Chapter 100: Human or Ghost
Gu Changning had only had three close students in all these years: Xia Changqing, Wei Qingyun, and Hua Changge. The mourning clothes were naturally worn by them.
The three of them stood on the side in mourning clothes, shaking hands with the people who had come to pay their respects. Gu Changning was a senior of the Xuanmen, and almost everyone who came had to bow in front of her coffin and portrait to show respect.
Sang Jing followed behind Tan Wei, with Bei Shan behind her.
Tan Wei bowed three times, then placed the white flower in her hand by the portrait.
It was Sang Jing’s turn. She stood in front of the portrait, her gaze falling on the coffin behind it. She asked, “It hasn’t been three days yet. Why is the coffin sealed?”
Logically, a person would only be placed in a coffin three days after death. To place them in a coffin and seal it in advance was a violation of the rules.
Xia Changqing raised her hand and adjusted her glasses, explaining softly, “This is a custom on Teacher’s side. A person must be placed in a coffin on the first day after they pass away.”
Sang Jing nodded and looked down at the portrait.
Gu Changning had died of illness and had been recuperating in the hospital for a long time. A person who had been sick for a long time would have a thin and sallow face. But Gu Changning in the portrait had high cheekbones and full cheeks, not looking sick at all.
Perhaps some people’s portraits were made from photos taken in the past, but who would have thought that the photo would be used as a portrait when it was taken? Gu Changning’s portrait was very standard, and there was nothing wrong with it.
“Sang Jing,” Bei Shan reminded her in a small voice from behind. There were still people behind them.
Sang Jing came back to her senses. She did not bow like the others but raised her hand. Her fingers loosened, and the white flower fell, hitting the portrait.
This was a disrespect to the deceased.
“You—” Xia Changqing’s face turned cold, and she was about to step forward.
Hua Changge raised her hand to stop her and reminded her in a low voice, “Her teacher is Ji Zhi.”
According to seniority, even if Sang Jing had thrown that white flower into the coffin, no one could say anything. The only one who could control her was Ji Zhi.
“So what if her teacher is Ji Zhi? She can’t just… humiliate Teacher like this,” Xia Changqing’s cheeks were tense, and it was clear that she was gritting her teeth.
Bei Shan, who was behind Sang Jing, was so scared she was about to die. She quickly bowed, put down the flower, and pulled Sang Jing to the side. “Are you possessed by a ghost? Even if you don’t bow, you can’t be so rude.”
In Bei Shan’s impression, Sang Jing was not an arrogant and unruly person. Just now, she had really suspected that Xie Yu had taken the opportunity to possess her.
“What’s wrong?” Sang Jing’s face was calm. “I even gave her a flower.”
Bei Shan: “…”
You call that giving? You call that throwing! If it weren’t for Hua Changge stopping her just now, Xia Changqing would have come up and kicked you. Her eyes were almost like daggers.
After complaining in her heart, Bei Shan finally asked, “What happened to you just now? Do you have a problem with Gu Changning? Because of your mother?”
Sang Jing glanced at her, a little surprised.
“How would I know?” Bei Shan hummed. “Do you think I was just talking when I wanted to pull you into the Special Investigation Team? I talked until my mouth was dry for that half a month I was in Donglai. After I found out that your mother was Sang Cixin, I went to check on the Xuanmen’s affairs, and it also took a lot of effort.”
“Although your mother was expelled by Gu Changning, you… you should also be a little more restrained. So many people are watching.”
Sang Jing: “Oh.”
Bei Shan: “…”
Is she going through a rebellious phase at twenty-six?
In the afternoon, the sky turned overcast, and a clingy ghost was by Sang Jing’s side, following her wherever she went, and even sticking to her.
In the afternoon, many people came one after another. The Xuan Masters in and around Shahe had all rushed over after hearing the news.
Wei Qingyun and the others were busy greeting people. Xia Changqing took a moment to glance at the pavilion. A person and a ghost were talking and laughing there, looking very happy.
“Here,” Hua Changge handed her a tissue.
Xia Changqing took it and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Thank you.”
Hua Changge’s gaze shifted from her hand. She unscrewed a bottle of water and took a sip. “You’re being so polite.”
Xia Changqing smiled and said nothing.
Hua Changge looked at her. “Your hands are well-maintained.”
Xia Changqing’s action paused for a moment. She lowered her eyes, her expression unclear. “Senior Sister, you’re flattering me. How can my hands compare to yours?”
“They’re really not bad,” Hua Changge said seriously. “Like the hands of a spiritual doctor.”
Xia Changqing smiled at her and pointed at the main gate. “Someone’s here again. I’ll go and see.”
Hua Changge looked at her retreating back and twitched her lips.
Wei Qingyun came over and asked in a low voice, “Did you find out anything?”
Hua Changge’s voice was also soft, but her tone was certain. “She has learned spiritual medicine.”
Wei Qingyun pursed her lips and took a deep breath, looking up.
This was the answer she least wanted to hear.
“I’m a little tired. Can I borrow your shoulder for a while?” Wei Qingyun suddenly said, looking tired.
Hua Changge raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her. “Get lost.”
Wei Qingyun: “…”
At night, during the wake, there were not many people left at the Lotus Pond Water Pavilion. The three of them, Wei Qingyun, were burning paper in front of the portrait.
Sang Jing looked at the flickering firelight over there. “Bei Shan.”
Bei Shan hummed a song and looked at her.
What?
“Are you hungry?” Sang Jing asked her.
Bei Shan stopped, stood up. “Are you hungry? Then let’s go and eat.”
“No,” Sang Jing said, pointing at the three in the mourning hall. “They’ve been busy all afternoon and should be hungry too. You can take them to eat.”
Bei Shan: “…”
“Your way of sending people away is too obvious,” Bei Shan said and looked at her warily. “What are you going to do? You’re not going to cause trouble, are you?”
Before, she might not have thought that Sang Jing would be the one to cause trouble in a mourning hall. But after seeing her throw a flower at the portrait during the day, she no longer trusted Sang Jing.
“How could I?” Sang Jing said, blinking her eyes at her.
Bei Shan pointed at her. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t pretend to be obedient. It’s even more suspicious.”
Sang Jing: “…”
“What on earth are you going to do? If you tell me, I’ll help you take them out,” Bei Shan said, still a little curious.
Sang Jing raised her hand and gestured for her to come closer.
Bei Shan leaned over.
“I want to open the coffin.”
“Huh!???” Bei Shan stood up abruptly. Realizing that she hadn’t controlled her voice, she quickly covered her mouth.
“I told you. Go on,” Sang Jing said, tilting her chin.
Bei Shan: “…”
Knowing that Sang Jing wanted to open the coffin, how could she dare to move? She wished she had eighteen eyes to nail to Sang Jing, for fear that she would do such a suicidal thing.
“You… even if you don’t like Gu Changning, you can’t… you can’t open her coffin, can you? She’s already dead,” Bei Shan said as she looked at the mourning hall.
Sang Jing looked at her. “If we don’t open the coffin, how will we know if she’s dead or not?”
Only by opening the coffin would she know if she had used spiritual medicine to create a case of one body, two souls to “borrow a corpse to return a soul.”
Bei Shan was stunned.
After a long moment, she murmured, “What do you mean?”
Sang Jing: “Literally.”
Bei Shan’s mind couldn’t turn. Her head was full of question marks.
“Hurry up. I’ll explain to you later,” Sang Jing urged her.
Knowing and not knowing were two completely different moods. Bei Shan thought that she was not an actor. What if she was seen through?
Bei Shan took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and walked towards the mourning hall.
At the front of the mourning hall, Bei Shan tilted her head and took off the earphones she had just put on. She asked with a natural expression, “It’s quite late. Do you want to go out and eat before coming back to keep watch? Otherwise, you won’t be able to last, right?”
Wei Qingyun looked at Bei Shan with some surprise. Bei Shan was also baffled by her gaze.
She now felt that everyone knew something she didn’t.
“Changqing, do you want to eat something?” Hua Changge asked Xia Changqing.
Xia Changqing shook her head, her mood not very high. “You guys go. I’m not hungry.”
Hua Changge looked up and gave Wei Qingyun a look.
Wei Qingyun immediately reached out and pulled Xia Changqing’s arm. “Let’s go. What’s not hungry? You haven’t eaten all day. How can you not be hungry? Let’s go, let’s go and eat.”
Xia Changqing was a little resistant, but she was not as strong as Wei Qingyun and was directly pulled away.
Bei Shan followed after seeing Hua Changge move. She was nervous, and her arm suddenly brushed against another person’s.
A whisper came from her ear. “Did Sang Jing ask you to come and ask us to eat?”
Bei Shan lowered her head and her eyes widened. “???”
How could she know???
“No, no,” Bei Shan tried to act natural. “I was just worried that you wouldn’t be able to last. You’ve been busy all day and haven’t had time to eat.”
Hua Changge smiled at her. “Then thank you.”
Bei Shan was so scared her heart was pounding. She still had to smile and say, “You’re welcome.”
As they passed by Tan Wei and Wenren Jin, Hua Changge also invited them.
Seeing that Tan Wei and Wenren Jin had also followed, the tension in Bei Shan’s heart instantly disappeared by more than half.
So good.
The empty Lotus Pond Water Pavilion. The cold, white light made the night wind even colder.
Sang Jing stood up and walked towards the mourning hall. A ghost followed a distance behind her.
The wind from the lotus pond could be felt on this side of the water pavilion, carrying a floral fragrance, with an imperceptible fishy smell hidden in it.
Sang Jing lowered her eyes and met the gaze of the person in the portrait.
“Gu Changning, let me see if you are a human or a ghost now.”
