After Ghost Marriage with My Arch-Rival - Chapter 7

With the experience of the first time under his belt, the second attempt was much smoother. After washing up at home, Liu Xiangyi stepped into the living room. Across a meter-wide hallway lay Zhong Qinhuai’s master bedroom.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Inside, Zhong Qinhuai was reclining in his coffin, holding a book.

He looked so alive.

For a split second, Liu Xiangyi felt a sense of vertigo—as if the street racing and the ghost marriage were all just a dream, and this guy hadn’t died at all.

But the dim glow of the overhead light cast a sallow hue over Zhong Qinhuai’s face, making him look even paler and lending the room an unmistakably eerie, ghostly chill.

Liu Xiangyi composed himself and glanced at the book title. It was Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan.

He was stunned that this guy would read such a classic folk tale. As if reading his mind, Zhong Qinhuai looked up with a half-smile.

“What’s wrong with this book? Wang Baochuan spent eighteen years in a cold kiln digging up wild vegetables because of her devotion; it’s a powerful cautionary tale. Everyone should own a copy as a family heirloom.”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

He hadn’t noticed last time, but Zhong Qinhuai’s bedroom featured an entire wall of bookshelves. A quick scan revealed titles like:

Rejecting the ‘Love-Brain’

The Book to Wake You Up to Reality

The Wise Do Not Fall in Love

Recalling the gossip from the shopkeeper, Liu Xiangyi realized these were likely bought by Zhong Qinhuai’s grandmother.

Then, he saw Zhong Qinhuai looking at him with a meaningful glint. “I think President Liu could use some of this bedtime reading as well.”

Liu Xiangyi: “?”

I certainly don’t need them, he thought. He didn’t have a romantic bone in his body. Not wanting to explain himself, he simply offered a polite, “No, thank you.”

Zhong Qinhuai closed his book. “If you don’t like reading, fine. I’ll take you somewhere else.”

Liu Xiangyi: “?”

Zhong Qinhuai snapped his fingers. A violent, icy wind rushed in from the window, forcing Liu Xiangyi to squint.

When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the bedroom. He was in a park. It was the middle of the night; the park was silent, illuminated only by the dim, soft glow of streetlights.

Zhong Qinhuai pointed to a patch of lush green grass nearby. “My grandmother said this place is the very hillside where Wang Baochuan used to dig for wild vegetables.”

He turned his head, staring at Liu Xiangyi with hidden meaning. “‘Love-brains’ never come to a good end. Take it as a warning, President Liu.”

Liu Xiangyi: “??”

He was actually amused by these nonsensical remarks. Arching an eyebrow, he said, “Are you implying I’m a ‘love-brain’? Where exactly did you get such a wild theory?”

Zhong Qinhuai leaned against a late-blooming cherry blossom tree, lifting his chin slightly. A hint of smugness danced in his dark pupils.

“Didn’t President Liu agree to this ghost marriage because you’ve had a secret crush on me all along?”

Liu Xiangyi: “???”

He retorted without a second thought, “Are you really that narcissistic?”

Zhong Qinhuai didn’t speak. He only let out a soft chuckle in the darkness, radiating absolute certainty.

Liu Xiangyi: “!”

He was about to explode when he suddenly remembered the phone call with his eldest brother the other day. So, the kid was nearby then?

Liu Xiangyi felt a pang of guilt for a second. He didn’t know what Zhong Qinhuai thought of it, but some people found it revolting when an arch-rival liked them.

Now that he had finally managed to thaw the ice and get their relationship on the track toward “friendship,” he refused to let everything go to waste. He offered a confident, reassuring smile.

“You’ve misunderstood, President Zhong. I only said that to comfort my brother. You can rest easy—I have absolutely no improper feelings for you whatsoever!”

He expected this vow-like clarification to put Zhong Qinhuai at ease. Instead, the ghost’s expression seemed to grow even gloomier?

Zhong Qinhuai said hollowly, “Then tell me, how did I ‘misunderstand’? And if it wasn’t a crush, why on earth did you go through with a ghost marriage?”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

Under the yellow light of the streetlamp, half of Zhong Qinhuai’s face was hidden in shadow, making his mood impossible to read. His dark eyes stared intently, like vines growing in a damp corner, silently coiling around Liu Xiangyi.

The longer the silence stretched, the tighter the “vines” seemed to pull. Liu Xiangyi’s scalp tingled.

Help!

Between “I want to suck your yin energy” and “admitting to a crush through gritted teeth,” Liu Xiangyi decisively chose the latter. He cleared his throat.

“Fine, fine! I see why you brought me here tonight! Don’t worry, I’m not a ‘love-brain,’ and even if I were, I wouldn’t cling to you. Satisfied?”

Still thinking about his “energy fix,” he added, “If you’re satisfied, can we go back? We still have a contest tonight; surely you haven’t forgotten?”

Zhong Qinhuai’s expression shifted again. A smirk touched his lips. “President Liu is in such a hurry to go back and sleep with me? And you still won’t admit you’ve got a crush?”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

What is with this smug confidence?

Granted, he had initiated the marriage, Zhong Qinhuai had overheard that call, and sleeping together did look suspicious, but they were arch-rivals! This kid actually fell for it?

Liu Xiangyi took a deep breath. Forget it; arguing was pointless. Business first. He looked at Zhong Qinhuai with a smile that masked his annoyance. “President Zhong, it’s late. Time to go back to sleep, don’t you think?”

Noticing his expression, Zhong Qinhuai tilted his head playfully. “Perhaps you didn’t know—we ghosts usually sleep during the day and come out at night.”

Liu Xiangyi walked up to him, stopping just three paces away. He maintained a provocative smile. “Oh? So, President Zhong is afraid to sleep with me now? Does this mean you’re prepared to lose to me in the courage department?”

Zhong Qinhuai let out a soft laugh. “Since President Liu wants to test our courage.” He took a slow step forward. “You want to sleep together just so you can steal a kiss while I’m asleep, don’t you? If that’s the case, do you have the courage to do it right now, to my face?”

Liu Xiangyi: “!”

He raised the stakes again!

Preparing himself to siphon energy while the guy was asleep was one thing. But kissing him directly like this, that was terrifying.

Seeing Liu Xiangyi hesitate, Zhong Qinhuai drew even closer. They were so near that Liu Xiangyi could see his own reflection in those dark pupils.

Too close! Liu Xiangyi took an instinctive step back.

Zhong Qinhuai’s teasing laughter rang out. “What, is President Liu scared?” He arched an eyebrow, throwing Liu Xiangyi’s own words back at him. “So, when it comes to courage, President Liu is prepared to lo—”

He’s too much!

Before Zhong Qinhuai could finish, Liu Xiangyi grabbed his collar, forcing him to lean down. Simultaneously, Liu Xiangyi tilted his head up, and their lips met.

Zhong Qinhuai finally fell silent. The whole world went quiet.

Liu Xiangyi closed his eyes, feeling the threads of yin energy drift in through the seal of their lips. Facing it head-on wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined. The energy felt like a thin mist on a summer morning—cool, refreshing, and capable of washing away all his inner heat.

It felt wonderful.

As they stayed like that, Liu Xiangyi suddenly realized, this kid didn’t push him away?

Liu Xiangyi: “?”

That makes no sense.

Driven by curiosity, he peeked with one eye. He saw Zhong Qinhuai’s long, thick eyelashes, like the wings of a black butterfly. Zhong Qinhuai had his eyes closed, standing perfectly still, his lashes trembling slightly as if he were enduring something.

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

He hates it this much and still won’t push me away? He’d go this far just to win?

Then again, during that race, he had been willing to risk his life just to avoid losing.

Liu Xiangyi’s mind was a mess of wandering thoughts. It was late spring, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. A cool night breeze blew, sending petals fluttering down around them. One petal swirled and landed on Liu Xiangyi’s upturned lashes, carrying the chill of the spring night.

The coldness startled him. He snapped his eyes open.

Enough time had passed; he’d surely siphoned enough. He stepped back, putting distance between them.

Feeling the contact break, Zhong Qinhuai slowly opened his eyes and gazed at Liu Xiangyi in silence. After a few seconds, he gave an indecipherable laugh. “What’s wrong, President Liu? You can’t handle any more?”

Liu Xiangyi: “!”

This kid really doesn’t care about kissing his rival just to win? Terrifying.

He couldn’t help but huff a laugh. “It seems President Zhong doesn’t ‘do relationships,’ but you aren’t picky about anything else. Isn’t this just the classic ‘scumbag’ behavior—no rejection, no initiative, and no responsibility?”

He was just venting, but something about it seemed to please Zhong Qinhuai. He turned his head and chuckled, then looked back with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. “Is President Liu that desperate to date me?”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

Heh, definitely a scumbag.

He had felt a bit guilty about siphoning the energy in secret, but now the moral pressure was gone. This guy was clearly just as shameless when it came to winning.

The next day, Liu Xiangyi went to Qingfeng Temple to ask his second brother how long this “energy siphoning” would have to continue.

Liu Yanchi gave him a jade pendant, small and polished into the shape of a willow leaf, hanging from a black cord.

Shortly after Liu Xiangyi put it on, something magical happened. The pure white jade gradually turned a pale yellow.

Liu Yanchi explained, “The jade is being stained yellow by the excess Yang energy in your body. Every time you siphon yin energy, the jade will turn a bit whiter. Once it’s completely white again, your Yin and Yang are balanced.”

He added comfortingly, “Don’t worry, your big brother is working hard too! I’m refining pills every day!”

Yanchi patted a golden cauldron and invited him to test the results again. “In an hour, my Nine-Revolution Golden Pill will be finished! Third brother, why don’t you stay and have a taste before you go?”

Liu Xiangyi caught a whiff of something scorched wafting from the cauldron. He politely declined.

He’d rather go back and siphon yin energy.

By the time he reached the foot of Mount Wu, night had fully fallen. As he made his way up the mountain, a sudden fragrance caught his attention.

It was a Spider Flower!

It was a rare aromatic plant. Following the scent drifting through the air, Liu Xiangyi spotted one blooming in a nearby thicket, looking as pristine and ethereal as a fluttering butterfly under the moonlight.

He walked over and crouched down. Just as he reached out to pluck it, a dark object blurred in his peripheral vision, hurtling toward him with a sharp whoosh.

He whipped his head around, his pupils shrinking in a flash of realization:

A hunting trap!

It gleamed with a cold, murderous light under the moon.

The jagged iron jaws snapped toward him, inches away from clamping down on his arm. In that split second, a hand reached out from the side.

Interposing itself before his arm, that slender yet powerful hand lunged forward and caught the trap mid-snap.

Liu Xiangyi followed the line of the arm upward, unexpectedly locking eyes with a pair of pitch-black pupils.

Liu Xiangyi: “?”

How did this kid get here all of a sudden?

Before he could process it, a soft drip sounded. Something had landed on the petals of the Spider Flower.

Liu Xiangyi looked down. It was blood.

He looked up again. Beads of blood were seeping from the palm of Zhong Qinhuai’s hand—the hand currently gripping the trap.

He bolted to his feet. “Let me see!”

He reached out to grab Zhong Qinhuai’s hand to inspect the injury, but Zhong Qinhuai dodged him. He tossed the hunting trap aside and turned to Liu Xiangyi with a teasing smirk.

“Did President Liu happen to call my name just now? Otherwise, why would I—who was minding my own business, enjoying the breeze on my balcony suddenly be forced to ‘teleport’ right here?”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

Did I say it out loud in my head?

Innocent until proven guilty. Liu Xiangyi stood his ground with unearned confidence. “I didn’t call you.”

Zhong Qinhuai said hollowly, “But I heard it.”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

He looked down at Zhong Qinhuai’s palm. The hand hung at his side, making it hard to gauge the severity of the wound. He could only vaguely see blood bubbling up, sliding down the length of those long fingers before dripping from the tips.

His fingers were naturally pale; the fresh blood running down them looked like tangled red threads. The stark contrast between the white skin and the crimson blood was startlingly grim.

Liu Xiangyi frowned, but Zhong Qinhuai acted as if nothing had happened, casually lifting his palm to inspect it.

Catching sight of Liu Xiangyi’s knitted brows, Zhong Qinhuai tilted his head, his laugh laced with amusement. “Does President Liu love me that much?”

Liu Xiangyi: “…”

There are too many things wrong with that sentence to even begin a rebuttal.

Liu Xiangyi turned and walked away.

Half an hour later, on the second-floor balcony of the villa.

The little crow stood on the railing. Its golden slit-pupils granted it excellent vision even in the dead of night. It could clearly see a tall, lean figure approaching the villa, carrying a large bag of medicine.

The little crow snorted. “Does this human think A-Huai is as f-f-fragile as he is?”

It turned to look at Zhong Qinhuai’s hand. Zhong Qinhuai was sitting at the small round table on the balcony, sipping honey water. As he lifted his cup, the palm that had just been mangled and bloodied by the iron teeth of the trap was already perfectly intact.

There wasn’t a single trace of an injury.

The little crow tilted its head up proudly. “A-A-Huai has the Ultimate Yin Body! He has the strongest ghost energy in the whole Zhong family. A tiny hand injury like that heals in the blink of an eye!”

Seeing Liu Xiangyi enter the villa gates, Zhong Qinhuai set down his cup and gave his hand a gentle shake.

Wisps of black energy swirled around his palm. When they dissipated a moment later, his hand had reverted to its injured state. It was a bloody mess again, with a deep gash and torn flesh clearly visible.

The little crow tilted its head, confused. “Why did your hand change b-b-back?”