[Huang Shu… no, Master Han Ye, if our love is this painful, then why do I keep forgiving you? What is the point of loving you if it keeps hurting me?]

Ghost Yunyu sighed and flew away from the Palace of Serene Harmony. He couldn't bear watching Huang Shu like that. He flew further and further, and Pupa finally asked,

[Pupa: Are we going back to Xu Jiansheng's training ground?]

[Mhm, it's unfortunate that I can't do the ghosty-ghosty anymore. But I will find a way to stop him from hurting Huang Shu. At least not burning the Imperial Palace.]

[Pupa: Wait, you want to retreat your wish from before? I thought you don't mind seeing that palace burnt to the ground.]

[I don't mind… I just…]

[Huang Shu divided his love for his country and to me in half, that's why I only get 50% of his Fatemeter. But he truly worked so hard to build this Empire. I will ask Xu Jiansheng's help, so Huang Shu would use his Rewind Stone to restart the world.]

[Pupa: I don't think it'll be that easy. Don't you see that he hates Huang Shu to the bone?]

[… I'll use my ultimate Jutsu, Cutiepie Begging no Jutsu!]

Ghost Yunyu and Pupa flew to the training ground, and surprisingly, the practitioners weren't present today. They did get free times sometimes so they could cool off, but it was usually a weekend thing.

A line appeared between Yunyu's brows as he flew to the back garden. He saw Xu Jiansheng was talking with someone, an old man, probably in his late sixties. He wore strange clothing and smelled so horrible even from afar.

[Ick! He smells so horrible for some reason!]

Yunyu approached Xu Jiansheng's pavilion and passed through the bell hanging on the pavilion's ceiling. Jiansheng set that up so Yunyu could tell him that he was here.

Clink. Clink.

Xu Jiansheng smiled thinly as he sensed that Yunyu was around. Although he couldn't see him, his keen intuition could sense that Yunyu was sitting beside him right now.

"Where have you been, Bai Yunyu?" Xu Jiansheng asked. "You're wandering off again, aren't you?"

…

No audible answer from the 'ghost' beside him. If there were other ordinary people here, they'd think that Xu Jiansheng was crazy. But the shaman in front of Ghost Yunyu and Xu Jiansheng actually saw a beautiful man sitting beside Xu Jiansheng. But he had sunken cheeks, skin even more ashen than regular ghost, and he looked so thin and malnourished.

"Is this the ghost you mentioned before?" the old shaman asked.

Xu Jiansheng got excited, "You can see him? Really!?"

"Yes, he is sitting beside you. He looks very thin and malnourished, but definitely a mesmerizing beauty in his prime," the old shaman said.

Yunyu was shocked when the old man described him accurately.

[He can see me?! I thought I'm a ghost.]

[Pupa: This world has shaman stuff, so it's possible.]

Yunyu got excited and asked the old shaman, 'You can see me?'

"I can. I've been called by this young master because he wants to see you again. He wants to talk to you," the old shaman replied.

'Really?! I want to talk with him too! I want to talk about a lot of thing with him! Can you make me visible for him too?'

"Yes, I can, but you need to be obedient first. There will be a process to make you visible, it will be painful, but as long as you don't fight it, I guarantee that you can materialize similar to a normal human, just a bit paler."

'A bit painful?' Yunyu was unsure after he heard pain. He stared at Xu Jiansheng, even though Jiansheng couldn't see him, this gaze showed his doubt, and he wanted Xu Jiansheng's assurance.

Jiansheng could feel the gaze and smiled, "Don't worry, my beloved Yunyu. I guarantee that everything will be alright. I just want to talk with you and see you like a normal human again. So don't worry, it only hurt for a bit, and you'll be alright, okay?"

[Hm… I have some doubt. But I feel like this is the only way for me to talk with Jiansheng normally. I will persuade him not to be too cruel if he want to revolt. If it's possible, I want him to spare Huang Shu.]

[Pupa: You're talking about the impossible.]

…

Jiansheng's persuasion turned to be effective. Yunyu took a deep breath and nodded. He darted his eyes at the old shaman and said, 'I'm ready. I will do anything as long as I can speak to Jiansheng again. But tell him that he must listen to what I say after this… um… ritual.'

The old shaman delivered the message to Jiansheng. The handsome young master nodded excitedly, "I will listen to anything he said! I just want to see him again. I truly miss him!"

**

The old shaman prepared a small pot and filled it with many weird stuff, like dried leaves, bones, and few more things. But the strangest thing was…

"I need a drop of your blood for the ritual," the old shaman asked Jiansheng.

'Eh? Blood? For what? It's just a ritual to summon me, right? Why do you need blood for that?' Yunyu questioned but got no answer from the old shaman.

Jiansheng used a dagger to cut a line on his palm, and his blood flowed freely to the small pot, drenching everything inside to red. Next, the old shaman set up a fire under the small pot and then closed his eyes before chanting his incantation. Yunyu didn't know what he was chanting, but magically, the flame under the pot slowly engulfed the pot, and a red smoke puffed out from the pot to the ceiling.

The red smoke gradually gathered on the ceiling as Yunyu looked up. The red smoke gradually turned into a snake-like entity, looking at Bai Yunyu.

Bai Yunyu gulped and asked the shaman, 'It's not dangerous, right? That looks scary…'

The old shaman ignored Bai Yunyu. After he sensed the red smoke had gathered enough in size to form a big red serpent, he opened his eyes and glared at Ghost Yunyu immediately. The red serpent struck Yunyu and coiled around his body tightly.

Yunyu was terrified when the giant red snake coiled his body and slowly opened its mouth.

'AH! Wh—What will it do to me? Help me! Jiansheng, I'm scared!'

Xu Jiansheng could faintly hear the voice of his beloved Yunyu, probably because Yunyu was going to be in his chain soon.

Xu Jiansheng tried to pacify Yunyu, but he couldn't hide his twisted smile, "It's okay, Yunyu. It just hurts for a moment."

'I'm scared! I'm so scared! Let me go!!'

'AAAAAHHHHH!!!'

The red serpent snapped his bones and swallowed Bai Yunyu whole, like a prey swallowing its rat snack.

Huang Shu could hear the scream from his beloved Bai Yunyu. His heart was aching, but his greed to have Bai Yunyu all for himself had taken over his conscience.

Because he didn't that to see those nightmares over and over, he wanted to be greedy for Bai Yunyu, 'I'm sorry, Yunyu. But let me have you just for this once. I've been suffering so many times in my dreams every night...'