Chapter 5: Another Ghost Victim +1

After just a brief attempt at “treatment,” Qi Jiangyuan could already feel the chill around him begin to fade.

The Yin Qi that had long raged and backlashed within his body also calmed down more than ever before.

Can He stopped circulating his Spiritual Power. In just that short moment, the feedback he received was greater than what he usually gained from painstaking cultivation.

Little Radish gave a light cough, trying hard to keep a serious face and sound profound. “How do you feel now?”

But his entire radish body was still curled up in Qi Jiangyuan’s arms, soft and squishy, which didn’t exactly inspire awe.

Qi Jiangyuan quickly adjusted his internal breath. “Much better.”

It really worked!

The corners of Can He’s mouth lifted slightly, and he quickly asked, “Is it only me who can treat your illness, or can other ginsengs do it too?”

Qi Jiangyuan was silent for a moment. “…Only you.”

Hearing that, Can He’s mood instantly brightened like he’d been basking in the sun.

If only he could save Qi Jiangyuan, didn’t that mean Qi Jiangyuan needed him and no one else?

All that talk about eating him if he couldn’t cure the illness—this bad ghost was probably just trying to scare him!

When it came down to it, he probably couldn’t bear to actually do it.

Can He suddenly felt a lot more confident. He deliberately maintained the air of a wise and enlightened ginseng, nodding his little head. “Mm, in that case, let’s continue the treatment using this method.”

After speaking, he even snuggled into a more comfortable spot in Qi Jiangyuan’s arms and gave a gentle nudge.

Qi Jiangyuan sighed, but his hands moved on their own, pulling him in tighter.

Once the icy block had been warmed up, it radiated a cozy heat. Can He continued his “treatment” for Qi Jiangyuan.

Spiritual Power continued to circulate between them, flowing back and forth through their pressed-together bodies. For the first time, Can He felt a deep sense of peace.

Sleepiness crept in, and just like that, he drifted off into a deep slumber.

A few Soul Threads reached out, gently lowering the layers of curtains around the bed.

In the dim light, Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze involuntarily fell on the sleeping boy in his arms.

Can He was resting on his arm, his right cheek squished slightly, leaving a faint red mark.

His lips were perfectly shaped, a natural pale pink. A Soul Thread quietly reached out, lightly brushing against those soft lips.

In his sleep, Can He only furrowed his brows slightly, then unconsciously buried his face into Qi Jiangyuan’s chest and continued sleeping soundly.

This was indeed the first time in his life he’d ever slept on a bed.

Out in the wild, Little Radish usually dug a hole and buried himself in the dirt, pulling himself out after he woke up.

Beds were certainly comfortable, but in the middle of the night, Can He kept feeling like a pair of eyes were locked onto him…

…

As the first light of dawn appeared, Can He slowly woke up.

Little Radish yawned lazily, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes.

Qi Jiangyuan quietly withdrew the arm that had been his pillow all night and said in a low voice, “Thank you.”

Thank you?

Can He turned his head in surprise, not expecting this wicked ghost to actually express gratitude.

“It’s nothing.” The radish perked up and got down to business. “But don’t think a simple ‘thank you’ means you can skip paying me. I shared¹ your bed last night—you owe me!”

Qi Jiangyuan slowly repeated, “Shared my bed?”

Can He glared at him fiercely. “Liar! You said no bed-sharing, but you hugged me all night. If that’s not sharing a bed, then what is?”

Don’t even think about tricking this ginseng!

Qi Jiangyuan summoned a Ghost Attendant. When Xie Suoyan entered, he was nearly roasted by the heat inside and silently marveled that His Highness had managed to stay in here all night.

He sneaked a glance inside and saw two figures nestled together behind the curtains.

Little Radish wrapped himself in the blanket, leaving only his head exposed, and accused mournfully, “You just want to sleep with me and not take responsibility.”

Xie Suoyan spoke up at just the right moment. “…Your Highness, shall I prepare hot water?”

Qi Jiangyuan glanced at him. “No need.”

Can He immediately piped up, “Yes, yes, yes!”

Qi Jiangyuan changed his tune. “Prepare the hot water.”

Xie Suoyan turned to carry out the order.

Can He, momentarily interrupted, quickly latched back onto Qi Jiangyuan. “So, are you going to pay me or not?”

“I will,” Qi Jiangyuan said helplessly. “What kind of payment do you want?”

Well then, I won’t hold back.

Can He immediately said, “I want you to hug me to sleep every night!”

Xie Suoyan stumbled, nearly tripping over his own tongue.

What kind of payment was that?!

The wicked ghost shamelessly agreed. “Alright.”

The hot water was quickly prepared. Can He got dressed and jumped off the bed, soaking a cloth and pressing it to his face, scrubbing away.

The gathered ghosts all watched the radish wash his face.

Xie Suoyan cautiously asked, “Little Highness, shall I dismiss the others so you may wash… elsewhere?”

“…Where else do you want me to scrub?” Can He turned his head in a daze, then suddenly caught on to a change in how he was being addressed. “What did you just call me?”

Xie Suoyan replied, “Little Highness.”

He offered a dry explanation, “You’re His Highness’s… so naturally, you should be called Little Highness.”

Just yesterday, this Long-tongued Ghost had been trying to scare him.

Feeling smug, Can He deliberately made things difficult. “Oh? I didn’t quite catch that. Say it a few more times.”

Xie Suoyan: …

He was just about to speak when Can He flicked his sleeve. A few slender, white radish whiskers suddenly shot out and, just like Qi Jiangyuan’s Soul Threads, tied a rather elegant butterfly knot around Xie Suoyan’s tongue.

It happened so fast that Xie Suoyan didn’t even see it clearly.

Xie Suoyan: ???

Where the hell did those radish whiskers come from?

“No need to say it again. Consider it a gift from Little Highness,” Can He giggled. “You can wear that for the rest of the day.”

Xie Suoyan took a deep breath and shot Qi Jiangyuan a pleading look.

A trace of amusement flickered in Qi Jiangyuan’s eyes. “Whatever Little Highness Can He says, so it shall be.”

Dragging his tongue tied in a bow, Xie Suoyan left in tears.

Hearing Qi Jiangyuan back him up, Can He chuckled to himself in secret.

But as soon as he turned his head, that wicked ghost was staring at him again with a dark, unreadable gaze.

Can He cleared his throat and explained, “I wasn’t bullying him on purpose, okay? He kept insisting yesterday that I’m a radish. Isn’t it fair for me to get a little mad?”

Qi Jiangyuan nodded. “Of course.”

Emboldened, Can He pushed his luck and pretended to threaten him. “Then don’t forget you promised to find the Spring of Sweet Wine² for me.”

If he could find the Spring of Sweet Wine, he could stay in Wujian Prison for a while with peace of mind.

After being held by Qi Jiangyuan all night, with Spiritual Power being transferred to him intermittently, even though he was still far from his peak, just that one night of recovery was worth three days of hard cultivation!

Water, sunlight, soil—and Qi Jiangyuan. Life was downright delightful.

Once his cultivation was fully restored, Can He was definitely going to sneak Qi Jiangyuan back to the Longevity Ruins³…

The more Little Radish thought about it, the happier he got. As he walked next to Qi Jiangyuan, the man suddenly paused, his gaze falling on Can He’s hair. “You…”

Can He froze. “What is it?”

A strand of Soul Thread brought over a bronze mirror and held it up before him.

Can He glanced at the reflection—and his face changed instantly.

Sprouting from the top of his head were clusters of delicate pink-purple flowers⁴!

Like scattered stars, the blossoms adorned his dark hair, making Little Radish’s pale face look even more refined and lively, adding a touch of unexpected charm.

Qi Jiangyuan reached out, his fingertips brushing against one of the soft petals without thinking.

Can He immediately clutched his head and ducked away. His ears and cheeks turned bright red in an instant. “Y-You bastard! Don’t you know you’re not supposed to touch my flowers?!”

Qi Jiangyuan’s hand froze midair. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly grabbed a black robe from the side and draped it over the boy, pulling up the hood so only the lower half of his delicate face peeked out.

“Sorry,” Qi Jiangyuan said, recalling those pink-purple flowers, then added deliberately, “I was just surprised. After all, no other ginseng’s flowers… look like that.”

Can He was a little confused too.

Other ginseng flowers were supposed to be inconspicuous little yellow-green things…

“This is all your fault!” the boy quickly snapped back, bumping his head against Qi Jiangyuan’s chest. “Your Yin Qi must’ve polluted me! That’s why my flowers turned out like this!”

He actually had some force behind that headbutt.

Qi Jiangyuan caught the pouncing radish and, seeing how oblivious he was, couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll head to the library this afternoon to look it up,” Can He huffed.

With a head full of flowers like this, how was he supposed to go out and face the ghosts?!

Saying that, Little Radish tightened the black robe around himself and practically fled the scene.

Back at the herb garden, Can He turned into a white radish, jumped into a pit, and buried himself.

The once-proud green leaves on his head were now covered in showy pink-purple flowers.

Can He wished he could bury the leaves too.

Miserably, Little Radish wriggled in the soil, trying to resume cultivation and retract the flowers on his head. He slowly began to breathe in and out, drawing in the essence of the surrounding world.

His cultivation had always been faster than other spirit creatures, and his body absorbed Spiritual Power like a sponge, requiring little effort.

While other ginseng struggled to cultivate, Can He was different. That had made him reckless, squandering his Spiritual Power without a care.

After cultivating alone for a while, Little Radish soon stopped.

The entire Ghost Realm was saturated with Yin Qi!

There was barely any Spiritual Power, but the Yin Qi was everywhere. After half a day of effort, he’d only gathered a tiny bit of Spiritual Power—and was on the verge of becoming steeped in Yin Qi instead!

So Can He had no choice but to spend extra effort, absorbing what little Spiritual Power there was while actively expelling the Yin Qi.

After all that work, the Spiritual Power in his body was still barely noticeable.

Can He, on the other hand, was about to be worked to death.

He still wanted to take a break, but after sleeping in that soft, cozy bed, returning to the dirt felt like night and day.

He stretched out his pale, delicate radish whiskers and clumsily tried to loosen the soil, imitating how Qi Jiangyuan manipulated his Soul Threads.

Still not used to it.

It was hard to go from luxury back to hardship. Not long after burying himself, Can He was already missing Qi Jiangyuan’s big bed—and Qi Jiangyuan’s embrace…

After a long effort, the little radish flower on his head had temporarily faded, but his cultivation hadn’t improved much. Any further would just be a waste of time.

So Can He crawled out of the soil on his own.

Xie Suoyan had been ordered to escort him to the Library Pavilion.

Can He eyed the butterfly-shaped knot still tying up Xie Suoyan’s tongue and snorted, “See? Tied up like that is perfect. Saves you from licking your way through all of Wujian Prison.”

Xie Suoyan bore the humiliation with grace. “…Little Highness is absolutely right.”

Today was not like yesterday. This ordinary radish had leapt to become the Ghost King’s favored companion—how could he dare show the slightest disrespect?

He had originally thought he’d find a shriveled radish husk drained of all spiritual energy this morning. Who would’ve guessed Can He was not only bouncing with energy, but even His Highness looked noticeably better?

Xie Suoyan realized he had underestimated this radish.

You didn’t get to his position without a bit of insight. He suspected this one might just become His Highness’s beloved radish.

He quickly forced a smile and flattered, “Little Highness is truly a divine ginseng, to have actually healed our lord. His Highness looks far more spirited today than usual.”

Can He trailed behind him, secretly comparing their heights.

Xie Suoyan was about the same height as him, but since all these Ghost Cultivators floated when they walked, he had to tilt his head up to speak. “We ginseng are naturally good at healing.”

After a while, his neck started to ache.

Can He rubbed his sore neck and didn’t mention that he’d just gotten lucky. “It’s just that your lord’s condition is complicated. I’ll need to consult ancient texts and study it thoroughly.”

Of course, Can He still wasn’t sure whether Qi Jiangyuan was actually “sick.”

According to Qi Jiangyuan, he was nearing the end of his lifespan, and only by ascending to immortality could he be cured.

But for a Ghost Cultivator to reverse yin and yang and undergo a heavenly tribulation was incredibly dangerous—few had ever succeeded since ancient times…

Thinking about that, Can He couldn’t help but feel deflated.

Even if a ginseng could prolong one’s life, he still couldn’t save Qi Jiangyuan.

As they chatted, they arrived at the Library Pavilion.

Xie Suoyan quickly gave him a heads-up: “The one guarding this place is a very strict Ghost Master⁵. In life, he had the misfortune of encountering a group of unruly children who locked him in a house and burned him alive. Little Highness, please remember—once inside, just focus on finding your books. Don’t do anything disrespectful…”

Can He shrank his neck. “That sounds terrifying…”

“That’s not all,” Xie Suoyan said, his expression hard to describe. “The scariest part is his weapon. It looks like an ordinary ruler, but getting hit on the palm really hurts…”

Little Radish’s pupils quaked. He felt a phantom pain and instinctively tucked his hands into his sleeves.

That really was terrifying!

As soon as they stepped into the Library Pavilion, a burnt, acrid smell hit them in the face. The deeper they went, the stronger it got.

Can He soon spotted the Ghost Master and immediately held his breath.

The Ghost Master’s features had been melted by fire into a charred, indistinct mess. His eye sockets were hollow and dark. He floated over slowly, scorched fragments still flaking off his body.

The thick, burnt stench stung Can He’s eyes.

The ghosts of the Ghost Realm—each one more mentally scarring than the last.

Qi Jiangyuan was still the best. At least he was willing to keep a human form.

From afar, the Ghost Master had already noticed Xie Suoyan’s oddly tied tongue. He floated over with his ruler in hand, scrutinizing him sternly for a moment. “What’s wrong with your tongue?”

With a grunt, he grabbed Xie Suoyan’s hand and smacked it with the ruler. “Improper and indecent!”

Xie Suoyan could only suffer in silence.

After scolding him, the Ghost Master turned his cloudy gaze to Can He, who was hiding behind the Long-tongued Ghost. With one look, he saw through his true form. He turned to Xie Suoyan and asked, “Why did you bring a radish here?”

Smack.

The ruler struck Xie Suoyan’s hand again.

“No food allowed in the Library Pavilion!”

Can He: ??

Xie Suoyan closed his eyes in despair: …

It’s over!

He’d been so focused on warning the radish not to provoke the Ghost Master, he forgot to warn the Ghost Master not to provoke this petty little white radish!!

“You’re calling me a radish?!” Can He took a shocked half-step back, ears flushing red with anger. “Are you blind?!”

The radish pressed his lips together, shoulders squared, trying to look fierce.

Not the least bit intimidating.

The Ghost Master thought maybe his old eyes were failing him. He looked again, then declared with certainty, “Definitely a radish.”

Can He exploded on the spot. He rolled up his sleeves and snatched the ruler right out of the Ghost Master’s hand!

Crack—

A sharp snap echoed.

The ruler that had smacked countless ghosts in the palm… was broken clean in half by that evil radish!

Xie Suoyan was stunned.

What kind of terrifying artifact-crushing radish was this?!

Author’s note:

Ghosts from Wujian Prison: Don’t come any closer!!

Translator’s Notes