Chapter 20: Return to the Longevity Ruins

As Qi Jiangyuan calmly recounted the events, a chill crept over Can He for no reason.

Qi Jiangyuan’s corpse must still be somewhere within the Longevity Ruins.

Otherwise, without his physical body, he should have completely dissipated into the heavens and earth long ago, not merely had his cultivation stagnate.

Back then, Shi Shouzhuo had recognized Xie Suoyan’s ashes at a glance and had been eager to destroy them—clearly, the Yuehua Sect was well aware of this weakness among Ghost Cultivators.

But they, too, had failed to locate Qi Jiangyuan’s remains.

So when rumors spread that Qi Jiangyuan’s end was near, they seized the opportunity, hoping to strike while he was at his weakest and eliminate him once and for all.

Can He opened his mouth, his chest brimming with questions.

Just as he was about to speak, another Ghost Attendant hurried in and bowed respectfully. “Your Highness, a message from the Yuehua Sect. They have prepared the Sweet Spring and invite you to meet them at the Longevity Ruins in five days to discuss the matter of exchanging Shi Shouzhuo.”

The Longevity Ruins again? Why is it always the Longevity Ruins!

“So annoying!” Can He couldn’t help grumbling. “Why do they keep running to our Longevity Ruins?”

What’s so special about that place anyway?

They just love bullying a bunch of helpless little Ginsengs like us.

Qi Jiangyuan’s expression didn’t change. He merely gave a slight nod, signaling the Ghost Attendant to withdraw. “The Ghost Realm is unwilling to venture too deep, and I cannot easily set foot in the Human Realm. The Longevity Ruins are indeed a compromise for both sides.”

Can He gave a snort through his nose and turned his face away. “Easy for you to say. They just think we Ginsengs are easy to push around.”

Qi Jiangyuan’s lips curved faintly as he raised a hand to gently stroke Can He’s puffed-up cheek. “Weren’t you always saying you wanted to visit the Longevity Ruins again? This is the perfect chance—we can go back together.”

Can He froze, then thought it over and realized he had a point.

His eyes lit up. “Oh right! Once we’re back, I’ll rally every Ginseng in the mountains to help you search. We’ll definitely find your corpse!”

Then he shot Qi Jiangyuan a glare, his tone full of disdain. “Seriously, how do you even lose something like that? And for thirty thousand years, no less. You don’t even seem worried.”

To his surprise, Qi Jiangyuan simply shook his head, his tone calm. “There’s no need to go out of our way.”

“Why not?” Can He asked, puzzled.

“If I couldn’t find it in thirty thousand years, and the Yuehua Sect couldn’t either, then it’s best to set it aside for now.”

“How can you say that!” Can He’s eyes went wide. “You lost it in the Longevity Ruins! As long as it’s not recovered, they’ll never give up. They’ll keep trying to sneak in, disturbing the peace of the creatures living there.”

Besides, Qi Jiangyuan’s body was of extreme Yin.

Who knew what kind of sinister Ginseng might be spawned from the Yin Qi lingering on his corpse?

Seeing Qi Jiangyuan still looking unconcerned, Can He grew even more anxious. “Fine, don’t look for it then. But when the day comes that you really can’t go on, don’t expect me to care!”

“By then, you won’t be able to do anything anyway. You’ll just be a 𫆏 trailing after me, watching helplessly while I do whatever I want…”

Before he could finish, Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze suddenly shifted, landing squarely on his face.

Can He’s words caught in his throat.

“In that case,” Qi Jiangyuan said slowly, “let’s wait until matters with the Yuehua Sect are settled, and then we’ll search.”

Indeed, if they made a big fuss now, it might alert the Yuehua Sect and give them a chance to find the body first—that would be a real problem.

The two of them reached a tentative agreement.

Qi Jiangyuan then added, “But once we’re back in the Longevity Ruins, you’re not to leave my side.”

Can He blinked, then suddenly realized—

Wait a minute! His cultivation was nearly fully restored. Why should he still be taking orders from Qi Jiangyuan?

He immediately straightened his little frame. “No way. I’m not listening to you anymore. Now you have to listen to me.”

“You’re coming back to the Longevity Ruins with me—and you’re going to warm my bed.”

A flicker of amusement passed through Qi Jiangyuan’s eyes. He agreed readily, “Alright.”

Wasn’t that basically the same thing?

Seeing how easily he agreed, Can He grew bolder and started making more demands. “Then I want to bring lots and lots of stuff back to the Longevity Ruins. There’s nothing there—it’s so poor. You have to build me the most beautiful palace there!”

“Of course,” Qi Jiangyuan replied just as smoothly. “I’ll have the Ghost Attendants survey a blessed site and begin construction immediately.”

With the power of the Ghost Realm, building a palace to Can He’s liking before he even arrived at the Longevity Ruins was no challenge at all.

Can He was instantly overjoyed. He lifted his chin and declared, “Perfect! I hereby declare—the entire Ghost Realm is mine now!”

Qi Jiangyuan nodded. “Alright.”

Off to the side, Xie Suoyan: …

Was this what they called a post-bed relationship?

The Ghost Realm was about to turn into the Radish Realm!

Can He beamed with delight, already mentally tallying up which belongings to bring back to the Longevity Ruins.

The idea of hauling the entire Wujian Prison back with him made his heart race with excitement.

“Hiss…”

He moved a little too abruptly and accidentally tugged at a sore muscle. A sharp pain flared at the base of his thigh, making him suck in a breath. His delicate brows immediately furrowed.

Qi Jiangyuan, who had been watching him closely, reached out and steadied his arm, asking softly, “What’s wrong?”

Can He shot him a glare, his eyes still tinged red from earlier embarrassment. With Xie Suoyan still nearby, he had to lower his voice and grit out, “…It’s all your fault!”

Qi Jiangyuan admitted it without hesitation. “Yes, all my fault.”

His fingers gently rubbed Can He’s arm. “Want to go back and put on some more ointment?”

Can He’s cheeks flushed bright red. He yanked his hand back with force. “No way.”

Qi Jiangyuan chuckled lowly. Not only did he not let go, he leaned in even closer. “But didn’t I take very good care of Little Highness last night?”

He deliberately emphasized the words “take care of.”

Can He’s mind instantly flooded with vivid flashes of last night’s steamy scenes.

Qi Jiangyuan had bent down, his dark hair falling forward, lips and tongue trailing between his legs…

Panicked, Can He quickly glanced at Xie Suoyan. Seeing that he wasn’t paying attention, he finally relaxed a little. “Go away! I don’t want to talk to you!”

Amused by his reaction, Qi Jiangyuan let go of his hand without protest and even took half a step back, lowering his gaze slightly. “Alright.”

He actually turned around and walked toward the sleeping quarters in silence, as if heartbroken, like he’d just been spurned by a fickle lover.

Can He, still flustered, looked away—only to meet Xie Suoyan’s furtive gaze from not far off.

Caught off guard by the eye contact, Xie Suoyan stiffened, a chill creeping down his spine.

Sure enough, the next second, Can He vented all his frustration on him. “You’re just like him! How could you toss your own ashes around like that? It’s such an important thing!”

Xie Suoyan had indeed lost his ashes twice in front of Can He. He couldn’t help but mutter a defense, “Little Highness, my ashes were specially custom-made by a professional artisan. They’re lifelike and beautiful—meant to be admired and polished regularly! Otherwise, why go through all that trouble to make them look so good?”

“What Little Highness?” Can He planted his hands on his hips. “I’m the boss of the Ghost Realm now. What should you be calling me?”

Xie Suoyan immediately corrected himself. “Yes, yes, my apologies. Lord Can He, please don’t be angry. But it’s not really my fault for tossing them around.”

“Like just now—you suddenly asked me to bring them out, and I immediately cut myself open to show you, didn’t I? Even you thought it looked a bit indecent, right?”

He explained, “Besides, in our Ghost Realm, there’s an unspoken tradition. If two Ghost Cultivators fancy each other, they mix their ashes together to symbolize the union of spirit and flesh, life and death.”

“If I meet someone I like and just whip out my bloody ashes like that… how am I supposed to get married?”

Can He: …???

Can He struggled to respond. “Aren’t you afraid that if you two fight or break up, the other person might just scatter your ashes out of spite?”

That was brutal—changing your heart and going straight for obliteration?

“Well, it’s both people’s ashes being scattered,” Xie Suoyan said matter-of-factly. “So it’s more symbolic than anything. No one actually dares to do it.”

“If someone really does something that dumb because they’re lovesick, they’ll be the laughingstock of the entire Ghost Realm for centuries.”

Can He couldn’t begin to understand these bizarre customs of the Ghost Realm.

He glanced at the little horse-shaped urn of ashes Xie Suoyan was still licking with his tongue, shivered, and decided to drop the subject. He turned and slipped away.

Better to focus on planning his return to the Longevity Ruins.

…

Little Highness was going home, and the long-silent Wujian Prison finally came alive with activity.

The radish wanted to take everything.

The radish’s Ghost King, the radish’s chef, the radish’s butler Xie Suoyan, and even the Ghost Master who always seemed annoyed by the radish.

Qi Jiangyuan agreed to it all.

And so, a few days later, a grand procession of ghosts from the Ghost Realm set out for the Longevity Ruins, looking like they were going on a vacation.

The closer they got to the Longevity Ruins, the more Can He could feel the air thick with familiar earth and wood spiritual energy, nourishing every inch of his spirit body.

The new palace Qi Jiangyuan had built for him now stood tall atop one of the most spiritually abundant blessed lands within the Longevity Ruins.

Inside the palace, a spiritual spring had been channeled to form a flowing stream that encircled the grounds. Large open spaces had also been left deliberately empty—clearly meant for him to bask in the sun and take root.

A group of ginseng spirits who had been living nearby were the first to sense the sudden, chilling surge of ghostly energy. Terrified, they trembled and scurried into the thick underbrush on their stubby legs, hiding with only their wide eyes peeking out to sneak a look.

Once the ghostly aura began to subside, they cautiously poked their heads out and tried to get a better look.

To their astonishment, they saw that Can He was completely unharmed.

“Can He! It’s Can He, he’s back!”

“He didn’t get eaten!”

“He’s actually still alive!”

Qi Jiangyuan raised his hand slightly at the sight, signaling the Ghost Attendants behind him to retreat a short distance, giving Can He space to reunite with his kin.

With the oppressive ghostly pressure gone, the ginseng spirits finally dared to gather around, quickly surrounding Can He.

“Can He, we thought that terrifying Ghost King had caught you and made you into soup!”

“It’s so good you’re back!”

Can He’s eyes curved with delight, clearly in high spirits. He casually scooped up two ginseng spirits and tucked them into the crook of his arm.

He didn’t forget to ask, “While I was gone, did any suspicious strangers show up in the Longevity Ruins?”

A tiny ginseng spirit immediately jumped in to answer, its voice high and thin: “Yes, yes, yes! A few days ago, some sword-wielding cultivators came through. They wandered around here for a long time, like they were looking for something.”

Can He’s brows furrowed at that.

They were supposed to meet today—why had the people from the Yuehua Sect arrived days early?

And they’d been searching the Longevity Ruins…

His heart filled with suspicion, but he kept his expression calm. He casually plucked a root hair from the ginseng spirit nestled in his arms and popped it into his mouth as “protection fee.”

The little thug of a radish crunched it loudly, speaking with his mouth full, “Mmf, don’t worry. Now that I’m back, I won’t let any of those annoying strangers wander in again.”

“Let me tell you—I’m super strong now!”

Can He had meant to show off his newfound strength.

But to his surprise, the ginseng spirit whose root he’d plucked burst into tears with a loud “Waaah!”

The others watching were so frightened by his brutal behavior that their souls nearly fled their bodies.

The lively circle around him instantly scattered, everyone scrambling to hide far away.

Can He: …

He silently brushed off imaginary crumbs from his hands. He was used to it by now.

Turning around, Can He relayed the important news to Qi Jiangyuan.

After a brief discussion, Qi Jiangyuan said thoughtfully, “If they infiltrated early, they must be looking for my corpse—or perhaps…”

In any case, the Yuehua Sect’s true purpose clearly went far beyond a simple exchange for Shi Shouzhuo.

As the two whispered to each other, Xie Suoyan’s figure drifted over without a sound.

“Your Highness, Little Highness—the people from the Yuehua Sect have arrived.”