The Ghost Insists on Giving Me a Beautiful and Powerful Wife! - Chapter 55.2

That was the first time she had heard the name “Chun Xian.” Because she had quickly learned from Lu Qingzhen that the latter had never heard of it, Yu Ruoyin had assumed it was a complete fabrication and didn’t memorize the name. Now she realized the truth. Looking back at how Jiang Huaining told the story of Zou Ruolian, she realized that because Jiang Huaining suffered a backlash whenever she lied, she tried to keep her lies as close to the truth as possible. When she couldn’t say “Chun Chen,” the Spring Spirit became a mountain demon, but the story remained true.

Jiang Huaining had spoken some truths, but which parts were they?

“Chun Xian” (The Camellia Fairy) truly existed, and so did the King of Hell.

Were these the truths, while the rest were lies?

Yu Ruoyin thought of those fresh branches held in the girl’s arms and suddenly had a doubt: was the part about “no roots and no branches” true?

Chun Xian—was she Chun Xian?

No, they all called her “Little” Chun Xian (Xiao Chun Xian), which meant there must be another, true Chun Xian.

If Little Chun Xian was her past life, then who was Chun Xian?

“Little Camellia Fairy, where is your mother?”

Mother.

Was it… her mother?

Her mother was looking after a child; the child was Nan Hua. Nan Hua… Ying Zhu had said she was Nan Hua’s elder sister, and Kang Miaoxian seemed to have mentioned that the Kang family ancestor was named Kang Nanhua…

Yu Ruoyin had almost untangled the web of connections. She thought she was on the verge of remembering something, but unfortunately, no matter how she analyzed it, she couldn’t recall anything about that girl. She felt utterly dejected. Perhaps she wasn’t Little Camellia Fairy at all; perhaps she was just a bystander who happened to have the same face, and Jiang Huaining had found the wrong person.

No, she couldn’t have found the wrong person.

Even if it was a mistake, it had to be her.

Yu Ruoyin leaned over slightly, pressing her hand against her heart.

Zhuang Ciyue noticed her abnormality and hurriedly asked, “Xiao Yu, what’s wrong?”

Yu Ruoyin didn’t dare tell Zhuang Ciyue that when she felt like a fake, she had the urge to kill the real Little Camellia Fairy. She suppressed those cold, cruel thoughts and slowly looked up, smiling at Zhuang Ciyue. “Sister Yue, I’m fine. I think I can move now.”

Zhuang Ciyue pinched Yu Ruoyin’s leg. Seeing no reaction, she said, “It’s not enough if only your upper body can move.”

Being the kind person she was, she worried Yu Ruoyin was anxious to leave and specially added, “Xiao Yu, don’t worry. Even if we go out, we’ll just be waiting outside. It’s much cooler here than out there. Staying here isn’t so bad.”

Yu Ruoyin tilted her head, trying her best not to let Zhuang Ciyue see her icy gaze. She kept her voice low, slow, and soft, just as she usually did. “Then how long do we have to wait?”

“Boss Jiang said we have to wait until autumn.”

Autumn. Autumn again.

Does she look forward to autumn that much?

“Is Qiu Luo (Autumn Drop/Fall) really that good?”

Yu Ruoyin turned her head and questioned Zhuang Ciyue, her eyes full of a dark gloom that Zhuang Ciyue saw clearly. Zhuang Ciyue was momentarily dazed. “Xiao Yu, didn’t you say Boss Jiang told you Qiu Luo is very easy to get along with? You… you don’t seem to like Qiu Luo very much.”

Yu Ruoyin knew she had lost her composure. She silently lowered her head, hiding her emotions. “No, I just don’t understand why we have to wait for autumn.”

“Because the Summer Spirit was destroyed. To get the temperature back to normal, the only way is to enter autumn early.” Zhuang Ciyue thought for a moment and added, “That’s what Boss Jiang said. She also said that in the past, the other three spirits should have woken up by now. But after the incident with Chun Chen, she set up formations where the Four Spirits sleep so they couldn’t perceive the outside world. It seems we won’t have to wait until September; Boss Jiang said she would wake up in mid-August… Xiao Yu, you wouldn’t believe it—that mountain demon Boss Jiang mentioned was actually Chun Chen! The four thousand years of chaos weren’t caused by some evil path; they were actually caused by Chun Chen… If Ying Zhu hadn’t let it slip, we still wouldn’t know.”

She knew.

She had guessed it long ago.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t respond. Zhuang Ciyue continued, “According to Boss Jiang, the mastermind seems to be intentionally stalling for time, letting us maintain the formation for her so she can merge the Summer Spirit’s power. Actually, I don’t really understand. She could create such a powerful formation, so she must be very strong. What does she need so much power for?”

Yu Ruoyin didn’t want to know any of that; she only wanted to know who the mastermind was.

If she judged solely by the recreation of old scenes and the extraction of the Summer Spirit, she would suspect the mastermind was Chun Chen. But according to Jiang Huaining’s words relayed by Zhuang Ciyue, after that era of chaos, Jiang Huaining had tightened the restrictions on Chun Chen. Even if Chun Chen could truly wake up silently, Jiang Huaining wouldn’t give her the chance to repeat the past and kill so many people again.

In Yu Ruoyin’s eyes, Jiang Huaining’s moral standard was very high. She seemed cold, but everything she did was either helping people or saving them. She was the true guardian spirit.

As for what she was guarding… it was probably… all living beings?

Thinking of her this way made her seem truly like a god.

Yu Ruoyin’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt. She suddenly remembered that in the dialogue between the girl and Ying Zhu in her dream, the girl had addressed someone as “Lord High Deity.” So, did gods really exist?

Yu Ruoyin couldn’t be sure, nor could she confirm it. She only knew that her legs could move now.

—

Kang Miaoxian let them out. The Yin-Yang pocket world outside the small array was indeed in a state of chaos, just as Zhuang Ciyue had described. Red flames burned everywhere, rocks were scorched until they cracked, and the ground beneath their feet was severely fissured. On the ground lay charred remains of puppet corpses and those who had been burned to death.

Most of the people assigned major roles in the “old scene” were dead. The pregnant women and children who hadn’t died had already been sent out by Jiang Huaining. Currently, the only ones alive in the formation were some “shade-tainted” people who hadn’t been given significant roles, and the Underworld messengers who had been on the Yin side. Xing Ruoyuan and Lu Qingzhen were there, along with a few others Yu Ruoyin didn’t recognize.

These Underworld messengers were standing with Kang Shuming and Ying Zhu. Beside them was a coffin.

Yu Ruoyin recognized that coffin—it was the same one she had brought to Yin City last time.

A steady stream of Yin energy was pouring out of the coffin. The two of them seemed to be in good condition. Nan He and Kang Miaoxian were also doing well; they even had enough strength left to rescue some people caught in the flames. The one in the worst condition was Zhuang Huaishu. She was still a living person, but as a Shadow Painter, her power was suppressed in this situation. It was much better for her to stay near the coffin, but she was clearly unwilling to be too close to Ying Zhu.

Where is Jiang Huaining?

Yu Ruoyin didn’t see Jiang Huaining, which made her feel uneasy.

Just as she was about to ask, someone suddenly hugged her. “A-Yin.”

A familiar embrace held her tight. Yu Ruoyin suddenly heard a sound—the red jade fruit hanging around her neck had shattered into two. One half remained on her neck, while the other half turned into a thick golden mist and flew toward Jiang Huaining. After she absorbed the Summer Spirit’s power, a portion of the strength Jiang Huaining had given her returned to Jiang Huaining’s body.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t think a third of Xia Yu’s power could equal half the power of the red jade fruit. It was likely that the spiritual energy Jiang Huaining needed to maintain Yu Ruoyin’s body far exceeded what she needed to maintain her own.

Her own power?

Yu Ruoyin was dazed for a moment, feeling she had been splitting hairs.

Jiang Huaining might mistake a person, but these powers shouldn’t, right?

She was Little Camellia Fairy. Even if she couldn’t remember who Little Camellia Fairy was.

Yu Ruoyin had just jumped out of one circle only to step into another. She trapped herself within the coldest, dampest enclosure, her whole body feeling chilled and her heart turning cold.

Jiang Huaining liked Little Camellia Fairy, not her.

Little Camellia Fairy could be many people, not just her.

Yu Ruoyin hadn’t forgotten what Xia Yu had said—that Jiang Huaining had searched for her for many lifetimes. Each time it was her, yet not her.

They might all be Little Camellia Fairy, but only she was named Yu Ruoyin.

They were all probably better than her—they wouldn’t have wild thoughts, nor would they be so selfish as to wish their other selves would disappear.

How could such a base person like herself reach for the sunlight?

Yu Ruoyin was both insecure and obsessive. She didn’t let go of Jiang Huaining because she felt unworthy; instead, she turned around and hugged Jiang Huaining’s waist tightly.

She hugged so hard that even Jiang Huaining felt she was acting unusual. “A-Yin, what’s wrong?”

Yu Ruoyin bit Jiang Huaining. Jiang Huaining didn’t even knit her brows. She said, “A-Yin, you are just you.”

Jiang Huaining had guessed—guessed that she might have found out something—and said the words Yu Ruoyin wanted to hear most in a very gentle way. Yet Yu Ruoyin couldn’t feel happy at all. She couldn’t help but think: Jiang Huaining is so practiced at this. Has she coaxed others this way before? Coaxed those who were her, yet were not her, the other Little Camellia Fairies?

She bit harder. With the power of the Summer Spirit, Yu Ruoyin’s bite was incredibly strong.

They all knew how powerful Jiang Huaining was. Even so, Yu Ruoyin left a bloody mark on her. The wound was not shallow.

Jiang Huaining didn’t move; she let Yu Ruoyin bite her. In the distance, Ying Zhu couldn’t stand the sight. “I say, are you part dog? You don’t use your newly gained spiritual power to protect your companions; you use it to bite your wife!”

Ying Zhu’s voice was somewhat hoarse. Even though she was shouting with effort, it wasn’t very loud. Yu Ruoyin then noticed that Ying Zhu might have touched some kind of restriction, as her condition wasn’t very good.

Of course, Ying Zhu had nothing to do with her.

Yu Ruoyin didn’t feel any need to care about Ying Zhu. She finally let go of the teeth she had sunk into Jiang Huaining. Staring at the mark she had made and looking at Jiang Huaining’s still calm and gentle face, she couldn’t help but say, “Auntie Ning, you have already accepted my offering.”

Jiang Huaining didn’t quite understand what she meant, but she simply cooperated with her. “Yes, I remember.”

She was lying again. That was just something Yu Ruoyin had said casually last time; she hadn’t had the chance to make an offering to Jiang Huaining yet.

She gripped Jiang Huaining’s waist and said through gritted teeth, “Auntie Ning, since you’ve accepted my offering, then you are mine. Mine alone.”

“Okay.” Jiang Huaining didn’t even blink. She nodded. “Yours alone.”

Yu Ruoyin was being too strange. Jiang Huaining would be sad if she agreed, and definitely sadder if she didn’t.

“Auntie Ning…” Yu Ruoyin was a bit confused now. After calling her name, there was no follow-up.

Jiang Huaining waited for a long time without hearing what Yu Ruoyin had to say next. She didn’t press her, only responding again, “Okay.”

Yu Ruoyin’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly as she looked at Jiang Huaining in disbelief. “Auntie Ning, do you know what I was going to say?”

“I don’t know,” Jiang Huaining told her honestly, her gaze gentle. “A-Yin, as long as it’s you saying it, I can agree to anything.”

Yu Ruoyin admitted her heart was deeply stirred, but at the same time, she felt even more uneasy.

Was Jiang Huaining’s almost bottomless indulgence toward her because of her, or because of Little Camellia Fairy?

She should be more open-minded. As long as she didn’t distinguish between herself and Little Camellia Fairy, then regardless of Jiang Huaining’s reasons, she would ultimately belong only to her.

Why be so calculative?

Why shouldn’t I be?

Two completely different voices almost came to blows in her mind. Yu Ruoyin covered her head, trying to shake off the thought of Little Camellia Fairy, but failed. She had no choice but to shift the conversation elsewhere. “Ning… Auntie Ning, please don’t like Qiu Luo, okay?”

“Okay.” Jiang Huaining indeed promised her, but then she asked back, “A-Yin, what if you like Qiu Luo very much?”

How was that possible?

She wouldn’t like Qiu Luo; she would only be jealous of her. Jealous that she held Jiang Huaining’s expectations; jealous that she was needed by Jiang Huaining.

Yu Ruoyin would not like Qiu Luo.

She would only hate Qiu Luo.

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