Chapter 73

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

When Bai Lianhua seems so shocked as to be unable to speak, Li Wenge is afraid he’d misunderstand or worry, so he explains with a smile, “don’t worry. I just temporarily suppressed the righteous qi of the world, which might have looked terrifying. It was too short to have caused any real damage… After I disappear, everything would return to normal soon.”

“I only wanted to bestow the merit on you. I won’t burden myself with any actual evil deed.”

“Since you’re here, I won’t harm people.”

As his ethereal aura continues to dissipate, Li Wenge turns transparent, but his expression is clearer than it has ever been.

Even Li Wenge’s original aura of being a natural-born sentience is visible now. Even if he’s supposed to be representative of all that is negative, his whole being doesn’t make one feel unclean at all. In fact, he feels bright and clear.

Li Wenge gives Bai Lianhua a strong hug, feeling satisfied and laughing freely, “now I can touch you all I want.”

“I might weaken bit by bit, but your integrity will strengthen more and more.”

The soft, golden glow on Bai Lianhua is dazzling. It has concealed the paler skin colour he’s had since becoming a ghost. The outer glow of his silhouette really makes him look saintly… It’s his idealised appearance of him in his mind.

Bai Lianhua should always have been warm like this, and all he interacts with ought to be good and beautiful, rather than spending his time with ethereal qi or ethereal beings.

Li Wenge closes in on Bai Lianhua’s ears, whispering with a chuckle what he’s said before, “to me, you’re the most important.”

I am willing to make myself your stepping stone, to sacrifice myself for you to live, to help you ease your troublings.

At the same time, Bai Lianhua who is forced to start accepting the merits also understands instantly what Li Wenge has done through the connection.

His eyes widened, he keeps saying “no,” and shaking his head left to right to show his disapproval. He couldn’t move though, so Bai Lianhua can only panic inside as he feels Li Wenge’s grip gradually loosen and his form finally dissipate.

And unlike when he chose to self-cleanse before, this time Li Wenge is more sacrificing his entire being. It’s irreversible.

And now, with Li Wenge weakened so, the technique he bound him with has finally failed and Bai Lianhua can move freely… He tries to catch Li Wenge in his hands but it only passes harmlessly through the dispersing spots of light.

——He should have been a ghost, but even he can’t interact with this phantasmagoria of a supernatural scene in front of him.

All he can do is look on as the last of the spots of light disappear.

When Li Wenge is gone, the other ghosts that were instinctively immobilised and squeezed together into a bunch due to Li Wenge’s cultivation amount bursting have become able to move now. Yet, despite the aura and the previously laid spell circles failing, no ghost dared to approach this place anymore, because right now, no matter how strong they may be, given Bai Lianhua is completely surrounded by a golden glow, all that righteous aura is effectively chasing these ghosts far, far away.

They would never return either. With such a development this place will no longer have a single shred of ethereal qi. What used to attract ghosts to settle would now be a hellscape for them.

If anything else, perhaps the Buddhist cultivators would enjoy it here, or they might even sanctify the place.

There is not a single ‘ghost’ but Bai Lianhua left here soon afterwards.

Where once all sorts of malignant beings roamed is now emptied. There is no longer the cries and wails here that Bai Lianhua would once have complained quietly to the antagonist. This is now just a clean, normal hillside.

——Of course, just beyond the cleanliness is a bunch of cultivators who have already gathered having sensed a dramatic occurrence happening here but can’t enter due to the massive golden glow of merit.

The noisiness and rowdiness outside is quite the contrast with the emptiness and coldness of the place.

Despite having only stayed here for half a year, Bai Lianhua feel bitter as he looks over the carved-in residence that is no longer as decrepit as it was when he first arrived. There is even all these items that Li Wenge specifically arranged or modified for him inside.

Is there any use to him getting onto divine cultivation instead?

Right. In Li Wenge’s understanding, his soul integrity would increase thanks to this so-called merit. He would end up with all this preexisting cultivation amount if he switches to it. His identity would also be infallible and incorruptible in the cultivation realm too and he would no longer fear any cultivator that could subdue ghosts… There’s countless benefits, sure. But so what?

This is just one of the countless worlds he has and will experience. He won’t stop for long.

Now that Li Wenge is gone, he’s going to have to go as well.

——What you did was completely not worth it, you know.

Bai Lianhua is just looking at where Li Wenge disappeared with unblinking eyes, looking like he’s not going to budge an inch until his gaze somehow reconstructs Li Wenge out of thin air.

The system pops up quietly, deciding against ruining the mood with its ‘mission accomplished’ crap, and simply seals up Bai Lianhua’s emotions as usual.

Bai Lianhua isn’t fazed at all, however. He seems to have been unable to feel it at all, and continues staring blankly. The system, reading the mood, decides not to urge him to leave.

This time the host’s emotional fluctuation really has an unprecedented amplitude… How should it put it, what Li Wenge wants is actually very simple. He has even gone about it in a much less imposing manner than Zhong Xiutang who also chose to quietly disappear before. Yet, it is exactly how he’s sacrificed himself without asking him of anything that has made the host’s emotional response so intense.

To attack by feigning retreat is truly a tried and tested saying.

Whether it’s worth it or not though——Given host’s response, even if it’s up to Li Wenge himself to decide, he’ll probably happily tell you it’s worth it.

…

Bai Lianhua really does end up depressed this time around. Even if his emotional fluctuations were sealed up, he’s still just quietly crouching in the system space without speaking. He’s even lost interest in arguing with the system.

The system feels that if before, when completing a mission, the little white lotus of the host has perhaps at best curled up his leaves, then this time probably even his petals are slumping and the dewdrops falling like tears.

If the antagonist were to see him like this, he would probably be devastated himself. Well, at least the system is feeling really sad just seeing it itself too. It almost couldn’t help trying to cheer him up with a soft motherly voice.

——Still, since the host is an arrogant little white lotus, if it did approach, the host will probably just shake all the dewdrops off his petals in one fell swoop and act like ‘I don’t need no soothing, ho.’ What a conundrum.

Ah, well… For the next world, at least, the system decides to heal its pure little host.

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