Chapter 75 (Bonus chapter with 2k nutrient solution: I'm better than you...)
The heavy feeling in his heart eased considerably. Ping Yu glanced around calmly, realizing that Nezha had truly left.
Li Jing had no solution to this matter at the moment.
Fortunately, it was only the first day, so there was still plenty of time. After a moment, under everyone's gaze, he slowly spoke: "Brother Lin."
"Why."
Lin Dong stepped forward.
Li Jing: "Seal this place off and don't let anyone near it. We'll discuss the rest later."
Lin Dong knew this matter was troublesome, so there was no reason for him not to agree. The man repeatedly agreed and saw Li Jing and the others off.
The moment the door closed, the smiles that the two families had barely managed to maintain vanished.
Summoning her courage, Lady Yin asked the man with the dark expression, "Husband, is this matter difficult?"
She wasn't usually the type to concern herself with such matters. Li Jing was surprised, then quickly retorted, "It is a bit troublesome, but don't worry, Madam."
He hugged Madam Yin to comfort her, saying, "I will arrange all of this."
Lady Yin wore a docile expression, serene and gentle. But upon closer inspection, one could see strands of hair on her forehead. She was almost drenched in cold sweat, thinking to herself that Nezha had indeed not lied. They had shared a bed for many years, and Lady Yin was the person in the world who understood Li Jing better than anyone else.
He was so arrogant that he wouldn't have uttered the word "trouble" even if he had the slightest confidence in handling the matter. Lady Yin was both relieved that she had agreed to Nezha's request to share her husband's burdens and apprehensive about whether it was right to make a deal with her dead child.
She hadn't thought for too long, leaving only the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, and a pitiful appearance.
The fear of Nezha's death faded as his ghost departed. She had now calmed her husband's heart and didn't want her child to truly hate her.
.
On the other side, the Lin family mansion was shrouded in gloom.
Lin Dong sighed, "I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse..."
"What are you saying!" Xue Yue'e cheered and patted her husband: "Our good boy is safe and sound and doesn't have to go to Chaoge, this is the greatest blessing in the world!"
“Yes, yes…” he chuckled awkwardly, “Madam is right.”
Pingyu remained silent, her mind filled with the words Nezha had spoken when he left.
This was the first time in both her lives that she felt the words "see you tonight" sounded like a curse. Like a death knell, it bluntly told her that she would face a calamity tonight.
As luck would have it, someone was walking towards them at that moment.
The man carried a silver box and looked hurried.
"Green clothes!"
Seeing this, Xue Yue'e called her over.
The female slave paused, bowed, and said, "Green Robe greets Madam, Master, and Miss."
What are you going to do?
The female slave glanced at Ping Yu and hesitated before saying, "I am on my way to prepare items for the Third Prince's seventh-day memorial service, as ordered by Miss."
Pingyu: I don't want to hear that name.
She forced a smile and offered a belated explanation:
"My daughter and Nezha were friends after all, so I thought I'd burn some paper money for him on the seventh day after his death."
As he spoke, Pingyu inwardly grumbled:
But I don't want to burn it now.
If Nezha uses her as a betrothal gift, she'll be doomed!
Her parents were unaware of the details, but honestly, they agreed with the decision.
Lin Dong wavered between profit and sentiment, and finally compromised, saying, "How about... we go in a few days?"
The Lin and Li factions are currently entangled due to the turmoil in Chaoge. If possible, it would be best not to test Li Jing's bottom line.
They were in the same boat; if one of them fell, they would all perish.
Because of Nezha's words, Pingyu had no intention of going to Nezha's grave to burn paper money.
“My daughter understands.”
She immediately agreed, making things easy for Lin Dong.
After her parents left hand in hand, Green Robe returned to the small kitchen. The now-alone Pingyu tragically discovered that he had nowhere to go.
She wanted to go back to her room and stay there, but she was worried that opening the door might mean she was pregnant.
Is this what it feels like to be haunted by a ghost?
Devastated, she decided to spend time with the dead.
The girl returned to the main hall, pulled up a chair, sat down, and looked at the corpses scattered on the ground.
Was Nezha like this before?
Pingyu still vividly remembered the scene when the male ghost killed someone. It wasn't the first time she had seen Nezha take a life, but she vaguely remembered that the Nezha of the past was not like this.
He killed swiftly and silently, operating like a machine, devoid of any superfluous emotion.
But he was very noisy today, saying things that were disturbing, as if he was desperately trying to prove himself.
Nezha said: If you find the knife easy to use, then keep using it.
But Ping Yu had no such intention; he did not want Nezha to get his blood on his hands or to clean up his dirty business.
Could it be that there was something wrong with the way we interacted before?
She had some doubts about herself.
But then Pingyu changed her mind. She was exasperated: "We're still children, there's absolutely nothing ambiguous or romantic about us!"
She pondered deeply and racked her brains, but found no answer.
The girl was upset, so she looked around and glanced left and right.
Suddenly, Pingyu fixed his gaze on one spot.
Huh...?
Something seems off about this body.
With nothing else to do, Pingyu squatted down in front of him and carefully observed the other man's face.
As luck would have it, this person turned out to be the Imperial Kitchen Steward. He was strangled to death by Nezha, and because he was still screaming in agony before he died, his death was gruesome, with his mouth wide open.
Pingyu's gaze swept downwards inch by inch.
The fish-eye-like eyes showed no abnormalities, so we'll skip them.
Its nose also resembles a garlic bulb, so we'll skip over that.
His mouth was so wide open it looked like his jaw was about to dislocate, slightly...
Um?
wrong.
Wang Shanzai's lips were pale and bluish, and both his upper and lower rows of teeth were intact or missing. Yet, looking at his mouth, which was as black as a hole, Ping Yu still couldn't take his eyes off it.
Her intuition was spot on; she sensed something was off.
Pingyu couldn't find anything wrong with it, so she opened her mouth. The pool of blood beside her served as a mirror, and she used her own mouth as a reference.
Teeth, lips, uvula—it has everything…
By comparing herself to her own appearance, the girl quickly found the anomaly.
Wang Shanzai had no tongue.
And it wasn't as if he was chopped off or cut off in a fit of rage... His mouth was empty; his tongue had been pulled out by the roots.
Pingyu quickly got up and ran to check the surrounding corpses.
Everyone else had their mouths intact, except for Wang Shanzai, who had no tongue.
Why is this happening?
When it comes to who would do such a thing, Pingyu immediately thinks of Nezha.
According to Wang Shanzai, his tongue was different from that of others.
This tongue could taste all the flavors of the world, distinguishing between ordinary dishes and delicacies. It was the key to the royal chef's ability to please King Zhou, and the foundation upon which he was able to stand firm in the palace and gain his own domain.
But what use would Nezha have for it?
She was so engrossed in thought that she didn't notice the corpse in front of her blink.
Several fine, hair-like strands of spiritual energy stretched from afar. They pierced the skin of these corpses and embedded themselves in every bone within the bodies.
Snap.
The previously calm surface of blood on the ground suddenly splattered with blood.
A drop of blood flew past Pingyu's eyes, pulling her back to consciousness.
Turn your head to the left, tracing the source of the splattering blood.
The image that appeared before his eyes startled Ping Yu, causing his pupils to shrink.
The servants, who were supposed to be dead, raised their arms together.
My first attempt was clumsy, and my arm slammed down, causing blood to splatter.
On her second attempt, she succeeded quickly. The corpses rose one after another, and Jiao Ping gripped the dragon scales even more tightly. But soon, she realized that the "resurrected" corpses had no intention of looking at her.
They stood in a shaky line, motionless.
Immediately afterwards, Pingyu heard a "click" sound.
Wang Shanzai, standing in front of him, closed his mouth and shakily got up.
He stood at the very front of the line.
A long line of people walked out, leaving bloody footprints with each step.
...
Li Jing had just returned to his residence when someone came to report this.
"Sir, you must go and see! A group of people covered in blood have appeared in the street!"
What bloody person?
Upon leaving the mansion, even he was taken aback by the scene on the street.
They really were a group of bloodied people.
They all had holes in their chests, their hearts nowhere to be found. The leader, Wang Shanzai, was someone Li Jing had just met. The people inside the pass whispered among themselves, making way for the long line of corpses to pass through a vacuum-sealed passage.
Just who is this murderous demon...!
Ordinary demons cannot control so many corpses and make them move at once.
Li Jing was wary, but also felt relieved.
Since everyone from Chaoge was dead anyway, it didn't matter where their bodies were found, as long as it had nothing to do with Chentang Pass. The calamity that had befallen them was inexplicably averted once again.
Li Jing's heart pounded, and his right eyelid kept twitching. Among the onlookers, a young girl turned and ran. She ran all the way back to the Li residence and arrived at the front of Madam Yin's courtyard.
"lady!"
Only Lady Yin remained in the empty mansion.
She was processing the information inside when she heard this and said, "Come in."
This girl was a confidante of the Yin family, and her name was Huaya.
Hua Ya entered the room with a smile, and said to the woman lying listlessly on the bed, "Madam, I just saw a group of blood-soaked people heading towards the border! Master was there too, but he didn't order anyone to stop them and just watched them leave!"
This cheered up Madam Yin, and she thought:
Those blood-soaked figures must be the corpses from the Lin family mansion; it's Nezha fulfilling his promise!
His method was simple: he just needed to make everyone watch these people leave Chentang Pass, and then let them die some distance away. That way, the Lin family wouldn't be implicated, and the Li family wouldn't be affected either. Logically, this should have been done at midnight to avoid attracting attention.
Nezha's choice to act at dusk makes his purpose quite clear.
Nezha was telling Lady Yin not to play any tricks.
Even if he dies, he still has many ways to cause trouble for the Li family.
Feeling a lingering fear, Madam Yin quickly brought out a silver box and handed it to Huaya.
"Go to Cuiping Mountain for me, build a palace for Nezha, and sculpt a golden statue for him."
She gave him anxious instructions.
The slave was puzzled as to why his master had suddenly changed his mind, but he still agreed.
but……
Huaya asked, "Should we tell the master?"
Madam Yin shook her head, as if trying to convince herself: "This is my personal dowry, there's no need to inform the master."
If Li Jing were to find out about building a palace for Nezha, it would likely cause a major disaster.
The crisis for the Lin and Li families was temporarily averted, but neither of them felt at ease after being approached by the male ghost.
Night fell as scheduled.
Pingyu delayed his mealtime, dragged his parents out for a walk until very late, and then doubled the time it took to take a bath.
Later, because she was about to be soaked in water, the woman in green picked her up, packed her up, and stuffed her in front of the courtyard gate.
Looking at the tightly closed door, Pingyu felt as if the inside was a gladiatorial arena.
As soon as she opens the door, a ferocious beast will rush out and bite her neck off.
This is what they mean by "you can escape the first day of the month, but you can't escape the fifteenth."
She paced back and forth at the doorway.
"never mind."
Pingyu wanted to escape again. She turned around with her eyes closed, muttering, "It's been so long since I slept with Mother, I'll go find her!"
The next second, the door was smashed open from the inside.
A crimson brocade, like a tentacle, shot out and instantly enveloped her.
The eyes and mouth were tightly bound, leaving only the nose for Pingyu to breathe.
Pingyu's hands and feet were bound, and red silk wrapped her up like a cocoon and pulled her into the room.
Bang!
The door closed, and no one knew that a girl had just gone into the house.
Pingyu was gently placed on the couch.
Her eyes were like those of a salted fish, her gaze vacant as she thought:
This familiar feeling...
It's the Hun Tian Ling, isn't it?
Why can Nezha still use this even after he's become a ghost?
Did Taiyi Zhenren burn a paper replica of the same one for him?
In the midst of their brainstorming, the magic ribbon binding Pingyu was finally removed. Hongchou gently cupped her face and turned Pingyu's head in the right direction.
The gaze shifts from the ceiling to the bronze table in front of it, where a well-dressed boy is sitting.
Like a beautiful ghost that has just drunk blood, a monster raised from red flesh.
"Good evening."
He said.
Pingyu: ...
The night is no good at all!
She refused to answer in a huff, trying to awaken a shred of conscience in Nezha with her condemning gaze.
Unfortunately, the effect was minimal, and no one paid attention.
The boy moved slightly, causing his decorations to clatter. He pointed to himself and asked Pingyu for a reward: "I saved you again."
Pingyu was quick-witted and understood what Nezha was saying in the blink of an eye.
"Were you behind the operation that killed group of bodies during the day?"
"Um."
The boy answered, his finger moving.
Pingyu immediately felt a force that carried her from the bed to the futon in front of Nezha.
She is below, and Nezha is above.
The boy looked down at him, his eyes gleaming with a sly, oily light. He added to himself, "I'm quite capable, at least better than Li Jing. What he couldn't do, I can easily solve cleanly."
Although it's the truth, it sounds really strange.
It sounds like they're trying to sell something.
Pingyu remained silent, keeping quiet.
She didn't want Nezha to say that; emphasizing her own advantages was like deliberately downplaying her own importance.
The girl's silence made Nezha frown.
He jumped off the table and shared a prayer mat with her. The boy was so close that he could count each of her eyelashes. There was only one shadow on the ground; Nezha was now a complete ghost.
He grabbed Pingyu's arm and asked:
"When I died, you thought of me and were even angry with the Li family on my behalf. But now that I'm alive, you don't like me and hate me... Why?"
"Is it because I painted your picture, Pingyu?"
The boy tried to find something he had done wrong, and said somewhat aggrievedly, "I could tell you didn't like it, so I burned it all."
This time, Pingyu answered.
Her eyelids twitched, and she said seriously, "Because you're talking nonsense."
"When have I ever spoken nonsense!" He widened his eyes. "Whether it's liking you or wanting to marry you, these are all heartfelt words. I know you dislike impulsiveness and prefer stability. So, on the day I returned the ring, I asked Shen Canjuan. I fit all the symbols of 'liking' that she mentioned!"
Nezha was eager to prove that he wasn't playing around, so he raised his voice slightly.
"Or do you think there are others who are better than me?"
His voice suddenly turned cold, with a murderous glint in the end. It was as if he was about to kill the complete stranger as soon as Ping Yu admitted it.
Pingyu observed his behavior and took the opportunity to verify his previous conjecture.
After Nezha died, his emotions seemed to become even more agitated.
What's going on...?
Thinking about it, she reached out and touched Nezha's head.
The spirit felt like slime to the touch, and even the boy's soft hair felt strange. Ping Yu endured the discomfort and gently stroked Nezha's spiky hair: "No one is better than you."
"Then why?"
With the girl's comforting words, Nezha gradually calmed down. He lowered his head, full of confusion: "Marriage is always arranged by choosing the best. But no one is better than me, yet you still don't want to choose me. Is it because we're both still young? If that's the reason, then it's not a problem."
Ping Yu paused, seeing Nezha raise his face. He leaned closer, changing his strategy. The boy deliberately feigned weakness, his eyes clear with tears, like a puppy waiting for pity.
He spoke slowly, rattling off his words like beans: "I've already asked Lady Yin to build a temporary palace for me on Cuiping Mountain. As long as I receive incense offerings for three years, I can be reborn in the Heavenly Realm. At that time, I'll ask my master to give me a grown-up body, so I won't be a child anymore... Is that alright?"
Pingyu felt both sorry for him and amused. Who would want to force their child to grow up too fast for something like this? But she made a mental note: since Li Jing would destroy the Yin family's palace in the future, she had to build a palace for Nezha as well.
This way, we'll be prepared for anything.
Nezha noticed that she was distracted and bit Pingyu's wrist in annoyance.
Even as a ghost, Nezha could accomplish many things due to his powerful spiritual energy.
This included leaving teeth marks on Pingyu.
The girl winced in pain and pulled her hand away, clutching her wrist as she demanded, "What are you doing!"
"You're daydreaming," Nezha accused. "You're thinking about how to brush me off."
"I don't."
“You are!” He was petty and remembered every single detail: “You were like this when we were playing hide-and-seek in Jinguang Cave. You promised to play with me, but then you went to sleep.”
Ping Yu's face flashed with guilt: "This happened so long ago, how do you still remember it?"
"I remember everything about you."
He repeated and emphasized his dedication to the relationship: "I remember everything you said and everything you did."
The boy's face lost its feigned weakness, returning to its usual composure. Nezha's calm demeanor, combined with his current attire, made it seem as if he had never died.
Every word of this sentence carries considerable weight; the child's exceptionally pure emotions are laid bare before him, making Pingyu want to escape.
She's never been good at handling these situations; Nezha is too young, and she's not mature enough. They are both equals and unequals; their relationship can be anything, but it shouldn't be limited to romantic love.
At least, that's what Pingyu thinks now.
Nezha left her speechless, unsure how to respond. After much deliberation, Pingyu decided to have an open and honest conversation with him.
After a while, Nezha heard the girl sigh softly.
"It's not that you're too small, Nezha..."
She said:
"I'm too big."
If they were truly the same age, Pingyu might accept the relationship. After all, in that case, she'd still be a child at heart, deeply influenced by popular novels, at an age where she's just beginning to experience romantic feelings and is curious about everything. Nezha would fit all her ideal of a perfect partner:
Their two families were on good terms, and Nezha was her childhood sweetheart who was both handsome and skilled in martial arts. Although he had a bit of a temper, it could be romanticized as him being very domineering.
She could have a puppy love with him without any reservations, even though he was the kind of domineering character that teenagers like in novels.
But she's over twenty years old across both lifetimes!
Even if Nezha was her childhood idol, Pingyu couldn't possibly pretend that nothing had happened and let the dream girl's dream come true, given the age difference!
Ping Yu felt she couldn't do it; the Law on the Protection of Minors was chasing after her.
Don't even mention it, this is too much torture!
Nezha was unaware of the details and felt that Pingyu was deceiving him again.
"We're the same age, you're just a few months older than me."
But the next second, the dissatisfaction on his face froze.
Without any embellishment, Ping Yu stated frankly and directly: "But I was already seventeen years old in that world, Nezha."
"Including my current age, I am a total of twenty-eight years old."
Actually, it shouldn't be calculated that way, since she was a reincarnation in this world. For Ping Yu, the modern world is, in a sense, just memories of her past life. But she wanted Nezha to back down, so she deliberately exaggerated the differences between them.
"Even if we're the same age now, I'm still a full seventeen years older than you, Nezha."
After she finished speaking, she waited for Nezha's reaction.
Contrary to Ping Yu's expectations, the boy didn't react with shock. Instead, he strangely calmed down and, meeting the girl's gaze, slowly uttered a single word:
"oh."
Pingyu:
oh?
What do you mean by "oh"?
She was filled with questions, and in her daze, she didn't see Nezha secretly curling his lips. He was so intelligent, almost demonic, how could he be led astray by Pingyu's linguistic trap? The atmosphere that had just been built up was completely destroyed by his single word, and the initiative was once again handed over to him invisibly.
Nezha refused to budge, offering a calm response: "Men can marry older women, even those twenty years older than them are common. If that's the case, why can't women find love with those younger than themselves?"
Pingyu: Huh?
"Compared to them, at least we look presentable."
Nezha's speech didn't follow the usual pattern.
Ping Yu was caught off guard and stared in disbelief:
No, who taught him all this?!
However, Nezha's attack was not over yet.
"Besides, we are beings descended from heaven. Things like age, which are measured in mortal years, are the most useless things to us, aren't they?"
Taking advantage of the girl's surprise, he cupped her face in his hands. Pingyu, seeing that he had won the verbal exchange, laughed again. Nezha pinched Pingyu's face, moving with ease in his own rhythm.
"Besides, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about it. Didn't you promise to tell me everything about the world behind your door when I woke up?"
The gentle tone carried a hint of Nezha's unique oppressiveness.
“Now you can speak, Pingyu.”
He pressed on relentlessly, giving Pingyu no chance to catch his breath and retaliate:
"Tonight, you and I will stay in this room, and neither of us will leave."
The author notes: In reality, someone else was in control of the relationship.
The next bonus chapter will be added to the 3k nutrient solution! Thank you for your support, my darlings! [starry eyes][starry eyes][starry eyes][kiss]
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