After Marrying the Lord of the Underworld

After Wu Runzhi learned that four classmates had died, he started crying again, saying that he still had a lot to say to them.

 

Lu Yingjiu could only comfort him, saying that as long as he waited until the last day and the environment was still there, he would have the chance to see all of them.

 

Wu Runzhi felt a little better after hearing this, wiped his tears, and said, “I must find out what wishes they haven’t fulfilled! I will do my best to help them fulfill them!”

 

Lu Yingjiu said ‘I believe in you, I believe in you, don’t cry anymore.’

 

The flow of time in the illusion was very strange.

 

As Lu Yingjiu said, it was almost three times that of the real world, and when it entered the night and no one was active, it was even faster.

 

After the evening self-study, and when the dormitory lights were turned off, the clock on the wall began to spin wildly.

 

In just ten minutes, the entire night passed.

 

In the blink of an eye, it was a new day.

 

The students ate breakfast, yawned, and came to the classroom one after another.

 

Wu Runzhi took classes with them, and Chu Banyang even collected a round of homework – he was determined to be a good study committee member.

 

Yao Gou was not interested in class, and went for a walk in the school again, and got a pack of instant noodles from the small shop to eat.

 

Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian took a physics class.

 

To say that it was a class, in fact, they talked for the whole session, which caused the ghost teacher to look at them frequently and was very dissatisfied.

 

So as soon as the bell rang for the end of class, Lu Yingjiu took Jing Xian and ran away directly.

 

Only Wu Runzhi and Chu Banyang were left in the classroom.

 

Before leaving, Lu Yingjiu heard Wu Runzhi pulling Fang Yu and asking, “Brother Fang, do you have any wishes?”

 

Fang Yu inexplicably said, “What wish? I want to eat lobster tomorrow morning, can you get it for me?”

 

Wu Runzhi turned his head again, pulled Jiang Ruoyun and asked, “Do you have any wishes?”

 

Jiang Ruoyun said, “I want to be the first in the next mock exam.” She thought for a while, “I was only two points away from the first place last time, I hope I can do it this time.”

 

This sentence hit Wu Runzhi’s tear point again, and he cried again, leaving behind the matter of asking for wishes.

 

Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian walked around the campus, found an empty office, pulled out the folding bed under the table and rested for a while.

 

Now in the real world, it should be night.

 

Lu Yingjiu closed his eyes and slept for a long time, while Jing Xian sat next to him, casually flipping through a book.

 

When Lu Yingjiu woke up, the sunset outside the window was full again.

 

He yawned and sat up, “…How long have I been sleeping?”

 

“About three hours.” Jing Xian answered.

 

He had almost finished reading the book in his hand.

 

“Then let’s go back to the classroom and take a look.” Lu Yingjiu said.

 

As soon as he turned on his phone, there were text messages from Chu Banyang:

 

[Two classmates were killed by an electric fan during class in the morning]

 

[A classmate choked to death at lunch]

 

[A classmate suddenly had a stroke and died during the lunch break]

 

[A classmate was hit in the back of the head by a football during physical education class and died]

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

This class is really going to die out, I hope it can last until the day after tomorrow.

 

They returned to the classroom.

 

At this point in time, school was over, and Chu Banyang was still in his seat.

 

Lu Yingjiu went over and asked him, “You haven’t left all this time?”

 

Chu Banyang shook his head lightly, paused for a while, and said, “Chu Qianju used to teach senior year three, he was a history teacher, but I don’t know which class he taught.”

 

“Let’s wait and see,” Lu Yingjiu said, “Maybe he will appear soon.”

 

It seemed that Chu Banyang had been waiting here just to see Chu Qianju.

 

—Although Chu Banyang didn’t say it, it was obvious that his relationship with Chu Qianju was very close.

 

Chu Banyang was about to answer, when he suddenly looked straight at the door and stopped talking.

 

Lu Yingjiu followed his gaze.

 

A man in a shirt and black trousers, holding a history book, walked into the classroom. He had his hand in his pocket, and although he didn’t use force, one could still clearly see the beautiful muscle lines on his arm.

 

He was very young, handsome in appearance, but had a kind of indescribable unique aura.

 

Very mature.

 

And this maturity was not in line with his age.

 

Speaking of the devil, Chu Qianju really appeared.

 

Chu Qianju’s gaze swept across the classroom, and did not stay on Lu Yingjiu or Chu Banyang’s faces for half a second.

 

After all, this was an illusion, not a real person.

 

Fang Yu saw him and shouted, “Teacher Chu!”

 

“Hmm.” Chu Qianju nodded, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote a few lines on the blackboard: [History Homework: Workbook pages 76, 77]

 

His handwriting was very beautiful.

 

So beautiful that Lu Yingjiu found it familiar.

 

—Chu Banyang’s handwriting is very similar to his… even, you could say it’s exactly the same.

 

Lu Yingjiu also remembered that in Lintian Village, when they were looking for Chu Qianju’s personal belongings, they found a lot of talisman papers he had drawn.

 

Now that he thought about it carefully, even the way he drew the talisman paper was the same as Chu Banyang.

 

The personal styles of different exorcists were very different, and this level of similarity couldn’t just be a coincidence.

 

With this idea in mind, Lu Yingjiu looked at Chu Qianju again and felt even more that he was right. In this illusion, Chu Qianju might have just attended a meeting, wearing a black suit, a men’s watch, and a deep blue tie with a half Windsor knot.

 

The clothes Chu Banyang wore most often and the way he tied his tie, along with the way he put his hand in his pocket, were exactly the same.

 

So, a strange thought appeared in Lu Yingjiu’s mind.

 

He felt that Chu Banyang was… deliberately imitating Chu Qianju.

 

From handwriting, clothing to talisman drawing method.

 

Maybe there were even more details he didn’t know about.

 

Chu Qianju was still writing on the blackboard, and Chu Banyang was sitting in his seat, staring at him without blinking.

 

After he finished writing, he instructed, “Fang Yu, tell everyone that tonight’s homework has changed.”

 

“Okay!” Fang Yu responded.

 

Chu Qianju nodded, ready to leave the classroom.

 

“Chu Qianju!” Chu Banyang called out.

 

Chu Qianju turned to look at him, “Do you have any questions, classmate?”

 

Chu Banyang stared at him for several seconds.

 

He finally shook his head, “No, I have no questions.”

 

“Alright,” Chu Qianju said, “If you have any questions, feel free to come to my office. My office has moved to Room 308.”

 

After saying that, he took his history textbook and hurriedly left the classroom, blending into the crowd of students.

 

After he left, Chu Banyang was visibly restless.

 

Lu Yingjiu asked, “What’s wrong with you…”

 

“I’m fine.” Chu Banyang suddenly stood up, “I’m going to check the dormitory area. According to the frequency I’ve calculated, someone should be dying again.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood still for about five or six seconds.

 

He was daydreaming again.

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Lu Yingjiu looked at him, “Every time you see Chu Qianju, you look like you’ve lost your soul.”

 

“I didn’t, you’re overthinking.” Chu Banyang said, as always, saying one thing and meaning another.

 

Lu Yingjiu tapped on his desk with his knuckles, “You can fool others, but not me. So, second place, shall we have a private chat?”

 

Chu Banyang’s face darkened, protesting against the title of “second place”.

 

But Lu Yingjiu was determined to get to the bottom of it.

 

It’s not that he necessarily wanted to pry into Chu Banyang’s past, but it involved Chu Qianju, it involved the curse, he always wanted to figure it out.

 

He whispered to Jin Xian, ‘I’ll be back soon’, then took the lead to leave.

 

Behind him, Chu Banyang looked unhappy and awkward, but in the end, he got up and followed his pace.

 

The two of them walked all the way to the rooftop.

 

The view from the rooftop was wide open. The air quality in Xiaoguang City was good, the sky was clear, the sunset was rich, and the scenery was excellent.

 

They stood by the railing.

 

Lu Yingjiu was lazy and maintained his usual laziness, like a cat basking in the sun on the railing.

 

But Chu Banyang stood straight, his hair was well combed, his shirt was wrinkle-free, and he maintained a good image anytime and anywhere.

 

In fact, Chu Banyang was not so disciplined that he never relaxed. After all, he was not a cold machine and could not be perfect all the time. It’s just that in front of Lu Yingjiu, he always subconsciously maintained his best image, as if in this way, he could surpass Lu Yingjiu in other aspects.

 

This time was no exception.

 

Leaning against the railing and looking at the distant scenery, Lu Yingjiu asked, “How did you meet Chu Qianju?”

 

Chu Banyang was silent for a while before he answered, “In the past, I followed him for a while to learn exorcism, especially in the aspect of inviting gods.”

 

His speech was slow, as if he was considering his words and didn’t want to reveal everything.

 

He was not a person who easily opened up, nor was he honest.

 

He continued, “Chu Qianju doesn’t like to teach exorcism. I am the only one he has taught.”

 

Lu Yingjiu understood.

 

Chu Banyang was extraordinarily talented, and no matter what, the Chu family would force him to be taught by Chu Qianju.

 

“And then there’s nothing more,” Chu Banyang said, “I followed him for three years, and then he went out on his own, went to Lintian Village, came to this middle school, and did a lot of different things. I have been in touch with him intermittently, not much, and then the Peacock God lost his sanity, and Chu Qianju died to stop it.”

 

“Oh,” Lu Yingjiu nodded, “So that’s how it is.”

 

He leaned against the railing with one hand, jumped lightly, and sat on it. His white shirt rustled in the evening breeze, and the corners of his shirt were dyed with orange light.

 

Chu Banyang looked at him, silent, but his heart was surging.

 

As Lu Yingjiu guessed, he didn’t tell all the stories.

 

After many years, when he saw Chu Qianju again, many emotions surged in his heart, a mix of sweet and bitter feelings.

 

The story with Chu Qianju started when he was a child.

 

With Chu Banyang’s talent for exorcism, no one in his family for three generations could compare with him. He had all the qualities of a genius, strong understanding, acceptance, and the ability to infer from one instance. As soon as he learned to read, he was already looking at the thick ghost and monster guide.

 

With such qualifications, even if he didn’t work hard, he could still make a name for himself.

 

What’s more, he had been competitive since he was a child. If others scored 80 points, he must score 90 or 100; if others trained for 3 hours, he would spend 5 hours; if others took two commissions, he would force himself to take four or five commissions, always wanting to surpass others.

 

His peers were too weak to compete with him.

 

Chu Banyang was not satisfied with comparing himself with them, but wanted to compare himself with other ancestors.

 

For example, the former head of the Chu family, Chu You.

 

Chu You was talented, and Chu Banyang took out his previous achievements for a look.

 

Then he wrote a list in slightly immature handwriting, stroke by stroke, in a notebook, and posted it on the head of his bed.

 

When Chu You was 13 years old, he went to various places to do several commissions, and he also wanted to do more commissions.

 

When Chu You was 14 years old, his inviting god skills had reached a certain level, and he also wanted to reach and surpass that level.

 

Whatever Chu You had done, he wanted to challenge one by one.

 

There were many other people’s deeds on his bedside, filled with colorful sticky notes, each one was his imaginary enemy.

 

As soon as the alarm clock rang at 7 o’clock every morning, Chu Banyang would open his eyes on time, quickly scan the entire wall, and immediately lose all sleepiness.

 

This kind of competitiveness far exceeded others, and perfectionism was carved into his bones.

 

Others felt that Chu Banyang lived a very tiring life, everything had to be done to the peak, there was no leisure time, and he was like a machine running non-stop.

 

But Chu Banyang enjoyed it.

 

To him, life was like a roaring train, it had to arrive on time, depart on time, and then surpass everyone along the way. He really enjoyed the feeling of being in control of every step.

 

His peak plan had been very successful, but he stumbled upon Chu Qianju.

 

On the first day they met, he invited a god in front of Chu Qianju.

 

The peacock descended on him, surrounded by flying blue-green feathers, extremely gorgeous, and surging power flowed through him.

 

He was originally very confident in his level.

 

But Chu Qianju sat at the table, glanced at him, took a sip of tea, and coldly threw two sentences over. “Completely wrong, go back and practice.”

 

Young Master Chu was proud and arrogant, and no one had ever spoken to him like this. He was immediately suffocated and was resentful towards Chu Qianju.

 

But the good thing about his personality was that he could humbly learn. In order to improve himself, even if he disliked Chu Qianju, he was still very serious about what he should learn.

 

However, the more he learned, the more clearly he realized the gap between the two.

 

Even if Chu Qianju didn’t have the memories of his previous life, his talent wouldn’t be obliterated.

 

To others, Chu Banyang was a genius and was already excellent enough.

 

Only Chu Banyang himself knew that there was a gap between geniuses. If he was called a genius, then Chu Qianju was a once-in-a-lifetime genius, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t surpass him.

 

Countless nights, he sat in his small study, looking over and over again at what Chu Qianju had done in the past.

 

Chu Qianju exterminated evil spirits, Chu Qianju subdued big demons, Chu Qianju improved which talisman…

 

What research did Chu Qianju do, what new ideas did Chu Qianju have for inviting gods, where did Chu Qianju go for inspiration…

 

Chu Banyang secretly worked hard in his direction.

 

As a result, he couldn’t surpass him.

 

–Looking back, a large part of his hostility towards Chu Qianju came from this.

 

Chu Qianju and the Chu family agreed to only teach Chu Banyang for three years.

 

Chu Banyang originally thought that their master-disciple relationship would end in a plain and unremarkable way.

 

Chu Qianju was indifferent to his cheap disciple, without any emotion, and he was unable to get what he wanted, which became a knot in his heart.

 

At this moment, standing on the rooftop of the school, Chu Banyang could still recall the unwillingness of that time.

 

It was sour, astringent, and bitter.

 

Like sour lemon juice, dripping into cold bitter coffee.

 

He lowered his eyes.

 

When he looked up again at Lu Yingjiu sitting on the railing, his expression softened a bit.

 

The surroundings were quiet, this was a place that could calm people down, extremely suitable for pouring out the past.

 

…Maybe it’s okay to say it. Chu Banyang thought this way, as if he had finally peeled off a shell.

 

He suddenly said, “In the year Chu Qianju was about to leave, he took me to the Chu family’s worship ceremony once.”

 

“Worship?” Lu Yingjiu was taken aback, “You mean, the ceremony to worship the Heavenly Way?”

 

“Yes,” Chu Banyang nodded, “Because it was held together with the Zhang family, there were many people, and generally only adults went, but that year he made an exception and took me in.”

 

At that time, Chu Qianju stood in front of the mirror, carefully adjusting his suit.

 

There was a slight noise behind him, and when he turned around, he saw young Chu Banyang looking at him from behind.

 

Chu Banyang had just finished performing the piano in the concert hall and was also wearing a small suit.

 

“…What.” Chu Qianju continued to adjust in front of the mirror, his tone indifferent, “Do you want to go too?”

 

“No.” Chu Banyang said arrogantly, “I don’t want to go.”

 

Unbeknownst to him, his face was practically screaming, “I really want to go see it!” He couldn’t hide it from anyone.

 

Chu Qianju finished tying his tie and waved at him, “Come here.”

 

Chu Banyang was reluctant, but he still walked over with his head held high.

 

Chu Qianju took a box from the side.

 

Inside was a brand new dark blue tie, finely crafted with gorgeous patterns.

 

He took out the tie, wrapped it around Chu Banyang’s neck, and was about to tie it for him—

 

Chu Banyang stepped back and said with a straight face, “I can tie my own tie.”

 

“I’ve never seen you tie a half Windsor knot.” Chu Qianju didn’t let go, continuing to leisurely wrap the tie, “Try it today, this is my favorite way to tie it.”

 

He insisted on doing so, and Chu Banyang tilted his head slightly to let him finish tying the tie. As soon as Chu Qianju let go, he stepped back.

 

“How about it,” Chu Qianju said, “Come to the ceremony with me? You’re free this afternoon anyway.”

 

Chu Banyang wanted to act aloof for a bit longer.

 

Chu Qianju knew his stubborn personality well and didn’t say anything more, just took him straight out.

 

He shoved him into the car, and Chu Banyang inexplicably ended up on the road to the ceremony.

 

Although Chu Banyang had been looking forward to the ceremony for many years, when he actually got there, he didn’t find it particularly special.

 

It was just everyone facing a square black stone tablet, bowing, kowtowing, chanting spells, and making a big fuss.

 

Chu Banyang said to Lu Yingjiu, “The actual ceremony was quite boring, I don’t remember the details. I just remember that we went to eat afterwards, and I had a bit of alcohol.”

 

“Alcohol?” Lu Yingjiu thought about Chu Banyang’s tolerance, which was simply radiant at the touch of alcohol, “With your terrible tolerance, are you sure it was okay…”

 

“It probably wasn’t okay.” Chu Banyang said, “I… I think I accidentally said something.”

 

That day, the young master Chu, who had no idea about his own tolerance, had a few sips of brandy.

 

As one could imagine, it was over, he was completely drunk.

 

It was Chu Qianju who carried him back.

 

On the way, Chu Banyang was drunk and blabbering, talking non-stop.

 

In the end, he hadn’t grown up, his youthful heart was full, and he confessed all his thoughts of these three years. He grabbed Chu Qianju’s collar and muttered all the way, “I’ve tried so hard, why can’t I compare to you…”

 

“Do you not like me? You never smiled at me.”

 

“I’ve drawn those talismans countless times, read all the books, and took the commissions seriously. I just want to be first, can you let me be first?”

 

“I want everyone to remember my name, what should I do?”

 

Chu Qianju didn’t say a word all the way, just listened quietly.

 

There was a little snow on the road, but it wasn’t too cold, just a bit of white falling on their hair.

 

After a long time, when Chu Banyang was tired of talking and murmuring in a low voice, Chu Qianju finally spoke, “Banyang, have I ever told you about my dreams?”

 

“Wha, what?” Chu Banyang barely perked up.

 

“I’ve been dreaming about the past a lot lately.” Chu Qianju said, stepping on the thin snow on the ground, “They all say how great I was hundreds of years ago, but I can’t remember at all. Recently, I’ve been vaguely remembering a bit in my dreams.”

 

“It all started on a rainy day, I was passing through the wilderness and saw a dying peacock…”

 

This was the first time he took the initiative to talk to Chu Banyang about his personal affairs.

 

Chu Qianju slowly told his story.

 

He talked about how he met the peacock, how they made a contract of inviting the gods, and how they drove away the ghosts together.

 

He talked about how they fell in love and how they parted.

 

He talked about their curse that lasted for generations.

 

Chu Banyang was drunk, he heard most of the story, and his last impression was: the snow was getting bigger and bigger, and Chu Qianju’s body was really warm.

 

Thinking about this, he actually put his hand on Chu Qianju’s neck to warm up.

 

–If it were usual, he would never do such a thing, the strong alcohol really tricked him.

 

The coldness on his neck startled Chu Qianju for a few seconds.

 

Then, the indifferent expression he had held for years softened.

 

He actually smiled very lightly and said, “You see, we have a lot in common.”

 

“We both don’t like ginger and pick it out when we eat. We both like sunny days, watching ball games, fried rice and ramen, the beach and coconut juice by the beach.”

 

“We both like suspense movies, detective novels, abstract oil paintings, and jazz music.”

 

“We are both quite talented and not very good at expressing our feelings. Just like it’s hard for me to say directly to you, ‘Chu Banyang, I never disliked you, on the contrary, I quite like you.’”

 

He smiled, “But now that I’ve said it, it’s not as hard as I thought.”

 

Chu Banyang buried his head in his shoulder, his face burning from the alcohol.

 

“But,” he was still not giving up, still muttering his wish, “I can’t catch up with you, I want to be first…”

 

Chu Qianju smiled silently again and said, “I also want to live.”

 

Chu Banyang was stunned.

 

The alcohol numbed his nerves, his thinking was slow.

Chu Qianju said, “There are many people in this world, you can’t always be first, there will always be someone a little better than you.”

 

“Maybe one day I can break free from the cycle, and you can calmly accept that someone is stronger than you, but definitely not today, not now. That’s why I said, we are very similar.”

 

“I can’t reconcile with the past, and you can’t reconcile with yourself.”

 

“The difference is, you have many, many years, and I have no time left. You asked me ‘how to make everyone remember your name’, now I tell you, as long as you live well, you will be famous enough.”

 

“You are a very powerful person, they will all remember your name. One day, you will surpass me.”

 

Chu Banyang: “…Oh.”

 

“And for me,” Chu Qianju paused, “And for me, I hope to die in his arms in this life.”

 

What happened next, Chu Banyang didn’t remember.

 

He fell asleep with the help of the alcohol, and when he woke up, it was the morning of the next day, and he was lying in his own bed.

 

He and Chu Qianju never mentioned that day again.

 

Until three years later, Chu Qianju decided to leave the Chu family and go out on his own, they never mentioned it.

 

The day of farewell was a sunny day, Chu Qianju stood in front of the car and said, “So I’m leaving?”

 

“Um.” Chu Banyang nodded, “Have a safe journey.”

 

The young man grew taller quickly, and he was almost at Chu Qianju’s shoulder.

 

Chu Qianju suddenly patted his shoulder. “If one day you meet someone you like, you must be straightforward in expressing yourself. If you always hide it, how would others know?”

 

“…Why are you talking about this?” Chu Banyang was stunned.

 

“I’m afraid you’ll miss the person.” Chu Qianju said, “I won’t nag anymore, I have to go.”

 

Two people who were not good at expressing emotions didn’t say much in the end.

 

The car left the Chu family and headed for the distance, never to return.

 

They kept in touch intermittently, and a few years later, Chu Banyang learned of his death.

 

He didn’t feel too sentimental, nor did he cry secretly – in fact, he hadn’t cried for many years.

 

It just felt unreal.

 

He looked at the willow tree outside the window that had just sprouted, thinking, Chu Qianju finally died in the Peacock  God’s arms. The dawn in the sky was warm, and the talisman paper spread out on the table, every stroke was the way Chu Qianju taught him to draw.

 

“…”

 

Chu Banyang took a deep breath. “Our story is probably like this.”

 

Lu Yingjiu listened quietly beside him.

 

Chu Banyang said, “I know I’m a perfectionist, if anyone surpasses me, I will remember it for a long time, maybe I will never forget it in my life.”

 

So, he wore Chu Qianju’s usual suit, wrote in his handwriting, and tied his favorite half Windsor knot.

 

The most unfair thing about parting in life and death was mourning and missing that were left to the living.

 

Chu Qianju had the next reincarnation, and he only had this life, to slowly recall and chew on those short three years.

 

Later, he met Lu Yingjiu.

 

Chu Qianju left, and then Lu Yingjiu came to take his first place.

 

…Just thinking about it made Chu Banyang feel suffocated, he had become second again, it was really bad luck.

 

Chu Banyang rubbed his brow bone and said, “This is probably the unstable part of my character, it’s just my nature.”

 

Lu Yingjiu was silent for a while. “You are unusually candid today, you actually told me so much.”

 

“I won’t be in the future.” Chu Banyang straightened his tie, “I only told you because I couldn’t bear to see you ask.”

 

He looked down at the expensive custom watch on his wrist. “Looking at the time, someone is going to die in class again, I have to go and see.”

 

After saying that, he turned around and left.

 

–If you observe carefully, you will find that his steps are somewhat hurried and embarrassed, like he is trying to escape quickly.

 

It’s clear that he regrets saying those things just now.

 

“…Speaking of which,” Lu Yingjiu said behind him, “you said that if anyone surpasses you, you will remember forever. I have a question that I have always wanted to ask you.”

 

Chu Banyang turned around.

 

Lu Yingjiu was still sitting on the railing.

 

Chu Banyang looked at him, looked at his soft black hair being blown by the wind, looked at his slightly lazy demeanor, looked at the huge sunset behind him, as if he would fall into the embrace of the sunset with a slight backward tilt.

 

The light carved his perfect facial lines like a piece of art, and his white clothes were clean and refreshing.

 

As good-looking as the first time they met.

 

“What’s the question?” Chu Banyang asked.

 

Lu Yingjiu said, “Chu Banyang, do you like me?”