Eleven
Due to his profound resentment and unyielding will, Xia Zhi possessed considerable spiritual power.
It took Xuan Ye considerable effort to retrieve the evil spirit souls that Xia Zhi had devoured from his body. Then, controlling them, he subdued Xia Zhi, firmly bound him, and brought him before Moon Glow.
From start to finish, the antidote remained clutched in his left palm, never loosening its grip even now.
"Hand over the antidote, and I'll make your death swift," Ban Xia quickly interjected, signaling Xuan Ye not to act too hastily.
Xia Zhi laughed, exerting force with his left palm to crush the pill into powder, then slowly opened his hand.
Amid the vast yellow desert, the powder vanished instantly with the wind.
"The taste of hope turning to despair—quite satisfying, isn't it?" he said, his face paler than snow as he looked at Xuan Ye.
"If you hadn't committed evil deeds, your soul could have reincarnated, and your next life might have been fulfilling."
"That's a 'might.' I don't like 'might.' I prefer everything to be within my grasp, striving and ultimately obtaining."
Xuan Ye remained silent.
"Spare A Liang. He's outside. Behead him, but don't let him accompany me."
"You destroyed the antidote and still dare to bargain with us? No way!" Ban Xia erupted in fury, circling Xuan Ye, her heart burning with anguish at the thought that he might one day become another Zhan Xiao.
"You're upset?" Xia Zhi turned to her, somewhat puzzled. "Do you like him? What does it mean to like someone? What does it feel like?"
"It's frantic, anxious, sensitive, and timid—a feeling you'll never understand!"
"For him, would you dare to kiss me?"
Ban Xia froze, then quickly grasped his meaning. She stepped forward without hesitation, cupping his face.
Their lips met—a rushed, flustered, and resentful kiss, devoid of sincerity, merely a fleeting touch. Yet, it still held a hint of beauty.
Liking someone, being obsessed with something, strolling leisurely under the sunlight, sharing a sincere, lingering kiss—these beautiful moments in life, unfortunately, were all things he had never experienced.
Despite exhausting all his strength, he had never attained them.
Perhaps this was the fate he had never believed in.
"At the Xia family's villa, the place Zhan Xiao visited, there might still be an antidote," Xia Zhi whispered, leaning close to Ban Xia's ear. "But his right leg joint is stiff, beyond cure. Consider this the price for ruining my plans."
"And this," he added moments later, lifting his head fully for the first time, no longer suppressing his strength but choosing to endure. "Consider it a gift from me, not something coerced."
"Go ahead. I know you'll spare A Liang," he said, his soul suddenly lightened as he finally let go, drifting vaguely into the air.
Without anyone's instruction, You Huang, who had been pierced countless times by Xuan Ye, had already set off, flying elegantly toward the Xia family.
Xuan Ye, dragging one leg, went to awaken Zhan Xiao, who had merely been knocked unconscious.
Ban Xia's mood was relatively clear, so she crouched nearby. "Even a wooden man can act. If that soul wasn't Zhan Xiao's, whose was it?"
"It was one sealed inside the blade, also possessing strong spiritual power. I released it and then re-contained it, performing a trick. After Xia Zhi devoured it, his spiritual power surged, which made him believe he had succeeded."
"How did you notice something was off about him?" Ban Xia tilted her head, glancing at Zhan Xiao, inexplicably joyful that Xuan Ye had actually spared him."Everywhere, I've thought through everything that's happened along our journey, and I feel that something is wrong everywhere. He is a pitiful man, only eats the hearts of the living dead, only wants to take revenge for the Xia family, and in the end truly became a corpse demon... Everything we've investigated is related to him. It's what he wanted us to see. This thread is too rigid and clear, leading us by the nose all along. There simply couldn't be so many coincidences in this world. That's why I took matters into my own hands and put on this act, to see what he truly wants."
Ban Xia fell silent, looking at him with a straightforward gaze, and said, "Even if you become lame, I won't dislike you. I won't dislike you for having a short life either. Even if you really can't live past thirty, I will live well and not seek death or cling to life."
Xuan Ye crouched down, speechless for a moment.
"Sis is confessing her love to you, please give some reaction!"
The reaction came quickly. Xuan Ye, who was always reserved, slowly leaned in, his breath hot, and gently pressed his lips to hers.
As if he had been waiting for too long, Xuan Ye's kiss was lingering and deep, filled with a determination that seemed to want to merge into Ban Xia's very bones and blood.
When the kiss ended, Ban Xia, held in his embrace, felt him trembling slightly and suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.
For some reason, this man had struggled and fought for so long before finally accepting her.
"Let's not think about the past or the future. Let's just take each day as it comes," she said, feeling tenderness return to her heart.
Xuan Ye remained silent, only holding her tighter.
The yellow sand howled, the wind passing through their fingers. Indeed, regardless of the past or the future, at least at this moment, he could hold her in his arms.
The next evening, You Huang returned covered in dust, tossing a cloth bundle from afar to Xuan Ye.
From start to finish, he wore a dark expression, watching Xuan Ye take the pill before lowering his head to examine his leg.
After looking, he began to pant, squatting handsomely to the side for a while before coming back to look again, pacing back and forth like a ghost stuck in a maze.
"You're not suited to be a cripple," he finally said after a while, crossing his arms as if making a monumental decision. "I know a place that can treat your joint."
"Where?!" Ban Xia exclaimed, rushing over to grab her rival's hand. "Where can his leg be treated?!"
"The Bone-Cleansing Pool."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go quickly!"
You Huang fell silent, squatting on the ground and looking seriously at Xuan Ye. "The master of the Bone-Cleansing Pool is my friend, a celestial being. You must not cause him trouble."
Xuan Ye found it amusing and looked back at him, mimicking his seriousness. "If your friend is truly a celestial being, why should he fear me, Brother Bamboo? This is like protesting too much."
You Huang became frantic, raising a hand to scratch his head less than handsomely, before finally stomping his foot. "Whatever! I'll take you there. Let's bring Zhan Xiao along too. Once he recovers, the two of us against you—you won't stand a chance."
"Come with us. He really can cure you," he said, hopping over when Zhan Xiao showed no reaction. "This way, at least you can sit and sleep without suffering so much."
Zhan Xiao didn't speak, still standing straight, leaning against his purple coffin.
One hundred thirty-nine, and all of them should be inside this sand city.
He had fulfilled all his promises.
His so-called life, half-human half-ghost, finally had a visible end."I'm not going." After a long, long while, he finally spoke, sighing as he put on his bamboo hat. "My journey is nearing its end. You go on ahead. The mountains are high and the rivers long—we shall not meet again."
"Tell me... what will happen to Zhan Xiao?"
After traveling for many days, when they had reached the foot of Moqi Mountain, Comrade Chi Xue could no longer hold back and asked the question that had been weighing on him.
Ban Xia turned to him and spoke plainly: "He will die. Someone who has been standing for nearly two years no longer has the strength to live."
"He could come here to heal his bones."
"But his corpse poison cannot be cured. The toxin has already reached his heart. Sooner or later, he will become a corpse puppet. Rather than suffering like this, it's better to fulfill his promise and go meet his wife sooner."
Chi Xue let out an "oh," cradling his Layered Lotus as he lowered his head, heavy with thought.
"The Bone Cleansing Pool can cure almost any bone disease, but... it also requires some sacrifice." You Huang, who had been unusually silent, finally spoke, pursing his lips to emphasize the weight of his words.
"How much does it cost? Damn, we're broke," Ban Xia immediately retorted.
"No money." You Huang continued to purse his lips. "There's a one in a thousand chance he might ask for one of your bones."
"Which bone? The tip of my pinky finger, maybe?"
"That... is uncertain. It depends on which bone catches his eye."
Ban Xia was horrified: "What if he takes a liking to Xuan Ye's spine? Would we just give it to him?!"
"I already said, it's a one in ten thousand possibility. Rarely does anyone's bone catch his eye."
"Just now you said one in a thousand."
The two of them began to argue. You Huang, unable to withstand Ban Xia's stare, finally threw up his hands: "Fine, it's possible. I've been hesitating about this too. Let's make a decision now."
"We could refuse. With so many of us against him, it'd be over in no time."
"Once you enter his Ink Pool, you must agree to the condition. Do you think someone as steadfast as Lord Xuan Ye would break his word?"
Ban Xia fell silent and turned to look at Xuan Ye.
"I'd mind being a cripple." For once, Xuan Ye was sincere, without a hint of hesitation.
"I'd mind too!" Seizing the moment, You Huang exclaimed loudly, his cloak fluttering behind him with a swish as he pointed toward the mountain peak. "Then let's ascend. This mountain may not look tall, but the path is exceptionally difficult."
Indeed, the mountain was unremarkable and did not appear steep, yet the path was extraordinarily challenging, filled with layers of mist and obstacles. Ban Xia and the others trekked for many days before finally reaching the summit.
It was a peculiar mountain, hidden among the ranges. While the other peaks were lush and verdant, this one stood barren and menacing. At the summit, aside from scattered rocks, there wasn't a single decent plant or tree.
Winter had already set in, and fine snowflakes drifted down with the gentle breeze, softly landing on everyone's shoulders.
Following You Huang, Ban Xia and the group wound through the mountaintop for what felt like an eternity. Finally, after one last turn, they arrived at an open area.
Ahead lay a stretch of pure white—a flawless white stone beach that shimmered with restrained light under the faint sunlight.
In the center of the stone beach was a small pool. It wasn't large, but its color was profoundly dark, as if it had absorbed all the ink in the world—quiet, deep, and truly jade-like in its stillness.In the center of the white stone lay the Ink Pool, a sight that not only left a commoner like Ban Xia awestruck but even You Huang, who traveled the world with his cloak billowing, was dumbfounded upon first seeing it.
"This is the Bone Cleansing Pool," You Huang whispered, his voice unconsciously softening, just as it had the first time he came.
Ban Xia let out an "oh," as dazed as Chi Xue, and slowly stepped forward to the edge of the pool.
Just then, there was a movement by the pool. Right in front of Ban Xia's feet, a figure slowly rose, standing up without a sound.
Clad in white robes with wide sleeves sweeping the ground, his hair cascaded beside the pool, as dark and profound as the pool's water.
Seated by the pool, he truly seemed to merge with the water; from start to finish, Ban Xia hadn't noticed him at all.
"Hello..." Ban Xia stammered, "We..."
The man tilted his head upward, showing no intention of acknowledging her, and instead focused intently on the fine snowflakes in the air, waiting for them to drift down and finally settle between his brows.
"I'm sorry, I've come again... and... brought someone with me," You Huang stepped forward, revealing his identity as an old acquaintance.
"It's fine," the man finally spoke, his voice ethereal, truly like an immortal untouched by worldly cares. "Is he here to cleanse his bones? Does he know the rules of my Bone Cleansing Pool?"
At least ten seconds passed, and Ban Xia noticed that the snowflake between his brows showed no sign of melting.
"Yes," You Huang nodded, thinking for a moment before trying to strike up a conversation. "How have you been lately? Have you collected all the bones you need?"
The man remained silent, slowly advancing instead, his long sleeves brushing the ground as he walked up to Xuan Ye. He studied Xuan Ye intently, as if examining a painting.
"Almost collected, just one vertebra short," he finally said, raising his long sleeve. "Ahead lies the Bone Cleansing Pool. Please disrobe before entering."
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