ISWTDB Ch176

Chapter 176: Ghost King Husband (5, 6)

Zhu Que slightly lowered his head, rubbing his chin against the top of Ying Zhao’s head.

Casually, he said, “Baby, are they annoying you? I’ll go shoo them all away right now!”

Unexpectedly, Ying Zhao shook his head and said to him, “No need for that.”

“This world is built by that thing, so it’s hard for me to sense its presence.”

“But since we’ve been drawn into this place, we shouldn’t be too far from it.”

“Maybe it’s hiding among the villagers, so we should engage with them a little.”

“However, with this old mansion suddenly having a wealthy and handsome heir appear, I wonder what the villagers will think.”

Hearing Ying Zhao’s words, Zhu Que ruffled his soft hair.

He naturally understood what his beloved was thinking.

But since Little Zhao enjoyed playing, Zhu Que was happy to accompany him.

With a sigh, he snapped his fingers, and his red robe instantly transformed into modern attire.

A black shirt paired with short, neatly styled hair, and with his already striking and sharp features, he exuded an impressive aura that would make anyone do a double take. It was clear to anyone with eyes that this man was no ordinary person.

Having changed, Zhu Que turned to see Ying Zhao’s starry-eyed expression and couldn’t help but chuckle.

He reached out and gently flicked his forehead, laughing softly, “Satisfied?”

Ying Zhao immediately nodded enthusiastically, saying joyfully, “Satisfied! Satisfied! Old Gong, you look so handsome!”

Hearing Ying Zhao’s words, Zhu Que was clearly pleased as well.

The two of them stayed in the old mansion without moving, quietly waiting for the villagers to come to them.

The back of the mountain faced away from the sun and was always gloomy.

Even in the afternoon, cold winds still blew through, making people shiver.

The dappled shadows of the trees added to the eerie atmosphere.

Especially the old mansion, which was infamous for its terrifying and strange legends.

It was said that a wealthy family from Wangjia Village once lived there, but one night, they were suddenly attacked by bandits.

All sixteen members of the family were brutally killed, with no survivors.

Over time, the mansion became known as a haunted house.

Many families had tried to live there afterward, but were all disturbed by ghostly happenings at night.

In the end, there was no choice but to abandon this well-known mansion.

So at this moment, even though the village chief led a group of villagers, none dared to easily step into the old mansion.

However, last night, a monster had caused chaos, leaving the entire village in fear and unease.

The village chief steeled his nerves and called upon two strong villagers, planning to have them break down the door.

But before they could touch the faded door, it opened from the inside.

Standing before them was Ying Zhao, whom they had thought met a grim fate.

He was wearing new clothes, looking nothing like his former disheveled self, and was smiling warmly at them.

As the saying goes, “clothes make the man,” and the once gaunt and frail young man now looked refreshed, his complexion glowing, his features handsome—he truly resembled the young master of a wealthy family.

This left everyone stunned.

They couldn’t understand how Ying Luoxuan had changed so much overnight.

Then, a timid village woman suddenly screamed, “A ghost!”

“It must be a ghost! How could he possibly look like this?”

After the woman’s outburst, many of the villagers became frightened as they looked at Ying Zhao.

After all, no one could change so drastically in just one night.

The previously impoverished, sickly youth now looked like a celestial being.

Rather than believing he was human, many were more inclined to think that the finely dressed figure standing in the dilapidated mansion was a vengeful spirit, deliberately disguising itself to lure them in.

Just as the villagers were about to scatter in fear, Ying Zhao suddenly chuckled.

He spread his hands toward them, smiling as he said, “You’re saying I’m a ghost?”

Ying Zhao stepped forward, raising his eyebrows as he faced the crowd. Then, he swept his gaze over the strong men who had dragged the original owner up the mountain the day before.

Smiling, he said, “Of course I’m human. But I really should thank you for yesterday. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had such good luck.”

As soon as Ying Zhao finished speaking, the gates of the courtyard swung wide open, revealing the mansion’s interior to everyone.

At that moment, they all realized that, despite the mansion’s worn and crumbling exterior, the courtyard had been completely renovated.

“Who gave you permission to barge in here? This is private property.”

A clear voice rang out, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Looking closely, they saw a finely dressed, handsome man stepping out of the main hall.

He walked straight to Ying Zhao’s side, speaking coldly to the villagers, “This is private property. No visitors allowed. Please leave immediately.”

Everyone was dumbfounded by Zhu Que’s sudden words, and the village chief, seeing the man’s imposing demeanor, dared not underestimate him.

After all, while the village chief only held a small position, he had seen a bit of the world in his younger days.

Even the wealthy families and officials in the city didn’t have the kind of aura that the man before them had.

Knowing that the person in front of him was certainly no ordinary man, the village chief immediately adopted a respectful attitude.

He politely asked Zhu Que, “Sir, I’m the village chief here.”

“I’m not sure what’s going on with you and this old mansion, and you are…”

Hearing this, Zhu Que frowned slightly and responded coldly, “I am Lu Ye. This mansion has always been my ancestral home.”

“For many years, the Lu family has had too many properties to manage, so this one was left abandoned.”

“But my health hasn’t been great, so I came to the countryside to recuperate and remembered this old mansion.”

The village chief couldn’t help but feel suspicious after hearing Zhu Que’s explanation.

After all, the mansion was ancient, and the ghost stories were well-known. Could it be that the rumors were false all along?

Moreover, the man then produced the deed to the mansion.

This left the villagers with no choice but to swallow their doubts.

And given that the man’s complexion was indeed unusually pale, it was easy to believe his story about coming to the countryside to rest.

After explaining to the villagers, Zhu Que had no intention of engaging with them further. He took Ying Zhao’s hand and turned to close the courtyard gate.

However, the village chief wasn’t about to let them close the gate so easily.

After all, last night’s events had terrified him.

Wang Er had already been scared out of his mind, and it was quite possible he would be next.

So, the village chief quickly stepped forward, blocking the gate.

He shouted at Ying Zhao, “Wait! Luoxuan, didn’t anything happen to you last night?”

“Do you know what happened in the village?”

Ying Zhao raised an eyebrow in confusion, clearly unaware of what the village chief was talking about.

Indeed, he didn’t know.

But hearing the village chief’s words and seeing the large group of villagers gathered outside, it was clear that something significant had happened in the village.

The village chief then quickly explained to Ying Zhao the strange events that had occurred the previous night.

He mentioned how many people had seen ghosts, been trapped in their homes, and that Wang Er had gone mad from fright.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zhao instinctively turned to look at the man standing silently beside him.

Although Zhu Que’s face betrayed no emotion, Ying Zhao instantly knew who was responsible for these events.

It seemed that after he had fallen asleep last night, his lover had gone out of his way to avenge him.

Thinking of this, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but lower his head, smiling secretly to himself, feeling a surge of joy.

So, Ying Zhao confidently told the village chief that he hadn’t encountered anything strange.

In fact, he explained that because he had been trapped on the back mountain last night with no one around and nowhere to go, he had found the mansion.

Fortunately, the owner of the mansion had taken him in, and they had gotten along so well that they had become friends.

Hearing this and seeing Zhu Que’s cold gaze, the village chief couldn’t ask any more questions.

Even though he had no fear of Ying Zhao, he couldn’t afford to offend the owner of the mansion.

So, the villagers left the back mountain and returned to their village.

Since many of the unaffected villagers were unwilling to pay a high price for a ritual, the burden fell on those who had seen the ghosts.

The village chief gathered the money and hurried to town to hire a renowned exorcist.

After the terrifying experience of the previous night, he had no desire to go through it again.

The exorcist performed a modest ritual for the village and then left.

Though the villagers remained anxious, there were no more strange incidents that night.

It seemed as though the ritual had worked, and peace returned to the village, as if nothing had ever happened.

And with Wang Er now insane, the petty thefts and misdeeds he had led were without a ringleader.

The other troublemakers, too, were frightened into submission and quieted down for the time being.

Meanwhile, Ying Zhao and Zhu Que lived comfortably in the old mansion, enjoying a sweet and peaceful life together, though simple, it was deeply satisfying.

There was no mission in this world.

With no enemies in sight, they had no choice but to wait patiently.

Ying Zhao thought about how Zhu Que had scared the villagers who had bullied the mansion’s original owner.

Wang Er had lost his mind, and most people had been punished accordingly.

Only the village chief, who had been the most malicious toward the original owner, remained unaffected.

So, Ying Zhao decided to make use of his lover’s special identity in this world.

He had Zhu Que send little ghosts to the village chief’s dreams, tormenting him with nightmares every few nights, so he couldn’t find peace due to his guilty conscience.

After torturing the village chief and his wife for some time, leaving them thin and haggard, Ying Zhao finally had Zhu Que stop.

Though Ying Zhao had moved into the mansion for good, he didn’t completely become a recluse.

He often returned to the village.

Since he had inherited the original owner’s wishes, it was only right to fulfill them and live a better life.

Ying Zhao, following the original owner’s preferences, bought a considerable amount of farmland in the village.

He also organized some of the things the original owner’s grandfather had left behind.

He even built a new tomb for his blind grandfather.

Though Ying Zhao had no power over matters of reincarnation, he thought that the original owner would have wanted him to do this.

Although Zhu Que was a ghost, as a ghost immortal, it was not difficult for him to acquire silver and money from people.

Ying Zhao had no qualms about relying on Zhu Que’s resources, as he believed in making good use of the support he had.

After all, Ying Zhao’s body was still human, and there were many things that were difficult for him to do.

So he left the farming to his lover.

Zhu Que, in turn, instructed the little ghosts to help them farm at night.

Naturally, they would also offer the little ghosts some magical power as compensation.

To the outside, however, they merely claimed that someone from the Lu family had sent people to help them tend to the fields.

The once mistreated orphan suddenly became wealthy and powerful, causing envy to bubble up in many hearts.

After the village returned to its calm state, some people forgot their previous fear once their wounds healed.

The village chief, though plagued by nightmares for a time, eventually returned to his old ways. The thought of that boy, who had toiled as cheap labor for years in his home, suddenly gaining such fortune, filled him with jealousy and envy.

He was convinced that the wealth had come from that wealthy young master in the old mansion. He thought to himself, *Who would have imagined that binding that boy to the mountain would lead to such an opportunity for him?*

After seeing Zhu Que that day, the village chief immediately inquired about his background in the city. Upon verifying the deed to the house, he learned that the Lu family name was indeed real. The one coming to the village for recovery was none other than the son of a prominent figure from the capital.

He felt fortunate that he had at least some sense that day and hadn’t offended this powerful person.

Of course, the seamless nature of Zhu Que’s information was all thanks to the system, Xiao Bai. Xiao Bai had hacked the network that very day and rebuilt Zhu Que’s identity records. No matter how much anyone in the village investigated, they wouldn’t find any loopholes.

The village chief, however, believed that since Ying Luoxuan was just a friend of Lu Ye, the latter was willing to help him so much. If he could establish some sort of connection with the Lu family, wouldn’t he be able to get whatever he wanted?

Thus, he set his sights on his younger daughter, Wang Lian.

Wang Lian was known as one of the most beautiful women in the surrounding villages, and the village chief had great confidence in her.

Surprisingly, Wang Lian didn’t object to her father’s plan. Following his instructions, she went to the old mansion twice to deliver gifts. 

However, Ying Zhao, seeing her half-hearted efforts, quickly realized that she had no designs on his man, Zhu Que. Thus, he had no intention of making things difficult for the young lady.

With Wang Lian as an example, more families began visiting the old mansion, hoping to introduce their daughters to Zhu Que.

Annoyed, Zhu Que decided that every time a woman set her sights on him, the household would experience some degree of misfortune.

Additionally, Zhu Que’s face remained cold toward everyone except Ying Zhao. Over time, rumors began to spread that the rich young master recovering in the old mansion was actually cursed by the heavens, bringing misfortune to anyone who got involved with him.

Gradually, no young women dared to visit the mansion anymore.

When Ying Zhao and Zhu Que heard these rumors, they made no effort to stop them. Instead, they enjoyed the peace and quiet.

What they didn’t expect, however, was that these peaceful days would last for two years.

In other small worlds, they always had to fulfill the original owner’s wishes and face various tricky situations. But in this world, the carefree and leisurely life was so comfortable that it made them almost forget themselves.

Unfortunately, their enemy was lurking in the shadows, so Ying Zhao couldn’t fully relax.

He had learned from Xiao Bai that this small world was somewhat similar to the one Xiao Bai and Heavenly Dao had been drawn into before. There was a concern that even death wouldn’t allow them to leave this world.

If they couldn’t find a solution, they might truly be trapped in this plane forever.

However, Ying Zhao didn’t believe the opponent had no intention of letting them go. After all, when Bai Rui was about to reach the previous plane, the opponent had clearly shown fear.

They had been swept into this world by accident, and it seemed the only way to leave was if their opponent personally intervened. 

Now, with Zhu Que, Heavenly Dao, Xiao Bai, and himself all present in this world, the opponent wouldn’t dare expose themselves easily since they couldn’t compete with their combined strength.

After another half a year of peace, a young doctor suddenly moved into the small village.

It was said that he came from a family of traditional medicine practitioners and was sent to this rural area to gather herbs and gain experience.

Naturally, when someone new moves in, they need a place to stay. A person like him was highly sought after, and many families wanted to offer him shelter.

However, the young doctor had his eyes set on the rundown house that originally belonged to Ying Zhao’s grandfather.

Moreover, he was adamant, insisting that the secluded location near the foot of the mountain was ideal for studying herbal medicine.

The village chief, knowing that Ying Zhao had Zhu Que backing him, couldn’t make the decision on his own. He had to personally visit the old mansion to discuss the matter with Ying Zhao.

Ying Zhao found it strange that someone would want to rent such a dilapidated house, especially since he had never actually lived there. It was rundown, barely offering any shelter from the elements, and was in a state of disrepair.

Curious as to why someone would choose such a place, he and Zhu Que accompanied the village chief to the old house in the village.

Upon meeting the visitor, Ying Zhao was momentarily stunned. He quickly lowered his gaze to hide the joy in his eyes.

The person standing before him was none other than Bai Rui, the one he had been searching for in this world.

The young man bore a seventy percent resemblance to Bai Rui, which was already quite striking. Several girls from the village, blushing, peeked at him from behind doors.

Unlike Zhu Que’s cold demeanor, Bai Rui’s gentle appearance was highly alluring. Only his closest friends knew that beneath that mild exterior, he had a darker, more calculating nature.

What Ying Zhao didn’t know was whose identity Bai Rui had taken on in this small world.

Recognizing Bai Rui’s familiar soul, Ying Zhao was certain he hadn’t made a mistake.

When Bai Rui saw Ying Zhao and Zhu Que, he smiled and politely nodded at them. He then turned to the village chief and said, “As for the house, let’s discuss that between ourselves.”

These words made the village chief, who had planned to introduce the group and ask for some extra favors, hesitate.

However, seeing how both sides were firm in their attitudes, he didn’t think it would be appropriate to linger there.

He had no choice but to leave the space to the remaining three young men.

After the village chief left, Ying Zhao immediately turned around and shut the door.

Now that no outsiders were present, Ying Zhao finally revealed a broad smile.

Bai Rui also clearly appeared very happy.

He smiled warmly at Ying Zhao before turning to Zhu Que, who was standing nearby.

To Bai Rui, Zhu Que was more than just a friend.

Zhu Que had once split off a piece of his divine soul and turned it into the system “Lao Hei” to help him traverse countless worlds within the spiritual artifact.

If it weren’t for Zhu Que, he might have already been completely erased or lost his sense of self entirely.

So Zhu Que held a place in Bai Rui’s heart like family.

And Zhu Que had long since considered Bai Rui his own little brother.

When Zhu Que saw Bai Rui had arrived, he raised the corner of his lips.

With a light snort, he said to him, “You little rascal, you only just made it to this plane after all this time!”

“It hasn’t even been that long, yet your skills have regressed this much. Did Ju Mang turn you into a slacker or what?”

Already used to Zhu Que’s sharp tongue, Bai Rui ignored his teasing.

Seeing Zhu Que alive and well once again, Bai Rui was clearly struggling to contain his excitement.

After all, when he first learned that Zhu Que had gone through the Five Decays of Heaven and Man and torn apart his divine soul for Ying Zhao’s sake, it wasn’t just Ying Zhao who felt heartbroken. Both Bai Rui and Ju Mang were also shocked and pained.

Luckily, the spiritual artifact that Ju Mang had refined earlier had barely managed to preserve fragments of Zhu Que’s divine soul.

Now, seeing Zhu Que whole and intact once again, Bai Rui couldn’t help but have slightly reddened eyes.

“Hey! I’m not dead yet!” Zhu Que said, twitching his lips as he saw Bai Rui looking like he was about to cry tears of joy.

Having been used to Bai Rui causing trouble for him without warning, Zhu Que was a bit at a loss when confronted with this sudden display of emotion.

Ying Zhao, too, felt grateful for the advice Bai Rui had given him before he entered the spiritual artifact.

Seeing Bai Rui awkwardly dealing with the situation, Ying Zhao didn’t know how to comfort him either. His flustered manner struck Ying Zhao as amusing.

Quickly, he helped console Bai Rui. But it didn’t take long for Bai Rui’s emotions to settle down.

The three of them shared updates on their recent lives.

Ying Zhao then learned that Bai Rui had expended great effort to catch up to them here.

As for Ju Mang, since he needed to control everything from outside the spiritual artifact, he hadn’t entered the small world.

Finally reunited with Bai Rui, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but voice the question that had been on his mind for so long.

“Xiao Rui, I’ve always wanted to know—what exactly is that thing? Why don’t you want us to destroy it directly?”

This was the reason Ying Zhao hadn’t completely obliterated the plane and had instead stayed here.

When he first arrived in this world, Ying Zhao thought about destroying the plane to force the enemy into the open when he couldn’t capture them.

He figured if the plane was destroyed, the entity would have nowhere to hide.

But just as this thought crossed his mind, Xiao Bai in his consciousness stopped him.

Xiao Bai had said that Bai Rui didn’t want him to act that way, though Xiao Bai wasn’t sure of the specific reason either.

Thus, for the past two years, Ying Zhao had been quietly waiting in this small world.

Fortunately, with his lover by his side, he didn’t feel bored.

However, upon hearing Ying Zhao’s question, Bai Rui’s expression dimmed.

He pursed his lips, as if unsure where to begin.

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Author’s Note:
For more details on Bai Rui’s story, refer to the first book [The Villain’s Host Is Too Fierce (Quick Transmigration)].