Golden Wall
After Jiang Ai left, He Simu called the ghost servants to take Duan Xu to rest. After entering the ghost city Yuzhou, Duan Xu experienced the worship of ten thousand ghosts. After being hung on the palace gate for a day and night, he was finally taken to a side palace in the palace.
However, there was still a big problem at this time. For example, there was no food to eat in the huge ghost city, and Duan Xu had been hungry for a day and night. Fortunately, the guiding ghost servant said that the king had already ordered, and Lady Jiang Ai’s cook would come to cook for him later.
Duan Xu was somewhat surprised: “Does Lady Jiang Ai have a cook?”
“We do not live on human food, but we can eat if we want to. Lady Jiang Ai is rich and powerful, having a few cooks is not surprising.” The ghost servant replied respectfully.
Duan Xu pondered for a moment, intertwining his fingers at his lips and asked, “What does Lady Jiang Ai do? How can she be so rich and powerful?”
“Lady Jiang Ai owns gambling houses all over the world, so naturally she is wealthy.”
“A gambling house? Does she like gambling?”
“Yes, Lady Jiang Ai loves gambling and almost always wins.”
Duan Xu pondered for a moment and chuckled, understanding.
As they turned a corner, they ran into another group of evil spirits coming towards them. The ghost servant in front of Duan Xu immediately bowed and saluted, saying, “Lord Right Minister.”
Duan Xu looked over and saw the tall and stern evil spirit Yan Ke dressed in deep blue clothes, quietly assessing him. Then, he withdrew his gaze and was about to walk past them.
However, Duan Xu suddenly stepped back and grabbed Yan Ke’s shoulder.
“Lord Yan, are you a little surprised to see that I’m still alive?”
Yan Ke shifted his gaze slightly, and Duan Xu whispered in his ear, “The evil spirit who attacked me last night has the same smell as you, but unfortunately you can’t smell it.”
In front of living people, evil spirits have many blind spots.
“The evil spirit who wanted to eat me last night, did you just meet him, Lord Right Minister?” Duan Xu smiled softly and whispered.
When Jiang Ai entered the palace hall, He Simu was leaning on the throne flipping through ghost scrolls. Seeing her come in, He Simu put down the scrolls and pointed to the chair beside her: “Aunt Jiang Ai, sit.”
He Simu didn’t often call her “Aunt Jiang Ai”. Calling her the Ghost Palace Master, Left Minister, or simply by her name was more common. Generally, calling her so affectionately meant there was something to ask her to do.
Jiang Ai thought to herself, He Simu’s father called her Aunt Jiang Ai, and now He Simu did too. I wonder if she’s taking advantage of me or her father?
She sat down and asked, “Simu, why did you call me here?”
He Simu tapped on the ghost scroll with her fingers and said casually, “Take the mortal I brought with me and show him around Yuzhou City for a while.”
Jiang Ai was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, “What, everyone knows he’s yours, who dares to touch him? Do I still need to protect him?”
As she spoke, she paused thoughtfully, then continued, “But there is indeed someone who dares to touch him, and he might even dare to kill him. Simu, you know how strong Yan Ke’s jealousy is. Before, your lovers never came to the ghost realm, but now you’ve placed this living person right under his nose. Aren’t you afraid of something happening?”
He Simu shook her head, smiling, “Duan Xu has the Broken Illusion Sword with him, he’s not that weak. Besides, what does Yan Ke’s jealousy have to do with me? Do I have to follow his wishes?”
Jiang Ai sighed. She still remembered the day over three hundred years ago when she brought He Simu to the ghost realm. Yan Ke had many words of criticism for this young and unfamiliar master at first, but as soon as he saw He Simu, he was speechless for a long time, stunned for half an incense stick’s time.
He Simu was indeed a rare beauty, after all, there were no unattractive people in her parents’ generation. Moreover, she had an indescribable aura of determination, stubbornness, and arrogance.
At that time, Jiang Ai thought, it’s over, the Ghost Palace Master has met her match.
Several decades later, when He Simu clearly stated that she didn’t like evil spirits and only liked living people, Jiang Ai thought again, it’s over, the Ghost Palace Master won’t be able to come back from this one.
No evil spirit could give up their desires, if they could, they wouldn’t become evil spirits in the first place.
But the same applied to He Simu.
“Whether you recognize Yan Ke or not, you still need to pay attention to this child. You might as well recognize him as your lover. This child is bold and cheerful, and he cares a lot about you. I see a thousand or ten thousand likes for you in him. You’ve had twenty or thirty lovers in the past few hundred years, one more won’t hurt.” Jiang Ai encouraged enthusiastically.
He Simu sighed, seeming to get a headache whenever this topic came up. She shook her head and started flipping through the book again, “Forget it.”
“Why, don’t you like him?” Jiang Ai pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, “I know, he must be very ugly.”
Duan Xu sneezed, wondering who was talking behind his back. He rubbed his nose, and the ghost servant who led him and Yan Ke’s servant all stepped aside, leaving only him and the Ghost Palace Master Yan Ke in this corner.
Duan Xu leaned against the wall and smiled, “Why don’t we have an open and honest chat, Lord Yan Ke? No matter how much you dislike me, you shouldn’t come to kill me. If I die in Yuzhou City, what will happen to Simu’s face and reputation?”
In his view, there were quite a few restless evil spirits, and there was even an evil spirit who dared to kill the living person brought by the Ghost King within Yuzhou City in broad daylight. If he had succeeded, it would have been a blatant disregard for the authority of the Ghost King. Thinking about this, after driving away that evil spirit, Duan Xu tied himself back as if nothing had happened.
Yan Ke originally had a cold expression, but now his face became even colder. He said, “I don’t think you have the qualifications to have an open and honest conversation with me. An insignificant mortal, do you really think Simu cares about you?”
Duan Xu shook his head and said, “Whether Simu cares about me or not is between her and me. There’s no need for Lord Yan Ke to worry. But even as an outsider, I already feel that being the Ghost King is not easy. So, please don’t make trouble for her.”
As he finished speaking, he turned around to call the ghost servant who had been leading him. Before he could speak, he heard Yan Ke say calmly, “Duan Shunxi, how long have you known her, half a year? I’ve known her for over three hundred years.”
Duan Xu turned his eyes back, facing the tall and cold man in front of him, who wore a mocking expression, maintaining his usual proud demeanor.
“I met her during the rebellion of the evil spirits, helped her suppress the rebellion, and assisted her in governing the ghost realm with laws. If it weren’t for me supervising the ghost realm for her, she wouldn’t even have the opportunity to rest, let alone meet you. She needs me, and I can accompany her forever. As for someone like you, Simu has encountered many before, but they were just passing amusements. Your youth is fleeting, as brief as smoke, and she will soon forget you completely. What can you give her?”
Duan Xu looked steadily into Yan Ke’s eyes. The threads of wind entangled around this corner, as if depicting the surging undercurrents.
Suddenly, Duan Xu smiled brightly and said, “Lord Yan Ke, how do you know my name?”
Yan Ke’s pupils contracted slightly.
“I see, you eavesdropped on my conversation with Simu. You heard that I had kissed her, so you’re embarrassed and angry?”
Duan Xu waved his hand, sighed, and turned to call the ghost servant who had been leading him, then said softly, “Simu is not your possession. Even after three hundred years, she still doesn’t like you. It’s because you take yourself too seriously, Lord Yan Ke.”
Yan Ke clenched his fist instantly, and as Duan Xu turned around, the smile disappeared from his face.
After settling down in the side hall and resting well, Duan Xu finally had a good sleep. Jiang Ai’s chef was brought in to cook, so Duan Xu wouldn’t starve to death. This living chef seemed to have a clear understanding of Yuzhou City and Jiang Ai. He knew that if he didn’t cook well, he might end up becoming the freshest ingredient. He barely spoke and just worked, wielding his ladle with agility, with at least eight dishes per meal.
Duan Xu tried to reassure him for a long time that he couldn’t eat so much, but the chef continued to work diligently, so he had to give up persuading him.
Accompanying the chef was Jiang Ai herself.
This charming and luxurious mansion owner naturally wanted to enjoy her own chef’s culinary skills while eating, and she mentioned that she had been entrusted by the Ghost King to look after Duan Xu for a while.
“The King just finished her rest and returned, she’s really busy. Since you’re not very familiar with Yuzhou City, I’ll take the liberty to extend some hospitality on her behalf,” Jiang Ai said, sounding grandiose.
Duan Xu didn’t pursue further and just smiled with his chopsticks in hand, saying lightly, “She hopes I can think it over and give up, it seems.”
“What?”
“Never mind, thank you for your trouble.”
Duan Xu then proceeded to bluntly carry out his plan to trouble Jiang Ai. He would go out early and return late every day, making Jiang Ai almost run through every corner of Yuzhou City with him. He had no interest in visiting the high-ranking lords, but he was more interested in the layout of the streets and every detail. In just a few days, he hand-drew a map of Yuzhou City, and surprisingly, the proportions of the streets and markets were almost accurate.
Jiang Ai looked at this map with curiosity and marvelled at his ability to remember things at a glance, while also being puzzled about his intentions.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to give Simu a gift.” Duan Xu temporarily put down his pen and smiled at Jiang Ai. “I also want to go somewhere else, and I’ll trouble Left Minister to lead the way.”
“Where?”
“The mountain wall with the Thirty-Two Golden Laws inscribed on it.”
Jiang Ai raised her eyebrows and chuckled. “You really have a keen eye. You’ve picked the second least favourite place for the evil spirits.”
The Golden Wall was located in the eastern part of Yuzhou City, on the Virtuous Life Mountain behind the palace. It was originally a natural rock wall, but the former Ghost King had ordered the ghost craftsmen to cover it with gold and carve the Thirty-Two Laws of the Ghost Realm on it with cinnabar, with each character larger than military command drums.
When Duan Xu was hanging at the palace gate, he could see a dazzling golden light emanating from a place in the mountain at a glance. This time, Jiang Ai brought him to the foot of the mountain, and they could already see all the characters clearly from a distance as they ascended the mountain. Amidst the lush green trees, the golden-red light shone magnificently and solemnly.
As they stood under the Golden Wall, looking up at the four-story-high golden wall, they couldn’t help but sigh in awe.
Jiang Ai mentioned how much gold was spent to build this wall.
Duan Xu mentioned that governing and issuing decrees for the benefit of the world were considered the Way.
Jiang Ai turned her head in surprise to look at Duan Xu. Reading was probably one of the things she hated the most, so she was very unfamiliar with this sentence, but she could still hear the admiration in Duan Xu’s words. She smiled and covered her lips, saying, “Among the evil spirits, seven out of ten don’t like these restrictive laws. Little friend, you’re really honest.”
Duan Xu reached out to touch the characters deeply engraved into the sturdy and vigorous golden wall. There were many restrictions on the behaviour of ghosts, and if these laws could be followed, ghosts couldn’t be considered evil.
He spoke lightly, “In ancient times, Shang Yang reformed the laws to strengthen his state, only to be torn apart by chariots, paving the way for the Qin emperor to unify the land.”
Pausing for a moment, he smiled softly and continued, “So that’s how it is. She is walking the path of Shang Yang, a path that is detested by both humans and ghosts.”
Being detested by humans and ghosts was the position that the Ghost King should occupy.
He remembered how casually He Simu had once mentioned this.
Perhaps she had long understood, but still chose to entangle herself with the abyss with her long and boundless life and extraordinary talent, restraining this colossal creature composed of desires and greed.
To maintain order in the ghost realm, remove stigma, and distinguish between good and bad among the evil spirits. And to protect the world composed of these insignificant and fragile mortals.
He believed that as long as she remained the Ghost King, the ghost realm would be stable, and the human world would be unharmed.
Even if no one knew, no one appreciated it.
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