Ch113 - Snow Pear Flavored Dead Gong (12)

Translated by Hua Li ^_~

Haunted House.

At exactly eight o’clock, the clock rang, and the lights flickered.

Sitting on his phone, playing the elimination game that the original owner loved, Gou Liang suddenly saw the game interface go black. The eerie soundtrack of a horror movie released last year immediately played from the phone. In the haunting background music, a woman in a cheongsam slowly turned her head on the desktop, revealing a chilling smile to Gou Liang. Just as she was about to show her teeth, a hand suddenly reached into the phone—

Feeling the aura of a thousand-year-old ghost, the female ghost was shocked!

She wanted to escape, but the vengeful ghost had grabbed her neck and forcibly pulled her out of the phone.

“Ah! Spare me, my lord! I was wrong!”

The female ghost immediately revealed a dead look. Unlike the terrifying description Sun Zhuozhuo gave, there were no veins on her pale face, nor bleeding from seven orifices. On the contrary, the female ghost’s appearance was normal, and one could still see that she was a genuine beauty in her lifetime.

It is conceivable that she did not suffer much pain when she died.

But Gou Liang had no time to appreciate her appearance at the moment. He nervously stared at the game that had recovered after the phone’s glitch, eager to enter the game—oh, all the game data he had painstakingly accumulated was reset!

“Ah!”

Gou Liang was furious.

He had just been on the verge of breaking the user record and reaching the top of the world, only to be disrupted by the female ghost!

Amusedly watching him, Bi Xia comforted him with a touch to his sulking face and said, “Don’t be angry.” With that, Bi Xia reached into the phone and fiddled with it for a moment. The game data returned to its state before the glitch, and everything went back to normal. Gou Liang burst into laughter, turned around, and rewarded Bi Xia with a kiss before happily returning to break the record.

As for the female ghost?

He didn’t have time to deal with her now.

Bi Xia looked at the cowering female ghost, who no longer had the arrogance from scaring Sun Zhuozhuo and others the day before. She spoke in fear, “My lord, I didn’t mean to offend you. I, I’ll leave now, please spare me…”

The aura of the thousand-year-old ghost made her instinctively feel fear, and she uttered humble words in the hope of escaping this disaster.

Bi Xia had no intention of making things difficult for her; he was just here to verify some things.

He calmly asked, “Why did you lead us here? What’s your intention?”

Although the female ghost had only died five years ago, due to certain reasons, her ghostly energy was as strong as a fifty-year-old vengeful ghost. Even the protective talisman Gou Liang gave to Sun Zhuozhuo couldn’t burn her.

If she had really wanted to harm them yesterday, Sun Zhuozhuo and the others wouldn’t have been able to leave this place.

But she had gone through so much trouble and didn’t seem interested in taking the souls of these people for her own sustenance. It was evident that she had other plans.

The female ghost, trembling, said, “Reporting to my lord, I didn’t want to lead you and your loved one here. I just don’t want to stay here any longer, so I thought of summoning a heavenly master, anyone would do, to see if they could take me away from here…”

She dared not hide anything from Bi Xia and laid out her origin and plans.

As it turned out, this female ghost’s name was Yun Xian. In her lifetime, she was an author in Jinjiang, using the pen name Xianyun Crane. She had signed two IP drama adaptation rights and was quite famous.

Five years ago, she wanted to switch to writing suspense, so she came to this place with her boyfriend for inspiration but unexpectedly lost her life. She couldn’t remember the cause of her death, but for the past few years, she had been trapped in her phone. She could only leave for a short one-hour period every day from 8 to 9 pm, but she couldn’t escape this house.

She was not a person who could endure loneliness well, and being trapped here almost drove her insane. She tried various methods, but she couldn’t leave this house. Even the strange occurrences she posted online about the peculiarities of this ancient mansion didn’t attract anyone who could see her, let alone take her away.

She was a person who couldn’t endure loneliness and being trapped here almost drove her insane. She caused trouble, schemed, all in the hope of having someone take her away from this place or send her to the afterlife.

Even if she were killed again, she would accept it. It was better than being forever stuck in this ghostly place where there was not a second trace of a ghost.

She had been desperate for an opportunity until a year ago when a horror film crew came to shoot here. She discovered her ability to enter other people’s phones and use it as a medium to move in the two-dimensional world.

She thought she could finally escape her predicament, but unfortunately, no one from that film crew could see her.

She also tried posting distress signals online, publicly sharing the peculiarities of this ancient mansion, attracting some curious individuals to explore. However, no one could see her, let alone help her leave.

Seeing that these methods were ineffective, she simply hid inside the phone and resumed her old ways.

“Ancient Mansion Tales” was the last novel she had conceived before her death, and she had come to this place for inspiration. After its release, due to skillful writing, intriguing plotlines, and the rich background of the story, it attracted many curious readers.

Yun Xian said, “I originally thought that if I couldn’t leave, spending an hour every day with the little angels in the two-dimensional world would be acceptable. But, unexpectedly, an opportunity came unexpectedly.”

That day, she saw in the reader group someone claiming to have a rare Yin birthday: Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour.

This kind of ghost-attracting physique was quite legendary. The group exploded with enthusiastic discussions, and while everyone joked around, cautioning the person with such a rare Yin constitution to be careful at night, no one really believed in such unscientific rumors.

However, after becoming a ghost—even if only a lone and wild one—Yun Xian naturally understood many things and knew that the pure Yin constitution attracting ghosts was not groundless. She thought this reader might be her only chance to leave this place. So, she held a lottery on Weibo, manipulated it a bit, and guided her to this place.

This person with the Yin constitution was undoubtedly Mao Xiaoliu. Following her plan, after Mao Xiaoliu sneakily ran upstairs alone, Yun Xian successfully possessed her!

Yun Xian couldn’t contain her joy, but soon realized it was just a fleeting happiness. Even with Mao Xiaoliu’s pure Yin constitution as a medium, she still couldn’t step out of this ancient mansion!

Initially disheartened, she then overheard Sun Zhuozhuo mentioning that he carried a protective talisman and knew a super powerful expert. Filled with a last-ditch effort, Yun Xian created the haunted events of the mansion last night, hoping to make it big and attract the attention of the expert who could rescue her.

In reality, she succeeded.

However, she never expected that this expert would turn out to be a millennium-old vengeful ghost’s pampered uke! Getting such a big “surprise” along with it, Yun Xian was left speechless.

Satisfied, Gou Liang looked at the cheerful game interface and put away his phone before asking her, “You came here with your boyfriend. Where is he?”

Yun Xian pursed her lips and said, “I don’t know… There is no trace of his body or soul here, and he… hasn’t come here to find me.”

She didn’t want to bring up this topic. Regardless of whether her boyfriend was alive or dead, and whatever his reasons for not coming here in these five years, their ending was destined to be bleak.

Gou Liang understood, and he looked at Bi Xia. “Did you find it?”

Bi Xia shook his head, surprising Gou Liang.

Their journey wasn’t about listening to stories or even earning merit points from Yun Xian. It was because previously, when Bi Xia had absorbed the ghostly energy from Mao Xiaoliu, he sensed the aura of the Taoist who had originally sealed him.

Bi Xia’s understanding of the Taoist Cultivator was extraordinary, considering that the Taoist Cultivator’s biggest karmic obstacle should be on Bi Xia himself. The connection between the two ran deep, and if the Taoist Cultivator left any traces, Bi Xia’s discerning eye wouldn’t miss them.

However, at present, Bi Xia couldn’t trace the Taoist Cultivator through the female ghost, indicating that the Taoist Cultivator had unilaterally severed the connection between them.

After careful consideration, Gou Liang said to Yun Xian, “I think you must have had a lovely group of readers during your lifetime, right? After your death, they sincerely wished you well in the afterlife. This goodwill is a form of merit, continually protecting you.”

Yun Xian was moved upon hearing this.

After discovering her ability to enter the two-dimensional world, she immediately accessed her author platform and previous social media accounts. Five years had passed, but in her novel’s comment section and reader groups, she could still find some adorable fans expressing their genuine wishes for her well-being in the afterlife, declaring everlasting love for her.

She felt touched and warm, and that’s why, upon discovering her ability to harm humans and absorb their souls for her cultivation, she never thought of walking the dark path to leave this place.

Thinking about this, Yun Xian’s eyes shed a line of bloody tears, saying, “They are really good, and I love them too.”

Gou Liang didn’t say anything to comfort her and continued, “Although you were unjustly turned into a ghost and trapped here, with the merit accumulated from them, you shouldn’t be burdened with such a heavy resentment. I suspect it has to do with the cause of your death. Miss Yun, now it seems that only by understanding your cause of death can we find the reason you are trapped here and a way to take you away. So, do you want to know?”

“Can you find out?”

Yun Xian asked.

Gou Liang nodded. “Of course.”

In the mortal realm, there was a technique called the Soul-tracing Art, which was similar to the principle of extracting soul mirror images.

However, using this technique required the full cooperation of the person being subjected to it. That’s why Gou Liang consulted Yun Xian’s opinion instead of directly taking action.

Yun Xian solemnly said, “My lord, what do you need me to do?”

If possible, she naturally didn’t want to die without knowing the truth!

Gou Liang raised his hand and took a few strands of her hair. Once the hair was detached, it immediately turned into a mass of black energy, attempting to enter Gou Liang’s body. Bi Xia frowned slightly, and the vengeful ghost mark appeared on Gou Liang’s face, frightening the black energy and Yun Xian into shrinking into a ball, not daring to directly face Gou Liang’s gaze.

“Water.”

Bi Xia handed a bottle of mineral water to Gou Liang.

Gou Liang recited, “Five Stars Town Colors, light illuminates the profound darkness, take your bright spirit, trace back the time, urgently follow the command!”

A drop of water flicked from Gou Liang’s fingertip, collided into the black energy formed by the hair, and absorbed the black energy. Yun Xian’s memories flashed vividly within the water droplet.

Yun Xian was astonished; this was too cool.

Soon, the memories of Yun Xian’s death were searched. The water droplet suddenly enlarged countless times, and the black energy dispersed around the contours of the water mirror, revealing a clear image of a young couple entering the ancient mansion.

The man said to the woman with a smile, “Why did you choose to wear this outfit?”

The woman in a cheongsam replied coquettishly, “You don’t understand; this way, it feels more interesting.”

Yun Xian’s eyes filled with tears of blood. “He Yang…”

Undoubtedly, the man was Yun Xian’s boyfriend.

Seeing that person, Bi Xia twisted his brows, “”Gu”

Gou Liang turned to look at him, somewhat sighing. ‘He’s activating the free-switching mode again. Even though he promised to be gentle today.’

Bi Xia instinctively locked Gou Liang tightly in his arms, evidently having a deep aversion to Gu Yangzi. Even if the other party was just an image now, it made him tense all over, subconsciously encircling Gou Liang in his absolute safe zone. Afterwards, he noticed Gou Liang’s disdainful little gaze and narrowed his eyes dangerously, “Do you have any opinions, huh?”

Gou Liang sighed, “Stop fooling around; the main show is coming.”

Bi Xia snorted and rested his head on top of Gou Liang’s, his gaze darkening as he looked at the fast-forwarding scene in the water mirror.

The woman inside was curiously observing the surroundings of the four tables, taking out her phone to snap pictures and jot down some keywords. Her boyfriend, He Yang, also known as the body possessed by Gu Yangzi, was indulgently watching her until she finished collecting materials.

Gu Yangzi touched Yun Xian’s temple and smiled, saying, “Xiao Xian looks great in this outfit. Are you happy today?”

Blushing, Yun Xian replied, “Very happy.”

Gu Yangzi said, “Close your eyes; I have a gift for you.”

“What is it? So mysterious.”

Following his words, Yun Xian closed her eyes, a sweet smile on her lips.

While she had her eyes closed, Yun Xian didn’t see the moment when Gu Yangzi’s affectionate gaze turned into a calm and unfathomable one. He raised his hand in front of her eyes, and Yun Xian’s expression suddenly became vacant, as if she had been hypnotized.

Soon after, Gu Yangzi placed his hand on Yun Xian’s belly, and in the next instant, a mass of flesh and blood was scooped out from her abdomen.

Although her belly seemed to have been hollowed out, Yun Xian felt nothing.

Gu Yangzi unhesitatingly refined the mass of flesh and blood. A white soul crawled out from the blood and, after being consumed by Gu Yangzi, was spit out again. It merged with the blood in his hands, forming a puddle of blood.

Gu Yangzi had clearly achieved his goal and immediately left this body.

Bi Xia’s eyes flashed with a hint of murderous intent. He distinctly remembered that Gu Yangzi was originally nearing fifty years old, but now, he looked no different from a young man in his twenties. Looking at the blood on the ground, Bi Xia had already guessed the reason. His expression became even more solemn.

As Yun Xian’s boyfriend’s body began to decay, it quickly turned into a set of eerie white bones. With a wave of Gu Yangzi’s hand, it turned into powder.

“He Yang!”

Yun Xian exclaimed.

In the water mirror of retrospection, Gu Yangzi looked at her with pity and said, “I’m sorry, rest in peace.”

He undid the spell on Yun Xian, and she fell into his arms. Gu Yangzi reached into her body, searching for her soul. Once he confirmed her departure, he cremated Yun Xian’s body.

What Gu Yangzi didn’t notice as he left was that when he scooped out the mass of flesh and blood from Yun Xian’s belly, a drop of fresh blood fell on her phone. Yun Xian’s soul attached itself to it.

Yun Xian’s final memories abruptly stopped, and the droplet and black energy that had completed their mission evaporated, disappearing before their eyes.

“What… What is going on? Who is that person, and what is he doing?”

Yun Xian’s face was full of confusion, clutching her stomach. Even though she should feel nothing, she felt a sharp pain, making her want to cry and scream.

Similarly, accompanying this was the suffocating fear.

Slightly puzzled, Gou Liang could only confirm that this was a lost secret technique from the mortal realm. Seeing Bi Xia’s face darkening, he knew that this secret technique was extraordinary.

“Bi Xia?”

“It’s nothing.”

Bi Xia held Gou Liang tighter, gritting his teeth and saying, “This old taoist is truly unscrupulous! He’s borrowing the soul of his own blood kin to transfer his accumulated karma onto it.”

Seeing that Gou Liang didn’t understand, Bi Xia explained, “When a person is born, in the first month within the mother’s body, the soul is pure white and the most pristine. At this time, the soul is most fragile but can carry the most evil karma of the world—resulting in a ghost fetus.”

“Initially, Gu Yangzi used his only son to create a substitute to bear the karma, but the net of heaven is wide, and it won’t leak. Even though he escaped the disaster at that time, sooner or later, the heavenly path would discover it, and he couldn’t escape the fate of soul dispersion. So, he employed the same technique, transferring his accumulated karma to his blood kin, and this pure white soul, carrying the karma, then caused a false miscarriage in the mother’s womb. It’s difficult to trace the origin, making it impossible to find it on him.”

Gou Liang understood now. He sneered and said, “He doesn’t want to reincarnate; he’s so diligently trying to whitewash himself. Does he want to walk the path of ghost cultivation and ascend to immortality?”

“What are you talking about? Sir, are you saying that I… I’m pregnant?”

The tremendous shock made Yun Xian forget her fear of Bi Xia for a moment.

Bi Xia ignored her but Gou Liang nodded and said, “Yes. It seems that your boyfriend was possessed by Gu Yangzi a long time ago. Perhaps, throughout your three years of love, you’ve been with Gu Yangzi all along. In this way, the child you’re carrying can be considered as his bloodline.”

Yun Xian’s face turned pale, shivering with fear.

In other words, the man she had been dating for three years was actually a vengeful ghost? The person she almost married, who shared a bed with her, was just a walking corpse? And his goal was just to use her belly to conceive a child and ruthlessly kill that child to achieve his purpose?

Realizing this, Yun Xian clutched her stomach, and the ghostly aura on her body violently surged.

She emitted an angry ghostly cry, and the black aura threatened to engulf her, almost turning her into a mindless vengeful ghost.

At this moment, Gou Liang snapped his fingers.

The crisp sound pierced through Yun Xian’s grief-stricken consciousness, making her momentarily regain clarity. Subconsciously, she looked at Gou Liang.

“Miss Yun, the departed are at peace. Please mourn their loss.”

Gou Liang said, “However, there’s still justice to be served. Since you are connected to Gu Yangzi by blood, you are probably the only medium in this world to locate him. Are you willing to join us, take revenge for yourself and your child?”

Yun Xian was stunned, “Can you take me away from here?”

Gou Liang nodded.

Yun Xian, having achieved her long-cherished wish, should have been overjoyed. However, the recent shock had dulled her senses, and she only nodded with a muffled voice, saying, “Thank you.”

It wasn’t until she walked out of the ancient mansion that had trapped her for five years that Yun Xian belatedly realized the extent of the favor she had received.

She hurriedly expressed her gratitude, saying, “Thank you both for saving me. Yun Xian has nothing to repay you, but I am willing to use my lifetime of merits to express my gratitude, to thank you both for your assistance, shelter, and the opportunity for revenge.”

The golden glow of merit transformed into shimmering light, gradually dispersing into Gou Liang’s body.

Gou Liang’s swollen and painful throat suddenly felt a refreshing coolness, and the discomfort caused by Bi Xia’s malevolent aura disappeared at this moment.

Bi Xia’s eyes lit up—

Gou Liang’s depleted spiritual power had finally been restored to its original state!