Chapter 110

“Since these are my own wishful thinking ¹ , I have to be willing to gamble for it. Even if it means losing….”

Qin Cheng’s words slowly dissipated into the dark of the night….

The men outside the tomb heard it clearly, and so did the man inside the tomb….

Su Jingmo hid in the shadows of the slightly dark tunnel leading to the tomb, quietly looking at the young man standing outside.

This young man used to dress simply but was always neat. Even though his clothes seemed old and unsophisticated, at least they were always clean and tidy. Although his strangely short hair seemed unreasonable to Su Jingmo, at least it was always smoothly combed.

But now?

When Su Jingmo looked at Qin Cheng more closely, he saw that his clothes and pants were smeared with mud. The bridge of his nose seemed to be broken, and even though short hair was easier to care for, it now looked messy and dull.

Not to mention, his complexion looked very different from the first time Su Jingmo met him.

But how could he have a good complexion if he has stopped breathing the air under the sun in the world of the living, and has been breathing the air of the dead, making his skin pale blue-gray?

And this radical change…. Qin Cheng accepted it all….

“Living beings and ghosts must walk different paths. Qin Cheng, what’s the use of doing all this? Do you think that if you become a ghost, you can be with Su Jingmo? Don’t you know that the end of Su Jingmo is drawing near?! ”

“…..What else can I do?” Qin Cheng blinked his dry eyes. “He has been supporting this tomb for so many years, how can I bear to watch his hard work go to waste?”

“Just because you treat him so lovingly, doesn’t mean he appreciates it! He’s always had it in his mind to take advantage of you!”

“….I know….”

“You don’t fucking know anything!!” The appearance of ‘someone who’s willing to do anything for the one they love no matter what’ from Qin Cheng, was like a thorn in Qu Zhiwen’s heart. “After all, none of your efforts will be rewarded, and your feelings won’t be reciprocated! You two aren’t fated or bound by the red thread! Your other half isn’t a man who has been dead for thousands of years. No matter how hard you fight, it’s useless!”

Qin Cheng quietly looked at Qu Zhiwen and said: “You’re actually talking about yourself, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Since you couldn’t give up anything for Jiang Ping, that’s why you’re working with Tang Jiaming, right?” Although Qin Cheng wasn’t entirely sure what had happened between Jiang Ping and Qu Zhiwen, he was at least able to guess some of it. Qu Zhiwen wanted to become an immortal, so he has been forced to leave his feelings for Jiang Ping behind. Now that Qu Zhiwen and Tang Jiaming are working together, it only proves that Qu Zhiwen has made a decision…

“I’m not you, I can’t let Su Jingmo go. I’ve been looking for him for too long….”

After saying that, Qin Cheng walked forward and reached out a hand to push the stunned Qu Zhiwen aside so he could enter the tomb.

However, Tang Jiaming, who had just entered the tunnel, stepped in front of Qin Cheng to block his way.

“Qin Cheng, I will make it clear to you. You cannot enter this tomb today!”

“What is Tang-shixiong ² going to do? Punch me?”

“I don’t even need to use violence  to….” Before Tang Jiaming could finish his words, he suddenly stopped.

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As if he had sensed something, Tang Jiaming’s face turned extremely ugly. Then, Tang Jiaming pulled the still stunned Qu Zhiwen, and said in a low voice: “Stay here and make sure Qin Cheng doesn’t enter the tomb! Someone touched the formation I put up some time ago!”

After seeing Qu Zhiwen nodding, Tang Jiaming turned around and hurried to the southeast side of the tomb.

Qin Cheng was relieved with Tang Jiaming’s sudden departure. At the very least, Qin Cheng had some ways to deal with Qu Zhiwen…. He could handle his weakness.

“Do you think Jiang Ping is my weakness?”

Since Qin Cheng knew that he couldn’t hide his thoughts from Qu Zhiwen, after thinking about it, he simply said: “Otherwise? Qu Zhiwen, you’re a man who doesn’t like to lose, no matter what. As I said before, you are really selfless towards Jiang Ping.”

“Well, even if I once had feelings for him, he was never mine to begin with. Why should I waste my energy and efforts, and give up the chance to become an Immortal?”

“And how do you know he can’t be with you? Did you see Jiang Ping’s red thread leading towards other people?” Qin Cheng instantly noticed that Qu Zhiwen’s expression had changed as soon as he heard his words. Noticing that Qu Zhiwen seemed to be somewhat lost in thought, Qin Cheng sighed and quietly walked towards the tomb.

Although the formation within the tomb had greatly weakened, its effect was still present. If Qin Cheng managed to walk further inside, Qu Zhiwen’s power would be useless. At that moment, Qin Cheng felt that he had no way to deal with Qu Zhiwen, and the only thing he could do was say a few things to divert Qu Zhiwen’s attention, and thus, take the opportunity to go deeper into the tomb.

“Other people? Although I can see the red thread on people, Jiang Ping doesn’t have one.”

‘ Because he didn’t have the soul that’s in charge of love and red threads before….Even now that that soul has reunited with him, it still hasn’t fully integrated within his body, so the red thread is also not visible at the moment. ’

“He doesn’t have a red thread?” Qin Cheng didn’t expect to hear this, after all, he had just asked casually. “Isn’t that impossible?”

“What’s impossible?” Qu Zhiwen glanced at Qin Cheng and said: “There are many strange things in this world, and he’s not the only one to lack a red thread.”

“Then why did you say that he belongs to someone else?”

“Do you know who Jiang Ping was in his previous life?”

“Who?” Qin Cheng frowned. “You know about Jiang Ping’s past life? Can you see other people’s past lives?”

“Ning Qing.”

“Ning Qing?! The General trapped inside Pingyao’s tomb? How is that possible?!”

“Ha!” Qu Zhiwen laughed. “Nothing is impossible.”

“…..”

It didn’t seem like Qu Zhiwen was lying, and even though the news was indeed a bit shocking, none of this mattered….

“Will Su Jingyan, who has memories of his past life, let go of Jiang Ping?” When Qu Zhiwen said this, he looked at Qin Cheng with a smile: “Qin Cheng, don’t even think about going inside the tomb. I’m telling you this because I want you to know that I don’t want what belongs to another. I will eventually walk through the path I always wanted to, so it’s impossible for me to let you walk into the tomb.”

As soon as Qu Zhiwen finished these words, Qin Cheng understood what he meant. A wall rose from the void behind Qu Zhiwen, and even though Qin Cheng couldn’t see that wall, he couldn’t walk a single step towards the tomb.

“….When did you do this?”

“When? Before you came here, of course.” Qu Zhiwen looked at the increasingly dark clouds spreading in the sky. “I will never change what I’ve already decided.”

“Then why did you pretend to be influenced by what I said just now?!”

“I wanted to see what kind of tricks you had up your sleeve.”

“…..”

Qin Cheng gritted his teeth, and without saying a word, punched Qu Zhiwen. Qu Zhiwen was unable to evade Qin Cheng’s fist, which hit him hard on the chin, and he ended up falling to the ground.

“The fist of a Scholar isn’t as heavy as that guy’s….”

Qin Cheng looked at Qu Zhiwen, who sat paralyzed in place. Instead of being upset about being hit, Qu Zhiwen laughed out loud. Qin Cheng coulnd’t help but frown after seeing this: “What are you laughing at?”

“What am I laughing at? I’m laughing at myself. Can you believe it?”

Without the slightest intention of caring about the man maniacally laughing with his head thrown back, Qin Cheng asked: “Are you really not going to let me into the tomb?”

“No, I won’t.”

“Then don’t blame me….”

‘ For not being polite…. ’

However, before those last words could be said, Qin Cheng felt dizzy, and the scene in front of him spun at high speed. Qin Cheng hurriedly reached out to lean against the tunnel wall. But it was all in vain, and from one moment to another, Qin Cheng lost consciousness and fainted on the ground.

Qu Zhiwen was shocked to see that Qin Cheng had suddenly collapsed, so he hurried to feel Qin Cheng’s pulse and breathing.

‘ It’s the same situation as when he fell into a coma. His heartbeat decreases sharply, his blood flow slows down, and his breathing becomes exceedingly weak…. ’

“What’s wrong with him?”

From the depths of the tomb, Su Jingmo slowly emerged, with his gaze fixed on Qin Cheng’s fainted body. Su Jingmo’s peach blossom eyes no longer had their characteristic smile, and even his eyebrows were slightly furrowed: “Qin Cheng….doesn’t seem to have a heartbeat?”

Naturally, Qu Zhiwen noticed that Su Jingmo had come closer, and when he looked up, he saw his translucent body. Qu Zhiwen frowned and said: “How….did you become like this? I remember that last time, you still….”

“I asked you, what happened to Qin Cheng?”

With a cold tone, and the unquestionable question, Su Jingmo was no longer smiling with the usual cynicism, so characteristic of him. Instead, his body was filled with the oppression of an Emperor….

For the first time, after seeing Su Jingmo’s attitude, something inside Qu Zhiwen made him tremble with fear. Then, he opened his mouth, and said: “This has happened before. He lost consciousness and fell into a coma. Although he may seem dead, in reality….he’s still alive.”

‘ Dead….yet alive? ’ Su Jingmo looked at Qin Cheng, who was still lying on the muddy ground, and didn’t speak for a long time.

‘I t should be the 12th month by now, and although I can’t feel it, it should be very cold at this time. Qin Cheng is dressed so lightly….and the mud must be cold enough to chill the bones…. ’

“Remove the barrier you have set up.”

Naturally, Qu Zhiwen knew what ‘barrier’ Su Jingmo was talking about. ‘ I guess Su Jingmo wants to take Qin Cheng into the tomb. Does he really think I would remove it just like that? ’

Qu Zhiwen didn’t move at all, he simply looked at the Emperor standing in front of him with a complex gaze: “Seriously, Su Jingmo, although this has nothing to do with me, sometimes I really want to ask you…. Qin Cheng treats you with so much love, you really have no feelings for him? Can you really take advantage of him?”

“Yes, so what?”

“He should have had a good wife and a future. He could have become the most important and renowned historian of this era. But for you…I just can’t understand why he would give up all of that for you. Even knowing that you have been planning this from the beginning, knowing that you only wanted his soul and his life….still, he will continue to make the same choice.”

As he listened to this, Su Jingmo suddenly smiled and nodded: “I can see that you care about Qin Cheng.”

“I wouldn’t say that I care about him. I just feel sorry for him because he doesn’t know.”

“Then, are you going to remove the barrier or not?”

“Do you want me to remove the barrier so you can take him into the tomb?”

“It seems that you are not willing to obey.” Su Jingmo slowly raised his hand with a smile on his face.

A hint of black qi wrapped around his five fingers, and Su Jingmo didn’t hesitate to use his hand to break the barrier filled with blessed light.

It never occurred to Qu Zhiwen that Su Jingmo would dare to reach out from the tomb, and even touch the barrier. When Qu Zhiwen realized that the barrier wasn’t protected, he whispered ‘not good’, and hurriedly grabbed Qin Cheng with the intention of dragging him away. However, the next second, Qin Cheng disappeared in front of his eyes, and landed in front of Su Jingmo, suspended midair.

Before Qu Zhiwen could make the slightest move, Su Jingmo expelled a wind of energy that blew Qu Zhiwen out of the tunnel.

Seeing that it was impossible for him to catch up, Qu Zhiwen hurriedly shouted: “You don’t care that once Qin Cheng dies, he will be alone for thousands of years?! Is his life worthless in your eyes?”

Hearing that, Su Jingmo stopped walking. He then looked at Qu Zhiwen, who was outside the tomb, and smiled: “I think there’s a little confusion. When and where did I say that I wanted to take Qin Cheng’s life?”

“W-what?”

“Since the life of this foolish man is worthless in my eyes, of course I don’t want it.”

As soon as he finished saying those words, Su Jingmo disappeared into the depths of the tomb, while the sound of the heavy gates of the Underground Palace were vaguely heard as it slowly closed shut….

Qin Cheng fell into that comatose state again, and Su Jingmo is worrriiieeeed ♡♡♡<(￣︶￣)>♡♡♡

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Ko-fi goal for extra Chapies~ (♡°▽°♡)

Footnotes

<ol><b>一厢情愿</b> <b>yī xiāng qíng yuàn</b> ; It refers to a unilateral desire, without considering whether the other party agrees, or whether the objective conditions are met. Wishful thinking is a cognitive bias that forms beliefs based on pleasant imaginations rather than appealing to evidence, rationality, or reality. For example: If I want ‘x’ to be right, then I believe ‘x’ is right. <b>师兄</b> <b>shī xiōng</b> ; It can be translated as “Elder Martial Brother” or “Senior”. Is a term used to address someone who studied under the same teacher before oneself. It’s also used to refer to a “Senior” in University.</ol>