Chapter 144 - 143: The Gift Incident

Chapter 144: Chapter 143: The Gift Incident

Gu Qingyin stared at the spirit tablet for a moment, then suddenly scoffed and turned to leave.

Huo Yunjing wasn’t sure if he should offer incense again.

As he hesitated, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. The white smoke wafting from the three incense sticks Gu Qingyin had just placed morphed into a large hand, reaching out toward Gu Qingyin’s back as if in a silent plea for her to stay.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough smoke, and the hand couldn’t reach her.

Huo Yunjing was silent for two seconds before saying, "Master, you should come back and visit when you have time. Qing Yin misses you very much."

The smoky hand paused, then slowly curled its fingers, leaving only the middle one extended.

Huo Yunjing: "..."

He lowered his gaze slightly, pretending he hadn’t seen it. "We’ll come see you again later."

The large hand instantly dissipated. ’Who wants you to come!’

Gu Qingyin returned to her room and sat silently on the edge of the bed.

Huo Yunjing carefully poked his head in. "Are you angry?"

Gu Qingyin didn’t say a word. She wasn’t just angry; she was also deeply hurt.

’She didn’t understand. Since Master hasn’t reincarnated, why has he never come back to see me? Is he really that comfortable letting me live all by myself?’

Huo Yunjing could roughly guess what she was thinking and comforted her, "Master probably has something holding him back. If he could come back to see you, he definitely would."

Gu Qingyin sneered, "He even lied to me! If you hadn’t offered incense today, I never would have known he’s still around!"

"Maybe he did it on purpose," Huo Yunjing reasonably speculated. "He’s been hiding it from you for so long, why would he slip up so easily just because I showed up?"

Gu Qingyin’s expression faltered. ’That’s... not impossible.’

"Maybe he’s finished with his business. He might come back to see you in the next few days, or a little while later." Huo Yunjing leaned in and gave her a kiss, whispering, "Don’t be sad. This is our family’s first Spring Festival together."

Hearing this, Gu Qingyin softened a little. "It’s almost time for the countdown. Let’s go down together."

After counting down with the hosts of the Spring Festival Gala, the new year officially arrived. The family bustled out to the lakeside to set off fireworks.

Watching the fireworks bloom in the night sky and looking at her laughing family beside her, Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but feel moved.

’I’m already so happy. There’s no need to ask for more.’

’I have a big family now. Master would be happy for me if he saw this. My childhood dream has come true. The only regret is that Master isn’t here.’

Shaking her head, Gu Qingyin pushed the thoughts away. ’My questions will naturally be answered when Master returns. Thinking about it now is just needless worrying.’

After the fireworks, the family returned to the villa, talking and laughing, before heading to their own rooms to sleep.

On the morning of the first day of the new year, Gugu’s eyes flew open, and she let out a delighted cheer.

Her princess bed was piled high with gifts. It wasn’t just her; the three Huo Family brothers, a generation older than her, had also received presents.

The difference was that Gugu received gifts from everyone, while the three brothers’ gifts were only from their mother.

Huo Xingye’s gift was a jade bracelet made of top-grade Mofei, elegant and rare.

Huo Xinghai’s gift was a custom-made microphone, cream-white and inlaid with a rhombus-cut piece of Mofei, exuding an understated luxury.

Huo Xingchen’s gift was a set of custom peripherals, plus the high-grade amulet he had been promised, which was also carved from Mofei.

The piece of Mofei was huge. Even after making the gifts for the three brothers, a large chunk was left over. If auctioned, it would be worth billions, if not more.

From this, it was clear that Gu Qingyin hadn’t bought the Mofei. How could she have so much money? In fact, she had brought it with her when she left the mountain years ago.

She had found it a while ago when she was organizing her storage bag. She decided then and there to use the raw stone to make New Year’s gifts and had been secretly working on them for a long time, afraid the surprise would be discovered early.

At noon, everyone gathered at the dining table.

Huo Xingye, who normally wore no accessories other than a watch, now had a bracelet on his wrist. Huo Xingchen wore the amulet around his neck, and to make sure no one missed it, he had even put on a white sweater as a backdrop.

The most dramatic was Huo Xinghai. He stood before the dining table with his microphone, insisting on belting out a song before the meal, claiming it would "stimulate everyone’s appetite."

Faced with their fancy ways of showing off their gifts, Gu Qingyin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she played along and applauded them.

The meal was livelier than ever. Afterward, Huo Xinghai grabbed his suitcase and left directly, Huo Xingye returned to the study to work, leaving only Huo Xingchen idle.

Gu Qingyin tapped him on the head. "Go on, help your dad sober up."

Huo Xingchen’s eyes shifted. He glanced at the sullen-faced Huo Yunjing, and his heart skipped a beat. ’This... how could I dare!’

He scrambled up from the sofa and laughed dryly. "Haha, I just remembered, my coach told me not to forget my training during the break." He took a large stride and dashed up the stairs. "I’m off to train!"

Huo Yunjing stared mournfully at Gu Qingyin, his gaze making her look like a scummy woman who had abandoned her husband and child.

"Oh, honestly." Gu Qingyin couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up. "You just want a gift, don’t you? I never said you weren’t getting one. Those other things just weren’t suitable for you. What use would you have for them?"

"I get a gift too?" Huo Yunjing’s expression wavered. "Can I choose what I want?"

Gu Qingyin said flatly, "No."

Huo Yunjing clicked his tongue and sighed with regret.

"Come upstairs with me." Gu Qingyin turned and headed up, chiding, "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. I’m telling you, no way!"

Huo Yunjing followed her without a word, and the temperature around them dropped by several degrees.

Gu Qingyin ignored him and went straight to the study. She picked up a book from the desk, walked to the balcony, and without any perceptible movement, the book suddenly burst into flames.

Huo Yunjing’s heart stirred. ’This book... isn’t this the one Gu Qingyin has been copying for the past few days? Why did she suddenly burn it?’

The instant the book was completely reduced to ash, it abruptly appeared in Huo Yunjing’s hands.

He was startled and instinctively flipped it open, still asking, "What is this—"

As his voice trailed off, Huo Yunjing’s expression turned noticeably serious. He began flipping through the pages rapidly until he reached the end and was forced to stop.

He looked up at Gu Qingyin with a complicated expression, then put the book away with a flick of his wrist and lunged at her. "Wife, I love you."

He never would have imagined that Gu Qingyin would give him a Ghost Cultivator’s Cultivation Technique, and a completely handwritten copy at that.

When he thought about how Gu Qingyin had spent one or two hours at a time writing, persisting for many days to finish this book, his heart felt incredibly warm.

Even though he didn’t actually have a heart anymore.

Gu Qingyin patted his shoulder. "Cultivate well. Sooner or later, you’ll be able to appear before people openly again." ’As long as he can cultivate a physical body,’ she thought.

"Mhm." Huo Yunjing nodded emphatically. He would definitely cultivate diligently and strive to one day hold Gu Qingyin’s hand and walk openly in the sunlight.

A smile filled Gu Qingyin’s eyes as she raised an eyebrow and asked, "And my gift?"

Huo Yunjing froze suspiciously.

Gu Qingyin frowned. "You didn’t prepare one?"

"I did!" Huo Yunjing quickly denied. It was just that after seeing her gift, his own felt a bit inadequate to present.

Gu Qingyin saw through him. She smiled comfortingly. "It’s okay. As long as you prepared it with heart, I’ll love it."

Huo Yunjing took a deep breath, let her go, and took a step back. He then raised his hands in a cupped, offering gesture. A jet-black heart, condensed from ghost energy, appeared in his hands.

Then, with a WHOOSH, the heart flew high into the sky and exploded into the shape of a spider lily. And then... it was gone.

Gu Qingyin’s eyes were vacant, her expression blank.

Huo Yunjing said, "I give you my heart."

Gu Qingyin snapped back to reality. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she said tonelessly, "It was certainly prepared with a lot of heart. Next time, don’t."

Huo Yunjing: "...Okay."