Wei Xunzhou, however, looked at Di Yao and opened his mouth. "Cui..."
"How about you guess how I lost this eye?" Yan He tilted his chin toward Di Yao.
The topic shifted too quickly, and Di Yao almost couldn't keep up. "Hmm... Did a colleague hit you?"
"How could that be! We're all just gatekeepers, nobody's better than anyone else. If an ordinary person had done it, would I have let myself get off easy?" Yan He finished with a deep sigh.
Di Yao wasn't used to Yan He's crude language and was afraid his spittle might land on her face, so she edged away. "Then who did it?"
"Who else!" Yan He was impatient with Di Yao's slow understanding. He scratched his head irritably and looked elsewhere.
Only then did he notice another person sitting beside Di Yao—so quiet and still, silently sipping a bowl of water.
"Pretentious." Yan He rolled his eyes at Wei Xunzhou.
Perhaps because Wei Xunzhou, a mere mortal, showed him no regard, Yan He found him extremely displeasing. He tapped the table in front of Wei Xunzhou with his finger. "Hey, kid, this girl doesn't understand a thing. You've been listening for a while now—do you know which bastard gouged out my eye?"
Di Yao didn't expect to be mocked by Yan He over this, so she stuck her tongue out at him. Then she turned and leaned close to Wei Xunzhou, whispering, "Husband, if you don't want to say, just ignore him."
Seeing the couple whispering together, Yan He guessed they were talking behind his back. He pulled Di Yao aside. "Don't interrupt!"
Then Yan He looked back at Wei Xunzhou. "Take a guess—it won't cost you a thing if you're wrong."
Just as Di Yao smoothed down her disheveled hair, she heard Wei Xunzhou's cool voice. "Let me guess..."
Wei Xunzhou set down the bowl, resting his elbow on the table, and gently rotated it. The reflection in the bowl shifted with his movements, making one dizzy after staring too long.
"Could it be that Yinsi Guidi?" Wei Xunzhou's slender, well-defined fingers casually released the bowl, which landed steadily on the table with a crisp tap.
"Mm-hmm." Yan He seemed quite satisfied with Wei Xunzhou's answer.
Di Yao was confused. "Really? Why would that Lord Ghost Emperor gouge out your eye? What did you do, or did you see something you shouldn't have?"
Yan He narrowed his remaining eye impatiently. "What could I have done? At most, I slacked off on duty and dozed off. Unfortunately, he caught me, and that's why..."
Actually, Yan He had considered Di Yao's speculation. Before the Ghost Emperor blinded him, he had passed by a house and glimpsed a beauty changing clothes through a crack in the window. He had lingered to watch. But there was no one else around at the time—how did the Ghost Emperor find out?
Di Yao clicked her tongue sympathetically. "Are you sure he gouged out your eye just for dozing off? If that's true, that Ghost Emperor is really ruthless..."
"Right! I'm completely wronged, and I have nowhere to seek justice."
Di Yao tried to imagine the scene: Yan He kneeling, begging for forgiveness, swearing he'd never do it again. But the high-ranking official remained unmoved, merely twitching his finger—and Yan He's eyeball fell to the ground, bouncing and rolling to his feet. The horrifying, blood-covered orb was casually kicked away by the Ghost Emperor.
"You believe him just because he said so?" Wei Xunzhou's tone was flat as he saw Di Yao shuddering, lost in her fantasy.
Yan He's unruly eyebrows twitched in anger. "Hey! If you don't know how to talk, then shut up! If I don't believe him, should I believe you? Who do you think you are? You need a good lesson!"
Meng Po heard their conversation and lightly tapped Yan He's head. "You're still working under the Ghost Emperor—are you tired of living, saying these things?"
Most young people of Yan He's age were brash and arrogant, but having no brains was the deadliest flaw. Yan He didn't take her words to heart; he spoke solely out of pent-up frustration. Meng Po meant well, but he showed no gratitude.
"So what? Just because he holds a high position, that means he can deny what he did? Does he think the entire Underworld belongs to him? Besides, do you really think I'm that stupid? I only dared say this when that old Ghost Emperor isn't around."
Di Yao found Yan He too arrogant and couldn't fathom his logic. "If you're going to speak, at least choose a better place. Aren't you afraid someone here might hear you and tattle to the Ghost Emperor?"
"Who would dare? Anyone who dares, aren't you afraid I'll break their legs?" Yan He's remaining right eye bulged angrily, startling Di Yao. "To be honest, if it were Lord Cui of the Judgment Office, it might be possible, but the esteemed Yinsi Guidi... why would he bother with nobodies? You're not even qualified, understand?"
Di Yao pouted. "Brother, who are you looking down on? Aren't you afraid the Ghost Emperor has planted informants in every corner even if he's not here? If you tread by the river often, your shoes are bound to get wet. Brother, you should be more careful when you speak..."
Seeing Yan He about to snap at Di Yao, Meng Po chimed in to back her up, then waved dismissively. "Fine, fine, say whatever you want. Just don't drag me into it. Go on, go somewhere else!"
Meng Po picked up a nearby broom and chased Yan He out of the tent. Then she shook her head at Di Yao. "Don't bother with people like him from now on."
Di Yao wholeheartedly agreed, nodding like a pecking chick.
Compared to Yan He, Meng Po found Wei Xunzhou much more agreeable. She even proactively refilled his bowl with water. "You're a quiet one. That racket must have been annoying."
Wei Xunzhou gave a slight nod. "It was fine."
Di Yao also poured herself a bowl of water and asked casually, "Granny, you seem wary of that Yinsi Guidi too? Is he really that vicious?"
Seeing that the topic of the Ghost Emperor was unavoidable, Meng Po brushed it off. "An old woman like me knows nothing. Aiyo, stop prying. Just remember that people like the Ghost Emperor are never easy to deal with. If you ever get the chance to see him, run as far as you can, or you'll land yourself in trouble."
Meng Po's last remark was directed at the couple. After all, Wei Xunzhou and Di Yao were in the same boat now. Only if both stayed safe could they get along well and live a happy life in their little home.
Mentioning the high officials of the Underworld reminded Di Yao of someone. "What about Cui Jue? Someone of his status should be approachable, right? I've dealt with him before, and I think he's quite amiable."
Meng Po paused. "Who? Cui Jue? Lord Cui is fair and upright—that's true. But don't get your hopes up. Just behave yourself. The less you have to do with those big shots, the better."
It seemed the topic Yan He brought up was about to fade away, but Wei Xunzhou looked at Di Yao and spoke. "Judge Cui? Are you very familiar with him?"
"Not really familiar." Di Yao didn't notice the change in Wei Xunzhou's expression. "Hey, didn't I mention Judge Cui to you before? Don't you remember, husband?"
"Oh." After the dry reply, Wei Xunzhou watched Meng Po's busy figure and added, "The old lady is right."
Di Yao instinctively agreed. "Of course. Here, Granny Meng treats me the best. Everything she says is for my good. I need to listen!"
Wei Xunzhou looked at the slightly rippling water in his bowl, picked it up again, and took a sip. "Mm."
When they packed up for the day, Wei Xunzhou lent a hand and tidied things up efficiently. Di Yao took him to the backyard, where each fetched a bucket of water.
As dusk fell, few noticed their water was different from ordinary water, and the journey went smoothly.
But just as they reached the west of Fengdu, a man suddenly rushed out from the side, muttering incessantly. Then a sharp pain shot through Di Yao's shoulder; she lost her balance and fell to the ground, spilling the fresh water everywhere.
Seeing this, Wei Xunzhou dropped his own bucket without a second thought and helped Di Yao up.
"Are you okay?" As soon as he spoke, he saw the scrapes on her palm—bright red wounds dotted with tiny pebbles. Di Yao winced, tears streaming from the pain.
But the perpetrator showed no reaction, not even turning his head. From behind, they could see his head shaking back and forth continuously as he muttered something.
"Yes... yes, it really hurts!" Di Yao wiped at her tears with her other hand, barely able to speak through the pain.
The man had collided with the very arm she used to carry the bucket. Besides the scraped wound, the spot where she had held the bucket handle was now swollen and red.
Wei Xunzhou had just raised his hand to check her injury when Di Yao strode forward, grabbed the man by the shoulder, and spun him around.
Wei Xunzhou looked at his hand hovering in the air, lightly rubbed his thumb and index finger together, then lowered it.
"Are you blind or mute? You bump into someone and don't even apologize... Ah! What is that!" Di Yao screamed upon seeing the man's face and turned to hide behind Wei Xunzhou.
Hearing this, the man shakily lifted his triangular eyes, his gaze hollow and unfocused, fixed on Di Yao as he muttered something indistinct!
"Hus... husband! That man... his face is full of bloody holes!" Di Yao stammered.
Wei Xunzhou looked over. The man's hair was messy and dirty, his clothes riddled with tears. Through the gaps, he could see various wounds of different sizes on the man's body. More importantly, his face was densely packed with bloody holes, as if something had gouged them out, each hole oozing black blood that stained his neck and clothes.
When they got closer, they could smell the man's rotting odor, which was nauseating.
"Did this guy crawl out of some grave?" Di Yao was quite frightened, but having never seen such a shocking sight, she couldn't look away.
"Hey, doesn't this man look familiar?" Di Yao stepped closer, trying to recall his identity. "Ah, I remember! Isn't this Xiang Yun's lover?"
"How did he become like this!" Sensing the man's terrifying, prolonged stare, Di Yao inexplicably shivered, grabbed Wei Xunzhou's sleeve, and hid her face behind it.
Thus, the man's attention shifted from Di Yao to Wei Xunzhou.
The two locked eyes for a moment. Frowning in displeasure, Wei Xunzhou picked up the two buckets—one empty, one full—and said to Di Yao, "It's nothing. Let's go home."
But in the next second, the man with the bloodied, hole-ridden face charged straight at Wei Xunzhou. Di Yao was so startled her legs went weak, almost buckling to the ground.
With a loud thud, the man knelt before Wei Xunzhou before Di Yao could fall.
Before they could react, the man suddenly extended his dirty, bloodstained hands and grabbed Wei Xunzhou's leg, pleading repeatedly, "My lord! Please spare me! I kowtow to you! I truly know I was wrong! I beg you, please! I'll kowtow! If you think it's not loud enough, I'll do it again! I really don't want to go to hell!"
Di Yao: "?"
Author's note:
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[Scattering flowers] Little ones, could I ask for a little star? [Shy]