Chapter 800: The Torment of Ghost Cultivation

Lihua's attention was caught as well, prompting it to lift its head.

It studied the King of Wei, sensing an unusual aura about him. Something felt distinctly strange, though the cat couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Such a reaction was only natural. Prince Wei was the ruler of Weidi, after all; the qi destiny he carried would inevitably feel strange to it.

The cat's gaze soon drew Prince Wei's attention.

He paused. "This cat is quite well-behaved," he said.

Hearing this, Ruyi couldn't help but think how odd this Prince Wei seemed.

As he spoke, he reached out to pat the cat's head.

Lihua quickly ducked away.

It stared wide-eyed at Prince Wei, its gaze filled with questioning and a touch of displeasure.

Prince Wei paused, seemingly realizing his mistake, and withdrew his hand.

"Not an ordinary cat, I see."

Prince Wei was a man of great experience; a single brief interaction was enough for him to understand.

"If you want something, just say it," Chen Changsheng said. "Why beat around the bush?"

Prince Wei shrugged. "I came looking for this young lady."

Ruyi paused. Without waiting for Prince Wei to say what it was, she said, "Not interested. Don't bother me."

Prince Wei paused. "Hey, I haven't even said what it is yet."

"It wouldn't matter if you did." Ruyi looked at Prince Wei. "Don't make things difficult for me. I'm just a nobody wandering the jianghu; I don't want to get involved in the affairs of you nobles and high officials."

"Is that how it is..."

Prince Wei said no more.

The table suddenly fell quiet.

A moment later, the old man brought over the noodles.

Prince Wei took some chopsticks, lowered his head, and began to eat.

Usually talkative, he was uncharacteristically quiet now, focused solely on eating his noodles.

Before long, the bowl of noodles was gone.

Prince Wei wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. "I'm full, I'm full..."

He smiled, then reached into his robes and pulled out some Broken Silver.

"The noodles are on me."

Prince Wei stood up and gave Ruyi a meaningful look. "Also, you should reconsider, young lady. If you change your mind, you can come find me at Prince Wei's Manor."

With another deep look at Ruyi, Prince Wei turned and walked away.

Ruyi blinked. Only after Prince Wei had gone far away did she turn to look at Uncle Chen. "Uncle Chen, is there something wrong with that guy?"

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then said, "He has always been sick."

Ruyi paused, lowering her head in thought.

For some reason, she felt a vague sense of unease.

She figured a prince wouldn't be foolish enough to ask for help without coming prepared.

There had to be a reason behind it.

Furthermore, that look he had given her before leaving seemed to hint at something.

Ruyi couldn't help but wonder—had she somehow given him some kind of leverage over her?

But that shouldn't be the case.

Seeing Ruyi lost in thought, Chen Changsheng said, "If you decide to visit the Prince's Manor tonight, just let me know."

"Huh?"

Startled, Ruyi shook her head. "No, Ruyi isn't going."

Chen Changsheng nodded and said no more.

Yet on the way back, Ruyi was still thinking things over.

Lihua noticed the abnormality too, and asked, "Ruyi, Ruyi, did you turn into a dummy again?"

Snapped out of her daze, Ruyi reached out and tapped Lihua on the forehead.

"Ouch..."

Lihua winced and rubbed its head.

Before long, they returned to the courtyard.

Ruyi returned to her own yard. Seeing that she still wasn't talking, Lihua went over to Chen Changsheng's courtyard to play.

It just so happened that Yu Hongjin arrived to look for Chen Changsheng, carrying wine.

Chen Changsheng was a bit surprised. Looking at her, he said, "A rare guest indeed, and you brought wine. What is it this time? You never visit the Hall of Three Treasures without a reason."

Caught out, Yu Hongjin felt a little embarrassed, but she still argued, "N—not at all... Can't I just come to drink with you for no reason?"

Lihua stared at her and said, "Offering courtesy for no reason means you're either a traitor or a... or a... probably still a traitor, right?"

Yu Hongjin shot it a glance. "Stupid cat, it's either a traitor or a thief!"

"I didn't ask you!" Lihua grumbled.

Yu Hongjin stepped forward, sat down, and placed the wine on the table.

"What kind of wine is this?" Chen Changsheng asked.

"Good wine," Yu Hongjin replied. "I traded for it at the Temple Fair yesterday. The seller said it was brought from the seaside. I tasted it, and it's not bad."

With that, she offered the wine to him.

Chen Changsheng wasn't in a hurry to taste it; instead, he asked, "First, tell me what this is about."

"Mmm..."

Yu Hongjin smacked her lips. "It's nothing major, it's just..."

"It's Sister Zhishu, she..."

Yu Hongjin let out a sigh and proceeded to explain.

Zhishu had now entered the Way of Ghost Cultivation, but ultimately, she was no longer human.

Ghosts lacked human senses; they did not know cold or heat, they did not know pain, and they had no sense of taste. Yet these things were indispensable for a human living in the world. When all of this was lost, many things lost their meaning.

It was like a perfectly healthy person suddenly becoming crippled.

One might be able to accept it for a short time, but the longer it lasted, the more unbearable it became.

Zhishu, after all, was only an ordinary woman.

Eating anything lacked flavor.

The warmth of winter and the coolness of summer could no longer be felt.

Pain no longer fell upon her body.

This was painful, and even more so, it was torment.

"Sister Zhishu has been depressed lately. She briefly mentioned this to me, and my heart aches for her, so I wanted to ask if there's any way to let her taste things, just so she won't be so miserable."

If this continued, Yu Hongjin worried that something would happen to Sister Zhishu.

Chen Changsheng shook his head and pushed the wine back.

"It isn't that This Chen won't help you, but This Chen has no way to do so either."

Yu Hongjin froze. "You don't have a way either?"

She was very surprised. In her impression, Chen Changsheng should be omnipotent. Why was it that now...

Chen Changsheng nodded. "You know as well as I do that she is already dead. Making her feel taste again would be no different from bringing the dead back to life. This Chen has no such ability."

Yu Hongjin was stunned, taking a long while to react.

She opened her mouth and asked, "Doesn't that mean Sister Zhishu will have to go on like this forever, unable to taste food or feel cold and heat? Doesn't that mean..."

Yu Hongjin couldn't help but think.

Such pain would probably drive a person mad.

Chen Changsheng looked at Yu Hongjin and said, "This Chen already said this before."

Yu Hongjin looked slightly dazed. "Then what should we do, Mister Chen? 'Living' like this... isn't it too much of a torment?"

Chen Changsheng didn't know what to say. He could only reach out and pat her head, unsure if this counted as comfort.