Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Xu Xing's heart rate, which had just stabilized, spiked again. Jiang Zhuochen steadied him by the arm, his face showing surprise.

Hadn't he just calmed down? Why did it suddenly reappear? What just happened?

Jiang Zhuochen followed Xu Xing's gaze outside, and then his eyes darted. Was it this old woman? Is Master's soul fragment inside her?

That would be disastrous.

To prevent Master's soul fragment from being scattered along with the old woman's ghost by the female ghost, Jiang Zhuochen used his spiritual power to shield her. Blue and black spiritual energies collided violently, clashing and canceling each other out, sending a powerful gust of wind rippling outward.

"Stay here and don't move," he hurriedly instructed Xu Xing. The next moment, he shattered the window and leaped out.

The female ghost had been incensed since Jiang Zhuochen intervened. She raised her hand and swept it forcefully, instantly enveloping both him and the ghost in swirling Ghostly Energy. The rotating force seemed intent on tearing them apart.

The old woman lying on the ground managed to twitch her fingers. A powerful force bore down on Jiang Zhuochen from all sides. He drew a few strokes on a spirit talisman and then sent it flying forward. A golden light instantly flared before him, gradually dispelling the female ghost's assault.

Jiang Zhuochen helped the old woman up. She gently placed her hand on his wrist, her breath faint as a wisp. "You must go, it's not safe."

Jiang Zhuochen managed to reply, "I'll get you out of here."

That faint, almost imperceptible sigh was drowned out by the surging Ghostly Energy. Jiang Zhuochen had no time to ponder it. He summoned his sword, mobilized most of his spiritual power, and executed the Ten Thousand Swords Technique, the sword's edge aimed directly at the female ghost!

Part of the Ghostly Energy in the air was swept away. Sensing a vulnerability, Jiang Zhuochen cleaved a path and took the old woman with him.

After reaching a distance he deemed safe from the female ghost, he set the old woman down. He took out a medicine bottle from his Cosmic Bag, poured out two Ten Complete Great Tonic Pills, and chewed them while frowning in thought.

The old woman lay propped up with her eyes closed. After catching her breath for a while, she slowly drew in a breath. She wearily opened her eyes and saw Jiang Zhuochen idly plucking blades of grass nearby. She gave a faint smile.

"Thank you."

"You're awake?" Jiang Zhuochen turned around. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not dying just yet," the old woman said slowly, inquiring, "You want to ask me something, don't you?"

"Yes..." Jiang Zhuochen scratched his head. Not just something, quite a few things.

"Ask away. I'll tell you everything I know."

Perhaps because he had saved her life, the old woman gave Jiang Zhuochen an exhausted smile, the wrinkles on her face deepening. But maybe from having lived so long; she carried a natural sense of peace within her, which made her seem all the more kindly.

Compared to the frail old woman, Jiang Zhuochen's smile was more sincere. He asked, "Do you feel there's something inside you? Like a wisp of a soul or something similar?"

"Oh..." The old woman understood. "I can indeed sense another person's soul fragment within me. You saved me for its sake, right?"

"Something like that," Jiang Zhuochen said tactfully.

Seeing Jiang Zhuochen hesitate, she comforted him instead. "You're the one who saved my life. Don't feel guilty."

Although the six realms were supposed to not interfere with each other, people always tend to meddle. For instance, right now, when the other party might be innocent, he could simply and brutally kill the ghost and take the soul. But his conscience was still there; it would weigh on him.

He pondered for a moment, then asked, "What is your relationship with that female ghost?"

The bright moonlight fell into the old woman's eyes, turning into a heavy frost. The memories weighing on her heart surfaced gradually with her silent breaths, weighing heavily on her.

Her dry lips parted slightly, and she began to recount with a sorrowful tone. "She is my twin sister."

The answer in Jiang Zhuochen's heart was confirmed. He didn't interrupt. The old woman continued, her expression nostalgic and sad.

"In life, my sister and I were originally very close. But later, I secretly got a boyfriend and went abroad with him, leaving my sister alone to suffer at home. So, after returning from abroad, she held a grudge against me. I tried my best to make it up to her, but I never expected she would set her sights on my husband. The day before the wedding, she knocked me out, took my place on the wedding carriage, and tried to force me to marry the thug our father had picked out for her."

"Unexpectedly, I was fortunate. My husband recognized that the sister wasn't me, sent her back, and came to get me. That local ruffian, angry that my sister didn't want to marry him, married her anyway and abused her daily after taking her home, forcing her to bear children. I went back to see her a few times and pleaded with our father on her behalf to bring her home. But she wouldn't accept it, increasingly believing it was my fault—that I had abandoned her initially and then made her lose face by being sent back home in front of everyone, leading to the ruffian's continued abuse. She hated me more and more, and in the end, she died full of bitterness."

"Aside from going abroad that one time, I don't think I wronged her anywhere else. But who would have thought she wouldn't let me go even after death. Never mind... if it can appease her anger, let her be."

After listening, Jiang Zhuochen saw that the other party spoke earnestly and with deep emotion, not seeming false. He suddenly remembered something. "Old madam, do you also have a jade pendant? Where did it go?"

The ghost fell silent for a moment, as if not expecting him to ask this. She took out the pendant. "This thing has been with me for over a hundred years; it's long become a part of me. Naturally, I couldn't bear to leave it behind."

For a moment, Jiang Zhuochen was puzzled. When reincarnating, one couldn't take any items. What use was leaving it behind? To take a few more looks on the road to the Yellow Springs?

As he remained silent, the old woman grasped his hand and advised, "This old woman has lived a long life. In life, I had children and grandchildren filling the halls, enjoying the utmost joys of the human world. I have no more desires. If I can help you, it will be my final act of accumulating virtue for my descendants."

Jiang Zhuochen snapped back to reality and shook his head. "This isn't your fault. Since you lived to a natural end in life, you should properly reincarnate and enjoy your good karma."

At this, the old woman smiled. "Then do you know why I haven't reincarnated?"

"Didn't your sister use a technique to trap you here?"

"No," the old woman denied, sighing deeply. "Because when I was about to leave, a soul fragment barged into my body. The ghost officials detected the foreign aura and wouldn't let me pass through the Ghost Gate, so I could only linger here. Don't feel burdened; just take it out."

From the previous two exorcisms, Jiang Zhuochen discovered that his master's soul fragments were always in places where ghosts appeared and also had a certain suppressing effect.

He believed her, but forcibly extracting a soul would cause great harm to the ghost, and he couldn't bring himself to do it. Ghosts in the ghost realm couldn't use cultivation world elixirs, so he also had no way to help the old woman heal.

"Wait a moment."

Jiang Zhuochen sat cross-legged on the spot, entering a meditative state and delving into his consciousness sea.

He took down the Long Life Lamp and asked, "Is there a gentler method to extract a soul fragment?"

The Long Life Lamp gave no response. Annoyed, he shook it twice, accidentally shaking out those two soul fragments of his master.

Jiang Zhuochen hurriedly stopped. "Sorry, Master. Are you alright?"

The soul fragments circled once inside the lamp.

A look of joy spread across Jiang Zhuochen's face. "Master, can you understand?"

But the soul fragments just circled once and showed no further reaction to Jiang Zhuochen's words.

Of course. What consciousness could he expect from two soul fragments?

He poked the lamp's wall, muttering to himself, "Do I really have to kill the ghost to take the soul?"

He pursed his lips, unwilling to give up, and continued poking. When his fingernail brushed against the lamp's lid, it easily pushed open. Before Jiang Zhuochen could feel puzzled, a bit of smoke from the lamp's flame overflowed, slowly coming to rest in front of him.

Jiang Zhuochen reached out a hand, and the smoke settled on his palm. He lifted the Long Life Lamp to eye level. "Can I use this?"

After waiting a while, Jiang Zhuochen chose to give up. Fine, don't tell me. If I really get stuck, it'll give a hint anyway.

Jiang Zhuochen sat cross-legged, refined the smoke in his hand, and then sent it into the old woman's body.

A faint clarity remained in his eyes as he explained, "Your body is too weak. I can only slowly guide the soul fragment out. By midnight tomorrow, it can be safely extracted. At that time, I'll take you, old madam, to reincarnate."

The old woman nodded. "Thank you so much."

Jiang Zhuochen took a step back, and the old woman's figure gradually faded into the air.

Meanwhile, Xu Xing leaned against the bed, a restless agitation in his chest that kept welling up and subsiding. He felt a bit tired.

Outside, Ghostly Energy raged and rampaged everywhere, yet the room was brightly lit, as if by some unspoken agreement, it steered clear of his space. The sounds of fighting outside gradually faded, and soon his heartbeat settled. He closed his eyes to rest, waiting for Jiang Zhuochen.

A sliver of white lightened the distant horizon, and the lingering Ghostly Energy was replaced by mist, indistinguishable from the peaceful scenes of the past.

Jiang Zhuochen pushed the door open and, seeing Xu Xing with his eyes closed, figured he was still asleep. He quietly closed the door, but a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Jiang Zhuochen replied reflexively, turning to face him. "You're feeling better?"

"Hmm," Xu Xing responded. "Why did it take so long?"

Jiang Zhuochen yawned and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. He filled him in on what he'd learned earlier, and Xu Xing listened quietly, occasionally letting out a low hum in acknowledgment.

His mind began to wander aimlessly. He remembered being taught how to recognize the aura of a soul upon entering the sect, but when a soul was fragmented, that aura became incredibly faint—far too subtle for someone like him, who was so inconsistent, to easily detect.

Though he still didn’t understand how or why Xu Xing could sense it, he knew he definitely had to cling to this guy's coattails.

Sensing Jiang Zhuochen's mind was elsewhere, Xu Xing asked, "Tired?"

Jiang Zhuochen scratched his head and then yawned involuntarily. "A little."

Xu Xing recalled that Jiang Zhuochen had pulled two all-nighters investigating the haunting incidents, barely sleeping a few hours. He patted the inner side of the bed. "If you’re tired, sleep. We can talk about the rest after you wake up."

Outside the window, the first light of dawn grew steadily brighter, and daylight would soon break. Jiang Zhuochen paused for a moment, then nodded, crawled into bed, mechanically pulled up the covers, and closed his eyes.

"Good night. See you tomorrow."

The sleep-addled comment brought a faint smile to Xu Xing’s face. He turned and lay down beside him.

They slept past noon, and Xu Xing was gone. Jiang Zhuochen lazily rolled over and lay face down on the bed, his stomach growling in protest, yet he made no move to get up.

He took the jade pendant from his bag and held it up in the air, still troubled by the female ghost’s furious reaction upon seeing it.

It was just an ordinary identity jade pendant—why had she reacted as if seeing a sworn enemy, as if she wanted to crush it to dust?

No, he had to get to the bottom of this.

Author's Note:

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