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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 77 (Part 1)

The fierce ghost, who claimed to be the ancestor, was the main wife of a wealthy family during her lifetime and was poisoned by her husband and concubine. She has been dead for over 300 years now and is considered one of the most knowledgeable ghosts in the capital city. 

Entering the main hall, she saw a tall man sitting upright with a mask on his face, and couldn’t help but feel weak in her legs. Later, she quickly glanced at You Shu and saw that his body was shining with golden light and shrouded in clouds and mist, with a hundred years of merit, which made her even more horrified.

If such a kind-hearted person is killed by them, she will never be able to cultivate a spiritual body and become a ghost in the underworld. And there are rumors that the current Lord of the Underworld is the demon who climbed up from the underground prison of the underworld. 

His cultivation is so unpredictable that he can be said to be able to kill the gods when he blocks the gods, and kill the Buddha when he blocks the Buddhas. He is extremely vicious. If they really touched the person he is protecting, what will happen to them….

The more the ancestor thought about it, the more afraid she became, and the more she trembled like chaff. She immediately knelt down and explained in detail what all the little ghosts were good at. The little ghost who was named by her also hurriedly stepped forward to recommend himself, fearing that he would be thrown into the eighteenth level of hell by Lord Yama if he lost his usefulness.

The hall was filled with ghostly cries and howls of wolves, with a gust of sinister wind blowing around. If it were someone else, they might have been frightened to death long ago. However, You Shu was still leisurely drinking cabbage soup, his eyes sparkling, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and his mood was very bright. With his friend around, he wasn’t worried at all.

Lord Yama waved his sleeves and laid out a barrier to prevent the cold wind from freezing Magistrate Xiao Zhao. Finally, he narrowed his eyes and looked at these ghosts, saying slowly, “As long as you are still of some use, I will spare you from death. From now on, you will just follow You Shu and manage his family’s house, take care of trivial matters, and protect his safety. If you go to the underworld in the future, just report this king’s name, and someone will naturally send you to reincarnation.”

All the ghosts nodded repeatedly, expressing their gratitude. Only the ancestor rubbed her hands and said hesitantly, “Your Excellency, what if this slave doesn’t want to be reincarnated and wants to find a job in the Underworld Palace?”

Wow, what a great ambition, you actually want to be a ghost immortal! All the ghosts looked at her with admiration in their eyes.

Lord Yama pondered for a moment and said, “If you have enough merits, then naturally it can be done. Alright, you all go out. Don’t scare You Shu.”

Your Excellency, he doesn’t look scared at all, okay! The doors, windows, and floor tiles are all covered in white frost due to the ghostly aura, but this person didn’t even frown. He is definitely not an ordinary person!  

The ancestor cursed in her heart, but did not dare to say it out loud. She was about to leave with all the ghosts, but was stopped again, “Wait a minute, don’t tell You Shu about this king’s visit. Just say that you have some previous connection with him and came here to be his ghost servants.”

The ancestor looked at the person drinking soup casually, as if he was an ignorant young man, and could only nod.

You Shu raised the corners of his lips, but he quickly covered it with the help of a handkerchief, and then slowly wiped away the soup from his mouth. However, his bright eyes and slightly raised eyebrows revealed his inner joy.  

Lord Yama, who, according to You Shu, “never leaves his name behind when doing good deeds”, raised his palm and caressed the soft hair of County Magistrate Xiao Zhao, feeling the same tenderness and joy in his heart.

After dinner, one person and one ghost relaxed in the garden for a while and then returned to their room to sleep. As there were currently no servants at home and there wasn’t enough firewood to burn, You Shu didn’t take a bath and pretended to casually vacate the space next to him, which allowed him to sleep peacefully. 

Although he was new and alone here, he didn’t feel uneasy at all because he knew there would always be someone silently guarding him.

As usual, Lord Yama set up defensive arrays at the doors and windows. Finally, he leaned next to Magistrate Xiao Zhao, took out the memorials and official documents for review, occasionally helping him tuck his quilt and patting his cheeks with a very friendly and natural attitude. 

At midnight, the ancestor knocked on the door outside and said, “Your Excellency, I have come to appear in the dream.” If it was not explained clearly in the dream, and a group of demons and ghosts suddenly appeared during the day, wouldn’t they scare County Magistrate Xiao Zhao to death? After all, this is her first step towards becoming a ghost immortal, so of course, she needs to consider it carefully.

Lord Yama removed the defensive array on the door and windows, and let her in. He whispered, “Don’t talk too much nonsense.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.” The ancestor aimed his forehead at the forehead of County Magistrate Xiao Zhao, trying to enter the other party’s dream, but her soul was suddenly bounced back by a beam of black light, and was thrown far away, almost falling into pieces.  

Before she could recover, she heard a cold voice, “Who allowed you to touch him?”

“The slave was wrong, this slave dare not do it again!” The ancestor immediately knelt down to admit her mistake without saying a word, and gradually realised a secret in her heart: Does this master have any fancy thoughts towards County Magistrate Xiao Zhao? Otherwise, why is the tone so sour? Why is the desire for monopolization so strong? However, before she could think any further, a soul thread was taken out and plunged into the brow of the sleeping person, connecting to the dream.

In the dream, You Shu was eating, and the table was filled with big fish, meat, and various kinds of pastries. Just as he was about to add a second bowl, he saw an old woman falling at her feet, who kowtowed repeatedly and called You Shu her master.

“Who are you? Why do you call me master? “Already aware of the other party’s intentions, You Shu still pretended to be ignorant.

“This slave is the guardian ghost of this courtyard. The reason why I drove away one resident after another is to find someone who is destined. Since the lord saved my life in my previous life, if I don’t repay this favour, I will have no further progress in cultivation. Therefore, I came to work as a cow and horse for the lord and asked him to give me a chance. My surname is Li, and the lord can call my Mother Li.” The ancestor said solemnly.

“Then you can stay.” You Shu quickly accepted the setting of “ghosts want to repay the kindness”.

The ancestor obviously didn’t expect him to be so straightforward, and couldn’t help but be stunned. At this moment, a cold and heavy pressure spread above her head, making her dare not delay and she immediately withdrew from the dream.

“What was he doing in the dream?” There are piles of official documents to be reviewed in both the Underworld and the mortal realm, and Lord Yama is not as leisurely as he seems. During the day, he would guard County Magistrate Xiao Zhao, and when he fell asleep, he would accompany him, slowly handling government affairs.

“Reporting back to Your Excellency, the master was eating.” The ancestor honestly told the truth.

Lord Yama, who was obviously expecting this answer, asked again, “What kind of food was he eating?”

Fortunately, the ancestor was a thoughtful ghost and has memorized all the scenes from the dream in her mind, otherwise she would definitely be stumped this time. 

As she recalled, she counted with her fingers, and thought in her mind: What’s the point of asking about these trivial things? Is it really important what Lord Zhao ate… Before she could finish her slander, she heard the other party ask again, “How many bowls of rice did he add?”

The corner of her mouth twitched and she said, “Lord Zhao was adding a second bowl when I left.”

Lord Yama shook his head and laughed, his eyes filled with tenderness. This person is living a poor life in reality, so he can only make up for it in his dreams. It’s really difficult for him. When the Dayong Kingdom becomes prosperous in the future, this king will definitely cook whatever you want and feed you until you become fat and tender.

“There’s nothing more. You can go out. Tomorrow morning, give You Shu a warning. But don’t show up rashly and scare him.” Even though he knew that the man was not afraid of ghosts, Lord Yama still took the trouble to warn her.

The ancestor became even more sure of this lord’s love for Magistrate Xiao Zhao, and hurriedly agreed.

The next day, as soon as You Shu opened his eyes, he saw a note placed by the bedside, which read: Master, this is Mother Li who appeared in your dream last night. If you want to wash up, just clap your palms three times, and the hot water will arrive immediately.

You Shu clapped his palms three times, and sure enough, an old woman came in carrying a hot water basin. Looking at her appearance, it was none other than the Mother Li from the dream last night. Behind her was a row of ghosts of different ages, gender, and body sizes, but their faces were all equally pale. In the morning light, their elongated shadows were completely invisible.

After the old woman put down the sink, she intended to personally serve the master to wash up, but was refused. She looked carefully and found that the master did not show any signs of fear or rejection, but was simply not accustomed to it. 

Therefore, she began to introduce the ghosts. Fierce ghosts who have been practising Taoism for decades or even centuries will remember what they learned before they died, along with what they learned after they died. Some of them are good at cooking, some are good at handicrafts, some can read, recite poetry, and paint, but they are also versatile.

In order to reincarnate as a good fetus, they wished they could worship You Shu like a Bodhisattva. As a result, the house that was originally full of ghosts had its appearance changed overnight. The woodshed was filled with firewood, smoke was rising from the stove, and the dusty pavilions were restored to their former neat and clean appearance.

You Shu walked around and felt very satisfied, especially when he returned to the living room and found that there was already a steaming breakfast on the table, which made his mood even brighter. 

He ate a few steamed dumplings before realising that something was wrong, and asked the ancestor, “Mama Li, I don’t have much savings, where did you get these white noodles and pork?”

Of course, it’s all given by that Lord of the Underworld! But the ancestor didn’t dare to say the truth, so she casually made up something, “Master, you don’t know this, but the owners of this mansion have changed five or six times in a row, and all of them were wealthy families. In order to prevent accidents, they put gold and silver in jars and buried them underground. Over time, they forgot about that money, which was really a fortune for us.”

“Really?” You Shu was dubious.

“Of course, look, this is the jar that this slave dug up.” The ancestor turned his palm over and showed an earthen jar covered with mud, which contained several ingots of silver and a few gold leaves inside.

The golden leaves have distinct veins and unique shapes, clearly belonging to the same group as the one given to him by Lord Yama before. What else does You Shu not understand? Clearly, it was his good friend who was worried about his livelihood and wanted to lend a helping hand, but was afraid of being rejected, so he passed it on to this ancestor.

The other party always silently helped him and left quietly, which deeply moved You Shu’s heart and made him feel extremely ashamed. He had nothing good to offer in return, so he picked out a portion of breakfast on the table and placed it on the incense table as a sacrifice.

In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Xuanguang, who had just ascended to the throne, was sitting upright, closing his eyes and resting. A group of palace maids wanted to prepare some food for him, but he dismissed them one by one with a wave of his sleeves. The chief eunuch asked in puzzlement, “Your Majesty, is the food not to your taste? Do you want me to ask them to make some new dishes?”

Although the meal may be prepared in the imperial kitchen, it is not very rich, just a few ordinary pastries, a few vegetarian dishes, and a few cold dishes. 

Nowadays, the state of the Dayong Kingdom has been preliminarily established, with all kinds of waste waiting to be revived. The new emperor has taken the lead in frugality, and officials below have responded one after another. Of course, the new emperor is really trying to increase the revenue and reduce expenses, but as for the people below, only they themselves know whether those people are really living frugally.

He said in a low voice, “No need, let’s just wait for a moment.”

The chief eunuch stepped aside and wondered what his master was waiting for when he suddenly saw a white light flashing on the table. A plate of steamed dumplings and pork chops appeared inexplicably on the table, but it was County Magistrate Xiao Zhao’s offering. 

The new emperor laughed for a moment, and then raised his chopsticks to pick up the steamed dumplings. He thought to himself: If that person still doesn’t react when he sees the golden leaves in the earthen pot, I will have to ask him in his dream tonight if he still has any conscience. Why don’t you know how to be grateful?

So, this was the truth of the so-called “giving silently without seeking anything in return”. You Shu, who was kept in the dark, lived happily, eating and drinking well every day, and he also had ghost servants to take care of the housework. He only had to go out to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to remind them about his work report, and the days passed like this.

The officials still didn’t forward his work report and demanded bribes ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 taels. However, You Shu had a stubborn temper. The more they tried to extort and threaten him, the more unwilling he was to compromise, so they were only wasting their words.  

You Shu came from the apocalypse, which is similar to purgatory on earth, so he understood the beauty of ordinary life better than anyone else. Even if he doesn’t become an official, he can live his life just fine. After buying something delicious and fun, he would give it to his friend from the underworld and talk in front of his memorial tablet.

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