Capturing My Demon King Costar

Xie Bian refuses to elaborate, and only demands that Yao Shen get to the Wuji pavilion at once, because the ghost is growing more annoying by the second.

"I'm getting really tired of our evening plans being interrupted," he grumbles, while putting on some clothes. He has walked all over Youdu in his pyjamas often enough.

Xin Hulei, who's also getting dressed, offers him an enigmatic smile. "I'll make it up to you."

And just like that, Yao Shen isn't that bothered anymore.

He opens a doorway for them, and the next moment they step into Youdu. 

The sky above their heads shimmers in its perpetual twilight, and the faint scent of fruit that has gone ripe in the sun fills their nostrils. 

Something in Yao Shen always feels comforted whenever he's in Youdu. He doesn't know what the future will look like, considering he isn't a full-fledged ghost king, and therefore not immortal, but maybe one day, after he's ready to retire. He'd like to stay here for good.

He has never fit in all that well in human realm, so maybe Youdu is where he's meant to be.

Xin Hulei remains silent by his side as they cross the Wuiji's pavilion courtyard. The sound of raised voices becomes clearer as they draw nearer to the pavilion.

"If he isn't here in the next five minutes, I'm going to-"

"You're going to what?" Yao Shen asks, interrupting Xie Bian's tirade.

Xie Bian slides the pavilion's door open with a loud thud and glares at Yao Shen from across the doorway.

"Finally," he reaches towards Yao Shen and pulls him in into the house.

Inside the pavilion, Fan Wujiu is sitting pleasantly in front of a low table with Jia Hao, who looks up immediately as soon as he hears someone else walk in.

"Ah, what a relief, you're finally here," he says standing up to his feet.

He's still wearing the incredibly gaudy 90's b-boy clothing Yao Shen first saw him in. Neon hi-tops and almost vomit inducing windbreaker included.

Yao Shen gestures vaguely at the scene in front of him, trying to encompass both Jia Hao's presence and Xie Bian's disgruntledness about it. "What's all this then?"

"I need to go back to the mortal realm."

Xie Bian glares at him. "I've been trying to tell him this isn't a two-way street! He either reincarnates or he stays here." He turns his powerful glare onto Yao Shen. "You know, this is all your fault. Ever since you came here, people have been treating Youdu like their personal resort."

Xin Hulei silent until now, steps forward. His gaze sweeps over Jia Hao before settling on Fan Wujiu. "How long has he been here?"

"A week or so."

Yao Shen and Xin Hulei exchange a look. That would have been around the time that Jia Hao stopped answering Gao Wu for good.

Yao Shen takes a seat at the table next to Fan Wujiu and opposite Jia Hao. "Ok, explain yourself, start from the beginning."

---

Jia Hao's story doesn't diverge much from what Yao Shen and Xin Hulei already figured out by putting together the text message conversations.

He and Gao Wu got close, he eventually came clean about being a ghost, something Gao Wu had no problem with, besides the whole "violating of the laws of nature", but he got over that quickly.

According to Jia Hao, they would also call each other. It was during one of those calls that Gao Wu revealed what happened with Yao Shen and Xin Hulei.

"That left him really shaken up," Jia Hao says, his eyes wide. "He didn't tell me all the details, but he was even more depressed after that."

It's what he says afterwards that sends Yao Shen into high alert.

"Then, he started having nightmares."

Apparently, Gao Wu's nightmares were surreal and frightening, and while at first he wrote them off as a byproduct of his tired mind, the images he saw got more and more frightening, until he started seeing them while he was awake too.

Subconsciously, Yao Shen touches the back of his head. Where the 'system's' voice used to originate from. 

He has been having really odd nightmares too.

Could his and Gao Wu's nightmares be connected?

Jia Hao doesn't know exactly what caused Gao Wu's nightmares, but he got so worried about him, about what he might do to make everything go away, that he decided he had to do something.

According to him that was when Gao Wu mentioned a city of towers that looked like houses stacked up on top of each other, and it was all coming down on him.

"I remembered this place immediately," Jia Hao says. "But of course, I had no way of getting back here."

"You could have called me," Yao Shen says, pretty sure that he knows where this is going.

Jia Hao frowns. "Gao Wu told me enough about your confrontation. Why would you want to help him?"

The way he so dismissively writes Yao Shen's help off stings a little, but he can't fault his logic. Yao Shen did leave Gao Wu with some serious threats. He didn't know what he does now.

"Anyway, all I had to do was 'move on'," he shakes his head. "So I just closed my eyes...and I don't know...embraced death."

Xie Bian snorts. "Except now he doesn't want to stay here!"

"Well, of course not. I need to help Gao Wu. I have my answers though." He puffs out his chest. "I talked with this sour faced guy, and the other ghost kings, and they all said mind stuff was the Fourth King's speciality, so it's probably his doing."

Yao Shen knows he's right, and he should have made that connection too, but he honestly thought his nightmares were just the result of a lot of accumulated stress. 

The question is: what is Si Wang's endgame with this?

Jia Hao grins. "But now that you're here you can just open a door back to the mortal realm, and I can go tell Gao Wu."

Yao Shen goes very still, and exchanges a look with Xin Hulei.

Xin Hulei must see his reluctance to break the news because he's the one who says, "Gao Wu is dead."

The smile slips off Jia Hao's face in slow motion. "No, you're wrong."

"I'm sorry but it's true. There's a police investigation. They say he has been murdered."

Jia Hao shoots up to his feet at once, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "That's not true, who would do something like that? He didn't have any enemies..." His eyes drift towards Yao Shen, brimming with recrimination.

Yao Shen lifts his palms up in surrender. "I didn't do anything, we didn't do anything. In fact, we're as interested in learning what happened to him as you."

Xie Bian clears his throat. "How long ago did he die?"

"Some three days," Xin Hulei says.

Xie Bian frowns. "Either I or Fan Wujiu should have got the assignment to ferry his soul down here, then."

Fan Wujiu, always the optimist, interjects. "Maybe he's handling some unfinished business in the mortal realm, and isn't yet ready to move on."

Jia Hao's shoulders slump. "Yes, that must be it. He's like me, he died with some grievances and he can't move on."

Yao Shen isn't so sure. He is absolutely certain Gao Wu died with grievances, that much is obvious, but he isn't sure if that's what's holding him back.

"Is there any news of Si Wang?" he asks Fan Wujiu.

Fan Wujiu shakes his head. "We've kept and eye out, and there are patrols along the city and the perimeter of the walls, but he no one has seen him."

"He wouldn't survive long in the wastes," Xin Hulei muses, almost to himself.

"He must be hiding somewhere if he managed to affect Gao Wu." 'And me' he doesn't say that, but once they get back to the apartment he's going to tell Xin Hulei about the nightmares. He feels awful about worrying him, but it's what he has to do.

Jia Hao is numb since the news of Gao Wu's death, but makes no more comments about returning to the mortal realm. Obviously, there's not much point now.

He accepts Yao Shen's assurances that they will try to find Gao Wu's souls, and send him down to Youdu.

Privately, Yao Shen also hopes they'll have a chance to talk with Gao Wu and hear from him just what happened.

It's not clear to Yao Shen why Si Wang would have targeted him, but it can't mean anything good.

---

Back in the apartment Xin Hulei announces that he's going to make them a late dinner, something light and quick.

Yao Shen observes him working in the kitchen, moving deftly in the cramped space. Xin Hulei might not have noticed this, but he always wants to cook when there's something upsetting him.

Yao Shen is sorry that he'll have to add to his worries.

"There's something I have to tell you."

He watches as the muscles on Xin Hulei's back go tense, and he puts down the knife he was using. He turns around slowly to face Yao Shen.. "There's something I have to tell you too."