The spirit realm belongs to twilight and dawn. Just as the ghost realm is filled with endless night, the spirit realm has no day or night; time seems eternally frozen at the moments of beginning and ending.
Everything presents a pale, fairy-tale-like color of mist, akin to the hues of all evening glow—milky white, warm yellow, pale blue, or crimson. The sky is a blend of crimson and warm yellow, while the ground is perpetually covered with a thin layer of water, sparkling in the light. Beneath the surface, it's hard to distinguish land from ice, and the vegetation, flowers, and spirits take on forms never seen before. Yet, in such a place, there’s an uncanny sense of déjà vu, as if one had been here before, for some reason, long, long ago, admiring such beauty.
Most people feel astonished and curious when they first see the spirit realm. However, as Yu Sheng cast his gaze around, landing on those spirits, the water, and the white trees, he had a faint sense that they were meant to appear this way.
Translucent and multicolored, the lines between life and death, warmth and cold, have become blurred. No, to be precise, the lines between everything have become unimportant.
Yu Sheng stared in a daze for a long time before withdrawing his gaze. Looking down, he noticed the little dumpling in his arms had changed slightly, now tinted with a faint egg-yellow that reminded him of egg yolk filling.
Since he had been transported along with the chair, although the surroundings rippled with water, his shoes and socks remained dry. He couldn’t help but think this was the reason Wen Jiu brought a chair from the Ghost King’s palace, to give him a moment to react, so he wouldn’t step directly into the water.
It seemed that upon arriving in his own domain, everything became less tense. Wen Jiu smiled as he approached, entering Yu Sheng’s line of sight, and the strands of his hair brushed against Yu Sheng’s arm as he leaned down.
“Master, are you satisfied with this place?”
Satisfied? Of course. Yu Sheng nodded, wanting to say a few more compliments. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wanted to express that the scenery of the spirit realm was beautiful beyond what could be captured in a painting, but he remembered that Wen Jiu was blind, with only his heavenly eye to perceive the essential things.
In Yu Sheng’s memory, when it came to colors, Wen Jiu was not very sensitive. It seemed strange that he lived in such a beautiful place…
Yu Sheng’s gaze fell again, catching sight of the mirror-like water surface on the ground. It was shallow and extremely clear, like puddles after a heavy rain, perhaps not even deep enough to cover his ankles, as if it could dry up the moment the sun came out. The surface stretched evenly to the horizon, making it look like the sky and drifting clouds were reflected within it.
Thus, when he lowered his head, it felt as if he had avoided nothing. This sky and earth had an innate quality that made it impossible to evade.
“Master.” Wen Jiu called him again, enunciating clearly, with a tone of awe that suggested he could repeat that title over and over without saying anything else.
Fearing that he might actually do so, Yu Sheng hurriedly lifted his head, gazing back with doe-like eyes.
Wen Jiu enjoyed the way Yu Sheng looked at him, his smile becoming more genuine. “Master, do you know what this world looks like in my eyes?”
Yu Sheng shook his head, appearing obediently honest.
Wen Jiu waded through the water, coming to sit beside him on the chair. He raised his hand and pointed to a distant grove of white trees.
Yu Sheng followed the direction of his finger.
“The trees are white, as if carved from frost and snow. The flowers blooming on them are like bubbles filled with air, making one worry that they might burst or fall at any moment.”
Wen Jiu continued to gesture, pointing to a small hill, saying, “The sky there is the most vibrant, looking like fire. Beside the hill is a group of pale blue, flat spirits. When they gather together, they resemble lotus flowers, spinning around before scattering, pairing up like butterflies, flying low. When they scatter, they look like flocks of feathers, regrouping to pretend to be large birds; if they flew high, they wouldn’t remain pale blue but would gradually approach orange…”
Wen Jiu spoke, pointing downwards. “The water surface can reflect everything, but if you look closely, it’s actually very clear, devoid of any color. There’s something floating by that looks a lot like a bamboo raft, but if you take a closer look, it’s also a spirit. It’s quite lazy and likes to drift around like this, semi-transparent in a pale yellow, and some smaller spirits might sneakily rest on it.”
Yu Sheng's mouth slowly dropped open—what Wen Jiu described was surprisingly consistent with what he had seen!
The shape, color, transparency, and other details all matched what he observed in the spirit world!
As they talked, Wen Jiu paused, possibly giving himself a moment to rest or allowing Yu Sheng some time to process. Previously, they had both looked at the sky, the distant scenery, the water's surface, and the various spirits.
Now, while Yu Sheng continued to gaze into the distance, Wen Jiu had withdrawn his gaze, earnestly observing his master’s surprised expression.
Then he changed his approach, repeating his earlier question, “Master, do you like it here?”
Yu Sheng’s eyes sparkled, and he suddenly turned around, excitedly moving closer, grabbing Wen Jiu’s sleeve. “So you’re saying, does that mean the spirits I see, the same as what you see with your heavenly eye? Isn’t that amazing!”
Wen Jiu squeezed his hand, freeing his sleeve and slipping his hand in for Yu Sheng to hold. He nodded, “Yes.”
Yu Sheng shook Wen Jiu’s hand, grinning with delight. “Then of course I like it!”
He thought Wen Jiu would never be able to see the same scenery as others.
Unexpectedly, aside from restoring Wen Jiu's eyesight, there was this other method!
So this was what the spirit world looked like!
It was as if… other worlds were covered by a shell; others could see the shell, but Wen Jiu could only see the things inside. Thus, everyone called him blind. But then there was a place called the spirit world, which naturally had no shell.
Here, it no longer mattered whether Yu Sheng had the heavenly eye or if Wen Jiu could see things with his mortal eyes.
In his moment of excitement, Yu Sheng jumped off his chair, stepping right into the water with a splash. He forgot the chair, got his shoes and socks wet, and being in an unfamiliar place didn’t matter at all.
At that moment, he truly felt the novelty that anyone would experience in a new environment—this spirit world he had never visited, the beautiful scenery, the spirit realm itself. Normally, sudden changes to a strange environment would bring feelings of nervousness and unease, but that was completely overshadowed by joy.
Even the previous vague tension, along with the strange state brought on by Yin Wang, was easily dispersed.
Wen Jiu didn’t let go of his hand, leading Yu Sheng around to explore, and his previously gloomy mood lightened.
He turned to Yu Sheng, asking, “Master, are you curious about everything from the perspective of the heavenly eye?”
Without thinking, Yu Sheng shook his head and laughed. “I’m not curious about the heavenly eye; I’m curious about you.”
Wen Jiu leaned a bit closer, pressing against Yu Sheng's side, and where they walked, the reflection on the water's surface was disturbed.
He whispered, “Since Master likes it…”
“Ah, what’s that?”
Yu Sheng pointed to a spirit not far away, emitting a faint purple glow, struggling to break out of its shell, its shape constantly changing.
“A fox,” Wen Jiu replied briefly. “Before coming here, it must have been a fox's ghost, but it doesn’t want to be a fox anymore.”
Yu Sheng observed the two ears that changed size, nodding thoughtfully, and asked, “Can you tell what each spirit used to be?”
Wen Jiu shook his head. “The more obvious ones can be identified, but the others are quite difficult. The longer they linger in the spirit world, the harder it becomes to recognize them. Sometimes, they even forget who they are.”
At this point, he paused again. Nearby, there were hanging vines, and for some reason, a swing appeared. Yu Sheng also stopped, sitting on it unguardedly and swaying.
“When the heavenly eye reaches here, its ability to distinguish between living and dead beings isn’t as effective, but warmth and coldness, joy and anger, can still be perceived. Warm colors are associated with happiness, while cool colors relate to negative emotions. Pale yellow indicates relaxation, orange signifies joy, red is excitement, green represents anger, purple denotes suffering, and gray signifies indifference…”
Yu Sheng silently recorded this in his mind, glancing around, trying to match everything up.
Wen Jiu continued to explain sporadically, discussing what indicated strength and weakness, what represented hostility and kindness, and what represented memory.
As he spoke, Yu Sheng noticed that he had withdrawn his gaze, no longer observing the spirits and scenery, but instead focusing on him.
“Wen Jiu, what do the pink and light blue hues, the glowing secrets hidden within, and the differing shadows represent?”
He looked down, seeing his own reflection on the calm water—a mix of pink and light blue, his skin shimmering with a glow like a heartbeat. The shadow, elongated by the dusk, didn’t resemble a human form. His master was asking about his appearance.
Noticing Wen Jiu’s silence, Yu Sheng suddenly realized his question might have crossed a line, quickly waving his hand. “Never mind, I just asked casually. No need to…”
“Master,” Wen Jiu interrupted him. His eyes were even bluer than usual, the pupils resembling genuine human eyes set against a deep black. “If Master wishes to know, I will answer without reservation.”
Yu Sheng stepped back into the water, getting off the swing, subtly distancing himself from Wen Jiu. He suddenly felt that this answer might not be what he wanted to hear.
He noticed the colors on Wen Jiu deepening, resembling the way he looked outside the spirit world—gradually solidifying, no longer appearing like a spirit.
Wen Jiu remained still, yet on the water's surface, his shadow moved, easily stretching and elongating, wrapping around Yu Sheng from behind, blocking all his escape routes like a cage.
He pondered seriously, seemingly unaware of Yu Sheng’s stiffened expression, adding explanations about the rules of the spirit world.
“The shadow is different from the real body because the spirit is disguising itself, just as humans can dress up as another version of themselves.
“The glow hidden within is a secret that cannot be revealed. The size of the secret is proportional to the range of its light; the color of the light indicates its nature.
“As for blue, it symbolizes stubbornness, refusal to repent, obsession, and delusions.
“As for pink, I’m not entirely sure either. If I had to explain…”
Wen Jiu smiled, approaching Yu Sheng and extending his hand, hovering in mid-air. Yu Sheng felt tense again but was too embarrassed to dodge, merely holding his breath slightly.
A warm breeze blew at the right moment, sending a strand of hair into Wen Jiu's palm. He gently grasped the hair, pressing it down.
The following words seemed to be blurred by the wind.
“It’s the breath of the Ghost King resting on your shoulder, and a strand of hair daringly lifted by your disciple. Master, if explained this way… would you understand?”
With a loud bang, Yu Sheng felt something explode in his mind, leaving only a buzzing sound, shattering a whole incense stick’s worth of memories and thoughts.
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