Chapter 243: Ghost Realm Illusion

Chapter 243 -242: Ghost Realm Illusion

“Xingchen?” Gu Qingyin called out with a frown. “What’s wrong with you?”

Huo Xingchen didn’t respond. He spun around, his gaze sweeping over each person one by one before he suddenly let out a low chuckle. “Interesting. I’ll be waiting for you up ahead.”

The next second, Huo Xingchen’s small body shuddered, as if something had been abruptly wrenched from him. He swayed, about to pitch forward, and Gu Qingyin instinctively rushed to catch him.

“Careful!”

Gu Ziqian and Huo Yunjing followed almost simultaneously. Ghosts were cunning; who knew if it had truly left? If this was a trick, Gu Qingyin’s defenseless state was far too dangerous.

Fortunately, the ghost had meant what it said about waiting up ahead and had truly departed, not lingering any longer.

Huo Xingchen lifted his head from Gu Qingyin’s embrace, looking around blankly. He asked with dawning realization, “Was I possessed too?”

Gu Qingyin stroked his head. “It’s all right now.”

Before they set out again, Gu Qingyin drew several Solid Spirit Talismans on the spot. They were mainly for defense, to make it harder for ghosts to possess them.

“Qiu Yan, don’t be afraid.” Gu Qingyin offered her a comforting smile as she handed over a Solid Spirit Talisman. “I dare say the most powerful Heavenly Masters in the entire Heavenly Master World are right here. Just think of this as a unique study trip. Relax, learn as much as you can. We’ll make sure you’re safe.”

Zhang Qiuyan knew she was holding them back. Her face flushed with shame as she clutched the Solid Spirit Talisman and nodded forcefully. “I’ll do my best to pull myself together!”

Gu Qingyin gave her a supportive “you can do it” gesture, then hoisted Huo Xingchen into her arms and took the lead once more.

Now in a child’s body, Huo Xingchen’s stamina had diminished, and he had just been possessed for a short time. Obvious signs of exhaustion were already showing on his little face.

Her heart aching, Gu Qingyin gently pressed her cheek to his and whispered, “Rest on Mommy’s shoulder and sleep for a bit. That ghost said it’s waiting for us up ahead, so all we have to do is keep walking straight. We won’t lose our way. Go to sleep.”

Huo Xingchen knew he was in bad shape and needed to recover, so he obediently leaned against his mother’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

Zhang Qiuyan had been watching Gu Qingyin. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but sigh to herself. ‘No wonder Huo Yunjing likes her. Strong against her enemies, but gentle with her loved ones. She’s beautiful and has a great personality… who wouldn’t fall for someone like that?’

Gu Qingyin wanted to let Huo Xingchen sleep longer, but the ghost clearly had no intention of giving them much time.

As the group stepped into a rare clearing in the woods, a Ghost Realm unfurled in silence, enveloping them before they even realized it.

Everyone stopped in their tracks and removed their glasses—wearing them only revealed a field of blue and white, which was its own form of blindness.

The Ghost Realm was a scene of black and red, dim and oppressive, yet it also held a touch of… childlike innocence?

“Is that a rocking horse?” Zhang Qiuyan pointed to a dilapidated little wooden horse in the distance.

It had handles on either side of its head and a curved plank underneath, much like a child’s rocker toy.

Zhang Qiuyan made a reasonable guess. “Could the master of this Ghost Realm be a child? Or maybe they had a child?” Afraid of being a burden, she was trying to be especially proactive.

Dongfang Lingjun gave her an encouraging glance.

Gu Qingyin patted the sleeping Huo Xingchen and started toward the rocking horse. “Let’s go see.”

The others hurried to follow. Huo Yunjing quickened his pace, stepping past her with a frown. “Fall back and protect Xingchen.” His meaning was clear: charging headfirst into danger wasn’t a job for her while she was holding a child.

Gu Qingyin wasn’t one to argue. She readily accepted his advice and moved behind him.

As they drew closer, they realized the rocking horse wasn’t old, just incredibly filthy.

“Mystery solved,” Gu Qingyin said, peeking out. “There’s no child here. The ghost probably just likes children, or used to have one.”

As she finished speaking, several of them instinctively glanced toward Huo Xingchen.

Huo Xingchen tightened his arms around his mother’s neck. Still groggy from sleep, his voice was soft and a little nasal as he made his request. “I’ll be counting on all you uncles and aunties to protect me.”

Huo Yunjing’s gaze was fixed on Huo Xingchen. At his words, he couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch the boy’s little cheek. His normally level voice softened. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.”

The moment he finished speaking, the rocking horse on the ground suddenly began to move, swaying back and forth in a steady rhythm as if an invisible child were riding it.

Huo Xingchen lowered his gaze, staring intently at the rocking horse with a somewhat dazed expression.

“Xingchen?” Gu Qingyin waved a hand in front of his eyes. “What do you see?”

Huo Xingchen snapped out of it, his little brow furrowed. “I saw myself… sitting on the rocking horse, smiling happily.”

Gu Qingyin pressed her lips together, fury flaring in her eyes.

‘What is the master of this Ghost Realm trying to do? It doesn’t have a child of its own, so it’s planning to steal someone else’s? In its dreams!’

Holding Huo Xingchen with one arm, Gu Qingyin brought the fingers of her other hand together. Using them like a brush, she drew a rune in mid-air. The instant the rune took shape, it transformed into a rope that automatically wrapped around her, binding Huo Xingchen securely to her body.

‘Unless I die, no one is separating me from my son.’

Gu Qingyin pulled out a talisman, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

Seeing this, Gu Ziqian let out a chuckle. ‘How interesting,’ he thought. ‘When I first met Gu Qingyin, she was just a child herself. Now, she looks every bit the mother. The change is incredible.’

The rocking horse gradually came to a stop. A rustling sound arose from all around, at first seeming like whispers, but upon closer listening, it sounded like a child’s laughter.

“Something’s not right,” Dongfang Lingjun said with a frown. “That laugh sounds like an adult forcing their voice to sound like a child’s.”

Zhang Qiuyan nodded vigorously. “It’s giving me goosebumps. So creepy.”

Gu Qingyin also wore a look of disgust. “There’s another possibility. It doesn’t want a child—it wants to *become* one.”

As if she had struck a nerve, the surrounding laughter abruptly vanished. A thick white fog rose in its place, and in the blink of an eye, the scene transformed.

Night had turned to day, and the deep woods had become the edge of a forest. A man and a woman, two mountain villagers in ragged clothes, came staggering toward them from a distance. A closer look revealed the man was carrying a large woven basket on his back.

The pair were filthy and gaunt, looking as if they hadn’t had a proper meal in years.

Gu Qingyin’s first thought upon seeing them was that they were heading into the mountains to find food, but she had clearly overestimated their intentions.

As soon as they reached the edge of the woods, the two stopped cautiously. Their gazes toward the forest were filled with awe. The man shrugged the basket off his back, letting it drop to the ground with a heavy thud.

He lifted the basket’s lid, revealing a small child curled up inside.

The woman tried to lift the child out, but years of hunger had left her without even that much strength. She only got the child halfway out before she lost her balance, and both she and the basket toppled over.

The child, perhaps already aware of its fate, didn’t make a sound, even after being dropped on the ground. It was as if by being quiet and good, the child hoped the two adults might have a change of heart and carry it back home.