Chapter 2 The Next Morning
The next morning, a herbal doctor administered medicine to Liu Shi Nian.
Leaning against the doorframe outside, my mind was elsewhere. Just then, Xue Gu Cheng and Yan Wu Shuang came to visit Liu Shi Nian. Seeing me, they asked curiously.
"Mu Ye, aren't you going in?"
I shook my head slightly and looked inside.
"The elder said he would wake up today. I want to wait until he's awake before going in to see him."
Yan Wu Shuang smiled and leaned beside me.
"I'll accompany you."
Xue Gu Cheng also said.
"Since neither of you is going in, I'll wait outside too."
And so, the three of us stood in a line leaning against the door.
Before long, the herbal doctor came out from inside. He bowed respectfully to us, and as elders, we returned the bow.
The herbal doctor said.
"Ghost King, sirs, Young Master Liu is out of danger and you may go in."
"Thank you, herbal doctor."
Then, the three of us entered the room together and went to the bedside, seeing Liu Shi Nian's eyes slightly closed.
I wanted to call him, but Xue Gu Cheng stopped me. I could only watch him.
At this moment, in Liu Shi Nian's wandering consciousness, he saw a different scene.
In a daze, he arrived at a vast white plain. There was nothing on the plain, only a faint red dot in the haze.
It looked like a figure. He hurried to chase after it, but the red dot disappeared in the wind. He looked around in confusion and suddenly noticed that the red dot seemed to have reached the riverbank.
He chased again, and suddenly the ground shook, and he fell into the river with a splash.
His head felt heavy, and he suddenly woke up, seeing a row of eyes looking at him.
"You're awake."
Dao Lang asked with a smile. As they waited for him, everyone else came to see him.
Liu Shi Nian rubbed his head and looked around in confusion.
"Where… where is this?"
I sat by the bed and told him.
"This is Black Mountain. You're safe now."
"Mu… Mu Ye…"
He suddenly hugged me, and the worry of the past few days turned into regret and self-blame.
"I'm sorry, I caused this."
I patted his back and comforted him.
"It's not your fault. They were too cunning."
"It's good that you're alright."
"It's good that you're alright too."
Dao Lang and Fei Xiong, who were beside us, leaned forward and sniffed his head. Fei Xiong nudged his nose, looking disgusted.
"What a strong medicinal smell."
Liu Shi Nian let go of me, feeling much better. He looked at them again and smiled.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect you guys to be here too."
Dao Lang teased.
"It's all because of you. Otherwise, why would we be here?"
"Alright, alright, don't blame me. I can't bear that responsibility."
"Hahaha, then after you've fully recovered, let's have a drink together."
"I'm good at that."
Seeing that he was still his usual carefree self, I felt much more at ease.
He glanced around and saw some unfamiliar faces, so he asked me.
"Mu Ye, who are these people?"
I began to introduce them to him.
"Oh, I haven't had a chance to introduce them yet. This is Elder Lin Er of the Ghost Tribe."
"Hello, Brother Liu."
Lin Er cupped his hands.
"This is Hei Feng. This Black Mountain belongs to him."
"Greetings, Brother Liu."
Hei Feng also cupped his hands.
"You've met these two before. They are the Snow Blade Twin Fiends, Xue Gu Cheng and Yan Wu Shuang, who challenged you in the Myriad Ghost Forest."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shi Nian was shocked.
"Are you two really the Snow Blade Twin Fiends?"
He still found it hard to believe. Legend had it that the Snow Blade Twin Fiends were elusive, always wearing white masks and never showing their true faces.
Furthermore, they were nomads, never staying in one place. It was strange that they had taken off their masks and come to Black Mountain.
Yan Wu Shuang, seeing his confused expression, couldn't help but laugh and cupped her hands.
"Brother Liu, it's been a while."
Liu Shi Nian smiled sheepishly and finally asked his question.
"Where are your masks? Did they break?"
Xue Gu Cheng smiled slightly and explained.
"You could say they broke. Shuang'er and I have already turned them into ashes."
"Turned into ashes?"
This made Liu Shi Nian even more curious.
"Did something happen?"
"We've decided to stay, so we've abandoned those masks."
"Stay?"
He pondered for a moment.
"Now that Mu Ye has become the Ghost King, he is naturally the leader of the Ghost Tribe, and the elder of the Ghost Tribe is also here, which means the Ghost Tribe is also here.
Could it be that Mu Ye has taken over as the Ghost King and is now managing the entire Ghost Tribe?"
His heart was filled with mixed emotions. Everyone knew that the Ghost Tribe had always been a force of demons and evil, causing countless troubles for thousands of years.
Not to mention the Ghost King, he had an irreconcilable hatred for him.
However, everyone was happy at the moment, so he couldn't show his displeasure. He could only calm himself and ask properly when there were fewer people around.
Lin Er said.
"Young Master Liu, how are you feeling?"
Liu Shi Nian moved his limbs, feeling very relaxed, and was somewhat surprised.
"What medicine did you use? It's so effective."
Lin Er explained.
"It's nothing, just some herbs."
"These herbs are truly miraculous."
"If you're interested, Young Master Liu, I can teach you some medical skills."
"Thank you, thank you. However, there are some things I'd like to discuss with Mu Ye alone."
Everyone immediately understood what he wanted to ask. They smiled calmly and patted his shoulder.
"Yes, there are many things you don't understand, but there's no need to rush."
Dao Lang also said.
"Since that's the case, let's go out."
"Alright."
Everyone else left the room one by one, and the room became quiet.
"If you have any doubts, you can ask me."
I said.
He pondered for a moment and then asked.
"Mu Ye, what is your relationship with the Ghost Tribe now?"
His heart held some hope, hoping I would give some reason of being forced.
However, becoming the Ghost King was my own choice.
I slowly stood up, my face changing from calm to serious, and said earnestly.
"I have decided to become the true Ghost King, so the people of the Ghost Tribe are naturally my people."
He couldn't believe what he heard, feeling that the person before him was unreal, as if impersonated by the Ghost King.
"Are you Mu Ye, or the Ghost King?"
He thought I had been bewitched by the Ghost King to say such things, or perhaps this wasn't the real Liu Mu Ye at all.
I turned around, smiled slightly, and said to him.
"I am both the Ghost King and Liu Mu Ye. Shi Nian, the Ghost Tribe is not what you think it is, nor what the world thinks it is.
They are people who have been ostracized and oppressed by so-called justice."
Liu Shi Nian frowned and shook his head slightly. He suddenly didn't believe it, didn't believe the person before him was the real me. If it were the me of the past, I would never have said such things.
"You are not Mu Ye."
He decisively came to his conclusion.
I sighed slightly and comforted him.
"I think it will be difficult for you to accept this for a while. However, I still hope you can take some time to seriously look at the Ghost Tribe and the people around you.
If you want to leave, I will escort you down the mountain."
He still couldn't accept it. Thousands of disbeliefs lingered in his mind like a dream.
I knew it was normal for him to have difficulty accepting it for a while, and I wouldn't force him.
"You've just woken up, and your body is still weak. Rest well. You can also think about what I've said. If you can't figure it out, that's fine."
He didn't reply, lowering his head as if in thought.
"Alright, I'll go out now. I'll come back to see you later."
Saying that, I turned and left.
After I left, his eyes became hollow, and he murmured.
"Why? Why?"
No matter what, accepting reality was something he had to go through.
I walked in the courtyard and looked back, wondering what Liu Shi Nian would do. I knew that he and the Ghost King had an irreconcilable enmity.
No matter what choice he made, I would accept it gladly.
"Ghost King, there's a secret report."
I was startled by the shout and turned around, seeing a soldier delivering a letter.
I took it with my hand and waved him away.
"Alright, you can go."
"Yes."
After the messenger left, I slowly opened the envelope. Inside, it was written.
To the Ghost King:
The four cities have been quite peaceful lately, with no unusual movements. Even their usual military drills have ceased, which is very strange.
Other areas are also unusually quiet, with no activity.
Four, five, seven characters.
Before I could think further, I heard a call from the side.
"Ghost King…"
I turned my head and saw four elders approaching together.
"Elders, why have you come?"
Elder Wan Gu said.
"Ghost King, you must have read that secret letter."
"Oh, I just read it, but what's written in the letter is very strange."
Elder Zhu Liu Yun said.
"Yes, we also received news before, but we dared not make a hasty conclusion. We sent someone to investigate again, and only then did we deliver it."
"Elders, you are all experienced people. If it's something you can decide on your own, you don't need to ask me."
"Yes."
"But what exactly are these four cities doing? They're not training soldiers, nor are they doing anything. It's truly terrifyingly peaceful."
Elder Hei Yi smiled faintly, his mind already formulating some thoughts.
"I think our gathering of ghosts and our escape from such a heavily guarded place as the Northwest Desert has made them more apprehensive.
That's why they dare not send troops rashly. However, I think there will be action soon."
"What the elder says makes sense, but what should we do?"
"Wait and see."
Elder Mo Xue Fu said these four words unhurriedly.
"Wait and see? Alright, then we'll wait and see."
However, ultimately, my expectations were too high. The speed of the four cities was far greater than I had imagined.
Jin Yu Lan, acting as a righteous person or perhaps on behalf of Prime Minister Liu, quickly spread the news of the Ghost King's presence in Black Mountain.
He boasted that Black Mountain would be conquered within a few days. Instantly, the matter became a hot topic of discussion in the four cities.
Jin Yu Lan, for the first time, emerged from his tall building and sat in a palanquin covered only by thin veils, carried by four people as he went out.
He arrived on the street, but no one paid attention to him. The streets were filled with continuous discussions.
"Alas, have you heard? The Ghost King has fled to Black Mountain."
"Indeed. I heard that the Ghost Tribe also escaped and went to Black Mountain."
"Ah! What should we do? The Ghost King of a thousand years ago was already difficult to deal with. Now that he's reborn, he'll be even harder to handle."
"Everyone has gotten used to peaceful days. No one wants to go and die."
"Alas! It seems the decision must be made by those in power."
Jin Yu Lan slightly lifted the thin veil and listened to the discussions from outside, a satisfied smile curling his lips.
He put away his fan, tapped it twice, and said.
"Go back."
The four people steadily turned around and returned to Qian Ji Hall.
As they neared the main entrance, he suddenly flew out of the veil, leaped into the sky, and then floated in mid-air, turning into a gust of wind.
He was going to seek instructions from an important person.
He arrived at the mountaintop outside the suburbs of Nanhai City, a place called Qingyu Mountain by the people of Nanhai City.
Prime Minister Liu stood on the wind-swept cliff, his cold gaze fixed on the distance. Beside him stood a man in black and purple clothing, holding a sword.
Jin Yu Lan approached and asked for instructions.
"My lord, everything has been arranged. What should we do next?"
Prime Minister Liu slowly turned around without immediate reply, but instead introduced the person beside him.
"Do you remember this old friend?"
The man in black and purple clothing turned around, revealing his face. Jin Yu Lan was shocked and exclaimed.
"Li Xing Ye!"
Li Xing Ye smiled slightly and returned the greeting.
"Long time no see, Brother Yu Lan."
Jin Yu Lan asked in confusion.
"You disappeared for a thousand years. Everyone who saw you said you were dead. How could you…"
"Still alive? Hahaha, that's just what people say. I was just enjoying a few days of peace."
Prime Minister Liu explained Li Xing Ye's appearance like this.
"Today is different from the past. The world is about to be in chaos, with wars breaking out everywhere. This is the time for us to showcase our talents. Xing Ye's emergence is essential."
"I have spread the rumors according to your instructions, but what's the next step…"
Prime Minister Liu smiled faintly and turned his back, saying.
"Immediately issue alliance letters and summon the city lords of the four cities to discuss sending troops. The sooner, the better."
"Yes."
Upon receiving the instructions, Jin Yu Lan returned to Nanhai City. Within a day, three alliance letters were sent from Nanhai City.
The meeting place was set in Nanhai City, and the city lords immediately dispatched representatives to rush to Nanhai City overnight.
…
In the Nanhai City Council Hall, representatives from each city voiced their opinions. Among them, An Shi Yuan, the representative from Nanhai City, proposed.
"We should immediately form an allied army and attack Black Mountain together."
However, Fang Ze Hai, the representative from Beishen Capital, was disdainful.
"As far as I know, the current Ghost King's foundation is unstable, and most of his soldiers are rough men who forge iron and till fields. They are no match for our strength.
Therefore, killing her is as easy as flipping one's hand. You, Nanhai City, can handle it."
Chang Le Ping, the second representative from Nanhai City, protested.
"If it were just one Ghost King, it would indeed be easy for us.
However, she has now gathered most of the Ghost Tribe and many talented individuals, greatly increasing her strength.
If we rely solely on Nanhai City, I fear we might not be able to harm her and instead be bitten, boosting her morale, and then she will march north."
Xiao Yi Kao, the representative from Xiziguo, suggested.
"We can do this: defeat them one by one, and then strike directly at the heart of the enemy."
Fei Yu, the representative from Dongyue Town, analyzed.
"I know the terrain of Black Mountain. That was originally Hei Lao Da's territory. It's surrounded by mountains, forming a barrier.
If we want to capture it, it's not difficult. We just need to coordinate from the inside and outside."
The eight of them discussed intensely in the council hall and finally reached a conclusion.
The four cities would dispatch troops to attack the four barriers of Black Mountain: Bu Yue Mountain, Dong Pin Mountain, Huang Qiu Mountain, and Gu Ju Mountain, respectively.
Then, they would converge from all four directions and strike directly at Black Mountain. The date was set for ten days later.