The Ghost Gate (continued)

After leaving the pagoda, Si Ming handed the hairpin to Wan Ziling, saying, "You should keep the things."

Wan Ziling was taken aback. "Are you going to give it to me?"

"That..."

"This is the first time I've received a gift from someone outside my family," Wan Ziling said, somewhat touched.

What could Si Ming say now? He couldn't very well explain that you misunderstood, could he? He wasn't stupid!

"This is a birthday present for you. Would you like me to put it on you?"

Wan Ziling hesitated for a moment, a blush rising to her face, and nodded very slightly.

Si Ming took out the hairpin from the box and carefully examined Wan Ziling's hairstyle, looking for a suitable position. During this process, he was bitten by Liu Qingqing.

Since it's the same body anyway, isn't it the same whether it's on her or on you?

Si Ming protested inwardly, but he also knew he was in the wrong. Who told him to insist on taking two women shopping with him!

"It's installed."

Si Ming took a step back, looked him over carefully, and nodded in satisfaction. "It suits you quite well."

Wan Ziling reached out and touched it, turning her face away shyly, and said, "It's because Miss Qingqing is beautiful; I benefited from her beauty."

Si Ming chuckled, not continuing the discussion, "Both sides are good, both sides are good."

Wan Ziling was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let me tell you a joke."

"Huh?" Si Ming was startled, unable to connect the joke with the other person, but quickly recovered, "Okay, I'm all ears."

Wan Ziling paused for a moment before speaking, "One day, a fool stole a beggar's wallet. A blind man saw it, a mute man shouted, startling a deaf man, a hunchback stood up, a lame man kicked him, and a pockmarked man said he'd let it go for my sake."

"... That's it?"

"That's all."

"This... should be classified as an absurd joke. On the surface, it simply tells an absurd story in a playful tone, but in reality, it alludes to and satirizes the shocking dark side of reality, elucidating profound philosophical principles. It is thought-provoking and highly educational," Si Ming commented seriously.

Wan Ziling blinked, somewhat incredulously, and said, "This is a joke my father told me. I never knew it had such a profound meaning."

"That's normal. Perhaps a few hundred years from now, many students will be biting their pens, racking their brains, trying to figure out what kind of restrained yet profound emotions are hidden in a casual remark we make."

Wan Ziling then realized that Si Ming was joking, and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Don't talk nonsense, who would do something as pointless as you?"

"At least half of a person's life is spent doing boring and meaningless things, so don't worry, there are definitely many people doing this."

"Maybe so. Some things I did when I was a child that seemed meaningful, now when I look back, were indeed unnecessary... But there were also some things that were clearly meaningful, yet I considered them superfluous. In the past, my father saw that I was practicing swordsmanship too hard and hoped that I could relax and not always bury myself in practice, so he would occasionally take the time to tell me jokes. But unfortunately, his joke-telling skills were about the same as yours."

"Hey, hey, hey, that's slander! I was just showing off my skills. I didn't even use my full strength. I was afraid of making you laugh too hard and ruining my image, so I held back seven-tenths of my power. You should be thanking me for going easy on you."

"Yes, thank you."

Si Ming knew that the other party's "thank you" didn't refer to his "showing mercy," so he sighed and said, "It's alright, you've already thanked me."

"But that's not enough; besides saying thank you, I have nothing else to repay you with."

If it were anyone else, Si Ming might have gone a step further and teased, "Then why don't you just repay me with your body?" Unfortunately, the other person couldn't even do that. The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.

Si Ming, unwilling to dwell on his sorrow, looked around and saw a bustling crowd approaching from afar. Some people wore masks with blue faces and fangs, dressed as evil spirits; others wore ox-head and horse-head masks, pretending to be Ox-Head and Horse-Face; still others dressed as Judging Official, Yama, and so on. This attracted many tourists to watch, and children jumped around, pointing at one of the figures and laughing heartily.

"It's quite lively over there; it seems like a parade of a hundred demons is taking place. Let's go check it out."

Si Ming pulled Wan Ziling toward the busiest spot, and they soon joined the crowded flow of people.

"This hanged ghost act is pretty convincing. I really don't know if his neck is naturally that long, or if he used some kind of optical illusion?"

"Huh, there are zombies too? Zombies and ghosts aren't on the same level, are they? If humans are horses and ghosts are donkeys, then zombies are mules—they're neither."

"Hey, why is Zhong Kui included? This is ridiculous! Bringing cats into the rat festival? Are you sure this is okay?"

Squeezed in the crowd, Wan Ziling watched the procession of a hundred ghosts in the distance and felt the joyful cheers of the people around her. In a daze, her emotions were infected, and she unconsciously became joyful, as if she had become one of the ordinary people and forgotten her worries and troubles.

Even if it's a festival for ghosts, the living can still celebrate it together; this is the optimistic spirit of the working people in their struggle against heaven and earth.

"Ghost Festival, speaking of which, I guess I'm a ghost now, so I'm also qualified..."

Suddenly, a wave of Yin Qi swept over her, freezing Wan Ziling's soul like an iceberg. The surrounding scenery and sounds vanished abruptly, and she could no longer sense the presence of living people, hear any sounds, or even see a ray of light. It was as if she were in an extremely cold and dark night, where everything was extinguished.

Ghost Festival, the Ghost Gate...

Wan Ziling immediately realized that she had made a huge mistake. As the soul of the dead, she undoubtedly belonged to the category of ghosts. Therefore, when the Ghost Gate, she had nowhere to hide. Even if she resided in the body of a living person, it would be useless, as she would be easily discovered by the will of the Underworld.

In the boundless darkness, a pair of enormous eyes appeared, devoid of any emotion, staring intently at Wan Ziling. Then, the Youming energy condensed into chains, piercing through Wan Ziling's soul and pulling her away from Liu Qingqing's body.

"Am I just going to leave like this, doing nothing? I was given a chance to be resurrected, yet I did nothing wrong, wasting this opportunity bestowed upon me by heaven... No, let me stay a little longer! Just one more night, just one more night, and I can leave without any regrets. This is my last plea, please let me stay a little longer beside that light!"

The excruciating pain pierced Wan Ziling's soul, reminding her of the inhuman torture she had suffered before her death, causing her to instinctively struggle and resist.

Suddenly, a massive, ten-zhang-tall gate appeared before her, opening slowly and heavily, revealing countless ghostly figures: Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, and the Day and Night Wandering Gods...

"Come back, come back! This is your final resting place. All ghosts and demons shall return to the Youming. The dead should not remain in the mortal realm. To resist will only bring retribution."

All the ghosts beckoned to Wan Ziling, calling her to the other side of the door. She instinctively felt that the mortal world was her "hometown." The mortal world would only continue to erode her soul, and the transformation into a vengeful spirit was a symptom of the Vengeful Transformation. If it weren't for Liu Qingqing's body protecting her, she would have long since become a bound spirit or a vengeful ghost.

"Perhaps going there is a good choice. Leaving quietly would spare me the sorrow of parting. And without me, Si Ming wouldn't have to rush to fight the Beast King Anye. I can't let him risk his life for my sake; I already owe him enough..."

As she was called out, Wan Ziling's resistance gradually weakened, and her consciousness became sluggish. The aura emanating from the other side of the door was like a mother's embrace, exceptionally warm, making her feel very safe and completely at ease, and she was no longer on guard.