I Am Your Natural Enemy

A path of light extended to her feet. In that instant, the unfathomably long path seemed to shorten in the blink of an eye, and the female Ghost materialized before them.

Wen Yan extended a finger to Enlighten and Bless her.

A streak of color appeared on the gray Ghost, and her consciousness, which had dissipated over time on the Nether Path, began to recover a bit.

The female Ghost looked at the Taoist on the ground and tentatively called out, ”Little Taoist?”

The Taoist immediately raised his head, but then quickly covered his face with his sleeve.

”Little Taoist?” The female Ghost tried to take a step forward, but after she did, she found herself still spinning in the same spot.

”My power is limited, and to truly summon you here would take far too much time. By then, he would definitely be dead. He said I killed you and wants revenge. I can only ask you to come forward and explain.”

After saying this, Wen Yan fell silent. Belief was one thing, but he trusted undeniable evidence even more.

Ordinarily, he couldn’t be bothered with the tedious task of proving his own innocence, but now, he wanted to resolve this matter thoroughly and perfectly.

He wasn’t afraid of bringing misfortune or calamity upon himself, but like Pei Tugou, he feared affecting the people around him.

The female Ghost stood in her spot, smiling, a smile laced with the unexpected delight of suddenly finding money.

The Taoist stretched out his arm, using his large sleeve to cover his face, not daring to look, nor letting the female Ghost see him.

”I can feel my time running out. Are you really unwilling to look at me even once? Little Taoist, if you don’t look at me, I’ll leave.”

After saying this, the female Ghost fell silent.

In just a second, the Taoist, in a flurry of panic, raised his head, revealing a face weathered by hardship, streaked with tears, with swollen red eyes and stained with grime.

Seeing him like this, the female Ghost chuckled. When she laughed, aside from a few more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, she looked almost exactly as she had before.

”Now that I’m gone, why don’t you even wash your face anymore? Look at your neck, it’s as black as an axle.”

The Taoist awkwardly reached out to wipe his neck. His constrained movements, like a youth accidentally touching a girl’s hand for the first time, made every muscle in his body seem to strain with effort, yet they remained stubbornly stiff.

Seeing the female Ghost’s enchanting smile, the Taoist could no longer hold back. The last vestiges of his composure shattered, and with tears welling in his eyes, he walked step by step towards her.

”I’m sorry...”

”Why apologize? You would never do anything to wrong me, no matter what.”

The more the female Ghost said, the more remorse churned within the Taoist, like an unstoppable landslide.

He began to truly agree with what Wen Yan had said. He had tarnished his former self and the memory of the person he yearned for, imprinting a stain upon their feelings.

”I have missed you for a long, long time. I couldn’t find you...”

”I’ve always been in your heart. Why would you need to find me?”

”I have done many wrong things.”

”If you’ve done wrong, you must take responsibility.”

Wen Yan closed his eyes, stopping himself from listening or watching any further.

After two minutes, he opened his eyes. He looked at the pair—one a Ghost, the other half-ghost—who seemed to have endless things to say to each other.

”Time’s up. My power is limited; I can’t sustain it any longer.”

A halo of light began to emerge beneath the female Ghost’s feet—the path of light was about to unfold.

The female Ghost took one last reluctant glance at the Taoist. He tried to reach out, but his hand seemed always just out of reach, always missing by just that little bit.

The female Ghost, seeing the Taoist’s expression, suddenly flashed a sly smile.

”Little Taoist, guess whether there was really crab roe in that crab roe tofu I made for you that year?”

Leaving behind that final question, the path of light once again expanded, or rather, the path of light beneath the female Ghost’s feet began to retract.

The path of light returned to the illusory altar, and the illusion of the altar and the Soul Summoning Banner dissipated along with it.

The Taoist looked back at the path from which the countless Ghosts had come. He then turned to face Wen Yan, knelt calmly on the ground, and kowtowed deeply.

”Thank you. I can no longer undo the consequences I’ve caused; I can only make some amends to atone for my sins.”

”The one you owe the most is not me.”

”I know. I have one last question: is she still on the Nether Path?”

”Yes, very far away.”

”So there’s a chance that one day, she might pass by here again, right?”

”I’m not sure. If she hasn’t dissipated, then perhaps.”

The Taoist kowtowed again and then approached the edge of the Nether Path.

He formed a Seal Technique, stomped one foot, and it was as if his foot turned to wood, rooting itself to the side of the path.

The aura of misfortune continued to dissipate from his body, along with his power, but at that moment, he seemed to possess an imposing air, even greater than at his peak.

”Didn’t you complain about the lack of streetlights here? I’ll give you one as a thank you for destroying my Talismans. My sins are deep; death alone is not enough. Please allow me to atone here.”

Wen Yan fell silent for a long moment, understanding, of course, that the Taoist hoped to see the female Ghost again someday.

Seeing that Wen Yan remained silent, the Taoist expressed his thanks.

Then he formed a Seal Technique, called out in a deep voice, and slightly opened his mouth. From his abdomen, the five-colored thread twisted into a single strand, and a small portion of it flew out from his mouth.

Using the last of his Yang Energy, he ignited it. The dissipating aura of misfortune seemed to become lamp oil, fueling the flame and casting a ghostly green glow that illuminated the path.