Chapter 10

    "You don’t know? How can you not know?"

    Mingzhe could swear that in all his existence, he had never heard anything as absurd as this.

    Guo Yuexiang had become a vengeful spirit. Even if he didn’t know who had killed him, he should at least know how he died.

    "What exactly happened? To you and to Zhongwang?"

    ‘I’m sorry.’

    ‘I truly don’t know.’

    Mingzhe raised a hand to massage his temples, frustration creeping in. He muttered softly, as if whispering to himself, "In that case, who exactly are you holding a grudge against?"

    When there was no response, Mingzhe realized this must be the limit of Guo Yuexiang’s current strength. Though the prince’s powers had grown stronger, his abilities were still confined to brief exchanges of conversation.

    The return journey took significantly longer than the trip to the royal palace. By the time Mingzhe reached Shin Wang’s palace, it was already the hour of Si[1].Outside Shin Wang’s city, the sun shone brightly. For the first time, Mingzhe found himself appreciating the warmth of sunlight. However, as he turned to face the gates of the Wang’s palace, a sense of melancholy crept over him.

    The former Snow Deity stepped into Shin Wang’s palace. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, it felt as though the world beneath him shifted, spinning into a circle. With just a single step, the vibrant human world transformed into a realm of the dead.

    Mingzhe looked up at the sky, feeling the familiar chill and dampness in the air. He couldn’t help but feel exasperated.

    And because of this, it was confirmed that this palace was the source of the anomaly.

    He quickly made his way back to the consort’s courtyard, predicting that rain would fall soon.

    This was the first day since the collapse of the northern inner courtyard. One of the lanterns had gone missing, and the person most distressed by this seemed to be the Emperor. Before Mingzhe had been dismissed earlier, the Emperor hadn’t mentioned Shin Wang’s name, but he had repeatedly asked about the missing lantern from the northern inner courtyard.

    When Mingzhe arrived at his quarters, it was just in time for breakfast. The consort’s courtyard was like a sacred haven—no malevolent entities dared intrude or act aggressively here. Moreover, Xinxin was always present to maintain order, so Mingzhe felt comfortable leaving the place unattended while he roamed Shin Wang’s palace.

    As he ate, the rain began to fall again. Mingzhe glanced out the window. Rain within Shin Wang’s palace always seemed to bring misfortune. After ensuring there was nothing strange lurking outside, he returned to his meal, eating in peace.

    ‘Zhe’er, eat your meal and then get some rest.’

    Mingzhe let out a dry chuckle. The voice in his head told him to rest, but it was obvious that someone was impatiently itching to drag him into a dream.

    "If you’re so capable, why don’t you show yourself in front of me? You’re not even as capable as the ghosts outside."

    Guo Yuexiang: ‘....’

    Why was this person so infuriating?!!

    One person enjoyed his meal leisurely, while the other could only grumble silently, unable to do anything more.

    Despite being dead, Guo Yuexiang knew full well that the Mingzhe he now interacted with was not Princess Lianghuang. Yet, he didn’t mind. After experiencing death, distinctions of gender seemed trivial. Whether male or female, if the person was genuine and straightforward like Mingzhe, Guo Yuexiang was more than content to be married to him.

    Mingzhe had a rather peculiar personality. Though a true man, he had a leisurely demeanor—not lazy, but decidedly avoiding anything overly complicated. He would sleep during the hour of Chou[2] and wake during the hour of Si. Often, he would combine breakfast and lunch into a single meal. Yet, when the situation called for seriousness, he became an incredibly dependable person.

    Of course, seeing someone conjure snow and ice so casually would make most people uneasy. However, the capable Shin Wang had chosen to conveniently ignore this peculiarity…

    Guo Yuexiang’s heart was far from icy. Especially toward someone as extraordinary as Mingzhe, he couldn’t help but feel impressed. Yet, his nominal wife often caused him headaches. Mingzhe’s calm demeanor masked a mischievous streak, but even so, Guo Yuexiang found it endearing.

    After finishing his meal, Mingzhe sat by the window watching the rain, waiting for his food to digest. Before long, he began to doze off. Xinxin fetched a blanket and carefully covered him, then stood guard over the quarters with diligent vigilance.

    Though Mingzhe’s body rested in the waking world, his eyes opened again in the dream world.

    Mingzhe was already accustomed to this…

    So familiar, in fact, that he could find his way to where Guo Yuexiang was bound without even looking. He always gravitated toward the same spot—a solitary table illuminated faintly by candlelight.

    "Let’s talk. I want to know how you ended up like this."

    Mingzhe propped his chin on his hand, locking eyes with Guo Yuexiang, who remained restrained. Today, however, something had changed.

    The left hand of Guo Yuexiang now appeared normal. The restraints that had once tethered it were gone. As he moved the hand experimentally, his awkwardness was evident before he finally set it down.

    "It’s not that I want to evade or hide anything from you. I simply don’t know."

    "You should at least tell me what led to this. I’ll decide for myself."

    "I regained my awareness not long ago, about fourteen days before your marriage to me."

    Guo Yuexiang explained that he usually resided at the border and seldom returned to the royal palace. However, several months ago, he had received an urgent summons to return for the Empress’s birthday celebration.

    After accepting the imperial decree, Guo Yuexiang rode swiftly back to the capital. He stayed in his own palace for one night before being summoned by his mother. So, he spent the following night in her quarters, intending to attend the Empress’s banquet directly the next day.

    But things didn’t go as expected…

    When Guo Yuexiang regained consciousness, he found himself in his current state—his memories blank, unaware of how he died or what had happened. All he knew was the emptiness of his dismembered body, cruelly divided and desecrated.

    Even the sudden marriage ceremony had occurred without his knowledge. Nor did he recognize the place where he was now imprisoned, though he could sense it lay within the boundaries of his own palace.

    "The wedding was arranged in haste. I truly had no knowledge of it. A battle-hardened Shin Wang like me, always on the frontlines, who would want to marry a princess to someone like that? Besides, when I first regained consciousness, I was so weak that I could only manifest as small fragments."

    From there, events unfolded as Mingzhe knew them. Princess Lianghuang, terrified by the prospect of a deathly marriage, swapped places with one of her servants. The unlucky servant, deathly afraid of ghosts, saw Guo Yuexiang’s manifestation and died of fright. Mingzhe, who should have gone into an eternal slumber, instead found himself occupying the body of the unfortunate servant who had died in fear.

    "You were indeed very weak." Mingzhe nodded in agreement.

    Guo Yuexiang: "...."

    This wife of mine...!?

    "But I don’t mind. Well, at the very least, you should be able to sense where your body is, right?"

    "I couldn’t before—it felt like some force was blocking me. But now that my left hand’s seal has been broken by you, that power is weakening."

    "If I’m not mistaken, your body parts are hidden in the other three inner courtyards, correct?"

    "The eastern inner courtyard contains my right arm. The southern inner courtyard holds my left leg. And the western inner courtyard houses my right leg."

    Mingzhe thought for a moment. Even if they retrieved these four parts, three were still three missing: the head, the torso, and the heart.

    "What about the others?"

    "I’m sorry, but I can’t sense them yet."

    "No need to apologize. However... I couldn’t enter your study. As for your sleeping quarters, I’ve already searched there once and found nothing."

    "There’s no need to rush, Zhe’er. I will always assist you."

    Mingzhe sighed, absentmindedly tracing his finger along the table.

    "You better help me. It’s your body, after all. Or do you plan to sit idly and make me do all the work? Fine, I won’t say more. Recovering your body isn’t the real issue. But what’s with all these ghosts in the Wang’s palace?"

    Guo Yuexiang fell silent for a moment, his handsome face clouded with sorrow.

    "The woman you encountered in the northern inner courtyard was one of my shadow guards. I never imagined she would end up like that. Perhaps, on that day, I wasn’t the only one to meet a grim fate. If things were this terrible, it’s possible all four of my shadow guards..."

    "They must have been very important to you, considering they had the power to suppress your abilities."

    "They were extremely important."

    Mingzhe hummed in acknowledgment and rose from his chair.

    "Send me back. I’ll do my best to help recover your body. Remember this—I am the former Snow Deity. My life has always been devoted to comfort and ease. The only reason I’m helping you is to secure a better future for myself. Don’t forget this favor."

    Mingzhe demanded repayment without a shred of shame. As he finished speaking, he heard a chuckle from someone nearby.

    "From now on, my entire life is yours."

    Mingzhe grumbled under his breath, "Who would even want your life?"

    "In the future, I will hold the highest authority in the land. My life will be yours, and by extension, your status will surpass even mine. Isn’t that the definition of comfort and ease?"

    Mingzhe narrowed his eyes at Guo Yuexiang before turning and walking in the opposite direction.

    "We’ll see."

    The former Snow Deity woke from the dream, groggily rising from where he had dozed off by the window. His body ached slightly, and every movement elicited a pop from his joints due to his awkward sleeping position.

    Mingzhe stood up, gathered the blanket that Xinxin had draped over him, intending to move to his bed for a proper rest.

    From his vantage point at the window, Mingzhe could see the area in front of the consort’s courtyard. Though only a short time seemed to have passed in the dream, several hours had gone by in reality.

    Outside, the rain continued to pour, carrying with it intermittent gusts of chilly wind.

    Mingzhe noticed something familiar—a woman holding a vibrant red umbrella. She was at the door, knocking persistently while repeating the same line as before.

    Knock, knock.

    He ignored her, silently watching from the window. Normally, he didn’t see her up close, but this time, she was near enough for him to clearly observe her clothing and the intricate patterns on her vivid red umbrella. She kept knocking persistently.

    Knock, knock.

    The same words echoed again. Despite Mingzhe standing right there, she didn’t seem to notice him. At first, he thought she might not have seen him. But then, a gust of wind blew, causing her umbrella to tilt slightly.

    When the umbrella moved, it didn’t conceal her face anymore. However, the sight made his skin crawl. The right side of her face was almost entirely gone, leaving only her left eye and pale lips. The other side was a grotesque mass of mangled flesh, the raw tissue and bits of muscle visibly exposed.

    Maintaining a calm demeanor, Mingzhe reached out and gently closed the window shutters…

    Let’s just go back to sleep. Once I’m asleep, she’ll stop knocking.

    Guo Yuexiang, observing quietly from the shadows: "...."

[1] The hour of Si corresponds to the time period between 9:00 AM and 10:59 AM.

[2] The hour of Chou corresponds to the time period between 1:00 AM and 2:59 AM.