100 Ghost Collection

“Plump Face.” Qi Tian kicked away the dead man on the ground and sat down by the bed. When his gaze fell on Yuan Bao’s chaotic clothes, murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and many wiggling black worms suddenly emerged from the already withered corpse on the ground. After Ingesting the corpse completely, they crawled away on their own, hiding in the dark recesses of the house.

Then Qi Tian helped Yuan Bao rearrange her clothes and fasten her belt. He helped her sit up and patted her back stiffly: “Don’t be afraid.”

When his rough voice fell into Yuan Bao’s ear, her body, which was originally only slightly stiff, began to tremble uncontrollably. Her stiff gaze was staring fixedly in front of her, but big tears were rolling down from the corners of her eyes. Qi Tian momentarily panicked, then he used his sleeve to wipe her tears away again and again, but he still could not stop her tears from falling.

“Plump Face, no crying.”

He ordered softly, but Yuan Bao did not follow his command. As if Yuan Bao had fallen apart, the tears in her eyes kept falling down uncontrollably. When Qi Tian’s sleeve was all wet, he patted her on the back like comforting a child and patiently coaxed her with his unpleasant rough voice.

Yuan Bao could not hold back her tears, she kept crying until her eyes were red and swollen. Qi Tian did not even dare to help her wipe away her tears anymore.

“Does your eyes hurt?” He asked. Yuan Bao was like an out-of-control puppet, no longer giving him any responses. He clenched his fist and said hoarsely, “If you cry anymore, then it’ll blind your eyes.”

“Plump Face, don’t cry anymore.”

“I’m heartbroken, don’t cry anymore.”

However, no matter how loud or angry he pleaded, Yuan Bao did not listen to him. Whereas, she did not make a scene or even let out a scream, she just sat there silently shedding tears. It was unknown who was more tormented.

Unable to bear it any longer, Qi Tian covered Yuan Bao’s lips with his own. He opened her tightly-clenched jaw and gently pushed the tip of his tongue inside. As he swiped his tongue back and forth, he easily retrieved the black Gu. Then he softly whispered against her lips: “I’ll let you go, okay? I’ll let you go, so don’t cry anymore. ”

*Gu – legendary venomous insect/ worm

As soon as he said these words, Yuan Bao’s body immediately softened. She finally closed her eyes and fainted in his arms.

That night, Yuan Bao’s breathing was heavier than usual like a living person. As Qi Tian hugged her, he did not understand why he was able to sleep more peacefully than usual.

Early the next morning, Qi Tian was kicked out of the bed. As he rubbed his eyes, he was still somewhat disoriented. When he looked at the woman huddled into a ball up on the bed, he was momentarily stunned to see Yuan Bao, who was “very much alive.” Then he remembered that last night he had removed the Gu in her body.

When he stood up from the ground, he went to hold Yuan Bao’s hand as usual, wanting to take her to freshen up. However, Yuan Bao wrapped both her arms around herself tightly and quickly hid herself in the corner. To some degree, her eyes displayed both fear and alertness, but for the most part, her eyes restrained the animosity that she felt: “Don’t come near me, you’re going to implant the Gu in me again?”

Qi Tian’s outstretched hand froze slightly and his fingers curled up. He lowered his eyes and said, “Your hair is messy, it’s time to freshen up.”

Yuan Bao’s jet-black eyes were even more alert. Her expression held indifference and disgust, it was no different from those outsiders…

Qi Tian suppressed the pain in his heart as he ordered her with a sullen expression: “I forbid you to be afraid of me.” 

How could she not be afraid, seeing his terrifying and disgusting face slowly approaching, Yuan Bao’s calm expression finally cracked just a little bit. She looked  around in a panic, trying to find an opening to flee. When Qi Tian’s hand pinched her chin, Yuan Bao could not suppress the fear in her heart. With one foot, she ruthlessly kicked Qi Tian’s core, and his lean manly figure immediately bent in half.

As Yuan Bao turned deathly white, she said: “You said you’ll let me go, you said you’ll let me go…”

His solar plexus, the place where Yuan Bao kicked, was throbbing with pain. The Gu in his body was crawling chaotically under his blue veins, screaming to get out and devour Yuan Bao completely. As he forcefully suppressed the fishy smell surging up in his throat, he gently massaged both sides of his temples to calm down the agitated organisms inside.

When he finally raised his head, he saw Yuan Bao shivering in the corner. Her head leaned against the wall and her hair was a mess around her face. His eyes softened as he reached out and said, “Let’s freshen up.” He was so fond of helping her wipe her face. The flesh of her skin was so soft, when he immediately poked at it and released it with his finger, it bounced right back, full of vitality.

When Yuan Bao remained motionless, Qi Tian narrowed his eyes, and then finally his eyes lowered: “After you freshen up… I’ll let you go.”

Yuan Bao sized him up distrustfully. The two of them looked at each other for a long time. After a while, Yuan Bao rubbed her face in defeat. She took a deep breath and said: “A gentleman’s words…”

Qi Tian did not like to look into the mirror. This vanity mirror was specially purchased for Yuan Bao. He was carefully combing her hair, washing her face, and gently helping her wipe her hands. Yuan Bao shrank back in awkwardness. His actions made her feel as if she was still a little child.

“Sit still.” As he firmly pulled her retreating palm back, his movements became even gentler. It was like he was dealing with a treasure. Suddenly, images of Qi Tian holding gold ingots and obsessively wiping them clean every day surfaced in Yuan Bao’s mind. She only felt a slight chill running up her spine, and could not stop herself from shrinking back again.

Qi Tian gazed at her unhappily: “Don’t move!” His gaze made Yuan Bao momentarily stunned, so much so that she forgot to move. Right at this moment, Yuan Bao discovered that this ugly-looking man actually had a pair of extremely beautiful eyes. When she looked into his crystal clear eyes, the blue veins on his face unexpectedly became very indistinct.

When he noticed that her gaze stayed on him for a long time, Qi Tian raised his head and inadvertently asked: “What are you looking at?”

Yuan Bao’s heartbeat suddenly jumped. She looked away and poutingly said: “I… I’m not a child anymore, I know how to get myself ready.”

Qi Tian did not pay any heed to her words, and still meticulously wiped her fingers: “What’s your name?”

Yuan Bao was startled, but then she remembered that the two of them did not even know each other’s names. She hesitantly said: “Yuan Bao.”

The movements from Qi Tian’s hand momentarily paused, and after a moment of silence, he said: “Yuan Bao is great.” It was unknown whether he was saying that as a person she was great, or the sparkling gold light of a “yuan bao” was great.

*Yuan Bao – her name means silver/ gold ingot

Yuan Bao silently moved her eyes away and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her complexion was pink like a rose and her face was unmarred like jade; this man actually did not let her suffer in any way… He always took care of her very well. Yuan Bao thought that maybe this “Ghost Wizard” was not as scary as he was in the legend. Maybe he was just lonely and wanted someone to keep him company. Or maybe he just wanted to use another person’s existence to prove that he was still alive.

“What… What’s your name?” After asking this question, she regretted it.  No matter what this man’s name was, she would never have anything to do with him in the future. Asking this question was just superfluous.

“Qi Tian.”

She unconsciously wanted to say this name, but in the end, her rationality set in and she bit her lips to prevent the words from slipping.

Between the two of them, they should not need to know about each other that much.

“Can I leave now?” Yuan Bao asked cautiously.

Qi Tian nodded silently. The rock that was weighing heavily in Yuan Bao’s heart was slowly removed. She released a sigh of relief, and looked at Qi Tian with her bright eyes: “So… About before, thank you for saving me.” Then Yuan Bao carefully passed by Qi Tian’s side. As she walked out the door, she saw that Qi Tian was sitting there all alone. Her heart could not bear it, but after she held it in for a long time, she finally said: “Actually, if you have nothing to do, you can go for a walk around the town. You’re much better than the rumors.”

Then Yuan Bao turned around, but before she could step out of the courtyard, she suddenly felt a cold sensation on the back of her neck and the familiar feeling transmitted into her brain. Before Yuan Bao fell into a coma, she just wanted to point her finger angrily at Qi Tian and curse his damn mother.

With a ”slap,” the man in the house had ruthlessly hit his right hand and coldly said to himself: “Vile person.”

As expected, from beginning to end, he could never be a gentleman, he could only be a vile person who broke his promise.

After implanting the Gu into Yuan Bao again, Qi Tian found that it was difficult for him to be as happy as he was before. When he was freshening her up, he was eager to see her slightly blushing face and her eyes that did not dare to look directly at him. When he was done feeding her the food he made, he wanted to hear her assessments about his cooking, regardless if it was good or bad. When he was just about to wake up or just about to fall asleep, he wanted to hear her give him gentle well-wishes…

As his requests began to grow more and more, it became more and more difficult to satisfy his wants.

However, a puppet could only give him company. Besides, he did not dare to let Yuan Bao awaken, he was afraid to see the difference and disgust in Yuan Bao’s eyes, in the eyes of the person whom he was falling deeper and deeper in love with. Those emotions of hers would only make him dislike himself more and more.

On one afternoon day, he was holding Yuan Bao’s hand, sitting in the courtyard, soaking up the sun, when he caught sight of the sun shining fully on her face. Qi Tian tilted his head from side to side and looked at her for a long time, then he said: “Dearest Plump Face, give me a smile.”

Yuan Bao had executed this order many times, and she was very adept in curling her lips. Qi Tian frowned: “It’s not like that.” As the curvature of Yuan Bao’s lips disappeared, Qi Tian pressed his fingertips to the outer corners of her eyes, “Smile from here.”

Once again, Yuan Bao curled her lips stiffly.

“It’s not like that.”

He corrected her over and over again, trying to make her smile just the way he wanted. It was for naught, he only got more and more disappointed.

Then Qi Tian impatiently pressed his lips against Yuan Bao’s lips, wanting to suck the Gu out. However, when he thought of Yuan Bao’s eyes after she woke up, he only pressed his lips against hers for the longest time. He did not do anything else, and finally left her lips in silence. He could feel her body trembling. He could feel her rejection and refusal. He clearly understood how unwelcome he was. He stroked her hair as if he was comforting a child: “Don’t be afraid, I just…”

He just wanted to be close to her, wanted to feel the warmth of human affections, that was all he wanted.

Qi Tian did not know how many days or nights had passed since he faced this Yuan Bao, but in the end, he still decided to let her go. That night, before going to bed, he embraced Yuan Bao, burying his head in her neck and saying softly: “Give me a smile.” He closed his eyes, while his fingers stroked her lips. As he felt the curvature of her smile, he imagined her eyes filled with laughter.

Qi Tian could not help himself and his lips also turned up into a smile. However, when he opened his eyes to look at her, her gaze was just as it was before, a deadly stillness.

He re-buried his head on Yuan Bao’s shoulder, rubbing against it: “Do you really hate me so much…”

At midnight, when Yuan Bao opened her eyes, the deadly stillness from before was already swept away. Outside the window, the bright and beautiful moonlight was imprinted into her eyes, which made everything in the room clear. She slanted her eyes to look at Qi Tian, who was sleeping soundly for a long time, before she dared to move cautiously to the side of the bed and leave his embrace. The coldness of the night could permeate into people’s bones, as Yuan Bao landed on the ground with her bare feet, she shivered violently. She did not dare to wear her shoes because she was afraid that any sort of sound would awaken this man.

When she got to the door, she gently opened it and  the night wind rushed in, startling Yuan Bao. She panicked and looked back at Qi Tian, who was still sleeping quietly.

However, as soon as Yuan Bao turned to glance back at him, she discovered that she was unable to take a step outside.

The man was like a child, curled up alone on the bed. When the moonlight shined on him, the room was bright and cold at the same time. At night, the patterns of veins on his face were much calmer, not so ferocious and scary. He should have been a handsome man. Suddenly, Yuan Bao remembered the pair of crystal clear eyes that she accidentally witnessed the last time.

He… Was actually just afraid of loneliness, just like she was afraid of being locked up in the loft, forced to  embroider flowers. When she was slowly exposed to the fresh air outside, she could not stop herself from being attracted to it, just like when she met Nobleman Shen.

He and she had very different circumstances, but they were both equally lonely.

If he did not use this way to interact with her, then she would probably accept him and even fall for him. After all, he treated her better than anyone else, but she could not live like a puppet. Yuan Bao knew very well that things like beauty did not last forever. So she was afraid that it was not because of her appearance that attracted him, but that her own life and death was the only thing in his mind to control.

As Yuan Bao’s hand, that was holding the door, clenched into a fist, she gritted her teeth and fled for her life.

She forgot to close the wooden door, so it constantly made sounds of “creak-creak” as the night wind blew past it. Qi Tian’s face was buried in his pillow, after a long silence, he reached out his hand and touched the fabric shoes under the bed. He opened his eyes, frowning slightly: “Dearest Plump Face… You forgot to wear your shoes.” The man’s voice rang out in the empty room, but the woman’s warmth was already gone.

In the middle of the night, the Dense Foggy Forest was cold and frightening. During the entire way, Yuan Bao just ran as swift as she could, regardless of whether the ground in front of her was a swamp or not. She heard that person mentioned before that her father spent a lot of money to find her. Perhaps in her father’s heart, he still cared about her, his daughter born from a concubine. She no longer wanted to take revenge on her older sister. She no longer wanted to fall in love with Nobleman Shen. She could go back, admit her mistake, then obediently follow her family’s arrangement to get herself married, and then…

Then what?

Yuan Bao stopped running. Then she would marry a man, who’s face she had never even seen, embroider flowers in a new loft, raise a child, and live the second half of her life like that? What was the difference between living like that and becoming a puppet being controlled by someone else?

She was stunned. Suddenly, not too far away, there was a flash of fire, dazzling in the night fog. Yuan Bao’s first reaction was that Qi Tian had caught up to her, so she quickly found a bush to hide in. However, after that, she thought that it would not be a big deal after all, if he happened to find her…

As she was thinking that, the fire from afar was getting closer and closer. Then Yuan Bao was able to see clearly that it was actually two big men. Their faces were somewhat familiar to her. Yuan Bao thought for a while and suddenly remembered, these two were the Li Family’s hired thugs! Did her father send them to save her? Yuan Bao was so happy that she wanted to call out, but she suddenly heard one of the two men say: “When we find the second young miss, do we really have to kill her?”

In an instant, Yuan Bao’s entire body became cold and stiff.

“The master’s words, you actually dare not to listen?”

“Hey, the bad thing is that this happened before the eldest young miss got married. The second young miss has been missing for so long, I’m afraid that she’s no longer pure… Our residence cannot have such a stain.”

“Why are you so worried about this! You should think about this instead, what should we do when we encounter that Ghost Wizard!”

The two men were still chattering about something else. After Yuan Bao finished listening to those words, her brain droned on and on, and then her legs lost strength and she fell immediately to the ground.

When the two hired thugs heard the noise, they immediately became alert: “Who’s there?!” As the light of the fire came closer and closer to Yuan Bao, she was actually staring blankly at the bright moon in the sky, her heart was filled with self-loathing and despair.

The two thugs cut through the underbrush and saw Yuan Bao sitting inside, both of them were stunned: “Second… Second young miss?”

As Yuan Bao’s eyes slowly fell onto the broadswords in their hands, the other person looked around cautiously: “The Ghost Wizard is not here, so it’s a great time to make a move!”

Yuan Bao nodded, that was right, it was a great time to make a move. In this marshland, she was in danger again, and this time she could not blame anyone else. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the owner of those crystal clear eyes. Would that person be sad to see her gone when he woke up tomorrow morning? After he discovered that she died an unsightly death in the swamp, how would his heart feel? After a moment of emotional release, would he feel a slightly more painful loneliness…

However, she probably would not get a chance to find out about these things.

As the blade reflected the moonlight, it chopped quickly at her, Yuan Bao closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to come.

A crisp “ding” was heard. When Yuan Bao opened her eyes blankly, she just saw the big broadsword break into two pieces, and the big man, who was holding the sword, got thrown away like a fluttering kite.

In front of her, the big black cloak was like a wall that blocked and isolated the murderous intents and moonlight, giving her the best protection that she needed in the darkness of the night.

The two big men screamed and bawled as if they had seen a ghost, trying frantically to run away and escape.

When Yuan Bao raised her head to look up at the man’s ramrod straight spine, he gently turned his head. His breathing was slightly rushed, and the Gu inside the blue veins of his face wriggled violently, actually making him look like a devil from hell.

Yuan Bao lowered her eyes, thinking that he must want to implant the Gu into her again.

Instead, a pair of embroidered shoes were thrown into her lap. Qi Tian said coldly: “If you run around without shoes, then you need a spanking.” His tone of voice was as if he was lecturing a child.

Yuan Bao was stunned as she hugged her shoes for a while. Then she raised her head to look up at his serious expression. After a long silence, she suddenly laughed out loud. Qi Tian blinked his eyes, and his furious anger was blown away by her laughter. However, Yuan Bao did not laugh for long before she began to whimper and cry again.

As his entire body froze, his eyes wandered around for a long time, not knowing what to do.

“Don’t cry.” He crouched down and wanted to rub her head, but was afraid of the disgusting look in her eyes. So he momentarily froze, then he finally said, “I won’t implant the Gu into you anymore. I’ll let you go.”

Yuan Bao cried even louder, just sobbing and criticizing: “Last time… You said that, too.”

“It’s true this time.”

Yuan Bao kept crying.

“It’s true, it’s really true.” He ruthlessly hit his own right hand, and with a serious expression, “Honestly.”

Yuan Bao kept crying as before. Qi Tian was really panicking now. He did not know whether he should crouch down or stand up. He did not even know where to place his hands and feet: “Dearest Plump Face, don’t cry anymore, I’ll promise you anything.”

“Can you…” Yuan Bao said halfway, choking and sniveling on her mucus. She coughed for a long time and was unable to complete her words, so Qi Tian quickly nodded: “Anything you want.” 

Yuan Bao’s coughing slowly calmed down and she whispered: “Can you not implant the Gu in me and not drive me away?”

“Mhm, I can.” After reflecting back on the meaning of her words, Qi Tian was stupidly stunned, “What?”

“I already have no other places to go. So if I don’t want to become a specimen for you to raise the Gu, then can you still take me in like before?”

Qi Tian’s throat became dry: “You… Always thought I considered you a specimen?”

Yuan Bao’s eyes were moist: “Isn’t that so?”

Qi Tian was silent for a long time, unable to suppress the smile on his lips. He nodded and said: “Okay, I won’t implant the Gu into you, I won’t consider you a specimen… And I will still take you in like before.”

Yuan Bao’s eyes became even more moist: “So you are a really good person.”

“Mhm, I will treat you very well. Put on your shoes and let’s go home.”