He just thought you didn’t look like a normal person.
KEIGHTY:
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At dusk, the entire City S was draped in twilight. The day’s hustle and bustle slowly faded, and even the honking horns seemed to become more drawn out.
A tall young man with movie-star looks stood amidst the crowd at the intersection, frowning slightly as he looked at his phone with a hint of difficulty.
The app had finished the navigation on its own, claiming he was near his destination, but as he looked around, he couldn’t see where he needed to go.
The traffic light changed, so Ao Jinyu had no choice but to follow the crowd across the street first.
——This was his first time in the human world. Although he wasn’t very skilled at using his phone and his common sense was quite lacking, he had memorized the traffic rules and human laws thoroughly, so he knew that he had to cross at the green light.
Yes, the handsome man before you wasn’t human; he was a dragon, a rare five-clawed golden dragon of the Four Seas Dragon Clan, born as a symbol of good fortune. It was said that the ancestor dragon, who once dominated the three realms and ruled the four seas, establishing the supremacy of the dragon clan among all creatures, was also a five-clawed golden dragon.
However, over the years, the dragons of the East Sea, with their carefree nature, never cared about bloodlines when choosing mates. They didn’t mind whether their partners flew in the sky or roamed the land, were delicacies from the mountains and seas, or belonged to the ranks of immortals, mortals, or demons. This resulted in the current situation where the nine sons of the dragon each have their own unique traits.
Ao Jinyu’s siblings—forget about whether their bloodlines were pure—it’s hard to even say if they were all dragons.
The East Sea Dragon Palace rarely produced a five-clawed golden dragon like him, so they treasured him beyond measure. They abandoned their usual “birth but not raise” policy and carefully raised him to adulthood. This time, Ao Jinyu sneaked out on his own.
In fact, it wasn’t exactly sneaking out. He used fist-sized pearls to neatly spell out the words “Not Getting Married” at the entrance of his crystal palace before brazenly knocking over the shrimp soldiers and crab generals and running away.
In short, he was currently in a runaway-from-arranged-marriage situation.
He didn’t even know he was engaged until his coming-of-age ceremony a few days ago, when a careless relative from the West Sea Dragon Palace accidentally let it slip. He then learned that while he was still an egg, under the witness of various immortals and demons, Yue Lao had announced that he was connected by the red thread of fate with the legendary Underworld King.
He was still an egg! How could the Fengdu Emperor do such a thing! Outrageous! Unheard of!
Moreover, although the Fengdu Emperor was one of the three great emperors of the world, his reputation was purely fearsome—he was an asura ghost who achieved his path through killing, his murderous aura untamed by heaven and earth. It was said that no matter what the matter was, if he was involved, no one would be left alive.
Ao Jinyu’s eyes were firm; he absolutely would not become a married dragon for no reason!
He crossed the street with the crowd, and, sensing something, turned his head only to unexpectedly lock eyes with a creature perched on a roadside tree.
The other party’s unabashed gaze fell on him, followed by a bloody grin and a few envious words: “So young and decked out in designer brands, must be a rich second generation. Damn him…”
Ao Jinyu: “……”
The one hanging on the tree was a ghost, likely an office worker who had died in a traffic accident, judging by his gruesomely smashed head and the blood-stained cheap suit.
After commenting on Ao Jinyu, the ghost’s gaze shifted to a fashionable girl in a short skirt nearby, then he snorted, “Indecent!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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As the sky darkened and the sun finally set, wisps of black smoke began to emanate from the office worker hiding in the shadows, making his semi-transparent ghostly form appear more solid.
——It was resentment.
Unaware of this, he continued his enthusiastic commentary.
This was the first time Ao Jinyu had seen a ghost enveloped in resentment, and he couldn’t help but take a closer look. When he turned around, he was almost startled—about ten people were standing behind him, looking up at the tree just like he was.
Ao Jinyu asked in confusion, “What are you all looking at?”
The young people nearby exchanged puzzled glances. “Uh? I don’t know. I just saw a bunch of people watching something and joined in…”
“Wait, who was the first to start watching here? Why can’t I see anything?”
“You don’t even know what you’re looking at and you’re just standing here? Are you crazy?”
“Hey, you’re doing the same thing! Do you even know what you’re looking at?”
Ao Jinyu: “……”
Is this human curiosity?
The suddenly gathered crowd startled the office worker ghost. He floated down from the tree trunk and sneaked into a nearby alley—the sun had completely set, allowing these non-human entities to move about.
Ao Jinyu glanced a few more times at the crowd, then reluctantly followed the ghost quickly—this was not only his first time seeing a ghost but also his first time observing humans. Everything seemed interesting to him.
The alley was empty, making it convenient for him to communicate with the ghost.
Ao Jinyu caught up to the ghost, who was peering into a window of a nearby house, and politely said, “Hello.”
The office worker ghost turned a deaf ear as he didn’t expect anyone to speak to him.
Ao Jinyu had no choice but to speak again, “Hello, you there, the ghost…”
The office worker ghost suddenly whipped around and looked at him with a terrified expression. “You–You–You… you can see me? You’re talking to me?”
“There’s no other ghost here but you,” Ao Jinyu quietly stamped this ghost in his heart as “not very smart”, but still politely asked, “I want to ask if you know where the ‘Three Realms Mutual Aid Committee’ is?”
“The navigation says it’s around here, but I can’t find it.”
The office worker ghost looked as if he had seen a grim reaper, “You’re asking a ghost for directions? I–I… I don’t know, what committee…”
“You’ve never seen it?” Ao Jinyu looked disappointed. “They definitely wouldn’t blatantly display such a sign, so there must be some mechanism. Haven’t you noticed anything weird around here while you’ve been wandering?”
“Weird?” The office worker ghost’s expression was strange. Isn’t the weirdest thing you, the guy asking a ghost for directions?
However, since he didn’t know the other person’s depth, he cautiously said, “If there’s anything weird, it’s that parking lot over there. I’ve passed by a few times and always felt there was something troublesome inside…”
He made this up on the spot, but the other person didn’t seem suspicious at all.
Ao Jinyu quickly confirmed the direction and flashed a brilliant smile, “Thanks!”
The office worker ghost felt as if he had suddenly been bathed in sunlight. He felt a bit guilty, but only for a moment.
He quickly lowered his head, the black energy on his semi-transparent body seething. He clenched his teeth with a grinding sound, frustration and envy alternating on his face.
Hmph, a fool in fancy clothes, turns out he’s just a brainless rich kid! To think he was scared at first!
When he was still alive, the manager who parachuted into his position was the same kind of person…
But now he was different. He was different. Different…
He slowly grinned, an eerie black energy crawling across his face. The newfound power and confidence twisted his features, making him look especially terrifying.
“Ah, right.” Ao Jinyu snapped back to his senses. The young man, who smiled like a little sun, was oblivious to the impending danger. He even asked with a hint of curiosity, “What were you planning to do over there?”
“None of your business.”
The office worker ghost didn’t raise his head as he spoke in a sinister tone.
“Hmm?” Ao Jinyu squinted in confusion. This guy seemed to have suddenly changed his attitude.
The ghost, however, mistook Ao Jinyu’s silence for fear and, with some excitement, lifted his head. Just as he thought! Most beings in this world bully the weak and fear the strong. As long as he stood his ground, as long as he became stronger, as long as he… killed all those who looked down on him!
As his resentment surged, the old streetlight in the alley flickered. The office worker ghost’s form swelled, his face twisted with abnormal, feverish excitement, eagerly expecting the young man in front of him to show a look of fear.
But Ao Jinyu merely frowned, looking somewhat puzzled. What was up with this ghost? How did he change so suddenly?
Ao Jinyu shook his head and, his hand, enveloped in golden scales, grabbed the ghost by the throat.
“Ugh!” The office worker ghost’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You–You… ah!”
A burning pain emanated from his throat, and the newly inflated confidence within him deflated like a punctured balloon—this wasn’t an illusion! He was really leaking!
He was on the verge of becoming a vengeful spirit, but the young man in front of him had forcibly squeezed out his resentment!
There was only a pair of majestic golden vertical pupils in his blurred vision. These were not human eyes!
Ao Jinyu relaxed his grip, not intending to execute the ghost on the spot. As he debated where to send the ghost, footsteps echoed from the alley entrance.
He quickly retracted his powers and turned around—there was a black-haired young man with his head down, playing with his mobile phone. He was carrying a plastic bag and was completely oblivious to the commotion in the alley.
It wasn’t until the young man looked up that Ao Jinyu saw his face clearly.
He had a face that could be called “beautiful,” though his expression was lazy, and he didn’t look directly at people, giving off a nonchalant and subtly unapproachable vibe.
He didn’t have any spiritual energy in his body, yet Ao Jinyu couldn’t seem to take his eyes off him.
As their gazes met, and with a ghost being strangled between them, the scene fell into a brief stalemate.
The black-haired young man suddenly moved. He calmly averted his gaze and walked briskly past Ao Jinyu.
Ao Jinyu was stunned for a moment. “Hey, you…”
The black-haired young man quickened his pace and disappeared around the corner without looking back.
Ao Jinyu instinctively wanted to chase after him, but a voice behind him interrupted, “Which Taoist fellow is casting spells here?”
This secluded alley seemed particularly lively today. A middle-aged man, nearly spherical in shape and sweating profusely, hurried over. He paused at the scene before him, then clapped his thigh with delight. “Oh, you must be the new guy!”
“Huh?” Ao Jinyu was still staring at the corner where the black-haired youth had gone.
“Look at my memory! I haven’t introduced myself yet.” The round man had a likable face resembling the Buddha Maitreya. He smiled kindly. “I’m Huang Leshan from the Three Realms Mutual Aid Committee. Just call me Director Huang. You must be Ao Jinyu, the one who submitted a resume and came for an interview today! I was just wondering why you hadn’t arrived yet!”
Director Huang looked at him with approval. “You haven’t even started working yet, and you’ve already caught a ghost. Excellent, you’re a promising candidate. Come, bring him along and follow me!”
Without being asked, he continued, “Ai, things have been especially turbulent lately! Every three hundred years, that big shot from the Underworld would face a tribulation and cause disturbances in the prison, with ghosts and monsters running rampant. We are really short of manpower…”
Ao Jinyu didn’t move. He pointed to the corner where the black-haired young man had disappeared and said, “Someone just walked by.”
“Hm?” Director Huang looked alarmed. “Did a mortal see you casting spells?”
“Not really.” Ao Jinyu shook his head. “But…”
“Then it’s fine.” Director Huang chuckled. “Mortals can’t see the ghost in your hand.”
“But I have a feeling he could see,” Ao Jinyu muttered. “I called out to him, then he ran away really fast…”
“Hm, in this situation…” Director Huang stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Is it possible that he couldn’t see the ghost and just thought you didn’t look like a normal person standing like that?”
——————-
The author has something to say:
At this moment, an Underworld King passed by XD
I’ve been stuck at home recently, so I started this story early! Surprise! It’s a sudden attack!
Reading Notes:
- Ao Jinyu is the gong, Yin Bei is the shou. Don’t get it wrong! (PS: Some readers almost mixed up the gong with a previous character, so I changed the name to make it easier to distinguish.)
- This story shares the same setting as 《I Run an Underworld Canteen to Prolong My Life》 but the timelines don’t overlap. The previous work is essentially a food story with a bit of quirky supernatural elements, while this one is a sweet romance with quirky supernatural elements. They are independent and can be read separately. =3=
Waaaa this looks sooo promising, I love it!!! Thanks for the translation 😀 have a nice day~~
Thank you for reading! You as well~ (♡˙︶˙♡)
Thank you for introducing this novel to me hehe (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
Can’t wait for the next chapter! Thanks for the translation 🤣❤️