My Little Ghost

Volume 1.2.4 — The Transmigration

“But I am from here and touching other people is inappropriate in our custom.”

Placing both his hands under his head as he lies back down, Bai Bing Wen chuckles. “Alright, I won’t touch.”

“It is also inappropriate to be in the same bed with someone whom you are not married to.”

“So I have to adjust to your customs?”

“It would be easier for us to conceal your identity if you follow the customs of our world, Your Highness.”

“See, you call me that, but you’re still low-key nagging me. You’re in my bed—if you cannot tolerate the distance or lack thereof, you may move yourself to that chair while we talk more about this and that.”

Ji Feng Huang attempts to use his qinggong to move to the chair but his spiritual force backfires. As he fails to defy gravity, he coincidentally falls back into Bai Bing Wen’s arms who’s conveniently lying closer to the chair by the bed.

“Really? Falling twice in my embrace for a day is not enough for you?” Bai Bing Wen smugly asks, instinctively draping his arms around the boy to stabilize him. After all that talk about how it is inappropriate to initiate contact with anyone he’s not married to, this just has to happen.

Instead of paying attention to their physical contact once more, the boy worriedly gropes on his chest, his abdomen, and his shoulders. “What is going on with my body?”

Bai Bing Wen’s head is almost automatically thrown into the gutter before he realizes that Ji Feng Huang is only worried about his spiritual force. He sighs, sitting up with Ji Feng Huang still in his arms. “This is called force paralysis.” He swiftly starts poking on Ji Feng Huang’s acupoints to release his spiritual force. “You press and infuse spiritual energy on specific acupoints in a pattern to temporarily paralyze their spiritual force, like how formations are made. But this time, the patterns are made on a cultivator’s acupoints.”

“Like the spiritual energy trap array?”

Bai Bing Wen nods, carefully moving Ji Feng Huang to sit on the bed, instead of just letting him get comfortable on his lap. “If you’re talking about the formation in which you set a huge area of effect that would disable the spiritual force of anyone who steps within the pattern, then you’re right.”

Ji Feng Huang’s eyes light up at this. “No one has ever made something like this before.”

“It’s something that modern cultivators like me do on a normal basis as a prank. It’s not a big deal.”

Checking that his dantian is intact, Ji Feng Huang looks back at Bai Bing Wen in surprise. “Is it dangerous?”

“It’s not. It’s temporary and it eventually lifts after one day of not being manually removed.”

Ji Feng Huang looks at his entire body that is now overflowing with spiritual energy. “Teach me how to do it.”

Bai Bing Wen places the boy’s storage bracelet back on his right wrist. “Why? So that you can use it on me?”

Ji Feng Huang can only look up at Bai Bing Wen, blinking his innocent eyes with a hint of mischief. “Will you let me?”

Stunned at his honesty, Bai Bing Wen falls speechless.

“Teach me how to undo it first so that I can practice it safely,” Ji Feng Huang adds, as if this is going to make things better. 

Still a little reluctant, Bai Bing Wen takes the jade white hand of the boy and asks, “Are you left-handed or right-handed?”

Ji Feng Huang stares at him like he’s stupid. “Of course, I’m right-handed. It’s considered unethical to be left-handed.”

“What? That’s absurd. I’m ambidextrous. In my world, it’s considered an advantage.”

Now even more curious, Ji Feng Huang looks at Bai Bing Wen’s hands that are much bigger than his. “Does that mean you are left-handed?”

Bai Bing Wen raises both of his hands and moves his fingers. “Zuo You Gong Li. It means I can use them both for anything and be equally steady with any of them used individually.”

“You... How is that possible?”

Bai Bing Wen shrugs. “We make up one percent of the population in my world. But in my family, there are two who are like me. My mother and my paternal great-grandfather.”

Ji Feng Huang stares at him in awe again. “Your family must be really powerful, then. If you know all these tricks and you can use both hands for anything, then you are really talented. Did you come from a royal family, too?”

Taking the boy’s right hand into his, Bai Bing Wen shakes his head. “There aren’t any royal families where I’m from. Powerful families protect the weaker ones through monopolization. If they want protection, then they give back loyalty. The imperial system has long been lost in my world and being on top is defined as being the larger and easier target of many.” He places the tip of Ji Feng Huang’s index and middle fingers softly on his acupoints. “You press here, here, here, and slide up here, while infusing very little spiritual energy. This would undo the force paralysis. Can you try? Without using your spiritual energy.”

Ji Feng Huang expertly presses on Bai Bing Wen’s acupoints, making Bai Bing Wen smile a little. “You’re a fast learner, little ghostie. Now, press on the same points except for the last one and infuse it with a bit of your spiritual energy.”

Ji Feng Huang does as he’s told, and Bai Bing Wen immediately feels his spiritual force being locked.

“Now, undo it.”

Ji Feng Huang excitedly grabs Bai Bing Wen’s wrist to check his spiritual energy flow. “It really is locked,” he exclaims to himself in disbelief.

“Hey. Undo it. As you learned,” Bai Bing Wen reminds him.

Ji Feng Huang gives him a playful smile. “But you said it will be lifted naturally after one day.”

Bai Bing Wen rolls his eyes again.“This is why I have trust issues.” He picks up one of his temporary talismans and pricks the tip of his index finger. When a bead of blood oozes out, he paints them on his acupoints to remove the restriction on himself. He feels his spiritual energy flowing right back.

“You didn’t tell me you can remove it yourself,” Ji Feng Huang disappointedly remarks.

“Did you really think I’d teach you a trick you can use against me that I can’t undo myself? Remember, always have a safe escape whenever you’re trying to part your knowledge with other people. Make sure you don’t teach them too much to the point of overpowering you because they might use it against you in the future,” Bai Bing Wen tells him seriously.

Ji Feng Huang nods at this, staring intently into Bai Bing Wen’s eyes. “Can you teach me more?”

Bai Bing Wen crosses his arms over his chest. “What do I get in return?” he asks just to see the extent of Ji Feng Huang’s curiosity.

Ji Feng Huang seems to be thinking hard and seriously about this. When he finally decides after careful consideration, he gulps and clears his throat. “I will be your disciple and I’ll call you my shizun.”

Shrugging dismissively, Bai Bing Wen shows him a disinterested face. “No, thanks. I’m too young to take in disciples. Even if you’re younger than me, you would look more like my shidi than my disciple.”

“I’m one solstice older than the Crown Prince. Are you, by any chance, an older man from your world?”

By memory, Bai Bing Wen vaguely remembers that in the ancient world, one solstice is equal to six months. “How old are you, then?”

“I’m thirty-seven solstices,” Ji Feng Huang proudly answers.

Bai Bing Wen quickly does the math and realizes that Ji Feng Huang is actually older than him by a few months. “What? How is it possible that you’re more than eighteen years old?”

Despite being unfamiliar with some of Bai Bing Wen’s terms since they started talking, Ji Feng Huang appears to be understanding his contexts easily. “So, how old are you?”

Bai Bing Wen sighs in disbelief. “I’m eighteen years old. Which means I have the same age as the Crown Prince and probably the same birthday, too.”

“The Crown Prince of the Central Empire was born the same night that the Starflame Constellation was formed in the sky.” Ji Feng Huang pulls at the hems of his robes and flattening them on the bed. He points at one constellation and explains, “This is the constellation that showed up in my divination practice.”

Looking at it, Bai Bing Wen realizes that the Starflame Constellation looks exactly like the pattern of dots drawn on the blade of his sword. This is probably where his ancestors got its name from.

“And this is why I also entered the imperial harem,” Ji Feng Huang goes on. “It means I have to meet the royal beast born on that day for me to save my bloodline. I have to offer the Crown Prince a few drops of my essence, and create a blood vow before I can return to my own Kingdom.”

Bai Bing Wen stares at him impassively. “Did the divination even tell you how the Crown Prince is supposed to help you with that?”

Ji Feng Huang stares up at him with those innocent eyes before shaking his head. “The divination practice doesn’t talk to me, Your Highness.”

Chuckling, Bai Bing Wen shakes his head, too. He almost ruffles the top of the boy’s head because of his innocence. “I mean, did the divination also show you how the blood vow or whatever is supposed to be done?”

“But... everyone knows how blood vows are done.”

“Well, I don’t. So how?”

“You need to marry me.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Bai Bing Wen sighs. “No other way?”

Ji Feng Huang shakes his head again.

Bai Bing Wen tuts, narrowing his eyes. “I’ll think about it. In the meantime, teach me some more about this world’s customs and that might actually help you win a few brownie points on me. Give me a tour around the imperial palace.”

“What are brownie points?”

Bai Bing Wen smiles his dimpled smile once more. “Did you not just hear me say I’ll think about it? I think that’s all that should matter.”

Ji Feng Huang looks up excitedly with glowing bright blue eyes, facing him. “Does that mean you are considering it?”

“I am. After all, when I leave to go back to my own world, the marriage would be null and void.”

Finally, a ghost of a beautiful smile graces Ji Feng Huang’s small lips before he takes two small spiritual items from his storage. “This is my welcome gift.”

Bai Bing Wen blinks in confusion as he sees a couple of silver rings in his hand, with blue sparkles swirling around them.“Why are you giving me gifts? I’m not the Crown Prince.”

“No, this is not for the Crown Prince. This is... for Bai Bing Wen.”

“Okay, but aren’t they supposed to be for the Crown Prince for when you get affianced?”

Ji Feng Huang is excitedly putting on their rings but he pauses, looking up at Bai Bing Wen. “But... I am marrying Bai Bing Wen.”

Bai Bing Wen can only let out another exasperated breath. “Okay, whatever. Let’s put them on.”

“Wearing this means you agree to marry me during the ceremony. This is a spiritual weapon that can dispel illusions with my essence on it. It will let me know when you’re in danger and I can get to you as soon as I can. You just need to call out my name. It can get through time and space realms so wherever you came from, you can bring this back with—”

“Hold on one second,” Bai Bing Wen cuts him off. “I said I’ll think about it.”

Ji Feng Huang withdraws his hand and pouts a little. “But it’s been a few seconds already.”

“That’s not how it works.”

A little dejected, Ji Feng Huang gives the ring to Bai Bing Wen. “Okay. You wear it when you’re ready. But please don’t take long. I only have until the next red moon.”

“What do you mean?”

Ji Feng Huang stands up from the bed and gestures for Bai Bing Wen to do the same. “I’ll tell you more but we have to go somewhere for you to understand it better.”

Weighing his options carefully, Bai Bing Wen decides to just go with the smaller guy but he keeps his guards up in case he’s being deceived. Twelve evenly cut sheets of black cloth surround him in the air with golden scriptures on it, keeping him protected with the formation.

“You can’t let them know you’re a different person. They would capture you and won’t believe your story,” Ji Feng Huang reminds him.

“I know,” Bai Bing Wen answers simply.

“This means you can’t let them know that you’re no longer the Crown Prince who cannot cultivate his dantian properly. You need to... Can you look at the Crown Prince’s memories and try to act like him?”

Bai Bing Wen rolls his eyes. This also means he needs to get rid of his protective array. What a smart excuse. “Who’s going to protect me from the people outside who are so used to bullying the Crown Prince?”

Ji Feng Huang stares at him like he’s an i***t. “I will.”

“You can’t. You’re supposed to be the Imperial Consort, remember?”

At this, Ji Feng Huang remembers the most important detail of his disguise and transforms himself back to the lady in pink and white robes after a few spells. “Wear the ring so you can have an unnoticeable protection. And bring the hairpin I gave you,” the now Imperial Consort tells him. “I’ll walk out first and let the imperial guards see me. I’ll come back for you, Your Highness. Wait for me outside your door and don’t go anywhere else.”

Bai Bing Wen only looks on as the lady walks towards the door. She pauses before sliding them open and looks back at him.

“And, please, Your Highness. Wear a few decent layers of clothing.”

With that, Bai Bing Wen is left alone in the room. He looks at the lone silver ring in his hand and picks the hairpin he attached earlier on the lapel of his thin white robe. None of them are exuding an obvious sign of spiritual force or essence. “That’s also a smart excuse to pressure me into wearing the ring,” he tells himself with a lopsided grin.

In the end, after wearing layers of darker colored robes where he’s written a few hidden enchantments and one layer with a few golden lines on it, he attaches the hairpin on his black belt before going out to wait for Ji Feng Huang outside his door. Standing there, he slowly looks around the vast Golden Flower Garden and subtly wears the ring.