Searching for Treasures in the Clouds

Chapter 363 Things Before His Death

When Yu Ru returned, Kang Zhuyu was already lying down, her eyes closed, looking as if she were asleep.

Yu Ru walked over, reached out to tuck the blanket around her, and then turned to leave when Kang Zhuyu suddenly spoke up, "Don't go."

Yu Ru turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kang Zhuyu didn't answer her what was wrong, but instead started talking about her own things.

“My mother died when I was eight years old, but my father is still alive and well. My father married into the family, and this poor bastard acts like he's never seen money before. As soon as my mother died, he started to take advantage of her and seize her property. He also brought his mistress and her child into the house. They treat me very badly and always beat and scold me. Especially the mistress's child, who is older than me, always bullies me.”

"Later, when I was twenty-two, I wanted to sever ties with my dad, and he agreed. But before severing ties, he wanted to have a meal with me. I was so stupid that I actually believed his lies, thinking it was just a meal. In the end, he took me to a dinner party and gave me away as a gift. To be precise, he sacrificed me. He needed to join some circle that required sacrificing one's most important thing, and it had to be alive, so he sent me away. And then, I've been stuck here ever since."

“I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I wake up every day feeling dizzy. They beat me, cursed me, and tortured me with all sorts of tools. And different people, at different times, kept raping me. I wanted to die but couldn’t. I was in so much pain that I was going crazy.”

Kang Zhuyu looked up at Yu Ru and asked, "Tell me, am I very dirty?"

“It’s not dirty.” Yu shook her head decisively. “You’re just injured. Once you’re healed, you’ll be clean. Everyone gets sick and grows old, and everyone has times when they’re in such a sorry state. This is temporary, and things will get better in the future.”

Kang Zhuyu stared at Yu Ru blankly for a while, then murmured, "Only you would say that. Am I crazy? Are you real, or just a savior I've imagined?"

“It’s true, you’re saved too. You can rest in bed now, and those people won’t bother you,” Yu Ru said earnestly.

"Really?" Kang Zhuyu gave a self-deprecating laugh. "But how come I remember... I'm already dead? I remember I was pregnant, and they cut open my uterus, took out the little c-shaped thing inside, and ground it into a paste using a juicer. Then they forcibly dislocated my jaw, stuffed that paste into my mouth, and forced me to eat it. I was so disgusted that I couldn't eat it, but they forced it in, and I choked to death."

Yu Ru had only ever heard of the Japanese doing such things, and it had actually happened back then. She never imagined that these bastards would inherit this practice decades later. This experience was too cruel. She didn't know how to comfort Kang Zhuyu, so she took out her phone and showed her the videos she had recorded.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

In the video, a man is shouting while another person is cutting his finger with a kitchen knife.

After recognizing the two people's faces, Kang Zhuyu smiled. "Seeing them suffer makes me happy. They deserve it, but what's the use? I..."

As she spoke, her body began to contort, and her voice gradually became faint and ethereal, "I am dead, I am a ghost."

In an instant, she completely lost her human form, becoming only a rough human shape from beginning to end, like a gingerbread man. However, while gingerbread men are made of food, she gave the impression of a monster made of minced meat with two eyeballs randomly inserted on top.

Yu Ru was shaken and her hands trembled slightly, but she still tried her best to remain calm as she looked at her with pity in her eyes.

"Aren't you afraid of me? Why are you so calm? Or have you always been able to see my true form?"

"I'm afraid."

"Then why didn't you run away?"

"Because I'm afraid you'll be sad," Yu Ru said softly.

Upon hearing this, Kang Zhuyu was stunned. Her body began to twist and change again, returning to her previous human form. Tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling, she asked, "Why are you afraid of hurting me? Why are you looking at me with that concerned look? Shouldn't you be yelling at me, saying I'm a monster and telling me to get lost? We're unrelated people, you don't need to... Or did you set a trap to make me fall into it? You're just trying to lower my guard now, and you'll have someone catch me later." The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, and she began to shout and scream.

"Why would I want to hurt you? In this world, no one is born to endure the strange looks and criticism of others. Even if someone is ugly, lives a miserable life, or does foolish things, that's their own business. They have the right to choose, and perhaps they have their own difficulties that they can't change. Whatever it is, as long as it doesn't affect others, it's none of their business. People shouldn't manifest their inner malice to attack a complete stranger; that's too unfair. You said it yourself, we're unrelated people, so how could I call you a monster just because you look like this?"

Kang Zhuyu's lips trembled, and tears flowed even more freely. "But I am a ghost, not a human."

"Whether you are human, ghost, or anything else, the world belongs to all things, not just humans. Every living being has the right to live. Even if you are a ghost, a monster, or a demon, you should be treated this way."

"Waaaaah... Ahhh..."

Kang Zhuyu burst into tears, which eventually turned into bloody tears, making her look somewhat ghostly. Yu Ru took out a few tissues, wanting to wipe away her tears, but she turned her head away. "No need, I'm a ghost, you can't wipe away my tears. Go check the trash can, is there any blood left on those gauze pads?"

Yu Ru got up and walked to the trash can. Looking down, she saw that, just as she had said, the blood on the gauze, which had been covered in blood, had completely disappeared. However, she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she vaguely felt that there was a black mark left on the gauze.

"Is that all?" Kang Zhuyu asked.

Yu Ru returned to her and nodded, "It's gone, that's amazing."

"You can leave now. I want to be alone." Kang Zhuyu suddenly changed the subject.

"Okay." Yu Ru didn't say anything more and turned to leave. As she reached the doorway, a thought suddenly struck her, and she looked at Kang Zhuyu, asking, "Miss Kang, what are your mother's and father's names?"

Kang Zhuyu looked at her blankly, not knowing why she asked this, but still answered her, "My mother's name is Kang Xuji, and that beast's name is Zhang Tonghui."

"I understand." Yu Ru nodded, and then truly left.

After a while, Yu Ru returned. As soon as she entered the room, Kang Zhuyu knew. She opened her eyes, stared at Yu Ru's movements, and asked, "Why are you here again?"

Yu Ru walked up to her and replied, "Do you want to know how Zhang Tonghui is doing now?"

"Is he doing well or badly now? If he's doing well, then I don't want to know."

"He died eight years ago. He contracted an illness due to his bad habits, and when it flared up, he was driving and lost focus, causing a car accident. After the accident, he became partially paralyzed and unable to move freely, spending most of his time in a wheelchair and hospital bed. His mistress couldn't stand him like that and wished for his early death, so she provoked him every day. He was provoked for about six months, and in the end, he died of anger. The son his mistress gave birth to wasn't his biological child. Your father probably found out the truth before he died, which is why he died of anger."

Kang Zhuyu laughed, "Good! I told you back then that he'd suffer a terrible death for treating me and my mother like that. Now he truly is." She was excited, and the wounds on her face and body moved with her excitement, appearing somewhat ferocious and terrifying, like small snakes writhing, or gaping, blood-red mouths ready to bite. "How's the mistress?"