“Alicia, why are you crying?” He quickly wiped away the tears on Alicia’s face.
“Honey, I’m happy. Whether you achieve success and fame or remain a commoner, I’m willing to accompany you forever, to live a simple life together!” Alicia said, with a hint of excitement and firm determination in her voice.
“Forever…” he murmured softly, and his hand tightly held Alicia’s again – a promise between two people in love.
A lifetime, generation after generation, never to part.
They gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, gradually getting closer. In the end, their lips, filled with love, tightly pressed against each other, their hearts melting into one, never wanting to be separated.
He held Alicia’s shoulders, slowly reclining, the white canopy closing like the curtain of a stage, merging together. Two figures entwined with each other…
The next day, reluctantly leaving Alicia behind, he left home and embarked on the journey to the capital for the imperial examination.
The scene before him paused, and Leo turned his head, quietly watching Alicia.
“Honey, after you left that day, I waited for you at home because I believed you loved me. You would come back. I finally waited for this day.” Alicia said, then tightly hugged the seemingly expressionless Leo.
Leo let her embrace him without any reaction. However, at this moment, Alicia’s face suddenly turned pale, and her tender eyes transformed into a fierce and malicious look. The fingernails on the hand embracing him visibly grew at an alarming rate, becoming bright red, blood-like!
Then, she slowly moved her right hand up from Leo’s back to his head. Her fingers closed, and about an inch-long, razor-sharp nails aimed at Leo’s head, ready to strike fiercely!
Just then, a sword flashing with a deep and cold light suddenly stabbed towards Alicia’s back.
Sensing the danger, Alicia quickly pushed Leo away and dodged. The sword curved, passing through the space between Leo and Alicia, tearing the white mosquito net, then turning back and stabbing towards Alicia.
At this moment, Alicia attempted to dodge but was too late. Her hands crossed in front of her chest, and with a “clang,” the flying sword clashed with Alicia’s nails, creating a few sparks. Alicia’s nails remained unharmed.
Right at this critical moment, a black figure flashed by, pulling Leo up from the bed like a gust of wind, like lightning, rushing towards the door. Alicia did not pursue, her face showing a sinister smile.
Outside the room, Leo’s mind shook. The hazy consciousness cleared for a moment, and his eyes regained their former brilliance.
In the courtyard outside, the person released him, speaking with a cold voice, “You shouldn’t have come here.”
In front of Leo stood a woman dressed in black, wearing a mask on her face.
“Who are you?” Leo asked.
“I saved you, and you don’t even say thank you?” The woman’s voice remained icy.
“Why did you save me?” Leo asked again.
“You have so many questions!” The woman seemed impatient.
Leo hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked towards the main hall.
“What are you doing?” the woman asked.
Leo didn’t answer.
The woman snorted, “Since you’re seeking death on your own!”
After saying this, the woman’s figure flashed, and she disappeared from the spot.
Even though Leo’s mind was filled with doubts about the identity of the suddenly appearing woman in black, now was not the time to contemplate such matters. His purpose in coming here was to resolve the issue in the Unlit Alley.
The female ghost in Unlit Alley was indeed formidable. He had been entrapped by her illusions due to his lack of focus. It was a fault of his own lack of concentration.
As Leo was about to enter the house, a voice from behind him suddenly spoke, “Wait!”
Leo turned around, wearing a harmless smile, “Are you here to lend me a hand on my return, or what?”
The woman in black cast a cold glance at him and snorted, “I fear you might die here without understanding anything. People might think I didn’t help, damaging my reputation. So, I need to tell you about the matter with this female ghost.”
“Please enlighten me,” Leo said, curious about the origin of the female ghost.
“When you lost your senses just now, it was merely an illusion created by the ghost in your mind. She used ghost techniques to immerse you in that illusion, making you believe that the character in that illusion was you. Quite impressive for a cultivator like you to fall for such tricks.” The woman in black spoke with a mocking tone.
Although surprised that the woman in black knew he was a cultivator, Leo remained silent, listening intently.
“When I rushed in to save you, I felt an extremely strong gloomy atmosphere in the house. I also sensed a powerful ghostly energy emanating from the ghost. If I’m not mistaken, that ghost must be the ‘Nine-Lives Grudge Spirit’!” The woman in black stated confidently.
“The Nine-Lives Grudge Spirit?” Leo frowned, unfamiliar with the term.
“It means the woman has died nine times!”
“Died nine times!?” Even Leo, composed as he was, couldn’t help but show astonishment.
“When a person dies, they enter the underworld, undergo reincarnation, forget everything from their previous life, and then are reborn. If a person dies with resentment for the first or second life, they still enter the underworld and undergo reincarnation. However, if the person dies with resentment for the third life, their soul stays in the human realm, witnessing the warmth and coldness of the world, enduring endless loneliness.”
The woman in black paused here, and Leo continued, “If that person dies with resentment for the fourth, fifth lives, wouldn’t they avoid entering the underworld and reincarnating?”
The woman in black nodded, “Yes, but their soul staying in the human realm becomes longer. The third life is one hundred years, the fourth life is two hundred years, and the fifth life is three hundred years, incrementally increasing by a hundred years each time.”
“Being resentful for so many lives, that person must be quite miserable,” Leo muttered under his breath.
“Even if the person dies with resentment eight times, there’s no issue. The most terrifying thing is when that person dies with resentment for the ninth time.”
“What does that mean?” Leo had a vague sense that something wasn’t right.
“According to ancient records, if a person dies with resentment nine times, they will never enter the underworld for reincarnation again. Their soul will forever stay in the human realm.”
“At this point, their soul undergoes a fundamental transformation, from soul to specter, then to soul spirit, and finally to ghost spirit, what common people call a ‘ghost.'”
“A soul staying in the human realm causes no harm. However, a ghost spirit is different. They possess powerful ghostly energy, and their appearance brings disasters to the human world.”