Ming Yi’s features were sixty percent similar to Bai Ci’s. His long, pitch-black hair was not loose but neatly tied up, with only a few stray strands falling by his temples.
His figure was tall and lean, his shoulders and back sharp and well-defined. There was not a hint of feminine softness in him; he possessed a sharp, masculine profile.
Ming Yi looked down, his gaze falling upon Bai Ci, who stood safely below. Fury swirled in his eyes, yet it was mixed with a trace of hard-to-detect, complex hesitation.
Because of Bai Ci’s words, the chilling pressure swirling around him dissipated significantly. However, the red silk ribbons binding Ou Li remained taut, showing no sign of loosening.
Clearly, without the Benevolent Soul within him, his rage would not be so easily quelled.
Seeing this, Bai Ci took the initiative to walk toward the red-robed figure in the void.
As time passed, she began to understand her current state better.
She was in a peculiar condition—not quite having regained the sensations of a human body, but existing in a state that was neither fully physical nor fully spiritual.
In essence, she was still a soul, but she could now feel and be felt, though it wasn't as vivid as a truly physical form.
Bai Ci walked close, stood on her tiptoes, and reached out to gently tug at the hem of Ming Yi’s trailing robes.
She was thankful Ming Yi was still wearing ancient clothing; if he had been in modern attire, pulling on his pant leg would have looked much stranger.
The moment her fingertips touched the fabric, she felt the slight chill and translucence unique to spiritual entities.
Following Bai Ci’s movement, Ming Yi descended, coming to a halt as he floated just a finger’s breadth above the ground.
“It’s alright,” Bai Ci said, her tone carrying a hint of gentle persuasion.
“She’s just a young girl who made an unintentional mistake. She doesn’t understand the depth of her techniques and didn’t mean to offend us. Don’t scare her; let her down.”
Ming Yi furrowed his brows and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
His heart was full of rage with nowhere to vent, yet he found himself unable to lose his temper when facing his other half.
In the next instant, the red silk abruptly slackened, retracting entirely into the phantom figure.
Deprived of her restraints, Ou Li fell straight down. She stumbled as she regained her footing, her limbs still numb. She clutched her chest, her heart still pounding with terror, not daring to move an inch.
The tension in the courtyard finally eased.
Standing to the side, Zheng Gang acted quickly. He nudged Wu Daoqing with his elbow, his eyes flashing with a frantic hint.
Ask her now!
The situation is stable—it’s your turn!
The rest of them were players—outsiders, at the end of the day. If they rashly pried into the secrets of a Ghost Immortal and accidentally touched upon a taboo, they would likely end up like Ou Li, bound and hung up.
While the female-voiced Ghost Immortal was quite tolerant, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Besides, even a fire extinguisher loses its effectiveness if used too many times.
Only Wu Daoqing, as a worshiper of the Ghost Immortal, was one of their own. His unique status made him the most suitable person to ask for the reason, with a high probability of remaining safe.
Wu Daoqing looked blank, failing to understand Zheng Gang’s subtle hints. However, he was genuinely confused by the scene before him and had things he wanted to ask, so he spoke up.
He cautiously took half a step forward, looked at Bai Ci, then glanced at the red-robed phantom beside her, whose hostility had vanished. His tone was filled with uncertainty and respect.
“Are... Are you... Lady Ming?”
Hearing this, Bai Ci gave a slight nod. “You may call me that. I am Ming Ci, the Benevolent Soul of Lady Ming.”
That single sentence cleared up the confusion for everyone present.
It was common knowledge that benevolence usually had a malevolent counterpart.
As the group processed this bizarre situation, it made sense why this Ghost Immortal was sometimes gentle and helpful, and at other times cold and domineering. Their behavioral styles were completely different.
So, it was one body with two souls.
They subconsciously categorized the male voice as the Ghost Immortal’s evil soul form, never imagining that he was actually the Main Soul.
A Benevolent Soul should correspond to an evil soul; surely it wouldn't be paired with the Main Soul, right?
A misunderstanding quietly took root, yet no one noticed.
Seeing the crisis averted, Ou Li seized the opportunity to step forward. She adopted a sincere posture, frantically defending herself.
“Lady Ming Ci, please believe me, I’m truly innocent! I had no idea this would happen! I was just performing a standard spirit-summoning technique; I didn’t have the slightest intention of offending you!”
She truly wanted to cry but had no tears left. A skill meant for gathering clues had somehow achieved the incredible feat of splitting a Ghost Immortal’s soul. Anyone would be stunned.
Bai Ci wanted to ask about her current state, but it wasn't appropriate to ask directly. Instead, she adopted a tone of concern.
“Is the spirit-summoning technique interrupted?”
“Did this technique cause you any harm by creating this situation?”
Ou Li was startled. She quickly looked down and secretly opened her player panel, scanning her status bar.
In the mana column, her points were dropping at a slow, almost imperceptible rate.
The rate was very slow, roughly equal to her natural mana regeneration. The two cancelled each other out; if she hadn't looked closely, she never would have noticed.
After double-checking twice, she looked up, her face a mask of helpless frustration.
“It seems I’m consuming power to maintain Lady Ming Ci’s current state, but I don’t know how to deactivate it.”
After saying this, Ou Li instinctively turned to look at everyone else, her eyes brimming with a desperate plea for help.
Who could save her? Who knew how to dispel the technique?
The others looked at each other, waving their hands and shaking their heads in succession.
Mi Ke spoke first, her tone frank and helpless. “I’m powerless here.”
Zheng Gang spread his hands, looking completely resigned. “Don’t look at me. I’m just an ordinary, frail archaeologist. You’re expecting me to help? That’s just making things difficult for a normal person.”
Wu Suowei’s answer was short and to the point. “I don’t know how.”
Finally, Wu Daoqing blushed and shook his head honestly. “I... I don’t know either... My cultivation is too shallow; I can’t even begin to understand this kind of anomaly.”
After a round of answers, everyone was once again at a loss.
“I can see the spiritual light of the technique connecting the two of you,” Ming Yi suddenly said.
“This is a temporary contract forcibly established by your half-baked spirit-summoning technique. It is not a shackle solidified by the laws of heaven and earth.”
“Once your mana is exhausted and you can no longer maintain this illusory connection, the thread will snap on its own without anyone needing to intervene.”
Hearing this, Ou Li, who had only just regained her composure, was once again filled with helpless frustration. She scratched her head and instinctively scanned her player panel again.
Then, with a bitter face, she replied honestly, “But I don’t feel any strain at all right now. The consumption is negligible.”
“At this rate, forget about a short while—even if I held on for three days and nights, or ten days to half a month, I might not run out of mana. This state won't break at all!”
This answer did not catch Ming Yi by surprise.
Generally speaking, if Bai Ci were to use a technique or a divine ability, it would drastically consume Ou Li’s power.
However, this method was a dead end from the very beginning.
Ming Yi knew this better than anyone.
Bai Ci was a Benevolent Soul born for him. She had existed for only a short time, like a newborn child. Her nature was pure and clean, but she had no foundation and knew no techniques.
She had inherited all of his benevolence and tolerance, but she had not inherited a single combat method.
Rate on N.U.
