**Chapter 286: Come with Me**
In the days that followed, Yun Zhonghe occasionally found himself pondering the idea of escaping this cave.
But the White-clothed Ghost seemed to have cast a tracking spell on him. Whenever he so much as wiggled a finger, preparing to make a break for it, she would silently pop into view at the edge of his sight and drag him back with all the stealth of a cat burglar.
Her eerie pale eyes carried both a warning and a plea, as if saying, “Don’t leave; it’s safe here.”
Day in and day out, Yun Zhonghe’s activities were strictly confined to this cave. The only time he got to stretch his legs was in the evening, under her watchful eye, and even then, he had to scoot back before night fully fell.
Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but wonder: what might happen if he dawdled outside after dark?
But he certainly couldn’t be cooped up here forever.
Sitting at the cave entrance with his eyes closed, he concentrated hard. With no luck using his communication jade pendant, he sent out a series of desperate spirit messages, hoping someone would catch his pleas for help.
Maybe Mu Jixue and the others were also frantically searching for him and had received his spirit messages.
Luckily, he could send out those messages using his spiritual energy, and even with damaged meridians, it didn’t hinder him as long as the White-clothed Ghost wasn’t around.
After sending out several messages, fatigue set in, and Yun Zhonghe flopped back onto the pile of grass that the White-clothed Ghost had prepared for him.
This grass had been pilfered from who-knows-where, each strand scrubbed clean in water, dried, and then meticulously laid out in a corner of the cave to serve as his makeshift bed.
At night, she would curl up with him on that patch.
Although she didn’t need the grass, she must be worried about him catching a chill, which is why she did it.
Actually, she took good care of him.
Yet, Yun Zhonghe was still curious as to why she had fixated on him in the first place.
…
Every day, the White-clothed Ghost followed a predictable routine. Deep into the night, she would bring a collection of freshly picked, washed wild fruits and place them gently in front of him before dashing outside to grill some meat using the method he had taught her.
Now, she was quite adept at handling fire.
He still remembered her face lighting up the first time she had tasted food cooked by him.
The flavor of the cooked meat seemed like a revelation to her, bringing an unmistakable satisfaction.
Perhaps spending so much time together had made Yun Zhonghe a bit happy too. Seeing her excited expression, he couldn’t help but get a bit hungry himself and ended up demolishing an entire roast chicken.
This simple life, filled with fresh fruit and tender meat, felt surprisingly wholesome.
Being cared for by a beautiful ghost wasn’t so bad, either.
But Yun Zhonghe knew deep down that he couldn’t curl up in this gloomy cave forever as some kind of ‘pet’ for the ghost.
With that thought, his eyes dimmed, and his mind wandered away.
No matter how comfortable it was right now, he had to find a way out.
His meridians had recovered significantly with time; the yin energy in his chest had lightened a lot, and each morning the White-clothed Ghost would ride on him to extract a bit of energy. His condition was improving steadily.
Once he was back to peak form, he was confident he could handle himself in the wild; at least he wouldn’t be a sitting duck for any sudden dangers.
But there was a harsh reality looming ahead.
If he truly tried to escape, the ghost would definitely block him, and a fierce battle would be unavoidable.
Yet, after spending so much time together, he felt somewhat reluctant to hurt her.
He sensed she wasn’t the kind to harm others.
Though the heinous incidents in Tianhai City had her fingerprints all over them, he had an inkling that there might be someone else pulling the strings here.
At least, that’s what he believed.
Of course, another reason he didn’t want to act against her was that he didn’t think he could win in a fight.
During this time, he had come to appreciate the ghost’s terrifying physical power—she surely had reached the pinnacle of Yuan Ying!
There was no way he could just charge at her.
Maybe he should just have a heart-to-heart talk with her?
Yun Zhonghe’s mind was a tangled mess of emotions, countless threads weaving themselves into an intricate web.
After eating, dawn crept in quietly.
The White-clothed Ghost floated over to the grass pile with a warm smile, glancing back at Yun Zhonghe. She gently tapped the grass, signaling that it was time for him to lie down and sleep.
Yun Zhonghe could only chuckle wryly, shaking his head as he tried to refuse: “Uh, I’m not really sleepy yet; you go ahead.”
However, to his surprise, the White-clothed Ghost’s smile vanished, replaced by an adorably puffy-cheeked, sulky look reminiscent of Mu Jixue when she was upset. She promptly smacked the grass again.
Clearly, she was determined to have him lie down and rest, leaving no room for negotiation.
Yun Zhonghe had been considering making a stealthy escape while she slept, but now he sighed in defeat, internally berating his crushed plans. He settled down on the grass pile.
As soon as he lay down, the White-clothed Ghost, like a delighted little kitten, snuggled up to him, her cold yet soft hands wrapping around his waist, her legs intertwining with his, as if to envelop him entirely in her world.
Over time, he had grown accustomed to her boundary-less intimacy. What started as awkwardness transformed into normalcy, so it wasn’t so easy to catch him off guard anymore.
“Um.” Yun Zhonghe cleared his throat, feeling a tad nervous. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to broach the subject, “I have something I’d like to ask you.”
The White-clothed Ghost tilted her head, looking a bit puzzled at his intent. She blinked, then nodded, signaling that she was all ears.
“I’ve been pretty happy hanging out with you, but I have a lot to do and can’t stay here forever, so… could you let me go?” Yun Zhonghe’s tone carried a mixture of sincerity and helplessness. He knew his request might upset the ghost, but some things needed to be said.
The moment he finished speaking, the air hung thick, as if time had stopped. Suddenly, the White-clothed Ghost lunged forward, enveloping him in a fierce hug, so tight it felt like she was trying to crush him.
Her growl seemed to carry a hint of annoyance.
Yun Zhonghe felt as if his insides were being squished.
Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!
When she got emotional, she couldn’t regulate her strength.
If he didn’t say something quickly, he might end up being fatally embraced!
Not killed by Huang Aotian, but squashed to d*ath by the ghost instead.
At that moment, he sensed Snow Cloud Sword vibrating slightly, ready to come out and protect him. But Yun Zhonghe quickly used his mind to hush her, warning her not to provoke the ghost.
Just one sword wouldn’t be enough to stop her; it might even worsen the situation!
“Cough, cough… please let me talk…” After a fierce struggle, Yun Zhonghe finally squeezed out a few words, his breathing becoming incredibly heavy.
Noticing his immense pain and discomfort, the White-clothed Ghost slowly released him.
She quietly stood up, walked away, and found a secluded corner to squat down, hugging her knees and burying her head in her arms.
In that moment, she looked like a sulking little girl.
Yun Zhonghe was left speechless.
That scene had been quite heart-stopping, and he was glad he made the right choice not to let Snow Cloud Sword intervene; otherwise, the offended White-clothed Ghost might have acted out even more drastically, leading to dire consequences.
Though she had her wits about her, they were scant. Once her emotions boiled over, she became completely uncontrollable.
Now, watching the White-clothed Ghost huddled in the corner with her back to him, that angry posture made Yun Zhonghe feel a bit awkward.
Was she… letting him leave?
Yun Zhonghe mused silently but didn’t dare to take that step just yet. If he actually walked out and she suddenly snapped, he’d be unjustly doomed to become her loyal ghostly servant!
But…
Glancing at her, Yun Zhonghe saw her head turn away, clearly trying to ignore him.
She really looked like a little girl.
Though she appeared to be a mature beauty, her every move—especially the candid way she expressed affection and sulked when upset—was reminiscent of an eleven- or twelve-year-old.
“Wait a minute… could it be…?”
A thought struck Yun Zhonghe like a lightning bolt, and he froze in contemplation.
Recalling the mummified corpses he had seen in the Chen Family, almost all were the bodies of eleven- or twelve-year-old girls; even the “Chen Leling” zombie he previously encountered had been the same age.
This White-clothed Ghost resembled the state of “Chen Leling” after becoming a zombie. It was certain that she had once been a victim of the Chen Family’s cruel practices; perhaps because she was stronger, she belonged to a higher tier of existence.
Thus, Yun Zhonghe boldly hypothesized that the materials the Chen Family used to refine their zombies were those eleven- to twelve-year-old girls.
These girls’ lives had been cruelly snatched away under the Chen Family’s dark arts, turning them into horrific monsters for their control.
The White-clothed Ghost was one of many unfortunate victims. Yet, through some unexpected turn of events, she had regained a flicker of what she once was. Though her actions were still characteristic of the undead, deep down, the soul of that eleven- or twelve-year-old girl still fought to be free.
Now, looking at her, Yun Zhonghe felt like he was witnessing a naïve little girl who had experienced endless darkness and suffering only to break free from her cage, having just managed to find a friend, staring at the cruel reality of possibly losing that friend.
She looked remarkably pitiful and lonely.
Yun Zhonghe’s heart trembled.
Snow Cloud Sword sensed Yun Zhonghe’s thoughts and muttered, [How long has she been trapped?]
Was this referring to the ghost’s imprisoned soul?
Indeed, although her body had been refined into a zombie by the Chen Family’s demonic arts and seemed lifeless, she hadn’t really died. Her body was still alive, just severely diminished in vitality, with her life span greatly prolonged.
From an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl to this alluring mature figure, how long had that transformation taken? Yun Zhonghe couldn’t fathom or calculate.
But it had to be an eternity.
A hundred years? Two hundred years? Three hundred years?
Snow Cloud Sword could relate all too well. She had also been sealed away for endless years, tormented by that profound isolation and wait.
At that moment, her heart softened: [Master, should we take her along? If we leave her behind, it’s uncertain if she’ll hurt someone in the future. If the Immortal Alliance finds out, they’ll most definitely treat her as a monster. But if we bring her with us, we can keep an eye on her.]
It was unusual for the once-terrifying Snow Cloud Sword to speak a human-like sentiment.
Yun Zhonghe fell into a long silence, but before he realized it, he had walked over to the White-clothed Ghost.
Feeling his approach, she stubbornly turned her head away, as if to say, “Go ahead, I’m not keeping you here!”
Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but chuckle and slowly sat down beside her. Like a big brother comforting a younger sibling, he gently placed his hand on her head, tenderly tousling her hair and softly saying, “Let’s leave together? Come step out of this cave with me. It’s way too dull here.”
She halted, her pale eyes gazing at Yun Zhonghe in disbelief.
After a moment, she shook her head, showing hints of stubbornness and annoyance, continuing to sit there hugging her knees.
But the way she cradled her legs seemed a bit awkward and adorable, considering her ample bosom made the action clumsy.
She really was like a child.
Yun Zhonghe had been wondering why, since she had regained some reason, she didn’t write to communicate with him. It must be because she was too young and hadn’t learned to write yet!
He found it both amusing and exasperating.
But he was great at comforting kids.
So, Yun Zhonghe retrieved a beautifully wrapped candy from his storage ring.
This was a local specialty he had bought in Tianhai City. He originally intended to bring it back as a gift for his classmates.
Gently extending the candy towards the White-clothed Ghost, he coaxed, “Give it a try; there are lots of tasty things waiting for you out in the world. If you stay cooped up in this cave forever, only having fruits and roasted meat every day will be really boring!”
Tasty treats should tempt her.
He remembered how she drooled the first time she tasted cooked meat—it was the epitome of a greedy little cat.
“Come out with me, and I promise to whip up something delicious for you every day.”
Yun Zhonghe waved the candy, enticing her again.
She fell silent, turning slightly, catching a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye. Though her expression remained stubborn, the spark of interest in her pale eyes showed she was drawn to the candy.
However, still angered about their previous encounter, she hesitated to reach out for it.
Seeing her hesitate, Yun Zhonghe gently shimmied the candy again, slowly bringing it closer to her mouth, “Just try it; it’s really delicious.”
She cautiously opened her mouth, accepting the candy from his hand, and at that crucial moment, her sharp teeth managed to clamp down just lightly enough not to harm him.
With a distinct crunch, her once-dreary eyes shimmered with life and color, as if lit up from within.
So good!
Though she couldn’t articulate it, Yun Zhonghe could unmistakably feel her surprise and delight.
A child-like smile spread across her face, replacing the earlier tight-lipped “I’m unamused” look with pure exhilaration.
“How about it? Tasty?” Yun Zhonghe asked, grinning.
She nodded vigorously.
Yun Zhonghe produced another candy of a different flavor from his storage ring and offered it to her. Without hesitation, she bit into it, savoring every morsel.
A wave of satisfaction blossomed within her, causing her brows and lashes to tremble lightly as she found herself swept away in joy.
She was truly delightful to coax.
“Promise me, we’ll leave this place together and see the outside world.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll keep you safe. As long as you follow my lead, I’ll ensure your safety.”
As he spoke, he noticed a new kind of sparkle in her eyes, bright and glimmering as if countless stars were twinkling within them. She gazed deeply at Yun Zhonghe, suddenly leaped up, and enveloped him tightly in her substantial embrace, effectively burying him in her warmth.
She clutched him fiercely, seemingly not wanting to let go for even a second.
“I love you!” she exclaimed in her own way, her voice bubbling with excitement.
Was this… her way of saying yes?
