Chapter 38: Three Strikes

On Han Luo’s end, silence ensued. Cheng Shan anxiously waited for a response; her eyebrows furrowed, and the flowers on her forehead flickered. The female ghost immediately understood that Cheng Shan’s consciousness had entered her sea of knowledge and waited quietly.

After a while, Han Luo spoke with a decisive tone, “No.”

“Why?” Cheng Shan was puzzled. “You haven’t even asked what I want to do.”

Han Luo said, “It’s not hard to guess what you’re thinking. You just want to use my name to gather demons. I don’t object to you rescuing your mother, and I won’t say much if you want to rally the demons and attack the Thick Virtue Palace. But remember, you can’t use my name, absolutely not.”

Cheng Shan was extremely frustrated. After a moment of contemplation, she asked, “Are you afraid of the Ghost Emperor?”

Han Luo showed no response to such an obvious attempt to provoke him. He calmly said, “In the world, things aren’t just about fear or not. Forget it; I can’t explain it to you.”

Suppressing her disappointment, Cheng Shan, with a thick-skinned face, smiled as if nothing had happened. “Well, since you’re not helping, why throw cold water on me?”

After a long silence, Han Luo spoke again, his tone slightly eased, and the words surprised Cheng Shan: “If you can truly see the Ghost Emperor, you should address him as ‘Master.'”

Cheng Shan was stunned for a while, not very surprised, as she had vaguely guessed it before. Han Luo confirmed it unexpectedly. Cheng Shan couldn’t regard the old monster who abducted her mother as her “master” and found it hard to show respect. In her heart, she thought, I won’t call him that. But it seemed that Han Luo could read her mind. He smiled bitterly. “But he doesn’t recognize me, so he probably won’t acknowledge you even if you call him that.”

Cheng Shan listened to his words filled with a sense of melancholy and couldn’t help but ask, “Master, is there a hidden reason for the events two hundred years ago, or do you have your own difficulties?”

“Not important,” Han Luo whispered. “But since I’ve returned to the netherworld, I have to see him first. But before I meet him, don’t cause trouble for me.”

“Oh,” Cheng Shan sighed, no longer insisting.

A feasible plan lost its hope, and Cheng Shan fell into contemplation for a moment. Soon, the female ghost, who had been waiting by the side for a long time, couldn’t help but ask, “Can you talk to the Lord? How is he now?”

Cheng Shan replied irritably, “He’s fine, very fine.”

A female ghost sensed something amiss and asked, “What were you talking about?”

“Nothing.” Cheng Shan patted the seat, stood up, and paced back and forth. After a while, she regained her spirits, muttering to herself, “Losing a banner is no big deal.” Cheng Shan recalled Han Luo’s words. He just disagreed with her using his title. He seemed to take a non-interfering and neutral stance on what she wanted to do. That was enough for her.

Thinking about this, Cheng Shan’s mood immediately improved. With a confident expression, she said to the female ghost, seemingly speaking to herself, “Without him, what’s the big deal? Can’t Cheng Shan make it on her own?”

“Without who?” a voice came from outside the pavilion. Cheng Shan quickly looked at the female ghost beside her, only to find that the female ghost had completely disappeared.

Outside the pavilion, Hong Ying held a lacquered box emitting hot steam, silently standing outside the bamboo curtain and looking at Cheng Shan. Cheng Shan didn’t know if he could sense a female ghost’s presence. Feeling uneasy, she looked at Hong Ying beside her. When Cheng Shan hesitated to answer, Hong Ying asked again, “Who were you talking to just now?”

Cheng Shan smiled and said, “Nobody; I was just bored.”

Hong Ying glanced into the pavilion indifferently, placed the food box inside, arranged the dishes on the table, and then picked up the box to leave. Cheng Shan quickly stopped him, saying, “Um, let’s eat together.”

Hong Ying stopped, turned inexplicably, and said quietly, “I don’t need these things.”

“Oh,” Cheng Shan sat down, pointing to the opposite chair, “then, accompany me to eat. I’m not used to this quietness.”

Hong Ying frowned slightly. “What about the two maids left by Elder Niu?”

Cheng Shan secretly stuck out her tongue. Elder Niu did leave her two maids—two rabbit spirits. However, Cheng Shan was a bit scared at the thought of staying in the same room with demon people. So, she casually found an excuse and sent the two girls away.

Cheng Shan couldn’t explain why she dared not keep the rabbit spirits but dared to keep Hong Ying. When questioned, Cheng Shan, caught off guard, was stared at by Hong Ying. Seeing her hesitate for a while without giving a reason, Cheng Shan felt a bit embarrassed. Hong Ying said nothing and stared at her. Seeing her at a loss for words, he sat down in front of her without saying a word.

Cheng Shan smiled, not in a hurry to pick up her chopsticks. She asked as if chatting, “You used to live in the Ghost City and ignore worldly matters. Now that you’ve come to the Tiger and Wolf City, do you have any plans?”

“Hmm,” Hong Ying had a knowingly asking expression, “Aren’t I following you?”

Cheng Shan was stunned and laughed. “How did you end up following me? I thought you were following Lord Yang Tazai.”

Hong Ying said, “Why would I follow him?”

Cheng Shan asked, “Then why are you following me?”

Hong Ying lowered his eyes, with a somewhat desolate expression. “Originally, I thought that if I couldn’t revive my master, following the princess would be the same. It’s just…” Hong Ying’s gaze fell directly on Cheng Shan’s face, disappointment overflowing in his expression. “You’re not like her. Whether you are the reincarnation of the princess or not, there will never be another Princess Yun Luo in this world.”

Cheng Shan shrugged. “That’s for sure.”

Hong Ying sighed lightly, saying, “Both the master and the princess are gone. Can I ask you for one thing?”

Cheng Shan’s eyes lit up, nodding eagerly, “Tell me.”

Hong Ying seriously and solemnly said, “Be kind to Zidian.”

Cheng Shan touched her nose, looking puzzled. “So, please enlighten me. How does one be ‘kind’ to a bow?”

Hong Ying said, “Zidian originally had a great chance to become a soul weapon. However, later, probably because the princess traveled through the three realms and had no intention of practicing, Zidian has never been able to reach its full potential. As long as you communicate with it when practicing, and when you reach a certain level, Zidian’s emergence will be a matter of course.”

Cheng Shan felt excited to hear this. I thought that if Zidian could become as powerful as Hong Ying and obedient to her, it would be a great boon. Moreover, Yang Tazai had said that Hong Ying was the only soul weapon in the world today. Cheng Shan, observing his expressionless face at the moment, sensed a touch of loneliness in him. If she could refine Zidian into a soul weapon, there would be no need to deliberately win him over; Hong Ying would naturally become one of her people. Thinking of this, Cheng Shan couldn’t help but be radiant, patting her chest and saying, “Count on me!”