Chapter 357: Mingyue’s Awakening
Zhao Mingyue was the kind of person who could be moved easily—her sympathy dial was cranked to eleven! After several days of tagging along with Bai Yu on various redemption missions, she had seen way too many heart-wrenching stories, leaving her a bit melancholic and not her usual sprightly self.
So, when she heard that one person’s tale, her first reaction was, “Bai Yu, help!”
You could say Bai Yu’s image in Zhao Mingyue’s heart had grown awfully “tall” during this time.
She was practically a tiny Bai Yu fan at this point, wishing that Bai Yu would do something a little naughty with her at night. But if Bai Yu didn’t budge an inch, she’d cling to her like an octopus!
“Sure,” Bai Yu deeply gazed at the person in question. “As for the others, we can discuss that later.”
“Alrighty then!”
The remaining crew shot daggers at the lucky bloke but didn’t say much more.
At least for now, it looked like Shen Shuyun’s method was spot on.
Before they could saunter off, Bai Yu threw a question out: “So, who taught you this method?”
“Shen Shuyun, duh!” The participant didn’t hesitate to throw Shen Shuyun under the bus.
“I see.”
“Uh, hello sister, mind exchanging contact info?” Zhao Mingyue wiggled her phone forward excitedly.
Bai Yu, initially planning to take it easy that night, decided against it as she saw the situation unfold.
Tonight’s mission was a bit special; after dealing with an evil spirit, they needed to find a certain soul.
Instead of springing into action, Bai Yu dragged the Dragon Lady outside and casually dialed Chen Yunshi.
“So, you’re planning to take Mingyue in with you tonight?” Dragon Lady peered into the room, lowering her voice.
“Yup, no time to waste; we’re giving it a shot tonight.” Bai Yu’s face was serious. “This ghost gate is stable, and it’s the real deal—I just checked inside and no immediate danger.”
“Got it, let’s take some precautions.” Dragon Lady stood by the window, catching sight of Zhao Mingyue. “This girl is so naive; she has no idea what this identity entails.”
“You didn’t tell her the same when you were trying to convince me.”
“True, but it wouldn’t help anyway. Even if I tried to talk her out of it, she wouldn’t budge. She’s stubborn! This identity is like a super buff for her—it helps you out and puts an end to the so-called tragedy. She’s practically been ready to seal the ghost gate forever!”
Dragon Lady sighed, knowing Zhao Mingyue wouldn’t listen to her. She would take Bai Yu’s words into consideration, but the problem was if she promised Bai Yu to avoid being gloomy all day, Bai Yu would just end up softening. Is it a match made in heaven? One with no temper at all, and the other with a heart of tofu!
“Plus, by helping her persuade you, it’s also a way of trusting you. I believe you can bring her back from the ghost gate.”
While Dragon Lady spoke, Bai Yu received a response from Chen Yunshi.
“Tonight’s a good opportunity! You can try, but Mingyue shouldn’t stay in there for more than three minutes. Make sure to bring her out in less than three minutes!”
“Three minutes, huh.” Dragon Lady leaned in for a look.
“Yep.”
“A bit tight, but just right.”
Soon after, another message pinged in—a voice note from Chen Yunshi. “After tonight, you should find a way to awaken Zhao Mingyue. Otherwise, she will suffer. If I’m not mistaken, once she touches the ghostly realm tonight, her body will experience some awakening due to certain stimuli.”
“In this state, she can’t control the ghost gate, but the ghost gate can affect her. To put it bluntly, she’ll have nightmares about the ghost gate and its world.”
They picked tonight specifically because they were short on time.
Zhao Mingyue would need a few days to adapt before she could integrate with Lu Liangting’s soul. Afterward, she’d need more time to adjust again.
By then, it would be nearly time for the showdown with the Dark Moon God.
“Hang in there! I believe it will be fine.” Dragon Lady patted Bai Yu’s shoulder softly to comfort her.
Bai Yu might have appeared calm, but Dragon Lady knew she was under immense pressure.
There was no denying it; all that had been brewing over the last month—redemption tasks, Mingyue’s awakening, plus figuring out how to power up for the Dark Moon God—were piling up on Bai Yu’s shoulders.
During this time, Bai Yu had significantly increased her strength. Her energy reserves were replenished daily as divine power flowed through her. To make the most of it, Bai Yu had turned those evil spirit believers into her own personal energy factories.
By the time the Dark Moon God was through with them, those evil spirits, originally supposed to last two months, would be lucky to last one!
“Bai Yu!”
Seeing Bai Yu and the Dragon Lady enter, Zhao Mingyue stood up.
“I just discussed this with Bai Yu, and we both think the time is right,” Dragon Lady announced.
“Uh? Right for what?”
“It means you and Bai Yu are heading into the ghost gate!”
Zhao Mingyue’s eyes went wide as saucers—could she even believe it? “Really?”
“Of course!”
The ghost gate loomed not far away, and there they stood, facing its swirling energies. Instinctively, Zhao Mingyue held her breath. Strangely, she didn’t feel any discomfort; instead, it felt surprisingly “nice,” with a touch of familiarity.
“Three minutes.” Bai Yu grabbed Zhao Mingyue’s wrist with determination. “We must be out in three minutes—don’t be scared; just leave everything to me.”
“Got it!”
Zhao Mingyue closed her eyes and felt Bai Yu tug her forward. In the next moment, she felt her body being stretched and squished as if tossed into a blender.
Fortunately, that odd feeling didn’t last too long. Before she knew it, her feet were back on solid ground.
So, she had arrived in the ghostly realm?
Opening her eyes, Zhao Mingyue was greeted by a mist-covered, dim world.
Just one glance, and she sensed that this world was devoid of life—like an elderly man at d*ath’s door, filled with the stench of decay.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed in her brain. Her body shot up uncontrollably into the air, but fortunately, Bai Yu still held tightly to her wrist.
At that moment, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t care less about comparing this world to the one outside.
She was being involuntarily thrust upwards, feeling a mysterious force flooding into her body, something like a soul or countless wills. All she could think was her head felt like it was about to explode, with countless voices whispering around her.
Meanwhile, she couldn’t shake the bizarre feeling that a massive eye, several hundred kilometers wide, had opened in the sky and was staring right at her.
As Zhao Mingyue felt as if her body was ready to be torn apart, she fixated on that oversized eye, a sense of familiarity nagging at her. Did she know it from somewhere?
Time felt off in that moment—was it seconds or hours? Zhao Mingyue couldn’t tell.
Overall, aside from the pain, her body felt like something was quickly being mended within her.
What on earth is this? The world’s will, perhaps?
That thought surfaced in Zhao Mingyue’s mind.
She had always wondered how the ghostly realm was born. It contradicted everything she had learned for years, and she couldn’t imagine the chaos that would ensue if the ghostly realm were to be exposed.
It felt as if she was intricately linked with the birth of this world.
Below, Bai Yu’s attention was solely on Zhao Mingyue.
She was still gripping Zhao Mingyue’s wrist fiercely; thank goodness her strength was adequate, or she would have lost her!
The thought shivered down her spine—if, in the past, she hadn’t been careful and allowed Zhao Mingyue into this world, it could have been disastrous.
Bai Yu felt that if she had let go, allowing Zhao Mingyue to soar into the sky, she might never have seen her again.
Not because Zhao Mingyue would fall to her doom, but because she would be assimilated by the will of this world.
To put it bluntly, Zhao Mingyue would become part of the world.
This was a natural instinct of self-repair; even if Zhao Mingyue merged as part of this realm, it wouldn’t change a thing—not even a band-aid.
As time ticked away, Bai Yu felt within Zhao Mingyue something awakening—only to be stymied by a lack of power and missing key elements.
The three minutes came to an end. Just before the Dark Moon God’s will could peek in, Bai Yu used bl**d Thread to yank a trembling Little Female Ghost from nearby and, without a second word, dashed out with Zhao Mingyue.
Chen Yunshi’s calculations might have been off, but it was close enough. Zhao Mingyue could continue absorbing; ten minutes would’ve been fine, but it’d do her no good to keep going without Lu Liangting’s soul.
The Little Female Ghost she’d grabbed was part of their redemption task—just an easy bonus.
Three minutes felt like a lifetime for the Dragon Lady.
Those two who’d gone in were the most important people in her life; if they didn’t come out, what’s the point of her living anymore?
The good news was that after three minutes, the ghost gate flickered, and three figures shot out.
The Dragon Lady immediately spotted Zhao Mingyue, rushing forward to catch her.
After checking carefully, she found Zhao Mingyue was unharmed but fast asleep.
“Bai Yu, is everything alright?”
