[Flashy, flirtatious, scheming male ghost with captivating beauty x warmhearted, kind, amateur little Taoist]
Zhu Ge, an amateur little Taoist, was told by a netherworld bailiff that his lifespan was nearly over.
To stay alive, he opened a yin-yang shop for the underworld, specializing in dealing with demons, ghosts, and strange creatures causing trouble in the mortal realm.
The underworld assigned him a partner: Ji Sangyu, a male ghost of captivating beauty.
Once Zhu Ge had accumulated enough merit, the two of them could ascend to immortality together.
But Ji Sangyu was a notorious flirt, sweet-tongued and scheming. During their missions, he put Zhu Ge in danger several times, nearly getting him killed.
Zhu Ge loathed Ji Sangyu. He threatened him furiously: "Ji Sangyu, one day I'll make sure your soul is scattered to the winds."
*
Whenever Ji Sangyu looked at Zhu Ge, he smiled with tender, flirtatious charm, though calculation lurked beneath that smile.
In life, he had given away his entire fortune and done good deeds, only to die a miserable death.
He had lost all faith in the immortals and had no desire to ascend.
But the underworld had given its orders: the two had to stay together unless one of them died.
He wanted Zhu Ge dead!
If Zhu Ge died, Ji Sangyu could get rid of him and go back to being a lonely wandering ghost.
What he hadn't expected was that Zhu Ge would never look back while helping wandering souls move on, and would never hesitate to shield mortals from disaster.
Even though he himself didn't have long to live, he still couldn't stand by when he saw injustice.
Ji Sangyu watched coldly, yet time and again he pulled Zhu Ge out of danger.
He told himself, Next time. Next time, I absolutely won't go soft.
Until Zhu Ge, in his mortal body, took a fatal blow meant for him.
Blood soaked through his Taoist robe. Lying in Ji Sangyu's arms, Zhu Ge teetered on the brink of death. "You owe me your life."
Only then did Ji Sangyu realize that his heart, empty for more than a hundred years, could feel pain.
Later, when Zhu Ge woke, he saw Ji Sangyu keeping watch beside his bed, dark circles beneath his eyes.
Ji Sangyu asked hoarsely, "Why did you save me? Haven't you always wanted my soul scattered to the winds?"
"When a human dies, they become a ghost. When a ghost dies, their soul is destroyed." Zhu Ge grabbed Ji Sangyu by the tie and pulled him close.
His burning breath brushed Ji Sangyu's cheek, bringing a flush to his pale face.
"Your life belongs to me."
[Reading guide]: In this story, the character for "ghost" is sometimes written with an alternate form, but the main text will use the standard character.
The story contains supernatural and Chinese horror elements. The couple are each other's only partners, and the love interest has been chaste both before and after death.
The blurb was first drafted on June 20, 2026, and has been documented.
Theme: Cherish the person in front of you.
