Free Web NovelThe rain had stopped, but the sky was not clear. Thick fog, like an avalanche, fell from the dome, casting large swathes of shadow over the city. The desolate, dilapidated city was shrouded in a deep, oppressive silence.
On the rooftop.
When Lu Yibei heard the girl's voice coming from Qingji, saying the two words "Hua Sang," her body suddenly stiffened, and she froze in place.
What the heck, Hua Sang?!
The Miss in the story just now was Hua Sang? The one I know?
I'm completely stunned. How did the Ancestor get involved with Hua Sang?
After a brief moment of surprise, Lu Yibei composed herself and pricked up her ears to listen, wanting to hear if Qingji would reveal any more crucial information. However, she saw that he had fallen silent.
As if he had fallen asleep.
Lu Yibei, "..."
In the silence, she suddenly recalled the heavy pressure that appeared on the Little Girl at the end of the story just now. Connecting this to the pressure that had been appearing on her own body from time to time recently, as if it would crush her bones, she paused and fell into thought.
Besides that strange heavy pressure, the terrifying appearance of the black shadows seen when becoming a Strange Tale in the abandoned small store in Yujiatang was also very similar to the death state of the villagers in the story just now, who were eroded by the night and died of acute black night disease.
Also, getting hurt while observing from the edge of the airport, hearing strange sounds, and seeing Li Xuan's constipated face, plus the strange phenomenon of Qingji's voice "frequency hopping" to Hua Sang at this moment...
Lu Yibei spent a few minutes reviewing the details of various events in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
When she had previously analyzed the reasons for the recent abnormalities in her body, she had speculated that it might be related to Hua Sang. Now, combining various details and clues, plus the time when the bodily abnormalities first appeared, which was roughly after coming into contact with Hua Sang.
She felt that these abnormalities were at least 90% likely to be related to Hua Sang!
"Speaking of which, maybe those recent bodily abnormalities aren't caused by Spirit Mark losing control, but by this inexplicable connection with Hua Sang? It seems I might have wrongly blamed my little brother?"
I knew it! How could my little brother have such guts?
"However, the Spirit Seal used to suppress the Spirit Mark is still necessary. After all, my little brother has mutated. What if it rebels sometime?" Lu Yibei muttered to herself, nodding.
Besides the 90% probability related to Hua Sang, isn't there still about a 0.7% probability related to Spirit Mark losing control?
To prevent the 0.7% chance of an accident, I can only beat up my little brother first, then imprison it, and find a burly man who is evenly matched with it for strict supervision.
This isn't a question of whether my little brother dares, but a question of being prepared.
Discovering that her Spirit Mark was likely not out of control, Lu Yibei felt a wave of relief, but soon new doubts arose in her heart.
"..."
Come to think of it, how did I develop such a special connection with Hua Sang?
We've only known each other for a short time. In a novel, it would be at most thirty chapters, not even enough for a complete plot arc. It's impossible for any strange "bonds" to form. If any should form, it should be with Miao Miao Jiang, or Smelly Girl would also be understandable.
But why is it Hua Sang specifically? Could it be...
While thinking, Lu Yibei frowned and looked at the unconscious Qingji, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Could it be related to the Ancestor, or to Lingtai Pure Karma?
Speaking of which, Hua Sang is a disciple of Da Chunyang Palace and was sent by that Black Emperor to support Hua City. She must be highly valued within Da Chunyang Palace, perhaps not as much as Fu Xinyi, a once-in-a-century genius, but at least more valued than Li Xuan, that guy hovering on the edge of being expelled from the sect.
Perhaps, she is something like the legendary "true disciple." It's not strange for such a person to be able to come into contact with fragments of Lingtai Pure Karma.
It's just unknown whether she developed some special connection after coming into contact with the fragments of Lingtai Pure Karma, or if she is directly carrying the fragments on her person?
Hmm, no matter the situation, with the Ancestor becoming like this now, it's most likely because she came into contact with Lingtai Pure Karma and remotely logged into the Ancestor... Uh, something seems a bit off? Never mind, it's not a big problem!
If this connection between her and me isn't resolved soon, that's when the real big problem will arise.
Following the current trend, if it's allowed to continue developing, it might escalate from remotely logging into Qingji to Hua Sang remotely logging into Lu Yibei, and Lu Yibei remotely logging into Hua Sang. Just thinking about it feels too damn strange! Lu Yibei thought.
She could, however, guarantee that she wouldn't do anything strange with Hua Sang's body. At most, she might pull off a scam, get revenge on a few people it's usually inconvenient to get revenge on, or do small things like buying things on credit using the identity of a Da Chunyang Palace disciple.
"But if Hua Sang takes control of my body, won't all my secrets be exposed?" Lu Yibei muttered to herself.
Just by observing the actions of Li Xuan and Fu Xinyi, you know that the disciples of Da Chunyang Palace are beings overflowing with a sense of justice. If they found out that a Strange Tale had infiltrated the Night Watch team, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"..."
Given Hua Sang's status and her ability to access the Black Emperor, she might just directly attract the Night Watch's strongest force in one go.
By then, even if I run to Taoyuan for refuge...
No, if she encounters this level of risk, Smelly Girl will definitely tie me up and personally hand me over to the Black Emperor. If it were me, I would do the same. That's what our friendship means.
The more Lu Yibei thought about it, the more she felt a chill down her spine, and the more she felt that the time left for her was running out.
"Damn it, what should I do? To resolve this situation, Lingtai Pure Karma must be fully reforged. To obtain the fragments of Lingtai Pure Karma, I can't be too hasty."
"Even if Hua Sang can access the fragments, or is even carrying them on her person, I can't get my hands on them anytime soon, right?"
"I can't just snatch them, can I? Snatching them might attract the Black Emperor, not to mention, with the current situation, plus her terrifying defense that can take high-level Alchemy bullets to the face... If I ambush her and unleash a combo, it might just be me lying on the ground..."
As she muttered to herself, a bold idea suddenly popped into Lu Yibei's mind.
How about I try to Charm her?
----
Meanwhile, in front of the Yanzhi Tavern.
"He's not human, not human!" Hearing that the white-clothed man who saved Hua Sang had actually asked Hua Sang to form a marriage bond with his son and made a series of beautiful promises, Qingji angrily slammed the table and said, "Isn't this taking advantage of someone?"
Hua Sang smiled wryly and shook her head, "He didn't force me. He just said that if I was willing, he and his son would be willing to be my family."
"But you were just a Little Girl then, what could you understand?" Qingji was still displeased and said angrily, "This old man thinks there's a degree of fraud involved."
"Not really, right?" Hua Sang pursed her lips and sighed, "In my situation back then, even with Da Chunyang Palace's visualization diagram, I might very well have died before condensing a Spirit Seal."
"Thinking about it now, him asking me to form a marriage bond with his son was likely to use the red thread of destiny to disrupt my fate and achieve the goal of prolonging my life. Although it was a bit unorthodox, it seems quite effective so far."
"What's more, given my terrible situation, shouldn't it be his son who loses out by getting involved with me? Haha!" Hua Sang laughed.
In fact, when she was thirteen or fourteen, after learning a large amount of Spiritual Energy-related knowledge, she had already roughly guessed the man's intention in doing so back then.
But understanding was one thing, and gratitude was another. She had never once had the thought of going to see her fiancé, nor even the thought of inquiring about the man and his son.
Although she successfully condensed a Spirit Seal and suppressed the Spirit Mark within her body—a Spirit Mark she wasn't sure could even be called a Spirit Mark—that Spirit Mark was like a living entity, constantly growing as time passed.
At first, her whole body was just heavy as if filled with lead. Later, it gradually intensified to feel like carrying a large truck. Now, her body is constantly bearing an immense pressure every moment.
She can only continuously strengthen her Spirit Seal to achieve balance with the Spirit Mark, making it temporarily harmless.
But if she were to go find that man and his son, the time span she would spend with them would be extended to several years, ten years, or even decades.
Over such a long period, who can say for sure when the speed at which the Spirit Seal strengthens will fail to keep up with the Spirit Mark's growth?
She no longer wanted to hurt anyone, especially not her savior.
That's why she stayed in Da Chunyang Palace as much as possible. Only by doing so could she minimize the damage when the day her Spirit Mark completely loses control arrived.
----
On the other side, on the dilapidated and crumbling rooftop.
No, Charm won't work!
If Charm fails, not only will she be socially dead, but her identity as a Strange Tale will be exposed, and she will soon be physically dead again.
Charm won't work... Should I hire someone? But can ordinary Psychic and urban legend handle her? Lu Yibei thought.
Just as she was frowning with worry, the unconscious Qingji, who had been quiet for a moment, suddenly twitched his body and let out a murmur again.
Huh! There's a signal again! Lu Yibei's heart was filled with joy.
"Little friend, we've talked so much today, and the atmosphere is a bit heavy and sorrowful, *hic*. I think we should do something to bring some cheer! Now that we both know each other's secrets, how about... how about becoming sworn siblings?"
Lu Yibei, "???"
Damn it! What kind of evil fraternity are you, where you have to streak naked in public before joining?
You know each other's secrets, so you have to become sworn siblings, right?
“Sworn siblings? Senior, wouldn't that be a bit...” The young Miss said in surprise, “Isn't that against the rules? You are a Senior after all... I think we should forget about it?”
“*hic*—! Are you worried about it being against the rules? *hic*, This old man has never cared about such things, the main thing is whether you mind or not...”
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No, are you serious, old man? Lu Yibei's heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, “I mind! I mind very much! I mind extremely!”
She was originally just a bystander, but now she had accidentally become the subject of the gossip herself, and she immediately felt the experience was extremely poor.
If you become sworn siblings with Hua Sang, wouldn't she become my adoptive great-great-grandmother?
How could I possibly lay a hand on (referring to sneak attacking) my adoptive great-great-grandmother then?
It was already troublesome enough trying to get the fragments of Lingtai Pure Karma, please don't arbitrarily increase the difficulty for me, okay?! Lu Yibei thought.
Just then, Qingji suddenly stopped speaking. Lu Yibei, unable to understand how things were progressing, suddenly panicked.
Just now, your old self, had poor signal, and losing sound from time to time was fine, at most it made the story heard incomplete.
But how could there be no sound at such a critical moment?
Oh my, this is killing me!
Lu Yibei thought anxiously, looking at Qingji with increasingly distorted eyes. Immediately after, she rubbed out a massive silver light sphere in her palm, held it up with both hands, and walked towards Qingji.
Thus, after a loud 'boom', she and Qingji, together, turned into light...
—
In front of the Yanzhi Tavern.
Hua Sang tilted her head and looked at Qingji, who was already somewhat disoriented from drunkenness, and shook her head.
She knew that Senior was drunk again. It was like this last time; he wanted to become sworn siblings with anyone he caught. Last time, it was first the pillar in the shop, then the table at the entrance, and only then did it become her turn.
Furthermore, even if Qingji wasn't drunk, she would never accept such a suggestion.
Senior Qingji is a Senior and ancient worthy of Da Chunyang Palace. It is said that his seniority is even higher than the Sect Leader. If she became sworn siblings with him, wouldn't that be...
How should my Master address me then?
Master will probably not be able to stay in Da Chunyang Palace... Hua Sang thought.
Although Master's position in her heart is not comparable to Grandma and the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ man who helped her preserve her life, he has treated her well since she was a child. She still couldn't do anything to embarrass Master.
She opened her mouth, just about to refuse Qingji's suggestion, when suddenly, she saw Qingji's body stiffen, and a silver light appeared beneath his skin.
The silver light traveled along his blood vessels throughout his body, gradually becoming stronger and more dazzling. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a 'figure of light', and then...
With a 'bang!', he exploded.
A Fishy wind blowing face, blood mist permeated.
A splash of red, accompanied by the sound of an explosion, gave a sense of deja vu like Chinese New Year, indeed achieving the festive effect that Qingji wanted.
Watching a hand fly over and land squarely in the bowl, Hua Sang, who was splattered with blood, instantly sobered up, frozen in place, at a loss.
!!!
Exploded, exploded?
When the previous Senior Brothers and Senior Uncles came to see Senior, did this ever happen?
Senior... couldn't have just... gone, right? Hua Sang thought in horror.
—
After a long period of silence, consciousness gradually regained clarity in the slightly moist, cool breeze.
Lu Yibei opened her eyes and saw Qingji sitting on the edge of the rooftop.
In the distance, sorrowful clouds were bleak and thick fog permeated. His figure in the wind dispersed a deep sense of sorrow, and there seemed to be a few crystal tears in the corners of his eyes.
Such a 'performance' made Lu Yibei a little scared.
In the past, whenever Ancestor wanted to play a new trick, he would always put on an act for her, and each time it was roughly this appearance.
Lu Yibei, “...”
Something's not right, what act is this old man putting on now?
I just came to see him a day or two ago, it definitely isn't because of empty nest syndrome. But if it's not because of that...
Could it be that he found out about me 'rebooting' him just now?
Thinking of this, a chill ran down Lu Yibei's spine. Just as she was contemplating severing the connection with Lingtai Pure Karma and quickly leaving this ghostly place to avoid him, Qingji's voice suddenly sounded behind her.
“Granddaughter-in-law... you're here? Come over and chat with me?”
“I just had a dream, a sad dream...”
A sad dream meaning... being sneak attacked and blown up by his great-granddaughter-in-law? Lu Yibei's heart tightened, the corner of her eye twitched, and she stiffly turned around, lowering her head, clasping her hands in front of her abdomen, and stood obediently.
“Old, Ancestor, actually I...” Lu Yibei said softly, preparing to kowtow and beg for forgiveness at any moment, and endure a beating.
Just then, she suddenly heard Qingji say, “Granddaughter-in-law, I dreamed of your Yanzhi Grandma. I dreamed of meeting her for the first time, I stole her embroidered shoes, and she chased me for several streets. That night, I secretly sneaked into her house to return the shoes and was almost discovered by her father.”
Lu Yibei, “...”
So it wasn't about me 'rebooting' you? Then it's fine!
However, you even did such a wicked thing...
No, not wicked. If the timeline changed, I might not exist now. Lu Yibei thought.
“My old father-in-law, was burly, iron-faced with a bushy beard, and leopard-like eyes. When he was young, he was a mountain bandit who robbed travelers. The first time I went to their house, I saw spears with red tassels, nine-ring broadswords, meteor hammers, and such, placed together with kitchen utensils. I thought their house was a black inn.” Qingji said.
“That night, your great-grandmother was worried that I would be chopped to death by her father, so she hid me in her quilt, hehe... And then, I woke up.”
“After I woke up, I suddenly remembered that I had a purpose in reforging the Lingtai Pure Karma for your Yanzhi Grandma, but I forgot what the specific purpose of the reforging was. Alas—!”
Qingji sighed deeply, his eyebrows drooped, and he remained silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Lu Yibei hesitated several times before speaking, then stepped forward and said, “Ancestor, it's okay, if you can't remember, just think slowly. And maybe you'll remember once the Lingtai Pure Karma is completed?”
“That's right!” Qingji frowned and looked at Lu Yibei, then flashed in front of her, grabbed her face, and said in a deep voice, “Why haven't you set off for Da Chunyang Palace to retrieve the last fragment yet?”
“Didn't I draw you the layout map?”
“Your layout map... Ow ow ow, it hurts!”
Just as Lu Yibei was about to retort, Qingji exerted force with his hand, instantly pulling the tender flesh on her face very long.
Just like pulling a rubber gummy bear, he directly pulled her heels off the ground, making her stand on her tiptoes.
“You dare to talk back? Are you wrong or not?”
“Wrong, I'm wrong!” Lu Yibei whimpered for mercy in a childish voice, “Didn't I get delayed by something? Really, it was a serious matter.”
“Oh?” Qingji frowned, relaxing the force on his hand slightly. Just as Lu Yibei was about to seize the opportunity to slip away, he tightened his grip again and asked in a deep voice, “Tell me about it, what serious matter?”
“If you can't say it... Hmph hmph! I've recently researched four more ways to use the Hundred-Armed Giant Power, I can teach you.”
“Hiss, it hurts, I'll tell you, just stop pulling!” Lu Yibei said in pain, “It's like this...”
So, Lu Yibei slightly exaggerated the Headless Senior's experience towards the tragic side, changed Zhang Shuo's involvement in harming Lu Ming to involvement in harming Lu Yibei, and then told the entire story to Qingji.
“...That's how it is. That Miss is really miserable, I just want to help her, and by the way, investigate the cause of death of my, my husband.”
“I came to see you this time to ask you how to perform the Directional Soul Summoning Spell.”
“...” Qingji stared into Lu Yibei's eyes, pondered for a few seconds, slowly released his hand, and took a deep breath, saying, “If that's the case, I can teach you...” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
“Yay!” Lu Yibei covered her face and let out a cheer.
“Don't be happy too soon, this Spell isn't that easy to learn!” Qingji glared at Lu Yibei, “So, I still suggest you practice while trying to sneak into Da Chunyang Palace.”
“By the way, do you have any deceased enemies?”
“Why are you asking this?” Lu Yibei asked in confusion, “Thinking about it carefully, I have quite a few enemies, but not many who are dead...”
Qingji rolled his eyes at her and said irritably, “Your current goal is to summon the soul of that guy named Hu Chuan, but he is just an ordinary person and can't withstand being tossed around by the Spell too many times. If you use him as a target to practice the Spell, his soul might collapse before you even learn it, so...”
“I understand, I understand!” Lu Yibei's eyes lit up and she said, “So, we need to catch an enemy to torture! Right?”
Hearing this, Qingji nodded in satisfaction, “Hmm~ A teachable student!”
