I continued climbing upward, covering nearly fifty meters before turning around—only to see my classmate's mother's grave again. The black-and-white photo on the tombstone, with that half-smiling expression, stared intently at me, as if it wanted to say something. "Auntie, I'm here to dig up graves, that's true, but my target isn't you. Please stop messing with me," I said helplessly to the tombstone, not knowing what else to do at that moment. After speaking, I continued climbing, but the third time, I saw my classmate's mother's grave once more. This time, the black-and-white photo on the tombstone had lost its smile—it looked very stern, as if glaring at me with hatred. This was strange. I put down my hoe and shovel, rubbed my eyes vigorously, and the expression in the photo changed again, morphing into a very eerie smile. A wave of panic washed over me. I suddenly remembered that when my classmate's mother died, I had also gone to see her—her tongue hung out long, her face was flushed red from suffocation, and her eyeballs looked like they were about to burst. I was scared to tears back then. I shuddered all over, didn't look at the grave again, and once more circled around it to continue climbing. This wasn't a very tall burial mound, yet I'd been climbing for nearly an hour. Just as I thought I was about to reach the top, I saw my classmate's mother's grave again—and this time, the photo on the tombstone had actually transformed into that terrifying image of her hanging herself. Looking at that photo on the tombstone, a chill rose from deep within me, and goosebumps covered my entire body. But remembering the scene of Zhao Yixian being harmed by those female ghosts, I forced myself to swallow and said, "Auntie, please stop playing tricks on me. I still have important business to take care of." After saying this, I felt a bit dizzy. I looked up and was shocked to discover that I was still at the foot of the mountain—I hadn't even gone up at all. "Gui Da Qiang?" The term surfaced in my mind. I'd never experienced Gui Da Qiang before, but in the countryside, there were too many stories about it. I'd heard that Uncle Li next door had died because of Gui Da Qiang. When he encountered it, he'd been running through the mountains all night at incredible speed, like a rabbit. The next day when someone woke him up, he pitched forward, and his temple happened to hit a sharp rock. He died. Grandfather had told me that if you encounter Gui Da Qiang, you must not keep walking forward, and you shouldn't be afraid either. At times like that, the only thing to do is stay where you are and not move, and nothing bad will happen. I sat there anxiously for a long time. After about an hour, because I was so exhausted, I actually lay down on the ground and fell asleep. In my dream, I kept hearing Zhao Yixian saying "I'm sorry." I asked her why she was sorry, but she wouldn't answer me—she just kept saying sorry over and over. I asked her where she was and other questions, but she wouldn't say anything about that either. "Slap!" I don't know how long I slept, but Grandfather's palm struck me awake. He said angrily, "You little brat, what are you doing here? And you brought a hoe and shovel—are you digging your own grave?" I reached up and rubbed my burning cheek, then said firmly, "Grandfather, I'm going to dig up those female ghosts' graves. I'm going to pull out their bones and expose them to the sun. I'm going to destroy them." Seeing my determination, Grandfather said, "Are you tired of living? The matter was barely resolved. Why are you looking for trouble again?" "For Zhao Yixian." I stubbornly got up, grabbed the hoe and shovel, and ran toward the mountain. Now that Grandfather had come, the Gui Da Qiang should be gone. Ever since Zhao Yixian called me "little husband," I had regarded her as my wife. My wife was killed by those female ghosts—as her husband, if I didn't avenge her, I would be failing her terribly.
"Get back here! What good will digging up their graves do? Come back right now!" Grandfather shouted urgently from behind. I paid him no mind. Ever since I was old enough to understand, I'd been stubborn as a mule—once I set my mind on something, not even nine oxen could drag me back. Grandfather was old and slow to move, and having already walked all the way from home, he was exhausted. There was no way he could catch up to me. All he could do was shout from behind: "You little brat! If you dare dig up those graves today, I'll break your legs when we get home!" "Even if you beat me to death, I'm still digging!" I shouted back. Finally, I found one of the graves. I recognized the photo on the tombstone—it was the one where Grandpa Hu had lit incense before. The incense sticks and that apple were still there. Without a second thought, I threw the shovel to the ground and raised the hoe, ready to smash it into the black-and-white photo on the tombstone. "Stop! Zhao Yixian isn't dead! You can't smash it!" Grandfather roared. The hoe froze mid-swing. I turned to look at Grandfather, knowing full well he was most likely trying to trick me. Grandfather sat down on the ground, gasping for breath. Watching him in his frail, aged state, I suddenly sobered up quite a bit. Sometimes hatred clouds your mind and you can't think straight. I also knew that if I dug up those graves, those female ghosts would definitely come after me. But besides avenging Zhao Yixian, there was another thought in my mind—if those ghosts killed me, maybe after I died, I could meet Zhao Yixian again. But that thought was too selfish. Grandfather was all alone and getting on in years. Setting aside whether I'd drag him into trouble, if I died, how would he live? When he got too old to work, who would take care of him? I dropped the hoe and ran quickly to Grandfather's side, helping him sit on a rock. "I'm sorry, Grandfather. I… I just miss her so much. If I don't do something for her, I won't be able to eat or sleep. I…" "Mm, I know you're a loyal person. But what you're doing won't accomplish anything—it'll only invite more disaster. Do you understand?" Grandfather, for once, didn't scold me. His attitude told me everything I needed to know—what he'd said about Zhao Yixian not being dead was indeed just a trick. Even though I'd guessed it was a lie, I still couldn't help asking: "Grandfather, is Zhao Yixian really not dead?" Seeing that I'd calmed down, Grandfather said, "Grandfather was lying to you just now. I hope you won't blame me. You need to understand—your life was given to you by Miss Zhao. She paid for it with her own life. Your life isn't just yours alone; half of it belongs to her. She wants you to live well. If you die, how heartbroken would Miss Zhao be?" I nodded silently and said, "Grandfather, I understand. I won't make her sad. I'll live for her—live well." Grandfather reached out and patted my shoulder. "Mm, living well is the best comfort you can give Miss Zhao. Come on, let's go home." I turned back to retrieve the hoe and shovel. As I passed by my classmate's mother's grave, I smiled and said thank you to her, and the photo on her tombstone had returned to how it originally looked. After getting home, I first paid my respects to Zhao Yixian, then cooked a meal. While eating, Grandfather told me about what happened that night. That night, I couldn't hear anything because Zhao Yixian had covered my ears. As for why, Grandfather didn't say. Zhao Yixian had fought desperately to protect me, and knowing she couldn't defeat those dozen or so female ghosts, she hadn't gone for the kill either—she'd only hoped they would let go.
That night, when we were intimate, Zhao Yixian transmitted her immortal energy into my body, sealing my Jiyin Mingge. That was why those female ghosts no longer set their sights on me, instead venting all their resentment onto Zhao Yixian, ultimately tearing her apart with their bare hands. After Grandfather finished speaking, he let out a deep sigh and murmured, "Alas, five hundred years of cultivation, finally managing to take human form, only to end up like this. What a pity, what a pity." Throughout it all, I remained silent. At that meal, Grandfather made me understand that Zhao Yixian was truly gone. . . . . . . . . . . . Three years passed in the blink of an eye. During those three years, my life went smoothly with no further disasters. Not only that, my physical condition became excellent—I never even caught a cold. Perhaps because of the immortal energy Zhao Yixian had given me, my memory became extraordinarily sharp, almost to the point of remembering everything at a single glance. In elementary school, my grades had been only slightly above average, but from the start of middle school, I consistently ranked first in my grade and never once fell from that position. Because of my academic performance, I became the teacher's favorite and the envy of my classmates. Combined with my decent looks, several female classmates began gravitating toward me, including some who were pretty, came from wealthy families, and had good grades themselves. Yet I had no interest whatsoever. In my heart, there were only three characters: 'Zhao Yixian.' Aside from that, I could always see things that others couldn't. Grandpa Hu said it was Zhao Yixian's immortal energy that had sealed my Jiyin Mingge and opened my yin-yang eyes. But these things, even if I told people, no one would believe me. Moreover, after that Guihuo incident, I no longer feared 'those things.' As long as I pretended not to see them, nothing would happen. During the summer vacation after graduating from middle school, when I was fifteen, Grandfather suddenly fell gravely ill with no warning whatsoever. The day he fell ill happened to be the day after the Gui Xi performance—the very morning of the day Zhao Yixian and I had held our simple wedding ceremony. That morning, I was awakened by Grandfather's heavy, weak coughing. It seemed Grandfather had known all along that this day would be his last. From the previous evening, he had asked me to sleep in the same bed as him, something that had never happened before. I didn't know what caused Grandfather's illness, but he was in great pain, and snake scales began slowly appearing on his limbs, which threw me into a panic. Grandfather wouldn't let me call a doctor, only saying, "Three years have passed. Heaven's decree has arrived, and it's time for me to go. Before I leave, I need to tell you something—it's about Miss Zhao, cough, cough, cough…" After speaking, Grandfather started coughing again. This time, it lasted for over three full minutes. Throughout those three minutes, I said nothing. The 'Miss Zhao' Grandfather spoke of had appeared in my dreams almost every single night for those three years. I had never stopped missing her. But profound experiences make people grow up quickly. Even though I was only fifteen at the time, just graduated from middle school, I felt completely different from others my age. No matter how great the matter, I could keep it hidden in my heart. Just like now, when Grandfather said he was about to leave this world, I only shed silent tears—no crying out, no making a fuss. All my grief was suppressed deep inside me. Just like with Zhao Yixian, I didn't want Grandfather to feel sad for me. I had to become strong. "Grandfather, please go on." I wiped the tears from my eyes, but still couldn't stop sobbing.