Chapter 36: Tiger-Head Shoes Stepping into the Infant's Funeral Hall (Part 2) I can't tell, little...

Wen Gu's gaze fell on the ghost child lying on the ground. His hand on Ye Qingzhan's ankle didn't loosen, and with force from his wrist, he pulled her to the edge of the bed. He leaned forward, placing himself between her and the ghost child. The

ghost child grinned, stood up, and walked toward the two of them, extending his hand toward Ye Qingzhan.

The little ghost girl looked no more than four or five years old, with two small buns. Her face looked like she had been at the gates of hell when she first met Qinghuai: puffy, pale, and blue, the look of someone who has drowned.

The fear from the nightmare faded, and Ye Qingzhan's thoughts shifted entirely to the little girl.

The girl grasped her hand, smiling, "Sister, play with me."

Ye Qingzhan hurried to look at her feet—no shadow in the candlelight. She shook the panic from her eyes and looked up at the person beside her.

Wen Gu avoided her gaze.

The evasive look in his eyes annoyed Ye Qingzhan, who silently turned his gaze back to the girl. Sanniang said that within the illusion, one must strive to follow the wishes of those within.

This little girl, Wuying, must be a figure in the illusion created by one of the remaining three ghost guests. Their wishes must be followed. Ye Qingzhan put on her shoes and agreed, "Okay, I'll play with you."

The ghost child giggled twice more and looked up at Wen Gu, saying, "Big brother, you look so gloomy, find it for me..." The little girl tugged at her pigtails and said sadly, "Xinxin forgot what you were looking for."

Ye Qingzhan got down from the bed and saw her lowered head. Just as she was about to offer a word of comfort, she saw the little girl raise her head again, revealing her white teeth. "Forget it, I'll play with Xinxin first. Let's play hide-and-seek, okay?"

As she spoke, the little girl let go of Ye Qingzhan, giggled twice, ran forward a few steps, and then her voice faded, "Brother, sister, come find Xinxin."

"Hehe."

As the words fell, the little girl ran forward a few steps, and disappeared, leaving only a few footprints in her wake.

The ghost child lost his sight, and Ye Qingzhan quickly got up to chase after him. Wen Gu, who was lying by the bed, did not move. She wanted to call him along, but her dream flashed back to her mind. She choked back her words, opened the door, and went after him without turning back.

Wen Gu, stranded where he was, had a faint red mark between his eyebrows. Yin Sha, waiting for an opportunity, filled his body, mocking him, "She doesn't believe you."

"Give up your thoughts of kindness."

"Everyone is afraid of those who are different from them. You are guilty of sins that are hard to erase, and you carry resentment on your shoulders, yet you still hope for someone to accept you."

"You're just dreaming, a pipe dream, pathetic and ridiculous."

"Why not take action sooner rather than later? Whether she's willing or forced, let her become our new melting pot, and you'll be free and unburdened. Why not?"

Yin Sha's voice was like a soft, eloquent sound, persuading, tempting, sobbing, and rambling.

Wen Gu lowered his eyes and said, "Shut up."

Before he finished speaking, he took off and chased after her.

Yin Sha was on him, and it was easiest to use Yin Qi to find ghost Qi. In a moment, he caught up with Ye Qingzhan, while Li Zhixing was a step behind. As he ran, he hurriedly asked, "Where are you going... little ghost?"

"Oh, they are all here." Li Zhixing saw that the two inseparable people were separated by a distance of ten feet, as if there was a chasm between them. He gathered his sleeves, feeling curious, but it was not easy to ask directly, so he could only observe quietly.

Ye Qingzhan was two steps away from Wen Gu, looking at the place where the few people were.

This was a stone cave. There were many tablets on a stone table, and many stone statues stood around, all of them were children. The

surrounding stone walls were uneven, and from a distance they looked in a hundred different shapes, but if you looked closely, they were all children with panic.

Some of them had their pupils wide open, some seemed to be shouting for help, and some were sleeping forever...

She had just followed Xinxin's footprints and chased for several feet. The scenery around her followed her movements, and when she came to her senses, she had already stepped into the stone cave. At this moment, standing in the center of this place, Ye Qingzhan felt a chill all over his body, and his mood seemed to be covered with a layer of frost and snow.

Wen Gu and Li Zhixing were also silent, looking up and watching.

The two little kids gathered here, shuttling back and forth among the stone statues, laughing and joking, as if they were carefree.

The little girl with two buns pointed at Wen Gu and said, "Brother, why do you always have a cloudy look on your face? Xinxin doesn't like cloudy days, Xinxin, Xinxin..." The girl hugged her head and suddenly cried out in pain, "Xinxin's thing was lost on a rainy day. Xinxin can't remember it, can't remember it, Xinxin can't remember it..."

The girl's cry echoed in the stone cave, straightforward and sad. Ye Qingzhan walked over, hugged her, wiped the tears from her face, and patiently coaxed her, "Xinxin, don't cry, brother, there is no cloudy look on your face, brother is just angry with sister."

Li Zhixing also patted the little girl's shoulder, and heard his heart "Oh wow".

Wen Gu's face was slightly stunned after hearing what Ye Qingzhan said. After hesitating for a moment, he walked stiffly to the side of the little girl, raised his hand, paused in the air, then touched her head and stammered, "Don't, don't cry."

Before he finished speaking, the little girl stopped crying immediately, raised her head, stretched out her hands to Wen Gu, and said aggrievedly, "Pretty brother, hug me."

Ye Qingzhan and Li Zhixing: "..."

Wen Gu retracted his hand, looking embarrassed, touched the tip of his nose, and said, "No."

The little girl still kept asking for a hug, and refused to give in.

Li Zhixing looked at him with encouragement in his eyes and said, "You can."

Ye Qingzhan wanted to say the same thing, but when he thought of the gap between the two just now, he pursed his lips and just watched.

The little girl squatting on the ground was so stubborn that Wen Gu had no other choice. He leaned forward, lowered his head, bent down, and picked her up from the ground.

He held her waist and back with one hand and patted her shoulder with the other.

Xinxin hugged his neck, resting her furry head on his shoulder, without crying or making a fuss. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you, big brother."

Wen Gu said nothing, just patted her on the back.

Li Zhixing watched from the side, and the more he watched, the more he felt something was wrong. She had clearly said that she couldn't hold a baby, so why did she look so skilled at it now? Could it be that... this kid had already been a father before he lost his memory?

When he looked at Wen Gu again, the exiled immortal shook his head, with a look of wonder in his eyes: I can't tell, a young father.

Ye Qingzhan also found it strange and said it out accidentally, "You hold the baby very well."

Wen Gu stopped patting the little girl, glanced at her, and looked away.

Silent, just like when they first met.

Ye Qingzhan felt a little lost, and the chubby boy standing next to him ran over and held her hand.

The little boy was dressed a little richer than the little girl, and his chubby face was a little bruised, like a little beggar. With a tentative look in her eyes, she asked softly, "Sister, can you hold me?"

Looking at the boy's clear eyes, Ye Qingzhan was willing to hold him, but... the boy looked about four or five years old, but with a sturdy body. She was not sure if she could hold him. If she failed to hold him and hurt the boy's heart, her sin would be great.

Ye Qingzhan gritted her teeth and stretched out her hand under his expectant gaze, saying, "Come, sister hold you."

Seeing that she looked like she had given up, Li Zhixing walked back and forth a few steps. Just as he was about to help her fulfill the little boy's wish, someone was one step ahead of him.

Wen Gu picked up the little boy with one hand, let him sit on his arm, and hugged his neck like a little girl.

Li Zhixing was stunned and wanted to applaud. Even after holding two children at once, Wen Gu remained calm. Ye Qingzhan blinked and looked at him - he looked like a sickly person, how could he have such amazing strength, and his movements of holding a child were so smooth and effortless.

What did he do in the past?

Noticing the gazes of the two people, Wen Gu looked back calmly, but his eyes did not linger, but looked at the entrance of the cave.

Someone is coming.

Ye Qingzhan also heard the light footsteps and looked over with the exiled immortal. The person coming was a girl, who looked about the same age as her. She was wearing a peach-colored dress and a simple white jade hairpin in her hair. She had a delicate appearance and a red mole between her eyebrows.

"Hello, fellow ghosts! I am the head of the Infant Spirit Hall. I haven't remembered your name yet," she said.

Li Zhixing bowed and said, "Hello, Hall Master. I'm Li Zhixing. I'd like to ask you how this Infant Spirit Hall came to be, and why were we brought here by these two children?"

The Hall Master glanced at the two little ghosts clinging to Wen Gu, then looked at the exiled immortal. "The Infant Spirit Hall houses innocent children who died young or tragically in the human world. Some of them don't wish to be reborn as human beings. The first Master found this place within the Ghost Gate, slowly comforting and guiding them. Some have been reborn, while others have chosen to take the form of stone sculptures or stone walls, living in Guanzhong for a long time and becoming children there."

As the Hall Master finished speaking, the human-shaped stone sculptures began to move, and from them leaped one child after another, varying in height, weight, and size. The surrounding murals of human faces also cracked, revealing one child's face after another. Their eyes, large and small, stared at them curiously.

There are thousands of pairs of eyes above her head, and little figures are passing by her side. The room is full of laughter and playfulness, and the Infant Spirit Hall is bustling with activity.

Ye Qingzhan raised her head and then lowered her eyes, looking at the children around her, and found that some of them have green eyes, some have red eyes, and some are like swimming fish, crawling on the ground with broken limbs.

There are many deformed children and freaks here, which are seen as deformed by the secular eyes.

She squatted down, stretched out her hand, and touched a little ghost lying on the ground, looking up at her.

"If you stay in the gate of hell for a long time, your soul will be scattered when the time comes. But all the previous gate masters couldn't bear it, and wanted to help these little ghosts, so they sealed half of their spiritual form in the form of stone sculptures or murals, and let them get up and rest at regular times like children in the mortal world, so that they can stay in the gate for a longer time, and hope that they can untie their knots as soon as possible and reincarnate again."

As the hall master finished speaking, a soft, powerful and clear voice came from behind them.

"They're all here." Two ghosts stood beside Hu Sanniang—Shan'e, with a bloody hole in her head, and Grandma Atao, who had arrived wearing a pair of tiger-head shoes around her neck. These shoes were probably tucked away now, hidden from view.

"You all ran fast, but these two got tricked by this little ghost. Their legs aren't as nimble as yours, so they hurried over to ask me." As she spoke, she tapped the forehead of the ghost closest to her with her fingertips and continued, "I figured the Infant Spirit Hall would be the place with the most children among the Ghost Gates. But then I thought, the children there are sealed in the stone sculptures and murals to rest at night. I've never heard of them coming out to play hide-and-seek with ghosts."

"Sanniang, I was cautious and asked if the ghosts they saw had any shadows under their feet. They said no. They remembered the young master's instructions and were always aware of illusions."

When Sanniang said "young master," she looked at the exiled immortal, who lowered his eyes and blushed. She snorted and continued, "I guessed it must be the people in the illusion created by these two."

"I couldn't find you guys, and I noticed the movement in the Infant Spirit Hall, so I brought you two to find you." Sanniang walked towards Li Zhixing, who was leaning slightly forward, and placed her fingertips on his chest and circled it.

Li Zhixing suddenly felt a tingling sensation all over his body. He bent his hands and took a step back. He wanted to say something, but Sanniang got there first. She chuckled and said, "Exiled Immortal, is there anyone who does things like you?"

Li Zhixing hurriedly said, "I'm ashamed, ashamed. It was my negligence."

Sanniang took another step forward.

Sanniang pressed forward step by step, and the Exiled Immortal retreated step by step.

Ye Qingzhan had a real illusion. She felt that the Exiled Immortal was very restrained in front of Sanniang, and there was a kind of inexplicable subservience.

They...

She took out a ginkgo leaf from her sleeve, wanting to ask Wen Gu what he thought. He took out the money halfway, but remembered that the two of them were still unhappy, so he pretended to put it back, gave up in a sullen manner, and secretly glanced at the young man holding the two children.

His face was cold.

Ye Qingzhan felt a little frustrated, and lowered his eyes, not noticing the quick glance the young man gave him.

With just one glance, Wen Gu took in the emotions in her eyes, and the expression on his face became a little more stern.

Wasn't she the one who retreated first? This look made it seem as if he had done something wrong, and he didn't hide from her, but--

Wen Gu's heart suddenly choked.

Indeed... he was full of purpose, and had bad intentions first.

The exiled immortal didn't care to guess what the two young people were thinking at this moment. His heart was beating like crazy. Whenever he met Sanniang, he had an inexplicable sense of guilt that made him have nowhere to hide.

But!

He is Guidu, and the mission is important. Li Zhixing made up his mind and said, "Thank you for your help, Sanniang. I am very grateful and will repay you in the future. It is more important to help the ghost guest pass the checkpoint."

Ye Qingzhan raised his head and nodded seriously.

Sanniang glanced at the head of the Infant Spirit Hall and said to him, "I won't stop you if you want to. I have brought your distinguished guest to you. I can't help you with anything else. I will go back to sleep."

Sanniang arrived on time and left cleanly.

Li Zhixing watched Sanniang leave the cave and asked the head of the hall, "How do we enter this illusion?"

The ghosts in the cave chased each other, laughed and made noises, but after the question from the exiled immortal, they all quieted down and pointed at the stone wall.

The two ghosts clinging to Wen Gu's shoulders opened their eyes and said in unison, as if mumbling in a dream, "Brother, please take us home."

The little girl's voice was very soft and tinged with sleepiness.

Shan'e, with a bloody hole on her head, looked over at the sound. The little girl leaned on Wen Gu's shoulder, with her back to her, and her face was unclear.

Li Zhixing thought, the so-called home should be what the ghost children pointed to as the mural. He bowed to the two distinguished guests and invited them to lean against the stone wall: "Come forward, both of you."

Shan'e withdrew her gaze, and Grandma Tao was supported by her as she passed by the hall master.

The young hall master's eyes lingered on the old man for a moment, and said: "I hope everything goes well." Her voice was slow and gentle.

Grandma Tao glanced at her, like a confused child, and blinked her wrinkled eyes.

Ye Qingzhan looked at Wen Gu, muttering "It was just a dream, just a dream" while walking towards him and said: "How about I hold Xinxin in my arms."

His dry eyes trembled, and after a moment, Wen Gu said calmly: "No need."

- She was still willing to pay attention to him.

Wen Gu held the child, his expression softened a little, and walked steadily towards the mural.

Ye Qingzhan also hurried to catch up, still feeling annoyed: Why is he still unwilling to accept her help? What if he gets tired and vomits blood again, what will happen if he gets into danger in the illusion? Who will protect these little ghosts...

Thousands of thoughts came to an end as the painted wall cracked. As soon as the exiled immortal's hand touched the stone wall, they were melted into it.