Their gazes met. Suddenly, Le Gui became much smarter. “A few days ago, I was just a little too curious and could not resist touching it. I had no intention of coveting Your Lordship’s treasure. You saw that I put it back right away, did you not? There is no need to test me. Besides, even if you gave it to me, it would be useless. I am just a mortal. I would not know how to—”

“Wuliangdu is sealed with a restriction,” Di Jiang interrupted unhurriedly. “Only by becoming my Daoist partner and engraving my imprint onto your soul can you use it. Right now, you are not my Daoist partner, so it’s only natural that you can’t use it.”

Le Gui: “…So, Your Lordship is saying that not only are you giving me Wuliangdu, but you also intend to make me the mistress of Cangqiong Palace?”

Di Jiang studied her for a moment before curving his lips into a smile. “Yes.”

Le Gui fell into stunned silence.

The windows and doors of the sleeping chamber were tightly shut. No moonlight seeped in, yet the water still rippled with reflections of distant mountains.

A long moment passed.

Then, without warning, Le Gui leaped off his lap, sending water splashing everywhere.

With the resistance of the water, she accidentally tumbled and landed on the bottom of the pool. She scrambled up in a panic, rolling and crawling her way to the edge before finally climbing out, dripping wet.

“Whoever you are, get out of Your Lordship’s body right now!”

Di Jiang: “…”

“I—I am warning you,” Le Gui stammered, her voice shaking with vigilance. “The man you are possessing is not easy to mess with. If he realizes you have taken over his body, he will surely obliterate you until not even dust remains!”

She kept an eye on the door, ready to bolt at any moment.

Di Jiang remained silent for a long while before finally admitting that she truly believed he had been possessed and was not just playing dumb.

In all his millennia of existence, this was the first time he had encountered someone so earnestly deserving of a good beating. He languidly lifted his gaze and, for once, spoke with genuine sincerity.

“Are you courting death?”

Le Gui: “…”

“Come back here.” His Lordship’s expression was kind and benevolent.

[It seems… he really wasn’t possessed by a ghost.]

Le Gui swallowed hard and slowly returned to the pool.

“…Your Lordship, you really should put a bed in here. Sleeping in the water all the time must cause a lot of dampness.” She subtly tried to change the topic.

Di Jiang stared at her in silence.

[Hmm, topic change failed.]

Le Gui hesitated, inching closer bit by bit. Seeing that he still didn’t react, she thought for a moment and then sat back on his lap.

Di Jiang: “…”

“Your Lordship, do you really want to marry me?” Her eyes sparkled.

Di Jiang: “Yes.”

“That’s great! I will definitely treat you well from now on!” Le Gui promised sincerely.

Di Jiang: “But first, you need to do something for me.”

Le Gui: “I refuse.”

Di Jiang: “…”

[Ha! I knew it! He’s dangling the queen’s title like bait—definitely trying to trick me.]

Le Gui gave him an innocent, harmless smile.

Di Jiang stared at her for a long time, then slowly curled his lips into a smirk. As his expression shifted, so did his hands—long, pale fingers easily encircling her neck. A little more pressure, and…

“I was just joking, Your Lordship! Tell me, what do you need me to do? I will—” Le Gui originally wanted to say, ‘I will risk my life without hesitation,’ but considering that his thought process wasn’t exactly normal, if she said that, he might actually make her risk her life. “I will… be extremely careful and do my best to complete the task.”

Knowing when to adapt is an admirable virtue. Satisfied, Di Jiang let go of her neck, his arms lazily resting on the edge of the pool.

Le Gui tugged at his collar with a fawning expression. “Your Lordship, what exactly do you want me to do?”

“It’s nothing too major.” He snapped his fingers, and the water temperature rose slightly, making Le Gui arch her back in comfort. “Have you heard of the Three Realms Trial Tournament?”

“Yes.” Le Gui nodded honestly.

The Three Realms Trial Tournament was held once every thousand years, where the most outstanding disciples from all three realms competed. The tournament allowed participants to learn from one another, refine their skills, and improve their cultivation. Beyond that, the winners received generous rewards from various celestial sects and deities.

Di Jiang had been about to explain, but when she answered so quickly, he glanced at her in surprise. “You’re just a mortal, yet you know quite a lot.”

Le Gui smiled humbly but thought arrogantly: [I’m a transmigrator! Transmigrators know everything!]

Di Jiang looked at her calmly. “You’re going to participate.”

Le Gui: “…What?”

“Mm.”

“…”

The night was dark, mist swirling thickly.

After a long silence, Le Gui carefully reminded him, “Even though it’s called the Three Realms Trial Tournament, the Demon Realm hasn’t participated since the very first one.”

“Well, now it will.” Di Jiang replied nonchalantly.

Le Gui: “…All the participants are the best cultivators from the immortal and mortal realms. I’m just a mortal.”

“If you win first place, you’ll be my queen.” Di Jiang remained calm.

[What a huge trap… So not only do I have to participate, but I have to win first place?!]

His demand was so absurd that Le Gui nearly laughed. She said nothing, simply got up and walked out of the pool.

“Where are you going?” Di Jiang’s tone was casual.

Le Gui: “Back to the front hall, to live happily ever after with the little ghost girl.”

[A vengeful ghost is nothing compared to a living King of Hell.]

“How about I dig out your eyes, drive dozens of soul-locking nails into you, and make you look just like her?” Di Jiang seemed to be asking for her opinion.

Le Gui turned back immediately and, for the third time, sat on his lap. She looked at him curiously. “Your Lordship, have you seen that ghost?”

“Don’t change the subject.” Di Jiang saw through her trick at once.

Le Gui immediately put on a miserable expression. “Your Lordship! Sending me to the Three Realms Trial Tournament is no different from sending me to my death! If I die, who will keep you company in the pool and chat with you?”

Di Jiang: “I won’t let you die.”

Le Gui’s wailing instantly quieted.

Di Jiang: “And I will make sure you take first place.”

Le Gui’s voice dropped another octave as she stared at him in disbelief.

Di Jiang: “After you win, I’ll make you my queen.”

Le Gui: “…”

“Will you go?” Di Jiang asked.

Le Gui: “I’ll go!”

She answered so quickly that even she felt guilty, as if she really was coveting the queen’s position. She cleared her throat and asked, “Your Lordship, why did you suddenly decide to participate in the tournament this year? And why send a mortal like me?”

“Nothing much, just wanted to change the rules a bit.” Di Jiang said playfully.

Looking at his narrow, sharp eyes, Le Gui couldn’t help but rub her arms. …So scary.

That night, Le Gui fell asleep in the pool. When she woke up early in the morning, she instinctively turned over—only to slide into the water. She flailed wildly for a moment before barely managing to sit up. Looking around the vast palace, she realized Di Jiang was nowhere to be seen.

She had to admit, the mother spring of the Wanghuan Pool was impressive. She had soaked all night, yet she didn’t feel bloated—on the contrary, she felt refreshed. …It was just waking up alone that was terrifying. Leaping out of the pool, she ran off at full speed.

Di Jiang wasn’t in the front hall either. A few ghostly creatures were huddled together, singing in strange, off-key voices. Ignoring them, Le Gui rushed over to the Seer Mirror, where the flower was still pinned to it. After a whole night, it looked a bit wilted.

Le Gui licked his dry lips and stared at the bellflower in the mirror, asking, “Did you see anything last night?”

The bellflower swayed its leaves within the cracked mirror and replied, “What was I supposed to see?”

“For example…” Le Gui glanced around warily, confirming that the sun was high in the sky before lowering her voice. “A little ghost girl covered in blood.”

The bellflower suddenly stopped swaying its leaves. “You saw her?”

“…What do you mean? You know who I’m talking about?” Le Gui tensed up even more.

The bellflower remained silent for a long moment before speaking in a hoarse and low voice. “Run for your life.”

“What do you mean?” Le Gui was stunned.

The Seer Mirror’s tone grew even graver. “She is a vengeful ghost that has survived for over ten thousand years. It is said that anyone who sees her will be strangled to death by her hair. You were lucky to survive yesterday. That does not mean you will today. If you run now, you might still have a chance to live.”

Le Gui’s pupils trembled. “W-why have I never heard about this thing lurking in the palace before?”

“You never asked,” The bellflower said matter-of-factly.

Le Gui hesitated. “But—”

“Ah!” The Seer Mirror suddenly screamed.

Le Gui clutched her head and screamed too. “Ahhh!!”

Di Jiang, who had just stepped into the hall, halted with a frown. “What are you two shrieking about?”

Her pillar of support had arrived. Le Gui flung herself into his arms, looking up at him with teary eyes. “Your Lordship, save me!”

Di Jiang raised his gaze to the Seer Mirror.

“It was just a joke,” The bellflower spread its leaves. “She actually believed it.”

“…What?” Le Gui was still trying to process.

Di Jiang pried her off him. “We leave in an hour.”

“Where— Oh, the trial tournament. We are leaving already?” Le Gui finally caught on. She glanced outside at the bright sun and, relieved to be free from the fear lingering in her mind, nodded. “Leaving early is good. The farther from that ghost, the better. I’ll go say goodbye to Juzi.”

With that, she bolted out of the hall. In her haste, she almost tripped over the threshold.

“She was not very bright to begin with. You just made her even dumber,” Di Jiang remarked, his tone unreadable.

The Seer Mirror said innocently. “Who knew she would fear a ghost more than she fears you?”A quiet chuckle escaped Di Jiang’s throat.