Translator: Abo Dammen

According to the Yin-Yang Ceremonial Rites, for Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng to conduct a ghost marriage with a strong contractual bond, the optimal location for the ritual was Jing Liansheng’s original burial site. 

Bai Qing recalled that the Jing family had only disturbed Jing Liansheng awake in the first place by tomb raiding. From their conversations, it was clear Jing Liansheng must have been a man of immense wealth in life, with funerary goods worth a fortune, and his burial site should have been a place of excellent feng shui.

Yet, Shifu had claimed that after investigating Jing Liansheng’s tomb, he found it to be a lonely, isolated patch of “Solitary Yin Barren Land,” containing only an empty coffin.

The two accounts seemed profoundly contradictory.

Bai Qing had never found the right moment to broach the subject with Jing Liansheng. Now, with the ritual as a pretext, he could finally ask openly, “Where exactly is your tomb located?” 

This time, Jing Liansheng did not warn him off with “Don’t be unnecessarily curious” as he had before. Perhaps, since it concerned the ritual, such a query didn’t qualify as “unnecessary.”

“I was not originally a member of the Jing family…” Jing Liansheng said softly.

“Really?” Bai Qing widened his eyes exaggeratedly, feigning shock. “But isn’t your surname Jing?”

“My surname is Jing, and my given name is Liansheng,” Jing Liansheng explained slowly. 

Bai Qing immediately switched to an expression of sudden understanding, as if hearing the name for the first time. “Jing Liansheng… Liansheng… What a beautiful name!” He then blinked enthusiastically. “By the way, may I call you Liansheng?”

“You may,” Jing Liansheng replied.

His ready agreement took Bai Qing aback. “Really? I can?”

“Why not?” Jing Liansheng countered, his tone flat. 

“No reason,” Bai Qing said, slightly abashed.

…I just assumed you, a ghost of such noble and cold elegance, wouldn’t let me use such a familiar name, Bai Qing grumbled internally.

…At this point, anything is better than being called ‘husband’, Jing Liansheng grumbled back internally. That single “husband” from Bai Qing had been more terrifying than any celestial incantation, giving a venerable fierce ghost like himself a case of PTSD.

Suppressing his internal monologue, Jing Liansheng resumed his story, narrating the past in an even tone. “What you may not know is that the Jing family made their first fortune by robbing tombs.” 

Bai Qing’s heart was utterly unmoved. I already know this.

His face, however, was a mask of astonishment. “What? Tomb raiding? How utterly devoid of virtue! No wonder they can’t bear children! Serves them right!” He deliberately shook his head, wearing an expression of mingled pity and outrage.

Watching Bai Qing’s features perform this chaotic dance, Jing Liansheng paused slightly before continuing. “The tomb they robbed…”

Seeing him hesitate, Bai Qing instantly jumped in like a professional comedy straight man, “Don’t tell me it was your tomb!” 

Jing Liansheng gave a slight nod. “It was.”

“Heavens! That’s like castrating someone at the palace gates, completely eunuch-ing.” Bai Qing glared, perfecting his look of fury, and picked up his phone. “Where’s their family ancestral grave? Just wait, I’ll go on Taobao right now and order a Luoyang shovel! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! I’ll vent your anger for you!”

Jing Liansheng ignored his dramatic, emotionally charged interjection and continued with AI-like focus and calm. “They did attempt to make amends later. After gaining the Ancient Lotus’s favor and becoming the city’s wealthiest family, they managed to recover most of the funerary artifacts they had sold off. They contacted the relevant authorities to preserve and restore the ancient tomb, donated extensively, and established a mausoleum.” 

“You mean to say… your tomb is now a mausoleum?” Bai Qing was dumbfounded. “Holding our ghost marriage in a mausoleum… seems a bit inappropriate, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed. We considered that as well,” Jing Liansheng continued. “Before the ancient tomb was converted into a mausoleum, they found a Solitary Yin Barren Land and constructed a new tomb there. I slumbered within it for a hundred years. Therefore, that place can also be considered my burial site.”

Bai Qing finally understood why the “Old Master’s Tomb” was such a shabby Solitary Yin Barren Land. So, Jing Liansheng had “moved house.”

Hearing this, Bai Qing agreed that the Solitary Yin Barren Land was the better choice for the ritual. “That place is plenty yin, perfect for us yin beings to do yin business.” 

So, Bai Qing packed all the necessary ritual items into boxes, summoned the old butler, and had him ship everything ahead. He and Jing Liansheng would follow later.

The old butler was efficient and asked no questions, simply doing as Bai Qing instructed.

Bai Qing added, “Liansheng and I have to make this long journey. Surely the Jing family will cover our travel and accommodation expenses?”

The old butler thought: I’ve seen stingy people, but never a dead person so deathly stingy. This is truly an eye-opener. 

Despite his internal grumbling, the butler’s face remained professionally courteous. “I will apply for the funds immediately.”

Soon after, the butler gave Bai Qing the approved funds of thirty thousand.

Bai Qing counted the money in his hand and nodded with satisfaction.

Jing Liansheng, however, poured cold water on his enthusiasm. “What use is money? We’re heading into the wilderness. Finding a gas station along the way will be difficult.” 

Bai Qing laughed. “Well done, Liansheng! You even know about gas stations now! Truly worthy of the eldest young master!”

Jing Liansheng felt a flicker of pride. Since awakening, he had diligently studied, striving to accumulate cultural and scientific knowledge to keep up with the times.

Bai Qing happily rubbed the banknotes between his fingers, grinning from ear to ear. “But you see, we won’t need gas at all!”

“No gas?” Jing Liansheng was slightly surprised. Cars don’t need gas now? Has technology advanced so far that even my all-night cram sessions can’t keep up? 

“Why take a car? What a waste of money!” Bai Qing winked. “Brother, aren’t you a studious one? How about I teach you how to ‘drive the corpse‘?”

Jing Liansheng choked. “…If I’m not mistaken, you mean for me to drive you?”

“You are not mistaken at all, my esteemed young master ❤ So clever!” Bai Qing said gleefully. “Think about it! We’re not living people. Why spend money on travel and lodging? Wouldn’t that be wasteful? Not that I’m that stingy, it’s just… you know me, I’m just very eco-conscious. I believe travel should be green, give Mother Earth a break.”

As a ghost, Jing Liansheng could travel a thousand li a day without tiring. 

As for Bai Qing, being a living corpse, he didn’t have that much stamina normally. But with a Corpse Driving spell cast on him, he could walk indefinitely without expending energy.

In a way, it was indeed very eco-friendly.

Bai Qing smiled. “Come, brother, let me teach you the ropes of corpse driving…”

“No need,” Jing Liansheng pursed his lips. “I have some knowledge of it.” 

Bai Qing was surprised. “The young master is so learned?”

Jing Liansheng didn’t acknowledge the compliment, instead asking, “If we do this ‘Driving the Corpse,’ you’ll have to hop the entire way. You know that, right?”

Bai Qing nodded, looking nonchalant. “I know. When I traveled with my master and he didn’t want to spend money, I hopped like this. I’m used to it.”

Jing Liansheng: “…You’re willing to hop for a hundred li for thirty thousand.” 

“It’s not that I’m willing,” Bai Qing said. “It’s that I’m delighted to!”

Jing Liansheng: “…I could have them give you another thirty thousand. Just take a normal vehicle. How about it?”

“Not interested,” Bai Qing frowned. “You don’t understand. Getting money is one kind of joy, but squirreling it away is another kind of joy altogether. Get it?”

Jing Liansheng’s ghostly pupils trembled. 

 …I don’t get it, but I’m profoundly shocked.

Though he didn’t understand, Jing Liansheng respected Bai Qing’s… peculiarities, and thus agreed to the plan.

Bai Qing took out the prepared Corpse Driving talisman and asked Jing Liansheng to attach it to him. “Once this is on, I’m at your command. If you tell me to go east, I won’t go west.”

Jing Liansheng: …I have no desire to enjoy such an honor, thank you. 

“What I mean is,” Bai Qing clarified, “I’m hoping that while you’re driving me, you’ll remember to order me to scroll on my phone. Otherwise, I’ll just be staring blankly, and it’ll be pretty boring.”

Jing Liansheng: “…Fine.”

Before setting out, Bai Qing also selected a pair of shoes suitable for trekking. Now, only Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng lived in the West Wing. Though they shared the same building, they certainly did not share a room. Jing Liansheng slept in the coffin in the main hall, while Bai Qing occupied the bedroom.

While Bai Qing was stingy when it came to scrounging, he was remarkably generous when buying shoes, clothes, food, and drink, especially now that he had suddenly come into money, spending lavishly without a second thought. 

One entire wall in the bedroom was a closet filled with various men’s shoes. Fortunately, Jing Liansheng had been surfing the web and had accepted the premise that modern young men enjoyed buying shoes. Otherwise, he might have mistaken Bai Qing for a reincarnated centipede demon, needing so many pairs.

Bai Qing looked over the dazzling array of men’s shoes for a long time before finally settling on a pair of outdoor shoes with wear-resistant, non-slip rubber soles and breathable, waterproof woven uppers.

Both the ghost and corpse left Lotus City, lying low during the day and moving at night, much like typical corpse drivers.

Jing Liansheng, walking ahead and ringing the bell to guide the corpse, moved without touching the ground, far faster than any ordinary corpse driver, and without any fatigue. Meanwhile, the living corpse hopping along behind him didn’t have its arms stiffly outstretched like a typical zombie’s, but was instead nimbly scrolling through its phone. 

Bai Qing wasn’t that addicted to electronics. He was deeply curious about Jing Liansheng’s origins and was searching online for information about the ancient tomb museum funded by the Jing family.

Hopping along in time with Jing Liansheng’s pace, he swiftly scrolled through his phone screen, his eyes glued to the text. “Lotus City Jing Family Establishes Hundred-Million-Yuan Restoration Fund for Ancient Lotus Kingdom Crown Prince Tomb.”

Bai Qing’s heart stirred: Crown Prince of the Ancient Lotus Kingdom…

Could it be that Jing Liansheng… is the Crown Prince of the Ancient Lotus Kingdom? 

The Ancient Lotus Kingdom—a mysterious ancient kingdom from a thousand years ago, spoken of only in legends.

Historical records about it were scarce, yet all were filled with mystique.

Legend has it that the Ancient Lotus Kingdom was born from a desolate land. This land, once barren and incapable of sustaining life, miraculously gave birth to an Ancient Lotus. This lotus was no ordinary plant. It was said to possess the mysterious power to grant wishes.

The Jing ancestors, by chance, discovered this Ancient Lotus and, filled with reverence, made a wish to it. A miracle followed. The barren land became fertile, sweet rain fell from the heavens, and the Jing ancestors were thus able to settle, multiply, and eventually establish the Ancient Lotus Kingdom, ushering in a glorious history. 

In the Ancient Lotus Kingdom, the Lotus Sect was revered as the state religion, and the royal family generation upon generation worshipped the mystical Ancient Lotus. Under its protection, the kingdom’s power grew steadily, gradually becoming a dominant hegemon of its time, its fame spreading far and wide.

Yet, after this brilliance, the ancient kingdom vanished as suddenly as a meteor streaking across the night sky. To this day, the reason for the Ancient Lotus Kingdom’s decline remains an unsolved mystery.

With the kingdom’s history shrouded in mystery, the Crown Prince’s tomb was arguably the most important existing research material.

Bai Qing, frowning, searched for image records and soon found a photo of a tombstone rubbing from the Ancient Lotus Crown Prince’s tomb.