoke to the Yin Marshal. “My wife died, skinned and heart-eaten before death… I want to avenge her—no, avenge myself. My wife is a particularly gentle person. She doesn’t know how to hate someone or resent a life, but I do. So I’ll remember her share too.”

“Little Jin…”

Jin Banwei’s anger and Ren Qiao’s heartache were all seen by the Yin Marshal. He had been guarding here since earlier. He watched as Jin Banwei’s expression gradually turned strange, watched as Ren Qiao, sensing her emotional loss of control, carried the painting out. He watched the painting unfold, watched her emerge from it and softly call to awaken Jin Banwei with pity. The Yin Marshal frowned. “Is she your wife?”

“Yes.”

That painting still hung above Ren Qiao’s head. Faint golden light fell on Ren Qiao from the remnant painting—something the Yin Marshal’s eyes could see.

Though remnant, those who knew the painting could still recognize it at a glance.

After struggling inwardly, the Yin Marshal still pointed at the painting. “Is her death related to that painting?”

Jin Banwei suddenly looked at the Yin Marshal. “My lord, do you recognize this painting?”

She had felt the Yin Marshal was no ordinary person, but she could not guess his identity. Yet he had brought up the painting himself.

The Yin Marshal nodded, then shook his head. “Jin Banwei, your braised pork tastes very good. I… but I’m sorry, I cannot tell you about that painting. No one in this world should dare tell you, not even Guan Xue… She has a curse seal on her, so she probably cannot tell you either. But if you can meet Lord Nether King, Lord Nether King should tell you.”

“Do you mean I have to enter the Yellow Springs?”

“No, no need for that much trouble.” The Yin Marshal paused, then suddenly looked toward the silkworm cocoon holding Min Ziyu. According to Guan Jiyue, after killing Ren Qianjing, the Witch Dream Technique should weaken. But so far, none of the silkworm cocoons had reacted.

The longer the time dragged on, the greater the chance they would sleep forever in their dreams. As time passed, Min Ziyu and the others would become increasingly dangerous.

“Perhaps you’ll meet Lord Nether King soon.”