Chapter 73

Chapter 73

The scene before them was like ink dropped into water, rapidly blurring, distorting, and deforming. The burning village, the wailing villagers, the resentful face of the female ghost... everything faded and stretched in an instant, ultimately collapsing into a suffocating darkness.

Immediately after, a blinding light.

Jiang Zhuochen instinctively shut his eyes, then opened them again, finding himself standing on a muddy dirt road. The sky was overcast, a fine drizzle fell like woven threads, and the cold rain soaked his coarse cloth clothes, piercing him to the bone.

He looked down. He was wearing a set of old, patched clothes, and his body seemed to have shrunk a bit, having become that of a youth.

"Shizun?" He hurriedly turned his head and saw Xu Xing standing beside him, also dressed in simple peasant clothing, frowning slightly as he surveyed their surroundings.

"Hmm." Xu Xing's voice was low. "Are we in another illusion?"

"Another?" Jiang Zhuochen asked instinctively, then his eyes widened slightly. "Was it you in my illusion last time?"

Xu Xing raised an eyebrow; he had slipped up carelessly. But since the misunderstanding was already cleared up, admitting it seemed fine.

"Ah, I see." Seeing this reaction, Jiang Zhuochen understood perfectly. His now smaller hand clenched into a fist and waved it in front of the other man, ready to settle accounts later. "Why didn't you warn me back then? I was almost devoured by the inner demon."

Xu Xing easily enveloped his fist and gave it a squeeze. "You seemed to be enjoying it. Staying a few more days wouldn't have been a problem either."

His tone was calm, overly matter-of-fact. Jiang Zhuochen was left speechless by his audacity. "How can you stay so composed even without your memories? You have no spiritual power at all. Aren't you afraid we won't escape?"

"Not afraid." Xu Xing remained unperturbed. "I am your Shizun, after all."

Jiang Zhuochen pressed his lips together, smiling. That was true; Shizun was always omnipotent. After smiling, he followed Xu Xing's steps as they walked further in.

"I encountered something like this once before when I went out on training missions with my senior brothers. This is a retroactive cage created by the female ghost. It's not a simple illusion; events will unfold along a predetermined track, and we cannot stop them. If we anger her, the entire environment might collapse, trapping us here."

"Then what should we do?" Xu Xing asked.

Xu Xing picked up his thread: "Or?"

"Or we don't disturb her and, within the original course of events, try to help dissipate some of her resentment, to see if we can redeem her." Jiang Zhuochen wrinkled his nose. "Within the illusion, her own power becomes infinitely amplified. Any unusual action from us can be detected, leading to her trying to eradicate us."

"Do you think you can manage it?"

"I think the possibility of you recovering your spiritual power is higher." Jiang Zhuochen shot him a sidelong glance, then muttered to himself, "How is this female ghost so powerful?"

She already self-destructed, yet still has the ability to fabricate and maintain an illusion.

The two chatted idly when suddenly, two calls came from behind them.

"Hey, aren't you Li Zhuangguo's Fugui and Zhaocai? Playing so late, careful your old man gives you another beating."

Jiang Zhuochen and Xu Xing paused. Both were currently wearing ordinary, worn-out coarse linen shirts, covered in dust and dirt, clearly looking like they had been rolling around in some mountain gully again.

Transformed into Li Fugui, Jiang Zhuochen very naturally accepted his new identity. He turned around, grinning broadly. "Uncle, why are you out so late too?"

The slightly stooped uncle, carrying a hoe, passed by them and teased, "You think everyone's as idle as you little runts?"

"Hehe." Jiang Zhuochen pulled Xu Xing along behind the man, putting on an ingratiating face. "Uncle, could you come home with us and take a look? If Dad really starts hitting us, could you tell him we got lost, that we didn't mean to come back so late on purpose?"

The uncle chuckled. "Got lost? Hahaha, that's quite the excuse you came up with."

"Aw, come on." Jiang Zhuochen followed behind the man, looking around left and right. "Just help us plead a little. We'll help you with work another day! Right, Brother Zhaocai?"

Jiang Zhuochen bit his lip to suppress a laugh and nudged the expressionless Xu Xing with his elbow. "Brother, say something! Brother Zhaocai!"

A dark glint flashed in Xu Xing's eyes. His hand reached behind Jiang Zhuochen's back and gave a warning pinch on his waist. Feeling the other man flinch, his expression gradually softened, and he lazily replied.

"Alright, alright." The man, thoroughly charmed, agreed. "I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

After following the path for a while, a poor, isolated small mountain village appeared before them. Low earthen houses were scattered in the mountain hollow. Cooking smoke curled upwards, yet it exuded a heavy, murky aura.

A few children in tattered clothes were chasing and playing. Noticing them, they just glanced over before continuing their games.

Suddenly, sharp cries and curses came from a house not far ahead. That household's courtyard wall was slightly higher than the others, suggesting a slightly better financial situation.

"Isn't that Wang Laowu's house?" The man turned his head towards the source of the sound, then clicked his tongue. "Hey, didn't their family bring back a girl a few days ago? Who knows where they found her. Her looks, tsk tsk... really a pretty young thing."

The two men's hearts stirred. Exchanging a glance, they tacitly pretended to be passing by, slowing their steps to approach the Wang family's courtyard gate.

"Hey, where are you two going?"

Jiang Zhuochen stopped, looking impatient. "Uncle, aren't you coming to listen to the gossip?"

"..." The man shook his head helplessly. "They're making such a racket, the whole village will know by tomorrow without needing to listen specially. Go ahead if you want. I'll rest here for a bit."

"Alright then." Jiang Zhuochen said and strode forward.

The Wang family's courtyard gate was slightly ajar. Peering through the crack, they saw a burly, dark-skinned man with a fierce face roughly dragging a small, thin figure in the yard.

It was a girl who looked only fifteen or sixteen, soaked through, hair disheveled, her small face covered in mud and tears, struggling desperately and crying out, "Let me go! I want to go home! Please, let me go home!"

That face was identical to the female ghost's, just more youthful. Her eyes were filled with terror, helplessness, and a trace of stubbornness not yet worn away.

"Go home? I spent three thousand yuan to buy you! You're a member of the Wang family now! Even if you die, you'll be a ghost of the Wang family!" Wang Laowu slapped the girl across the face. She staggered a few steps from the blow and fell into the muddy water, her cries turning into suppressed sobs.

At that moment, a woman with high cheekbones and a sharp, mean face rushed out of the house, wailing at Wang Laowu. "Husband! Baozhu's fever is getting worse! The medicine?! Where's the medicine you were supposed to buy?!"

"Stop nagging! Didn't have enough money, only got one dose!" Wang Laowu roared irritably, then kicked the girl on the ground. "It's all this useless girl's fault for causing trouble!"

Cui Lian shot a venomous glare at the girl, her eyes like poison, then turned and ran back into the house.

Jiang Zhuochen watched silently, then whispered, "So the female ghost was sold here back then? But why slaughter the entire village?"

Xu Xing motioned for him to head back. "Wait a bit longer. It might happen soon."

Seeing the two return, the man stood up and patted his pants. "Let's go. It'll be dark soon."

Thanks to this uncle, they smoothly arrived at their next residence. Coincidentally, their nominal father hadn't returned yet.

"Well, you two lads got lucky." The man waved his hand. "Hurry inside."

"Thank you, Uncle." Jiang Zhuochen obediently bid farewell.

The man looked Jiang Zhuochen over and said to Xu Xing with earnest concern, "Zhaocai, you're the older brother. Don't always lead your younger brother into mischief. It's about time you started helping out the family a bit."

"..." Xu Xing smiled a tight, insincere smile. "Understood."

When they were finally alone, Jiang Zhuochen's lips twitched, and he started laughing again. "Li Zhaocai? Sounds so much like a country dog's name, hahaha. Xu Xing is definitely the best name. Li Zhaocai..."

Xu Xing listened to him endlessly repeating the name, then reached out both hands, trapping the younger man beneath him and leaning his head close. "Had enough?"

Is Li Fugui such a great name?

Jiang Zhuochen tilted his chin up, his smile undiminished. "Good thing your name is Xu Xing. Otherwise, just based on this face, I wouldn't have gone with you."

"You went with me because of this face?" Xu Xing was somewhat incredulous.

"Yeah." Jiang Zhuochen declared matter-of-factly, "The face is the index of the mind. Someone this good-looking probably isn't a bad person."

Xu Xing was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he reached out and ruffled his hair. "From now on, I get to approve all your friends."

"You're so domineering." Jiang Zhuochen puffed out his cheeks in protest.

Xu Xing poked one cheek, then leaned down to nip at his lower lip. After releasing it, he asked softly, "What did you just call me?"

Jiang Zhuochen didn't understand. *He hadn't called him anything?* His puzzled gaze met Xu Xing's, and in the silent exchange, he slowly replayed the recent conversation until it dawned on him.

"Brother?"

Jiang Zhuochen's face broke into an unmistakably teasing grin. "You want me to call you 'brother'? But that would mess up our seniority."

Xu Xing gripped his chin. "You dare call me by my name, and now you're worried about seniority?"

"Okay, okay." Jiang Zhuochen couldn't hold back any longer. He hugged Xu Xing and started babbling, "Brother, *gege*, don't be mad. I won't call you that anymore."

Those two names sent a thrill down Xu Xing's spine. The hand on the small of his back pressed insistently, and then he bit his earlobe.

"It's fine. Call me whatever you like."

"Then... brother? *Gege*?" Jiang Zhuochen shook his head playfully. "Zhao—"

Xu Xing covered his mouth. "No need to say the rest."

Unable to speak, Jiang Zhuochen could only let out a few muffled chuckles from his throat.

Over the next few days, Jiang Zhuochen and Xu Xing lived in the village, posing as the Li family's sons, keeping a close watch on the Wang household's movements. They also learned from the villagers that the girl's name was Yi Shui.

The Wang family's courtyard gate was often left wide open, unguarded, allowing them to easily witness the treatment the girl endured these past days.

One evening, the two followed Li Zhuangguo, who was well-fed and content, out for idle chatter and naturally ended up in Wang Laowu's courtyard.

At that moment, Cui Lian was holding a bowl of cold, spoiled food, cursing under her breath as she walked toward the woodshed.

"Well, well." Li Zhuangguo expressed surprise. "Wasn't she bought back to serve your Baozhu? From what I see, it looks like you're serving her."

"Don't even mention it, such a headache." Cui Lian spat. "Outsiders are just outsiders, stubborn as mules. Beating and scolding don't work. We've starved her for days now. We're just afraid she'll die and waste the money we spent buying her, so we're giving her a bite to eat."

"Haha, your family is still too soft-hearted." Li Zhuangguo spoke with the confidence of an expert. "To deal with this kind of woman, you have to beat her hard a few times, then starve her for five or six days. When she's barely breathing, she won't dare resist anymore."

"Really?" Cui Lian was somewhat tempted. This was their first time buying a servant girl; they had no experience.

"Would I lie to you?"

Cui Lian looked down at the bowl in her hand. Throwing it away seemed a pity. After some thought, she slowly nodded. "Alright, I'll try that tomorrow."

Jiang Zhuochen listened expressionlessly and exchanged a glance with Xu Xing. Xu Xing understood and engaged Li Zhuangguo and Wang Laowu in conversation to stall them. Jiang Zhuochen himself quietly stepped back and followed Cui Lian toward the woodshed.