Chapter Fourteen: A Resolve Between Life and Death

Hongyu had spent the entire night in restless vigil, unable to sleep, waiting only for word from Aunt Hong. She knew Aunt Hong was not her birth mother and was aware of the connection between Aunt Hong and her father. Yet, since childhood, she had no playmates—only Aunt Hong to care for and protect her. To Hongyu, Aunt Hong was everything.

It was only because Aunt Hong’s cultivation was flawed—after forty years of practice, she had only gained the power of twenty—and as she grew older, she became weaker and weaker. That was why Hongyu and Aunt Hong had gone to the City God’s Temple, hoping to nourish her spirit with the temple’s energy, only to be captured by Lei Yinyang. Lei Yinyang promised he could extend Aunt Hong’s life, and so Hongyu obediently followed him.

She submitted herself as a sacrificial child, letting Lei Yinyang drain her blood again and again. But gradually, she overheard secrets about longevity from him.

In the world of Loulan, it turned out, the spirits and monsters of heaven and earth could indeed cultivate, gain human form, and seek immortality. Yet, everything in the world is balanced. Once they became human, they too were bound by birth, aging, sickness, and death. After a hundred years, unless they cultivated immortality by human methods or possessed some cursed treasure that defied the heavens, even the most powerful spirits would eventually wither and die.

And Lei Yinyang himself was but an ordinary monster; he could not even extend his own life—how could he possibly help Aunt Hong?

Once she learned these secrets, Hongyu tried to find Aunt Hong, but Lei Yinyang had her imprisoned. Though she was a spirit matchmaker, she had no martial skills and could not escape.

When Chu Youcai rescued her, she knew she could never save Aunt Hong from the City God’s Temple alone. She could only hope for Chu Youcai’s help, yet she also feared her escape might bring harm to Aunt Hong. She was torn with worry, and being inarticulate and not fully trusting Chu Youcai, she gave him a silk pouch containing her blood and hair, hoping to warn Aunt Hong.

She pinned all her final hopes on Chu Youcai. Now, as she clutched his hand, she trembled violently.

At that moment, she saw Chu Youcai draw a red fox hair from his robe.

The moment she saw the red fox hair, her whole body shuddered. Her limbs went weak, and she could hardly stand.

How could she not recognize that fox hair from the nape of Aunt Hong’s neck? How could she forget the scent she had inhaled every day for so many years, leaning against Aunt Hong’s back? And did she not know that this patch of fur held Aunt Hong’s last essence of life?

Aunt Hong was dead.

She could not believe her eyes; it felt impossible.

She hated herself—her own weakness, her inability to protect her loved one, her failure to see through Lei Yinyang’s plot.

Her whole body was limp, and if not for Yun Cuixian holding her up, she would have collapsed to her knees.

Beside her, Chu Youcai finally recounted all that had happened in the night, omitting only the matter of the cursed treasure, instead saying he knew a spell to bring peace to the soul.

Hearing all this, Hongyu finally understood.

She clutched the fox hair in her hand, unable to speak.

For Aunt Hong to give this fox hair to Chu Youcai, she must have trusted him, perhaps even entrusted herself to his care.

Aunt Hong was already frail and had exhausted her essence in her final struggle against the snake-headed shadow. In the end, being able to find release with Chu Youcai’s help was a kind of happiness. Why meet again only to add to the sorrow? Was it not more beautiful to preserve the last memory?

Hongyu understood Aunt Hong’s temperament and her intent in entrusting herself to Chu Youcai. Yet now, she felt life held no more joy—her mind filled with hatred, hatred for Lei Yinyang.

At this moment, a desire to perish together with Lei Yinyang rose in her heart.

But she did not wish to implicate others, especially these kind-hearted people before her.

She masked her feelings, turning her gaze to a wildflower growing in the corner, trembling in the wind. Beside it lay a piece of white, tattered silk, resembling burnt ghost money. She fumbled with her clothing’s buttons, missed one, and let it be. Then she knelt before Chu Youcai and said softly, “Thank you, sir, for helping Aunt Hong find release. I am forever grateful.”

Chu Youcai hurried to help her up, but found her kneeling firm. Having twice used the Dragon Toad Technique in a single night, he had not yet regained his strength and could not lift her.

Yun Cuixian quickly embraced Hongyu and helped her up, feeling how limp she was. But Hongyu quickly slipped from her grasp and said, “Sister Yun, you are also a good person. Thank you both. But I must go. I wish to return to the place where I stayed with Aunt Hong and bury her fox hair there.”

Hearing this, Chu Youcai and Yun Cuixian exchanged glances, unsure how to stop her. Yun Cuixian shook her head and said, “Hongyu, Lei Yinyang will surely hunt for you. Your situation is extremely dangerous. Why not hide here for a few days?”

“I have some special abilities, as Young Master Chu knows. I can protect myself. Don’t worry.” Hongyu fixed her clear gaze on Chu Youcai.

Chu Youcai gave a wry smile. Perhaps Hongyu had abilities he did not know about. For the moment, he could not insist and said softly, “Since you have decided, then please be very careful.”

“I will. Thank you, Young Master Chu.” Hongyu spoke gently, then turned to leave. In that moment, her sorrowful gaze hardened into resolve.

She had only taken a few steps and was about to leave the courtyard when, suddenly, a figure flashed outside—it was Miss Shangguan, returning. She struck Hongyu lightly at the base of her neck, and Hongyu instantly fainted.

“What is this?” Chu Youcai and Yun Cuixian were startled.

Miss Shangguan said coldly, “Can’t you see? She’s already lost the will to live.”

Yun Cuixian suddenly understood, hurried over, and gently carried Hongyu back inside.

Meanwhile, Miss Shangguan fixed Chu Youcai with a cold stare and said, “Lei Yinyang is incredibly powerful, with twenty years of cultivation. I cannot defeat him. He has abducted three or four hundred women, using their heart’s blood to consecrate his cursed treasure. If he unleashes its power, there is no one in Yanzhou City who can resist him. If you wish to avenge Hongyu and those women, you must quickly grow stronger.”

She seemed unaccustomed to speaking at such length, and, dissatisfied with herself or perhaps with Chu Youcai, gave a snort before vanishing in a flash.

Watching Miss Shangguan depart, Chu Youcai was startled. Her speed was astonishing, far beyond his own. If even such a woman could not defeat Lei Yinyang, then if Lei Yinyang wielded the cursed treasure, his strength must be beyond imagination.

But his eyes quickly brightened—he too possessed a cursed treasure and a unique method to cultivate using his own lifespan. Moreover, he knew Lei Yinyang feared strong light; with cunning, victory was not impossible.

Strength! Strength! The urgency welled up inside him. Now that he had six years of lifespan, he did not hesitate. He returned to his room, told Yun Cuixian he needed to rest, lay down on the bed, and activated the inner world of the Dragon Toad Mountain and River Pearl, consuming his own life to enter a new round of trial.