Chapter 73 (Rewriting and Upgrading to Make You Like Me Again...)
Nezha affectionately pressed his face against Pingyu's cheek, and clear blood slowly seeped down, forming a long net.
"Nezha?"
Pingyu's tentative call made the boy look up abruptly. He knew he shouldn't touch her without permission, fearing he might annoy her. But the sun hadn't completely set yet, and tomorrow was his seventh day memorial. He realized that the girl hadn't really seen him; she was just talking to herself in a low, aimless voice.
Pingyu shivered as the ghost stole her body heat. At the same time, the dragon scales burned like red-hot charcoal, feeling as if they could scorch her warm clothes in her arms, and she felt an unbearable itch.
She murmured, "Are you not doing well?"
The black mist around Nezha dissipated slightly because of those words. He withdrew his hand from the other's chest and whispered, "Hmm, not good."
Without seeing you, I can't talk to you...
This feeling is terrible.
.
.
.
The girl's murmur sent shivers down the spine of the woman in green. She shuddered three times and looked around. Being in the courtyard where Nezha had died gave her the feeling of seeing a vengeful ghost in broad daylight. However, being a slave, the woman in green quickly overcame her fear.
She said, "Miss, shall I go and make the preparations?"
To make the seventh day after death a respectable occasion, one needs to prepare offerings such as sacrificial animals, incense sticks, candles, paper money, paper effigies, and other items.
None of them can be missing.
There are quite a few things to prepare, and we have to go and buy them before the incense and candle shops close.
Pingyu thought for a while and said, "Don't give us paper money, exchange it for gold ingots and gold bricks."
Nezha spends money recklessly, so we need to prepare more for him.
"I've heard that the paper offering shop has recently released several paper sacrificial animals and paper houses. Shall I buy some to burn for the Third Prince?"
“Yes,” Pingyu instructed, “buy the best.”
“From the province of Nu”.
The woman in green escorted Pingyu to the courtyard gate, then seemed to remember something. She asked, "Miss, should we inform Madam and Master about the preparations for the Third Prince's seventh-day memorial service?"
This question stumped Pingyu, as she hadn't considered this possibility.
This matter was not approved by the Li family. If he was worried about being exposed and causing trouble, he should have informed his parents. They were blood relatives who shared both honor and misfortune. No matter how willful Pingyu was, he could not offend the Lin family's biggest backer for his own selfish desires.
“You go… no, never mind.” She hesitated for a moment, then immediately changed her mind: “You go shopping, I’ll talk to my parents myself.”
Lin Dong and Xue Yue'e are soft-hearted people; they will tell her what is the best course of action.
Children sometimes need to rely on the wisdom of adults.
The woman in green nodded: "Yes, Miss."
"However, the master and mistress are still receiving guests in the main hall. Would you like to go there now, Miss?"
"I……"
She was about to say to wait for the guest to leave when someone rushed over. The person was quick on foot and spoke first: "Miss, the distinguished guest from Chaoge wants to see you. Madam sent me to fetch you to the main hall!"
Pingyu and the woman in green were surprised.
It's like a pillow being delivered just when you're about to doze off; she was just about to use the excuse of looking for someone to come here on her own.
"I'll go right away."
Pingyu agreed, but felt confused:
Why would a guest from Chaoge want to see me?
Because of her special physical condition, Lin Dong and Xue Yue'e did not allow her to participate in the family business. Her recent fame in Chen Tang Pass was also thanks to the all-purpose shop her parents set up for her and Nezha. Otherwise, no one would know that the Lin family had an only daughter. Business matters usually do not involve offspring, unless it is a marriage alliance.
Nezha also thought of this, and his face immediately darkened.
Ping Yu, however, immediately ruled out this guess.
With her own life hanging in the balance, marriage is not about making enemies. What kind of idea is it to send someone who could die at any moment to marry into another family? Besides, Lin Dong and Xue Yue'e are not the kind of people who would do such a thing; her family only wants to take in sons-in-law.
She shook off her many questions, thinking that she would get the answers when she arrived.
As the female slave approached the main hall, the sounds of conversation from inside grew louder. Just as the female slave was about to announce their arrival, the girl covered her mouth.
Shh.
Ping Yu shook his head at her and pressed himself against the edge to eavesdrop:
A soft, feminine voice rang out, and Pingyu understood why they had said a distinguished guest had arrived.
The reigning emperor was Di Xin, also known as King Zhou. As for his favorite concubine, she was none other than the famous nine-tailed fox spirit Daji.
Pingyu remembered telling Nezha that her family's pastries were very popular in Chaoge. Now that she had the palace servant's testimony, she instinctively turned around to talk to her.
But there was no one else beside him except for the female slave who covered his mouth.
She met the female slave's eyes, then listlessly shut her mouth, pretending nothing had happened.
"I understand." Inside the house, Xue Yue'e humbly accepted the guest's suggestion.
“That’s good,” Pingyu said, hearing the man laugh. He joked, “If your Lin family takes advantage of this, you’ll be incredibly wealthy! If you rise to the top, you’d better remember my kindness.”
"Naturally," Lin Dong said, "If this matter succeeds, I will never forget your kindness in helping me!"
Inside the room, things seemed settled, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
The conversation made no mention of herself, leaving Pingyu wondering what the purpose of summoning her was. Just then, she heard a guest inside ask, "By the way, why hasn't your daughter arrived yet?"
Pingyu and Nezha both perked up:
It's time to go!
The female slave was tormented by eavesdropping on her master's conversation. Seeing that her mistress finally intended to go inside, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Ping Yu entered the house and immediately saw a petite man sitting in the guest seat. He looked somewhat plump and pale, like a piece of pork fat. The man smiled and narrowed his eyes when he saw Ping Yu:
"You are Pingyu?"
"Indeed," she said, bowing respectfully. "I was playing in the pond just now and got a little disheveled. I went back to freshen up before meeting you, so I'm a little late. Please forgive me, sir."
Since we don't know the other party's official rank, it's always better to be cautious.
Nezha looked at him.
When the father-son relationship was relatively harmonious, he had accompanied his father on military campaigns and made many contributions. During his several trips to the court to receive rewards, Nezha recognized the faces of almost all the court officials. He was certain that this greasy-looking man was not any official, and that his cotton and linen clothes were only slightly better than those of ordinary people.
"You silly child, how could you be so careless?" Lin Dong said, pretending to scold him, before explaining, "This Lord Wang is the palace's chief cook. Hurry up and greet him!"
"Zai" refers to a palace attendant who serves the king or nobleman, while "Shanzai" refers to a slave who is specifically responsible for the royal family's food and drink.
No wonder he'd never seen a person before, Nezha suddenly realized: so he was just a slave.
With such a haughty demeanor, Nezha probably thought it was a minor official he had recently been appointed to.
Although the dynasty was a slave society, there were still differences between slaves. As the saying goes, "Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner," meaning that even a lowly dog in the palace could trample on the heads of ordinary people outside the palace.
Pingyu obediently bowed his head and respectfully said, "Pingyu greets Lord Wang."
"Good child." Wang Shanzai nodded at her. "Your parents said you're not feeling well, so please sit down."
"When I arrived here, I heard rumors circulating that the Lin family's only daughter was as beautiful as a fairy, even more so than the Third Prince of the General's Mansion. I have seen the one from the Li family, and she is indeed a rare beauty. But after seeing you today, I think this girl is even more beautiful."
He seemed very amiable, and his voice was pleasant.
It was clearly a compliment, yet it made Pingyu uncomfortable. His gaze, like phlegm coughing up from his eyes, lingered on the girl.
Purchasing was a lucrative job, and those who landed it were no saints. No one in the palace was innocent, nor did they do anything useless. Pingyu couldn't figure out what he wanted, so he could only sit obediently on the prayer mat.
The next second, he dropped a bombshell with that androgynous voice: "I'm going back to Chaoge tomorrow, come with me."
Without asking any questions, the royal chef was issuing an order.
Pingyu: ...
Being complimented on your looks by a man you've just met is never a good thing.
She quickly looked at her parents and found that their faces were also full of confusion.
It seems that Wang Shan acted arbitrarily without consulting others.
The man kept scrutinizing Ping Yu's face, nodding occasionally.
With her ethereal beauty and refined elegance, she surpassed many noble ladies. He, a man of many experience, could tell Pingyu was exceptionally intelligent. Though her background was humble, it didn't matter; her parents, though wealthy, were commoners, making her easy to use and manipulate. The King was infatuated with the bewitching concubine's beauty, neglecting state affairs. While the court officials were hostile to each other, they united on matters of state. They had long wanted the King to execute the bewitching concubine, Daji, to prevent him from neglecting his duties due to her allure. However, the King was fiercely protective of her, and after several clashes in court, the impeachment against Daji was temporarily shelved due to the deaths of several officials. He was able to retain his lucrative position as Minister of the Imperial Kitchen because of powerful connections. His master wanted him to use his position to find promising young women to take back and cultivate. Once properly trained, they could be presented to the King, eventually surpassing the bewitching concubine and winning his favor.
Men are all the same; once they have a new one, they won't go back to the old one.
When Wang Shanzai came to Chentang Pass, in addition to asking where the Lin family mansion was, he also asked who the most beautiful woman in the area was.
He visited several places in succession, but none of the beauties he had inquired about were particularly striking. After looking at each house one by one, in the end, only the young and beautiful Lin family remained.
Fortunately, the Lin family did not disappoint him, whether it was the snacks or the beauties.
As the greasy man sized up Ping Yu, Ping Yu was also subtly sizing him up.
Pingyu remembered that there were no eunuchs in the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
However, this person's voice is a bit high-pitched, so that possibility cannot be ruled out.
"Does he want me to be his partner?" she wondered.
Who would specifically come all the way outside to look for someone?
Lin Dong and his wife were both shrewd people; how could they not know what Steward Wang meant?
Food is food; people can eat it, and beautiful women can also be eaten.
Xue Yue'e's face immediately turned pale. She forced herself to remain calm and said, "Lord Wang, my daughter just turned eleven not long ago. She's still a child. I don't know what you mean by this?"
“Eleven years old is no longer a child,” Wang Shanzai laughed. “Girls will get married sooner or later. What’s the point of keeping them at home if they have a good place to go?”
“But she’s in poor health and can’t leave home…” Lin Dong added, “If you want wealth or fertile land, I’m willing to give them all up. I just hope that Lord Wang will have mercy and not take my child away!”
"You said you wanted my Lin family's pastries, but you didn't say you wanted to take my daughter away!" Lin Dong was also furious. He was tall and towered over Wang Shanzai by half a head.
"Your daughter is small, so she can eat it too. How can it not be a snack?"
Wang Shanzai used sophistry.
Xue Yue'e coldly replied, "We don't want the wealth and glory gained by selling our daughters!"
"You have no choice!" As soon as he finished speaking, the guards around him drew their swords.
The glint of blades was dazzling, and tensions were high.
Nezha stared expressionlessly at the smug Wang Shanzai, thinking to himself that Emperor Xin was truly incompetent and foolish. Even a bullying dog in his palace couldn't be properly trained. It tried to take a bite out of someone else's house.
Although Wang Shanzai was merely a slave, he was highly regarded because he was ordered to go out and find something to please Daji. Therefore, the slaves he brought were not ordinary thugs, but strong men fed on meat, eggs, and milk. These disciplined slaves were equipped with weapons, making them far superior to the Lin family's servants. In an instant, the situation became one-sided; long swords surrounded Pingyu and his companions from all sides, trapping them like caged beasts.
Nezha looked out of the courtyard; the sun had sunk a little lower.
As dusk approached, the sun hid halfway down, like a festering sore in the sky. At this time of day, the entire sky and clouds seemed to bleed. The yin energy was thick and dense; Nezha looked at his hands, noticing that the thick fog on them had thinned considerably.
It's almost time.
Wang Shanzai made no attempt to hide his smugness. He feigned concern and advised, "If you take a step back, you can have both wealth and honor, or you'll just end up buried in the yellow earth. I'll kill you all and take this child with me. A smart person knows what to choose, doesn't he?"
Upon hearing this, Nezha paused.
He realized that Wang Shanzai was right.
Looking back, Lin Dong and Xue Yue'e did indeed have dark aura between their eyebrows. This meant that if this matter wasn't handled properly, they really would die as Wang Shan had predicted.
However, he was merely a kitchen steward, a slave who could be replaced at any time. The palace's meals wouldn't be handled by just one person, so why was this person so important?
He then heard Wang Shanzai say again:
"If you are worried that your daughter will have no one to rely on after entering the palace, then you can rest assured. I am highly valued because of my divinely bestowed tongue. In the Food Department, the life and death of people are determined by my tongue. Food is the most important thing for people, and people have prestige only if they have ability. In this palace, even ordinary court officials have to give me some face. I can protect your daughter from being bullied."
He just spouts nonsense and doesn't know when to stop!
Ping Yu rolled her eyes, trying to figure out how to break the deadlock. The knife was right in front of her; she almost wished she could slash her face. But that would probably anger this piece of pork fat.
When Pingyu arrived, she wondered if summoning her was for a marriage alliance. Little did she expect that while the marriage was indeed to take place, it would involve her entering the palace to compete against others!
Is this "Investiture of the Gods" or "Empresses in the Palace"?
It's said that palace maids had their birth dates calculated before entering the palace, and only those with good fortune could serve. The same must have been true for the imperial concubines; they needed to be destined for wealth and offspring, serving as beautiful breeding machines to ensure the continuation of the crumbling Shang Dynasty. Leaving aside whether the Shang Dynasty would still exist by the time Pingyu grew up, wouldn't offering her up for fortune-telling by the priests be met with repercussions?
She was a pure ghost attracter, destined for an extremely short life.
Thinking of this, Pingyu almost burst out laughing at the thought of hell.
Having formed his own thoughts, Pingyu broke free from his parents' embrace.
Wang Shanzai watched as the girl stepped forward and met his gaze. She said, "Okay."
Nezha's eyes widened as he stared intently at the other person.
The girl remained calm: "Release my parents, and I'll go with you."
As he spoke, Pingyu gestured to his parents from behind.
Lin Dong and his companion, who still had much to say, suppressed their pent-up emotions.
Her agreement to Wang Shanzai's request was based on reality. Her fate was yin, meaning even a single hair of hers would attract demons and monsters. The journey from Chentang Pass to Chaoge was long, traversing many mountain paths. In this world teeming with demons, the journey with Ping Yu would certainly not be peaceful. If Wang Shanzai were devoured by monsters on the return trip, leaving not even bones behind, no one could be blamed.
After all, it is common for mortals to die at the hands of demons.
If you want to use her to exchange for wealth, you should at least be alive to take it.
She was going to gamble with herself, clutching the dragon scale in her hand that threatened to burn her skin.
Moreover, Pingyu knew that Nezha was by his side. Even if they set off today and traveled day and night to Chaoge, it would still take more than two days. Tomorrow was the seventh day after the other party's death, and Pingyu believed that he would help him.
Nezha.
Two soft breaths entered the boy's ears. He stared at Pingyu's lips and listened as she said:
I've brought him here; I'm handing him over to you.
At that moment, the setting sun instantly blanketed the entire sky. Gold and crimson intertwined on the horizon, and fiery clouds rushed in darkly. The afterglow, like a veil, instantly infused the room with a crimson light, making all the blades glow. The remaining light converged into lines on the blades, flashing roughly through Wang Shanzai's eyes as if a sword were being slashed down. The man squinted, his body trembling. His initial suspicion of the girl's words was thus dispelled.
He blinked again, and the light faded.
But Wang Shanzai did not relax.
A sudden surge of fear flashed in his eyes, growing ever more intense as he looked at the reflection on the blade. The long sword, forged from stone and bronze, could be used as a mirror, and in his vision, a boy with twin buns walked towards him with a smile on his face.
But looking around, there was no sign of the boy in the entire main hall...
Only bronze artifacts, only bronze artifacts!
Metal generates water, and water is yin.
ghost……
It's a ghost!
He hastily retreated amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, only to accidentally step onto the stairs and fall to his seat.
"Sir, what's wrong...?"
The guard with the knife had barely uttered his question when he was immediately silenced by the scene before him.
Wang Shanzai kicked his legs wildly on the ground, his face contorted in pain as he frantically clawed at the air around his neck. The man tilted his head back as if thirsty, revealing the full extent of his neck being pulled.
There were indentations of different sizes on his neck.
The indentation forms a human hand, firmly squeezing him in its palm.
Dusk, the hour of Oma.
Everyone, including the guards, looked helplessly at the dying royal chef.
How can humans fight against demons and ghosts?
Amidst the flustered whispers, only Ping Yu remained silent:
A familiar figure appeared out of nowhere. The boy, covered in blood and with bones exposed in many places, was bending down and holding the man in his hand.
"Pingyu, you're so cunning."
Upon hearing the sound, her pupils contracted in shock.
The boy grabbed Wang Shanzai and lifted him up. The man was suspended in the air like a rag doll, making it easier for the "demon" to turn around.
He was enveloped in black mist, his figure flickering in the thick fog. Sometimes clear, sometimes blurry. Only his eyes remained unchanged, curved like two crescent moons drawn in ink, dark and opaque.
It's Nezha.
He said, "You know I love you and don't want you to be kidnapped to Chaoge by him, so you asked me for help, right?"
Nezha spoke sharply, remaining rooted to the spot. Wang Shanzai's eyes bulged, as if they were about to roll back. He showed no interest in the impending death of the person in his hands, only smiling at the stunned girl with his blurred face.
Ping Yu instinctively defended himself: "I didn't...!"
Her voice was very soft, but it was enough to attract the attention of her parents beside her.
"Pingyu?"
Xue Yue'e called out, and seeing her daughter staring intently at Wang Shanzai's position, she knew that her supernatural powers were acting up again.
Pingyu is talking to the ghost in the main hall who is demanding his life.
The other party said:
"You have it."
The boy's smile vanished abruptly at Yan's words, his lips drooped, and he tightened his grip. A few red spots, resembling blood or tears, vaguely appeared behind the mist on his face.
“You know I was here, and you were still talking nonsense in my courtyard. With so many paintings in front of you, you pretended to be stupid, acting as if you didn’t know how much I liked you. Now that you’re in trouble, you can see how much I like you again.”
Nezha's tone was accusatory, and his dark eyes looked aggrieved. He weighed the royal chef in his hand again, as if it were a fat chicken waiting to be slaughtered.
"Since you don't want to leave, I'll trade him for you."
The man's neck bones then made a sickening cracking sound, and in a chilling moment, Nezha pushed him forward.
road:
"I killed him, and now you'll like me too..."
"OK?"
Author's Note: This chapter has been completely rewritten, with an additional 1000 words! This male ghost is so cool, he feels a bit like a puppy.
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