IMMFBCG Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Cling

When Wei Xing was about to leave, Yè Xuè suddenly called out to him, “Wei Xing.”

The pale light on the wall flickered slightly as the Wuchang ghost turned to look at Yè Xuè, asking, “Yè Daoist, what’s the matter?”

The room was lively inside.

Android and Bai Liu were both restless, constantly bickering with each other.

Yè Xuè ignored the noise and approached Wei Xing.

She recalled the note she had seen earlier and asked, “It’s said that ghosts are called ‘shàn’ when they die, but for a long time now, apart from some Taoist traditions that use the term ‘jiàn’ to drive away spirits, I’ve never seen any other place mention ‘shàn’.”

Wei Xing was taken aback at her question.

Yè Xuè continued, “So, does ‘shàn’ really exist?”

Wei Xing’s expression darkened slightly as he waved his soul-capturing rod, dispelling the pale light on the wall. He didn’t leave immediately but went to a corner with Yè Xuè before speaking. “Yè Daoist, you’re correct. The choice for wandering souls is either to descend to the underworld for reincarnation or to float as a lonely ghost in this world and eventually fade away. ‘Shàn’ is quite rare because most dead souls disperse. The Taoist ‘jiàn’ is what has the power to intimidate such spirits.”

Yè Xuè’s expression subtly shifted, as Wei Xing’s explanation seemed to confirm her suspicions.

Wuchang ghost continued, “You must have guessed your mind when you asked me this question.”

Yè Xuè looked up at him. “Shàn?”

Wei Xing nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Lord Cui once investigated the whereabouts of a thief but couldn’t find any record of him in the Life and Death Registry. At that time, Lord Cui guessed that he might be an outlier spirit, beyond the Five Elements.”

Wei Xing referred to “Lord Cui” as one of the four chief judges of the Yama’s court, who manages the Life and Death Registry. The other three judges are Wei Zheng, who rewards the good; Zhong Kui, who punishes the wicked; and Lu Pan, who oversees investigations.

Once a ghost dies, it disappears from the Life and Death Registry and has no future, unable to reincarnate.

This also means that the underworld cannot track its whereabouts since it has left the control of the Yama’s court.

Bai Liu’s voice cut in at this point. “If that’s the case, why does he let those fierce ghosts go? Does he plan to eat them?”

Yè Xuè and Wei Xing both looked back at him.

Bai Liu, caught under their simultaneous gaze, scratched his head in confusion. “Did I guess wrong?”

The previously tense atmosphere relaxed a bit due to his words.

Yè Xuè slowly looked away. “It’s hard to fathom the real purpose of that person.”

Bai Liu shrugged. “I think he’s just causing trouble for the sake of it.”

Wei Xing, with the soul-capturing rope in hand, said, “Yè Daoist, don’t worry. Lord Cui is investigating this matter. Once there’s any new information, I’ll let you know.”

Yè Xuè still had many doubts in her mind but didn’t want to interfere with Wuchang’s work, so she nodded and bid Wei Xing farewell.

As the pale light vanished, the two returned to the room.

The car accident ghost quickly took his leave.

The table had been mostly tidied up. Yu Qi was grinding ink, adding cinnabar and chicken blood to the ink stone, and mixing them slowly into the ink.

Bai Liu stretched lazily, noticing the nearby game console. He sat down and picked up the switch, ready to play.

Yè Xuè saw him getting ready to game again and couldn’t help but tap his head. “Still thinking about gaming? Don’t you see what time it is? Go get some rest!”

Bai Liu looked up and was suddenly shocked. “Oh, it’s one-thirty!”

He grabbed the game console and ran, but halfway through, he ran back.

“Almost forgot about this!” Bai Liu picked up the cotton doll left out under the moonlight and said, “Master brother asked me to take this cotton doll to the side hall for offerings. I won’t disturb your little moment here, Master Aunt, goodbye!”

Bai Liu ran off quickly, closing the door behind him.

Yè Xuè couldn’t help but laugh, calling him a “stinky kid.”

After Bai Liu left, the room fell silent again.

Yè Xuè felt a bit tired and sat down next to Yu Qi, resting her head on his shoulder.

Yu Qi washed his hands and softly asked about what had happened earlier.

Yè Xuè didn’t quite catch what he said, so she looked up and asked, “What did you say?”

Their faces were already quite close, and as Yè Xuè looked up, a warm, slightly hot sensation brushed against her forehead.

Yu Qi was momentarily taken aback, looking down at Yè Xuè’s face, and his words faltered.

The previously calm atmosphere quickly thickened.

He gently touched Yè Xuè’s forehead, caressing the place where his lips had brushed earlier. Then he lowered his head, getting closer to Yè Xuè’s cheek, gently brushing her brow with his forehead.

Warm breath wafted over her face, making the air in the room thin out.

Yè Xuè’s hair was brushed aside, a moist feeling enveloping her eyelids, trailing down her features, finally settling on her lips.

The teeth parted, a warm tongue meeting something even warmer, entwining like fish in pursuit.

Their lips and teeth clung together, breaths mingled, becoming hotter and more fervent.

Yè Xuè felt the air thinning out even more, instinctively drawing oxygen from Yu Qi’s mouth in her response.

The room’s temperature rose, yet she leaned closer to Yu Qi.

But there was still a chair between them, limiting how close they could get.

Finally, Yu Qi simply reached out, picked her up, and settled Yè Xuè onto his lap, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissing her more deeply.

Who knows how long it lasted; until Yè Xuè could barely breathe, Yu Qi slightly pulled away, his gaze fixed intently on her.

Yè Xuè finally took a deep breath of fresh air, letting out a soft hiss as she realized her lips felt a bit sore from the kiss.

Vurqi gently touched her slightly swollen lips, then raised his head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Yè Xuè’s flushed cheek near her eye.

The bright, glaring light reflected Yè Xuè’s image in his dark, black eyes.

Yè Xuè noticed that she had unwittingly ended up sitting on Vurqi’s lap. Just as she was about to move back to her original position, she noticed something different.

Vurqi remained silent and close to her.

Yè Xuè looked up at Vurqi, smiling softly as she asked, “Should we go take care of that?”

Vurqi rubbed his cheek against hers, his voice a bit hoarse, sounding slightly muffled, “Don’t worry about it.”

Yè Xuè nestled in Vurqi’s arms, trying not to laugh. She felt a slight pain on her neck as Vurqi nibbled gently, leaving a mark, but not pressing too hard. Then he lightly pecked a few more times on the reddened spot, kissing it tenderly.

Yè Xuè hadn’t seen Vurqi in this kind of flustered state before, and she couldn’t help but laugh softly in his embrace.

Vurqi looked at her with a mix of resignation and indulgence.

His eyes were like the brightest stars in the night sky, shimmering with a crystalline brilliance.

The two looked at each other and then moved a bit closer, their lips lightly touching, but not proceeding further, just leaning on each other as if the whole world only consisted of the two of them.

…

As the clock neared three in the morning, Yè Xuè, resting on Vurqi’s shoulder, was nearly asleep.

Vurqi gently lifted her up, placing her on the bed, and then turned to switch off the lights in the room.

As he adjusted the blanket for Yè Xuè, getting ready to leave, she pulled on his sleeve.

Vurqi paused, bending down to look at her and asking softly, “What’s wrong?”

Yè Xuè moved closer, making a little space, her eyes glistening with a hint of moisture.

Vurqi hesitated for a moment, almost lost for words, simply staring at her. Then, he took off his coat and lay down beside Yè Xuè, his movements awkward, not knowing where to place his hands.

The soft form drew closer, making Vurqi tense for a moment as he looked down at the girl in his arms.

Yè Xuè rested her head on his chest, slowly closing her eyes and soon drifting off to sleep.

Vurqi, however, couldn’t bring himself to sleep, quietly admiring her sleeping face.

After a long time, he finally closed his eyes.

The next morning, when Vurqi woke up, Yè Xuè hadn’t fully woken up yet.

She had only just fallen asleep around three in the morning, and now still hadn’t had enough rest. Since today was Sunday, she turned off her alarm and went back to sleep.

Vurqi got dressed, leaning in to gently touch her eyelid, then left the room.

As the door opened, Xuzhou, carrying groceries down the hallway, headed toward the kitchen.

He saw Vurqi and smiled, about to greet him, but his smile froze as he noticed the direction Vurqi was coming from — not his room, but Yè Xuè’s.

Realization hit him hard, and his expression showed more surprise than he could conceal.

Vurqi didn’t notice Xuzhou’s shock; he simply nodded to Xuzhou and went to wash up in the backyard.

…

Yè Xuè was awakened by the smell of food, opened her eyes to see Vurqi coming back with a food box, arranging breakfast on the table.

She quickly got out of bed, running to the table to check, finding a variety of delicate breakfast dishes. Smiling, she asked, “Did you buy these?”

Vurqi broke open a pair of disposable chopsticks, nodding, “Yeah, I woke up a bit early, so I just went out to grab something.”

Bai Liu brought the cotton doll to the backyard to soak up the sun.

The cotton doll held a grudge about being taken away by Bai Liu and continued to complain along the way, but Bai Liu blocked most of the “magical noise” with his earphones, mentally preparing for an all-day scolding.

For some reason, though, the cotton doll’s complaints suddenly stopped.

Bai Liu was puzzled and decided to take off his earphones to listen more closely.

The doll was silent.

The cotton doll quietly lay on a small wicker chair, soaking up the sun.

Bai Liu was taken aback, looking back as he heard footsteps, just in time to see Yè Xuè washing her face with hot water.

Yè Xuè cleaned her face and then used a towel to dry it. Seeing Bai Liu, she smiled and greeted, “Bai Liu, disciple.”

Her gaze then shifted to the cotton doll on the wicker chair, “Little cutie, soaking up the sun, huh?”

The cotton doll softly replied, “Mm…”

Bai Liu: “……?”

The cotton doll had been very loud when scolding him earlier!