In the dimly lit, thick with ghost energy interior, the ghost infant's stern, rock-like features were slickly swept by shadows, as if possessing skin born of darkness.
When he was in the cultivation world, people around him often found him solitary, indifferent, and gloomy, always difficult to approach. In Fengdu, ghost cultivators frequently perceived him as rigid, overly disciplined, and serious, making him an outcast among them.
He seemed to have always been this peculiar existence, unable to adapt or integrate well into any environment he found himself in. He was a misfit everywhere.
At first, the ghost infant didn't understand. He had tried his best to live a decent and dignified life, yet why was he always an anomaly in the eyes of others?
Until later, when the Monarch told him something.
"In the eyes of the hypocritical, you are the darkness that cannot be dispelled by sunlight. In the eyes of the malicious, you are the unyielding light within the darkness. It is not your fault for not finding your place; rather, anyone who is true to themselves, who does not cater to external voices, will be an anomaly in the eyes of others."
The ghost infant had once been panicked, ashamed to admit he was always an anomaly.
At that moment, perhaps seeing through his inner thoughts, the Monarch asked him, "Is it so bad to be an anomaly?"
He couldn't answer.
He only knew that not being accepted, recognized, or seen for who he was, was a painful thing.
"Ghost infant, you are still too young now, and you haven't found what you truly desire. Therefore, you cannot yet understand how blissful it is to be yourself. When one day you do understand..."
At this point, the Monarch stopped speaking, leaving a meaningful void for him to comprehend.
The ghost infant of the past truly couldn't understand the Monarch's words – how difficult it was for a person to uphold their true self and go against the current in a large environment. But now, he seemed to be able to empathize.
Because whether it was his past self or his present self, one who, blinded by deception, served the wrong master yet had his will twisted to complete tasks, or one who saw through everything yet had to feign compliance and continue to disguise himself, neither of them was his true self.
He once thought being an anomaly was like wanting to do something but being blocked by the whole world. But now, he felt more that going against his nature to conform to the world was like a slow suicide, that he might ultimately lose himself completely.
He could now complete the Monarch's unfinished words.
"Ghost infant, you are still too young now, and you haven't found what you truly desire. Therefore, you cannot yet understand how blissful it is to be yourself. When one day you do understand, you will be grateful for the self that insisted on being you back then."
It felt as if something had been dug out of the ghost infant's chest and replaced with a large amount of new substance. While this exchange wasn't soul-crushing, it was like a slow blade grinding away.
To put it more poetically, this was the growth that life inevitably required.
Whether a person is mature or not sometimes had to do with age, and sometimes it didn't. Their change might be a single moment of realization.
The ghost infant's previous taciturn nature was more of a resistance and indifference to the outside world. But now, he hid too many things in his heart. He might still be the one with sparse words, but every word he spoke from now on would carry meaning.
"Your power has greatly increased."
Mu Junshi seemed satisfied with this outcome.
Her eyes, cold and sharp like those of a venomous scorpion, narrowed and curved. In this darkness, and in the innocent, sightless eyes of Gu Yejin, she seemed to shed all pretense and concealment, able to express her true self without reservation.
"Then it's time for us to watch a good show."
Having plotted for so long, with all the chess pieces in place as expected, what reason was there for her not to anticipate it with joy and exhilaration?
The ghost infant had followed Mu Junshi for seven years. During these seven years, she had been constantly influencing and hinting at him, so he had always known what she wanted to achieve by doing all this.
What he didn't understand was why she had to beguile him, draw him into her faction, and even deceive him with a false identity, all to keep him firmly in her grasp.
The ghost infant believed he didn't have that much value to warrant her attention. At least compared to the Four City Ghost Kings, his cultivation, power, and status were not comparable to theirs.
Even his current status and reputation in Shuofang Ghost City were entirely built and supported by her.
Therefore, he couldn't figure out his value in her eyes.
"Monarch, what will eventually happen to the people of Rongcheng, Huacheng, and Cibeicheng?" he suddenly asked a strange question.
At least after hearing this, Mu Junshi's subtle expression froze, turning into a cold, suspicious, and probing gaze that deviated from her expected composure.
"Those who obstruct us, what do you think?"
After hearing this, the ghost infant, unlike before, did not shy away from her gaze or lower his head to blur his expression for fear of revealing anything unusual. He appeared very candid, showing no intention of avoiding her current probing suspicion.
They were both creatures of darkness; one a ghost cultivator, the other a half-demon. While darkness might be a natural disadvantage for humans, it was a familiar battlefield for them.
From the perennial gloom, darkness, and sternness of a ghost cultivator, his vacant, hazy gray eyes gathered power. In this darkness, they extended like ominous and dim tendrils.
"Obstacles should naturally be eradicated. Yejin knows what to do."
After observing him silently for a while, until she was certain nothing was amiss, Mu Junshi finally relaxed.
"Don't disappoint me, Gu Yejin. Seven years have passed, and since we've come this far, I will absolutely not let our efforts be in vain. Therefore, anyone who is a threat or could become a threat, I will not spare a single one, do you understand?"
It didn't matter if he didn't understand. Mu Junshi thought indifferently and coldly. If he was smart, she would keep him. If he was foolish enough to betray her, then... she would turn him into a mere vessel, a puppet.
—
Mu Junshi, still clad in a heavy black cloak that seemed to absorb sunlight and radiate a fine glow, returned to the Mu residence. She saw Hua Jie standing alone in the flower garden.
Fengdu City had no sunlight or dew, and thus could not cultivate brightly colored flowers and vegetation. Therefore, this courtyard, though called a "flower garden," was actually filled only with dark, gnarled tree branches and clusters of vine-like, twisted dark plants growing in the corners.
At this moment, Hua Jie was gazing up at the wall, at the unrestrained, thorny creatures growing wildly. They intertwined chaotically and disorderly, extending from the ground towards the sky. It could be said that these underground lifeforms survived with remarkable tenacity.
They didn't even require as many harsh conditions as surface creatures to survive.
Staring at these creatures, as humble and small as himself, yet still yearning to climb upwards, Hua Jie couldn't help but become lost in thought.
Upon arriving at the Mu residence, perhaps because he was personally brought in by the young lady of the Mu family, and coupled with his striking appearance, he received unprecedented preferential treatment.
He wore the most magnificent robes, ate the most delicious food, and his living quarters were spacious and clean. Every furnishing inside was something that someone of his former status and standing could not easily access.
Everything was simply because of... this face.
Hua Jie, half-obsessed and half-doubtful, touched his smooth, fair cheek.
Mu Junshi, who had just entered the courtyard, saw Hua Jie. She made no sound, merely observing him quietly.
From a distance, without the direct impact of that face, Mu Junshi finally realized... this person was no longer overlapping with that other one.
When she faced the original person, she didn't dare to have too many thoughts because that person's heart and eyes were too cold. Thinking back to the "harm" she had suffered from that person, she truly dared not harbor more feelings for him.
But undeniably, there was no woman in this world who wouldn't covet such a perfect face. And though this person in front of her looked almost identical, upon seeing him, she felt no trace of the trembling, heart-pounding yet contradictory, awe-inspiring fear she once felt.
In the end, in her heart, Hua Jie was merely a replica.
"Hua Jie."
She called him, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, possessing a deliberately crafted gentle trap.
Hua Jie, not entirely lost in his own thoughts, quickly caught the sound in the air.
"Young Miss."
He was like a pampered courtesan, instinctively raising a smile when dealing with Mu Junshi, seeking to please her.
Mu Junshi stood still, waiting for him to approach her before walking forward together. "What are you looking at?"
She asked casually, but Hua Jie did not treat it as a casual remark.
Perhaps he was too eager to hold onto everything he had now, unable to speak his mind freely. Everything he said and did had to be filtered in his mind, the best answer selected before he could speak it. "Replying to Young Miss, Hua Jie was not looking at anything. I was merely lost in thought... thinking about my younger brother. I wonder how he is doing now?"
He wanted to portray himself as someone who valued relationships, knowing that women generally liked men who were emotionally rich.
"Are you blaming me?"
But Mu Junshi's response was not as appreciative as he had expected, and even...
"No, no, that's not it." Hua Jie flustered for a moment. "Hua Jie dares not."
Mu Junshi stopped walking. She gripped his cheek with her hand, bringing her face close to his nose. "Hua Jie, tell me, how did you get this face?"
The flesh on Hua Jie's face was pierced with pain by her sharp fingernails, but he couldn't care about the pain at this moment. "This face originally... No, I've always looked like this—"
He tried to argue and explain, but Mu Junshi's next forceful and mocking words left him utterly humiliated.
"Hua Jie, from Huacheng, disliked by his parents since childhood due to his ugliness. At thirteen, he was sold into servitude by his parents. He attempted to escape but was caught on the spot, nearly beaten to death. Later, he met another orphan who saved him. They later became companions and hid together in Huacheng for a long time, calling each other brothers during that period..."