Chapter 16

Xue Ming took a long time to finish her meal. She suddenly realized something was wrong when she ate the last piece of meat. She had actually eaten all the food on the table!

Since transmigrating, Xue Ming had only eaten one meal in the town two days ago. She had been gnawing on dry rations or eating Ning Caichen’s braised meat most of the time. So, it was understandable that she ate a bit more when faced with such a sumptuous feast. However, Xue Ming had always eaten alone and was aware of her appetite. No matter how hungry she was, she couldn’t eat a whole table full of food. Now, all the plates on the table were empty, and all the food had gone into her stomach, yet she didn’t feel overly full. When she put down her chopsticks, she only felt barely satisfied.

Knowing she couldn’t eat that much, Xue Ming began to suspect the food. “Lord Yu He, what are these dishes made of? Why could I eat so much?”

Yu He was leaning back in the soft chair with his eyes closed, resting. It was unclear if he was asleep, and he didn’t respond. Unwilling to give up, Xue Ming touched her round belly and walked around the table to his side, boldly pushing his arm. “Ghost King.”

Yu He had not been asleep. He slowly opened his eyes and replied, “This is food from the underworld, meant for the dead.”

Xue Ming’s face suddenly turned pale, and her stomach churned. The food that had smelled so delicious now made her feel nauseous. She immediately used her fingers to try to induce vomiting, but the food seemed to have been digested as soon as it entered her stomach. She retched a few times but couldn’t bring anything up.

In her mind, Xue Ming cursed endlessly, wishing she could vomit everything onto Yu He. This perverted ghost was truly wicked. He didn’t say anything while she was eating, only to tell her afterward that it was food for the dead, deliberately trying to harm her. Although she dared not scold him, Xue Ming couldn’t help but complain, “Since it’s food for the dead, why didn’t you warn me before I ate it? You said I have a lot of yin energy. What if eating this stuff makes me sick?”

Yu He, leaning on his hand indifferently, replied, “You ate underworld food once before. Did it make you sick?”

“When did I…” Xue Ming started to retort, but halfway through, she realized he might be right. The last time she had walked all day and entered a small town, it was still within the ghost realm. The food she ate there couldn’t have been from the living world. Recalling that she didn’t feel any discomfort after eating last time, it seemed that underworld food had little impact on her body.

Xue Ming scratched her head and stopped making a fuss. She smiled and said to Yu He, “Lord Yu He, look at the time. I should be going back. Why don’t you help me get the Gathering Yang Talisman back and send me home?”

Yu He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stood up slowly and started walking out, saying, “Heaven and Earth?”

Xue Ming quickly followed, replying, “Yes, yes.”

He reached the hall door and opened it with a wave of his hand. The next moment, countless noisy sounds rushed in like a tide—shouting, bargaining, arguing, and cursing, as if they were standing at the entrance of a bustling market.

Curious, Xue Ming poked her head out to look. Outside was a narrow alley, with lights from the market spilling in. The scene outside was bustling and lively. Xue Ming was amazed, realizing this was not the original view outside the hall door. Yu He must have used some magic to merge the two places. She was the first to step out, walking to the alley entrance and looking out. She saw people coming and going on the street, colorful lanterns hanging at various heights, and a variety of stalls lined up closely together. Among the dazzling array of stalls was an inconspicuous, shabby little shop with a sign that read “Heaven and Earth.”
This was the place where she and Ning Caichen had been captured. Seeing the shabby sign made Xue Ming furious. She walked over, kicked the sign, and pounded on the door, shouting, “Where are you? Come out!”

An old man opened the door and showed a surprised expression when he saw Xue Ming. “Little girl, you have quite the skill to escape from the hands of the Hundred Crow Ghost King alive.” He walked inside, letting Xue Ming enter the shop. His eyes darted around, and he noticed someone following her.

That person wore snow-white robes, had an ethereal appearance, and a calm, indifferent expression. Although he looked good, his presence was very subdued, making him seem insignificant. He didn’t speak after entering, as if he wasn’t anyone important. The old man calculated in his mind and then turned to Xue Ming, commenting, “This one you brought this time doesn’t seem as good as the last one.”

Xue Ming sneered inwardly, thinking the old man should say a few more words so that Yu He would kill him. She didn’t show any kindness, “Stop talking nonsense. Where’s the Gathering Yang Talisman? Give it back to me.”

“Little girl, a deal is a deal. Once you took the goods and left ‘Heaven on Earth,’ whether it was stolen or robbed has nothing to do with us. Why come back to me?” The old man returned to the counter, took out a ledger, and pointed to a spot, “Your account is here. I gave you the Gathering Yang Talisman, and it’s clearly recorded in black and white. Don’t think you can deny it.”

Xue Ming, having dealt with countless shameless people as a corporate worker, knew that the level of shamelessness varied. This old man was among the top three. She trembled with anger, knowing he was deliberately messing up the deal. She didn’t waste words, pointing at his nose, “I’m doing this for my boss. My boss won’t let you off if you dare to keep the Gathering Yang Talisman.”

The old man wasn’t afraid and asked with a smile, “May I ask who your boss is?”

Xue Ming stepped aside and pointed to Yu He, standing behind her, examining a few incense sticks. “It’s him, the famous Jade Face Ghost King.”

The old man’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this. His suspicious gaze fell on Yu He, but he dared not look openly, only glancing furtively. Ghost kings often hid their true faces, so the old man couldn’t be sure of Yu He’s identity. While he hesitated, Yu He turned around with the incense and asked calmly, “How much for this incense?”

The old man, full of doubts, hesitated and showed two fingers. “Two taels.”

Yu He produced some silver from who knows where and tossed it onto the counter. The old man weighed it on a small scale, finding it to be precisely two taels. He smiled broadly at Xue Ming, “If you say he is, then he is.”

This action infuriated Xue Ming. What did he mean by “if you say he is, then he is”? He really was! She couldn’t understand what this perverted ghost was doing. They were here to reclaim her item, yet he paid two taels before even asking for it. It was as if his brain had been eaten by the zombies sent by this old man.

Xue Ming cursed inwardly but didn’t say a word, standing silently to the side with a sullen expression and casting a resentful glance at Yu He.

In the narrow, shabby little shop, Yu He stood in the middle, immaculate and calm, his expression unreadable. Without any hint of emotion, he looked more like a beautiful puppet, which explained why the old man had said he was not as good as Ning Caichen. If they were really here to cause trouble, bringing Ning Caichen might have been better. At least he would pretend to be angry or act chummy to trick the items back.

While Xue Ming was lost in thought, she saw Yu He raise his hand and flick the incense he had just bought. A small flame ignited, emitting a thin wisp of smoke. Yu He casually placed the incense on the burner on the table. This action bewildered Xue Ming and the old man, as they did not understand what he was doing.

Less than half a minute later, a commotion arose. A series of frantic footsteps approached, and with a loud “bang,” the back door was flung open. A small ghost tumbled in, rolling to Xue Ming’s feet. Startled, she took two steps back. The small ghost scrambled up, shouting in panic, “Master, something terrible has happened! The warehouse is on fire!”

“What?!” The old man screamed in fright and dashed through the back door, disappearing quickly.

Xue Ming looked at the burning incense, then at Yu He, who stood calmly. She suddenly understood what was happening. She clasped her hands together, silently grateful she hadn’t voiced her earlier curses. She smiled at Yu He, “Ghost King, you’re amazing. I knew you could punish this swindler.”

Yu He glanced at her, not bothering to address her earlier resentful look. Seeing the small, shabby shop filled with items and the old man gone,

Xue Ming began to rummage around, pocketing anything useful or attractive. After all, the old man didn’t seem like an honest merchant and had likely engaged in plenty of shady dealings. He had also stolen her item and refused to return it, so she felt no guilt taking things.

Before long, the old man returned, drenched in sweat, his hat askew, and his robe singed at the edges, looking disheveled. He bowed deeply to Yu He, repeatedly apologizing with phrases like “I didn’t recognize Mount Tai,” and then took out a box from his sleeve, offering it with both hands.

This was the box containing the Gathering Yang Talisman. Xue Ming stepped forward and snatched it, opening the box to check. Realizing she couldn’t tell if the talisman was genuine, she asked Yu He, “Can you see if this is real?”

The old man quickly assured, “It’s genuine, it’s genuine!”

Yu He glanced at it and showed no reaction, which reassured Xue Ming. She hugged the box tightly to her chest.

The old man then began to plead for mercy, presenting a crystal jar filled with red pills. “This is a gift for Lord Jade Face to express my sincerity. I’m just a shopkeeper. If everything is burned, I won’t be able to explain it to Liuli Hall. I hope Lord Jade Face will spare me.”

Yu He didn’t take it and asked, “What is this?”

The old man replied, “I’ve heard of Lord Jade Face’s romantic nature. This medicine is an aphrodisiac. Just take a small pill before the act, and you will reach the peak of pleasure. This medicine is rare and precious. I’m offering all the stock from ‘Heaven and Earth’ in hopes that Lord Jade Face will spare my life.”

Xue Ming, being educated, knew that “aphrodisiac” referred to something that enhances sexual activity. She thought the old man was cunning, using this to please Yu He, the perverted ghost, which was indeed the right approach.

Sure enough, Yu He reached out and took the crystal jar. He pinched the incense, saying, “It will extinguish naturally.”

The old man didn’t dare say more, wiped his sweat, and said, “Thank you, Lord Jade Face, for your mercy.”

Watching the two, Xue Ming maliciously thought that it would be best if this perverted ghost took seven or eight pills at once and spent days and nights with his concubines, eventually exhausting himself to death. That way, he wouldn’t bother her anymore. Imagining him drained of energy, with a gaunt face and kidney deficiency, Xue Ming couldn’t help but laugh, which made Yu He glance at her.