Chapter 32: Mist Dissipates Part 2

The ghost general’s cold voice showed no mercy.

She refused to yield, and Lu Qingzhen refused as well. “You should know that matters involving Four Spirits Shop are to be handled by me in reporting to the Nether King.”

“Then please have Lord Lu report to the Nether King as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will report on your behalf.”

“You…”

The ghost general ignored Lu Qingzhen’s anger. After dropping her harsh words, she turned and left.

As she brushed past Lu Qingzhen, she paused slightly. “Lord Lu, don’t you think you’re favoring Four Spirits Shop too much?”

“I…” Lu Qingzhen was at a loss for words until the ghost general had completely vanished. Only then did she dare say, “Of course not! The Nether King himself instructed not to interfere lightly in Boss Jiang’s affairs. It’s not me favoring Four Spirits Shop; it’s you who doesn’t understand. I’m the important bridge between the Netherworld and Four Spirits Shop. I’m not even mad—why are you? Don’t say Boss Jiang hasn’t caused trouble; even if she did, she’d definitely handle the aftermath. Catch them again if they escape. Why be so fierce! Jerk—my rank is higher than yours! Even if not direct superior, you should give some face!”

Lu Qingzhen cursed a long string with great vigor, but no matter how she vented now, that ghost general couldn’t hear.

That blood-red ghost shadow had long vanished into Ghost Market, out of sight.

Yu Ruoyin continued forward with Jiang Huaining on her back, while Lu Qingzhen walked beside them, her expression not looking good.

She kept glancing at Jiang Huaining, hesitating to speak.

“A’Zhen, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t hold it in and make yourself sick.”

With Jiang Huaining’s permission, Lu Qingzhen immediately spoke up: “Boss Jiang, are you sure this little girl is your fated one? Why have you changed so much since she came to your side? Not only are you taking on business you used to be too lazy to touch, but you’re not taking care of your own body either. You’ve gotten angry with Xia Yu before, but you’ve never laid a hand on her like you did today. I’m not speaking up for Xia Yu. I just think you’re not cherishing yourself, and it’s all too strange. Doing this puts me in a tough spot too. I…”

“A’Zhen, there won’t be a next time.”

Lu Qingzhen gave Jiang Huaining a deep look, then lightly glanced at Yu Ruoyin: “Not necessarily.”

She had a bad premonition, but Jiang Huaining didn’t want to argue the point with her.

Lu Qingzhen’s attention shifted back to Xia Yu, who was being carried on Nan He’s back at the moment, her mental state not great either.

Taking advantage of Xia Yu’s weakness, Lu Qingzhen viciously pinched her arm: “You know, you and Lian Zhen go way back. How could you bear to let her die like that? You wouldn’t treat any female ghost you’ve only met a few times this way, would you? You’re a spirit of nature, with the world’s top-tier power. What more could you want? A half-human, half-demon demon core shouldn’t be that useful to you anyway, right?”

Xia Yu chuckled lowly and beckoned Lu Qingzhen over.

Only after Lu Qingzhen leaned in did she say: “Let me tell you a secret. I’m planning to betray my boss.”

She called it a secret, but she didn’t lower her voice at all.

Yu Ruoyin heard it clearly, let alone Jiang Huaining.

Xia Yu hid her real intentions behind the joke, and though Lu Qingzhen wanted to press her, Xia Yu’s mouth was hard to pry open.

It added quite a few worries for her.

One moment she floated by Jiang Huaining’s side, the next she circled around Xia Yu.

Zhuang Ciyue got dizzy from her flitting about and just wanted her to settle down somewhere. She simply asked: “Yin Official Lu, is that Ghost General really that powerful? Why does she talk to you without any politeness? Isn’t your rank higher than hers?”

“She is rude, and I think so too.” Lu Qingzhen’s chatterbox side was opened, and she floated over to Zhuang Ciyue’s side to chat with her: “But the Ten Great Ghost Generals report directly to His Majesty the Nether King, so they do have some special privileges. For example, they can freely shuttle through the Ghost Market outside of business hours—a right even I don’t have. They really look down on connection hires like me. So what if I’m a connection hire? Connection hires can be pretty capable too…”

Zhuang Ciyue perked up her ears: “Connection hire?”

Lu Qingzhen covered her mouth, her eyelashes trembling lightly—that was the guilt of slipping up.

Zhuang Ciyue stared at her unrelentingly, and she didn’t hold out long before dropping her hand: “Fine, fine, I’ll tell you, but don’t spread it around. I got this yin official position because Boss Jiang valued me and specifically assigned me to guard the Four Spirits Shop. That’s when His Majesty the Nether King bestowed it on me. But I do have real skills.”

The more she spoke, the angrier she got, and she suddenly cursed: “Damn Gou Nanchun!”

Yu Ruoyin stopped in her tracks and turned back: “Qingzhen-jie, what did you just call that Ghost General?”

“I…” Lu Qingzhen wanted to respond but clamped her mouth shut again right after opening it: “I’m a bit mad at you right now. I don’t want to talk to you.”

Yu Ruoyin walked back and glanced at Nan He before remembering the main issue: “Qingzhen-jie, when you investigated Gou Nanchun in the Netherworld, didn’t you…”

“No, no.” Lu Qingzhen covered her ears, a bit sulkily: “I didn’t find anything, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Jiang Huaining took the blame: “If A’Zhen’s mad, be mad at me. This has nothing to do with A’Yin.”

“How could it have nothing to do with her…” Lu Qingzhen wanted to argue but shut her mouth upon meeting Jiang Huaining’s deep gaze: “Fine. That Ghost General is indeed named Gou Nanchun too—the eternal number two of the Ten Great Ghost Generals. I’m not close with them, but I can definitely tell you she’s not the Gou Nanchun you’re looking for, because I’ve already found the real one.”

“She’s not in Chong City. She’s in Yin City.” After Lu Qingzhen finished, she hurriedly added: “But I’m not going with you to that place.”

Zhuang Ciyue was curious: “Why? What’s wrong with Yin City?”

Xia Yu, sprawled on Nan He’s back, burst out laughing upon hearing Yin City: “Yin City’s yin messengers have chased after her.”

“Xia Yu, shut up!”

Lu Qingzhen flew into a humiliated rage and reached out to pinch at Xia Yu’s wound.

Xia Yu dodged slightly, shaking her head in a small motion. Lu Qingzhen missed and accidentally tugged off Nan He’s still-worn black hat and mask.

Tears flickered in Nan He’s eyes, two trails running down her face.

Yu Ruoyin and the others were all surprised. She instinctively handed Nan He some tissue: “What’s wrong?”

“That…” Perhaps because Yu Ruoyin had acted as a medium to help her recover her memories before, Nan He trusted her greatly now. At Yu Ruoyin’s question, she obediently answered: “That Ghost General’s aura feels very familiar.”

Nan Chun.

Two Gou Nanchuns.

Lu Qingzhen said she’d found one Gou Nanchun, but that didn’t mean the Ghost General wasn’t another.

“What? You know her?”

Lu Qingzhen had a mouth perfect for nagging. Compared to the equally chatty Zhuang Ciyue, her status made her bolder: “No wonder. How could those aloof and reclusive Ghost Generals suddenly be so kind as to escort you out? That doesn’t fit their Ghost General style at all.”

“I…” Nan He hesitated: “I… I don’t know.”

Yu Ruoyin: “Could she be the Gou Nanchun you’re looking for?”

Lu Qingzhen: “Gou Nanchun is in Yin City.”

“Qingzhen-jie, she’s looking for two Gou Nanchuns.”

“Two?”

“Yeah.”

Yu Ruoyin unusually stayed calm in the face of Lu Qingzhen’s agitation, standing straight as she talked to her: “It was supposed to be one at first, but she’s a bit confused about which one she wants.”

Yu Ruoyin lowered her voice a bit: “Nan He, now you choose. Do we turn back to find that Ghost General, or go to Yin City?”

“Of course we go to Yin City. We couldn’t see her even if we went back now.” Lu Qingzhen gently patted Nan He: “Ghost Generals of the Netherworld aren’t someone you can just meet whenever you want.”

She wanted to say it was a bit late.

Nan He understood, and so did Yu Ruoyin.

Yin City was the best choice. They couldn’t just come to the Ghost Market every day hoping for luck; at least they needed to confirm one first.

Of course, they couldn’t go anywhere right now. First, they had to send the badly injured Jiang Huaining and Xia Yu back to the Four Spirits Shop to rest. With everyone who could make decisions at the Four Spirits Shop down, under Jiang Huaining’s silent permission, Yu Ruoyin arranged for Nan He to stay and had Zhuang Ciyue look after Xia Yu before sending Jiang Huaining back to her room.

Jiang Huaining should have passed out long ago but had been forcing herself to stay conscious.

She still had words she wanted to say, words she hadn’t told Yu Ruoyin.

Once the surroundings were completely quiet and only they two remained, Jiang Huaining softly told her: “A’Yin, don’t let me wake up unable to find you again.”

“Okay.”

She agreed too quickly, making Jiang Huaining feel like she hadn’t taken it to heart: “A’Yin, I’m serious.”

“I’ll do it.” Yu Ruoyin leaned close to Jiang Huaining. Her usually clear eyes, tinged with a bit of weakness, were terribly resolute now: “Auntie Ning, the first thing you see when you wake up will only be me.”

Jiang Huaining felt something off, but her weakened consciousness couldn’t support her thinking it through.

She pressed her slightly aching temple: “A’Yin, you have to keep your word.”

“Mhm, I will.”

Even with the assurance, she still felt empty.

Jiang Huaining struggled to keep her eyes open, her ink-black pupils reflecting Yu Ruoyin’s delicate face. She chuckled lightly: “What to do? I kind of don’t want to sleep now. I want to look at you a bit more.”

Because of her injury, her tone was softer than usual.

The teasing words that came out carried a hint of coquetry, making Yu Ruoyin unable to resist leaning even closer.

Their breaths nearly intertwined. Ignoring the surprise in Jiang Huaining’s eyes, she pretended casualness: “Then let’s talk a bit more.”

The off feeling grew heavier.

Jiang Huaining suppressed her headache: “A’Yin, I might sleep longer than expected, but you don’t need to worry too much… You seem a bit…”

“I know.” Yu Ruoyin stared unblinkingly at Jiang Huaining. Suddenly afraid she’d see through her dirty little thoughts, she averted her gaze from Jiang Huaining’s and deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere: “Auntie Ning, do Ghost Generals have memories from before?”

Jiang Huaining was still willing to give her the right answer on things she could respond to, and her attention was easily diverted: “They don’t… The Nether King fears their favoritism too, so all souls drink Meng Po Soup before taking office in the Netherworld, forgetting their past lives, forgetting…”

Jiang Huaining’s voice grew weaker, her weary eyes fluttering. She could pass out any moment.

Yu Ruoyin’s gaze returned to her face, and she suddenly thought to ask: “Auntie Ning, what does Xia Yu-jie really want? From your conversation, Lian Zhen-senior was an old acquaintance to her too, right? Was Lian Zhen-senior’s life that unimportant to her?”

“A’Yin… Xia Yu isn’t that bad. She just thinks Lian Zhen lives too bitterly, no need… A long time ago, she killed someone. She wants that person to come back to life, to live…”

Jiang Huaining was so exhausted her mind was muddled, yet she answered Yu Ruoyin’s question. But she trailed off without finishing.

Yu Ruoyin nervously leaned forward, her fingertip lightly brushing under Jiang Huaining’s nose. Feeling the warm breaths, she relaxed.

She had fallen asleep.

Yu Ruoyin stood up, but as soon as she straightened, she climbed back onto the bed.

This time, she lifted the blanket off Jiang Huaining and slipped herself inside.

She leaned against Jiang Huaining’s side, quietly gazing at her sleeping face. Like she’d made some resolve, she suddenly closed her eyes.

It was what Jiang Huaining had said—don’t let her wake up unable to find her.

Sleeping here would ensure she saw her first. Of course, deep down she knew Jiang Huaining probably wouldn’t wake up again anytime soon.

Her closed eyes suddenly opened. Yu Ruoyin reached out to flip the switch, plunging the room into total darkness and hiding herself in it. Only then did she muster the courage to slowly grope toward Jiang Huaining’s face. Her fingertip slowly rubbed over her soft skin, caressing up to her lips, lingering there a long time until heat overwhelmed her and she hurriedly pulled away.

Her fingertip finally stopped at Jiang Huaining’s brow.

Her lips sought out the fingertip and kissed Jiang Huaining’s brow: “Pretty wife, sweet dreams.”

Yu Ruoyin lay down pressed against Jiang Huaining, quietly closing her eyes again. She tightly hugged Jiang Huaining’s arm, trying to grasp the warmth she could touch…