CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 11: TWIN BLOSSOMS

The female ghost didn’t want to answer him, she turned her head to the side, feeling it’s inauspicious to look at him even for another second.

Mu Yunchu sat on the chair all by himself, looking down at the female ghost, "You’re her roommate, aren’t you?"

Zhao Hongbin: !!!

The look in the red-clothed female ghost’s eyes clearly flickered.

It was obvious that Mu Yunchu had hit the mark.

She sneered, "You can’t even recognize your own lover, you’ll just stay like this for the rest of your life."

Zhao Hongbin: "..."

He was choked, but couldn’t come up with any words to refute.

After all, it was true that he didn’t recognize the other person.

But he really wanted to say, under such circumstances where even features couldn’t be distinguished, who would think that ghosts would impersonate others these days.

Suddenly, he remembered something.

"I remember you, you’re her roommate Ye Zhu."

The reason he remembered her clearly was not just because she was Xiao Mei’s roommate.

It was also because she was an exceptionally excellent student.

"Ugh! You disgusting old man, you don’t deserve to call my name!"

Ye Zhu turned her head and spat at him with all her might.

"If it wasn’t for you, Xiao Mei would definitely still be living well now."

Twenty years ago, when the education level was not as advanced. The gold content of being a female university student was not comparable to what it is now.

The two hadn’t known each other long before discovering they shared astonishingly similar interests and habits. They went to class together every day and made appointments to go to the library.

"We agreed to become a more useful person to society and women after graduation."

Ye Zhu and Xiao Mei were called ’Twin Flowers’ by the school because they looked alike and had similar builds.

They weren’t biological sisters, but they were more like blood sisters.

"But suddenly one day, I found Xiao Mei often daydreaming and her academic performance was constantly declining. After my questioning, I learned about your love affair."

Ye Zhu’s first reaction was to disagree.

A thirty-five-year-old man, so what if he hasn’t married?

He surely had some kind of problem.

Moreover, in that era, once people knew about their romance, Xiao Mei’s reputation would definitely be ruined.

"But she was adamant, like she was bewitched." Ye Zhu’s expression was painful, her eyes hollow, "She didn’t listen to my advice at all."

After that, Xiao Mei started a secret relationship with Zhao Hongbin.

Zhao Hongbin also fell into memories along with her words.

But such good times didn’t last long.

Soon, someone found their exchanged love letters and posted them on the school’s bulletin board.

The events that followed were easy to guess.

"Later on, Xiao Mei couldn’t withstand the gossip and committed suicide."

Her expression was painful, "Why, why could you live well these years? Shortly after her death, you got married and had children. What did you take Xiao Mei for?"

"I won’t allow it, you should die with her!"

But just killing him couldn’t appease her resentment.

That’s why Ye Zhu tricked Zhao Hongbin into committing suicide here.

"But..." Zhao Hongbin shook his head helplessly, "I once wrote her a letter that day, saying I was willing to give up everything to take her away, but she didn’t reply to me."

At that time, mobile phones weren’t yet fully popular, and university students like Xiao Mei from poor families couldn’t afford them, so their communication was only through letters.

He knew what kind of situation a girl would face under such gossip, so when he finally figured it out, he planned to leave everything behind and take Xiao Mei abroad.

But what he got was news of Xiao Mei’s death.

During that time, he was devastated, living on alcohol every day. His elderly mother was sick, and he was forced into a matchmaking meeting where he met his current wife.

She is a very good person.

He also gradually got out of his grief back then with her help.

"But I never wronged Xiao Mei."

"Back then she ignored me, I thought she couldn’t stand the secular world and was breaking up with me."

Ye Zhu’s expression suddenly became strange.

For once, she didn’t retort Zhao Hongbin.

But instead, she snorted coldly to herself, "What were you doing for three whole days?"

Standing aside, Mu Yunchu sighed gently, "Did you hide the letter?"

Ye Zhu: !!!

Zhao Hongbin staggered forward, pointing at Ye Zhu, "You? Was it you?"

The last letter at that time was hidden by Ye Zhu. Xiao Mei, who had never received Zhao Hongbin’s statement, thought she was abandoned by her boyfriend. Unable to handle the pressure and stimuli, she finally jumped off the building.

"When an avalanche comes, no snowflake is innocent." Mu Yunchu lowered his gaze on Ye Zhu, who was already shaking, "But you were indeed the last snowflake that caused this avalanche."

Ye Zhu completely broke down, "I thought he was coming to break up, I just didn’t want her to get hurt again."

"She was such an excellent person."

She just wanted Xiao Mei to give up on this man, but she didn’t expect it would lead to her death.

Mu Yunchu watched her sob softly, feeling conflicted in his heart.

Clearly, in this tragedy, no one was completely innocent.

But no one truly wanted such consequences to result.

However, no matter how justifiable the situation was when it happened, it couldn’t change the fact that the female ghost had harmed many people.

"You’ve got blood on your hands; I can’t keep you here."

Ye Zhu remained silent.

"I’ll send you to the Netherworld to receive your deserved punishment."

Ye Zhu still remained silent.

"Xiao Mei has already reincarnated. Her past life was too bitter, so this life she’ll grow up happy and fulfilled."

Ye Zhu looked at Mu Yunchu’s eyes, seemingly filled with countless emotions. Gradually, her vacant black pupils began to tremble.

"You mean..." She stopped midway, her eyes brightening, and the color drained from her body.

Then she closed her eyes, ready to face her judgment.

Mu Yunchu slowly drew out a peach wood sword and with a slight twitch of her wrist, traced on the ground. As the sword was retracted, the array formed, the complex patterns faintly glowed with golden light.

Then she pulled out a Yellow Talisman. The red vermillion runes flickered faintly in the dim light.

With delicate steps, she accurately placed each Yellow Talisman on the crucial nodes of the pattern. Each time one was placed, a slight ripple would appear in the air.

With the final piece of talisman paper set, Mu Yunchu closed her eyes to focus, softly reciting a spell. A gentle glow erupted from the center, the talisman papers just laid on the ground suddenly seemed alive, floating into the air and taking designated positions.

At the very center stood Ye Zhu, who had already given up resisting.

"Array!"

"Rise!"

Mu Yunchu declared, Yin Yang Power surged wildly within this space, intertwining and mingling.

Ye Zhu’s figure gradually became ethereal, yet her weary face was still clearly visible, showing a sense of relief.

Before disappearing, she glanced in Mu Yunchu’s direction as if wanting to say something, but couldn’t make a sound.

In the end, all she could do was release a red orb from her body, which floated slowly into Mu Yunchu’s hand.

Mu Yunchu looked down at it, somewhat surprised.

Ghost Pearl.

It contained the energy Ye Zhu had cultivated up to this point.

When she looked up again, Ye Zhu had completely vanished. The room’s layout returned to reality, the charred and dilapidated house bore no traces of its recent warmth and cleanliness.

Zhao Hongbin stepped forward, "What will become of her fate?"

Mu Yunchu replied calmly, "She killed more than one person in this building and devoured ghosts. She will endure at least a thousand years of torment."

...

After completing everything and confirming Zhao Qingqing had recovered from her fever, Mu Yunchu planned to return to her own shop.

Unbeknownst to her, the old campus they left behind suddenly changed.

The ghost studying for exams trembled in fear, shaking its head.

"No, please, I don’t want to end up like that!"

"I don’t want to become the next ’red-dressed ghost’!"

He wanted to run, but knew full well this building was under someone’s control.

"No, don’t, ah!!"

With a piercing scream, the ghost’s once clear pupils gradually turned into a dull black.

Given enough time, he would become the next ’red-dressed ghost.’

In the void, an old voice kept echoing.

"Mu... Yun... Chu?"

"Die..."

...

Zhao Hongbin wished to escort her, having witnessed the shocking events of the previous night, his intent to befriend her was unmistakable.

After all, Mu Yunchu seemed far more reliable than most Daoists in the market.

But Mu Yunchu declined.

Zhao Hongbin thought for a moment and then handed her a hundred thousand yuan.

Before she could reach out, the lively Zhao Qingqing snatched the card and stuffed it into her pocket.

"Yun Chu, thank you so much for this time."

"This is just a token from our family. You must take it, or I’ll feel guilty."

Mu Yunchu didn’t plan to refuse, so she simply nodded quietly.

Watching their figures fade into the distance, Mu Yunchu felt mixed emotions.

When she recounted the event to Li Shang back at her shop, he was in disbelief.

"Wait." She put her hands on her hips, spotting a loophole, "You mean, an old man who takes a liking to his own student ended up without any punishment?"

That’s not fair!

Mu Yunchu was momentarily silent.

How could there be no punishment?

She looked up at the blue sky.

The heavens watch human actions; just because justice hasn’t been served yet doesn’t mean it never will.

It’s just not as severe as the others.

Besides, Zhao Qingqing was innocent in all this.

...

Nevertheless, it wasn’t all in vain—she almost earned enough for her renovation costs over two days.

At this thought, she remembered the hundreds of thousands still in her account.

Then she stretched and relaxed.

Pulled out her phone, opened the Whale platform, and planned to continue her third live stream.