Wedding ceremony tomorrow

Chapter 28 A Life for a Life

The sky was gray, and a light drizzle was falling.

The road ahead is no longer visible.

But Luo Qingfeng still managed to find his grandmother's grave.

Behind the village, in a mountain hollow, in a corner overgrown with weeds, Grandma's grave lies there alone.

Luo Qingfeng first picked a few bunches of chrysanthemums and placed them on her grandmother's grave.

Then he knelt down and kowtowed to his grandmother several times.

In his memory, he came here when he was very young and was raised by his grandmother alone.

How can we forget the kindness of raising and nurturing us?

Then, he picked up the shovel he had brought from the village, dug a mud pit nearby, and buried the girl's ashes and Hei Xiu's body in it.

Cover it with soil and plant wildflowers.

This is her grave, and its tomb.

"Brother Feng, if one day we both die, let's be buried here together with Grandma, okay? That way Grandma won't be sleeping here all alone."

"Grandma said that Zhao'er and Brother Feng are the perfect match. Even a divine couple can't compare to us..."

"Zhao'er doesn't want Brother Feng to go to town. Grandma says there are many temptations outside, and if Zhao'er doesn't keep an eye on Brother Feng, he might be kidnapped..."

"Brother Feng, Zhao'er doesn't want you to be kidnapped by someone else, otherwise, Zhao'er won't be able to live..."

Memories continue to flood my mind.

Those clear, innocent words seemed to ring in his ears, as if the girl was standing beside him, tiptoeing, speaking to him with a pure and innocent face...

The autumn rain is pouring down.

His hair was soaked, his clothes were soaked, and his eyes were soaked.

He stood in front of the grave for a very long time.

Until it got dark.

Until dawn.

After he left, bathed in the cold autumn rain and the dawn light, two figures appeared before the newly erected grave.

"Miss, a demon has invaded his body and is guiding him..."

"Never mind, it's his fate. Miss has finally survived this ordeal."

"He saved the young lady and spent several months with her here. After she returned home, she developed demonic thoughts—a demonic feeling of gratitude and longing for a human..."

"Only by severing that demonic thought can I become stronger..."

"So, the young lady used that wisp of demonic thought and her life to transform into a human, sealing away all her memories and powers, and came here to be with him..."

"I thought that after we went through our wedding ceremony and consummated our marriage, this demonic thought would be completely eradicated from Miss's body, but who knew... it would be eradicated in this way..."

"What a pity, Miss's life was wasted..."

"But it's all for the best. A life for a life. From now on, Miss will never have such demonic thoughts again..."

"But that jade pendant... never mind, Miss doesn't care..."

Quiet down in front of the grave.

A figure in a white dress turned around and walked into the mountains and forests.

Behind him was a young woman wearing a purple dress.

A morning breeze stirred, lifting the veil from the face of the snow-white figure ahead. Beneath the veil lay a breathtakingly beautiful, flawless, and icy countenance.

At that moment, it seemed as if the morning breeze and the falling rain were frozen in place in astonishment.

Silence returned to the gravesite.

"Pat-pat, pat..."

Luo Qingfeng trudged through the mud and rain, walking along the overgrown path.

At that moment, he felt an unparalleled peace in his heart.

In the nearby woods, birds shook their wet feathers on the branches and chirped crisply; a squirrel, holding a pine cone, stood under a tree, its alert eyes looking at him with a curious yet adorable gaze; in the distant mountains, wolves howled, calling for their lovers.

In the wilderness, a misty fog rose, hazy and dreamlike, like a fairyland.

Luo Qingfeng longed to slow down and fully enjoy this rare tranquility and beauty, but he couldn't.

This road is both long and short.

Just like his life.

Perhaps you'll find yourself at the end of the journey without even realizing it.

He had to hurry and finish what he needed to do.

We continued forward without stopping, and I didn't feel tired at all.

When we arrived at the main road leading to the town.

Several figures on horseback galloped quickly from the front, splashing mud and water everywhere from under their hooves, like a somber ink painting.

Luo Qingfeng moved to the side of the road.

The lead horses galloped past.

The last horse suddenly stopped beside him.

A familiar voice immediately called out, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Luo Qingfeng looked up and saw that the woman on horseback was dressed in a black dress, wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat. She had a slender and graceful figure and a pretty face. She was Nightingale, the demon slayer from Wangxing City.

Before he could answer, Nightingale frowned again and asked, "You went to Linshan Village?"

Luo Qingfeng calmly replied, "Yes."

Nightingale looked at his disheveled appearance, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned her horse around and said, "Get on, I'll take you back."

Luo Qingfeng said, "No need."

Without a word, Nightingale bent her slender waist on the horse's back, grabbed his collar, lifted him onto the horse, placed him behind her, and commanded, "Get under the raincoat and sit properly!"

Having said that, he shouted "Giddy up!" and spurred his horse into a gallop.

Luo Qingfeng sat in the back, simply holding onto her raincoat, letting the cold rain fall on his face.

The nightingale, bobbing along with the horse's gallop, looked ahead and said, "I've heard that your bride committed suicide. I heard that you fell in love with someone else, smashed your tokens of love, and abandoned her, which is why she was heartbroken and took her own life."

Luo Qingfeng remained silent as the cold rain soaked him.

"Aren't you going to refute this, or at least offer an explanation?"

"The nightingale asked."

Luo Qingfeng lowered his head slightly and said calmly, "There's nothing to say. I was the one who killed her."

Nightingale snorted and said, "You're quite frank."

Then he asked, "So what were you doing in Linshan Village?"

Luo Qingfeng did not reply.

Nightingale paused for a moment, then suddenly sighed and said, "I haven't experienced romantic relationships, but I've heard many stories of poor scholars abandoning their wives after meeting rich heiresses or passing the imperial examinations. I hope you're not like that."

Luo Qingfeng suddenly asked, "Have there been many demons appearing in town lately?"

Nightingale was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to suddenly bring up this topic. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded: "Indeed, quite a few people have died."

Luo Qingfeng then asked, "Besides influencing its host, can a demon also influence other people through other methods?"

Nightingale said, "Of course, but ordinary demons probably won't work; it would have to be a demon with supernatural powers."

Luo Qingfeng asked, "A demon with supernatural powers?"

Nightingale turned to look at him and said, "It seems you're quite curious about demons."

He then replied, "Demons with supernatural powers are very strong. They generally won't be content to hide in a human body and grow stronger by slowly devouring the host's emotions and desires. They will control the host to cultivate evil arts and use other bizarre and harmful methods to grow stronger faster."

"Was that demon from Linshan Village last time a demon with supernatural powers?"

"There should only be that one small illusionary ability, otherwise he wouldn't have been killed so easily."

Luo Qingfeng then asked, "If a demon lacks supernatural powers, is there a way to influence others and then devour their various desires and emotions?"

Nightingale thought for a moment and said, "Yes, if that person is weak enough and doesn't guard against its host, it should be able to easily infiltrate."

Luo Qingfeng paused for a moment, then asked, "If it's a cultivator, can demons infiltrate them?"

Nightingale said, "Of course, but it requires a relatively powerful demon. If it's a weaker demon, it can secretly mix its demonic essence and demonic thoughts into food, medicine, and other things..."

"Food...medicine..."

Luo Qingfeng kept his head down, so his expression was not visible.

Nightingale thought he was afraid of being possessed by a demon, so she comforted him, "Focus on your studies and don't overthink it. Everyone's fate is already predetermined. Rather than living in anxiety every day, it's better to live each day to the fullest."

Luo Qingfeng suddenly asked again, "Sister Nightingale, do you have any medicine that can fight demons?"

Nightingale paused for a moment upon hearing this, then giggled and said, "You only call for things when you need them, sister?"

He paused for a moment.

She said in a serious tone, "Of course there are, but they're very expensive; even I can't afford them."

Luo Qingfeng asked, "Are there any cheaper drugs that can weaken demons?"

Nightingale suddenly turned to look at him and said, "Weaken a demon? Why did you suddenly think of this kind of drug? You wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to that pretty demon and want to drug it, so that when it can't resist, then..."

"Is there?"

Luo Qingfeng wasn't in the mood for jokes.

Nightingale thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there are some in Stargazing City, but they're not cheap."

Luo Qingfeng took out his last small piece of gold and handed it to her, saying, "Is this enough? Sister Nightingale, could you buy some for me to use for self-defense?"

Nightingale took the gold from his hand, weighed it in her hand, and said, "It's a bit small; I doubt it will be enough."

He then turned to her and said, "You're just an ordinary person; that stuff is useless to you. If you really encounter a demon, it could bite you to death in one bite. And do you think a demon would be foolish enough to eat your medicine?"

Luo Qingfeng said, "I just want some peace of mind. Sister Nightingale, could you buy some for me? If I'm short of money, I'll pay you back later."

"Oh, you're even trying to run a debt with your older sister!"

Nightingale chuckled, put away the gold, and said, "I'll go take a look first; I might not be able to buy it. If you're still short of money, I'll help you make up the difference. If you can't pay me back..."

She turned her head again and glanced at his handsome face. She had intended to make a joke, but seeing that he didn't look too good, she could only shrug and say, "You can pay me back later. I need the money too."

"Um."

The horse galloped swiftly, treading through the mud, and entered the town.

Luo Qingfeng sat on horseback, his gaze piercing through the gray rain curtain as he looked at the houses not far away.

(End of this chapter)