Bug, worn down from being repeatedly glitched by Su Weisheng to the point of questioning its own existence, finally accepted reality. Dutifully and without complaint, it helped him resolve post-sale issues. First, Su Weisheng communicated with the Book of Life and Death regarding Gu Shuangshuang’s next reincarnation. Then, he contacted the underworld’s messengers to ensure this long-term “tenant” was escorted to the afterlife. In short, he was overwhelmingly busy.
While inspecting his study, Su Weisheng abruptly asked, “Did anyone come in today?”
“…No one.” Bug hesitated, adding silently in its mind, There was a ghost. But as the spirit of an app belonging to the underworld, it couldn’t betray its creator. With begrudging loyalty, it cooperated with Yuan Le to keep this matter hidden.
Su Weisheng hummed in response, leaving it unclear whether he believed him or not. Then, he asked, “When I was checking the Book of Life and Death today, some names showed restricted access. Is there a way to fix that?”
Hearing this, Bug exclaimed in frustration, “You glitched your way into the Book of Life and Death! Of course, your access is limited! If you want higher-level permissions, you have to contribute to the underworld at the very least!”
“Like what?” he asked.
“For example, assisting the Book of Life and Death in guiding more lost souls. Or resolving some of the long-standing historical issues plaguing the underworld.”
Su Weisheng considered this. “I suppose I can’t rely on just glitching through everything. Sometimes, I need to actually earn my place.”
Bug was stunned. Was this man really planning to take the proper route for once?
Then, Su Weisheng casually added, “I’ll assign you a team.”
“…What?”
He spoke leisurely, “I’ll put Yan Wan and Su Ning on your team. Starting today, the three of you will work together to assist the Book of Life and Death in guiding lost souls and solving the various troubles of the underworld. Try to earn as many achievements there as possible—so I can boost my access permissions.”
Bug: ???
A team? Grinding achievements? What kind of ruthless capitalist behavior is this?!
The underworld is home to thousands of cities, each accommodating countless wandering souls. The lower-numbered cities house older spirits, while newly deceased souls are typically placed in cities numbered 900–1001. Of course, there are exceptions. Powerful families can pay to have their descendants reassigned to prime locations upon their arrival.
As the underworld’s emissary led Gu Shuangshuang through a long tunnel, he explained its rules, sighing, “You died young, with no family to speak of. Normally, you’d be assigned to the most desolate City 1001. But it seems your connections run deep. You’ve been placed directly into the infamous City 13. Hard to say whether that’s a blessing or a curse.”
Gu Shuangshuang hadn’t expected Su Weisheng to pull strings for her, much less secure such a relocation. Excited, she asked, “What’s different about City 13? More advanced technology? Is it filled with underworld elites?”
The emissary snorted. “Oh, nothing like that. City 13 is home to spirits who haven’t reincarnated in over a hundred years. In life, they killed mercilessly, and in death, their lingering resentment keeps them from moving on. Oh, and if there’s one defining feature, it’s that lightning strikes there a lot. And I do mean only City 13.”
He guided her through the city’s crumbling streets, gesturing toward an imposing estate. “Especially the Su family. That household gets struck every few days. And only them. You’d best keep your distance.”
Gu Shuangshuang was completely baffled. How had she, a harmless fanfiction enthusiast, ended up here? She pulled out her identity card, eyes widening at her assigned address, right next to the Su family.
“???”
The emissary peeked at her file, let out an awkward laugh, and muttered, “Oh, so that’s who your connection is. My bad, my bad. Forget I said anything. Please, go ahead. I won’t keep you.”
He hurriedly handed over her keys and documents before retreating at full speed, looking thoroughly spooked.
Standing in the courtyard of her new home, Gu Shuangshuang was utterly bewildered. “Who is ‘that person’? Could it be great-grandfather? No way… Is his background really that powerful?”
She thought about it for a moment and realized—of course! Great-grandfather’s surname is Su!
Curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked toward the neighboring house. She saw three elderly men with white hair, dressed in luxurious robes and exuding an air of authority, walking out of the old mansion. Feeling nervous, Gu Shuangshuang quickly ducked back, but her eyes betrayed her admiration and awe.
Perhaps one of those elders was the legendary Su family High Priest!
Excited, she dragged her luggage inside, tidied up briefly, and then opened her laptop. She logged into all her social media accounts one by one and sent an enthusiastic message to her friend Su Anyao.
Gu Shuangshuang: Yaoyao, I’ve arrived in the underworld! The neighbors might even include legendary figures from history. Can you imagine how thrilled I am right now? I wish I could drag you down here to share this feeling with me!
Su Anyao, who was busy discussing damage control for her public image with her manager, was startled by the incessant buzzing of her phone. She glanced down and saw a ghostly message from her deceased friend.
【I wish I could drag you down here…】
Su Anyao was so spooked by this eerie underworld statement that she nearly threw her phone. After calming herself, she cautiously replied.
Su Anyao: Weren’t you supposed to reincarnate?
Gu Shuangshuang: Not yet. Plus, great-grandfather equipped me with a phone and laptop in the underworld. It’s no different from staying at home. I can browse the internet and play games. Oh, but I can’t make in-game purchases, so remember to top up my gaming account for me.
Su Anyao clutched her phone tightly, her focus even more peculiar than Gu Shuangshuang’s: Does this mean you can write in the underworld? That’s perfect! I’ve been working on a spicy fanfic for a controversial pairing, but I’ve been too busy to update it. It’s finally your turn to take over. Go for it, Shuangbao!
Su Anyao: By the way, since you’re in the underworld, doesn’t that mean you just stay home 24/7 with no work to do? With all that free time, how about posting three updates a day? You remember, right? You promised that if given the chance, you’d stockpile plenty of content for the Black-Red CP fandom~
Gu Shuangshuang: …Have you seriously started exploiting ghosts now?
Su Ning was busy handling the aftermath. Since there was evidence provided by wandering spirits, it was easy to report Gu Shuangshuang’s case as an accidental death to the authorities. Moreover, the Su family had been collaborating with the government since the founding of the country, assisting in handling supernatural occurrences.
Even though other factions had also taken notice of the anomalies in the area, Su Ning remained composed, maneuvering through the situation with ease, albeit with some time-consuming negotiations. By the time he finished, several days had already passed.
These were all minor complications, but what truly weighed on Su Ning’s mind was his great-grandfather.
As the plane from City A to the capital slowly descended, Su Ning stepped out, holding an A4 sheet in his hand. Su Qian followed behind, pushing a suitcase. After weaving through the bustling crowd, they finally reached the underground parking lot.
Su Ning bent down and got into the backseat, his expression grave. “It’s her.”
On the paper was a seven-inch photo of Yan Wan in her prime. However, beneath it, the details of her age, relatives, and date of death were recorded with chilling clarity.
Although he had suspected it, confirming that Yan Wan was a ghost still left Su Ning with an indescribable sense of shock.
“Just how profound must one’s cultivation be to command a female ghost to do their bidding?” he murmured in disbelief. “And Yan Wan appears to be mentally sound, with her own thoughts and reasoning. There are no signs of manipulation. She fears and respects great-grandfather completely.”
Only now, while reviewing everything, did he truly grasp the significance of one particular revelation—under their great-grandfather’s arrangements, he had unknowingly partnered with a ghost to track down lost wandering spirits and assist them in passing on to the underworld. This wasn’t just a matter of ghosts; more importantly, their great-grandfather’s actions seemed to suggest he had already started overseeing the underworld’s affairs.
This felt like an A-level instance in this world, where people are divided into ranks A, B, C, and D—but once great-grandfather appeared, he was immediately S-tier, even SSS+. The gap in power levels was so vast that it was completely unreasonable.
Who knew how much time had passed when Su Qian reminded him, “Brother Ning, we’re home.”
Su Ning abruptly snapped out of his tangled thoughts and suddenly asked, “How’s the investigation on great-grandfather going?”
“There were some new findings. According to your request, we traced his earliest appearances. I originally planned to hand them over to you, but Gu Shuangshuang’s incident erupted out of nowhere, so the documents were left in the study.”
Su Ning stepped out of the car, striding quickly toward his study. Along the way, family members greeted him with varying degrees of respect or flattery. However, upon seeing his grim expression and decisive pace, they wisely retreated to the side, avoiding unnecessary trouble.
Pushing open the study door, Su Ning entered—only to be greeted by the sight of his father, the Su family’s High Elder, sitting on the sofa, glaring at him in visible displeasure.
His gaze flickered to the unopened document folder on the desk, confirming that the papers were still there. Only then did he turn back and greet the elder, “Dad, did you need something from me?”
“You’re out all day, not doing any proper work, never returning home at night, and now you’re asking me if I need something?” The High Elder slammed his hand on the table in fury.
Su Ning responded calmly, “I was handling important business.”
The High Elder roared, “Flattering that sorcerer who disgraced our family by getting Su Ping pregnant—that counts as your so-called ‘important business’? You were sent to resolve the issue and restore the family’s honor, not make a fool of yourself. Do you even realize that your actions have sparked discontent among the Elder Council?”
Hearing Su Weisheng’s name being dragged into the argument, Su Ning wasn’t the least bit surprised. The family was never a united front—there were always petty figures scheming in the shadows for power.
Su Ning casually responded while tearing open the document folder, “Dad, it’s normal for my uncles to have opinions about me. But if you start doubting your only son, now that’s on you. Who are you siding with, believing this kind of nonsense?”
Though his tone was nonchalant toward his father, his movements were anything but—he aggressively ripped open the folder with an air of impatience. He was sure that it contained something important. Maintaining a cool head, Su Ning laid out the thick stack of documents and began flipping through them one by one.
The High Elder, momentarily stunned by his son’s blunt retort, rubbed his temples in frustration. For a brief second, he even felt that Su Ning had a point, but couldn’t argue against it. He said, “Of course I don’t believe the gossip. I even smacked around the brat who was badmouthing you. But, son, let’s talk honestly here—you can’t just side with that sorcerer simply because he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve. Are you really throwing in the towel just because you think you can’t beat him?”
“Our Su family is a righteous and prestigious lineage. Isn’t your behavior bringing shame to us?” The elder’s voice carried deep disappointment.
Still flipping through the documents, Su Ning answered without lifting his head, “He’s not a sorcerer—you’re mistaken.”
The High Elder scoffed, “With methods that dark, what else could he be if not a sorcerer?”
Su Ning didn’t respond—his focus had latched onto a blurry photograph.
Under the cloak of night, a faint silhouette could be seen, draped in intricate robes adorned with golden patterns. The cascading, waterfall-like hair spilled down his back, and beneath a mask, his pale jawline was starkly cold, almost unnervingly alluring. His face was slightly turned toward the camera. For an instant, his deep, bottomless eyes seemed to pull at Su Ning’s very soul.
Startled, Su Ning instinctively bolted upright, severing eye contact with the photograph. He gasped sharply, struggling to steady his breath. Clutching the photo tightly, he looked up at Su Qian and asked, “Where did this come from?”
Su Qian, startled by Su Ning’s intense reaction, quickly explained, “The source of this photo is somewhat coincidental. Initially, it was circulating in small fan circles of Su Ran, with people claiming it was an actor rumored to be collaborating with him on a film. Later, someone posted it online, suggesting that this figure might actually be Su Ran’s ancestor. Although the image is blurry and the mask obscures his face, making it impossible to verify the claim, I figured it was worth including in this stack of documents—just in case.”
“…It’s him. It has to be him.”
Su Ning took a deep breath, struggling to calm himself, but his voice was already hoarse beyond recognition.
The High Elder scowled at him. “Ungrateful child, your father is talking to you! You say he’s not a sorcerer—then what is he? Can you even explain?”
Su Ning gripped the photograph, turned to face the High Elder, and smiled. His gaze burned with an intense fire—the kind fueled by ambition. It was a mixture of shock and an excitement too profound to put into words, transforming his otherwise harmless, striking features into something razor-sharp and commanding.
The High Elder flinched.
Then, Su Ning grinned and held up the photograph. “Dad, he’s not a sorcerer—but I think I just found you a new father.”
Grand Elder: ???
“You unfilial brat!” The elder froze for a split second before erupting in fury, nearly coughing up blood from frustration. “What nonsense are you spouting? Such insolence—it’s my fault for spoiling you…” He raised his hand, intending to strike.
But before his hand could land, Su Ning shoved the photograph into his grasp.
The High Elder instinctively glanced down. The moment his eyes focused on the image, his breath hitched, and his pupils dilated in shock.
Su Ning spoke softly, “I’ve seen this attire before—in the forbidden shrine’s paintings. This robe is only worn by the High Priests of our lineage.”
“This… this, this—” The High Elder was at a loss for words.
Su Ning pressed on. “And he’s still so young, yet he can foresee events and command ghosts. That’s because he is the current High Priest of the Su clan. Dad, our lineage’s priesthood was severed for two centuries—and now, finally, we have a new High Priest.”
Su Qian stared in shock at the exchange between father and son. Even as a branch member of the family, he understood the significance of the High Priest’s existence.
The previous High Priest had elevated the Su clan onto the grand stage of the world, making their name widely revered by the people. But after his death, the lineage broke. With no successor, the Su clan began its decline.
Now, at last, they had a new High Priest.
The High Elder, who had weathered countless storms in his lifetime, found himself utterly stunned by a single small photograph. He muttered “How is this possible?” over and over until, finally, he began to steady himself. Only then did he turn to look at his son.
Su Ning had clearly processed the revelation much faster. With a slight smile, he spread his hands and explained, “When I first contacted him, he outright pointed out that since Su Tiao, our clan had split into two branches—one descended from Su Laijin, which led to Su Ran, and the other descended from Su Laiyin, which is our family. And although he looks quite young, his seniority demands that I call him great-grandfather.”
Pausing briefly, Su Ning then flashed a mischievous smile, his tone feigning innocence as he said, “So, Dad, when I said I found you a new father, wasn’t I technically correct?”
The High Elder, just as he had begun recovering from the shock, nearly keeled over in rage. “You knew about this all along. Why didn’t you tell me? You deliberately hid this until now!”
Su Ning shrugged apologetically. “Great-grandfather didn’t want me to. He said he prefers peace and quiet. And honestly, I figured that if I told you too soon, without solid proof, you and my uncles might have stormed over there to challenge him—and that wouldn’t have ended well for you. So I kept quiet.”
The High Elder: “…”
Su Ning grinned. “So you’re admitting that I really did find you a new father?”
The High Elder’s blood pressure visibly spiked. Clutching his forehead, he inhaled deeply before snapping, “Speak properly!”
“Oh, actually, your new father just wanted me to ask—why are the descendants of the Su Laiyin branch so prolific? Is there some kind of secret?”
“Shut up, you wretched child!!” The High Elder was so infuriated that he lost his composure, grabbing a teacup and hurling it.
Su Ning deftly dodged and sighed helplessly. “Dad, I really had no choice here. I have to start your desensitization training in advance! Otherwise, when you meet Great-Grandfather, you’ll instinctively bring out your High Elder authority to try and suppress him. And then what? You’d practically be handing yourself over to be crushed! I need to help you adjust beforehand, to make you accept the fact that you rank a whole generation below him. It’s for your own good!”
For your own good.jpg
Normally, this phrase is used when authoritarian parents control their children, but now the dynamic has flipped between the two of them.
The High Elder stared at him, looking as irritating as ever. Suddenly, his grim expression turned calm. He said in a low voice, “You’re trying to use this opportunity to mess with my mind and get me to reveal something, aren’t you? Not happening. There are things you simply don’t need to know. If you want answers, wait until you become the clan leader.”
Su Ning gave him a baffled look. “What kind of secret is so important that even now you still won’t spill it? Is it that serious?” Just what sort of hidden truths about their family’s reproduction were so unspeakable?
The High Elder snorted coldly and was about to reprimand him, but suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up, stepped out to take the call, and moments later, his furious roar echoed back: “Has Fourth lost his mind?! How could he pull something like this? And to think it’s only been discovered now! You bunch of good-for-nothing slackers! Detain him immediately. I’m coming over right now!”
The call wasn’t even disconnected before the old man was already out of sight, his short legs moving at top speed, a clear sign of how urgent the matter was.
Su Ning watched him leave, his eyes gleaming ever brighter. There was no doubt—this was going to be a huge revelation worth uncovering.
He immediately arranged for a trusted aide to keep an eye on the High Elder and soon received clear information. The High Elder had ordered the capture of the Fourth Elder’s entire family. They were now being held in the forbidden grounds.
“The forbidden grounds…”
Su Ning stroked his chin, deep in thought. The key was in the High Elder’s possession, so sneaking in was out of the question. But his instincts told him that whatever trouble the Fourth Elder had stirred up was definitely tied to the secret he was trying to uncover. After all, the Fourth Elder’s only son had lost his ability to have children due to an accident—an irreversible one. This meant that the Fourth Elder’s lineage was essentially cut off.
“Brother Ning, what do we do now?” Su Qian asked. “Aside from the four elders and the clan leader, no one else has a key to enter the forbidden grounds. There’s no way we can sneak in unnoticed.”
Su Ning waved his hand dismissively, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course, I know I can’t get in on my own, but I have outside help.”
Su Qian: “Huh…?”
The next second, Su Ning walked into the room, phone in hand, making a secretive call. His excited, almost mischievous tone was like a weasel lurking in a melon field, sharing the juiciest gossip without hesitation:
“Great-Grandfather, I have an earth-shattering revelation to share. I might finally uncover the family secret those old men have been hiding all this time!”
Less than half an hour later, summoned by Su Weisheng, Su Ning swiftly arrived at the quadrangle courtyard.
Inside the study, Su Weisheng was organizing proclamations. After listening to Su Ning’s account, he immediately pinpointed the key issue: “So you believe that as long as you can enter the forbidden grounds now, you’ll be able to uncover the family secret?”
“Yes, I think it’s possible.” Su Ning nodded, simultaneously lifting his gaze slightly to observe Su Weisheng. No matter how many times he looked, he still found it unbelievable. This man was actually the High Priest of the Su clan in this generation.
He had made the right bet and followed the right person, yet it still felt like a dream.
Su Weisheng noticed his odd stare and asked curiously, “What are you thinking about?”
Su Ning blinked, then smiled, answering calmly, “It just still feels like a dream. I can’t believe I was lucky enough to meet you.”
“It’s not luck. It’s the inevitable consequence of cause and effect,” Su Weisheng said meaningfully.
Su Ning froze for a moment. Was he implying that this was all predetermined by their bloodline connection? But somehow, Su Ning felt there was more to his great-grandfather’s words than just that.
However, Su Weisheng didn’t give him time to dwell on the thought. He simply tore off a talisman paper, folded it, and casually tossed it over with a faint smile. “Stick this on someone who can enter the forbidden grounds. Whatever they see will be directly projected before us.”
Su Ning’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t this essentially a high-level surveillance device that could bypass signal interference? His great-grandfather really had all sorts of interesting tricks up his sleeve!
“Perfect! My third uncle is currently on his way back from out of town. This will work best on him!”
Without hesitation, Su Ning handed the talisman over to Su Qian, instructing him to carry out the task.
Moments later, everything was in place. As soon as the Third Elder was urgently summoned back and entered the forbidden grounds, his vision was directly projected onto the study’s large screen.
Su Ning, ever mischievous, even brought a watermelon with him at this moment, cutting slices while watching the screen with great anticipation. Inside the ancestral hall of the forbidden grounds, a group of elderly figures paced anxiously. Their expressions were extremely grim. Only the Fourth Elder was bound and thrown to the side, awaiting judgment.
The Third Elder entered, glanced around, and asked with concern, “Where is he? Has he been restrained? No outsiders saw anything, right?”
“No one saw him. He’s locked up inside the ancestral hall. But it’s too late to handle things now…” an old man sighed. “What was Fourth thinking? We all agreed never to use the secret method. If word gets out, how will the Su family save face?”
The Third Elder strode quickly into the inner chamber.
The great-grandfather and great-grandson duo, still eating their watermelon, curiously leaned in.
The Third Elder looked into the room and saw a pale, slender beauty lying on the large bed. His expression was somber, yet his gaze was unwavering. “There’s no need to persuade me anymore, Third Uncle. You all have children—how could you possibly understand how I feel? It took me so long to discover such an effective secret technique, and these are my children. I have to keep them!”
Su Ning, still munching on his watermelon, began explaining to Su Weisheng, “That gloomy beauty over there is my cousin, Su Miao—the Fourth Elder’s only son. Back in the day, he was one of the rare prodigies of the clan, but he was a reckless playboy. Then, due to some accident, he lost his ability to have children. Ever since, he’s been cultivating obsessively, but no amount of training could heal his internal scars. And now—would you believe it—he discovered the secret method before I did! I’ll admit, this round goes to him.”
Meanwhile, the Third Elder was still angrily reprimanding him. “Su Miao, you’ve completely lost yourself in this madness! What do you mean by ‘your children’? As long as they haven’t hatched, they aren’t children. I absolutely cannot accept this nonsense. Get up right now!” As he spoke, he roughly yanked off the blanket.
What lay on the bed was a row of crystal-clear bird eggs, with Su Miao clutching one tightly in his arms. Blood from his palm was slowly seeping through the eggshell.
Oh~ so they’re eggs.
Wait. Why are they eggs?!
Su Ning almost choked on his watermelon.
“What the hell?” Even Su Weisheng was stunned. “Where did these eggs come from? Is your family secretly a colony of penguins? And a male penguin at that—brooding eggs to raise chicks?!”
Moonlit: And here I thought that the secret was related to male pregnancy ahahahahahahah. I didn’t expect it would be related to eggs.
Sorry for not updating for so long. I got busy with my undergrad thesis, and will still be busy with that.
Another absurd surprised, lmao.