Ch5 – Head popped right off

Translator: Abo Dammen

“I am not clear about that,” Ying Zhili said slowly. “According to Jing Liansheng’s intention, selecting someone whose birth chart matches his to live in the west wing and wear the blood-streaked bracelet would make this living person less susceptible to harm from Jing Liansheng’s malevolent energy. Choosing a man in his prime was also for the same consideration. According to the plan, on the second night after Jing Liansheng’s soul returned, he would appear and conduct a transaction with this man, based on the principle of voluntariness.” 

“Principle of voluntariness?” Shifu asked with interest.

Ying Zhili replied, “Although every aspect was considered to ensure the living person wouldn’t be harmed by the ghost marriage, such matters are best based on the principle of voluntariness. Therefore, Jing Liansheng would promise this living person half of the Jing family’s assets as compensation.”

“Half the assets of the richest family?” Shifu said with a smile. “Such a deal, I’m afraid few could refuse.”

“That was the original plan…” Ying Zhili said, his gaze drifting to Bai Qing’s face. “I just didn’t expect they would select my good nephew.” 

“You can cut the crap!” Shifu said bluntly. “Forget others. When you met Bai Qing, could you not tell he was a living corpse? You knew, yet you brought him into the Jing family. What was your meaning?”

Ying Zhili smiled indifferently and replied, “In truth, I had a very pleasant conversation with my worthy nephew, feeling like we were old friends from the first meeting…”

“You stop right there,” Shifu cut him off decisively. “Just tell the truth.”

Ying Zhili said,“I observed that Madam Jing seemed to have ulterior motives. If a true living person were drawn into this, it could bring countless unnecessary troubles. When I met my worthy nephew, I sighed. Truly, it is heaven’s will; everything is fate, utterly marvelous.” 

Thinking of Madam Jing’s series of arrangements, Bai Qing also found it very strange. “Yes, the food and rituals she arranged for me were all geared towards sucking away a person’s yang energy and breaking their life palace. Luckily, I’m a living corpse. If I were a living person, I’d be greatly harmed!”

Ying Zhili nodded. “However, Jing Liansheng has only been back for two days and isn’t yet aware of these actions by Madam Jing. He only saw you, felt you didn’t meet the conditions for the ghost marriage, and rather brusquely asked you to leave last night. I ask for your understanding.”

“What understanding?” Bai Qing smiled, then said to Ying Zhili, “Since the eldest young master just wants a bridge between yin and yang, isn’t there really much difference between a living person and a living corpse? In fact, a living corpse like me is even better than a living person, with fewer taboos at least. He also doesn’t need to worry about implicating an innocent.”

Thinking that the eldest young master had originally planned so much for that living person in the ghost marriage such as giving a blood-streaked antique bracelet infused with his tears and blood, offering half the Jing family’s assets, Bai Qing’s love-addled brain exploded: He is truly the kindest, most wonderful fierce ghost I’ve ever seen! 

Ying Zhili replied, “That is indeed the case. I also strongly advised him. We haven’t found a suitable living candidate for the time being. If my worthy nephew is willing to do us this favor…”

“I can! It’s convenient for me! I’m super capable of providing convenience…” Bai Qing nearly jumped up to agree.

Ying Zhili, however, smiled. “Jing Liansheng asked me to come today specifically to find you.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Qing’s heart blossomed with extreme joy. “Really? He asked you to find me…” 

Ying Zhili said, “Yes, he asked me to find you, saying that when he drove you away yesterday, he was somewhat impatient, really a bit rash…”

Bai Qing lowered his head and hummed softly, “Hmm…”

Ying Zhili continued, “…He didn’t have time to take the blood-streaked bracelet back.”

Bai Qing: …Huh? 

Originally, Bai Qing was already reluctant to return the bracelet worth a Beijing apartment. Now, knowing it was Jing Liansheng’s personal burial object, he was even more unwilling.

Bai Qing gripped the bracelet tightly, shook his head, and said, “Didn’t you say you advised him to choose me as the bride?”

Ying Zhili gave a helpless smile. “Jing Liansheng seems somewhat resistant to this suggestion. Perhaps he has some misunderstanding about you. He actually said you might have impaired mental faculties and really aren’t a suitable candidate.”

Bai Qing: …Impaired mental faculties… Is he calling me mentally disabled? 

Even calling someone mentally disabled is so euphemistic. It shows he’s actually a gentle ghost!

Love it love it ❤

“That, that’s a huge misunderstanding,” Bai Qing replied. “I have full capacity for civil conduct (as a dead person).”

A brave little living corpse would never give up easily. 

He blinked his eyes, his face full of expectation, and said, “How about this, Shibo. Be thorough in your good deed and take me to have a proper communication with him.”

Before Ying Zhili could agree, Shifu interjected, “Shi-ge, actually, I still haven’t quite figured this out. What exactly is Jing Liansheng’s background? What is Jing Shuizhi doing? What’s even harder to understand is, how did you get involved in the Jing family’s affairs?”

“Would you like me to explain in detail?” Ying Zhili responded with a smile.

Shifu, however, waved his hand. “Ah, no. I don’t want to know.” As he spoke, Shifu took another sip of Coke and turned to Bai Qing with a weighty tone. “The waters here run deep.” 

How could Bai Qing not understand Shifu’s meaning?

The Jing family matter was clearly complex. If Bai Qing got involved, he might not emerge unscathed. However, Bai Qing, for some reason, was currently completely hooked. Ever since meeting Jing Liansheng, it was as if he were truly possessed; he couldn’t even eat, he only wanted to eat [____].

Love was no joke; it was more addictive than a child’s first sip of Coke.

On one hand, Bai Qing felt he might really have mental issues. On the other hand, he felt this mental issue made him feel particularly spirited, which wasn’t without its benefits. Those ten years in the human world, to be honest, he always felt he hadn’t truly awakened, that he was still a piece of broken, rotten flesh under the soil. It wasn’t until he met Jing Liansheng that he felt his flesh and blood were full, that he had sound and color. For this flicker of warmth, he was willing to be a moth flying into the flame. 

Looking at Bai Qing like this, Shifu let out a breath, as if burping from the Coke or sighing.

He patted Bai Qing’s shoulder, as if he still had some advice.

Bai Qing’s eyes shone with unshakable determination. “Shifu, no need to persuade me. Regarding the eldest young master, I am determined to have him!”

Shifu said, “I wasn’t planning to persuade you about that. I’m saying the Coke is finished. Seeing as you might not return, while you’re still here, quickly go and carry another case back for me.” 

Bai Qing: ……Truly my own dear Shifu.

Bai Qing had no choice but to go out and buy Coke. Now, only Shifu and Ying Zhili, two living people, remained in the house. Ying Zhili smiled and said, “You sent my nephew away. You must have something to say to me.”

“Nothing to say.” Shifu stood up. “I just want to [____] with you.”

Ying Zhili was not shocked by this statement, as if completely unsurprised. He still looked refined. “I’m afraid it would be improper.” 

“What’s there to fear? There’s no one here.” Shifu sat directly on Ying Zhili’s lap.

The evil spirit on the fan: ???? Am I not a person??? Oh right, I guess I’m really not…

Shifu showed no courtesy at all, both hands striking out, aiming straight to the yellow dragon!

Unexpectedly, his hands met with pain. It turned out that under Ying Zhili’s long gown, around his waist and hips, was coiled a protective copper girdle, preventing outsiders from touching his vital areas! 

“This is the Nine-Lock Chain…” Shifu’s eyes narrowed.

Each copper link was cast with tiny protrusions and grooves, interlocking ring by ring, crisscrossing intricately. The engagement points looked chaotic at first glance, like fine brass waist chains tangled messily around Ying Zhili’s hips.

In reality, it held hidden depths. The arrangement method originated from the stellar formation of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals of the Big Dipper and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends of the Dipper, with the interlocking connections subtly corresponding to the mystical principles of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, cycling endlessly, perpetually renewing.

To unlock this hidden clasp, one must start from this mystical point. Its difficulty was no less than solving advanced math problems. 

Shifu’s competitive spirit was instantly ignited. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work. “I don’t believe I can’t solve it!”

As he spoke, he hooked the chain and started working on it, huffing and puffing.

Who knows how long later, Bai Qing returned carrying a case of Coke. Entering the door, he saw Shifu straddling Ying Zhili’s lap imposingly, sweating profusely as he worked on solving the copper girdle chain.

Bai Qing was somewhat unable to comprehend this scene. “Did I come at a bad time?” 

Shifu was annoyed. “Don’t disturb me. This is the Nine-Lock Chain Life-Protecting Copper Girdle… One must be familiar with astronomy, geography, metaphysics, and numerology to find the trick to unlocking it.”

Bai Qing immediately breathed a sigh of relief: Oh, so they’re just solving a puzzle. You scared me. I thought you two were about to get it on.

Ying Zhili, however, raised his hand, lifted Shifu from his lap, placed him on the table, straightened his own clothes, and said, “If Xiao Ze is interested in this structure, I can give it to you. But for now, I must first take my worthy nephew back to the Jing residence to see the eldest young master and discuss the matter of ghost marriage.” 

Shifu also seemed to have lost his initial momentum. Waving his hand, he said, “Forget it, you two go ahead.”

Ying Zhili bid farewell and prepared to take Bai Qing away from the house.

Bai Qing walked side by side with Ying Zhili down the stairs. After just a few steps, he suddenly seemed tripped up by a thought. He stopped, unconsciously raising his hand to lightly touch his cheek, his brows slightly furrowed. “But… the eldest young master explicitly ordered me to restore my original appearance.”

His mind flashed with Jing Liansheng’s face, full of cold dissatisfaction. He privately speculated: It feels like he doesn’t really like this face… 

Ying Zhili stepped forward, placed his fingertips on Bai Qing’s facial bones, attentively examining it. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, then he smiled serenely. “Worthy nephew, it seems you were originally roughly this appearance.”

Bai Qing was also somewhat surprised. “Really?”

“Though I cannot be completely certain. While I know a little about bone structure restoration techniques, such methods can only restore a general approximation, not achieve one hundred percent accuracy,” Ying Zhili said slowly. “However, judging by your bone structure, your appearance should not differ much from now, at least 80 or 90 percent similar.”

Bai Qing was also surprised. So I was originally this good-looking? Truly worthy of me. Indeed, the ancients were right about ‘one’s appearance reflects the heart’. 

Bai Qing followed Ying Zhili back to the Jing residence. Walking past the pond, they heard the wind rustling the leaves.

Bai Qing cast his gaze into the pond and again saw the faint green beneath the water. He couldn’t help but ask, “What is that?”

“It’s a precursor to the ancient lotus growing,” Ying Zhili replied, then raised his hand in a gesture of invitation. “Jing Liansheng is inside. You can go in and communicate with him yourself.”

Bai Qing pressed his lips together, straightened his clothes, and strode towards the west wing. 

He gently pushed open the door to the west wing. The interior lay in shadow, pierced only by a narrow shaft of weak light slipping through the half-open window lattice, tracing faint contours across the room. Against the wall rested a round-backed armchair of golden nanmu wood, and in it sat Jing Liansheng, upright and composed, as if carved from the very timber itself.

Jing Liansheng still had crimson eyes and long hair, dressed in a set of black burial garments, making his bloodless face even paler like paper, utterly devoid of vitality. Anyone seeing such an existence would scream in terror, “Seeing a ghost in broad daylight!”

Only Bai Qing’s eyes immediately turned into hearts.

When Jing Liansheng’s gaze touched Bai Qing, coldness instantly surged forth. “It seems you did not take my words to heart.” 

Bai Qing wanted to explain, but before he could utter a word, a surge of torrential malevolent energy swept toward him, nearly crushing him

It felt as if a weight of a thousand jun was suddenly pressing down on his head, making his spine emit sounds of unbearable stress, as if it would snap the next second.

Bai Qing clenched his teeth, all his muscles tensed to the extreme, struggling to find a sliver of space to survive within this nearly destructive pressure. His mind, however, was very clear: The better-looking Jing Liansheng is, the worse his temper is. If I don’t explain quickly now, I’m afraid I’ll really be 

Summoning all his strength, Bai Qing sank his energy to his dantian, gritted his teeth, and forcibly squeezed four words out from between them, “I’ll do it myself!” 

This abrupt and resolute statement caused the originally icy-faced Jing Liansheng to frown slightly, a trace of incomprehension flashing in his eyes.

Thanks to this puzzlement, Jing Liansheng’s suppression on Bai Qing relaxed slightly. Bai Qing felt the immense pressure on his head lessen instantly, allowing him to catch his breath. But the malevolent energy still flickered in Jing Liansheng’s crimson eyes, a clear reminder that the crisis was far from over.

So, he made a swift decision, placed his hands on his head, and with a “crack,” he twisted his own head off.

Jing Liansheng was genuinely shocked this time. He inexplicably felt a surge of thought: ‘Forget it. I am learned and noble; I should not trouble myself with a mentally unstable fool.’  

With that, he withdrew all suppression.

Bai Qing, feeling the terrifying oppressive force finally completely dissipate, carefully held his head and took two steps towards Jing Liansheng. But before the third step, Jing Liansheng shot him a sharp glare that practically said: Don’t come near me.

Bai Qing quickly knew when to stop and froze in place, the head cradled in his hands wearing an ingratiating smile. The scene was undeniably eerie.

But Jing Liansheng, a fierce ghost himself, was not one to be frightened by such sights. 

The head in Bai Qing’s hands opened its mouth and spoke, “You said before that if I couldn’t restore my face, you would personally twist my head off. I thought—how could I let you go through that trouble? It’s far too tiring. So, I took the initiative to do it myself.”

As he spoke, the head did not fail to reveal a sincere, radiant, almost enchanting smile in Bai Qing’s palm.

Jing Liansheng hadn’t expected Bai Qing’s reason for twisting his own head off was this. Jing Liansheng twitched the corner of his lips and sneered, “You don’t actually think you’re clever, do you?”

Bai Qing certainly thought himself a clever little ghost inside, but he knew now wasn’t the time for honesty. 

So, he put on an honest, simple-minded expression and said, “But, just now, Teacher Ying felt my bones and said my original appearance was around 80 or 90 percent like this. There is no need to change it.”

Hearing this, the black pupils within Jing Liansheng’s crimson eyes moved almost imperceptibly.

Bai Qing didn’t see this slight tremor. He just raised his hands high, offering his head to Jing Liansheng. “If you don’t believe me, you can also feel my bones to confirm.”

Bai Qing could sense that Jing Liansheng didn’t like others getting close. 

Therefore, even though Jing Liansheng’s demeanor had softened somewhat, Bai Qing did not advance a single step. He simply stretched his arms as far as he could, holding the head up to Jing Liansheng’s gaze in a nearly reverent posture.