Xie Jingci had originally planned to wander aimlessly through Wucheng with Pei Du for a while when, not long after, they quite coincidentally ran into Mo Xiaoyang and Fu Nanxing.
"Miss Xie! Young Master Pei!"
Once Mo Xiaoyang started talking, he couldn't stop. He bounded over, overjoyed: "What a coincidence! Is this the legendary 'fated meeting across a thousand miles'? Did you also come specifically to see Jiang Tu's street patrol? I heard the Ghost Gate opens tomorrow. How long do you two plan to stay in Wucheng?"
"The Ghost Gate opens tomorrow?"
Xie Jingci's heart leaped with joy: "Really?"
Fu Nanxing's first impression of Xie Jingci had been quite poor. However, after their time together in the illusion realm and witnessing her life-risking, reckless demeanor with his own eyes, his attitude had finally softened considerably.
Out of habit, though, he still retorted lazily: "What do you have that's worth us lying to you about?"
Before Xie Jingci could reply, she heard Mo Xiaoyang answer with utmost seriousness: "She's rich! That stuff called spirit stones—Miss Xie has a huge pile of them. If we tricked her, we could split the fortune. It'd be quite profitable."
He then scratched his head: "But it seems we can't go to the outside world, can we?"
Having his friend expose him on the spot made Fu Nanxing furious enough to jump.
In contrast to his hopping-mad companion, Xie Jingci was in excellent spirits.
For her, the earlier the Ghost Gate opened, the better. After all, from the very beginning, all she wanted was to quickly pack Pei Du up and take him home for gradual treatment. If not for accidentally stumbling into the inter-realm rift, Xie Jingci would already be lying comfortably in bed eating pastries.
Thinking of the various snacks at home and then looking at her current penniless state, Xie Jingci couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"We also came to see Jiang Tu," Mo Xiaoyang continued. "I heard that fifty years ago, my master's strength could barely match his. It's a pity Master was still recovering from old injuries back then, bedridden for years, and never got to fight him. Now, after all these years, given his current state, he should be unmatched in all of Wucheng."
That man was indeed powerful.
As he rode his horse down the long street, he must have intentionally released his pressure and spiritual energy. Xie Jingci could feel the immense force, brimming with malice and killing intent, overwhelmingly domineering.
Curious, she asked: "Compared to him now, is Master Zhou Shen much weaker?"
"He probably can't win, right?"
Mo Xiaoyang scratched his head: "I heard Jiang Tu is a cultivation maniac, soaking himself in elixirs and miraculous medicines all day, living a life more luxurious and carefree than an earthly emperor. As for my master... Miss Xie, you've probably noticed too. After all these years with him, I don't think I've ever seen him practice seriously."
He paused, then added earnestly: "But Master is exceptionally talented. If he practiced properly, he definitely wouldn't be inferior. He's just too—too easygoing!"
Ever since Fu Chaosheng disappeared, Zhou Shen had lost his drive, pouring all his energy into running the martial arts school and becoming a money-grubbing merchant.
Xie Jingci had heard such comments before.
"Speaking of which," Fu Nanxing narrowed his eyes, giving her a once-over, "I heard someone pressed Jin Xiao's head into a pond and stomped on it during Jiang Tu's patrol. That wouldn't be you, would it?"
Mo Xiaoyang again looked at her with his puppy-like, blazingly bright eyes. Seeing Xie Jingci nod, his eyes instantly sparkled. He turned to Fu Nanxing: "See? I told you it had to be her!"
His words tumbled out like a string of firecrackers. Suddenly, he turned back, continuing excitedly: "Well done, Miss Xie! That Jin Xiao brat is just like his father. Despite his low cultivation, he's been running amok for who knows how many years, relying on his family's wealth and power. Every time I wanted to give him a good beating, Master stopped me. That was so satisfying!"
Given the Jin family's influence in Wucheng, if Mo Xiaoyang had actually beaten up their precious young master, even with Zhou Shen's protection, he would have been in deep trouble.
The guy had a good heart, but was too reckless.
"The Jin family are all bullies relying on their master's power."
Fu Nanxing also disapproved of their behavior and snorted upon hearing this: "My first target upon returning to Wucheng was their family. Good grief, who knows how much wealth they've extorted from the people? Their whole house is filled with gold, silver, and jewels. I got caught later, and the beating really hurt."
"You two can probably tell that bullying the weak by flaunting power is quite common in the Ghost Domain."
Mo Xiaoyang, worried they might not understand, explained specifically: "Little Star left Wucheng young and has been making his own way outside for years. He's a well-known chivalrous thief who robs the rich to help the poor. He only returned to his hometown recently because the Ghost Gate is about to open."
Judging by this friend's style, he didn't seem to have much connection to the word "chivalrous."
Xie Jingci looked at him with a strange expression, suddenly understanding: "So that night, you had just returned from stealing from the Jin Mansion? No wonder you had a whole sack full of magic crystals and treasures."
Fu Nanxing started bristling: "W-what are you looking at! I'm always very reliable in my work, okay! If I hadn't run into you that night, I wouldn't have been so unlucky!"
Xie Jingci widened her eyes: "You were the one wearing night clothes in the snow, and your sack was torn!"
"Changing clothes costs money! And that sack, I clearly mended it with needle and thread before!"
Even Xie Jingci was momentarily speechless, looking at him with immense pity.
Couldn't afford new clothes, even had to mend the holes in his sack himself...
As the saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but you can certainly be both poor and stingy.
A thief reduced to this state... hopeless, this person was absolutely, utterly hopeless.
This wasn't a chivalrous thief but the master of stinginess, simply put, a miser.
"What's with that look!"
Fu Nanxing's ears grew hot under her gaze, and he started hopping again: "My poverty has its reasons. See that Jin family's youngest son? I'm doing this so the kid won't inherit a fortune, burdened by criticism and scrutiny beyond his tender years. A status earned through one's own efforts is true status, understand?"
What a load of sophistry. Xie Jingci almost applauded him.
"...I have a question."
After this back-and-forth banter subsided, following a very brief silence, a cold, clear male voice sounded abruptly by Xie Jingci's ear.
It was Pei Du.
His body was frail, his voice not loud or resonant. Yet, when he spoke, it was like a sudden mountain breeze, pressing down all other noise.
Pei Du said: "Young Master Mo mentioned, 'Jin Xiao, like his father, has meager cultivation.' Since the Ghost Domain respects strength above all, how has the Jin family remained unshaken in Wucheng?"
"The Jin family moved here from another city."
Mo Xiaoyang patiently explained: "I heard the Jin family head, Jin Wuzhen, is an old acquaintance of Jiang Tu. Because of the Fu—because the city was in chaos and someone needed to come and pacify it, Jiang Tu, in his desperation, directly sought him out."
He almost blurted out "Fu Chaosheng's" name but caught himself in time, quickly swallowing the words and cautiously glancing sideways at Fu Nanxing beside him.
This old friend was usually careless and uninhibited, but there was one matter he was very sensitive about—his missing father, Fu Chaosheng.
When Fu Chaosheng left the Ghost Realm, Fu Nanxing was only about three years old. Later, the former vanished without a trace, so he was taken in by Zhou Shen, living in the martial arts hall and eating and sleeping alongside the apprentices.
And his hatred for Fu Chaosheng was not without reason.
Not only did he abandon his only child and run away like a coward, leaving Fu Nanxing almost an orphan with nowhere to go, but precisely because of this father who was nailed to the pillar of shame, Fu Nanxing had to endure malice as overwhelming as the mountains and seas at a young age.
He was called the "traitor's son." Whether adults or children, all they were willing to give him were looks of extreme disgust and rejection.
Mo Xiaoyang felt this was very unfair.
Even if Fu Chaosheng really did something heinous, only he was guilty. As a young child, Fu Nanxing should not bear any blame.
So he became Fu Nanxing's best friend, and also his only friend.
He was much younger than Fu Nanxing. The latter always acted disdainful towards him, yet he would also stuff treasures he had hoarded for a long time into Mo Xiaoyang's palm.
Later, people's malice didn't fade with time. Although Fu Nanxing used "traveling for training" as an excuse, Mo Xiaoyang understood that he simply didn't want to stay in this city anymore.
"Speaking of the Jin Manor, when I was traveling around the Ghost Realm, I went to the ancient city where they supposedly lived."
Fu Nanxing rolled his eyes in thought: "How should I put it? I asked many people, and they all said there was never a Jin family there—at least, this surname never appeared among the somewhat famous prominent families."
"Looking at the Jin family's nouveau riche style, maybe they really started as poor people."
Mo Xiaoyang paused, raising his eyebrows slightly: "Don't forget, Jiang Tu also climbed up from the very bottom step by step. Maybe Jin Wuzhen really did help him once, and now that he's successful, he's here to repay the favor—considering that old man's age, it's not impossible."
Xie Jingci had only seen the Jin family's arrogant young master and didn't know what Jin Wuzhen looked like. Hearing this, she looked up: "Old man?"
"Yeah, his cultivation is very low, so he can't maintain his youth. When Jin Wuzhen came to Wucheng, he looked at least seventy or eighty. Now with rich food and rare treasures feeding him, he finally has some cultivation, but he still looks like the same little old man."
Mo Xiaoyang wasn't good at hiding his emotions, plus he disliked the Jin family's tyranny. Mentioning Jin Wuzhen, he honestly scrunched his face into a bitter melon: "Skinny and small, hunched over, face full of wrinkles and beard. His physiognomy is terrible; you can tell he's a bad guy at a glance."
At such an age, to still use adjectives like "good guy" and "bad guy" made him a rare species.
Xie Jingci thought of something, her eyes flickering. She glanced at Fu Nanxing nearby and quickly swallowed the words she was about to say.
"Let's not talk about the Jin family; it gives me a headache." Mo Xiaoyang hooked the corner of his mouth: "Today Master has set up a banquet and asked me to ask you two if you would do us the honor of sitting at the martial arts hall."
*
Zhou Shen held a banquet at the martial arts hall. Unsurprisingly, Fu Nanxing bluntly refused, leaving Xie Jingci, Pei Du, and Mo Xiaoyang to go to the hall together.
Since Fu Chaosheng went missing, Zhou Shen had become the top combat power among all Wucheng residents. The Ghost Realm revered martial strength, so many people saw him as a reliable leader and came to the banquet.
The martial arts hall was spacious. Although many commoners attended, it didn't feel overcrowded. Mo Xiaoyang should have sat at the table with his fellow apprentices, but worried that Xie Jingci and her companion were strangers in a strange land with no one to turn to, he specifically sat next to Pei Du.
"I have a theory."
With Fu Nanxing not around, Xie Jingci could finally voice the guess in her heart: "Since the Jin residence has an unknown origin, can we assume that the story of 'Jin Wuzhen once being friends with Jiang Tu' is a complete lie?"
She used secret voice transmission when speaking. Mo Xiaoyang was stunned, then quickly responded: "Do you think Jin Wuzhen might be the traitor who betrayed Fu Chaosheng and all the righteous men back then?"
Xie Jingci nodded.
"I've had that thought too, but I have to say, it's really hard to verify."
He rarely stopped smiling, tapping the table lightly: "Jin Wuzhen is a short and fat old man. There's almost no one in Wucheng with a similar body type. This point alone is enough to overturn the entire theory."
Xie Jingci scratched her head in distress.
"Sigh."
Mo Xiaoyang sighed, seemingly drained of strength, and slumped against the chair back: "Jiang Tu is so powerful. Will I ever see someone defeat him in my lifetime? Wow, cultivators live so long; surely he won't rule for thousands or tens of thousands of years until the day he ascends?"
He took a sip of water, switched to secret voice transmission, and whispered to Xie Jingci and Pei Du: "To be honest, my greatest wish used to be to defeat him one day. But thinking about it carefully, something's wrong. While I'm cultivating and improving, he's skyrocketing too, and much faster than me. Trying to beat Jiang Tu down... isn't that just 'Lord Ye loving dragons'?"
Pei Du hesitated for a moment: "That's called 'a fool talking in his sleep'."
"Don't lose heart. I read 'The Biography of Jiang Tu'; didn't he also climb up step by step from a nobody to finally defeat the previous City Lord?"
Xie Jingci comforted him seriously: "In terms of talent, you are no worse than him."
Mo Xiaoyang froze.
The atmosphere had been somewhat heavy, but at the mention of 'The Biography of Jiang Tu', he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "You read 'The Biography of Jiang Tu' too? Was it quite... memorable?"
Seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes, Xie Jingci immediately understood the meaning of "memorable."
When she bought the book, the bookstore owner heard she was from the outside world and specifically instructed her: When you open the pages later, you must maintain a good mindset and absolutely do not be too shocked.
Xie Jingci naturally didn't understand and blankly asked "What?" The owner rubbed the back of his head and whispered: "Well, you know how that stuff happened in Wucheng before? City Lord Jiang issued a decree that storybooks cannot contain content that is too bloody or violent, to avoid leading children astray and causing them to commit heinous crimes."
Xie Jingci nodded blankly: "So?"
"So, in here, any words related to 'kill', 'blood', 'death', 'kiss', or 'bed' have all been turned into '□'."
The owner looked troubled: "Coming from the outside, you might not be able to adapt... Anyway, try not to read it in crowded places."
Xie Jingci originally thought this was a trivial matter. Words turning into blocks was something she had encountered in a small world she visited before, on a certain literary website.
It wasn't until she opened the book that she finally understood why the owner told her not to read this 'Biography of Jiang Tu' in public.
The opening sentence: This is the story of a formidable hero growing up and □□-ing in all directions.
Xie Jingci unethically laughed out loud on the spot.
Reading further down, a cannon fodder character fled in panic, screaming desperately: "Help! Jiang Tu, don't □ me!"
Xie Jingci felt that the censored word must be [kill].
Jiang Tu snatched a rich man’s purse and sprinted desperately down the street, while the narration intoned: "This young lad, forced by the pressures of making a living, had no choice but to [mouth] the children of the wealthy to survive."
How truly helpless, how forced by circumstance; it was enough to make one’s eyes sting with heartache.
Xie Jingci felt that the censored word here ought to be [steal].
When Jiang Tu met the imperial concubine for the first time, he gently caressed the beauty’s lips. As his eyes flashed with a chaotic mix of violence, pity, affection, and dominance like a broken LED light, the concubine whispered, "Hush now. [Mouth] me."
...This time, it was probably [kiss].
"Well? After reading that book, don’t you think—"
Mo Xiaoyang was beside himself with glee, leaning against the table as he asked her.
Their eyes met, and they spoke in unison: "Jiang Tu really is an Abyssal Giant Mouth."
This was what they called divine justice; good and evil will always have their recompense.
The man had insisted on courting death with his schemes, never expecting a copy of The Legend of Jiang Tu to appear out of nowhere and bring karma crashing down upon his own head. In a single morning, Jiang Tu reaped what he had sown, becoming the laughingstock of Wu City and earning the title [King of the Abyssal Giant Mouth].
As it happened, the man himself was far away in a much more prosperous city. He was so ecstatic over the various praises in the book that he was practically spiraling into the heavens with joy, completely oblivious to the trivial matters of Wu City as he desperately increased the printing volume.
It was just so satisfying; one couldn't help but laugh.
"Are you two discussing The Legend of Jiang Tu?"
Wen Miaorou had arrived at the martial arts hall unnoticed. Skipping the pleasantries, she sat down naturally beside Xie Jingci. "Jiang Tu nearly listed that book as a family heirloom. I wonder how he’d react if he saw the version circulating in Wu City."
Mo Xiaoyang was still a bit intimidated by her. Startled by the woman’s sudden appearance, he snapped his posture straight.
His master had taught him that when meeting a woman older than himself—regardless of the age gap—he must never address her as "Auntie" or "Grandma." And if he ever let slip a "Matriarch" or "Old Ancestor," it would be a crime worthy of beheading.
He was a clever child and had always taken his master's words to heart. His lips moved faster than his brain: "Long time no see, Big Sister Wen!"
Wen Miaorou’s gaze was sharp enough to kill.
Mo Xiaoyang didn't know what he had said wrong; he only felt the atmosphere turn ominous, making him want to cry.
Xie Jingci didn't say a word either. She slowly raised her eyes and cast a faint glance at Pei Du.
That form of address was actually quite familiar to her.
When they were still young, she and Pei Du had attended the same academy. Later, the paths of the blade and the sword diverged; coupled with the fact that her family home was far away in Yunjing, Xie Jingci had moved to a different place to practice the blade.
Because of this, even though they were later betrothed, she and Pei Du had never exchanged a single word.
Back then, both of them were just skinny little bean sprouts. Xie Jingci had run into him during the year-end grand tournament. Although she eventually won, she harbored a bit of appreciation for the kid. Hearing that Pei Du wasn't having an easy time, she decided to give him a boost of prestige. She marched arrogantly into his Sword Hall and asked if he was willing to be her lackey.
Even then, Pei Du was already a silly goose. He stared blankly at her for a long while before finally speaking in front of all the Sword Hall apprentices. In an uncertain tone, he slowly addressed her: "Big..."
He had been stiff with nervousness at the time. He originally intended to follow the code of the Jianghu and call her "Big Brother," but realizing she was a girl, he switched the word halfway through.
The result was uproarious laughter.
As everyone knew, "Big Sister" was essentially a polite euphemism for "Old Auntie."
Xie Jingci was young; being called "Big Sister" for the first time made her jump three feet in the air with rage. According to a friend's description, she looked "like a crazed lioness, or a deep-fried dumpling struggling in a pot of boiling oil."
At the time, she felt Pei Du was intentionally mocking her, maliciously rejecting her offer, so she never sought him out again. But thinking back on it now, perhaps Young Master Pei genuinely hadn't realized anything was wrong.
...In that case, hadn't Pei Du technically been her lackey for years?
Xie Jingci gave a light cough and placed a crystal meatball into his bowl.
Hall Master Zhou was in exceptionally high spirits today, yet he declined all invitations to drink. According to him, City Lord Jiang was hosting a banquet tonight and had invited him for a gathering.
Naturally, the hall erupted in congratulations.
Amidst the clamor, Xie Jingci quietly transmitted her voice: "Sister Wen, since the Burial Grounds are separated by a barrier, when the Soul Search Technique is activated, will it count that area as part of the Ghost Realm?"
"You think Fu Chaosheng is in the Burial Grounds?"
Wen Miaorou glanced sideways at her, shaking her head with a light chuckle. "The Burial Grounds are not counted within the Ghost Realm, but he likely isn't there anyway. Jiang Tu has no records of entering or leaving the Burial Grounds, and I have gone there to search time and again over the years, yet I've never found a trace of him—using the Soul Search Technique inside the Burial Grounds yields the same result: nothing."
Xie Jingci felt a bit dispirited. Just as she was about to ask more, she suddenly heard a drunken male voice: "Fifty years... It has been a full fifty years since my father and brother passed away. That traitor Fu Chaosheng must be out there somewhere, living free and easy. Haha, how laughable!"
The killing intent around Wen Miaorou instantly solidified. "Who are you calling a traitor?"
"Oho, still pining away, trying to defend him?"
The man laughed raucously. "Wen Miaorou, you’ve searched every inch of Wu City and the Burial Grounds. In all these years, have you found even a shred of evidence? He clearly left the Ghost Realm long ago. It’s just a pity that our families’ vengeance can never be exacted!"
Wen Miaorou slammed the table and stood up. "Nonsense! The traitor was clearly—"
"Miaorou."
Before she could finish, a tall shadow appeared before her.
According to the descriptions in The Life and Death Struggles of the Ghost Realm, there was a vast difference between the physiques of Fu Chaosheng and Zhou Shen. The latter fit the traditional image of a tall, slender swordsman, while the blade-wielding Fu Chaosheng was thin and short, a fact for which he had been mocked many times.
Zhou Shen’s expression was indifferent, revealing no stance on the matter. "You’re drunk. Go home and rest."
Wen Miaorou was furious. "I haven't been drinking!"
Zhou Shen looked at her without a word.
"You see? Our Hall Master Zhou is the good one. It just goes to show that one's face reflects one's heart. That dwarf Fu Chaosheng looked sneaky and—"
The man's words caught in his throat.
He had been splashed full in the face with wine.
Yet the person who threw the wine was not Wen Miaorou, but a young woman he had never met before.
"You’re drunk. Go back and rest."
She repeated Zhou Shen’s words verbatim, leisurely placing her wine cup back in its original spot. She was about to say more when Wen Miaorou dragged her outside without a word.
Wen Miaorou walked ahead, so Xie Jingci couldn't see her expression. Once they exited the martial arts hall, she realized it was already evening.
"I apologize. I made a scene."
Wen Miaorou took a deep breath. "What that man said... you have to get used to it."
In Wu City, there were plenty of people who harbored malice toward Fu Chaosheng. She had encountered even uglier words than those.
"I just suddenly remembered I have some unfinished business at home. Why don't you and Young Master Pei return to the inn first? Tomorrow—"
She paused, then quickly forced a smile. "Tomorrow, I will properly host the two of you."
Xie Jingci felt there was something off about her expression.
It was as if, after tonight, they would never see each other again.
She skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the chase, though her tone was hesitant, laced with uncertainty. "I have a theory about where Fu Chaosheng might be. It’s a long shot... but would you like to come with me to check?"
Given how deeply Wen Miaorou cared for Fu Chaosheng, Xie Jingci expected her to agree without a second thought.
Yet, for some reason, Wen seemed agitated. She glanced at the moon faintly emerging on the horizon and shook her head. "I have urgent matters to attend to today. Since the chances are slim, perhaps you should go investigate first, Miss Xie."
She had heard too many similar promises. After countless trips to the burial grounds and surviving brush after brush with death, her patience had worn thin.
Confronted with a mere outsider—a young girl who knew only half the story of what happened back then—Wen Miaorou simply did not trust her.
To be honest, Xie Jingci wasn't entirely sure herself.
Still, she spoke up, hoping to earn a shred of the woman's confidence. "Jin Wuzhen. He’s the traitor who betrayed everyone all those years ago. He is also the boy Fu Chaosheng risked his life to save, isn't he?"
Wen Miaorou froze.
Catching that momentary lapse in composure, Xie Jingci breathed a secret sigh of relief.
She had guessed correctly.
Back when she read the *Chronicle of Jiang Tu*, she had tried to put herself in Jiang Tu's shoes, carefully considering the origins and progression of every event.
Her conclusion was simple: given his arrogant, paranoid nature, the spy he planted to rule over Wucheng was most likely the very traitor who had sold everyone out.
That traitor was stained with sin and loathed by the people of Wucheng. This was the greatest, most lethal leverage Jiang Tu held over him. At the same time, to keep his identity from being exposed, he had to remain constantly vigilant, burying the truth of what happened fifty years ago deep underground.
No one could be more loyal, or more diligent, than him.
Furthermore, elevating a traitor deserving of death to the position of city leader perfectly satisfied the sadistic whims of that violent demonic cultivator. It was the ultimate revenge against the entire city.
It was a silent yet grandiose mockery and humiliation, and Jiang Tu reveled in it.
Once this point was established, she could follow the threads, peeling back the layers one by one.
Mo Xiaoyang had once admitted that Jin Wuzhen was a short, obese old man who always hunched his back.
Yet, during her meeting with Wen Miaorou, the woman had paused inexplicably for a long time before mentioning a boy whose life Fu Chaosheng had saved.
Wen Miaorou held a high position. From the way she had decisively claimed the traitor was someone else, it could be inferred that she had already uncovered that person's identity.
Although she appeared carefree on the surface, she actually hid a shrewd mind and had her own calculations.
Xie Jingci claimed to be from the outside world but offered no proof. With Jiang Tu currently in Wucheng and the whole city on high alert, it wasn't impossible that he had sent another undercover agent at this precise moment.
Therefore, Wen Miaorou would never reveal everything she had investigated.
However, she had left a subtle, ambiguous hook—a quiet hint in the form of that "inadvertently" mentioned boy.
The timing of his mention was too strange; it was like a key deliberately tossed onto the ground.
Since it was a boy, his stature would certainly not be as tall as an adult's.
Back then, all the citizens of Wucheng were consumed by rage and hatred. Who would have thought that the wretched, short old man was actually just a child of ten or so years?
He hunched his back to hide his growing height. Jiang Tu must have transferred cultivation power to him, ensuring that within a few months, "Jin Wuzhen's" height would remain forever frozen in that form—both a boy and an old man.
It was absurd and ridiculous, yet it had undeniably happened.
"I've figured out where Fu Chaosheng is."
Xie Jingci gritted her teeth and repeated the sentence, tightening her grip on the cold handle of the Ghost Cry Blade. "Will you... come with me to see?"
Wen Miaorou stared straight into her eyes.
Without another word, the young girl holding the blade moved. Just as she was about to step forward, she suddenly turned back and asked, "Where is the most desolate place in Wucheng?"
Without thinking much, Wen pointed in a direction.
And so, Xie Jingci actually headed in that direction.
...Ridiculous.
Had she not even confirmed the direction beforehand?
Dark emotions swirled in Wen Miaorou's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she finally followed silently behind her.
Unlike the city center of Wucheng, the long streets where the poor lived were dimly lit. Even the few flickering candle shadows looked as blurry as ghosts.
Xie Jingci dragged Pei Du along by his sleeve, pressing forward until they finally stopped before a towering, majestic wall.
"He can't be in the burial grounds."
Wen Miaorou stopped at a distance, her voice rasping. "Didn't I tell you? I've been there countless times, and never—"
She stopped abruptly.
By the wall, Xie Jingci didn't respond. Instead, she bent down silently and knocked on the wall with her knuckles.
Wen Miaorou thought she had gone mad.
That wall... could absolutely not be destroyed.
It wasn't that she hadn't entertained this crazy notion herself.
But once the barrier within the wall was broken, unbridled demonic energy would flood in instantly. A corpse without spiritual power could never serve as a barrier, and even if Jiang Tu rebuilt the wall immediately after, it would certainly be too late.
If Fu Chaosheng had been placed inside the wall after his death... there wouldn't have been enough time.
A thought suddenly struck her, and her eyes grew hot.
The premise of all these assumptions was "after Fu Chaosheng died."
But what if, when the wall was breached... he was still alive?
On the other side, Xie Jingci's knocking came to a sudden halt.
Found it.
A place neither in the Ghost Realm nor the Cultivation World.
A place where escape was impossible, and where he would never... be found.
People in the Ghost Realm had their reservations; they either believed he was in the outside world or hidden in the burial grounds. Only Xie Jingci knew he was in none of those places.
So, by process of elimination, there was only one corner left to consider.
The Ghost Cry Blade rose, slicing through the cold moonlight scattered on the ground. The blade's gleam flowed like a tide, wrapping layers of gale-force wind around it as it struck the thick city wall.
Wen Miaorou heard a hollow thud.
It was the sound of a hollow wall.
The section of the wall struck by the long blade was unexpectedly fragile. The outer layer of bricks collapsed like a landslide. As they fell, the cold moonlight poured down, revealing the still-standing wall on the other side of the gap, and a straight, thin, dark shadow.
"I'm leaving now."
On the day Fu Chaosheng disappeared, Wen Miaorou had caught a chill. He had spent the day caring for the little girl with great attention, but as evening approached, he suddenly stood up to say goodbye. "I have something important to do. You rest well, okay?"
Dazed by the cold and burning with a high fever, she curled up in her quilt and asked, "What are you going to do?"
Fu Chaosheng didn't know how to answer. He thought seriously for a long while.
Finally, he opened the door, revealing the quiet, encroaching night of dusk, and the Moon Embrace Pavilion, shining brilliantly in the distance, far across from the slums.
The Moon-Embracing Pavilion truly resembled a moon suspended in the heavens, its brilliance rendering the poverty and suffering of the long streets below into dim insignificance.
They were destitute, scrimping on even the smallest flicker of lamplight in the dead of night. One could survive by moonlight, after all; illumination was never as vital as a full belly and a warm coat.
"Do you see that light at the very peak? I'm going to perform a magic trick."
He said, "A trick that will make that spark illuminate the entirety of Wucheng."
"That sounds like a very difficult trick."
Wen Miaorou listened with wide-eyed ignorance, feeling that the scene Fu Chaosheng described was impossibly out of reach. Pouting, she pondered a moment before adding, "Will you fail?"
Atop the mountain peak, the Moon-Embracing Pavilion scattered its radiance. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tiles hanging from the eaves refracted beams of white light, casting a crystalline, warm glow even upon the falling snow. At a glance, it looked like a solitary celestial palace standing at the edge of the sky.
Yet, dreams in the heavens remain forever out of reach for those on the mortal coil.
Beneath the high walls, the heavy night pressed down like a physical weight. Only the moonlight spilled through, while lurking shadows moved like mountain demons and river monsters, drifting silently through the darkness.
Xie Jingci's shadow was stretched into a slender line by the moonlight. Amidst the drifting snow and the silent night breeze, she turned sideways without a word, revealing the scene before her.
Wen Miaorou stepped forward, one pace at a time.
On that evening, when Fu Chaosheng had walked to the door and listened to her words, what else had he said?
It was a truly distant memory—so distant she had nearly forgotten the man's face and voice. All past events felt incredibly remote, their edges worn smooth by fifty years of wasted time.
Yet in this moment, she suddenly remembered with absolute clarity: the heavy snow falling that day, Fu Chaosheng lowering his gaze to look at her, and after a long pause, revealing a smile as gentle as water.
"If I fail, there will surely be others who will try to achieve it."
Fu Chaosheng never spoke in flowery prose. Even when his life hung by a thread, he had merely grinned and told her, "There are so many people in Wucheng. Perhaps that day will be a long, long time from now, but one day, we will succeed."
...Ah.
She finally remembered what he looked like.
Thin and small, with brows like willow leaves, eyes always slightly narrowed, and a smile forever playing at the corners of his mouth.
Just like the first time they met, when she was wailing after being bullied by street thugs. Fu Chaosheng had beaten the villains soundly, then squatted in front of her, looking helpless and clumsy. "Don't cry, little girl. I'll cover you from now on."
She hadn't believed him at all, looking up at him while sobbing, "Really?"
"Really!" Seeing she had finally responded, the Fu Chaosheng of that time had vowed solemnly, smiling as he told her, "Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you."
Wen Miaorou could no longer hold back; scalding tears surged from her eyes.
Inside the high wall that served as the barrier, a figure sat kneeling in the shattered breach, back turned to Wucheng. Even as his corpse froze in the ice and snow, he maintained the posture of holding his hands up high.
In the instant the high wall was smashed open, Wen Miaorou had formed hypotheses in her heart regarding the truth of fifty years ago.
She thought Fu Chaosheng was no match for Jiang Tu and was ultimately defeated. To rally the people's hearts, the latter had bricked his body into the city wall and spun a web of lies.
But the reality was nothing like that.
The demonic energy in the Burial Grounds was at its peak. If the barrier broke, the city would fall into chaos, and countless civilians would die violent deaths. Since Xie Jingci could easily destroy it, then Jiang Tu, whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul stage, certainly could have done so as well.
This was a conspiracy that guaranteed death.
A traitorous child had revealed the entire plan to the mastermind. That day, Jiang Tu was not in the Moon-Embracing Pavilion. By simply having the guards leak some information, he could lure Fu Chaosheng to the most desolate, uninhabited outskirts of the city.
He was so small and frail, yet at the moment of the final battle, he pulled away. Facing Jiang Tu's longsword, he used every ounce of spiritual power in his body to fill the breach in the barrier.
From just a view of his back, Wen Miaorou recognized the person's identity.
That was Fu Chaosheng.
He had never been defeated, nor had he ever admitted defeat. Until the very last moment of his life, he remained a hero of indomitable spirit.
This man, spat upon by everyone in Wucheng and branded a traitor, had truly... held up the sky for them.
Xie Jingci felt a myriad of emotions and remained silent for a long time.
Looking up, the light of the Moon-Embracing Pavilion grew brighter, vying for brilliance with the moon itself. Below the peak, the long streets wound and spiraled, with occasional flickers of candlelight. They looked like long snakes silently slithering into the night, tightly connected to the desolate gloom of the Burial Grounds.
One day, fifty years, one hundred years.
The darkness was continuous and endless, but there must always be people, one after another, to light the myriad lamps of Wucheng.
In the high pavilion, the sinister and ruthless tyrant sat at leisure, raising a cup to drink with his followers amidst endless laughter; inside the Jin residence, a man who had made his fortune ate and drank his fill, preparing to lie down on his gold-threaded couch to sleep.
The north wind blew coldly against the city wall. A female cultivator in red stood silently, while a beautiful young woman gripped the long saber in her hand. Far away in the vast night, a sharp, piercing cry of an infant came from an unknown house. Immediately, a candle was lit, and a weary woman whispered words of comfort.
The Tianyan Dao Hall had closed early today. After the feast, a tall man stood quietly by the window. As a silk cloth wiped across the blade of his sword, a cold light reflected like ice, illuminating his resolute face.
The undercurrents that had surged in scattered directions for fifty years finally converged at this moment. Ignited by a single spark, they rose into a monstrous wave.
People harboring different beliefs would, in a few moments, appear on the same stage with the same purpose.
On the eve of the Ghost Gate's opening, everything would come to an end.
