It was due to an innate hostility towards the Ghost King that Lu Wuming, despite living in this palace for some time, had never considered exploring it.
Because of this, he had never truly paid attention to the palace's layout or its levels.
Now, sensing another level below, he felt no strong desire to probe it himself. However, the ghost qi he had released, before it could explore further, was repelled by a powerful force as if struck by electricity.
Lu Wuming frowned.
This time, there was no need for him to speak. The Ghost King's voice had already sounded. He said, "Good children do not secretly probe their father's belongings. If you continue to do such things, you are not a qualified son."
"Not qualified, so what? Kill me?" Lu Wuming scoffed, retracting the ghost qi he had released. He said, "It just occurred to me. Since I came here, I've basically stayed in the same place every day. I don't eat, I don't drink, and I mostly don't sleep. I'm a bit curious now, what do the other parts of this palace look like? You say you are my father and that your only intention is to dote on your son. Then, if your son has something he wants to know, will his father hide it and not let him see?"
This time, the Ghost King did not directly answer his question.
It seemed to be seriously considering a counter-argument. After a long pause, the Ghost King finally asked, "Are you threatening me?"
"There's nothing to threaten. From any perspective, I am the prisoner here. Where I can go and what I can do is up to you. I have no right to choose." Lu Wuming said, lying back down on the ground, his eyes fixed on the high ceiling. He continued, "I just want you to see clearly: you never intended to dote on me as a son. Or perhaps, you simply don't know how to play the role of a good father. If that's the case, there's no need for such a clumsy act. Let's both take a step back. I think it's best if we remain enemies. It will save you the embarrassment of being exposed when your act falters."
His words seemed to have struck a nerve with the Ghost King, who remained silent for a long time without any response.
Lu Wuming had thought that this game of doting father and rebellious son was about to end. To his surprise, the Ghost King managed to maintain his persona with a kind and gentle voice, saying, "Child, you have truly misunderstood me this time. If you wish, I would be very willing to show you this palace. However, as I told you before, I am now one with this palace. The area below is equivalent to my internal organs. Child, think about it, even as your father, I would not be comfortable with my child entering my stomach, would I?"
This explanation sounded quite plausible.
However, even a fool like Lu Wuming knew there must be some hidden reason behind it.
What he knew even more clearly was that no matter how he asked, the Ghost King would never reveal those hidden reasons. Since that was the case, it was better to remain silent. If the Ghost King wanted to play the doting father, he could continue his act. As for Lu Wuming himself, as his master had said, as long as he could maintain his clarity, the Ghost King wouldn't be able to do much to him.
The little voice in his mind was diligently calculating the time, counting on his fingers to guess how much time had passed. Squinting, Lu Wuming was seriously contemplating whether or not to contact Liu Buli.
Just then, the Ghost King's voice sounded again. He said, "Child, I have also reflected on the matter of not letting you eat. It was indeed wrong of me as a father. You have been here for quite some time, and you certainly should have something to eat and drink. Do you remember what I promised you before you came here? I will let you properly taste the delicacies that a ghost should have. Don't worry, and don't be anxious. I have already sent Thirteen to find the ingredients. That boy is always quick with his hands; you won't have to wait long."
The moment he heard this, Lu Wuming didn't need any further explanation to guess what the Ghost King intended to serve him as food.
When he had provoked the Ghost King earlier, he swore it was just a slip of the tongue. With his current cultivation level, he would be perfectly fine even without eating or drinking. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the Ghost King's hands-off approach had caused him no substantial harm during this period.
But now that the Ghost King was starting to concern himself with his food and drink, Lu Wuming felt as if he was about to be harmed.
His expression instantly turned grim. Lu Wuming gritted his teeth and replied, word by word, "I don't eat people."
"Your thinking is wrong from the start. This is not a matter of eating people or not. It is simply eating the food you are supposed to eat," the Ghost King corrected. "You need to face your own race. That is our food. Why must you assign a strange identity to food and then tell yourself that you cannot eat it?"
Hearing these words, Lu Wuming actually started to laugh.
If these words had come from any other ghost, Lu Wuming might not have had any retorts.
But coming from the Ghost King, Lu Wuming found it incredibly amusing.
"In your eyes, humans are simply food, aren't they?" Lu Wuming asked.
This time, the Ghost King responded very quickly. "That's right. In the eyes of all ghosts, it is like that, and it should be like that in your eyes too."
"Then I don't understand," Lu Wuming shook his head and said, "I am your child, and the woman who gave birth to me is human. According to you, she is merely your food. You can develop feelings for your food, so you are not exactly normal either, are you?"
This was a question Lu Wuming had held back for a long time, and he had finally found an opportunity to voice it.
He had expected the Ghost King to provide a reasonable excuse, perhaps saying it was an accident, or that he had simply fallen in love with that person.
But to his surprise, after a few seconds of silence, the Ghost King's response was a light chuckle. He said, "That was just an experiment. I wanted to see how strong the survival instinct of our food truly was."