GM Chapter25

“We’re leaving now.”

 

At the entrance of the Lu family mansion, two majestic stone lions stood sentinel. Song Xiaozhou lingered nearby, watching Liang Mu and Shen Zhi together.

 

Song Xiaozhou said, “Won’t you guys stay a few more days?”

 

Shen Zhi blinked, smiling. “I know you’ll miss me, Xiaozhou, but my Shige and I really have to go. I heard there are some strange creatures in Kaifeng, and we’re going to check it out.”

 

Song Xiaozhou looked at Shen Zhi’s face, which had become as smooth and flawless as before. “Then be careful. Write to me often. If I find any rare jade, I’ll send it to you.”

 

Shen Zhi laughed. “Sounds good.” He nudged Liang Mu with his shoulder. The two had a perfect understanding; Liang Mu quickly swung onto his horse. With one foot in the stirrup, Shen Zhi paused for a moment, then turned and leaned close to whisper into Song Xiaozhou’s ear. “You should be careful, too. Nothing is more important than being alive. A good person like you, even if you were to die, would have a smooth time in your next life and be reborn well. You won’t be shackled to your vengeful ghost gege.”

 

“So just stay alive.”

 

Song Xiaozhou nodded heavily. Unable to resist, he raised his hand and hugged Shen Zhi. “Ah Yu, thank you.”

 

“Tsk, you’re so mushy.” Shen Zhi hugged him back, then released him and nimbly mounted his horse. “We’re off.”

 

As he watched the two of them gradually disappear into the distance, Song Xiaozhou let out a breath. He turned around, saw the large character ‘Lu Mansion’ on the plaque, and was lost in thought for a moment before stepping onto the stone steps and heading inside.

 

Two full months had passed since the incident on Mount Furi.

 

That day, Song Xiaozhou opened the coffin and saw a skeleton. Its flesh had all been consumed by the Soul-Sealing Array. The skeletal frame was lonely and twisted, hinting at the suffering it had endured in life.

 

Iron chains locked its hands and feet, nailing it firmly into the coffin like a curse. Tears welled up in Song Xiaozhou’s eyes. He took Shen Zhi’s sword and tried to sever the chains.

 

Clang! One strike rang out. Before the sword could reach the chains, it was pushed back. The pitch-black chains shimmered with an eerie crimson glow, tightening their grip around the skeleton.

 

“Xiaozhou, don’t be reckless,” Shen Zhi said, grabbing Song Xiaozhou’s hand. Their shared experience of life and death had brought them closer. “There’s a Soul-Sealing Array.”

 

Song Xiaozhou muttered, “Right, the Soul-Sealing Array, the Soul-Sealing Array.” Without a second thought, he bent his knees and knelt before them, sobbing. “I beg you two to help me break the array. I beg you, two immortal masters…”

 

“Hey,” Shen Zhi said, holding Song Xiaozhou up. He sighed. “Alright, get up first.”

 

When the time came for Shen Zhi to break the array, Liang Mu took the yellow talisman from his hand. Shen Zhi was at the end of his rope, and Liang Mu didn’t want him to take the risk. He looked at Shen Zhi, who was watching him expectantly, and lowered his eyes, ultimately relenting.

 

Once the Soul-Sealing Array was broken, Song Xiaozhou carefully cut all the chains. However, there was no change in the coffin. He couldn’t sense any of Lu Heng’s presence. Song Xiaozhou stood there in a daze. For a moment, it was as if the sky had turned black. The coldness of the wilderness surged from all directions, penetrating to his very bones.

 

Shen Zhi and Liang Mu exchanged a glance. Shen Zhi bit his fingertip and drew a few strokes on the coffin, saying, “This is a Soul Gathering Talisman. If Lu Heng’s soul hasn’t completely scattered, perhaps he can come back.”

 

Song Xiaozhou stared intently at the talisman, not daring to blink, like a drowning person clutching at a single piece of driftwood. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the beast tooth necklace around his neck. “Jinzhi…”

 

There was no response.

 

Still no response.

 

A long time passed, so long that Shen Zhi and Liang Mu were about to give up. Suddenly, Song Xiaozhou’s jade pendant hanging from his waist flashed with a faint blue light, alternating between bright and dim.

 

Song Xiaozhou’s heart jumped a few times. He wanted to touch the jade pendant but didn’t dare, as if it were something fragile.

 

His eyes grew warm, and Song Xiaozhou wept with joy.

 

Most of the people in the Lu Mansion had been sacrificed to ghosts by Lu Xuan. After Song Xiaozhou returned, he only kept a few servants to clean. The Lu Mansion was very large, so large that walking through it felt lonely.

 

He instinctively hurried through an arched doorway, only to hear someone calling out, “Xiaozhou.”

 

Song Xiaozhou looked up and saw Lu Heng standing in the corridor. He was dressed in simple white robes, with a face like jade, and he smiled gently at him.

 

Song Xiaozhou blinked, then ran over, grabbed his arm, and pushed him into the shadows. He mumbled, “Who told you to come out? You haven’t recovered yet. What if you get burned by the sun?”

 

Lu Heng said, “It’s not a big deal.”

 

Song Xiaozhou responded, “It’s a big deal! Nothing else matters more than this. If you act so recklessly again, I’ll get angry, and it won’t be easy to calm me down.”

 

Lu Heng smiled and changed the subject, saying, “They left?”

 

Song Xiaozhou said, “They’re gone.”

 

“Are you sad to see them go?” Lu Heng stroked his cheek. His fingers were cold.

 

Song Xiaozhou held them and nodded honestly, “I’m a little sad. This is the first time I’ve had friends my whole life.”

 

“But—” Song Xiaozhou’s tone shifted. He looked up at Lu Heng with a smile on his lips. “I’d rather be with Jinzhi, just the two of us and no one else.”

 

Lu Heng couldn’t help but smile, leaning down to kiss the smile from his lips. “No one will disturb us again.”

 

Song Xiaozhou suddenly remembered something and glared at him. “You changed the subject.”

 

Lu Heng laughed out loud. “I did not.”

 

Song Xiaozhou said, “Yes, you did! I’m telling you, you shouldn’t think you’re the same as you were before. Right now, you’re no different from a little ghost who just died. What if you get bruised, bumped, or sunburned? It would break my heart.”

 

Lu Heng said abruptly, “Xiaozhou, you’re so long-winded.”

 

Song Xiaozhou huffed. “You’re not allowed to dislike me!”

 

Lu Heng laughed. “I didn’t.”

 

Song Xiaozhou let out a light “Hmph.” “Did you remember?”

 

Lu Heng said, “Yes, Madam Lu, I remember.”

 

As they spoke, Lu Heng reached out his hand, and Song Xiaozhou intertwined his fingers with it. Though the ghost’s hand was cold, his heart immediately felt warm and full, and all traces of loss and loneliness vanished.

 

They walked on. The sun hung high in the sky, and its light couldn’t reach into the long corridor. The boundary between light and dark was distinct, yet both seemed to hold countless possibilities, leading to a bright future.

 

Even if their paths were different, how could one know their journeys would not end in the same place?