Chapter 15: You Bastard!

Can He stared in shock for a long moment. “You… you turned your own ashes into this?”

And even carried them around with you.

Xie Suoyan, however, looked completely matter-of-fact. “Everyone does it. Easy to carry, and not easy for others to notice.”

Can He: …………

Still a bit too ahead of the times.

By now, most of the alcohol had worn off, and with his clarity returning, Little Radish remembered they still had to deal with Shi Shouzhuo. He let out a quiet sigh.

He perked himself up again and climbed up along Qi Jiangyuan’s long hair, finally settling himself comfortably on top of his head.

Little Radish did his best to plant his nonexistent hands on his hips and barked fiercely at Shi Shouzhuo, “Hey! Did you hear about the Sweet Spring? I’ll have your sect mates trade it for your life.”

Shi Shouzhuo clenched his molars, his face ashen, and stubbornly kept silent.

Deep within the Yuehua Sect’s treasury, there was indeed a small pool of Sweet Spring.

It was said that phoenixes would drink nothing but Sweet Spring. Its reputation was dazzling—it was known as the sweetest, most exquisite water in the world. But phoenixes had long vanished from the cultivation world, and aside from its extraordinary taste, the Sweet Spring had no real use for cultivation.

There wasn’t much of it, and it felt like a waste to drink it. It wasn’t good enough for alchemy either. Over time, it became a tasteless burden, tossed into a corner of the treasury.

Using this useless Sweet Spring to buy back his life was, in truth, a good deal.

But the humiliation… was unbearable! He had made such bold declarations at the start, yet hadn’t even touched the hem of Qi Jiangyuan’s robe before being defeated by his favored consort. Now he had to rely on his sect to ransom him with Sweet Spring? How could Shi Shouzhuo show his face again?

It was worse than death!

Seeing him remain silent in stubborn defiance, Can He got even more fired up, trying his best to look threatening. “Not talking? Hmph! If you don’t hand over the Sweet Spring, I’ll chop you into pieces and turn you into fertilizer!”

Shi Shouzhuo exploded with rage. “Wicked demon! With such vile conduct, you’re bound to suffer retribution from the Dao. You’ll die a miserable death!”

“So what.” The white radish was completely unfazed. “I am a wicked demon. Didn’t you ask around the Longevity Ruins about who I am? I usually chase down my own kind to gnaw on!”

Shi Shouzhuo almost choked. Who in their right mind would go digging through some backwater mountain to investigate a radish’s background?!

He was about to curse again when he saw the white radish raise a tiny fist. “Try resisting again and I’ll beat you up all over!”

A Void Refinement Stage expert instinctively flinched at the sight of that tiny fist. In his mind, he could still hear the terrifying sound of disciples’ swords shattering. All his harsh words got stuck in his throat.

In the end, Shi Shouzhuo was dragged away by the Ghost Messengers.

Can He let out a smug snort and tugged even harder on Qi Jiangyuan’s black hair.

Feeling the little thing on his head start to slip from excitement, Qi Jiangyuan naturally raised a hand and gently steadied the round radish bottom with his fingertips, helping him stay in place.

“Oh right.” Can He suddenly remembered something and quickly ordered, “Make sure to pick up all the ginseng whiskers I dropped. Not a single one can be left behind. Bring them back to stew for His Highness—they’re super nourishing!”

Each of his root whiskers was incredibly precious.

Xie Suoyan quickly agreed and directed a few Ghost Messengers to carefully gather the scattered radish whiskers from the ground.

The group of ghosts set off to return to the Ghost Realm.

When they reached the dock, Qi Jiangyuan felt the weight on his head lighten—the white radish had already leapt down cheerfully.

With a crisp “Time to go home!”, Can He launched himself precisely into the boat, rolled around a bit, and nestled into a comfy spot.

Xie Suoyan, still gravely injured, boarded the boat as well. A different Ghost Messenger took over the oars, while another tended to his wounds.

The Long-tongued Ghost, despite the pain, couldn’t help sneaking glances at Can He, his doubts growing deeper.

He was thinking the same thing as Shi Shouzhuo—he simply couldn’t understand how a little demon whose cultivation felt so weak could unleash such terrifying power, beating several Void Refinement Stage cultivators without giving them a chance to fight back.

Void Refinement Stage! That was his own level of cultivation, and yet Can He had… had done it so easily…

Xie Suoyan couldn’t hold it in anymore and cautiously asked, “Little Highness, those were Void Refinement Stage cultivators. How did you manage to…”

“So what if they were Void Refinement? Is that supposed to be impressive?” Can He puffed up proudly and shared his “secret” with great satisfaction. “It’s not hard. I just smashed their swords first, then tied them up with my whiskers. Once they’re tied up, they can’t move.”

He made it sound so casual, but a sect’s life-bound sword—could it really be smashed just like that?

Xie Suoyan remembered how his own iron chain had been broken by Can He. He opened his mouth, then swallowed his words.

What if Can He’s species was just a tougher-skinned kind of radish?

Still, it was just too unbelievable!

“Do you even understand what the Void Refinement Stage means?” Xie Suoyan’s expression was complicated as he tried to make Can He grasp the difference between them. “The Void Refinement Stage is equivalent to the Spirit Core Stage in your Demon Realm. That’s like someone in the Transformation Stage defeating several Spirit Core demons across realms. You know, every minor breakthrough can take thousands of years of cultivation. You haven’t even formed your Demon Core yet, have you?”

Can He caught onto a key term: “Demon Core?”

The round little radish sat in the middle of the boat, tilting his head thoughtfully.

Then, under Xie Suoyan’s stunned gaze, he gave a soft “puh” and spat out a golden orb, holding it in his hands. “Is this a Demon Core?”

Xie Suoyan nearly lost his mind. He almost jumped off the boat. “?? You’re actually in the Spirit Core Stage! You’re really in the Spirit Core Stage—?!”

He clearly remembered that when they first met, no matter how he probed, Can He had only been a weak little demon with barely any spiritual power!

Even with the help of Dual Cultivation, this was way too outrageous!

It had only been a few months—how had he shot up from the Transformation Stage to the Spirit Core Stage? Did they wear out the entire bed in the process??

Qi Jiangyuan shot him a sidelong glance. Xie Suoyan realized he was losing control and quickly composed himself.

Since Can He was clearly clueless about basic cultivation knowledge, Xie Suoyan patiently asked again, “That Demon Core… did you form it before coming to the Ghost Realm, or after?”

“Of course before I came.” Can He swallowed the golden orb back into his belly. “In the entire Longevity Ruins, I’m the only one with a gold ball.”

No, that still didn’t add up.

The more Xie Suoyan asked, the more confused he became. “But even if you’re in the Spirit Core Stage, you shouldn’t be able to take on that many opponents…”

He didn’t dare think any further.

Seeing Can He’s dazed expression, he figured the radish probably didn’t even understand what was going on with himself…

Xie Suoyan fell completely silent. So when Can He claimed he was stronger than him from the start, it really wasn’t just bragging.

Thinking about it now, those Ghost Cultivators in Wujian Prison who provoked Can He and got utterly thrashed… maybe it wasn’t that embarrassing after all.

Can He slowly pieced it together. “So by your logic, I could beat up several of you now?”

Xie Suoyan braced himself. “…That’s about right.”

“That’s amazing!” Can He cheered instantly. “Let’s see who in the Three Realms dares call me a radish now—I’ll knock them out with one punch!”

Xie Suoyan: …

This was bad. At this rate, the Little Highness might never realize he really is a radish, huh?

…

Back in Wujian Prison, the little radish clutched a bowl bigger than himself and shoveled in several mouthfuls of rice before he felt a bit of strength return.

But his body was still drained of spiritual energy and urgently needed replenishing.

He quickly dragged Qi Jiangyuan back to the bedchamber. The white radish rolled around the bed a few times before a flash of inspiration hit him. He transformed back into his slightly disheveled teenage form and dove headfirst into the soft blankets.

Then Can He lifted a corner of the quilt and looked toward Qi Jiangyuan, who stood quietly at the bedside, reaching out to him with a soft nudge. “Come on up too.”

Qi Jiangyuan’s dark gaze lingered on him for a moment. Can He’s collar was slightly open, revealing the faint outline of his collarbone.

He slowly raised his hand—not to touch anywhere else, but simply to clasp Can He’s outstretched fingers.

The Ghost King sat down at the edge of the bed, and using that position, began to check over Can He’s arms and shoulders, making sure there were no hidden injuries.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Can He said, squirming a little from the ticklish sensation. “I told you I’m super strong—I could take on ten Xie Suoyans without breaking a sweat!”

Qi Jiangyuan looked up at him. “That is indeed quite impressive.”

Only he knew how terrified he had been the moment he sensed Can He had been taken.

Qi Jiangyuan had torn through space without hesitation to reach him. It was only when he saw his radish safe and sound that the tension coiled tight in his chest finally eased.

Can He was delighted by the praise. “Give me a little more time, and I’ll be as strong as you.”

Qi Jiangyuan said, “You’re already as strong as me.”

Can He beamed. A thin root timidly sprouted from his fingertip, slowly extending and wrapping around Qi Jiangyuan’s wrist.

Qi Jiangyuan couldn’t help but stroke it gently.

He hadn’t been mistaken.

This root functioned almost exactly like his Soul Threads—perhaps even derived from the same origin. It could directly absorb another’s cultivation and convert it into his own.

Only, Can He wasn’t very skilled with it yet. He could only draw a small amount, and most of the time still relied on his own cultivation to build up spiritual power.

Qi Jiangyuan already had a good idea of what was going on.

“This little trick of mine is actually pretty valuable—and really handy too.” Can He boasted, then added a bit glumly, “Usually when I’m tired, I rely on my roots to grab things. But my spiritual power runs out way too fast, so I haven’t used it much lately.”

Thinking about it, it made sense that Can He, who rarely moved a finger, depended entirely on his roots to do the work. No wonder his spiritual power was always running dry.

Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze lingered on the boy’s soft cheeks beside him, his voice dipping lower. “I heard from Xie Suoyan that you got so angry today… was it because of me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Can He instantly felt guilty and raised his voice, “I hit them because they called me a radish!”

Seeing how obvious his denial was, Qi Jiangyuan let out a low chuckle and pulled the contradictory little radish into his arms.

Can He’s cheek pressed against the cold fabric of Qi Jiangyuan’s robe, and his heart pounded uncontrollably, thudding so fast it felt like it might burst out of his chest.

They hugged like this all the time, but somehow, this embrace felt… different. Like it had gone beyond the bounds of mere healing.

But the truth was, he had been genuinely upset today.

Can He knew perfectly well that Qi Jiangyuan was a bad ghost—a very, very bad ghost—and he himself was a bad ginseng.

Even so, Can He instinctively didn’t want to hear others speak ill of Qi Jiangyuan.

That tangled, unfamiliar emotion had overwhelmed him in the moment, driving him to a fury so intense he’d unleashed a power even he hadn’t known he had.

After a long silence, Can He buried his burning face against Qi Jiangyuan’s chest and mumbled, “I heard them say you killed a lot of your fellow disciples. But Xie Suoyan said there’s more to the story… So what’s true and what’s not?”

Qi Jiangyuan twirled a strand of Can He’s hair around his finger. “Words can be twisted. Both Shi Shouzhuo and Xie Suoyan have their own agendas. So why are you so sure that what I say is the unvarnished truth?”

“I know you’re full of ghostly lies, but I don’t want a lecture.” Can He’s breath tickled his ear. “Just tell me.”

The boy tugged at his sleeve again, then nestled fully into his arms, shifting to a more comfortable position.

Qi Jiangyuan was helpless against him. “Don’t act cute.”

“There’s no hidden story,” he said calmly. “With a fate like mine, I was a calamity in the Human Realm, but in the Ghost Realm, I was a once-in-ten-thousand-lifetimes innate Dao vessel. My childhood… was rough. But that only made me see through the karma of this body early on. I didn’t hide from my fate. I even planned to use it to step into the ghost path.”

Qi Jiangyuan spoke lightly, as if recounting someone else’s life. “Back then, the Yuehua Sect was revered by the masses, filled with talented disciples, seemingly at the peak of prosperity. But beneath the surface, inner conflict festered like a nest of venomous insects. They fought over mortal resources, and their spiritual foundations were already tainted.”

“They wanted to use my fate to develop methods for dealing with evil spirits. I needed them to pave the way into the ghost path. So I naturally infiltrated the Yuehua Sect… and with just a small display of power, I stirred up a storm.”

Qi Jiangyuan smiled. “All I did was cultivate properly, and I stole all their glory. These so-called cultivators couldn’t escape the poisons of greed, anger, and obsession¹. Their grand sect began to crumble from within. A little nudge, and their hatred exploded. They used the excuse of ‘ridding the world of evil’ to set a trap.”

In the end, they fell right into Qi Jiangyuan’s plan and helped him step onto the ghost path.

Can He was stunned, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

It wasn’t far off from what Xie Suoyan had said, but hearing it from Qi Jiangyuan himself was still too… too…

Qi Jiangyuan’s gaze swept over him, and Can He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. On instinct, he tried to wriggle out of the man’s arms.

But the moment he moved, a firm grip locked around his waist and legs. Qi Jiangyuan’s hand pressed steadily against his thigh, pulling him back in with unyielding force.

“Mm… ah…”

The world spun, and in the next instant, Can He was flipped onto his back, pinned beneath Qi Jiangyuan. His pale, slender legs were pushed up against the man’s waist, the position suddenly turning dangerously intimate.

Can He pressed his hands against Qi Jiangyuan’s shoulders, trying to push him away, but it was useless. Not only did he fail to create any space, he was pulled in even tighter. Their bodies fit together perfectly, inseparable.

Little Radish’s bravado instantly crumbled. “What are you doing…?”

Taking advantage of a ginseng in distress!

“Don’t you want to know what happened next?” Qi Jiangyuan said. “Afterward, the three realms investigated together and found that the Yuehua Sect was at fault from the start, already rotten to the core. So they handed out equal punishment to all sides and closed the case.”

The Yuehua Sect never recovered, while Qi Jiangyuan rose to become the Ghost King who shook the three realms, growing stronger by the day.

Thirty thousand years had passed, and only the disciples of the Yuehua Sect continued to pass down that hatred, growing more intense with each generation.

Can He shrank back slightly, then mustered his courage to ask, “So back then, they really targeted you repeatedly out of jealousy?”

“Framing and slander were practically daily occurrences.”

“That… didn’t make life unbearable for you?”

Qi Jiangyuan raised an eyebrow. “Why would it? All their negative emotions only fueled my cultivation in the Ghost Dao.”

In fact, he wished it had been even more intense.

Can He was left speechless by his twisted logic. It was as if, only now, he was seeing the true face of this ghost.

Even hearing it firsthand, it was hard to imagine someone would go so far as to manipulate an entire sect into framing him—just to step onto the path of the Ghost Dao. Even luring them into trying to kill him.

Just as Xie Suoyan had said, if the Yuehua Sect hadn’t already had its own problems, how could Qi Jiangyuan have exploited the cracks?

No wonder the Yuehua Sect and the others harbored such deep hatred toward him.

But to Qi Jiangyuan, all that chaos was nothing more than a speck of dust on his path to becoming the Ghost King.

“However.” Qi Jiangyuan lowered his gaze, his voice dropping to a sigh, as if he’d suffered some great injustice. “It wasn’t exactly a righteous method. The karma followed, and now I’m stuck at the Ghost King realm, unable to ascend, slowly awaiting my end.”

“You liar…” Can He, pinned beneath him, felt his heartbeat go haywire. “You faked being sick just to lure the Yuehua Sect out and wipe them all out.”

He was drunk, not deaf—he’d clearly heard what Xie Suoyan said.

Buzzing flies are indeed annoying when they linger too long. And just as the world believed, with no one in the three realms able to stop Qi Jiangyuan, it was time for him to settle the score.

Can He struggled, but it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree. He only ended up exhausting himself, panting for breath, a pitiful flush spreading to the corners of his eyes as he glared at the ghost on top of him. “So are you actually sick or not?”

“Oh, I am,” Qi Jiangyuan replied without hesitation. “Didn’t I say? I really did suffer retribution—stuck at the Ghost King realm. I’ll probably only live for… a few more tens of thousands of years.”

Can He: “…………You really did lie to me!”

Tens of thousands of years! That was practically an eternity already, and yet he’d acted like he was on death’s door, tricking him into foolishly offering to heal him.

In his whole life, Radish had never seen a ghost this wicked. Nothing but lies from beginning to end—not a single honest word. How could there be a ghost as cunning and despicable as Qi Jiangyuan!

Qi Jiangyuan chuckled lowly, his fingertips brushing the flushed cheek that had grown even redder from anger. “And you? In the end, you agreed to stay by my side to heal me. Isn’t it also… beneficial to you? Helping your cultivation along?”

Caught red-handed, Can He’s gaze darted away, stammering, “Th-that’s not the same…”

“Of course it’s the same,” Qi Jiangyuan cut him off. “I am sick—just not dying anytime soon. I need you, and you need me. We need each other. Isn’t that a match made in heaven?”

He pulled Can He tighter into his arms, pressing their bodies together with no space between, making Can He dizzy and breathless, forced to endure his every move.

“Tired out today, Little Highness? Used up all your cultivation?” Qi Jiangyuan murmured, hitting right on the mark. “Why not get even closer with me? I’ll help you recover all your strength. How about it?”

Can He had the sinking feeling he’d fallen right into this wicked ghost’s trap. His whole body went weak from those words, both furious and flustered, and he couldn’t help but tremble as he cursed, “You bastard!”

Who could possibly say no to such a quick way to recover their cultivation?!

Translator’s Notes