Chapter 21: Pathological Love
Ming Ji had never seen such an obsessed lunatic. He was stunned for a moment before saying, “So our being tied up here is also a trap you laid?”
“Of course.” Shen Yi looked as if it were only natural, toying comfortably with her scallion-like fingertips as she spoke.
“Immortal Ming Ji, I have heard of your great name, and I know your purpose this time.”
“So, as soon as you came down the mountain, I arranged for my story to spread through the streets and alleys. You indeed took the bait.”
The Thousand-Faced Ghost also laughed cooperatively at this moment. “Speaking of which, thanks to Miss Shen putting herself in the trap as bait, otherwise… it really wouldn’t have been easy to catch Immortal Ming.”
After speaking, a strange smile rose on the Thousand-Faced Ghost’s gloomy face.
He walked closer, looking down to examine Ming Ji’s face, then slowly glanced at Wei Zixi beside him.
“Next to you is the remnant you saved back then, right?”
Ming Ji’s eyes grew colder. He said, “What do you want?”
The Thousand-Faced Ghost just smiled, his expression adding a few degrees of indescribable malice.
He stared straight at Ming Ji, his tone carrying a torturous slowness. “Relax, I have no interest in this remnant.”
“However, ever since I saw the Immortal Venerable more than ten years ago, I have been constantly thinking of you. Even in my dreams, it is your face, Immortal Lord…”
As he spoke, he tried to lift the chin of the pure banished immortal before him, but was avoided with disgust.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost wasn’t annoyed. He just stood there, smelling the faint scent of bamboo coming from Ming Ji, and withdrew with satisfaction. His gaze was actually paranoid and determined to win.
He looked at Ming Ji blatantly like this, his speech unhurried. “Immortal Ming, I have always had patience with prey…”
The Thousand-Faced Ghost paused, his smile never fading. “Did the Immortal Venerable not notice that in this cave, besides the Scattering Spirit Powder specifically designed to deal with the cultivation race, there are other anomalies?”
“Oh, I forgot—”
A look of malicious mockery appeared on his face as he pretended to have a sudden realization. “Immortal Ming is a Sound Cultivator with a steadfast mind, so naturally, you wouldn’t be disturbed by the False Dream I set up.”
“Unfortunately, your little disciple couldn’t escape it.”
Wei Zixi froze upon hearing this.
At first, he only felt his head was dizzy, assuming it was just maladjustment to the thick ghost aura.
But he never thought that this discomfort stemmed from the extremely vicious False Dream laid by the Thousand-Faced Ghost, which struck directly at the human heart!
The so-called False Dream was an immersive dreamscape.
If one fell into its array, moments later they would feel panic. It could draw out the most terrifying insecurities in a cultivator’s heart, eventually driving them into madness.
Before losing consciousness, Wei Zixi vaguely heard the last sentence the Thousand-Faced Ghost said: “I really hope that when your little disciple wakes up, he will still be loyal to you, Immortal Lord.”
After hearing this sentence, Wei Zixi fell into a stupor.
Ming Ji’s face looked even worse upon hearing this.
He had already lost his spiritual power due to the Thousand-Faced Ghost’s Scattering Spirit Powder, in such a bad state that he couldn’t even exert ten percent of his usual power…
And now that Wei Zixi was involved, he naturally felt even more nervous.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost stared closely at his eyes, seemingly seeing Ming Ji’s unease, and looked increasingly triumphant.
He lowered his head to blatantly look at Ming Ji’s fair and slender neck, his burning gaze wishing he could leave some mark on this flawless jade.
Ming Ji sensed the Thousand-Faced Ghost’s gaze and felt a wave of disgust, simply closing his eyes to avoid looking at him.
“Immortal Ming Ji, someone as high and mighty as you is truly suitable for humiliation.” The Thousand-Faced Ghost seemed to think of something happy and couldn’t help but laugh.
Looking at the pure Immortal Venerable before him who had lost his spiritual power, the malice in his heart exploded all at once. Before long, many scenes filled his mind.
For example, Ming Ji being pressed against the cold floor by him, eyes unfocused, green robes scattered.
Then, he would sell the spiritual-power-deprived banished immortal to a brothel, forcing Ming Ji to entertain and smile for those ordinary mortals…
Thinking of this, a look of excitement suddenly floated in the Thousand-Faced Ghost’s dark pupils.
He pondered ceaselessly in his heart, and for a moment even had the idea of sending this pure Immortal Venerable to the village he had painstakingly protected before, letting the villagers there unscrupulously…
Indeed, the taste of a High Mountain Flower falling into the abyss and being trampled by everyone would be excellent.
“Thousand-Faced Ghost.”
The Thousand-Faced Ghost couldn’t continue thinking about those messy things. Shen Yi suddenly spoke up to interrupt his wandering mind, then said coldly, “What are you still dazing off for?”
“Now that I have lured these women and Immortal Ming here, shouldn’t you also fulfill your promise?”
“Naturally.” The Thousand-Faced Ghost raised his chin, looking at Shen Yi with profound meaning. “It seems you really love this Zhao Qingshan.”
After saying this, he simply waved his palm, which was surrounded by yin aura. In an instant, Zhao Qingshan was lying against the moss-covered stone wall.
Clearly, the sudden change of scenery didn’t give the wealthy young master time to react. He subconsciously rubbed his eyes, and upon looking up again, saw the gloomy and terrifying face of the Thousand-Faced Ghost.
As if seeing a horrific image, his pupils shrank in fear, and his body began to tremble involuntarily.
Seeing this scene, the smile on Shen Yi’s face became even brighter. She took out a delicate small knife from her sleeve and played with it casually.
Zhao Qingshan looked again, seeing Shen Yi standing with the Thousand-Faced Ghost, and became even more terrified.
He pointed a trembling finger at her, his words intermittent. “Yi’er… you… you…”
“Qingshan… be obedient.”
Shen Yi smiled, but raised her hand to aim the knife tip directly at Zhao Qingshan’s heart, stabbing down fiercely.
Although this young master had gained his current status through the marriage alliance with Shen Yi, when had he ever suffered such pain?
Zhao Qingshan’s face twisted for a moment as the knife stirred. His body twitched involuntarily, sucking in cold air, unable to say a word.
Although Shen Yi looked gentle, to others she seemed like a demon—she wasn’t just torturing him by stirring the heart. Instead, like a farmer digging a new well, she slowly dug out all the flesh around the person’s heart.
Moments later, she held the complete, bloody heart in her hands. Not disliking the surrounding blood and filth, she instead pressed it excitedly against her own beating chest as if she had obtained a supreme treasure.
Even the Thousand-Faced Ghost was frightened by the woman before him who was mad for love. Upon reacting, he kicked Zhao Qingshan, who had fallen to the ground, and asked, “He’s dead?”
“Yes.” Shen Yi held the heart devoutly, slowly turning her gaze to Ming Ji, her smile sincere. “This way, Qingshan will never have a change of heart toward me.”
Strangely, the always benevolent Ming Ji took no action at this. He merely glanced coldly at Shen Yi, then closed his eyes.
At least, it seemed so to the Thousand-Faced Ghost.
“Now it is time. We should execute our plan.” Shen Yi was a person whose face changed very quickly. Just a moment ago she was looking nostalgically at the heart, but after putting it away, she immediately recovered her emotions and said, “Those ninety-nine women should also offer their bodies for our plan.”
This was originally a mutually beneficial arrangement. Ninety-nine women sacrificed their flesh and blood; the souls and face skins were offered to the Thousand-Faced Ghost to reshape his body, while the remaining fresh blood was left for Shen Yi to help her maintain eternal youth and beauty.
The Thousand-Faced Ghost let go of the sliver of suspicion in his heart only after observing Shen Yi’s reaction just now, and burst into laughter.
After all, this woman was extremely vicious and selfish.
He stopped laughing, raised his hand, and blasted the sealed cave not far away with ghost aura. After a burst of smoke cleared, the scene inside was revealed.
Trapped inside… were actually the women captured by the Thousand-Faced Ghost!
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