Mansion
Yilier’s face showed astonishment, He Simu glanced at his expression, as if realizing his slip of the tongue, smiled and said, “It seems you still don’t know, then let’s pretend I didn’t say anything. Since the contract between the Ghost Lord and you still stands, my ghost won’t be of any use to you.”
Yilier’s expression turned sour, but he still smiled, “I don’t intend to keep him myself. With this wicked brother ghost by my side, I naturally have a better place for him.”
Duan Xu suddenly understood why those nobles who had paid homage to the holy objects of Yilier’s family returned with good fortune; it turned out he had introduced the evil ghost to them.
While eating, He Simu asked, “What would you offer in exchange for my ghost?”
“Gold, silver, jewels…”
“Boring.”
“What does the lady want then?”
“I’ve heard that Lord Yilier has a garden, where various rare flowers and exotic plants are collected. It’s spring now, and the fragrance must be enchanting.”
“That’s the garden behind my mansion.”
“Then exchange your mansion for me.”
Yilier fell silent for a moment and said, “We’ve lived here since we came to Fujian City, for more than thirty years.”
“Oh, then exchange the mansion you’ve lived in for over thirty years for me.”
He Simu replied smoothly and dismissively.
Yilier’s face stiffened for a moment, then he smiled, “Let me think about it. Perhaps the lady could stay at my mansion for now, whether this deal goes through or not, let’s consider it as making a new friend.”
He Simu put down her chopsticks and looked at Yilier. She smiled as she turned her head, the silver hair ornament brushing across her forehead.
“I don’t make friends. But I can visit the mansion.”
Yilier’s expression changed slightly. He was accustomed to being flattered in Fujian City, never before had a commoner from the Han ethnicity treated him so lightly. He clenched his fist and looked at He Simu, but eventually smiled, “Alright. There’s one more thing I’d like to ask the lady. You mentioned earlier that the Ghost Lord is in trouble. Could you please tell me what happened?”
He Simu tapped her fingers on the table and casually said after a moment of silence, “He offended their king and has now fled in fear. He’ll probably be caught and executed soon.”
Pausing for a moment, she smiled and said, “You probably haven’t received any response when you called him recently, have you? Actually, this incident is a blessing in disguise for you. I’ve heard that disputes in the ghost realm can last for decades. If he flees for decades, you won’t be able to summon him, nor can you form a new contract. Your life will pass by. If I were you, I’d hope he’d be gone as soon as possible, so you can find a new ghost.”
Yilier’s face was already unpleasant, but after hearing He Simu’s words, it became even worse. Unfortunately, He Simu seemed oblivious, she stood up and smiled, “Didn’t you say you wanted to invite me to your mansion? Let’s go.”
Then she snapped her fingers and signalled for Duan Xu to follow, leisurely walking out the door. Yilier probably hadn’t encountered such impoliteness before; he stood there blankly for a while before calling a servant to show the way.
Duan Xu lifted a corner of his veil and glanced back at Yilier, then turned to He Simu and whispered, “I don’t seem like a rat, more like bait. General Qin used me as bait, and now you’re using me as bait.”
He Simu glanced at him, smiled mysteriously, and said nothing.
Fujian City was renowned for its flower gardens, and as the most extravagant family in Fujian City, Yilier’s garden was naturally the finest, filled with rare flowers and exotic plants. It was said that just maintaining this garden cost a fortune.
As soon as He Simu arrived at Yilier’s house, she unabashedly plunged into his garden, inspecting and sniffing around as if trying to identify every scent. Meanwhile, Duan Xu stood beside her, arms crossed, gazing at the famous glass tower in the centre of the garden.
The glass tower was emerald green all over, with bells hanging from each corner, sparkling and tinkling in the sunlight, entwined with threads of fine wind, giving the impression that the tower itself was a sacred object.
“Yilier worships evil ghosts as well as the holy relics of the Azure God. If the High Priest were to find out, who knows what would happen…” Duan Xu said, then turned his head, only to see the Ghost King squatting on the ground, holding a cluster of precious “Ling Xie Lu Xue” white peonies, her face almost buried in the flowers.
Duan Xu couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “Stop burying yourself. With your sense of smell, even the best nose would be overwhelmed. Go sniff some firewood in the woodshed later; it might help restore your sense of smell.”
He Simu frowned and stood up, saying, “Mortals are such a bother.”
Duan Xu laughed heartily and steered the conversation back, “The Ghost Lord was also a Han before he died.”
He Simu casually replied, “The number of Han people is over three hundred times that of the Huqi people, and the same goes for the ghost realm. All twenty-four Ghost Lords were Han before they died. Ethnicity has no bearing on the laws of the ghost realm, but Han evil ghosts naturally won’t be treated well towards the Huqi evil ghosts when they see their own descendants suffering from oppression. In the ghost realm, the days of Huqi ghosts are the hardest.”
“The reversal of life and death situations, the world is truly interesting.”
“Hatred begets hatred, this is common sense.”
“If the hatred of the living can be severed, will the hatred of the dead cease?”
He Simu smiled lightly and walked towards the back door of the garden, saying, “The hatred of the living can be severed because the living will die, and the painful memories of generations will fade away. Hatred naturally ceases. But the dead will endure for thousands of years, and their hatred will never cease here. Otherwise, why do you think becoming a evil ghost is considered punishment to the living?”
Duan Xu watched her figure as she walked away and called out, “Where are you going?”
He Simu didn’t even look back. “I’m going to the woodshed to smell the smoke and fire.”
Duan Xu couldn’t help but smile. She really seemed more like someone collecting scents at Yilier’s mansion than searching for traces of the Ghost Lord. He whispered softly, “She’s truly adorable.”
With Duan Xu’s ability to discern between yin and yang thanks to the Ghost King’s lamp, he could tell that the ghostly aura in Yilier’s mansion was well concealed. Without entering the garden, he could hardly detect the glass tower. Even the wandering spirits commonly seen outside were nowhere to be found inside this mansion.
It was said that the glass tower housed holy relics of the Azure God, but he couldn’t sense any spiritual energy inside. Instead, there was a faint ghostly aura lingering around the tower. It occurred to him that the tower might not house holy relics but the Ghost Lord himself. Perhaps the talk of holy relics was a facade, or Yilier worshipped them elsewhere.
As Duan Xu pondered, he followed to the woodshed and saw two old women gossiping quietly by the door, saying that the master had invited a strange guest, a pretty young lady who had actually gone to the woodshed to smell the firewood.
Duan Xu chuckled and was about to enter when one of the women said, “I think this young lady is about the same age as Young Master Luda. If Young Master Luda were home, I’d think she was the bride the master found for him.”
Duan Xu’s steps halted.
The other woman said, “Young Master Luda hasn’t come home since he went to the capital at the age of ten. It seems like the master doesn’t really want him to come back.”
“What are you saying? The master only has two children left; why wouldn’t he want…”
Duan Xu walked past them into the woodshed and asked He Simu, who was squatting on the ground picking firewood, “Simu, Yilier’s youngest son who’s a high official in the capital… is it Luda?”
He Simu lifted her eyes and looked at him as she picked up a piece of firewood. “Why, another acquaintance of yours?”
Duan Xu’s eyes flickered slightly. He smiled, “Calling it an acquaintance would be exaggerating. Our esteemed disciple of the Danzhi High Priest, Priest Luda, who in the Danzhi Court wouldn’t know him? He probably doesn’t know me.”
In his life as an undisclosed assassin, he occasionally accompanied his master to visit the High Priest and would see Luda every time. Luda was three or four years older than him, with a clear and refined appearance, with a hint of otherworldly air about him. He always sat quietly next to the High Priest, reading scrolls attentively, as if earnestly studying yet also transcending into another realm.
Luda seemed very “empty,” and it was said that this “emptiness” was the most important quality for communicating with the gods.
Yilier’s youngest son was actually Luda? The son of a family that raised evil ghosts, potentially a future High Priest who could lead a nation.
The world was truly absurd.
“If it’s Luda… as long as he speaks, what wouldn’t the High Priest hesitate to give him? Perhaps Yilier does have holy relics.” Comparing Yilier’s chubby figure with the remembered image of Luda’s delicate appearance, Duan Xu couldn’t help but sigh, “Time really is a butcher’s knife.”
He Simu took a sniff of the fresh scent of the firewood and said lightly, “Time can be just as ruthless with you.”
Duan Xu bent down and said, “Time should be kinder to me, after all, I’m a person destined to turn bad luck into good. Becoming ugly would be a great misfortune.”
His eyes flickered through the gaps in the black veil, even though his expression couldn’t be seen through the veil, one could still hear the amusement in his words.
He Simu looked up at him.
Sometimes, she, as the one who formed the contract, could be very obedient. She had instructed him to wear the veil to conceal his presence in the mortal realm, so he never took it off when outside. But sometimes…
He Simu furrowed her brow, pushed him away, and stood up, saying lightly, “Let’s go.”
As she walked out of the woodshed, the two women at the door hastily greeted her, then whispered to each other anxiously after she turned around, wondering if the girl had just pushed the air, if she had been talking to herself just now, and why she seemed a little strange.
Duan Xu laughed heartily and followed her out.
Yilier had a vast estate to manage, with various business dealings and social connections keeping him busy. However, he still found time to attend to the two guests staying at his mansion, especially Duan Xu.
He was quite interested in Duan Xu, this obedient “evil ghost,” always subtly inquiring how Duan Xu had formed the contract with He Simu. He also hinted at the various benefits of coming to his side, mentioning the powerful and wealthy people he knew.
Duan Xu would timely express his admiration but remained vague about his origins and attitude.
It seemed like this woman and ghost duo were just here to freeload, enjoying the food, drinks, and the garden.
Three days after they arrived at Yilier’s mansion, Yilier suddenly hurried to find He Simu and Duan Xu, saying, “Miss Seventeen, there’s something I’d like to ask for your help with.”
He Simu held a sandalwood fan she had somehow acquired and asked, “What is it?” “It’s my son, Luda. He’ll be returning to Fujian City soon to visit me. Could you ask this evil ghost brother of yours to intercept him and persuade him to return to the capital?”
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