Chapter 60: I Cannot Bear the Pain of Parting in Life and Death, So I Shall Send You to Be Reunited

Liu Qiang could swear on his life that Zhao Yu’s cultivation level was by no means limited to the Golden Core stage!
If Zhao Yu had revealed his true strength beforehand, would he have dared to be so arrogant?
The more he thought about it, the more terrified and resentful Liu Qiang felt.
Yet, he dared not show the slightest bit of resentment.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yu looked genuinely curious. "What misunderstanding could there possibly be between us?"
Unlike the barbarians, he was a man who reasoned things out.
Since this fellow claimed there was a misunderstanding, he was naturally willing to listen.
"Th-This..." Liu Qiang stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
The so-called misunderstanding was merely a pretext to beg for mercy; if it came down to actually naming a misunderstanding, how could he possibly come up with one?
Zhao Yu’s expression turned displeased. "Are you lying to me?"
Since there was no misunderstanding, it meant the man truly intended to kill him, and in that case...
A rare flash of coldness appeared in Zhao Yu’s eyes.
He had no interest in the petty grievances and moral disputes of the barbarians, but anyone who tried to eat him or kill him would be beaten to death by his own hand.
Liu Qiang hurriedly waved his hands. "No... no, not at all..."
Suppressing the urge to kill right then and there, Zhao Yu urged, "Then hurry up and tell me what misunderstanding we have."
Liu Qiang had no idea what to say.
Just as he was racking his brains, his peripheral vision caught sight of the female ghost.
His eyes instantly lit up.
After the female ghost was taken away, Zhao Yu’s choice wasn't to subjugate her for his own use, but rather to destroy the statue... Could it be that Zhao Yu came to the Liu residence specifically to eradicate demons and uphold the righteous path?
At this thought, Liu Qiang choked up with sudden grief, "Senior, there truly is a misunderstanding between us. I... I was actually deeply in love with Yuchan all along."
The still-huddled female ghost stiffened, her eyes instantly fixing on Liu Qiang with fierce resentment.
However, Liu Qiang gritted his teeth and formed a hand seal without leaving a trace.
The female ghost’s expression froze, a hazy numbness flashing across her face before she resumed trembling in place.
Liu Qiang choked back a sob again, "Senior doesn't know this, but two years ago... two years ago it truly was my fault that drove Yuchan to throw herself into the well. But the moment she died, I regretted it instantly. Everything I’ve done since has been solely for the purpose of bringing her back to life."
"Sob, sob, sob..."
As he spoke, Liu Qiang collapsed onto the ground, continuously wiping tears from his face as he looked toward the female ghost.
Subconsciously, Zhao Yu asked, "What happened two years ago?"
"Senior, you didn't know?" Liu Qiang was stunned.
Zhao Yu replied with absolute honesty, "I had no idea. The Yuchan you speak of didn't mention it to me at all."
Liu Qiang’s lips twitched, leaving him utterly speechless.
He had assumed Zhao Yu already knew the truth, but as it turned out... If he had known, he wouldn't have run his mouth earlier.
With no other choice, Liu Qiang maintained a bitter expression and continued, "Senior, two years ago, after this humble one took Yuchan into my household as a bride, I was so eager to advance my cultivation that I nearly strayed onto the crooked path of black magic. Yuchan tried repeatedly to dissuade me, but I was too blind to understand. Later... later, fearing that I would fall completely into evil, she chose to end her life to make me see the error of my ways and turn back..."
Zhao Yu interrupted him, "Hold on, I heard that she died on the very night of your wedding."
Liu Qiang’s heart tightened, though he quickly forced his expression back to normal, "Senior, Yuchan arrived at my Liu residence well before our wedding day. Looking back now... the reason Yuchan chose to take her own life on our wedding night was likely so that this humble one would remember it for the rest of my days, etching it into my very bones."
"This humble one knows I made many mistakes in my obsessive quest to resurrect her, but I..."
"This humble one is willing to die right now, but she is innocent. I beg Senior to spare her."
"Oh, how I wish the one who died back then had been me instead..."
"Sob, sob, sob..."
By the time he finished, Liu Qiang’s face was covered in tears.
On cue, the female ghost stood up and wailed, "A-Qiang..."
"Yuchan..."
The two of them—one living man and one ghost—embraced tightly.
Zhao Yu’s eyes instantly welled up with crystal tears. "How touching."
He and his wife shared the exact same mutual devotion and true love.
"I have a feeling he's lying to you. Aside from the world-defying origin of my Big Chopper, who else could casually resurrect the dead? A mere Golden Core cultivator wants to bring someone back to life? He's dreaming," the chopper chimed in, unable to hold back its criticism.
Zhao Yu made no reply... He believed in the bonds of family and romantic love above all else in this world.
Because he possessed both.
The love between him and his wife, as well as the affection he shared with his family, had been witnessed and tempered by countless, countless years of time.
After a moment of thought, Zhao Yu glared at the chopper, "Do not insult true love."
Though dissatisfied, the chopper gave in and nodded, "Whatever makes you happy."
Zhao Yu turned back to Liu Qiang, "Tell me, do you truly love her that deeply?"
"Yes, yes, absolutely," Liu Qiang nodded frantically.
In the depths of his heart, he cackled madly: *Finally, I've survived.*
*Just wait!*
*When I lack the strength to fight, I can humble myself, but once I am strong enough, I will make this Zhao Yu understand what true torture is! What it means to beg for death in vain!*
Zhao Yu asked the chopper again, "Chopper, chopper, is it really impossible for a Golden Core cultivator to resurrect the dead?"
"Of course it's impossible."
Pausing for a second, the chopper scoffed, "If she were just an ordinary ghost, there might still be a chance for her to reconstitute her physical form and live again. But is that female ghost normal now? Not a chance!"
"She has been tainted by my origin, and previously even used my origin in an attempt at resurrection... She will never escape the influence of my origin for as long as she lives. Let me tell you, unless this lying bastard ascends to the heavens on the spot right now, or unless I am destroyed down to the very last speck of dust, that female ghost will never, ever have a chance to return to the world of the living as a human."
Zhao Yu understood only half of it... yet he grasped the main point: the female ghost definitely could not be brought back to life.
That being the case...
Zhao Yu took resolute steps forward. "I will grant your wish."
"Thank you, Senior... sob, sob, sob..."
Liu Qiang wept even more hysterically.
Then, he watched as Zhao Yu raised the heavy chopper and brought it slashing down directly toward him.
Terrified, Liu Qiang instinctively raised his arms to block. "Senior, what are you doing?"
Zhao Yu answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Your Yuchan cannot come back to life, and I am unable to resurrect her either. After turning it over in my mind, the best solution is for you to die as well. That way, the two of you can stay together through life and death."
If he were to die, his wife would surely be so heartbroken that she would follow him into the afterlife, and if his wife were to die... Zhao Yu imagined he would undoubtedly commit suicide to accompany her in death.
Since Liu Qiang and Yuchan loved each other so deeply, for the sake of true love, he simply had to fulfill their wish.
Liu Qiang blanked out for a split second before breaking into a torrent of furious curses, "You son of a—"
Zhao Yu widened his eyes in disbelief, "You're something else. I'm clearly helping you out, why are you suddenly swearing?"
Unwilling to argue with a madman any longer, Liu Qiang shrieked, "I'm telling you, I am a devout believer of the God of Yanshui! I carry the divine favor of the God of Yanshui upon me..."
The chopper was also furious now, "You lying piece of trash, wouldn't it be fine if you just dropped dead? How dare you try to trick Zhao Yu using the guise of true love? Let me tell you, you almost scared the living daylights out of this blade just now, and I'm keeping a tally of that!"
Seeing a human face manifest on the chopper for the first time, Liu Qiang’s face drained of color. "An evil spirit..."
He had actually failed to notice all this time that the blade in Zhao Yu’s hand was transformed from an evil entity?
Alas, it was too late for him to do anything else.
*Screee—*
It seemed as though a torrent of blazing flames descended from the heavens.
Liu Qiang caught a fleeting glimpse of a boundless firebird—resembling both a phoenix and a Vermilion Bird—spreading its wings and soaring upward.
And then, there was nothing more.
Liu Qiang’s consciousness was completely swallowed by darkness.
With a single strike, Liu Qiang was killed so thoroughly that not even a corpse remained.
Zhao Yu’s expression shifted, "Damn it, I used too much force. I accidentally chopped him out of existence completely."
He had genuinely intended to turn Liu Qiang into a ghost so he could dwell together in harmony with the female ghost Yuchan.
"Hmph, hmph..." The female ghost unconsciously swayed her body.
A jolt ran through Zhao Yu, and he snatched up the chopper and bolted, "Chopper, run!"
Since the two of them were so deeply in love, the female ghost would undoubtedly fight him to the death.
Although the female ghost stood no chance of defeating him, killing her husband and then turning around to kill the female ghost as well... that simply lacked all moral decency.