Chapter 43: Tears of the Dead

“If you want to die, I’ll help you on your way!” Compared to Xu Yingying’s lightning speed, mine was nothing at all.

Xu Yingying had already caught up, close enough that only a sliver of water separated us. The corners of her mouth curled into a victorious smile.

Yet, before that smile could fully bloom, a blinding light slashed down from the water’s surface, like a divine blade aimed straight at Xu Yingying’s abdomen.

It was the crescent-shaped light cast by the sun as it shone over Azure Dragon Mountain!

Xu Yingying didn’t know that I had deliberately slowed down in this particular spot, a place chosen for its feng shui. As she caught up, the blade of sunlight swept down.

For the first time, I saw terror flash across Xu Yingying’s face. Instinctively, she shielded her belly with her hands. Even now—transformed into a vengeful specter, utterly devoid of humanity—her fierce maternal instinct remained. The blade of light sliced through her arms, severing them in an instant, and was about to cut her and the child she carried in two.

I had only hoped to use the feng shui formation to stall her, never imagining that the power of Azure Dragon Mountain would be so formidable as to strike down an evil spirit outright.

“My child, I’m so sorry!” Xu Yingying’s face twisted with grief and regret, even as terror lingered. I watched two tears slide from her eyes.

A mother’s tears, fallen from a corpse—enough to move heaven and earth.

At the very moment the blade of light was about to cut Xu Yingying down, I spun around and stood in its path. The sunlight swept over me, casting a shadow behind that shielded her.

Xu Yingying stared at me in astonishment.

I scratched my head awkwardly. “Don’t get too worked up. If you want to thank me, come ashore with me. I’ll take you home.”

“I’ll kill you!” Xu Yingying was calm for only two seconds before her rage returned, fiercer than before. Her severed hands regenerated in the water, growing like serpents and lunging for my throat.

“Come on, sis, can’t you be reasonable? I just saved you—and your child!” I tried to plead with her, even as my legs kicked frantically, churning the water like propellers.

Once again, Xu Yingying lost all sense: “It was you! You heartless man, you killed me and our child. Today you’ll pay for it with your life!”

Perhaps the blow from that blade had weakened her, for I clearly sensed her murderous aura had diminished, her speed no longer so overwhelming. At best, she could just keep pace with me.

Since the Dragon Head Canal ran downstream, I was carried by the current, making swimming easier. As Xu Yingying drifted farther from Azure Dragon Mountain, the evil energy around her lessened, and she soon lagged behind.

Glancing back, I saw Xu Yingying had stopped in the water, no longer giving chase.

I froze.

If she stopped pursuing me, my whole plan would fall apart—all my efforts wasted.

While I was fretting over this, I saw Xu Yingying’s lips twist into an eerie smile. Black mist billowed from her body, growing thicker and thicker, until the already dim forest went pitch black. Suddenly, I couldn’t see a thing ahead.

“Hehehe, darling, it’s dark now. Let’s go home.” Xu Yingying’s chilling voice sounded from behind—I knew she was after me again.

With my path ahead swallowed by darkness, I had no choice but to swim by instinct. After all, the Dragon Head Canal flowed downstream; as long as I followed the current, I couldn’t go wrong. Spurred by this thought, I swam even faster.

But then I caught a faint scent on the air—a rich sandalwood fragrance, drifting for miles.