Chapter 6: The Mysterious Figure

Elder Council.

The five elders had gathered together, their complexions utterly haggard and deeply troubled. A mere minor impermanence—he was just captured, so what of it? Who could have foreseen that his origins and identity would turn out to be so formidable? They had truly fallen upon the most wretched luck. How could this grand Elder Council perish thus in their hands?

The fifth elder stood with his hands behind his back, his expression grave and his eyes filled with remorse. He fell to his knees before his five older brothers, choking out, "Number Five has let you all down!" If not for his utter recklessness this time, how could he have nearly brought total destruction upon the Elder Council?

The other four elders hurriedly stepped forward to raise him. The fourth elder sighed helplessly, "Number Five, it is only because of your daily stewardship that the Elder Council has attained its present standing. As your elder brothers, how could we possibly place all the blame upon you simply because of this stroke of bad fortune? Look at you, what is the meaning of this? Doesn't this make us look ungrateful and unjust from every angle?"

The remaining three elders chimed in unison, "Indeed!"

The fifth elder's eyes reddened slightly as he was helped to his feet. "I thank my brothers for your boundless grace, yet Number Five truly cannot shirk the blame for this!"

The third elder stepped up, patted the fifth elder on the shoulder, and said, "Number Five, do not reproach yourself so harshly. This matter was decided collectively by all of us. The fault does not lie with you alone; we share the responsibility."

The first elder also offered words of persuasion, "Well, money and treasures are merely external possessions after all. Did the Ghost Sovereign not spare us from further punishment? The Elder Council is preserved. As long as the Book of Life and Death remains in our custody, we shall always hold a place within the Underworld. As for what we have lost, we can simply start over from the beginning."

As soon as the first elder uttered these words, the atmosphere shifted entirely. Even the second elder, who usually maintained amicable relations with the first elder, looked at him with a trace of anger. The third elder let out a cold laugh. "It is easy for you to merely speak the words! Which of the other matters was not accomplished through the toil of our brothers? What have you ever done? Start over from the beginning—how lightly you say it! It is as if everything that was lost was not won through mortal combat by risking our very lives!"

The second elder also shook his head helplessly. This foolish eldest brother was indeed far too thick-skinned and oblivious. The Elder Council had now become the sole sanctuary for the five brothers, and it was nearly torn apart by outsiders. For the eldest brother to speak in such a manner was truly inappropriate.

The fifth elder knitted his brows tightly, his fierce and ruthless eyes sinking into bottomless gloom. Suddenly, in a low voice, he asked, "Is there truly no way we might deal with the Ghost Sovereign..." As he spoke, he brought his fingers together to make a throat-slitting gesture.

Upon hearing this, the second elder shook his head and said, "Number Five, choose your words carefully. Have you forgotten the warning left by the former Yama?"

The fifth elder opened his mouth as if to say more when suddenly, a fierce gale arose outside. The doors of the room were violently blown open by the sudden gust. The wind was so ferocious that all five elders shielded their faces with their sleeves, yet they were still left in a disheveled and miserable state.

At last, the wind subsided. An entirely unfamiliar voice echoed within the room. A figure clad in a black robe, wearing a mask, gloved hands, and with a voice that had clearly been altered, appeared directly before the five elders. "You wish to dispose of the Ghost Sovereign? It is hardly such a difficult task. I can help you," the figure said, spreading his hands wide.

The fifth elder was the first to recover his wits, eyeing the sudden intruder with intense vigilance. "Why should we trust you?!"

The black-robed figure let out a scornful chuckle, as if he had heard the most preposterous joke in existence. Tilting his head, he gazed at the five elders. "Why? I shall tell you why!" With those words, the black-robed figure unleashed an aura of coercion—an oppressive might that was in no way inferior to that of the Ghost Sovereign, and perhaps even surpassed it. It pressed down upon the five elders with such force that they nearly suffocated. For the very first time, they felt death pressing so intimately close, rendering them far more helpless than when facing the Ghost Sovereign.

The fifth elder slammed his hands against the floor, gripping the boards in a frenzy of hatred for his own powerlessness. As his four older brothers let out piercing cries of agony, he compromised. With immense difficulty, he rasped out, "As long as the Ghost Sovereign is destroyed, the Elder Council is willing to await your command!"

The black-robed figure emitted a soft laugh of approval. "Those who recognize the currents of circumstance are astute. As expected of the ruling elder of the Elder Council—you certainly understand reason." He reined in his oppressive aura and stepped forward to help the fifth elder to his feet. "As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is a friend. Once the Ghost Sovereign is removed, both you and I shall live in comfort. Such a wonderful prospect—why not embrace it?"

Hearing this, the second elder shouted aloud, "Number Five..."

Hearing the cry, the fifth elder swiftly lashed out, striking the second elder and sending him crashing to the ground to prevent him from uttering another word that might provoke the mysterious visitor. From the very moment they had offended the Ghost Sovereign, they had crossed a point of no return. Moreover, whether in the eyes of the Ghost Sovereign or this black-robed figure, their lives were mere ants. Yet even ants would struggle for their own existence. To have offended the Ghost Sovereign meant certain death, and refusing this black-robed man meant death all the same.

Why shouldn't they carve out a path to survival for themselves?

Having gathered his scattered thoughts, the fifth elder fixed his eyes with a sinister gleam, the corners of his mouth curving into a precise, calculated arc. "I am the master of this Elder Council, and my word is final. I repeat: as long as you can destroy the Ghost Sovereign, the Elder Council is willing to follow your commands."

The black-robed figure threw his head back in laughter, patting the fifth elder on the shoulder. "Speaking with intelligent men is always a pleasure. Rest assured, once the deed is done, I guarantee that your Elder Council will rise again from the ashes in the Underworld, flourishing even more grandly than before."

The fifth elder lowered his gaze, a fleeting trace of savagery crossing his face. "Then allow me to thank Your Excellency on behalf of the Elder Council."

Shura Palace.

The Ghost Sovereign wandered through the halls of the Shura Palace, stirring up a flurry of memories. Unawares, he had weathered so much. Given his friendship with that young fellow Mofyan, he was duty-bound to protect him. With this thought in mind, the Ghost Sovereign finally returned to the chamber where Yan Yunqing lay.

The figure resting on the bed remained utterly motionless. The Ghost Sovereign slowly seated himself at the bedside, feeling a sudden surge of self-mockery. He had actually harbored the fleeting thought of not wishing Yan Yunqing to wake, desiring simply to linger by his side thus. The Ghost Sovereign let out a helpless sigh. Yet he could hardly blame himself; after such a bitter and relentless pursuit—perhaps because he had lived far too long—he had grown increasingly weary of late. Once Yunqing awoke, he would likely despise the sight of him all over again.

Gently, the Ghost Sovereign drew Yan Yunqing's somewhat chilled hand from beneath the covers and carefully inspected it. Yunqing was already out of danger; of late, his breathing had grown steadily more even, suggesting he would awaken before long. To this day, he could never forget the momentary halting of his heart when he learned that Yunqing's soul was on the verge of shattering. Whenever he recalled that instant, a quiet wonder always arose within him. He had never once denied the paramount place Yunqing held in his heart.

Yet if, when the time came for his own death, would Yunqing—possessing that physique of millennia-old frost—shed tears of sorrow for him? Even if there were only the slightest trace of it in his heart, he felt he could die without regret. After all, the sole desire of his entire life as the Ghost Sovereign was simply this one person...

Having lived among mortals for several lifetimes, he had inevitably acquired certain mortal habits. Foregoing the use of mystic arts, the Ghost Sovereign walked over to the medicine pool, filled a basin with warm water, and moistened a velvet cloth. Returning to the bedchamber, he rolled up his sleeves, wrung the excess water from the cloth, and tenderly began to bathe Yan Yunqing's body. Every time he performed such tasks, a chuckle would inevitably slip from his lips. He, who had always been waited upon by others, was serving someone else for the very first time.

Yet he had to admit that he thoroughly enjoyed the process. The Ghost Sovereign felt that interacting with Yan Yunqing in this manner closely mirrored the twilight years of mortal couples who had grown old together. Ten lifetimes of shared existence; he had accompanied Yan Yunqing through every conceivable tribulation of the mortal realm. They had suffered parting of life and death, and they had grown white-haired together. Yet no matter what transpired, for reasons unknown, even in the mortal realm Yunqing had never once offered him a single promise.

This person was truly ruthless in his methods. He had witnessed Yunqing handling official duties: whenever there was a path of survival to be granted to another, Yunqing granted it. Yet Yunqing had deliberately omitted one person—solely to him, Yunqing had never offered himself, nor had he ever granted him a way out.

After finishing the cleansing, the Ghost Sovereign remained on guard by the side of the bed, only to catch a glimpse of a faint light emanating from his storage ring. He opened the ring, and the "Mirror of Flower and Water" proactively drifted out. Ripples stirred across the surface of the mirror, but the Ghost Sovereign lowered his gaze, lacking the courage to look.

A familiar wave of weeping and wailing startled him, causing him to raise his head abruptly to stare into the mirror. The "Mirror of Flower and Water"

Sensing that the Ghost Sovereign was finally looking at it, the mirror replayed those events once more. Watching through mere fragments, the Ghost Sovereign emitted a silent, bittersweet smile. The expression on his face was one of smug triumph after a hard-won scheme. Two trails of clear tears accompanied his smile, instantly falling to stain his snow-white garments. The soul-chasing tassel at his waist stirred in sympathetic resonance.

The other magical artifacts likewise began to circle around the Ghost Sovereign, perceiving his sorrow yet utterly at a loss on how to comfort him.

Within the "Mirror of Flower and Water," countless wandering souls wept along the banks of the Yellow Springs. By the shores of the River of Rebirth, an endless torrent of blood flowed, gradually dyeing the entire pool crimson. He gazed upon his own reflection, clad in garments as red as blood...

A trace of coppery sweetness slowly spilled from the corner of his mouth as his tears fell. A flash of brilliant golden light suddenly erupted, and his form gradually dissolved into the thin air, his lips parting slightly as if murmuring a final word...

On the opposite side stood Yan Yunqing in his pristine white robes, immaculate without a single speck of dust. The expressionless mask on Yan Yunqing's face shattered completely. Watching him slowly vanish, Yan Yunqing seemed utterly at a loss, dropping to his knees in a posture of profound remorse, his face streaming with tears...

Ah, in the end, he had won after all. Yunqing could still not bear to part with him. He had always said it: how could anyone fail to fall in love with someone as exceptional as the Ghost Sovereign?

Within the "Mirror of Flower and Water," everyone departed, leaving only Yan Yunqing kneeling there alone, oblivious to the passage of time...

The Ghost Sovereign reached out toward the mirror. So when he died, Yunqing would feel such crushing grief and sorrow. The aching void surging within his heart could not be stemmed. The scene within the "Mirror of Flower and Water" slowly faded away.

Leaning against the bedside, the Ghost Sovereign scooped Yan Yunqing up, resting the younger man's head against his chest. Embracing Yan Yunqing's upper body from behind, he held him tightly, drawing him closer still from time to time, before pressing a tender kiss to Yan Yunqing's brow. He repeated this action over and over until the darkness of night descended.

Lost in his own reverie, the Ghost Sovereign failed to notice that Yan Yunqing's eyelashes fluttered slightly. Caught in the midst of some unseen dream, a tear suddenly spilled from the corner of Yan Yunqing's eye...