Chapter 44: Seeing Through Destiny
After coming back to her senses, Qin Liu didn’t dwell on what had just happened.
She now considered it a moment of absentmindedness.
However, perhaps due to Qin Liu’s presence, the situation inside the red gate was very quiet, and no fierce ghosts or vengeful spirits were seen.
There was only endless darkness.
With darkness all around, Liu Haoyu couldn’t even confirm his direction, so he had to take out the Soul Seeking Incantation and place it on the peachwood sword.
This peachwood sword was given to him by Old Deng as an 18th birthday gift.
It was also in that year that he became a ghost exorcist who could stand on his own. This peachwood sword held extraordinary significance for Liu Haoyu.
Therefore, he generally didn’t use it as a weapon. Unexpectedly, this peachwood sword came in handy today.
Soon, the talisman paper inscribed with the Soul Seeking Incantation ignited with a deep blue flame.
The appearance of this flame meant that Old Deng had encountered vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts.
Liu Haoyu extinguished the deep blue flame on the talisman paper and said,
“Old Deng is probably already fighting the red gate. We need to hurry.”
As he spoke, Liu Haoyu took out a stack of paper figures and attached them to the peachwood sword.
The paper figures swayed without wind, and began to float up little by little.
The paper figures dared not touch the darkness, but fortunately, Qin Liu held a lantern that could illuminate the darkness.
So, the paper figures were able to fly forward slowly.
Liu Haoyu followed closely behind the paper figures and soon saw traces left by the grounding of the lightning-drawing talismans on the ground.
At the same time, Liu Haoyu also saw that there was still a lot of residual resentment here after a large number of vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts were purified.
These traces of battle continued to extend forward, as if they would never stop.
“So strong…”
Liu Haoyu knew that Old Deng’s strength was great and had a general understanding of his abilities.
But this was the first time he saw the traces of his battle with his own eyes.
Based on the strength displayed so far, he was not much weaker than Liu Haoyu.
What’s more, Old Deng was already over sixty years old.
If Old Deng were in his prime, he might have been able to kill his way out of the red gate directly.
But… people eventually grow old.
As the man and the ghost walked further, the intensity of the battle grew stronger.
However, it was also evident that Old Deng was already a bit overwhelmed.
Dark red, viscous bloodstains remained on the ground.
There was no doubt that this was the blood left by Old Deng.
“He should be not far ahead.”
Qin Liu held the lantern, her expression also a bit anxious.
The remains of fierce ghosts and vengeful spirits on both sides had almost piled up into a small mountain.
But the blood on the ground was also increasing.
It wasn’t until Liu Haoyu’s footsteps stopped that he finally saw Old Deng leaning against a black coffin.
He was clutching his abdomen, and dark red, viscous blood was constantly flowing out from his fingers.
“Cough, cough, cough!!!”
When Old Deng saw Liu Haoyu, his aged face showed considerable surprise. He wanted to say something, but it agitated the wound on his body.
With violent coughing, blood and pieces of internal organs were coughed out from his mouth, falling to the ground.
“Why did you come?”
“Old Deng, stop talking. I’ll take you out now.”
Liu Haoyu stepped forward to try and support the old man, but he just waved his hand weakly and said weakly,
“I’m fine…”
“I didn’t expect… Heh heh…”
Old Deng’s gaze fell on Qin Liu beside Liu Haoyu.
Having not only seen the red gate but also having one foot in hell, he naturally saw Qin Liu’s true appearance.
And he knew that seeing the true appearance of the Night Walker meant that his time was running out.
It was just that he didn’t expect that the true appearance of the Night Walker would be such a beautiful young girl.
However, Old Deng also knew that the Night Walker’s true appearance was not like this.
As for why she appeared this way, it was probably because of the ritual performed by the ghost exorcists that year.
To make the Night Walker controllable, her abilities had to be sealed within a person.
And the girl in front of him was the best vessel for the sealing ritual.
At this moment, she was not only the Night Walker but also a guide leading departed souls to the Yellow Springs.
However… the state of this Night Walker seemed a little off.
She seemed to be depending on Liu Haoyu?
“Little Liu, lean your ear closer…”
At Old Deng’s signal, Liu Haoyu leaned his ear closer.
And the old man said in a difficult and weak tone,
“The girl beside you… is related to a sealing ritual in the 1980s.”
“She is the Night Walker, the guide who manages the lantern.”
“But pay attention… because the sealing ritual was not complete, she must retain human consciousness,”
“Once she subconsciously believes that she is not human… the consciousness of the Night Walker will completely awaken.”
“The consequences… are unimaginable.”
Old Deng and Liu Haoyu’s conversation was very low, and Qin Liu did not hear it.
This little ghost thought they were reminiscing about old times, so she didn’t disturb them.
But then again, is it really okay to reminisce in a place like this?
So she took the initiative to remind them,
“Liu Haoyu, let’s put aside the reminiscing for now. How about we leave this place first?”
Hearing Qin Liu’s voice, Liu Haoyu also understood that this was not the time for further idle talk.
He supported Old Deng’s body.
This old man’s body was exceptionally light, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.
“Creak…”
At this moment, in the dark world, there was an untimely sound of a door closing.
Hearing this sound, Old Deng also understood…
The red gate was coming.
So, he said to Liu Haoyu,
“Put me down. I have to stay here to seal this red gate.”
“The gate is about to close. Little Liu, you guys leave quickly, otherwise it won’t be so easy to leave later.”
After Old Deng finished speaking, his emaciated hand forcefully pushed Liu Haoyu away. In his palm was a talisman.
“This is the Underworld. Staying in a place like this for too long will cause irreversible damage to your body. I will send you back.”
Before Liu Haoyu could react, the talisman in Old Deng’s hand emitted a dazzling light, which momentarily even dispelled the darkness within the red gate.
But it was only for that moment. Old Deng found a way for Liu Haoyu to escape.
“Go back… I’ll entrust Xiaolin to you.”
A huge force directly shook Liu Haoyu out of the red gate.
When he came to his senses again, he found himself back on the fourth floor of Building 2, Unit 1 of the skeleton building.
The eerie red lights that had permeated the area were all gone.
Bright moonlight streamed in from the window, and the sirens outside were still wailing.
And beside him, besides himself, there was no one.
Neither Qin Liu… nor Old Deng were anywhere to be seen.
Within the red gate, it was a dim world.
When the Gate of the Yellow Springs closed, it meant that Old Deng had forever lost the chance to escape.
The Life Return Talisman could only send a soul back to the Human World, and could not be used on the caster themselves.
Moreover, Old Deng had never intended to leave here alive from the beginning.
The red gate was extremely dangerous, and it had to be sealed forever.
Otherwise, the boundary between the Human World and the Underworld would no longer be clear, and the area within a radius of several hundred kilometers, centered on Jiangliu City, would become a grim and terrifying dead land.
This was something no one could bear.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Old Deng was still coughing violently. The fierce ghosts and vengeful spirits within the red gate had all been cleared by him.
But for some reason, the red gate did not make a move to end his life.
It was as if it was quietly enjoying his process of waiting for death.
Death… was immensely painful.
Due to excessive blood loss, Old Deng’s vision began to blur. He tried to open his eyes, but his heavy brain could no longer think.
He leaned against the black coffin, and his trembling hand, using almost all his strength, pressed the lighter to light a cigarette for himself.
Old Deng knew who was inside the black coffin behind him.
It was Qin Liu’s body, preserved to this day by a secret technique. Although he hadn’t opened the lid to look, if Old Deng guessed correctly, the girl inside was still in the appearance of that year.
As long as she didn’t wake up, she would be preserved in this place forever.
As a guide, she would continuously fulfill her mission.
But all of this… had nothing to do with him anymore…
The cigarette in Old Deng’s hand didn’t even get a puff before his cold and numb hand could no longer hold it steady.
It slid powerlessly to the ground, and no matter how Old Deng tried to pick it up, he couldn’t.
Finally, he could only choose to give up, close his eyes, and prepare to meet his final death.
Just then, a faint sound of footsteps appeared before him.
The faint lantern illuminated the dark world.
Old Deng opened his eyes again, and he saw Qin Liu.
However, Qin Liu’s eyes were hollow at this moment, her expression cold, and she stood in front of Old Deng.
She said one sentence.
“You are going to die.”
“Yes… it is…”
For some reason, Old Deng’s wrinkled face smiled.
The emotionless Qin Liu continued to speak,
“You shouldn’t have stayed here. Liu Haoyu should have stayed here instead.”
“This poor monk can vaguely see through destiny. If it were according to destiny, this would indeed be the case…” Old Deng said, as if experiencing a final burst of energy: “If I had been even a little slower just now, that kid would have definitely slapped the Life Return Talisman in his hand onto me and stayed in this ghost place himself…”
“But I have seen through destiny, so… I acted faster than that kid.”
The smile on Old Deng’s face was devoid of regret, like a monk waiting for nirvana after complete release.
Qin Liu’s hollow gaze fixed on Old Deng. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then raised the lantern and said,
“Your lifespan is not yet exhausted, your destiny is not yet at its end. I will take you back…”
Under the illumination of the lantern, Old Deng’s body was no longer under his control. Like a puppet on strings, he followed behind Qin Liu.
When Old Deng returned to the real world, he found that his body was still in severe pain and his consciousness was very blurry.
But the girl in front of him had disappeared, and all he saw was a junior on the ground, filled with remorse.
At this moment, Old Deng really wanted to laugh out loud to the heavens.
Just like the last time he faced the red gate, he had once again overcome destiny and survived between life and death.
Only, this time, the price… was a bit too high.
Although the red gate was not sealed, it had been severely damaged.
But… his body could no longer support him in his profession as a ghost exorcist.
Even so, Old Deng was still happy about it.
The red gate had been severely damaged, and the rest would be left to this junior in front of him.
He looked at Liu Haoyu on the ground, extended his bloodied hand, and placed it on his forehead.
“Kid, I’m back.”
“Grandpa!!”
When Deng Xiaolin arrived at the hospital, she saw Old Deng lying on the hospital bed and cried her heart out.
She had already lost her father, and her mother had left because of it.
So, she definitely didn’t want to lose her grandfather.
Looking at Deng Xiaolin, who was sobbing on the bed.
Old Deng, who was usually strict, now dotingly stroked her head.
“Girl, I’m not dead yet. Why are you acting like you’re mourning?”
“I heard from Brother Hao… you almost lost your life fighting ghosts… *sob sob sob*…”
“Alright, alright, your grandpa is still alive.”
Old Deng comforted his granddaughter and looked towards Liu Haoyu.
To be precise… he looked at the ghost beside Liu Haoyu.
Although Old Deng could not see her figure, as a long-time ghost exorcist, he could still determine that Qin Liu was behind Liu Haoyu.
So, after the old man smiled at her, he closed his eyes.
“Xiaolin, instead of arguing with this old bone of mine, why don’t you catch up with your beloved Brother Hao? I’m going to sleep now.”
With that, Old Deng closed his eyes.
He left Deng Xiaolin, blushing, standing there in a daze.
In the end, she could only purse her small face, look at Liu Haoyu, and say,
“Brother Hao, why don’t we talk outside the ward first?”
“Okay.”
Liu Haoyu naturally wouldn’t object.
The two of them came to the corridor, and Deng Xiaolin immediately bowed to Liu Haoyu at a ninety-degree angle.
“Brother Hao… Thank you…”
The girl’s sobbing voice sounded again.
Liu Haoyu just shook his head and said,
“If you want to thank someone, thank Qin Liu. She brought him out.”
“Ah… I just did something I could do. There’s no need to thank me.”
Qin Liu felt a bit awkward at this moment.
She felt that her contribution was not that great.
Because from beginning to end, she had just steadily brought the person out of the red gate.
If someone else held this seemingly very powerful lantern, they would surely be able to do it as well.
So, just like doing good deeds in her past life, what she did just now was really just a matter of convenience!
This ninety-degree bow thing should be done away with.
However… is there something not quite right about this?
Qin Liu recalled the situation at that time.
After Liu Haoyu was sent away, she found herself still remaining in place, so she picked up the lantern, said a few words to Old Deng, and then took him out.
Wait a moment…
Speaking of which.
What did she say to Old Deng at that time?
Qin Liu scratched her little head. She felt that a large blank had suddenly appeared in her memory, yet she remembered everything that happened inside the red gate and how she brought the person out.
But she had forgotten what she said to Old Deng.
