Chapter 31: Who to Choose

Shaoyou helped Liu Shuang up: “Are you alright?”

Liu Shuang shook her head: “What’s wrong with him?”

Shaoyou glanced at her, feeling somewhat amused. He didn’t want to pry into others’ affairs, so he simply said, “I don’t know.” He had known earlier that the young master of the Chishui clan had a fiery temper and wasn’t one for deep schemes. Now, seeing her so naive and clueless about matters of the heart, no longer as domineering as before, and looking utterly bewildered after being thrown down, he found her somewhat innocent and endearing.

Liu Shuang patted her skirt and said, “Never mind him, let’s focus on our task. By the way, this is the Ghost Realm. I told you earlier that we could find your mother’s remnant soul here, and I wasn’t lying. I happened to learn that her remnant soul is in the Ghost King’s tomb.”

Shaoyou nodded, observing her. Seeing that she didn’t seem to be lying, the smile in his eyes faded, and he seemed lost in thought. Being considerate by nature, he didn’t ask Liu Shuang how she had come to know this.

Everyone has their own secrets. Even if she were deceiving him today, as long as there was a glimmer of hope to find his mother’s soul, he knew he would still come.

He had to ask her why she had abandoned him and his father without a word.

Since gaining his abilities, he had searched for her across the Eight Desolates, even though his father had scolded him and forbade him from continuing the search, calling her a traitor to their clan, a scandal. Yet, he never gave up.

Shaoyou couldn’t believe that the gentle and strong mother from his memories would betray his father and their clan.

Liu Shuang understood that his mother was a sensitive topic for him, so she didn’t press further and instead surveyed their surroundings.

A towering black stele stood before them.

Liu Shuang softly read the inscription: “The City of Unforgetting.”

These words, along with the oppressive and gloomy sky of the Ghost Realm, suddenly triggered memories from her past life.

She remembered living in the Ghost Realm for a long time, but she had only traveled between the Ghost King’s palace and Mount QingCang, never venturing to the City of Unforgetting.

Yan Chaosheng hadn’t forbidden her from coming here. He knew that with her timid nature, she wouldn’t dare to venture into such a place.

Once, Liu Shuang had learned from Lord Su Lun that becoming the Ghost King came with a price: after death, one would not enter the cycle of reincarnation. Instead, the soul would dissipate and return to the City of Unforgetting, forever suppressing the Ghost Realm.

Upon hearing this, Liu Shuang had thought that Yan Chaosheng’s final fate would be the same—having this life but no next, doomed to forever guard a city alone, turning into ghostly energy and becoming the spiritual vein of the Ghost Realm.

She had cried until her eyes were red, saying that if her husband’s soul were to dissipate, she would follow him, not letting him be alone for eternity.

At that time, Yan Chaosheng had been amusedly peeling longans beside her, watching her spin her sorrowful tale. Hearing her words, he paused and stuffed a longan into her mouth, saying, “Shut up, why are you crying? I have a demon body, not a true ghost soul, so I will reincarnate. I don’t need you to join me in death.”

These memories flashed through her mind, but the feelings from that time were now hazy. Without a heart, even her fear had vanished. She could no longer recall how terrified she had once been of the Ghost Realm.

Looking back at Yan Chaosheng, she saw that he had already passed through the stele of the City of Unforgetting and was heading inside.

Beside the stele were vast stretches of withered trees with silver flowers, their brown trunks and glistening silver blossoms strikingly beautiful.

Liu Shuang suddenly realized something and quickly warned Shaoyou: “Be careful, don’t touch these trees.”

As Shaoyou walked under the trees, the beautiful silver flowers revealed their sharp, cold teeth. With a wave of his hand, a surge of immortal energy swept past, and the flowers closed their fangs.

Liu Shuang sighed in relief and said seriously, “They devour souls.”

Shaoyou had read about these in ancient texts, but he didn’t take them lightly and still thanked her politely, “Thank you for the reminder, Lady Chishui.”

The withered trees of the Ghost Realm weren’t truly dead; they were ghostly energy taking the form of trees. If one got too close, they would melt into a swamp-like state, devouring people and extracting their souls. The silver flowers were their mouthparts for feeding on souls.

The Ghost Realm was perpetually barren and terrifying, with nothing beautiful about it. The most beautiful flowers in the Ghost Realm were perhaps these vast stretches of silver blossoms, but even they, beneath their beauty, were chilling.

Liu Shuang couldn’t understand how she had lived in such a place for nearly a hundred years in her past life.

The outside world was so beautiful; how foolish she had been.

Seeing that Yan Chaosheng had already disappeared from sight, Liu Shuang felt a secret delight. If something happened to Yan Chaosheng in the Ghost Realm, she wouldn’t have to rack her brains to eliminate this future calamity for Kong Sang.

Passing through the stele, they were suddenly confronted with a sky full of drifting souls.

The pure immortal energy emanating from Liu Shuang and Shaoyou instantly became a coveted treasure. A bold little ghost rushed towards Liu Shuang, trying to bite her.

Shaoyou’s eyes turned cold, and with a twist of his hand, a white immortal sword appeared, humming softly. The little ghost collided with the sword and screamed as it dissipated.

Seeing Liu Shuang looking at him, her eyes reflecting the menacing ghosts of the Ghost Realm, she stood still, seemingly frightened by the approaching specters.

Shaoyou remembered that this “former fiancée” was a fragile little thing and sighed inwardly.

No matter where this young lady of the Chishui clan had learned about his search for a soul, or whether she had ulterior motives, she was only three hundred years old—just a fraction of his age.

This marriage couldn’t be blamed for her fear and rejection, leading her to act as she had. Even Shaoyou himself had felt quite helpless when he learned that forming an alliance with Kong Sang required marrying such a young fairy.

Previously, when she had humiliated him at his doorstep, he had indeed been angered.

She had quite the knack for it. For Shaoyou, the matter of the marriage alliance was neither here nor there, given his calm and indifferent nature, but she had managed to provoke him greatly. Anyone being rejected, forced to break off an engagement, and then told they would be cuckolded daily would find it hard to maintain their composure.

Thus, when she came to visit again, Shaoyou, though without any desire for revenge, didn’t feel like engaging with her and left her coldly at Kunlun.

But now, seeing her standing behind him, seemingly wronged, just a little taller than his shoulder, and having used the Illusion Pearl to alter her appearance, Shaoyou’s heart softened.

Enough, what was wrong with him? He wasn’t one to hold grudges; why bother with a little girl? Even if she had some bad intentions, she couldn’t harm him.

“Don’t be afraid, stay behind me.”

He expected Liu Shuang to come closer in fear, but instead, she chanted an immortal incantation, and a crimson pearl umbrella spun down from the sky. She stood on tiptoe to hold the umbrella, shielding him completely, and said earnestly, “I’m not afraid. I brought you here, and I will protect you well, Young Master Jimo.”

He was taken aback and smiled, “Alright.”

She spoke so confidently, truly like a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger.

Shaoyou’s fingers moved slightly, secretly strengthening the immortal energy of Liu Shuang’s crimson pearl umbrella. As the golden light enveloped them, there was no need to deliberately fend off the little ghosts; all evil spirits retreated.

As Liu Shuang walked towards the city, she felt strange. Huh, when had the crimson pearl umbrella become so powerful in her hands?

She looked suspiciously at Shaoyou. The immortal lord carried his sword with a calm demeanor, as if this were not the Ghost Realm but his Kunlun.

Yan Chaosheng had walked for a while, expecting Liu Shuang to catch up.

But after a long time, there was still no one behind him. He began to hesitate—could it be that he had walked too fast, and she couldn’t keep up?

He slowed his pace, but after a while, there was still no one behind him.

Meanwhile, his demon eyes detected danger ahead, involuntarily turning silver. Yan Chaosheng narrowed his eyes. The seemingly empty valley before him appeared as a pitch-black hell, filled with the wails of countless ghosts, demanding lives. The path ahead had turned into a stage, with countless scenes of love, hate, and separation playing out.

Someone was crying their heart out while holding their child, someone was lying sick on their deathbed, and there was even the pain of a woman giving birth, abandoned by her husband…

These images suddenly flooded his vision. Yan Chaosheng’s silver pupils contracted, and he frowned.

He must not go forward.

His demon eyes had always been different from other demons’, and it was thanks to these silver eyes that he had repeatedly avoided danger and survived.

What he could see, Chishui Liu Shuang and Jimo Shaoyou might not.

Yan Chaosheng turned back with a cold expression. He told himself that he was returning to warn her, not because he was afraid something might happen to her, but because if she died, who would he go to for the six hundred years of cultivation he had lost?

But then he suddenly saw this scene.

Under the blood-red sky of the Ghost Realm, the girl stood on tiptoe, holding an umbrella for the immortal lord.

Yan Chaosheng clenched his fists and sneered. He shouldn’t be surprised; she had once protected herself with the crimson pearl umbrella in front of Bi Xun, so naturally, she could do the same for Jimo Shaoyou.

Especially now that she had a favor to ask of Jimo Shaoyou.

A wave of disgust rose in Yan Chaosheng’s heart, though he wasn’t sure if it was directed at Liu Shuang or his former self.

Yan Chaosheng thought that he shouldn’t have grabbed her at the last moment and followed her to this godforsaken place. He should have let her and Jimo Shaoyou fend for themselves here. He needed to find a way back.

They were here to search for a soul; what was he doing here?

He ignored the faint irritation in his heart and turned to leave. His anger towards her even made him not want to warn them against moving forward.

On his way back to find her, he had figured it out: ahead was the legendary Valley of Eight Sufferings.

It appeared peaceful, like the human world, but one had to endure eight sufferings, lose a layer of skin, and perhaps all one’s cultivation to get out.

Who would have thought that the Valley of Eight Sufferings, which only existed in ancient legends, was actually in the City of Unforgetting in the Ghost Realm? No wonder, as the place where the souls of past Ghost Kings returned and the lifeblood of the Ghost Realm, there was no one guarding it. It was a trap, luring people in with its apparent peace, only to devour them as nourishment.

Yan Chaosheng coldly turned and walked away, his fists clenched. After a few dozen steps, he turned back and strode towards Liu Shuang.

Perhaps because of his cold expression and the grim look on his face, she looked at him in surprise: “Why are you still here?”

Yan Chaosheng nearly laughed in exasperation.

Yes, he also wanted to know why he was still in this godforsaken place and hadn’t just left!

“Do you really have to go to the Ghost King’s tomb? Even if there’s the Valley of Eight Sufferings ahead?”

Liu Shuang looked at Shaoyou, who remained silent for a moment before saying, “Yes.”

Shaoyou said, “Lady Chishui, I am already grateful for the information you’ve provided. Since the road ahead is dangerous, you should return to Kunlun and not accompany me further.”

Yan Chaosheng sneered inwardly and said impatiently to Liu Shuang, “Young Master, if you trust me, leave with me now. If you trust him to protect you, then continue forward with him.”

“Of course…”

Yan Chaosheng stared at her, not even knowing what answer he was hoping for in this moment.

Liu Shuang continued confidently, “I’ll go with Shaoyou.”

“Good, very good.” Yan Chaosheng smiled, though his smile was bright and carefree, inside he felt a surge of anger rising. He shouldn’t have come back to ask this question and humiliate himself.

She didn’t care much about him; now it seemed she only cared about her own appearance and Jimo Shaoyou.

Yan Chaosheng said coldly, “I wish you both good luck.” With that, he turned and left.

The three of them went their separate ways. Yan Chaosheng walked back along the River of Nether Fire. He looked back at the stele of the City of Unforgetting, where vast stretches of silver flowers bloomed.

They were beautiful, and they would also be the burial place of those two.

His body felt empty, missing the six hundred years of cultivation he had lost. The young master of Kong Sang was truly the greatest calamity he had ever encountered in his life. Now, not only was there no profit, he couldn’t even recover his original investment.

Yan Chaosheng closed his eyes, enduring the pain of the Nether Fire burning his feet, and gritted his teeth as he walked away.

She wanted to seek death herself; why should he stop her?

He wasn’t a good person to begin with; he should have been like before, smiling and watching the show.

Yan Chaosheng took step after step on his way back, but his heart felt emptier and emptier. When he had come carrying her, he hadn’t felt much pain, but now, walking back alone, the Nether Fire burned so painfully that he could hardly bear it.

For some reason, he remembered that day when dealing with Bi Xun. He had initially thought it amusing, thinking that most high and mighty fairies were selfish and cold, but she had taken out her Qiankun Bag, carefully tugging at his sleeve, looking foolish yet endearing.

He had never told her that night in the Myriad Souls Tomb, when he had abandoned his own soul, thinking he would become a monster, neither human nor ghost, he had actually been suppressing his fear. It was her warmth that had allowed him to endure and not fall into becoming a ghost cultivator. At dawn, when she had fallen pale into his arms, it was the first time he had instinctively embraced someone.

The River of Nether Fire blazed beneath his feet. Yan Chaosheng pursed his lips and did not look back.