That Ghost Has Been Chasing Me for Five Hundred Years

Main couple: one-on-one romance

A righteous, ethereal, ice-cold bottom (actually, an old hand at getting by in the immortal realm) x a wicked, arrogant, seductive top (actually, a lovesick fool in the underworld)

Exorcising ghosts, and getting involved with a young ghost from 500 years ago. I don't like catching ghosts; ghosts like catching me.

Sweet romance, happy ending, lots of sugar.

An innocent Heavenly Venerable who flirts without realizing it, and a lovesick Underworld Venerable who is completely bewitched. Sweet, flirtatious romance, with a side of revenge.

---The blurb---

The wealthiest young master of the Shen family in the eastern part of the city died young at the age of 22, unmarried. A Taoist master took his pulse and determined that the young master's fate was too weak to survive the trial of death.

Old Master Shen stroked his beard and asked, "Then may I ask, Master, is there any way to bring him back?"

The master smacked his lips. "I'm afraid not. The dead are gone. But his fortune in the afterlife is insufficient, which may make it difficult for him to enter the six paths of reincarnation."

Old Master Shen looked as if he understood. "Then what would you suggest, Master?"

The master flicked his horsetail whisk. "Since ancient times, marriage has been a way to improve one's fate. A husband and wife share a fate, supporting and strengthening each other. It is the best way to defy heaven and change one's destiny."

Mrs. Shen's eyes lit up. "Do you mean we should arrange a ghost marriage for my son?"

The master nodded with an inscrutable expression. "Precisely."

After some thought, Mrs. Shen listed all the families she knew who had daughters. "The Zhao family's daughter in the north comes from a good family. The Li family's daughter in the west is still young. Then there's the Duan family in the south..."

The master gave a cold snort. "No, no. The bride for your son must be chosen by fate!"

"Fate?" Old Master Shen and Mrs. Shen asked in unison.

The master cleared his throat. "Ahem... I'll know after I cast a divination."

And so the Yun family, blessed with the luck of heaven, woke up to the news that they'd won the "grand prize": their eldest daughter was to marry a dead man with the worst luck imaginable.

The Yun family had fallen on hard times and owed a mountain of debt. They were so poor that only four living people remained in the household. Unable to bear the thought of the Shen family mistreating his little sister, the young master of the Yun family dressed as a woman and climbed into the bright red bridal sedan.

The Shen family's matchmaker escorted the bride to the bridal chamber, smiling as she offered her reassurances. "Miss Yun, how lucky you are! Master Zhang says your family has the strongest fate in all of Qingzhou. You can help the Shen family's young master ascend to immortality, which is why this auspicious match fell to you! Once you marry into the Shen family, you'll never have to worry about the rest of your life!"

Beneath his red veil, Yun Qianling's mouth twitched. In a high-pitched voice, he asked, "Would you take this lucky match if it were offered to you?"

When the auspicious hour arrived, they sent the bride into the bridal chamber. Yun Qianling opened the coffin lid and climbed inside, intending to get it over with and sleep until morning. To his surprise, strands of blood-red silk suddenly shot out of the coffin and bound him tightly.

Yun Qianling's mouth twitched. "Don't tell me we're doing the ghost thing again..."

The fierce ghost: "Huh?! Why is it a man?"

Yun Qianling: "Heh... Sorry to disappoint you."

The fierce ghost: "This is great!"

Yun Qianling: "??? Fine, I'll put a mark on you. You're mine now. If anyone bullies you, give them my name."

The fierce ghost touched the cursed seal on his neck. "Why should I?! Believe me, I'll kill you!"

Yun Qianling: "Go ahead and try. If you don't behave, it'll hurt!"

The fierce ghost: "Oh? I'd like to see just how much it hurts."

Yun Qianling: "Lord Jiufang, you... Wait... I was joking... You're serious?!"

Yun Qianling knelt before the statue of the Heavenly Venerable in the Hall of Supreme Clarity, listening to the lecture with his mind elsewhere.

His master shook his horsetail whisk and waved a hand. "Five hundred years ago, a hundred demons created a god, the Supreme Clarity Sect massacred a city, an evil god descended, and the Jade Clarity Sect subdued its soul. Surely you've heard all four legends?"

Yun Qianling shook his head. "Never heard of them."

His master's eyes widened. "Excellent! You truly are a cultivation prodigy, one in ten thousand! Your mind is wonderfully free of distractions!"

Yun Qianling: "Huh? My father sent me here just to hide from ghosts, not to cultivate!"

His master: "Young man, my judgment is the measure! I've made up my mind, you're the one!"

Yun Qianling: "Then can I... bring this fierce ghost along?"

His master: "Don't be ridiculous!"

Yun Qianling: "You don't understand. He's a stray dog I've adopted. I can tell him who to bite, and he'll do it. He's very obedient."

Is it cheating if an exorcist brings a ghost along to catch ghosts?

Theme: Kindness isn't weakness. It's the most powerful weapon.