Chapter 56
Extra 3
Yan Yuhe

“Lord Yan, I heard from others that the Jade Face Ghost King has recently taken a new favorite concubine in the ghost market. Have you heard about this?” Gu Jinglan sat under the eaves, clutching a colorful glazed wine pot, reeking of alcohol, his eyes half-closed, looking slightly drunk.

Yan Yuhe was sitting in the room, reading a book, and did not respond to his words.

Gu Jinglan glanced at him, a smile on his lips, his fair face full of mockery. “I wonder how beautiful that woman must be to catch Lord Yan’s eye. I was wondering why she returned safely from the ghost market yesterday. It turns out Lord Yan took pity on her.”

“Annoying.” Yan Yuhe said in a deep voice without looking up, “If you have nothing important to say, then leave.”

“Hey—” Gu Jinglan dragged out his words, slowly pouring wine into his mouth. “I came to see you for serious business. Do you think I would willingly come to this place otherwise? The ground is covered with spells; just sitting here makes me uncomfortable.”

Yan Yuhe said, “Then leave quickly.”

Gu Jinglan pouted, “So unkind.”

Yan Yuhe turned a page of his book, his eyes falling on it, feeling somewhat irritated. Why are there always people in this world who like to say useless nonsense, as if their lips would be wasted if they didn’t say a few annoying words?

He had known Gu Jinglan for a long time, having met him when he first came down the mountain. At that time, Gu Jinglan was already a well-known figure in the ghost world, having escaped from Yan Yuhe’s sword several times. Later, Yan Yuhe discovered that this ghost did not harm people but was just bored and liked to watch the excitement, and was also a drunkard.

He suspected that Gu Jinglan’s body was filled with various kinds of wine instead of blood when he was alive.

Gu Jinglan was a prince in his previous life, and taking someone’s life was just a matter of moving his lips. Therefore, after death, he disdained to harm people but owed a huge debt in the underworld and was hiding everywhere.

Speaking of which, it was Gu Jinglan who told Yan Yuhe about the positions of the Ghost Emperor and the Jade Face Ghost King, causing chaos in the ghost world. Later, he reached an agreement with the underworld that as long as he helped Yan Yuhe implement the plan to exterminate ten thousand ghosts, his old debts would be written off.

Gu Jinglan asked, “Why didn’t you kill her when she broke in here earlier?”

Yan Yuhe replied coldly, “It’s none of your business.”

Gu Jinglan looked troubled, “How can it not be my business? Doesn’t Lord Yan know that I am counting on this mission to clear my old debts? What if something goes wrong?”

Yan Yuhe knew that Gu Jinglan’s words were somewhat deliberate, so he couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Gu Jinglan didn’t give up. Leaning against a pillar, he said, “I have a brilliant idea. It just so happens that the person inside Jiang Ruoming’s body trusts Lord Yan very much. Why not lure her here, strip her of her living soul, and when Jiang Ruoming realizes that her body lacks the soul to sustain her life, she will definitely come looking for you?”

Yan Yuhe frowned slightly, finding even his voice unpleasant at this moment, hoping he could leave the situation and shut up.

However, Gu Jinglan seemed blind at this moment. Seeing no response, he continued sarcastically, “Could it be that Lord Yan has fallen in love and can’t bear to part with her?”

Yan Yuhe said, “You don’t need to say more. I know the importance of things. Besides, she came to me for refuge and survival on her own. I was just doing a good deed.”

“Such good fortune? Why doesn’t it fall on me?” Gu Jinglan said with a smile. “But I think she had no choice, right? After returning from the ghost market, her body is invaded by yin energy. In a few days, her yang energy will be completely depleted. Do you think she will seek help from you, a ‘ghost,’ or from me, a human?”

Before Yan Yuhe could speak, Gu Jinglan answered himself, “If she needs yang energy, she will definitely come to me.”

Yan Yuhe glanced at him, his indifferent eyes filled with killing intent, “Are you looking for death?”

“Aren’t I already dead?” Gu Jinglan shrugged, looking innocent.

Yan Yuhe thought that for some people, dying once was not enough. There should be prisons and punishments specifically for those with foul mouths. Anyone with a foul mouth should be locked up for three to five years to ensure peace in the world.

“Let’s wait and see,” Gu Jinglan said.

As soon as he finished speaking, a long sword whistled out and struck the ground beside Gu Jinglan with a thud. The sword trembled continuously, emitting a series of light hums like a stern warning.

Gu Jinglan knew there would be trouble if he said more, so he laughed and disappeared into the wind, leaving the small house by the lotus pond.

The room quieted down, but Yan Yuhe couldn’t read a single word. He felt restless. The irritation stirred up by Gu Jinglan had not subsided. He closed the book and placed it on the table, summoned his sword, and left the house, intending to find some evil spirits to cut down.

The frustration had not yet dissipated when thunderclouds slowly drifted in, covering the sky as if brewing a heavy rain. That night, Yan Yuhe waited in the house, but no one came.

She didn’t come. Her yang energy had been continuously depleting, and after going to the Rakshasa Ghost Market and digging up a female ghost’s bones for her own use, her yang energy should have been exhausted. She should have come to the house for help. Under the thunderclouds and strong winds, the flowers and leaves in the lotus pond were rolling. Yan Yuhe stood by the window looking out, but apart from the sound of the wind, there was nothing.

Yan Yuhe formed a spell and entered her dream, seeing that her body was indeed filled with yin energy. Her face was as pale as snow, and even her once bright and watery eyes had become dull as if all the vitality had been drained from her. For some reason, she was furious. Her beautiful face became more vivid with anger, and her listless eyes gained some spirit. She glared at Yan Yuhe; even though she was shorter, she still looked at him to argue. She blamed Yan Yuhe for absorbing too much of her yang energy, like a small beast baring its fangs and claws. Due to her weak body, her momentum was also diminished, making her appear very powerless.

Yan Yuhe didn’t want to argue with her. He thought that after telling her he could save her, she would come to the lotus pond as usual. But unexpectedly, she turned to knock on Gu Jinglan’s door.

When her yang energy was depleting, she wouldn’t seek help from a “ghost.” What made Yan Yuhe even angrier was that Gu Jinglan was right. To survive, she could seek help from anyone and perform those yang energy transfer actions, not just him.

Anger surged in his heart, burning chaotically, and unknown emotions ate away at his rationality. He rarely got so angry, especially since it came inexplicably, with no source or way to dissipate it. He was never a warm-hearted person. Usually, he only exterminated evil without saving people. For someone who clearly stated they didn’t need his help, he should have stopped and ignored them.

Other people’s life and death had nothing to do with him. Who she sought help from and what she wanted to do had nothing to do with him.

Thinking this, Yan Yuhe somehow activated a spell, connecting her door to his. Hearing the urgent knocking and her shouting outside, Yan Yuhe stood up abruptly. All his previous thoughts turned to ashes, burned away completely. He strode to the door and pulled the person at the door inside.

Yan Yuhe thought, she needed yang energy, and he was the only living person in the temple who could give her yang energy. What use was it to seek help from Gu Jinglan, a dead ghost? He was saving her.

Yan Yuhe originally wanted to scold her ignorance and make her understand the situation, but seeing her curled up on the bed, covered in blood, her weak body showing a pitiful look, she seemed extremely fragile, as if she would die immediately with a light poke. She looked aggrieved, her dark eyes moving slightly, looking at him weakly.

Strangely, just one look from her calmed the raging fire in Yan Yuhe’s heart, and his emotions gradually stabilized. It seemed that with her right in front of him, there was no need to be angry anymore. Moreover, she knew nothing and had no reason to face any blame.

Yan Yuhe thought to himself, but he had to make her understand that he was the only one here who could save her.

Thinking this, Yan Yuhe pressed her onto the bed, lowered the layers of gauze curtains, and applied everything he had read and learned from books on her. She shed many clear and bright tears, washing her eyes to a clear brightness. Her body also sweated a lot, the hot temperature spreading to every part of it. Her soft limbs sometimes pushed him away, sometimes held him tightly. Although Yan Yuhe was inexperienced in such matters, he was very satisfied, doing his best to transfer yang energy to her, filling her body, making her whole body, inside and out, covered with his breath.

His lonely and cold heart quietly found a place to belong.

Afterwards, she slept very deeply. Perhaps because she was hot, she instinctively sought something cool, holding him tightly and unconsciously burrowing into his arms. Yan Yuhe stayed awake through the night, his body still not calmed from the excitement, giving him some time to observe her.

Since childhood, Yan Yuhe had entered the Tai Xu Sect, mainly practicing swordsmanship. He had only a little knowledge of other spells, but he could deduce the identity information of the person beside him.

She came from a vague world, making it difficult for Yan Yuhe to see clearly, but he knew her name was Xue Ming. She was born in a yin year, month, and yin hour, with a lonely and bitter fate, and lived a life that was not smooth.

People with rough fates often develop a silent, self-pitying character, but this was not obvious in Xue Ming. Indeed, she was very timid, but the will to survive that erupted in critical moments was rare. This resilience first appeared when they met, quietly entangled Yan Yuhe. He hugged the person in his arms tighter, feeling the softness and warmth of the girl’s body. The feeling of satisfaction was not strong at first, like a small hole being chiseled in his heart, slowly filling with clear and sweet spring water, until it filled completely, making him feel comfortable all over, and his mood also became cheerful. Only then did he realize that he had already become deeply immersed.

Outside the window, there was rolling thunder and pouring rain, but inside the house, it was very quiet, with no noise.

Listening to Xue Ming’s steady breathing, he felt a warmth in his heart.

I have a wife, Yan Yuhe thought.