Chapter 63 Zhang Meng’s Death

Zhang Meng stopped in her tracks, clutching her chest, bending over and gasping for breath.

Her vision was blurring. Zhang Meng raised her head and glanced at the tavern not far away. She saw Xu Lu Cha in light green clothes at the window on the second floor of the tavern.

“Lu Cha…”

Just as she was about to take a step forward in delight, she found that the surroundings had completely changed.

The sky was gloomy, dark clouds rolling with the fierce wind. At the edge of a cliff, a huge black ferocious beast covered in blood was moaning softly.

“Ying?” Zhang Meng hesitated.

The beast opened its blood-red eyes, and upon seeing Zhang Meng, tears immediately rolled down.

“Zhang Meng, don’t come over.” Ying’s hoarse voice trembled.

His body was entwined with surging demonic energy, his blood-red beast eyes flickering. Two forces were battling within him – one was the kindness of being a god, the other was the evil of being a demon.

The battle between these two forces left his body riddled with wounds, covered in scars.

Perhaps he was about to fail.

He transformed into human form and produced several bright red contract papers. The papers glowed with a soft golden light, corresponding to the pattern on Zhang Meng’s palm.

“Zhang Meng, while my mind is still clear, I’ll dissolve our contract now. After the contract is dissolved, you must run away. Don’t look back at me no matter what. Do you understand?” Blood tears flowed from his exquisitely beautiful face, falling into the air and turning into wisps of black demonic energy.

Zhang Meng’s heart ached: “Ying, you’re about to die, aren’t you?”

Because he was about to die, he wanted to dissolve the contract with her, not wanting to burden her, right…

Ying’s blood-red beautiful eyes stared at Zhang Meng, as if wanting to engrave Zhang Meng’s appearance in his mind forever.

“Zhang Meng, I won’t die.” One last lie, just not wanting her to feel guilty or sad. Just like before, when he was covered in wounds from heavenly punishment, he would secretly hide the wounds on his body.

“Zhang Meng, you must remember, when you run away, don’t look back at me no matter what.” He who was usually taciturn repeated this sentence over and over, because Zhang Meng was the person he cared about most. Even in the last moment of his life, he wanted to use all his strength to protect her.

Suddenly, the contract papers rose into the air, quickly flying towards Zhang Meng, surrounding her. A faint golden light emitted from the contract papers, slowly flowing towards Zhang Meng’s palm.

Meanwhile, Ying’s body slowly turned into points of light, gradually breaking apart.

“Zhang Meng, run away now, don’t look back at me.” His hoarse voice became ethereal.

Zhang Meng’s eyes reddened, staring blankly as Ying’s body began to mutate, her heart suddenly aching violently.

“Ying!” She suddenly ran out of the circle of contract papers, desperately running towards Ying.

Ying’s pupils contracted: “Don’t come over!” His body leaned back slightly, wanting to dodge her.

But he had lost all his divine power, how could he dodge Zhang Meng. His slender body was suddenly tightly embraced by Zhang Meng, and part of his body that had already turned into light points suddenly gathered back due to Zhang Meng’s embrace. At the same time, his body suddenly burst out with thick demonic energy.

Black blood oozed from Ying’s purple-black lips, his red eyes flickering.

“Zhang Meng…” He reached out and tightly hugged Zhang Meng, “You finally didn’t leave me…” Whether it was when he was burned to death by the villagers and she came back to find him, or when he was about to disappear into ashes and she came back to find him. As long as she cared about him in this world, it was enough.

Blood tears dripped from his eyes, turning into demonic energy, dissipating in the air.

But this time, he absolutely didn’t want her to come back to find him.

The person he cared about most couldn’t die with him…

His blood-red eyes slowly dimmed, finally becoming lifeless.

“Ying, is there any way to save you? Tell me.” Zhang Meng’s voice trembled.

Seeing Ying not responding, she anxiously shook Ying: “Tell me quickly, is there any way to save you.” But Ying no longer answered her words. The demonic blood in his body had completely affected his rationality, his kindness as a god had been completely devoured.

Affected by the demonic power, his dim red eyes suddenly became bright again, but bright in an eerie way.

He reached out, and all the contract papers floating in the air returned to his hand.

“Zhang Meng, I love you so much, yet you would be with a human male. You have betrayed me.” An eerie voice came from his mouth.

Zhang Meng’s heart skipped a beat, she suddenly pushed Ying away and quickly stepped back.

“Ying” slowly tore the bright red contract papers, with a wave of his hand, the paper fragments danced and fluttered in the wind.

Blood tears flowed from his red eyes, his purple-black lips parted slightly, murmuring softly: “You have betrayed me, I won’t let you off…” His thin lips curled into an eerie arc: “I curse you for eternity, to love but never obtain.”

Zhang Meng’s heart raced chaotically, she shouted sternly: “Who are you?!”

“Detective Zhang? What’s wrong with you?” A concerned voice suddenly sounded in Zhang Meng’s ear.

Zhang Meng suddenly opened her eyes and found that she had returned to the real world. The gloomy sky in her dream, and Ying who was covered in demonic energy, had all disappeared.

“Detective Zhang, you suddenly fainted on the street just now.” Sitting next to her was a young woman in green clothes, looking at Zhang Meng with concern, “How are you feeling now?”

Zhang Meng’s face was pale, she stared blankly at her palm for a long time without coming to her senses.

The pattern on her palm had disappeared.

“Detective Zhang?” Seeing Zhang Meng’s dazed look, the woman in green raised her hand and waved it in front of Zhang Meng’s eyes.

Zhang Meng came to her senses, barely suppressing her panic, she looked at the woman in green: “Zi Jun, is Lu Cha still in the tavern?”

Fu Zi Jun was a qin player in the tavern. After Zhang Meng fainted, passersby carried her to the tavern, and Fu Zi Jun was responsible for watching over her. After Zhang Meng woke up and found herself in the tavern, she hurriedly asked Fu Zi Jun about Xu Lu Cha’s situation.

“Young Master Xu is now in a private room on the second floor. He instructed us not to disturb him no matter what happens. So we didn’t tell him about you fainting.” Fu Zi Jun said gently.

Zhang Meng stared blankly at the black wooden stairs leading to the second floor: “He said not to disturb him no matter what happens?”

Was he discussing something very important with someone? Something very important about business?

Zhang Meng’s eyes dimmed.

“Detective Zhang, if you want to see Young Master Xu, we can help you announce it. I think Young Master Xu would be very happy to see you.” Seeing Zhang Meng’s dejected look, Fu Zi Jun felt a bit sorry for her.

Previously, the news of Xu Lu Cha pursuing Zhang Meng had spread throughout Cloud City, everyone knew that Xu Lu Cha valued Zhang Meng greatly. Although he had instructed that no one was allowed to disturb him, Zhang Meng should be an exception.

“No need.” Zhang Meng shook her head, “He must be doing something very important, let’s not disturb him.”

She lowered her eyes to look at her palm, the contract pattern had disappeared. Maybe Ying had already dissolved the contract with her.

Zhang Meng walked out of the tavern, but instead of returning to the government office, she went to the mountain to find Yang Qing.

On the way to the mountain, her heart was constantly uneasy, her mind filled with everything that had happened with Ying after she fainted.

Ying told her he wanted to dissolve the contract with her, letting her leave him, not to look back at him.

She also thought of what Ying said before she returned to the real world.

You have betrayed me, I curse you for eternity, to love but never obtain…

No, that wasn’t Ying. He gave her such a strange feeling. Perhaps Ying had failed in his battle with the demonic blood and his rationality had been completely controlled by it.

She didn’t know what Ying’s situation would be like later, nor did she know if she would still die with him after the contract was dissolved.

Qin Lu said that when Ying’s soul dissipated, that human woman also died for love. But she said this was just a legend.

Zhang Meng didn’t know if her fate would be the same as that human woman’s.

“Meng?” Yang Qing was surprised to see Zhang Meng suddenly appear in the courtyard.

He put down the herbs in his hand and walked up to Zhang Meng: “Why are you here?”

Zhang Meng’s eyes heated up, she quickly walked forward and tightly hugged Yang Qing.

Yang Qing’s body stiffened, but soon softened. He reached out to hug her back: “What’s wrong?”

“Yang Qing, I’m very uneasy.” She choked. She had originally wanted to appear happy in front of Yang Qing, but upon seeing him, the fear and grievance in her heart suddenly surged out.

Just like when she was a child, when she was bitten by a snake, she would fearfully hug Yang Qing, refusing to let go, constantly expressing her fear. It seemed that as long as Yang Qing gently comforted her, she wouldn’t be afraid of anything.

Yang Qing’s hand stroking Zhang Meng’s hair paused: “Meng, what are you uneasy about?”

Zhang Meng’s voice trembled: “Yang Qing, I’m afraid of death. I don’t want to die.”

Yang Qing grabbed Zhang Meng’s shoulders, pulling her away from his embrace, looking down at her seriously: “Why are you saying these things, what exactly happened?” Could it be that Meng had learned about her background?

Zhang Meng’s lips had already turned grayish-white, her heart slowly beginning to ache again. Clearly, even though the pattern on her hand had disappeared, she couldn’t escape the path of death.

Perhaps her contract with Ying hadn’t truly been dissolved.

“Yang Qing, I might be about to die.” Her voice trembled as she said these words, her body went limp, and she fainted.

Yang Qing’s face changed drastically: “Meng!”

He gently patted her face, but she had no response. Yang Qing’s face turned ashen.

With trembling hands, he felt Zhang Meng’s pulse, then placed his fingers under her nose to feel her breathing. After confirming that she had just fallen into a deep sleep, Yang Qing’s suspended heart finally settled down.

He supported the unconscious Zhang Meng back to her former room, gently laid her on the bed, and covered her with a thin quilt.

Yang Qing sat beside Zhang Meng, quietly looking at her sleeping face for a while. Seeing her brows tightly furrowed, he couldn’t help but reach out with his snow-white fingers to smooth the wrinkles between her brows.

“If I die, would you be even a bit sad…”

The white-haired, red-eyed man lay weakly on the ground, black smoke slowly rising from his body. His red eyes looked mockingly at that person: “You’re probably happy, after all, you can be with him now.”

Zhang Meng stood blankly in place, not knowing why she had come to the dream world again. She looked at “Ying” whose body was slowly turning into black smoke, suddenly feeling unable to breathe, her heart aching violently as “Ying” disappeared.

“Ying’s” purple-black lips curled mockingly: “Zhang Meng, that foolish Ying who would give everything for you has disappeared. Since you let me die painfully, I can’t let you be with him either. So, die with me…”

The black smoke on his hand suddenly rushed towards Zhang Meng’s heart.

Zhang Meng couldn’t dodge in time and was hit squarely in the heart by the black smoke. A stream of black blood oozed from her mouth.

“Ying” lowered his eyes: “Let’s die together… I only hope that in the next life, I will never meet you again, never fall in love with you again. If I fall in love with you again, I will surely kill you with my own hands again.”

Zhang Meng’s body fell softly, “Ying” who had turned into black smoke swirled in the air for a while, then suddenly rushed towards Zhang Meng, surrounding her body.

Yang Qing had just smoothed the wrinkles between Zhang Meng’s brows and tucked her in. Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly saw black blood oozing from the corner of Zhang Meng’s mouth.

“Meng!” Yang Qing was shocked, he placed his hand under Zhang Meng’s nose. Zhang Meng was completely breathless.

Xu Lu Cha’s heart suddenly ached, and the teacup slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor.

The women who were being forced by Xu Lu Cha to write contract papers heard the sound of the breaking teacup. Thinking that Xu Lu Cha had grown impatient and smashed the cup, they hurriedly increased their writing speed.

However, they did not see Xu Lu Cha’s face suddenly turn deathly pale.

“Zhang Meng!” Xu Lu Cha abruptly pushed open the door of the private room and ran out.

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