IMMFBCG Chapter 18 V1

Chapter Eighteen: The Eighteenth Level of Hell

Ye Xue felt that every time she saw Yu Qi, he was either lost in thought or on the verge of drifting off, and there always seemed to be a group of restless wandering spirits lurking nearby, watching him like predators.

Wandering spirits…

At the mention of this, Ye Xue was reminded of her interrupted thesis.

Seeing that the spirits hadn’t left after being scolded, she grabbed her red lantern and walked over, urging, “What are you all still doing here? Go on, get lost.”

The ghosts were afraid of the candlelight from her lantern, which was blessed by the Xuanzhen Temple, making it particularly intimidating to them.

Though they scattered quickly when the light hit them, they still didn’t leave entirely. Instead, they huddled in a corner, gazing intensely at the young man beside Ye Xue.

Their audacity made Ye Xue chuckle. With a mischievous smile, she asked, “Do you think I’ve gone soft because I haven’t beaten anyone up in a while?”

As she spoke, she drew out her sword of evil slaying and planted it into the ground with a menacing stance. “If I catch you bullying anyone again, I’ll chop you down, one by one.”

Of course, Ye Xue was just bluffing.

As long as the ghosts weren’t harming anyone, she wouldn’t deal with them.

Yu Qi remained silent, instinctively glancing at her before lowering his gaze, deep in thought.

“Still not leaving?” Ye Xue raised an eyebrow. Even after pulling out her sword, the spirits hadn’t run off, which made her curious about what they were up to.

The wandering spirits exchanged glances and began muttering among themselves.

Ye Xue watched them with an amused expression.

After a while, one of the ghosts stepped forward, rubbing its hands together nervously. It asked, “Daoist, could we… maybe have something to eat tomorrow?”

In the past, they wouldn’t have dared speak to Ye Xue like this, but after seeing her give incense offerings to Chen Su and the others, their courage had grown, enough to request some for themselves.

Ye Xue cheerfully replied, “Sure.”

But before the ghost could show its joy, Ye Xue added, “If you’re brave enough, come get it from the temple yourselves.”

Causing trouble everywhere and now expecting to scam food? Not a chance.

The ghosts, heartbroken, cried as they fled.

Ye Xue chuckled and turned her attention back to the young man beside her.

Yu Qi seemed lost in his thoughts, his eyelids drooping slightly as he stared at his hands, seemingly dazed.

“Yu Qi?” Ye Xue asked, puzzled. “What are you looking at?”

Yu Qi snapped out of his daze, glanced at Ye Xue, and then clenched his hands even tighter.

He shook his head. “…Nothing.”

Master Bai, hearing the commotion outside, came out to check, concerned that Ye Xue had been outside for too long. “Junior sister, what’s going on? Are the wandering spirits causing trouble again?”

Ye Xue turned around and replied, “Nothing much, just ran into a friend.”

—A friend.

Upon hearing these words, Yu Qi’s eyelids fluttered, and when he looked up at her again, his dark eyes seemed to light up.

Master Bai walked out and spotted the young man beside Ye Xue. He was puzzled at first, but when he recognized the person, he was surprised. “Mr. Yu?”

Yu Qi nodded lightly. “Master Bai.”

Ye Xue glanced between them. “So, you two know each other?”

Master Bai sighed softly and told her, “Junior sister, you mustn’t be rude to Mr. Yu. He is—”

“It’s fine,” Yu Qi interrupted, his gaze still fixed on Ye Xue. “We’re friends.”

Friends?

Master Bai was taken aback, but instead of dwelling on it, he asked, “Mr. Yu, has your soul separated from your body again? Do you need me to send you… back?”

Before he could finish, Yu Qi’s calm gaze met his, lingering on him for a moment.

Master Bai: “…”

Realizing something, Master Bai chuckled and suggested, “Perfect timing! My apprentice made some snacks. Why don’t you join us?”

Yu Qi nodded. “Sorry to trouble you.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Xue perked up and asked excitedly, “What snacks did my apprentice make?”

Master Bai looked at her with a fond smile. “I noticed you hadn’t eaten much this afternoon, too focused on your reading, so I had Xu Zhou prepare something for you in advance.”

Ye Xue’s heart warmed as she beamed. “Thank you, Senior Brother!”

As Yu Qi listened to their cheerful conversation, he couldn’t help but soften his gaze at Ye Xue’s lively tone.

The four of them enjoyed the snacks in the side hall, while Bai Liu, the only unfortunate soul forced to study, was still stuck in his room. By the time the red-robed ghost took pity on him and let him out for a break, there were only a few snacks left on the table.

Seeing the nearly empty plate, Bai Liu was devastated. He was the unluckiest soul in the temple, always left out.

Poor Bai Liu had barely been outside for 15 minutes before the overly strict female ghost dragged him back in for more lessons.

Later that night, Ye Xue began feeling sleepy. She rested her chin in her hand, yawning repeatedly.

Seeing this, Yu Qi rose to bid farewell.

Before leaving, the young man pressed his lips together, glancing at Ye Xue as if he wanted to say something, but before he could speak, he was already back at the Yu family’s mansion.

When Yu Qi woke up, his right hand was still tightly clenched. Slowly, he opened his fingers to reveal a delicate talisman.

This talisman had been left to him by his parents, intended for him to give to someone important in the future.

Yu Qi stared at it silently, then clenched his fist again and returned the talisman to its box.

He sighed softly, thinking to himself, I’ll wait a little longer.

…

The red-robed female ghost left just as dawn was breaking.

Bai Liu ran out of the room to get some fresh air, feeling utterly drained. He collapsed onto a chair in the side hall, wrapping himself in a blanket, and lamented, “This is inhumane! I’ve already graduated, why am I still studying?!”

Ye Xue, who had been up for a while, walked out with a book. Hearing his complaints, she smiled and asked teasingly, “Didn’t you say you loved studying?”

Bai Liu tried to resist, “Actually, it was unrequited love! So, Auntie, maybe you could…?”

Ye Xue just looked at him, smiling without saying a word.

Seeing her expression, Bai Liu knew there was no way out and sighed deeply in resignation.

Ye Xue, who had been reading her book, suddenly remembered something and asked, “Nephew, why do you think Yu Qi is always out of his body?”

This was the first time she had encountered something so unusual.

Bai Liu, peeking out from under his blanket, raised his hand eagerly, “I know this one!”

“Go on,” Ye Xue nodded.

Bai Liu asked, “Auntie, have you read Journey to the West?”

Ye Xue nodded again, “Yes, I have.”

Sun Wukong was her childhood idol.

Bai Liu continued, “That Yu gentleman is like Tang Sanzang in the story. Just like Tang Sanzang is a reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, Yu Qi is said to have a rare celestial bone, and a natural immortal constitution. That’s why he attracts ghosts and spirits—those with evil intentions want to devour his flesh and blood to increase their power. As for those wandering ghosts, they may not understand what’s drawing them in, but they instinctively want to consume him.”

Ye Xue understood, but she had a question. “My master also said I’m destined to become an immortal. So why don’t any wild ghosts want to eat me?”

Was she not worthy of their attention?

Bai Liu couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “Auntie, they’d have to be brave enough to try!”

The last ghost who dared to mess with Ye Xue had long been buried, with grass growing three meters high on their grave.

…

He Siqi stepped off the bus in a daze, heading toward the location her GPS was guiding her to.

She hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in a long time.

For months now, every time He Siqi fell asleep, her mind would be filled with an incessant buzzing, as if countless voices were exploding inside her head. It left her restless and unable to sleep at night.

Now, with the new semester about to start, she found herself lacking the energy to even attend school, so her family had to request an extended leave for her.

It was her cousin, Xiang Xinlan, who finally noticed her constant state of distress. She gave He Siqi a business card and suggested that she visit this particular Daoist temple.

He Siqi recognized it as Xuan Zhen Temple, a place that had gained some recent fame. Even one of her father’s friends had consulted with the Daoist there to improve his company’s fortunes.

Honestly, He Siqi didn’t hold much hope, but given how desperate she felt, she figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

As she followed the GPS, she noticed a strange sense of peace settling over her, as if the closer she got, the more her troubled heart found solace.

Just as she reached Xuan Zhen Temple, the door opened, and a girl as beautiful as an immortal came out, placing a plate of fruit by the stone lions outside.

The girl paused for a moment, catching sight of He Siqi out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze, calm and serene, like polished black gems, met He Siqi’s.

In front of those peaceful, beautiful eyes, He Siqi felt an inexplicable urge to trust her. Gathering her courage, she asked, “Excuse me, is the Daoist here? I have something I need to ask about.”

Ye Xue studied her for a few seconds before nodding, “Yes, come inside.”

He Siqi obediently followed her.

Ye Xue suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling out a talisman and placing it on the back of He Siqi’s hand.

Instantly, He Siqi’s mind cleared, the dark clouds that had been surrounding her dissipating in an instant. She felt lighter than she had in months.

Realizing that the talisman was the source of this relief, He Siqi looked gratefully at her. “Master…”

So this ethereal girl was one of the temple’s Daoists.

Ye Xue, seeing her confusion, smiled and explained, “You looked exhausted, so I used a calming talisman.”

Now even more convinced she had come to the right place, He Siqi gripped Ye Xue’s hand tightly and thanked her profusely. “Thank you, thank you so much…”

Her voice choked with emotion, “I… I really…”

She was overwhelmed. For months, she hadn’t been able to rest. She had thought that after finishing the college entrance exams, she would finally be able to relax, but instead, she had been trapped in a relentless nightmare.

Now, having glimpsed hope, she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

Looking at the girl, who was about her age, Ye Xue felt a pang of sympathy and gently reassured her, “Come inside. We can talk more in the temple.”

“Okay.” He Siqi, a little embarrassed, wiped her tears and nodded.

Ye Xue led her into Xuan Zhen Temple.

At that moment, Bai Liu had already been called away by Wei Xing Teng for a part-time job, leaving only his empty shell in the temple.

Xu Zhou had just finished moving “Bai Liu” back to his room and was walking out when he saw Ye Xue and the red-eyed girl beside her.

Seeing him, Ye Xue asked, “Nephew Xu Zhou, where’s my brother?”

Xu Zhou thought for a moment, “Master went out and should be back later.”

Ye Xue nodded, indicating she understood.

She then said, “This young lady has encountered some problems. Since my brother isn’t here, let’s go check it out together.”

Xu Zhou, having worked with Ye Xue many times before, knew they had a good rhythm together. He nodded in agreement.

He poured a cup of hot tea for He Siqi and invited her to sit and speak.

The girl held the cup in both hands, feeling the warmth seep into her skin. She took a deep breath and drank the tea before setting the cup down.

Then, He Siqi began to explain the troubles that had been plaguing her for nearly three months.

“Since June, I haven’t been able to sleep properly. At first, my parents thought I was stressed from the college entrance exams and took me to see a psychologist. The doctor said I had no mental issues. But whenever I sleep, I hear voices, sometimes whispering, cursing me. I’ve never had a peaceful night since. During the day, when my parents are home, I can only take short naps. My parents used to take time off to be with me, but after a while, even though they wanted to stay, work became an issue. To keep them from worrying, I pretended to be fine and told them I was feeling better.”

“But I know, deep down, that the nights are unbearable.”

As she spoke, tears flowed again. It was clear she had been tormented for some time.

Her complexion was pale, her eyes dark with exhaustion, and her face gaunt.

Ye Xue patted her hand and asked gently, “Do you live alone now?”

He Siqi took a deep breath to calm herself and nodded, “My parents travel a lot for work, so most of the time, I’m home alone.”

Xu Zhou pondered and said, “In that case, Miss He, would you be able to take us to your home to have a look?”

He Siqi nodded, “Yes, I’ll take you there now.”

Before leaving, Ye Xue left a note informing the temple master that she and Xu Zhou were handling an issue for a client and would return later.

She stuck the note in an easy-to-see spot and left the temple with He Siqi and Xu Zhou.

…

He Siqi unlocked the door and led them inside.

Ye Xue scanned the surroundings but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. The house faced north and south, making it warm in winter and cool in summer, suggesting good feng shui. However, the black energy clouding He Siqi’s forehead indicated that a ghost had indeed been bothering her.

Ye Xue’s yin-yang vision didn’t reveal any issues inside the house, meaning that the ghost wasn’t present at the moment. It likely only appeared at night.

So, they decided to wait until evening to take action.

With people accompanying her, He Siqi felt more at ease, but as dusk approached, she became visibly tense. It was clear how much trauma the night had brought her.

He Siqi unconsciously moved closer to Ye Xue, seeking comfort from her presence.