CG - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next morning, after breakfast, Wei Jinzhi drove Wu Gu back to school. Just as Wu Gu was getting out of the car, Zhao Shu happened to see her. She could tell the car was expensive. Wu Gu, with her faded backpack and simple clothes, stepped out. But framed by the luxury car, even her plain outfit seemed expensive. And she wasn't wrong—everything but the bag was a gift from Wei Jinzhi.

For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Zhao Shu found herself following Wu Gu on a strange impulse. After walking for some time, she realized they were heading to the back mountain. Students rarely went to the back mountain, so the further they went, the fewer people they saw. Zhao Shu followed for a while before deciding to give up. But before she could turn back, she suddenly felt a cold breeze on the back of her neck. The wind seemed to slip down her collar, raising goosebumps all over her body. The sun was high in the sky, yet she was shivering with cold.

Zhao Shu looked up and saw Wu Gu a short distance away, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, staring at her with a cold gaze. Wu Gu had known all along that Zhao Shu was following her. Now, her eyes were fixed on Zhao Shu, but she raised a hand and pointed to her own shoulder. Zhao Shu inexplicably felt a weight settle on her shoulder. Fear pierced her to the bone, and she turned and fled in terror.

Just as Wu Gu was wondering how to shake Zhao Shu, Song Yang had appeared. She had looked back to see Song Yang perched on Zhao Shu's shoulder, blowing on her neck. Wu Gu didn't stop her, thinking it would be good to give Zhao Shu a scare. After Zhao Shu had run off, Song Yang immediately rushed over to hug her, crying, "You're finally back! I went to your dorm last night and couldn't find you. I was worried sick!"

Wu Gu slipped deeper into the woods, thinking to herself that the ghost had some conscience after all. "I'm surprised you didn't run off."

Song Yang didn't ask about Chang Yiqing right away, as she trusted Wu Gu completely. "I was afraid I'd get into trouble outside and just cause more problems for you. I figured if you weren't back by tonight, I'd go look for you then."

"I was injured yesterday."

Song Yang floated a circle around her. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I was useless."

Wu Gu waved her hand dismissively. "Can I ask you a question?" After getting a nod, she asked, "Wasn't your first love a man? How did you suddenly turn gay? And Chang Yiqing has a daughter, which means she's straight, too."

"Isn't Yiqing beautiful?"

Wu Gu thought about it. Even with her face covered in black threads, looking slightly menacing, her underlying features were beautiful enough that, after a while, it added a certain dark allure. She nodded. "Just because she's beautiful?"

"Beauty is the start of all good feelings! I'm all about looks, after all. Later, I just grew to like her more and more." Song Yang was suddenly aghast. "Don't tell me you're homophobic? Wu Gu, what era are you living in? Even a ghost like me knows how to keep up with the times. Why are you so stuck in the past?"

"What nonsense. I'm just curious." Wu Gu asked, "So are you two together?"

"Not yet. I'm still pursuing her."

Wu Gu sneered. "No wonder you were always so reluctant whenever I sent you off. Have you two been seeing each other in secret all this time? Playing me for a fool with all this talk of one wish here and another unfulfilled business there."

"No, no! We've only known each other for half a year."

Seeing they had gone far enough, Wu Gu stopped, took out the Small Jade Pot, and released Chang Yiqing and her daughter. When Song Yang saw Chang Yiqing's current state, tears immediately welled up. She moved closer but didn't dare get too near, afraid Chang Yiqing would dislike it. "What happened to you? How did you end up like this?"

Although Song Yang had died earlier than Chang Yiqing, she had been much younger at the time of her death. Chang Yiqing said, "It's already much better, thanks to the Little Tianshi's help."

"Of course, she's my friend." Song Yang tried to get closer, but Baobao blocked her mother's path. She crouched down and said, "What's with you? Can't you let me have a heart-to-heart with your mom?"

Wu Gu pulled the crouching Song Yang to her feet. "We have business to discuss." She said to Chang Yiqing, "I thought about it a lot last night. You still need to linger in the mortal realm, but Baobao is young and should reincarnate as soon as possible. If you can bear to part with her, I can come tonight and open the ghost gate for her."

"Really? Little Tianshi."

"I don't want to be separated from Mommy."

Chang Yiqing stroked Baobao's hair. She had to be willing. "Be good, Baobao. Mommy promises she'll find you in the next life. Maybe we won't be mother and daughter, but we could be friends or classmates. I'm sure that since Baobao loves Mommy so much, you'll recognize me at a glance in your next life." She hugged her daughter tightly. "Let's play a game, okay? You go reincarnate first, and then we'll see who can find the other first in our next life. How about that?"

Baobao said through her tears, "Okay."

Wu Gu had never known her parents, but she had the best master in the world. She suddenly missed him a little. Lao Wu always scolded her, but he was always the first to shield her when danger arose.

She said, "You two can stay a while longer. I'll come back tonight."

Seeing Wu Gu about to leave, Song Yang said to Chang Yiqing, "I'll see her off."

Once they were far enough away, Wu Gu said, "If you have questions, just ask."

"You said before that the school has a formation. I can stay here because I died here and happened to be protected by it. Will the formation reject Yiqing? And with the way she looks now, I'm afraid it will be like what happened to Lu He that day."

"It won't. I've already made the formation give its tacit approval."

Song Yang said sincerely, "Wu Gu, thank you."

When Song Yang returned, Baobao had stopped crying and was just sniffling in Chang Yiqing's arms. She had just mentioned Lu He to Wu Gu, which reminded her that Chang Yiqing still didn't know what had happened to him. Though she had disliked Lu He as a rival for Chang Yiqing's affection, she knew he held a more important place in Chang Yiqing's heart than she did.

She said, "That night… I saw Lu He get killed. But I wasn't strong enough to save him. I'm sorry, Yiqing."

"The Little Tianshi already told me." Chang Yiqing looked at her earnestly. "It's not your fault. And… thank you. You're the one who brought the Little Tianshi here. You're a benefactor to me and Baobao, too."

"It's not that dramatic." Song Yang pretended to look around, making a clumsy excuse. "I haven't seen Wu Gu in a few days. I wonder if she misses me. I'll go hang out with her. You and Baobao can stay here."

Chang Yiqing called out to her, "Song Yang, thank you."

Song Yang had no intention of finding Wu Gu. She floated to the top of a distant tree and sat there, watching Chang Yiqing spend her last moments with Baobao. She thought, It's good that she's leaving. Then there will be no one standing between me and Chang Yiqing. But she knew how much it pained Chang Yiqing to let her go, and so she felt sad for her.

That night, under the gentle moonlight, Wu Gu slipped out of her dorm using her usual method. The night wind, not long after the start of spring, was chilly. Wu Gu pulled her jacket tighter and quickened her pace toward the back mountain.

Deep in the woods, Baobao was clinging to Chang Yiqing, refusing to let go. Wu Gu was in a bit of a bind. Chang Yiqing spoke up. "Little Tianshi, you can begin. Baobao is a sensible child."

Wu Gu added a teasing remark, asking Song Yang, "Do you want to go with her?" Song Yang glared as if she wanted to rush over and strangle her. Wu Gu smiled, her mischievous streak satisfied, and then said, "Step back a little."

Wu Gu tossed the Soul-Piercing Bell into the air. The bell part chimed once and hovered in midair, while the cone below it hung motionless. Her hands formed a series of rapid seals. The cone slowly rose, traced a clockwise circle with the bell as its center, and then hung straight down again.

A damp, heavy gust of Yin wind suddenly swept out. A fluorescent green light flickered within the circle the Soul-Piercing Bell had drawn. Every Tianshi had their own method for opening the ghost gate; this was Wu Gu's. She recalled the Soul-Piercing Bell and said to Chang Yiqing, "Hurry. The gate is only open for a limited time."

Chang Yiqing hugged her daughter tightly one last time, then set her down. Baobao stood there crying, not moving, so Chang Yiqing gave her a gentle push. Baobao took a few steps forward, then looked back at her mother. Chang Yiqing nodded in encouragement. Baobao started walking again. At the edge of the gate, she took one last look at Chang Yiqing before stepping through. The ghost gate vanished into the night immediately after.

"Little Tianshi, I can never repay this great kindness. If you ever need anything in the future, just ask. I would not hesitate to give you all of my cultivation."

"My master used to say that if you have the ability to help someone in trouble, you should, regardless of whether they're human or ghost. Besides, I'm a Tianshi. Helping souls cross over is what I'm supposed to do."

The whole trip took Wu Gu two hours. By the time she returned to the dorm, the night was still and quiet. But what she didn't know was that Zhao Shu had been so terrified by Song Yang during the day that she'd been suffering from insomnia ever since. So, from the moment Wu Gu left until she returned, Zhao Shu had been wide awake. Zhao Shu was surprised she had been gone for two hours. Remembering how Wu Gu had gone alone to the back mountain where students never went, she felt more and more that there was something strange and secretive about her.

For the next few days, Zhao Shu remained suspicious, but Wu Gu paid her no mind. She continued to focus on her studies as usual, occasionally texting with Wei Jinzhi. One day, her academic advisor called and asked her to come to the office, not saying what it was about. But from the tone of her voice, it didn't sound like bad news. She left the library with her books and went to the administration building, knocking before entering the office.

Inside were her advisor and the department head. Her advisor beamed at her and said to a uniformed police officer, "This is student Wu Gu."

The officer came over and shook her hand solemnly. "We're here today to present a banner to you, Miss Wu. The information you provided helped the police solve a major missing persons case. The municipal bureau takes this very seriously and would like to commend you for your courageous actions." The banner he handed her had four large, gold-stamped characters: Act Courageously for a Just Cause. Another officer handed her an envelope.

The envelope was thick. Curious about its contents, Wu Gu was about to open it when her advisor stopped her. The department head said with a cheerful laugh, "Our university has an excellent school spirit and is dedicated to cultivating talent for the country. We, the faculty and students, are immensely proud that one of our own could make such a contribution to society."

After seeing the officers off, the advisor remembered to call over the student in charge of campus publicity. The department head and Wu Gu each held one side of the banner for a few photos. Once both groups had left, Wu Gu finally had a chance to peek inside the envelope. Her advisor said with a smile, "It's twelve thousand in total. Two thousand is the reward from the city for your courageous actions, and the other ten thousand is a thank-you from the amusement park."

That much? Wu Gu was pleasantly surprised. Her advisor added, "While acting courageously is a good thing, you are still a student, and a young woman at that. When you encounter danger, you mustn't be impulsive. You have to protect yourself first. This kind of behavior isn't advisable. Don't do it again."

"I understand. Thank you, advisor."

The first thing Wu Gu did after leaving the administration building was call Wei Jinzhi. "Sister Wei!" she exclaimed happily.

Hearing the excitement in her voice, Wei Jinzhi's lips curved into a smile. She feigned ignorance and asked, "What's wrong?"

"For the amusement park incident, the city gave me a courage award and a twelve-thousand-yuan bonus! Sister Wei, let me treat you to dinner. You deserve a share of this bonus. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have even gotten into that haunted house."

"Dinner is fine, but forget about the bonus." Wei Jinzhi already knew about it; she was the one who had arranged it with the amusement park's manager. She had originally wanted to make the bonus fifty thousand but settled on ten thousand to avoid suspicion. If Wu Gu gave half of it back to her, all her efforts would have been for nothing.

"Alright then. You pick the place. Anything is fine."

Wei Jinzhi pressed her fingers to her forehead. While Wu Gu's eagerness to spend money on her was rather delightful, it completely defeated her original purpose. She thought for a moment and said, "If you want to show your sincerity, I think you should cook for me yourself."

"My cooking is nowhere near as good as a restaurant's."

"But the sentiment is worth so much more than eating out."

Having spent so much time with Wei Jinzhi, Wu Gu was familiar with her tactics. "Alright, fine. I'll come to your place this Sunday and cook for you." After hanging up, she returned to her dorm in high spirits, where she was greeted by her roommates lining up to welcome her.

Liu Ningyu took the banner from her hands and unfurled it. "Let me gaze upon the banner of a modern-day role model! It is a great honor to share a room with you, Wu Gu."

Cao Zhenzhen chimed in, "I share in the glory."

Wu Gu said, "There's a bonus, too. I'll treat you all to dinner tonight."

Liu Ningyu gave her a thumbs-up. "You're the best! Hot pot by the gate, four plates of lamb."

Cao Zhenzhen added, "And thirty skewers from the place across the street, extra spicy."

Another roommate asked, "Can we get bubble tea? A medium is fine."

Wu Gu nodded with a smile, saying magnanimously, "All approved." Zhao Shu happened to come back just then. Wu Gu asked her, "Zhao Shu, I'm treating everyone tonight. Are you coming?"

The look in Wu Gu's eyes on the back mountain path that day had been unfamiliar and cold, a stark contrast to her current good-student demeanor. Determined to uncover Wu Gu's secret, Zhao Shu gritted her teeth and said, "Of course."

Author's Notes

Straight in life, gay in death. This refers to someone like Song Yang, who was straight when alive but became gay after dying.

---

Get instant access to all the chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next