Chapter 39

The village returned to its original state, becoming dilapidated. The river dried up, vegetation withered, and the land was barren, with broken houses everywhere. However, the room where Xue Ming and Yan Yuhe had slept remained clean and tidy, as if Granny Ma had meticulously cleaned it before leaving.

Standing in the room, Xue Ming had just let go of Yan Yuhe’s hand, her palm still warm. Though her heart was still sweet, the sight before her brought a tinge of bitterness. But it was comforting to know that these people had likely been reincarnated, crossing the Bridge of Helplessness to a new life where they could finally see the sunrise.

Sitting by the table, Xue Ming rested her chin in her hands, watching Yan Yuhe fetch water in the courtyard. She had previously wondered why he did these tasks himself, but now she realizes that Yan Yuhe was not a deity and couldn’t use magic for everything. Perhaps most of his life was no different from ordinary people, doing everyday chores himself.

Just like the day before, Yan Yuhe prepared bathwater for Xue Ming. When he entered and saw her lying on the table, her clear eyes following him, he walked over and, before she could ask, bent down and kissed her on the eyes. Then he stood up and walked out as if nothing had happened.

Yan Yuhe’s sudden and inexplicable behavior left Xue Ming stunned. Her cheeks were still warm from his lips. She touched her face, feeling her heart race. She soaked in the tub, washing thoroughly, thinking about how she and Yan Yuhe had spent the night together. Now that they had confirmed their feelings, her heart felt like it was soaked in honey. She thought they might have another passionate night, so she washed even more meticulously, scrubbing every inch clean.

But after all that effort, she was exhausted. Lying on the bed, her eyelids grew heavy, and she soon fell asleep.

In her deep sleep, she heard footsteps in the room, and then everything went dark. Xue Ming, half asleep, thought the light had gone out. The bed creaked as Yan Yuhe got in, and she felt herself being embraced, a hand around her waist pulling her into his arms. Her legs were entwined with his, making her feel inexplicably safe in her sleep.

Gentle kisses fell on her cheeks and nose, then her lips, softly parting them. Xue Ming, half-awake, knew it was Yan Yuhe kissing her and tried to respond, but she was too tired, and her response was half-hearted.

Fortunately, Yan Yuhe didn’t persist for long. After a while, he stopped and held her quietly as they slept.

Xue Ming slept deeply, expecting to wake up in the morning. But suddenly, she found herself in a dark hall. Looking around, she saw that the hall was vast and dim, with only a few lamps failing to illuminate it, making it look eerie.

Xue Ming wondered who had entered her dream this time.

She had gone to sleep with Yan Yuhe; surely no spirit could have the power to move her from his side, right?

As she thought this, she heard two deliberate coughs ahead as if trying to attract her attention. Looking up, she saw a long staircase in front of her, leading upwards to a throne covered in thorns, where a woman was sitting.

Xue Ming locked eyes with her, expressionless: “Jiang Ruoming?”

The woman let out a slight huff, acknowledging her. She had a gorgeous face, fox-like eyes that slanted upwards at the corners, a prominent nose, and full red lips. Her face bore a look of disdain and contempt, making her seem like an arrogant, spoiled young lady.

But Xue Ming was no longer fooled by appearances. She knew that this beautiful girl before her was, in fact, a heartless, murderous, and ruthless person.

“What, no dogs and birds this time?” Xue Ming mocked her.

Jiang Ruoming was clearly quick to anger. Recalling her previous humiliations, she stood up and descended the stairs, pointing at Xue Ming and shouting, “What right do you have to mock me? You, a wandering soul without a body, I mercifully let you use mine temporarily, and you not only misused it but also tried to claim it as your own. I should have destroyed your soul when you first came!”

“And who was responsible for destroying my body?” Xue Ming coldly questioned, “Wasn’t it you, Jiang Ruoming? When you did these things, didn’t your conscience bother you?”

Before Jiang Ruoming could respond, Xue Ming continued, “Oh, I almost forgot, you aren’t even human, so where would you get a conscience?”

Jiang Ruoming trembled with rage, “How dare you speak to me like that!”

Xue Ming rolled her eyes at her, “Do you really think you’re the emperor of the ghost realm? And I’m not a ghost; even if you became emperor, you wouldn’t control me.”

Jiang Ruoming was momentarily stunned, calming her anger slightly, and said, “So you know? Yes, I am the daughter of the Ghost Emperor, with his blood flowing through me. Only I can wield the Hundred Ghosts Banner; the throne of the ghost realm is rightfully mine.”

Jiang Ruoming seemed to remember why she had come, her expression softening as she tried to persuade Xue Ming, “Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival; at midnight, the Ghost Gate will open, and the new emperor will ascend during the night parade of a hundred ghosts. If you return the body to me, I can make you the Ghost King, second only to me. A mere body, I can find you as many as you want. You and I were both born in the yin year, yin month and yin hour; we shouldn’t fight each other. Why not join forces with me to rule the ghost realm and stand at the pinnacle?”

As Jiang Ruoming spoke, her face grew more animated, full of anticipation and excitement. It amused Xue Ming that it appeared that all villains shared the trait of being obtuse and unable to see the situation clearly.

Xue Ming had read a few scattered stories from “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio” and vaguely knew that immortals were at the top of the constructed system. In stories of ghosts and monsters, the ones who dealt with the villainous creatures were either mysterious figures like Yan Chixia or some Taoist priests, rarely involving immortals. This indicated that immortals held an absolute position in this constructed world. They could cause some havoc in the human world before immortals noticed them, but once discovered, these disruptive ghosts and organizations would meet a grisly end.

If Yan Yuhe was merely ordered to hunt down his junior sister and clean house, there was no need to disguise himself as the Jade Face Ghost King. So Xue Ming speculated that he had other orders, such as purging the Ghost Kings and completely destroying the ghost realm’s forces.

Xue Ming shook her head slightly and said to Jiang Ruoming, “There will be no new Ghost Emperor.”

“Who says there won’t be? I will be!” Jiang Ruoming retorted sharply, suddenly lashing out. Her black, sharp nails dug into Xue Ming’s neck, her eyes turning red, revealing sharp ghostly teeth, and her brows and eyes gathering a sinister aura. She looked even more like a ghost, viciously saying, “If you stubbornly refuse to return my body, I have ways to strip it from you.”

Since Xue Ming was in a dream, she didn’t feel any physical pain, only startled by Jiang Ruoming’s sudden madness. She scolded, “You have ways? If you really had ways, you would have acted long ago. Now that you have no tricks left, you try to deceive me? Did you think of this day when you harmed me? Do you think baring your teeth and saying a few harsh words will scare me? You, neither human nor ghost, deserve to die. A lightning bolt from the heavens striking you down would be a mercy. You deserve to be thrown into the eighteenth level of hell, to suffer eternally, never to be reincarnated!”

Jiang Ruoming hadn’t expected Xue Ming to curse her so viciously. Momentarily stunned, she glared at Xue Ming with wide eyes.

“Now get out of here!” Xue Ming shouted.

In the next moment, she abruptly woke from the dream and saw Yan Yuhe sitting in front of her in a meditative posture. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she looked out the window and saw that the sky was already bright, with dusk filtering through the window and creating dappled patterns on the floor.

Although Xue Ming didn’t quite understand why Yan Yuhe was sitting there meditating after waking up, she didn’t want to disturb him. Still annoyed by her dream argument with Jiang Ruoming, she decided to get up and drink some water to calm down. But as soon as she moved, Yan Yuhe opened his eyes, his clear black-and-white gaze falling on her.

Feeling even more frustrated at his look, Xue Ming grabbed his hand and complained, “Jiang Ruoming invaded my dream! I just argued with her, and it’s infuriating!”

Yan Yuhe held her hand and said calmly, “I know.”

Xue Ming was surprised, “You know?”

Yan Yuhe squeezed her fingers gently and, after a moment, said, “She just split a wisp of her soul and entered your dream with her true form. I placed a tracking spell on her and have already found her hiding place.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go and destroy her!” Xue Ming exclaimed, quickly getting out of bed and dressing herself in a few swift movements.

“Today is the Ghost Festival,” Yan Yuhe said leisurely, getting off the bed. “There are still three hours until midnight. No rush to find her. Let’s destroy the last Yin Gathering Array first.”

As he spoke, he went to open the door. At that moment, a teasing voice came from outside: “Why are you just opening the door now? Have you had enough sweetness inside?”

Xue Ming recognized the voice and saw the fake Ning Caichen, previously known as the White Ghost King, standing outside, holding a rope tied around a child’s neck.

The child was not unfamiliar; it was You Yin, whom Xue Ming had risked her life to save earlier. Now, seeing Xue Ming, his eyes filled with tears, and he cried out, “Help me——!”

Xue Ming was shocked and quickly rushed forward, angrily saying, “How can you tie a child like that?! Who ties a rope around a child’s neck? Do you think he’s a dog you’re taking for a walk?”