Chapter 259: The Word “Love”

Abe Kun was just an ordinary person, nothing more than the simplest of men. His meaning was straightforward—without a ship, everyone would be trapped and perish on the island.

Dong Lingzi said, “A hundred years ago, the Abe family was driven to Tokyo by a feng shui master named Meng Shaokun, who crushed them utterly and even sealed Tokyo’s feng shui. Who would have thought they still haven’t shed their arrogant temperament? How laughable.”

I seemed to have heard of Meng Shaokun before—he was the one who defeated a silver jiangshi, and at the time, I was utterly awed. But the idea of him single-handedly traveling to Tokyo and defeating the Abe family sounded like something straight out of a legend. Abe Kun’s expression darkened, as if he wanted to refute but couldn’t find the words—it must have been true. Gu Xiulian exclaimed in shock, “That man must have been invincible!”

Dong Lingzi replied, “He was a disciple of Yang Yunsong, generations removed. He died young. Xie Lingyu descended into the underworld precisely to search for him.”

I had originally wanted to hear the story of how the Abe family was defeated by Meng Shaokun, but upon Dong Lingzi’s words, I also exclaimed, “Meng Shaokun? Xie Lingyu went to the underworld to find him?”

Dong Lingzi said, “I wouldn’t lie to you. Xie Lingyu was originally a fox spirit who transcended tribulations to enter the mortal world, born as the daughter of an official. But within the government mansion in the capital, she was murdered. When she died, she was buried face-down.”

I knew about face-down burials—placing the corpse head-first, back to the sky—a method meant to suppress vengeful spirits. And Xie Lingyu’s request for Beijing Erguotou liquor must have been for the same reason.

I asked, “Who killed Xie Lingyu?”

Dong Lingzi replied, “That case was settled long ago—no need to revisit it. Meng Shaokun found Xie Lingyu’s tomb and discovered the jade corpse Xie Xiaoyu inside. Xie Xiaoyu appeared at that time, over a hundred years ago. Later, after Meng Shaokun’s death, Xie Xiaoyu wandered to the Yunnan region.”

Meng Shaokun—a grandmaster of feng shui, the one who sealed Tokyo’s feng shui. A man like that was undoubtedly a hero. No wonder Xie Lingyu went searching for him. The thought made my heart twist uncomfortably. Like any man, realizing that the woman I couldn’t let go of held in her heart a man far greater than me, whose stature I could never reach, was a bitter pill to swallow.

I laughed bitterly to myself—so, in the end, I was just a substitute.

Was this the love I couldn’t let go of? The little witch in the Yunnan borderlands, the one in the deep mountains of western Hunan—was it all because I resembled that man? A sudden realization struck me—was it because I bore some resemblance to Meng Shaokun?

God, my head was spinning. What the hell was going on? The underworld officials in charge of reincarnation were truly unkind—how could they make people look alike without any blood relation?

Damn those underworld officials. If I ever got the chance, I’d settle the score with them.

Abe Keiko said, “I heard about this from my family when I was young. But the one Meng Shaokun loved wasn’t Xie Lingyu. From what I know, it was a woman named Ye Baimeng. The Meng Group, led by Meng Xiaoyu, is the descendant of Meng Shaokun.”

A thought struck me—Xie Lingyu’s flower shop in Jiangcheng was named “White Dream.” Could that be the reason? I vaguely recalled the name of the Meng Group’s financial arm—the White Dream Consortium. Was that also because of this?

I asked, “If Xie Lingyu knew this, would she still have gone to the underworld searching for Meng Shaokun?”

Abe Keiko replied, “Love has no reason. From what I see, aren’t you the same, pining for Xie Lingyu even now? Even though she’s just the remnant soul of a fox spirit in the mortal world.”

Gu Xiulian burst into laughter. “How fascinating! Xie Lingyu chases Meng Shaokun. Meng Shaokun loves another. And poor Master Xiao is in love with Xie Lingyu. Truly, the tangles of human affection are impossible to grasp.”

Gu Xiulian, being a Taoist, had never experienced love or hate. But as an outsider, his words cut straight to the heart of the matter—love and hate, all tangled into a knot, a knot so painful it could drive one mad.

Guo Furong, however, sneered, “What does a Taoist know of love? A single moment of joy is worth more than immortality. If not for the vengeance I must exact for Liangliang, I would have joined him in the Yellow Springs long ago.”

Gu Xiulian, raised in the wilderness among plants and beasts, scoffed at her words. “If one could attain immortality, why cling to worldly emotions?”

But Guo Furong seemed resolute—once she avenged Zhou Liangliang’s death, she would end her own life.

Hua Changsheng, who had once been involved with mortician Zhong Li in Jiangcheng, sighed, “Alas, no amount of Buddhist scripture can dispel the bonds of love.”

I understood now—Xie Lingyu sought Meng Shaokun, who loved Ye Baimeng. I loved Xie Lingyu, who loved Meng Shaokun.

As for Guo Furong and Zhou Liangliang, though they loved each other, they could not live together in this world—only reunite in death. Hua Changsheng could have been with the one he loved, but she was already married, leaving him with nothing but sighs.

The world rarely goes as one wishes—it seems fate had already written everything. With that in mind, I said, “At least knowing the truth settles an old matter in my heart.” I cast aside the three-year promise, mocking myself silently.

But Abe Keiko said, “Xiao Qi, why torment yourself? Think about it—Xie Lingyu is an intelligent woman. She stayed by your side, protecting you from harm. She may have loved Meng Shaokun once, but the one she loves now is you. Meng Shaokun saved her—she went to find him to repay that debt. As a woman, I understand a woman’s heart.”

I jolted awake. Xie Lingyu had always been cautious with her words, afraid of hurting me. She once said that only by not seeking that man could she love me better. That must have been the reason.

The three-year promise must still hold. The thought reinvigorated me, dispelling the frustration in my heart. I smiled, glancing back at Xie Xiaoyu, as if the beauty stood beside me like an immortal—yet facing such a jade-like figure, I couldn’t help but feel unworthy.

Dong Lingzi said, “Resolving this knot is good. Now, back to the matter at hand—Abe Kun, why are you here? Your family has already lost.”

Apart from their ties to the Ghost Sect, the Abe family must have had another story with Meng Shaokun. The mention of him had allowed me to resolve Xie Lingyu’s matter, untying the knot in my heart. But Dong Lingzi’s original intention was to find out why Abe Kun had come.

Abe Kun said, “No one remains undefeated forever. A hundred years have passed—we need not live in the shadow of defeat. If we cannot rise again, what use are these human legs?”

Dong Lingzi praised, “Your family is indeed exceptional, rising from adversity. You have your own methods. But the elixir of immortality is of no use to you—what do you seek it for?”

Abe Kun bowed. “Thank you for your praise.”

Dong Lingzi rarely complimented others. His praise for the Abe family meant they truly had merit. To Abe Kun, this acknowledgment was validation—he no longer felt humiliated.

Abe Kun continued, “We seek the elixir for immortality—nothing more.”

Gu Xiulian said, “Even the legendary Stone Monkey of Huaguo Mountain feared death, traveling far to seek the path of immortality under Subhuti. If even a monkey craves eternal life, how much more should humans?”

Dong Lingzi sighed deeply, pointing at me. “Go and take the jade ruler. Let the Corpse King emerge. The elixir is inside the coffin—bring it out for all to see.”

Though Dong Lingzi occupied Chui Ye’s body, only I could face the Corpse King. I hesitated, much like a year ago when I dared not open that red refrigerator, fearing Huang Shi’s emergence.

I said, “Ancestor, you’re not setting me up, are you? If I open that stone coffin, the Corpse King will kill me the moment it jumps out.”

Dong Lingzi scolded, “You’re a disciple of the Ghost Sect—how can you fear a mere Corpse King? I’m furious! You’ve got no backbone—utterly infuriating!”

I quickly replied, “Ancestor, don’t be angry. Why don’t you go get it yourself? Or let these immortality-seekers do it?”

The Corpse King wasn’t dead yet, so no infighting had broken out. But once it was slain, a bloodbath would ensue, leaving only one survivor to claim the elixir.

Dong Lingzi cursed again. “If I had a body, I’d have done it myself! These cowards want the elixir but fear the Corpse King. Besides, the Corpse King is already awake—the jade ruler alone can’t suppress it. If we don’t kill it, it will kill us.”

I said, “Fine. I’ll go remove the jade ruler and face the Corpse King.”

Dong Lingzi shouted, “Hua Qianlou! Guo Dabeng! Are you ready?”

The Unrotten Bone and the Silver-Armored Corpse nodded stiffly, not daring to tremble.

Guo Jue’s jaw nearly dropped. “Guo Dabeng” was the name of his ancestor—the very Silver-Armored Corpse he had been carrying around all this time. It seemed fate was inescapable, as if everything had been written in the stars.

Guo Jue fell to his knees, kowtowing to the Silver-Armored Corpse, whom he had often ridden like a horse. To think it was his own ancestor—now he felt nothing but terror.

The ancestors and descendants of both the Hua and Guo families knelt before Dong Lingzi. Hua Qianlou and Guo Dabeng were the two unfilial disciples who had followed Dong Lingzi a thousand years ago. Now, kneeling before him again, it was purely instinct.

Truly, Dong Lingzi was formidable.

Abe Kun also prepared to face the Corpse King. I stepped forward, blood pooling on the floor—Chui Ye’s and Dai Hao’s. The scent of blood hung thick in the air, an irresistible lure for the Corpse King within the stone coffin. Even the Earth-Nurtured Corpse stirred restlessly—blood was to zombies what gold was to greedy men.

Gu Rechang, too, seemed agitated.

The stone coffin before me was enormous, several times larger than an ordinary one. A thought crossed my mind—could there be more than one Corpse King inside? Maybe an entire family?

Sweat trickled down my temple…