Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 32

Three long halberds pressed against his back as the soldiers eyed him warily. Ying Qujie was clearly being treated as a suspicious intruder.

“Physician Ying?” Yan Xingyi exclaimed in surprise. “The night is deep and the frost heavy, why are you at the Celestial Tower?”

Ying Qujie’s gaze swept over the malevolent aura before him, then flickered subtly toward He Qingsheng.

The sinister energy could easily harm ordinary mortals, so Ying Qujie couldn’t act recklessly. Unable to fight back against the soldiers, he had no choice but to be escorted forward at spearpoint.

He Qingsheng withdrew the baleful energy and coughed lightly, tugging at Yan Xingyi’s sleeve.

Understanding the hint, Yan Xingyi dismissed the guards with a wave. “This man is not the intruder I mentioned. You may leave.”

Observing their interaction, Ying Qujie stepped forward, retrieved the small wooden puppet, and handed Yan Xingyi a bottle of medicinal powder. “Imperial Preceptor, this salve can be applied externally to the bruising on your neck. Use it every two hours, and you’ll recover soon.”

Every two hours? What a hassle. He Qingsheng grumbled inwardly.

Ying Qujie continued, “Judging by the snake’s markings, brown-black with a triangular head, it was a highly venomous specimen, even among the five-step vipers. You should thoroughly examine yourself for any unnoticed wounds.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Physician Ying.”

Yan Xingyi hissed in pain as he hastily checked himself over.

He Qingsheng teased, “What? Now you feel like there might be hidden wounds everywhere?”

“Stop scaring me!”

While applying the powder to his neck and wincing, Yan Xingyi still found the energy to banter with He Qingsheng.

Amid the distraction, by the time He Qingsheng and Ying Qujie openly exited the Imperial Preceptor’s residence through the main gate, the initial question had been forgotten.

…

On the way back to his residence, Ying Qujie cradled the small puppet, reflecting on the night’s events.

He suddenly realized that from start to finish, he had merely served as bait.

From their first encounter in Jimo, to the days spent exorcising evil and traveling, and now the strange incidents after returning to the capital, he had been threatened, lured, protected… and “forcefully” positioned at every critical juncture, like a pawn meant to draw out the enemy.

He had always been passive in this arrangement.

Though He Qingsheng had spent the most time with him, Ying Qujie suspected he knew even less about her than Yan Xingyi did.

Lowering his eyes, Ying Qujie murmured, “So you knew the serpent demon was in the Celestial Tower tonight. You deliberately sent me there as bait to lure it out, but the serpent had nothing to do with Ying Wen’s condition?”

“Physician Ying, what are you talking about?” He Qingsheng popped her head out from his arms.

“How would I know there was a serpent demon in the Celestial Tower? It was just a coincidence. But Ying Wen’s condition must be connected to them.” She climbed out, her tone earnest.

One denial, one admission, one evasion.

Ying Qujie understood, he had indeed been bait tonight.

“I really wasn’t tricking you.”

“Next time you use me as bait, you can tell me in advance.”

They spoke simultaneously.

He Qingsheng blinked. So, he was upset about this, not because he thought she didn’t care about Ying Wen’s situation.

“Physician Ying, don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Ying Qujie gave her a faint glance.

“Are you angry?” She tugged at one of his fingers. “Fine, I was wrong. I won’t trick you next time.”

So “trick” meant using him as bait. In that case, he had indeed been tricked many times before.

The little wooden puppet sat upright in his hand, having somehow procured a tiny twig, looking as if it were ready to bear thorns and plead for forgiveness.

Ying Qujie sighed and removed the twig from the puppet’s back, careful not to snag the expensive fabric.

“What I mean is, if you’re going to trick me, give me a heads-up first.” It wasn’t that he wouldn’t allow it.

He Qingsheng: “Really?”

“Mm.”

He Qingsheng pointed to the nearest government office: “Then, before you return home, Physician Ying, could you accompany me to the imperial prison first?”

Ying Qujie took a deep breath. “To the imperial prison, to use me as bait for the vengeful spirits inside?”

He Qingsheng nodded honestly.

During the battle with Lan Shanqing, she had appeared calm and unruffled, showing no sign of fear. But in truth, without replenishing her malevolent energy, her strength had long been nearly depleted.

However, her master had taught her that in a place like the Twelve Walls, where sect influences were deeply entangled, it was especially important to master the art of bluffing.

Whether by exaggerating her power or leveraging the reputation of her sect, even if she wasn’t stronger than her opponent, putting on a convincing act to intimidate them could be a way to escape danger or achieve an unexpected victory.

As the saying went, “Lose the battle, but not the war.” He Qingsheng firmly believed in this.

“Physician Ying, if I don’t go, I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist devouring Ying Wen once I return home.”

He Qingsheng nipped at Ying Qujie’s fingertip, not hard, like a kitten playfully nibbling.

Ying Qujie pondered for a moment. “If you consume the vengeful spirits in the imperial prison, will they lose their chance for reincarnation?”

“When ghosts devour each other, that’s how it goes.” He Qingsheng’s teeth itched, an irritation rising from the depths of her soul that couldn’t be soothed by the puppet’s gnawing motions.

“Most vengeful spirits died tragic deaths. If they then encounter you and are denied the cycle of rebirth, wouldn’t that be too cruel?”

He Qingsheng looked up at him.

Ying Qujie’s fingertip was red from the gnawing.

He scooped out a small amount of an unnamed ointment, rubbed it between his fingers, and let He Qingsheng continue using him to soothe her teeth.

“Physician Ying is truly as beautiful as he is kind-hearted,” He Qingsheng said sarcastically. But after glancing at Ying Qujie’s expression, she silently changed her tone:

“Not swallowing them whole is simple, but it’ll require Physician Ying to accompany me to a few more places.”

…

He Qingsheng never expected she’d end up forming an assembly line with Ying Qujie.

She absorbed the malevolent energy from the vengeful spirits, while Ying Qujie flipped through case files beside her, issuing passes for their deliverance.

It was like a one-stop funeral service.

The two worked in perfect sync, clearing out the vengeful spirits in less than an hour.

He Qingsheng’s strength had recovered by a whole tenth.

One-tenth!

What an earth-shattering, heartwarming number!

He Qingsheng swept her gaze over the row of vengeful spirits huddled in the corner, then looked resentfully at Ying Qujie. “Are you sure I can’t just swallow them whole?”

Immediately, the row of wide-eyed spirits trembled, their pleading gazes fixed on Ying Qujie.

“No,” Ying Qujie said sternly, reciting the spirits’ backgrounds like a catalog:

“This is Butcher Wang. After his youngest daughter was murdered, he killed the former capital prefect’s entire family and was tortured to death in the imperial prison.”

“This is Shang Lehe. After discovering her husband’s infidelity, she conspired with her lover to drown her own child and poison her husband. In prison, her husband’s family bribed the jailers to subject her to cruel torture.”

“This is-”

“Alright, stop.” He Qingsheng pressed her hand over Ying Qujie’s case files.

“They were wrong, but to deny them rebirth is too harsh a punishment.” Ying Qujie gave He Qingsheng a meaningful look.

He Qingsheng: “Hurry up and deliver them. I’m moving on to the next place.”

She turned away, no longer looking at the row of ghosts, each bearing different expressions of death.

Out of consideration for He Qingsheng, Ying Qujie did not recite the Rebirth Mantra but instead switched to the Earth Store Sutra.

His voice was clear and bright like a spring breeze. As he chanted, a dozen or so chaotic spirits seemed to receive guidance, one after another, moving toward a single direction.

There, beyond the long bridge over the dark river, a crimson figure could faintly be seen. At the end of the sea of flowers lay the realm of the dead.

A moment later, only one soul remained lingering at the gate, hesitating to step inside.

It was Shang Lehe, whom Ying Qujie had just introduced.

Under the influence of the ghost realm, Shang Lehe’s gaze was lucid. She bowed gracefully toward He Qingsheng and Ying Qujie. “Many thanks to the lady and the gentleman for your kindness in freeing me. But this humble one has unfinished business and must beg for your assistance.”

He Qingsheng frowned. “What is it?”

“After my child drowned and was buried, I could always sense his presence in the mansion, as if he were still playing joyfully by my side. But my former husband claimed I had lost my mind. From then on, he used business as an excuse to stay away, refusing to return home. Within less than a year, his fortunes flourished, and he amassed great wealth. Even the concubine he kept outside became pregnant.”

“He truly deserves death,” He Qingsheng nodded in agreement.

Ying Qujie tapped her lightly in exasperation.

“That’s not all,” Shang Lehe said mournfully. “If not for that concubine coming to me, I would never have learned the true cause of my child’s death, his own father had used dark arts to exchange his fate! The bricks and tiles of our mansion were even mixed with my child’s flesh and bones.”

He Qingsheng and Ying Qujie exchanged a glance, their expressions turning grave.

This method was nearly identical to Ying Wen’s experience.

He Qingsheng asked, “You said the concubine told you this? Is she still alive?”

“Yes. My final wish is for the two of you to find her.”

“Revenge?” He Qingsheng asked uncertainly, noting that Shang Lehe’s demeanor showed no trace of the obsession or madness that came with hatred.

“No. At the time, she was pregnant with his child. When she discovered his vile deeds, she, a woman from the pleasure quarters with no one to rely on, feared her own child would meet the same fate. So, she revealed the truth to me, hoping I would rid her of my former husband.”

Recalling the past, Shang Lehe’s eyes were sorrowful, but her expression was resolute.

“I investigated myself and found that far more than just my child had suffered such cruelty. But the matter of fate-exchange was too mystical to bring before the authorities. As my inquiries deepened, I was targeted several times and ultimately had no choice but to kill my former husband to ease my hatred.”

That concubine was no simple woman.

By using Shang Lehe’s hand to eliminate a cold-blooded and heartless man, her own child would remain the sole heir to his wealth.

And she herself might still be alive.

Compared to Shang Lehe, who died miserably in prison, she was far luckier.

“After my death, my mind was in chaos, but this memory remained etched in my soul. Seeing that the two of you possess extraordinary abilities, I beg you to spare a moment to seek out that concubine, so no more children will suffer such cruelty.”

He Qingsheng asked, “Where is she?”

Tears glistening in her eyes, Shang Lehe gave a location and a surname, then bowed deeply to He Qingsheng three times.

As the gates of the ghost realm began to close, He Qingsheng gently pushed her in with a wisp of spiritual energy.

“I’ll look into it for you. Go in peace.”

“Thank you.”

The ghost gate closed, and the prison cell returned to silence.

He Qingsheng glanced at the case files Ying Qujie had placed on the table and motioned for him to take them.

Her eyes casually skimmed the dates on the documents.

The Case of Shang Lehe, Eighth Year of Yuanchu.

Too much of a coincidence.

He Qingsheng stood in the cramped prison cell of the mortal realm, feeling as though he had returned to the day he emerged from seclusion at Fuliu Sect, trapped in layers of conspiracy, surrounded by endless illusions.