Dawn was approaching. The first glimmers of dawn illuminated the night sky, and the eastern sky began to turn a faint whitish-gray. Soon, the first rays of the sun would spread across the sky.
Yang Xue leaned against a tree trunk, looking at the neatly arranged small graves in the forest. Strangely enough, she felt a sense of detachment from the mortal world.
Suddenly, she let out a soft laugh. Presumably, her physical body from her previous life was now buried under the yellow earth, turning into a corpse.
Her relatives and friends might have gradually forgotten about her. The young girl Yang Xue had been forgotten by the world.
Thankfully, she had been given a chance to be reborn and had gained a little power to help these suffering souls.
“Are you tired? Have some water,” said the God of Wealth, holding out a pot of water to her.
Yang Xue tilted her head slightly, looking at the gentle and kind Zhao Gongming. She took the water and drank it all in one go.
How did he find her? Did he really, as Sun Wukong had said, place a spell on her?
“You're truly remarkable. Among the gods in the Heavenly Court, I've never admired anyone like this. Although you're a demon, you're very brave,” he said sincerely. “You make me, a god, feel ashamed of myself.”
Yang Xue laughed. “There are many good people in this world. Every god in the Heavenly Court had to endure trials that ordinary people couldn't bear before attaining godhood. It's just that after becoming gods, they're no longer ordinary people. Their attitude towards mortals has changed, and they can no longer empathize.”
Leaning against the tree, she closed her eyes and continued, “I'm also doing this for myself, to improve my cultivation. Compared to you all, I can relate to them better.”
Zhao Gongming nodded. Yang Xue's words made sense. He used to be a mortal too.
But after being a god for so long, when he looked at mortals, it was like looking down at ants. He thought everything was natural and didn't need his interference.
If it weren't for cultivation and self - preservation, even if she had the ability, she wouldn't do these things.
Yang Xue was also well aware that, from another perspective, the joys and sorrows of mortal lives were just the natural cycle of the ecosystem. If one let their sympathy run wild, no one could live happily.
However... after last night, she was really sad. She didn't want to be so rational. She just wanted to be alone for a while.
The God of Wealth sat down beside her. After a while, he said gently, “But what you're doing now is actually very dangerous. So many resentful souls have been pacified and sent on their way to the afterlife. This will surely alarm the Underworld. Did you erase their memories?”
“Yes, I did,” Yang Xue said indifferently. “Even if they're alarmed, they won't be able to find me.”
The God of Wealth nodded. Indeed, if it weren't for the coincidence that he met her on his first trip to the mortal world, he might have searched for decades in the mortal realm without finding her.
“Let's go back,” he said, looking at Yang Xue's somewhat pale face. He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her face. Then he stood up and reached out his hand to her. “You haven't slept all night. Go back and have a good rest.”
Yang Xue looked at him, her eyes clear yet melancholy. She forced a big smile and pretended to be happy as she said, “Do you know how much merit and cultivation I gained last night from doing these things?”
The God of Wealth smiled. “How much?”
As long as her cultivation advanced, it would be better. That way, even if she encountered people from the Heavenly Court or the Western Paradise in the future, she would have a chance to escape.
“I've reached the middle stage of the Great Vehicle realm,” she said without much thought, directly telling this god who had helped her several times. “Once I successfully pass the tribulation, you won't have any reason to hunt me down.”
Seeing her rather proud look, the God of Wealth ruffled her hair and lovingly pulled her up. “Yes, you're very amazing.”
“Ah...” Yang Xue wrinkled her nose in disappointment. She playfully tugged at the God of Wealth's sleeve like a child. “Is that all you can say? I think I'm super awesome, okay?”
“Yes, you're extremely amazing. Doing good deeds has brought you great blessings. There are very few people in the heavens and on earth who can improve their cultivation so rapidly like you,” he said as he walked up to her and crouched down slightly. “You must be very tired. Let me carry you on my back.”
“No,” she suddenly came to her senses. How could she be so close to the God of Wealth? She felt a bit embarrassed, and her voice became much more composed.
“Let's go. I need to drink some porridge when I get back. I'm so thirsty,” she said as she strode forward. There was no sign of exhaustion on her.
The God of Wealth was helpless. He lowered his eyes to hide his emotions and quickly caught up with her.
As soon as they got back to the Fulai Restaurant, Yang Xue drank two bowls of porridge, ate a roasted chicken, and finished a pot of wine. Then, drunk, she returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep immediately.
The God of Wealth watched her entire performance throughout, and he was quite stunned.
But when he saw her sleeping while hugging the quilt, curled up like a child, he had an irresistible urge to hug her.
He couldn't understand. Even though she was the White - Bone Demon, in the face of so many white - bone corpses, she could handle it as if it were a very natural and trivial matter, completing the task without any trace of fear. This wasn't something a woman without a story could do.
They had investigated the background of the White - Bone Demon. Although she had suffered inhumane treatment in her previous life, it wasn't that tragic that she could calmly and rationally arrange the corpses like she did last night.
Moreover, when he saw her encounter the broken and rotting corpses, she could remain calm. She just tore a strip of cloth from her clothes to cover her nose and mouth, then took out a needle and thread from her Qiankun bag and carefully sewed...
He was standing on a tree at that time, watching her every move. It was impossible not to be shocked. Especially those stinking corpses, which even shocked him, a god who had seen many big scenes.
What on earth had she experienced to become like this?
Who was she exactly, and where did she come from?
Was she really completely oblivious to his feelings for her and only had eyes for Sun Wukong?
After standing quietly in her room for half an hour, the God of Wealth quietly left.
What he didn't know was that after he left, the person on the bed opened her eyes while hugging the quilt. She stared blankly at the direction of the door, and after a long time, a single clear tear rolled down.
Although she hoped that someone could be with her at this moment, she hoped that person would be Sun Wukong.
The God of Wealth was so gentle and had done so many things for her. It was impossible not to be touched.
But she couldn't be fickle - minded, and she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, even temporarily.
Let's just say she was being self - indulgent. As he had said, they were just friends, and that's all they could be.
I'm sorry.
She pulled the quilt over herself and fell asleep again.
When Qingqing saw the God of Wealth come back, she ran up to him excitedly. “You're finally back. Did you come to see me?”
The God of Wealth sat down by the window and slowly ate the remaining roasted chicken that Yang Xue had left. “No.”
Qingqing's expression immediately fell. “I knew you've always been heartless to me. You don't even know how to lie to me.”
“Lying will only make you more sad. Knowing that something can't be done and still doing it will only add to your sorrow,” the God of Wealth said calmly, looking at her. “Why did you bring another fox spirit here? I have a mission. You'd better go back to Qingqiu as soon as possible. If you want to repay your debt of gratitude, go back obediently.”
“Did you come to protect her?” Qingqing asked sadly. Pouting, she mumbled, “You like her, don't you?”