Undying Life

Chapter 238: The female ghost’s name is Ruyan

Chapter 238: The Ghostly Woman's Melancholy Song

As all the dew from a leaf was poured into Qianyou's mouth, Zhongshan set the leaf down and secured it with a pebble, then opened his mouth to take another leaf and bring it over.

At this moment, Princess Qianyou seemed to have turned into a baby, not uttering a word, just opening her mouth to accept the dew Zhongshan fed her. Her eyes stared unblinkingly at Zhongshan.

Only when Zhongshan brought over the last leaf did Princess Qianyou come to her senses. "Sir, I've had enough. You drink some!"

"I'm not thirsty," Zhongshan smiled faintly. He wanted to tilt the leaf to let the dew slide into Princess Qianyou's mouth again.

But Qianyou was one step ahead of Zhongshan. She held the other end of the leaf with her mouth and lifted her head, letting the dew slide into Zhongshan's mouth.

Zhongshan paused slightly, then opened his mouth and drank the dew from the leaf.

Seeing Zhongshan drink, Princess Qianyou smiled faintly. "Sir, you're more tired than I am. You picked so many leaves during the day, but you fed them all to me."

"It's okay. By dawn, there might be more," Zhongshan shook his head.

But Princess Qianyou shook her head, knowing that it would be even harder to collect dew again. She made up her mind to collect more leaves herself tomorrow, at least not to let Zhongshan busy himself all day without drinking any water.

Just as the two were about to continue speaking, they both frowned and looked towards the direction of the miasma forest in the distance. Because from that direction came the mournful and lingering singing of a woman.

"Tears fall in the red dust, sighing for the passing of time, unable to find my beloved. I've waited drunk for a thousand years for you, my beloved, but you're nowhere to be found..."

The song was filled with a sense of melancholy longing, a deep sadness that permeated the air, as if it were a woman waiting in her boudoir for a thousand years, or a wife waiting for her husband to return from battle. Incredibly mournful, incredibly desolate.

"Tears fall in the red dust, sighing for the passing of time, unable to find my beloved. I've waited drunk for a thousand years for you, my beloved, but you're nowhere to be found..."

The singing was so intoxicating, yet in the quiet moonlight, it also gave off a chilling feeling.

Zhongshan and Princess Qianyou exchanged glances, both filled with confusion. Who could be singing such a sorrowful song in the middle of the night? And why did the voice seem to be getting closer and closer?

"Tears fall in the red dust, sighing for the passing of time, unable to find my beloved. I've waited drunk for a thousand years for you, my beloved, but you're nowhere to be found..."

Not long after, the two saw the person singing in the distance.

A beautiful woman in white, her long hair flowing behind her, not touching the ground, her figure floating towards them from the distant miasma forest.

Yuan Ying stage? Zhongshan and Princess Qianyou exchanged glances, both filled with concern. Who is this?

As the woman approached, Zhongshan saw that her face was pale, with a slightly indifferent expression, but within that indifference was a hint of sadness.

She continued to approach the two. Zhongshan frowned, considering whether to speak up and ask her for help, because everything seemed too strange.

"Excuse me, do you know Xiao Bingyi?" The woman suddenly asked Princess Qianyou.

Princess Qianyou swallowed, feeling uncertain. Who is this person? How could she ask such a question?

"Xiao Bingyi? Who is he to you?" Princess Qianyou stared at the woman and asked.

"He's my husband. I can't find him. I've waited for him for so long, but he's never appeared," the woman said, her face filled with reminiscence.

"I... I haven't seen him!" Princess Qianyou wanted to say something else, but in the end, she chose to tell the truth.

"Sigh, you haven't seen him either. Sir, have you seen my husband?" The woman suddenly looked at Zhongshan.

Seeing this woman, Zhongshan's brows remained furrowed, because Zhongshan noticed something strange: under the moonlight, the woman didn't have a shadow? How could that be? Who was she?

"When was the last time you saw him?" Zhongshan countered instead of answering.

"The last time? About a thousand years ago, on the night of the Soul Returning Festival. I couldn't find him anymore. He disappeared and never came home. I've been waiting for him for so long!" The woman said with a sad tone.

Hearing the woman's words, Zhongshan's hair stood on end instinctively. The night of the Soul Returning Festival?

"It seems, sir, that you haven't seen my husband either. I'll have to keep waiting," the woman said with great sadness, then turned and walked away, or rather, floated away.

"Wait a moment. I haven't seen him, but I can help you find him," Zhongshan called out to her as she was about to leave.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhongshan called out, the woman stopped and turned to look at Zhongshan, then floated back to him.

"You can find my husband?" The woman asked.

"Yes, as long as there's a clue, I can help you find him," Zhongshan said with great confidence.

Hearing Zhongshan's words, the woman suddenly knelt down and said to Zhongshan, "Thank you, sir!"

"Well, could you help me pull out one of those flagpoles first, and then tell me the situation? I'll help you find him afterwards," Zhongshan said.

"Okay," the woman immediately agreed. Then she walked to the side, grabbed one of the flagpoles, and gently pulled it out.

Immediately, Zhongshan felt much relieved. Although his true essence was sealed, Zhongshan's physical body was still extremely strong. He quickly manipulated his hands and, in no time, led Princess Qianyou out.

Princess Qianyou had been staring at the woman all this time, because she had also sensed a fact: she had encountered a ghost!

After coming out, Zhongshan looked at the woman with a slight frown. Zhongshan also felt that the woman didn't seem human, but no matter what, the woman had saved him. Zhongshan was a person who distinguished between gratitude and grudges, and he knew that this woman meant him no harm, otherwise, she would have attacked him just now. Moreover, she had just bowed to him.

"I'm Zhongshan, and this is Princess Qianyou. What's your name?" Zhongshan asked.

"I'm Ruyan, sir. Ruyan begs you, sir, to help Ruyan find her husband," the woman said, crying.

"Don't worry, what I, Zhongshan, promise, I will definitely do. As long as he's still in this world, I will help you find him," Zhongshan said with great determination.

"He's here, he must be here. His lamp is still lit. Sir, please find him," Ruyan said.

"His lamp?" Zhongshan frowned and looked at Ruyan.

"Yes, sir. Please come with me to my residence. There's the lamp as proof, as well as a portrait of my husband, Xiao Bingyi," Ruyan pleaded with Zhongshan.

Looking at Princess Qianyou, Zhongshan conveyed a hint of request.

"Sir, let's go together," Princess Qianyou immediately agreed.

"Thank you," Zhongshan said.

"Well, have this," Princess Qianyou suddenly took out a strange lotus seed.

Zhongshan didn't hesitate and swallowed it. Seeing Zhongshan swallow it without even considering whether it was good or bad, Princess Qianyou smiled faintly. She also took out one and put it in her mouth.

As the lotus seeds entered their stomachs, Zhongshan immediately felt the energy sealing his major acupoints dissipate. Could he move again?

"Sir, follow me!" Ruyan said, then flew towards the distant miasma forest.

Zhongshan and Princess Qianyou followed closely behind.

Entering the miasma forest, Ruyan seemed impatient, flying ahead quickly, while Zhongshan and Princess Qianyou followed closely.

After chasing for nearly an hour, they finally reached the depths of the miasma forest.

In the depths of the miasma forest was a large mansion, with many courtyards. The mansion still looked brand new. On the plaque hung the words "Xiao Residence".

Seeing the newly built mansion, Zhongshan couldn't help but furrow his brows.

Ruyan gently opened the courtyard door.

"Sir, please come inside," Ruyan said.

"Miss Ruyan, you've been waiting for a thousand years, is this house really from a thousand years ago?" Zhongshan frowned and asked.

"I can create some illusions. The old Xiao Residence has long been reduced to ruins. This is something I made based on memory," Ruyan said gently.

"Alright," Zhongshan nodded, with Princess Qianyou following them into the Xiao Residence with a puzzled expression.

"This place used to be a village, where many ordinary people lived. However, when I returned on the night of the Soul Returning Festival, everything was gone. Everything, gone. Over the past thousand years, those houses have turned into ruins, but under my care, the Xiao Residence has barely maintained its former appearance," Ruyan shook her head and said.

Entering the courtyard, there was no sign of life, no people. It looked very eerie, but Zhongshan was not frightened by this environment. Instead, he looked at Ruyan. How could such a large mansion be guarded for a thousand years?

As for Princess Qianyou, she had been staring at Ruyan with a look of doubt and incomprehension from beginning to end.

"Could you tell us more about your husband?" Zhongshan asked.

As they walked inside, Ruyan said, "My husband's name is Xiao Bingyi, the only son of the Xiao family. He made a living through business and also aspired to achieve immortality. However, his talent was too poor. Although he endured ten times more hardship than others, his cultivation progress was still slower than others."

"Business? Poor talent?" Zhongshan furrowed his brows.

"Yes, my husband was very capable in business. In just ten years, he transformed the Xiao family from having only three rooms and a courtyard to becoming one of the largest households here. With nearly a hundred servants, my husband also focused on cultivation, hoping to break through to the innate realm," Ruyan said.

"What happened next?" Princess Qianyou asked.

"My husband worked hard in cultivation, but his talent was too poor. I watched him cultivate every day, and occasionally, even I reached the peak of acquired strength through cultivation, but my husband couldn't do it. Seeing my husband suffer in cultivation every day, my heart ached as well. I hoped to give birth to a child for him, to make him happier, but for some reason, even until the day I died, I couldn't give him a child," Ruyan said sadly.

"Did he remarry?" Princess Qianyou asked.

"He said he only loved me, that I was his only wife for life, so he didn't remarry. I often advised him to take another concubine, but he always refused. My husband needed elixirs. We tried many methods to contact the prominent families in the town for cultivation, but because he offended one of them, no one was willing to help him. Even wandering cultivators, upon seeing my husband's poor talent, showed disdain," Ruyan said sadly.

"Offended a prominent family in cultivation?" Princess Qianyou frowned.

"Yes, at that time, a young master from a prominent family fancied me and wanted to trade my husband for me with a Forbidden Breaking Pill. But my husband refused, and even humiliated that young master. So, the young master became jealous, and together with other prominent families, they refused to help my husband. Anyone who helped my husband would become enemies of their families," Ruyan explained after thinking for a moment.

"Then, wouldn't it be even more difficult for your husband to cultivate?" Princess Qianyou furrowed her brows.

"Yes, for the sake of cultivation, my husband took in many disciples," Ruyan said after a moment of contemplation.