The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 43.2

In the beginning, Nanhe did not know who she was looking for, or what she should do once she found them. Waiting for the familiar person and the familiar voice to appear, her goal suddenly became crystal clear.

Lu Qichun neither pulled Nanhe off nor agreed to her plea. She simply turned her head to look at Nanhe, who was completely clinging to her back: “Xiao He, I’m dead. I’m going to reincarnation. You… you might have found the wrong person. A’chun is waiting for you.”

“No, you are the one I want to find.”

“I am not Gou Nanchun anymore.”

“Then I’ll look for Lu Qichun!”

The hesitant choice finally had a conclusion. No, it shouldn’t be called finally; the answer had been clear enough from the start. She had always said that the person she wanted to find was Nanchun. Nanhe’s world indeed had two Gou Nanchuns, but her address for the two was different: she called the younger Gou Nanchun ‘A’chun,’ while the name Nanchun had always belonged only to her first master. It was fortunate that they came to Yin City first; if they had gone to find the ghost general first, realizing they had the wrong person after restoring his memory would have been too heartbreaking for the ghost general. Yu Ruoyin had peeked into Nanhe’s story, and even from Nanhe’s perspective, she could tell that the younger Gou Nanchun cared immensely for Nanhe.

Nanhe’s persistence did not move Lu Qichun. Lu Qichun was a little different from the younger Gou Nanchun; her emotions were always veiled in a thin mist, making it hard to see her clearly. For example, the look in her eyes towards Nanhe was clearly gentle, yet the words that came out of her mouth were utterly heartless: “Xiao He, I’m dead.”

“I know!” Nanhe finally lost control, breaking down amidst Lu Qichun’s repeated statements of death: “You don’t have to keep reminding me.” The strength drained from Nanhe’s limbs, and she tumbled off Lu Qichun, falling heavily onto the floor.

Lu Qichun helped her up, her gentle voice embracing her: “Xiao He, actually, you don’t need me, and you don’t need A’chun. You are just not used to being alone; you are too afraid of solitude.”

Nanhe lifted her eyelids, staring fixedly at her. She wanted to see traces of a lie in Lu Qichun, but only saw absolute sincerity in her eyes. That gaze was too sincere; even though she had a completely different answer in her heart, she still felt that Lu Qichun was right, just like many times before. Nanhe lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting a shadow over her face: “Since you know I’m afraid of being alone, then why can’t you stay with me?”

“The time I can spend with you is too short. You need companions who have a longer lifespan.”

“Is that so?”

Lu Qichun gently stroked Nanhe’s cheek, her loving and tender gaze like that of a child: “Of course.”

Nanhe’s breathing became heavy. She suddenly felt the room was narrow and stifling, compelling her to cry out. She rushed toward the door without leaving a single word.

This was not the reunion Yu Ruoyin had imagined after a long separation. She subconsciously wanted to chase after Nanhe to comfort her, but hands restrained her from behind. After Nanhe left, Jiang Huaining exposed Lu Qichun without hesitation: “You are lying to her.”

“She is still so easy to fool.” Lu Qichun’s frankness was unacceptable to Yu Ruoyin. She had just thought Lu Qichun was a good person, and now that impression was about to be overturned: “Why?”

Lu Qichun shed all her gentleness, adopting a selfish and cold demeanor: “I’m dead. To be with her for a long time, I’d have to be a ghost, and I don’t want to be a ghost.”

Yu Ruoyin almost wondered if she had misheard. She asked incredulously, “Do you have any idea how hard she looked for you?”

Jiang Huaining restrained Yu Ruoyin, who was on the verge of anger: “A’yin, don’t listen to her. It’s not that she doesn’t want to be a ghost; it’s that she can’t be one.”

“Aunt Ning, what does that mean?”

Jiang Huaining glanced at Lu Qichun before explaining to Yu Ruoyin: “Extreme Yin leads to Malevolence, while flesh and blood are Yang. She belongs to the Extreme Yin and has the Spiritual Essence attached to her. A body of flesh and blood can suppress the Spiritual Essence, but if she exists as a soul for too long, the Spiritual Essence will enhance the Yin energy. Being an Extreme Yin fate, with the nourishment of the Spiritual Essence, she will inevitably become a Malevolent Spirit. The Underworld dares not keep souls with this fate for long. If they committed evil in life, their souls are scattered. If they were without evil, they are sent to reincarnation as quickly as possible—not allowed into Hell, and not kept in the Underworld.”

Lu Qichun pursed her lips but did not refute. This was the truth.

Yu Ruoyin was greatly shocked: “Is this the power of a life fate? But… Aunt Ning, doesn’t a soul’s fate change after reincarnation?”

“It’s not the power of a life fate; it’s a curse.”

A curse. This was not the first time Yu Ruoyin had heard of a curse; the last time was with the Kang family of the Painter Witches clan. Spiritual Essence? Was it that cluster of cyan mist? But if the cyan mist disappeared, did the curse still remain? Did Sang Qian have it too? After the battle in Yin City, Yu Ruoyin clearly understood the terror of ghosts, sorcerers, and Underworld officials, but the power of a curse was still somewhat mysterious and distant to her.

“Aunt Ning, can the curse not be broken?”

Jiang Huaining shook her head: “The curse on her is similar to that of the Painter Witches clan.”

Yu Ruoyin naturally knew what this meant. The Painter Witches clan was so powerful; if the curse could be broken, they would have done it long ago.

She felt a little unwilling to accept it; after all, she could also be considered Nanhe’s friend. Yu Ruoyin couldn’t help but complain, “Who is so bored that they curse people all the time?”

She believed that since it was a curse, there must be a caster, but unexpectedly, Jiang Huaining reacted strongly and covered her mouth. Lu Qichun, however, agreed with her: “I also think you’re right.”

Jiang Huaining released Yu Ruoyin, signaled her not to speak again, and then spoke to Lu Qichun: “You can go to reincarnation. I said I would grant you one wish; I can help you renew your bond. In your next life, Nanhe will still be your guardian spirit.”

Lu Qichun did not accept Jiang Huaining’s suggestion. She chuckled softly: “You’ve fallen into a misconception. She was born from the Bodhisattva’s lotus seat; her Buddha-nature outweighs her spirit-nature. She will love many people, but she will not love just one.”

She paused, giving them a meaningful look: “Perhaps one day, she will love you too.”

“No!” Yu Ruoyin had a sensitive nerve touched and instantly became like a hedgehog.

Lu Qichun’s gaze held a hint of amusement. Before she could say anything, Jiang Huaining shut her up: “Are you lying to us right now, or are you lying to yourself?”

Lu Qichun smiled, neither admitting her lie nor pursuing the matter. She swiftly changed the topic: “Boss Jiang, my wish is for Nanhe to be safe, successful, and no longer lonely.”

She deliberately pointed at Jiang Huaining: “I know your life is very long.”

“If she is willing, she can stay at the Four Spirits Shop forever.”

Having received a satisfactory answer, Lu Qichun walked outward: “I should go say my goodbyes. When Lord Wheel King returns, I should be heading to reincarnation.”

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t quite understand Lu Qichun, whether in Nanhe’s memory fragments or in the present. It was clearly a reluctant farewell, yet she didn’t seem sad.

Just as Lu Qichun was about to disappear from sight, Yu Ruoyin quickly called out, “Lu Qichun, don’t you want to be with Nanhe forever?”

“Wanting is useless.”

Lu Qichun had certainly thought about it, ever since the first time she saw Nanhe, even though she was very young then. Because the newly born Nanhe was too innocent and too silly, and at that time, she didn’t know how powerful a spirit born from a Buddha-lotus was. She often worried that Nanhe might accidentally die.

She had asked her mother if she could take care of Nanhe forever, but her usually gentle mother had reprimanded her very sternly: “Xiao Chun, no one can privately own a protective family spirit. You are not qualified to accompany her forever.”

“Mother, why? With so many people in the family, little sister likes me the most. I should be the most qualified to accompany her.”

“She is a spirit, deathless and eternal. You are human; a century passes quickly. How long can you accompany her? Only a continuously extending line of descendants can ensure she is always worshipped and cared for.”

“Mother, I can become a spirit too! As long as I become a spirit, won’t I be able to take care of little sister forever?”

“Nonsense! Quickly put away those improper thoughts. Spirits are born from Heaven and Earth; their spiritual power contains the radiance of the sun and moon. This is power given by the Heavens. How could you possibly become a spirit? To covet the power of a spirit, whether human or demon, will only result in becoming a monstrous aberration in the end.”

“…”

Lu Qichun was not afraid of becoming a monster, but a monster lacked consciousness and could not recognize loved ones. She had also yearned to become a ghost, but all expectations were extinguished at the moment of her death.

Her merits offset her past deeds, and she was sent to reincarnation after lingering in the Underworld for only the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Lu Qichun was originally unaware of the reason, but she was intelligent. Jiang Huaining’s tea awakened her memories of several hundred lifetimes, and although they were neither complete nor clear, she discerned something different from her peculiar cycle of reincarnations.

Jiang Huaining’s words illuminated everything. It turned out to be exactly as she had guessed. She was not even qualified to be a ghost.

She couldn’t accompany Nanhe. Lu Qichun had been tempted by Jiang Huaining’s mention of renewing their bond, but her life was too short for a spirit. The result of renewing the bond would simply be the guardian spirit losing her once more. If Nanhe couldn’t bear to break the Spiritual Contract again, wouldn’t she have to be foolish one more time? Furthermore, through this long conversation, she had sensed that Jiang Huaining’s goodwill towards her wasn’t as great as it seemed on the surface, though her attitude towards Nanhe was quite gentle. If she couldn’t stay with Nanhe, at least she shouldn’t burden her.

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