In the past few days, what Yu Ruoyin had seen the most was others making way for Jiang Huaining. In the face of absolute strength, yin officials yielded, yin messengers obeyed orders, and even the jade puppets that terrified other yin-touchers, she could easily deal with.
The owner of Four Spirits Shop had a renowned reputation and formidable strength; she shouldn’t harbor any fear in her heart.
But at this moment, Jiang Huaining had fear and worry written all over her face.
Yu Ruoyin found it hard not to be moved, and she had no reason not to be touched. It had been a long time since anyone had treasured her like this.
The hand resting on Jiang Huaining’s waist unconsciously tightened. “Auntie Ning, I’ll be careful. I’ll be very careful from now on.”
Ever since Lu Qingzhen had helped her uncover the secret of her body’s death, Yu Ruoyin hadn’t said it aloud, but deep down, she had already fallen into despair.
Even Jiang Huaining couldn’t truly bring her back to life. All that awaited her was a rotting corpse after her spiritual energy dispersed.
Her life was sustained by Jiang Huaining’s spiritual energy, and her heart lingered due to the unanswered questions about Jiang Huaining. She didn’t really want to die, but she didn’t really want to live either.
In the past, she had been like a frail little weed, thin and lonely yet striving to grow upward. During this period, she had become like a dried-up weed, its yellowed leaves gradually sinking into the mud. No matter how much water was poured, it had lost the courage to grow toward the sun. But now, things were a bit different.
Even if she had to rely on Jiang Huaining’s spiritual energy for her entire life to maintain the vitality on the surface of her body, she should still strive to live.
Not for herself, but for Jiang Huaining.
Jiang Huaining hid too many secrets, even refusing to tell her the true cause of her own death. Those words—“no murderer”—still lingered in her heart, stirring her into endless wild thoughts day and night. She imagined assaults by vicious ghosts and poisonous fates that had killed her. But now, she didn’t want to think about any of that. She only wanted tomorrow.
“Auntie Ning, let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Huaining leaned into her embrace; her frail body couldn’t stand on its own. Even though most of her weight was borne by Yu Ruoyin, her movements were still somewhat difficult.
Only then did Yu Ruoyin remember that Jiang Huaining was supposed to be in a deep sleep for several days. Her sudden awakening meant she hadn’t recovered, and she had used too much power to seal off Ghost Market and beat Xia Yu. The fact that she hadn’t collapsed was probably due to forcing herself to hold on with one last breath. Yu Ruoyin carefully supported Jiang Huaining and leaned back a little, pulling her arm over her own shoulder. “Auntie Ning, let me carry you on my back.”
“Are you sure you can? The ghost energy is heavy now, and you’re still…”
Lu Qingzhen was somewhat worried, but she hadn’t expected Yu Ruoyin to steadily hoist Jiang Huaining onto her back.
She wasn’t affected by the heavy yin energy at all; in fact, she even felt that Jiang Huaining was lighter.
Seeing Yu Ruoyin carry Jiang Huaining so steadily, Lu Qingzhen finally relaxed. “You’re pretty strong, huh?”
“I… I didn’t expect it either.”
Reminded by Lu Qingzhen, Yu Ruoyin then noticed that her strength had increased.
She had been able to carry Jiang Huaining before, but not nearly as effortlessly as this. The obvious growth made Yu Ruoyin involuntarily recall the timeline.
Sang Xi!
Right, Sang Xi…
Yu Ruoyin’s memories suddenly became clear. Her changes had started when her body absorbed the green mist that flew out from Sang Xi’s forehead. She remembered that night when she carried Jiang Huaining, she had felt her to be particularly light, and even later when she held her to bathe, it had been effortless—strength beyond what she should have.
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now she realized the changes went beyond that.
Lu Qingzhen had previously examined her body, using a nether token that possessed both the Nether King’s power and Jiang Huaining’s power. At that time, it only revealed that her body would die once separated from Jiang Huaining’s spiritual energy, with no sign of any spiritual aspect.
Yet Lian Zhen had said she carried a spiritual aura. Even if she was a special demon with exceptional detection abilities, she couldn’t surpass the Nether King and Jiang Huaining.
The most likely explanation was that Yu Ruoyin hadn’t had any spiritual aura before; it only appeared after absorbing the green mist—or rather, that mass of green mist was turning her into a true spirit.
Yu Ruoyin remembered Lu Qingzhen saying that spirits had excellent self-healing abilities, far surpassing even the sturdiest demon clans.
Jiang Huaining couldn’t repair her body.
But if she became a spirit, perhaps she could heal herself.
Thinking carefully, on the day she had fallen into despair, Jiang Huaining had also said that as long as her body could recover, she wouldn’t die.
She had pressed Jiang Huaining for a method back then, and Jiang Huaining had said there was one. She had thought it was just to comfort her, but now it seemed Jiang Huaining wasn’t deceiving her.
Between death and becoming a spirit, Yu Ruoyin would definitely choose the latter.
This might also be why Jiang Huaining said she could become a painting witch. As she gradually turned into a spirit, she naturally gained spirit blood… No, if having spirit blood was enough to become a painting witch, then couldn’t any half-human half-spirit do it? Zhuang Ciyue and the others had said the Painting Witch Clan’s bloodline was special; it couldn’t be imitated just by having spiritual energy.
That didn’t add up.
And another strange point: why could the green mist emerging from Sang Xi’s body turn her into a spirit?
Sang Xi was clearly human.
Wait.
Although there had been a wife and daughter sacrifice, the time for He Fengxi to become a jade puppet was too short, and Sang Xi had turned Tong Sangqian into a jade puppet over an even longer period.
Even a newbie like Yu Ruoyin knew that nurturing corpses was most dependent on blood.
Sang Xi’s blood was the problem—or Sang Xi herself was.
Assuming Sang Xi was human but possessed a power of the spirits, that would better explain her excessive talent in quickly nurturing two jade puppets. It would even explain why Jiang Huaining was so eager to help Sang Xi.
That power belonged to Sang Xi, and to obtain it required Sang Xi’s willing gift. Only deathly power could strip it away, and it was hard to determine the willingness of the dead. So Jiang Huaining needed Sang Xi to be grateful to her; as long as Sang Xi was grateful, that power would choose her.
Zhuang Ciyue had said last time that once one dabbled in yin-yang matters, past life’s debts would come knocking in this life.
He Meijie and the others had come to her of their own accord.
Perhaps she had helped them in her past life, and they came to repay the favor in this one, bringing a power that could save her—even if not possessed by them personally, but by those connected to them.
Jiang Huaining’s thinking might be the same, which was why she kept urging her to help Nan He and the others.
Yu Ruoyin had never felt so clever before. In an instant, she had unraveled all the questions that had puzzled her for so long—except why Jiang Huaining said she could become a painting witch.
Her chest suddenly felt lighter, and a rare smile appeared between her brows.
Jiang Huaining’s fair arms hooked around Yu Ruoyin’s neck as she leaned entirely on her back. Lacking strength, she had to lean close to her ear to ensure her words were heard.
The fine hairs by Yu Ruoyin’s ear were blown up, and a soft, fragrant breeze wafted into her nose.
A faint red tint rose on Yu Ruoyin’s ear tips as she made out Jiang Huaining’s low, hoarse question. “A’Yin, what are you smiling about?”
The exceedingly soft voice made Yu Ruoyin even more aware of Jiang Huaining’s current weakness and how risky it had been for her to forcibly awaken and come find her. She felt a little sad, but more than that, moved. Suddenly, she had many expectations for the future.
Becoming a spirit wasn’t so bad. As long as she was still alive, perhaps one day she could protect Jiang Huaining.
Yu Ruoyin looked forward to that day very much.
She gripped Jiang Huaining’s legs tighter and hoisted her up a bit. “Auntie Ning, I suddenly feel pretty smart.”
Anyone else might have told her to be humble, but Jiang Huaining wouldn’t.
Jiang Huaining would lean closer and earnestly tell her, “A’Yin has always been very smart.”
She probably really liked her.
The fluttering skirt hem flashed through her mind again, and Yu Ruoyin suddenly had the impulse to ask Jiang Huaining if she liked her, or that girl.
Yu Ruoyin knew full well that those memories most likely belonged to her.
But she also knew clearly that she and that girl were two different people—complete opposites.
The girl was brave and fearless; she was timid as a mouse.
The girl was bright and lively; she was full of melancholy and sensitivity.
They had no overlap. Yu Ruoyin couldn’t claim those unfamiliar memories as her own.
That was the moon in the sky, while she was a rat struggling in the mud. She was merciless in deprecating herself. The only change was that her heart no longer sank into self-deprecation; instead, it surged with more anticipation. After all, that moon had already set in the west. The one remaining by Jiang Huaining’s side now was her.
Lu Qingzhen had misjudged her; she wasn’t kind at all. She would rejoice at the moon’s setting.
Yu Ruoyin was no longer curious about why Jiang Huaining had chosen her, nor did she want to see even a hint of memories that belonged to her yet didn’t feel like her.
This was good enough.
Jiang Huaining needed an emotional anchor; she needed to be loved.
Now, the one who needed to play dumb wasn’t Jiang Huaining.
It was her.
Yu Ruoyin could belittle herself to worthlessness, but she couldn’t accept Jiang Huaining comparing her to the moon, nor could she accept Jiang Huaining despising such a her.
She allowed Jiang Huaining to compare in secret, as long as… as long as she couldn’t hear it.
She had fallen from confusion into another strange loop, constantly questioning and answering herself in this loop, treating the unfamiliar memories as an imaginary enemy, desperately clinging to the one bit of tenderness in her life.
“Auntie Ning, you’ll love me, right?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Huaining didn’t know why Yu Ruoyin suddenly asked this, but she continued according to the script Lu Qingzhen had initially described to her. “You’re my wife; of course I’ll love you.”
She leaned up a bit more, almost able to nip Yu Ruoyin’s ear. “A’Yin, you… did you see anything at Purple Phoenix Hall… cough cough…”
Jiang Huaining was badly injured, and speaking made her cough.
The sounds from her throat came in fits and starts. Yu Ruoyin simply seized the chance to cut her off. “Yes, I saw Nan He and Gou Nanchun’s past. Turns out there were two Gou Nanchuns.”
“A’Yin, not them—something else… Were there no others?”
“There were details of their interactions, but those aren’t my memories. I forgot them after seeing. I don’t remember much. Auntie Ning, do you want to hear? I can have Nan He tell you…”
“No, no need.”
See.
She really was bad.
Jiang Huaining couldn’t lie, but she could.
She had abandoned her promise to Jiang Huaining and lied outright.
She was suddenly glad she was walking at the front carrying Jiang Huaining on her back; Jiang Huaining couldn’t see her guilt, and neither could Lu Qingzhen and the others.
Strange thoughts were like thick chains, one after another wrapping around her limbs and mind, making every word and action uncontrollable. She knew her chaotic thoughts had derailed her normal reasoning, but right now, she couldn’t control herself.
—
A blood-red ghost shadow flashed over, blocking the path ahead of Yu Ruoyin and Jiang Huaining. The ghost general who was escorting them out of Ghost Market stretched out her arm, stopping Yu Ruoyin from advancing.
Her expression under the mask was indistinct, but the chill in her gaze was particularly clear. “Lord Jiang, today’s events—I will report them to the Nether King.”
Lu Qingzhen hurriedly handed Xia Yu to Nan He and Zhuang Ciyue, then hurried forward. “What’s there to report? Didn’t Ghost Market end up fine? At most, it burned half your clothes. Worst case, I’ll compensate you!”
“Lord Lu, a yin official—Ghost Market connects Fengdu City and Naihe Bridge. It’s full of wandering spirits and evil entities. It’s not business hours now; the merchants in Ghost Market are resting, and the yin soldiers have already left. Lord Jiang breaking open the gates of Ghost Market at such a time—allowing spirits and evils to escape—is that my responsibility or yours? Doesn’t that warrant a report?”
