Chapter 112: Farewell (1/2)

"You can't lift that cloth."

I snapped my head around. Standing behind me was none other than the Night Wanderer God, absent for a long time until now. I glared at him."She's safe now. Why can't I lift it?"

"She's safe," he said, holding a small notebook as he scribbled something down. Once he closed it, he added, "But you're not."

"The Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts caused harm to thirteen mortals. Your karmic punishment is a loss of six years of lifespan. And even though the heavenly tribulation drew the enforcers out, six evil spirits still escaped."

I frowned. "And what's that got to do with me lifting this red cloth?"

Hands clasped behind his back, the Night Wanderer slowly answered,"If someone from above hadn't borrowed you lifespan from your next life, you'd already be in the underworld being judged. That red cloth—if you lift it, you die."

The abrupt shift in fate rattled me. I raised my voice, demanding answers, but he remained firm in his message:My life was borrowed.And if someone up there decided to stop lending? I'd drop dead immediately.

Lifting the red cloth meant more than waking Jiang Shiyu. It meant acknowledging her. After everything we'd been through, our hearts already leaned toward each other. If I woke her, that spark would ignite—and that love would blossom.

But this was someone's way of preventing that outcome.And it was clear the problem was serious.

I thought back to the entire sequence of events and could only trace the root of the issue to karma. My grandmaster had worked so hard to sever my ties with Buddhist karma—but if I reunited with Jiang Shiyu, I'd fall right back in.

Why? Because the relic—the Śarīra—of that high monk was now in her body.And it was me who had severed the monk's head.Obviously, my grandmaster wanted me to pursue the legendary Nine Dragon Gate—not to be tangled up with Buddhist karma again.

The Night Wanderer added coldly,"Besides, do you really think you saved her? She's a reincarnated virgin maiden. If she gets married, she dies."

"What? Why!" I rushed forward and stared up at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"We're kin, I won't lie to you," he said in a hushed voice. "She's the Dragon Maiden who once served the Bodhisattva. There's a red mole on her neck—the chastity mark. If she loses her virginity, her yin will be broken and she'll have to return to her rightful place. You think you two could get married and not cross that line? She'd be summoned back the moment it happened."

I nearly collapsed.Why?Why must she die? She already has the Wisdom Root—what more must she give to be allowed to live?

I'd already lost so much blood and essence, and was barely staying upright on sheer will alone. Now, with his words, the whole world felt like it had collapsed around me.Knees trembling, I half-knelt to the floor, gasping for air.

The memories surged in.She had risked everything for me.She walked with ghosts, gave up her Wisdom Root—just so I could survive.I owed her not just my life—I owed her everything.

My voice was low and hoarse, like a beast growling through its grief:"Then what do I do?"

The Night Wanderer flipped open his notebook again and replied:"I know of some wandering spirits that need to earn merit. I'll assign them to watch over Jiang Shiyu. No matter who she dates or marries, the ghosts will keep suitors away. You go handle your responsibilities. If you really do find the Nine Dragon Gate and those big figures get pleased—your problems will be mere trifles."

It felt like I'd found a straw in the sea—thin hope, but hope nonetheless.I grabbed his sleeve, desperate:"Where do I find the Nine Dragon Gate?"

But he simply shook his head."No one knows. It's a matter of fate. When the time comes, it will appear. If destiny has chosen you, it will show itself."

Before he left, the Night Wanderer handed me six slips of paper, each marked with the location of an escaped ghost.He, as a deity of mortal karma, was tasked with observing good and evil—not acting.Capturing ghosts was the enforcers' job.

That he gave me these slips was his way of nudging me forward—to help me resolve karma quickly.

I stood quietly before the wooden chest. Jiang Shiyu's parents, unaware of the Night Wanderer's presence, had just finished tidying the room. They stood behind me, hesitant to approach.

Jiang Shiyu lay beneath the red cloth. Once uncovered, her yang energy would return and she'd awaken.

I stood for a long time. Her face and smile filled my mind.I wanted so badly to lift that veil, to forget everything else.

But…I had a mission.Shiyu couldn't marry or bear children. If I ever wanted to give her a complete life, to truly marry her, I'd have to use these two years of borrowed life to seek out the Nine Dragon Gate—a place I'd never even heard of.

I let out a long sigh.Her mother, noticing my heaviness, quickly asked, "What's wrong?"