Three ex-husbands and a marriage

Determination

I was a little stunned. Malevolent beings shouldn't exist in the human realm. Since the creation of the Infinite Loop, the three realms—celestial, demons, and human realms—have been kept completely separate. The only way to trespass into the realms is through the Churning Circle. Humans can only enter the celestial realm by achieving a breakthrough in their cultivation and completely erasing their existence in the human realm. It is an unspoken law that demons and celestials are not allowed in the human realm. I suspected that the reason my spiritual powers had been blocked was due to this law. In other words, the realms naturally suppress the invader's powers so they can exist in this realm as a human.

"I can help. I will go with you," I said simply.

His eyes showed calculations running through his mind. After a brief pause, he smiled coldly. "You arrived here mysteriously, you eat and live off the poor couple, and now you want to go with me? How can I trust you? Tell me your name and what you are doing here?"

"My name is Jiang Meng. I owe a favor to the Liu couple, and over the past few days, I sought refuge here. Zhang Mei loves her daughter very much, I can see it. I never had a mother or a father. There is something inside me that empathizes with them. I want to help bring an end to their misery, maybe find closure."

He smirked, silently implying that he didn't believe my words.

"Besides, you are just.....I understand your doubts about me, but I really want to help," I said earnestly. "I have some knowledge of the spiritual realm and if what you're saying is true, I may be of use to you. Please, let me come with you."

Hu Xuan seemed to ponder my words for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright, but you have to follow my lead and stay close to me at all times. We're dealing with dangerous beings here, and I can't afford any distractions. Besides, the old couple will be sad if something happens to you."

"I understand," I said with a sense of determination. "They will be very sad if they lose you too."

Hu Xuan looked at me for a moment longer, his expression unreadable, before turning and walking towards the mountains. He stopped outside the house and fiddled with his belt and the knives dangling off it. I ran back inside the house and hugged Zhang Mei. "Ma Ma, I need to go and will be back after a couple days. Don't be sad, I promise I will be back."

Before Zhang Mei could respond, I ran out of the house and I left the way I came, empty handed, I followed Hu Xuan towards the mountain. As we ran I could hear Zhang Mei's mournful wail cry out in the distance. My heart dropped and a heaviness clouded my vision.

"Are you alright?" asked Hu Xuan.

We continued to run and I wiped my eyes with my sleeves. "It has to be done, hopefully, we can return with the real Sha Sha."

We ran in silence towards the mountain, the previous beauty seem to visibly marred by the possibilities. Once we started the ascent, we walked nonstop, Hu Xuan seemed to be driven by an limitedless crusade to find his beloved.

As we made our way up the mountain, he was not surprised that I could keep up with his brisk pace. The climb was treacherous, with steep inclines and rocky terrain. The journey was grueling and there was no time for conversation. Hu Xuan remained focused on his mission, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of danger. The silence between us was deafening, broken only by the sound of our footsteps on the rocky path.