Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 140: Immortal’s Guidance
Riiiip.
The darkness vanished from the world. Screams and fire disappeared. Sunlight poured down, bathing the lush green grass. The wind carried an unusually fresh scent, and the whole atmosphere felt like a return from the Underworld to the human world.
Fang Xiu held Bai Shuangying around the waist as the two tumbled onto the soft grass. A’Shou followed close behind, barely managing to stay on her feet without falling.
She kept her balance, but her heart was in turmoil.
It was a simple comparison.
The Immortal Encounter E was powerful enough to reproduce the “Heaven-Breaking Divine Art”, suppressing her, a genuine ghost immortal, but it could not suppress Bai Shuangying.
A’Shou had thought Fang Xiu’s origins were unclear and that he warranted caution. But now, looking again, the seductive ghost that had always clung to Fang Xiu was terrifying. Even more frightening was that this ghost had survived six sacrificial rituals without revealing his true strength until now.
The “new script” they had entered was a story provided by Bai Shuangying. Even A’Shou wasn’t sure when or where this took place.
The only good news was that this place looked peaceful.
Fang Xiu lowered his head and shook his ghost. “Bai Shuangying?”
…Then he was shocked to find that his hand passed right through Bai Shuangying’s shoulder.
Bai Shuangying’s white robes were still tinged with gray, and his body had become even more translucent. That strange mouth was gone, and his facial features had returned to blankness.
They had escaped that twisted story, yet Bai Shuangying’s condition hadn’t improved at all. It had worsened.
Bai Shuangying lay calmly on the ground, his body slowly sinking, as if being absorbed into the land. Fang Xiu broke into a sweat, trying every way he could to hold him up, but Bai Shuangying raised a hand in a halting gesture and shook his head.
A’Shou grabbed Fang Xiu by the back of his collar and dragged him back two steps. “His power is unstable. Don’t touch him carelessly.”
Fang Xiu: “But—”
“He’s been polluted by the Immortal Encounter E. This isn’t something you can interfere with,” A’Shou warned plainly. “You were affected by that thing too. You should know—he has to wake up on his own.”
Fang Xiu knelt beside Bai Shuangying, watching as his ghost’s body gradually sank into the earth.
His ghost had never been the silent type. Bai Shuangying liked to hover around him, poking here and there, occasionally grunting in disapproval or whispering in his ear.
Fang Xiu knew Bai Shuangying had hidden many things from him. He knew Bai Shuangying was a powerful evil spirit trying to escape the Disaster Relief Tower. He also knew Bai Shuangying had a special fondness for him. But he had assumed Bai Shuangying would prioritize self-preservation.
Maybe he shouldn’t have changed their plans halfway through.
If they had just separated as planned, Bai Shuangying could’ve stayed safe until the end… Was he too greedy for wanting to free Bai Shuangying?
Yes.
You cannot help him. Ghost immortal A’Shou cannot help him either. Make a wish to me. Wish now, it’s not too late.
You can stay together forever. This is your last chance to fix everything.
There it was again.
…No. I won’t make a wish to you.
Fang Xiu dug his fingers into the grass, forcibly shaking the thought out of his head.
This was a story Bai Shuangying had entrusted to him. A story that belonged solely to Bai Shuangying. To give up now would be laughable.
Regret was the most useless emotion in the world. He had known that long ago.
“I don’t know much about metaphysics,” Fang Xiu said, doing his best to keep a steady tone. “A’Shou Jie, what else can I do? I can’t just leave him here.”
A’Shou crouched down to examine Bai Shuangying, who lay on the grass.
He barely maintained a human shape, his skin no longer having a solid texture but turning into some strange fluid. The Immortal Encounter E had affected him with inexplicable strength, leaving him unable to respond to the outside world.
“This is like a human falling gravely ill. There really isn’t anything we can do,” A’Shou said quietly. “If there were a magic weapon to soothe evil spirits, maybe it could help a little. Something like a place where a sick person could rest. It’s the difference between ‘sleeping in a soft bed’ and ‘lying in the open air’. Either way, it’s up to fate.”
“I never carry those tools. I still think the best option is to leave him here and finish the ritual as soon as possible… What are you doing?!”
Fang Xiu pressed his grass-covered hand lightly to Bai Shuangying’s chest and activated the Underworld version of the Heaven-Breaking Divine Art. The rate at which Bai Shuangying was sinking slowed slightly, and Fang Xiu could feel the faint substance of his ghost’s true form.
He couldn’t fully stop the corruption, but this was enough.
Without hesitation, Fang Xiu bent down and began to swallow that piece of true form.
The moment it touched the warmth of his mouth, that piece suddenly seemed to awaken and surged frantically into his throat. Fang Xiu choked, his eyes reddening, throat spasming violently, but he made no move to resist.
The portion that entered his body immediately spread, merging into his flesh and blood. A tidal wave of bloated heat rushed in, his internal organs feeling like they were burning.
…Possession.
Bai Shuangying had once used this to help Fang Xiu when he was at his weakest. Now, of course, Fang Xiu could do the same to protect a weakened Bai Shuangying.
A’Shou stared, dumbfounded. “You…”
“I guess I count as a vessel now. How long can I hold out like this?”
Fang Xiu wiped his lips and stood up shakily. Bai Shuangying had completely disappeared from in front of him. His left eye had turned white, and a blood-red mole bloomed below it.
A’Shou: “……”
Even she, slow as she could be, could tell Bai Shuangying wasn’t simple. And now Fang Xiu, able to withstand that kind of possession… Just what had she gotten herself involved with?
Even so, she sighed deeply, slit her own wrist with her soft sword, and after a moment, a trickle of crimson flowed from the wound. She dabbed it with her fingertip and drew a strange blood sigil on Fang Xiu’s forehead.
“I’ll help you suppress it,” she said bitterly. “But if Bai Shuangying’s condition worsens…”
“This is enough.” Fang Xiu smiled, lightly placing his hand over his stomach. “Thank you, A’Shou Jie.”
At that moment, Fang Xiu wore red, his long hair tied back. With the blood sigil on his forehead and one black, one white eye, he looked distinctly inhuman.
He looked up at the sun glowing brightly in the sky.
The weather was clear, and sunlight warmed his exposed skin.
……
Inside the warmth of living flesh, Bai Shuangying stretched out his true form. The chaos in his mind began to clear.
The corruption of that thing was stronger than he had expected. He now felt sure that it had used a portion of his own power—power still sealed within him.
Fortunately, he had broken tens of thousands of seal chains ahead of time and could resist somewhat. If he had remained fully bound, that intense corruption might have overwhelmed him completely.
Even now, the thing still buzzed in his mind. Sometimes, Bai Shuangying found it difficult to tell whether those thoughts were his own.
You must kill A’Shou.
I am your power. We can eliminate her together. If she learns your identity, you and I will never escape.
You must control Fang Xiu.
I know you want him. I can create a story where Fang Xiu defeats the Immortal Encounter E and give you a role to stay by his side forever.
You must destroy everything.
I understand your thirst for revenge. Humanity provoked you first. Now that they’ve lived comfortably for so long, they must pay the price. I am you. I am you. I am…
So noisy.
Unfortunately, most of his power remained sealed, and the unsealed portion struggled to hold back the invasion. Bai Shuangying couldn’t silence the voices. He could only endure the erosion of karma. In theory, he shouldn’t have to resist it.
But he didn’t like the future those voices painted.
He was curious about Fang Xiu’s plans. Curious about Fang Xiu’s background. Curious about why Fang Xiu chose this ritual… Curious about their true ending.
Bai Shuangying nestled deeper into that familiar warmth, rubbing against Fang Xiu’s inner flesh.
He had begun to think. He had a better idea—if that thing was using his sealed power, then he would unseal more, and tilt the scales back in his favor.
To do that, he needed to understand Fang Xiu better.
To understand Fang Xiu better, he needed to give Fang Xiu a stronger stimulus.
His human was very clever. For now, the best course of action seemed to be—
Fang Xiu heard crying.
He steadied himself and walked toward the sound, still somewhat weak.
He saw a little girl with a woven grass basket on her back. The basket held wild fruit, mushrooms, and a few scattered odds and ends. She was crying loudly as she walked, utterly heartbroken.
“Daddy, Mommy… I want to go home…”
She wiped her tears, her red cheeks streaked with dirt and snot, looking both pitiful and a bit ridiculous.
A’Shou instinctively stepped forward, but Fang Xiu stopped her. Bai Shuangying’s possession left him weakened, but his thinking remained sharp.
“Not yet,” Fang Xiu said, his eyes fixed on the girl. “This is Bai Shuangying’s story. He wouldn’t casually ‘tell’ a child.”
A’Shou frowned. The child didn’t look too fragile, so she reluctantly agreed.
The girl cried and cried until she tired herself out. She found a rock and sat down, taking off her basket to count what she had—mostly food.
She sobbed as she popped wild fruits into her mouth, not forgetting to offer one up first with several solemn bows.
“Help me, please help me. I’m lost… These are all for you.”
The breeze swept across the grass, but no one answered. The sun moved west, the light taking on a reddish hue.
The little girl shivered and laid out a pile of mushrooms. “Merciful Bodhisattva… Ancestor spirits… Fox spirits… Please…”
She called upon every god and ghost she could think of, but the mountains remained silent. Her eyes grew redder.
Desperately, she rummaged through her basket and finally pulled out a small object. She placed it squarely among the offerings and knelt, bowing clumsily.
“This is a treasure my daddy made for me. You can have it. You can have all of it!”
She trembled as she spoke. “I just want to go home…”
Fang Xiu stared at the crude little object in silence.
It was a small white porcelain figurine.
Because of its tiny size, the craftsmanship was rough and lacked detailed features. But it was snow-white, coated in glossy glaze, and quite a rare piece.
More importantly, it was identical to every white porcelain figurine they had seen before.
It…
[That’s interesting. I’ve never seen something like that before.]
[Those annoying immortals told me not to get involved with humans, but this human came here herself and offered a gift. That should be fine, right?]
[That’s my soil she used. A human made something so amusing from my soil. She said she wanted to go home. If I take her home, then she’s mine.]
Fang Xiu shook his head, clearing the strange thoughts from his mind. He continued watching the girl, though he wasn’t sure why his eyes kept being drawn to that little porcelain figure.
Suddenly, a hand emerged in front of the figurine.
It didn’t quite look human. Its shape was odd, and the little girl screamed, scrambling backward into her now-empty basket.
The glowing “ghost hand” didn’t chase her. It gently picked up the white porcelain figure and pointed in a specific direction.
The girl hid for a while, then cautiously peeked through a gap in the basket at the offering pile. The strange hand was still there, holding the porcelain figure politely, still pointing.
She watched for a long time. Eventually, she crept out of the basket and crawled toward it, inching along on her belly. The hand was indeed strange, but it was smooth and pale, with a kind of subtle beauty.
“Are you a god?” she asked.
The author has something to say:
Xiao Bai used his brain to win this round. (Not really.)
<<< || Table of Contents || >>>
Kinky Translations 