Chapter 8

Black With A Hint Of Red, Red With A Hint Of Black, And A Bit Crazy

The ghost official struggled to maintain his composure, his facial muscles twitching slightly.

He knelt on the ground, his cold sweat pooling into a small puddle on the floor.

“Young Master, I… I… The spider demon’s cultivation is too powerful. If I don’t leave, I will surely lose my life! Please, Young Master—”

His voice cut off abruptly.

It was because he suddenly saw the gray mist.

A deep gray mist slowly drifted from his mouth and the collar of his clothes, like smoke being crushed between fingers.

In a panic, he lifted his clothes and discovered a fist-sized hole in his abdomen, where flesh and blood were gone, only ashes drifting out.

In the blink of an eye, the hole widened considerably.

“Young… Young Master, Young Master, please save me!” The ghost official was terrified beyond measure. He crawled toward Chi Shu’s legs, trying to grab his robes. “Young Master, please save me, I was wrong, I know I was wrong!”

Chi Shu remained unmoved.

He stepped aside and called, “Soul Capture Left Officer.”

Pure white ghostly energy slowly rose from the ground, eventually forming into a tall, thin ghost official in white clothes and a white hat. The ghost official had a smiling face and held a soul-binding chain.

“Young Master, what can I do for you?” he asked with a pleasant smile, seemingly in a good mood, not even glancing at Yu Pei and the others.

Chi Shu looked at the two trembling ghost officials and said, “Take him to the Second Hall and have him tortured.”

“No! I won’t go!” The ghost official screamed in horror, his face contorting further. “Young Master, spare me! Please, Young Master, spare me! I was wrong, I know I was wrong!”

The Soul Capture Left Officer stepped forward, smiling and saying, “You’re just a soul, what life is there to spare?”

When he raised the soul-binding chain, the ghost official screamed again, panickedly running backward.

But the Left Officer wasn’t in a hurry. He leisurely swung the chain, then threw it forward—

Before the ghost official could even reach the door, the chain hooked onto his collarbone and dragged him back to the Left Officer’s side.

“Young Master,” the Left Officer glanced at his shattered abdomen, “This ghost has been poisoned by the demon’s venom. Do you wish to treat the injury first, or shall I take him for punishment?”

“No treatment,” Chi Shu replied calmly.

“Understood.” The Soul Capture Left Officer was about to lead the ghost official away when he suddenly stopped, looking at Yu Pei and the others.

As he looked, he suddenly showed a friendly smile and said, “We’ll meet again another day.”

Once he left, Wen Yunhe hesitated before speaking, “Although there aren’t many people in the world who can meet ghost officials alive, this could be considered a strange encounter. But… is it really a good idea to meet him again?”

That “We’ll meet again another day” really did sound like, “You’re about to die.”

The key point is, all of them are in good health, and none of them look like they’re about to die.

Shen Zhongyu laughed from the side: “Even if he’s from the Ghost Realm, he should still observe some manners, right?”

Yu Pei glanced at him, her expression subtle.

This wasn’t about talking about manners, and it was almost certainly directed at him.

Chi Shu dispersed the ghostly energy floating in the room.

“This matter is my fault. The sky is growing late, and the demons in the mountains are moving. Please, everyone, rest here for the night so that you can heal. Tomorrow, I will personally see you off.”

He shifted his gaze toward Zhu Yu.

“You are not a disciple of the Spirit-Taming Sect.”

The three main characters all turned to look at him at once.

That’s right.

This person had been with them the whole way, but they didn’t know his background, not even his name.

“I’m not from any sect. Just call me Zhu Yu.”

Zhu Yu?

Zhu…

Chi Shu calmly assessed him, only remembering something when he saw the coiled dragon jade at his waist.

“Are you from the Zhu family of the Crimson Sea Realm?” he asked.

Zhu Yu likely was.

He was actually from the Dragon Clan.

Chi Shu’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart was surprised.

He had dealt with the Dragon Clan before. This clan had a very high opinion of themselves, rarely interacting with humans. So how did they end up traveling with a few disciples of the Spirit-Taming Sect?

“I understand.” He didn’t ask further, “You stay as well. We’ll descend the mountain tomorrow.”

At night, Yu Pei leaned in front of the candle and opened a palm-sized book, writing the name “Chi Shu” in it.

System: “Your Highness, is it possible that Chi Shu is that reborn person?”

“It should not be.” Yu Pei wrote a question mark next to the name. “I asked Wen Yunhe. He said he could enter the mountain because he was guided by the Day Patrol Officer.”

System analysis: “So, did that reborn person do something that led to the change of the guards at Demon God Mountain from a few random people from the Heavenly Domain to Chi Shu, which then affected the current storyline?”

“Mm.” Yu Pei replied, “It’s a pity that I still can’t find out why Chi Shu came to guard the mountain.”

Chi Shu still had his guard up around her and would never tell her something like this.

“Is it possible that he was reborn, thinking that the soul lamp would revive him, so he volunteered to guard Demon God Mountain?” the system speculated.

“Logically, that makes sense, but you saw it—he doesn’t even recognize ‘Yu Pei.’ Outside of the original storyline, the second female character had no interaction with him either, so the likelihood of him being a suspect in my case is less than 10%.”

System: “But there is still a 10% chance.”

“Because all I know is what’s written in the novel. Maybe they crossed paths outside of the plot.” She had only one chance, so every step had to be taken with great caution. “Furthermore, it’s also possible that he’s acting.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Pei suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

She put down her pen and took out a bottle of medicinal pills from her sleeve, swallowing them with ease.

System, worried, said: “Your Highness, does your head hurt again?”

“Mm.” Yu Pei rubbed her temples. “I used a bit too much spiritual energy today.”

Since she was able to move, she had been practicing with the merpeople.

Her cultivation speed was too fast, and her body couldn’t handle such powerful spiritual energy, so she had to suppress most of it with a spiritual suppressant.

But even with the suppressant, if she used too much, it still led to side effects.

“Your Highness,” the system suddenly called, “The strategy system has released a new mission!”

“That quickly?”

【Congratulations to the strategist for successfully completing the task of the first contact with the monster’s heart. Current accumulated interaction point: 3.】

【Next task: The monster’s power is weakest at the hour of the rat, please use this opportunity to collect a strand of the demonic aura within two quarters of an hour. The countdown will start in 3 seconds.】

Upon hearing this, Yu Pei quickly stood up.

Two quarters of an hour.

She lived in the west courtyard of Demon God Pavilion, and it would take at least five minutes to get to the Stone Pavilion.

Time was tight.

Summoning Shui Wu wouldn’t work now.

Although in its white mist form, she could sneak into the Stone Pavilion, she wouldn’t be able to collect the demonic aura.

Yu Pei packed up the book and gazed out at the deep, dark night.

Sneaking into the Stone Pavilion wasn’t the problem.

The pressure around the Stone Pavilion was strong, but she could still withstand it. As long as she added one more suppressant, no one would notice her spiritual energy.

The problem was with that little furball.

It was too noisy, and Chi Shu lived near the Stone Pavilion. If there was any disturbance inside the pavilion, it would inevitably catch his attention.

Yu Pei was pondering how to get Chi Shu out of the way when someone knocked on the door.

The sound was muffled, mixed with the eerie howling wind, nearly scaring her out of her wits.

She opened the door to find—

Zhu Yu was standing there, his height almost a head taller than her, blocking the door completely.

The young man’s eyes were full of laughter, like a spark of fire in the dark night—bright and unruly.

What a surprise!

She thought it was a ghost.

Yu Pei raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “What are you here for?”

Her tone wasn’t bad—she still remembered how Long Jun had scolded her, but she knew Zhu Yu was Zhu Yu, and his father was his father. She wouldn’t take her frustration with his father out on him.

As long as he wasn’t like his father and opposed humanity, they could still be considered friends.

“I’m here to find you.” Zhu Yu replied.

“Find me?” Yu Pei became alert. “Find me for what?”

“Shui Wu said you had someone tied up,” Zhu Yu said plainly. He leaned against the door, his ponytail resting on his right shoulder, slightly lifted like the tip of a crescent moon.

“Tied someone up?”

Yu Pei stared at the crescent-shaped ponytail, unable to stop herself from laughing. “Shui Wu is usually clueless, and you believe what it says?”

“Even if nine out of ten things it says are unreliable, I still fear that one sentence might be true.” Zhu Yu bent his back slightly, teasing her. “—So why did you come to Demon God Mountain, wearing a false face? Could it be that you’re the bandit causing harm on the mountain, afraid someone will recognize you?”

“Yes.” Yu Pei gave him a sideways glance. “If I were a bandit, I would have started with you.”

Zhu Yu chuckled. “Looks like you’ve made some progress on your trip, now you’ve got the courage to rob and kill.”

Yu Pei had initially planned to retort that he didn’t have anything worth robbing, but then she suddenly thought of something.

“Zhu Yu, do you know Chi Shu, the one guarding the mountain?”

Earlier in the day, Chi Shu had guessed his background as soon as he mentioned his name. It seemed like he knew he came from the dragon clan.

Zhu Yu had known her for many years, and it was often the case that as soon as she thought of something, he would already know that she had “something on her mind.”

He crossed his arms, leaning against the door. “What do you want me to do?”

“Help me keep him busy, it would be best if you could get him to sit in your room.” Yu Pei took two mermaid pearls from her sleeve and handed them to him. “If it works, these are for you.”

For her to offer two mermaid pearls meant it was a big deal—at least bigger than the marriage blocking matter.

Zhu Yu didn’t take them. “Put it on the tab, and we’ll talk about it when it’s done.”

Seeing that he agreed without hesitation, Yu Pei asked, “Aren’t you going to ask what I need it for?”

“Do you have time to explain now?”

Yu Pei shook her head and locked the door behind her.

Time was tight, the sooner she could get to the Stone Pavilion, the better.

“Then it’s settled,” Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow. “If it’s hard to explain now, we’ll talk later.”

Yu Pei thought to herself that if she did explain, she’d probably scare him to death.

Who would believe that she was going to capture the heart of a monster?

“One more thing,” she asked with concern, “You won’t tell my father, will you?—that I came to Demon God Mountain?”

Her father had agreed to let her travel, but he would never approve of her getting close to Demon God Mountain.

Zhu Yu asked in return, “Am I on good terms with him, or are you my friend?”

Yu Pei wasn’t buying it. She quickly passed him, leaping up two steps, then turned around to look at him.

“You swear!”

Zhu Yu suddenly stopped.

They were standing very close, and he could almost see himself reflected in her eyes.

She had changed her appearance, but those eyes hadn’t changed much.

Bright, calm, and holding an ambition she herself wasn’t even aware of.

That ambition was like a flame rising uncontrollably, making his heart tremble.

A strange emotion surged through him, blocking his breath and making it harder to breathe—this wasn’t the first time it had happened, but he still hadn’t figured out why.

Yu Pei patiently waited for his response.

After a moment, Zhu Yu replied quietly, “I swear.”

Like his appearance, the young man’s aura was also bold and burning, like a valley full of blooming day lilies, golden and clustered around him, impossible to ignore.

“Then it’s settled!” Yu Pei grabbed his hand and high-fived him to seal the deal.

Together, they went near Chi Shu’s quarters. Yu Pei hid in the shadows, and not long after, she saw Zhu Yu and Chi Shu walk out of the quarters, one after the other.

Once they were far enough away, she held her breath and slipped into the Stone Pavilion.

At the entrance, she saw the furry mass from a distance.

“That thing,” Yu Pei scratched her cheek. “Isn’t that furry ball a bit off?”

System: “What’s wrong?”

“Well…” Yu Pei searched for the right words, “It’s black with hints of red, and red with hints of black, and it’s acting a bit crazy.”

She wasn’t joking.

That furry mass was glowing with a reddish tint, and it kept hopping wildly inside the formation—acting like it had lost its mind.