After Marrying the Lord of the Underworld

The sip of flower wine was slightly cool on the tongue, but it ignited a raging fire that made Lu Yingju’s head spin. His slender fingers gripped the edge of the bed, the knuckles standing out as he crumpled the silky sheets, as if releasing the overflowing excitement.

 

But soon, even this sense of control was taken away from him.

 

Jing Xian gently took his hand, kissed his palm, and then kissed each of his fingers.

 

Afterward, these hands gripped the edge of the pear wood table, still trembling.

 

His wounds had healed perfectly under Jing Xian’s careful attention, and the scars from his collarbone to his lower back were almost invisible.

 

He had thought they had healed completely.

 

Until Jing Xian’s fingers lightly traced over them, and then he bent down to kiss them.

 

The newly healed skin was tender and fragile, and the sensation was electric. He curled his fingers, hearing himself involuntarily let out a soft moan.

 

After the heavy pear wood table had been moved forward a few centimeters, they rolled onto the thick carpet together.

 

It was easy to imagine that the carpet was also left in a mess.

 

Finally, they entered the warm bath.

 

By the poolside, a tree in full bloom dropped pink petals onto the water, creating ripples.

Incense burned on the shore, and Lu Yingju was half-conscious as Jing Xian thoroughly washed him inside and out, then dried him off.

 

By the time they returned to bed, it was already past noon.

 

Lu Yingju lay in a pile of soft bedding, on the verge of falling asleep. His back was sore and his spine felt like it was melting.

 

—He vaguely thought to himself that this was truly indulgence in broad daylight.

 

Jing Xian’s hair seemed to brush against his smooth lower back, sending a few shivers down his spine.

 

Then Jing Xian leaned in close to his ear and asked, “Do you want to eat something?”

 

“…No, not hungry,” Lu Yingju mumbled in response. “I’ve already eaten enough.”

 

It was clear that his mention of “eating” had another layer of meaning. Jing Xian was momentarily stunned, then hugged him and affectionately nuzzled into his shoulder.

 

The two of them lay like that until evening, and it was only then that Lu Yingju managed to regain some energy.

 

Jing Xian personally cooked a meal, the aroma wafting through the air, the colors and flavors all present, neatly arranged on the wooden table.

 

Hairball squatted in the corner, inhaling a few large chicken legs.

 

In the morning, Jing Xian had left it in the outer hall to avoid disturbing their private time. As a result, hairball, with nothing else to do, had gnawed on all the plants and flowers in the outer hall, leaving a mess.

 

Lu Yingjiu rubbed the head of hairball, sat down at the table, and before he could eat a few bites, his bowl was filled with a heap of vegetables.

 

Jing Xian kept serving him food, saying as he did, “Eat more, replenish your nutrition, your body is really weak.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…?”

 

In fact, his half-human, half-ghost state was close to being divine, capable of running, jumping, and fighting, with physical strength many times that of an ordinary person, which had nothing to do with being “weak”.

 

It was just that Jing Xian was really too troublesome.

 

A jealous ghost, a love-brain jealous ghost, a love-brain jealous ghost who had been holding back for hundreds of years, one could imagine how strong his fighting power was. If it weren’t for Lu Yingjiu almost falling asleep at the time, Jing Xian might have held him in the bath for another round.

 

Lu Yingjiu took a deep breath and said, “I think it should be your problem.”

 

Jing Xian: ?

 

Jing Xian: ??!

 

His face changed dramatically!

 

Lu Yingjiu was confused and lost, Jing Xian grabbed his hand and said softly, “… Is it that I’m not good enough? Is it that I didn’t perform well enough?”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

Jing Xian also said, “It was clearly you who shouted ‘no more, too deep, no more’ in my ear, and then I…”

 

“Stop, stop, stop!” Lu Yingjiu’s blood rushed to his head, “Stop, stop!”

 

Jing Xian stopped talking reluctantly.

 

Lu Yingjiu realized the ambiguity in his words, but it was too late.

 

For the entire dinner, he was persuading Jing Xian not to continue in the evening, as they had to hit the road the next day.

 

Jing Xian finally held back with great difficulty.

 

The next day, they continued on horseback to the next level of the ghost world.

 

The flow of time in the ghost world was different from that in the human world. Even if several months have passed, it’s only four or five days in the human world. They were not in a hurry, but since Lu Yingjiu’s injury had healed, the speed of their journey had increased.

 

During the rest of the journey, Lu Yingjiu continued to study the formation.

 

The pen was drawing on the paper, constantly calculating, constantly speculating, and the principle was unraveled by him like unraveling a cocoon.

 

Six or seven days passed, and the surrounding scenery was all bones, all knife-like mountains and endless chaotic burial mounds.

 

The ghost world was very large, although it had a corresponding relationship with the geographical location of the human world, it was ultimately different.

 

For example, a city in the human world that corresponds to a location in the ghost world, the area would be at least three to five times larger, and the most exaggerated was even hundreds of times larger.

 

Even if the priests were strong and the little ghosts worked hard, it still would take a lot of time.

 

In the past few days, apart from Zhang Haokong’s place, the ghosts have only found another starting point for the formation. Right now, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian were heading there.

 

Two horses stepped on the bones, crushing several bones.

 

The surroundings were cold, and both of them were wearing large cloaks made of ghost fox fur. The clothes were hunting and making a sound, and when they were raised, the gorgeous dark patterns flowed with brilliance.

 

Lu Yingjiu let the horse run freely, a circle of black fox fur set off his white face, the soft light in his eyes was pleasing to the eye, and it was a scenic line in the desolate scenery.

 

He asked Jing Xian, “So, do you know how big the ghost world is?”

 

“I don’t know,” Jing Xian said, “The size of the ghost world is not fixed. Do you know where the boundary of the universe is?”

 

Lu Yingjiu was taken aback, not knowing how the conversation had turned to a scientific topic. He still answered, “The universe has no boundaries, it is expanding infinitely.”

 

“The ghost world is the same,” Jing Xian said, “It is expanding forever. When the universe expands, matter will gradually thin out, and what it will eventually become, no one knows. But the ‘matter’ of the ghost world is Yin Qi, which is endless and will not become thin overall, so the expansion of the ghost world is endless.”

 

Lu Yingjiu was truly surprised this time.

 

He never dreamed that one day he would discuss the expansion of the universe with the Ghost King.

 

But on second thought, Jing Xian, the infrastructure madman, was undoubtedly a strange flower in the ghost world, and it’s not surprising what he does.

 

Just as he was thinking about this, he saw several tall buildings in the distance.

 

…It looked quite familiar.

 

Jing Xian explained, “These are wind turbines I built. It’s always windy here at night, and I thought it would be a pity not to take advantage of it.”

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…Alright.”

 

Sure enough, Jing Xian was still Jing Xian.

 

So they went on their way.

 

At night, they lit an orange fire in the wind, and the ghost crows on the trees screamed hoarsely. In the early morning, facing the purple sky, they set off on horseback and kept going until dusk.

 

Two days later, they left the chaotic burial mound.

 

In front of them was a plain, still gray and endless. The hooves of the horses could see the corpses underneath at a random scratch. Even from so far away, Lu Yingjiu could see a black beam of light pointing straight to the sky. In that dark light, countless ghosts were flying up and down, like a storm, quite spectacular.

 

Strong talisman fluctuations lingered.

 

This was definitely one of the formations.

 

As they approached, the ghosts stopped flying, all landed on the ground, bowed their heads respectfully, and greeted them on both sides.

 

When Lu Yingjiu came to the beam of light, he wrapped his hand with a talisman and tentatively touched the light——

 

Snap!

 

He was forcefully bounced back.

 

He said in a low voice, “This formation is still in operation, and its power is only increasing.”

 

Jing Xian raised his hand, and dozens of little ghosts took the order and circled up.

 

The black light pointed straight to the sky, and if they could pass through, they could reach the human world.

 

However, as soon as the ghosts rushed up, they hit an invisible barrier and fell stiffly to the ground.

 

Jing Xian said, “And it seems to be one-way, it can only go from the human world to the ghost world.”

 

“Right.” Lu Yingjiu nodded, “It must be one-way, otherwise if the ghosts in the ghost world go to the human world, wouldn’t it be a mess?”

 

Jing Xian added, “The place here corresponds to the university town of Shangyang City in the human world.”

 

Upon hearing this, Lu Yingjiu took out a map.

 

A place on the map had been circled in red: [Kangli Bridge]

 

Now, he took up his pen and found Shangyang City on the map, circling the University Town. In this way, the formations at the northwest and southwest positions were determined. When he returned to the human world, he could go straight to these two places.

 

He and Jing Xian stayed next to the black light for a few more days.

 

He drew all kinds of talismans, throwing them into the black light in turns, observing different reactions.

 

Some talismans burned into ashes in a flash.

 

Some talismans disappeared directly into the light, without a trace.

 

Some talismans froze into ice slices, and with a crisp “crack!” sound, they shattered into debris.

 

Lu Yingjiu could sit by the side for a whole day, constantly drawing new talismans and writing dense notes.

 

Jing Xian couldn’t understand these, but every time he insisted on sitting next to Lu Yingjiu.

 

They say that one’s handwriting reflects their personality, and Lu Yingjiu’s handwriting was very beautiful, each stroke was strong and elegant. Jing Xian watched his serious and focused expression, watched his slender hand holding the ink pen, watched the pen and ink finely outline the text, and felt that each stroke seemed to be drawn on his heart.

 

When Lu Yingjiu was tired, he would turn his head and kiss the corner of Jing Xian’s mouth.

 

Then, the two of them would start whispering again, heads together.

 

The other ghosts didn’t dare to look too much, fearing to upset Jing Xian.

 

Even if they hid far away, one of the little lamb ghosts took out a matchstick man drawing and wondered, “Is this the white moonlight that our King is longing for?”

 

The little bull ghost answered, “It must be, who else could it be?”

 

The little lamb ghost held up the matchstick man, looking at it in the light, still full of doubt, “Does he, does he look anything like a matchstick? I thought our King liked a real matchstick ghost, and I was thinking, now even matchsticks can have grievances and become ghosts.”

 

The little bull ghost was stunned for a few seconds, suddenly gasping, “Could it be that our King has changed his heart?”

 

“…Holy cow!” The little lamb ghost widened his eyes, “We won’t be killed for knowing the secret, will we!”

 

The two ghosts looked at each other, both feeling as if they had broken a heavenly secret, and quickly kept their tails between their legs, not daring to say a word.

 

After staying for seven or eight days, Lu Yingjiu finally finished his research.

 

At this time, the ghosts sent out by Jing Xian found a new location.

 

They set off immediately, either riding horses or boating, and arrived at the forest in a hazy mist. In the middle of the forest, there was also a black light soaring into the sky.

 

Jing Xian said, “The corresponding location in the human world here is Yunshan Port.”

 

Lu Yingjiu made a mark on the map again, and then stayed to study.

 

In the next one or two months, they repeated the same process.

 

Find the formation, rush over, finish studying and then go to the next one.

 

Lu Yingjiu listed the locations:

 

Kangli Bridge

 

Shangyang City University Town

 

Yunshan Port

 

Dongcheng Bar

 

Mt. Gassan Nursing Home

 

Shuangfeng City Second People’s Hospital

 

Two place names were particularly familiar—

 

Dongcheng Bar was where the Chen family’s extermination took place, and Chen Minlan died there.

 

And Yueshan Nursing Home was where Zhang Nianyun committed suicide.

 

Before Chen Minlan died, she sent a message to Lu Yingjiu with her phone: [Lu Yingjiu, your time has come.]

 

And Zhang Nianyun’s code box was full of pictures of Lu Yingjiu when he was a child.

 

These two people both have important connections with Lu Yingjiu, and now, they were also related to this formation, it couldn’t be a coincidence.

 

On the map, they roughly form a circle, encompassing the east, south, west, and north, almost enclosing half of the country.

 

Lu Yingjiu was thoughtful.

 

The ghost world was too big, and the last location had not been found for a long time.

 

Jing Xian said, “We’re idle anyway, why not go to the eighteenth floor and see my palace?”

 

“I’ve seen so many of your palaces,” Lu Yingjiu said, “more than a dozen palaces, seven or eight large and small resorts, and various viewing cottages.”

 

“That’s different.” Jing Xian said, “The eighteenth floor is my main hall, and I was born in the abyss there.”

 

That’s a must-go.

 

Upon hearing this, Lu Yingjiu followed him and said, “I feel like I’m accompanying the concubine back to her parents’ house.”

 

Xian Concubine: “Hmm.” The tone was cheerful.

 

The eighteenth floor of the ghost world was the most dangerous place. Unless it’s a big monster or a famous god, no one would dare to approach.

 

Its entrance was in a large field of red spider lilies.

 

Lu Yingjiu reigned on his horse in front of the sea of flowers, looking out, it was a sea of blood red, the dragon claw-like petals swaying in the wind.

 

Although the branches and leaves were extremely soft, and would fall at the slightest wind, they gave a sense of solemnity and loneliness.

 

Jing Xian said it was inconvenient to ride a horse here, dismounted, and led the horse forward.

 

Lu Yingjiu followed closely behind him.

 

The flowers were too lush and dense, enthusiastically rushing towards them, and the road was not easy to walk. Behind them, the sea of flowers left traces like water stains.

 

After walking for an unknown amount of time, all they could see was blood red.

 

If one were to get lost here alone, would they ever be able to get out?

 

Lu Yingjiu led the horse, looking at Jing Xian’s upright back, and suddenly said, “Jing Xian…”

 

“Hmm?” Jing Xian turned back.

 

Lu Yingjiu was stunned for a moment, not understanding why he had subconsciously called out.

 

He smiled, “It’s nothing, just a slip of the tongue.” He quickened his pace by half a step, walking side by side with Jing Xian, “Maybe it’s because I’m about to see the place where you were born, and I’m quite happy.”

 

Jing Xian also smiled, took his hand, and the two continued to walk deeper into the sea of flowers.

 

After an unknown amount of time.

 

A lonely wooden door stood in the midst of the red spider lilies.

 

There were no houses or buildings, just a wooden door. The door was clean, with nothing but the wood grain.

 

“This is it.” Jing Xian said, gently turning the handle.

 

He held Lu Yingjiu with one hand and pushed open the wooden door with the other.

 

A fierce white light and gale blew out from the crack of the door!

 

The intense Yin energy surged, and where it passed, human faces appeared in the middle of the red spider lilies. They were densely packed, all laughing loudly!

 

For a moment, the entire sea of flowers was filled with laughter and swaying faces.

 

Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly.

 

But Jing Xian had already held him and walked into the door.

 

The bright light filled the whole world, he squinted his eyes, unable to see anything clearly.

 

When the sharp laughter faded away and the light around him slowly dimmed, what appeared before his eyes were green tiles and red walls.

 

Continuous green tiles and red walls, as far as the eye could see.

 

It was unknown how the color was made, but it shone under the light, dreamlike and gorgeous. A few strings of copper bells under the eaves rang, sounding pleasant to the ear.

 

Lu Yingjiu’s eyes widened slightly.

 

Looking into the distance, a tall palace stood in the middle, piercing straight into the clouds like a sharp blade.

 

Perhaps because it spanned a long period of time, it did not belong to any architectural style, with the aesthetics of different dynasties in the human world condensed at the same time, and pavilions and towers were scattered everywhere. There was also the unique ruggedness of the ghost world, with ferocious ghost faces standing on the roof and carved on the door, as if they were about to break free with a body full of blood mist in the next second.

 

Words could hardly describe its majesty.

 

When the daylight was dim, the layers of light and shadow were scattered, the bricks and tiles were transparent, the gems were shining, it was a city of glittering glaze; when the moonlight was like silver, the clouds were lingering, holding a lantern, walking high above, one could step on the starlight around, it was a palace in the sky.

 

A perfect creation.

 

Belonging only to the most noble king of the ghost world.

 

Except for one thing…

 

Lu Yingjiu’s gaze wandered, and on a gorgeous gate, he saw a piece of white paper.

 

On the white paper was a happy matchstick man.

 

Next to the matchstick man was Jing Xian’s flamboyant inscription: [My love, Lu Yingjiu.]

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…”

 

He struggled desperately without any hope, “You only put the matchstick man on this door, right?”

 

“How could that be?” Jing Xian happily said, “The whole palace is full of you!!”