Ninghua Village had long been uninhabited, while the nearest village, the Xiaohe Village, was nearly 8 kilometers away. Due to the development of Xiâan, the younger inhabitants from the villages had moved to the City for study or work, leaving behind more than a dozen elderly and children. Therefore, even though the violent tremors caused by the collapsing of the mountain roared loudly, in the distance, and in contrast to the sound of thunder, it was barely noticeable.
Furthermore, after hearing the mysterious stories about the murder cases in the mountains of Ninghua Village, even if roars were heard in the middle of the night, the superstitious elders wouldnât allow the children to leave their houses. On the contrary, they would stay locked up praying for the Godsâ blessings.
However, none of them could have ever imagined that one of the âGodsâ they were praying to would be in Ninghua Village, 8 kilometers away, causing destruction.
The sky was as dark as ink, engulfing everything in a dark inferno, consuming the moon and every single star shining in the sky. An occasional flash of lightning temporarily illuminated both the sky and the ground, making it possible to distinguish the separation between Heaven and EarthâŠ.
Where were the Gods, who were supposed to save those who suffered? Where were the ghosts and monsters that kill and burn the innocentâŠ.?
Xiâan loses all color of vegetation in the Winter, and the mountains become barren. Although the temperatures in December should have dropped a few degrees below zero degrees celsius, like in previous years, this year however, the cold of winter arrived a little late. Therefore, even though it was the middle of December, the temperature never dropped below zero degrees. Xiâan was already a city with little rain. In December, there was a dry period where it hardly rained, let alone the sky being filled with thunder and lightning like today.
It seemed as if the sky had been piling up storms for months, unloading them all at once at this very moment. The sky roared loudly, while the strong, cold winds howled, as if trying to dump an entire yearâs worth of rain.
A dense and oppressive sky. A dark and heavy atmosphere. Everything around felt cold and lifeless.
The cold whistling wind was mixed with other inexplicable sounds, sounds from things that couldnât be seen or heard clearly. After what felt like an eternity, the old uninhabited houses of Ninghua Village collapsed, as if crushed by heavy objects flying through the skies, leaving behind only the broken eaves. When the heavy rain poured down, mixed with ice particles, the already destroyed village looked even more desolate and pitiful than before.
â How much longer will I be able to hold on? â Su Jingmo didnât even want to think about it. His shoulder, arm, waist and back were injured by a rain of swords that shone with faint lights.
After being hit by the shining swords, it felt as if a mass of fire began to grow in Su Jingmoâs flesh and bones for no apparent reason, burning him for a long time. The burning pain forced Su Jingmo to slow down. As he floated in mid-air, he looked towards the collapsed houses.
Su Jingmo held his breath and searched for any trace of Lin Zuo, thinking: â I think I hit him just now. â A moment ago, Su Jingmo was able to attack Lin Zuo, and when the house collapsed, Su Jingmo was able to hear a low-pitched cry of pain. However, when he searched for Lin Zuo, Su Jingmo couldnât find him.
Su Jingmo didnât dare to go too far, afraid that Lin Zuo would rush over again to attack Qin Cheng. However, Lin Zuo must also be severely injured by that attack now.
Seeing the rain and snow falling from the sky, Su Jingmo remembered once again that he was a ghost, meaning that it was impossible for rain and snow to fall on him. As a ghost, Su Jingmoâs clothes couldnât get wet and he couldnât feel cold. But Qin Cheng was different. He was a living human being.
â Itâs bad enough to lie out in the wilderness with such cold weather, but itâs even worse to be drenched by this icy rain. Besides, right now, Qin Chengâs body cannot withstand any kind of tormentâŠ.. â
When Su Jingmo thought of Qin Chengâs soaked wet and pale complexion, he made a decision as he flew over to Qin Cheng. Su Jingmo then used his ghostly qi to hold Qin Cheng up and carried him to a house that hadnât collapsed yet.
However, even if it was for a short period of time, Qin Cheng was already completely drenched by the rain.
Ghosts were able to see clearly at night, so it wasnât difficult for Su Jingmo to put Qin Cheng on a board bed in the house, even though everything around him was in complete darkness. After some thought, Su Jingmo took off Qin Chengâs wet clothes and covered him with a quilt that he found in the house.
â This house must have been inhabited not long ago, given there isnât too much dust accumulated around. â Su Jingmo curiously looked at the house that seemed so strange to him. â Thereâs no fireplace, no firewoodâŠ. â Su jingmo frowned slightly. â Itâs been over a thousand years, but people here donât seem to keep themselves warm in winter apart from quilts? How can the situation be worse than a thousand years ago? â
âWhen you talk about this modern world to me, you make it sound so impressive and mysterious. But from what Iâm seeing, itâs not quite so.â
âCoughâŠ.coughâŠ..â
As soon as Qin Cheng coughed, Su Jingmo leaned over to look at him, only to see that Qin Chengâs previous pale face had become flushed. Su Jingmo thought: â Maybe due to the cold wind, and because he stood in the cold tomb for a few days without eating or drinking water, his health became so weak he ended up coming down with a cold. Maybe it would be better for Qin Cheng to eat something. â
Su Jingmo tucked Qin Cheng into the quilt and looked around the house until he found a table in the corner. There, there was a smooth object that could barely be called a pot, but since it was the only thing in this dilapidated house, Su Jingmo had no other choice than to approach it. Su Jingmo opened the lid to see if there was anything inside Qin Cheng could eat, only to find that he couldnât open the pot no matter what.
Su Jingmo narrowed his eyes, snorted with an unknown meaning, and gathered ghostly qi on his fingertips. In a flash, Su Jingmo cut open the lidâŠ..
Naturally, there was nothing inside the pot.
Although Su Jingmo wanted to search the house again, he suddenly felt Lin Zuoâs qi outside the house. Su Jingmo lightly hummed and left the house in an instant, disappearing into thin air.
Although there was no fire to keep warm inside the house, at least, Qin Cheng was sheltered from the wind and rain. In his drowsiness, Qin Cheng felt that someone had covered him with a quilt, which only awakened a fever that made him feel unbearably hot. After a while, Qin Cheng was covered in sweat.
The sudden feeling of being hot and cold was really hard to bear. In an instant, Qin Cheng began to slowly open his eyes. However, since the place was still dark, he was unable to see anything. He simply felt that he was covered by a quilt, meaning that he should be in a house. When lightning struck outside the house, Qin Cheng was able to see that he was in a room set aside for the archaeological team. Coincidentally, this was also the house that Qin Cheng used to live in.
âJingmo?â Qin Chengâs throat was so dry that it tingled a bit, so he couldnât stop coughing a few times
Naturally, no one replied to him.
Qin Cheng felt anxious and even struggled to get up. Once he managed to sit up on the bed, he leaned on the bedside table, on which he used to leave clothes to change, and rummaged through the clothes. After randomly picking up a set of clothes, and getting dressed, Qin Cheng stood up in a hurry. However, this only made Qin Cheng feel dizzy and he ended up staggering. After stabilizing his body, Qin Cheng groped his way to the door and pressed the light switch. However, either because the electricity was out, or the wires had been damaged from the storm, the light didnât turn on.
Qin Cheng tried to open the door with all the strength he had left. But no matter how much he wanted to go outside, he was so exhausted that he ended up falling to the ground.
â I canât do anything with my body in this stateâŠ. Although Iâm still alive, without food or water, I simply donât have the strength. â
Qin Cheng gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and supported himself against the wall. Once he managed to stand up, he blindly moved towards the desk in the dark, searching for the bread and biscuits stored in a box. Regardless of whether they had expired or not, Qin Cheng gulped down all the food he could eat in one go.
When he finished eating the dry food, Qin Cheng looked for a lighter. Then, with the help of the faint light, Qin Cheng searched for cold medicine, which then drank the unboiled water he had stored in a bucket.
After doing all this, Qin Cheng had lost all the strength he had left, so he had no other choice than to sit against the wall. Qin Cheng closed his eyes and breathed with a great amount of difficulty. He was unsure why he was even fighting to live like this. After all, he had already decided to accompany Su Jingmo in the afterlife, so why should he do mundane things such as eating and staying hydrated?
â Rather than live like this, I would prefer to become a ghostâŠ.that would be so much better. â
At that moment, the door of the old house creaked, and Qin Cheng hurried to open his eyes. However, the one Qin Cheng saw walking in wasnât the person he was hoping for.
âWhat are you doing here? Cough , have you seen Su Jingmo?! How is he now? Cough .â
Qu Zhiwen, with a searchlight in hand, was covered in mud from head to toe. However, Qu Zhiwen didnât care what state Qin Cheng was in, as Qu Zhiwen hurried to put the still unconscious Jiang Ping on the bed. âSu Jingmo and Su Weiran were fighting on top of the mountain. He should be fine.â
âWhat do you mean that he should be fine?!â Qin Cheng propped himself up with the help of the wall, stood up, and eagerly asked: âWho the hell is Su Weiran?! How could heâŠ.?â
Before Qin Cheng could finish what he wanted to say, a severe cough interrupted him. Along with the violent sound of coughing, Qin Chengâs body trembled slightly. With a frown, Qin Cheng bent over as he covered his chest with one hand, while with the other, he supported himself against the wall. It took Qin Cheng a long time to calm down and painfully say: âWhat should I do?â
Qu Zhiwen couldnât bear to see Qin Chengâs pale face, and the fact that Qin Cheng didnât seem able to stand on his own.
âIâm not sure about Su WeiranâŠ..but I do know that he canât be a mortal.â After saying this, Qu Zhiwen couldnât help, but wonder to himself: â Could it be that Su Jingyan used the Taowu bones to ascend as an Immortal? â
ââŠ..However, it seems to me that Su Jingmo is better than Su Weiran.â
Qu Zhiwen was able to clearly see Su Jingmoâs current situation, and how Su Weiran seems to be unable to withstand Su Jingmoâs attacks. â Both Su Weiranâs physical body and soul have been severely injured. Even then, Su Jingmo isnât much better. Although Su Jingmo isnât a monastic practitioner, and not to mention the fact that ghosts cannot use many techniques, Su Jingmo was still able to break the formation on his own. All to protect Qin Cheng. Su Jingmo, a soul over a thousand years old, will not be able to bear such a heavy burden for longâŠ.. â
â The Su Jingmo that is fighting Su Weiran right now is nothing more than a spirit who has accumulated ghostly qi for thousands of years, and whose knowledge in martial arts dates back to when he was a living being. Still, he has been able to barely suppress Su Weiran, who appears to be an Immortal. â
â It those two continue to fight, Iâm afraid both of them will loseâŠ. â
Qu Zhiwen looked at Qin Cheng, who was in front of him, and Qu Zhiwen opened his mouth to say something. However, in the end, Qu Zhiwen didnât say anything.
From the moment Su Jingmo left the tomb, Qu Zhiwen knew that his intention was to keep Qin Cheng safe and alive. For Qin Cheng, Su Jingmo gave up the tomb he had been guarding for thousands of years, the obsession that kept his soul intact until now.
â Now that his soul has lost the obsession that kept him on this plane, even without the formation, it is inevitable that Su Jingmoâs soul will disappear. Iâm afraid that right now, Su Jingmo actually plans to drag Su Weiran with him as he self-destructs. â
â He will let Qin Cheng live, â Qu Zhiwen thought. â This decision, for Qin Cheng, is probably the cruelest one Su Jingmo has ever made. â
When Qin Cheng realized that Qu Zhiwen wanted to say something to him, but was hesitating, Qin Cheng thought: â It seems that things arenât that simple after all. â With that in mind, Qin Cheng staggered out of the house.
âQin Cheng, all you will do is add to Su Jingmoâs troubles!â
Qin Cheng didnât reply. He simply stood up and walked out the wooden door of the old house. âYouâre not even going to think why Su Jingmo would do something like this?! Qin Cheng, he wants you to live! Do you understand?!â
âItâs precisely because he wants me to live!â Qin Cheng lowered his head and angrily roared. âItâs because I know I donât dare to dieâŠ. I gave him everything he wanted, I agreed to everything he asked for, and yet, this is the only thing that I just couldnâtâŠ..â
âDo you think I donât know what he means by this? I have been with him longer than you. Do you think I couldnât see it every time he hesitated? I used to wait for his response, but now, I would rather he had no affection for me. I would prefer if he let me mercilessly guard the tomb for him. That way, I could stay where he has lived for thousands of years to come. I could feel that heâs still with me, even when heâs not.â
âI knew he was going to disappear, I just didnât want to think about it. I didnât even dare to think he could really be in love with me. I donât dare to think of him disappearing even now, because without him, how can I live in the futureâŠ.?â
â The last thing I donât dare to imagine is how much Su Jingmo will sufferâŠ. â
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