After leaving Black Mountain, Yu Jiao followed Li Xingye all the way. She still couldn't believe that Li Xingye would become someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Recalling the person he used to be, he was always alone, solitary and cold.
He was also someone who dared to fight the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts alone in battles against specters.
But now, he seemed to have lost his soul, becoming like a walking corpse.
After chasing for a long time, he still hadn't stopped. Yu Jiao couldn't hold back any longer and asked the question that had been troubling her.
"Where have you been all these years?"
Li Xingye was slightly stunned but ignored her, continuing to walk forward indifferently.
Yu Jiao, full of anger, transformed into a peach blossom and rushed in front of him, then reverted to her human form, blocking his path.
"You're not allowed to leave."
Li Xingye glanced at her sideways but didn't look at her. Not wanting to get entangled with her further, he turned and took a detour.
Yu Jiao didn't understand why he wouldn't even say a word to her now. In the past, even though he was aloof, he would speak his mind freely to her.
Had a thousand years worn him down as well?
She pretended to follow him, then casually swung her hand forward, grabbing his.
Li Xingye was startled. He turned his head and saw Yu Jiao with a proud and defiant expression.
He shook his hand but couldn't break free. She pouted and said.
"Don't think about shaking me off."
Li Xingye was filled with helplessness. In a daze, he recalled that the Yu Jiao of the past wasn't this clingy.
He didn't know who she had learned this trick from, probably from those people at Black Mountain.
"Alas!"
He sighed, allowing Yu Jiao to shamelessly cling to him.
Seeing that Li Xingye didn't resist, Yu Jiao felt a surge of triumph.
She recalled the scene of Thirteen Niang and herself having a heart-to-heart talk in the room, and the insights she had shared.
"If that doesn't work, I'll teach you a killer move: 'Overlord's Forceful Advance'."
"Overlord's Forceful Advance?"
"Yes, you cling to him forcefully. If he pushes you away, drives you off, or even hits you, it means he doesn't like you, and there's no need to pester him anymore."
"What if he doesn't mind?"
"Then it means he cares about you quite a bit, so cling to him."
Unexpectedly, what Thirteen Niang said was effective. This was also the first time she had held this man's hand.
She hadn't expected such a wonderful feeling. Her heart involuntarily pounded, and her face felt hot from time to time. She didn't know why.
For some reason, she just wanted to laugh, and unable to suppress it, she let go of all restraint and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha."
Then, with a shy expression, she leaned on Li Xingye's shoulder. A flicker of confusion appeared in Li Xingye's cold eyes, and he muttered to himself.
"What's wrong with her?"
However, he remained silent. Perhaps a thousand years had taught him the art of silence.
...
On Black Mountain, in the Bright Moon Palace, I woke up groggily from my bed.
As I slightly opened my eyes, I saw that the entire room was filled with people, much like when Yue Jiu had been unconscious.
However, this time, there were even more anxious faces than before.
"Mu Ye, you're awake."
Yan Wushuang said softly, sitting by the bedside.
I rubbed my eyes and asked.
"Are you all... alright?"
"We're all fine."
I looked around the crowd but didn't see the four elders, so I asked.
"Where are the elders?"
Xue Gucheng replied.
"Seeing that we had all come, the elders went ahead to help manage things."
"Oh."
I held my head and slowly sat up, then turned my head to look out the window.
I saw the destroyed houses, scorched and dilapidated, accompanied by the clamor of voices.
However, the rooftop that Liu Shinian frequented had also become a ruin. It was good this way; at least he wouldn't be able to stay on the rooftop every night.
Turning back, I said calmly to everyone.
"I want to go down and take a look."
"But, your injuries..."
Lin'er hesitated, not wanting me to go down.
I smiled calmly and comforted him.
"Don't worry, I feel much better. Let me go and see."
Unable to refuse me, they had to agree.
Yan Wushuang helped me up from the bed, and everyone else made way for us.
She supported me as we walked downstairs. The first thing that met my eyes was the entire garden. It was originally a beautiful garden where mountains and water blended, but now it was mostly destroyed.
Even the east and west wings had been burned into ruins by the flames, leaving only a few dilapidated houses.
And the main house still bore the traces of the fight between Li Xingye and me that day.
When we reached the entrance of the main hall, I saw that it was miraculously intact.
I couldn't help but ask.
"Why is this main hall completely unharmed?"
Hei Feng, following behind, explained when he heard me ask.
"My uncle said that this main hall was originally the nest of a phoenix in ancient times. Phoenixes are naturally associated with fire, so things made by them are not afraid of fire."
"I see."
At this moment, Fei Xiong and Dao Lang were carrying scorched black wood past the main hall.
I was surprised and called out to them.
"Brother Fei Xiong, Brother Dao Lang, you're back."
Hearing the voice, they turned around and saw me, also surprised.
"Mu Ye, you're awake."
They piled the wood in a corner before coming over to talk to me.
Dao Lang said.
"We gathered some information in Nanhai City and intended to rush back to report, but we were still a step too late."
"It's alright, I'm already very happy that you could rush back."
Dao Lang frowned and spoke about the current situation.
"However, Black Mountain has suffered heavy losses. It will probably take some time to rebuild."
I said.
"That's not a big deal. I just don't know if Nanhai City will try to come back."
Lin'er, standing aside, had his own opinion on this matter.
"This time, we only lost some soldiers and a few houses, but Nanhai City lost twice as many soldiers as we did."
Hearing this news, I was genuinely happy.
"That's great. With that, I guess they won't dare to come again anytime soon."
"It's all thanks to the experts of Black Mountain. Otherwise, the outcome is unimaginable."
"Yes, thank you so much."
Yan Wushuang smiled slightly.
"Now, we are a family. What is there to thank or not thank?"
I looked at her with emotion and said firmly.
"Yes, Sister Yan is right, we are a family."
After inspecting the situation in the Bright Moon Palace, I returned to my room.
After everyone had left, I kept Liu Shinian and Xue Gucheng behind.
They had been silent all along. I guessed they must have been wary of me using that ability.
I slowly walked to the window and asked softly.
"That day's events... you both saw them, right?"
They knew what I was referring to.
"Mhm."
Liu Shinian replied slowly.
"What are your thoughts on this?"
I wanted to hear their opinions.
Liu Shinian became bolder and shared his thoughts.
"This is the technique of the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts, isn't it?"
I paused for a long time before saying.
"Yes."
"I remember back then, it was rumored all over the four cities that an evil ghost was absorbing people's vital energy.
Those who were absorbed would turn into white bones. Were those things... done by you?"
Liu Shinian wanted to see if I would admit it.
Recalling the past, when I had first become the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts, I had stumbled along step by step. Now, there was nothing I couldn't admit, so I said.
"Yes... it was me."
Liu Shinian knew it would be so and sighed slightly.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that you would use such cruel methods."
I also shared my own thoughts.
"I don't know what happened, but a strange thought suddenly surged into my mind, wanting to devour them.
Seeing so many brothers die tragically, I could no longer restrain myself. Will I make you dislike me like this?"
Xue Gucheng, who had been silent for a long time, also spoke.
"No, it's just that we were too shocked. Such a cruel method of killing, I still cannot agree with it."
So, they were worried about this. Since it had been brought up, there had to be a satisfactory answer.
I said.
"I know, but I am too weak right now. I don't know if I can still bear the heavy responsibility of the Ghost Race."
Liu Shinian voiced his concerns and relaxed considerably. Instead, he stepped forward and patted my shoulder.
"One who can face the past can also face the future.
I know you had many unavoidable circumstances in the past, and I don't want to ask you why you killed people before.
I only wish that now and in the future, you can maintain a benevolent heart."
"How do I start then?"
I asked, confused.
"Then start by agreeing to us. Never use such evil techniques again. You are not the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts; you are Liu Mu Ye."
Xue Gucheng also patted my shoulder and encouraged me.
"It's alright. With us here, you can learn anything you want. We will always be with you until Black Mountain rises again."
Seeing their support and affirmation, I was filled with gratitude and promised them.
"Okay, I promise you, I won't use these moves again. I will diligently learn martial arts and do what I should do."
"Good."
"Good."
Gratefully, I extended my hands and clasped theirs tightly, not letting go for a long time.
At that moment, all doubts and confusion vanished from my mind like the wind.
As night fell, I went to the main hall alone and paced back and forth in the hall.
The belief in counter-attacking became even stronger after this incident.
Lin'er quietly walked up behind me and coughed lightly.
"Cough, cough."
Turning around, I saw him and asked curiously.
"Elder, why are you here?"
With just one glance, he could see my troubles.
"Is the Ghost King thinking about counter-attacking?"
My eyes widened in surprise.
"How does Elder know?"
"I see the Ghost King is worried and contemplating alone. I have analyzed the day's events with the Ghost King, and there shouldn't be any major problems.
And what troubles the Ghost King is likely only the matter of counter-attacking. Honestly, I have also thought about it."
Hearing him say that, I felt like I had found a kindred spirit, and my eyes lit up. I asked him.
"What does Elder think?"
Lin'er also spoke without reservation, sharing his thoughts.
"In the current world, the one most capable of fighting is Northern Divine Capital. Nanhai City is only good at strategy, not martial arts.
As for Dongyue Town, it was established by many chivalrous warriors, wanderers, idle people, and merchants.
Although there is unified order, there is no unified faith.
As for the Western Purple Kingdom, it was originally Xuanyuan Kingdom, but it was later captured by demons, and then broken through by righteous individuals.
Thus, it became the current Western Purple Kingdom. The people there are already tired of war."
"Demons? How have I never heard of them?"
"Naturally, because the predecessor of these demons was our ancestors of the Ghost Race."
"I see."
"The previous Ghost King was named Yan Gui Wang, and he lived in the Western Purple Kingdom, being the ruler at that time.
After Yan Gui Wang was killed, our Ghost Race was expelled from the city and driven to desolate lands.
And the demons were also renamed the Ghost Race by the four cities at that time."
After listening to him, I finally understood the reason behind it.
"If that's the case, what are our chances of victory in a counter-attack?"
Lin'er frowned and shook his head.
"I haven't thought about this matter yet. Ghost King, I think I will tell you tomorrow."
"Alright."
I stayed up all night, eagerly anticipating what Lin'er would say. I wondered if he already had other plans in mind.
Although I wasn't sure, I was still excited.
Finally, as dawn broke, I rushed out of the door and saw Hei Feng standing at the entrance, looking very polite.
I found it a bit strange. Before I could ask him, he spoke first.
"Ghost King, the Elder asked me to tell you to go to the back mountain to find him."
"Go to the back mountain to find him?"
I was puzzled, unable to figure out why I needed to go to the back mountain. I wanted to ask him for more details.
Unexpectedly, he seemed to know what I was going to ask and smiled helplessly.
"Don't ask me. I don't know anything. However, you'll know when you go."
Hearing him say that, I had no choice but to go, half-believing, half-doubting, and guessing if Lin'er had come up with something.
So, I walked downstairs, out through the half-hidden door of the back garden, out of the Bright Moon Palace, and into the desolate area of the back mountain.
Looking up, I saw Xue Ji standing alone, and from her vantage point, it was the best viewing platform of the entire Bright Moon Palace.
"Ghost King, hurry up and come up!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the top of the small mountain. Looking closely, I saw Lin'er standing before Xue Ji's grave, a smile on his face.
Behind him was a grove of lush green bamboo.
He looked cheerful, facing forward, with his hands behind his back, appearing like a young man who had achieved success.
I frowned and climbed up in confusion, asking him.
"Why are you here?"
He smiled and said.
"To observe the overall situation, one must step outside of it and stand at a high point. As the saying goes, 'Those in the thick of it are bewildered, while those outside see clearly.'"
I was completely confused by his words.
At that moment, I suddenly heard sounds of laughter and chatter from behind me.
"This place is really nice."
"Having been here for so long, I've never been to the back mountain."
"But it's not surprising. However, if we were in the Great Northwest Desert, we would probably only see endless yellow sand."
"Hahaha, who can say otherwise?"
I curiously turned my head and saw the four elders walking towards us with happy expressions.
I became even more confused, unable to figure out how this related to counter-attacking. I could only wait and see what Lin'er had to say.
Lin'er looked at me calmly and patted my shoulder. I thought that he probably had a clue about the counter-attack.