My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 219

Chapter 219: Gazing Across a Hundred Years

Nestled in Xiao Linghan’s arms, Cang Ling felt like a stray cat finally finding a home.

“I just dreamed of the past,” she murmured, “of when we first met, and the last time we saw each other.”

She felt a pair of arms tighten around her.

Often, Cang Ling couldn’t tell if her Highness was being straightforward or not.

Although decisive in her actions, when it came to important matters involving those close to her, Her Highness would hesitate.

For example, she had clearly returned during her seven-day memorial period, but hadn’t wanted to appear, only intending to watch from afar, and Cang Ling had had to “force” her to reveal herself.

And she hadn’t wanted to tell her younger sisters the truth, only revealing it after everything was settled, even then only mentioning things related to them, not her own fate.

—Cang Ling had seen it all.

However, she wasn’t in a position to criticize Her Highness.

Her Highness hesitated, and she herself had silently observed for a hundred years. They were both the same.

“Just treat it as a bad dream,” Cang Ling said. “It’s all in the past, we’re doing well here.”

They had done all they could for the other world. She had secretly maintained the passage between the two worlds, and Her Highness had used the knowledge from this world to support and arm her maternal family. If her successors persevered, that world would also become a better place.

Her response was a kiss.

Cold at first, then gradually warm and soft.

Souls could indeed kiss, but simulating the warmth and touch of the living did require some research.

With the help of Grandma Xie and Taoist Master Xuan Nuo, Cang Ling quickly mastered this technique and taught it to Xiao Linghan, the two souls practicing together.

Although the theory of kissing was based on that of humans, what two souls could do was far beyond the limitations of the living.

Twenty minutes later, Xiao Linghan carried Cang Ling out of bed and towards the bathroom.

They tried to simulate the lives of ordinary people, resting at regular times, having three meals a day, letting their soul forms materialize during their daily routines, even having several sets of clothes for different occasions.

This persistence was actually quite troublesome, in Cang Ling’s words, “a waste of spiritual energy.”

But Xiao Linghan felt it was necessary.

Cang Ling, in the ancient world, had never lived a single day as an ordinary girl. She yearned for it, but didn’t know how to achieve it.

As Cang Ling’s lover, having sensed this desire, even if it was just a budding sprout, she should nurture it, unless Cang Ling explicitly said she didn’t want or need it.

Now, they were standing side by side in front of the bathroom mirror, carefully brushing their teeth.

After washing up, it was time for their recently established “daily check-up.”

“Your Highness’s soul is stable today,” Cang Ling reported seriously after withdrawing her hand. “After absorbing more spiritual energy from heaven and earth, in about… half a year? Your Highness should be able to travel further from home.”

“That’s good,” Xiao Linghan breathed a sigh of relief. “I still want to attend my younger sisters’ weddings in person.”

A while ago, seeing that the plum tree in the Jiang family’s courtyard had grown, she had asked Cang Ling if it was large enough to hold her soul.

Residing in Jiang Mei’s consciousness, sharing her body, even with all the conveniences, they both sincerely wished to be separated as soon as possible.

Cang Ling had divined that it was possible, and since Xie Xitong and Jiang Mei’s wedding was approaching, she decided to take care of it quickly, at least ensuring that their “wedding night” was truly private.

She chose Mingjing Taoist Temple without hesitation as the location for the soul separation.

Although she didn’t know the reason, she trusted her intuition—there must be something like a “world pillar” or “laws of the world” at Mingjing Taoist Temple, and according to her calculations, not only was the spiritual energy field there stable, but the success rate of soul separation was also high.

So she went to Taoist Master Xuan Nuo to schedule an appointment. As she expected, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo not only agreed but also welcomed them, even using internet slang to express her “enjoyment of their visits.”

“Taoist Master Xuan Nuo’s true age must be very young,” Cang Ling said, picking up the mechanical fox and speculating with Xiao Linghan after replying to the message.

Xiao Linghan couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s not pry further, shall we? Even Grandma Xie is unwilling to reveal anything about her, so her background must be extraordinary.”

She was a little worried that Cang Ling’s curiosity would lead her to overstep and offend the Taoist Master. Destroying their souls would be a trivial matter for her.

Cang Ling, however, wasn’t afraid. “It’s okay, she’s very approachable. If she doesn’t want to answer, then she won’t answer. I have my own guess anyway.”

On the day of the soul separation, Jiang Mei drove Cang Ling, Xie Xitong, and the mechanical fox to Mingjing Taoist Temple.

According to Cang Ling, the mechanical fox, with a special talisman attached, could hold a complete soul for three days, enough time for her to transfer Her Highness’s soul to the plum tree.

Upon arriving, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo didn’t waste any time, leading them straight to the prepared room.

She only muttered softly, “Always treating my place as a geomantic treasure land!”

“Your place truly is a geomantic treasure land, I always feel at ease here,” Cang Ling, with her sharp ears, overheard and replied.

Taoist Master Xuan Nuo didn’t say anything more.

The room she prepared for them was large and empty, with a magic circle drawn on the floor and many white candles placed around it.

After Jiang Mei and Cang Ling sat down cross-legged inside the magic circle, and the mechanical fox with the talisman attached was placed beside them, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo waved her sleeve, and a mysterious force stirred the air, lighting all the white candles.

“Don’t forget what I told you,” Taoist Master Xuan Nuo said.

Cang Ling nodded and reached out to touch Jiang Mei’s forehead.

She remembered clearly. When the white candles burned out, regardless of whether the soul separation was successful, or how much had been separated, she had to stop.

Jiang Mei had also listened carefully to the instructions from Cang Ling, Grandma Xie, and Taoist Master Xuan Nuo. Now, closing her eyes and calming her mind, just like when she usually “closed off” her consciousness, she “hid” behind her own “door,” entering a semi-conscious state.

She had to maintain this state until Cang Ling woke her up.

As their souls touched, Xiao Linghan felt a strong pull, as if something was trying to drag her out.

She tried her best to suppress and soothe her soul, allowing it to calmly face this pull from her beloved.

After an unknown amount of time, she saw a light in the darkness, as if something was enveloping her soul, and at the same time, she uncontrollably saw many memories that didn’t belong to her.

—But in those memories, she was also present.

Almost instantly, Xiao Linghan realized whose memories she had entered.

She embraced the gentle ball of light closest to her, and Cang Ling’s voice echoed in her soul:

“…It’s finally my turn to die.”

She saw her perspective rise, looking down at the body of Priestess Cang Ling, blood trickling from her seven orifices, her expression serene as her body gradually turned cold.

“Am I… ‘free’? No one can stop me from going anywhere…”

“But where should I go? The underworld? But why is there no one to guide me?”

The lost soul wandered aimlessly, feeling a pull, and she followed it.

Then, unfamiliar clothes, objects, and tall buildings appeared before her eyes.

“…Where is this? Is there such a place in Beiliao?”

Xiao Linghan heard Cang Ling’s confused voice and looked up—wasn’t this a street in the modern world?!

Although she had heard about Cang Ling’s experiences after death from her younger sisters, hearing about it and experiencing it firsthand were two different things.

Perhaps because she had touched the causality of both worlds, and used her own life as a sacrifice, connecting the two worlds, Cang Ling had become a “bug,” her soul able to freely travel between the two worlds before her karma was fulfilled.

Xiao Linghan couldn’t help but recall her younger sisters’ words. Cang Ling had indeed come here before her, but only for a short time. Then Cang Ling had returned to the ancient world, and for the next hundred years, to avoid disturbing her work, she had silently observed and accompanied her from the shadows.

“If I had another chance, I would definitely…” Xiao Linghan thought, then stopped herself. “No, time only moves forward in both worlds. I hope there will never be another chance!”

—The passage between the two worlds had been opened at the cost of Cang Ling’s life.

Xiao Linghan herself had died before Cang Ling. Having died once, she knew how painful and despairing it was, not to mention that Cang Ling had had to maintain her consciousness until the very last moment to maintain the spell, or she would have missed the opportunity for the two worlds to “intersect”!

With Xiao Linghan’s surge of emotions, the surrounding scene rapidly changed.

The past hundred years, one scene after another, unfolded before her. But instead of just “seeing” them, she was surprised to find that they were also becoming a part of her own memories.

When the memories finally stopped, she emerged from the sea of memories, transformed into a red fox, and pounced on the young woman waiting at the end.

Cang Ling didn’t dodge, letting the red fox tackle her to the ground in her consciousness.

At the same time, in reality, Cang Ling was also pounced on by the mechanical fox.

Fortunately, Uncle Seuss had set a power limit for the fox, so besides having the mechanical fox land on her lap, Cang Ling wasn’t injured.

“Is it over?” Xie Xitong asked, seeing the mechanical fox suddenly move. She had been observing the separation process, but she didn’t know if it was because her yin-yang eyes weren’t strong enough, or because the entire process was mediated by Cang Ling—Xiao Linghan’s soul had directly entered the mechanical fox through Cang Ling—that she couldn’t see anything.

“Yes, it’s over,” Cang Ling said, exhausted, but still managing to stay conscious. She picked up the mechanical fox and let its nose nuzzle her face. “After I wake Mei-jiejie up, we’ll rest and observe for a while, then… go home.”

After saying this, she instinctively looked at the white candles on the floor and, finding that they had all burned down, breathed a sigh of relief.

That was close, she had almost failed.

But… she and Her Highness just now…

Recalling the feeling of being so close to Xiao Linghan’s soul, Cang Ling hugged the mechanical fox tightly, her ears burning.