Chapter 75: Moon, Your Father Has Passed Away
Qi Huang woke up from a dream, feeling a cool dampness on her cheeks. She instinctively wiped her face and found moisture.
‘Did I cry?’
Qi Huang thought uncertainly, recalling slightly. She felt she must have been touched by Yao Yao’s family’s experiences, which caused her to cry in her dream.
‘But thankfully, it was just a dream!’
Qi Huang comforted herself, but a thorn seemed to grow in her heart; she felt uncomfortable, perhaps subconsciously knowing it wasn’t as simple as just a dream.
The sky had brightened completely, and Qi Huang still had to look after the Ghost Tomatoes. She couldn’t lie in bed indefinitely, so she got up to wash. Meanwhile, her nominal parents had already gone to look after their own grocery store, while her main body remained in the bedroom, cultivating day and night.
Not long after, Tang Ping arrived!
Tang Ping, the girl Qi Huang had invited to look after the Ghost Tomato acquisition stall, now also had another identity: Liu Keqian’s fiancée.
“Immortal Qi, I specifically came to tell you something. The stall hasn’t acquired any Ghost Tomatoes for over ten days.”
Tang Ping’s face showed a hint of apology.
“As expected!”
Qi Huang smiled with relief.
“You already knew?”
Tang Ping asked in surprise.
“Yes, from getting one every two to three days at the beginning, to one every five to six days later, I knew this would happen.”
Qi Huang replied calmly.
“But why would it be like this? The price we offered is already very high.”
Tang Ping asked somewhat unwillingly.
“Because the quantity of Ghost Tomatoes is limited, and we opened the stall in a place like HongHua Sect with limited information. So, the sellers are all from the surrounding prefectures. It’s natural for the supply to be exhausted now.”
Qi Huang explained.
“I see. So, what do we do now?”
Tang Ping asked worriedly.
“Close the acquisition stall. There’s no need to keep it open.”
Qi Huang made a very rational decision.
“Ah? Then… what about me?”
Tang Ping suddenly became anxious. She didn’t want to be unemployed. After all, the small HongHua Sect had tens of thousands of people, and finding such an easy job would not be easy.
“From now on, you’ll come to the house to help Yuan Jie take care of those Ghost Tomatoes. Your pay remains the same.”
Qi Huang instructed. Tang Ping had followed her for more than half a year and was diligent and responsible. Coupled with her relationship with Liu Keqian, Qi Huang naturally wouldn’t dismiss her easily.
“Okay! Thank you, Immortal!”
Tang Ping was overjoyed.
‘Fortunately, I had the foresight to have Juyin Auction House promote and acquire them for me.’
Qi Huang thought proudly. One must know that Juyin Auction House’s clients came from all over the world, and its influence was definitely not comparable to her secluded stall. By then, she could rely on supplies from other places.
When Qi Huang arrived at the greenhouse outside the door, she found Yuan Jie already watering and weeding. Her face immediately showed a satisfied expression. Seeing this, she realized she had indeed found good sisters-in-law for her two brothers.
Since then, Qi Huang focused her main energy on the matter of “dreaming.” Because seeing Cheng Ling’s memories required luck, she hadn’t achieved much.
Of course, Qi Huang wasn’t idle during this time. She often went out with several Senior Sisters to eliminate lone ghosts and wild spirits within the prefecture. There were two reasons for this: Firstly, she came from a poor background and hoped to do something for the common people; Secondly, she wanted to eliminate potential threats as much as possible to ensure that her Senior Sisters wouldn’t encounter danger when going on missions alone.
However, it was regrettable that lone ghosts and wild spirits were migratory. Coupled with Pingshan Mass Grave, this meant that the evil spirits in Huang Tian Prefecture could not be completely eradicated.
…
Within the imperial tomb of Pingshan Mass Grave, the zombie Crown Prince was still studying the military deployment of the Xihui Dynasty. He was merely lying low due to circumstances, not intending to be a mountain king for life. Moreover, this mountain king’s position was not stable, especially with an evil origin lurking within that could erupt at any moment.
“Your Highness!”
At this moment, General Li, the Silver Corpse, walked in.
“General Li, how is the investigation into the descendants of the Jiang clan going? Don’t tell me there’s still no result.”
Jiang Feng said without looking up, his warning was obvious.
“Reporting to His Highness, there is a result, but…”
General Li hesitated, his face showing indecision.
“Just say it. This Crown Prince pardons your offense.”
Jiang Feng said, putting down the documents and looking up.
General Li took a deep breath, then said gravely, “When the rebels attacked the Imperial Palace back then, they annihilated the Royal family. Not a single one was left.”
Jiang Feng took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. After a moment, he smiled self-deprecatingly: “I should have thought of this long ago, yet I still held a sliver of hope.”
“Your Highness, we cannot let this great enmity go unavenged!”
General Li knelt and kowtowed several times.
“Of course, we must avenge it, but now is not the time.”
Jiang Feng said rationally, sitting back down.
“Is it because of the Crown Princess and that Cat Spirit’s obstruction?”
General Li tried to probe cautiously.
“Not entirely!”
Jiang Feng shook his head, then said, “General Li, don’t forget, we are spirits now. Once we make a move, we will surely be attacked by the Immortal Alliance. With our current strength, dealing with the Xihui Dynasty is like hitting a rock with an egg, let alone the Immortal Alliance.”
“This…”
General Li was rendered speechless.
“Don’t worry, General Li. As the saying goes, a gentleman’s revenge is never too late. This Crown Prince will ensure that the Lin clan pays with their blood.”
Jiang Feng said, gnashing his sharp zombie fangs.
“This subordinate understands. However, there is an unstable factor within. Judging by the pervasive Yin Energy it releases, if it wakes up suddenly, it might be difficult to deal with.”
General Li’s face showed a hint of apprehension.
“It’s alright. We are all spirits. It’s not necessarily a fight to the death. After all, don’t we have the Immortal Alliance as a common enemy?”
Jiang Feng appeased him.
…
That night, after entering the dreamscape, Qi Huang finally saw Cheng Ling’s memory again.
Cheng Ling, carrying the human-skin mask, moved forward unsteadily. Although her speed was not fast, with her tireless efforts, she gradually moved away from HongHua Sect.
Of course, Cheng Ling did not relax. Although this allowed her to evade her main body, it also meant that her chances of encountering other risks increased, as the world was full of lone ghosts and wild spirits.
For safety, Cheng Ling found a hidden cave to hide in.
‘What should I do in the future? Should I always show myself with a mask? I’ll surely be treated as an evil spirit!’
Cheng Ling fell into deep thought. However, her main body had only given her a piece of skin. No matter how awkward it was, what could she do? Humans are not like flowers and plants that sprout with a little water.
‘Forget it. Even if I only have a piece of skin, so what? It’s much better than being imprisoned in the main body’s Sea of Consciousness.’
Cheng Ling then comforted herself and stayed in the cave with peace of mind.
In the following days, when Qi Huang slept at night, she saw Cheng Ling’s memories again. She found that Cheng Ling had been staying honestly in the cave, hiding during the day and coming out at night, being cautious and careful. There were no unusual situations.
On this day, Liu Yingyue brought good news: she had acquired the first Ghost Tomato.
Qi Huang was overjoyed and then carefully instructed her to preserve it carefully and absolutely not let anyone touch it, as it would be very troublesome. After all, ordinary doctors could not cure that kind of poison.
Liu Yingyue indicated that she understood and then ended the call.
That night, when Qi Huang fell asleep, she saw Cheng Ling’s memories again. However, this time she also dreamt, and the protagonist of the dream was actually that little loli named “Yao Yao.”
…
When Qi Huang opened her eyes, she found her consciousness once again attached to “Yao Yao.” On the dilapidated bed in front of her, Yao Yao’s grandmother was critically ill, so emaciated that only skin and bones remained. Her skin was dark, devoid of blood, and her thin lips barely covered her teeth.
“Ah Hua, I don’t think I have much time left, so I want to tell you a few things.”
The old lady spoke with difficulty.
“Mother, tell us whatever you want to say. We’re listening.”
Her son Ah Hua choked up.
“First, it’s you, Ah Hua.”
The old lady looked at her son and said earnestly, “You should know that being able to marry a wife like Yuan Yuan is a blessing you’ve cultivated over several lifetimes. After I’m gone, you must take good care of them, mother and daughter. You must never wrong her. This is my only request for you in this life. Can you do it?”
“Don’t worry, Mother! If I ever wrong her, may lightning strike me.”
Ah Hua raised his hand and swore.
The old lady then looked at her daughter-in-law beside her. “Yuan Yuan, you haven’t had a single good day since you married into this family. That you can still stay now, I’m truly grateful! But I still want to say, if you really can’t go on, you can leave. I won’t blame you, and Ah Hua won’t either! I just hope you can take Yao Yao with you.”
“M-Mother-in-law… please don’t worry… I… I would rather die than leave Hua… Brother Hua.”
Yuan Yuan sobbed.
“Good child!”
The old lady’s eyes reddened, then she looked at the timid Yao Yao. “My darling granddaughter, don’t be afraid. Grandma is just sleepy. Regardless of whether I wake up again or not, I will always watch over you until you grow up… get married… have children… and have a house full of descendants!”
As she said this, the old lady closed her eyes gently with a smile on her face.
That day, Yao Yao lost the grandmother who doted on her. Two years ago, she had just lost her equally doting grandfather, all because of illness!
Although Yao Yao was young and ignorant, blood is thicker than water. So, she always felt an emptiness in her heart, crying more sadly than the adults.
…
This time, Qi Huang also woke up with tears. This was because the “dreamscape” was too realistic. Until now, she could be sure that it was not a simple dream!
“Who is this Yao Yao? Why does Cheng Ling repeatedly dream of her?”
Qi Huang fell into deep thought. As expected, she gained no clues. To understand all this, she probably had to learn from subsequent dreams.
In the following one to two months, Qi Huang saw Cheng Ling’s dreams a few more times. Since Yao Yao lost her grandmother, her family had become peaceful. In the following years, her parents worked together, gradually paid off their debts, and their family’s situation began to improve.
Qi Huang was also secretly happy for them. Just as Yao Yao’s father said, people wouldn’t be unlucky their entire lives, right?
In the real world, Liu Yingyue had completed her mission. Unfortunately, this news was leaked back to the Liu family beforehand. There were those who rejoiced and those who worried.
A few days later, the poor Liu Yingyue suddenly received a sad report from her mother.
“Yue’er… your fa… father… has passed away!”
Liu Mother’s hoarse voice came from the Thousand Li Sound Transmission Device.
“W-what?”
Liu Yingyue felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her. Her vision went black, and she fainted.
