How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

"Uncle Yuan, where has my husband gone?"

Li Sujin frowned slightly, searched the house but did not find Li Hu, so she asked Yuan Sou.

"Master must have gone to Ganyang Temple. Didn't he tell you?" Yuan Sou replied.

"He's always so unreliable. He's often nowhere to be found, and he doesn't even bring a few guards when he goes out alone. It always makes people worry." Li Sujin was a little dissatisfied, but since it was getting dark, she still went to the kitchen to light the stove and prepare dinner for Li Hu.

"Hehe, don't worry, Madam. Although Master is a scholar, he's incredibly skilled. None of us can beat him," Old Man Yuan reassured her.

"Don't worry, Madam, Master will definitely return safe and sound."

"Well, since Uncle said so, I'm relieved," Li Sujin replied calmly.

Li Hu had traversed several mountain paths and was preparing to head back.

Just then, I suddenly felt an itch on my head. When I reached out and touched it, I discovered that the hair that the abbot had shaved off had miraculously grown back.

One second I felt a chill on my head, but all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Li Hu smiled knowingly, knowing that anything with such a strange effect must be Yuan Sou secretly deceiving people again.

Li Hu rushed home, just as Li Sujin had finished cooking.

With great foresight, Yuan Sou took his rice bowl and left temporarily, leaving the table only for Li Hu and Su Jin.

During the meal, Li Sujin leaned against Li Hu and occasionally put some of his favorite dishes on his plate.

Li Hu was pondering how to bring it up and find an opportunity to confess that he was now an evil spirit.

He opened his mouth several times, but then stopped himself from speaking.

But I don't know how to start this conversation.

He glanced at a corner of the canteen and noticed that it was piled with all sorts of gifts, including ginseng, goji berries, and cured meat, all beautifully packaged, as if they had been delivered by someone.

So Li Hu thought for a moment and decided to change the subject first, and then reveal the truth once the conversation had warmed up. So he asked:

"Who sent those things in the corner?"

"Those are all sorts of people from Qingyuan County, from all walks of life, who came to congratulate you, Master Li Hu, on passing the imperial examination and returning home in glory. They specially sent these gifts."

"There's Mr. Hong, who runs a herbal medicine shop; Mr. Jiang, who owns a butcher shop; and..."

Li Hu picked up his glass of wine, listened intently, and suddenly realized something very wrong.

"What did you just call me?" Li Hu asked.

Li Sujin realized her slip of the tongue and quickly covered her mouth, then looked timidly at Li Hu.

"Li Hu, Master Li." Li Hu repeated the address that Li Sujin had subconsciously used earlier, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"So you remember everything, and your memories weren't altered by Yuan Sou's magic, right?" Li Hu turned his head and asked with a suspicious expression.

Li Sujin pursed her lips and nodded.

Li Hugang breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that his wife had just played a joke on him. In fact, she remembered everything, which saved him the trouble of explaining.

However, he soon realized an even more serious problem.

"I remember Yuan Sou saying that any mortal who doesn't cultivate will have their memories altered, forgetting the name Li Hu and only knowing Li Fengcong, so..."

Li Hu frowned, somewhat alarmed, and asked, "So you're no longer just an ordinary person; you've at least gained some cultivation, right?"

"Yes," Li Sujin replied, bowing her head.

"You've been chosen by the Queen Mother of the West, just like the Five Ghosts and the Mirror Demon. You're one of her chosen ones, or rather... her favored ones. Whatever you call you now, you've already boarded the Queen Mother of the West's pirate ship, haven't you?"

Li Hu finally asked the question that worried him the most. The reason he opposed Li Sujin's contact with these things was that he was afraid that these supernatural things would make Li Sujin unhappy.

If he could go back more than ten years, Li Hu would definitely slap his younger self a few times.

Being an ordinary person and staying away from those things is the safest choice.

"Yes," Li Sujin replied after a moment's hesitation.

"I was fooled by you too." Li Hu shook his head sadly, forcing a smile, and continued,

"That won't do."

"I'll find a way to get rid of that statue of the Queen Mother of the West. You stay away from these demons and monsters and don't touch them again," Li Hu said firmly.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Li Sujin stubbornly shook her head:

"no."

Li Hu asked, puzzled, "Why?"

"These demons and monsters are extremely dangerous. Who knows what trouble they might cause in the future? Do you also want to ascend to heaven and become an evil spirit?"

"Demons and monsters, it's extremely dangerous! Then why did you choose to cultivate immortality, my husband!" Li Sujin suddenly felt a little aggrieved. She stared into Li Hu's eyes and said...

"Have you considered my feelings? We've been married for four years. If you hadn't become an evil spirit and suffered injustice outside, how could you have sat down with me for so long?"

"We've been married for four years, and all you ever did was take your crappy swords out to practice. Then you ascended to immortality and left without a second thought. Did you even consult me? When I was at my most helpless, I cried all the time and refused to touch these things. How am I supposed to find you?!"

"You're back now, but who knows when you'll leave again!"

Li Sujin seemed to take advantage of this opportunity to be frank with each other and poured out all the grievances she had suffered over the past few months. When she thought of the sad parts, her eyes reddened, and she looked at Li Hu with some resentment.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Li Hu put his arm around Li Sujin's waist, grabbed her hand, and said, "Now that I'm back, I promise you I won't run around anymore. If we need to go on a long trip, we can close this shop and go together."

He thought his words of comfort would have the same effect as usual, but Li Sujin just kept crying and staring at Li Hu without saying a word.

Li Hu suddenly realized that his wife's attitude towards him just now might not be entirely due to blaming him, but more likely out of fear. So, with seven parts concern and three parts inquiry, he continued to ask:

"Su Jin, how exactly did the Queen Mother of the West contact you? Also, I've encountered some evil spirits who obey the Queen Mother of the West these past few days. They seem to be quite self-righteous and are willing to risk their lives for her."

Li Sujin lowered her brows and began to speak in detail:

"At first, I got the statue of the Queen Mother of the West from the abbot of Ganyang Temple. He told me that as long as I sincerely worshipped, I might be able to move the heavens with my sincerity and be taken to Baiyujing to become a fairy in Yaochi. In that way, I would have the opportunity to reunite with you in Baiyujing."

"I believed it to be true, so I worshipped day and night and prayed constantly, and this went on for half a month."

"One night, I dreamed that I really went to the Jade Capital and met the Queen Mother of the West. She was like a kind mother and said many things to me."

"What did you say?" Li Hu asked hurriedly.

Li Sujin simply shook her head: "I don't remember anything. But after I woke up, I learned about the cause and effect of so many things, including yours."

"You have not fully ascended to heaven, but remain in the mortal realm."

"But it was too late when I found out. The Queen Mother of the West said that I was a person with a destiny to become an immortal, so she took me in as a nominal cultivator in the Jade Pool, to do things for her in the mortal world. When my merits are complete, I will have the opportunity to ascend to immortality."

"There are many female cultivators like me who have no hope of ascending to immortality in this lifetime. Even if they do ascend, they will still be under her jurisdiction."

Li Hu felt a chill run down his spine when he heard this. Did this mean that Li Sujin would have to serve the Queen Mother of the West for the rest of her life?

Whether they are dead, alive, ascended to heaven, or become evil spirits, they still have to risk their lives.

Li Hu became somewhat angry, suppressing his emotions as he said:

"Let's not ascend to immortality; let's stay together in this mortal realm for the rest of our lives!"

"Is it possible for you to sever ties with this Queen Mother of the West?"

Li Sujin shook her head in despair, responding to Li Hu with only one sentence:

"Is it possible for you to avoid being an evil spirit and thus escape the notice of the sword immortal?"

Li Sujin and Li Hu looked at each other speechlessly. Once they entered this gate, there was no turning back. They would spend their lives with those deformed and bizarre immortals and evil spirits.

"It's all your fault."

Li Sujin's eyes reddened, and she reached out and punched Li Hu's chest with a hint of resentment.

Li Hu hugged Su Jin tightly and said resolutely, "It's okay, I won't let the danger happen again. I'll handle these things."

The two poured out their hearts to each other and chatted for a while. Li Hu was also thinking about how to get rid of the Queen Mother of the West.

To keep Li Sujin away from these things, the first thing to do is to get rid of the statue of the Queen Mother of the West and stop worshipping it.

As for what will happen next, Li Hu felt that he should take it one step at a time and wait and see. He would then use the three copper coins to consult with the Sword Immortal Li Hu about what would happen next.

So after the meal, Li Hu found Old Yuan, who was standing in the courtyard in a daze, and handed him the porcelain statue of the Queen Mother of the West, saying:

"Old Yuan, I need to trouble you with something. Please take this statue out of the city and bury it somewhere deserted, the farther the better."

Old Yuan nodded in agreement, but still frowned and said, "Tiger, I heard everything you two said inside."

"I'm also very scared."

"I'm really troubling you. You just go ahead and bury it. I need to stay and watch over Su Jin. I can't get away. If anything unusual happens, I'll take care of it," Li Hu said in a deep voice.

"Alright." Still feeling uneasy, Old Yuan carefully wrapped the porcelain statue of the Queen Mother of the West in red cloth and walked out the door.

Old Yuan originally wanted to at least invite Wong Tai Sin or Qi Yuehong to bolster his courage.

But then I thought, they were unrelated people, so I shouldn't drag them into this unlucky job.

So Yuan Sou carefully carried the statue of the god on his back, picked up a hoe, and slipped out of the city under the cover of night, slowly arriving at a desolate wilderness west of the city.

This place is deep in the mountains and forests, with few human footprints.

Sweating profusely, Yuan Sou felt that this place was about right. It was at least seventy or eighty li away from Qingyuan County and other surrounding towns, which met Li Hu's requirements.

So they dug another deep pit, which took more than an hour.

Yuan Sou wiped the sweat from his body, lifted the red cloth covering the statue of the Queen Mother of the West, and knelt down before the statue, saying:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. This old monkey only prays for the safety of Tiger Lord and Lady Li. I had no intention of offending you. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Yuan bowed three times, but perhaps feeling it wasn't enough, he bowed several more times.

When he felt it was about time to bury it, he realized it would be almost dawn, so he hurriedly got up and reached out to move the statue of the Queen Mother of the West.

The statue was originally a white porcelain statue made of clay, hollow inside. It wasn't heavy when Yuan Sou carried it all the way, but now, for some reason, or perhaps Yuan Sou was just scaring himself, the statue seemed to have gotten a bit heavier.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Old Yuan kept muttering to himself, trying to close his eyes and not look at the statue, but it was dark and windy, so he had to look down at the road. He could only squint and take two steps forward while holding the statue, his whole body trembling as he moved closer to the edge of the pit.

But Yuan Sou suddenly noticed that red blood was inexplicably flowing from the eyes of the statue, which frightened him greatly.

At first, Yuan Sou thought he was seeing things and mistaking the red cloth for blood. But after looking closely and touching it, he realized it was sticky and hot. What else could it be but blood?

Yuan Sou suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and the mountain wind gave him goosebumps all over.

"Your Majesty, spare my life! This old monkey was only acting on someone's behalf. Sword Immortal Tiger Lord, please protect me!"

Yuan Sou quickened his pace. The deep pit was right in front of him, but the statue in his arms was not only bleeding, but also getting hotter and hotter, almost instantly becoming scalding hot.

Despite the burning pain, Yuan Shou hurried to the edge of the pit. It was so hot that he could no longer bear it, so he threw the statue into the pit.

He had assumed that since the white porcelain was thickly fired and the pit was filled with layers of soil, there should be no problem.

With a crash, the statue of the Queen Mother of the West fell into the pit and shattered into countless pieces in an instant.

Yuan Sou stood up. Originally, it could be said that there was a reason for the incident and that he had not offended the Queen Mother of the West. But now, the statue was shattered all over the ground, and the pit was full of broken porcelain shards.

Yuan Sou was somewhat annoyed. When the statue was burning hot, it must have been the Queen Mother of the West trying to stop him, but he had endured the pain to complete Li Hu's request. Now, things had gone terribly wrong.

Fortunately, nothing strange happened after the statue was broken.

Yuan Shou simply steeled his resolve, determined to keep going. He muttered a few words of pleading for mercy and began digging the soil into the pit, one stroke at a time.

But the more Yuan Sou dug, the more aggrieved he felt. Gradually, his fear and grievance turned into anger. He stopped begging for mercy and instead began to utter some defiant words:

"You're just a lump of mud, yet you have the nerve to cry, to bleed? You don't care about the suffering of others, huh? All you do is scare this good-for-nothing!"

"You're enjoying your high and mighty life, huh? Even if I, this old monkey, die right here today, you'll still have to obediently lie in the dirt!"

Before long, the pit was filled in.

Old Yuan stomped on the pit a few more times to compact the soil, then casually tossed the hoe into the ditch and turned to leave.

"Master Hu, I've buried that porcelain statue. It's under an old locust tree eighty li west of the city." Upon returning, Yuan Sou immediately reported to Li Hu.

"Have you had a good time? I hope nothing went wrong on your end?" Li Hu asked.

"No," Yuan Sou waved his hand dismissively, "It's the dead of night, what trouble could possibly happen?"

"I checked before burying it; the porcelain statue was completely intact, not a single corner was missing. You can trust me with my work!"

Old Yuan laughed, but then he curled up in pain. Li Hu rushed forward to help him up, and with a snap, Old Yuan spat out a mouthful of black blood.

On the bluestone floor of the courtyard, the blood looked like an exploding flower, and Old Man Yuan's face turned ashen, and he collapsed to the ground.