Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 50

“Physician Ying, I truly don’t know where Xiao He went.”

“Her legs are her own, how could I possibly control her? It’s not like she reports her whereabouts to me.”

“Something happened in the capital? How come I didn’t know? Nothing’s happened in the capital.”

…

The sparrows on the branches were startled by the voices, fluttering their wings as they soared into the sky. The bare branches swayed unsteadily before gradually settling back into stillness.

The door closed.

Yan Xingyi had once again managed to fend off Ying Qujie.

As soon as he returned to the secret chamber, he saw He Qingsheng and Qi Wan engrossed in their game, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

These past few days, he had worked tirelessly, toiling like an ox or a horse, his resentment so palpable it could rival a ghost’s.

Yan Xingyi rapped his knuckles on the table. “Hey, how much longer are you planning to stay here?”

“You wouldn’t be happy if I really left.” He Qingsheng didn’t even glance up. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle things on your own and would end up begging me not to go. How awkward would that be? I wouldn’t want to put you in such a difficult position.”

“Tch.”

“Fine, fine, alright, ” Yan Xingyi raised his hands in surrender. “So, you’re just going to ignore Physician Ying? He’s already come to the Imperial Preceptor’s residence several times asking about your whereabouts.”

Yan Xingyi narrowed his eyes. “What exactly are the two of you scheming?”

He Qingsheng pretended not to hear.

Qi Wan, however, suddenly perked up, her eyes gleaming with curiosity as she stared at the other side of the table.

“You can’t even see her,” Yan Xingyi flicked Qi Wan’s forehead. “You get all excited over gossip like this, but where’s this energy when it comes to studying?”

“Ow, Master, you hit so hard!” Qi Wan rubbed her forehead, protesting loudly.

Just as the two were about to start bickering again,

He Qingsheng tossed down a card. “If you’re really that bored, go catch a few more vengeful ghosts.”

“Don’t even mention it,” Yan Xingyi slumped back. “I just cleaned up East Street the day before yesterday, and today Cong Shuang sent word that I needed to go there in person again.”

“So I went, only to find it wasn’t some small fry, took me a hell of an effort to capture that damned ghost. It’s tied up over there now. Once you’re done playing, go deal with it as soon as possible.”

He Qingsheng acknowledged with a hum, her eyes fixed on the cards, though her mind was calculating the order in which to cleanse the capital.

When the baleful energy first seeped into the capital, East Street had been the least affected area. The vengeful ghosts there were slow to manifest and weak in power, posing little threat, which was why the ghost officials had left it for last.

“It took the ghost officials three days just to clear the first batch of vengeful ghosts. Now, in less than two days, the next batch is already on the verge of forming.”

The current situation was unclear, and Yan Xingyi frowned deeply. “Even the ghost officials are overwhelmed by the sheer number of vengeful ghosts. If you won’t let us ask Physician Ying to open the Ghost Gate, just the few of us won’t be enough to handle it.”

He Qingsheng replied coolly, “I have my own plans. Why involve ordinary mortals?”

“Hah, I’ve never seen an ‘ordinary mortal’ who could summon ghost officials before.” Yan Xingyi scoffed. Then, as if struck by a thought, he suddenly sat up straight. “And the ones Physician Ying summons aren’t even ordinary ghost officials, they look more like the real Black and White Impermanence. Could he be some immortal star lord reincarnated?”

“No.”

“Huh?”

He Qingsheng kept her gaze on the cards, seemingly indifferent to Yan Xingyi’s speculation, but her tone was firm. “I’ve checked. Physician Ying has no immortal bones, he’s no different from an ordinary mortal. He just has more accumulated merit from past lives than most.”

“That’s true. I see Physician Ying seeing patients every day, like the Virgin Mary,” Yan Xingyi muttered, not dwelling on the topic any longer and instead continuing to ask, “So, what do you plan to do with this batch of vengeful spirits? Don’t work Shangguan Ding’an to death, be careful, or Wanwan will lose her temper with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, Shangguan has been as busy as a spinning top lately,” Qi Wan chimed in, nodding like a chick pecking at rice.

He Qingsheng suddenly understood Yan Xingyi’s feelings, but unlike him, she wasn’t inclined to indulge Qi Wan.

The little wooden puppet spread its hands, the cards between its round wooden fingertips fluttering into a seamless line. “I win.”

“Huh?” Qi Wan froze, processed, then shrieked, “Ah!”

The lingering cry was heart-wrenching.

He Qingsheng rubbed her ears and spoke coldly, “One hundred chapters of heart techniques, two hundred sword forms, three hundred talismans, not a single one less.”

“Immortal He, Elder He, Sister He? Dear sister, can’t we reduce-” Qi Wan attempted to bargain.

“No,” Yan Xingyi answered for He Qingsheng. Finally, someone could rein in this disciple. He was more than happy for He Qingsheng to help discipline his student.

He Qingsheng looked at Qi Wan’s shattered expression and offered a gentle smile. “Wanwan, the slower you are with your studies, the less time you’ll have to accompany Lord Shangguan.”

“You know the dangers he’s facing these days are only increasing.”

Yan Xingyi stared, dumbfounded, as his disciple instantly switched into study mode.

Who knew a lovestruck fool could be so useful? He sincerely gave He Qingsheng a thumbs-up.

He Qingsheng floated ahead of him. “Aren’t you coming?”

Yan Xingyi hurriedly followed.

The inner door of the chamber closed behind them.

He Qingsheng turned to Yan Xingyi. “You’ve been too lenient with Qi Wan.”

Qi Wan’s comprehension wasn’t poor, she was among the rare few mortals with the talent for cultivation. But over the years, aside from excelling in martial arts, her progress in the mystical arts had stagnated.

If she were just an ordinary mortal, her current martial prowess and the backing of court influence would be enough to keep her safe in this world.

But Qi Wan bore the title of the Imperial Preceptor’s disciple. It was inevitable she’d encounter supernatural phenomena, sometimes even leading the charge when such anomalies arose.

“My fault,” Yan Xingyi admitted guiltily, rubbing his nose. “Before, I only saw peace and prosperity, blind to the undercurrents. I thought I could always protect her, keep her out of the world of spirits and monsters. I was too arrogant.”

“With your level of skill, protect her? You’d be lucky to protect yourself. I’d say her talent surpasses yours. She might even grasp Wei Chunfeng’s texts before you do.”

“Ancestor, spare me some dignity.”

…

Under the Soul-Binding Chains, the vengeful spirit’s face twisted grotesquely.

The sinister, bone-chilling aura masked the deceased’s originally simple and honest features, making the contrast all the more jarring.

He Qingsheng studied the spirit with a grave expression. She didn’t recognize this person, but she was certain she’d seen this face before, whether in passing or just once.

It was too familiar.

“He was a bun vendor at the morning market. I looked into his life, honest and kind his whole life, never made an enemy. People often sought him out to mediate household or neighborhood disputes. He was well-liked.”

As Yan Xingyi spoke, the image of steaming red bean-filled rabbit buns flashed through He Qingsheng’s mind.

She remembered now, this was the bun vendor she’d seen in passing.

With a frustrated sigh, she raised her hand and wiped away the black miasma shrouding the vendor’s face, revealing his vacant, lifeless eyes.

Yan Xingyi sighed regretfully, “For ordinary people, this is truly a calamity falling from the sky, an innocent victim of misfortune.”

Blue light spilled from her fingertips, and the scene shifted, revealing the life of a mortal before their eyes.

He Qingsheng’s attitude abruptly changed. She withdrew her hand in disgust.

“He was no innocent victim.”

The vendor, in his youth, had traveled to the capital to seek a livelihood. On the way, he was robbed but was fortunately rescued by a kind-hearted soul who not only brought him to the capital and provided him shelter but also gave him money to start a business.

A small kindness repaid with great malice.

Consumed by greed, the vendor turned on his benefactor, murdering him. Not only did he seize his benefactor’s property, but he also hastened the death of the benefactor’s elderly mother. Exploiting loopholes, he settled down, living comfortably for years, even earning a good reputation among his neighbors.

The first wave of vengeful spirits that appeared on East Street was none other than the vendor’s murdered benefactor.

For years, guilt had gnawed at the vendor’s conscience. When the vengeful spirit suddenly manifested before him, demanding his life, he was so terrified that he died of fright before the spirit could even lay a hand on him.

The vendor’s benefactor, being among the first with deep-seated resentment, had not actually taken a life. Thus, he was escorted by the Black and White Impermanence into the cycle of reincarnation.

As for the vendor, though he died of fear, a death that shouldn’t have turned him into a vengeful spirit, he absorbed lingering malevolent energy and became one nonetheless.

“Human nature is truly multifaceted,” Yan Xingyi mused. Seeing He Qingsheng’s displeased expression, he struggled for words before awkwardly adding, “Don’t overthink it, alright? Even as ghosts, we should believe there’s true love in the world.”

“Don’t worry, I’m perfectly lucid right now,” He Qingsheng shot him a glare and proceeded to extract a portion of the vengeful spirit’s malevolent energy.

Ensuring the spirit wouldn’t fight with others, she swiftly tossed it into the half-ruined general’s tomb.

Her movements were subtle; to an untrained eye, it would seem she had devoured the spirit, making it nearly impossible to notice the barrier around her.

Yan Xingyi stowed away his soul-binding chain and asked, “Wouldn’t it be more convenient if you came with me to capture spirits and devoured them on the spot?”

He Qingsheng replied bluntly, “I’d rather not. I don’t want to be struck dead by lightning.”

Though she had temporarily allied with Yan Xingyi, she instinctively held back from revealing everything.

The second wave of vengeful spirits now haunting the capital wasn’t an immediate crisis. With Yan Xingyi and Shangguan Ding’an leading preparations, they could handle it.

Moreover, they couldn’t capture the spirits too quickly.

Emperor Zhao Wu was releasing malevolent energy across the land, and the golden-robed man made no move to stop it, this was part of their plan.

If the capital showed no signs of chaos, Yu Fu or Lan Shanqing would likely come after her immediately.

In a way, He Qingsheng’s actions were like fishing, except she was plucking fish straight from Emperor Zhao Wu’s own net.

“Just maintain the current pace of sweeping the capital. Oh, and when you see Shangguan Ding’an, remember to give him Qi Wan’s protective talismans.”

Ignoring Yan Xingyi’s silent protest, He Qingsheng impassively gave him a thumbs-up. “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“Go for it, Xiao Yan.”

“…”

Yan Xingyi shuddered and bolted from the chamber as if fleeing for his life.

He Qingsheng stood still, lowering her gaze to toy with the aquatic wood in her hand.

The taiji-shaped wood and glass-like water intertwined inseparably. A thin red-and-black thread coiled through them, stretching into the distance.

The image of Ying Qujie’s red-rimmed, tearful eyes surfaced in her mind.

It had already been five days since she last saw him.

Which thread of my karma are you…?

He Qingsheng chuckled to herself, realizing how foolish she was. They were merely passing strangers, humans and ghosts walked different paths. Why obsess over how to answer him?

Physician Ying was just an ordinary mortal who had studied medicine for years. His path should be one of steady healing and saving lives.

Sticking with her as bait was no long-term solution.

Before long, a gust of wind snuffed out the candlelight in the hidden chamber.

He Qingsheng had already vanished from the spot.

Though Yan Xingyi had spoken casually, He Qingsheng took his words to heart.

She needed to verify whether Ying Qujie possessed an immortal’s bone.

If he truly was a deity reincarnated to endure trials, then the vibrant vitality and great fortune she had sensed from him during their first meeting would make sense.

Her repeated failed attempts at possession would also be justified.

But if he really was a reincarnated deity, why was there no divine protection around him? Why did he attract ghosts so easily?

As if death wasn’t coming for him fast enough?

The secret annals of the Twelve Walls recorded many cultivators who had perished due to covetous eyes on their immortal bones.

She wasn’t familiar with the mortal realm, but in the Twelve Walls, being discovered with an immortal’s fate or bone was anything but fortunate.

The wind whistled past her ears as the sprawling, colorful architecture of the capital receded behind her.

He Qingsheng made up her mind and sped swiftly through the air.

If he truly had an immortal’s bone, she might as well reluctantly keep Physician Ying by her side.

Better to let her benefit than to leave him for someone else.