FI CH71: Ghost King

The villagers gripped their steel pitchforks tighter.

The leader, Yan Lao’er, pointed fiercely at Bai Jiang. “Who are you? What are you doing here!”

“How did you get in here!”

Before Bai Jiang could answer, there was another commotion at the door.

Two clansmen rushed over upon hearing the news. They were first stunned to see him, then their expressions changed drastically. “It’s you!?”

One of them turned his head in shock and pointed. “Lao’er! This is the kid who was causing trouble in the village! But didn’t we already drown him in the pond?”

“What?”

Yan Lao’er’s gaze shot to Bai Jiang.

The men were instantly filled with shock and suspicion, scanning him up and down and raising their weapons. “…Then who are you?”

Bai Jiang stood there with a smile. “That’s right, I was clearly drowned in the pond… so who am I?”

The snow-white robes fluttered as the night wind rushed in.

The men suddenly shivered.

Yan Lao’er mustered his courage and looked at Yan Guanyue next to him. “Who on earth is this person? Yan Guanyue, did you find him to ruin the wedding!”

Yan Guanyue’s fingertips curled imperceptibly.

Then he calmly raised his eyes. “I don’t know him.” A slight smile touched the corner of his lips. “He appeared so suddenly… I thought my ‘ghost’ husband had come to pick me up.”

“…”

Someone by the door took a frightened step back.

Yan Lao’er roared, “What ghost! Can’t you see he has a shadow? What are you afraid of?”

After speaking, he eyed Bai Jiang warily for a moment, then called to his men. “But this kid is definitely strange. Tie him up and take him to the ancestral hall. Let the ancestors suppress him. We’ll ask the elders to decide later!”

Several sturdy villagers exchanged a look, then swarmed forward, seizing Bai Jiang and tying him up.

Bai Jiang cooperated with a smile the whole time.

He even tugged at his tucked-in sleeves. Haha. ^▽^

Once he was tied, the villagers led him out.

Yan Lao’er turned to Yan Guanyue and said, “Don’t even think about pulling any tricks. You are the one chosen by the ‘Great Ghost.’ If the wedding doesn’t happen, the first one to die will be you!”

With that, he slammed the door shut with a “bang” and locked it.

…

The commotion outside gradually faded.

The room was quiet for about ten seconds.

Then the closet door creaked open slightly, and a clear, gentle voice came from within:

“Don’t worry, his life isn’t in danger.”

Yan Guanyue snapped out of his deep thoughts and turned to speak, only to freeze.

The closet door was open, and the wedding dress hanging inside draped over Lin Su’s shoulder. Lin Su lifted it aside with one hand. The gilded, thin gauze enveloped his well-defined hand, and the bright red brocade rested on his snow-white undergarment.

Probably due to the stuffiness, a moist, faint blush appeared on his face.

After speaking and getting no reply, Lin Su turned to He Zhenling. “Let’s go out.”

But as he finished, he saw He Zhenling looking down at him, one hand braced behind him, his gaze not moving for a long while.

He tilted his head up and blinked. “…?”

He Zhenling’s eyelashes trembled slightly, then he turned his head away. One hand went through the thin gauze and red brocade to rest on his waist. With a gentle pull, he led the person out of the closet.

Lin Su patted his slightly wrinkled clothes.

“Continuing our previous conversation, where were we?”

Yan Guanyue adjusted his glasses. “…We were at, ‘foolproof’.”

“…” Lin Su paused, then looked up with a composed expression. “If it can come back, it’s not ‘lost’.”

Yan Guanyue glanced at the door and pursed his lips. “President… will he come back in one piece?”

Xuenima commented: [Tactful, and rigorous.]

Lin Su pressed it down with one hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve checked his recent fortune. He doesn’t even have a minor tribulation.”

“Being drowned in a pond doesn’t count?”

“Not for him.”

A weight was finally lifted from Yan Guanyue’s heart. He said to Lin Su, “I naturally trust in Mr. Lin’s and President He’s abilities. It’s just that this matter is too dangerous. If you are willing to help, I would be immensely grateful.”

Lin Su directly handed him the phone. “Place your order.”

Yan Guanyue was momentarily bewildered. He took it, browsed through it, and quickly understood the situation. He filled out the information without hesitation.

Lin Su took it back and tapped his finger.

[Client: Yan Guanyue]

[Identity: Clansman of the Yan Clan of Gui Mountain, —’s fiancé, 24 years old.]

[Status: Order Accepted]

“You used your real name in the competition before.”

Yan Guanyue nodded. “Because I wanted the President to remember me. Using my real name seemed better.” He paused, his gaze shifting slightly. “So at first, I thought everyone had the same idea as me.”

“…”

He Zhenling crossed his arms and watched silently.

Lin Su said seriously, “…What’s important isn’t ‘who you are,’ but who you want to become.”

A cool “heh” drifted from the side.

Yan Guanyue coughed lightly, pulling the topic back. “The wedding is in three days. What do I need to do next?”

“No rush. Let me go understand the situation first.”

“Go now? It’s too late. Why don’t you two first…”

“Of course,” Lin Su said. “I plan to go back and celebrate the new year first. I just saw the dumplings your sister wrapped on the table.”

Yan Guanyue, “…”

He estimated, “It should be celery filling. Can you two eat that?”

Lin Su replied cheerfully, “We can.”

Twenty minutes later.

In Yan Guanyue’s old family house, a pile of plump dumplings was dropped into a pot, tumbling in the boiling water.

Before long, they were scooped onto a plate.

Lin Su and He Zhenling prepared dipping sauce bowls and sat at the table. Lin Su ate a dumpling in one bite, breathing out a puff of white steam. He looked at the peeling white-painted ceiling; the rising steam created a simple, warm feeling.

“Who would have thought that on New Year’s Eve, we’d be here.”

He Zhenling held his bowl calmly. “I didn’t expect it either when you invited me for hot pot.”

Xuenima said sagely: [You two just don’t think enough.]

Lin Su stuffed a celery dumpling into its little mouth.

Yan Tingyun happened to bring over a second plate of dumplings.

She picked up her chopsticks and said worriedly, “Brother Kangzi isn’t back yet. Is he really okay?”

Lin Su reassured her, “It’s fine. His lifeline is very long.”

“…”

As they were talking, they heard a sound at the door.

Turning, they saw Bai Jiang returning, looking refreshed. He lifted the hem of his clothes and laughed happily:

“I’m back! Are you guys eating dumplings?”

Yan Tingyun was overjoyed. “Brother Kangzi!”

She quickly stoked the fire and got a bowl and chopsticks for Bai Jiang. “Come eat with us.”

Bai Jiang said “thank you” and sat down.

Seeing that he wasn’t injured, Lin Su happily gave him a big, fat dumpling. “You’ve worked hard, Xiao Bai.”

Bai Jiang was happy. “It was no trouble~!” He held his bowl, and it was as if bright little flowers were blooming around him. “Even though Mr. He threw me out of the closet, even though I was taken away by the villagers, even though I was like a little puppy drenched by the roadside…”

He said cheerfully, “But I didn’t mind at all~*”

Lin Su, “…”

He Zhenling, “…”

Xuenima whispered: […He listed them so clearly. He minds a lot.]

Lin Su gently placed another big, fat dumpling in his bowl.

He Zhenling was quiet for two seconds, then said steadily, “You were pushing the closet door open. If I didn’t throw you out, were you hoping we’d all get caught in one go?”

Bai Jiang said, word by word, “It is precisely because I knew this that I did-n’t-mind-at-all~”^▽^

Xuenima peeked and said: [He already minds a lot.]

Lin Su soothed him gently. “Xiao Bai, I know that with your ability, you can definitely handle it with ease.”

Bai Jiang: 0v0!

“By the way, how did you get back? You’re so… moist. Were you drowned in the pond again?”

“Ah, not this time.”

Bai Jiang shared, “This time, they put me in a large water vat and put the lid on.”

They all stopped their chopsticks at the same time: …

Yan Tingyun’s face turned pale with fear.

Bai Jiang said happily, “Then I blew up the vat, and the people around seemed to have been knocked… to sleep by the explosion.”

Xuenima exclaimed in amazement: [Such youth-friendly vocabulary!]

Bai Jiang continued, “So I took the chance to run back.”

As he finished, Lin Su and He Zhenling both looked at him.

Lin Su paused, then guided him carefully, “Then what do you suppose the villagers are doing right now?”

Bai Jiang chuckled, “Probably, looking for me?”

…

Just as he finished speaking, they heard a commotion outside.

This time was different from the last. Last time was faking death; this time was a clear escape. Plus, Bai Jiang had appeared in Yan Guanyue’s room, and Yan Lao’er was already suspicious—

This time, they found their way over quickly.

A large number of footsteps approached, mixed with the faint, flickering light of torches. A clamor of voices came through:

“Let’s go, check Yan Guanyue’s house!”

“The village is only so big. Where else could he have run to?”

…

They all stood up in unison.

But there were still four bowls on the table, as well as two large plates of dumplings that were clearly too much for one person to eat. It was too late to put them away.

Lin Su was silent for two seconds.

Then he decisively turned around, walked over to the ancestral tablets of Yan’s parents, and solemnly clasped his hands. “Elders, please trouble you to move.”

“…”

After speaking, he picked up the tablets and placed them behind his and He Zhenling’s bowls.

After placing them, there was still one extra bowl on the table.

Before Lin Su could speak, Yan Tingyun quickly found a half-body photo of Yan Guanyue on her phone and stood it up behind the bowl:

“Brother, please trouble you to move.”

“…” Very good.

The three of them deftly pushed open the back door and went into the backyard.

The next moment, the front door was pushed open.

The villagers swarmed in with a “whoosh”! and asked, “Yan Tingyun, are you—”

The voice cut off abruptly as they saw Yan Tingyun sitting at the table, letting out a small burp and wiping her eyes as she placed dumplings into the bowls before her. “Dad, Mom… Brother… don’t let your mouths be idle either.”

Everyone: “………”

The villagers were first shocked.

Yan Lao’er found it utterly ridiculous: Damn it, putting the ancestral tablets on the table with three bowls was one thing—

He pointed, “There’s still half a dumpling left in that bowl. Who ate it!?”

Yan Tingyun: .

Yan Lao’er wouldn’t believe it. “Are you hiding an outsider here!”

…

Outside the backyard window, the three were secretly observing.

Hearing this, they all turned their heads, their gazes crossing: Whose bowl was the half-eaten one from?

He Zhenling’s profile was calm. “Not me.”

Bai Jiang quickly shook his head. “Not me either.”

The two fell silent for a moment and turned their heads. Lin Su frowned. “How could I possibly eat only half a dumpling in one bite?”

…What an unassailable argument!

Xuenima quietly climbed up: […I think it was Dad who bit it.]

Lin Su looked down: “…”

As they spoke, the interrogation continued inside the house.

Yan Tingyun gathered her emotions, looked at the bowl, and said, moved, “Mom! You’ve appeared in spirit…”

Yan Lao’er slammed the table. “Stop trying to fool people! If a ghost can eat a dumpling, have it eat another one right now—”

Outside the window, Lin Su’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Just as he was about to release the Xuenima to devour it, a gust of sinister wind suddenly blew through the room—

The door was slammed shut with a “bang”!

All the surrounding torchlight was extinguished in an instant. Only the two candles in front of the ancestral tablets flickered faintly in the darkness.

Everyone in the room jumped in fright.

“What’s going on!?”

As they looked around in alarm, a man’s figure faintly emerged from the darkness. He seemed extremely tall, with long hair, and his sleeved robes dragged on the ground.

A hoarse voice sounded: “So distant… not even calling me for the reunion dinner.”

“I shall have one.”

Author’s Note:

Friendly forces have successfully air-dropped!

Ghost King: Want to see a ghost eat a dumpling? I shall have one. (Gulp)

Kun (staring): If he eats one more, I get to eat one less.

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