Ha, Karma! – Chapter 85

You like me.

Chu Zhaoqiu returned home once again.

Sunlight streamed brightly into the study, just like yesterday.

An old woman with a full head of white hair sat upright behind the desk, quietly waiting for her.

“You’re back. Sit.”

Chu Zhaohua poured a cup of tea and gently pushed it towards Chu Zhaoqiu.

Chu Zhaoqiu picked up the teacup and first called out, “Grandmother.”

Then she continued, “I already know the reason, and I’ve thought it over carefully. So, I came back today also to tell you my choice.”

“I’ve decided to continue being a mortal.”

After a night of contemplation, she had already let it go; the anticipation of becoming a god had faded from her life.

Having lived through a thousand years, her mindset was calmer and more composed now. All things unattainable, undeserved, or unwanted could be relinquished.

She liked her current life, so she would maintain the status quo and look forward to the future.

She did not regret her decision.

After she finished speaking, Chu Zhaohua, sitting opposite her, didn’t reply immediately.

Silence lingered between the two, and the wind outside found its voice.

After a long while, a soft sigh was heard, filled with helplessness and regret.

“Have you truly thought it through?”

“Yes, I’ve thought it through.”

“This is the dream of countless demon hunters. Now that you’re so close, are you really going to give up?”

“That’s everyone else’s dream, not mine.”

“You won’t regret it?”

“No.”

“Nor feel it’s a pity, all the effort you’ve put into a thousand years of cultivation?”

Hearing this, Chu Zhaoqiu smiled faintly.

“Cultivating diligently gave me more skills to protect others, it wasn’t solely for becoming a god. Now, I can’t become a god, but I am still a demon hunter. I can still slay demons and defend the righteous path. Nothing has changed; there’s nothing to feel pity for.”

She spoke clearly, her gaze bright. She had thought it through more thoroughly than anyone.

She knew what she was doing. No one could shake her decision now.

“Since your heart is clear, Grandmother won’t say any more.”

Chu Zhaohua put down her teacup, as if setting down a compromise.

“Do what you want to do. Grandmother respects your decision.”

She had always hoped the child before her could become a god in the heavens, because Chu Zhaoqiu possessed a heart that clearly distinguished right from wrong and loved all living beings equally. If she could become a god, she would surely be a kind deity.

Unfortunately, she had too many attachments; she couldn’t be one of the gods in heaven, devoid of sorrow and joy.

But that was alright too.

Then just be a kind god here in the mortal world.

Gods are everywhere.

Chu Zhaoqiu breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, their grandmother was more open-minded than anyone.

Then, remembering something, she looked at her grandmother and asked, “Grandmother, why do you know everything? Who… exactly are you?”

Their grandmother knew that gods were kind, knew that gods loved the world, and were willing to give the world a chance.

Their grandmother also knew the choice one had to face before becoming a god.

She even seemed to have calculated that she would meet Ji Hanyan and understand the meaning of the choice.

Everything, absolutely everything, seemed to be within her grasp.

Just like… a god controlling the world.

Hearing this, Chu Zhaohua smiled kindly.

“Me? I’m just your grandma. An ordinary little old lady.”

---

The wind blew through Zhoucheng, brushing against faces, slightly cool.

Autumn had begun.

Fu Lianxue and Chu Zhaoqiu also started going out on dates.

Their first date location was a barbecue restaurant.

The barbecue restaurant Fu Lianxue had promised to take Chu Zhaoqiu to.

The restaurant’s interior decoration was warm, using mostly orange accent lights, creating a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

As soon as the owner saw Fu Lianxue, he very understandingly arranged a small private room for them.

When the food was served, the restaurant owner gave them two complimentary plates of the meat Fu Lianxue usually ordered, congratulating her on the successful release and sales of her new album.

After the server left, Chu Zhaoqiu poured fruit juice for Fu Lianxue, her lips curling into a smile. “Our big star is certainly popular.”

Fu Lianxue raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Don’t you feel even luckier now?”

Chu Zhaoqiu nodded with a smile. “I’ve always been very lucky.”

Fu Lianxue’s eyes curved too, and she reached out to stroke her girlfriend’s face.

“First time out on a date, how does it feel?”

Chu Zhaoqiu put down the juice, her eyes gentle. “The more the better.”

“But only on the condition that you have time.”

Fu Lianxue had been busy with her new album recently, working from dawn till dusk, with even less time to rest. It was only in the last couple of days that she had finally gotten a chance to catch her breath.

She understood her girlfriend’s hard work and felt sorry for her, especially late at night when Fu Lianxue would come home, shower, crawl into her arms, whimpering and whining coquettishly, telling her how tired she was. At those times, her heart ached terribly for her.

Whenever that happened, she would wrap both arms around her, holding her tightly, wishing her own scent could be stronger, thicker, to recharge her.

Fu Lianxue placed her hand over the back of Chu Zhaoqiu’s, smiling as she patted it gently. “Aiya, I’ve neglected our Zhaoqiu lately, haven’t I?”

“It’s okay, I have time these few days. We can slowly make up for it, okay~”

Hearing this, Chu Zhaoqiu threaded her fingers through Fu Lianxue’s, clasping them lightly.

“If we’re making up for it, a few days probably won’t be enough.”

Her tone was serious, but her eyes held a deep, ambiguous affection.

Fu Lianxue raised an eyebrow slightly, instantly understanding.

She smiled brightly as she placed meat onto the grill, watching it sizzle on the scorching hot plate.

“Then we need to eat more. We need strength after we’re full~”

Chu Zhaoqiu picked up another pair of tongs and started grilling too, her tone also becoming much more earnest. “You’re the one who needs to eat more. You’ve probably not been eating properly while rushing around lately. That’s not good for your health.”

“Relax, even when busy, I didn’t forget to eat. Don’t I have you supervising me?”

“Still, you need to eat more later, eat until you’re full.”

“Okay, okay, okay, eat, eat, eat. I definitely won’t leave a single dish untouched today!”

Chu Zhaoqiu’s eyes curved as she gave a soft smile.

Under the warm yellow lights, wisps of steam curled into the exhaust pipe. The window in the private room was half-open, letting in the gentle night breeze of autumn.

Fu Lianxue sat opposite her, gazing at her.

The light was warm, the wind was warm, and the person was gentle too.

Fu Lianxue put down what she was holding, propped her chin on her hand, and just stared intently at her girlfriend until the other looked back.

“What are you looking at, Lianxue?”

“Looking at my girlfriend, of course.”

Her tone was utterly blissful.

“I feel like we’ll continue to be this happy from now on.”

“We will.”

Chu Zhaoqiu replied without hesitation.

She picked up a piece of grilled meat, blew on it, dipped it in the special sauce, placed it on a lettuce leaf, rolled it into a bite-sized piece, then stretched out her arm and brought it to Fu Lianxue’s lips.

“It will always be like this in the future.”

They would support each other, rely on each other, love each other, always like this, never changing.

Fu Lianxue’s eyes gently curved into two crescent moons as she opened her mouth and took the bite.

“It’s really delicious! Come, let me feed you too~”

---

Midnight. Wuchang Mountain was shrouded in dark clouds, the atmosphere heavy and gloomy.

A Ferryman¹ walked down from the mountain, got into his car, unwrapped a loaf of bread, and took two bites.

He always got hungry after completing a ferrying. He kept bread readily available in the car.

Eating, he started the car.

The mountain wilderness was silent and deep, withered branches slanted across the path. Areas untouched by the headlights seemed to harbor lurking predatory beasts and fierce ghosts. An ordinary person would find it hard to remain calm even glancing at such a place.

Even for a demon hunter, staying too long in this kind of place inevitably led to fear.

A place connected to the Underworld was inherently not somewhere to linger.

His mind focused, he hurriedly drove away from Wuchang Mountain.

Once down the mountain, he entered the world of light.

There were no surveillance cameras on the stretch of road to Wuchang Mountain; matters of ghosts and gods could not be spied upon. Only the streetlights stood diligently on both sides, emitting light.

He drove forward, passing oncoming vehicles.

There weren’t many cars; only two or three on the entire road.

The further he drove, the emptier it seemed.

Suddenly, a striking red figure crashed into his field of vision.

A woman stood alone by the roadside.

He instinctively glanced over.

She wore a red dress and red high heels, her black hair fluttered in the wind, and she wore a red hat with a wide brim.

Fashionably dressed, but her face couldn’t be seen clearly.

Then, the woman slowly raised her hand, making a gesture to hail a car.

His thoughts raced. He hastily averted his gaze, and the car sped past her.

Hailing a cab here at this hour, dressed like that—what kind of normal person could she be?!

He slammed his foot on the accelerator, chanting an incantation in his mind.

The next second, a clear, ethereal female voice came from the back seat: “Someone needed help, yet you just drove off like that. How rude of you.”

Following that, something tapped his shoulder.

He froze abruptly, his first reaction was to look at the rearview mirror.

He saw a dazzling red dress.

As the wide red brim of the hat lifted slightly, a pair of beautiful eyes appeared in the mirror.

These eyes were purple.

The woman spoke in a melodious voice, “What if you missed the opportunity given by heaven because of this?”

He unconsciously replied, “Wh-what opportunity?”

The woman’s red lips curved upwards slightly in a smile.

“—The opportunity to help me become a god.”

Suddenly, the purple eyes focused. In the instant the man was completely unprepared, a powerful force, like overturning mountains and seas, surged violently, crashing into his heart!

In a flash, his consciousness was wiped clean, completely losing the ability to resist. The bread in his hand fell limply onto his lap, his mind filled only with this woman of unknown origin.

He wanted to submit to her, to be used by her.

“Stop the car.”

A commanding voice sounded.

Like a puppet, the man slammed his foot on the brake, and the car stopped right there by the side of the road.

The voice from behind continued incessantly, bewitching him, luring him.

“You like me.”

“I like you…”

“You are willing to do anything for me.”

“I am willing to do anything for you…”

The red-clothed woman curled her lips in satisfaction. “Good, very good.”

She gently raised her hand, light gathering in her palm. “Then, offer yourself to me. Be of use to me.”

The dim interior of the car instantly lit up with a brilliant white light.

Light drifted out from the man’s body, flowing uncontrollably towards the woman, like rivers pouring into the sea, becoming part of the ocean.

The man’s expression was pained, as if being strangled, unable to breathe.

---

The night wind blew gently, drifting slowly.

A bit cool, yet somewhat exhilarating.

The red-clothed woman walked down the empty street in her high heels, hands tucked in her pockets, her steps leisurely, her face radiant.

Not far behind her, the car sat quietly where it had stopped.

The man lay slumped over the steering wheel, his cheeks sunken, his entire body withered like firewood, his expression horrified and pained, as if he had been sucked dry while still alive.

Below the driver’s seat lay the bread he hadn’t finished eating.

He hadn’t managed to finish the rest of his journey either.

Unfortunately for the woman, this still wasn’t enough.

“This kid really didn’t cultivate diligently enough.”

The woman sighed regretfully, looking up at the sky.

The moon was hidden, the heavens a mass of oppressive blackness.

She suddenly curved her eyes into a smile.

“Soon.”

She was very close to that place.

So, who would be next?

Suddenly, the dazzlingly beautiful smiling face from the billboard flashed through her mind.

Her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Come to think of it, they really hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

It was time for a meeting.

This was a warning.

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