Different Worlds.
Once you get used to the taste of the food here, you might never be able to return to your original world.
Shang Can woke up from a nightmare, sticky sweat trickling down her forehead. She turned over in bed and sat up, pulling a medicine bottle from her pouch. She hastily dumped two pills into her mouth and swallowed them.
It was now the fifth day of her temporary stay at the Ghost King’s residence.
Her pouch was found the day after she arrived, and Yuan Ge happily returned it to her, proudly declaring, “It was found by our Higanbana clan! You should check to see if anything is missing!”
Shang Can took a cursory glance; the pouch showed no signs of being opened, so it must have been swept away by the water when she fell into the River of Forgetfulness. She re-tied the pouch and sincerely thanked her, saying, “Thank you so much. In the future, if you want a handkerchief used by Shuang Jiang or something, I will find a way to get it for you.”
“I wouldn’t want something like that!”
Thus, Shang Can was able to rely on her own medicine to recuperate from her injuries, temporarily avoiding the potential risks of consuming the ghostly herbs of the underworld.
The previous encounters in the illusion still haunted her; even though she was currently in a safe place, Shang Can couldn’t help but be more cautious.
Overall, this place was indeed as safe as Nan Shuang had said.
In the five days since her arrival, Shang Can had not seen anyone other than Nan Shuang and Yuan Ge. It seemed that in this vast Ghost King residence, only the two of them lived here—though Yuan Ge was just a temporary guest.
“I don’t like it when there are too many people.”
The master of the Ghost King residence said this as she lazily leaned back in a chair in the courtyard, her gaze drifting away from the book in her hands to look at Shang Can.
“And since I’m already a ghost, I don’t really dirty anything here, so there’s no need for frequent cleaning.”
…This person seems to have a rather laid-back attitude.
During these five days, aside from focusing on her recovery, Shang Can would chat with either Nan Shuang or Yuan Ge when she came out. However, Nan Shuang often disappeared for a few days at a time, and when she was around, she was usually found sitting or lying in various places, never seen handling any official duties.
In comparison, Shang Can, who spent her days researching the clan records and other related documents, seemed more like a Ghost King.
In response to Shang Can’s questions, Nan Shuang pondered for a while before answering, “When I’m not around, I’m usually out handling official matters.”
Pouring herself a cup of tea casually, she continued, “There isn’t much clerical work here; the matters that need a Ghost King’s attention are usually about who got into a fight or something.”
“Though it’s a bit embarrassing to say, I’m quite strong.” Nan Shuang sipped her tea, her expression showing no sign of the embarrassment she mentioned. “I became a Ghost King because I was strong. Here, it doesn’t matter if you were a celestial cultivator or whatever when you were alive; strength is the only truth.”
“Thank goodness this job doesn’t require me to deal with documents all day,” Nan Shuang glanced at the books in Shang Can’s arms and remarked, “Otherwise, with my easily bored nature, I would probably have given up this job and reincarnated long ago.”
…Shouldn’t reincarnation be a good thing?
Thinking this, Shang Can noticed that the tea Nan Shuang brewed this time was different from what she had when she first arrived, leading her to mentally underline Nan Shuang’s self-assessment of being “easily bored.”
There was also a lingering question that had been on Shang Can’s mind for a long time, but it was too personal and difficult to bring up. Finally, after seeing Pei Chen’s handwriting on the scrolls from the Ghost Realm for the seventh time, Shang Can mustered the courage to ask Nan Shuang, “…Is your relationship with Pei Chen just a teacher-student one?”
“Mm.”
Nan Shuang nodded openly, showing no signs of embarrassment. “Ah Chen is my only disciple. I was quite young when I took him on as a student, and since I had never accepted a disciple before, I thought it would be interesting to give it a try. Who knows, it might be fun.”
…What a novel reason for accepting a disciple. Shang Can silently pressed her lips together and asked, “And after that?”
“After that, I never took in another disciple.”
It was hard to say whether Pei Chen was lucky or unfortunate.
Shang Can found herself momentarily speechless when Nan Shuang casually added, “He often comes to see me after I died, mostly to help me with my work. He’s a good kid.”
“Speaking of which, I was quite surprised when he came to see me a couple of days ago with your senior sister from the Cloud Summit. That was the first time he brought someone to meet me.” Nan Shuang pondered thoughtfully, “A few years ago, didn’t we at the Cloud Summit consider bringing those two together? Back then it didn’t work out; could it be that now—”
“Absolutely not.”
Shang Can immediately interjected sternly, “At least from what I see, Yun Duan has absolutely no other intentions towards Kun Yao, so Shuang Jiang, please don’t misunderstand.”
“Is that so? That’s rather regrettable.”
Though she said that, there was no hint of regret on her face. Nan Shuang seemed to consider it a trivial conversation and returned to her book.
Compared to the whimsical thoughts of this Shuang Jiang, Yuan Ge was much more grounded.
“That guy definitely has feelings for Ah Shuang.”
Merely mentioning Pei Chen in conversation made Shang Can watch in disbelief as the Higanbana spirit organizing the room suddenly turned gloomy, her beautiful face puffing up in indignation.
“…D-Do you know him?”
“I don’t know him.”
Under Shang Can’s cautious questioning, she deflated like a punctured balloon and mumbled, “Every time he comes, it’s just to be alone with Ah Shuang.”
“They say they want to catch up; how annoying! There’s no need for so much catching up…” The flower spirit ground her teeth in frustration, sounding both resentful and aggrieved. “Since I’ve known Ah Shuang, he’s come every month—Ah Shuang has been dead for so many years! Why won’t this guy just let go!”
“…”
Connecting the timeline of when Yuan Ge said she met Nan Shuang with when Pei Chen became the head of the Cloud Summit, Shang Can couldn’t shake the feeling that she had stumbled upon some big secret. She attempted to explain, “Kun Yao is Shuang Jiang’s disciple; it’s only natural for him to come visit her—”
“Natural my ass.”
Yuan Ge leaned on her broom and whipped her head around to glare at the speechless Shang Can, declaring, “I’ve already said that guy’s feelings for Ah Shuang definitely aren’t just those of a teacher and student! How could such trivial feelings escape my eyes as a Higanbana spirit?”
Speaking of which, it seemed there were indeed legends in folklore about Higanbana symbolizing unattainable love… Shang Can quickly shook her head to dispel irrelevant thoughts and stuttered, “W-Well, what about Shuang Jiang?”
“She definitely doesn’t feel that way!” The moment those words left her mouth, it was as if Yuan Ge had stepped on her tail, her entire demeanor bristling with anger. “Ah Shuang’s relationship with him is merely a casual acquaintance! It’s all that guy’s relentless pursuit! He’s just like that annoying distant relative who clings to you; it’s embarrassing, an eyesore, and utterly self-indulgent!”
…The intensity of personal feelings in this statement made it hard not to doubt the speaker’s impartiality. Shang Can couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Pei Chen, who had been unfairly labeled as “embarrassing, an eyesore, and self-indulgent” without knowledge of the situation.
“Hmm… did you see him when he came a couple of days ago?”
“What do I care to see him?” Yuan Ge retorted impatiently, swinging the broom and sending dust flying everywhere. “I don’t want to see his face even a bit.”
So she hadn’t seen him. Shang Can felt a bit disappointed; she had wanted to confirm the whereabouts of Yun Duan and Pei Chen. She glanced at Yuan Ge’s displeased expression and reassured her, “It’s fine. Shuang Jiang said that he only comes to handle official matters…”
“…”
Yuan Ge pouted while sweeping the floor, ultimately throwing down the broom and pulling Shang Can to sit at the table. She spoke earnestly, “Shang Can, when you return to the cultivation world, you must remind that guy to take good care of his health.”
“…Huh?”
Shang Can hadn’t fully processed the situation when she saw Yuange continue with a serious expression, “Make sure he practices well; he should at least live to be five hundred years old.”
“…”
Shang Can understood; this meant she didn’t want Pei Chen to come to the Underworld.
She couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time as she looked at Yuange. Under the serious gaze of the other, she reluctantly nodded and replied, “…Okay, I’ll let him know?”
“When he dies, or if I die first…” Yuange, who was in front of her, had shown her kindness, and Shang Can felt she had taken on a strange job. She sighed, “I’ll blow this whistle in the River of Forgetfulness to call you out and tell you.”
“Please don’t blow it again! The last time I heard it, I rushed ten miles to come beat you up. If I hear you blow it again, I might really take action!”
…How to put it?
Unable to sleep, Shang Can sat on the bed, recalling the information she had learned over the past few days, feeling a bit awkward as she pursed her lips.
Once she left, Pei Chen might very well silence her.
…After all, based on the current situation and Yuange’s (albeit biased but somewhat credible) testimony, the “selfishness” Pei Chen mentioned near the entrance to the Underworld at Tianwaitian, which led to the entrance not being sealed… it clearly referred to Nan Shuang.
Perhaps he thought that if he sealed the entrance, he would never see Nan Shuang again. Shang Can thought silently, as if she could understand.
No wonder Pei Chen was unwilling to speak; after all, he and Nan Shuang had a master-disciple relationship, which was quite significant in the cultivation world, at least much more serious than relationships between fellow disciples.
Startled by her sudden thoughts, Shang Can hurriedly brushed aside her musings and let out a long sigh.
…She had gathered a lot of information about Pei Chen, but hadn’t heard anything useful regarding Yun Duan.
Yuange hadn’t come that day, and she hadn’t seen either of them. Nan Shuang, when they finally met, had only given this information after pondering for a while: “Your junior sister looked quite unwell; she only said two things the entire time.”
“‘She’s still alive,’ and ‘I’m going to find her.'”
Nan Shuang said with open hands: “After saying that, she left in a hurry. Pei Chen also rushed after her.”
“It seems she probably just came to relay a message so I could help look for you.”
“You and your sister have such a good relationship; that’s wonderful.”
Not in the mood to correct Nan Shuang’s misunderstanding, Shang Can was filled with worry.
…She didn’t know how Yun Duan was doing now, whether she was resting and eating well.
She slapped her face lightly, telling herself not to dwell on these unhelpful thoughts and sink into a low mood.
Thinking positively, over the past five days, she had not only learned a lot about the ghost tribe but had also recuperated relatively well. At least—
Shang Can flicked her fingers, and the lamp on the table suddenly lit up, a crimson-gold flame quietly burning, filling the room with light.
“…Not too bad.”
She murmured softly, opening and closing her palm.
The damaged meridians had mostly healed, allowing her to start using spiritual power again. That inexplicable chill hadn’t returned.
Though the power of her celestial fire was still not as strong as before, Shang Can figured it was likely due to the compatibility issue between the flame and the Underworld; she probably wouldn’t be able to overcome that problem anytime soon.
But that was fine; as long as she could use it, that was enough.
Taking a deep breath, Shang Can calmed her restless mind.
She really didn’t want to stay here for a whole month; she didn’t have that much time to waste.
Even if she couldn’t think of a way to escape for now, her mind eventually returned to the suspicious figure Nan Shuang had mentioned, and she felt a slight sense of alertness.
No matter how she looked at it, the fact that she suddenly fell into the River of Forgetfulness must have something odd about it, and the most likely cause was… her enemy was somewhere in the Underworld, waiting for the right moment to plot against her.
Shang Can’s gaze deepened as she made up her mind.
As night fell, she would speak to Nan Shuang today and head out to investigate.
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