After Marrying the Lord of the Underworld

(TL: title is actually from 唯梦闲人不梦君, Literally, it means I saw someone unconcerned, but no you in my dream. Actually, here it uses a traditional Chinese writing skill(rhetorical device, somehow, like irony). So this really means ” I miss you so much. Though I can’t see you in reality, I long for seeing you in the dream; with a great pity, I could not have seen you even in my dream but others unconcerned”)

 

“So,” Lu Yingjiu asked, “Why has so much time passed and the Chu family hasn’t tried to solve the curse?”

 

Chu Qianju and the Peacock God, one was a genius exorcist, and the other was a ghost god contracted by their own family. They were both extraordinarily important to the Chu family.

 

If the curse could be broken, the Chu family would surely benefit.

 

Chu Banyang said, “We have always been trying to find a way, but for hundreds of years, we have never been able to solve it, and we have never even seen a glimmer of dawn. This is an unsolvable deadlock.”

 

It’s not easy for Chu Banyang to admit that something was “unsolvable.”

 

Lu Yingjiu asked, “Where does the curse on them come from?”

 

This time, Chu Banyang did not immediately answer him.

 

He hesitated for a few seconds, looked back, and saw that the others were some distance away from them, then he said in a low voice, “I’ll tell you in a different place later.”

 

After he finished speaking, he quickened his pace, “Let’s go, Chu Qianju’s old home is just ahead.”

 

Lu Yingjiu looked ahead and indeed saw a small house appearing in the corner of the village.

 

Because it had been uninhabited for many years, it was dilapidated. The burglar-proof windows were rusty, the glass was blurred by dust, and the wooden door was about to rot. There was also a big red “Demolition” on the wall.

 

Just now, Chu Banyang had managed to force the door open with brute force.

 

They pushed the door directly and stepped in.

 

The space inside the house was not large, and there were only the simplest pieces of furniture, such as the bed, bookcases, wardrobes, etc., all covered with a few centimeters of dust. Chu Qianju was probably a minimalist, everything was very simple, and there was not even half a decoration.

 

Chu Banyang went to the bedroom, bent over and pulled out the drawer under the bed, revealing the densely packed books underneath.

 

He said, “I just took a quick look, most of his books and notes are under the bed, we can flip through them, and then I’ll take the things back to the Chu family.”

 

“Where will you put it when you bring it back?” Lu Yingjiu blew off the dust and picked up a notebook.

 

“The warehouse.” Chu Banyang answered, “There’s a corner specifically for his stuff, so when he comes back in his next reincarnation, he’ll see it – of course, showing him those things is useless, he can only remember the past events when he sees the Peacock God.”

 

Yao Gou muttered from the side, “They really love each other so much.”

 

They each went to look at the notes.

 

For a while, the only sound in the room was the rustling of flipping through the notes.

 

Yao Gou couldn’t stand this kind of thing, and after a few glances, he ran off to wander around the back of the house. Chu Banyang was also in the next room, flipping through other things.

 

And Jing Xian sat next to Lu Yingjiu, silently reading Chu Qianju’s collection of books.

 

Lu Yingjiu glanced at him, and in his hand was an illustrated guide to ghosts, with a human-faced ghost fire on it, a six-legged fire horse raising its front hooves, and a phoenix reborn from the ashes.

 

The illustrated guide was quite beautifully drawn.

 

But Jing Xian was also equally indifferent.

 

All the way, Jing Xian didn’t talk much.

 

It seemed that from the moment the female ghost mentioned Chu Qianju, Jing Xian had maintained a rare silence.

Lu Yingjiu flipped another page of the notebook in his hand and asked Jing Xian in a low voice, “What’s wrong with you?”

 

Jing Xian said, “I miss you.”

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “I’ve never been apart from you.”

 

“Just now you were whispering with that surnamed Chu,” Jing Xian said, “I felt like our hearts have been apart for a long time.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

Ignoring Jing Xian’s usual nonsense, he was still worried about his abnormality, so he reached out and covered Jing Xian’s left hand, gently stroking it. “Are you feeling bad?”

 

“I don’t have…” Jing Xian suddenly stopped, then changed his words, “Yes, I’m in a bad mood, unless there’s a wedding night tonight, then I’ll be in a good mood.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

It was another day of Jing Xiannot speaking properly.

 

However, he probably guessed Jing Xian’s thoughts.

 

The curse on Chu Qianju was similar to the one on him, which must have triggered some kind of worry in Jing Xian.

 

In countless reincarnations, Chu Qianju and the Peacock God fought each other.

 

So, do he and Jing Xian have the same past?

 

Lu Yingjiu really wanted to ask Jing Xian this question.

 

But he knew that Jing Xian wouldn’t say anything.

 

Jing Xian always keeps many things to himself.

 

Jing Xian always says that he would never hide private money, and after marriage, he would be honest about everything, even reporting to him if he met a stray dog on the road.

 

However, on this most critical issue, Jing Xian said nothing.

 

The more Lu Yingjiu thought about it, the more upset he became, and he reached out and poked Jing Xian.

 

Jing Xian: ?

 

Jing Xian was immediately happy. “Hurry, poke me again.”

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “Do you have some strange hobby…”

 

“How nice,” Jing Xian said, “I like flirting with you the most.”

 

—After saying this, he got what he wanted and was mercilessly poked hard by Lu Yingjiu.

 

There wasn’t much left by Chu Qianju, and they quickly finished flipping through it.

 

Lu Yingjiu deliberately read his notes carefully to make sure there were no clues.

 

But there weren’t any.

 

They say that from a person’s belongings, one could glimpse their character.

 

In Chu Banyang’s memory, Chu Qianju’s character was indifferent and extremely self-disciplined. And his notes were indeed neat and tidy, straight and upright, very serious at first glance. The books he read were noted, and they were very simple and clean, almost like the effect of a printer.

 

Except for one place…

 

Lu Yingjiu flipped the book in his hand to the last page and saw that in the blank space of the last page, Chu Qianju had drawn a small peacock with a black pen.

 

His drawing skills were average, but the things he drew were extraordinarily expressive.

 

The little peacock had its tail feathers spread out, its eyes were bright, and its feathers were fluffy, and it must feel great to hold.

 

It didn’t have the majesty and splendor, it looked very cute, but the pride in its bones was still drawn out. If evaluated in today’s style, it would be a chibi little peacock.

At a glance, one could tell that the author of the painting liked it very much.

 

The books from more than ten years ago were in front of them.

 

And this was the only place where Chu Qianju revealed his emotions.

 

Lu Yingjiu couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

 

When they were about to stack the books together, and Yao Gou was planning to bundle these books up, Chu Banyang was still in the next room, not sure what he was messing with.

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “I’ll go call him.”

 

He went over, and Chu Banyang was still looking at the last notebook.

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “What, did you find anything?”

 

“No.” Chu Banyang shook his head quickly, closed the book, “I’m coming right now.”

 

But before he had taken a few steps, Chu Banyang suddenly said, “Actually, ever since I met Chu Qianju, I’ve been thinking about a question.”

 

“What?” Lu Yingjiu asked.

 

“I’m wondering, for those two, is that curse a good thing or a bad thing.” Chu Banyang said, “Chu Qianju is a human, his lifespan is not on the same level as the Peacock God. If it weren’t for this curse, when Chu Qianju dies, he dies, and they wouldn’t even have a chance to meet.”

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “It depends on how they both feel about it. It’s possible, as you said, that Chu Qianju feels that being able to meet the Peacock God forever is enough, it’s also possible that he would rather live out his life peacefully, aging is a part of life after all.”

 

“Right.” Chu Banyang nodded, “If it were me, I would choose to reincarnate forever. Once you die, you’re really dead, there’s no room for regret or a do-over. When you go to the underworld, most ghosts have to be reincarnated, and won’t be like the priests either. But in reincarnation, I can see the world a few more times and meet my lover again.”

 

Just as Lu Yingjiu was about to reply, a voice came from behind, “I would rather he grow old peacefully.”

 

Lu Yingjiu turned around and saw Jing Xian standing at the door.

 

He didn’t know when, but he had followed them over.

 

Jing Xian had no emotion on his face, and continued, “What’s so good about reincarnation? Without memory, you’re always just repeating yourself, only a few seconds of clarity at the moment of death. What’s so good about dying over and over again? If I were the Peacock God, I would definitely not bear to see my lover die. That kind of death is too painful, I couldn’t bear for him to endure it.”

 

Chu Banyang was stunned for a second or two, then said, “Hm, you have a point, but I stand by my view.”

 

“I stand by mine too.” Jing Xian smiled, very naturally putting his arm around Lu Yingjiu’s shoulder, “Let’s go.”

Chu Banyang’s gaze lingered on his hand for a few seconds, then moved away, “Hm.”

 

The four of them packed up the books and prepared to move them outside.

 

****

 

The young master of the Chu family went on a trip, with a driver and an assistant, and three or four luxury cars were parked in the parking lot outside the village, showing off and flamboyant, attracting a few little boys to peek around.

 

When Chu Banyang ordered his assistant to organize the books, Yao Gou went to the village for a while and started collecting the money for the commission.

 

When he happily received the villagers’ money, he wanted to share it with Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian according to the agreement.

 

Lu Yingjiu refused him, saying that he didn’t lack money, and this commission was originally accepted by him first.

 

He thought that Yao Gou seemed to be more in need of money than him, so there was no need to share it.

 

“What embarrassed!” Yao Gou widened his eyes, “You also contributed a lot this time! Anyway, at least half of the money must be given to you!”

 

After saying that, he insisted on transferring money to Lu Yingjiu. Lu Yingjiu disagreed, and he was anxious.

 

Lu Yingjiu was dizzy with his refusal, thinking of the past, Yao Gou was also so greedy, he had to bargain when buying things at a young age, and he would be so happy to see fifty cents on the way, and would hold it in his palm for three days.

 

Even to friends, Yao Gou had always been generous, and he often bought food and brought a portion for Lu Yingjiu.

 

After so many years, Yao Gou hadn’t changed at all.

 

Seeing that Lu Yingjiu refused to accept this money, after a stalemate for nearly ten minutes, Yao Gou slapped his thigh. “Oh! Although we lost contact because of an accident, I haven’t forgotten you at all! You don’t regard me as a brother, I’m going to be sad! You can’t forget your old friends when you get married, and you can’t forget your old love when you have a new love!”

 

Lu Yingjiu was dizzy due to his full mouth of running trains, and seeing that Yao Gou was really anxious, he finally reluctantly accepted a little, just for the sake of it.

 

(t/n  full mouth of running trains-describing a person who likes to talk big, brag, be mean, and talk nonsense)

 

Although Yao Gou was not very satisfied, he patted his shoulder, and finally stopped.

 

By the time they finally finished pulling and pulling, the things were also packed up.

 

Chu Banyang watched the driver close the trunk, and then said to Lu Yingjiu. “You come with me, and then I will tell you what happened just now.”

 

What he was referring to was the “curse on them, where did it come from?” that Lu Yingjiu asked him.

 

Lu Yingjiu nodded.

 

Then Chu Banyang opened the back seat of the car again, and took out a black thing with great effort.

 

Lu Yingjiu leaned over to take a look.

 

It’s the ashes urn of the ancestors of the Chu family, it’s the Chu family bucket.

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…Why are you still carrying this thing with you.”

 

“A lot of backups, just bring it with me anytime.” Chu Banyang said, “I think it might be used.” He patted the urn, “Let’s go do that divine water again.”

 

Lu Yingjiu nodded.

 

He was about to follow Chu Banyang, but he felt a strong gaze on his back.

 

He looked back and saw that Jing Xian’s face did not show any emotions, but his eyes were extremely resentful.

 

At first glance, this look was from Jing Xian to Vinegar Xian.

 

The vinegar jar was overturned again, and the sour smell swept across the entire Lintian Village.

 

Lu Yingjiu laughed and turned back to whisper to him, “I’ll be back soon, don’t eat this flying vinegar anymore.”

 

Jing Xian also whispered, “I feel like our hearts are going to separate again.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…That’s not the case. Where did you learn these weird words?”

 

Jing Xian said, “I’ve watched a lot of romance movies.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…Okay.” He patted Jing Xian’s shoulder and comforted, “I’ll be back soon.”

 

Jing Xian asked, “Can there be a candlelight night when you come back?”

 

“No.” Lu Yingjiu said, “You are the bride, where is the bride so anxious? You have to be reserved, keep calm in front of your husband.”

 

After saying this, he laughed himself.

 

“No,” Jing Xian said, “I have no face and no skin, I just want you to ruin me, ravage me.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

He said, “Jing Xian, you are really a strange person.”

 

“I’ll take it as a compliment.” Jing Xian smiled.

 

So Lu Yingjiu finally said goodbye to Vinegar Xian and went with Chu Banyang.

 

When they arrived at a secluded place, Chu Banyang took out a knife and cut his palm, staining the talisman paper with blood.

 

Then he lit the talisman paper, they flew up by themselves, and automatically outlined the formation on the ground.

 

Before, Chu Banyang summoned the Peacock God’s illusion with the ashes urn.

 

There were 59 dreams of the peacock and the divine water on the head.

 

Now that there was a formation, he could take Lu Yingjiu in again.

 

When all the talisman papers stopped moving, Chu Banyang put the ashes urn in the middle, put his palm on it, and muttered complicated and unfamiliar words in his mouth.

 

A wind rose from the flat ground, lifting their clothes.

 

Lu Yingjiu’s eyes flickered.

 

When the vision was clear again, nine green flames lit up clockwise, decorative gems were strung with gold threads, and there was a colorful glow.

 

In front of him was the altar, under his feet were golden-green feathers, above his head were stars, brewing 59 dreams.

 

Lu Yingjiu asked, “Why come here?”

 

“Because there are some things that can’t be heard by it.” Chu Banyang looked up at the stars.

 

Lu Yingjiu was confused for half a second and asked him, “Who is ‘it’?”

 

Chu Banyang didn’t speak.

 

He was still looking at the stars.

 

The light fell into his eyes and illuminated his complex expression.

 

Lu Yingjiu could see that some kind of turbulent and chaotic thoughts were rising in his heart, overwhelming him, even the bright starlight could not guide the way forward.

 

After a long time, Chu Banyang pointed to the sky and said, “Heavenly Way.”

 

“The curse of the Peacock God and Chu Qianju comes from the Heavenly Way.”

 

Lu Yingjiu was slightly surprised.

 

That was the rule that bound humans and ghosts, invisible, but omnipresent.

Priests coming to the world in the flesh, defying the Heavenly Way, if they died, their souls would be scattered. If humans rashly entered the ghost world, they violated the law, and would also be forever unable to reincarnate.

 

There were many rules in this world.

 

Just like  humans couldn’t defy gravity, seawater couldn’t resist tides. Just like a fallen eagle dies, an overturned water was hard to retrieve, and an arrow off the string never looked back…

 

Heavenly Way was the same as them.

 

The terrifying thing was that no one could resist it.

 

Lu Yingjiu was silent for a while and said, “I have never heard of a curse coming from the Heavenly Way.”

 

“I haven’t heard either.” Chu Banyang said, “I don’t know what Chu Qianju has experienced. I only know that the Heavenly Way originally wanted his soul to be scattered, but the Peacock God sacrificed himself to block half of the curse for him. Chu Qianju did not have his soul scattered, and that’s why we have today’s situation.”

 

He paused and continued, “I once followed Chu Qianju and learned about the way of exorcism for a while.”

 

“Once Chu Qianju mentioned to me inadvertently that at certain moments, he would see an eye in the sky.”

 

“…An eye?” Lu Yingjiu asked.

 

“Yes.” Chu Banyang nodded, “According to him, that eye has been staring at him. It will disappear after a few minutes, sometimes after a few hours.”

 

“He didn’t explain it to me in detail, but I guess that might be the curse of the Heavenly Way.”

 

“So,” he sighed lightly, “it’s not that the Chu family doesn’t want to help them lift the curse. But this level of curse, no one can solve it, it’s a dead end.”

 

Just thinking about it makes my hair stand on end.

 

It’s like there’s always an entity watching you, and you’re oblivious and unable to resist. Unintentionally looking back, the sky cracks open, and eyes are peering at everything about you.

 

Lu Yingjiu was silent for a moment, then said, “Hmm, I see.”

 

He also looked up at the starry sky and asked, “So you should have some guesses about the shattered dream of the Peacock God, right?”

 

“Yes,” Chu Banyang said, “I didn’t tell you at first.”

 

He took Lu Yingjiu around the altar and walked towards the stars.

 

This space seemed limited, but it’s actually larger than Lu Yingjiu imagined. They walked around the bright fire for about ten minutes before they really got close to the stars.

 

The light here was dim, and the wind was gusty, almost like a wasteland.

 

Chu Banyang bent down and picked up something from the ground.

 

The thing was almost transparent, about the size of a fist. If it weren’t for the slight distortion when the light passed through it, and it itself was a bit gray, Lu Yingjiu would hardly notice it.

 

Looking further, there were quite a few such things scattered around here.

 

Chu Banyang held it, feeling the cold in his hand, and said, “These are all the shattered dreams of the Peacock God.”

 

“If a dream has been shattered for too long, it will fall down like this. This is the graveyard of dreams.”

 

“When Chu Qianju died, I was in this space, and there was a meteor shower.”

 

At that time, countless dreams dragged the starlight from the sky.

 

The colors exploded, dazzling and gorgeous, and for a moment it seemed like a miracle. The young Chu Banyang looked up in awe, shocked by this spectacle, and could not forget it for a long time.

 

At that time, he didn’t know that this was the death of Chu Qianju, and also the tears of the god.

 

Chu Banyang said, “Now the Peacock God still has two broken dreams.”

 

“One is this village, and the other is a school in the distance. Both places are where Chu Qianju has been.”

 

“As for the matter of the shattered dreams, the Chu family has always had no conclusion. But my guess is that it just doesn’t want to dream of Chu Qianju anymore.”

 

“After killing his own lover with his own hands, perhaps every dream about Chu Qianju is torture for him.”

 

“Always visible, but never touchable, always just a fleeting shadow.”

 

“Of course,” Chu Banyang looked at the dim sphere in his hand, at that shattered dream, “this is just my personal guess, except for the Peacock God himself, no one can confirm.”

 

“When Chu Qianju’s next reincarnation comes, perhaps, these dreams can be rekindled.”

 

Lu Yingjiu listened quietly.

 

A gust of wind came up, making their clothes rustle.

 

Looking around, the starlight above their heads was dim and gentle, with a variety of colors. Among them, rainwater flowed over the glass, windmills slowly turned in the mist, trains whistled through the valley, the wind of midsummer and the warm sun of winter, the boundless reed marshes, the cat at the corner of the street and its favorite bookstore…

 

Colorful.

 

There was no Chu Qianju in any of the dreams.

 

They were as different as clouds and mud from the shattered, dead dreams at their feet. On one side was the vibrant world, on the other was the cold cruelty.

 

A phrase inexplicably came to Lu Yingjiu’s mind:

 

Only dream idle people do not dream of you.

 

When Chu Banyang finally decided to leave with him, he looked up at the sky again.

 

Looking at those dreams, what he thought of was Jing Xian.

 

His eyes fell into darkness.

 

He wondered, would Jing Xian also have such moments?

 

The life of a priest is endless, even loneliness is eternal.

 

****

 

The second shattered dream of the Peacock God was in Xiaoguang City, a thousand kilometers away from Lintian Village.

 

Lu Yingjiu wanted to know more about Chu Qianju, so of course he was prepared to go.

 

Yao Gou made every effort to inquire about whether his office was still hiring or not.

 

Lu Yingjiu knew what he meant, so he laughed and said: who knows, do you want to continue this journey with us?

 

Yao Gou quickly agreed, patting his chest and saying: with your brother here, you have nothing to fear! With my weight, no matter what ghost comes, I’ll knock it open for you!

 

Chu Banyang also said lightly: I’ll go with you too.

 

So, a group of people booked their plane tickets very efficiently and set off for Xiaoguang in the evening.

 

After eating in the village and packing up, they hit the road.

 

Yao Gou volunteered to drive to prove his usefulness, and Jing Xian sat in the back row with Lu Yingjiu.

 

As a result, it started to drizzle on the way to the airport, and the weather was gloomy.

 

Lu Yingjiu, as always, took a nap, affected by the low pressure of the rainy day, and leaned drowsily on Jing Xian’s shoulder.

 

Unintentionally looking out, leaden clouds gathered overhead, thousands of raindrops fell from the sky, and a few pedestrians without umbrellas hurriedly fled, their steps splashing water droplets.

 

When the gale blew, there was a pitter-patter on the roof of the car.

 

Lu Yingjiu reached out and touched the car window glass.

 

The fingertips were surprisingly cold.

 

The next second, Jing Xian gently held his hand.

 

A sufficient warmth surged up, and he said softly, “Sleep a little longer.”

 

“…Hmm.” Lu Yingjiu responded, rubbing against his shoulder to make sure he found the most comfortable position.

 

Once the car got on the highway, it didn’t stop, speeding forward all the way.

 

He listened to the sound of the rain in a half-dream, half-awake state, and the dream was still filled with the cold fragrance of Jing Xian.

 

It’s okay.

 

He thought vaguely.

 

I can still dream of Jing Xian.

 

He didn’t know how long it had been, but his sleepiness dissipated in peaceful sleep, and he opened his eyes in a daze.

 

The sound of rain was still dribbling.

 

Having not spoken for a long time, his voice was a bit hoarse. His consciousness hadn’t woken up yet, but he had already subconsciously called out, “Jing Xian…”

 

His sentence stopped abruptly.

 

Through the window full of crystal water droplets, he saw the iron-gray sky and the layer of clouds that could press down at any time.

 

A storm was brewing over the city, like the end of the world. The highest spire was swallowed by the cloud curtain, and when the gale blew, it seemed to collapse. Several bolts of lightning struck down, the frantic light tearing everything apart, about to strike him.

 

The thunder exploded in his ears, and his heart pounded with it.

 

However, these were not the reasons why Lu Yingjiu paused.

 

At the very end of that sky, where electricity, thunder, and clouds intersect, a huge eye was staring at him unblinking.