The system once said that Yin Wangzhi is a villainous protagonist. The original text also mentioned that Yin Wangzhi's character has never been about justice or kindness; quite the opposite, he is an anti-hero, an anti-savior type of character. Therefore, he is ruthless, decisive, and rational. Yet, he is successful and powerful, and everyone who hates him or finds him displeasing can only succumb to his charm. As such a character, every action and word has a clear and unified starting point: the self. As the Ghost King, he has never concealed this point.
Even in the original work, Yin Wangzhi’s bizarre experience after being gravely injured and falling off the cliff is described differently from ordinary people. He was not easily moved and did not feel warmth from the good things he encountered during his low points; instead, he regarded them as a lifelong shame and resolutely began to become stronger, determined never to find himself in such a situation again.
It's hard to imagine such a person would overly emphasize things like "promises" or "repaying kindness."
According to his original character setup, or just based on Yu Sheng's impression of Yin Wangzhi's intensely strong personality, if Yin Wangzhi merely wanted to spar with him, to compete and prove his success by defeating his former benefactor and overcoming the disgrace of his past, it would be more understandable and reasonable.
Yu Sheng's original plan was to give Yin Wangzhi this opportunity and, by the way, to verify whether the Ghost King’s inner demons stemmed from the shadow of being gravely injured at the bottom of the cliff and being unable to win even once against others. With this thought in mind, he agreed to the sparring and easily accepted staying in the Ghost Realm.
However, the current development... does not seem to align with the sparring scene Yu Sheng had anticipated.
The location is wrong, the atmosphere is wrong, the lines are wrong, and most importantly, Yin Wangzhi's character setup—when did it become one that emphasizes "promises" like a nostalgic type?
Even with these discrepancies, Yu Sheng did not refuse based on this minor detail. Ever since Yin Wangzhi’s inner demons suddenly surfaced earlier, he had been worried about Yin Wangzhi's state and was too cautious to provoke him.
He slowly stood up, not rushing to take out his feather duster to prepare for battle, but calmly gazed into Yin Wangzhi's eyes, attempting to find even a trace of influence from his inner demons.
However, there was nothing—absolutely nothing. Those deep-set eyes were thoroughly imbued with a complex and profound array of emotions, filled without a sliver of space remaining. They were clearly in the state most susceptible to frenzy, yet unmistakably clear and lucid.
Could it be that the pill he had just fed him was exceptionally effective? If so... it was relieving, but also troublesome. It was no longer simply a matter of suppressing the inner demon to calm Yin Wangzhi down.
A trace of melancholy subtly flickered in Yu Sheng's eyes. Perhaps ordinary people would find a powerful being's inner demons harder to handle, but in his view, suppressing his second disciple's inner demons was far easier than talking things out and helping him recover from his drunken state.
Who knew that such a subtle change in expression would catch Yin Wangzhi’s attention? He suddenly reversed his grip on the sword, took a few steps forward to approach his master, and his sudden movement nearly startled Yu Sheng into sitting back down in his chair. Yu Sheng’s right leg awkwardly collided with the chair as he leaned back, and he was steadied by Yin Wangzhi’s left hand against his back, restoring his balance.
He stood firm, but Yin Wangzhi did not release him or retreat; he remained face to face, seemingly drained of all patience by a single glance from Yu Sheng.
"Master, what are you truly worried about?"
It felt almost like an interrogation.
Yu Sheng was slightly flustered by his aura. Even though he rationally knew it wasn’t a serious matter, he couldn’t help but be subconsciously affected by the pressure emanating from the Ghost King, having to release an equal amount of pressure in resistance. Back and forth, both his nerves and body became increasingly tense.
In such a turbulent undercurrent, everything seemed to suggest that a moment of carelessness would cause the situation to take a sharp turn. Without the interference of the inner demons, it was even more nerve-wracking than when they were present.
"It’s not worry." Yu Sheng instinctively chose his words cautiously, curling his fingers, unconsciously rubbing his fingertips repeatedly. He clearly remembered the usual plotlines in the book—situations involving wine always tended to foster feelings, either resolving misunderstandings or revealing truths after drunkenness, which was completely inconsistent with the scene before him.
Without the strategy to refer to and lacking guidance from the original text, Yu Sheng tightened his grip, fearful that if he said or did something wrong, it would lead to even worse consequences.
He felt extremely uncomfortable with the proximity and wanted to retreat, but he couldn’t; if he did, it would lead to a real confrontation. He had no choice but to disregard it for now. Perhaps Yin Wangzhi was instinctively trying to prevent him from avoiding communication and sparring by holding onto him.
"I am... seriously contemplating what you said."
"Oh?" Yin Wangzhi raised an eyebrow slightly, looking as though he did not believe this statement. Even if it were true, his intense gaze made Yu Sheng lose a bit of confidence, "Then Master, how are you considering it?"
The intoxicating aroma of wine swirled back and forth between the two, so thick it was dizzying. Yu Sheng lifted his hand and patted Yin Wangzhi’s shoulder lightly, his mind slowing down, making it hard to form coherent words. "That... um..."
Yu Sheng tried to recall; he vaguely remembered that in those strategies, it was said that when words couldn't solve problems, actions should be taken. This tactic was particularly effective with straightforward people.
For example, using actions to express goodwill, to gain trust, to buy more time.
Thus, he suddenly rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a pill, raising his hand to deliver it to Yin Wangzhi’s mouth. "Take this first."
His fingers brushed against Yin Wangzhi’s lips, which were cool like a ghost’s body. Yu Sheng instinctively recoiled from the chill, nearly dropping the pill, which Yin Wangzhi caught in his mouth, the instant making contact with Yu Sheng’s fingertips.
Yu Sheng took a moment to regain his composure. "Uh, you’re not going to ask what kind of pill this is…?"
"……" Yin Wangzhi stared at him, "What is it that Master gives to his disciple?"
"A hangover cure." Yu Sheng reassured him, patting his arm. "Calm down for a bit first. If you feel more sober later, we can spar then."
Yin Wangzhi, who wanted to embrace his master but was instead given a hangover cure: "……"
He took a deep breath. "I'm not drunk."
"Mm, it’s fine. I’m the one who’s drunk, so you can eat for me," Yu Sheng coaxed, following the flow of conversation.
Yin Wangzhi felt an increasing headache. "Master..."
The atmosphere was just right; they were so close to taking that next step, just a little more to say what was in their hearts, yet it was all interrupted by a sobering pill. Yin Wangzhi almost lost his rationality as he stared at his master. "I’ve said so much, and to you, it’s just drunken nonsense?"
Is that all it is? What would it take for you, Master, to take all of this seriously, to face it directly, without avoidance or retreat?
Yu Sheng quickly waved his hand. "No, of course not."
He tentatively took out a feather duster and innocently explained, "Wangzhi, you suddenly brought up so many things. You want to spar, and you expect your master to answer so many questions. We need to take it one step at a time, right? How about we spar first, then discuss those bets and agreements afterward?"
Yes, that must be it; it’s just too much to think about at once that made his brain freeze.
Yin Wangzhi stared at him, seemingly trying to gauge from his master's eyes whether that explanation was a joke or serious.
For a master of such caliber, was it really difficult to think about questions while sparring? Before both sides went all out, was it really so hard to make agreements based on victory or defeat?
Yet Yu Sheng’s expression seemed earnest, showing no signs of insincerity.
Yin Wangzhi couldn’t recall how many times he had felt like sighing today or how many times he had felt a headache rising in his chest. Instinctively, he believed it wouldn’t be the last.
"Master, the agreement is based on the outcome of the sparring match. You suggest we spar first and then make agreements... cough, isn’t that a bit...?"
He left the last part unspoken, but Yu Sheng understood the implication.
What his second disciple wanted to say was, "Aren’t you being a bit unreasonable or unfair?"
Ah, miscalculation. Indeed, you can’t decide the victor first and then consider whether to agree to those 'if I win/lose, then xxx' terms... That’s no different from deciding rules after rock-paper-scissors and then saying, "The loser does the dishes."
While Yu Sheng was lost in thought, his eyes darted left and right, his eyelashes fluttering in rhythm. Yin Wangzhi observed him closely and suddenly realized that from this distance and angle, his master’s eyes were exceptionally beautiful. For a moment, he felt a rush of emotions, and the hand he had resting behind Yu Sheng tightened as if he wanted to pull him close.
Then, in the next instant, Yu Sheng pushed him away.
With his arms empty, the warmth vanished instantly, and the room that had never felt cold for decades suddenly became unsatisfactory.
Yu Sheng plopped back into his chair and gently nudged Yin Wangzhi's toe with his own, trying to persuade him with emotional reasoning. "How about we skip the sparring for now? Let’s talk heart-to-heart first? We can sort things out one by one, reach a consensus, and then discuss everything. Plus, I’m tipsy and just want to sleep..."
Sleep? What sleep?
Yin Wangzhi raised his hand to his forehead, feeling that he might really be a little drunk, almost led astray. After a moment of struggling to steady his resolve, he remembered what he originally wanted to say and leaned down, trapping Yu Sheng between him and the chair, maintaining the posture that wouldn’t allow escape.
"Master, yesterday you said it wasn’t the right time, today you say you’re drunk. What reason will you have tomorrow?"
“Hmm…” Tomorrow I could say I’m too full to move, Yu Sheng’s gaze drifted.
“Let’s talk about the agreement first. I think the disciple surpasses the master; you will definitely win, so deciding based on that doesn’t seem appropriate.”
"Are you saying that you plan to intervene in the affairs of the three realms until the end?"
"Wangzhi, don’t you want me to intervene?" Yu Sheng blinked, suddenly coming up with a plan. "What if I say that I won’t intervene, but you have to agree to other conditions instead? Would that work?"
"Except for matters involving Zhan Xiaotian and Wen Jiu, everything else can be agreed upon."
Yu Sheng: …
Now you’ve killed the conversation.
"Let’s talk about something else first," Yu Sheng said helplessly. "What were you thinking of agreeing to before you… left the cliff?"
Yin Wangzhi: "I wanted to agree that if I won against you, Master, you would reveal your true self to me, be honest with me, and then we would… leave the three realms together."
Oh, so you’ve been waiting for me here. Yu Sheng’s expression quickly crumbled into a bleak emptiness.
The disguise, had it fallen long ago?
Was the fate of not being able to stay at home already sealed so many years ago?!
"But…" Yu Sheng painfully shut his eyes, weakly struggling to ask, "If you want me to leave the cliff, why do you still need to… win against me first?"
At his words, Yin Wangzhi smiled silently.
"With your great wisdom, Master, you should be able to guess it easily."
In his world, in the Ghost Realm, in the story where he was the protagonist, everything had always been about the strong ruling over the weak. Whoever was stronger had the ability to obtain everything they desired.
"Ah, I understand now." Yu Sheng pondered for a moment, then smacked his palm decisively and said, "Are you planning that if I refuse, you’d take me away secretly when I’m not paying attention?"
Yin Wangzhi silently regarded him, not speaking.
Yu Sheng: "And then you’re worried that I would get angry after realizing I’ve been taken from the cliff and break your legs? So you want to make sure you can win against me first, just in case?"
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