Chapter 30: Li Shan Yu's Past

  Early in the morning, I sat with Old Lady Wang on a stone bench drinking tea. I saw her eyes wanting to say something but hesitating, and finally couldn't help asking: "What's going on with Li Shan Yu?" Old Lady Wang put down her teacup, looked up at the second floor, and Li Shan Yu's door was tightly closed. "Wait until she figures it out herself, let her tell you herself."

  Xiao Lü didn't know what was going on, she smiled and greeted us, Wang's wife nodded at her, patted her shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. Xiao Lü's face turned pale. Wang's wife turned to me: "I still have some things to do, I'll leave first." After Wang's wife left, Xiao Lü's expression finally eased up: "Ning Hong, let's go see Shan Yu, she still refuses to come out until now." Thinking of Li Shan Yu's breakdown last night, my heart didn't feel good either. So I followed Xiao Lü to the front of Li Shan Yu's door.

  The door opened with a push, and it wasn't even locked. Li Xiangyu was lying on the bed, her eyes fixed on us with a reddish gaze: "How did you guys come?" I felt a bit embarrassed and didn't know how to start talking, but Xiao Lü was quite enthusiastic and smiled: "We saw that your mood isn't good, so we came to see you." From time to time, I would sneak a peek at Li Xiangyu, only to find that she was also looking at me. "Ning Hong, come sit next to me!" Li Xiangyu patted the bed, gesturing for me to come over. I hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside her: "Are you feeling better?"

  Li Shan Yu lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers. Xiao Lu let out a sigh: "Shan Yu! You must be hungry, I'll go get you something to eat. Let Ning Xie stay here and keep you company!" After Xiao Lu left, Li Shan Yu finally looked up at me: "Ning Xie, I'm really dead. Do you still remember those vengeful spirits from the Jia Ke Cosmetic Hospital last time?" I nodded, how could I forget? Just thinking about that eerie place made me shiver. "I was the one who summoned them."

  Li Shan Yu's calm eyes didn't have a single ripple, "What?! Those vengeful spirits were summoned by you?!" I stared at her face in shock, not daring to believe. "I was a very talented child since young, unfortunately, I grew up in an orphanage." Li Shan Yu smiled bitterly as she continued to look at me and said: "When I was seven years old, I met Na Gu Yun Er, she said she was willing to take me with her, but I had to be her apprentice. At that time, I was like grasping a lifeline, as long as someone took me away, I would be very happy." From the moment I first saw Li Shan Yu, my impression of her had always been that of an especially sunny and cheerful child, I never thought she had such a background.

  "Nagumo-san was very strict with me, but she also taught me a lot of things. Maybe because I had a good intuition, I started to feel unsatisfied with what I learned from Nagumo-san, so I created some strange and unusual magic on my own." She looked at me and asked, "Nagumo-san hasn't taught you anything yet, has she?" "No," I replied, feeling a bit downhearted. Maybe I really was the worst one after all.

  "Really? So that's how it was! Ning Lie, do you know how I died?" Her tears fell onto my hand, and I was startled, somewhat flustered as I handed her a tissue to wipe away her tears. "It started when Nagu Yun'er took me to Yuan Nuoyi's home, at the time I really thought Yuan Nuoyi lived a happy life, with so many people surrounding him. I was very lonely, and Nagu Yun'er rarely spoke to me. Because I often dealt with ghosts and monsters, I had an idea - I wanted to create my own family."

  "Your own home? With ghosts as companions?" I was stunned by Li Shan Yu's strange idea. She nodded: "I found a abandoned house as big as Yuan Nu's family, and started summoning evil spirits. Maybe I was too confident, thinking I'm great, and can solve all problems." As she spoke, Li Shan Yu burst into tears, and I guessed what happened next, couldn't help but hug her: "Shan Yu, it's tough! Growing up alone, bearing everything alone. Don't say anything if you don't want to, just rest well." Li Shan Yu shook her head: "Let me cry! Let me speak out! Being alone is tiring, bearing everything alone is also tiring." I patted her shoulder: "Hmm, I'm here!"

  She let go of me, grasping my hand tightly, and I could clearly feel her hands shaking violently. What can I do to make the girl in front of me return to her former self? But I don't have that ability, once again feeling inferior.

  Li Shan Yu leaned her head on my shoulder and said: "The evil spirits will arrive soon, far more than I expected. I'm a bit excited, but also a little scared. But soon, I was immediately overwhelmed by the empty happiness of being surrounded. I tamed them with spells, can you imagine? At that time, I really felt like a princess, and that place was my kingdom."

  I helped her tidy up her hair and said, "You're really amazing to be able to tame so many evil spirits." Her eyes quickly dimmed: "Ning Lie, do you believe me? Human desires are endless, and I'm even more so. I became obsessed with this illusory life, studying new spells to let them move freely, talk to me like family members. Every day when they came back, they'd ask me if I was happy today, what I wanted to eat... To achieve this, I ended up playing with fire and got consumed by the evil spirits I raised. They locked me in that so-called castle, turning it into a plastic surgery hospital, harming countless people. I could only watch helplessly. Do you remember Xiao Yuan? That kid accidentally released me, and as a thank you, I saved Yue Die. Although I only saved half of her soul, I did my best."

  I suddenly remembered why White Shadow Butterfly saw Li Shan Yu that time, the next sentence after "You're not already" was that Li Shan Yu was already dead! Later you and Yuan Nuoyi came, because of the ring Ak gave you, I followed that familiar aura and unexpectedly saved you. And finally walked out of there, when Na Gyun'er saw me, her face had no expression, she just said coldly, "You're already dead, just leave in peace!" I've already got a new apprentice. Li Shan Yu spoke to this point, tears started falling again: "I really don't know what to do? I couldn't accept the fact that I was dead, nor could I accept being abandoned again. I used forbidden techniques to make myself breathe, have a heartbeat, just like when I was alive. I stubbornly stayed at Na Gyun'er's place, in my own room, refusing to leave."

  I feel so sad, Li Shan Yu didn't do anything wrong, she was just afraid, afraid of being alone, afraid of being abandoned. She only wanted to have family and friends, but took a wrong path. "Ning Lie, I want to live, there are still many things I haven't done yet, I haven't gotten married, I don't have my own home yet. How can I just die like this?!" Li Shan Yu asked with red eyes, grasping my shoulder with a heart full of resentment.

  The sound of a "crash" plate breaking, I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiaolü's stunned face staring straight at Li Shan Yu: "Shan Yu, it turns out that I indirectly died at your hands." Xiaolü had gone to Jiake Plastic Surgery Hospital due to her insecurity about her appearance, but this hospital was a result of Li Shan Yu summoning an evil spirit. So Xiaolü was indeed indirectly killed by Li Shan Yu. I stood up, stuttering: "Xiaolü, calm down."

  "Xan Yu! I was so trusting of you! I allowed you to bully me, allowed you to scold me, I genuinely considered you a friend, but what did you do!" Xiao Lu yelled at Li Shan Yu with a hoarse voice. Li Shan Yu bit her lip and said in a flustered tone: "I'm sorry." "Li Shan Yu! You deserve it! You deserve to be an orphan, you deserve to die! You deserve to be abandoned by Master, you deserve to be replaced by Ning Hong!" After yelling these words, Xiao Lu stormed out. Seeing that Xiao Lu's emotions were also not right, I couldn't help but chase after her. At the staircase entrance, I bumped into Yuan Nuo Yi and grabbed him, shouting: "Quick! Accompany me in chasing after Xiao Lu!"