The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 55.1

Yu Ruoyin was carried to Xia Yu’s side. She could barely open her eyes and was completely unable to distinguish her current surroundings. She felt as though her skin were covered in tiny cuts seared by flames, with sparks constantly burrowing into her flesh. It wasn’t excruciatingly painful, just intensely hot. It was as if she were trapped in a furnace, with white smoke continuously rising from her body.

The sounds of the argument between Ying Zhu and Zhuang Huaishu grew fainter in her ears, replaced by a clear, gentle female voice.

It was Jiang Huaining’s voice: “Little Camellia Fairy (Xiao Chun Xian).”

Yu Ruoyin struggled to open her eyes, but her eyelids grew heavier. Unable to suppress the drowsiness, she drifted into a deep sleep. In her dream, she saw that young girl again—bright, lively, her crimson skirt swaying gently in the breeze.

The girl held fresh branches in her arms, the leaves glistening with clear water droplets. The translucent drops clung to the leaves without falling, while a steady stream of green mist drifted from the ends of the branches. The girl looked bored, pouting and blowing at the stray hairs on her forehead to pass the time.

As the hair moved, Yu Ruoyin saw her face clearly. Just as she had suspected, the girl possessed a face identical to her own.

Yu Ruoyin had first seen flashes of this girl and Jiang Huaining while searching through Nan He’s memories at Lian Zhen’s place. She had reasoned then that since there were only two people in those memories, and she wasn’t Jiang Huaining, she had to be the girl. Now, she had her confirmation.

Where is Jiang Huaining?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Jiang Huaining appeared nearby, waving gently to the girl. “Little Camellia Fairy, why are you the one delivering the Spring-Condensing Branches? Where is your mother?”

The gentle voice made the girl’s eyes light up. Like a little rabbit, she went bounding toward the source of the sound. Though they shared the same face, the expression on the girl was exceptionally bright and carried a touch of adorable charm. Even Yu Ruoyin found herself liking her, let alone Jiang Huaining.

Jiang Huaining gently stroked the girl’s hair and asked again softly, “Little Camellia Fairy, where is your mother?”

The girl was displeased by the constant questioning about her mother. She curled her lip and replied dismissively, “Mother is busy looking after the kid.”

“The kid?” Jiang Huaining’s gaze drifted over the girl. There was no judgment, only a hint of confusion. “Aren’t you a kid yourself?”

The girl grew even more annoyed. She shouted, “Nan Hua! It’s Nan Hua!”

…

Nan Hua.

Who is Nan Hua?

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t see any more. Someone tugged at her, dragging her away from the dream. She tried to struggle back into the vision, but her consciousness became increasingly clear.

“Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu.” Zhuang Ciyue’s voice became distinct, and Yu Ruoyin finally opened her eyes.

The moment she did, she met Zhuang Ciyue’s worried gaze. A warmth flowed through her heart. “Sister Yue.”

Zhuang Ciyue had always been good to her. Seeing her wake up, she let out a visible sigh of relief. “Xiao Yu, you finally woke up. Are you okay?”

Yu Ruoyin was leaning against a tree. Zhuang Ciyue stood before her, guarding her. She had been leaning over to watch Yu Ruoyin and now stood straight, forcing Yu Ruoyin to look up at her. Yu Ruoyin tried to stand, but she found she had no strength at all.

Not wanting to worry Zhuang Ciyue, she bypassed her physical weakness and whispered, “I’m okay.”

Zhuang Ciyue clearly knew more about Yu Ruoyin’s condition than she did. She comforted her: “Xiao Yu, you just absorbed a third of Xia Yu’s power. It takes time for the body and spiritual energy to fuse. It’s normal that you can’t move right now. Don’t worry.”

She thought of something and suddenly cursed, “It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, we could have seized half of the spiritual power.”

Yu Ruoyin learned that as soon as the flaw in the formation was discovered, Zhuang Huaishu had immediately summoned Ying Zhu. No matter how powerful Ying Zhu was, she was a Yin Deity; the Yang side of the formation, bolstered by the power of the Summer Spirit, suppressed her. Her options were limited. Thus, she immediately thought of having Zhuang Huaishu and the others seize the Summer Spirit’s power.

Initially, Zhuang Ciyue and the others thought Ying Zhu was talking in her sleep. How could power be easily stolen from a formation so meticulously laid by a mastermind? To their surprise, after Xia Yu’s body dissipated, fragments of the Summer Spirit’s energy actually drifted toward Yu Ruoyin of their own accord. They only needed to help those fragments briefly escape the formation’s control.

Kang Miaoxian was the most experienced in this. Using her body as the formation eye, she constructed a small array in a very short time. As long as the spirit fragments entered the small array, they could temporarily break free from the mastermind’s control. However, this meant Kang Miaoxian couldn’t leave the small array; she had to guide the spirit fragments to Yu Ruoyin.

Ying Zhu and Kang Shuming were suppressed by the Yang side. Zhuang Huaishu and Nan He were mostly fine. Zhuang Ciyue, the three young Taoists, and the three young nuns fared worse. Some among them were powerful, but the strongest had already been moved to the center of the formation to become the first wave of sacrifices. The chosen “Taoist Master” and “A-Hu” together couldn’t catch as many spirit fragments as Nan He did alone. Zhuang Ciyue felt that at least half of the fragments were more willing to merge with Yu Ruoyin—it was just their own lack of ability that held them back.

“Sister Yue, I’m the one who lacked ability.” Yu Ruoyin felt embarrassed. She had fallen asleep at the most critical moment, leaving the dangerous work to others while she became the beneficiary.

“Xiao Yu!” Zhuang Ciyue shouted her name, speaking with great solemnity. “Xiao Yu, you are the most useful one. Without you, we would all have died in this formation. Although I still don’t understand why those spiritual energies were willing to recognize you, if you hadn’t absorbed a third of that power, everyone left inside would have become a living sacrifice.”

Living sacrifice.

Yu Ruoyin belatedly realized only Zhuang Ciyue was beside her. Panicking, she asked, “Sister Yue, where are Grandma Zhuang, Sister Kang, and Nan He?”

She was terrified that things had taken a turn for the worse.

Zhuang Ciyue held down the struggling Yu Ruoyin. “Xiao Yu, they are all fine. The formation is broken, but the world outside is in chaos.”

Under Zhuang Ciyue’s explanation, Yu Ruoyin finally understood their situation. After Xia Yu was completely destroyed, the two sides of the Yin-Yang Chess Formation merged completely. What Yu Ruoyin expected didn’t happen—even after absorbing a third of the Summer Spirit’s power, she did not become the new Summer Spirit. The Summer Spirit was truly extinct. It was currently summer, and with no Xia Yu to balance the forces, the outside world had descended into turmoil.

Extreme temperatures were causing the ground to crack and rivers to dry up. The once-warm sun had become a weapon of slaughter, with falling sparks occasionally burning people or groups of souls to death. This was almost a form of intimidation, using the changes within the formation’s pocket world to warn them how terrible the real world would become. Kang Miaoxian and the others had been ready to fully destroy the formation, but now they didn’t dare move. They even had to help maintain its operation so the news of the Summer Spirit’s destruction wouldn’t leak out, preventing the outside world from becoming as catastrophic as the world inside the array.

Zhuang Ciyue found it all a bit surreal, but this was what Jiang Huaining and Ying Zhu had said. As the two oldest beings present, their words carried authority. Many finally realized that the Four Spirits were not just guardians of the seasons, but their controllers. Their death would bring immeasurable consequences to the world.

One couldn’t help but curse the mastermind. She must have known exactly what would happen, using this to terrorize them. Yet, she had still destroyed the Summer Spirit, showing a complete lack of regard for living beings. Furthermore, it was strange—even as they sabotaged her plans, the mastermind had not shown her face. It seemed all she wanted was for Xia Yu to die and for the world to be thrown into chaos; she didn’t care who ultimately took Xia Yu’s power.

Zhuang Ciyue and Yu Ruoyin were inside Kang Miaoxian’s small array. Jiang Huaining had strictly instructed that they could only leave once Yu Ruoyin could move. Only then would the fusion of spiritual energy be stable enough to prevent the formation from siphoning it back.

They were currently separated from Jiang Huaining and the others by only a thin barrier, very close, yet unable to see the situation outside.

Having finished her explanation, Zhuang Ciyue sighed and sat beside Yu Ruoyin. “Xiao Yu, what do you think Boss Jiang’s true identity is? If the Four Spirits can control the seasons and influence nature, then as their ‘boss,’ isn’t she even more incredible? Well… she really is amazing. She actually managed to send the pregnant women and children trapped in the array outside even though the formation isn’t fully broken. I truly don’t understand how she did it. And Ying Zhu is strange too. She’s the Wheel-Turning King! In my grand-aunt’s stories, she was so arrogant and cruel, yet when Boss Jiang scolds her, she doesn’t dare talk back… But if she’s so powerful, why does she stay? Xiao Yu, I have a gut feeling that even if the whole world goes crazy and everyone dies, Boss Jiang won’t die!”

Reaching a point of excitement, she grabbed Yu Ruoyin’s arm. “Xiao Yu, what kind of powerful ‘thigh’ have you latched onto! Why don’t you let me tag along too?” Her eyes sparkled for a moment before dimming again. “Actually, never mind.”

“Sister Yue, what’s wrong?”

“Even if Boss Jiang protects me for your sake, it’s useless,” Zhuang Ciyue said with a sad smile. “I love my grand-aunt, my parents, my grandparents… If they all die, there’s no point in me living alone. Xiao Yu, I like you a lot too—call it ‘loving the house and its crows’—and I wouldn’t want your wife to work too hard. If she had to protect all my relatives because of you, I’d feel terrible. I’m a Shadow Painter, after all. I won’t let my family come to harm before I die. And after I’m dead… they probably won’t blame me.”

Faced with such overwhelming powers, Zhuang Ciyue felt a deep sense of helplessness. Before Yu Ruoyin could comfort her, she wiped away a stray tear. “If I have to blame someone, I’ll blame Xing Ruoyuan for being too weak. If she were as strong as Ying Zhu, maybe I’d be a legendary Shadow Painter by now. But it’s a good thing she isn’t Ying Zhu, or I’d be a miserable wretch too.”

Yu Ruoyin thought Zhuang Ciyue was going to criticize Xing Ruoyuan, but she was actually praising her in a roundabout way. “Thinking about what Ying Zhu did back then, I still want to curse her! How could she be so cruel to my grand-aunt? If I were her, I’d want to drink her blood and eat her flesh. Compared to that, Xing Ruoyuan is actually quite good. At most, she just didn’t keep her promise to marry me. It’s not that bad; we didn’t have real feelings anyway. I just thought she was pretty and couldn’t stand being lied to…”

Zhuang Ciyue suddenly lost her train of thought. She wasn’t much more lucid than Yu Ruoyin at the moment. She cut herself off and cursed randomly, “Xiao Yu, Ying Zhu is a total bastard, right?”

“Yeah, right!” Yu Ruoyin could see Zhuang Ciyue was in a bad mood and played along. It was only natural to scold Ying Zhu; she used to be hated by everyone.

Used to be? Since when?

Yu Ruoyin shook her head, unable to shake the doubt. Suddenly, the voices of the young girl and Ying Zhu echoed in her ears.

“Lord Ying Zhu, could you stop following me around like a ghost? I’m here to see the High Deity, not you.”

“Little Camellia Fairy, why didn’t Kang Hua come with you?”

“How should I know? You should ask her yourself.”

“Aren’t you her sister?”

“…”

The voices faded. Yu Ruoyin covered her ears with her hands. Those conversations… are they from the past? Is it because I merged with the Summer Spirit’s power? But why can’t I remember?

The silence left Yu Ruoyin with more questions. Little Camellia Fairy. Ying Zhu called the girl Little Camellia Fairy, and Jiang Huaining called her the same.

Yu Ruoyin suddenly remembered the lie Jiang Huaining had told when they first met, the one she used to justify their “partnership.”

“Because I want something from the King of Hell.”

“In this world, there is a fruit called the Camellia Fairy (Chun Xian). It has no roots or leaves. After absorbing ten thousand years of essence from the sun and moon, it is born in the coldest lands. A few days ago, one was born in the Underworld. I asked the King of Hell for it, but she said she’d only give it to me as a wedding gift—it was just an excuse. I didn’t expect A-Zhen to overhear.”

“A-Zhen said since the King of Hell gave her word, she can’t break it. If I really want the Camellia Fairy, I should just find a wife.”

“I want the Camellia Fairy, and you can’t leave this place.”

“I was joking. I want the Camellia Fairy, but I won’t force anyone. Since you’re unwilling, you can go back. I’m sure A-Zhen can find me a new wife—maybe not as good as you, but not too bad either.”

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