Lantern of the Guardian Arc

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These chapter summaries are based on RainbowSe7en's translation and use terminology coined by the translator up through chapter 85. from chapter 86 onward, the summaries are based on ineffablebfs and fandoestrans translation.

The subscripts on this page are the original novel's chapter headings (which are really quotes from the chapter) and the translations thereof are (mostly) from ineffablebfs' and fandoestrans' translation.

This arc deals with the Lantern of the Guardian.

## Chapter 79 - Zhao Yunlan Ruminates on His Dream of the Primordial Past

 *神龙的眼睛绝对不是我干的，不周山也绝不可能是我设计弄塌的 - "I definitely didn't stab the dragon in the eye, and collapsing Mount Buzhou was absolutely not my doing either."*

Guo Changcheng meets with his second aunt and uncle to give them the red envelope from Zhao Yunlan. However, when Guo Changcheng mentions that it's from Chief Zhao at the SIU, it eventually comes out that his uncle says he recommended him to Lao Yang at the Residence Registry. They are shocked that he has such a dangerous job now, and ask if Guo Changcheng would prefer somewhere safer with shorter hours and no risk of having to investigate murder. Guo Changcheng says he wants to stay at the SIU and that he likes it there. It's the first time that the uncle has seen Guo Changcheng say he likes anything that firmly.

Guo Changcheng's uncle decides to call Zhao Yunlan and invite him to dinner. Zhao Yunlan then also figures out that Guo Changcheng's uncle did not in fact recommend him for the position.

Zhao Yunlan is still home in bed, with a terrible headache. He is still annoyed at Shen Wei, and tries to seduce him again, but he's much too weak and is stopped by a cramp starting in his leg. The cramps spread from there, and Zhao Yunlan is in a lot of pain. Shen Wei spends some time massaging the cramps out of all of his muscles, feeling guilty.

Zhao Yunlan has doubts about what he saw in the holy tree, namely he doesn't believe that he would destroy the pathway to heaven and Mt. Buzhou. He asks Shen Wei, who tells him that, "Legends say that Gonggong the River God bumped into Mount Buzhou, destroying it." Zhao Yunlan realizes that since the Ghost Tribe was released after that, Shen Wei probably wouldn't know who destroyed it.

Shen Wei asks Zhao Yunlan what he saw in the holy tree. Zhao Yunlan only tells him about the first time he saw Shen Wei. He is joking when he says that Shen Wei found him so beautiful that he fell into a river, but apparently that is exactly what happened. Shen Wei says he will never forget that moment. Zhao Yunlan asks him to take off his glasses and grow his hair out long. Shen Wei does, and Zhao Yunlan finds he is utterly smitten and starts playing with Shen Wei's hair.

Zhao Yunlan then thinks it through and determines that if he promised he would watch out for Chiyou's descendents and had watched dragons grow, he wouldn't stab the godly dragon in the eye and destroy Mt. Buzhou. From this he guesses that what he saw in the holy tree wasn't entirely truthful and wonders who showed it to him. He asks Shen Wei about what happened after they met in the peach woods. Shen Wei tells him they wandered around, Kunlun complaining about the rain. Again, Zhao Yunlan doubts that he had really been planning to send the world into chaos, or he probably wouldn't have taken a youth he'd just met on a scenic tour of the country.

Zhao Yunlan brings up the topic of Shen Wei being made a god, to which Shen Wei responds: "Don't feel sorry for it. I was born an abomination, and you rescued me from the depths of the Underworld. You didn’t do me any wrong." Zhao Yunlan is able to guess that he died when he left Shen Wei behind, and asks if he died because of Nüwa. This makes Shen Wei look sad, and Zhao Yunlan is instantly flirting with him to get him to cheer up. Shen Wei only wants to chastise Zhao Yunlan for his shameless flirting, but then he sees the bite marks he left on Zhao Yunlan's neck the night before and blushes, running out to go pick up the laundry.

Zhao Yunlan calls his dad and tells him he's bringing Shen Wei to meet him the day after.

## Chapter 80 - The Old Medicine Bowl

*“跟恋人分享童年回忆什么的，你们这些左手摸右手、相看两厌的老夫老妻不懂。” - "Sharing childhood memories with my lover. Lonely old married couples like you who've grown to hate each other wouldn't understand."*

Zhao Yunlan's dad is not there the day after, and Zhao Yunlan doesn't believe the flimsy excuse his mother gives him. They only stay for a quick dinner, and on their way out, Zhao Yunlan picks up a small wooden box from his room. When she asks what's so important about the box, he says it only contains some old childhood memories he wants to share with Shen Wei.

On the way back to the car, Zhao Yunlan starts flirting with Shen Wei again, promising him thousands of flowers and that he'll marry him. Shen Wei, by now used to Zhao Yunlan's shenanigans, retorts that of course he'd marry him without flowers, too. Zhao Yunlan is surprised at the rejoinder and steps up his game. Once they're in the car, he starts taking off his jacket, pretending to be ready to "satisfy" Shen Wei right there in the car. Shen Wei gets angry at his shamelessness and apparent willingness to let other people see them. He tells him off: "Do you realise how many times I've thought about the people who have been with you and who have seen you, and wanted to dig their eyes out?" Zhao Yunlan is shocked at Shen Wei's savage vehemence and apologizes.

Then we learn that Zhao Yunlan took the box with him to track his father. It contains a transceiver, which Zhao Yunlan built when he was still a teenager, and it responds to a tracker Zhao Yunlan put in his father's cell phone back then. Zhao Yunlan remarks that they're lucky his father is still using his same old phone, and Shen Wei realizes that he'd be completely helpless if Zhao Yunlan tried something like that on him. He can barely use his own phone. Zhao Yunlan reassures him that he wouldn't, unless Shen Wei cheated on him with a pretty young boy.

They buy some batteries to get the transceiver going again, and start following the signal. They eventually find Zhao Yunlan's father at a teahouse. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei go in to confront him. Zhao Yunlan's first words are: "You're not my dad, who are you?" He guesses that his father is possessed by some entity, and asks straight out if it might be Shennong. It turns out it's a "medicine bowl the great Shennong left behind" instead. It tells Zhao Yunlan that it completed cultivation "by sheer luck [...] and became a minor deity." It then apologizes for having caused trouble for Lord Kunlun. It also promises that it "only borrow[s] his body once in a while," and always leaves "useful memories", never interfering with his affairs.

It then asks: "Kunlun… how did you find out that the memories inside the holy tree aren't your true memories at all?" Zhao Yunlan answers that his reaction to the memories was sadness, not anger, like he would have expected from something that forced him to rebel against the Gods, and that clued him in. And he also wouldn't believe that he'd do something "violent like puncturing a hole in the Heavens out of anger."

Zhao Yunlan accuses the bowl of having supplied the wrong memories, and asks it why it did it. Before it can answer his question, it looks at Shen Wei, and then is suddenly gone from Zhao Yunlan's father's body.

Zhao Yunlan then figures he should protect his father from the bowl, and gives him a strong deity-repellent talisman. It doesn't produce the expected reaction, though, and Zhao Yunlan is confused. Either the bowl left on its own, or it's too strong for the talisman.

## Chapter 81 - A Knife To The Heart

*有一种爱情，是插在心上的刀 - There’s indeed a kind of love that is like a knife to the heart.*

They get in the car, Zhao Yunlan muttering that "only someone as shitty as [his father] would [get possessed by] a broken bowl, of all things." Shen Wei attempts to reassure him by saying "Shennong's followers are known for their kindness; they wouldn't harm humans for no reason. Besides, haven’t you put a marker on him already? I'll keep an eye on him for you," which does make Zhao Yunlan feel better, or at least better enough to start flirting with Shen Wei.

Zhao Yunlan feels tired and falls asleep in the car, derailing his original Valentine's Day plan to take Shen Wei to a movie. He wonders why he's so tired and whether he's coming down with a cold.

He has dreams where someone in white mist repeats, “You fail to consider the long term. You fail to tell right from wrong, good from evil, life from death…” and then he starts to wonder about life and death. He knows he is dreaming but can't wake up.

What finally wakes him is Shen Wei forcing vile-tasting medicine into his mouth. Zhao Yunlan refuses to swallow it until he feels Shen Wei's "soft lips touch his, and he lets the medicine flow down his throat after all." He wakes up to find himself in his bed, with no idea how he got there, and Shen Wei giving him tea. He wonders aloud why he's so tired recently. Shen Wei suggests he's tired after going inside the holy tree. He jokingly says that he thought he might be pregnant with Shen Wei's child, which makes Shen Wei tremble, nearly drop the tea cup, and flee.

Zhao Yunlan checks his email and sees a message from Wang Zheng about a dead body beside a black dog. It's explained that there is a ritual which can steal life from other people. It involves a black dog, and it has to be performed on January 7th. The SIU has several cases like that every year, and Zhao Yunlan tells Wang Zheng to send whoever is available to the crime scene before falling asleep again.

Wang Zheng alerts Zhu Hong, who is meditating on the roof of the office, her "long snake tail is lying uncurled as she tries to catch as much of the faint moonlight as possible." Suddenly, her Fourth Uncle appears, seemingly out of nowhere, to have a discussion with her. He summons a pavillion with a tea set and, over tea, tells her that he wants her to leave Dragon City. She protests about the Guardian Order. Her Fourth Uncle says that she is not bound by the Guardian Order. According to him, "Dragon City is not the right place for cultivation." He reminds her that she was punished by divine lighting already once before. He gave her to Zhao Yunlan, in the hope that Zhao Yunlan's yang energy would help protect her. This seems to have worked, but he accuses her of lacking in cultivation, and not having achieved much in the last 20 years. He adds that it would be different if Zhao Yunlan reciprocated her feelings, but they both know "what’s really in his heart".

Zhu Hong is so angry or overwhelmed that she squeezes her phone until it breaks, but she has no arguments against her Fourth Uncle. She only asks for a few more days, so she can say goodbye on her own terms. Fourth Uncle gives her a Water Dragon Pearl and tells her that, "It brings good fortune, and defends against fire and water. Give this to the Guardian when you leave."

Zhu Hong sends Zhao Yunlan a message that she is going to check out the black dog case together with Lin Jing. Because Zhao Yunlan fell asleep still holding his phone, he wakes up when it vibrates. He turns over to see Shen Wei isn't on his side of the bed and the duvet is already cold. He sees a light on in the kitchen and heads over to it. Shen Wei is cooking something with a medicinal smell in a small clay pot on the stove. He asks what he can do to help.

Shen Wei startles at the sound of Zhao Yunlan's voice, and drops the knife he'd been holding. "Its tip gleams with fresh blood, which spatters all across the snow-white cupboard." Zhao Yunlan belatedly realizes that the knife was "inside Shen Wei's chest just a moment ago."

Zhao Yunlan strides over and rips apart Shen Wei's pajamas to see an already healed chest but the edges of the cut over his heart are still bloody. Zhao Yunlan gets genuinely angry and demands to know what Shen Wei has been feeding him.

Shen Wei tells him that creating the Lantern of the Guardian's wick took too much energy, and that now his "soul is unstable." He admits that even though Zhao Yunlan "made [him] a god, [he] was born from filth," and if Zhao Yunlan spends too much time with him, he "will begin to lose strength, and the longer it goes on, the more [his] energy will decline," until he'll be "completely sucked dry." He tells Zhao Yunlan of Shennong's prophecy: "I am destined to an end just as miserable as my beginning. I was born Ghost King, and will always be."

Shen Wei explains that only blood from his heart can prolong Zhao Yunlan's life. In his words: "Even my soul is black. The top of my heart, the part of me that belongs to you, is the only clean thing about me, where the blood is still red. I want to use it to protect you."

Zhao Yunlan has no idea how to react to that and runs out of the apartment, barely pausing long enough to put on loafers and a coat over his pajamas.

## Chapter 82 - Zhao Yunlan hides at the SIU Office

*她说完这句话，好像交付了自己的一生似的，忐忑又期待地等着赵云澜回话 - She waits for his response anxiously, as if her life depended on it.*

When Zhu Hong and Lin Jing come into the office the following morning for some paperwork, they see Zhao Yunlan asleep on the sofa in his pajamas, covered by a woolen coat that is obviously not his style. Zhu Hong turns up the temperature and covers him with her own down jacket for good measure. Da Qing is there but offers no opinion. Lin Jing guesses that sleeping at the office is "a sure sign of some relationship situation he's keeping quiet. Either they're pressuring him into getting married, or pressuring him to break up with someone."

Zhao Yunlan wakes up and curses them out, even throwing a bonsai tree at Lin Jing. But he calms down again quickly and tells them to let him sleep becuase he's not feeling well.

Before going back to sleep, Zhao Yunlan asks Da Qing to find out where the Book of Primeval Secrets came from, which Da Qing reluctantly agrees to, but only after demanding money (a red envelope) from Zhao Yunlan. Zhao Yunlan sends him off with a bit of small change he pilfers from Shen Wei's coat.

When he wakes up again, he finds a set of clean clothes and his boots there. Zhu Hong tells him Shen Wei came by and dropped them off but wouldn't let her wake Zhao Yunlan, only to tell him that he has gone back "to his own place." Zhao Yunlan knows that Shen Wei is talking about the Underworld, and his heart hurts for him.

Zhu Hong asks why he and Shen Wei chose to get into a fight over New Year's. Instead of answering, he heads to the bathroom to clean up, shave and get dressed, but stays in there so long that Zhu Hong gets worried. When he finally comes out, they go to the canteen on the second floor, which surprises Zhu Hong, as he rarely goes to the canteen himself but tends to send his employees instead. When he wonders why she is at the SIU at all, Zhu Hong tells him she was worried about him, so she stayed at the office instead of going to the crime scene with Lin Jing. Zhao Yunlan brushes her off and tells her to go home.

Zhu Hong asks Zhao Yunlan what's wrong again. He tells her he and Shen Wei just got into a tiff. She correctly says that if it was just that, he would be back apologizing already. He tells her not to be so nosy if she ever wants to get married. She tells him that the person she likes doesn't like her back so she's never going to get married anyway. He understands what she means - that she likes him - but doesn't know how to respond. So he decides to run away, saying he's meeting with Xiao Guo's uncle, and that he wants to find out who pulled the strings to get Xiao Guo transferred to their department and why. The meeting is not described, only that on the way back, Zhao Yunlan falls asleep again and dreams of Shen Wei being engulfed in darkness. "His head is raised, searching for a glimpse of deep blue sky beyond." But he cannot escape, and "finally he loses hope and lets the darkness swallow him up."

Once they're back at the SIU, Zhu Hong gives him the water dragon pearl. She tells him she's leaving and that this is a gift from her uncle. Zhao Yunlan replies that he supports her going back; she can learn from her uncle and one day maybe be the leader of the snake tribe.

Zhu Hong tries once again to make him confess something: "Chief Zhao, just say the word and I’ll cut ties with the tribe. I’ll walk through fire with you and stay with you forever." Zhao Yunlan only tells her they are good friends, and he doesn't want to trap her in a lowly post at the SIU, and that he'd prefer her to go back to the snake tribe.

## Chapter 83 - Going to the Underworld Book Store

*镇生者之魂，安死者之心，赎未亡之罪，轮未竟之回 - Guard the souls of the living, pacify the hearts of the dead, pardon the crimes of those who are trapped, turn the wheel for those who are reincarnating*

By the time Zhao Yunlan and Zhu Hong return to the SIU, Da Qing has found the book of Ancient Secret Records, hidden in their library. Da Qing suspects it must have been bought from a shop in Antique Street. The shop is located next to a big pagoda tree, which acts as a transportation hub between the human world and non-human places, e.g. the fairy market, or the Underworld.

Da Qing confirms that the book must come from the Underworld, even though it's only a cheap photocopy and not an ancient relic, because it is a "black leather book" with a black aura, and must have been bought by a non-human in a non-human place.

To find out who bought it and when, Zhao Yunlan, Zhu Hong, and Da Qing go to Antique Street. The store is closed, there are "two faded paper lanterns framing the door," torn and weathered, but the word ‘Guardian’ is still legible. Zhao Yunlan asks Da Qing what the word 'Guardian' really stands for, and Da Qing repeats it for him, even though he should really already know it: “Guard the souls of the living, pacify the hearts of the dead, pardon the crimes of those who are trapped, turn the wheel for those who are reincarnating.”

They walk down the road to the Underworld, located inside the pagoda tree. That is only possible because two of them aren't human, and Zhao Yunlan is carrying the Guardian token. Zhao Yunlan finds it creepy, and they see lots of resentful souls and ghosts on the way. Water is flowing on both sides of the road, and "there are two rows of small oil lamps like street lamps." When he looks at them more closely, he realizes that those oil lamps are all identical, they're all the Lantern of the Guardian, their base etched with the phrase "True Death Begets New Life". The Lanterns are supposed to guide and clean souls on their way to the River of Forgetfulness. The length of the road depends on how many things the soul has to forget. The river itself is part of Chinese mythology, but the Lantern is an addition by Priest.

Suddenly, Zhao Yunlan feels dizzy, and pain stabs his heart. We don't find out what the reason for this is. Zhao Yunlan muses about how it's in the nature of all ghosts to thirst for human life energy, and he pities Shen Wei for disregarding his own nature like that.

At the end of the road, they arrive in Ghost City. Zhao Yunlan gives each of them a talisman to put in their mouths, "concealing the smell of their living souls from the ghosts." They walk through the empty streets, Da Qing walking ahead, because being a cat means he has "great Yin energy" and acts as a natural ghost repellent. They pass an old lady ghost selling dubious wares, and Zhao Yunlan warns Zhu Hong against talking to her, or even looking at her too long, because the ghost might be able to force her to buy something, and that would be very bad.

Somewhere in the center of the city, they come to another store, also framed by lanterns with the word 'Guardian' on them, but this store is open. They go inside and are greeted by a ghost who looks like a young girl, with a white and creepy puppet-like face, cinnabar-painted red cheeks, and "beady black eyes [...] devoid of life." Zhao Yunlan has made sure to bribe her in advance by sending her brother gifts, and he also burns some paper money for her. So the girl agrees to help Zhao Yunlan find out if his book was sold by her store.

The girl ghost finds the purchase record quickly: the book was bought eleven years earlier by the Lord Guardian, Zhao Yunlan himself. The girl also remembers that the buyer looked exactly like Zhao Yunlan. He doesn't remember that, but believes her.

## Chapter 84 - Feral Ghost Attack

*可惜祝红一想起他为什么这么宝贝这件衣服，就一点也笑不出来。- Unfortunately, when Zhu Hong thinks of why the coat is so precious to him, she can't find it funny.*

They thank the girl ghost working in the store, and just when they're leaving the store, the girl calls after them, telling Zhao Yunlan to be careful, because there's "lethal danger" waiting for him. It's an omen or prophecy predicting his impending death. Outside the store, they encounter a two-faced ghost. One side of its head has a smiling face, the other a hideous maw with long fangs. It jumps up and attacks them, hissing "Men and ghosts walk different paths. [...] You have to choose one." It's referring to Zhao Yunlan's and Shen Wei's love/relationship. Its hissing gets louder and louder, attracting more and more ghosts, and then it shouts "There are living souls here!"

Promptly, all the ghosts start attacking them. Zhao Yunlan first tries to shoot them with his gun, but soon runs out of bullets. Zhu Hong turns into a huge python and fights alongside him. Da Qing is not much help. When Zhao Yunlan gets scratched by a ghost, he gets angry at the girl who warned him of his death - is that it already?

Zhao Yunlan tells Zhu Hong to shrink, and she turns into a very small snake and wraps around his wrist. Zhao Yunlan then pulls out a wind talisman and lights it with the last bit of Samadhi True Fire remaining in his lighter. The effect is a magic fire dragon. The ghosts are not deterred by the dragon for very long, eating it up bit by bit, themselves exploding and their souls dissipating.

But it gives Zhao Yunlan the chance to pick up Da Qing, and they retreat to the city gates. He even acts all cool and takes a few snapshots of the ghosts to use as his new profile picture. Da Qing can't believe his eyes, but blames Zhao Yunlan being heartbroken over Shen Wei and treating everything like a game.

The city gates are shut when they get there. Just when they are rushed by the evil ghosts again, the Ghost Slayer punches a hole into the gate and kills all the ghosts with a swipe of his blade, shaking the foundations of the city. Shen Wei grabs Zhao Yunlan around the waist and drags him through the hole, out of the city.

Zhu Hong is shocked to find out that Shen Wei is the Ghost Slayer. Zhao Yunlan simply embraces him and asks him to come home with him.

## Chapter 85 - Aftermath of the Ghost Attack

*“怎么？”沈巍用一种轻缓又平和的口气反问，“我杀不得？” - "What?" Shen Wei asks gently. "I can't kill them?"*

Shen Wei is unhappy about Zhao Yunlan having received a scratch, and immediately heals it with a bit of dark magic.

The Lords of the Underworld, including the judge, appear to survey the damage. The judge orders his ghost retinue to round up the evil and resentful ghosts, and tries to reprimand Shen Wei for killing so many of them.

Shen Wei just gives him a fake smile and a fake apology, stating that it's simply the nature of the Ghost Slayer's blade to kill things.

But when Zhao Yunlan tries again to convince him to come home, he only repeats his previous warning that he will make Zhao Yunlan sick and eventually kill him. Zhao Yunlan tries to reason and to bargain with him, but refuses to drink Shen Wei's heart blood medicine again. Shen Wei begs Zhao Yunlan not to torture him, tells him to leave the Underworld immediately, and then disappears on the spot.

Da Qing explains to Zhu Hong again why it is dangerous for Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan to stay together. She gets angry, accusing Shen Wei of wanting to trap Zhao Yunlan in evil, forcing him into a relationship.

The accusation in turn makes Zhao Yunlan angry, who doesn't want anyone to disparage Shen Wei. Zhu Hong is shocked that he calls her an outsider - i.e. not his friend - in this matter. Zhu Hong finally says the old clichéd line: "Where on earth can I not compare with him in your eyes?" (cf Drama ep 30)

Zhao Yunlan agrees that she is better than Shen Wei in every way, but then explains that he's not a worthy person, himself. A drunkard and a slob, in many more ways than anyone would know. He tells her that he never washes his socks and simply wears them until they're worn through and then buys new ones. He tells her to shove off to the snake clan and find a better man than him.

Zhu Hong retorts that "only a ghost would want [him]," and Zhao Yunlan agrees, taking it as her blessing.

Zhao Yunlan sends Zhu Hong and Da Qing back up, out of the Underworld, but he himself jumps into the River of Forgetfulness, trying to find Shen Wei. He assumes that Shen Wei went "home", which is somewhere beyond the Underworld. As soon as he is underwater, the Water Dragon Pearl forms a bubble around him in which he doesn't suffocate. He dives deeper and deeper, and the darkness is making him more and more nauseous and claustrophobic. All light fades, and his watch stops working, as if time itself had stopped.

## Chapter 86 - Zhao Yunlan finds the Ancient Tree of Virtue and the Seal

*白纸一张的鬼王少年对自己的欲/望坦坦荡荡，直白地说：“好看，想抱你。” - Like a blank slate, the young Ghost King's face reflects all of his desires as he says frankly, "You're good-looking. I want to hug you.”*

Chu Shuzhi has arrived back in Dragon City as promised - after spending the New Year in a comfy mass grave as befits a zombie - and the first person he meets is Guo Changcheng. Guo Changcheng is on the way to drop off some household items to support elderly citizens. Chu Shuzhi wonders if Guo Changcheng is trying to save every human on the planet, considering how selfless he acts. He seems to possess some kind of "natural Zen", as if he's "quietly cultivating something".

When they get to No. 4 Bright Street, Wang Zheng and Da Qing update them on the current state of events, namely that everyone now knows that Shen Wei is the Ghost Slayer, and that Zhao Yunlan jumped into the River of Forgetfulness to find him. They don't do anything about it yet, only exchange information.

Then we follow Zhao Yunlan down into the deepest depths of the river, where he finds a glowing, "huge ancient tree", its trunk almost a hundred metres around. At the bottom of the tree, there is a stone place marker, with a cryptic inscription on it: "Heaven and Earth, Ghost City, Land of Great Blasphemy." Zhao Yunlan instinctively knows what it means - one interpretation is that the Underworld is part of Heaven and Earth.

The stone supposedly contains all of Nüwa's memories, and when Zhao Yunlan touches it, he sees a vision of her. In his mind, he gets transported back in time. THe time difference is said to be "five thousand years".

Zhao Yunlan knows he is Kunlun now, and sees what's happening with Kunlun's eyes. These memories - as opposed to those he saw earlier (chapter 78) - are unchanged by Shen Wei, and probably represent more clearly what actually happened.

Kunlun is guarding the Seal - leaning against that same stone marker in front of the same tree, when a young ghost, the Ghost King, appears and starts flirting with him. Kunlun is more amused than affronted, and starts teasing the young Ghost King, telling him he'll teach him some morals.

## Chapter 87 - The Beginning of the Love Story

*鬼族不是生灵，然而他在那须臾的弹指间，却仿佛听见了自己不存在的心跳声。- Ghosts are not living beings, but for a moment, he thinks he can hear his heart beating.*

Kunlun actually starts teaching the young Ghost King things to pass the time, making up things as he goes along. Kunlun can't move away from the seal, and the Ghost King hangs on his every word.

They like spending time in each other's company and slowly "come to depend on each other".

Since Kunlun shot down his first bumbling attempts at flirting, the young Ghost King comes up with more tangible ways to show his affection. He brings Kunlun a necklace made from the "fangs of thirty-six hell beasts", which he thinks "symbolize the magnificent thirty-six mountains and rivers of the Kunlun mountain range". But Kunlun is not impressed and refuses to wear the necklace.

When he asks Kunlun what he would like, Kunlun gets suspicious and asks: "So all this time you’ve tried to win my approval because you want to leave this place?"

But the little Ghost King doesn't want to leave. He just wants to spend more time with Kunlun, but is unable to express his feelings.

Kunlun seems to believe him anyway, "laughs out loud, gently lifts the youth's chin, and kisses his beautiful forehead."

The young Ghost King is so shaken by the kiss, he feels like "his whole body is wrapped in warm air, gently floating", that he falls off the roots of the tree, directly into the Underworld, and disappears for fifty years.

When he turns back up, he has "grown up a little. He’s taller now, almost as tall as Lord Kunlun. The soft lines of youth have firmed, but his face is still as beautiful as ever."

It turns out the Ghost King spent this time in the Underworld collecting the traces of soul fire from Kunlun's left shoulder. In exchange for the ball of fire, he asks Kunlun to kiss him on the forehead again.

Kunlun kisses him on the mouth instead, and also refuses the soul fire gift. Then he says: "I'm rich in mountains and rivers of the world, but it's just a pile of damp rocks and wild rivers, nothing special. Out of all I have, the only thing worth anything is probably my sincere heart. You want it? Take it."

Kunlun then talks about how he made the Lantern of the Guardian - that his body formed the lantern, and his heart's blood the wick, and only his spirit is left to guard the Seal - and that's why he doesn't need his soul fire back.

He then asks the little Ghost King if he still possesses Kunlun's tendon, that he apparently gave him some time before. The little Ghost King shows it to him, and Kunlun transforms it into a golden headband, turning the little Ghost King into the master of Kunlun's domain with the words: "The hundred thousand mountains will obey you. [...] I guess you're half a god now. In the future, you can travel freely between the Three Realms. I'm no longer in charge of you."

Kunlun then admits that he's going to die soon, like the other primordial gods before him. The little Ghost King gets very angry at the idea of Kunlun having to die. He promises to scorch the earth and kill every living being in it if Kunlun should die. But Kunlun only laughs and shakes his head at him, calling him too young to understand. Then he adds coldly, "We should have put you to death much earlier, that would have been the only way to prevent all of this suffering."

Kunlun then explains that he now understands what fate is, and that he doesn't feel controlled by it anymore. ("[It] isn’t some fantastical way of all roads leading to the same destination, nor is there anything that secretly binds you. In fact, you have uncountable choices at any given time. You can do to heaven or to earth. But you’ll only ever choose one particular path.")

The little Ghost King finally understands that he is powerless to prevent Kunlun's death, and bursts into tears.

Kunlun only has time to regret that he won't see the little Ghost King grow up into "a great beauty" before the memory ends and Zhao Yunlan is jolted back to the present.

When he turns around, he realizes he's not alone. The Ghost Face is there, too. He asks what Zhao Yunlan saw, but Zhao Yunlan doesn't tell him.

The Ghost Face complains to Zhao Yunlan: "Five thousand years ago, he and I were clearly twin Ghost\_Kings, but then he went and endeared himself to the oh-so great Lord Kunlun. Five thousand years later, one of us is inside, one is outside; one is the prisoner, one the jailer."

The Ghost Face then warns Zhao Yunlan that "the Great Seal is about to break," and as soon as it does, he's going to escape. He adds, "if my stupid brother had not suddenly made his move and preserved your spirit, stuck you back into the wheel of reincarnation and turned you into a mortal, you would have long since vanished". But he thinks it won't take much longer, anyway: "Unnatural things cannot last long in this world; after a while they will simply die."

Shen Wei suddenly appears and attempts to split the Ghost Face with his blade, but misses. They start to fight, partly turning into black smoke, but unexpectedly, the Ghost Face is left behind alone.

## Chapter 88 -

*赵云澜听得几乎呆了，沈巍和神农……怎么就不共戴天了？-* *Zhao Yunlan was almost speechless, Shen Wei and Shennong... how did they become irreconcilable?*

## Chapter 89 -

*沈巍这才发现自己被骗：“……所以你没事？” - Shen Wei only now realized that he'd been deceived: "...so you are okay?"*

## Chapter 90 -

*沈巍，我疼你，不愿意猜忌你，有些事想得多了伤感情 -* *Shen Wei, I love you, I don’t want to jealous of you, some things hurt feelings*

## Chapter 91 -

*鬼族，在光与黑暗的夹缝里出生 - The ghost race, born in the gap between light and darkness*

## Chapter 92 -

*如果“死”是混沌，那“生”就是不断地挣扎吧 - If "death" is chaos, then "life" is never-ending struggle*

## Chapter 93 -

*你愿意和我一起死吗 - Are you willing to die with me?*

## Chapter 94 -

*即使披着一张羊皮――还是会脸红的羊皮，也无法改变他是条狼的本质 - Despite being covered in sheepskin - even if the sheepskin was capable of blushing - it still couldn't change his intrinsic nature as a wolf.*

## Chapter 95 -

*收银员气沉丹田：“哎哟！大家快来看，神了！猫都能买东西了！” - The cashier : "Aiyyo! Come and see, everyone! Cats can even buy things now!"*

## Chapter 96 -

*暂时应该还没事，没有死气，也没有腥气，人还活着 - It should be okay for the time being, there is no trace of death or smell of blood; he should still be alive.*

## Chapter 97 -

*眼前的泉水湾别墅小镇，在赵云澜眼里，其实更像一个陷阱 - The hot spring resort town of Quanshuiwan in front of them, in Zhao Yunlan’s eyes, was actually more like a trap.*

## Chapter 98 -

*“趁还来得及，砍我的胳膊！” - "Before it's too late, chop off my arm!"*

## Chapter 99 -

*他难以理解那样死生一掷的豪情，难以想象那种虽千万人吾往矣的飞蛾扑火，更加难以企及他们开天辟地、无所畏惧的大荒往昔。- He couldn't understand such a desperate passion, can't imagine the kind of moths that tens of thousands of people go to fight the fire, and it's even more difficult to match their pioneering and fearless past.*

## Chapter 100 -

*“不会有什么事吧？”周围一个人也没有了，林静没别人可以说话，只…… - "There won't be a problem, right?" There was no one nearby, and Lin Jing had no one else to talk to, only...*

## Chapter 101 -

*不瞒令主，这就是四圣中的最后一件，镇魂灯。” - "I won't hide it from the Guardian, this is the last of the four Holy Objects, the Guardian Lantern."*

## Chapter 102 -

*沈巍，还不给我滚出来！- Shen Wei, you'd better get out here now!*

## Chapter 103 -

*沈巍：“我去追他。” - Shen Wei: "I will chase him."*

## Chapter 104 -

*大封是彻底破了吗？- Is the Great Seal completely broken?*