Ye Shisan of the Underworld

Legend has it that after people die and reach the underworld, they have two choices. Take the path upward, and they will be reborn, where they will see Granny Meng by the Bridge of Helplessness. One bowl of her Forgetfulness Soup wipes away their past. Take the path downward, and they will enter the Void, where they will see the judge with his vermilion brush. With a few hasty strokes, he writes down the story of their lives, and they must carry on through an aimless existence, still burdened by their past life.

Some people have unresolved feelings, some cling to obsessions, and some are afraid. Whatever the reason, countless souls give up on reincarnation and step into the City of Nothingness. Getting in is easy, but getting back out is hard.

Ye Shisan has lost track of how many years he has spent in the City of Nothingness. All he knows is that not long after arriving, he went to the King of Hell and took a job: helping the people in the city let go of their obsessions and sending them out to begin the path of rebirth again.

But Ye Shisan, who was a young prince in life, looks down on speaking with commoners and only wants to slack off. Still, if he wants to remain in the City of Nothingness, he has to complete at least twelve soul-guiding assignments a year.

One day, a boor arrives in the city. Clumsy in everything he does, he manages to annoy half the ghosts there. Worse, he tramples Ye Shisan's spotless white robes until they are filthy.

If a glare could shoot knives, the man would already be riddled with holes. Yet he has no idea he's offended anyone. Looking up at Ye Shisan, he asks, "Are you a famous courtesan?"

Ye Shisan stares at him for a long while, then uses a phrase he learned in the City of Nothingness: "I'm your daddy."

He Yu: "..."

Some time later, Ye Shisan turns to the man beside him in annoyance. "Why are you following me?"

He Yu smiles faintly. "A father has to feed and clothe his son."

Ye Shisan: "...I don't bring family along to work."

He Yu: "Oh, but family can help. Don't send me away, big brother."

Ye Shisan: "...Fine, I'll send you off first. Tell me how you died and what you're still clinging to."

He Yu: "I died suddenly. My obsession is that I never got to see the endings of Detective Conan and One Piece. I can't accept it. How about you act them out for me?"

Much later, Ye Shisan says, "What were those Detective Conan and One Piece stories you mentioned like? I'll try acting them out for you."

He Yu: "I'm not leaving. Please don't send me away, okay?"

But after that day, there was no more He Yu in the City of Nothingness.

How outsiders see them: Snowy elegance (bottom) x relentless troublemaker (top)

How the other describes them: Foolish beauty (bottom) x gentle and refined (top)

Reader's Guide:

1. The setting is made up. The bottom is from ancient times, the top is from the modern era. They are a mismatched 1v1 couple.

2. Both died at the age of 21, but the ancient one is more mature. Counting their years in the City of Nothingness, the top is technically younger by a small margin~

Theme: Resolve your lingering regrets and find the path to reincarnation