In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 17: The Cherished Immortal Lord (16)

Chapter 17: The Cherished Immortal Lord (16)

 

The rustling of leaves, at first, sounded like a gentle breeze sweeping through the forest. But upon closer listening, it became clear that the sound came from someone running—fast and urgent—from above to below, left to right.

 

This was the sound of someone running at full speed.

 

Luonan Temple was an ancient structure, more dilapidated and simple compared to Luoan Temple. However, the necessary rituals were all intact. To enter, one had to climb ninety-nine steps. These steps symbolized the enduring love between two people. Couples or spouses walking hand in hand up the steps were said to be making their first vow. Xi Yu found the ghostly woman just past the steps.

 

The ghost was Shi An. She was small, curled up beside the plaque bearing her name. In the pitch-black night, she would have been invisible if not for Xi Yu’s sharp vision and his expectations.

 

She sat there silently, wide-eyed, seemingly waiting for someone. But as soon as Xi Yu approached, she stood up and ran away.

 

Most of her soul’s consciousness had already dissipated. What remained was a hollow shell with just enough awareness to move but not speak.

 

Even when Xi Yu called for her to stop, all she could do was moan and wail incoherently.

 

—

 

“Stop crying! Is that all you know how to do? Shut the hell up!” The man had just turned to see who was making the commotion when the woman he was restraining seized the opportunity. She broke free, stumbling as she ran.

 

Luo Yang exhaled in relief but immediately tensed up again.

 

The man abandoned investigating the noise and turned to chase the fleeing woman. Cursing, he took two large strides forward, grabbed her flowing hair, and yanked her back. The woman clutched her head and screamed in pain.

 

Luo Yang was shocked and furious. “What the hell is this monster?!”

 

How could anyone tolerate this?

 

Without hesitation, Luo Yang stepped forward, only to be stopped by a hand.

 

“You can’t beat him. Stay here and don’t cause trouble,” Lian Bei said calmly. His tone was still gentle, yet it carried a chill, like the damp cold of Jiangnan in late spring.

 

“…”

 

Luo Yang finally understood why this man could so easily provoke Xi Yu with just a few words.

 

He glanced at the man’s physique, then looked down at himself. The man beating the woman was no taller than 1.7 meters, with a large head and a small body—a figure reminiscent of a child, devoid of any sense of threat.

 

Can’t beat him? Ridiculous!

 

Lian Bei said, “Are you particularly good at taking hits?”

 

Luo Yang misunderstood and patted his chest. “I’m great at fighting!”

 

The hand blocking him withdrew. Lian Bei no longer stopped him and said, “Alright, if you’re determined, I won’t stop you.”

 

The man, after dragging the woman back, slammed her to the ground. He tightened his grip on her hair as though trying to tear her scalp off. Not satisfied, he used his other hand to slap her face. The crisp “smack” sound echoed loudly in the forest, accompanied by the woman’s anguished cries. Far from stopping, the man grew even more excited.

 

“Filthy whore! Run! I dare you to run again!”

 

His raised hand was suddenly caught mid-air by another. His expression twisted as he turned his head, locking eyes with someone. Both froze for a moment.

 

The man in glasses, with a face full of acne—it was none other than Xiao Mingqiang from Luo Yang’s company!

 

The woman’s continued sobbing brought Xiao Mingqiang back to his senses faster than Luo Yang. Ignoring the fact that this was his boss, he shook off the hand gripping his arm and growled, “Get lost!”

 

As Lian Bei had said, his strength was immense. Luo Yang was thrown back and landed on the ground with a thud.

 

The woman, through her sobs, choked out a plea: “Save… save… me…”

 

Xiao Mingqiang grew angrier. He raised his hand again, preparing to strike, but it was once again intercepted mid-swing. This time, he didn’t even bother turning around. He nonchalantly shook his arm, but it didn’t budge.

 

He tried shaking it harder, only to hear a disdainful “tsk” from behind him. The next moment, a heavy blow landed on his abdomen. The pain forced him to release the woman’s hair and clutch his stomach. Before he could recover, a kick to the legs sent him straight to his knees.

 

“Damn it!”

 

The woman stared blankly at the sudden turn of events, momentarily stunned. She seemed to want to stop Lian Bei and the others from being too harsh but then thought better of it and knelt back down.

 

“Spare me! Spare me!” Xiao Mingqiang quickly assessed the situation. Realizing he couldn’t win, he remained kneeling with his fists raised in surrender. “I wasn’t hitting anyone! She’s my girlfriend. She made a mistake, and I was just teaching her a lesson. It’s none of your business…”

 

The woman didn’t run. She knelt there with vacant eyes. The man slapped her face and barked, “Speak!”

 

The woman nodded. “I’m his girlfriend…”

 

Lian Bei grabbed the man’s head, forcing him to turn away. He positioned himself between them, cutting off their line of sight, and said to the woman, “You don’t have to fear him. You can tell the truth.”

 

The woman immediately changed her tune: “I’m not his girlfriend anymore!”

 

“You filthy whore! You heartless slut! I’ll—ah!” Before he could finish, another kick landed, this time from Luo Yang, who had just gotten back on his feet. “You’ll what?!”

 

Lian Bei said to the woman, “You can leave.”

 

The woman snapped out of her daze. Trembling, she stood up and stumbled a few steps. Then, as if remembering something, she turned back to bow repeatedly in gratitude. “Thank you! Thank you!”

 

“Filthy whore! You dare run?! Don’t let me catch you!”

 

Luo Yang found it hard to believe that the man who had always been timid and submissive at work was now spouting such vile words.

 

The woman ran farther and farther away until she disappeared from sight. Xiao Mingqiang began struggling more fiercely, writhing like a fish flopping on a cutting board.

 

“Please, I’m begging you. Please… please, I beg you!”

 

Under Xiao Mingqiang’s tough exterior, his breakdown erupted with a bang!

 

He knelt down abruptly, banging his head on the ground like a madman, begging without a shred of dignity: “Let me go find her! I can’t live without her, I just can’t!”

 

Suppressing his disgust, Luo Yang asked, “Why are you here?”

 

Xiao Mingqiang replied, “The temple up there is locked, we couldn’t get in. It won’t open until tomorrow. But we can’t wait until tomorrow! Today is Qixi Festival! Qixi! So we hid here, planning to sneak in and pray later.”

 

Luo Yang asked, “Then why were you hitting her?”

 

Xiao Mingqiang gritted his teeth. “She told me to come back tomorrow. Why not today? Today is Qixi! What was she thinking?”

 

Luo Yang found it hard to comprehend his reasoning.

 

At that moment, something flashed like lightning, abruptly disrupting their rhythm. Luo Yang, startled, looked toward the source and saw Xi Yu, who had been absent for a while, running toward them.

 

“Catch him!” Xi Yu shouted.

 

“What? Catch who?” Luo Yang flailed in confusion. In the chaos, his hand accidentally brushed against someone’s arm. Without thinking, he grabbed it.

 

“Maybe take a good look at who you’re grabbing?” came Lian Bei’s voice.

 

When Xi Yu got closer, he saw Luo Yang holding onto Lian Bei’s arm.

 

“…”

 

I knew I shouldn’t have relied on these two, Xi Yu thought, pressing his palm to his forehead. He said, “You both stay here.”

 

Xi Yu stepped forward, but Lian Bei said, “They’ve all gone to Luonan Temple.”

 

Luo Yang snapped out of it, looked down, and exclaimed, “Where’s that guy?!”

 

“He ran.”

 

“Ran? Weren’t you holding onto him?”

 

“I was, but you grabbed my arm,” Lian Bei said innocently, turning to Xi Yu as if seeking justice. “You saw that, didn’t you?”

 

“…”

 

When they arrived at Luonan Temple, a young girl was sitting on the temple threshold with Shi An. Strangely, the scene appeared… harmonious?

 

Despite starting the chase earlier, Xiao Mingqiang, lacking stamina, only arrived after them. Spotting the woman, he charged forward in anger, only to halt upon seeing Xi Yu and the strange person beside her. The stranger lifted their head and locked eyes with Xiao Mingqiang, sending a shiver down his spine. He quickly averted his gaze.

 

His anger instantly turned to sorrow, and within moments, tears streamed down his face. Luo Yang thought this performance deserved a spot in a Beijing Film Academy textbook.

 

Xiao Mingqiang dropped to his knees, dragging himself forward step by step toward the woman. His voice was thick with sobs, a heart-wrenching display of regret and remorse.

 

“I’m sorry. I know I was wrong, but why did I do it? Because I love you! You’re my everything, and I couldn’t control my emotions. Please forgive me, don’t break up… Don’t break up with me!”

 

The woman stared at him coldly, her blank gaze betraying indifference, as if she were looking at a stranger or a madman.

 

She didn’t speak.

 

Xiao Mingqiang began to kowtow—once, twice…

 

“I really can’t live without you. I’m begging you, don’t leave. Don’t break up with me. I swear, I won’t do it again. After we’re married, I’ll treat you well. Don’t you remember why we came here today? Today is Qixi Festival!”

 

“I…” Unable to bear it anymore, the woman reached out to help him up.

 

Luo Yang immediately shouted, “Don’t fall for his lies!”

 

Xiao Mingqiang looked up, grabbed the woman’s hands, his face covered in tears. The woman trembled, wiped his tears away, and cleared her throat. “I’ll agree, but you have to promise me one thing.”

 

Xiao Mingqiang quickly nodded. “Alright! Anything, as long as we don’t break up.”

 

“Let’s go inside and pray.”

 

Hearing this, Xiao Mingqiang froze for a moment before stammering, “Didn’t you… didn’t you say tomorrow… Now you want to pray?”

 

“Yes, I’ve thought it through. It’s my fault.” The woman lowered her head, then suddenly lifted it, her hair flipping in a graceful arc. She smiled brightly at Xiao Mingqiang, stood up, and took a step inside. “Come on.”

 

Xiao Mingqiang stood up. Shi An also shakily got to her feet, entering first. Watching them go inside, her lips curved into an eerie smile.

 

Luo Yang knew she was a ghost because she looked very similar to the woman in the hospital bed, only younger—perhaps seventeen or eighteen. Blood smeared both sides of her mouth, as if she had just eaten someone, making her smile all the more terrifying.

 

Something was wrong!

 

Luo Yang shouted, “Don’t go in!”

 

Of course, no one listened to him. Without wasting words, Xi Yu darted behind the pair and dragged them out just as they stepped inside. Ghosts smiling wickedly never had good intentions, and while Xi Yu hadn’t yet figured out how to get rid of her, he could at least save the people.

 

But the two didn’t appreciate his efforts. The woman resisted so much that Xi Yu had no choice but to let go. As for Xiao Mingqiang, he directly slipped out of his shirt, leaving Xi Yu holding it as he grabbed the woman and rushed toward the statue.

 

Thinking them ungrateful, Xi Yu leaped forward, intercepted the man, and yanked him away without hesitation. Ignoring his curses, he threw him out of the temple door.

 

Separating them—let’s see how they pray now.

 

At that moment, Lian Bei was about to step inside.

 

“Stay out and keep an eye on him,” Xi Yu said. Then, with a loud bang, he shut the temple door behind him.

 

Inside the temple, candles illuminated the space brightly. Xi Yu scanned the room carefully.

 

At first glance, it seemed that only he, Shi An, and the woman were there.

 

Something was wrong.

 

Xi Yu locked eyes with a pair of smiling eyes.

 

“What are you doing here?!”