ISWTDB Ch174 [Arc 14]

CHapter 174: Ghost King Husband (1, 2)

At this moment, the Pope’s steps did not resemble those of an elderly man at all; instead, he moved like a spirit snake.

Thanks to the sudden appearance of Heavenly Dao, he could suppress the people in the small world to the greatest extent.

In addition to Dempus, for a time, the Pope and the others were completely no match for the three of them.

Seeing that the opportunity was ripe, Ying Zhao decided to slightly use his primal power and launched an even more rapid attack on the Pope.

It was evident that the Pope had already realized that he was no match for Ying Zhao and the other two.

He actually took out the fake death key that the female protagonist, Jian Jinghan, had stolen earlier and activated a spell, intending to open the gate to hell.

However, the death key was a fake that Ying Zhao had prepared in advance.

Naturally, no matter how many times the other party tried, it was utterly useless.

After trying twice, the Pope realized that he had been deceived.

His expression instantly twisted, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes.

Then he seemed to want to fight back with all his might against them.

However, at that moment, the entire ground suddenly shook.

A white halo appeared on the horizon, as if some power was about to invade this plane.

Upon seeing this, the Pope was immediately horrified.

He stepped back two paces, and there was no longer the fighting spirit he had moments ago.

Only a panic-filled evasion mixed with a hint of hatred remained.

Subsequently, the space in front of Ying Zhao began to slowly twist.

He realized that the other party likely wanted to distort this world to create an opportunity for escape.

Ying Zhao did not expect the other party would actually go so far as to madly do this in the small world.

Because this would inevitably cause the plane to distort and collapse.

The system automatically sounded an alarm, seemingly wanting to expel Ying Zhao from this dangerous world.

Watching everything around him separate and collapse.

Even some things nearby had already started to lose their original forms.

Ying Zhao understood that this plane was in danger.

Thus, he could only urgently pull the soul fragments from Dempus’s body.

Because if he didn’t pull out the soul fragments now, Dempus would also have to endure the pain and even injuries brought by the collapse of the small world.

When the last piece of fragment separated from the flesh, it instantly fused with the other fragments in Ying Zhao’s sea of consciousness.

Zhu Que’s soul was now completely intact.

However, the enemy’s distortion of space-time also had an impact.

As someone who originally did not belong to this plane, Ying Zhao actually felt himself uncontrollably being sucked into the space-time turbulence.

The previously dormant soul in the sea of consciousness had already realized that Ying Zhao would be in danger.

At this moment, with Zhu Que’s soul complete and fully under his control, he immediately released himself from Ying Zhao’s sea of consciousness.

Then, he quickly condensed a body using his soul, restoring his original appearance.

The man grasped Ying Zhao’s hand in the crisis, using his body to protect his lover.

Then the two of them, along with Heavenly Dao, were swept into the vortex.

Upon waking up again, Ying Zhao found that he had arrived in a brand new world.

At this moment, everything before him was pitch black, and the surrounding night wind was cold.

It seemed that he was at the foot of a desolate mountain on a night.

He lay on the ground, his whole body aching terribly.

Even though he couldn’t see himself, Ying Zhao knew just how miserable he looked right now.

Especially his hands; he could feel that his palms were all wounds, and it was painful.

However, at this moment, Ying Zhao could not care about the pain and blood on his hands.

He looked around, searching for the trace of his lover.

He frantically tried to sit up, completely ignoring his current predicament.

He was only worried about where Zhu Que was and whether he had been injured.

Ying Zhao remembered that Zhu Que had used his body to protect him at that time.

Logically speaking, they should have been pulled into this world together.

He couldn’t afford to use the system to repair his body.

Right now, all he could think about was the situation of his lover.

Just when Ying Zhao was in a state of panic, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his sea of consciousness.

It turned out that Xiao Bai had returned to his sea of consciousness at some point.

Seeing Ying Zhao like this, Xiao Bai anxiously asked him, “Host, host, what happened to you?”

Hearing Xiao Bai’s words, Ying Zhao finally realized that Xiao Bai had returned.

Just now, all his attention had been on searching for Zhu Que, and he hadn’t even noticed Xiao Bai’s return.

At this moment, he quickly asked Xiao Bai, “Xiao Bai! Can you find Zhu Que?”

“We were swept into this world by the space-time turbulence caused by that thing in the previous small world. After waking up, Zhu Que is not by my side!”

Seeing his host with red-rimmed eyes and in a state of anxiety, Xiao Bai immediately activated the system to start searching the surroundings.

Before entering the spiritual device, Xiao Bai had already locked onto Zhu Que’s soul wave frequency, so he could track the location of Zhu Que.

After a while, Xiao Bai, who had obtained the results, immediately reported to Ying Zhao, “Host, I’ve sensed the target; it’s definitely in this plane and not far from here.”

Knowing that Zhu Que had fallen into the same plane as himself, Ying Zhao finally calmed down a bit.

He worked hard to steady his chaotic breathing, collapsing exhaustedly onto the ground.

Seeing Ying Zhao in this state, Xiao Bai noticed his injuries were not light and immediately took the initiative to help Ying Zhao adjust his physical condition.

Thinking that no matter whether the host had given orders or not, he could not let his host continue to suffer like this.

However, Xiao Bai did not temporarily erase those external wounds.

After all, they still did not know what kind of situation they would encounter next; it was better to keep these surface wounds for now.

Once Ying Zhao’s body was actually fine and his mood had calmed down, Xiao Bai explained his recent situation, saying, “Host, I was called back to the real world by my master.”

“My master said he had some matters to deal with, so he would come to the small world to find you.”

“Originally, we were about to reach the plane in the last small world. Who knew that plane would suddenly suffer a distortion and eventually collapse?”

“My master had no choice but to temporarily withdraw from that plane. He is now working hard to track and find a way to reach this plane.”

“What? So the energy I sensed in the last plane was from you guys?”

Ying Zhao thought back to the last plane, remembering how the Pope had shown unwillingness and fear when the energy broke through the plane’s barrier.

It seemed that the other party also knew that the newcomer would be unfavorable to him.

However, he wondered why it was difficult to track this plane.

Although Ying Zhao did not voice this thought, Xiao Bai seemed to see through Ying Zhao’s mind and explained to him, “Host, the plane you are currently in is not the small world that originally existed in the spiritual device.”

“It should be a plane that thing created to evade tracking, and it even accompanied a certain degree of spatial distortion.”

“So my master is currently unable to come over immediately. Since he knows there is a system binding relationship between me and the host, he let me come over first.”

Ying Zhao nodded upon hearing this. “So, what exactly does Xiaorui want to do here?”

Hearing Xiao Bai’s words, Ying Zhao naturally knew that the master he referred to was Bai Rui.

He just didn’t know what situation had occurred here that required the other party to come personally.

However, Ying Zhao did not expect their enemy to be so formidable.

To be able to independently create a plane was something Ying Zhao had not anticipated.

Upon hearing Ying Zhao’s question, Xiao Bai shook his head, saying that the master would personally tell the host about these matters.

Due to the difference in the flow of time, he had no time to learn more in the real world.

Seeing this, Ying Zhao did not ask further.

After all, it was better to first understand what kind of world this was.

The enemy was lurking around him, so he had to figure out the situation around him first.

Confirming from Xiao Bai that Zhu Que was completely safe, Ying Zhao settled down.

He began to receive the original host’s memories and some related information about the small world from Xiao Bai.

However, after actually reviewing the information, Ying Zhao discovered that because this world was distorted and generated by the enemy, there was not much complete world plot.

The entire small world resembled a half-finished product, chaotic and unpredictable in its future direction.

Currently, Ying Zhao’s identity in this small world was called Ying Luoxuan.

The original host was an orphan without parents, who was picked up by a blind old man who practiced fortune-telling when he was still an infant.

Although the blind old man was old, he had read books for two years.

Later, he became blind and lost his way.

He was forced to take up the fortune-telling profession, trying to find a way to survive.

In the original host’s memory, the old man had no name, and the villagers only called him “the blind old man.”

As a result, he even gave the original host a scholarly name.

The old man, being lonely and without support, treated the original host as his grandson after picking him up.

Although the blind man knew a little about fortune-telling, he had no significant talents.

The two of them depended on each other, struggling to make a living through fortune-telling, often living in poverty.

However, the grandfather and grandson maintained a good mentality, accompanying each other, making even the poorest days feel warm.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. When the original host reached the age of twelve, the blind old man passed away that winter.

Leaving the original host, Ying Luoxuan, alone and helpless, fortunately with the dilapidated house left by his grandfather to shelter him.

Now, the original host had lost his source of income.

He had never attended school and had no skills, being very young.

He could only endure with his frail, young body, working for the village chief.

At such a young age, he gathered firewood, fetched water, fed chickens, and farmed just to earn a meal.

In this way, the original host finally endured to the age of eighteen, reaching adulthood.

Ying Luoxuan had been looking forward to this day because, according to the rules, he could receive a share of land.

However, the village chief only allocated him one acre of dry land, claiming he was an outsider picked up, which could not grow any crops.

As a result, the original host had no choice but to continue serving as the village chief’s cheap labor.

Working all year round, he earned little, yet remained extremely poor.

Usually, the villagers often bullied the original host, especially those half-grown boys.

They looked at the original host, who was all alone, frequently mocking and ridiculing him.

But the original host lived a frugal life, being weak in stature.

Each day, under heavy labor, he often went hungry and naturally was no match for those young men.

On ordinary days, he could only endure the bullying.

Originally thinking that if he endured such humiliation, he could barely survive.

Who would have thought that recently, some strange sounds frequently appeared at night in the village.

The wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves frightened the villagers, preventing them from going out at night.

Moreover, households frequently lost livestock and wealth.

Rumors began to spread in the village, claiming that a monster was causing trouble.

They needed to find someone to perform a ritual to capture that monster.

Especially behind the mountain in the village, there was an old house that had long been said to be haunted, and no one dared to step inside.

The villagers speculated that the monster came from that old house.

However, in such a remote little village, where would they find a master?

The village chief was extremely frugal and was unwilling to spend more money to hire someone from the county.

So someone came up with a foolish idea, suggesting that the blind fortune teller from before actually had some talent, but he passed away early.

In any case, the original person, Ying Luoxuan, had been raised by that blind fortune teller and must have learned some magical spells.

Thus, the villagers pressured the original person to help rid the village of the monster.

The blind man had originally been a half-hearted practitioner, just trying to make a living.

Especially since the original person was only twelve years old when he died, how could he truly understand the methods to subdue demons?

Yet the villagers were relentless, saying that if the original person was unwilling to do his part for the village, he shouldn’t stay there any longer.

Several strong men simply bound Ying Luoxuan tightly and threw him near the old house on the desolate mountain.

The original person was forcibly dragged to the back mountain, feeling terrified.

As he watched the sky darken, the villagers also returned home.

He just wanted to escape from this dark and desolate mountain.

Who would have thought that halfway through, due to not having had a full meal in days, he was weak from hunger and, unfortunately, lost his footing and rolled down the mountain.

When he reached the foot of the mountain, he hit his head on a tree and died instantly.

It was unexpected that the original person’s cause of death would be such a pitiful accident.

Although the original person was not directly killed by the villagers, they could not be completely absolved of responsibility.

If it weren’t for the village chief’s past deductions regarding the original person’s wages, which made it difficult for him to have even a full meal, how could he have been so weak?

As for the rumors of haunting in the village, they were completely unfounded.

This was entirely a scheme concocted by Wang Er, a relative of the village chief.

He secretly colluded with a group of miscreants in the village to create a supernatural spectacle, using it as a cover to steal from the villagers at night.

In fact, the village chief was aware of this matter but had accepted benefits from Wang Er.

Not only did he not report it, but he also deliberately covered it up.

It could be said that everything the original person experienced was truly a disaster without cause.

After reviewing the original person’s life, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

Ying Luoxuan was originally a simple child, spending his life in toil.

The happiest moments for him were those before he turned twelve, spending time with his grandfather.

Even after his death, his wishes were very simple.

He just hoped to live a good life.

But what was a good life? In the original person’s eyes, perhaps just being full was a good life.

Due to his grandfather, the original person believed in ghosts and gods, so he hoped that if his grandfather were to be reborn, he could be born into a good family.

“What a filial child,” Ying Zhao couldn’t help but murmur softly.

As for the matter of the original person’s grandfather being reincarnated, Ying Zhao indeed felt powerless.

However, as for living a good life, that posed no difficulty for him.

Having understood his current situation and identity in this small world, Ying Zhao immediately planned to find his beloved.

He just didn’t know if his beloved would have lost his memory in this world, just like in the past.

With this thought, Ying Zhao stood up.

His body had just been adjusted by Xiao Bai, and he had already recovered quite a bit, gaining some strength.

According to Xiao Bai’s instructions, his beloved was not far from his current location.

In fact, it was quite coincidentally in that old haunted house deep in the mountains.

Knowing the location, Ying Zhao quickened his pace.

He couldn’t help but wonder if his beloved had already known his current identity and was waiting for him in that house.

Although the sky was dark and there was no light around him, his senses were sharper than ordinary people, allowing him to see clearly in the night.

He easily found his way to the old house’s main door.

Though he sensed an eerie and strange aura around the house, Ying Zhao pushed the door open without a second thought.

After all, his beloved was inside, and he couldn’t wait to see him.

However, upon truly entering the courtyard, Ying Zhao realized just how desolate it was inside.

No wonder such a large house had not been occupied by anyone for so many years.

The vermilion door of the house had already faded, and under the cold wind, the wailing sound of the wind was particularly terrifying.

Yet, Ying Zhao showed no change in expression.

Ignoring the ghostly shadows cast by the swaying branches in the moonlight, he walked straight toward the room in the main courtyard.

Just as he was about to touch the door of that room, the door suddenly opened on its own.

A strong pulling force rushed toward Ying Zhao.

He was uncontrollably dragged inside by that power, then fell into a cold embrace.

Despite this, he felt no rejection or struggle.

Because the other person’s aura was so familiar; it was indeed his beloved who had accompanied him through countless worlds.

Ying Zhao looked up in surprise and saw a figure in red clothing, Zhu Que.

He didn’t expect that the other’s appearance at this moment was exactly the same as in the present world.

This left Ying Zhao momentarily stunned, thinking, could it be that his beloved had not become someone else in this small world?

Before he could ask, the person in front urgently leaned in to kiss him.

Zhu Que tightly embraced Ying Zhao, wanting nothing more than to keep his beloved securely in his arms. 

Upon arriving in this small world, he had felt frantic seeing Ying Zhao absent from his side.

Immediately, a flood of memories surged into his mind.

After spending some time accepting the memories and familiarizing himself with his surroundings, Zhu Que keenly sensed that someone was approaching.

Upon detecting a familiar aura, Zhu Que felt a surge of joy in his heart.

When he opened the door, it was indeed his precious one.

Eagerly, Zhu Que opened the door and pulled Ying Zhao inside.

At that moment, only when he truly held him in his embrace did he feel a sense of reassurance.

Even though, in the last world, he had always protected him during the turbulence of time and space, he was still afraid that his beloved might encounter any mishap.

After embracing and kissing for a long while, and suppressing the anxiety in his heart, the man finally came to his senses.

He hurriedly pressed his forehead against Ying Zhao’s to check his condition.

After a deep inspection of his soul revealed no issues, the man finally relaxed.

However, before he could rejoice, when Zhu Que saw Ying Zhao’s disheveled appearance and the bleeding wounds on his exposed skin, his pupils constricted sharply.

He breathed rapidly, his eyes filled with immense anger.

He growled at Ying Zhao, “Who was it? Who hurt you?”

Seeing the terrifying expression on the man’s face, Ying Zhao felt no doubt.

At that moment, if he casually mentioned a person’s name, Zhu Que would immediately rush out and tear that person to shreds.

But seeing his beloved so anxious, he quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry, these are just superficial wounds.”

“Xiao Bai has already adjusted my physical condition; these injuries are just to throw people off.”

Although he knew that his lover’s maintenance of his appearance was a form of protection for him in an unfamiliar environment, Zhu Que couldn’t bear to see him so battered and hurt.

With a casual snap of his fingers, the entire room was instantly illuminated.

The ancient, quaint old house seemed to come alive in an instant.

He bent down slightly and gently picked up his beloved, cradling him.

Zhu Que’s movements were tender as he placed Ying Zhao on the large bed in the room.

Then, he carefully healed all the wounds on Ying Zhao’s skin, little by little.

No matter what was happening outside, he would bear it all.

His beloved should be protected under his wings and should not suffer even the slightest harm.

Ying Zhao’s superficial wounds, which originally were not serious, were quickly healed by Zhu Que.

Watching the pained expression on Zhu Que’s face, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but smile gently.

No matter whether he was truly injured or not, the man always cared for him so deeply.

He had always taken care of him and protected him, just like for many years in the present world.

How could someone like him not make Ying Zhao’s heart flutter and cause him to fall for him?

Leaning down, he kissed the forehead of the man who was bending down to check his wounds.

Feeling the other’s body stiffen for a moment, he then raised his head, and their lips met again.

This kiss wasn’t as heated as he remembered; although their breaths were the same, the touch still felt cold.

This left Ying Zhao a bit puzzled.

Upon examining Zhu Que closely, Ying Zhao noticed that although his appearance had not changed, there was still a hint of an unusual aura about him.

Zhu Que seemed to notice Ying Zhao’s confusion, and after confirming that there were truly no other injuries on his beloved’s body, he revealed a faint smile and said, “Darling, if your old man says he’s a ghost in this lifetime, would you be afraid?”

Although he had a general idea, hearing Zhu Que say it out loud still surprised Ying Zhao, causing his eyes to widen.

Ying Zhao didn’t mind his lover’s form, but did this mean that in this world they were really going to have an unresolved love story between a human and a ghost?

With this thought, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle.

He replied to Zhu Que, “Well, that sounds good! I’ve never dated a ghost before!”

“And besides, if I die later, I wouldn’t be afraid. We’d just be a pair of ghost husbands, together forever!”

Seeing Ying Zhao’s bright smile, Zhu Que helplessly tapped his nose and also smiled back.