But with only a single Inner Servant Ghost Soldier left, what's the use?
Without an accompanying Eunuch it wouldn't be as bad, but having a skinny, frail Inner Servant by his side, seemingly ready to collapse at the slightest breeze, only made the late Ghost King's bleak twilight look more desolate.
Yet, after all, it was his own retinue. As a Ghost King, he couldn't possibly have not a single Ghost Soldier by his side. After some consideration, the late Ghost King simply made that Inner Servant his only troop, following him all day to and from court.
In their mutual reliance as sovereign and subject, they managed to keep going.
Only the late Ghost King still remembered his hatred for the ruin of his family and country. The imposing Ghost King often sat on the grave mound, gazing wistfully at his mausoleum.
The frail Inner Servant Ghost Soldier followed behind him, trembling with his bony frame, standing in the shadowy wind.
The late Ghost King was mired in gloom, glaring all day with glowing green ghostly eyes, wanting to find the enemy who destroyed his foundation.
But the enemy was cunning and elusive, skilled in concealment, and after swaying for half a year, not even a suspicious trace was found.
The Ghost King was anxious and fearful!
He was used to being an emperor. If he had no one under him and lived in a shabby, leaky hold, not only would he lose face, but more importantly, it wouldn't befit his status, would it?
The late Ghost King pondered over matters, feeling he couldn't continue like this. Searching for his enemy could be postponed, but rebuilding the mausoleum had to be prioritized quickly.
"Little Shunzi, I promised the Celestial Heart Sect earlier that as long as I take Zuo Zixiong's head, they would present me with thousands of Ghost Soldiers to help me rally."
"That Zuo Zixiong is alive too, wanting five-grain meals. He must go to the Ghost Market to trade with worldly cultivators, and the Withered Bone Post is the only way!"
"I wish to bestow this great task upon you, dear minister. Are you willing to accept it?"
The Inner Servant known as Little Shunzi was an eighth-grade palace supervisor in life, though his position wasn't high, his skill in reading situations and avoiding harm was certainly not lacking.
Upon hearing this, he knew the Ghost King intended for him to capture Zuo Zixiong.
Little Shunzi didn't dare take on this life-threatening errand. He knelt before the Ghost King with a thud, his skull banging with a clatter, and cried, "Your Majesty, reconsider! How can I leave your side for even a moment? If I go, who will serve you?"
The late Ghost King replied sternly, "I don't need your service. Right now, finding out Zuo Zixiong's whereabouts is more important than anything. Only you can do this!"
Little Shunzi remained kneeling, "I'm timid and risk-averse. In life, I was meant to serve others, and even after death, I haven't grown bolder. I'm not cut out for military intelligence gathering! I beg Your Majesty to retract the order and assign, assign..."
Little Shunzi looked around the desolate ruins of the mausoleum; apart from broken stones and fragmented stele, there were no other ghostly figures to dispatch.
"My decision is made! The journey to the Withered Bone Post is the opportunity to rebuild the mausoleum. How dare you, a mere Inner Servant, defy the decree?"
At last, the late Ghost King softened his tone, "My realm is in dire peril, and it's now at the most critical juncture. If you're willing to earn great merit for me, you'll become a national hero, and I will never treat you unfairly."
A blend of coercion and promises, Little Shunzi eventually agreed.
The late Ghost King was greatly relieved and immediately waved his hand, issuing an oral decree:
"By divine command, I ascend the throne and preside over court. Now, with the state crumbling and the court in turmoil, I specifically appoint Inner Servant Li Shunying to oversee key affairs."
"Now, he is decreed as Imperial Commissioner to patrol on behalf of the heavens, scrutinizing the secret misdeeds of officials."
"Additionally, he is appointed Chief of Court Affairs, participating in decision-making for military and state matters. The six ministries and three departments must obey orders. He is promoted to General of the Northern Expedition, commanding military forces to safeguard territory."
"Though born in obscurity, your loyalty and diligence for the state surpass nobility. Should you preserve the nation and restore prosperity, I will reward you generously. If there is a misstep..."
The late Ghost King turned away from Li Shunying, saying nothing.
Despite his reluctance, Li Shunying had no choice but to accept the edict and reluctantly proceed alone as a ghost to Withered Bone Post.
After the Ghost King Mausoleum was completely silent, the late Ghost King turned to gaze in the direction of Li Shunying's departure, his eyes flickering with ghost fire.
He was a Ghost King, yet always cautious and prudent. The area of Withered Bone Post had long been an ill-omened place, not to mention the prophecy left by the Ghost Master.
But now...
"If I don't lead personally, do I have another choice?"
Gazing at the ruins of the mausoleum devoid of even a ghostly shadow and the thirty-mile-wide ravine, the late Ghost King remained silent for a long time.
...
Withered Bone Post.
Li Shunying, hunching his neck bones, scurried along the street, searching for ghosts and asking for information, but those ghosts were either miserly penny-pinchers or conmen with hardly a truthful word among them.
"Zuo Zixiong, I'm familiar with him! Isn't he my uncle? Give me some benefits, and I'll tell you where he is."
"Are you talking about Miss Zuo? She doesn't look as striking as I do. Why don't you enjoy some fun with me... hmm? Why aren't you interested?"
Turns out it's a dead eunuch, wasting my time!"
Li Shunying stumbled through the bustling shadows of ghosts, with none of them regarding his status as one who held power over court affairs.
The little eunuch, avoiding the ghostly cultivators, staggered every few steps and somehow turned into a corpse collection shop run by papermen.
Li Shunying glanced up; the sign had black characters on white paper that read, "Collecting skeletal ghosts, collecting zombies, collecting all kinds of dead."
Skeletal ghost?
Li Shunying looked down at himself; wasn't that exactly what he was?
While the little eunuch was lost in thought, the paperman in the shop quickly took out an echoing conch and approached with the eternal signboard smile.
"Customer, do you wish to sell your body for burial, or be buried to sell your body?"
"..."
Is there a difference between the two?
Li Shunying was bewildered as he was enthusiastically pulled into the shop by the Straw Spirit Paperman, followed by a barrage of the shop's patented sales pitch through the echoing conch.
Li Shunying felt that if he didn't lie in a coffin and fall into eternal slumber, he'd be letting down his parents who gave him life.
Yet he always remembered the task given to him by the Ghost King.
"Shopkeeper, I have someone I need to ask about..."
Not far from the Skeleton Way Station, Xu Qing, who was managing the puppet shop, suddenly sensed something.
Ah! Never thought there'd still be a fish that escaped the net coming from the Ghost King Mausoleum!
Here, after Li Shunying inquired about Zuo Zixiong's whereabouts, he received no reply from the paperman, and the echoing conch kept repeating:
"Please wait, please wait..."
It looked as if the mechanical puppet was jammed.
Li Shunying felt uneasy, the corpse-collecting place seemed eerie as if 'niè' spirits were drifting around?
Could this be a niè shop?
Just as Li Shunying felt the urge to leave, a paper sedan chair carried by Straw Spirit Papermen suddenly appeared outside the paper shop.
When the sedan curtains opened, a young man with a gentle smile walked into the shop.
"No rush to leave, dear customer, our business requires time to discuss..."
Xu Qing began probing Li Shunying and introduced his shop's services, but never mentioned any information about Zuo Zixiong.
Though Li Shunying was initially anxious, as Xu Qing employed the 'White Speech Mandate' technique explaining the 'sell yourself for burial' service, Li Shunying found himself drawn in.
"Although the customer isn't whole, this shop has ways to fill the gaps, please have a look—"
Xu Qing took out a black sheet, his fingers flying deftly, quickly crafting a menacing creature.
"How is it? Opportunities for a full-body death aren't common, if the customer agrees, lie in the coffin and leave the rest to me."
Under the influence of the White Speech Mandate and his own obsession over leaving a complete corpse, Li Shunying actually followed the young man's suggestion, not only handing over all the Yin Treasure Spirit Incense meant for intelligence gathering by the Ghost King but also bowing deeply in gratitude repeatedly.
Inside the small paper mache shop, Xu Qing handled Li Shunying's remains, silently noting the cleanliness of the task.
Without this Inner Servant Ghost Soldier, the Ghost King Mausoleum's group was truly disbanded.
"Next, it's time to meet the old neighbor."
Over the past half-year, Xu Qing had refined nine of the twelve bones that were yet unrefined, now leaving only the three most critical main bones unrefined.
The human body, the three crucial bones can not escape the Pillar of Heaven, the Yellow Court, and the North Sea.
These three respectively represent the spine, skull, and sacral bone of the human body.
Among them, the Pillar of Heaven leads to the Ghost Portal, the Yellow Court guards the Jade Capital, the North Sea hides the mysterious female...
Now, Xu Qing wishes to advance further; ordinary skeletal Yin essence can no longer satisfy him. Only an existence like the Cursed Ghost King, whose Yin energy reaches the Ghost Portal, can help him open the Pillar of Heaven in the spinal bone.
"The Cursed Ghost King has a thousand years of cultivation, though he couldn't pass the celestial fire tribulation, he's not an ordinary person. If possible, perhaps the Eight Banner Marshals could be invited to intercept, preventing his escape..."
Here, Xu Qing controlled the papermen to pack up the paper shop, planning to return to camp, when suddenly behind him a surge of chilling ghostly energy like a tide emerged.
Xu Qing opened the sedan curtain and looked ahead.
He saw a towering black shadow, about ten feet tall, standing atop the Boundary Marker of the Yin-Yang Border at the Skeleton Way Station.