Chapter 6: Lan Li's Choice

Thinking this, he did the same.

The peach trees in the Matchmaker’s Courtyard were in full bloom. A few breezes passed through, carrying down petals with them; some drifted farther still and settled upon Lan Li’s hair. Set against his flushed cheeks, they lent him an inexplicable allure.

It was a pity the Ghost Sovereign had no mind to admire the beauty before him. Holding half a cup of wine, he glanced toward the towering tree of fated bonds in the Pavilion of Longing. It was an ancient peach tree that had stood for ten thousand years, its branches hung thick with red threads. Because they were tended so often, the threads were neatly arranged in perfect order.

That ancient peach tree was forever in blossom, the pink blooms always upon its branches, yet never once had they fallen. The people of the Heaven Realm said that only when the old peach tree was moved by a bond of love would its flowers come down. And yet, it seemed no one had ever seen those blossoms fall.

The Ghost Sovereign looked at the old peach tree, older even than he was by a little, and murmured, “What is a fated bond?”

Lan Li lifted his flushed face and also looked toward the old tree. A trace of drunkenness touched his features, but his gaze gradually cleared. “Wuyan said that one red thread upon that tree is one bond of fate.” His voice was no longer childishly naïve; it carried a hint of roughness.

The Ghost Sovereign’s brows rose. He turned back, took a small sip of wine, and continued, “What is love?”

Lan Li said, “Wuyan said that once a person lives in your heart, that is the beginning of love.”

The Ghost Sovereign drained the rest of the wine. “What is liking?”

Lan Li said, “It is probably wanting to spend the rest of your days like this, together with him.”

The Ghost Sovereign studied Lan Li carefully, propping his chin on his hand, eyes half-lidded as he gave a sneer. “Even if you are always muddle-headed, like a three-year-old child?”

Lan Li’s face did not change, but a flicker of contentment passed through his eyes. “Yes.” As long as Wuyan liked it, it would not matter if he remained that way forever. Thinking of this, Lan Li’s gaze darkened slightly. If he truly regained his wits, Wuyan would likely never treat him like this again.

“I had thought you had not yet awakened your intelligence. Later I realized someone had wounded your sea of consciousness, leaving you in confusion. One who can damage another’s sea of consciousness must surely be someone of great power and wealth.” He paused, then suddenly smiled faintly. “A nine-tailed spirit cat is a rare treasure. That person will certainly not let this go. If one day they come looking for you, with the way you are now, how will you protect that little old man?”

Lan Li frowned and said nothing. He had thought about it. No matter what, he absolutely could not let Wuyan suffer the slightest harm.

The Ghost Sovereign cast him a sidelong glance. “With your present strength, this sovereign would not even bother wasting the effort to crush you. For the sake of my ties with that little old man, I can help you once. The rest will depend on you.”

After saying this, a dark crimson pattern of light appeared in the Ghost Sovereign’s hand. The pattern slowly condensed into a talisman and entered Lan Li’s forehead. Cold sweat instantly broke out on Lan Li; the redness in his face vanished at once, leaving him pale. The pain of repairing the sea of consciousness was far worse than the pain of having it damaged, like someone slowly cutting flesh from your body while sprinkling salt over the wounds without end.

“Raising your cultivation is the only way for you now,” the Ghost Sovereign said, tossing out a storage ring at will. “Inside are some methods for cultivating as a demon. Find your own way through them!” With that, he turned as if to leave.

Lan Li stopped him. “Why help me?”

The Ghost Sovereign gave a soft laugh. “I am merely finding some amusement for that little old man. That thing is of no use to me. Count it as my gift to you for keeping me company over wine and helping me untangle my doubts.” After speaking, he sighed inwardly. Since when had he become so fond of meddling in other people’s affairs...

After the Ghost Sovereign left, Lan Li frowned and bit his lip to endure the pain. He stared at the ring in his hand in a daze, and in the end still kept it.

Inside the room, no one knew how long the incense had burned out. A sleeve brushed past the doorway, but Lan Li did not notice. He turned back into his true form and padded into the room, gently licking the slender, rounded fingertip of the Matchmaker. “Meow...”

The Matchmaker opened his slightly dazed eyes and saw Lan Li’s glass-clear gaze. He broke into a smile and reached out to pat Lan Li’s head. “Good...”

The Hall of Asuras.

The Ghost Sovereign concealed both form and aura and returned to his residence. The memories belonging to Xiao Jiu were still wandering chaotically through his sea of consciousness. From another storage ring, he took out Mirror of Flowers and Moon on Water, a mirror that could peer into time.

In Xiao Jiu’s memories, there had been a few years when Ye Min was absent. The Ghost Sovereign’s hand moved slightly, and ripples spread across the mirror, gradually revealing the courtyard that was both familiar and strange to him. The scenes began with little Xiao Jiu and Ye Min strolling through a temple fair.

“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Where is A-Ye? Where is A-Ye? Xiao Jiu is scared...”

“Get lost! You are not A-Ye of Xiao Jiu, not my A-Ye. You are a devil. Get lost!”

“Mother, who is A-Ye?”

“Munan, I want to apply to be transferred to the dark guards...”

“Your wine is ready. Drink it and leave early.”

......

Those words gradually grew clear in his mind. So Ye Min had been watching Xiao Jiu from the shadows all those years. The image slowly shifted to the scene of Ye Min stumbling upon Xiao Jiu while he was bathing. The Ghost Sovereign coughed a few times, his old face reddening. There was nothing to be done; after all, Xiao Jiu’s appearance was the same as his.

In Clear River Town, every bit of the time Xiao Jiu spent with Wang Jiu, and then the final scene of Wang Jiu and Xiao Jiu facing death, the Ghost Sovereign’s thoughts gradually became clear. He stared unblinking at that man’s face, reached out to gently touch it through the mirror, and the corners of his mouth curved with tenderness. Yet the certainty in that smile was enough to make one shiver. This person could only be his.

A flash of red light flared in the Ghost Sovereign’s eyes. Through the mirror, with a turn of his hand, the wine jar buried before that grave was taken together with the mirror and stored away in his ring.

From within his arms, the little ball of light whimpered, “Mother, I’m hungry...”

A wave of tenderness stirred in the Ghost Sovereign’s heart. He carefully lifted the little ball of light out and held it close, gently stroking it. He took out several soul-nourishing spirit fruits and brought them to the little ball of light. The little thing opened its mouth slightly and ate. The Ghost Sovereign spoke softly and carefully, afraid of frightening the child. “Good... Mother will take you to find your father.”

The little ball of light gave a soft “mm” and, after eating, grew drowsy without meaning to. Seeing this, the Ghost Sovereign did not place it back in his arms, but simply held it while sending a voice message directly into Black Slave’s sea of consciousness. “Slave, come to my room.”

The Ghost Sovereign calculated the days. That person should have been reincarnated in the human world for nearly three years by now.

Black Slave froze, then arrived almost instantly at the door. He knocked lightly a few times. Hearing the response from inside, he stepped in. “Master, you...”

The Ghost Sovereign glanced at him. “Speak more quietly. With such a loud voice, it is irritating.”

Black Slave’s mouth twitched. He immediately lowered his voice several degrees and leaned closer. In a whisper, he said, “Master, you...”

The Ghost Sovereign frowned. “You have followed me for so long, and you still have not learned the most basic voice transmission in the sea of consciousness? Fool.”