Chapter 76: Since You Allowed Me to Live, You MustâŚÂ
Thud!
Debris scattered as the rock wall indented.
Yun Wuxiang had Song Yilou by the throat, pinning him firmly into the stone cliff.
He released his grip, looking down at the ghost who slid to the ground, muttering, “The Guanzhu is so mean, youâve shattered my bones.”
A ghost had no bones to speak of. Yun Wuxiang ignored the whining. “Song Yilou, if you cause me any more trouble for no reason, I will erase the Dao Companion Bond.”
“Ha! How can chasing away a fly hovering around my Dao Companion be called ‘causing trouble’?” Song Yilou looked up. Even from his lower, looked-down-upon position, the gaze he shot upward was predatory and aggressive.
With a casual lift of his arm, he snatched the hem of Yun Wuxiangâs robe.
A face full of youthful vigorâtinged with a deliberate, coquettish airâentered Yun Wuxiangâs vision. Beneath his flippant, casual words lay an endless obsession: “Since you allowed me to live, you must be responsible for me to the very end, Guanzhu.”
It was a completely illogical statementâas if saving someone’s life was a mistake that required compensation.
But a Ghost Gu never bothered with logic.
Song Yilou had always displayed his unique pursuits with absolute clarity. He had happily decided on his own method of death: to merge with Yun Wuxiang forever. This was his dream, his greatest wish, and he had died a very happy man.
Having been brought back to life without his consent, he felt no gratitude toward that person; instead, he demanded a price from them.
If that person was Yun Wuxiang, there would only be one price: he would possess a Ghost Gu Dao Companion who was neither obedient nor well-behavedâa willful, obsessive, and persistent creature who would never become a “good boy.”
Song Yilou had separated Yun Wuxiangâs and Yun Xinyangâs souls and used his own soul-body to fill the gap. This act was both self-satisfaction and a multiple-choice question left for Yun Wuxiang.
Keep me inside your body, and I will sleep forever in the grave I chose for myself.
Or, pull me out, and you must accept me as your Dao Companion, haunting you for all eternity.
A malicious glint flickered in Yun Wuxiangâs eyes as he spoke provocatively, “And what if I donât take responsibility? Youâre a male ghost; itâs not like you can get pregnant. Talking about responsibility… how laughable.”
What makes you think I can only choose between the options you provided?
He had allowed this Ghost Gu to return to the world and had accepted the fact that in this life, he would either have no Dao Companion or his companion’s name would be Song Yilou.
But that did not mean he had fallen in love with Song Yilou, nor did it mean he would indulge him unconditionally. At most, he allowed him to stay by his side as a pet.
“I released you only because I didnât want you to have your way.”
After hearing these “scumbag” remarks about not taking responsibility, Yun Wuxiang saw the smile on Song Yilouâs face widen. It was like a bright, pure white flower blooming, yet beneath the stems swirled endless black mud. “Guanzhu, youâve learned to be bad.”
Yun Wuxiang: “I likely caught it from you. I am a Heart Demon; imitation is my instinct, and you are currently too close to me.”
“No way. Yun Xinyang used his soul and obsession to trap and assimilate you. I haven’t done that.”
Song Yilou pushed himself off the ground and stood up, pouting. “I am a Gu. Anything I assimilate becomes a part of me. I would never assimilate the Guanzhuâthough sometimes I really want to eat a bit of you just to satisfy my cravings. Itâs all your fault for not consummating the marriage! What kind of Dao Companions don’t dual cultivate?”
“Me.” Yun Wuxiang accepted the title. In truth, he didn’t have much resistance toward dual cultivation, but the more Song Yilou wanted to do something, the more Yun Wuxiang refused to let him succeed.
Seeing Song Yilou resentful and unwillingâlike a monkey in a zoo, scratching at his head through the iron bars because he couldn’t reach the fruit thrown by tourists outside the cageâmade him happy.
Wasn’t a pet meant to be used for one’s own amusement?
Song Yilou looked at Yun Wuxiang and puffed out his cheeks in dissatisfaction. “Iâve already mended you. Why can’t I plant it yet?”
“Are you trying to cast a Love Gu on me again?” Yun Wuxiang was used to Song Yilouâs fragmented way of speaking. This guy said whatever came to mind; his next sentence might have zero connection to the previous one, but in Song Yilouâs own mind, there was no issue.
In times like these, one didn’t need to link the context; one only needed to pay attention to his final sentence.
“That’s right, you heartless Guanzhu.” Song Yilou looked at him with burning eyes. “One day, I will succeed in planting it.”
Yun Wuxiang: “Then you can just keep waiting.”
He was not born with a soul. For a Heart Demon to possess a soul was already a miracle; even once dug out, it was tattered and incomplete.
According to Jiangzi Daozun, his soul had not been nurtured by the Cycle of Reincarnation. He was born naturally lacking certain things.
Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire. His “Seven Emotions” were incomplete. He lacked love and hate, had meager desires, and felt little sorrow or fear. Only joy and anger were relatively intact.
Song Yilou had discovered this even earlier than he had, relying on those Love Gu that had died in vain.
If the soul-body was compared to soil and the Seven Emotions were the flowers rooted within, a normal person’s emotions would be densely entangled with the soil, appearing as one. Even if removed from the flowerpot (the physical body), they would not separate from the earth.
However, Yun Wuxiangâs soul-body consisted only of soilâmost of which Song Yilou had dug out from his own “pot” and forcibly stuffed into him.
With soil, the Seven Emotions would eventually sprout on their own, but it took time to assimilate someone else’s soil into one’s own.
In short, Yun Wuxiang now possessed the conditions to develop a complete soul, but he was still far from having the full range of the Seven Emotions.
It was about time to head back; his eldest disciple was still waiting in the Azure Emperor Main Hall.
Yun Wuxiang turned to walk back, the hem of his azure robe swaying lightly with each step.
Black clothing condensed from Yin Qi followed closely, wrapping around his hand.
Yun Wuxiang: “Let go. Your hand is very cold.”
A ghost’s body was naturally cold; that was an unchangeable trait. Instead of letting go, Song Yilou gripped tighter. “Guanzhu is lying to me again. How can a demon like you feel cold?”
“Are you suggesting I circulate Demonic Qi to protect my body in front of a group of Immortal cultivators? I knew you were brainless, but I didn’t think you could say something so stupid.”
After speaking, Yun Wuxiang slapped Song Yilouâs claw away. “At most, Iâll let you hold my sleeve.”
The sleeve tightened. “Yun Wuxiang, you said you wouldn’t regret it.”
“Mm. I don’t regret it.”
Regardless of the reasonâeven if his brain really had suffered a momentary lapse at the timeâsince he had pulled Song Yilou out, he wouldn’t regret it.
“Then you aren’t allowed to dissolve the Dao Companion Bond. Otherwise, Iâll kill everyone in the Qingdi Guan.”
“Jiangzi Shifu placed a curse on me. My emotional threads are linked to the Qingdi Guanâs fortune. If you touch a single person from the sect, my emotional threads will shorten by a segment.”
“They haven’t been entered into the Jade Tablets yet.” If they weren’t on the tablets, they weren’t officially part of the Qingdi Guan.
“Thanks for the reminder.” Iâll go put them on the Jade Tablets right now.
A flash of killing intent passed beside him, followed by a surge of resentful aura. It was obvious a certain ghost was sulking. An imperceptible, thin smile flickered in Yun Wuxiangâs eyes.
By the time the two returned to the Azure Emperor Main Hall, the group waiting there had grown. Everyone who was present had gathered.
Shen Lanqing, Mo Yang, and Jin Hongqi stood together. Beside them was Prince Li, Duan Wenyin, sitting in his wheelchair, as well as the Serpent Envoy, Liu Huanxiu, and an unknown Spider Envoy.
The rest of the Immortal Realm crowd stood together, their faces pale and full of trepidation.
Leading them was a “pig head” who scrambled and crawled to collapse at his feet. “Lord! Mercy! I only did those things under someone else’s orders… ah!”
With a flick of his finger, Yun Wuxiang turned the pig head into a rolling wheel. After several tumbles, the man hit a pillar and fainted instantly.
He didn’t have much patience, and he had zero tolerance for ugly things.
His gaze swept over the others, finally landing on the two Poison Envoys and Prince Li. Yun Wuxiang: “Lanqing, these three are for you to handle. Kill them or keep them?”
Yun Xinyang wandered over to Yun Wuxiangâs side and whispered, “Wuxiang, isn’t that Prince Li the protagonist… the Child of Fortune? Can we kill him?”
“We can.” Yun Wuxiang glanced at the group currently dragging the Murong pig-head back toward them. “Thereâs no shortage of people who want to kill them.”
There had already been several Children of Fortune who were taken out right under the Tiandaoâs nose, their protagonist halos stripped away.
The Immortal Realm crowd shuddered, huddling together like quails.
A private voice transmission was sent to Yun Xinyang: [Being a vegetable doesn’t stop him from following the plot. Ask 3339 about things related to the Child of Fortune. Don’t interrupt me now; let Lanqing make his own choice.]
Yun Xinyang was about to speak when another transmission entered his ear: [You still haven’t learned how to use voice transmission?]
What a heartbreaking sentence. Yun Xinyang shut his mouth, preparing to squat to the side and act like a mushroom. He hadn’t even lowered himself before the System stopped him: [Image! Watch your image! How can an otherworldly expert just squat on the ground like an idiot!]
The white-mist ball straightened up silently and looked at Shen Lanqing. Not just him; everyone was waiting for his response.
Shen Lanqing pointed at the three, looking at Yun Wuxiang with a serious expression. His eyes swept over the youth standing behind him with a talisman on his mouth, his gaze full of disgust. “Shifu, they are all in league with the evil creature by your side.”
Yun Wuxiang: “I am aware of that.”
Shen Lanqingâs pointing hand shifted toward Song Yilou. “Shifu, he wants to kill me!”
Yun Wuxiang wasn’t afraid of bruising his disciple’s ego. He said bluntly, “If he actually got serious, you wouldn’t have lived until now.”
The talisman sealed Song Yilouâs mouth, but it couldn’t stop him from using the Dao Companion Bond to speak in his sea of consciousness.
[Guanzhu, I even let my subordinates save him. How are you going to thank me? For example… we could consummate the marriage tonight~]
[If you like dreaming so much, you can just lie on the ground and sleep.]
Song Yilou stood half-hidden behind Yun Wuxiang, his head peeking out to give Shen Lanqing a triumphant, swaggering smileâas if Yun Wuxiang was his personal shield.
A petty man riding high on success!
Shen Lanqing looked at that smug face. “He was the one who dissolved Prince Liâs poison. Prince Li is in league with the Immortal Realm; he is also a suspect. Shifu, you absolutely cannot keep him by your side!”
[Guanzhu, this monster is so annoying. You even find me annoying, so you must dislike him too. How about I poison him mute?]
Song Yilouâs smile was sweet, but the sweetness was laced with poison.
Shen Lanqing: “Shifu…”
[Guanzhu~]
The two voices inside and outside his head were enough to give him a migraine. Yun Wuxiang ignored the theatrical Song Yilou and steered the topic back: “Lanqing, I have my own arrangements for Song Yilou. As for these threeâkill them or keep them?”
[Guanzhu, Liu Huanxiu is my subordinate.] Song Yilouâs tone was slow and playful: [If you kill him, Iâll make trouble for your disciple. Whether he dies or not… even I don’t know.]
Yun Wuxiang: [Oh? It turns out you actually have people you care about.]
[Care about? Not really. He is my Sub-Gu. If I die, Iâll be resurrected through himâthough I have no use for that.]
Song Yilou pressed against Yun Wuxiangâs side, his fingers twirling a strand of the hair that had turned from white to black. He spoke in a cheerful tone, like someone showing off a prize creation: [I planted over a thousand Sub-Gu, and only this one lived. He’s very rare.]
Yun Wuxiang analyzed the meaning of those words: [So, he’s your son?]
[Guanzhu wants a son? Although I don’t like other living things getting close to you, Liu Huanxiu is sensible enough.]
As soon as Song Yilou said this, Yun Wuxiang saw Liu Huanxiuâs posture stiffen. His features, which looked shrewd and sinister when combined, now radiated a sense of blankness.
He lifted his head, muscles tense, and opened his mouth toward Yun Wuxiang with a paralyzed face: “D…”
Yun Wuxiang formed a seal in his sleeve, using a Silencing Spell to block that emotionless “Dad.”
Shen Lanqing didn’t notice these interludes. Since Yun Wuxiang had asked, he first shot a look like a knife at Song Yilou, who was sticking his tongue out behind Yun Wuxiang. Then, he straightened his posture to face Yun Wuxiang. His years of studying etiquette had polished his manner into something dignified, elegant, and composed.
“The Serpent Envoy is your… current Dao Companionâs subordinate. We won’t kill him for now.”
“The Spider Envoy was poisoned by the Serpent Envoy. She won’t live long.”
Upon hearing this, the Spider Envoy looked at the Serpent Envoy beside her. The Serpent Envoy, whose voice was sealed, said nothing.
In fact, he should have said: You and the Centipede Envoy were lovers. The Centipede Envoy died at my young master’s hands; how could he possibly let you live?
The Spider Envoy knew he was merely a blade in Song Yilouâs hand. Her next glance darted toward the mastermind behind the scenes.
A cold sneer curved her glamorous face. She said to Yun Wuxiang, “A word of advice from a dying person: if you don’t want to die inexplicably one day, youâd better kill Song Yilou early. He is a cold-blooded poisonous insect in human skin. He could even kill his own mother. His mother had a great relationship with him before she diedâthey were as thick as thieves, and that pair made a complete mess of the whole Poison Mist Swamp.”
“You might want to check your own body for a Love Gu. I don’t believe anyone in this world could actually love him!”
After finishing, the Spider Envoy pulled a hairpin from her head and stabbed it directly into the venomous spider tattoo on her body. While spitting blood, she said to Song Yilou, “You will surely die a horrible death.”
Song Yilou boredly picked his ear. What a powerless curse.
“No one will ever truly love you in this life!”
The expression on Song Yilouâs face vanished for a split second, only to be replaced by an even larger smile.
A bone-chilling Yin Qi swept through. Only a pile of ashes remained where the Spider Envoy had stood.
Yun Wuxiang looked at Song Yilou. Is this guy angry? Song Yilou actually cared about things like curses.
The Ghost Gu turned his head, pressing it against Yun Wuxiang: [Good thing the Guanzhu isn’t human~]
Yun Wuxiang withdrew his gaze. He was starting to suspect that Song Yilouâs constant desire for him to not be human was because the guy had done so many wicked things that countless people had placed similar curses on him.
His gaze returned to his eldest disciple: “Lanqing, continue.”
Prince Li sat in his wheelchair, his expression somber. Even though the Gu poison had been dissolved, the sickly aura accumulated over the years still lingered between his brows.
Hearing the word “kill,” his fingers hidden in his sleeves tightly gripped the wheelchair armrests.
Shen Lanqingâs logic was clear and rational: “We are already enemies with the Bailing Sect of the Immortal Realm. Their repeated attempts to come here only prove the importance of Fortune. No matter what, we cannot let the Child of Fortune fall into enemy hands.”
At the same moment, 3339 seemed to hear the crisp, shattering sound of the plot completely collapsing.
The plotline, which had been teetering on the edge of destruction since the start, had finally snapped.
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