"Nanming, is it really okay for you to go this far?"
The Ghost asks, this is the peak Dark Hours, and he is afraid that Nanming might get attacked by Jiangshi, Beast or even a Wisp.
"Its fine, you saw how I was able to slip away from Jiangnam tight fortification? Its like I'm an eel in a farmer's hand"
He said with deadpan face, the Ghost thought its maybe because he is withdrawn in personality, but seeing how he tried to crack a joke with that still face, maybe there is more underlying condition to his emotionless behavior.
No, maybe it was because his face was the problem, not his beauty of course, Nanming beauty is top-notch for the Ghost.
"That's not the problem"
But he quickly got out of his trance, seeing as Nanming zips across the road leading outside Jiangnam where the Sect Array didn't cover.
"I am a Ghost, the moment I touch the Sect Array I'm going to dissolve…"
The Ghost said, pulling away from Nanming grips, but Nanming's wrist is iron-solid.
"Hmm, you have a point"
Nanming stop in his track, only now did the Ghost realize that he runs for 18km in just 14 minutes. Inhuman, even for a Martial Artist.
And Nanming didn't even break a sweat, his purple eyes cast downward as he contemplating something
"I can get you inside an item, or myself"
"Wha— Are you a Vessel?"
"Vessel?"
Nanming tilts his head in confusion.
"It means a human that can house an apparition inside their body without them being possessed"
The Ghost explains as if he already knew about the question, as if it was a common thing to ask, for a second the Ghost wonders.
How come he knew about this fact?
Ever since he was manifested, all he knows about is to get an Ageless Rose in the Palace of Six Smells.
He didn't even know where the Palace was.
"…I think yes? Lets try…"
Nanming opens his robe, revealing his torso.
It was chiseled with well-developed muscle; his abs have already formed nicely and his chest is large.
But his most defining feature is this circular hole in his chest.
The Ghost cannot see past its opening, it was pitch black and it doesn't seem like it was pouring out with blood.
"…Are you sure?"
"Yes? What about it?"
"…Alright"
The Ghost leap into Nanming's form.
Nanming entire body was covered in bright green flame before it dissipated.
"How is it?"
"…Huh, its strangely comfo—"
O Tiny Light, flickers on
"Huh?"
KILL EVERYONE!
O Little Flame, hold the Dark.
THEY WRONGED YOU!
Do not let the shadow take me
LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAD DONE TO HER!
Do not let the urge awake
LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID TO YOUR FRIEND!
Save me, myself, save me
THEY DESERVE THIS
BURN
BURN
BURN
BURN
I will not become Wrath
BURN THEM TO MERE SOOT!
"Aghhhhh"
The Ghost expelled himself out of Nanming.
"Whats wrong?"
Nanming crouch down to inspect the Ghost, despite the absence of emotion, his worry is genuine.
But the Ghost heaved, as if he could breathe to begin with.
What just happened inside Nanming is something not even him, a Ghost could handle.
An image over form, form over image.
Land of pure soot regrown into forest and burn all over again in a perpetual cycle of destruction and creation.
Such is the madness he felt, such is the insanity he sensed.
Colored in red, a dusk of destruction approached not with solemnity nor acceptance.
It was a rushed, explosive, perforating flame that pierced through anything it wills.
Forest Full of Flame.
"…Nanming"
"What?"
Seeing the fact that Nanming is unbothered, or seemingly unbothered by the happenings inside his Mind Palace means he kept that Wrath at bay for now, and possibly for so long.
The Ghost decided not to tell him.
"It seems that I can't get inside you…"
"I see, hmm, maybe I can ask the Spirit around"
"Spirit? Can you talk to them?"
The Ghost exclaimed, surprised by Nanming's confession
"Well, I can talk to you, how come I cannot talk to a Spirit?"
Nanming then waved his hand.
"O Spirit, heed my troubling holler and answer me…"
When he said that, a rush of leaf spirals around Nanming, from within each fold comes a small featureless woman, they are many, yet they move in sync as if they are one being.
"Hello Nanming"
"…!"
The Ghost can only open his mouth in sheer disbelief, he knows that Spirit did not answer to a human unless they offer them something first, be it poetry or gifts.
Nanming didn't have any gifts, nor did he arrange a Poem first, he just speaks and the spirit answers.
"Can my friend over here cross over the Sect Array?"
Nanming points towards the Ghost.
"Hmm…"
The spirit caresses her chins.
"He can, but you need to bring his belonging alongside him"
"Belonging?"
Nanming ask.
"Belonging of the Dead, everyone who becomes a Ghost is tied to a specific item, you need to bring it with you so that the Ghost can move"
"But… I can move even though Nanming didn't bring my item?"
The Ghost ask too.
"Because your form is sustained by Nanming energy that is leaking out"
"What?"
Nanming looks at the spirit with unmoving face, but it's clear that he is confused by what the Spirits has said.
"Your energy is leaking constantly, you didn't know?"
"No, I mean… why?"
"Woops, times up, you need to pay up if you wanted me to talk"
The spirit manipulates the leaf to form a basket where Nanming could 'pay' her with whatever he has.
But Nanming thought she meant money, and he didn't have any.
"…No"
"Alright, see you around then~"
The rush of leaves settled and the Spirit was gone.
"…What a greedy spirit"
Nanming said.
"…My item huh"
The Ghost mumbles as he scratches his head, trying to remember something.
Suddenly, a memory of his resurface.
"□□□, look at what I have"
A certain young man said, in his hand a book, he didn't know what it was for, but he felt extremely happy at that moment.
"Wahhh, thank you father!!"
"Hehe, anytime □□□"
"Aha!"
"Figured something out?"
Nanming said as he wipes the leaf from his face, but it keeps rushing back to tickle his face, it seems that he annoyed the spirit by his previous remark.
"Pfftt, what happens to you?"
"Forget about it, you have any idea about this item of yours?"
Nanming said.
The Ghost wipes his grin off his mouth.
"Of course, it's a book with the letter I, L, Y in it"
"…That doesn't narrow it down that much, where can I find it?"
"There…"
The Ghost pointed towards the Crimson Palace.
"…I see, lets go then"
Nanming gestured at the Ghost to grab his hand.
"But don't you need to sleep?"
"Im used to not sleep"
"But— WAHH"
The Ghost words were cut off by Nanming sprinting full speed across the empty pathway.
….
"We're here"
They both arrived near the Crimson Palace.
Its entire complex was covered in thick mist, preventing them from seeing clearly even 5 meters ahead.
"How can you run so fast?"
The Ghost asks, still dumbfounded, that he could run so fast.
"What do you mean?"
Yet Nanming just tilt his head slightly, as if he was asking a dumb question everyone should know about.
"Never mind then, but this place is really creepy huh?"
The Ghost said, marveling at the tall white wall that is just the Palace outer wall.
"Really? What makes it creepy?"
"Just forget I said anything, how can we enter?"
The Ghost wanders around, but remembering about the Spirit words that Nanming is the reason he is able to roam around, he decided to stick close to Nanming.
"We jump of course"
"Jump?"
The Ghost looks up at the wall, it was 8 meters tall, surely, he cannot jump that hi—Ohh there he goes… Why is he even surprised at this point?
"C'mon"
Nanming said from the top of the wall.
"I cannot jump that high"
The Ghost said.
Nanming jumps down and lands perfectly, picks the Ghost up his shoulder and jumps.
"Whoah!!"
The sound of rushing air pass by as they jump over the wall and into the palace.
Inside there was a thicker mist, but Nanming somehow managed to walk just fine.
Upon closer inspection, his eyes glows purple, perhaps that's the reason why he was able to walk without any worry of stumbling into anything or someone.
He can 'see' through those eyes.
'He is really special huh'
Special.
"□□□ You are a special child, that will make others covetous of you. Don't trust anyone less you get stabbed"
A woman said, her eyes are cold, so infinitely cold.
"I am your mother, be a good child and strive to be the Demon King!"
She grabbed his shoulder, her fingers sink so deep into his form that it pierced his skin, yet her grips are weak, as if she had given up on everything, even on life itself.
"Be my lifeline and get me out of here! □□□!"
"Hello"
Nanming waved his hands in front of him.
"…Did I just dozed off?"
"Yes, just for a second though"
"…I see"
Who is that woman? The Ghost could not remember, but she said that she is his 'mother'.
But why? how could a mother be so… cold towards her child?
"So where is your book"
"…It's in a red building"
"Red? Every building here is red, could you be more specific?"
The Ghost fixed his gaze in front, as if in a trance.
His eyes turned white, his form brightened, Nanming felt that something was wrong.
So, he turned his gaze to the same direction the Ghost was facing towards and…
"Prince Wu Nanming…."
The Heavenly Demon Viren had found him, his eyes glow bright red through his red demon mask while his robe was blown by the wind that came out of nowhere.
"You are not supposed to be here…"
He said in a neutral tone, yet it was loaded with extreme tension.
And even though his body is relaxed, it was like a bow string that is ready to snap.
"…I have to be here"
"On what reason may I ask?"
Yet he did not forego about propriety, after all, Nanming is technically his superior.
"…"
Nanming did not answer, his hand snap towards his waist as if looking for something, his sword was not there.
He had forgotten it.
Viren saw his attempt and instantly fired his Aura. It was shaped like a snake, it was hissing and coiling its form over Nanming.
He cannot move, no, even breath, as if the Aura snake is a physical being that constrains and suffocates him.
"You must utter to me the reason, less I take it as you intruding upon the palace…"
The Ghost tried to shoot some kind of attack, but before it could form it dissipates being dissolved by Viren thick Aura snake.
"Hmm?"
Yet Viren noticed it, as he focused on the direction of the attack.
His entire form trembled, as if he just saw a Ghost, well he did.
But he was so shocked that his Aura instantly disappeared.
If that isn't enough, he even took his own mask off, revealing a man whose half of his face is just bone with only its eyes and some muscle connecting his jaw being the only flesh.
"P-Prince… Wu"
"What is this commotion?"
A woman voice commands obedience even with its softness, appears from behind Viren.
He bowed in his place, yet the shock seemed to cause him to stumble lightly.
"G-Greeting Lady Hwang"
"I ask of you, what is this— Nanming?"
Lady Hwang appeared from within the mist.
"What are you—"
She was about to ask what he is doing here, but noticing the fact that he is out of breath and the Heavenly Demon is near.
He must've got himself into trouble, so she decided to bail him out.
"My apology Viren, but I forgot to mention about the fact that he is supposed to accompany me in my rite"
She explained.
"But the Academy has not issued a leave notice yet… Surely, my lady should adhere to the—"
"Its just this once, plus I forgot, is it too much to ask?"
Lady Hwang cuts Viren's words off with a smile, yet her face didn't.
Viren was pressured, he cannot simply just dismiss the Official Wife of the Demon King so bluntly.
Besides, Nanming and that… Ghost, didn't do anything suspicious besides vaulting over an 8-meter-tall wall so there is nothing for him to be wary of.
"My apology then prince, I hope you forgive my transgressions"
Viren bowed towards Nanming.
Nanming, who is about to be strangled to death just a minute ago by him, were stunned by his sudden request for forgiveness.
He didn't know what to do, so he just nodded.
Viren seemed satisfied with it, so Nanming decided to head over to Lady Hwang.
The Ghost quickly follows Nanming; the lack of reaction from Lady Hwang means that she could not see him.
But when he passed Viren, he couldn't help but feel Viren gaze lock towards him.
His half-gone face shows this emotion of guilt and disbelief; did he know him?
Whatever, the priority now is to get the book.