In the end, Jiang Ping failed to catch the two grave robbers that escaped the scene. They were able to run away because on the national road, at the border of Shanxi and Sichuan, the two grave robbers, who were able to see ghosts, led Jiang Ping towards a cemetery.
When Qu Zhiwen followed the paper bird with his car to find Jiang Ping, he found that Jiang Ping was lost inside a thick fog and that he was walking in circles <sup>1</sup> .
In fact, most of the ghosts who play tricks on pedestrians on the road donât have bad intentions, most of them are just tricksters that donât have the intention of harming humans. However, Jiang Ping was unlucky this time, because he actually met an evil ghost.
When this ghost was still alive, he wasnât a good person. He was always caught by the police, and sent to jail several times. In the end, after robbing other peopleâs belongings, he was run over by a car. After he died, he avoided all of the other ghosts, and he became an evil ghost who wanted someone to make others share the same fate as him. Naturally, since Jiang Ping was a policeman, the evil ghost would hate him and wonât let him go at all.
At that moment, Qu Zhiwen arrived just in time to see the evil ghost with scarlet eyes about to bite Jiang Pingâs throat, so he quickly rushed forward to snatch Jiang Ping away from the ghostâs mouth. Since Qu Zhiwen didnât want to waste qi on this evil ghost, he simply took out an octagonal mirror <sup>2</sup> from his pocket and recited a mantra. Immediately after that, the evil ghost disappeared in an instant.
In fact, Qu Zhiwenâs skills were really different from the grave robbers. The Qu family has exorcised ghosts for generations, and even if they canât see ghosts, as long as they can figure out the methods of exorcising, they can still exercise ghosts with the help of other tools. However, Qu Zhiwen was a rare anomaly that the Qu family received for the first time in 200 years, since he was born with the ability to see ghosts. In addition to his innate understanding of the art of exorcism, his own flesh and blood was a sharp weapon that can make evil spirits vanish in an instant. The path to Immortality is connected to the Tao <sup>3</sup> , and one can cultivate into Immortality once they achieve the Tao. However, Qu Zhiwen was born with everything, except that something was missing inside of him, which made him unable to achieve the Tao.
Jiang Ping couldnât see the ghost, but he could feel that he was possessed, so he immediately thanked Qu Zhiwen. When Jiang Ping realized that it was impossible to keep following those grave robbers, he called his assistant.
âI asked my assistant to check the identities of those two and see if we can find out where they went to.â After he said this, Jiang Ping asked Qu Zhiwen: âSpeaking of which, since youâre in the same line of work as them, you should know something about the gravekeepers, right?â
After glancing at Jiang Ping, who had just classified him as a Godâs stick <sup>4</sup> , Qu Zhiwen replied. âI know some. Why do you ask?â
âIâve seen one of the two grave robbers before. His surname is Qi, and I heard from my father that this personâs family guards an Imperial Mausoleum in Shanxi. I just wanted to know why a gravekeeper would come to this particular tomb to rob it. BesidesâŠ. they didnât seem to want the valuable treasures inside the tomb?â
The kind of people that can put aside a valuable treasure, and yet are determined in finding something else inside the tomb, must have been meticulously planning it all along. Jiang Ping was already aware that this matter wasnât as simple as just a few people trying to rob a tomb.
Qu Zhiwen looked at Jiang Ping and his eyebrows moved slightly: âPeople who are in this âline of workâ would certainly take a false name if theyâre working in public. Besides, I donât know anything about a gravekeeper family surnamed Qi, but there is indeed a clan in Shanxi that has been guarding an Imperial Mausoleum for generations. However, I donât know their surname.â
âŠ
At first, he wanted to go to Ninghua Village during the weekend because it was already midnight, but when he thought that Su Jingmo told him to go the next day, Qin Cheng shook his head. â Never mind, Iâm used to going there at night anyway, and Iâm not afraid of staying a while longer. â
With this in mind, Qin Cheng picked up his backpack, took his keys and rode his bike towards Ninghua Village.
The countryside was extremely quiet in the middle of the night, and Ninghua Village, which has been desolate for a long time now, was even more silent. Accustomed to this kind of silence, Qin Cheng, who had climbed up the mountain, looked at the smaller flat area outside the tomb. Even though it used to be a mess, there was nothing left behind from those three grave robbers that lost their lives in this place last night.
Not a corpse, not a single drop of blood.
Since he didnât want to think about this, Qin Cheng rushed inside the tunnel. It could be said that the golden net the grave robbers set up at the entrance of the tunnel last night annihilated many fierce ghosts, so this time, Qin Cheng wasnât able to hear as many mournful and terrifying cries coming from the fierce ghosts as he used to.
He walked all the way towards the main entrance of the Underground Palace, and yet, not a single fierce ghost came to bother him.
Once he stood in front of the gates of the Underground Palace, he noticed that they were still tightly closed, which made Qing Cheng feel slightly confused. Every time he stepped foot in the tomb, this door would already be open. What happened this time?
Qin Cheng tentatively shouted Su Jingmoâs name, but he didnât get a response. With a slight frown, Qin Cheng walked to the front of the door and pushed the huge marble door with all his strength. Fortunately, the top door device had long been broken, so Qin Cheng spent a lot of effort to push open the heavy marble door.
Once he opened the door, with the flashlight in hand, Qin Cheng entered the Underground Palace. However, he couldnât see Su Jingmo.
âSu Jingmo?â
Qin Cheng said out loud, but the only thing he could hear inside this empty space was the echo of his own voice.
He didnât hear Su Jingmoâs response.
Suddenly, his heart began to pound in panic as Qin Cheng threw his backpack to the ground and desperately started to look for Su Jingmo around the coffin chamber. Once he looked everywhere, including the side chambers, several times, he still wasnât able to see the solemn figure of Su Jingmo.
âSu Jingmo! Where are you?!!!â
At that moment, Qin Cheng, who had even searched for Su Jingmo through the tunnel attached to the tomb, felt that he was about to go crazy.
â Where did Su Jingmo go? Heâs a ghost! Where else can he go?! â
The only answer he could think of made Qin Chengâs mind quite chaotic until he returned to the Underground Palace again and heard a sound coming from Su Jingmoâs coffin. Once he heard that slight sound, Qin Cheng rushed towards the coffin.
The scene he encountered was almost the same as when he first saw Su Jingmoâs soul lying neatly dressed on the coffin. However, this time, when he opened his eyes and pounced on him, Qin Cheng didnât try to run awayâŠ.
Su Jingmoâs eyes were dark red, and he looked a bit scary, as if right the next second Su Jingmoâs peach blossom eyes would shed bloody tears. This was a horrifying sight, as if this was how Su Jingmo looked like right after his deathâŠ.
Then, his cold lips pressed against Qin Chengâs lips and his Yang qi was slowly being absorbed by the ghost holding his neck. No matter how much Qin Cheng inhaled air through his nose, he still felt a sense of asphyxiation spreading from his lungs to his whole body.
Qin Cheng could guess what was the irrational Su Jingmo doing right now, and even though he wanted to push him away to ease the pain he was feeling at the moment, provoked by the sensation of suffocation, Su Jingmo scratched Qin Chengâs neck with his nails, making Qin Chengâs blood come out from his wounded neck.
With a light sigh, Qin Cheng slowly put down his hand on Su Jingmoâs shoulder and gradually hugged his waist.
Qin Chengâs body heat was sucked away little by little, and even though his body felt extremely cold, Qin Cheng still didnât let go. Instead, his left hand slowly raised and caressed Su Jingmoâs hair, feeling how the man in his arms momentarily stiffened at this action, but that only made Qin Cheng want to hold him even more tightly.
He didnât know when, but when their lips were no longer attached to each other, Qin Chengâs lips gently slid to Su Jingmoâs ear. He lightly licked and kissed Su Jingmoâs ear, and with a soft sigh, he said: âJingmoâŠ.â
With his arms around Su Jingmo, Qin Chengâs palms slid across Su Jingmoâs clothes on top of his back. Then, Qin Cheng closed his eyes and lightly kissed his cheek, the tip of his nose, his forehead, and lips.
Since Su Jingmo wasnât trying to resist him at all, Qin Cheng became even more reckless, and gently pried open Su Jingmoâs lips, exploring the inside of his mouth with his tongue. The moment he touched the tip of Su Jingmoâs tongue with his own, he felt slightly overwhelmed.
The feeling was obviously cold, but Qin Cheng felt unusually hot. His head was clouded by the desire to touch him more and more, until he was suddenly awakened by Su Jingmo fiercely pushing him away, making him fall on the ground.
In fact, when Su Jingmo cut Qin Chengâs neck, the smell of the blood of a living man made him sober up a little. However, since Qin Cheng no longer tried to resist him, and he was letting Su Jingmo absorb as many Yang qi as he wanted, this attitude actually made Su Jingmo feel angry all of a sudden.
â If youâre willing, why should I care? â When he thought about this, Su Jingmo didnât let go and he continued to absorb the Yang qi that his soul so desperately needed. ButâŠ. when he noticed that Qin Chengâs body temperature was gradually decreasing, he had to stop.
However, when he stopped moving, he didnât expect that this man would have other thoughts. Originally, he wanted to throw this man out, but when Su Jingmo heard his light sigh , he was stunned.
The expression on Su Jingmoâs face was complex as he looked at the man who had given him a kiss with his eyes closed. The way their tongues touched each other caused Su Jingmo a rare panic and surprise, which was why he pushed Qin Cheng away.
At this moment, Qin Chengâs head was less clouded by desire, but this didnât mean that he had the strength to stand up.
Qin Cheng, whose Yang qi was absorbed, looked up at the recovered and solemn-looking face of Su Jingmo and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he leaned against the edge of the coffin, and whispered: âAre you alright?â When he saw that Su Jingmo nodded his head, Qin Cheng smiled: âThatâs great, phewâŠ. I, IâllâŠ. rest for a whileâŠ. right now Iâm feeling a slight headache.â
After he said that, Qin Cheng closed his eyes trying to calm down his breath. âIâm sorry⊠just now I crossed the lineâŠ. It mustâve been the lack of oxygen that made my brain all dizzy and unable to back awayâŠ. before doing âthatâ.â
Since Qin Cheng still had his eyes closed, Su Jingmo wasnât able to see his eyes, but he could guess that this was just an excuse. However, Su Jingmo didnât take these words to heart.
The corner of Su Jingmoâs eyes slightly curved as he looked at Qin Cheng, who still refused to open his eyes, and suddenly chuckled: âIt doesnât matter. Zhen has done this kind of thing with young men before, but Zhen has tasted the mouth of beautiful women more. However, itâs not that bad to indulge like this once in a while.â
When Qin Cheng heard these words, he suddenly opened his eyes, clenched his fists and looked at Su Jingmoâs smiling face, a face that he had long since become used to see: âItâs just that IâŠâ Qin Cheng paused, covered the emotions in his eyes, and grinned: âIâve really wronged His Majesty!â
Just after he said this, Su Jingmo unexpectedly put aside his eyes, and didnât reply.
The sudden silence made the atmosphere feel extremely awkward, and when he looked at Su Jingmoâs back, Qin Cheng had some regrets: âIâm sorry, I shouldnât have said that.â Qin Cheng stood using the coffin as a support, and reached out his hand to touch Su Jingmo. However, before he could touch him, he stopped midway after hearing Su Jingmoâs words.
âQin Cheng, Iâve been dead for 1600 years.â This time, Su Jingmo didnât refer to himself as âZhenâ, and instead, followed Qin Chengâs example and referred to himself with âIâ. Su Jingmo then turned to face Qin Cheng and said: âMy corpse has long since rotten into mud, lying at the bottom of the coffin beside you. Itâs impossible for me to come back to life.â
âHuman beings and ghosts have different paths after all. It isnât natural for you to die and become my ghost lover. You should have ambitions. You should put aside these childish feelings, especially when it comes to you and me being together.â Su Jingmo paused for a moment, smiled, and then continued: âYouâre an intelligent man, donât waste your talent. There are too many opportunities waiting for you in the future.â
Qin Cheng stared at Su Jingmo, and replied: âAre you rejecting me?â
Su JIngmo simply smiled but didnât respond.
Qin Chengâs heart felt like it was being cut open with the tip of a sharp knife. However, the words that Su Jingmo said to him, couldnât be refuted.
The only thing that Qin Cheng could do was to reply with a bitter smile on his face: âYouâre right. I canât leave behind my beloved profession, and I canât give up my lifeâŠ. But, Su Jingmo, if I canât give up my life, then Iâm also unable to give you up.â
Qin Cheng can remind himself, again and again, to not waste his time on things that wonât give any results. He can remind himself to give up on Su Jingmo, and he can reaffirm over and over that heâs trying really hard to build up a career. However, at the moment, Qin Cheng also understood that he had long since fallen in love with Su Jingmo and that he was completely unable to free himself from these feelings.