Chapter 22 Like-minded people cupping each other's faces, so cute.
The fluffy white fur moved without wind. Di Ting walked gracefully to the bedside and squatted down.
The chubby bottom deliberately pushed aside Bai Yan and occupied the position near the head of the bed, while Bai Yan sat on the bed.
The tiny wooden figure, no bigger than a palm, nimbly jumped from the top of Di Ting's head onto the bed, then stumbled along the edge of the blanket to Jiang Yuzhi's shoulder.
"Uncle Yan?"
"You know it's me, so why aren't you reaching out your hand?"
A tiny wooden figure stood on her shoulder, panting, its nose and face neither resembling a nose nor a face.
Jiang Yuzhi lifted the wooden figure from her shoulder and placed it in front of her.
"Black and White Impermanence insisted that the Great Emperor examine you, so I went back and brought it back to him," Di Ting explained.
Bai Yan, who was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible at the foot of the bed, suddenly widened his eyes in shock. The Black and White Impermanence? His wife's two brothers were the Black and White Impermanence?
Uncle Yan? The Great Emperor? He must be the ruler of the Underworld.
The wife's status in the underworld is far too high. Is there simply too much of a difference in social standing between them? I wonder if her relatives over there feel that he is powerless and unworthy of her.
The little wooden figure raised its short hand, trying to touch Jiang Yuzhi's brow, but couldn't reach it.
He seemed to be getting angry and embarrassed, complaining about his lousy body with its short arms and legs.
Jiang Yuzhi quickly brought the wooden figure closer to her.
The tree that could bear the consciousness of the Fengdu Emperor was not an ordinary tree, but a branch of the Ruomu tree that connected to the underworld, with red leaves and red blossoms.
The red wooden figure looks more like someone who is furious.
The smooth, rounded redwood fingers pressed against Jiang Yuzhi's brow, and then a wisp of his remaining consciousness pierced into her soul, drawing out the portion of power in the Soul-Soothing Bell that was used to fill the gaps in the remaining power of the Divine Map, creating a harmonious interplay.
"It's not a big problem. It's just that the form has become a fierce ghost. It hasn't penetrated deep inside yet, and the changes in appearance cannot be reversed. Once your ghost power recovers a bit, you can replace it with new nails and hair."
Ghosts are not like humans; they experience birth, aging, sickness, and death, as well as metabolism. They rely on their accumulated ghost power to complete the internal circulation of their soul, repair hidden injuries, grow hair and nails, and even grow taller.
With the help of the remaining power of the Sheji Tu (a mythical map of the state), Jiang Yuzhi's ghostly power flowed more smoothly.
The emperor remained silent about her dark red eyes, probably because they couldn't be changed back; new eyes couldn't grow to replace them.
Jiang Yuzhi was unaware that her eyes had changed color. She had never looked in a mirror before, and even if she did, she would only assume that they would naturally revert to their original color in the future.
The little wooden figure gently blew a breath on her, and the invisible airflow enveloped Jiang Yuzhi and merged into her skin.
"I'll cast a spell on you so that you look no different from an ordinary person. If anything happens to you again, I'll be able to sense it. You really don't give ghosts any peace of mind."
It jumped off Jiang Yuzhi's palm, stood crookedly on the corner of the quilt, and then moved to the edge of the bed to make it easier for the wooden figure to walk normally.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Yan. I'll make you something delicious when I get back after I find everything. That way, I'll have less work to do in the underworld."
"Hmph, stop talking about the future and take care of yourself first."
The little wooden figure walked proudly with its back to Jiang Yuzhi towards Bai Yan.
Bai Yan remained silent, trying his best to pretend he didn't exist for a while, constantly sorting through the conversation between the people in front of him in his mind.
"You want to marry our young lady?"
Bai Yan looked down and saw that the wooden figure that had been in his wife's palm was now standing in front of him, asking him a question with an ambiguous meaning.
Make a good impression on your wife's elders.
"Uncle Yan!"
Neither of the two people in the conversation paid any attention to Jiang Yuzhi's embarrassed and annoyed voice.
Di Ting was almost asleep, nestled on the floor beside the bed.
"I know I am not worthy of Yuzhi yet. As a mortal, I will do my best to help Yuzhi. I still have some influence. After I die, I will also cultivate diligently in the underworld and try to be able to help Yuzhi!"
The Great Emperor never took the nonsense about the Heavenly Dao's rule that humans and ghosts are on different paths seriously. Aren't humans and ghosts fundamentally just different in terms of whether or not they have a physical body?
If we can't be together in the mortal world while we're alive, isn't it the same to be together in the underworld after we're dead?
That's not what he's focused on right now. Bai Yan, that kid, the Sheji Tu is really protecting him, even covering up his lifespan completely.
Hmm? What's in your arms?
The Emperor, as if he had X-ray vision, scanned Bai Yan from head to toe.
The little wooden figure grabbed Bai Yan's clothes and nimbly climbed up. Bai Yan didn't dare to move and stopped talking.
Until the little wooden hand pulled a corner of the book from his arms.
Bai Yan knew something was wrong, but the little wooden figure moved quickly, grabbing the book with both hands and flying away from him.
"The Sickly Young Master Meets the Beautiful Fairy (Volume 3), Money Makes Money."
The wooden figure read out the words on the cover word by word.
Bai Yan's face flushed instantly. He stammered, trying to stop the wooden figure from opening the book, but dared not touch it. "Uncle Yan, this book is just something I read to pass the time. It's nothing, so there's no need to open it."
He has a little hobby that he can't talk about. What would his wife and elders think of him if they knew he loves reading storybooks?
Jiang Yuzhi watched with great interest, like a spectator watching a play, waiting for her beloved Uncle Yan to continue reading.
Before I even went to Huimin Bookstore, the books were delivered to my door.
"The Queen Mother was furious. She took the fairy who was gazing sadly at the unconscious man on the sickbed and went to the Heavenly Court."
The room was eerily quiet. Cheng Ming struggled to wake up from his daze.
"Yunzhi..." he called hoarsely.
The wooden figure stopped, its carved eyes shining as it stared at Bai Yan's embarrassed face.
"I've never seen this book before. I clearly instructed the ghost messengers to buy all of Qian Shengqian's works."
"This is a custom-made edition and is not for sale to the general public."
Bai Yan hadn't expected this elder to have such a different focus, and answered instinctively.
"Tell me in detail." The Emperor hadn't been to the mortal realm for a long time, and the storybooks he had initially collected were from the little ghost messengers below. After becoming addicted to them, he ordered them to buy the entire set. Unexpectedly, there were even contents he didn't know about.
"As long as you pay enough silver, the bookstore manager will tell you your requirements and write down what you want to see."
"I see. May I borrow this book to have a look? I will definitely return it on time after I have finished reading it."
"Of course, of course. Please be careful when reading, Uncle Yan, this is the only copy."
Bai Yan wouldn't miss the chance to win over his wife's elders; his methods were a bit strange, but the results seemed quite good.
The Emperor of Fengdu had never seen such a finely bound storybook before; the cheap booklet the ghost messenger gave him was obviously a pirated copy.
How could someone as the ruler of the underworld watch pirated content!
Those ghost messengers are really asking for trouble.
The little ghost messenger was also forced to do it. Where would a ghost get the money from the mortal world to buy books? Books are one of the most expensive things in the mortal world.
This poor-quality booklet was hand-copied by the underling after he finished his official duties for several nights in a row at a bookstore.
The Emperor: "Are the first two volumes still available?"
Bai Yan: "Yes, yes, it's in my room."
There are only three volumes in total so far. The rest hasn't been written yet. Bai Yan has almost memorized all three volumes. Lending them to the Emperor is a small matter.
"Listen, listen! Did you hear me? Go to his house and get it for me. Be careful not to mess up his house."
The little wooden figure bossed around the dozing dog.
"Okay, okay." Di Ting worked diligently without complaint, while its big tail swept back and forth impatiently.
After Bai Yan told it the exact location, it slowly walked away.
If it weren't for the fact that the Great Emperor possessed the dark history of Di Ting, it wouldn't have worked so hard for him.
"You are good, you have potential. I will not interfere in your affairs with my wife, but there is only one rule: you must not hurt her, neither physically nor mentally."
Bai Yan was overjoyed to receive approval, but on the surface he had to remain calm and nod steadily.
"Uncle Yan, could you please consider my opinion?"
Jiang Yuzhi was finally able to get a word in edgewise. Was it reasonable for an emperor and a mortal to discuss her life's most important matter right in front of her?
The Emperor of Fengdu glanced at her, snorted coldly, and wondered how such a vivid expression could be made on the face of a wooden figure.
"We know each other perfectly well, so don't worry too much. As long as you don't ruin yourself, I can cover for you. Trust your uncle, okay?"
Jiang Yuzhi remained silent, not only because of her concerns, but also because she needed to find her parents, her brother, and her family.
I don't want to involve anyone else before everything settles down.
Although this person seems to have already gotten involved.
The Emperor knew all too well the young lady's stubborn nature; the more he pressed her, the more hesitant and conflicted she became.
Di Ting strode in, carrying two books in its mouth.
Bai Yan gently patted Jiang Yuzhi's hand, wanting to tell her to just let things take their course and not to feel pressured.
Upon seeing the white dog with its mouth on the book, the Emperor exclaimed and jumped off the bed, "Oh dear, what a disaster! What if you get the book dirty with your saliva!"
"Pah, pah, pah! I'm getting you a book, and you're complaining about me! If I don't use my mouth, am I supposed to use my claws?"
The two books were spat on the ground, and apart from a few teeth marks, they were clean and spotless.
The emperor pounced on the book, tenderly patting off the dust that had just settled on it. A flash of white light, and the three books, along with the one on the bed, vanished.
It was put away by the Great Emperor.
With such care, the storybook should surely return to him intact. Bai Yan felt relieved.
"I'll be going now if there's nothing else. I've left some of my power on Bai Yan to protect him, as a way of repaying him for lending me the book. Be careful of yourselves."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden figure climbed onto the head of the Di Ting, grabbed two tufts of white fur, and shouted at it to set off.
Despite its anger, Di Ting obediently disappeared from the spot.
The room fell silent.
Jiang Yuzhi: "Don't overthink what Uncle Yan said."
Bai Yan: "Whatever you say goes, but I've never been afraid of you."
Jiang Yuzhi: "What?"
Upon hearing this, she turned her head to meet Bai Yan's focused eyes.
His scarlet eyes were moist, carrying a hint of secret expectation.
Bai Yan's heart skipped a beat.
"You're too close to me, I'm shy."
The blunt words stunned Jiang Yuzhi, who stared wide-eyed at the composed man in front of her.
Fearing his wife wouldn't believe him, Bai Yan moved from his seat to his original position on the bedside.
Jiang Yuzhi sat back on the bed, cupping her face in her hands, momentarily forgetting to react.
Bai Yan moved closer to her, and the distance between them kept shrinking.
The skin that touches the palm changes from icy to warm, from pale to flushed.
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