Chapter 138

As soon as the King of Hell finished speaking, Qin Cheng immediately exclaimed upon hearing his words: “Great!”

“No, you can’t!”

However, another voice was heard at the same time. Qin Cheng, upon realizing that it had been Su Jingmo, quickly turned around to grasp his hands tightly. Looking somewhat nervous, Qin Cheng said: “It is possible, Jingmo. This way you can come back to life.”

Su Jingmo stared at Qin Cheng as he spoke to him and exclaimed: “Do you even understand what it means to divide the weight of your bones and reduce your life expectancy by half? If the weight of your bones were to change even slightly, your fate would be altered. Not only is that not a good fate, but reducing your life expectancy by half is even….!”

“But I will have you!” Qin Cheng interrupted Su Jingmo’s words with some urgency.

“You can still have me without having to do this! We’ll just find another way to suppress my ghostly qi.” Su Jingmo looked at Qin Cheng and shook his head. “Do you even understand what merit is? Thousands of years of merit will not only benefit you in this life, but also bring you wealth and prosperity in your lives to come. You must not waste your merits on me like this…..”

How could Qin Cheng not understand what Su Jingmo was thinking? With slightly red eyes, Qin Cheng took a step forward and said: “But I have a feeling that maybe, just maybe, I was able to find you, fall in love with you and have you with me in this life, thanks to those merits that I have been accumulating in my past lives…. I don’t remember my past lives or what I was like, but meeting you must have been something I’ve been longing for for over a thousand years….”

Su Jingmo looked at Qin Cheng in astonishment. For a moment, Su Jingmo was at a loss, not knowing what to say.

Qin Cheng looked at Su Jingmo and took a deep breath: “What does it matter if I have to live a few years less? What really matters to me, is having you by my side.”

“….. As a ghost, I could also accompany you throughout your life. After several decades, we could even cross the Naihe Bridge together.”

‘ To stay as a ghost, the same way you were imprisoned in that great Mausoleum? ’ Qin Cheng wondered.

“It’s not the same.” Qin Cheng shook his head, smiled slightly, and gently kissed the corner of his lover’s eye. “Jingmo, I want to experience the warmth and coldness with you. I want to take you to bathe under the sunlight, enjoy the scenery of the moon and stars in the present world. I want to introduce you to my parents….”

Looking deeply into Su Jingmo’s eyes, Qin Cheng said: “Jingmo, I have a question to ask you. Are you willing to live and die together with me?”

With his eyes glued to Qin Cheng, Su Jingmo seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. But as he felt Qin Cheng’s grip on his hand growing increasingly tighter, Su Jingmo lightly exhaled before admitting defeat: “Of course I’m willing…..”

Su Jingmo had never loved anyone in his entire lifetime when he was still alive, and only discovered what it really felt like to love someone after death. How could he not be willing to live and die with the person he loved?

After saying these words, Su Jingmo saw the corners of Qin Cheng’s mouth rise in a smile and his eyes lit up with joy. However, Su Jingmo’s heart felt a little bitter for some reason. ‘ He really is a fool. If anyone else were to know that they would be losing half of their lifespan, they would be deeply saddened. But here he is, smiling so happily, so cheerfully…. ’

Su Jingmo reached out and brushed aside a lock of Qin Cheng’s hair that fell across his forehead. When his fingertips touched Qin Cheng’s slightly cool skin, Su Jingmo had a hard time controlling his emotions. Slowly, Su Jingmo leaned over Qin Cheng and planted a kiss on the corner of Qin Cheng’s mouth.

‘ Love can make a person’s heart feel bitter, but full of warmth. Love makes a person lose all rationality and lose control. But…. ’ As he looked at the person in front of him, Su Jingmo smiled and thought: ‘ This feeling doesn’t displease me at all. In fact, I quite like it. ’

‘ When someone loves you so much, and you love him with the same intensity, as long as my feelings for him warm my heart, how could I not like it? ’

Su Jingmo’s kiss and the smile visibly present in his eyes made Qin Cheng extremely happy. Laughing like a fool, Qin Cheng hugged his lover tightly.

Upon seeing this, the King of Hell simply shook his head, “Since you two are determined to do this, I don’t have the right to stop you. I shall later order the Magistrate to give you the incantation for the transformation of ghostly qi. You two will meditate here for seven weeks, forty-nine days ¹ , and then you can transform the ghostly qi in Su Jingmo’s body.”

After hearing this, Su Jingmo withdrew from Qin Cheng’s embrace and nodded: “However, there must still be someone with Qin Cheng’s physical body in the Mortal World. Back then, I made a deal with him to save Qin Cheng.”

“Are you talking about Qu Zhiwen?”

“You know him?” Su Jingmo looked at the Magistrate, who rarely spoke.

“Of course I know him.” The Magistrate smiled, but gave no further explanation. “You may rest assured, I will go and explain the situation to him shortly. After all, that which activates the Taowu bone is in his hands. Since he promised you to save Qin Cheng, this is the karmic result he has planted, and he should be the one to carry it out.”

With the consent of the King of Hell, the Magistrate taught the incantation to Qin Cheng that same day.

“This incantation only requires you to sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and silently recite this Heart Sutra. Although it seems simple, it requires absolute sincerity, for once implemented, it cannot be stopped. The slightest amount of insincerity will undo all your previous efforts and end up damaging you….”

“This is the purest place in the Underworld, and I will also let my subordinates protect both of you. Since there are no days and nights in the Underworld, when 49 days pass, I will come here to inform you.”

After saying this, the Magistrate left.

During the seven weeks, forty-nine days, time felt neither too long nor too short. All this time, Qin Cheng kept his eyes closed, reciting the sutra continuously. As for how long Qin Cheng had been reciting and Su Jingmo had been watching him, sitting beside him, neither of them knew. Of course, this was thanks to the fact that ghosts don’t feel hunger nor exhaustion. Otherwise, how could they resist for so long?

During this period, Su Jingmo could clearly see how every time Qin Cheng recited the incantation, a faint golden light emanated from him, removing a trace of ghostly qi from his own body.

Day after day, night after night, the Qin Cheng before Su Jingmo seemed to have turned into a motionless stone statue that remained seated, continuously repeating the incantation.

Su Jingmo then remembered that a few days ago, Lord Yama had come to visit, and upon seeing that most of the ghostly qi in Su Jingmo’s body had dissipated, he was shocked. Lord Yama then whispered: “Although this incantation cannot be stopped midway, and requires an unwavering sincerity, I have never seen anyone achieve it. Perhaps, not even many Immortals can do it.”

Su Jingmo didn’t dare to disturb Qin Cheng, not even with the slightest sound, so he simply made sure to hold Qin Cheng’s hands tightly and accompanied him in his constant chanting.

When the forty-nine days had passed, the Magistrate arrived, only to find the following scene: By now, Su Jingmo’s ghostly qi had long since been completely dissipated, and his soul was bathed in a faint golden light. Su Jingmo was leaning in the chanter’s arms, leaning sideways. While Qin Cheng, with his eyes still closed and the corners of his lips slightly raised in a smile, was still reciting the incantation.

Being confronted with such an intimate scene made the Magistrate hesitate to disturb them. But after a moment’s silence, the Magistrate announced: “The forty-nine days are over. It is time.”

As soon as Qin Cheng heard this, he opened his eyes, only to meet the curved eyes and smiling eyebrows of the man leaning against his body. Feeling that the ghostly qi had disappeared from Su Jingmo’s body, Qin Cheng was unable to restrain himself from hugging Su Jingmo tightly and kissing him on the lips.

“Jingmo, Jingmo….”

“Hmm?” Su Jingmo reached out and wrapped his hand around Qin Cheng’s neck. “You’ve worked hard.”

Qin Cheng shook his head.

Although Su Jingmo also wanted to be intimate with Qin Cheng for a little longer, as he thought of what was to come now, he straightened up.

“Dare I ask the Magistrate, now that this incantation has succeeded, what is the next step to take? Is it to send Qin Cheng to resurrect?”

Upon hearing Su Jingmo’s question, the Magistrate nodded: “That’s right, I have come here to send Qin Cheng’s soul back to the Mortal Realm. Qu Zhiwen is already prepared to activate the Taowu bone and bring him back to life.”

When Qin Cheng heard this, he frowned: “Send me back? What about Jingmo?”

“Since you and him already share a lifespan, naturally, as you are, he will be. Since you have shared part of your lifespan with him, he will naturally return to his physical body.”

‘ Physical body….. ’ Qin Cheng froze for a moment, as he had just remembered that Su Jingmo’s physical body was buried in the ‘Empress’ Mausoleum. Now that the great tomb in Ninghua Village had collapsed, it was unknown what had happened in that place….

“His physical body is still buried in that Mausoleum!”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Aware of what Qin Cheng was worried about, the Magistrate said: “I have already gone to investigate, and even though the great Mausoleum was completely destroyed, the place where his physical body is located is safe….”

‘ With that ‘thing’ there, it’s hard to imagine anything happening…. ’

“However, you must be very careful.”

“About what?”

“When Su Jingmo comes back to life, he will be a living person. Since his physical body is still inside the coffin under the ruins of that tomb, you must hurry. As a living person, he cannot survive more than three days without food and water. He might die.” As he said this, the Magistrate’s wretched pale face suddenly smiled: “Besides, even if his soul has the memories of having known you, his physical body does not. So it is very likely that he will not even remember you.”

Before Qin Cheng could reply, the Magistrate waved his hand and made Qin Cheng faint.

Su Jingmo rushed to hold Qin Cheng before he could fall to the ground. Frowning at the Magistrate in front of him, Su Jingmo asked: “Are you serious?”

“Of course I am.” The Magistrate replied solemnly as he nodded his head. “Furthermore, Lord Yama has ordered me to bring you a message.”

“Hmm?” Su Jingmo raised an eyebrow, lowered his head, and looked at the shorter Magistrate. At that moment, Su Jingmo understood why the Magistrate had caused Qin Cheng to faint, as this message was something Qin Cheng might not bear to hear.

“Do you still remember that several hundred years ago, you took the lives of a thousand people?”

Su Jingmo smiled faintly: “Those who intruded into another person’s tomb, trying to steal his treasures, couldn’t they be killed by the owner of said tomb and treasures?”

The Magistrate shook his head: “Killing one or two people for trespassing into a tomb is a crime that will never be attributed to the owner of the tomb. However, you killed a thousand people, and among them, half of them had no intention of stealing the tomb’s treasures.”

“So what? Didn’t Heaven destroy my Xu Dynasty as well?”

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“Lord Yama is not trying to investigate these matters and determine right from wrong. Lord Yama simply wants to tell you that now that you and Qin Cheng share the same fate, your life will influence Qin Cheng’s, just as Qin Cheng’s will influence yours. Lin Zuo already died in your hands, so when you come back to life, there are things you will have to let go of. The cycle of reincarnation has its paths, and one day, the truth will be revealed. As you have been allowed to come back to life, keep this in mind: don’t let this man, who has been so devoted to you, have to wait for you for another thousand years.”

‘ The Underworld also doesn’t want the path of the Naihe Bridge to become congested every hundred years…. ’

It was just that the Magistrate didn’t say this out loud.

After hearing this, Su Jingmo’s eyes darkened slightly. Su Jingmo then slowly put Qin Cheng down, looked to the Northwest, where the Yama Hall was located, and charged at full speed in that direction. As it was getting late, Su Jingmo simply clasped his hands together, bowed, and proclaimed: “Thank you Lord Yama for your guidance.”

“Time is running out, and Qu Zhiwen’s arrangements should be ready by now.” The Magistrate said. “Qin Cheng is someone whose original destiny was that of a long-lived person. According to the Book of Life and Death, it is recorded that Qin Cheng could live for almost a hundred years.”

The Magistrate smiled and continued: “Qin Cheng’s remaining life expectancy is seventy-eight years, and since you two will share it equally, you both still have thirty-four years left. You can grow old together….”

…

When Qin Cheng opened his eyes again, he was confronted with the familiar ceiling of a hospital room.

‘ So I’m back in the hospital. ’

“You’re awake?”

It was Qu Zhiwen who asked this. However, Qu Zhiwen didn’t get an answer, as Qin Cheng stared at him for a moment before sitting up violently, then rolling over, ready to get out of bed.

“Hey! Where are you planning to go as soon as you wake up?!”

“Ninghua Village!”

“What’s the point of going there?”

“Jingmo is still under the ruins of the tomb! I can’t wait!” With that said, Qin Cheng stood up and was ready to rush out, completely ignoring how weak his body was.

Qu Zhiwen had heard everything from the Magistrate, so he could simply sigh and say: “Let me send you there. It’s already midnight, what can you do if you go alone?”

Qin Cheng, being aware that his current weak physical state was surely due to lying down for too long, accepted Qu Zhiwen’s suggestion.

Since Ninghua Village was in ruins, both the surroundings and the nearby road were unrecognizable. In addition, Qin Cheng had only seen his past life carrying Su Jingmo to the burial mound as a spirit, so he really couldn’t remember the exact route.

Following the path of an approximate direction, Qin Cheng searched for most of the night until dawn, until he finally found many broken objects excavated from the similarly collapsed ‘Empress’ Mausoleum. Overjoyed, Qin Cheng carried a hoe and shovel to dig there.

Little by little, he dug up the earth with the shovel.

Although it was already Autumn, as the late summer heat had not yet dissipated, the day grew hotter as the hours passed. In spite of this, Qin Cheng worked tirelessly, never stopping for even the slightest moment. Even when he was hungry, Qin Cheng would simply pick up some crackers and eat them with cold water, all without stopping to dig.

Fortunately, since no one dared to go near Ninghua Village anymore, what Qin Cheng was doing went unnoticed. Nevertheless, as there were a few people who knew about the situation, they brought in some machinery the next day to help Qin Cheng excavate. Even when Zhang Jun and Wu Hai didn’t quite understand why they were digging….

On the third morning, after resting for less than four hours of sleep in an old ruined house, they all got up to continue the excavation. However, before they could reach the excavation site, they found that Qin Cheng hadn’t gone to sleep all night, and was frantically digging the ground with his bare hands. Beneath the ground, something that looked like a coffin was beginning to emerge from the dirt and rubble.

Then, they witnessed Qin Cheng use a shovel to break open the mud seal of the sarcophagus cover and open the stone lid.

A loud creaking sound broke the silence of the early morning.

The moment sunlight peeked over the horizon, Qin Cheng stared at the slowly opening coffin, revealing very familiar cheeks, long jet black hair, a rounded forehead, deep-set eyes and eyebrows, a tall, straight nose, as well as thin, slightly rosy lips. The man inside the sarcophagus exuded an air of extreme elegance.

With the dim morning light shining on him, Qin Cheng dared not utter a single sound, so he held his breath and refused to speak. As if the man lying on the sarcophagus had understood Qin Cheng’s emotions, his eyes, that until a few moments ago lay tightly closed, began to slowly open, revealing curved, smiling peach blossom eyes. Those pupils, as black as a puddle of ink that cannot be dispersed, reflected the same inky eyes that had long ago left a stain on Qin Cheng’s heart.

Qin Cheng began to feel his heart beating rapidly. So fast that he even felt a slight pain emanating from his chest.

Then, Qin Cheng’s breathing became ragged as soon as he heard the man’s laughter echoing in his ears: “How could you make me wait so long?”

At that instant, tears fell from his eyes like rain.

Ko-fi Goal for Extra Chapters~~

Footnotes

<ol><b>七七四十九天</b> <b>qī qī sì shí jiǔ tiān</b> ; The practice of “ <b>七七</b> ” ( <b>qī qī</b> ), which literally translates as “seven seven” or is understood as “seven weeks”, with a duration of 49 days, has its roots in Buddhism, influencing traditional Chinese funeral rituals. Buddhism introduced the concept of “ <b>七七追荐</b> ” ( <b>qī qī zhuī jiàn</b> ), or “seven-week fasting”, which is an important ceremony for the salvation of the soul of the deceased and is mainly derived from Buddhist beliefs. In the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation, it is believed that after death, a person goes through seven stages of karmic influence during the first 49 days. This period serves as a transitional phase where people can receive salvation and potentially be reborn into a better existence. This ceremony involves reciting scriptures, performing Buddhist rituals and seeking the blessings of monks.</ol>