Yin and Yang, cold and hot, two opposing yet equally powerful energies collided and intersected on either side of Wu Rong’s body. Like mortal enemies, they refused to yield to each other, until Wu Rong let out a painful groan.
“Ugh.”
The flames that had ignited at his fingertips during the confrontation with Bai Mei a moment ago had depleted all the energy within him. The tremendous pressure had forced all the lingering Yin Qi within his body to merge into his being. Wu Rong felt as if he had regressed to a state of growth, with every inch of his body aching. Not to mention the memory fragments wreaking havoc in his mind, causing a splitting headache as if his brain was being sliced by a knife.
While the infiltration of Yin Qi into his body would undoubtedly make him stronger in the future, for now, he resembled a crab that had just shed its hard shell, entirely soft throughout. Yang Qi effortlessly seeped into his body, blending with the Yin Qi. Similarly, the Big Ghost’s Yin Qi with a name contract was constantly flowing into his body. These two entirely distinct sensations—one fiery and intense, the other icy and controlled—caused Wu Rong to experience a great deal of stimulation, almost to the point of agony.
Wu Rong’s instinct was to shake both of them off, struggling hard to break free. Sensing his resistance and pain, the Big Ghost and Fu Qing simultaneously let go of him. However, in the next moment, just as Wu Rong was about to fall, they grabbed him again, one on each side. Fu Qing’s golden-red flames dispersed, and the intense light in his eyes faded away, restoring his normal appearance. On the other hand, the Big Ghost’s form became illusory, the black mist and Ghost Qi converging, revealing a cold, pale face with blood markings, closely resembling the ghost markings on Wu Rong’s left arm.
This was the profound soul contract between him and Wu Rong.
“It hurts.”
Wu Rong closed his eyes wearily, and the sense of closeness and trust derived from the contract replaced the pain. He unconsciously leaned towards the direction of the Big Ghost. Nan didn’t spare a glance at Fu Qing, naturally half-encircling Wu Rong in his embrace, his falling hair covering his face. But just as Wu Rong was about to rely completely on the Big Ghost’s embrace, another’s warm and fiery hand touched the back of his neck.
The blood lotus markings, previously suppressed to mere buds by Yang Qi, began to bloom one after another under the influx of the large amount of Yin Qi earlier. Four blooming lotus patterns appeared on Wu Rong’s nape, eager to continue blossoming. However, when they encountered the familiar warmth of Yang Qi lacking the enhancement of Zhengyang Huo, the gentle yet not intense Yang Qi flowed in slowly. The blood lotus markings opened wide for the familiar visitor, and as the warmth penetrated Wu Rong’s cold body, he shivered in comfort.
After all, humans were creatures that seeked warmth. The integration of Yin Qi into Wu Rong’s body left his hands and feet icy cold, but the timely warmth brought him a sigh of contentment. Unconsciously, he leaned towards Fu Qing, offering the back of his neck to his hands.
The Zhong Gu who had hibernated due to excessive Yin Qi had awakened under the comforting Yang Qi. While it brought a deeper chill to Wu Rong, the substances secreted by the Zhong Gu at the same time were rapidly repairing his body. Wu Rong’s spirit and vitality began to recover. Only a lingering headache remained, which was becoming bearable. With slightly restored strength, Wu Rong disliked the sensation of being held by others in his weakened state. He pushed away Fu Qing and the Big Ghost, standing firm, and staggered towards the entrance of the cave.
Through the blood contract, Wu Rong sensed that Bai Gu’s life was in peril, and there was no time to waste.
The land was muddy after the rain, and Wu Rong’s body was weak. He had just taken a step when he swayed, and in the next instant, one on his left and one on his right, a person and a ghost both supported him.
Although Wu Rong hadn’t planned for the Big Ghost and Fu Qing to meet so soon, since it had already happened, he decided to go with the flow. However, he didn’t anticipate the unspoken understanding between the person and the ghost. Wu Rong furrowed his brows, intending to speak, but he was interrupted by a cough, a taste of blood rising in his throat. Naturally, Fu Qing approached, encircling Wu Rong’s waist and taking out the last bottle of ‘Rou Baigu’ from his waist pouch—
“Bai Gu。”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Djl Xe.”
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The end of the sword’s hilt even playfully brushed against Wu Rong’s pinky finger.
Bai Gu’s face and body were covered in mud, barely clinging to life. The intense battle just now had buried him entirely in the mud. Not far from him lay Zhou Jin, perhaps by luck or accident, the residual essence and spirit of Bai Mei’s soul had not reached this spot during the fight with the Big Ghost. Aside from being covered in mud due to the aftermath of the attacks, neither of them seemed to have any external injuries.
Wu Rong first fed a drop of his blood to Bai Gu. The blood lotus markings on Bai Gu’s neck would automatically disappear once they left Jieyang. This drop of blood from Wu Rong would keep him in a deep sleep, preserving his vitality. Meanwhile, Zhou Jin, who had been brought along by the spine sword, unexpectedly had a rosy complexion and steady breathing. It seemed he had completely escaped the danger of death and was gradually recovering his health.
It wasn’t until now that Wu Rong’s consciousness finally settled in the present situation. The agonizing cries and wails of Zhou Xinhong echoed in his ears, and the figures of Fu Qing and the Big Ghost were imprinted on his retinas.
“Thank you.” he hoarsely said to Fu Qing. If it weren’t for Fu Qing bringing Zhou Xinhong in time, attracting Bai Mei’s attention, Wu Rong may have faced some difficulties given his state at that time.
Following Fu Qing’s usual character, he should have responded with “It’s nothing” or perhaps just shook his head. However now he stared at Wu Rong, seemingly observing him, and then looked at the Big Ghost standing silently behind Wu Rong with a lowered head. This positioning made them appear as a unified entity. Fu Qing could sense that Wu Rong trusted this ghost deeply, to the extent of exposing his vulnerable backside. Their connection seemed to have transcended the blood contract, reaching a more intimate level.
This realization was truly… indescribable. Fu Qing couldn’t put it into words. At this moment, the emotion he should be feeling was a blank void. For the first time, Fu Qing felt the inconvenience of losing a soul. If his soul were intact, he would know exactly what emotions he should be experiencing now.
I don’t like him.
“You never have to say thank you to me.”
Fu Qing didn’t voice the first sentence. He had become friends with Wu Rong, who was a ghost keeper. Fu Qing believed he could suppress his murderous intent towards the ghosts that Wu Rong had raised. But now he realized he couldn’t do it. This ghost was simply too irritating.
If this situation were with anyone else, Fu Qing, according to his past friendships, might have turned and left, never to return. However, when that person was Wu Rong, Fu Qing found it difficult to release his grip on his hand. At the same time, he struggled to suppress his murderous intent toward the Big Ghost.
I don’t like him.
Once again, this thought floated through Fu Qing’s mind, not noticing that Wu Rong had pressed down on his own temples. His attention was on Wu Rong’s left hand. Fu Qing held Wu Rong’s left hand, turned it over, and his fingertips traced the chaotic lines on his palm.
Fu Qing was skilled in divination, palmistry, and many other things. He could see that Wu Rong’s destiny was extremely poor—without affinity for family, friendship or love. His life was destined to be one of hardships, turmoil, and repeated encounters with obstacles and setbacks. His path was short and full of difficulties. Wu Rong would face many dangers and challenges, just like right now, or perhaps even more dangerous than this. If Fu Qing couldn’t reach him in time, the only one who could be by Wu Rong’s side, fighting alongside him, was the Big Ghost.
The contract between them would even bind them in life and death. If one day Wu Rong were to perish, body and soul, no matter how powerful the Big Ghost was, it would also perish alongside him.
Fu Qing also desired that.
He didn’t fully understand these feelings. He just wanted to be closer to Wu Rong, to have a stronger connection. If Wu Rong were to face a life-and-death crisis, Fu Qing wanted to be able to sense it and arrive by his side immediately. Or, he wanted their lives to be intertwined, to face life and death together.
This bond of friendship felt too shallow.
Fu Qing wanted to delve deeper into it, while also making the firm decision to search for his lost soul and complete it as soon as possible.
“Why did you chase after Zhou Xinhong to here?”
Rubbing his temple, Wu Rong vaguely heard a faint “don’t like” as if it was Fu Qing’s voice, yet Fu Qing hadn’t spoken. Intrigued, Wu Rong attempted to listen again, but his effort was abruptly halted by a sharp headache. Nevertheless, the voice sounded so much like Fu Qing that Wu Rong couldn’t resist leading him into speaking while also expressing his curiosity.
Fu Qing was supposed to be at the Seven Treasures Buddha Hall, and yet, by sheer coincidence, he ended up pursuing Zhou Xinhong here and meeting him. It was a rather remarkable occurrence.
“A ghost informed me,” Fu Qing replied calmly. “They have a secondary contract with you.”
“A secondary contract?” Wu Rong found it puzzling, then suddenly had a revelation. “Was it Su Xiaomi’s brother?”
A secondary contract referred to a contract formed between a person and the ghosts they raised, after having established a primary blood contract or something similar. Wu Rong’s first thought was Su Xiaomi. In the distance, the sound of sirens heralded the arrival of personnel from the Public Security Bureau and the military. Wu Rong looked at Bai Mei and saw her smiling as she extracted some black mist from herself and infused it into Zhou Xinhong through his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears.
Zhou Xinhong continued to writhe and struggle. The once tall and robust man was now reduced to a skeletal figure, spasming and convulsing. He no longer roared or screamed, but his appearance was even more agonized. Wu Rong could feel Bai Mei channeling all her resentment and hatred into Zhou Xinhong’s body. He would experience the same cruel pain that Bai Mei had endured, including the nightmares she had suffered over the past decade, magnified a thousandfold within Zhou Xinhong.
He would never escape torment in this lifetime.
However, at the same time, Bai Mei’s spiritual presence was gradually fading. Her power came from hatred, and as the hatred departed, she would eventually dissipate into nothingness.
She had made her choice: to live in the form of a Ghost King fueled by hatred, or to disperse after seeking revenge.
Wu Rong couldn’t help but think of Zhou Jin. His condition was truly peculiar. He should have died once his Yang Qi was completely depleted, yet he now appeared as if he could live healthily for decades. With Fu Qing nearby, Wu Rong was inclined to ask:
“You…”
Boom—
Wu Rong suddenly looked up at the sky. The eternal expanse of the Ghost Territory was shrouded in darkness and the rain had ceased. The sky was covered in thick layers of clouds, and the sound he had heard just now seemed like an illusion. Yet, a subtle sensation spread through Wu Rong’s heart like ripples on water.
He looked at Fu Qing and realized Fu Qing was looking at him too.
“You heard it too?” Wu Rong whispered.
Fu Qing remained silent, his gaze solemnly fixed on the southward horizon.
The south?
Curious, Wu Rong followed his gaze. An inexplicable sense of oppression coiled around his heart, much like the stifling, humid afternoon before a storm. At first, Wu Rong saw nothing. The south was dominated by the boundless, dark and gloomy sky of the Ghost Territory. But in the next instant, he held his breath, his pupils contracting sharply.
A faint cracking sound echoed from the distant horizon. Whether it was the Big Ghost standing behind Wu Rong or the increasingly weakened Bai Mei, everyone—human and ghost alike—sensed it, as if confronting a formidable adversary, they all turned to look into the distance.
The dense and heavy clouds ruptured and shredded apart. Threads of black and red clouds hung in the sky like lines drawn by an airplane. And then, a colossal, mountainous presence, an enormous shadow that could rival the heavens and the earth, slowly materialized between the sky and the ground.
M1zushi: I’m updating the Miaojiang glossary and here’s some plot that I found while doing it
It stands to reason that at this time Chunyangzi Fu Qing should stay in Yangjiaping until the Lantern Ghost King crosses the border, who knows why he’s running around! In Tiankeng No. 444 he didn’t say anything, why did when Jieyang held a stone betting conference he came to join in the fun?!
chapter 58
Editor: Cloud Chip Cake
No time to rest for them.
Another battle coming?
Thanks for the chapter!! why do I get the feeling that both Fu Qing and the Big Ghost were thinking the exact same thing about each other? 😂😂 and Wu Rong, being contracted to the latter, heard his grumbles against (allegedly) himself 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Wow they so supportive even if they don’t like each other an to think our Qing wants to be closer but any closer an he might lose his powers
Omg give the poor people/ghost a break! Wu Rong nearly dead, big ghost fading, Fu Qing jelly, Bai Gu eating mud, Zhou Jin being sleeping beauty, like- what da quack? Give these people some time to fix themself up first xD
Author should chill out for a sec and write a filler arc or something. Anything alice of life-ish is welcomed. All I want is for Wu Rong to be relaxed once in a while.