Ostentatious Zhao Yao

I was drifting in a void, not knowing for how long I floated before the buzzing noise in my ear just stopped.

sonrisatnt.com

“… Qiong… Lu Qiong, Lu… Qiong!”

In my ears, a middle-aged man’s voice kept calling out my name. Accompanied by his voice, I only felt my body suddenly falling down. In the process of falling, my memories scattered into fragments all around me, then everything gathered back into my brain.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes.

sonrisatnt.com

Before me was the pale face of this little chubby ghost with a goatee: “Lu Qiong!” As he shouted out loud, I drifted backwards, feeling the familiar lightness of my body, and the pain from those body injuries receded. Once again, I had returned to the ghost market.

“Don’t call me Lu Qiong.”

It was extremely annoying to hear that word, qiong.

*qiong – poor

sonrisatnt.com

I rubbed my forehead, still feeling somewhat dizzy. I recalled the fight that had just happened before my eyes, then comparing it to the distinctly cold and peacefully calm ghost market, it was just like two different worlds…

Ah, it was originally two different worlds.

Right now, I was in this world, while Ugly LIttle Monster was in that other world, snivelling away right at this moment.

When I thought of the moment just before I disappeared, seeing Mo Qing’s panic-stricken and helpless appearance, my heart abruptly crumpled, and my throat slightly choked like there was a bitter and astringent taste.

However, carefully thinking about it, I still did not understand it. I used to treat him so badly. I only saved his life, then I abandoned him in the ruined temple on Chen Ji Mountain, and even dispatched him to guard the gate. For so many years, I had never given him any bit of concern or love, so why did he still like me so much?

Where did this deep love come from? That could hide in his heart for so many years… 

To wholeheartedly like a person, was he not afraid of… Getting broken-hearted himself? Did he not… Love himself?

I patted my heart and thought that as a ghost, I could still surprisingly feel my heart ache, especially when it should not be.

“Your soul returned, so it’s resolved. For quite a long time, you didn’t come back, I even thought that there was something wrong with our Soul Return Pill.” The little chubby ghost carried the abacus, standing in front of me calculating away: “Just a moment ago, you delayed a little bit of time, although it wasn’t for very long, but you still have to make up for the difference. So calculating, according to your social status, the total is thirteen thousand coins that you’re required to supplement.”

As soon as the money was calculated, all those emotional distresses in my heart were immediately tossed aside.

sonrisatnt.com

I turned my head, stared at Little Chubby, and reasoned with him: “The time that I delayed wasn’t even enough to change my clothes! Also, this Soul Return Pill of yours was purchased by me, so shouldn’t it already be mine? I took it, and was able to drag out the time due to my ability, but you still came to find me to make up the difference, does this make any sense? I’m not paying.”

I threw these words and bypassed Little Chubby to drift outside.

sonrisatnt.com

Little Chubby chased after me to block my path: “Not paying? If you don’t pay, then you’ll receive even less of the paper offerings burnt to you! Also, buying things will be more expensive! So are you paying or not?!”

sonrisatnt.com

I… I really…

Just a moment ago, I was outside demolishing mountains and splitting rocks. I killed the Golden Immortal, burnt the phoenix, and faced the battle of life and death. However, I was not as powerless as I was now, facing this debt-demanding ghost.

This group of demons and ghosts from the ghost market was simply a group of bandits, who were concerned with their own reasons regardless of whether other people state their arguments or not!

“I haven’t even begun to argue with all of you yet!” I angrily said, “I took the Soul Return Pill, at the moment of my death, why did my body turn into little dots of sparkling fire and swiftly faded away?! What was that whole thing about? All of you let the person who saw me die again, how would that person think?”

sonrisatnt.com

All of you let… How would Ugly Little Monster think?

I could not grab him nor respond to his calls. Could he think that due to his carelessness, I just crumbled away?

“Oh, yeah! You’re still unhappy. That’s the Soul Return Pill’s special effect that we’ve made. It’s for all of you, who have spent a large amount of money to buy the Soul Return. When you go back to find your acquaintances from your previous life, you can finally leave them with a gorgeous image!” Little Chubby said, “Our Soul Return Store has studied the results for a long time, but you still dislike it.”

“…”

So they let the dead return to life, and then the dead would rush to be before their loved ones. In the moment when the whole family was weeping bitter tears and chatting away, the dead would immediately explode in front of the living… Like watching fireworks?