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With any change, there are benefits and drawbacks. Yin Yu is more than acquainted with this concept.
The main drawback of Chengzhu and His Highness finally being involved? Yin Yu has more work than ever. Chengzhu takes more time off to dote on His Highness, leaving Yin Yu to take care of the issues the calamity would have otherwise dealt with himself.
The benefit of Chengzhu and His Highness being involved? His Highness is kind. He regularly asks after Yin Yu’s well-being, especially after all that occurred with the previous Heavenly Emperor. They’d struck up a sort of camaraderie that Yin Yu hadn’t experienced since his mortal days. And today…
“Surely he can have a day off, San Lang. He’s worked very hard dealing with that uprising while we’ve been busy,” His Highness says as the couple eats. Yin Yu had just delivered a report on the end of said uprising.
Yin Yu doesn’t think he’s done something extra to warrant a day off. The last time Chengzhu gave him time off was… never, now that he’s thinking about it. Well, technically he had time off after his encounter with Jun Wu, but that was more of a medical necessity than a true break.
Chengzhu looks at Yin Yu consideringly, suspiciously. It occurs to him that Chengzhu might think he’d asked His Highness to speak on his behalf, which would certainly not gain him any bonus points. He’s once again grateful for the mask, in case Chengzhu takes his concern as proof of guilt.
Luckily for him, Chengzhu never denies His Highness anything. “Whatever dianxia wishes. Scram!” he snaps at Yin Yu, already busying himself in His Highness’s hair once more. Yin Yu needs no further prompting. He bows and makes a swift exit before Chengzhu can change his mind.
As he reaches his room in Paradise Manor, he realizes that he doesn’t quite know what to do with himself today. Maybe he could just nap all day? No, that feels too lackluster to spend his first day off doing.
When he was still in training as a mortal, he had more interest in getting ahead in his studies than joining the other students whenever they had leisure time. As a god, he somehow found his free time shrunk even further. And in both cases, he was frequently left to pick up Quan Yizhen’s myriad of messes.
Shit, Quan Yizhen!
An overwhelming wave of dread washes over Yin Yu. Look, it’s not that he’s still avoiding his shidi. Really! It’s hard to avoid someone who quite literally kept his soul together. And they’d been… well, not exactly great, but nowhere near as bad as they were before.
Yin Yu finds it easier to spend time with Quan Yizhen. Once a week, when his shidi starts getting antsy, they spend an afternoon together with minimal problems. Yin Yu would almost think the martial god is trying to be more considerate, which he genuinely appreciates.
But the point is, while they are doing better, Yin Yu can really only microdose on time spent with Quan Yizhen. And today is meant to be their visit. There’s no doubt in Yin Yu’s mind that when his shidi finds out he isn’t swamped with work in the evening, he’ll demand they spend that time together too. And Yin Yu really wants to relax today.
So, before Quan Yizhen shows up, Yin Yu should have a plan.
Could he ask Ling Wen to assign Quan Yizhen to an extra mission? It might work, but Quan Yizhen would badger Ling Wen about assigning it to a different martial god. The idea of siccing his shidi on Ling Wen, who undoubtedly is already overworked because Heaven never learns, leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Worker solidarity and all that. Yin Yu should send her a commiserating gift one of these days.
Actually, maybe Quan Yizhen would be satisfied with a shorter visit this week if Yin Yu had an apology gift ready. There are plenty of enchanted weapons and trinkets circulating through Ghost City’s markets. It would be easy to find something for his shidi. The martial god had never been picky with gifts in the past, especially when they came from Yin Yu.
With a plan in mind, Yin Yu picks his way out of Paradise Manor. After diverting Quan Yizhen’s attention, maybe he should go visit a mortal capital. He hadn’t idled in the Mortal Realm since he was a small child. What do people do for fun in the city anyway?
With these thoughts rattling through his mind, Yin Yu doesn’t notice the ghosts following him until he’s in the quiet streets around Ghost City’s main marketplace. He only realizes things are too quiet as a sharp pain hits just above his neck and everything fades from his mind altogether.
When Yin Yu comes to, he’s tied in immortal binding cables. There’s a ghost idling in the corner who jumps when he sees Yin Yu’s eyes on him. Running to the door of the cell (Wow, he thinks distantly, they’ve even put me in a cell.), the ghost calls, “Boss! He’s awake!”
There’s a sound somewhere between footsteps and the sound a rotting wood door makes when it’s opened, and a new ghost enters the room. Yin Yu immediately recognizes the coiled blue symbol on the ghost’s forehead. These two ghosts must be remnants from the uprising he’d just demolished.
“The Waning Moon Officer finally awakens!” the new ghost says, gesturing grandly like a stage performer. Internally, Yin Yu heaves a sigh. This seems to be the type of ghost to have a severely bloated ego. Taking his silence as a response, the ghost leans in close. “I bet you never expected to be ambushed in your own territory. The famed Crimson Rain Sought Flower must not have protections as strong as rumors would suggest.” He says it smugly, as if he’s backed Chengzhu into a corner somehow.
The blue ghost stares at him expectantly, and Yin Yu realizes this is where he should respond. “I assume you have some sort of bargain you wish to make?” Not that Chengzhu would grant it.
The ghost smirks.”That I do. You see, my little faction has been searching for the best way to bring Crimson Rain Sought Flower down. And what I realized, as you so rudely took out my underlings yesterday, is that the only real asset your boss has is you.” The ghost backs away, smiling at Yin Yu with far too many teeth before continuing, “Without you, Crimson Rain Sought Flower is powerless.”
It takes a moment for the words to register but when they do, Yin Yu cannot help himself. He snorts with laughter, and as soon as one laugh escapes a torrent follows. The ghost tries to keep monologuing, something about Yin Yu’s absence making Ghost City fall to pieces, but he genuinely cannot hear over the sound of his own wheezing. If this is how Qi Rong feels whenever he breaks into maniacal laughter, Yin Yu has an entirely new understanding of the wrath ghost.
The two ghosts stare at him suspiciously. “What’s so funny?” the leader asks, sneering.
“You haven’t been around very long, have you?” Yin Yu asks instead of answering, fighting to compose himself once more.
The ghosts snarl and the leader gestures to his companion. Suddenly, Yin Yu is shoved to the floor with a very sharp, very cursed blade held to his throat. The cables binding him must have been cut because he feels spiritual power trickle back under his skin. He doesn’t have time to do anything with it, however, before his head is dragged up by his hair and he’s forced to look the leader in the eyes.
“Tell your boss,” the blue ghost growls, “he can have you back if he concedes Ghost City to us.”
Yeah, no. Yin Yu will not be doing that, thank you very much! Even ignoring the fact that Chengzhu would never give in to such a demand, Yin Yu is absolutely not going to use that horrible communication array password for something like this. Even if he wanted to, his pride wouldn’t let him.
Looking at the leader again, Yin Yu barely smothers another laugh. Really, a malice and a menace ghost think they’re strong enough together to cause a problem? After he just took out the rest of their faction? And now, with his powers released, Yin Yu has no trouble kicking the ghost holding the sword away. A metallic clang reverberates in the cell as the sword hits the stone ground.
The blue ghost curses, tightening his grip on Yin Yu’s hair and gearing up to blast him with ghost qi. Before he can do so, however, Yin Yu has ripped free from his grasp, scalp aching where a few strands were torn out.
Yin Yu summons the Earth Master Shovel to his side, using the handle to unbalance both ghosts. He snatches the cursed sword and briefly ponders how to handle the situation next as the two ghosts try to regain their bearings.
Under normal circumstances, he would have let these two ghosts off with a display of strength and a warning. Just enough to dissuade this type of behavior in the future. He’s a firm believer in second chances. But this is his first day off ever, and for once he is loath to do extra work.
Besides, isn’t the point of a day off to not do one’s usual job?
And so, before the two ghosts can do anything, Yin Yu quickly digs into the floor. He creates a sloping tunnel, making sure to block off the path behind him. When he’s dug some way, he begins sloping back up again, hoping to be far enough to surface outside the ghosts’ lair. When he finally breaks the surface, he’s relieved to see the permanently dark sky of Ghost City. His captors hadn’t even thought to take him out of the city, how embarrassing.
Yin Yu makes his way to the city proper only to be stopped by an overly enthusiastic voice. “Shixiong!”
This is what he’d grabbed the cursed sword for. Turning, he sees Quan Yizhen power walking over to him. “Shixiong! I looked for you everywhere, but no one knew-”
Yin Yu cuts his shidi off by holding the sword out. “I apologize for the inconvenience. However, I brought this for you. I thought you might be able to help me unveil the curse.”
As expected, Quan Yizhen’s eyes light up upon seeing the cursed blade, taking it gently from Yin Yu. Honestly, Yin Yu thinks the excitement comes more from getting a personal request from his shixiong than from any fascination with the blade itself. His shidi has always preferred his fists in a fight.
“I’ll take care of it, Shixiong!” Quan Yizhen states, immediately stepping back. Yin Yu squints as heavenly light shines down, and his shidi no longer stands before him.
Heavens bless that boy’s one-track mind, he thinks with a hint of fondness. He’ll spend more time with his shidi next time, to make up for the loss this week.
As he said, they’re getting better.
Yin Yu’s usual lack of presence is handy as he takes less-occupied streets back to Paradise Manor. More specifically, back to the bed he feels he’s only just left. He doesn’t care if it’s a boring way to spend the day anymore. At this point, he deserves it. The walk is blissfully uneventful, Chengzhu and His Highness must be occupied elsewhere.
So, finally, on Yin Yu’s first ever day off, he reaches his dark room, removes his shoes, collapses into bed, and sleeps splendidly.