Transmigrated as the Villain and Driven Crazy by the Vengeful Male Lead - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Racoon-Ghost — Born Human: How Can Flesh and Blood Compare to a Stray?

A biting cold wind swept past. The Racoon-Ghost shuddered, and focus suddenly returned to its eyes.

Seeing Su Qingyang’s sword pointed at it, the ghost narrowed its eyes and raised a claw in mid-air. “You actually don’t care whether that boy lives or dies.”

“If I didn’t care, I would have arrived long ago. I wouldn’t have let you run rampant until now…” Su Qingyang looked at Lu Shuyao with a complex gaze.

“Had I known you people of the Baoshan Sect were so cold-blooded—standing by while an innocent bleeds to death—I should have taken his life with a single palm strike just now!”

The Racoon-Ghost leaped up violently. Su Qingyang immediately thrust his sword, pinning one of its claws to the ground! It let out a wretched howl. Collapsing on the spot, its soul manifested into its original raccoon form and fled Rou-rou’s body, writhing and rolling on the ground nearby.

Su Qingyang hurried to support Lu Shuyao, whose soul was half-out of his body, and Su Cheyue, whose black hair was drenched. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Su Cheyue replied emotionlessly.

Su Qingyang nodded and turned to ask, “And you?”

Big brother, of course I’m not fine! Lu Shuyao struggled to open his mouth, finding his lips so parched they were cracking. Even drawing a breath made his throat sting.

Su Qingyang sighed, pressed a palm against Lu Shuyao’s back, and began transferring spiritual energy to him.

Su Cheyue spoke to the Racoon-Ghost: “Your nature was not wicked. When you possessed the rat, you did not stir up trouble or harm the innocent. It was only because your obsession remained—you truly believed it was people like us who forced you and your master apart forever.”

Su Qingyang countered, “Who says it didn’t harm the innocent? It nearly took that boy’s life!”

And mine, Lu Shuyao thought.

To earn Su Cheyue’s “hatred points,” he really was playing with his life. Lu Shuyao felt he would never forget Su Cheyue as long as he lived.

“I, Su Cheyue, do not push my faults onto others, but I will not take the blame for disasters I didn’t cause. Since it has come to this, I will tell you the truth.”

The Racoon-Ghost’s soul had no physical form, appearing only as a faint, misty shadow. Despite this, one could see a cold sneer freeze on its face, replaced by a sudden surge of panic in its eyes. “No…”

“You dared to plunge into hell for the sake of this self-righteous ‘deep affection,’ yet you lack the courage to know the truth?” At this moment, Su Cheyue’s clarity was almost inhumanly cold. “Seven years ago, my cultivation wasn’t as…”

He suddenly stopped.

After twitching the corner of his mouth, he continued: “…I wasn’t as powerful then. Subduing you wouldn’t have been so easy. I kept watch for days without sleep to no avail, and the Meng couple lived in constant terror. Finally, Meng Shijie couldn’t take it anymore. He found me and said he had a good plan—that he would cooperate with me to lure you out.”

The Racoon-Ghost’s pupils dilated.

“Tangyuan was sensible. Back when it was alive, though it spent its days playing like a little carefree immortal, it was more spiritual than other animals when trouble arose. A few times when my wife was ill and I couldn’t return from the academy immediately, Tangyuan would tend to her bedside. Pills, food, clothes, bedding—it would carry everything steadily in its little mouth to her bed.”

Su Cheyue looked into Tangyuan’s eyes, articulating every word clearly: “‘Immortal, why don’t you dissolve the Ghost-Catching Pill into my wife’s medicine? We will put on a play together. I will stay at the academy, and my wife will pretend to be bedridden. The moment it touches that pill—whether it manifests or its soul shatters—it is entirely at your disposal.’ Those were the words Meng Shijie said to me personally.”

Su Qingyang said nothing while channeling energy into Lu Shuyao. Lu Shuyao hung onto his consciousness to listen, mentally applauding Su Cheyue’s lack of internal guilt and his “long-tongued” willingness to speak the truth.

Until he looked up.

It turned out that animals could cry, too.

Su Cheyue continued: “It was a good plan, but I hesitated. Meng Shijie guessed my concerns and said firmly, ‘Immortal, let me share a line from my favorite poem with you: Cherish things without being obsessed by them; be adept in affection without being trapped by it.'”

Su Cheyue asked Tangyuan, “Do you know what that means?”

Tangyuan lay flat on the ground, its lips trembling, unable to make a sound.

“It simply means: when things are fine, you’re Tangyuan; when there’s trouble, you’re a Racoon-Ghost.”

“Do you understand now? Tangyuan.”

A sudden silence fell between the adversaries. Tangyuan suddenly shook its head. “Don’t call me Tangyuan anymore.”

“You have answered so much for me; let me answer one for you. Do you want to know why I possessed Rou-rou?”

Su Cheyue said, “I didn’t before, but I do now—you wanted to experience the feeling of being their beloved child one more time.”

It smiled sorrowfully. “That’s what I thought then. Not anymore.”

?

Taking advantage of their distraction, it snatched up Rou-rou’s physical body and fled back the way it came!

“Cunning beast! Don’t let it escape!” Su Qingyang quickly pulled the two onto his sword. Su Cheyue asked Lu Shuyao with cold arrogance, “How much longer until you die?”

“…” Lu Shuyao endured the pain of his wound and acted pitiful. “I can still hold on.”

What was a heavy injury? If the protagonist wanted to do something, he had to support it!

…

The Racoon-Ghost returned to the Meng family courtyard in Tianjin Lane.

Hovering in mid-air, it saw the Meng couple slumped in the snow, staring blankly at the crimson bloodstains left by Lu Shuyao and Qing Sang. It whispered to itself, “Now I want to know even more… if you saw your ‘precious pearl’ of a daughter kill without blinking, what would you do?”

With a swipe of its claw, Rou-rou was gently lowered.

The Mengs heard movement outside. They exchanged a look. Trembling, Meng Shijie crawled over and opened the gate just a crack.

“Who is it?” Mrs. Meng asked.

“…Rou, Rou-rou…”

Mrs. Meng stood up and ran over. “Is Rou-rou okay?!”

The two carried Rou-rou inside. The young girl slowly woke up from the movement. “Father? Mother?”

“I’m here,” Meng Shijie replied. Mrs. Meng said with red eyes, “It’s good that you’re awake, it’s good…”

“Rou-rou, you…” Meng Shijie hesitated.

“Father, what’s wrong? Rou-rou feels so tired, so sleepy. What time is it? Is it winter already? The snow is so heavy.”

Mrs. Meng burst into tears instantly. “Rou-rou, it’s our fault! We… let’s go home.”

The two supported their young daughter. Not daring to look around, they hurriedly went into the house, bolted the door, and extinguished the lights.

The Racoon-Ghost watched blankly until it felt the surge of spiritual power behind it. It said calmly, “You’re here. Then let’s watch together.”

“The Purgatory of Evil Ghosts has been resealed by A-Yue at the cost of his cultivation and life. Where do you think you can run? Surrender now!”

The Racoon-Ghost seemed not to hear, saying sorrowfully, “Did you see? They took her home.”

“I am a ghost. I did nothing, yet they were so afraid of me they wished I would vanish from the world forever. Rou-rou attacked them and intended to kill that neighbor boy, yet they don’t pursue it, don’t care, and aren’t afraid at all!”

“Born human, flesh and blood… how can a stray animal compare?” it said. “I was delusional.”

“Nonsense!” Su Qingyang said. “Even as ordinary mortals, how could they not see that you were behind all of this? Rou-rou was innocent! As parents, they naturally wouldn’t take their resentment out on their daughter!”

“As parents… as parents…” the ghost murmured.

Su Cheyue sat on the sword, his shoulder slightly propping up Lu Shuyao’s drooping head. He didn’t bother explaining further to the ghost, cutting straight to the point: “It’s not too late to wake up.”

“I am partly at fault for this. If you are willing to let go of your obsession and live again… Brother, take out the Bone-Molding Pill and help it reshape a body.”

“A-Yue!? But that was left by Uncle…”

“Because it was left by my father, it should be put to good use. Take it out.”

Su Qingyang reluctantly pulled a Bone-Molding Pill from his spiritual pouch and handed it to Su Cheyue. Su Cheyue took it and held his palm out toward the ghost. “This pill’s power is only sufficient for non-human beings. It can reshape a physical form for a soul once. However, there are two conditions: First, the process is like a thousand needles piercing your bones—you must endure pain beyond normal limits as punishment for the two people you heavily injured tonight. Second, just like entering reincarnation, your ghostly powers will vanish completely. From then on, you will be nothing more than an ordinary raccoon.”

“Of course, after the transformation, you can choose to return to the Meng family—if you are still willing.”

“If you have made up your mind, come to me.”

The ghost’s fur slowly softened. It thought for one last time about that late winter years ago when it was dying under a withered tree in Tianjin Lane, only to be saved by Mrs. Meng.

It thought one last time about the safety and comfort of being cradled in Mrs. Meng’s arms. It remembered lounging by Meng Shijie’s desk, happily treading on his books with its paws, accidentally shredding his papers and desk because it couldn’t control its strength, and then being chased around the room by him.

It loved the game of chase. Meng Shijie was a scholar and Mrs. Meng was frail; they would be out of breath and could never catch it. It would purposely peek its head out to wait for them, letting them catch it so it could be held and swatted.

Its fur was thick; it never felt pain from their palms. Instead, it enjoyed those heavy strokes.

Those were the times Meng Shijie spoke of—cherishing and affection—times that would never return.

The raccoon-soul bounded toward Su Cheyue—it hadn’t run so joyfully since it became a ghost.

Su Cheyue fed it the Bone-Molding Pill and placed it in his spiritual pouch. “It will take time for the pill to take effect. You will recover here.”

The pouch bulged slightly as the raccoon nudged it in response.

Su Qingyang asked, “Do you want to go down and say goodbye to the Mengs?”

Su Cheyue shook his head. “Where is Qing Sang?”

“He was injured. I took him to the foot of the Baoshan Sect at top speed and sent a transmission. Someone should have met him by now; the sect’s medical cultivators are likely treating him.”

Su Cheyue nodded. “Then let’s head back quickly.”

The sky was beginning to brighten. They hadn’t flown far when Su Cheyue suddenly said, “Brother, wait.”

“What’s wrong?” Su Qingyang braked the sword.

Su Cheyue’s voice was icy and deep: “We cannot let him live any longer.”

Su Cheyue sat in the middle, with Su Qingyang and Lu Shuyao at either end of the sword. Lu Shuyao’s head was hanging low, his chest rising and falling weakly. He saw Su Qingyang look over, bewildered.

“There are only the three of us here, and a raccoon that’s already long dead. Who are you talking about?”