Ch42 – Fierce ghost carries his wife

Translator: Abo Dammen

Bai Qing didn’t answer. He paid no attention at all to Tao Yaozhi’s words. His gaze rested on Jing Liansheng with complete devotion, so focused that there was no room for a second presence. 

That look made Jing Liansheng’s heart loosen slightly. He lowered himself just a little, condescendingly asking, “Do you want to eat the watermelon?”

Bai Qing froze for a moment. “You mean the Sun Wukong Escaping from the Eight Trigram Furnace in the Havoc in Heaven?”

“Mm.” Jing Liansheng nodded stiffly.

Bai Qing said, “No.” 

Jing Liansheng snorted coldly. “Very good!”

The moment the words fell, the temperature in the room dropped a full ten degrees.

The others were fine, but the only truly living human there, Lin Zhao, suffered terribly. Sneezing from the cold, he rummaged through his qiankun pouch for a down jacket, thinking: The ancestors were right! Being around evil beings really does invite pathogenic wind into the body!

Bai Qing, however, called the server over, got a cake takeout box, and carefully placed the watermelon inside. “This is an artwork you made with your own hands. I couldn’t bear to eat it. When we get back, I’ll cast a spell and put it on display, to commemorate that this is the first gift you ever gave me.” 

At the words “first gift,” Jing Liansheng felt a strange sense of melancholy, as if this was far too unworthy. He should have given something better, something ten thousand times more valuable.

He said quietly, “But this is just a watermelon.”

“It’s a watermelon you carved yourself!” Bai Qing looked at Jing Liansheng with shining eyes. “And it’s Sun Wukong Escaping from the Eight Trigram Furnace in the Havoc in Heaven! Truly worthy of the eldest young master. Your hands are so skillful. Even carving a watermelon comes with a classic tale. I like it so much.”

Jing Liansheng fell silent, but the room temperature abruptly rose by ten degrees. 

Lin Zhao, who had just put on the down jacket.

…What the hell is going on?!

The group of corpse, ghost, and monster left the restaurant. Lin Zhao asked, “Now that Martial Uncle has eaten his fill, can we go up the mountain?”

Just as Bai Qing was about to agree, Jing Liansheng cut in again, “If we’re climbing the mountain, then we must prepare a comfortable pair of shoes for Bai Qing.” 

Hearing this, Lin Zhao glanced down at Bai Qing’s shoes. They were clearly expensive, a well-known brand at first glance. “Aren’t these ‘Aima’ shoes comfortable?”

“This brand’s shoes really aren’t comfortable,” Bai Qing said, with plenty of firsthand experience. This model, in particular, was infamous on social media for being “hard to wear.”

Luckily, Bai Qing was a corpse. Looking at posts from living buyers with heels plastered with three bandages yet still rubbed raw and bleeding, more brutal than the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty (at least the executioner of the Ten Great Tortures didn’t charge you eight thousand yuan), he felt a deep sense of perspective.

After becoming a living corpse, Bai Qing’s senses had dulled considerably, so he found them passable. 

If he were still the Saint Child, he’d probably be in so much pain his skull would be pounding out We Will Rock You.

Bai Qing said, “It’s fine. Just stick a corpse-driving talisman on me. I’ll travel with zero burden.”

Lin Zhao seemed a bit hesitant. Driving a corpse up the Xuanmen Sect… wasn’t that a little undignified?

Jing Liansheng spoke up, “No matter. I will carry Bai Qing up the mountain.” 

Lin Zhao was stunned. Martial Uncle has truly trained this thousand-year fierce ghost into a sled dog!

How on earth did he manage that?!

Hearing this, Bai Qing was even more shocked than Lin Zhao. “This… won’t it tire you out?”

“No,” Jing Liansheng said. “You’re very light.” 

Bai Qing felt inexplicably shy. Thankfully, he was a living corpse, with no blood color in his face, otherwise, he would definitely have been blushing bright red. He lowered his head, hiding the small smile tugging at his lips. This thousand-year-dead ghost felt… warm.

Lin Zhao’s gaze flickered back and forth between Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng. Something about their aura felt off.

It wasn’t quite the same as the ghost-taming dynamic he’d seen between Celestial Masters and their ghosts.

He scratched his head, full of confusion, yet unable to put it into words. Probably… this is Martial Uncle’s Dao! 

Bai Qing lay against Jing Liansheng’s ghostly back, his fingers instinctively tightening in the fabric at the other’s shoulder.

Jing Liansheng’s back muscles tensed abruptly, yet he still held Bai Qing steady at the bend of his knees. Even far more intimate entanglements in the cramped coffin had never made his heart race like this. Now, the chill seeping through the thin fabric was like honeyed silver needles, pricking densely into his heart.

Bai Qing rested his chin in the hollow of the fierce ghost’s shoulder, the tip of his nose brushing against skin as cold and smooth as jade. Jing Liansheng took every step with perfect steadiness. Yet when the mountain wind swept past, he could still feel through their pressed chests the temperature of someone hovering close to death.

At that moment, his heart felt utterly full. He even hoped they could keep walking like this, on and on, without an end. If it could be like this… even without entering reincarnation, it would be a kind of happiness without limit. Bai Qing thought so, gently closing his eyes. 

One mountain path was nearing its end. Ahead lay a stretch of dense mist.

Lin Zhao raised a hand as a signal. “This is where the barrier is.”

Jing Liansheng nodded faintly. In truth, even before Lin Zhao spoke, he had already come to a halt. Clearly, he had sensed the barrier’s presence long ago. Tao Yaozhi stared nervously ahead. As a demon, stepping into the orthodox territory of the Xuanmen sect made him instinctively uneasy.

Lin Zhao waved his hand. The mist dispersed as if blown away by the wind. What appeared was an extremely steep mountain path, almost perpendicular to the ground. It was dangerous beyond measure, impossible for ordinary human strength to climb. 

“This path… is meant for people?” Bai Qing couldn’t help but exclaim.

Lin Zhao replied, “You guys aren’t people.”

Bai Qing: “…Right.”

Although it wasn’t a path for people, Lin Zhao himself walked it with ease, clearly showing his cultivation was no joke. He was as light as a swallow. 

The path was absurdly steep. Every step skirted the edge of a cliff. One misstep would mean a fall and utter destruction. Though Jing Liansheng’s steps were steady, Bai Qing on his back inevitably felt himself tipping backward. Instinctively, Bai Qing drew his arms in, hooking tightly around Jing Liansheng’s waist at the bend of his knees.

Bai Qing noticed Jing Liansheng’s back was taut like a drawn bow. Assuming he was also growing tired, Bai Qing tightened his hold even more, thinking it might lighten Jing Liansheng’s burden. What he didn’t expect was that this time, not only did Jing Liansheng’s back muscles tense further, even his jawline tightened slightly. His lips pressed into a thin line, betraying that he seemed to be enduring something.

“Liansheng…” Bai Qing leaned close to Jing Liansheng’s ear and asked in a low voice. Loose strands of hair brushed past the fierce ghost’s ear. “Are you tired? Should I get down and walk on my own?”

“You… Don’t hold… too tightly…” Jing Liansheng murmured. 

It was the first time Bai Qing had heard Jing Liansheng speak so indistinctly that he honestly couldn’t make it out clearly. “What did you say?”

Jing Liansheng paused, then shook his head, his voice hoarse. “It’s nothing.”

When they reached the mountain gate, Lin Zhao stopped, turned to Jing Liansheng and Bai Qing, and said, “I’ll go inform them first. Please wait here for the moment.”

With that, he turned and hurried away. 

Jing Liansheng set Bai Qing down on a large rock. The movement was gentle, yet carried a hint of urgency, as though he were finally unloading a heavy burden.

He took a few steps forward and stood where the wind was strongest, letting the cool mountain breeze pour through his ghostly body. His pale fingers curled and uncurled, as if the sensation of holding Bai Qing’s knees moments ago still burned in his palm.

Sitting on the rock, Bai Qing looked at Jing Liansheng’s back, puzzled, and silently wondered, ‘Did I poke this dead ghost’s sensitive spot again somehow?’

Tao Yaozhi thought for a moment, then spoke up to break the silence. “Hey, you two… do you remember your character settings?” 

“Character settings?” Bai Qing froze. “What settings?”

Tao Yaozhi said irritably, “You, Bai-ge, are the inheritor of a Celestial Master, someone who subdued me, a demon, and this young master Great Fierce Ghost. Don’t forget how the Xuanmen Sect tames ghosts. Compared to that, aren’t you being way too polite to Jing Liansheng and me?”

Only then did Bai Qing fully realize it. As a ghost-taming Celestial Master, his attitude toward demon attendants and ghost attendants really was far too gentle. No wonder Lin Zhao always looked so awkward about it.

It seemed Lin Zhao had also sensed something was off. 

Luckily, Lin Zhao wasn’t a scheming person. Although he felt something wasn’t quite right, he didn’t dig deeper.

Jing Liansheng also turned back from the windy spot and, quite rarely, expressed agreement with Tao Yaozhi. “That’s true. Lin Zhao is simple-minded, easy enough to fool. Inside the sect, not everyone will be so easy to deal with.”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Tao Yaozhi nodded, then said to Bai Qing. “So, Bai-ge, once we enter the sect, you should accept my attentiveness as a matter of course. And toward Young Master Jing, you can’t be so…” Tao Yaozhi wanted to say “so full of tender affection,” but felt that might be a bit too on-the-nose. He quickly changed his wording. “…so gentle and courteous. On the contrary, you should put on the attitude of a Celestial Master taming ghosts. That way, it won’t feel so awkward.”

“Me, using a ghost-taming Celestial Master attitude on Jing Liansheng?” Bai Qing felt that was rather unworkable. “Judging by my Shifu’s words and actions, his way of taming ghosts is basically soy-sauce classification.” 

“Soy-sauce classification? What does that mean?” Tao Yaozhi didn’t understand.

Bai Qing said, “It’s either light soy sauce or dark soy sauce.”

Tao Yaozhi choked, then said, “Actually, as far as I know, besides the beat-them-into-submission faction, there’s also the attendant faction, which uses tamed ghosts and demons as servants. I think Lin Zhao sees us as belonging to that faction. That’s why I went all out with the tea-pouring and water-serving, laying it on thick to the point of being sickening at the dinner table.”

“So that’s how it is,” Jing Liansheng thought. So Tao Yaozhi’s attentiveness was just an act? 

That realization made the nameless irritation in the fierce ghost’s heart subside quite a bit.

Tao Yaozhi sensed the change in temperature around Jing Liansheng and thought to himself, ‘You dead, pretentious ghost… If I weren’t unable to beat you, I’d definitely mock you until you had nowhere to hide.’

Jing Liansheng took Tao Yaozhi’s words to heart and said to Bai Qing, “We really do need to play this role well.”

Hearing the word “play,” Bai Qing’s heart sank slightly. So Jing Liansheng carving the watermelon for him, taking the initiative to carry him, was that also just because he needed to play the part of a tamed ghost? And here Bai Qing had thought he was being genuinely kind… 

But then Bai Qing thought again and immediately brightened up. Who cares why? I still got a huge watermelon out of it.

Life is already hard enough. If you want to savor the sweetness, you have to manufacture it yourself.

Before long, the sect’s main gate slowly opened. A group of people in Taoist robes walked out in orderly formation, clearly there to welcome Bai Qing and his group. Bai Qing’s thoughts shifted. Remembering that he needed to play the role of a ghost-taming Celestial Master, he immediately adjusted his demeanor, putting on an air of lofty dignity.

Tao Yaozhi and Jing Liansheng also cooperated, flanking him on either side, truly looking like respectful demon and ghost attendants. Once inside, there was a broad bluestone-paved road, lined on both sides with lush, verdant pines and cypresses. 

Following the stone path, they soon arrived before a magnificent grand hall. The hall was resplendent with gold and jade, its eaves soaring, imposing and majestic. Above the entrance hung a massive plaque, upon which the characters “Xuanmen Orthodox” were written in gold paint—vigorous, powerful, and awe-inspiring.

Inside the hall, they saw that Lin Zhao had already changed out of his casual clothes and into an ornate, old-style Taoist robe, looking far more solemn than usual. Seated on either side of him were four elderly men, clearly elders of considerable cultivation.

The four elders were either stroking their beards in contemplation or resting with eyes closed. But the moment Bai Qing and his group stepped into the hall, they all opened their eyes in unison, casting scrutinizing gazes their way.

“You are Chu Ze’s disciple?” the Grand Elder’s voice boomed like a bell. 

“We bear the title of master and disciple,” Bai Qing replied calmly.

Seeing that the Grand Elder didn’t seem to like Bai Qing, Lin Zhao stepped in to smooth things over. “Grand Elder, although Bai Qing is a living corpse, his character is not problematic. On this point, there is indeed Third Martial Grandfather’s guarantee.”

“Chu Ze’s own character is nothing to boast about. What can he guarantee?” the Grand Elder said harshly.

Lin Zhao was momentarily at a loss, but still said, “Third Martial Grandfather’s behavior may be somewhat unrestrained…” 

“Somewhat unrestrained? It’s downright dissolute!” the Grand Elder cut him off, clearly holding a deep grudge against Chu Ze.

Seeing this, Bai Qing found it a bit strange. My master’s character may be questionable, but it’s not like he committed some crime against heaven and humanity, right?

His gaze shifted, sweeping over the other three elders. They either showed looks of embarrassment or outright disdain, as if merely mentioning Chu Ze made them lose face, too ashamed to speak of it.

Bai Qing’s curiosity was scratched raw, like a cat clawing at his heart. Unable to hold it in any longer, he finally asked, “What exactly did my Shifu do wrong? What heavenly rule did he violate that makes all of you talk about him like this?”