TL: Hua

Chapter 14: Two-faced

Shi Wuyan had once said that if You Xingyue ever needed anything, he could call his name, and he would answer.

This was the first time You Xingyue had spoken that name aloud.

You Xingyue wasn’t even certain if the other party would actually respond.

As the sound of his voice faded, a hazy mist rose in the night air. You Xingyue caught a faint, cold fragrance as a chilly sleeve brushed against his wrist. Turning his face to look—

Clad in black, Shi Wuyan stepped out from the mist, his sleeves still clinging to the damp, bone-chilling cold of the River of Forgetfulness.

The handsome, black-robed ghost deity had serene and peaceful features. He felt like a late winter night, like heavy, pristine snow falling over a frozen lake, solemn yet pure.

Watching Shi Wuyan appear out of nowhere, Gu Xuan felt his head spin. He grabbed his son’s arm tightly, trying to save his crumbling worldview.

Humans… shouldn’t be able to appear and disappear out of thin air, right?

It doesn’t look like magic tricks either.

Gu Xuan wanted to check with his son, but when he turned his head, he discovered a tiny figure perched atop his son’s head without him noticing. It had horns and scales, looking remarkably like a mythical beast, resting its paws as it tilted its head to stare at him.

His son, Gu Min, was completely oblivious, looking at Wu Xingfang with curiosity.

The combined presence of the water ghost and Shi Wuyan had intensified the surrounding yin energy and spiritual energy, allowing Gu Xuan’s naked eyes to observe the Pixiu vessel spirit under these conditions.

Gu Xuan’s vision went black, and he nearly fainted right there: It’s over, my house is haunted too.

The Pixiu, assuming it was hiding quite well, withdrew its gaze after glancing at Gu Xuan. It lazily stretched, then slid down Gu Min’s hair onto his shoulder.

Gu Xuan clutched his chest, barely able to catch his breath.

Gu Min didn’t notice his father’s abnormality at all. It was his first time witnessing the subjugation of a fierce ghost with his own eyes, and he was watching with great relish.

Wu Xingfang stood awkwardly to the side, his head bowed and his eyes filled with awe. Having just been targeted by the water ghost, his yang energy was weak, allowing him to feel the faint, imposing aura emanating from the newcomer.

It was a heavy, suppressed gravity that no human could ever possess.

Prostrate on the ground, the semi-transparent water ghost was still bound by the red threads. It stretched its neck to look over, and upon seeing the figure clearly, its face turned an even deeper shade of green.

This newcomer was unlike any underworld envoy he had ever seen.

The man’s complexion was pale and cool yet flushed with life. He held no mourning staff, wore no soul-binding chains, and was neatly dressed, looking just like a living human being.

Like a living person.

The water ghost couldn’t help shivering.

He knew that among the ghost deities of the underworld, the closer their appearance resembled a living person, the higher their official rank tended to be.

Could… could this be a ghost king?!

The more the water ghost thought about it, the more convinced he became, painfully swallowing back his sobs: This Taoist master actually has connections in high places!

As a ghost, how could it be so unlucky?

Having just awakened from his slumber, Shi Wuyan showed no trace of drowsiness in his eyes. “What happened?”

Looking at Shi Wuyan’s gold-embroidered robes, You Xingyue belatedly realized a point. Wasn’t summoning Wangfu himself just to deal with a single water ghost a bit much?

You Xingyue said apologetically, “It’s this water ghost. I don’t know how to perform rites for the dead, nor do I know how to send him to the Underworld, so I had no choice but to bother you.”

Hanged ghosts and drowned ghosts were all souls with immense resentment. Furthermore, the water ghost following Wu Xingfang had lingered in the mortal realm for over forty years without passing on. The longer it stayed, the deeper its malice became.

Rites performed by a highly skilled cultivator would normally be required to deliver a soul with such deep resentment and obsessions.

Since You Xingyue clearly lacked the means to conduct such a ritual, he had no choice but to pull some strings through the back door.

Shi Wuyan shifted his gaze onto the water ghost.

Bound into a long strip by the red threads, the water ghost felt its decades-dead soul tremble when Shi Wuyan looked at it. It wriggled violently on the ground, tears and snot running down its face as it cried, “Your Lordship! I’ve been dead for over forty years, and I’ve never killed anyone! I’m still an innocent ghost…”

Shi Wuyan nodded slightly. “I know.”

“All your deeds, both good and evil, during your life and after your death will be judged by King Yama[1]. There is no need to plead your case to me.”

Shi Wuyan’s voice was calm, almost gentle.

The water ghost’s long string of excuses choked in its throat, and it instinctively shut up.

It didn’t know how to describe those eyes—placid without a single ripple, completely devoid of any emotion.

It was the absolute justice in this world, unshakeable by external influences.

No matter what the water ghost said, it wouldn’t evoke a shred of sympathy from him.

No, he probably didn’t even understand what sympathy meant.

Lying on the ground, the water ghost looked up with eyes full of admiration: As expected of a ghost king. He’s already cultivated himself to the point of being completely detached from all desires and emotions.

You Xingyue said, “I know this is a trivial matter. I originally intended to ask Yu Tu for help, but unfortunately, I didn’t know how to contact him, so I had no choice but to bother you.”

In truth, seeing Yu Tu would have been better. You Xingyue was even planning to recommend the golden toad from his shop to him.

As he spoke, Shi Wuyan kept his eyes lowered, the ripples in his gaze soft and serene. “It’s no trouble at all. My true form has already returned, so I have nothing to do.”

Shi Wuyan turned to the water ghost. “You have lingered in the mortal realm for a long time. It is time for you to depart for the Underworld.”

The water ghost hesitated for a moment, whimpering softly, “I… I have a wish…”

You Xingyue nodded. “Speak.”

Resolving its lingering obsession would also prevent these overly stubborn souls from entangling their threads around Wangfu.

Shi Wuyan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he cast a swift glance at You Xingyue.

The water ghost grumbled, “My remains are still buried in the earth. It’s all Wu Xingfang’s fault! He has to exhume my bone fragments and properly lay them to rest in a new grave! Otherwise, with his building constructed right over my corpse, wouldn’t I be pressed down by living people day and night?”

You Xingyue: “That request is reasonable enough.”

He tilted his head toward Wu Xingfang. “Uncle Wu, do you agree?”

Wu Xingfang nodded frantically. “Of course, of course! I’ll have the construction team dig up your remains and bury them properly first thing tomorrow morning!”

The greed deep within the water ghost began to stir restlessly: “And the annual sacrifices during the Qingming Festival…”

Shi Wuyan’s dark eyes shifted, landing his gaze squarely on the water ghost.

Though long stripped of its physical body, the water ghost felt a long-forgotten sensation of suffocation at that moment. A sudden shock ran through its heart: It had really gotten carried away! How dare it push its luck right in front of a ghost king!

You Xingyue’s eyebrows knitted together. As his brow furrowed slightly, the red threads tightened their bind, causing the green light on the water ghost to dim by several degrees. “Sacrifices for what?”

The water ghost had attempted evil multiple times. It had simply never succeeded. To dare demand sacrifices from Wu Xingfang right in front of him, did it take him for a corpse?

Terrified to the point that its soul form grew blurry, the water ghost blurted out instantly, “N-nothing at all!”

Shi Wuyan said, “If that is all, then tomorrow, once his wish is fulfilled, I shall send him on his way.”

You Xingyue waved his hand to release the red threads. “You’ll stay with me at the antique shop tonight. Tomorrow morning, we will exhume your remains and bury them. When the time comes, there will be no further delays. You will leave the mortal realm immediately.”

The water ghost nodded meekly.

Shi Wuyan raised his hand, and the water ghost was rolled up into a green sphere of water, landing squarely in Shi Wuyan’s palm. The yin energy permeating the courtyard finally dissipated completely.

Wu Xingfang’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, coughing repeatedly. He had nearly been strangled to death by the water ghost just a moment ago. Now that it was gone and he had caught his breath, a wave of lingering fear washed over him.

Thank goodness… thank goodness the car was driving slowly, and thank goodness he had encountered the Master…

You Xingyue stepped forward to help him up. “Uncle Wu, let’s find a place to sit for a moment.”

How could Wu Xingfang dare let him help? He scrambled up on his own, forcing an optimistic smile onto his pale face. “I’m fine, I’m fine, completely fine! I’ll call the construction team right now and get in touch with the funeral home…”

Fumbling flusteredly, he pulled out his phone. “Master, let me pay your fee first…”

You Xingyue gently reassured him, “Uncle Wu, rest up first. There’s no hurry about the fee. We’ll talk after we dig up the remains tomorrow morning and follow the proper burial process. Don’t worry, I will be there with you tomorrow morning until we see the water ghost off.”

With tears in his eyes, Wu Xingfang said, “If only I had listened to you earlier and stayed in the villa for the night…”

You Xingyue smiled faintly. “It doesn’t matter. The issue has been resolved anyway.”

His eyes crinkled slightly with his smile, radiating a warmth like a gentle spring breeze that put everyone at ease. It was as if the idea to use Wu Xingfang as bait to draw out the water ghost had nothing to do with him at all.

Gu Min turned his head away silently: It seems the boss is much smarter and more scheming than he imagined.

He really had to thank the boss for not scamming him when selling him the Pixiu.

Wu Xingfang said anxiously, “Sigh… I won’t be able to rest easy. I’ll contact the construction team while it’s still early. Master, I’ll be taking my leave now. May I pick you up at seven tomorrow morning?”

“That works,” You Xingyue said. “I live at No. 137 Nanbei Street, Not Keeping Guests.”

Wu Xingfang: “I’ve noted it down.”

After offering several more words of gratitude, he limped off toward his car.

Halfway there, Wu Xingfang suddenly turned back. “Master, I remember you said before that you own an antique shop? Could you tell me if I could get something from you to improve the feng shui of my shopping mall?”

[1] In Chinese mythology and folk belief, King Yama or King of Hell or Yanluo Wang (阎罗王) is the supreme ruler and chief judge of the underworld, responsible for overseeing the dead, evaluating their earthly deeds, and determining their reincarnation or punishment.

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