Chapter 43 (Part 1) – Choice

Rong Shang wasn’t wrong. The others tolerated him because they feared him.

Yuzhengzheng was no different.

She knew her place. She couldn’t defeat him, let alone harm him. He, on the other hand, could kill her as easily as squashing an ant.

To survive, she had no choice but to placate him carefully.

But if he lost his power, he’d be no different from her. There’d be no need to respect or fear him anymore.

Even though she couldn’t defeat him, Hengwu could. Xiao Yuqing could.

Countless beings across the six realms had suffered under the Ghost King’s cruelty. Who wouldn’t want him dead?

If he died, the chain binding her would lose its effect, and she’d no longer have to fear being hunted because of him.

If he died, once they escaped the formation, she could seek the South Sea’s Seventh Prince for an antidote.

If he died, she wouldn’t be forced to return to Guixu Mountain. She could live wherever she pleased, free from chains and oppression.

Everything would resolve itself. She’d no longer live in constant fear for her life.

She and Rong Shang locked eyes.

His expression seemed calm, as though he already knew what she was about to do.

But so what if he knew?

When he slaughtered indiscriminately, making enemies everywhere, he should have anticipated the day he’d be ensnared by his own deeds.

Her lips curved into a cold smile. “He…”

She stopped mid-sentence.

Lowering her gaze, she caught sight of his bloodied feet.

He had asked if she feared pain.

She thought it was a casual question, never imagining he’d carry her across the river because of her fear.

In the eyes of the world, the Ghost King was heartless, ruthless, and unfeeling—a merciless killer. She herself had seen him that way not long ago.

But now, he seemed different.

When her body was wracked with poison, he had helped ease her pain.

When she asked him to kiss her in the forest, when she pleaded for Shanshui to be married to Hengwu, he had agreed without hesitation.

Even when faced with the possibility of awakening the Queen, he had entrusted her with the decision, knowing full well what she might ask.

He still appeared to be the same cold, cruel Ghost King, yet something about him had changed.

Hengwu, puzzled, glanced at her with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. “What about him?”

Yuzhengzheng lowered her head and resumed her task. “His legs are paler than yours.”

Hengwu: “…”

Rong Shang instinctively looked up at her, his gaze startled.

She didn’t tell Hengwu Xianjun?

Why didn’t she say anything?

His lips parted slightly. “You—”

Yu Zhengzheng cut him off. “Don’t do that again. I was just casually saying I wanted to be carried over the river, and you actually took it seriously?”

Rong Shang fell silent. After a long pause, he finally replied softly, “Mm.”

She muttered a few more complaints, sometimes criticizing him for not straightening his leg, other times grumbling about his bones being too stiff. Her face was full of reluctance, as if applying medicine was a task she had been forced to do.

Yet her hands never stopped. Her soft fingertips gently applied the ointment, careful not to use too much pressure lest she hurt him.

He stared at her, momentarily lost in thought, a faint sense of contentment inexplicably welling up within him.

Her hands were warm—something he had never felt before.

Hengwu Xianjun glanced at them and scoffed. “Nagging like an old granny. I’m surprised you can put up with it.”

His words carried an unmistakable tinge of jealousy. Yu Zhengzheng rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond.

What, just because Shan Shui didn’t apply medicine for him, he had to sulk like this?

To Rong Shang’s surprise, a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. For once, he didn’t retort. “She is a bit naggy.”

Hearing this, Yu Zhengzheng pressed her fingers a bit harder on his leg. “How am I naggy?”

A sudden sting made him furrow his brow and inhale sharply. “Gu meant the Immortal  is too noisy, like a green-headed fly disrupting the peace.”

Hengwu Xianjun: “…”
You’re the fly. Your whole family’s flies!

He nearly cursed aloud but swallowed his words. With a derisive laugh, he retorted, “A man afraid of women isn’t a real man. If Shan Shui were here, she’d do whatever I said without daring to argue.”

His bamboo cane had been damaged by the piranhas, so Shan Shui had gone off to find wood to make a new one for him.

Since she wasn’t around, he decided to indulge himself, taking this chance to lecture Rong Shang on what it meant to be a real man.

Yu Zhengzheng gave him a side glance and waved behind him. “Shan Shui, you heard all that, right?”

Hengwu Xianjun froze, his body stiffening. He turned his head nervously, hastily explaining, “Shan Shui, I didn’t mean it like that. From now on, whatever you say goes—I’ll listen to you…”

His voice trailed off when he saw nothing but empty grass behind him.

There was no Shan Shui. Yu Zhengzheng had fooled him.

Hengwu Xianjun took a deep breath, holding back for a long moment before spitting out four words: “Birds of a feather.”

Proximity to red makes you red; proximity to black makes you black. Clearly, Yu Zhengzheng was as bad as Rong Shang, both of them scheming scoundrels who deceived his feelings.

Unwilling to stay on the same patch of grass with them, he limped off with his injured legs.

As soon as Hengwu Xianjun was gone, Rong Shang couldn’t hold back anymore. “Why didn’t you tell him?”

Yu Zhengzheng didn’t answer immediately. She tore two clean strips from her undergarment, her expression focused as she wrapped the wounds on his leg.

Once her nimble fingers secured the bandages with a small bow, she finally lifted her head, her lips curving into a faint smile. “Do you want me to tell him?”

Rong Shang fell silent.

Of course, he didn’t want this secret revealed. Yet in his mind, only the dead could truly keep secrets.

He couldn’t understand why she didn’t expose him. Telling Hengwu Xianjun would bring her immeasurable advantages.

Yu Zhengzheng packed away the medicine bottle. Seeing him still lost in thought, she sighed and asked out of nowhere, “Why did you carry me across the river?”

Rong Shang didn’t think for long. “No reason.”

Yu Zhengzheng nodded and repeated his words. “Exactly, no reason.”

Just like how he had suddenly decided to carry her across, she had suddenly chosen not to say anything. Why should there always be a reason for everything?

Rong Shang seemed to understand, though perhaps not entirely.

He looked at her fair face, slowly extending his distinctively jointed fingers, pressing the pad of one against her lips.

Her lips were warm, a vivid crimson against her snow-white skin.

Yu Zhengzheng’s pale ears flushed red in an instant. She tried to brush his hand away, only for her small hand to be caught in his cool grip.

His fingertips, slightly calloused, rubbed gently against her palm, causing a faint pink to rise in her skin.

Turning her head awkwardly, she muttered, “Stop it. Hengwu Xianjun hasn’t gone far.”

He didn’t let go. Instead, he tightened his grip slightly. “Do you still like Rong Shang?”

If she still had feelings for him, he didn’t want to deceive her any longer.

Wearing a human mask every day, he was beginning to forget what his real self even looked like.

Hearing that name, Yu Zhengzheng paused, momentarily stunned.

She often heard people call him “Senior Brother,” but few ever used his actual name. For a moment, she didn’t even register who he was referring to.

Still like Senior Brother?

Perhaps there was a trace left. After all, she had admired him for seven years; it wasn’t something that could be severed completely in an instant.

But that faint trace was insignificant now. Hearing his name brought only a fleeting daze, far from the once-intense flutter of her heart.

Without much thought, she replied directly, “No.”

Rong Shang’s gaze dimmed slightly, his voice low. “Do you hate him?”

Yu Zhengzheng answered honestly, “No.”

Hate wasn’t the right word. She wanted nothing more than to skin him alive, hang him on the gates of Penglai Mountain, and leave him to bake under the sun for three days and nights.

“Dislike” was far too shallow a word for how she felt.

With that thought, she gritted her teeth and added, “I want to flay his skin and hang him on the gates of Penglai Mountain to dry for three days straight!”

Rong Shang: “…”

Yu Zhengzheng’s expression turned eager. “Why are you asking? Are you going to help me skin him?”

Rong Shang released her hand, his expression calm as he turned away with a soft cough. “Just asking.”

Yu Zhengzheng stood up reluctantly, thinking he was about to help her seek revenge.

She looked around but couldn’t find Shanshui anywhere. Where had she gone?

Just as she was about to search for her, Yu Zhengzheng suddenly remembered something and pointed at the silver chain around her ankle. “Since I kept your secret, can you take this chain off now?”

Rong Shang’s lips curled slightly. “No.”