Seeing Yu Nian looking calm and composed, the female demon became angry and laughed instead. "Why do all your words revolve around food?" She had lived in the Ghost Market for years and could only interact with a bunch of savage demons every day. Now, she had finally met someone who could chant poems and match couplets with her, but unexpectedly, this person was a difficult one.
Yu Nian replied seriously, "Didn't you say not to be particular about the tones and profound meanings? I've managed to match them all."
The female demon was immediately at a loss for words. She never expected that one day she would be tripped up by her own rules.
However, the female demon was still reluctant to hand over the Admiring Heart Grass to Yu Nian so easily. She said, "It's just a petty trick. Let's have a best - of - three match."
For the last couplet, she must increase the difficulty. She didn't believe that Yu Nian could continue to match with something related to food and drinks while ensuring the couplet was neatly paired.
"The upper couplet: The sounds of qin, se, pi, and pa gather in rivers, lakes, and seas."
Yu Nian thought for two seconds and answered, "The fragrance of stir - frying, simmering, roasting, and deep - frying lingers around chickens, ducks, geese, and quails."
"You, you woman!"
The female demon almost spat out blood, but there was nothing she could do as Yu Nian had matched all her couplets.
The female demon waved her hand, plucked the Admiring Heart Grass from the cliff wall, and handed it to Yu Nian.
"I admit defeat. Take this Admiring Heart Grass."
Yu Nian took the grass and saw the female demon looking at the "Complete Collection of Couplets" dejectedly. She then said, "Since you like matching couplets so much, I happen to have an interesting one. You might want to think about it in your spare time."
The female demon's eyes immediately lit up. She said awkwardly, "Tell me."
Yu Nian: "The upper couplet: Enter the ancient well and drink ten - mouth white water."
Hearing this, the female demon's expression became more solemn. Then she frowned and thought seriously.
At first glance, this couplet only had eight simple characters and seemed to have no special artistic conception. But upon closer inspection, one could find its finesse.
The characters "ten - mouth white water" in the upper couplet combined to form "ancient spring", which exactly matched the scene described in the couplet.
The female demon thought hard for a long time but still had no clue.
After pondering for a while, a faint smile finally appeared on her face. "I thought that after reading the 'Complete Collection of Couplets' thoroughly, I would never be stumped by couplets again. Now it seems that I'm just lacking in knowledge. Truly, there's no end to learning! I will think about it carefully and will surely write the lower couplet sooner or later! When that time comes, I will definitely go to the human world to find you and discuss couplets with you again!"
The female demon got the difficult upper couplet and returned to the forest contentedly. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared without a trace.
Watching the female demon leave, Cheng Yingman tightened the sleeves of her robe unwillingly.
She came to the Ghost Market this time to obtain the Admiring Heart Grass. Yu Nian had only promised to accompany her. Now that Yu Nian had obtained the grass by herself, how could she have the nerve to ask for it?
Maybe she should wait until she reunited with her senior brothers and sisters and then buy it with a large amount of money...
"Yu Nian, this Admiring Heart Grass—"
Before she could finish her words, Yu Nian stuffed three leaves of the Admiring Heart Grass into her hand.
Even the usually domineering Cheng Yingman couldn't help but be stunned.
Each leaf of the Admiring Heart Grass was extremely precious, a treasure that couldn't be bought with money. Was Yu Nian going to give her most of the grass directly?
"You..."
Yu Nian's pitch - black eyes were extremely calm. She showed little expression, but her words gave Cheng Yingman an inexplicable sense of security.
"Take the Admiring Heart Grass and go home. May your master be safe."
Cheng Yingman looked at Yu Nian for a long time. Her eyes suddenly turned a bit red. She quickly lowered her head as if to cover it up and whispered, "Thank you."
If there was a chance in the future, she would surely repay Yu Nian for her kindness today.
...
The sky was brightly lit. Cai Jia was constantly pacing at the edge of the forest beside the graveyard. It had already been a day and a night, but Yu Nian and the others still hadn't come out of the Ghost Market.
Seeing Liu Hele's condition getting worse and worse, she was so anxious that she didn't know what to do. She could only keep praying to the heavens to protect them and bring them back safely.
Just then, several blurry figures suddenly appeared in the thick white fog. Cai Jia squinted and found that it was Yu Nian and the others.
"Master!" Cai Jia ran towards them frantically. She urgently grabbed Yu Nian's hand and asked, "How is it, Master? Where is my husband, Liu? Have you seen him?"
Yu Nian glanced at Cai Jia for a moment, took out Liu Hele's soul from the Qiankun Bag, and then tapped on the center of Cai Jia's forehead so that she could see the ghost.
The moment Cai Jia saw Liu Hele, she was completely stunned. Overwhelmed with joy, she tried to hug Liu Hele but passed through him.
Cai Jia could only cover her face and cry. All the grievances of these days welled up in her heart. "Master, please save our Liu quickly!"
Yu Nian said calmly, "I will save him, but before that, I think you should know what happened to Liu Hele."
After saying that, Yu Nian took out three incense sticks from her bag, lit them, and first circled them around Liu Hele's head three times. The fragrance of the incense combined with the black mist on Liu Hele's body and then consciously drifted towards Cai Jia.
The moment the smoke touched Cai Jia's body, all of Liu Hele's deeds in the Ghost Market flooded into her mind. She was completely stunned. When she looked up again, her face was as pale as a sheet.
"...What is this? Master, did you make a mistake?"
Qi Rongsheng felt sorry for the confused Cai Jia and reminded her, "Everything you saw is real. This man is a demon. There's no middle ground when it comes to betrayal and treachery. You'd better wake up!"
Hearing this, Cai Jia froze on the spot. She never expected that her husband, who had accompanied her for nearly a decade, would bet on her life.
Meanwhile, Yu Nian had already placed Liu Hele's soul back into his body.
Liu Hele immediately opened his blood - red eyes, then coughed violently and fainted again in an instant.
Yu Nian said, "Liu Hele's soul was frightened in the Ghost Market. He won't be in danger of losing his life after returning to the human world, but his lifespan will surely be affected. He will probably be in a coma for some time."
Cai Jia wiped away her tears. Her back suddenly slumped.
After all, she and Liu Hele had been married for many years. Even though Liu Hele was unkind, she couldn't be unrighteous.
She would send Liu Hele to the hospital. After he woke up from the coma, Cai Jia would leave him immediately.
...
In the side room of the Pure Heart View, Yu Nian placed the black cat and Jiang Sheng's body side by side on the bed.
The dull crystal stone lay quietly in Yu Nian's palm. As she softly chanted the incantation, it actually emitted a faint spiritual light.
The black cat, which had been constantly twitching painfully due to the lingering yin energy, finally closed its eyes in relief. The clarity gradually returned to Jiang Sheng's eyes.
He stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time, but there was no trace of joy of surviving a disaster in his heart.
Jiang Sheng's eyes slowly turned towards Yu Nian. His voice was extremely hoarse.
"Jiang Li, he..."
Before he could finish his words, hot tears slid from the corners of his eyes and landed on the pillow.
Since he could remember, he had always been afraid of Jiang Li. Jiang Sheng had never felt the warmth of fatherly love from Jiang Li. He even thought that he and Jiang Li were so estranged that they didn't seem like father and son.
But at the moment of Jiang Li's death, Jiang Sheng clearly felt Jiang Li's reluctance and love.