He Simu summoned ghost servants and instructed them to take Duan Xu to rest. After entering Ghost City Yuzhou, experiencing the kneeling of ten thousand ghosts, and being hung at the palace gate for a day and a night, Duan Xu was finally led to stay in a side hall within the palace.
However, significant problems still existed, such as the vast ghost city having no food for humans, and Duan Xu had been hungry for a day and a night. Fortunately, the ghost servant leading the way said the King had already given instructions, and soon Left Minister Jiang Ai’s cook would come to prepare food for him.
Duan Xu was somewhat surprised: “The Left Minister even has a cook?”
“We don’t subsist on the food of the living, but we can eat if we want to. The Left Minister is as wealthy as a nation, enjoying glory and riches. Having a few cooks is nothing unusual,” the ghost servant explained respectfully.
Duan Xu appeared thoughtful. He interlaced his fingers and held them to his lips, asking, “What does the Left Minister do? How can she be as wealthy as a nation?”
“Left Minister’s gambling houses are spread throughout the world, naturally she has money.”
“Gambling houses? She enjoys gambling?”
“Yes, the Minister loves to gamble, and almost always wins.”
Duan Xu pondered for a moment, then smiled lightly, saying, “I see.”
As they turned a corner, they ran into another group of evil ghosts coming from the opposite direction. The ghost servant in front of Duan Xu immediately bowed and saluted, saying, “Right Minister.”
Duan Xu looked over and saw the tall, stern evil ghost Yan Ke, dressed in deep blue clothes, sizing him up dispassionately before withdrawing his gaze and preparing to walk past them.
Duan Xu suddenly stepped back and put his hand on Yan Ke’s shoulder.
“Minister Yan, are you a bit surprised to see me still alive?”
Yan Ke slightly shifted his gaze, and Duan Xu whispered in his ear: “You have the same smell as the evil ghost who attacked me yesterday, unfortunately you can’t smell it.”
In front of the living, evil ghosts had far too many blind spots.
“The evil ghost who wanted to eat me last night, did he just meet with you, Right Minister?” Duan Xu asked softly with a smile.
When Jiang Ai entered the palace hall, He Simu was leaning against the throne flipping through the Ghost Register. Seeing her enter, He Simu put down the register and pointed to a chair nearby: “Aunt Jiang Ai, sit.”
He Simu didn’t often call her Aunt Jiang Ai. Usually, she called her Specter Hall Master or Left Minister, or most frequently just called her by name. Generally, when she addressed her so affectionately, it meant she had something to entrust her with.
Jiang Ai thought to herself, He Simu’s father called her Aunt Jiang Ai, and now He Simu called her the same way. She wasn’t sure if He Simu was taking advantage of her or taking advantage of her own father.
She sat down and said, “Simu, why did you call me here?”
He Simu tapped her fingers on the Ghost Register and said casually, “That mortal I brought, take him around Yuzhou City for a while.”
Jiang Ai was taken aback, then laughed: “What? Everyone knows he’s your person, who would dare harm him? Do I need to protect him?”
As she spoke, she paused thoughtfully, then continued, “There is someone who would dare harm him and might dare to kill him. Simu, you know how jealous Yan Ke is. Previously, your lovers never came to the ghost realm, which was fine, but now you’ve placed this living person right under his nose. Aren’t you afraid something might happen?”
He Simu shook her head and smiled: “Little Fox Duan has the Illusion-Breaking Sword with him; he’s not that weak. Besides, whether Yan Ke is jealous or not, what does that have to do with me? Should I cater to his wishes?”
Jiang Ai sighed. She still remembered the day three hundred years ago when she brought He Simu to the ghost realm. Yan Ke had previously been quite critical of this young, unfamiliar new master, but upon seeing He Simu, he had nothing more to say and stood dumbfounded for half an incense stick’s time.
He Simu was indeed an exceptionally beautiful person, after all, no one in her parents’ generation was unattractive. Moreover, she had an indescribable quality about her—stubborn and proud.
At that time, Jiang Ai thought, it’s over, the Fei Ghost Hall Master has fallen.
Several decades later, when He Simu clearly expressed that she didn’t like evil ghosts but only liked living people, Jiang Ai thought again, it’s over, the Fei Ghost Hall Master had fallen irretrievably.
No evil ghost could give up their desires; if they could, they wouldn’t have become evil ghosts.
However, this also applied to He Simu.
“Regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not, Yan Ke will target this child. You might as well accept him as your lover. This child is brave and cheerful, and very attentive to you. I can see he likes you a thousand, ten thousand times over. You’ve had more than twenty lovers over these few hundred years, one more won’t make a difference,” Jiang Ai enthusiastically encouraged.
He Simu sighed, seeming to get a headache just hearing this topic. She shook her head and resumed flipping through the book: “Forget it.”
“What’s wrong, you don’t like him?” Jiang Ai thought for a moment, then exclaimed with sudden realization: “I know, he must be very ugly.”
Duan Xu sneezed, thinking to himself that someone must be speaking ill of him behind his back. He rubbed his nose. The ghost servants guiding him and Yan Ke’s servants had retreated to the side, leaving just him and Fei Ghost Hall Master Yan Ke alone in the corner.
Duan Xu leaned against the wall and smiled: “Let’s have an open and frank discussion, Minister Yan. No matter how much you dislike me, you shouldn’t try to kill me. If I were to die in Yuzhou City, what would become of Simu’s face and prestige?”
In his view, there were numerous evil ghosts with ill intentions, yet some evil ghosts dared to openly kill a living person brought by the Ghost King within Yuzhou City. If they truly succeeded, it would be tantamount to treating the Ghost King’s authority as nonexistent. Considering this, after driving away that evil ghost, he had tied himself back up as if nothing had happened.
Yan Ke’s face, already cold, grew even more frigid. He said, “I don’t consider you qualified to speak frankly with me. An insignificant mortal, do you truly believe Simu would care about you?”
Duan Xu shook his head and said, “Whether Simu cares about me or not is between her and me, and doesn’t require the Right Minister’s concern. Even as an outsider, I can see how difficult it is for her to be the Ghost King. Please don’t add to her troubles.”
After speaking, he turned to call for the ghost servant to guide him, but before he could speak, he heard Yan Ke say coldly: “Duan Shunxi, how long have you known her, half a year? I’ve known her for over three hundred years.”
Duan Xu turned to look at him. The tall, stern man before him revealed a mocking expression, still with his characteristic arrogance.
“I met her during the ghost rebellion, helped her suppress it, and assisted her in implementing laws to govern the ghost realm. Without me managing the ghost realm for her, she wouldn’t even be able to take breaks, much less have met you. She needs me, and I can stay by her side forever. Living people like you, Simu has met many before, just temporary amusements. Your youth is but the blink of an eye, as fleeting as smoke. She will soon forget you completely. What can you possibly give her?”
Duan Xu stared steadily into Yan Ke’s eyes. The threads of wind twisted and turned around this corner as if tracing the undercurrents.
Duan Xu suddenly smiled brightly and said, “Right Minister, how do you know my name?”
Yan Ke’s pupils contracted slightly.
“I see, you eavesdropped on my conversation with Simu. You heard that I once kissed her, so you’re furious with embarrassment?”
Duan Xu waved his hand and turned with a sigh to call over the ghost servant guiding him, then said softly: “Simu is not your possession. After three hundred years, she still doesn’t like you. You’re just taking yourself too seriously, Right Minister.”
Yan Ke instantly clenched his fist, while the smile vanished from Duan Xu’s face as he turned away.
After settling in the side hall, Duan Xu had a good sleep, and Jiang Ai’s cook was also brought in to prepare food, at least preventing Duan Xu from starving to death. This living cook had a clear understanding of Yuzhou City and Jiang Ai, probably knowing that if he didn’t cook well, he would become the freshest ingredient. He didn’t speak, only worked, his ladle flying up and down, making at least eight dishes per meal.
Duan Xu comforted him for a long time, saying he couldn’t eat so much, but the cook remained trembling and stubborn. He had no choice but to give up persuading him.
Accompanying Jiang Ai’s cook was Jiang Ai herself.
This seductive, richly adorned Hall Master naturally also wanted to enjoy her cook’s culinary skills, and while eating, she mentioned that she had been entrusted by the Ghost King to look after Duan Xu for a while.
“The King just returned from her break and is extremely busy. Since you’re not familiar with Yuzhou City, I’ll act as your host on her behalf,” Jiang Ai said in a dignified manner.
Duan Xu didn’t pursue the question, but with chopsticks suspended, he smiled faintly and said, “She hopes I’ll come to my senses and give up.”
“What?”
“Nothing, thank you for your trouble.”
In the following days, Duan Xu resolutely implemented his statement about troubling Jiang Ai, going out early and returning late, having her take him through almost every corner of Yuzhou City. He showed no interest in visiting the various high-ranking Hall Masters but was more interested in the layout of streets and every plant and tree. In just a few days, he had hand-drawn a map of Yuzhou City, with the proportions between districts surprisingly accurate.
Jiang Ai looked at his map curiously, both marveling at his photographic memory and puzzled about what he was trying to do.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Give Simu a gift,” Duan Xu temporarily put down his pen and smiled at Jiang Ai. “I want to go to one more place, and I would trouble the Left Minister to guide me.”
“Where?”
“The mountain wall inscribed with the thirty-two Golden Wall Laws.”
Jiang Ai raised an eyebrow and smiled: “You truly have a discerning eye, immediately picking the second most disliked place among evil ghosts.”
The Golden Wall was in the eastern part of Yuzhou City, behind the palace on Xusheng Mountain. It was originally a natural rock face where the former Ghost King had ordered ghost craftsmen to cover it with pure gold and flatten it, then use cinnabar to carve thirty-two laws of the ghost realm. Each character was larger than a military drum.
When Duan Xu had been hung at the palace gate, he could see a place on the mountain emitting dazzling, bright golden light. This time, as Jiang Ai brought him to the rock wall, they could see all the characters from halfway up the mountain. Amid the lush green trees, the gold and red created a majestic and solemn spectacle.
When they stood beneath the Golden Wall, looking up at this four-story-high golden wall, they both couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
Jiang Ai remarked on how much gold it had taken to make this wall.
Duan Xu said, “To issue policies and decrees for the benefit of all under heaven is called the Way.”
Jiang Ai turned to Duan Xu in surprise. Reading books was probably one of the things she detested most, so this phrase was quite unfamiliar to her, but she could hear the admiration in Duan Xu’s words. She covered her mouth and smiled: “Seven out of ten evil ghosts dislike these restrictive laws. Little friend, you’re truly upright.”
Duan Xu reached out to touch the powerful characters deeply carved into the golden wall. They placed many restrictions on the behavior of evil ghosts; if one could abide by these laws, they could hardly be called evil.
He said softly: “In ancient times, Shang Yang reformed the law to strengthen the state, was eventually torn apart by chariots in the marketplace, and afterward, the King of Qin ruled all under heaven.”
After a pause, he smiled gently and said: “So that’s how it is. She walks Shang Yang’s path, a path hated by humans and detested by ghosts.”
To be hated by humans and detested by ghosts is the position the Ghost King should occupy.
He Simu had once casually and lightly told him so.
Perhaps she had understood this all along, but still decided to use her endless life and remarkable talent to entangle with the abyss, restraining this huge entity composed of desire and greed.
To maintain the order of the ghost realm, remove stigma, and allow evil ghosts to be distinguished between good and bad. Also to protect the world made up of these small and fragile mortals.
He believed that as long as she remained Ghost King for a day, the ghost realm would remain stable and the human world would remain unharmed.
Even if no one knew, and no one appreciated it.