Cataclysm Chapter 127: Extras · Ghost Marriage 07

Chapter 127: Extras · Ghost Marriage 07

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

After coming back from getting a tooth filled, Du Shuo strictly forbade Chen Yang from eating candy. At first, Chen Yang swore to never eat candy again. He endured for two or three months, but once his tooth was healed and the pain was forgotten, he wanted to eat it again. He even tried his old trick of sneaking candy, but was caught red-handed, holding a jar of candy and not saying a word as he lowered his head. Du Shuo sat across from him, looking upset. “Sneaking candy again? Did you forget about the tooth pain?”

Chen Yang quickly shook his head, then paused before saying somewhat aggrieved, “I couldn’t help it, I wanted to eat it.”

“Which is more important, your teeth or the candy?”

Chen Yang thought for a moment, hesitated, then said, “Both are important.” Seeing Du Shuo getting angry, he quickly put down the candy jar, moved closer to Du Shuo, and cautiously grabbed the hem of his shirt, saying, “Candy is as important to me as meals. If I don’t eat candy, I feel miserable all over.”

Du Shuo glanced at him, then looked away, too lazy to even look at him. He took the candy jar and stood up, saying, “From now on, focus on preparing for the college entrance exam. I’ll clear out all the candy in the house. I’ll make sure the neighbors don’t give you any candy, and if you dare use your meal money to secretly buy candy, you better not let me find out. There’s no room for negotiation on this. Otherwise, I’ll have your grandfathers come over and have a talk with you.”

“No need to have Grandpa and them come over,” Chen Yang grimaced, hugging a cushion unhappily. But Du Shuo’s threat did get to him. If the two grandfathers found out, they’d definitely come to him in his dreams every night, scolding him. He sulked, “Fine, I won’t eat it then.”

Du Shuo was stern with Chen Yang, but secretly, he looked for a way to make candy himself, using a special recipe for “Fengdu Emperor” candy, unique and made by him. Every day, he gave Chen Yang three pieces, keeping his mouth trained to want only his homemade candy, making sure he wouldn’t crave candy from elsewhere. And with Du Shuo always watching over him, Chen Yang didn’t eat much candy afterward. Although occasionally, he would still sneak some, but not too much at a time. In those moments, Du Shuo would turn a blind eye, or else he’d risk upsetting Chen Yang and turning the house into a battleground.

With two months left before the college entrance exam, Chen Yang was confident he could get into the prestigious B University in the capital, so he wasn’t too anxious. However, the constant attention from An Mi was starting to annoy him. Chen Yang had refused to take An Mi as an apprentice, but she was persistent, blocking him every day, making him feel like she was slowly going mad. Today, she even waited for him after school at the school gate, holding a basket and lifting the cloth to reveal, “I heard that to be accepted as a disciple, you need to offer three sacrificial animals and five types of offerings. I brought pork, chicken legs, and a carp, along with fresh fruits, flowers, water, and tuition—”

Chen Yang walked past An Mi, saying, “The three sacrificial animals are for offering to the gods, used to thank them. The five offerings are for weddings, they have nothing to do with becoming a disciple. I’m not refusing you because of these, but because you’re not suited for it.”

An Mi chased after him, “How would you know I’m not suited if you don’t try? You haven’t even taught me yet, maybe I have talent.”

Chen Yang stopped and turned to ask her, “Can you see ghosts? Have you ever been chased by one? Don’t you fear them? If you really want to learn Taoist arts, don’t learn from me, I can’t teach you.” Ghost-related Taoism was not something just anyone could learn.

An Mi didn’t listen to these words, staring at Chen Yang’s retreating figure and muttering to herself, “Seeing ghosts is nothing, as long as I can see them. Once I’ve seen enough, I won’t be afraid. Besides, it’s not like I’ve never been chased by a ghost before. That night, you saved me.” She smiled proudly, thinking that becoming a disciple was an easy thing to do.

In rural areas, there were many terrifying ghost stories, with numerous methods said to help people see ghosts. The most typical method was to apply cow tears to the eyes, which would allow someone to see ghosts. But An Mi couldn’t find a slaughterhouse for cattle. When she was a child, she had seen a family that raised cows slaughter one. They hung the cow high and killed it with a hammer. At that time, the cow would cry tears, but now, domesticated cows were not slaughtered easily. Even when they got old, they were kept as part of the family.

Of course, cow tears weren’t the only way to see ghosts. There was also the use of corpse mud. It was said that if a person applied the dirt from the top of a grave to their eyes, they could also see ghosts, but not just any grave would do. It had to be an old grave, and they needed to scrape off the dry surface layer of the grave, avoiding the middle layers of loose dirt. The inner moist dirt had to be smeared onto the eyes to fix it and allow them to see ghosts.

If one wanted to dig up grave dirt, they had to do it at night, secretly. An Mi was too scared to do it, so she gathered some friends who had once gone on a ghost school adventure with her to discuss it. But the friends, who had been scared out of their wits, refused and hurriedly rode their bikes home. They had once not believed in ghosts, but after being confronted with the truth, they didn’t want to provoke them.

In the end, only the thin, tall boy with glasses remained. His face was pale, and his body was so thin that the glasses nearly obscured his eyes, leaving only the whites of his eyes visible. Being alone with him gave a chilling sense of fear, but An Mi had grown up with the boy with glasses.

Although she found him strange, she never doubted him. After all, the boy had suddenly changed his personality two years ago, and Chen Yang, who was in the same class, never noticed anything odd. This meant the boy with glasses was fine, and An Mi patted his shoulder, thinking, “You still have some brotherly loyalty.”

The boy with glasses adjusted his glasses, his eyes, almost entirely white, glaring at An Mi with a chilling intensity. “There are many ways to see ghosts,” he said. “It’s not necessarily through corpse mud.”

An Mi asked excitedly, “Really? Tell me more!”

The boy with glasses said, “Have you heard of the legend of swallowing a raven’s eye and being able to see ghosts at night?”

“Swallowing a raven’s eye lets one see the spirits. Or grinding its juice and applying it to the eyes—then you can see ghosts at night.” Chen Yang closed his book and looked up at Du Shuo, “Is that true?”

“Mm,” Du Shou lowered the book in his hand and looked at Chen Yang. His gaze was so focused that it caught Chen Yang’s attention. He sat up. “What’s wrong?”

Du Shou said, “You’re about to come of age.”

Chen Yang sat cross-legged and laughed when he heard. “Yeah. Grandpa Wu said there’s a great opportunity waiting for me when I turn of age, but I don’t know what it is. The opportunity when I was sixteen was you, Du Shou. Could it be that the opportunity when I’m eighteen is also you?” He shook his head and laughed at himself. “How could the same person bring two opportunities?”

Du Shou said, “After you turn eighteen, that’s when our relationship will officially be determined. Have you thought it over?”

Chen Yang froze. “Grandpa Wu told me that after I come of age, I should acknowledge you as my godfather.”

“I can’t be your godfather,” Du Shou lowered his gaze, his expression calm. “You and I will marry, following the traditional rules. Our marriage will be arranged by our parents and confirmed by the heavens. If you want to end our relationship, you can, but I will leave and never appear before you again.”

Chen Yang urgently asked, “Why? Can’t we be family?”

Du Shou’s gaze turned cold. “I don’t need a son, and I certainly don’t need a brother.”

Chen Yang was stunned and didn’t know how to respond. The only thing he knew for sure was that he didn’t want Du Shou to leave. All his family had abandoned him, and he had no friends or siblings. Du Shou was the only one he considered a father, an older brother, and a close friend, and he couldn’t lose him.

His helplessness made him look both pitiful and cute. Du Shou’s expression softened slightly, and his gaze became much gentler as he approached Chen Yang, trying to comfort him. “I only need a wife, someone to be by my side.” He whispered in Chen Yang’s ear, “I need a wife whom I can sleep with, hold, kiss, and say I love.”

The soft, slow voice was like silk spun by a spider, seeming delicate and weak, yet able to firmly trap its prey, making it impossible to escape.

Du Shou pinched the back of Chen Yang’s neck, lightly kissing his earlobe before pulling away. He sat down directly opposite Chen Yang, resuming his usual calm, indifferent expression, maintaining a safe distance between them. “Focus on preparing for the exam over the next two months. How’s your review coming along?”

“Um, it’s… okay,” Chen Yang answered mechanically.

Du Shou chuckled softly and said, “Pay attention to strange people. Two years ago, on the Zhongyuan Festival, a water ghost possessed a human and killed several people. The underworld couldn’t capture it; it’s very cunning and often possesses and disguises itself as a normal person. Because many people have died in the past two years, it has drawn attention from the underworld.”

“I understand.”

Du Shou looked up and saw that Chen Yang still seemed confused, so he simply said, “You have a few months to think it over, no need to rush. For now, go to sleep, or you’ll be tired tomorrow.”

Chen Yang got up, ran back to his room, and flopped onto the bed, pulling the blanket over his head and wrapping himself up completely. He dug out a copy of “The Authentic Guide to Destiny” from under the bed and began calculating his and Du Shou’s marriage compatibility using their birthdates and the Chinese metaphysical system. He counted out the heavenly stems and earthly branches, followed by the five elements’ balance, the length of their marriage fate, and finally the compatibility of the gods. As he calculated, he didn’t consider personality since they had lived together for two years, and their personalities were already known.

To his surprise, their birthdates, elements, marriage fate, and godly compatibility all aligned perfectly, as if they were destined to be together. Chen Yang was puzzled. He closed the book on godly marriage compatibility and tucked it back under the bed. He lay on his stomach, thinking seriously about his relationship with Du Shou.

They were married, with their parents’ approval and a ceremony that had been witnessed by the heavens—an entirely legitimate marriage. After he turned eighteen, they would sleep together, hold each other, kiss, and show affection. Chen Yang slowly pulled the blanket up to his head, feeling his face heat up. After a while, Du Shou knocked and entered. “Why are you hiding under the blanket?”

Chen Yang lifted the blanket, his face flushed, unsure whether it was from realizing the intimacy between them or from being under the blanket. He cleared his throat twice and said, “Nothing. Do you need something?”

“Mm, a goodnight kiss.” Du Shou sat at the edge of the bed, placing his large hand on the back of Chen Yang’s neck. Before Chen Yang could react, he pulled him closer, kissing him deeply and passionately. After a moment, he let go, rubbing Chen Yang’s swollen lips with his thumb, where a trace of transparent liquid remained. Chen Yang was completely stunned, unable to respond.

“W-What was that?”

“A goodnight kiss.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Du Shou chuckled softly. “Get used to it. Goodnight.”

Chen Yang watched Du Shou leave, and after a long time, he suddenly realized that Du Shou’s goodnight kiss was a gesture between married couples, not like the usual forehead kisses. He would need to get used to it if he was to face it calmly in the future. But—”Didn’t he say I had time to think it over?” He hadn’t even begun to think when he was already being thrust into the married couple mode.

After leaving Chen Yang’s room and secretly taking the “Authentic Guide to Destiny” book from under the bed, Du Shou smiled and threw the modified book into the trash.

 

The author’s note: I forgot to add this line: “The raven’s eyes swallow it, causing one to see spirits. Or grind the juice and focus on the eyes, and you can see ghosts at night.” — From the old version of “Compendium of Materia Medica.”

 

 

 

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