Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen
Is Su Ling strong in battle?
Yes.
Maybe in the eyes of Sheng Ze and Gu Qing, his combat ability isn’t that impressive, but to ordinary fierce ghosts, he’s practically a divine existence.
For example, judging by the fiends before him—
Although Su Ling’s damage mainly comes from the Exorcism Sword, no doubt…
But to be able to wield the Exorcism Sword for over an hour without getting tired—that’s just abnormal!
At first, the fiends were decisively smashed to pieces by the sword. However, the birth of the ghost fetus was like a delicious cake placed right in front of them, constantly tempting them and completely igniting their fighting spirit.
No matter how strong Su Ling is, he couldn’t withstand being surrounded and beaten by a group of enraged fiends.
After some time, he gradually started to feel overwhelmed.
In the corner, one fierce spirit crouched in the shadows.
Even as the others kept fighting, it stayed there, drooling and watching Su Ling hungrily.
Suddenly, a gap opened behind Su Ling. The fierce spirit grinned wide, pushed off with its legs, and lunged furiously at his back.
But—
“Bang.”
The fierce spirit slammed into a transparent glass dome, dizzy and spinning around three times in place.
Chang Bai applauded and tossed a chain to Su Ling: “Here, a Soul Locking Chain.”
Looking at Chang Bai’s pale face, Su Ling froze for a moment and blurted out, “What are you cosplaying? A mummy?”
Chang Bai: …
One has to say, King Yama really knows Su Ling well.
Only then did Su Ling realise what he said, awkwardly cleared his throat twice, and changed the topic: “What did you just say this is?”
“Soul Locking Chain,” Chang Bai replied casually, “Borrowed it from the Black and White Wuchang.”
Su Ling looked at Chang Bai with admiration: “So you’re really close to the Wuchangs, huh?”
—Anyway, Su Ling absolutely refused to even think that Chang Bai might actually be one of the Wuchangs.
Chang Bai responded with a helpless, “Mm.”
Su Ling didn’t know how to use the Soul Locking Chain, and after giving him the treasure, Chang Bai just leisurely found a spot to watch the show, showing no intention of offering any guidance.
After thinking it over, Su Ling flicked the Soul Locking Chain like spinning a top, lashing it onto the fiends.
Before the fiends could even scream, the chain hooked onto them, attaching their souls to it.
In no time, the fiends were caught almost completely.
Then, Su Ling coiled the Soul Locking Chain into a ball and casually tossed it on the ground.
The Underworld sensed the Wuchangs’ power and voluntarily opened a portal, absorbing the chain along with all the trapped, restless souls.
Overall, it was extremely efficient.
Chang Bai: …
How come the boss handles chains better than him?!
The current Wuchang felt personally wounded.
“Is the baby born?” Su Ling, having dealt with the fiends, sat down tiredly.
“Yes, a boy,” Chang Bai said with a smile.
Su Ling’s eyes lit up: “Great!”
Chang Bai added with a grin, “Not only that, but the father of the child was also found.”
Su Ling was stunned for a moment, suddenly curious and eagerly asked, “Who is it? Is he handsome?”
“One of the Four Great Asuras from the Ghost King’s palace—Yu Mian,” Gu Qing slowly came out of the operating room, still wearing a bloodstained surgical gown. “A scumbag who dares to do but not admit it.”
Su Ling tilted his head, confused.
“He used someone else’s name and face to woo Miss Qian and, after finding out she was pregnant, tried to shirk responsibility,” Gu Qing said earnestly to Su Ling. “That’s the kind of male ghost who comes out of the Ghost King’s palace.”
Su Ling looked complicated: “Damn, that scummy?!”
Gu Qing nodded, rubbed his head, and lectured, “So I’m telling you, if you ever encounter a ghost from the Ghost King’s palace—especially a male ghost—you definitely need to stay alert.”
Su Ling was both amused and exasperated, trying to explain, “Big brother, don’t you think your ‘scattergun approach’ is a bit over the top?”
Gu Qing said seriously, “Men are never any good, especially the Ghost King with subordinates like this. You’d better stay far away from them in the future.”
Su Ling weakly reminded, “Big Brother, you are a man too…”
—Seriously? You’d drag yourself into this just to smear the Ghost King?
Gu Qing shook his head without any hesitation, “I’m different.”
Su Ling held back but couldn’t help asking, “How are you different?”
Gu Qing looked at him with a half-smile and said, “If you want, I can be your big sister.”
Su Ling tilted his head, imagining Gu Qing in women’s clothes…
Then he shuddered and quickly declined, “No, no need!”
Gu Qing smiled faintly, pulling Su Ling up from the ground and said meaningfully, “You guessed the fetus’s gender right, so as agreed, I’ll tell you my true identity.”
Su Ling didn’t immediately agree but thought for a moment and cautiously asked, “Is it exciting?”
—He was afraid Gu Qing might be like Sheng Ze, suddenly revealing that he was some big shot in the Underworld!
Gu Qing followed Su Ling’s train of thought, considered seriously for a while, then said, “A little exciting.”
Su Ling took a few deep breaths, pulled Chang Bai over to stand in front of him as a shield, and finally gained some courage to say, “Alright, go ahead.”
Chang Bai, used as a human shield: …
A deepening smile appeared at Gu Qing’s lips as he enjoyed Su Ling’s awkward unease.
After teasing enough, he finally said in a softer voice, “Actually, I am the Ghost King.”
Su Ling: “Oh.”
Gu Qing was surprised by Su Ling’s flat reaction and blinked, repeating, “I said, I am the Ghost King.”
Su Ling nodded expressionlessly: “Heard that.”
Gu Qing studied him curiously for a moment, then suddenly laughed and shook his head, “So you had guessed all along.”
Su Ling pursed his lips, ambiguous, “I have a vague guess about the identity of the Ghost King.”
Gu Qing smiled warmly, looking at him with kindness.
“Although I’m not completely sure about this guess…” Su Ling laughed carefree, “Big brother, you definitely aren’t.”
Gu Qing’s interest was piqued again, curious, “Why not?”
“Your personality’s different.” Su Ling shyly lowered his head and smiled, “The Ghost King seems really afraid I’d discover his identity, but you’re much more open toward me.”
Gu Qing chuckled softly, silent for a moment before sighing, “Alright, you were right before — I am King Yama.”
Su Ling wasn’t too surprised, but hearing that still made him a bit flustered, unsure if he should perform some grand ritual or bow deeply…
After a while, he didn’t bow; instead, he cautiously said, “W-welcome, King Yama?”
Gu Qing clearly saw through his thoughts, gently ruffling his hair, saying softly, “Good boy.”
Su Ling fidgeted, nervously twiddling his fingers and hesitantly looked at Gu Qing: “A-ze seems not to know you, so does that mean he is…”
Gu Qing pointed at his own eyes, interrupting, “Whether it’s yes or no, you have to see it for yourself. Not just the identity—there are other things—ultimately, you must feel it yourself. That way, you won’t regret your decisions.”
Su Ling’s confusion faded, and he laughed as realisation dawned, “I understand.”
In the operating room.
After giving birth to the ghost fetus, Qian Manmiao’s mind relaxed, and her strength depleted—she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Nearby, the ghost fetus cradled by Meng Xiaoman was almost indistinguishable from a normal baby, except that it opened its eyes at birth, its eyes black with hints of red, giving it a somewhat eerie appearance.
Moreover, the baby didn’t cry or fuss after birth—instead, it kept grinning, clutching its tiny fists and nibbling on them, surprisingly more well-behaved than most infants.
After Qian Manmiao had fallen asleep, Yu Mian knelt before Sheng Ze, weeping bitterly and repeatedly kowtowing to admit his mistakes.
Sheng Ze said nothing, his attention seemingly drawn by the various surgical instruments, his fingers idly fiddling with a few scalpels.
Yu Mian’s forehead was drenched in sweat, feeling as if the knives in the Ghost King’s hands radiated killing intent, ready to stab into him at any moment.
After a long pause, Sheng Ze finally spoke as if casually, “What happened?”
Yu Mian trembled on his knees, unable to hide anything, and explained the entire ordeal.
It turned out that even Qian Manmiao’s encounter with him was no accident. Yu Mian had long been captivated by Qian Manmiao’s beauty. Taking advantage of this business trip, he deliberately confused her mind, leading her step by step into the most yin-heavy wild graveyard.
Under the influence of the graveyard’s heavy yin energy, Qian Manmiao did indeed see him and fell for him at first sight.
But in Qian Manmiao’s eyes, the graveyard was not a wild cemetery, but a quaint, old-fashioned residence. Yu Mian was not a wandering spirit of the grave but a distinguished heir from a wealthy family.
Before death, Yu Mian was educated and was skilled at courting women, freely spouting endless vows of eternal love. Overwhelmed by passion, Qian Manmiao once shared an intimate night with him.
Yet when the passion faded, Yu Mian calmed down.
Fearing that Qian Manmiao would hold him accountable, he took advantage of her half-asleep state to pretend to mutter to himself, revealing his ghostly identity and warning that if their human–ghost romance was discovered, he would be punished or eliminated.
Even the Ghost King’s name was deliberately revealed to Qian Manmiao at that time.
Love makes people blind. After learning her lover was not human, Qian Manmiao hesitated for a long time but decided to keep the secret. Even with her family, she only said she got lost in the night and was bewitched, then inexplicably ended up pregnant.
Her family felt sorry for her and worried that the fetus’s heavy yin energy would make delivery difficult, so they invited Su Ling. This led to the current situation.
After hearing this, Meng Xiaoman couldn’t help but despise Yu Mian even more: “Ugh, scumbag!”
Yu Mian kowtowed repeatedly: “My lord, although I deceived Qian Manmiao, I did not force her! I—I have never harmed anyone. Yes, this child was born because I nourished it with my vital essence. At most, it’s a moral issue. I did not break any laws…”
Sheng Ze’s gaze was icy and emotionless as he stared at him for a long time before slowly saying, “You’re dismissed and subject to investigation.”
Yu Mian gritted his teeth.
Although being stripped of his position and investigated meant all his years of effort would be wasted, losing some vital essence and resting a while might not be a bad thing. So, he bowed his head and knelt down, accepting this decision.
Sheng Ze’s gaze swept past Qian Manmiao, hesitating for a moment, a trace of pity flashing on his face: “The rest can wait until the woman wakes up. Xiaoman, once Qian Manmiao’s condition stabilises, tell her the truth. How to handle Yu Mian will be left to her judgment.”
Meng Xiaoman sighed softly. Although she hated this scumbag, she also considered Qian Manmiao’s feelings and nodded in agreement.
Yu Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling he had escaped disaster.
However, the ghost fetus in Meng Xiaoman’s arms twitched its eyes and giggled softly, biting its fist.
Author’s note:
Gu Yanwang: “Whether yes or no, you should see it for yourself.”
Su Ling: “I get it, I get it. So this means Sheng Ze might be the Ghost King—or might not be. You actually don’t know… Honestly, the relations in your Underworld aren’t very harmonious; the two big bosses don’t even recognise each other.”
Gu Qing (fuming): “…What I meant was, think carefully! Don’t be so easily swayed by Sheng Ze!!!”
Author’s note:
Gu Yanwang: “Whether yes or no, you should see it for yourself.”
Su Ling: “I get it, I get it. So this means Sheng Ze might be the Ghost King—or might not be. You actually don’t know… Honestly, the relations in your Underworld aren’t very harmonious; the two big bosses don’t even recognise each other.”
Gu Qing (fuming): “…What I meant was, think carefully! Don’t be so easily swayed by Sheng Ze!!!”
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