A Secret (GL) - Chapter 31

“Nourish the soul with blood, nourish the flesh with blood.” These eight characters leapt into Shen Juan’s eyes.

She read on hurriedly.

The book stated: “Blood flows through the meridians and can construct both body and soul. Within the Five Elements, blood belongs to fire. Nourishing the soul with blood stabilizes the soul’s essence; nourishing the flesh with blood allows one to be reborn through the flames…”

Shen Juan was reading with total focus when, with a thwack, a sheet of white paper dropped down, covering the book.

Startled, Shen Juan looked up. The space before her was empty. She furrowed her brow and said, “Don’t be mischievous.”

She reached out to lift the paper, but a force pressed it down. The strength was miniscule—trying to stop her was like an ant trying to shake a giant tree—yet it was stubborn and refused to yield.

Shen Juan was brilliant; she saw the deep meaning behind the action almost instantly. She said, “You brought a piece of paper to stop me. You already knew about this method, didn’t you?”

She remembered the night Xiaoge first touched her blood; the duration Shuge could be sensed had surged. At the time, she was confused about the cause, but looking back now, she understood: Xiaoge had licked her wound and tasted her blood that day.

It turned out the method to “raise” a little ghost had appeared long ago; she simply hadn’t noticed.

“Is my blood delicious?” Shen Juan asked.

The white paper trembled slightly.

“Do you want more?” Shen Juan asked again.

The paper trembled more violently. Shen Juan could feel the conflict of desire and restraint within the little ghost’s emotions.

She smiled and asked, “How about I keep raising you forever, okay?”

The emotions before her instantly turned into a chaotic series of wavy lines. Then, the quill floated over from the desk and drew a massive cross on the paper covering the book.

Shen Juan looked dejected and asked, “You don’t want me to raise you?”

Without hesitation, another cross appeared on the paper. Likely seeing her sadness, the person then wrote in a wobbly hand: “I want you to raise me, I want to stay, I don’t want to go to reincarnation.”

Gu Shuge crouched before her, looking up.

It took her five minutes to write that single line. When Shen Juan saw that Shuge wanted to stay and be raised by her, a smile appeared on her lips; but when she saw the part about not wanting to reincarnate, the smile froze.

She looked at the empty space before her and said, “But the monk said you would be reborn into a good family, into a life of wealth and status without suffering. You aren’t willing?”

Gu Shuge wasn’t tempted at all. No matter how good the next life was, what was the point without Shen Juan? She wrote: “I can’t bear to leave here.”

A smile flickered in Shen Juan’s eyes. “But once you drink the Soup of Oblivion, you won’t remember this place.” She paused and, emboldened, added, “And you won’t remember me.”

If you aren’t there, you aren’t there; what does it matter if I remember? A world without Shen Juan was terrifying just to think about. Gu Shuge felt Shen Juan was being a bit annoying—why was she constantly describing the benefits of the next life? Did she not want to raise her anymore?

As Shuge thought this, her gaze swept over the high stacks of scriptures on the desk, and she felt a wave of guilt. If Shen Juan didn’t want to keep her, she wouldn’t be here reading these obscure, difficult texts.

“I won’t go. I’m staying to accompany you, okay?” Gu Shuge wrote slowly. Even if she was just a drifting little ghost, she could stay by Shen Juan’s side so she wouldn’t be bored.

Warmth appeared in Shen Juan’s eyes. “Alright then. I’ll nourish you with my blood, so you can stay by my side even better.”

Gu Shuge’s eyes went wide. Shen Juan had actually set a trap for her! She immediately drew a gigantic cross on the paper, drawn with absolute resolution.

Such a soft-hearted creature—even after becoming a ghost, she hadn’t become a bit selfish. Thinking of Shuge’s death, Shen Juan felt a fresh surge of heartache and anger. With a temperament like Xiaoge’s, how could she have offended or harmed anyone? What kind of hatred could lead someone to kill her repeatedly and desecrate her body?

Receiving no response from Shen Juan, Gu Shuge wrote on the paper again: “Let’s find another way.”

Shen Juan could only agree: “Fine.”

Gu Shuge wrote: “Close the book.”

Shen Juan obeyed, closing the book and placing it in the pile she had already finished before picking up another. Gu Shuge was finally satisfied, sitting to the side and watching her to ensure she didn’t take that book back out.

Shen Juan read for another two hours in silence. She flipped through book after book, taking notes, but none of them seemed particularly fruitful. Gu Shuge was also reading; she didn’t read slowly, but she turned the pages very slowly. For every three books Shen Juan finished, Shuge could only get through one.

Near midnight, Shen Juan suddenly said, “The books on the desk are almost finished. Go upstairs and look for a batch of new ones.” These books were a mix; the ones brought to the desk had been selected by title or the content of the first few pages. Letting Gu Shuge choose meant having her browse the titles to see which ones might be relevant.

Gu Shuge drew a checkmark on the paper. As she finished, Shen Juan saw the clock hit midnight out of the corner of her eye. She felt Gu Shuge’s presence—a silhouette that was clearer than the nights before.

The little ghost stood up and went obediently to look for books.

Once she was certain Shuge was far away, Shen Juan immediately pulled the book about “Nourishing the soul with blood” from the pile. She flipped back to the previous page, finished reading it, memorized the vital information, and then closed it and put it back.

The entire process took less than five minutes.

Nourishing a soul with blood was a “wicked path.” It involved killing the innocent, collecting their blood, and irrigating the ghost—nourishing the soul first, then the body. It required taking thousands of innocent lives to forge a physical body; what resulted from this was a “Yin Demon.”

Shen Juan was disappointed; this method was clearly out of the question. But reading further, it mentioned that all ghosts crave blood. Feeding them fresh blood can stabilize the soul-form. Combined with spiritual energy to cleanse the Yin Malice, a physical entity can be nurtured.

Spiritual energy again. What exactly was it, and how could it be absorbed?

As Shen Juan pondered, Gu Shuge returned.

As soon as she came back, she grabbed the quill and began recording on the paper: which floor, which shelf, which position held books that mentioned cultivation. She wanted Shen Juan to be able to find them easily.

She had no idea that while she was away, Shen Juan had already mastered the “Blood Nourishing” method.

On their first night, they worked until past 5:00 AM. Part of this was because time was tight, and part was because Shen Juan was recording the duration Shuge could be sensed.

It had reached five hours. The increase over the past two days had become quite significant. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Shen Juan could feel Gu Shuge’s presence during the day.

Encouraged by this, both of them felt bolstered.

The library had a small lounge, and Shen Juan had requested clean bedding to use as a temporary bedroom. At 5:00 AM, she went to sleep.

Gu Shuge wasn’t tired and didn’t need rest, so she continued reading.

As she read, it suddenly occurred to her: she had intended to summon the Wicked Thought to ask if she had noticed anyone Shuge might have offended, but she had forgotten about it during the trip to Guangping Temple.

She didn’t know how the police investigation was going, but she guessed it wasn’t very smooth. If the Wicked Thought could help brainstorm, it might provide another lead.

Gu Shuge glanced out the window. The sky was pale, the dawn light was faint, and the moon had set. She set down her book, looked back at the lounge, and quietly floated out the door.

Some monks were already awake. The chanting of the temple filled her ears, making her mind feel pure and clear. She followed a small path outside the library, leading to a bamboo forest not far away. Snow was piled on the slender leaves, occasionally falling with a soft thud. The faint sound, accompanied by the chanting, felt remarkably Zen.

Gu Shuge felt a bit of regret. If she were still human, she would surely be able to feel the crisp, cold air of the bamboo grove.

Walking about ten steps into the forest, her head began to throb violently. She looked back; the distance wasn’t too far, ensuring she could return to Shen Juan’s side immediately if anything went wrong.

She stopped walking and stood still.

After a few seconds, the Wicked Thought emerged in her mind.

Gu Shuge didn’t waste any time and asked directly: “Do you remember anyone I might have offended?” She must know the killer.

Trying to figure out which of her acquaintances was a murderer felt incredibly eerie, yet she had come up empty-handed.

“No,” the Wicked Thought replied. Today, it was surprisingly peaceful.

Gu Shuge was a bit surprised.