I stared silently at Mo Qing for a long time.
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind. How long has he been in this library? Was he watching me come up? Or did he come over after I arrived? Did I unconsciously murmur any other words besides reading this story just now?
Regardless of the case, the way this weirdo clown was staring at me now, it seemed like ordinary means wouldn't be enough to fool him.
So I decided to resort to extreme measures and show off my extraordinary acting skills. I imitated the appearance of Zhiyan during the day and weakly took a breath, "Ah, Master..." I pretended to be startled, "When did you arrive?"
As if in illusion, Mo Qing's eyebrows moved slightly. After a moment, he shifted his gaze, scanned the bookshelves, and asked me in a flat tone, "The story you just read, does it have a continuation? Keep reading."
I looked at the book, "There's no continuation." I sighed, "I looked through many of them; they only recorded some endless bizarre stories, but there was no way to summon spirits. It seems that the talk of spirits and gods in this world is truly illusory."
After saying this, I glanced at Mo Qing and saw him looking at a book on the shelf, saying indifferently:
"If the matter of spirits and gods is illusory, then there's no use for keeping you..."
"Oh my." I felt that I couldn't keep up the act anymore. Zhiyan's character was too different from mine, and I couldn't imagine her, with such boldness, making any response other than crying under such a threat. So, I had to take control myself. I smiled at Mo Qing, "Master, you're really good at joking. There are so many books here, it seems that there were quite a few people who encountered ghosts in history. I guess eight or nine out of ten did, it's just that everyone couldn't see or touch them. I'll look for something else."
I stood up and immediately left Mo Qing's sight.
Even though I knew that in this library, no matter where, as long as Mo Qing wanted to see, he could see.
But I couldn't see him, and it made me feel much more relaxed.
Blame Zhiyan's useless body, if only it were slightly capable, with the power of someone like the Northern Mountain Master, I could have taken Mo Qing down tonight!
I hid in a corner, grabbed a book as a cover. As I covered myself, I suddenly felt that I was living a meaningless life. No money, and killing Mo Qing, I was doing it with so much wretchedness.
I put in so much effort to possess a body, not for such a wretched existence!
Avoiding wouldn't solve the problem; I had to face it head-on. I had to lure Mo Qing with this body, make him like this body so much that even if he knew it was inhabited by Lu Zhaoyao, he wouldn't dare to act! This was the best plan.
If I couldn't achieve that, if Mo Qing found out that I was Lu Zhaoyao, then I would fight to the death, anyway, I had already died once, at worst I would be wandering around the cemetery like before, and this time I could drag Zhiyan down with me! Nothing serious!
I made up my mind and walked from behind the bookshelf, only to see Mo Qing at this moment between two bookshelves, casually flipping through a book. I walked towards him with a smile, "Master, are you interested in these books too?"
"Mm," he turned to look at me, "I want to find her more than anyone."
Hmph, I knew it.
I calmly approached Mo Qing, my gaze fixed on the book behind him. "Oh, this book is thick, it seems to have something recorded in it." I said, getting closer to Mo Qing, standing in front of him, palm against the contour of his ear, reaching over.
Mo Qing lifted his gaze and stared at me standing in front of him.
Zhiyan's body was half a head shorter than Mo Qing's, and my hand reached over his shoulder, pressing against the position by his ear, it seemed like I was about to hug his neck, the posture...ambiguous and provocative.
I grabbed the thick book on the bookshelf, it was wedged tightly, and I felt happy inside, it was good that it was wedged so tightly! But my joy could only be kept inside, while on the surface, I had to show a helpless, annoyed look, "Why can't I get it out?" I pretended to exert force to take the book, but my arm gently brushed against Moqing's ear.
A slightly elusive touch, gently grazing his slightly cool earlobe. I don't know what he was thinking, but my arm did feel a little itchy.
Moqing didn't move, so I felt that I was somewhat successful in enticing him.
My goal was to make contact, contact, close contact, and then make him fall in love with this body.
Those boring folk conversations always have the heroine saying, "So you love only my body after all." Well, wouldn't it be scarier if he only loved your organs? What about love that touches the soul, that's just empty. I'm a demon cultivator, I don't deal with these playthings, let's be real, love this body. Intoxication, infatuation, and the enjoyment of sensory pleasure, and then unable to extricate yourself.
As I was thinking about moving closer to him, the book that had been tightly stuck in the bookshelf suddenly loosened, seeming to be drawn into my hand by some force.
The book came out.
Moqing said, "Go read it over there."
Direct, serious, without any emotional fluctuations.
I held the book, touched my nose, and reflected in my heart, could it be that the master I found for Moqing was an immortal Taoist or a Buddhist monk? Or has he achieved enlightenment and ascension after decades of observing the mountains, free from the passions of the world and the five elements of the three realms?
I took a step back with the book, planning to change my strategy, so I stared at him for a while.
Moqing noticed my gaze and looked up at me. In that split second when our eyes met, I smiled brightly and said, "Indeed." He waited silently for my next words, "Master, your eyes are as beautiful as the stars in the night sky."
Moqing was stunned by my words.
I mentally gave myself a little checkmark, indeed, if the body couldn't entice, let's start with words.
I took a step forward, making my voice somewhat hoarse, "Master, it feels like I've been... ensnared by your eyes." I took another step forward, pressing on, but at that moment, an invisible barrier separated me.
My nose bumped into it, then I pulled back, touched my slightly red nose, and embarrassedly murmured, "Oops, I almost lost control..." I hung my head shyly, then shyly glanced at Moqing, "Master..."
"Thud!" A book fell from the bookshelf and hit me on the head. I looked up and saw that all the other books on my head were fine, only this one had fallen. I realized that it was Moqing's doing and turned to look at him, only to see him calmly reading with his head down.
"Go to the side," he said.
Huh, wasn't I just confused a moment ago? This is not a fickle-hearted master. I walked to the side in annoyance, found a chair and sat down. I glanced at Moqing and in that moment of gazing at him, I found that he was also looking at me.
Our eyes met again. This time, he averted his gaze.
His drooping eyelashes concealed all his thoughts, making it impossible for people to pry.
No matter what he was thinking, I lowered my head to read, thinking to myself that when I returned the book, I would seize the opportunity... But before this thought could take hold, I suddenly felt a gust of wind.
When I looked up again, Moqing's figure was no longer in the attic, and the wide-open window let in the wind from the Thousand Blade Cliff outside.
Huh... He's gone?
I stroked my chin, pondering whether Moqing had left because of urgent business or to avoid me.
I closed the book, feeling smug. Oh, Mo Qing, Mo Qing, I couldn't tell, it turns out you're a bit reserved. When someone coaxes you, when someone praises you, you don't show any emotion, but inside you're secretly thrilled and shaking, feeling so shy that you start avoiding.
Well, I crossed my legs on the chair, finally figuring out his preference.
In the future, I will deal with it accordingly. Hmph, I'm not afraid of dealing with you, you little oddball.
After spending a night at the library, I completely gave up on finding a solution here. It seems that the current situation with Zhiyan and me hasn't changed, so we can only continue alternating—me taking care of her during the day, and her taking care of me at night.
It seems that now, I can only hurry up and burn some paper money to gather a vitality-restoring elixir for myself.
I returned to Xiyue Peak, and indeed didn't see Zhiyan in the courtyard. She must have gone to the underground prison to see Liucangling again.
I had some free time and sat in the room, adjusting Zhiyan's messed-up energy. After balancing her energy, I opened my eyes to see the distant mountain ridge already brightening. I focused my mind, and as the sun rose, I allowed Zhiyan's soul to return, propelling me out.
I returned to my physical body, and Zhiyan sat on the bed, feeling a bit surprised as she touched her eyes and ears: "Huh, why do I feel like my senses are more keen?"
"What kind of person do you think resides in your body?" I urged Zhiyan, "It's already morning, quickly find someone to burn paper money for me."
"I'll first go get a rejuvenation elixir for Cangling. I'll come back and have someone burn the paper money for you on the way." With that, she quickly left.
I was surprised, realizing that advising Zhiyan to go save Liucangling was also troublesome. Plus, Liucangling is a disciple of the Mirrorheart Sect... When I was alive, due to being too flamboyant, I had grudges with the Ten Immortal Sects. But my grudge with the Mirrorheart Sect was especially deep.
Spring was coming to an end, and the sunlight was more scorching than in winter, enveloping the world. After a few days of excitement, even my ghostly form felt a bit weary, so I retreated to the bed and lightly dozed off.
I slept straight through to nightfall, and near dusk, I heard Zhiyan calling me, which woke me up.
Zhiyan looked exhausted: "Today, I had a hard time tricking about a dozen children to burn paper money for you. You really have a bad reputation... I went all over Shunan Town, and couldn't find anyone who didn't avoid your name."
I shrugged: "If not in Shunan Town, go farther, to Sihou Prefecture, Jiang City. People from everywhere are there. Set up a stall and burn paper, offer something."
"You do it yourself," Zhiyan said as she slumped to the ground, "I can't go on after going nonstop for so long."
Oh, now she has learned to resist. I dismissed her uselessness, then entered the body and stretched my arms and legs, and after reciting a spell, I blinked and arrived in Jiang City.
Jiang City was a large trade city that stood at the intersection of the forces of immortality and demons. People from both sides mingled there, making it very lively both day and night. Sometimes, it was more lively at night than during the day. The streets and alleys were always bustling with people.
I bought wax and paper, then set up a stall on a small bridge in the city, spreading a cloth and writing: "Thousands of mountains and rivers signify affection, is it okay to burn paper money...?" I held my chin with a pen, wondering what to offer that would be more enticing. Suddenly, I heard a man's laughter from beside me: "It's quite rare to see a booth for burning money."
I turned to see three men standing there, all dressed in a neat casual style. The leader had short, spiky hair and a very loud laugh. I glanced at him and asked, "Do you want to give it a try?"
The man, upon being addressed by me, came over brazenly: "Sure, who is it for?"
"Dust Ji Mountain, Lu Zhaoyao."
Every time these six characters were spoken, someone's expression would always change. This time was no different. The faces of the two men behind the man instantly turned grim, and they watched me vigilantly. One of them called out to the man, "Awu."
Awu, however, showed no change in expression. Instead, he squatted in front of my stall and picked up a few long coins: "Ah, Lu Zhaoyao... the female demon. It's a pity she died early. I really admired her."
"Okay," I asked, "What do you admire about her?"
He grinned, looking impudent. "I heard she's very beautiful and hard to tame."
Tame?
To dare use this word on me, I haven't seen it while alive, and finally saw it after death.
Very well, shorty, you have succeeded in getting my attention.
I calmly lit a candle and let him burn the money. He cooperated without any nonsense, focused on burning the paper. He even took three sticks of incense, made a decent offering, closed his eyes and said, "Lady witch, may your spirit in heaven bless me to fulfill my desires."
I should be in heaven at this moment, but here I am, coldly squatting in front of him, handing him the paper money.
Since his wish was granted to me, I asked, "What wish do you want to fulfill?" Even if I asked...it doesn't mean I'll help him fulfill it.
The shorty grinned and said, "I just want to kill Li Chenlan and take his place."
Oh. I raised my eyebrows, my eyes shining. It's a coincidence, young man, I want the same thing! We are competitors!
After hearing him say this, someone behind him shouted at him as if to stop him: "Awu!"
"Hahaha, alright, alright," he waved his hand, "I won't say it anymore." He glanced back, "Both of you come and burn some too. We will take over Wanlumen in the future. Making a scene is our tradition, right, seniors? We need to make the offerings."
Good lad! You know the rules! I admire you!
The two behind him looked disgruntled, but obeyed his command and came forward to burn the paper. They burned quietly and I didn't engage them in conversation. People were coming and going on the bridge to Huajie, so I called out, "Hey, everyone dies in life, how about burning some paper money?"
The passersby glanced at me, turned their heads and ran, shouting about bad luck.
The shorty laughed heartily in front of me, "How can anyone burn if you shout like that?" he said, and stood up, "I'll help you." He patted his clothes, and just then a passerby brushed past him. He grabbed the person's collar, his smile fading slightly, and a natural and uncontrolled murderous aura emerged, "There's a little beauty here who needs help, can't you see?"
The passerby, with a face full of cold sweat, came over trembling to burn the money.
I looked at him, feeling very appreciative. Yes, Wanlumen needs people like him!
Full of ferocity, with aspirations and dreams, straightforward! He laughed impudently and threatened people without hesitation. If I had my former skills, I would definitely spar with him on the spot to test his abilities. If they were satisfactory, I would definitely take him in as a future leader of our sect!
I don't want Mo Qing and his group of clowns treating my demon sect like a temple!
The shorty happily helped me catch people on the bridge to burn the paper, while his two henchmen murmured on the side, "He'll cause trouble again when he's in a good mood."
The other person replied, "I can't stop him, let him cause trouble, the other party should be used to it by now."
"Well... I'll go report a message first, you keep an eye on him. When he's done playing, bring him over quickly."
Hmm, listening to their conversation, is this little short-haired guy a bit stubborn?
Very well, I like it. It's my style.
He rounded up the passing pedestrians and had them line up to burn paper. With a look of satisfaction, the short-haired guy walked up to me, pointed to the people with his thumb and said, "Little beauty, there are enough people here to burn these papers for you."
Looking behind me, I roughly estimated that there were about fifty or sixty people. Adding the children who White Day Dream brought earlier, there should be about ten thousand yuan in my underworld account today. I can buy the Divine Pill now!
In that moment, I felt that this little short-haired guy was just my cup of tea!
I beckoned for him to come over and squat down. I patted his shoulder and said, "I..."
He also patted my shoulder and said, "I admire you, little beauty."
Oh?
Rubbing his chin, he pondered, "Ordinary people wouldn't dare to show off money by burning paper, but you do. Ordinary people also wouldn't dare to look directly into my eyes, but you do. When others see me as threatening, they would be trembling with fear and at a loss, but you can face it calmly. Heh, why not, I could take you under my wing."
Hmm, indeed the person I targeted, even our thoughts are so similar. I appreciate him and want to take him under my wing. It turns out, he feels the same way...
If it were in the past, I would undoubtedly have to tame this unruly little short-haired guy. Make him bow down to me.
Unfortunately, I can't do that now.
No body, no energy, and no status.
I sighed with regret, "No, I still have my own things to do. Thanks for your help today."
The short-haired guy raised an eyebrow, "Okay." He stood up, "I am Xinshan Jiang Wu, and I have been staying in Jiang City recently. If you change your mind, you can come find me." Hearing this, his subordinate next to him became anxious, "Ah Wu, this person's background is unclear, you!"
"She's the one showing off money by burning paper, she can't possibly be someone from the Li Chenlan's group." He said bluntly, then turned to ask me, "Right?"
I smiled and didn't answer, "Next time, I'll find you for a drink."
The short-haired guy smiled, "Little beauty, I've got my eye on you." With that, he and his subordinates turned and left. After a few steps, he turned back and shouted, "Hey, those of you in line, don't let me catch you leaving before you've burned all the paper."
I felt a shiver run through everyone in line. They all fell silent together.
It wasn't until he walked far away, his figure no longer visible in the light of the flower street, that all those in line let out a collective sigh of relief. The person burning the paper in front even wiped the sweat from his forehead and his hand was shaking so much he could barely hold the paper. Someone behind him cursed, "This ruthless guy, when will he leave Jiang City?"
"Such an untamed person, why hasn't the Wanluo Gate removed him yet?"
"You know nothing, why does Jiang Wu stay in Jiang City and refuse to leave? It's because this is the boundary where the forces of the Immortal and Demon sects intersect. The Immortal sect can't act easily, and neither can the Wanluo Gate. Whoever attacks first will be surrounded."
The person in front, who had finished burning the paper, left, and the person behind him squatted down to burn, muttering, "I wish Lu Zhaoyao would come back. Both of them are ruthlessly fierce masters, it's best if they both go to hell together."
As I handed the paper to the person in front of me, I thought, Young man, you are still too naive. If I were to come back to life, wouldn't you be afraid of me joining forces with him? By then, you immortals and ordinary folks would have an even harder time living...
But speaking of it, I seem to have heard about this new Jiang Wu recently... Oh, right, I remember now. I heard Mo Qing and Yuan Jie arguing in the side hall of the No Evil Temple some time ago. Wasn't the content about whether to unite with Qin Qianxian from the Qianchen Pavilion to kill Jiang Wu?
I touched my chin and thought.
If I were still alive, people like this, if they could be subdued, would definitely be subdued. But if they could not be subdued, they would definitely be eradicated. After all, tigers that cannot be used by me are tigers that vie for territory with me, and I cannot tolerate them.
But now I am no longer the leader, and I have no right to worry about these things. They cause trouble for Mo Qing, and I wish there were more of them. When the chaos comes, as long as I take Mo Qing down, I don't care what else you do.
After burning the paper in this direction, I eagerly went to the Ghost Market.
After removing Zhiyan's body, with my soul, I finally didn't get stopped by the gatekeeper at the entrance, and I stepped into the door of the magical store. Inside, I took a deep breath –
Refreshing!
The feeling of having money is different!
I stood with my hands behind my back and looked around inside the store. Just like the Revival Shop, there was nothing much to see. It was just a black cloth covering a counter, with a few signs hanging on it. One day of magical transport, one month of magical transport, one year of magical transport, and permanent magical transport.
I compared the prices.
One day of magical transport was five hundred coins, one month was ten thousand coins, one year was one hundred thousand coins, and permanent was one million coins...
Even for an ordinary person, based on an expenditure of one thousand coins per person per day, it would take one hundred days even if ten people spent money on it daily... as for me... based on a hundred coins from ten people per day, I would have to burn for a thousand days.
You merchants in this ghost market, why don't you go straight to robbing? You're even more lawless than I was when I was alive.
"Shopkeeper," I tapped on the counter.
The shopkeeper, looking lean and dry, lifted the black cloth from behind the counter, peeked out, and stared at me, "What's up? Pricing is clear, just buy it."
"I think your prices are unreasonable."
The shopkeeper looked at me, then turned to look at something else, "You're on the wrong path. The things we sell in the ghost market to people who do good deeds and to those like you who do evil have different prices. The prices you see are based on your conduct in your lifetime. If you find them expensive, go buy the Revival Pill and go back to do good deeds. Oh, the Revival Pill is even more expensive, heh heh."
You... not only judge people by how much money they spend, but also by the price they bid for items!
Absolutely outrageous!
I clenched my teeth, fiercely thumped the counter, and glared at the shopkeeper. He seemed startled, "What are you going to do... Let me tell you, this is not the mortal world, there are rules here. If you do bad things, every little thing will be recorded in your account. Your days will only get worse."
"...Give me one month's worth."
"Huh?"
"The magical transport pill, give me a month's worth!"
After leaving the magical transport shop, I gave a fierce stare to the lazy shop assistant. He silently took it and turned to wipe his forehead. I heard the shopkeeper and the assistant murmuring in the shop, "These evildoers are still fierce even after death."
The shop assistant said, "And she even glared at me... Shopkeeper, I'm scared..."
Tsk, this ghost city, once I don't need you, I will find a way to dismantle you sooner or later.
I took a Divine Pill, floated on the street, and with just a little effort, my speed instantly became as fast as walking!
In front of all the ghosts floating around me slowly, I was as fast as a galloping wild horse. After quickly floating around the ghost city for a while, the swift speed made me feel refreshed, and the previous displeasure faded. I put on Zhiyan's body with a happy mood and returned to Xiyue Peak. But as soon as I arrived at Xiyue Peak, the sky started to brighten, and Zhiyan instantly returned to her body.
I was knocked out of the body, and as I was about to show off to her, Zhiyan said to me in horror, "Not good! Cangling is planning to escape from the dungeon!"
I raised an eyebrow, "Your recovery is quite fast, it's only been a few days. Tell him to get lost quickly. You focus on finding people to burn paper for me in the future, Jiangcheng is a good place..."
"He plans to take me with him!"
I fell silent, "Huh? Are the people at Jianxinmen out of their minds?"
Always finding me trouble!