The faint, dark thread entangled on the ink-green, darkly imbued bead was almost invisible under the shimmering, dancing light.
But Gu Junshi was a master of deception, a proponent of fighting evil with evil, and magic with magic. Such veiled tactics were like nothing in her eyes.
Her frost-white fingertips touched the ghost core. The flowing dark thread immediately swelled as if a black-striped sea snake, lurking threateningly in the deep reef, had suddenly surged forth when threatened. Yet, it was forcefully contained by an irresistible power. No matter how much it struggled and thrashed, it was futile. Finally, in distorted agony, it exploded into a wisp of black mist and dissipated.
After crushing the curse attached to the ghost core, she sent it back.
"What was that?"
The ghost infant, unable to see, relied on its consciousness to perceive the situation, mirroring the cold, peak-like side profile of Gu Junshi. When she made her move, it had also sensed an unusual, malevolent aura clinging to the ghost core.
Hearing the tautness in its voice, Gu Junshi said calmly, "It's a serpent ring blood curse. It can automatically control you at certain times, acting as a contract. If you fail to complete what that ghost cultivator instructed, it will take your life at a crucial moment."
Upon hearing this, the ghost infant's face turned pale, and it remained stunned for a long time before huskily saying, her voice laced with lingering fear, "...Thank you."
She had helped him once again.
Indeed, the ghost cultivator did not trust his verbal promises. Even though he had agreed to fulfill the arrangement and help the other party, the cultivator had intended from the start to use insidious means to monitor and control his actions.
He had actually anticipated this outcome. At the time, he believed the other party still saw him as valuable and wouldn't take his life immediately. Even if problems arose, he felt he could handle them in the end.
Even if he couldn't solve them, it wouldn't matter. He only wanted to keep this life for his revenge; he hadn't given much thought to his future fate.
It was just that he hadn't expected her... Gu Yi... to see through the other party's methods at a glance. The blade hanging over his neck like a noose had thus been so easily relieved of its threat by her.
Was Gu Junshi being kind?
Yes and no.
She moved a short distance away from him. The wind blew past her flowing robe, causing it to ripple. She said, "Whether you fulfill the deal with him is your decision. What you choose to do is your freedom. However, there is one thing: what I just instructed you to do should take precedence over everything else, understand?"
She had nurtured him for a thousand days; it was time to use him for a single occasion. He likely wouldn't think she was doing him a charity.
The ghost infant understood, of course. He lowered his head and said solemnly, "Ghost Infant understands. I will definitely handle... it."
Though they had known each other for three years, he was not familiar with her at all. He had only learned her name and identity a few days ago.
However, the truth of this identity was yet to be confirmed. Everyone said Gu Yi was an ordinary mortal, but he knew she was unfathomably deep.
Sensing his hesitation, Gu Junshi casually said, "You already know who I am. You can call me Gu Yi from now on."
The ghost infant would certainly not address his benefactor by name so impolitely. He considered for a moment and said, "Can Ghost Infant call you Patron Gu?"
Patron?
Employer?
That was quite fitting.
Was he not now her subordinate, hired to do her bidding?
A hint of a smile played on Gu Junshi's lips. "As you wish."
Hearing her gentle tone, the ghost infant secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"What is your opinion of Ziying?" she suddenly asked, a topic completely unrelated to their previous conversation.
The ghost infant blinked, then paused for a moment before slowly replying, "...Insincere."
She raised an eyebrow, surprised by the answer. "But you... seem to treat her differently?"
He frowned, unsure what she meant by "differently." He hadn't noticed anything different in his behavior toward her. If there was anything, he could only attribute it to this: "She is different from everyone else who has approached me... She doesn't detest me."
Therefore, his repulsion towards her was relatively less. At least he didn't deliberately maintain a cold demeanor.
Highly sensitive to others' emotions, the ghost infant knew Ziying's enthusiasm for him wasn't entirely without ulterior motives. However, when she approached him, she was unlike others who, despite their disgust and aversion, still endured his presence.
Children starved of affection always craved attention or fair treatment. Disdain and pity could both become causes for their antagonism.
Gu Junshi didn't believe the ghost infant could outwit the third female lead. In the original plot, the third female lead was the most trusted confidante of the protagonist. Her influence stemmed not from beauty or family background, but from her intelligence.
She chuckled and changed the subject. "Ghost Infant... this appellation needs to be changed."
The ghost infant was somewhat taken aback.
Why was the topic of names suddenly being brought up?
Gu Junshi said, "You can give yourself a name."
The ghost infant didn't understand why he needed a name. A name was merely a person's designation. It made no difference whether he was called Ghost Infant or something else; he was still himself.
But it was clear that Gu Yi didn't want him to continue using the name "Ghost Infant."
Thus, he deferred to her decision. "Patron Gu, would you please give me a name?"
When Gu Junshi heard this, her dark eyes fixed on him for a moment. As he grew uneasy, thinking he had said something wrong, she finally said, "Do you know that if I bestow a name upon you, you will be bound to my command for life?"
He didn't understand then what her bestowing a name truly meant.
The ghost infant was momentarily speechless, unable to make up his mind.
Her tone lowered slightly. "If you wish for me to name you, I shall grant it."
With a flick of her sleeve, she turned away. The wind whipped up a wisp of misty drizzle, like flowing water, and her figure vanished.
---
After Gu Yi left, the ghost infant stood under the cool, empty night sky for a long time, lost in thought, until a melodious female voice called from behind him, "Junior Uncle Ghost Infant, why are you here?"
Ziying emerged. Her gaze swept over his lonely, solitary form before she asked, "Are you waiting for someone here?"
The ghost infant turned. His vacant, gray eyes held no focus. Hearing Ziying's voice, he recalled Patron Gu's question earlier about his seeming difference toward her.
Indeed, upon hearing her voice, his first reaction wasn't wariness or evasion, but a wait-and-see approach. He was fully aware of her deliberate flattery and attempts to approach him. He simply didn't know what she sought from him.
"Who exactly are you?" the ghost infant asked coldly.
Ziying was momentarily startled, then she covered her mouth and let out a low, crisp laugh.
After she finished laughing, she tilted her head, her voice as beautiful as a babbling spring.
"You're finally asking, aren't you? At first, I didn't recognize you. But Ghost Infant... I am the same kind of person as you."
As she spoke, she moved closer to him. The ghost infant didn't evade, allowing her to place a hand on his lean, sturdy chest.
At this moment, a blood-red gash, like a knife's sharp cut, appeared on Ziying's forehead, and a sinister, scarlet eye instantly snapped open.
Simultaneously, a demonic, bloody aura condensed above the ghost infant's head, forming a scarlet, evil eye identical to the one on Ziying's forehead. The ghost infant's eyes, wide open and eternally blind, clearly lost all sense of consciousness.