Chapter 179 - 178: What is the Ghost’s Purpose?

Chapter 179: Chapter 178: What is the Ghost’s Purpose?

Huo Yunjing made no effort to hide it. He rubbed his nose. "The scene jogged my memory. I’ve started to remember a little about my past life, but not everything."

"So," Gu Qingyin said, her expression unchanging, "you’re the Lichuan Ghost King? The one who brought the Ghost Market to heel and then presided over it for a hundred years?"

Huo Yunjing owned up to it. "Who I was in my past life has nothing to do with this one."

Even though he had these new memories, they didn’t feel real to him—it was like watching a movie, an immersive one at that. He now knew the plot, but it didn’t really affect him.

Gu Qingyin fell silent for two seconds. "Why did you choose to be reborn?"

Huo Yunjing thought for a moment. "No particular reason. I guess I was just... bored."

Gu Qingyin’s brow twitched. ’What kind of bullshit reason is that? A Ghost King! He had wealth, power, and strength—things countless people could only dream of—and he was *bored*!’

Perhaps the look in her eyes was too full of reproach, because Huo Yunjing walked over, sat beside her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "When you live too long with nothing left to pursue, you’re bound to get lonely. After being lonely for so long, life starts to feel meaningless. I figured it was better to start over."

It wasn’t that Gu Qingyin couldn’t understand. She just huffed. "So what about now? You’re a Ghost Cultivator. You’re going to live a very long time again."

Huo Yunjing chuckled. "It’s different. I have you, and our sons. I’m so much happier than I was in my past life."

Gu Qingyin was satisfied enough with his answer. Then she asked, "So, what’s the deal with that female ghost?"

Huo Yunjing paused for a moment before saying innocently, "An admirer who wasn’t all there. I rejected her many times, but it was like she couldn’t understand a word I was saying. She followed me wherever I went, causing a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings. I eventually lost my patience and sealed her away."

"The original plan was just to teach her a lesson—lock her up for a few decades and then let her out. But then I... kind of forgot." Huo Yunjing looked sheepish for a split second before his tone became righteous again. "Clearly, I didn’t lock her up long enough. She still hasn’t learned to admit she was wrong, and now she has the nerve to stir up trouble."

Gu Qingyin was both amused and exasperated. She gave him a light slap. "Go run my bath!"

"Right away, Your Majesty!"

In high spirits, Huo Yunjing stood up and headed to the bathroom.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but laugh. ’Who would have thought? The legendary cold and aloof Ghost King reincarnates only to become completely doting on his wife.’

Even Gu Qingyin herself had to admit it. ’I’m so spoiled!’

After her bath, Gu Qingyin dried her hair and got into bed. Just as she was starting to feel drowsy, Huo Yunjing finished tidying the bathroom and climbed in beside her. He slipped under the covers, and a long arm immediately hooked around her, pulling her into his embrace.

Gu Qingyin’s body tensed reflexively, bracing for the familiar chill.

But miraculously, the familiar chest pressed against her back was warm. Even through her thin pajamas, she could clearly feel it rise and fall with his breath.

Gu Qingyin was wide awake in an instant. She turned to face Huo Yunjing, her hands reaching out to poke and prod him in amazement. "How did you do this? Can ghosts really pretend to be human?"

Huo Yunjing’s gaze darkened as he caught her mischievous hands. "It’s just a simple disguise. Honey, you don’t seem sleepy at all." He leaned closer. "Why don’t we do something lovers do?"

"Mmph..."

Her lips were captured, and soon, she no longer had the energy to be curious about anything.

When Gu Qingyin opened her eyes again, the sun was already starting to dip toward the west. She stretched languidly, easing her aching back, then lazily got up to wash her face.

Huo Yunjing wasn’t in the bedroom. He was most likely in the kitchen, cooking.

After changing and heading downstairs, Gu Qingyin caught the aroma of sweet and sour pork. Her mouth instantly started to water, and her pace quickened.

Huo Yunjing emerged from the kitchen carrying the last dish. He turned and smiled at her. "Perfect timing."

Gu Qingyin took a seat. Looking at the delicious-looking spread, her stomach belatedly began to rumble.

Halfway through their meal, Huo Yunjing suddenly said, "I took a call for you while you were sleeping. It was the Mystic Association. They said they have a job for you."

"Hm?" Gu Qingyin was confused for a second before it hit her. She had indeed registered with the Mystic Association, but it had been so long without a word that she’d almost forgotten about it. "What kind of job?"

"I sent the client’s file to your email. You can read it after you eat."

Gu Qingyin finished her meal at a leisurely pace, followed it with a bowl of rich soup, and then, on a full stomach, started to read the file.

The client’s name was Song Qiweng, a channel manager at a publicly traded company. He had recently gotten engaged to his fiancée, a colleague named Yuan Shuyi. They had worked together, and over time, their professional relationship had blossomed into romance.

After dating for half a year, they had just recently gotten engaged. The strange occurrences began right after.

It started with Yuan Shuyi.

Yuan Shuyi was usually exhausted from work and a heavy sleeper who rarely dreamed. But after the engagement, she started having a recurring dream about a woman crying with her back turned. The sound of weeping would fill her ears all night, and she’d wake up feeling exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept a wink.

One or two nights might have been a coincidence, but after a solid week of the same dream, even Yuan Shuyi, a staunch materialist, began to feel uneasy.

Her mind didn’t immediately jump to ghosts. Instead, she took it as a sign from the heavens, an omen that her future would be one spent washing her face with tears. She began to suspect that Song Qiweng wasn’t the right man for her and even considered calling off the engagement.

Unable to bear it any longer, Yuan Shuyi told Song Qiweng what was happening.

Her mental state had clearly been suffering for a few days, so when Song Qiweng heard her story, he concluded it was due to work-related stress and took her to see a therapist.

That evening, Yuan Shuyi tried the relaxation techniques the therapist suggested. They worked wonders; she didn’t dream at all.

When she woke up the next day and recalled her suspicions about Song Qiweng, she felt both foolish and guilty. That evening, she made a special effort, preparing a feast and stewing a nourishing soup as she waited for him to come home.

But nine o’clock came and went. Not only had Song Qiweng not returned, but he was completely unreachable.

Yuan Shuyi called everyone they knew, but no one had any idea where he was. Just as she was about to report him missing to the police, his call finally came through.

The usually calm and collected Song Qiweng was uncharacteristically frantic. "I got caught in a ghost wall," he said, his voice panicked.

As it turned out, Song Qiweng had left work on time that evening, hoping to get home early to be with Yuan Shuyi. But after entering a tunnel on his drive home, he realized he was trapped.

The tunnel wasn’t particularly long—just over two kilometers—but he had somehow been driving inside it for ten hours, and his car was nearly out of fuel.

He’d actually realized something was wrong not long after entering. The tunnel was usually congested, but that night, it was completely empty except for his car.

Song Qiweng didn’t dare to stop, so he just kept driving. Fortunately, he eventually emerged from the tunnel, shaken but otherwise unharmed.

Reading this, Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. The purpose of a ghost wall was to trap a target in order to capture them.

But the ghost that trapped Song Qiweng never appeared and even let him go in the end. ’So what was its goal?’ she wondered. ’It couldn’t have been just to keep him from going home, could it?’