After Marrying the Lord of the Underworld

The scene of the KTV gradually faded away, and it was pitch black in front of him.

 

After two or three seconds, there was another “whoosh” sound. The green flame ignited again, and two little ghosts stood side by side holding lanterns.

 

Behind their clothes, two Di Tings, one black and one white, with fluttering fur and sharp eyes, were clearly ordinary patterns, but Lu Yingjiu clearly saw them blinking and breathing slightly.

 

Lu Yingjiu: “…What just happened?”

 

The little ghost in black answered, “A fragment from the past.”

 

“But she saw me.” Lu Yingjiu narrowed his eyes slightly, “Chen Minlan saw me and noticed my existence. Did I really go back to the past?”

 

“Yes, but not quite.” The little ghost said, “She could hear you because of the Di Ting.”

 

However, the function of the Di Ting was to listen to people’s hearts.

 

It shouldn’t have such a huge, incredible power to cross time and space and transmit information.

 

Besides, how could the Chen family be related to the ghost god contracted by the Zhang family?

 

The little ghost saw Lu Yingjiu’s doubts and turned his back.

 

The black fur of the Di Ting on its back surged, shook its dog ears, and looked at Lu Yingjiu.

 

This should have been a very normal scene.

 

Until an eye suddenly cracked open on the body of the Di Ting!

 

The eye socket was forcibly opened in the flesh and blood, and  blood immediately burst out from the crack, staining the fur red.

 

It was a familiar eye with a metallic luster, turning round and round.

 

Exactly the same as the eye of the Heavenly Way.

 

But there were differences.

 

The eye looked terrifying, but it didn’t have the usual “peeping feeling”, and it didn’t make people uneasy.

 

The little ghost in white explained, “Chen Minlan has reached an agreement with the Zhang family, has contacted the Di Ting, and has also reached a temporary contract with it. That is to say, she can also use part of the power of the Di Ting.”

 

“The Zhang family has worshiped for many years and has received the favor of the Heavenly Way. So it lent part of its power to the Di Ting, allowing it to possess power beyond ordinary spirits, and that’s how the past was presented before you.”

 

As soon as the voice fell, the eye on the two Di Ting turned more fiercely.

 

Blood gushed out, it looked painful, as if it was parasitized by an unknown object. This was both power and a curse.

 

The little ghost in black continued, “Of course, the Di Ting can’t cross time. Rather than saying you went back to the past, it’s more accurate to say that your ‘heart sound’ went back to the past.”

 

“Chen Minlan noticing you was just a coincidence, a coincidence that even the Di Ting didn’t expect.”

 

“The Di Ting transmitted your heart sound, allowing you to see the past. And Chen Minlan, who was in the past, also possessed the power of the Di Ting, so she noticed the sound in the mirror.”

 

Lu Yingjiu was stunned for a moment.

 

He said, “So if I go back again and talk to her, is it feasible?”

 

“It’s not feasible.” The little ghost in white shook his head, “Even the Heavenly Way  itself cannot change the past. To do this step, it…is our limit.”

 

While speaking, the appearance of these two little ghosts changed, gradually growing horns and dog ears.

 

——It’s clearly the appearance of a Di Ting.

 

The rotating pupils were born on their backs, and the blood stained their clothes.

 

Lu Yingjiu was silent for a long time, and asked, “What exactly do you want to tell me? What exactly do you want me to see?”

 

“You will understand.” The little ghost answered, “Please continue to follow us.”

 

They still carried the green lantern and walked in the dark, the light illuminating the white walls, black eaves, and red doors one after another.

 

After walking for more than ten minutes, the little ghost whistled again.

 

At the end of the road, another red door opened with a bang. The little ghosts stood on both sides and respectfully said, “Please.”

 

Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian walked in, and their eyes plunged into darkness.

 

****

 

“Wuuuwuwuwu!”

 

“Ah ah ah! There are ghosts! The walls are full of ghosts!”

 

“Save me, save me, save me, save me!”

 

It was the sound of rain and hysterical screams.

 

Then, a gentle female voice came, “Xiao Han, go and increase the dosage of bed 3, and open another box of olanzapine. When you are on duty at night, change the calming talisman at the door.”

 

“Okay.” Someone responded in a hurry, “Dr. Zhang, will you stay in the nursing home tonight?”

 

“No, I have other things to do, I have to leave early.” The female voice answered, “Director Ye is not here tonight, you should pay more attention.”

 

“Okay!”

 

The light came on.

 

When his eyes adjusted to the light, Lu Yingjiu saw a cloud of black.

 

The cloud was like ink, the rain was dripping, and the white walls of the Mt. Gassan Nursing Home were washed by the water flow. The woman stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding up a white umbrella, and carefully stepped over the puddle.

 

She looked very familiar.

 

She was in her sixties, with white temples, but because of her outstanding temperament, and wearing a pure white dress without any sense of violation, she instead looked young.

 

Lu Yingjiu whispered, “She is Zhang Nianyun.”

 

That was, Ye Feng’s second grandmother.

 

Zhang Nianyun walked towards the mountain.

 

After the rain, the stone road in the mountains was slippery. She was as light as a deer, and a white umbrella shone under the gloomy sky.

 

At first, Lu Yingjiu was a bit confused: Di Ting should be shuttling in the mirror, there is no mirror on this mountain, where did it see Zhang Nianyun from?

 

Jing Xian guessed, “There is water in the mountains, and the reflection of the water surface may be similar to a mirror.”

 

“Possible. Then Di Ting’s power is really strong.” Lu Yingjiu said.

 

Water was everywhere, coupled with its ability to listen to people’s hearts, it was terrifying.

 

Lu Yingjiu thought to himself, no wonder the Zhang family respects the Heavenly Way so much. Just the ability given to Di Ting is already incredible. Not to mention, in other aspects, the Zhang family must have benefited.

 

Zhang Nianyun continued to walk up the mountain road.

 

This was the road to worshiping the mountain, leading to those 35 Li Snake pavilions. Lu Yingjiu and others had walked through when they fled the village. Seeing it again now, he couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

 

But now it’s not for worshiping the mountain anymore, and it’s getting dark. What is Zhang Nianyun doing going up the mountain alone?

 

When she got tired, Zhang Nianyun applied a talisman to herself.

 

When it got darker, she used inviting the gods, and her steps became lighter and quicker, not knowing how many times faster. Plus, she was familiar with the mountain roads and often took shortcuts. In just half an hour, she had passed the first eight Li Snake pavilions.

 

Afterwards, Zhang Nianyun stopped at the tenth pavilion.

 

There were four small cabins for resting here.

 

Lu Yingjiu and others had also stayed here.

 

She went into the one that belonged to Ye Deyong, opened the basement, went down the stairs, and there was her small bedroom.

 

The room was very neatly arranged.

 

She opened the wardrobe, and from the layers of clothes, she pulled out a iron box.

 

—It was the box full of Lu Yingjiu’s photos.

 

She hesitated for a long time, wrapped the box in a scarf, held it in her arms, and left the cabin.

 

Then she held the iron box and continued to rush up the mountain.

 

Nearly two hours later, the sky was dim, and the white umbrella seemed like a flower in the mountains, dancing with the wind, climbing one steep slope after another. With the good night vision ability after inviting the gods, Zhang Nianyun walked quickly in the mountains and saw the twentieth pavilion in the distance.

 

She opened the door to the basement and went in, it was a lounge.

 

The sofa was soft, and a few lamps gently illuminated the carpet.

 

There was someone in the inner room.

 

Zhang Nianyun put away the umbrella, shook off the crystal raindrops on the umbrella surface, and leaned it lightly in the corner.

 

She walked slowly towards the inner room and knocked on the door, “Deyong?”

 

“Oh.” The person inside responded.

 

The door lock clanged, the door opened, revealing an old and serious face.

 

Ye Deyong.

 

He asked, “Why so late?”

 

“A patient suddenly fell ill.” Zhang Nianyun said, “It took some time.”

 

Ye Deyong nodded slightly, and the two entered the room.

 

The scene changed, the angle changed.

 

This time, Lu Yingjiu and Jing Xian were watching the two from a small mirror in the room.

 

Ye Deyong’s desk was covered with satellite maps of the mountains, and the walls were hung with various obscure talismans. The books on the bookshelf were piled up like a mountain.

 

He had drawn many lines on the map, and the writing was dense.

 

Packages of instant coffee, bags of soaked tea bags… He had been working for a long time, and his eyes were bloodshot.

 

Lu Yingjiu knew what Ye Deyong was planning.

 

He wanted to let the Spider Mother invade the mountains, parasitize on the Li Snake, so that Ye Feng, who died in the mudslide, could be resurrected.

 

Zhang Nianyun’s gaze swept over his achievements. The light in the room was dim, she didn’t have too many expressions, and a drop of rain flowed down her hair, passing the small wrinkles beside her nose.

 

After a long time, she said softly, “Are you really going to do this?”

 

“It was me who didn’t grab him.” Ye Deyong said, “No matter what, I have to bring him back.”

 

Even if it was a god who betrays a contract, even if it was to sacrifice his life, the nursing home and the villagers in the village.

 

He and Zhang Nianyun had no children, and they regarded Ye Feng as their own.

 

The light in the room flickered.

 

The two were silent.

 

After a while, Ye Deyong glanced at the iron box that Zhang Nianyun had brought, and asked, “What happened?”

 

Lu Yingjiu couldn’t help but hold his breath.

 

Sure enough, Ye Deyong also knew about his situation.

 

“…Nothing.” Zhang Nianyun shook her head, “There are more tools here, I want to make a spare key for the box, for you to keep.”

 

This was a pretty normal sentence, but Ye Deyong sensed something wrong.

 

Zhang Nianyun was a very careful person, she would never lose or damage the key. Moreover, she only trusts herself to open this box, even Ye Deyong didn’t have the authority to do so.

 

Ye Deyong asked again, “What happened?”

 

“Just in case.” Zhang Nianyun said, “Just in case.”

 

She didn’t say much, picked up the box and went to another room.

 

She opened the iron box with a heavy key, and inside were photos of Lu Yingjiu – photos from when he was a child.

 

From one year old to seven or eight years old: Zhuang Xue pushing him to the park in a stroller, him building sand castles on the beach, him standing on the corner watching other children play hopscotch, him walking on the road to school with a backpack…

 

On the back of the first photo, it was written: [1/59]

 

Seeing this number again, Lu Yingjiu felt emotional.

 

When he first saw it, he didn’t understand its meaning, only felt that Zhang Nianyun was hateful, actually secretly monitoring him and Zhuang Xue for such a long time, it was creepy.

 

He now understood that this [1/59] referred to that unfinished sacrifice, he was the last sacrifice.

 

Footsteps came from behind.

 

Ye Deyong still followed, standing behind her, looking at the photos together, “Has he grown so big?”

 

“Yeah, he’s about the same age as Ye Feng.” Zhang Nianyun stared at it without blinking, smiled, “Didn’t expect it, time flies so fast. We are already old grandparents.”

 

It’s not known if it’s just Lu Yingjiu’s illusion.

 

Her face… was almost gentle.

 

Ye Deyong snorted, “When did I deny that I’m a grandfather? It’s you who love beauty all the time.” He took the opportunity to put his arm around Zhang Nianyun’s shoulder, “After Ye Feng and his matters are resolved, I will accompany you to relax.”

 

Zhang Nianyun glanced at him, “Come on, the old man still wants to go out and play?”

 

Ye Deyong rarely smiled, “Isn’t this for you? You say where is better to go, domestic or abroad, which direction, east, south, west, north? Prairie, sea, and desert, you choose.” After speaking, he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

 

“Alright, alright.” Zhang Nianyun also laughed and pushed him away, “It’s a long way off, don’t plan so early.”

 

After saying this, she seemed to think of something, and her face went blank for a moment.

 

“What’s wrong with you today?” Ye Deyong asked, pulling a chair to sit next to her, “You are easily distracted when you speak, whether it’s preparing a spare key, you have this expression.”

 

“Really nothing.” Zhang Nianyun shook her head with a smile, “If you have time, you can talk less and help me prepare the key.”

 

So the two sat side by side, quite warm.

 

Little did they know that a few years later, before the agreed trip was realized, Zhang Nianyun committed suicide in this basement.

 

And Ye Deyong summoned the Spider Mother, resurrected Ye Feng, and spent the next few years in silence until the disease took him and his guilt away. Ye Feng took his ashes and scattered them into the sea, disappearing without a trace.

 

Lu Yingjiu’s eyes went dark.

 

The picture disappeared.

 

When he could see clearly again, the scene in front of him was completely different.

 

The heavy rain was pouring down, and the water was rushing past the windows of the nursing home, with thunder and lightning.

 

The air pressure was low, which would make people feel sleepy.

 

A nurse yawned and brought a pile of documents into Zhang Nianyun’s office, saying, “Dr. Zhang, Director Ye is not here today, the director asked me to tell you… Dr. Zhang? Dr. Zhang?”

 

Zhang Nianyun didn’t blink, staring straight out the window.

 

Lu Yingjiu followed her gaze.

 

In the iron-blue sky, there was a huge eye!

 

It didn’t look in Zhang Nianyun’s direction, but coldly rotated, as if looking for something elsewhere.

 

Lu Yingjiu knew that it was looking for him.

 

But why didn’t he remember anything about this… At that time, he was young and should have had no resistance at all.

 

The nurse couldn’t see the eye and called out again, “Dr. Zhang, what’s wrong with you?”

 

Zhang Nianyun suddenly stood up!

 

The wind outside was fierce, howling sharply. She didn’t even have time to put on her coat, and hastily grabbed an umbrella and ran out.

 

In the forest, thousands of trees were bent over by the wind. She used inviting the gods, took a big step into the wind, and her dress was blown up in folds.

 

— She was almost running on the stone road.

 

One pavilion after another passed by her, and the rain made it hard to breathe. She ran non-stop to the twentieth pavilion, opened the door to the basement, and rushed into the innermost part with a wet chill.

 

Lu Yingjiu had been to that inner room.

 

The inner room was a vast space, more than a hundred meters deep.

 

The walls were covered with photos of the mountain worship team, and monuments were erected to commemorate those who sacrificed in the mudslides. At the very end, there was a square black monument.

 

This was the monument used by the Zhang family to worship the Heavenly Way, 10 meters high, engraved with tiny characters.

 

The characters were chaotic.

 

Some characters were extremely elegant, like the authentic works left by calligraphy masters, and some characters were cute and childish, as if they were written by children.

 

Zhang Nianyun threw the white umbrella aside, gasped for breath, and walked to the monument.

 

In front of it, the iron box was opened, Lu Yingjiu’s photos and dense information were piled together, and the empty water pen was scattered all over the place.

 

She had been studying here for a while, and she hadn’t had time to clean up, it was a mess.

 

Zhang Nianyun sat down in the pile of information, looking at the monument.

 

The monument was extraordinarily tall, and from this angle, it seemed to be about to fall. At this moment, the characters on it flickered slightly, emitting an unsettling light.

 

— The Heavenly Way is restless.

 

That’s why the eye appeared in the sky.

 

That eye had been turning for a long time, and there was not much time left.

 

Zhang Nianyun didn’t know what she was hesitating about.

 

Even though she had rushed here with great difficulty, she had been slow to act, but instead reached out, turned over the information, and picked up Lu Yingjiu’s photos one by one.

 

She had seen the photos many times, and even remembered the order clearly, stacking them in her hand according to the timeline, a thick stack.

 

“…” Lu Yingjiu frowned slightly.

 

What is she doing?

 

After sorting out the photos, Zhang Nianyun looked at them silently.

 

In the first one, Lu Yingjiu was just a newborn baby, and Zhuang Xue was holding him in her arms on the hospital bed, smiling.

 

Like other photos, it was taken secretly, taken from outside the window of the ward, a bit blurry.

 

Zhang Nianyun reached out and gently touched the baby’s small hand in the photo. It was unknown what she thought of, but the corners of her lips hooked up with a smile.

 

— As before, she showed a gentle expression that Lu Yingjiu couldn’t understand.

 

This expression, it’s very much like the way she looked at Ye Feng.

 

Even though she’s just a watcher.

 

She flipped through the photos one by one, flipping through his years since birth.

 

Watching him build sand castles, watching him hopscotch alone, watching him do his homework seriously, watching him squat on the side of the road looking at the goldfish of small vendors…

 

It may sound strange to say this.

 

But Zhang Nianyun watched him grow up.

 

Her fingers delicately touched every detail.

 

Until the last photo, it was frozen on Lu Yingjiu’s back after school.

 

The talismans on the monument fluctuated more severely, and the Heavenly Way was at its most restless.

 

Zhang Nianyun restacked the photos, locked them back in the iron box, and muttered to herself, “If only you could meet Ye Feng, you would definitely be good friends.”

 

What she didn’t know was that many years later, by coincidence, Ye Feng really did meet Lu Yingjiu.

 

During Lu Yingjiu’s most depressed time, Ye Feng rode an old bicycle every day, calling him to get up downstairs.

 

The two of them discovered the truth of resurrection together, destroyed the mountains that had been eroded by the Spider Mother together, worked together to open the bar, and were very good friends.

 

The monument flickered, as if urging.

 

Zhang Nianyun finally made up her mind and took out a military knife from her waist bag.

 

The military knife was thin but had a blood groove, it was a top-notch weapon. She gently turned the blade, the cold light flickered, and she whispered again, “If I could…”

 

She paused.

 

She didn’t say the last half sentence.

 

She aimed the military knife at her heart, without hesitation, she stabbed it in decisively, and then pulled it out fiercely.

 

Lu Yingjiu’s breath hitched.

 

So Zhang Nianyun committed suicide at this time.

 

Perhaps she had realized this outcome long ago, so she let Ye Deyong take a key to continue using these photos afterwards.

 

A large amount of blood spurted out, splashing on the monument.

 

She had used inviting the gods, and despite the fatal wound, she still maintained consciousness, using her trembling fingers to draw something on the monument with the crimson blood.

 

This was unimaginable determination and calmness.

 

The body was constantly losing heat, the fear of death was enough to engulf everything, and a cold feeling spread throughout the body.

 

At this moment, she could still draw a formation.

 

With Zhang Nianyun’s movements, the flickering of the monument slowed down.

 

And when she fell down weakly against the wall after the last stroke, the monument had returned to normal. In the gloomy sky, the eye stopped turning, as if it had received an alternative, temporary compensation, and slowly closed.

 

She actually sacrificed herself to the Heavenly Way.

 

The wind and rain gradually subsided.

 

For others, this was just an insignificant rainy day.

 

Lu Yingjiu took a half step back, feeling as if his stomach was being gripped by an invisible hand.

 

Heavy, with a sense of nausea and cramps, and his blood went cold.

 

— He suddenly felt that he seemed to have misunderstood something.

 

Some crucial things that no one had ever told him.

 

Zhang Nianyun fell in a pool of blood, her pupils slowly losing focus.

 

Before she died, like Chen Minlan, she heard the heart sound brought by Di Ting, barely gathered the last bit of spirit, and looked in one direction.

 

She was looking directly at Lu Yingjiu.

 

She widened her eyes slightly, as if incredulous, and called out in a breathy voice, “…Lu Yingjiu?”

 

“Lu Yingjiu, is it you?”

 

Lu Yingjiu subconsciously wanted to answer, but found that his voice had turned into silence, he couldn’t hear it at all.

 

Just as Di Ting said, the past couldn’t be changed.

 

He couldn’t do anything, including responding.

 

Zhang Nianyun waited like this for a few seconds.

 

She said softly, “You may not know who I am, but I have known you for many years.”

 

She seemed to know that she wouldn’t get a response, her lips trembled, but she showed a small smile.

 

With gentleness and relief.

 

She said, “We could have met. Once when you couldn’t find anyone to play hopscotch with and were sitting in the courtyard in a daze, I was secretly watching you from the side. I wanted to play with you, and there were many times I wanted to see you, but… but I couldn’t.”

 

She had a lot to say, including the secret she had hidden for many years, the reason for the surveillance, and this unknown suicide, but in the end, she lost her strength, “You don’t need to know who I am, you don’t need to know in this lifetime.”

 

Lu Yingjiu clenched his fingers.

 

A sense of trembling climbed up his spine.

 

Why was she willing to give up her life?

 

They hadn’t even spoken a word to each other.

 

However, he remembered the look on Zhang Nianyun’s face when she looked at the photos.

 

To Lu Yingjiu, she was a stranger he had never met. Even at this moment, apart from shock, he couldn’t feel much more softness in his heart.

 

Emotions need to be precipitated.

 

In such a short time, no one could have deep and sincere feelings for such a stranger.

 

But for Zhang Nianyun, Lu Yingjiu was the child she had watched grow up, right? So much so that when he was lonely, she wanted to accompany him, when he was happy, she would be happy too, and when he was troubled, she would be anxious. She hid in the dark, being a qualified watcher, for nearly ten years. The only time she slipped up was when she saw Lu Yingjiu looking at the goldfish by the roadside for a long time, but in the end, he didn’t buy it.

 

She hesitated for a long time, secretly bought a few of the most beautiful ones, and put them at his doorstep.

 

Young Lu Yingjiu was naturally very happy when he saw it.

 

— The surprise he thought was actually a long-planned, careful love. And he would never know.

 

Blood flowed down the steps, and the monument was full of crimson color.

 

Zhang Nianyun completely lost her strength, her consciousness scattered.

 

In this last second, her gaze seemed to pass through the mirror, indeed, it fell on Lu Yingjiu.

 

Lu Yingjiu read her lip shape and heard the last sentence, “You’ve grown so tall…”

 

Her breath stopped.

 

She died in a pool of blood.

 

The scene quickly receded, and it was pitch black in front of him.

 

When it lit up again, the green lamp was hanging in the air.

 

Lu Yingjiu’s whole body was stiff, standing still like a rock, allowing Jing Xian to bring him into his arms.

 

The two little ghosts stood on the left and right, bowing to him.

 

They said, “Please continue to follow us, Zhang Daren is just ahead.”