That ghost named Xu Sheng clearly had a huge problem with me. Yet for the life of me, I couldn’t recall when I had ever offended a half-grown kid like him. When I was Prime Minister, I made enemies by the thousands. The number of people I had ruined was countless. Aside from those I killed with my own hands, I couldn’t even remember the rest. Who knows which vengeful soul’s distant relative this brat was.
I couldn’t be bothered. Ever since I became a ghost, I couldn’t be bothered with anything.
The priority was finding the Everlasting Lamp so I could reincarnate. Whatever debts the living Shen Qi owed had nothing to do with me, the dead one.
The moon hung over the sea, frosting the courtyard with silver. I perched by Shen Yi’s bedside and made sure she had truly cried herself to sleep before using the method Xu Sheng taught me. In a flash, I floated into her mind.
Pain!
Painpainpainpainpain!
It felt like my soul was being torn apart. I clutched my chest, my knees went weak, and I nearly collapsed into the white fog at my feet. In that moment, I was absolutely, one-hundred-percent certain — this brat Xu Sheng and I had a blood feud!
Something was wrong the second I entered. Thick white fog wrapped around me and pinned me in place. Then agony shot through every inch of me. It was as if my body was riddled with holes, and that damned fog was drilling into me, trying to gut me open.
This was NOT what Xu Sheng described while crossing his arms outside and saying so casually, “Just go in, say what you need to say, and come out.”
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stand. Through the fog, I could see Shen Yi’s blurry silhouette. This girl had only ever had me since she could remember. She had probably never seen a dream visitation before. Her eyes were wide open.
“Br-brother!”
I opened my mouth. No sound came out. My throat was stuffed with that same fog.
What kind of dream visitation is this? I can’t move, I can’t speak! You just propped up my corpse for her to look at!
Shen Yi was struggling to reach me, as if an invisible chasm lay between us. “Brother, is that you? Brother, you’re back? Brother, talk to me, talk to Xiao Yi! I’m scared… don’t go…”
She was sobbing her heart out even in her dream. I couldn’t stand it. I squeezed my eyes shut, held my chest, and squeezed out a word with all my strength.
“Shen… Yi…”
Thank heavens, I finally made a sound!
Shen Yi cried even harder. I didn’t have time to celebrate. I coughed as if vomiting blood:
“Shen… Everlasting… Lamp… I…”
I wanted to ask if she was the one who lit it for me. But before I could finish half a sentence, my chest went ice-cold, as if all my blood had been drained. The fog no longer bound me — it hardened into a wall and — BANG — ejected me.
I slammed onto the floor, clutching my chest, gasping against a table leg. The invisible pressure was finally gone.
I looked up at Xu Sheng, who was leisurely leaning against the bedpost, and sneered.
“This is your ‘good method’?”
“When the dead speak to the living, what method doesn’t demand a price?” He didn’t even bother to help me up. Inside that six-year-old body was a gloomy, calculating old soul. I hated it. Especially when his voice hid a blade in it. He sounded exactly like Liang Yan, sitting on his throne, setting traps for me every day.
Equally detestable.
I stood up, brushed my sleeves, and was about to force myself in again. I had to know where that lamp was. I couldn’t stay in this mortal world for another quarter of an hour.
“But… only… one dream per person. One per… person.”
A milky voice tugged at my sash. I looked down. The cold-eyed little ghost from earlier was now clingy, hugging my leg. It was the younger brother, Xu Chu.
After dealing with his nasty older brother, I missed this babbling little one to death.
“One dream a day? Or one per person per day?” I asked.
Xu Chu shook his head, still tugging my sash. “One day, many many. But one person, only… only one. But… it uses Yang energy. When Yang energy gone, you… you will…”
He pointed at me, then made a flying gesture.
I pieced it together. “My soul will scatter?”
He nodded frantically like a pecking chick.
As expected of me. Literary star. Perfect reading comprehension.
So I got it. To find the lamp, I had to invade dreams. I could visit many people in one day, as long as they were asleep. But only once per person per day. Like Shen Yi — I couldn’t visit her again today. And each visit burned Yang energy. When it ran out, forget reincarnation. I’d be obliterated.
I remembered an old flower seller once said: newly dead souls have thick Yang energy. It fades with time. When it’s gone, you truly leave the mortal world.
I fear neither life nor death. I only fear my soul scattering, with no reincarnation. In this life, I was forced to commit countless sins. Yet I still hope that in my next life, I can pluck the moon from the nine heavens and fall asleep drunk in the spring breeze of Jiangnan.
So I must keep visiting dreams. And I must find that lamp.
“Let’s go.” I dusted my hands and scooped up Xu Chu with practiced ease. “Next house. Let’s go have tea at the Top Scholar’s residence.”