GB Chapter 26

Chapter 26

As the Zhong Yuan Festival approached, the number of visitors to Wanguishu Academy gradually increased. It wasn’t just well-known spirits like Lüling; powerful ghosts from all over had also stopped to rest on the island. The Ghost Goddess never left Xiaoyu Mountain and naturally did not appear, but the God of Joy, though not yet arrived, had his palace cleaned by emissaries from Yindu. Their grand entrance far surpassed anyone else’s.

Walking alone along a path hung with blood-red lanterns, Zhuge Qingtian felt a little nervous. Since meeting Qian Ren, he had not walked alone for a long time. The cool sea breeze of the Ghost Domain always reminded him of his days in the mass graves. It was as if he would wake up to find that everything was just a dream, that a man in black had never appeared in his life, and that he would still be wandering alone in this world.

Although he had lost his memories, his instincts as a ghost god remained. In the past, no matter how powerful the cultivators were, they could not make him feel fear, but today, just a small path through the woods made him feel a little scared.

It’s okay, my wife won’t lie to me, he will definitely be waiting for me there.

Comforting himself in this way, the young man looked up at the ancient plaque of the academy and finally mustered the courage to step inside.

Although Wanguishu Academy was called an academy, it rarely held group lessons. If ghosts wanted to seek guidance from the God of Lamentation, they would stay there, ask questions, and then decide what to do on their own. Therefore, the God of Lamentation actually focused on teaching impoverished ghosts how to read.

The servants here were long accustomed to ghosts coming to seek guidance. They merely said “The teacher is in the library” when they saw Zhuge Qingtian and continued sweeping the floor, completely oblivious to the fact that this nervous-looking young man was also a ghost god.

Compared to the strangeness of the outside world, Wanguishu Academy’s layout was closer to that of a normal mortal academy. However, while most academies planted pines and bamboos, this place only had shade trees like mulberries and sophoras. In the night, the sophora trees with their bark resembling human faces, coupled with the white paper lanterns swaying in the wind, gave off a slightly desolate and eerie feeling.

Zhuge Qingtian was not afraid of these Ghost Domain landscapes. He was just a little apprehensive about meeting a great figure, so he nervously entered the library. The God of Lamentation was recognized as the most powerful ghost god of the time, so he expected him to be full of majesty. Who knew that, through the many bookshelves, he would see a white-clothed man lying on a rocking chair?

The man was wearing simple mourning clothes, and although it was a pale color, it could not hide his refined and handsome features. One could imagine how radiant this person must have been when he was alive. However, no matter how much brilliance he had once displayed, he had ultimately perished. Thus, he was now just lazily holding a book, and when Zhuge Qingtian entered the door, he looked up and said, “You’ve finally arrived.”

“You know me?”

Zhuge Qingtian was immediately surprised that the other party would greet him first, but the God of Lamentation merely handed him a cushion, signaling for the young man to sit down, and then softly said, “Every ghost god has a fixed ghost domain. From the moment you entered Huanhun Island, I knew another ghost god had appeared in the world.”

This ghost god was indeed as gentle as Ling Sui Daoren had said. Seeing him like this, Zhuge Qingtian relaxed slightly and sat on the cushion, asking curiously, “I heard that ghosts can ask you about things they don’t understand?”

“I am not omniscient. I was just an old man who wanted to chat with others when I had nothing to do, but they’ve made it sound so mysterious.”

Hearing this, the God of Lamentation smiled helplessly. Seeing that he didn’t seem to know how to start, he took the initiative to ask, “What do you want to know from coming here?”

“May I ask how I can become a ghost god as powerful as you?”

The young man’s question was not unexpected. The God of Lamentation looked at him calmly. “Pain, sorrow, and resentment are the sources of a ghost’s power. You are already a ghost god of the same level as I am. The reason you are so weak is that you have forgotten your past painful memories. In my opinion, that is an extremely fortunate thing.”

“But, if I don’t become powerful, I’m afraid my wife will one day abandon me.”

Zhuge Qingtian had never encountered a problem that needed to be solved by the power of a ghost god. This power did not hold much practical meaning for him. What troubled him was the anxiety that he might return to his past life at any time. Fang Suihan’s past had already made him frightened just from the retelling. If his own memories were as sad as the person in front of him, he was not sure if he could return to his current state after remembering them…

Hesitantly rubbing his sleeve, he still wanted to try other ways to eliminate his unease. So he asked, “Do you know how to make a man marry me?”

“There are many ghosts who have sought guidance from me, but this is the first time I’ve heard such a question.”

The God of Lamentation looked at him with surprise, truly not expecting to be consulted about a same-sex relationship. Fortunately, he was experienced. After looking at Zhuge Qingtian, he guessed the concerns in his heart, and so he asked, “Why do you want to marry him?”

“Because I like being with him.”

“You can be together as teacher and disciple, confidants, or friends. Why do you insist on being a husband and wife?”

Zhuge Qingtian answered this question very straightforwardly, giving his reason without hesitation. However, when he heard the God of Lamentation’s next question, he was stunned. His insistence on marriage was ultimately because of Ling Sui Daoren’s words about reincarnation. After discovering he wasn’t Zhuge Qingtian, he knew his reincarnation was not so simple. Then why did he still want to marry Qian Ren? Moreover, these days he didn’t seem as obsessed with reincarnation as before…

He had never seriously considered this question before. Now that the God of Lamentation had analyzed it, he realized that something was wrong. He couldn’t help but wonder if he really had fallen for that man. But then again, he felt like something was missing.

Seeing his confused expression, the God of Lamentation knew that the young man had not yet understood his own feelings. He didn’t offer much guidance, but asked, “Have you ever thought about whether you want a wife or a cultivation partner?”

“Is there a difference between the two?”

Zhuge Qingtian had not initially held high expectations of this Ghost Domain teacher, but now, after their conversation, he realized that the other party had truly seen through his inner struggles, so he began asking questions more actively.

Seeing him like this, a trace of remembrance flashed in the God of Lamentation’s eyes, as if he was remembering his past disciples seeking guidance from him. His voice also softened, “Among mortals, marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers. Men and women who have only met a few times can become husband and wife. Even if their personalities clash, they can live together respectfully for life. But cultivators do not care about continuing the family line. The first thing a cultivation partner needs is shared goals and spiritual harmony.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qingtian seemed to understand something. He asked again, “What is the path?”

“The path is what your heart desires. If you want to walk into someone’s heart, you must first know where his heart is.”

After speaking, the God of Lamentation reached out and tapped the location of the young man’s heart. Seeing his expression change, he asked, “Do you know what he likes?”

Since they met, Qian Ren had always been indifferent and had never shown any likes or dislikes towards anything. Although he had once said he was interested in demons and ghosts, Zhuge Qingtian knew that was just a joke and couldn’t be taken seriously. Now, he could only shake his head blankly.

“Then do you know what he hates?”

What Qian Ren hates… talking to him?

This thought flashed through Zhuge Qingtian’s mind subconsciously, and he quickly shook his head to dismiss this terrible idea. He tried hard to use logic and think – no, he was experienced with being rejected, and he knew that wasn’t the attitude one had towards someone they hated. That man even said he wanted him to be his disciple, he should like him a little, right?

Thinking this, Zhuge Qingtian touched the storage bracelet on his wrist uncertainly. Inside, there was still a river lantern that the man had given him. As if gaining confidence from it, he finally understood why he was so anxious and always wanted to confirm a close relationship with Qian Ren to feel at ease. In the end, it was only because he didn’t understand this person well enough.

“He has seen through me, but I still know nothing about him. So that’s the reason for my anxiety.”

Muttering a sigh, all of Zhuge Qingtian’s doubts were explained. He was attracted by Qian Ren’s unintentional tenderness, but he couldn’t see through the emotions behind the man’s indifferent expression. And because of this, no matter how enthusiastically he rushed forward, Qian Ren would always look at him like he was a child, treating his words as a joke and never taking them seriously.

Zhuge Qingtian still didn’t understand what his feelings were, but he knew that he really wanted to understand that man and liked the days they spent together. In that case, he would start as a teacher and disciple. As long as he became Qian Ren’s disciple, sooner or later he would understand this person better than anyone else. At that time, no matter what kind of relationship they developed, it would be much easier than it was now.

That’s right. Since he didn’t know what his wife liked, he would start by becoming the kind of disciple that he liked!

Seeing that he had only been dejected for a moment before firmly raising his head, a strange light flashed in the God of Lamentation’s eyes. Although he had seen many ghosts, there weren’t many as tenacious as him. No wonder he was able to forcibly suppress his own resentment and walk among humans like a normal person. Only the God of Lamentation, who was also a ghost god, knew how difficult it was to suppress resentment. Even after wandering the world for hundreds of years, when he recalled the past, he could still cause the surrounding living beings to fall into endless despair. Although the young man was not yet mature, he could already control his resentment. Once he released his power, he would probably not be much weaker than him.

Hopefully, no one would force him to the point of abandoning his rationality. This world didn’t need another ghost god.

Sighing inwardly, he didn’t say anything more. He simply unfolded a piece of white paper, wrote a few lines on it with a brush, and handed it to Zhuge Qingtian, “Take this piece of paper. When you understand the questions on it, you can find the answer without anyone’s guidance.”

Zhuge Qingtian had never been afraid of hardship. Now that he had set a goal, he suddenly felt relaxed. He felt that the God of Lamentation was indeed a kind and gentle teacher. So he took the paper and happily smiled, “Thank you, you are really a good person!”

The young man’s world was still at the simple stage of distinguishing people by good and bad, as clear as black and white, which was somewhat adorable. The God of Lamentation hadn’t been evaluated like this since his death. Hearing it now, he couldn’t help but smile. He didn’t deny it either. Instead, he took out another book and gave it to him. His words were full of deeper meaning, “Go on, this is something He Huan left behind. Please take it back to his disciple for him.”

The author has something to say:

Mr. Fang: After reading the supplementary book and finishing this set of exercises, you will learn how to be a “cut sleeve” (homosexual).

Zhuge Qingtian: My wife is right, teacher knows so much!

Qian Ren: I sent you to listen to lectures from famous teachers, but all you learned was how to be gay???

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