Chapter 2

    Mingzhe was a man of remarkable speed and agility, outpacing even a hare. Even while wearing a bridal gown, he managed to flee with remarkable ease.

    Unlike the foolish protagonists of certain novels who turn back to glance behind, Mingzhe was wise enough not to. Thus, he avoided witnessing anything too horrific or grotesque.

    Well, it’s just his bad luck today.

    The ghostly left hand of his husband had grown still. It seemed that after the hour of Shen, the malevolent spirits here became far more powerful.

    The ghost hand, compared to the other sinister beings in this cursed place, was relatively weak. It seemed to have exhausted its mischief for the time being.

    Mingzhe opened the bedroom door and quickly bolted it shut from the inside. He could faintly hear the hurried footsteps chasing after him, which stopped just outside the door.

    By the dim candlelight inside the room, he could make out the large, looming shadow of the pursuer.

    The bedroom door shook from the 2-3 heavy impacts. Mingzhe, who never trusted flimsy wooden doors, sealed the door with an additional layer of ice from his own power. Confident that no ghost could break through, he swept the wooden effigy off the bed and collapsed onto it.

    My goodness, this is exhausting!

    Though his divine power could easily suppress the ghostly hand of his so-called husband, it seemed entirely ineffective against the malevolent spirits of this place.

    His power was a power of a deity, repelling evil and dispelling curses were basic things that all deities could do. In truth, the ghostly figure that was pierced directly by his icy spear should have dissipated, but what he saw wasn’t like that at all.

    The malevolent spirit had only been stunned momentarily before returning to its frenzied state.

    Perhaps the spirits here drew strength from the pervasive malevolence of this place, which rendered them extraordinarily resilient.

    The sounds of banging and the shadow outside the door eventually faded, leaving the room in a silence so deep it felt tangible. Mingzhe didn’t open the window. Instead, he raised his hand, and the room was soon encased in frost, creating an impregnable barrier of ice. Even if a dozen spirits like the one from earlier attempted to invade, they would not be able to break in.

    Once he had pushed the eerie noises and disturbances from his mind, Mingzhe curled up on the bed to rest.

    It’s better to sleep for now. He could continue exploring this Shin Wang’s palace tomorrow morning.

    Despite having endured many centuries of a leisurely existence, the former Snow Deity found that he could still sleep soundly even in the strangest of situations. The pristine white ice clinging to the walls of his room not only did not melt, but there was also no crack.

    A small, white snow hare suddenly appeared in the center of the room. Its tiny nose twitched as it sniffed around, seemingly curious.

    The little snow hare thoroughly inspected the room to its satisfaction. Then, it began melting the ice within the room. Once its task was complete, the rabbit leapt onto the bed.

    The little snow hare’s body was freezing as it nudged its sleepy master awake. Its front paws nudged the beautiful man who had been sleeping soundly all night. It continued its gentle prodding until a pair of striking blue eyes finally blinked open.

    "Good morning, Xinxin," Mingzhe greeted the little snow hare, his voice still heavy with sleep.

    The white snow hare created by Mingzhe himself was not only able to move around, but it was also like his assistant who took care of Mingzhe’s residence.

    The former Snow Deity was notoriously reclusive, and this snow hare had been his sole caretaker and steward, managing his domain and ensuring its upkeep. When Mingzhe’s divine powers had faded, Xinxin had disappeared as well, leaving his life far less comfortable.

    Thus, now that he could wield his power again, one of the first things he had done was to recreate Xinxin.

    The little snow hare pressed its front paws together and bowed its head slightly in a familiar gesture of greeting its master. Mingzhe couldn’t help but smile, momentarily forgetting the peculiar surroundings.

    That is, until he saw the ghostly left hand attempting to pounce on Xinxin, who also happened to be his steward.

    “...” What a swift end to such a cheerful morning.

    The snow hare was a manifestation of Mingzhe’s powers and could wield his ice abilities. So, although Xinxin was small and adorable, it was far from an easy target for bullying.

    Xinxin raised a hind leg and kicked the ghost hand away, standing on its hind legs and puffing out its chest in triumph. If Xinxin had been dressed in a butler’s suit, one could easily imagine it adjusting its outfit with an air of pride.

    Mingzhe shook his head as the ghostly left hand scratched at the walls, seemingly sulking over its inability to even defeat a rabbit.

    “All right, how old are you to still be playing like a child? Xinxin, that hand belongs to the master of this house—or to put it simply, this is his home. You can’t act so discourteously while living in someone else’s house.”

    He reprimanded Xinxin gently. The rabbit, ever charming and obedient, bowed its head apologetically toward the ghost hand before returning to its duties of attending Mingzhe, ignoring the sulking hand entirely.

    The ice that had encased the room earlier was now melting, leaving the air cool and refreshing. Xinxin bustled about energetically, using its ice powers to complete various tasks. Mingzhe opened the door while Xinxin flung the bedroom windows open to let the air circulate.

    Mingzhe was a modern deity through and through. Unless it was already past ten in the morning, he simply wouldn’t get out of bed. By all accounts, when he opened the door, bright sunlight should have streamed in, making him squint against the glare. However, the reality was starkly different. Though it was late morning, the world outside was dark and overcast, as though rain were imminent.

    The area outside his bedroom was devoid of the servants that should have been present in the Wang’s palace. Mingzhe wasn’t particularly surprised. After what he had encountered the previous night, it wasn’t unreasonable for people to assume he might not have survived until morning. Most likely, everyone was taking their time, thinking they could come to collect his body whenever they pleased. There was no rush.

    Even the summons to the palace for the ceremonial homage to the Emperor, the father of Shin Wang, had yet to be issued. After yesterday’s wedding, it was as though his existence had been entirely forgotten.

    “This place has a dreadful atmosphere, a terrible location, and nothing good about it,” Mingzhe muttered.

    He still had to wear women’s clothing, as was expected of him in this peculiar situation. Yet, even in such dire circumstances, Mingzhe never neglected his appearance.

    Dressed in luxurious attire that Xinxin had retrieved from the bride’s dowry chest, he adorned himself with exquisite jewelry—silver, gold, jade, and pearls. He now looked like a stunning, wealthy noble with impeccable taste.

    Mingzhe returned to his bedroom to fetch the ghostly left hand. Xinxin bowed respectfully as he departed, preoccupied with tidying the palace.

    The little snow hare stomped its feet in frustration. As a fastidious butler with an almost obsessive need for cleanliness, Xinxin found the palace’s filthy state utterly detestable. It was clearly not fit for habitation!

    Its master had to live in such squalor that was not even close to the standards of the Snow Deity Residence’s bathrooms. How heartbreaking!

    Mingzhe left Xinxin to its cleaning, confident in the rabbit’s abilities. Before leaving, he gave one last instruction.

    “Xinxin, just clean this area around the residence. As for the flowers surrounding the residence, uproot them all. Be cautious, though. If you come across the good things, don’t touch it yet.”

    Of course, the good things he mentioned were understood without needing further explanation...

    Xinxin signaled its understanding, prompting Mingzhe to leave the bedroom with the now far more subdued ghostly left hand in tow. He was heading toward the inner courtyards, an area he had been unable to reach the previous night.

    However, just as he absentmindedly touched the door, his hand brushed against a series of rough grooves. He was certain that these marks hadn’t been there yesterday.

    Turning for a closer inspection, he saw jagged scratches and deep gouges marring the door, walls, and ceiling.

    Mingzhe extended his hand to feel the marks, some of which had pierced clean through the door itself. If not for the layer of protective ice he had cast the night before, breaking the rule against venturing out at night might very well have cost him his life.