A black crow suddenly flew out of the woods, passing overhead in a blur.
It dived into the sandy burial ground, picked up a section of white bone, and flew back.
Heading north all the way, it arrived at Qian Ji Hall in Nan Hai City.
There, it handed the bone to Jin Yu Lan.
Jin Yu Lan took the bone, very satisfied. She smiled slightly and thanked him, saying,
"Thank you, you've worked hard. You may go now."
The little black crow nodded slightly and flew away.
After the crow left, Jin Yu Lan spun and transformed into a wisp of green smoke.
She went to the mountains and streams, where she found Liu Xiang.
Before a waterfall that cascaded down like a torrential rain, Liu Xiang was playing chess by himself, oblivious to everything else.
Seeing him, Jin Yu Lan smiled slightly and walked forward slowly. She presented the bone and said softly,
"Although the Myriad Ghost King is dead, his strength has not diminished at all.
The people I sent, they all had some ability.
But he absorbed them all, leaving only a pile of white bones. This is a scout who managed to bring back only a section of bone."
Liu Xiang raised his eyes slightly. With a casual gesture, the bone turned to ash.
He frowned slightly, filled with disgust.
"From now on, do not bring such things to me. You know I do not wish to see them."
Jin Yu Lan then remembered his sensitivity to bones and lowered her head, saying,
"I understand."
"The matter of the Myriad Ghost King does not require our intervention. Let the Four Cities handle it.
If they are also helpless, then it will not be too late for us to act."
"Yes."
However, only a few days later, the emergence of the Myriad Ghost King was exposed to the world.
Along with him, his whereabouts were also revealed.
For a time, it caused widespread panic and unease.
The wealthy merchants of the Four Cities used the matter of the Myriad Ghost King as a reward.
The bounty escalated, from fifty thousand gold to five hundred thousand gold, then to a million gold.
Finally, it reached a terrifying ten million gold, and that number was still growing.
This incited all sorts of people to embark on a frenzied pursuit of the Myriad Ghost King.
I lay on this beach for several days. It was quite peaceful during this time, with hardly anyone coming by.
I opened my eyes slightly, gazing at the sun hanging overhead, as red as fire.
I frowned slightly and reluctantly sat up.
Now, I could neither die nor truly live.
I thought, if those people caught me, a quick death would be good.
But if I were subjected to torture daily, how could I endure it?
Given my crimes, I would likely be skinned and have my bones removed.
For a moment, I felt troubled, unsure of what to do.
With a sigh, I looked around aimlessly again.
Looking up in a daze, I saw the slowly gathering dark clouds, like a haze pressing down on my heart.
A vague sense of unease settled in. After much thought, I decided to go out to sea, drift with the currents, and accept whatever fate brought.
So, I got up and walked along the coast for a long time, but I didn't see a single fishing boat.
I searched for a long time, still finding nothing. Seeing the sky gradually darken,
I had no choice but to find a place to spend the night and continue my journey tomorrow.
At night, a cool breeze blew. In the pitch darkness, only by the sea were there specks of firelight.
I sat on a piece of driftwood, my gaze somewhat vacant, looking helplessly at the campfire before me.
With a sigh, I suddenly asked about the Myriad Ghost King.
"Why did you kill those people?"
There was only silence, with no response.
"Don't you even want to tell me the reason?"
Still silence, not a sound.
Another sigh of helplessness.
Suddenly, a sea breeze blew, and I quickly covered my face with my hand.
After the wind passed, I lowered my hand and suddenly saw that several large characters had been blown into the sand:
"You will know in the future."
"I will know in the future? What does that mean?"
I didn't understand, but I knew this must be what the Myriad Ghost King wanted to tell me.
I muttered to myself again,
"I will know in the future. When is 'in the future'? Will it be too long?"
As I thought about it, I leaned back against the driftwood and slowly fell asleep.
The next morning, a gentle breeze blew, carrying the faint salty scent of the sea.
I suddenly felt a chill, rubbed my eyes, and woke up.
Looking around, the sky was already bright. Remembering my plan to go out to sea, I walked along the coast again to look for a boat.
Strangely, I had searched for a long time yesterday and hadn't seen any sign of a boat.
However, at this moment, I saw a small fishing boat moored by the sea not far away.
With a heart full of questions, I slowly approached.
"How can there be a boat here? I was definitely here yesterday."
I thought for a long time, but couldn't figure it out. So, I decided to stop thinking about it. I tiptoed into the water and was about to board the boat.
Suddenly, with a splash.
The boat was suddenly shaken by the water from beneath, sending splashes flying high into the air.
Several men in black leaped out, like phantoms from the water, drawing flying daggers from their waists amidst the spray.
They hurled the daggers at me from a distance. I was immediately startled and quickly bent down, narrowly dodging them.
They then flew towards me, drawing the gleaming broadswords they wore at their waists.
They attacked together. Seeing this, I could only kick up sand to block their vision.
Then, I spun and kicked them away.
Afterward, I snatched a broadsword from one of them and began to fight them.
With a final surge of strength, I raised the sword and wounded them.
Having witnessed the terror of the Myriad Ghost King's power, I did not wish to kill them. I simply said to them faintly,
"You may go. I do not wish to kill."
With that, I turned and left.
The few men scrambled to their feet. Seeing that the person before them was beyond their match,
they helped each other and left.
Turning back, I watched the figures of those departing and smiled slightly.
I thought, they were quite sensible.
Then, in a daze, I looked towards the sea, at the boat that had served as bait.
After suffering such an impact, it was still floating on the water unharmed.
A warmth finally bloomed in my heart. I thought, I could use it to go out to sea.
So, I walked back into the sea and was about to board the boat when I suddenly felt a wave of heat from above.
Looking up, I saw a large fireball descending from the sky. I quickly dodged.
Suddenly, a column of water struck from behind. Unprepared, I was flung several meters away, rolling onto the sand.
As I tried to get up, I heard a youthful voice from behind:
"Myriad Ghost King, your time has come!"
This voice... it sounded so familiar.
But now was not the time to dwell on it. In my panic, I saw another fireball coming.
I frantically rolled, grabbed a handful of fine sand, and flung it backward.
Then, I recalled the "White Bone Claw" used in television dramas, so I raised my arm and side-swiped, extending a White Bone Claw.
Just as I was about to grab someone, that person suddenly dodged, and a long spear attacked from behind, cutting my arm, causing blood to flow.
Suddenly, another spear struck. I dodged to the side, but it brushed past my hair, scattering it.
My hair fell, draping messily in front of me.
Turning around in a daze, I was horrified to meet someone's gaze.
That person... it was... it was Shui Fang.
He saw me too and was immediately surprised, exclaiming involuntarily,
"Mu Ye!"
This sudden turn of events made me feel flustered. I least wanted to meet someone I knew at a time like this.
But, but they had still come. I was at a loss, unsure of what to do.
In that moment of distraction, a swift kick suddenly came from behind.
It sent me flying, crashing onto the sand. I weakly propped myself up, spitting blood.
Due to several days of continuous combat, I was utterly exhausted.
Being kicked over like this, I immediately lost consciousness.
In a daze, I heard them talking.
"Stop! She's Mu Ye!"
"What! You say she's Mu Ye?"
"Yes, she's Mu Ye."
Ying Lu, with a look of suspicion, walked closer and pulled up the person lying on the ground. He saw that it was indeed Mu Ye.
His heart began to race, filled with disbelief.
"How can she be Mu Ye? How can she be Mu Ye?"
The two of them were also stunned, unsure of what to do.
Shui Fang also took a moment to react.
"Ying Lu, seeing as you've injured her so badly, quickly carry her to a good place and bandage her wounds properly."
"Alright."
Ying Lu also reacted at this moment and hurriedly picked up Mu Ye, heading off elsewhere.
I don't know how long I was unconscious. In a daze, when I woke up,
I felt an unusual warmth around me, but my whole body ached.
I opened my eyes slightly and saw a ball of fire in front of me.
Looking down, I saw that the wound on my arm had already been bandaged by someone.
Looking up slightly again, I saw two familiar figures.
Ying Lu, while tending to the fire, sighed, a hint of self-reproach in his voice.
"Did I kick her too hard? She still hasn't woken up."
Shui Fang didn't respond to his words but spoke of his discovery.
"I see she has some wounds on her hands. She must have been fighting these past few days."
"Sigh!"
Hearing their conversation, I turned my head slightly, not wanting to meet them in this guise.
But why did they know the identity of the Myriad Ghost King?
I thought, the only one who could know all this was Liu Xiang. It seemed he was already making his move.
Turning my head again, I looked at the two men who were guessing and blaming themselves, feeling a slight pang of heartache.
Whether I was the Myriad Ghost King or not, I had to face them eventually.
Whether they hated me or detested me, I had to face reality.
With a bitter smile, I let out a soft sound and called out,
"Shui Fang, Ying Lu."
They both turned their heads in unison, looking at me with surprise and joy.
Shui Fang said joyfully,
"Mu Ye, you're awake."
I nodded.
Ying Lu walked over and carefully helped me up, asking,
"Does it hurt?"
I shook my head slightly.
He patted my head, full of confusion.
"How did you end up in this place?"
I hesitated, unsure if I should tell them.
But then I thought, they would find out sooner or later, so it might as well be now.
"I... I, I ran here."
They had already had some suspicions about me, but they were unwilling to believe them.
Now, hearing me say this, they became convinced of their thoughts.
Shui Fang asked incredulously,
"Mu Ye, you, you are the Myriad Ghost King?"
Facing them, I had no choice but to admit it, only managing a slight nod.
The two of them felt as if struck by lightning. Although they had prepared themselves mentally,
they were still shocked when they received a positive confirmation.
Ying Lu recalled that in all the time they had known Mu Ye, they had never seen her like this. Something must have happened.
So, he asked me,
"Mu Ye, why did you become the Myriad Ghost King? Or, have you always been the Myriad Ghost King?"
Faced with his question, my eyes darkened slightly, my heart growing heavier.
But I still mustered the courage to tell them,
"Too many things have happened in between, and I can't even understand it myself.
I inexplicably encountered the Myriad Ghost King and became one with him."
The two listened in disbelief. Shui Fang also asked,
"So, the Myriad Ghost King is inside you?"
I nodded heavily.
Since the conversation had reached this point, I decided to clear up all the remaining questions.
Shui Fang asked again,
"Were those people killed by you?"
Thinking of this, my heart was filled with regret. I dared not look at them.
Considering that I had killed countless people in these past few days,
even without the Myriad Ghost King, I would have already become a demon that everyone wanted to eliminate.
I no longer had the face to see them, nor could I expect them to understand me.
I could only nod, admitting everything.
For a moment, the three of us were silent, the atmosphere as dead as a tomb.
It was Ying Lu who broke the silence.
"Mu Ye, where is your friend Ah Li?"
He suddenly asked about him. Thinking of him, my heart ached slightly, and I simply said,
"He left."
"He left?"
The two of them were bewildered.
"Where did he go?"
"He..."
I thought about it. Knowing this would do them no good.
My grievances with Liu Xiang were something I would resolve with him myself, so I lied and said,
"He went home."
"Went home, oh, so you met the Myriad Ghost King after you parted ways."
I nodded heavily.
With this, everything became clear. Their previously uncertain hearts also became surprisingly calm.
Shui Fang said,
"Mu Ye, we cannot protect you, and staying on this shore is also unsafe.
Tomorrow, you should go out to sea.
This sea is the territory of the Mermaid Clan. They have little contact with the land and are unaware of what's happening here.
When you reach the islands at sea, go into hiding. Live well, and do not kill anymore."
I cautiously showed a grateful look, tears welling up in my eyes.
He quickly covered my eyes with his hand and smiled,
"Don't look at me like that, I can't stand it."
Shui Fang also came closer and patted my head, saying,
"I know you have your difficulties.
Legend has it that the Myriad Ghost King is eccentric and erratic in his behavior.
It's likely that you stumbled upon him by chance and became associated with the Myriad Ghost King.
After you go out to sea this time, do not return.
In the Four Cities now, there are countless people who want to kill you."
Hearing their comfort, I felt relieved and decided,
"Alright, I'll listen to you. I won't return. Thank you."
The two of them exchanged a smile. The three of us were like old friends again, just like in the past.
The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, they brought the small boat over.
After sending me onto the boat, they stood on the shore and waved goodbye.
"Goodbye, take care on your journey."
I waved goodbye to them as well.
From then on, I drifted at sea for three days and three nights, not seeing a single shadow.
Let alone any islands. The vast expanse of the sea offered no place to stand.
However, fortunately, there were no pursuers. Being at sea was safer than being on land.
But the shadow that the wind had blown, enveloping the sea, seemed to say that everything was not yet over.
After drifting at sea for two days and two nights, the small boat bobbed in the middle of the ocean. At this point, I had no idea where I was.
Around me, there were only waves moving with the wind.