Chapter 27

The God of Glory walked over to Lu Yao, took her hand, and watched the goldfish fight over the food with her. "Why are your hands so cold?"

He pulled off the white gloves she was wearing.

"Maybe the weather's getting colder," Lu Yao said, leaning gently into his embrace. "It should snow before long."

The God of Glory tossed the gloves into the fish pond, the white cloth standing out starkly among the golden fish.

He chuckled. "When we first met last year, it was also about to snow. That day was very, very cold."

The God of Glory looked at Lu Yao's face. "Once we're bound by the marriage contract, how about we go stay in Penglai for a while? The snow scenery there is beautiful too—much prettier than Jiangnan."

Lu Yao stiffened. She dreaded it whenever the God of Glory brought this up.

Two months ago, the God of Glory had heard a story from a few hundred years ago—

A celestial god fell in love with a mortal. When Tian Zun found out, he flew into a rage. Gods and mortals loving each other had been forbidden since ancient times, but the two were deeply attached. The mortal endured twelve bolts of heavenly lightning and countless torments before barely crawling up to the Nine Heavens.

Tian Zun never interfered with their relationship again, and so they formed a marriage contract and stayed together for a hundred years.

But Lu Yao wasn't like them.

That lightning was called Heart-Questioning. Only lovers with true sincerity could withstand it. Unfortunately, all Lu Yao felt for the God of Glory was scheming and exploitation—any single bolt would strike her dead.

Since time immemorial, no artifact had ever helped a mortal survive the Heart-Questioning Lightning Formation. Lu Yao couldn't rely on any treasure to endure it. If the lightning truly fell, all that awaited her was death.

But the God of Glory didn't know that, because he had brought Lu Yao countless riches and fame, and she pretended to love him.

The God of Glory never noticed the pretense. He believed Lu Yao was utterly devoted to him.

She could have kept up the act forever, playing the loving wife until she grew old—but if she had to face a trial, that love was worthless.

She had spent a year with the God of Glory, and now Lu Yao was the richest woman in Jiangnan. She could no longer recall the desperate woman who once begged for mercy at the river's edge, ready to jump.

Money and fame meant nothing to Lu Yao now. She had everything. She no longer needed The God of Glory's help. In other words, the God of Glory wasn't worth risking her life for anymore.

Lu Yao was mortal—no matter where she ran, the God of Glory would find her. So before the marriage contract descended, she had to get rid of him, no matter the method...

A trace of barely concealed hatred flickered in Lu Yao's eyes as she looked at him. She stayed silent, not answering right away, and the moment stretched into stillness.

The God of Glory wasn't a patient man. When Lu Yao didn't respond, he grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. A sinister smile curled at his lips as his fingers dug into the place where her finger had been severed.

"Yaoniang, we'll be together forever. You won't leave me, will you?"

The pain in her severed finger surged back. Half a year ago, she had gone to a teahouse and chatted a little too long with the tea master. When she returned to the estate, the God of Glory had killed the tea master and thrown his head onto Lu Yao's bed.

The tea master's face was still etched into her memory.

After that, without listening to a single word of her explanation, The God of Glory snapped her index finger.

In his anger, he imprisoned her in the Lu estate. From then on, Lu Yao lost all chance to interact with outsiders. She lived like a prisoner for four whole months before the God of Glory gradually lowered his guard, and she gained a sliver of freedom.

The God of Glory was a complete madman.

Submissively, Lu Yao said, "Husband, I won't leave you." She nuzzled her hair against the God of Glory's neck, barely keeping her expression from crumbling. "I'd love to go to Penglai too."

Hearing this, the God of Glory's mood improved. He stroked her black hair, inadvertently tugging out a few strands. Lu Yao winced at the pain but didn't dare complain.

The God of Glory said, "Those two women who came to your estate today—I don't like them. Don't associate with outsiders. From now on, you're not to leave the house. Alright?"

There it was again. He didn't like it, so she couldn't have it. Because he didn't like it, she had to be punished—imprisoned again.

The words struck like thunder. Lu Yao's heart raced. The freedom she'd fought so hard to regain was being stripped away again. Her face went pale, but she still said, "Alright."

Her gaze drifted far away, landing on a dead goldfish floating in the pond. She thought of Lin Yu again.

A moment later, the corner of Lu Yao's mouth curled upward. She had thought of a new way out.

...

When Lin Yu and Zhang Yulin returned to the inn, they found an unexpected guest. Zhang Yulin's expression shifted to surprise as she stepped forward. "Senior Brother."

Lin Yu followed behind Zhang Yulin, giving the white-robed Daoist a slight nod. "Senior Brother."

Zhou Yu looked Lin Yu up and down, his tone unfriendly. "Didn't Xianzun tell you I was waiting for you in Jiangnan?"

This senior brother looked like trouble—and quick to anger. Lin Yu didn't want to cause a scene, so she spoke softly. "He did... but he didn't say where you were. He only said you were in Jiangnan..."

Zhou Yu's voice suddenly boomed. "So you couldn't be bothered to come find me? Don't you have a Seeker's Compass? You expected me to come to you?"

The Seeker's Compass was a tool used by cultivators to locate people, extremely accurate. Only a rare few cultivators possessed one. Lin Yu had just joined the sect and naturally didn't have a Seeker's Compass, so she answered honestly, "No."

"You—!" Zhou Yu started to lose his temper, but on second thought, he wasn't exactly in the right. As the senior disciple of the tower, he should've been looking after the younger disciples. Lin Yu was a newcomer who'd only arrived a couple of days ago—it was normal that she didn't know anything. Zhou Yu couldn't figure out how to scold her.

"You! You..." Zhou Yu stammered for a long time, then changed tack. "You used to run an herbal shop?"

Lin Yu nodded. Zhou Yu pressed on. "What happened to the shop?"

Lin Yu pursed her lips. "Burned down. Not even ash left."

Zhou Yu said, "You—"

Zhang Yulin wiped the sweat from her forehead. This senior brother was famously hot-tempered and vindictive—anyone who crossed him would face endless trouble.

And the herbal shop was a scar on Lin Yu's heart. Zhou Yu hadn't even bothered to investigate the situation before asking directly.

Zhang Yulin nervously glanced between the two, wondering if they were about to come to blows.

Fortunately, both seemed composed enough, with no sign of violence. On the surface, they looked perfectly calm, which put Zhang Yulin slightly at ease.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath. "Do you have any medicine for pain and skin ulcers? Preferably something with remarkable effect."

Lin Yu thought for a moment. "Burnet root?"

Zhou Yu said, "Fine, that's it. Go get some. Tonight we'll use it to lure out those revenants, then kill them all. Quick and clean, then back to report."

Lin Yu said nothing more. She agreed and returned to the room with Zhang Yulin.

...

Lin Yu shut all the doors and windows, scenes flashing rapidly through her mind.

The revenants she'd seen last night all had festering sores and weeping wounds on their skin. Lu Yao's father had looked the same. That meant the revenants probably endured daily suffering from their rotting flesh and needed medicine to treat it.

But burnet root was plentiful and cheap. How many revenants could be lured with just a bit of medicine?

Zhang Yulin roughly guessed what Lin Yu was thinking. "Zhou Yu's so confident, so he must be sure of himself. But is it really that simple to capture the revenants?"

"Isn't this too easy?"

Lin Yu said, "It means they're desperate for medicine—desperate enough that medicine can be used as bait. Or they're too poor to buy it."

After all, revenants couldn't exactly disrupt normal order by robbing medicine stores in broad daylight, so Zhou Yu had chosen the dead of night.

Lin Yu thought of Lu Yao again. "Last night, that revenant couple said they had to pay the Lu estate silver to stay alive. Their money all goes to the Lu estate, so that's why they can't afford medicine?"

Zhang Yulin grew more confused. "But didn't Lu Yao say her father was revived by the Rain Goddess? If they were given new life by the Rain Goddess, shouldn't the revenants be donating to the Rain Goddess' Temple? Why send money to the Lu estate?"

The Rain Goddess ruled over all the waters of the world and likewise governed the life and death of all things. With water, all things live; when it runs dry, all things die. It was no surprise that the Rain Goddess possessed the power to revive mortals and extend their lives.

"Unless... after her father was revived, Lu Yao somehow gained control of the revival curse?!" At that, Lin Yu's eyes widened slightly, and Zhang Yulin shot up from her chair in shock!

But Lin Yu quickly dismissed the idea, shaking her head slightly at Zhang Yulin. "No, that's not right either..."

When she'd seen Lu Yao today, Lin Yu was certain the woman carried no aura of magic or immortal arts. Lu Yao was nothing more than an ordinary mortal. There was nothing special about her estate, either. How could she have obtained the revival curse...

Who, exactly, had taken the Rain Goddess's identity to amass wealth in Jiangnan?

Who had silently slaughtered over a hundred members of the Xie family to silence them?

And where had all that counterfeit gold and copper coin come from?

It all seemed like one elaborate scheme, the mastermind hidden behind a veil, face impossible to make out.

Their speculation was spiraling further and further off track, becoming more and more unorthodox, so they ended the discussion about Lu Yao.

After a long pause, Zhang Yulin seemed deflated. Having seen the revenant couple, she felt a pang of sympathy for their fate. "Do we really have to kill those revenants?"

Lin Yu looked at Zhang Yulin and sighed. "The dead returning to life goes against the natural order. If they could stay lucid and live without suffering, that would be one thing..."

Lin Yu didn't finish the sentence, but Zhang Yulin understood her meaning.

If they could keep their wits and not harm anyone, turning a blind eye might be acceptable. But they lost their minds and lashed out uncontrollably. Moreover, the essence of revenants was forcing a living soul back into its original corpse—borrowing a dead body to return to life.

The person was alive, but the body was still dead.

A living soul stuffed into a dead corpse's skin, forced to wander the world in that rotting form. The body would stiffen, decay, breed worms, fall apart, and eventually dissolve into the earth.

That was cruel too.

Revenants defied the laws of the world and broke the curse of mortality—of aging, sickness, and death.

Lin Yu looked out the window. It was nearly dusk. "Yulin, they're already dead."

...

The winter night wind was bitingly cold. Approaching midnight, the streets were empty, and the wind howled like a cry. Lin Yu stood at a street corner, frowning at the pitch-black sky with not a flicker of light.

A large pile of burnet root and other herbs sat in the middle of the road, the thick medicinal scent carrying far into the distance.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, a figure appeared in the distance—an old man, dragging one leg as he tottered toward Lin Yu. Dark shadows trailed behind him.

Zhou Yu smirked. "Here they come."

They were all hidden in a shop on the corner, watching the scene unfold. The revenants had eyes only for the herbs on the ground, oblivious to the people lurking in the dark.

As they drew closer, the medicinal fragrance grew stronger, filling their senses.

The revenants grew excited and quickened their pace. The ones in the back soon overtook the old man who'd led the charge, swarming toward the burnet root!

Just as they were about to touch the herbs within reach, someone screamed. "Ah! It hurts! It hurts!!"

But most of the revenants around were mindless, so no one paid him any attention. Drawn by the scent, they kept mechanically shuffling toward the burnet root.

"Burning! Ah!" A revenant who had scooped up an armful of burnet root suddenly burst into flames on his chest!

"What's going on?" Lin Yu stared in shock at Zhou Yu. "They can't use these herbs?"

Zhou Yu was equally incredulous. "No, look at the symptoms—they're no longer ordinary revenants!" He jumped to his feet and led Lin Yu and Zhang Yulin to a different hiding spot.

They crouched beneath the layered silk curtains of a shop's folded awning, the sheer fabric concealing their figures.

Not far away, a revenant engulfed in flames screamed hoarsely. His human skin gradually burned away!

Then, a bizarre sight unfolded... As his outer skin peeled off, the blackened form within was revealed. He had become a pure black, human-shaped substance!

Zhou Yu's pupils contracted. Staring at the shadow, his voice trembled. "This is... They've become... wandering spirits!"

Zhang Yulin watched in terror. "What does that mean... Are we going to die here?"

Zhou Yu said, "They used some other heretical method to keep their bodies from rotting. These people have completely lost themselves now!"

Wandering spirits, as the name implied, were souls that had not been collected by the underworld and remained in the mortal realm. It was an extremely vicious curse.

Once a soul became a wandering spirit, it could never enter the cycle of reincarnation. It lost its memories and became a shadow-like substance, able to survive in the world only by eating human flesh and drinking human blood.

One wandering spirit had revealed its true form, and soon there would be a second. If a flood of wandering spirits were unleashed, the consequences would be unthinkable. They had to kill the first one to appear, immediately!

Zhou Yu shut his eyes. "Forget it! We fight first, talk later! You two find somewhere to hide!" With that, he charged out!

The wandering spirit was mixed in with the other revenants. Zhou Yu gripped an iron sword and hacked into the crowd!

The mindless revenants were easily cut down, while the conscious ones fled in panic. Because Zhou Yu deliberately let the conscious ones escape, they got away easily.

Soon, Zhou Yu carved a bloody path through the rotting corpses.

As the revenants died, countless Soul-Renewing Pills scattered into the air!

When the crowd was finally dispersed, Zhou Yu locked onto the wandering spirit and unleashed his killing blow!

The wandering spirit looked like a pitch-black human figure, but it had no physical form. Zhou Yu slashed at it repeatedly, each strike passing straight through! The spirit remained unharmed, but Zhou Yu's spiritual power and energy were being drained!

Zhou Yu couldn't land a hit on its physical form. After several exchanges, he lost the initiative. The wandering spirit sensed his killing intent and slowly turned around. Black vapor seeped from its body, surging toward Zhou Yu's chest!

Quick as lightning, Lin Yu appeared beside Zhou Yu, grabbed him by the collar, and flung him out of harm's way. The black vapor slammed into the ground, smashing massive craters!

The pits still smelled faintly of saltpeter. Hard to imagine what would have happened to Zhou Yu if he hadn't dodged!

But at that very moment, wisps of black smoke floated up from the body of a mindless revenant that had already been killed.

The second wandering spirit emerged right behind Lin Yu!

And Lin Yu had her back to it. No one noticed the second wandering spirit appear!

It flew toward Lin Yu at terrifying speed!