Chapter 4

    Since the ghostly woman didn’t show herself, Mingzhe felt no inclination to seek her out first…

    Dismissing his ice umbrella, he tilted his head back to glance at the overcast sky. Though still covered in clouds, it was no longer raining.

    He blinked a few times, realizing he would need to brace himself for more strange occurrences. It was best to start acclimating now.

    As time passed, he began to question whether Shin Wang’s palace still existed within the human world. Or had he misunderstood? Perhaps, the place he was in right now was a ghost town.

    No, it couldn’t be a ghost town.

    The people he met the day before—though filled with sorrow and fear—were undeniably human. They had flesh, blood, and vitality. They were neither spirits nor corpses.

    Now that the rain had stopped, exploring the remaining three inner courtyards wouldn’t be difficult.

    Mingzhe began walking to each courtyard in turn, inspecting the lanterns. All of them burned brightly. The interiors of the courtyards were identical in design. What varied was the surrounding environment and the statues inside.

    Each statue in the inner courtyards shared the same appearance and attire but differed in their poses. Behind each statue hung a painting depicting dismembered limbs matching the positions where the glass lanterns rested. Mingzhe carefully examined the paintings but found nothing unusual about them, and there were no hidden passages inside each courtyard.

    Most importantly, even the ceilings were safe…

    While the exteriors of the courtyards varied, none were as memorable as the northern inner courtyard, with its two ponds. The other courtyards had none.

    The southern inner courtyard was adorned with a field of Si Xuan flowers. The eastern courtyard featured a large, picturesque artificial lake, while the western courtyard was surrounded by a bamboo grove with wind chimes.

    By the time he finished inspecting all four inner courtyards, a significant amount of time had passed. His hunger finally caught up with him, and he decided to return to his chambers for lunch, bringing the now weary ghostly left hand along.

    When Mingzhe arrived at the bridal chamber, he noticed something he hadn’t before: this so-called bridal chamber was, in fact, the consort’s courtyard. The pathways had been swept clean, leaving only the flowers that had yet to be uprooted.

    1.                      Northern Inner Courtyard

    2.                      Eastern Inner Courtyard

    3.                      Western Inner Courtyard

    4.                      Consort's Courtyard

    5.                      Southern Inner Courtyard

    6.                      Shin Wang’s Courtyard

    7.                      Study

    The doors and walls had been repaired, and the bridal chamber itself was now much cleaner.

    Xinxin came out to greet him. The snow hare steward had everything prepared perfectly, as always.

    Mingzhe enjoyed his lunch with satisfaction, savoring the flavors that reminded him of the past. Even though he was a deity, he still loved eating, a habit he never abandoned. Xinxin was always the one to prepare delicious meals for him to try.

    After finishing his meal, Mingzhe felt reinvigorated. He rummaged around for paper and a brush, then pulled two or three books from the bridal dowry chest. Over the next two hours, he immersed himself in studying ancient Chinese script and drew a detailed map of the four inner courtyards he had explored earlier that day.

    As he meticulously recorded the details onto the paper, he realized that the Wang’s palace was far more expansive than it appeared from the outside.

    Closing his eyes, Mingzhe tried to recall memories from the original owner of his body. Digging through what scraps of memory remained, he hoped to uncover something useful.

    From the recollections of Mingzhe, the servant, he knew only a little about Zhongwang, a powerful region. However, it was clear that the Heavenly Son of Zhongwang deeply loved this particular son. From a young age, this child had been raised with care and attention, held in the palm of the Emperor's hand. Among the Emperor’s many sons and daughters, the one most favored and cherished was always Guo Yuexiang.

    Guo Yuexiang’s mother was the most influential woman in the inner palace. She had been endlessly adored by the Emperor, creating the rare image of a happy family.

    A happy family?

    Mingzhe couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly to himself. What kind of happy family that wife would permit the husband to have a multitude of concubines, along with countless children? Regardless of duty or obligation, in his view, it was hard to believe that such a life could be truly happy.

    It all seemed far too fabricated.

    There were still many pieces of the story that didn’t fit together, and Mingzhe wasn’t in a rush to force anything. While he had clear goals, he had no intention of exhausting himself unnecessarily.

    He asked Xinxin to search for the actual map of the Wang’s palace. Xinxin spent a long time rummaging through and searching the palace. The rabbit worked diligently. After scurrying around for some time, Xinxin finally discovered the library. There, the real map fell into his hands.

    Seeing the vast area, he couldn’t help but sigh.

    The Wang’s palace was enormous, and he couldn’t help but thought that it rivaled even the imperial palace in scale. Just thinking about how to fully explore it left him at a loss. Comparing the official map to the one he had drawn from his observations, he marked additional key areas, such as the forbidden study and Shin Wang’s courtyard. He also added symbols to denote the unique features of each inner courtyard, which were absent from the official map—these must have been added later.

    Having completed his preliminary exploration of the four inner courtyards, Mingzhe felt satisfied with today’s progress. Tomorrow, he decided, he would visit Shin Wang’s courtyard and the study. Perhaps he could discover a method to weaken the malevolent spirits haunting this palace.

    After finalizing his plans, Mingzhe stretched, loosening his muscles. Having combined breakfast and lunch into one meal, he now felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him.

    Meanwhile, Xinxin continued its tireless work. Even the ugly wooden effigy was carefully arranged in the corner of the room with meticulous attention. With Xinxin’s presence, Mingzhe felt even more at ease.

    “Xinxin, I’m going to rest for a bit. Don’t overwork yourself—you don’t have to rush. We have plenty of time.”

    At the very least, Mingzhe had no plans to leave this place within the next year or two.

    Still yawning, he gave Xinxin a few more instructions before deciding to take a midday nap.

    The bed he had used the previous night had been cleaned and neatly remade, looking far more inviting now. He didn’t know how Xinxin managed it, but the bed felt much softer than before.

    Mingzhe lay down, completely oblivious to the fact that the ghostly left hand had crept onto the bed with him. Ever since it realized that it couldn’t harm him, the hand had become his constant shadow, following him wherever he went. Wherever Mingzhe was, the ghost hand was sure to be close by.

    Mingzhe didn’t particularly mind, as long as the hand didn’t cause any trouble. He wasn’t bothered by its presence—after all, he hadn’t forgotten that he was currently living whose house. For the sake of future peace, and Mingzhe himself hated the hardship the most, he planned to assist the unjustly killed Shin Wang in exchange for his help in the future.

    Although they hadn’t officially discussed or agreed upon anything, Mingzhe was confident that this Shin Wang would see reason.

    Someone who died with enough hatred and malice to become a vengeful spirit would surely seize the chance to exact revenge if it were offered.

    Most importantly, there was something Guo Yuexiang could never have anticipated: Mingzhe had the power to bring him back to life—even in his current state, with his body dismembered and scattered.

    Though it was only the afternoon, the gloomy, sunless atmosphere made napping a rather pleasant idea. Mingzhe fell into a deep and comfortable sleep, cocooned under the blankets.

    Unfortunately, sweet dreams eluded him…

    In his dream, Mingzhe opened his eyes to find himself in a dark place.

    The musty stench told him he was in a basement of some kind.

    The air reeked of blood, so thick and nauseating that it made his stomach churn. Frowning, Mingzhe realized he had no idea where he was.

    Amidst the darkness, he heard faint breathing of someone nearby.

    Mingzhe followed the sound, wandering deeper and deeper without any sense of direction until he saw a single source of light ahead.

    A man dressed in wedding attire was bound tightly with crimson ropes. His body was bruised and battered, showing clear signs that he had been dead for quite some time. Cuts ran across his neck, arms, and legs.

    His handsome face was cold and unyielding, his closed eyes suggesting an exhaustion that seemed eternal. The overwhelming stench of blood emanated from this man.

    This was Guo Yuexiang…

    The dark, fetid basement was cloaked in shadows. Apart from the spot where the man was bound, there was nowhere else to go. Mingzhe decided to approach, studying the tall, muscular man up close.

    Mingzhe couldn’t resist reaching out…

    His fingers brushed against the man’s face. The corpse, which should have been unresponsive, suddenly trembled. The man’s brow furrowed deeply, and he struggled as though trying to open his eyes but failed.

    His stiff body attempted to move, yet it seemed as though it wasn’t the crimson ropes binding him, but a chain of immense strength holding him back. Guo Yuexiang’s struggle appeared utterly futile.

    The more he resisted, the worse the situation inside the room became. Blood began to seep from the cuts on his body, but the man in front of him continued to struggle. Though the man said nothing, Mingzhe could sense that he was fighting with everything he had, even in death.

    Even with the hatred and malice that had turned him into a vengeful spirit, Shin Wang, known as the God of War of his region, refused to surrender easily.

    He had fallen, but he was still struggling against his fate.

    Mingzhe could sense that Guo Yuexiang himself was the one who had brought him to this place. Although he didn’t yet understand Shin Wang’s intentions, he was certain that the man bore him no ill will.

    Being so close, Mingzhe froze as he watched Shin Wang’s desperate struggle.

    What felt like only a moment to Mingzhe seemed an eternity for Guo Yuexiang. The man in the crimson wedding attire struggled so fiercely that his head suddenly fell from his body.

    Startled, Mingzhe instinctively caught the falling head with his outstretched hands before he even had time to think.

    Their eyes met. For the first time, Guo Yuexiang could open his eyes, revealing sharp, tiger-like irises of a brilliant, deep violet hue that seemed to shine with an otherworldly beauty.

    Mingzhe: “...”

    Wait. What was he holding? This wasn’t romantic at all!