A Final Farewell and an Unexpected Alliance

Uncle Zhang believed it was his wife, Su Yao, outside.

Mustering his last vestiges of strength, he spoke, his fingers twitching:

“Chase her! She’s so wonderful… Don’t lose her, don’t make her angry…”

“Uncle Zhang, I understand.” Xu Qingzhu nodded.

However, he hadn’t anticipated that Uncle Zhang had known all along:

“Don’t think for a moment that I… didn’t know. The two of you, in your disguise… were never truly husband and wife.”

His hand trembled, but Xu Qingzhu offered no reply.

“Your uncle has always been a good judge of character… You must seize this opportunity; don’t lose her…”

Listening in silence, he infused spiritual energy, already discerning a stark truth.

Uncle Zhang’s brief resurgence of vitality was merely a final flicker; he was already gone.

“Don’t lose… lose… her…”

His voice faded completely, his breath ceased. Xu Qingzhu lifted his head, halting his tears.

He felt as though he was treading the path of his previous life once more.

Witnessing loved ones perish, old friends fade, others torn from their families, and himself, solitary and desolate, a lone shadow clinging to another.

‘Can one truly forget these bitter pains by wholeheartedly embracing the Path of Ruthlessness?’ Xu Qingzhu closed his eyes, unable to conceal the grief in his heart.

After setting up a formation to protect Uncle Zhang’s body, Xu Qingzhu walked outside.

Stepping out of the Zhang Estate, he saw Lu Yanling crouching by the entrance, her head buried in her arms.

As Xu Qingzhu approached, she whimpered:

“Brother Xiaozhu, I took the medicine.”

“I don’t blame you.” Xu Qingzhu tried to speak as gently as possible, yet the sorrow in his heart lent an unavoidable chill to his voice.

Being so sensitive, she was still startled by that subtle chill, her body trembling.

“Let’s go.” Pulled to her feet, Lu Yanling stared blankly at his profile, unable to speak.

As if sensing something, anticipating a situation, he gazed towards the center of Dangyang County.

Indeed.

A faint, distant explosion echoed, followed by flames erupting skyward.

It resembled a beacon, illuminating a path for all to see.

Yet, who could truly say where that path would lead?

****

Meanwhile, Su Mo led Skinny Horse, drawing ever closer to the source of the flames.

Clip-clop… The sound of hooves echoed through the desolate alleyway.

The white mist had grown thicker than before, and the “Soul-Recalling Grass” within Su Mo’s medicinal body already sensed indistinct ghosts.

These were Underworld ghosts, and she found them somewhat familiar.

“Immortal Sister, it feels like a lot of people are coming from that direction.” Jingmeng hugged her sword hilt, floating in the air.

“Hmm?” She raised a delicate eyebrow, realizing that Jingmeng could also sense the spectral beings.

“Neigh!” Skinny Horse halted, shaking its head.

Turning her head curiously, Su Mo saw Skinny Horse stomping its hooves, unwilling to proceed.

“You’re saying there are many old friends over there, but it’s best not to meet them?” Su Mo questioned, puzzled.

If they were “old friends,” why avoid them?

Skinny Horse didn’t need to answer; the figures emerging from the alley provided the explanation.

Their voices were decayed, yet tinged with a fawning eagerness:

“May the Lady bear many noble sons…”

“May the Lady be blessed with abundant children and fortune…”

How familiar! These were the same Underworld ghosts she had encountered while riding Skinny Horse in the Underworld, always accompanied by the Ghost Gentleman.

Hordes of dismembered ghosts, missing limbs, approached from that direction, some hopping, others crawling.

In their white eyes, a glimmer of reason flickered, unlike the previous mobs of ghosts that only knew how to howl.

Pulling out a few pieces of broken silver, Su Mo tossed them towards the ghosts, instantly sparking a chorus of “blessings.”

“May the Lady bear noble sons…”

“Snap.” Su Mo slapped her forehead. ‘They just couldn’t get over the “having children” thing, could they?’

She swung onto Skinny Horse’s back, its hooves trampling a path of ghostly flames.

As they drew closer, Su Mo looked down, finding the scene identical to that time.

The Underworld ghosts stopped, reaching out to surround Su Mo, yet made no move to attack.

They simply enjoyed begging. It seemed the mortal essence within the broken silver was what they craved, their very sustenance.

Flicking her fox tail, Su Mo inquired:

“How did all of you end up here?”

Dumbly, they repeated the same few phrases from before.

“Skinny Horse, translate?” Su Mo patted its head.

Helpless, Skinny Horse had anticipated this exact situation—a thankless effort.

And it couldn’t even eat them!

With a slight frown, Su Mo seemed to suddenly recall something, saying:

“I remember my home has many good things, including some that store wandering souls.”

Skinny Horse’s eyes lit up. Observing its owner’s extraordinary lineage, it surmised she must hail from a cultivation family.

How many treasures must be in her home? The thought alone made it excited.

“Neigh!”

“It’s a promise, absolutely, absolutely.” A sly glint, like a fox’s, flickered in Su Mo’s eyes.

Yet, who could see the deep sorrow hidden within those eyes?

She was, perhaps, completely alone now.

‘Xu Qingzhu has also found his childhood sweetheart; by the looks of it, they’re definitely going to be together… Why am I even thinking about him?!’ Su Mo wanted to slap herself.

No matter how bored she got, she couldn’t possibly seek out that scoundrel!

Steadying her mind, Su Mo smoothed the hair tied at her shoulder, letting it fall across her chest.

Ever since activating her Nine-Tailed bloodline, she had grown to love this soft, smooth sensation herself.

Truly worthy of the Nine-Tailed bloodline; while doubling her spiritual energy, it also granted a tenfold boost to her beauty.

However, as she swayed, her chest seemed to be groaning under its own weight.

“Bigger again? An illusion?” she mumbled.

It was hardly appropriate to investigate such matters in broad daylight. She casually flicked Skinny Horse with her hand, saying:

“Translate this: Why are all of you here? What about the Underworld?”

Reluctantly, Skinny Horse neighed, spitting as it spoke:

“Neigh! (What are you lot? Why are you here? What are you doing?!)”

The horde of ghosts froze, having never heard such non-standard ghost-speak, yet they clung to it like a lifeline, quickly wailing:

“Wuwu~ (Lord… Lord, we have untold grievances! This morning, just like any other, we were walking along…)”

“Neigh! (Get to the point! This is truly troublesome!)”

“Wuwu~ (Lord, we suddenly arrived here and can’t return to the Underworld, sob~)”

Nodding, Skinny Horse swayed its head, delivering a flurry of translation.

This exchange utterly bewildered Su Mo. She narrowed her eyes, suspecting Skinny Horse was playing tricks.

She hesitantly asked:

“You mean, that horde of ghosts fell into a cesspit, and that’s how they ended up here?”

“Neigh! (Yes, yes! Let’s go quickly, it’s disgusting!)”

As Skinny Horse spoke, it lifted a foreleg.

“Snap!” Su Mo flicked its head, stating sternly:

“You are lacking in the spirit of translation! Be serious and earnest, understand?”

“Neigh! (I am a horse.)”

“Silence! If I say you’re a human, then you’re a human—a translating human.” Su Mo clenched her small fist.

…

Skinny Horse might not have been a dog, but Su Mo was truly ruthless.

Fortunately, after a stern lecture, Skinny Horse became much more compliant.

The horde of Underworld ghosts had appeared abruptly, walking through the white mist until they arrived at this very spot.

Sensing Su Mo’s familiar aura, they had all flocked to her.

Gazing into the distance, Su Mo estimated there were thousands of ghosts crammed into the alley. Some were even pressed against the walls, their feet not touching the ground.

Observing their bewildered yet hopeful gazes, Su Mo pondered for a moment.

“Buzz!” Raising the Jinghao Sword, which hummed with a clear ring, Su Mo declared with a spirited cry:

“Ladies and gentlemen, since you’ve all come, follow me into battle!”

Skinny Horse froze, then suddenly grew excited.

It let out a long neigh, rousing the horde of ghosts.

In that instant, all the Underworld ghosts howled wildly, their cries shaking the heavens.

Within the ghost horde below, a one-armed ghost elbowed a nearby dismembered ghost, asking in confusion:

“What are we supposed to be shouting?”

The ghost paused, then said blankly:

“I don’t know, but shouting is definitely the right thing to do.”

“You’re absolutely right, ohhhhhhhh—!”

And so, Su Mo rode at the forefront, leading thousands of Underworld ghosts as they charged towards the heart of Dangyang County.

Just then.

The battle there raged fiercely. Someone, glancing over unintentionally, caught sight of Su Mo leading the ghosts and instantly widened their eyes.

“Whose general is that?!” someone exclaimed.