Chapter 77 Unwanted Guests

Lee Nianzu and Gen looked around the backyard. There are vines and dead flowers. The yard looked as if it hadn't been tended in years. Lee Nianzu and Gen walked to a clean and tidy yellow tulip flower bed.

Gen said, "It's weird. The flower beds here aren't clean. They don't look like they've grown over the years. Look at this." He pointing to the yellow tulip beds. "It's clean and tidy."

Lee Nianzu bent down and touched one of the tulips. Immediately afterwards, he heard a male voice whispering 'Jingsheng' in his left ear. He looked around, but there was no one around. Just as Lee Nianzu stood up and walked towards Gen, a loud guzheng began to resound throughout the inn.

Gen looked around and said in surprise, "What kind of spirit is this? I've never seen a spirit that can be heard during the day."

"Those who are resolutely unwilling to move forward," Lee Nianzu sighed. "Let's go back to the main dining hall."

When Lee Nianzu and Gen walked back to the dining room, Tian Xiang and Yu Lei had already arrived. After waiting for a long time, Guozhao Zhiqiang and Deming came over from the back door. They sat down with the other hunters.

Tian Xiang said, "We found nothing in the kitchen and the surrounding area.

Lee Nianzu looked at the people sitting at the table and said, "We didn't find anything in the backyard, but strangely, the only flower bed that was still intact was the yellow tulip."

Gen asked, "Everyone here heard the loud guzheng music?"

The five men nodded at Gen.

Guozhao Zhiqiang, "We found that all rooms were dusty and dirty except for one room. There were fresh yellow tulips in the room and a guzheng on the table. It was very clean."

Deming said, "The door is closed from the inside, and Zhiqiang opened the door with a talisman."

Lee Nianzu, "I believe I heard someone whispering in my ear, the name Jingsheng."

Yu Lei, "Who is Jingsheng? Lady Jiang forgot to mention that part."

Tian Xiang, "She either didn't tell us on purpose, or she didn't know. Remember, she told us that this land was passed down from generation to generation."

Lee Nianzu, "Let's see if there are any uninvited guests tonight."

The hunter heard a loud bang at the front door. They heard Mu Yin shouting to open the door for them. Lee Nianzu stood up, walked towards the front door, and opened the door. Mu Yin and her eleven followers walked in. She pulled a chair next to her and sat between Guozhao Zhiqiang and Deming.

Mu Yin, "If I mark you as my husband, then you are my husband."

Yu Lei scoffed, "What kind of woman are you? A good woman supposed to act proper. Where is your manner?"

Mu Yin, "I'm a bandit. Female bandit. I never said I'm a proper woman."

Lee Nianzu handed Mu Yin a talisman, "We're going to bed, you have to guard the door."

Mu Yin, "Why?"

Tian Xiang smiled and said, "You don't know, there are uninvited guests in this inn, wandering at night." The eleven bandits swallow hard. The faces of the eleven bandits turned pale. "That's why this inn was abandoned. Rumor has it that if you sleep in this inn at night, a pair of cold hands will touch your face at night. The eleven bandits hurriedly took the talisman from Lee Nianzu.

Yu Lei, "Let see who is the lucky one."

Mu Yin got up and took Guozhao Zhiqiang's left arm, "If that's the case, then I'll sleep with you tonight."

Gen grabbed Mu Yin's hand and said, "My lady, if a woman and a man are not husband and wife, they cannot sleep in the same room."

Mu Yin, "I don't care about those rumors. I am his future wife and can sleep with him."

Guozhao Zhiqiang pulled her hand away, "Enough. You sleep by yourself, the talisman on the door, mean no ghost should be able to enter your room." He held Deming's left wrist and walked into their room.

Mu Yin, "Would you rather sleep with him than with me?" She turned to Miao Jing. "You sleep with me tonight."

Miao Jing, "Yes Boss. I don't want to sleep alone either."

Guozhao Zhiqiang closed the door and looked at Deming who didn't say a single words. He looked at Deming and asked, "You are not yourself. What is wrong?"

Deming said, "I'm tired. I don't want to say anything, that's all."

Guozhao Zhiqiang walked up to Deming and lightly pecked on Deming's lips. He picked Deming up and went to the bed then put Deming down on the bed. Then he climbed into bed and lay down beside Deming. He took Deming in his arms. He kissed Deming on the head and said, "The woman in shackles reminds me of us, her eyes and eyebrows are the same as yours, and I thought for a moment that you were standing in front of me, when she cried it reminds me of you. Suddenly brought me back to the night we were at the inn, and you begged me to spare you. The way her tears run down her cheeks are the same as yours."

Deming, "Why are you telling me this?"

Guozhao Zhiqiang, "I don't want to hide it from you. I will never forget your old body. You keep telling me that if I miss your old body, I should go see Hu Dingxiang, but you don't know that you are different. You are better than him in many ways."

Deming, "How?"

Guozhao Zhiqiang said softly, "The warmth of me holding you in my arms. The feeling of kissing your lips. The smell on your hair. The soft breath you breathe on my face. Especially the way you look at me." He sighed. "I can't forget your eyes and the smell of your red hair."

Deming felt Guozhao Zhiqiang's tears touched his head. Deming asked sadly, "You don't like Dong Enlai's body?"

Guozhao Zhiqiang said, "I love the soul inside Dong Enlai's body." He kissed Deming's forehead. "Sleep."

Deming asked, "Zhiqiang, will there be a day when you will forget my old body."

Guozhao Zhiqiang said, "No."

Deming said, "Good. Continue to love my old body and don't fall in love with Dong Enlai's body."

Guozhao Zhiqiang hugged Deming even tighter and said, "I will never forget it in my life."

Deming sobbed softly in Guozhao Zhiqiang's arms. He thought deeply in his heart, 'Zhiqiang, don't fall in love with Dong Enlai's body, I don't know when it will disappear'.

Guozhao Zhiqiang said, "Don't cry. As long as I know you are still here. I will cherish everything in front of me more than the past."

Deming asked, "If you see me crying, does that mean you can see in the dark?"

Guozhao Zhiqiang, "Mmm."

As night fell, in the middle of the night, the sound of the guzheng resounded throughout the inn. The soft guzheng played softly in the dark night under the moonlight.