After Marrying the Lord of the Underworld

In the end, Lu Yingjiu didn’t keep watch.

 

Because Ye Feng’s thoughts were completely shattered by him, he couldn’t fall asleep at all. He sat on a rickety chair, his eyes vacant, murmuring to himself, “How could this be, how could this be… I won’t be able to sleep at all tonight.”

 

Lu Yingjiu stood beside him and said, “Actually, we’re not really together…”

 

“That’s impossible,” Ye Feng murmured, “I should have noticed it earlier. You two have been sticking together like glue, inseparable, and more reliable than 502. It’s my eyes that are blind, I didn’t see it. It’s my slow reaction, I thought you were like a watery cabbage before, but I didn’t realize it.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

Ye Feng continued, “It’s my stupidity. You two go out to catch ghosts like you’re on a honeymoon. Just bring in a middle school homeroom teacher, and with just one glance, they can immediately catch you two for early love and have your parents come in for a conference and write a self-criticism.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

Ye Feng said again, “Lu Yingjiu, Lu Yingjiu, how did you suddenly become bent? We’ve been fantasizing about the curvy and hot ghost girl for so many years, and I was looking forward to seeing a girl like that. How did it suddenly become a man? Although I know you like fox tail grass, you can’t be like a fox tail grass, blown down by the cold wind of Jing Xian.”

 

Lu Yingjiu held his forehead and said, “I already said we’re really not together, and I’m still working on my psychological development.”

 

“Oh, right,” Ye Feng nodded, “Right, you should work on your psychological development. You’ve already kissed, so the next step is to go all the way.” He suddenly became nervous, “If I kept watch tonight and you two slept together, what would happen?”

 

“Nothing would happen,” Lu Yingjiu said.

 

“Okay then,” Ye Feng breathed a sigh of relief. “The soundproofing in this crappy house is terrible. The floor creaks and squeaks with the slightest movement. If you guys make any more noise, the whole place might collapse.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

He didn’t dare to ask what kind of images Ye Feng was imagining.

 

Ye Feng continued, “You said he’s that ‘Da Guo,’ right? Your childhood playmate.”

 

“He’s using a fake identity,” Lu Yingjiu explained. “When he first wanted to get in touch with me, he wanted to use a… more ordinary identity.” He looked at Ye Feng, who looked like his world was falling apart. “So, are you really going to keep watch tonight?”

 

Ye Feng weakly shook his head. “Yes, I won’t be sleeping tonight. I’ll sacrifice myself to help you guys have children and grandchildren, and create thousands of little Lus and little Jings.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

Ye Feng was already talking nonsense.

 

When Ye Feng said he wouldn’t sleep, he really meant it. Lu Yingjiu watched as Ye Feng carried a chair and sat by the bonfire outside to keep watch, while he went into the room.

 

The sleeping bags weren’t quite enough, so the remaining people either slept against the wall or made do with the broken bed. The person in red clothes insisted on giving his sleeping bag to Lu Yingjiu.

 

The two girls squeezed into one room, while Aaron, the person in red clothes, and their friend stayed together.

 

Ah Mie didn’t like being around other people, so she stayed with Ye Feng during the watch. She brought a table, covered herself with a coat, and slept on the table. Xiao Li also went out to keep watch with Ye Feng – he had learned a lot from Ye Feng these past few days and admired him a lot, especially since he wanted to hear more stories about the Li Snake.

 

Before going to bed, Lu Yingjiu carefully pasted talismans on every wooden house before returning to his own. The beds in this rundown house were completely unusable, so there was only a small table and chair that could be used. Jing Xian had already helped him prepare his sleeping bag and was sitting at the table, lighting a short candle.

 

Lu Yingjiu vaguely felt like it was a candlelight dinner.

 

He was a little suspicious that Jing Xian was trying to create a romantic atmosphere, but he had no evidence.

 

Lu Yingjiu hesitated at the door for a few seconds.

 

Being with Ye Feng earlier wasn’t a big deal, but now that he saw Jing Xian again, his mind became a mess.

 

Jing Xian looked expectant. “Go to sleep, I’ve prepared your sleeping bag. It’s getting late.”

 

Lu Yingjiu looked at the sleeping bag and couldn’t help but feel like it was a trap.

 

He asked, “Where are you sleeping?”

 

Jing Xian pointed to the book on the table and said, “I don’t need to sleep. I’ll pass the time by reading at night.”

 

That did sound reasonable.

 

After all, with Jing Xian’s night vision ability, he could see clearly even without turning on the lights. Lu Yingjiu had never seen a ghost with nearsightedness or farsightedness.

 

It was getting late, and Lu Yingjiu thought it was better to go to bed early. Otherwise, he would be too restless staying next to Jing Xian.

 

——Although Chief Lu had many admirers, he had devoted all 26 years of his life to exorcism, and the few female hands he had touched were all clients. Jing Xian’s actions had a great impact on him, and he couldn’t help but think about it even when he closed his eyes.

So he crawled into his sleeping bag, and as Ye Feng had said, the floor creaked and squeaked.

 

Just as he was halfway in, he suddenly heard Jing Xian say expectantly, “Ah, it’s so cold in these mountains.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: ?

 

He didn’t understand what Jing Xian was trying to express.

 

Jing Xian said again, “The long night is so boring with just me alone.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: ??

 

He started to become alert. “What are you trying to do?”

 

“I’m not trying to do anything, I just want to leave something for me to savor for a few hours.” Jing Xian looked at him expectantly. “So, can we kiss again?”

 

Lu Yingjiu: ???

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “No! Just an hour ago, you were apologizing to me, saying you were impulsive. Why are you starting again?”

 

Jing Xian said, “Isn’t this just another impulse…”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

He crawled into his sleeping bag and said, “No. Ghosts like you should be caught as hooligan ghosts. Doesn’t the ghost world care about this?”

 

Jing Xian thought to himself that he was the one who ruled the entire ghost world, so it was true that no one cared.

 

He said, “We’ve been legally married for a long time, how could anyone care? I’ve already told everyone about my marital status.”

 

Lu Yingjiu knew this.

 

But now he suddenly realized that Jing Xian was not as pitiful as he had imagined, and he probably had many friends.

 

So he asked, “How many priests have you told?”

 

Jing Xian replied, “Basically, all of them know.”

 

Lu Yingjiu’s brow furrowed. “How many is ‘all’?”

 

Jing Xian said, “I put your portrait in my palace, and all the priests who have come in have seen it.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: ???

 

He was completely sober now and wanted to sit up, but the sleeping bag pressed him back down.

 

He stuttered, “Can you… can you show me that portrait? Do you have it with you?”

 

“Of course I do,” Jing Xian said. “I brought it with me when I came to the mortal world.”

 

He started rummaging through his magical little backpack again and pulled out a scroll. The painting looked expensive, like some kind of precious ancient scroll. The scroll was golden, studded with a few small gems, and had red tassels at the bottom. The paper was thick and white, feeling as smooth as delicate skin.

 

Lu Yingjiu poked his head out of the sleeping bag and sat up to take a look——

 

Jing Xian carefully unrolled the scroll.

 

The beautiful scroll slowly unfolded, and a faint fragrance filled the room.

 

Then a matchstick man appeared.

 

Lu Yingjiu: ???

 

It was literally a matchstick man, with a body made up of simple and rough five lines. The head had taken some effort, with some messy hair and crooked features – the eyes were still bent in a crescent shape, and the expression was reminiscent of that “funny” emoji.

 

The matchstick man was drawn with a brush, with thick ink and a domineering posture, standing in the center of the scroll.

 

It had an air of arrogance and dominance.

 

For thirteen years, it had looked down upon countless priests on the luxurious walls.

 

“How is it?” Jing Xian had the familiar look of seeking praise and reward on his face. “Isn’t it beautifully drawn?”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…so you hung a matchstick man in your palace for over a decade?”

 

“How can you call it a matchstick man?” Jing Xian said. “This is clearly you. The last priest who dared to call it a matchstick man was sent to the 18th level of hell for a business trip by me.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

His mind is full of: a fatuous and self-indulgent ruler!

 

Jing Xian brought the scroll closer to him. “Isn’t it beautiful? I drew it myself!”

 

Lu Yingjiu supported his forehead. “I don’t look that outrageous and abstract…”

 

He thought to himself, no wonder Jing Xian had told so many priests, even those who came to the mortal world, but none of them had shown any sign of recognizing him.

 

It would be a miracle if anyone could recognize him from that ghostly drawing! He wondered what those priests thought when they saw it.

 

And from Jing Xian’s expression, he probably sincerely believed that the drawing was beautiful.

 

Jing Xian’s aesthetic sense in art was questionable, and he was infected with artistic bacteria all over his body.

 

Lu Yingjiu felt his temples throbbing and said, “Don’t hang this thing back up.”

 

“How can I not?” Jing Xian said. “There are still many ghosts who haven’t seen it yet.”

 

“No, no, no,” Lu Yingjiu had a headache. “Absolutely not.”

 

“Okay,” Jing Xian immediately changed his mind. “Then let’s kiss, and I won’t hang it back up.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

He didn’t expect the topic to come back to this.

 

He crawled back into his sleeping bag and said, “No kissing. Turn off the lights, I want to sleep.”

 

Jing Xian: “Are you sure you don’t want to…”

 

“No kissing,” Lu Yingjiu said. “I’m angry now.”

 

“But you just said you weren’t angry,” Jing Xian said.

 

“The more I think about it, the angrier I get,” Lu Yingjiu closed his eyes.

 

Jing Xian: “…”

 

He regretfully extinguished the fire of the talisman paper and carefully put away his masterpiece, thinking that he would draw more for Lu Yingjiu in the future.

 

Finally, the surroundings became quiet.

 

Lu Yingjiu didn’t know if it was because he was tired from walking on the mountain road or because Jing Xian had confused him, but he slept unexpectedly deeply.

 

When he woke up, it was already 7 o’clock in the morning, and the sound of rain dripping on the roof could be heard from afar, along with the howling of the mountain wind.

 

The wind and rain had started again.

 

The calmness of last night was only temporary.

 

The group gathered together to gnaw on the remaining jerky and compressed biscuits as breakfast.

 

There wasn’t much food left, but according to their estimates, they would be able to reach the main road near midnight tonight by descending from the 21st pavilion.

 

The thought of victory being within reach lifted their spirits, and they couldn’t wait to set off right after finishing their meal.

 

But then something happened.

 

Ah Mie started coughing up blood.

 

As they were packing their bags, they heard her violent coughing, as if she was about to cough up all her internal organs. When they went over to check, they saw her leaning against a tree, bending over, and a small pool of blood had already formed on the ground.

 

She was slowly transforming into a spider.

 

Everyone panicked and backed away, wishing to be as far away from her as possible.

 

Ah Mie’s face was also pale.

 

She was already in poor health, and the constant coughing on this journey and enduring the immense pain from the transformation, even Lu Yingjiu wasn’t sure if she could hold on for the rest of the mountain road.

 

Ah Mie said, “Don’t worry, my transformation won’t be complete for another two days… If I can’t keep up with you on the way, just leave me behind and go.”

 

She coughed a few more times.

 

After this round, everyone’s pace quickened as they walked up the mountain road.

 

No one dared to get too close to Ah Mie, and she could only hang her head and silently follow behind Lu Yingjiu, occasionally stumbling.

 

Lu Yingjiu posted a few more talisman papers on her, but they could only alleviate her pain and help her barely keep up with the group.

 

Fortunately, the journey was smooth and nothing went wrong.

 

It seemed that they had indeed left the spider behind.

 

However, the mountain road was long, and after yesterday’s series of running and terror, everyone’s physical strength was greatly depleted. Even with the help of talisman papers, their speed was getting slower and slower.

 

This led to their arrival time being later than expected.

 

Originally, Ye Feng had estimated that the distance between the remaining pavilions wasn’t too far, and the mountain road was relatively easy to walk. They would set off at 7:30 in the morning, rest for an hour at noon, and arrive at the 21st pavilion by 7-8 pm at the latest.

 

But by 7-8 pm, everyone’s feet were sore, and they had only made it to the 17th pavilion, barely keeping up with the pace.

 

It took them another hour to reach the 20th pavilion.

 

Like the 10th pavilion, there was a temporary resting place here.

 

Lu Yingjiu turned around and saw the tired faces of everyone, their faces covered in rain and sweat. He discussed with Ye Feng and decided to rest for a while before deciding whether to continue down the mountain overnight.

 

After all, the closer it got to midnight, the heavier the Yin energy became, and it was the time when ghosts were most active. The downhill section of the road was not protected by Li Snake’s blessing, and there was no guarantee that something unexpected wouldn’t happen.

 

So Ye Feng searched around the pavilion and found a place sealed with talisman papers.

 

It was a door leading underground.

 

The talisman papers were almost rotten, and Lu Yingjiu and Ye Feng spent more than ten minutes removing them all.

 

The door opened, revealing a rusty iron ladder leading down into the darkness.

 

The ladder was vertical and looked scary, even though there was a circle of iron bars around it for protection. It had been neglected for years and was covered in rust.

 

Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian were the first to go down.

 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t very deep down there.

 

Lu Yingjiu called out, “Come down! It’s not deep down here!”

 

Everyone slowly climbed down one by one.

 

Lu Yingjiu shone his flashlight around the room.

 

The Ye family had built a lounge-like room down here, with chairs, sofas, tables, and chairs… but there was no electricity, and it was pitch black. There were several flashlights in the corner, along with kerosene wreckage.

 

These people didn’t care about the moldy sofas or the rotten chairs and sat down anyway, gulping down several mouthfuls of water. Some of them had blisters on their feet and took off their shoes, gritting their teeth in pain.

 

Ah Mie found a corner to rest in and closed her eyes to recuperate.

 

After resting for a while, Lu Yingjiu shone his flashlight around the room, searching carefully.

 

On the one hand, he wanted to see if there were any clues about the Spider Mother, and on the other hand, he wanted to find anything that Zhang Nianyun might have left behind.

 

Sure enough, there was another space in the lounge.

 

It was two inner rooms, piled high with ghost-expelling tools, such as talisman papers, brushes, and large ghost and god paintings. There was also something like a patrol log on the wall, recording the dates of every group of people who came to sweep the tombs.

 

Lu Yingjiu shone his light on it.

 

[January 2, 1993, 4 people

Items: Several talisman papers, a box of paper money, a box of paper ingots, a suckling pig

Return time: January 5]

 

[June 16, 1993, 11 people

Items: Several talisman papers, three boxes of paper money, five paper people, a suckling pig, three roasted chickens

Return time: June 17]

 

[December 2, 1993…]

 

[February 10, 1994…]

 

[July 25, 1994…]

 

The people in the nursing home would sweep the tombs two or three times a year, and the dates of their round trips were recorded each time.

 

Except for two of them.

 

Lu Yingjiu’s gaze fell on June 18, 1995, and July 1, 2000.

 

The return dates for these two times were not written.

 

Ah Mei once said that there were two mudslides during the two trips of tomb sweeping, which happened to be in the past two years. Perhaps both incidents occurred on the return journey, which was why return dates were not written at this rest stop.

 

Lu Yingjiu took photos of these two dates.

 

Meanwhile, Ye Feng was still searching for something in the next room, also hoping to find some clues.

 

Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to go over and help him search, he was suddenly hugged from behind by Jing Xian.

 

Lu Yingjiu’s heart was troubled, he immediately tried to break free, but to no avail, as expected.

 

Jing Xian leaned down slightly and rested his chin on Lu Yingjiu’s right shoulder, saying, “Let’s kiss again.”

 

There were only the two of them in the room, and Lu Yingjiu’s face turned slightly red.

“What are you doing here? You get addicted after just one kiss? Why don’t you ask if I agree or not?”

 

“I am asking you now,” Jing Xian replied.

 

Lu Yingjiu tried to push Jing Xian’s head away with his hand, saying, “I never said we were together!”

 

“I know, I know. You need time to accept it,” Jing Xian said, pretending to agree while not letting go of his grip. “So let’s kiss quietly for now, just between us.”

 

“Quietly, it’s not a kiss!” Lu Yingjiu began to struggle again.

 

However, the absolute difference in strength was not something he could overcome with his hard thumping. Lu Yingjiu suspected that even if he himself invited a god, Jing Xian’s strength was simply astonishing——Jing Xian, this guy, it was unknown what he grew up on, really a bone wonder.

 

Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to go over, he was pulled back by Jing Xian.

 

Jing Xian lowered his head and carefully straightened out Lu Yingjiu’s wrinkled clothes before they went over together.

 

On the other side, Ye Feng and Xiao Li were looking at many satellite images of the Mt Gassan area.

 

Although the images were blurry, they could barely make out the Mt. Gassan nursing home, Mt. Gassan village, and the thirty-five pavilions on the mountaintops.

 

Looking at the dates, there were satellite images from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

 

“Did your second grandfather leave these behind?” Lu Yingjiu flipped through a few of them.

 

“Yes,” Ye Feng nodded. “Judging from the handwriting, they should all be his.”

 

Indeed, there were many lines drawn on the satellite images, and they were densely packed with small characters.

 

Ye Feng then pointed to several notebooks next to them. “He studied the direction of the mountain range here and how to study the protection of the Li Snake. Our family often looks at satellite or aerial images to observe the mountain range.”

 

He continued, “The nursing home has always been protected by the Li Snake, and other ghosts and gods are actually very difficult to enter. Ah Mei said that the village worships the Spider Mother, but they have never been able to summon her, which is why. So the Spider Mother must have found an opportunity, such as during the Ghost Festival or when the talismans in the pavilions were accidentally damaged…”

 

Lu Yingjiu asked, “Are you thinking about how your second grandfather made the Spider Mother appear?”

 

“Yes,” Ye Feng said. “This can also help us find the Spider Mother. We must solve the problem in this village.”

 

Lu Yingjiu then carefully looked at the notebooks.

 

Ye Deyong was a very serious person, and most of the things he recorded were about studying talismans. His research was more than 20 years old and relatively outdated compared to now. Lu Yingjiu glanced over it and didn’t find anything particularly useful.

 

His gaze then returned to the satellite images.

 

He arranged the images in chronological order and carefully looked at them.

 

Suddenly, Lu Yingjiu said, “Look here, are there a few patterns?”

 

He was referring to the satellite image from 2003.

 

Ye Feng looked carefully and could barely make out some discoloration in the forest after looking for a long time.

 

He said, “It seems like there is a little… The technology was limited at that time, and the image was not very clear. Could it be a printing problem?”

 

“But if you look closely, they all look like dead trees,” Lu Yingjiu said. “This image was taken in July, when the trees should be at their most lush. How could there be such a large area of dead trees? Moreover, this phenomenon was not present in the previous images.”

 

“Also, their distribution is regular, all in lines radiating out from the mountain ridge.”

 

He pointed with his hand, “I counted about eight lines in total, symmetrically distributed along the mountain ridge. And the circular area near the nursing home also has dead trees. At the edge of the mountain range, there is even a large elliptical area of withered trees.”

 

As he pointed, Ye Feng slowly realized it too.

 

He said, “Yes, it seems like it. How could this happen?”

 

Xiao Li was also staring at it and said, “Look at the circle of dead trees around the nursing home. Why do I feel like the shape is familiar?” He thought for a while and said, “Why do I feel like the two protruding places at the front of the circle look like a spider’s fangs?”

 

The more he spoke, the more it seemed like it. “Yes, this circle looks like a spider’s head. If you connect it with the other dead trees, the eight lines are the spider’s legs, and the elliptical area at the end is the spider’s tail. This is a giant spider!”

 

As soon as he said this, he felt a chill down his back.

 

Lu Yingjiu also stared at it.

 

Along the way, there were pavilions built, and the Li Snake appeared in the form of a coiled mountain range in the images.

 

But it was indeed as Xiao Li said…

 

It was like a giant spider parasitizing on a snake, with its spider legs breaking out of its belly, and its head and fangs occupying the nursing home, tearing apart the entire mountain range.

 

Mt. Gassan was her new nest.

 

She patiently wove a large web, luring outsiders deeper in.

 

He said, “Is it possible that the Spider Mother we are looking for is right under our feet?”

 

“What do you mean?” Ye Feng asked.

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “It’s possible that this entire mountain range is the Spider Mother.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden scream from the lounge.