Facing each other

That night, a crescent moon hung obliquely in the sky, and its cold moonlight poured down onto the rolling mountains. The dark ridges glowed with a faint light, adding to the cold and lonely feeling.

With a window pane propped up and a lotus candle in hand, Yuanli sat at the table, gazing at the bright moon with a worried look on her face. Suddenly, the crescent moon gradually transformed into the horns of Ah Bang, the ox-headed figure. With a deep moo, Ah Bang's entire head gradually appeared, his eyes narrowed in a smile as he smiled at her.

Then, on the left and right of Abang, the heads of Horse-faced Demon and Axiang appeared one after another, both with brilliant smiles on their faces.

Full of horror.

"Ari, let's go back to the underworld to play." Abang said with a smile while shaking the bull head hanging in the sky.

The three heads gradually disappeared from the sky and came to her side. Ah Xiang sat beside her and asked, "I heard you are unhappy, Ah Li."

"No, who told you that?"

"Not yet. Look at your frown, like the ghost in the River of Oblivion. Do you need me to ask? But I got the information from Lord Hades."

"Has Ah Xun been back to the Netherworld recently?"

"Yes, Lord Hades has been extremely unstable lately, raging and laughing at the same time, making the ghosts very nervous. Ever since you came to the mortal world, he'd never return to the netherworld in his true form unless it was a matter of urgency or necessity. But today, he's been coming back to the palace frequently, in and out several times, and then, as he was laughing, he became displeased. I wanted to take advantage of his cheerful mood to inquire about it, but he unexpectedly stopped by my soup stall and asked me to come and talk to you more often."

As they were talking excitedly, Ah Xiang suddenly turned around and looked at Ah Bang and Ah Yi behind them and said, "Cover your ears."

The two ghosts nodded and grabbed their ears, pretending to cover them.

"I heard you're getting married to Lord Pluto? Can I come to the ceremony?" Ah Xiang looked at Yuanli expectantly. Before she could answer, she patted her arm and said, "My little will-o'-the-wisp, you've finally got some sense. I always say that nothing in heaven is as good as Lord Ah Cha's bed. Oh my, then I have to go back and dig out my treasures to make you a gift..."

Yuanli interrupted her and asked, "Where did you hear this news?"

"Of course I saw it secretly. Have you ever looked closely at the red threads that often float in the sea of ​​red spider lilies? They are as thin as gossamer threads, emitting a bright and spiritual light, and they are not easy to catch."

Yuanli asked, "Well, there are images. What are those floating lights?"

"What's important isn't what the floating lights are, but what Lord Hades does with them. I don't know what those floating lights are, though. I only know they have spirits. I'm afraid in the entire Netherworld, only A'cha and Nian Dai know exactly what they are. Let's get back to the point. Lately, A'cha has been collecting red floating threads from the entire sea of ​​red spider lilies. And then, I met Nian Dai. The pearl in her hand depicts the scene of your wedding with A'cha. The glow emanating from your wedding dress is exactly the same as the red floating threads in the sea of ​​red spider lilies. When Nian Dai's pearl changes to the white color of moonlight, the image it reveals isn't the past, but the future destined for mortals."

"Niandai?"

Yuanli subconsciously thought of the woman who brought her into Cha Suxunhuan's dream that day.

Ah Xiang quickly caught the strange look that flashed across her face. "Have you met Nian Dai? When and where? Did she say anything to you?"

"Ah Xiang, you don't seem to want me to meet Nian Dai. Who is she?"

"No, no." Ah Xiang changed the subject and said, "I was the one who asked you first, have you ever seen Nian Dai before?"

"But I don't even know who Nian Dai is. There are so many ghosts in the underworld. If you don't tell me clearly, how can I figure out whether I have seen Nian Dai before?"

Ah Xiang didn't know where to begin, constantly choosing her words in her head, afraid of saying something she shouldn't and causing her to catch another question. After a long pause, Ah Xiang finally said, "I don't know how to describe her to you, but if you saw her, you'd probably think she was a red spider lily fairy, a spirit, or something like that. Her favorite dress had a layer of red gauze over it, and she had a few red spider lilies in her hair."

"So Nian Dai is the flower demon of the other shore."

Ah Xiang said without hesitation: "Yes! Have you seen her before? Think about it carefully."

"Just an ordinary flower demon? Ah Xiang, you are not hiding something important from me, are you?"

Coupled with Ah Xiang's subtle unnaturalness, Yuanli always felt that Nian Dai was not that simple. In the end, she pretended to be nonchalant and replied, "I haven't seen it."

Hearing this, Ah Xiang seemed relieved and said, "It's good that you haven't seen her. She only listens to Hades and obeys him. But she is very dangerous. If you meet her, run away quickly. Don't talk to her, don't listen, and don't believe anything she says."

"good."

Ah Xiang was worried and wanted to confirm it again, but she was afraid of saying too much. She had to change the subject and said, "Anyway, this is what happened. So, can I come to watch the ceremony?"

As soon as the words fell, Ah Bang Ah Yi, who was grabbing his ear behind him, also hurriedly said: "Ah Xiang! Take us with you! Take us with you!"

Seeing Ah Xiang turn around and glare at the two ghosts, Yuanli said, "I am marrying Chi Xun, the reincarnation of Ah Cha, not the real Ah Cha. The excitement of mortal weddings is not much different, so it's not interesting. As long as you don't mind it, you can come."

The three ghosts immediately nodded excitedly in response, and the atmosphere in the room became more relaxed, with more laughter and joy. Even Yuanli had a smile on her lips, although it was a bit stiff and forced.

The three ghosts recounted recent interesting happenings in the Netherworld with vivid, unfailing devotion. Yuanli knew all these humorous gestures and words were just attempts to cheer her up. She had simply wanted to play along, expecting them to leave once they were finished, and then she could put on more pretense.

Unexpectedly, at least two hours had passed without the three ghosts stopping talking. Even when Ah Bang started telling jokes and scratching his head so frequently, Yuanli felt a little sorry for him.

"I know you want me to be happy, and I'm very grateful to you, but I'm not happy this time. I don't know if I can save my life."

Ayi looked serious and said, "What's the big deal? The life span of a mortal is only a hundred years or so. We will eventually return to the earth. If Ah Li is still attached to the days of being a human, he can just go down to the lower world more often. Why worry about the tribulations of this short life?"

"I mean my fate as Yuanli, not my fate as a mortal reincarnated and experiencing tribulations."

The three ghosts then realized the seriousness of the situation. Ah Xiang calmed them down and said, "But your tribulations in this life haven't ended yet, have they? Why?"

"I only have a mere three months left to live. The success or failure of my tribulation is still uncertain, but I think I'm doomed to fail. I can't yet reveal what the mission the heavens have entrusted me with. I can only say that failure would have grave consequences, and I'm afraid I won't be able to save my life..."

"Then we'll help you. Your mission is..." An anxious Ah Bang was halfway through his words when he realized something was wrong and quickly changed the subject, "You can't tell me the mission, okay? Then think about it. Can we help you? If so, just tell us what you want us to do. We won't ask any more questions or presume to overthink things."

Hearing this, the two ghosts who were thinking about something nodded in agreement.

Yuanli cheered up, gave Ah Bang a faint smile, and said gratefully, "You're the best~ Thank you very much. But I don't have any other options at the moment. Let's just take it one step at a time and let things take their course."

Ah Xiang immediately added three more barriers and set them up personally before asking, "Does Lord Pluto know about this?"

"Know."

"Given Ah Cha's temperament, I don't think he would ignore you. However, this matter involves the Celestial Realm, so he has to take it into consideration. If... don't blame him. Different statuses mean different considerations. But we all know that his heart is definitely on your side. I believe he will never watch you being punished by the Celestial Realm. I, none of us, will. Do you understand?"

"I understand. Ah Cha told me that, but I also know that if he really did what he said, it would definitely cause him a lot of trouble. If I owe you this huge favor, I'm afraid I'll never be able to repay you in this lifetime. I know you treat me well and we depend on each other like family, but with the foundation you have now, you shouldn't take risks for me. Don't tell Ah Cha these words. I agreed with him just to reassure him that I must not become a burden to Ah Cha."

Hearing this, Ah Xiang hesitated several times, unable to speak. The countless words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, making her feel pent up in anger. "Don't even think about doing this. There are some things in the past, the interests involved, that you don't understand. If you commit suicide, you will be doing him a disservice."

"I know. I was picked up by Ah Cha. I haven't even started to repay him for his kindness. I would be truly ashamed to die like this. But if I didn't commit suicide, if Ah Cha really did it for me... then I would be even more ashamed to him."

After hearing this, Ah Xiang became even more annoyed and wanted to tell him everything right away, but she couldn't because she had promised him.

"You know, you know shit! What you think is just your own self-righteous knowledge! I'm afraid if I continue to talk to you, you'll be so angry that I'll die. In short, just remember, even compared to Ah Cha bringing all the forces he can mobilize to attack the Heavenly Palace, your survival is more important. Remember? Swear to me that you will not kill yourself, under any circumstances. Otherwise, I will tell Ah Cha immediately."

Ah Xiang looked extremely serious and solemn, staring at her intently, as if he would not give up until he heard her swear.

"I'll count to three to give you time to think. Three... two..."

Ah Xiang began to count down, a little slowly, obviously giving her a chance. The two stared at each other in a stalemate until Ah Xiang finished the last number, and then Yuanli quickly raised her hand to swear.

"I, Yuanli, swear that from today on, I will never commit suicide. No matter what the circumstances, I will never commit suicide without the knowledge of Ah Cha, Ah Xiang, Ah Bang, or Ah Yi. If I break this oath, my soul will be shattered and I will never be reincarnated."