After Marrying the Lord of the Underworld

The two of them walked towards the restaurant hand in hand.

 

Lu Yingjiu hadn’t noticed when they were in the haunted house, but now that they were walking like this, he realized that Jing Xian’s hand was large and well-defined.

 

A very standard male hand.

 

Despite never having imagined in his previous 26 years that he would one day be holding another man’s hand in such an intimate manner, walking on a deserted path, he surprisingly didn’t feel anything was amiss at this moment. It seemed as if it was meant to be.

 

Jing Xian happily followed behind him, finally not chattering away as he usually did, and maintained a rare silence.

 

The night breeze was very comfortable, and the sounds of laughter from the main road in the distance unconsciously lifted one’s spirits.

 

The path wasn’t very long, but Lu Yingjiu inexplicably felt that time was passing slowly, even the wind and his heartbeat seemed to have slowed down.

 

A few minutes later, they reached the end of the path and stood in front of the restaurant.

 

Lu Yingjiu let go of his hand and said, “Let’s go in.”

 

At this time, it was past mealtime, so they didn’t have to queue and ate casually.

 

The food in the restaurant was quite good, with a perfect balance of color, aroma, and taste. However, Jing Xian was still not very satisfied, saying that the dishes were definitely not as delicious as the ones he made. He would make the same dish again when he got home and let Lu Yingjiu taste it.

 

Lu Yingjiu said while eating, “Okay, okay, I’ve never doubted your cooking skills. You can make it as many times as you want, just don’t waste it.”

 

“There’s no chance of wasting it,” Jing Xian said. “Your hairball is there, all the leftovers can be given to it.”

 

Lu Yingjiu took a bite of his meal and said helplessly, “Don’t keep treating it like a trash can, especially don’t feed it harmful waste and kitchen waste. A two-in-one trash can is not made like this. Let me see, what have you fed it: skulls, big spiders, roadside weeds, and ginger.”

 

“That’s a balanced diet,” Jing Xian said confidently. “I’ve fed many monsters when I was in the ghost world.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

He was very worried about the health of those monsters.

 

They said they were going to stay in the amusement park for one night and continue to the water park tomorrow, but while Lu Yingjiu was eating, he received a phone call.

 

It was from the Ye family.

 

They said there was a bit of a situation during the investigation of the Spider Mother, and they wanted Lu Yingjiu to come over as soon as possible to verify it.

 

Lu Yingjiu didn’t want to go at first.

 

It was a bit of a downer to have to rush back to work after finally getting out.

 

But the other party emphasized that this matter was related to Ye Deyong.

 

——From Amei’s mouth, the Ye family learned that Ye Deyong had resurrected someone with ashes.

 

Lu Yingjiu and Ye Feng did not mention Ye Deyong’s matter, and they also glossed over the details. But when the pieces of the matter slowly came together and more clues emerged, the Ye family still noticed something.

 

In other words, if Lu Yingjiu wanted to continue to hide Ye Feng’s matter, he would have to go back and cover up the lie.

 

Lu Yingjiu had a bit of a headache, opened his phone, and saw a message from Ye Feng saying that the Ye family also wanted him to come over tomorrow.

 

Lu Yingjiu held his phone and thought for a while, wondering how to bring it up with Jing Xian.

 

Unexpectedly, Jing Xian had already noticed something was wrong and asked, “Why, is there something wrong?”

 

“…Yes,” Lu Yingjiu nodded, “About the Spider Mother and Ye Feng.”

 

Jing Xian paused for a moment and said, “Oh, I see, it’s okay, let’s hurry back.”

 

He added, “I just checked, there are quite a few facilities under maintenance at the water park, it might be even better next time we come.”

 

Lu Yingjiu immediately felt guilty, knowing that Jing Xian was saying this to make him feel better.

 

He said, “Yes, we’ll definitely come again when we have time.”

 

So they finished their meal without wasting any more time and headed home.

 

Once they left the amusement park, they gradually left the noise behind.

 

When they got in the car, Lu Yingjiu continued to sleep against the seat to make up for his lack of sleep. Jing Xian stepped on the gas, and the sports car sped through the streets at its usual high speed, passing countless bright lights, heading straight for the deepest part of the night.

 

But the deepest part of the night was not cold.

 

The two of them returned home side by side, turned on the lights, and the house was brightly lit.

 

As soon as he got home, Lu Yingjiu called Ye Feng to discuss how to continue to hide this matter tomorrow.

 

In fact, the problem shouldn’t be too big, after all, the people on the scene were the two of them, and a big fire had burned a lot of things, even if the Ye family felt suspicious, they wouldn’t doubt it much.

 

Just before hanging up the phone, Ye Feng hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.

 

Lu Yingjiu asked, “What’s the matter?”

 

Ye Feng was silent for a moment, then laughed and said, “Nothing, I’ll go to bed first, I have to get up early tomorrow.”

 

The call ended.

Lu Yingjiu went to heat up a cup of milk to drink.

 

He always had the habit of drinking a cup of hot milk before bed, which helped him sleep. However, this time when he was pouring the milk, he hesitated for a moment and asked Jing Xian, “Do you want a cup of milk?”

 

Jing Xian, who was originally sitting at the table, playing with hairball. Upon hearing this, he looked up and said, “Sure.”

 

So, for the first time, Lu Yingjiu heated up two cups of milk.

 

After handing a cup to Jing Xian, the warmth of the cup lingered in his palm, warm and lasting.

 

He drank the milk and read a book in his room.

 

Soon it was eleven o’clock at night, the lights outside gradually went out, and the night fell into silence.

 

He turned off the light.

 

Perhaps because he had played too hard during the day, the quality of his sleep that night was surprisingly good, and he quickly fell into a deep dream.

 

The next day, he got up early as he had agreed with Ye Feng.

 

Jing Xian, who didn’t need to sleep, got up early as usual, made breakfast, and the wontons with green onions were fragrant in the bowl.

 

After Lu Yingjiu had breakfast, Jing Xian habitually prepared to go out and take him to the Ye family.

 

But Lu Yingjiu said, “You don’t need to send me today.”

 

“Why?” Jing Xian was taken aback.

 

Lu Yingjiu smiled and said, “You don’t have to bother with everything, right? And I haven’t driven myself for a long time.”

 

Jing Xian said, “Then you drive, I’ll just sit in the passenger seat.”

 

Lu Yingjiu insisted on going by himself, Jing Xian was unhappy, and insisted that he agree.

 

In the end, Lu Yingjiu was cornered at the door, forced to make concessions, his cheek was kissed heavily, and Jing Xian touched his waist several times. Finally, he opened the door in a bit of a hurry, with his ears burning, and ran out alone.

 

Before Jing Xian reluctantly let him go, he gave him the car keys.

 

Lu Yingjiu got into the Land Rover, held the steering wheel after a long time, and drove the car out of the garage.

 

Unlike Jing Xian’s casual attitude, his driving posture was very standard, sitting straight and looking straight ahead, he wouldn’t make any mistakes, and drove to Ye Feng’s house.

 

He picked up Ye Feng, and the two of them headed to the Ye family together.

 

Ye Feng didn’t say much on the way, and didn’t seem in the mood to talk.

 

Lu Yingjiu felt that he was worried, so he comforted him, “As long as we don’t admit it, no one will find out.”

 

“…Yeah.” Ye Feng was still uneasy.

 

When they arrived, as expected, there was a series of complex procedures to go through.

 

The Ye family took this matter very seriously and asked them to go over the details again.

 

Lu Yingjiu was calm and answered without hesitation. No one would doubt him. He just glossed over the part involving Ye Feng and answered the rest truthfully, even helping to analyze the talisman paper used by Ye Deyong.

 

Ye Feng didn’t say much.

 

But the Ye family knew that he was in a bad mood, thinking that he was upset because of Ye Deyong, and didn’t pay much attention to it.

 

So, in the end, as Lu Yingjiu said, the Ye family didn’t notice anything unusual. After thanking Lu Yingjiu for coming over, they wanted to keep him for dinner.

 

Lu Yingjiu declined, put his arm around Ye Feng and smiled, saying that they would go out to eat.

 

Once in the car, Lu Yingjiu casually looked for a highly rated restaurant nearby and asked, “How about hot pot or barbecue? Or do you want something lighter?”

 

Ye Feng still didn’t speak.

 

After a long while, he said, “Either is fine, you can decide.”

 

Seeing that he was still in a low mood, Lu Yingjiu patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, you see they didn’t find out.”

Ye Feng stared out the car window for a long time before saying, “Do you remember two months ago, when your office was just established?”

 

“Yes, what’s the matter?” Lu Yingjiu asked.

 

Ye Feng had taken several days off at that time, running around every day, either helping him move or decorate things, and had been a great help.

 

It was quite a long time ago, and he didn’t know why Ye Feng brought it up again.

 

Ye Feng paused for a moment before saying, “I was very angry at the time, Chen Zheng and those stinky fools actually forced you away like that. But at the same time, I was a bit worried that you would ask me to join your office. Green Lantern Association has always been the strictest exorcism organization in the industry, with good treatment, high welfare, and plenty of commission resources, anyone would want to join.”

 

He continued, “Unlike you, my talent for exorcism is very average, and it’s pure luck that I’ve managed to get to where I am today. If I were to change places, I’m not gold, and I might not have any opportunities for development.”

 

“Of course I know that with your reputation, there will definitely be no shortage of commissions. So, I thought about it later and felt that the key reason was not that I was worried about the future, but that I was always a coward, afraid to challenge the unknown and instability, afraid to take any risks, even if the consequences were completely acceptable to me.”

 

Lu Yingjiu paused for a moment.

 

Then he said, “I still stand by what I said: everyone has their own life. You don’t have to give up anything for me. If you are willing to come and join me, of course, I will be very happy. Even if not, you have helped me a lot, and I will definitely not feel disappointed or sad – or rather, the current situation is just right.”

 

“If you don’t say it, I won’t think too much about it, and there’s no need to hold myself to such a high standard.”

 

Ye Feng gave a bitter smile, “Yes, yes, I understand what you mean.”

 

“But I’ve been thinking about it these past few days, about the fact that I was resurrected.”

 

Ye Feng took a deep breath, “Actually, there were several times when I plucked up the courage to tell my family. My hand was on the dial button, but I couldn’t press it, and in the end, I cowardly turned off the phone.”

 

“No matter what, I’m still me, there’s no fundamental change. I’m always a coward who likes a comfortable life, a coward who dares not to change, and a coward who dares not to tell the truth.”

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “Then don’t say it. If you really can’t get over it in your heart, wait a little longer, if a month is not enough, wait a year, if a year is not enough, wait ten years, until the day you are ready.”

 

“…Yeah.” Ye Feng nodded lightly, “That’s what I thought too. But before that, I think I should try to change a bit, otherwise I might never be able to say it until I die.”

 

He pointed to his phone and said, “Just before meeting you, I had already called the Green Lantern Association to resign.”

 

This time, Lu Yingjiu was stunned.

 

Ye Feng said, “My condition is very bad, I don’t want to touch the ghost exorcising business for a while, every time I see a talisman, I always think of my second grandfather, that village, the nursing home, and those spiders…”

 

“I have found a psychologist and plan to adjust slowly. The pace of the Green Lantern Association is too fast, so I thought, why not muster the courage to resign and rest for a while—this might be my best chance.”

 

He smiled and said, “Didn’t you say that the bar was short of a bartender before, I had learned to mix drinks for a while. How about it, Boss Lu, do you want to hire a cheap bartender like me?”

 

Lu Yingjiu was stunned for several seconds.

 

Then he laughed and said, “Since you have thought about it—of course. You have to work hard, don’t drive away all my single-digit customers.”

 

“Of course, my craft is actually very good.” Ye Feng finally showed the first, heartfelt smile of the day, “And I also want to meet Ah Mei. No matter what, I still want to tell her the truth and apologize to her.”

 

“…Okay, she is in the bar, you can see her if you go over.” Lu Yingjiu said, pointing to the navigation, “So, new employee, what do you want to eat at noon today?”

 

“Hot pot, hot pot!” Ye Feng leaned comfortably on the back of the chair, finally letting go of a heavy worry, “I haven’t eaten like this in a long time!”

 

So they found a nearby hot pot restaurant.

 

Pieces of meat were neatly spread out, meatballs and shrimp slides were placed together, surrounded by a circle of lettuce. The red oil pot bottom was numb and spicy to eat, that spicy taste went down in one bite, mixed with the fragrance of meat and oil, it was like a refreshing feeling to the heavenly spirit cover, and then paired with sweet cold noodles, it was simply amazing.

 

The two of them ate heartily.

 

Ye Feng said that he was a new employee who came in through the back door, and he must treat the boss to a meal, so he insisted on paying the bill.

 

After eating, Lu Yingjiu really went to the bar with Ye Feng.

 

As soon as they entered the door, they saw Ah Mei’s eyes light up, raised her head and said, “Welcome to…oh, it’s you.”

 

She was visibly disappointed.

 

Lu Yingjiu laughed and said, “Why are you so disappointed?”

 

Ah Mei said, “I have been hoping for a few days that there will be guests, but there is no one. I thought you were guests.”

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “Do some more publicity later, and there will definitely be people.”

 

“That has to be done.” Ah Mei complained, “You are the boss, why aren’t you in a hurry, I am in a hurry. In this way, I will help you plan how to promote.”

 

Lu Yingjiu laughed and said that she was great.

 

After saying a few words like this, he looked back at Ye Feng.

 

Ye Feng was still very nervous in front of Ah Mei, and the uneasiness was almost written on his face.

 

After all, Ah Mei was the only survivor in the village. If it weren’t for the Spider Mother, she would have gone out to college a long time ago, and she wouldn’t have become this inhuman and ghostly look. Her half-life was ruined because of the Spider Mother, and she didn’t know how much regret and resentment she had hidden.

 

Ah Mei looked at the two of them, finally noticed that something was wrong, and asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong, do you have anything?”

 

Lu Yingjiu pointed to Ye Feng, and in Ah Mei’s puzzled eyes, he said to her, “He has something to tell you.”

 

After saying that, he stepped back two steps, patted Ye Feng on the shoulder, and whispered, “I’ll go first.”

 

Ye Feng nodded, took a deep breath, and mustered the courage to step forward.

 

Lu Yingjiu left the bar.

 

He leaned on the railing of the corridor, waiting for the two people inside to finish talking.

 

The sky was azure blue, he squinted at the white birds flying in the sky, and the warm sunlight fell on his body.

 

A few minutes later, his phone rang.

 

He opened it and saw that it was sent by Jing Xian: [Why have you been out so long?]

 

At first glance, he was anxious, even though he had only been out for less than five hours.

 

Lu Yingjiu couldn’t help but smile, briefly explained the situation to him, and said: [I’ll be back soon.]

 

[How long will it take to come back?] Jing Xian asked.

 

[I don’t know, maybe two or three hours.]

 

[That’s so long, I’ll come to find you.]

 

Lu Yingjiu replied: [Don’t be so anxious, have you watered the flowers at home?]

 

[Watered.]

 

[Have you fed the cat?]

 

[Fed, I also swept and mopped the floor, wiped the windowsill, and unpacked the express delivery, but you haven’t come back yet.]

 

Through the screen, Lu Yingjiu could almost feel Jing Xian’s resentment.

 

He hooked the corner of his mouth and simply made a call.

 

Jing Xian picked it up in one second, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he urged him to come back.

 

Lu Yingjiu said ‘don’t worry, don’t worry, I will be back soon, I am waiting for Ye Feng now, aren’t I chatting with you’.

 

Jing Xian was satisfied, telling him that the cow cat and the hairball at home started fighting again because hairball was stealing its cat food. The result of this war was that hairs flew all over the room, and he just cleaned the floor.

 

Lu Yingjiu was heartbroken.

 

He had only been away for half a day, and the two naughty children at home started fighting, and the other parent obviously didn’t care much—he even suspected that Jing Xian played a role in fueling the flames.

 

The two chatted like this, talking about some unimportant topics, not rushing, even if there was a brief silence, they didn’t feel awkward at all.

 

Lu Yingjiu looked up at the sky.

 

It was still a piece of azure blue.

 

He thought to himself, the sky seen from the roller coaster was just as blue.

 

He didn’t know how long it had passed, and there was the sound of opening the door behind him.

 

Ye Feng came out.

 

Lu Yingjiu said goodbye to Jing Xian and hung up the phone.

 

As soon as he put down the phone, he saw the text message.

 

It was sent by Chu Banyang.

 

He stared at it for a few seconds before raising his eyes to ask Ye Feng, “How is it?”

 

Ye Feng took a long breath, “She didn’t say anything.”

 

Unexpectedly, Ah Mei did not break down and curse him.

 

She didn’t even get angry. After listening to Ye Feng’s truth, she just sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time.

 

After a long silence, she finally spoke, “It’s okay. Ye Feng, it’s okay.”

 

“I won’t hate you, nor will I dislike you. Although I may never let go of my hatred for Ye Deyong in my life, this is not your fault.”

 

“I would very much like to see that you can stand up like me, live uprightly, and embrace a new life.”

 

She smiled at Ye Feng.

 

The sunlight outside the window came in, shining her braids black and shiny, and the broken hair was golden in the light.

 

At this moment, Ye Feng stood in front of Lu Yingjiu, closed his eyes, “When she said that sentence, I almost cried.”

 

He sniffed.

 

Lu Yingjiu laughed.

 

Having such a result was really the best.

 

He asked Ye Feng again, “Do you want to stay here or go home?”

 

“…I’ll stay for a while.” Ye Feng rubbed his face and said, “Count what kind of wine there is, if it’s not enough, I’ll go buy it. I can show you my craft tonight. What about you? Are you going home?”

 

“No, I’m going to Chu Banyang.” Lu Yingjiu said.

 

Ye Feng was a little surprised, “Chu Banyang? That’s a rare guest, what does he want with you?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Lu Yingjiu shook his head, “Anyway, he just said he had something to discuss with me.”

 

Ye Feng muttered, “I didn’t expect you two to get along well, I hope you won’t fight…”

 

“It’s okay,” Lu Yingjiu laughed, “Anyway, he can’t beat me, I won’t suffer.”

 

****

 

Forty minutes later, Lu Yingjiu appeared at Chu Banyang’s house.

 

Chu Banyang opened the door for him.

 

Chu Banyang seemed a little restrained, perhaps because he rarely invited people to his home, especially unfamiliar ones.

 

He said, “This house is very small, and the array is a bit rudimentary. I usually come here casually and don’t live here often.”

 

Lu Yingjiu looked at the luxurious villa in the city center, and said, “This old Versailles.” (TL:humblebrag)

 

Chu Banyang obviously didn’t surf the internet often and didn’t understand, but his pride didn’t allow him to ask.

 

They entered the house.

 

The inside of the house was as luxurious as the outside, chandeliers, famous paintings, half-length sculptures, full of flashy vibes. Lu Yingjiu sat on the sofa, listening to Chopin’s Nocturne echoing in the living room.

 

It didn’t look like a normal person’s home.

 

Except for the bedroom on the first floor.

 

That’s probably where Chu Banyang often stayed when he was a child.

 

The bedroom door was open, and Lu Yingjiu saw that it was all children’s things inside, small beddings, children’s desks, slightly low bookshelves… It looked like no one had lived there for many years. The wall was covered with certificates, and the table was full of trophies, of various types, from kindergarten sports meetings to junior high school chemistry competitions, all with Chu Banyang’s name on them, all in first place.

 

Chu Banyang noticed his gaze and was stunned for a few seconds.

 

Then he quickly walked over, closed the door, and coughed, “It’s all my dad’s doing.”

 

“It’s pretty good.” Lu Yingjiu said, “I didn’t expect you to have won the kindergarten big stomach king championship.”

 

Chu Banyang almost tripped over.

 

Lu Yingjiu laughed and said, “So, what exactly do you want to tell me?”

 

When it came to this matter, Chu Banyang took a breath.

 

He sat on the sofa opposite him, looked at Lu Yingjiu and asked seriously, “Do you know the name ‘Chu You’?”

 

This name seemed a bit familiar, but Lu Yingjiu couldn’t remember who it was at all.

 

He shook his head, “I don’t know.”

 

Chu Banyang said, “Chu You used to be the head of the Chu family and had a good relationship with my father. Later, he got Alzheimer’s, and the family has been treating him for the past ten years, and they don’t let him go anywhere.”

 

He continued, “Earlier this year, he suddenly fell seriously ill and was bedridden, babbling nonsense every day that no one could understand. Even when his own son went to see him, he couldn’t recognize him.”

 

“Half a month ago, the old man couldn’t hold on any longer and passed away. Before he died, his son happened to be away, and I was with his family by his hospital  bedside.”

 

Lu Yingjiu listened carefully.

 

Chu Banyang said, “He suddenly regained consciousness at the end.”

 

“He probably mistook me for his son and asked me if I knew Lu Yingjiu.”

 

Lu Yingjiu was stunned.

 

A cold feeling, like a snake, climbed up his spine.

 

Chu Banyang said, “Then he said, if you know Lu Yingjiu, you must tell him that his time has come.” He looked at Lu Yingjiu, “So I thought I should find a chance to tell you. But Chu You has been senile for more than a decade and hasn’t left the house, how could he know you?”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

Seeing his expression, Chu Banyang realized something: “You don’t know either?”

 

“…Yes,” Lu Yingjiu said, “I don’t know either.”

 

Chu Banyang was surprised.

 

But Lu Yingjiu had no intention of explaining anything to him.

 

Seeing that he was distracted, Chu Banyang realized that something was wrong and said, “Wait a minute. Let me find something.”

 

Lu Yingjiu stayed in the living room, Chu Banyang went upstairs, moved a lot of things with a clatter, not knowing what he was looking for.

 

After more than ten minutes, he came down holding a rectangular urn.

 

The black urn was not big, but it looked heavy, and it was hard for him to hold it with his arm strength.

 

Lu Yingjiu had already forced himself to calm down, propped his head and said, “Do you want me to help you carry it?”

 

“No.” Chu Banyang flatly refused him.

 

Lu Yingjiu followed him, watching him insist on moving it himself, struggling to step down the steps, and then struggling to move forward.

 

Unlike the luxurious decoration upstairs, the basement they went to was dimly lit, and the walls were covered with talismans – all secret talismans of the Chu family.

 

Lu Yingjiu was somewhat surprised.

 

Although he couldn’t possibly understand these talismans at a glance, Chu Banyang was a bit too trusting of him.

 

The structure of this basement was very strange. It was clearly a large space, but it was divided by seven or eight walls. The door was in the middle of the wall, also covered with talismans. There was nothing between the walls, only a narrow gap. Open one door, and there was another door, layer upon layer.

 

Finally, after opening the eighth door, they arrived at a circular area.

 

There were dark red talismans on the ground, circling around and converging in the center of the basement. Chu Banyang carefully placed the urn in the middle, panting slightly.

 

Lu Yingjiu asked, “What’s in the box? Is it a family heirloom or your dowry?”

 

Chu Banyang said, “It’s the ashes of the Chu family’s ancestors.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “No wonder you didn’t let me touch it. You were afraid I would drop your great-grandfather.”

 

Chu Banyang corrected, “Not just grandfather, grandmother is also in there.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…Oh, my apologies.”

 

“So this is actually a family bucket.”

 

For the next ten minutes or so, he watched Chu Banyang squatting next to the Chu family bucket, fiddling with something.