love at first sight... // zhuiling

Chapter 12

"Whoever gets a ghost's ashes will fully get their support." the boy explained. "Whoever destroys the ashes will destroy the ghost."

"I'm afraid nobody is able to get Hua Lang's ashes." Jin Ling commented.

"That's not necessarily true." the boy said. "There's a custom in the ghost realm where if a ghost trusts in someone, he will give his ashes to that person."

"Wow, I didn't even know that." Jin Ling said. "We've talked for so long and I still don't even know your name. My name is Jin Ling, courtesy name Rulan."

"Me? I used to pick flowers for my grandmother, so they call me Xiao Hua, or Hua Hua." the boy said. "However, my family members were killed by cultivators for a false accusation."

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry about that, Hua Hua." Jin Ling replied.

"So, what do you do?" Hua Hua asked.

"Oh, I just opened up a temple called Lanling Temple." Jin Ling explained.

"Lanling Temple? I like the name." Hua Hua said. "Who is it dedicated to?"

"Oh, it's for Lanling Jin Clan's sect leader, hence the name Lanling Temple." Jin Ling explained. "However, you probably have never heard of him."

"I-"

Before Hua Hua could even finish his sentence, the wagon suddenly came to an abrupt stop. As a result, Hua Hua was falling off of the wagon. By instinct, Jin Ling reached out and caught his hand. Suddenly, Hua Hua lost his smile, and became quiet before pulling his hand back.

Jin Ling was a little worried, "What's going on back there?"

"I dunno. C'mon let's go cow!" the farmer said, whipping the cow. 

However, the cow didn't move, instead moving backwards. Suddenly, the farmer saw a group of people holding lights.

"Ahh! Are those ghosts?" the farmer said.

Immediately, Jin Ling flipped his palm up to generate some spiritual energy before flipping it back down. The spiritual energy spread throughout the perimeter of the wagon, and made created a shield that made them invisible.

"When they get close to us, be sure to be absolutely silent." Jin Ling ordered.

"What? I don't know if I can do that." the farmer said.

"Well, there is another method," Jin Ling said, before jabbing him with spiritual energy, causing him to faint temporarily.

The ghosts silently walked past all of them. Jin Ling silently moved from the back to the front. Meanwhile, Hua Hua was sitting in the back. However, he was not sitting there innocently. He looked at the ghosts with a death smirk. After the ghosts left, Jin Ling started to whip the cow to make him go. Hua Hua then smiled (normally) and jumped into the front seat with Jin Ling.

"Wow! You definitely are a Taoist! Such cool powers!" Hua Hua complimented.

"Haha, it was nothing." Jin Ling said, trying to be humble. "Are you alright?"

"No I'm not, I'm scared, Jin Ling." Hua Hua said, sarcastically.

"Haha, don't worry, I'll protect you." Jin Ling said, playing with the joke.

However, the invisibility was losing its effect and soon they could be seen. The ghosts that passed Jin Ling and Hua Hua quickly realized this, and they starting to chase them. Jin Ling tried to make the cow go faster, but one of the ghosts flew above them and landed right in front of them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." Jin Ling said to the ghosts. "Please let us go."

"Let you go? Why should I? I'll kill you instead!"

Suddenly, one of the ghosts was going in for the kill. Jin Ling was ready to use a talisman. However, Hua Hua suddenly squinted his eyes slightly, and a sharp light blue light flashed through them. Immediately, all of the ghosts backed off, and ran off screaming. Because Jin Ling didn't notice, he was noticeably confused.

"Wow! Jin Ling is so intimidating!" Hua Hua said.

"Uh, to be honest, I don't even know what just happened back there." Jin Ling said, scratching his nose.

After a while of more talking and riding, they finally made it to Lanling Temple by nightfall. Jin Ling got off, and nullified the faint he inflicted onto the farmer.

"Ahh! Ghosts!" the farmer yelled. "Huh? It was you who saved me, Taoist!"

"What happened today, don't tell anyone." Jin Ling said, smiling.

haha this one is a long one. usually i write around 400 word chapters, but this one is almost 700! enjoy haha.