I become a god in another world

Chapter 650 Wang Jiang's Past
Chapter 650
The remaining people were terrified.

They both looked forward to the sacrificial ceremony and wanted to accumulate merit, but at the same time, the feeling of being devoured by the evil spirits terrified them. In the many reincarnations, their bodies had long been hollowed out, their minds were numb, they did not know the cause and effect, and could only passively accept the result told to them by others, namely: to please the Chang family of Wuqing County and make offerings to the gods.

Little did they know that these so-called gods were merely sucking their blood and flesh.

When they are emptied of their flesh and blood and have nothing left, they lose their value in pleasing the master (the gods) and may eventually become the servants mentioned by Wu Ciping, made into objects with only thoughts.

In Zhao Fusheng's view, this was an unusual and extremely ominous object.

Perhaps the objects that Wu Ciping mentioned, which were ubiquitous in Wuqing County and closely related to the master, were such objects.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng involuntarily turned his head to look at the bench.

Whether it was due to the influence of the ghost realm or not, she felt that the bench was strange, as if it were pieced together from human bones, and the flowing blood light was like the tears of the consciousness that had not yet dissipated from within the human bones.

……

She shook her head, suppressing the jumbled thoughts in her mind.

In just a short while, two more villagers were dragged to the bench.

There's nothing noteworthy about their lives.

These people's daily lives were like a dull yet endless history of poverty, and they too were quickly consumed by the black vines, falling to the side of the bench like two withered corpses.

Zhao Fusheng kicked the two men away.

"Get out of the way."

The remaining black energy broke apart due to her kick.

The connection between the villagers and the bench was completely broken, and the two dying villagers let out a final gasp.

The two bodies were as light as straw figures, kicked more than ten feet away by her two feet, and landed back in the crowd.

After kicking it away, Oni-ten made another move.

This time, the shadowy figure selected its next victim.

Wang Zhiyi was bound.

She was startled at first, then instinctively looked up at Zhao Fusheng, while Jiang Jinshan shouted out at the same time:

“The Ceremony—”

"Don't move," Zhao Fusheng said.
"I won't let you die. When the time comes, I will make my move."

Wang Zhiyi hesitated for a moment with his hand on his waist.

She was not familiar with Zhao Fusheng and did not know whether he would keep his promise, but this moment of hesitation had already caused more Black Vine to swarm forward.

For the ghosts, Wang Zhiyi's fresh flesh and blood were like a top-quality tonic. Countless black vines swarmed over, entangling her and sealing her entire body within them.

She lost the strength to escape immediately and was pulled onto the cargo.

“My original name was Wang Qiang, and I was from Wuli County, Changzhou—” As soon as Wang Zhiyi opened his mouth, his face immediately turned ugly.

She struggled to get up, but her gaze fell on Zhao Fusheng.

The surrounding villagers stared at her with almost manic excitement, while in the firelight, Er Fan helped Wu Ciping.

The darkness, the eerie village, and the numerous unfamiliar faces caused Wang Zhiyi to momentarily lose her senses, as if stirring up a long-hidden fear within her.

At that time, she had not yet mastered ghosts and was still the unwanted youngest daughter born into a family in Wuli County, under the jurisdiction of Changzhou.

The facade that Wang Zhiyi had been so painstakingly maintaining was about to be torn apart.

The shadow of fear terrified her far more than the devouring ghost vines.

Just then, she realized that Zhao Fusheng had also looked over and met her gaze. For some reason, she suddenly remembered the conversation between Zhao Fusheng and Yu Lingzhu on the carriage to Wuqing County, and it came to her mind.

At that time, she and Yu Lingzhu were arguing. She called Yu Lingzhu a widow, and the two attacked each other's weaknesses. She was pleased with Yu Lingzhu's anger. Then Zhao Fusheng scolded Yu Lingzhu: "A widow is not worth being angry about."

In a moment of crisis, Wang Zhiyi had a sudden, inexplicable thought: If Zhao Fusheng knew about her past, would she look down on her?
Just as he was pondering this, Wang Zhiyi once again lost his last chance to save himself.

The ghost vines swept over her, enveloping her completely.

Wang Zhiyi was filled with remorse: I have always been like this, indecisive and hesitant. I was like this back then, and I am still like this now.

Just as she was lost in thought, she calmly said:

“My family lived in the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Guangrong Lane, Wuli County. My father was a bamboo craftsman who made a living by weaving bamboo crafts for others and also farmed for others. My parents had seven sons, four sons and three daughters. I was the fifth one.”

The more Wang Zhiyi spoke, the more terrified she became, but once the laws of the vengeful spirits were activated, she couldn't stop:

“Life was peaceful until I was five years old. Then, when I was five, Changping County suffered a drought and many people flocked to Wuli County. I saved a child who was two years older than me.”

Wang Zhiyi said:

“I asked him his name and learned that he was from Jiangjia Village in Changping County. Because he was born ugly, with legs of different lengths and short, fat fingers, he was disliked by his family and was driven out of the village. He wandered all the way to Wuli County, hoping to find me to ask for a drink of water.”

During droughts, every household has a fixed amount of water.

Wang Zhiyi involuntarily opened her mouth to talk about long-forgotten events, and her memories returned to the past.

"...The adults in the family each got a small bowl, my older brother got two mouthfuls, and I only got a small half mouthful. I gave it to Jiang Jinshan. When my mother came back afterwards, she almost beat me to death."

Jiang Jinshan asked for water but did not leave. Instead, he stayed and wandered around the Wang Family Ancestral Hall in Wuli County. He heard the commotion when Wang Zhiyi was beaten and felt guilty. The next day, he somehow managed to snatch a can of water for her and brought it over as if it were a precious treasure.

That's how their fate was sealed.

"When I was eleven, my parents died one after another from the plague. My elder brother and sister-in-law couldn't stand me, so they sold me into Master Huang's house as a servant."

While Wang Zhiyi was speaking, Jiang Jinshan, who was nestled at the back of her head, remained silent, whether his consciousness was suppressed or he was quietly listening.

But Zhao Fusheng and the others found this quite intriguing.

Wang and Jiang are in a special situation, belonging to one body with two souls.

At first, Zhao Fusheng thought that Wang Zhiyi and Jiang Jinshan were born with deformities—after all, in this strange world, even ghosts exist, and it is common for a woman to have a man's face on the back of her head.

Now, listening to Wang Zhiyi's detailed account, it turns out that the two of them were childhood sweethearts, and each had their own bodies.

Why did Jiang Jinshan end up parasitizing Wang Zhiyi in this form?
As Zhao Fusheng was pondering, Wang Zhiyi spoke again:

"In less than half a year, the Huang family was haunted, and almost everyone in the family died. Those who survived sold off their property and fled."

The black vine burrowed into her brain, and thin streams of blood flowed from her eye sockets and nostrils.

She was completely oblivious.

“I served Miss Huang, and I don’t know where I went. When the ghostly calamity occurred that day, it was my turn.”

Wang Zhiyi's face was already covered in ghost vines, and she said:
"But I didn't die; Jiang Jinshan saved me."

"Soon after, the Huang family spent money to hire the Demon Suppression Division to suppress the ghost. The ghost was eliminated, but the Huang family was no longer a force to be reckoned with."

She recounted her life:
"Afterwards, the Huang family was no longer able to support servants, so they sold me into a local brothel."

Wang Zhiyi was still conscious, but she found herself unable to move.

Her body seemed to be controlled by another force. She was like an observer, only able to watch coldly as another law controlled her, forcing her to reveal her inner pain.

Just when she was in despair and helplessness, she suddenly heard two familiar coughs. It was Jiang Jinshan.

This childhood friend always stood up for her whenever she was in trouble.

The force that had seized her consciousness shifted, and then Jiang Jinshan's voice rang out:

"My name is Jiang Jinshan—"

He lived with Wang Zhiyi as one, accompanying her day and night, never to be separated again.

He had witnessed Wang Zhiyi's innocence and kindness in her childhood, seen her steadfast loyalty to the Huang family, and accompanied her into dangerous and treacherous territory, enduring many years together.

The two have been inseparable, their lives intertwined, and they are now inseparable.

"—When the Huang family was struck by a ghostly calamity, I tried to save Zhiyi, but ultimately died at the hands of a ghost—"

At this point, Jiang Jinshan paused for a moment:
"No, I didn't die from the ghost's hand. My condition was very strange. It was like I was dead, but I woke up soon after. I was worried about Zhiyi, so I stayed by her side after that."

Wang Zhiyi's face has been revealed.

The ghost vine wrapped around the back of her head and burrowed into Jiang Jinshan's face. When she heard Jiang Jinshan mention the past, her eyes revealed resentment, despair, and pain.

Back then, the Huang family was ungrateful and pushed her into a pit of fire after the ghost disaster was over. She struggled and cried out, was beaten and tortured.

Jiang Jinshan had an accident at that time and wasn't by her side; she was harmed by someone.

Later, Jiang Jinshan somehow came back to life, but by then it was too late, and there was no turning back.

She loathed herself, loathed the world, resented heaven and earth, and no longer trusted anyone. But Jiang Jinshan was different. She hated him, perhaps because they had been together since childhood and were too close. He had always been very good to her and was even willing to risk his life for her. So after she was in trouble, when she saw that Jiang Jinshan was still alive, she couldn't help but resent him for not coming sooner.

She was contradictory, her mindset fluctuated, and her personality underwent a drastic change.

Jiang Jinshan never left her side. Sometimes when she couldn't understand something, she would yell at him, calling him ugly and disabled, but he would just smile and stay. He had a very good temper.

Sometimes she would deliberately belittle herself, and seeing Jiang Jinshan suffer would give her a sense of vengeful satisfaction.

But whenever she was abused and Jiang Jinshan silently took care of her, she felt an unbearable pain, as if she wished she could die immediately.

But Jiang Jinshan didn't want her to die.

This world is terrible.

As long as they are alive, they remain each other's thoughts and longings.

Wang Zhiyi stayed in the brothel for more than four years. One day, Jiang Jinshan told her that he wanted to redeem her and let her leave the county town.

Making money is so difficult in this world.

He worked incredibly hard every day, his hands and feet were worn out, and he saved up some money to buy her freedom.

As Wang Zhiyi listened to Jiang Jinshan speak, tears of blood welled up in her eyes.

“...Every day, besides working for others to earn money, I can also perform on the street in my spare time. I was born disabled and ugly, and many people are happy to watch me make ugly faces. Sometimes they slap me a few times and give me some money.”

Wang Zhiyi's tears flowed again and again.

She suddenly opened her mouth:
"do not talk!"

She and Jiang Jinshan were childhood sweethearts. She knew his hidden pain and his deep inferiority complex due to his disability. However, he was a good-natured person and never spoke up when others mocked him.

But in front of everyone, he revealed all the secrets he had kept hidden for so long.

Wang Zhiyi was heartbroken. She couldn't bear to see him reveal his disability, and her desire to protect Jiang Jinshan prevailed. She spoke again:
"I contracted syphilis back then, and I was dying. The madam burned me with an iron to try and make me hide the disease, but a customer found out, and I was beaten severely. I was almost dead, Jiang Jinshan—"

"Don't say it."

Jiang Jinshan said hurriedly:
"My fingers are too short; I can't even hold chopsticks properly—"

The two men eagerly revealed their own shortcomings, but Wang Zhiyi ignored them and continued:
“I was covered in a foul stench that even face powder couldn’t cover up. After being beaten by a customer, I couldn’t get up. The madam refused to find a doctor to treat me. At this time, Jiang Jinshan paid money to redeem me, and the madam was more than happy to do so.”

The two talked back and forth, while the ghost vines slithered between their mouths and noses.

The most sincere feelings between lovers become the best offerings to vengeful ghosts.

Wang Zhiyi said:

"You spent your life savings to bring a useless person like me home. Don't you regret it?"

"No," Jiang Jinshan said.
"If you were in my shoes, you would have saved me too. During the drought years ago, water was so precious, and you gave me a sip."

……

"Later, my whole body became ulcerated, and all the skin was gone. Jiang Jinshan cut off pieces of skin to patch me up. For some reason, he didn't die either; in the end, only his head remained intact," Wang Zhiyi sighed.

"We thought we wouldn't survive this ordeal—"

But fate has a way out. Jiang Jinshan was in a peculiar state, neither human nor ghost. In the end, when Wang Zhiyi was on the verge of death, he managed to control him and succeed.

The two becoming one is indeed a good thing.

Ever since Wang Zhiyi was sold into a brothel, she has been extremely distrustful of people. She often curses, perhaps because Jiang Jinshan is too important to her, and she is often suspicious.

"We became one, sharing one body, and I could never leave her again. She would never doubt me again. The only bad thing is that I can never see her again."

"We are one, and it is impossible to separate us."

Wang Zhiyi's words reminded Zhao Fusheng of the clay sculpture he had seen earlier in Bailici Village, which had been cut in two.

As the two finished speaking, Zhao Fusheng noticed that their bodies were covered in large and small ghost vines, resembling parasites of varying sizes. He immediately composed himself and shouted sharply:
"Meng Po, Da Tong, and Shao Chun, step in to rescue them."

Several people responded at the same time.

A bloody hole appeared in Meng Po's chest, and she pulled a bloody skull from her heart.

A bowl of soup was simmering inside the skull. Meng Po held the bowl and slowly poured it onto the ghost vine.

The blood moon is in the sky.

Ding Datong and Wu Shaochun suddenly felt their Ghost Laws surge dramatically.

A blood-stained, foul-smelling white silk ribbon fell from the sky and wrapped around Wang Zhiyi's neck.

The laws of the vengeful spirit marked her, instantly blocking many black vines.

The black vines burrowed into the shroud, and in no time the cloth was torn to shreds. Wu Shaochun then made his move.

A ghost stove appeared out of nowhere, with a boiler placed on top of it.

The water in the pot boiled with a gurgling sound, and wisps of white smoke rose up, transforming into thin ropes that simultaneously bound the thousands of tentacles of the ghost.

Wu Shaochun only controlled a Calamity-level ghost. Although it was blessed with incense offerings, making it much stronger than a typical Calamity-level ghost, the two ghosts were of different ranks, and he was still restrained by them.

Fortunately, sparks clung to the white smoke, and the scalding flames splashed onto the ghost vine, causing it to recoil as if in pain.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wang Zhiyi briefly escaped his restraints.

Zhao Fusheng shouted:
"Wang Zhiyi, rise!"

Whether it was due to the influence of the ghost vine or because Wang Zhiyi was recalling the past and thinking of painful memories, she sat down on the spot, completely lost and motionless, the moment she broke free from her restraints.

(End of this chapter)