Chapter 49 - My Costar Wants To Go Over Some Details

Yao Shen wakes up the next day feeling as if he has been run over by a truck, and yet still well-rested, his mind clear and sharp.

Which is how he knows he needs to have a fuller picture of what is going on.

"Are you there?" he asks aloud, probing for the, mostly unobtrusive, presence in his mind.

[Yes]

"Were you awake, when I was...uh, in the Underworld?"

It takes the System some time to reply.

[There is a period of time of which this system has no record. Apologies]

Again? How come the Underworld, the restaurant and Xin Hulei's apartment all have the same effect on the System?

In any case, that's not the most important thing at hand.

"My goal is to 'capture' Xin Hulei? Not kill him, right?"

[Affirmative. Host must not kill Demon King Xin Hulei, merely take possession of his spirit stone and use it to control him and send him back to demon realm.]

That's better, no? Xin Hulei is a demon, he should be in the demonic realm -- it makes sense. Regardless of his talk about feeding on fan worship, it would still be fine if he went back to where he came from.

Right?

"Where is the demonic realm?" Xi Zirui asks, slightly confused since his very, very poor, understanding of religion and the supernatural has always led him to believe there were only three realms: The heavenly realm, the human/earthly or middle realm, and the underworld.

[In the Underworld. Calling it the demonic realm is a misnomer, it is a section of the Underworld demons claimed for themselves when they were expelled from Youdu. Not all regions of the Underworld are inhabitable.]

Yao Shen remembers Xie Huan's very barebones backstory in 'Shizun, this disciple will have to kill you'. The very reason why he and Rong Zi infiltrate Frozen Peak is so that they can steal an artifact that can help them save their realm. 

That plotpoint mostly serves to create tension between Xie Huan and Yan Shuyi, and Yao Shen never paid much attention to it, especially because it ends up being irrelevant as Xie Huan abandons his own people to live in the human realm with Yan Shuyi in eternal bliss, forsaking his 'demonic ways' and 'cleansing' himself of his demonic cultivation.

It's a very typical xianxia grand love gesture and 'redemption' story-line , but according to Xin Hulei's own words, that's not what happened.

Yan Shuyi is dead.

And Xin Hulei is very much still on the demonic path. 

Where does Yao Shen fit in the middle of this all?

He decides the best course of action is to ask the System that question directly.

[Information not available.]

Yao Shen falls back on his sheets with a sigh. 

Well, at least he got some answers.

---

Being back on set and filming feels surreal, as if some part of Yao Shen has been undeniably changed by his trip to the Underworld. How can a person handle the fact that their current life is not only one of many reincarnations, but that he also used to be one of the Ghost Kings of the Underworld? 

How are people supposed to find comfort in religion? Yao Shen feels like hyperventilating just thinking about these things, let alone knowing they are real.

"Does Yao laoshi need a break?" Director Chen asks him, concern etched on his fatherly face.

That's how Yao Shen notices how close he was to actually hyperventilating. 

"Uhm, just a short one please, I think I might be coming down with something." That something being a severe case of insanity.

Yao Shen steps away from the cameras and towards the catering table to get a water bottle. The temperature has been steadily rising the past few days and he feels like the proverbial frog in the boiling water.

He needs to focus, and stop panicking. The ghoul isn't here now, he has time. 

He hasn't been trying all that hard, but if he captures Xin Hulei like the system wants him too, then all of this goes away. He doesn't have to kill anyone with terrible mind-controlling bugs, Xin Hulei goes back to demon realm, safe and sound -- and Yao Shen can get on with his life, hopefully for many and long years before he has to see those three again, and either reincarnate into someone else or go back to his Ghost King duties.

Is that something he even wants? Did he like being a Ghost King?

He doesn't expect any of the other three to volunteer an answer, nor for the System to have one.

Eventually, he manages to go through the scenes he has scheduled for the morning. They aren't even very demanding, just Yan Shuyi fielding accusations as other sect masters attack Xie Huan for being arrogant and impetuous.

The real trouble will come later, both for Yao Shen as an actor, as well as for Yan Shuyi as a character.

Yao Shen is making his way through the dining hall when he notices Bi Jialu's excited figure making his way towards him.

"Laoshi, great news!" she says, smiling widely.

Yao Shen very much doubts that anything that makes her smile that wide is a good sign for him. "What is it?"

"Your schedule for the afternoon has been cleared, instead the network has sent over some news media representatives to start the first wave of promotion for the drama." Judging by her smile it means that Yao Shen is going to be showing up in some important talk show and variety show segments.

Bi Jialu keeps rambling. "The whole afternoon will be dedicated to interviews and small game show like interaction between you and Xin laoshi."

The muscles of Yao Shen's face go stiff as he tries to force them into a mask of neutrality. "That's good."

It's then that he notices Xin Hulei observing him at a distance. He makes his way closer, his hands shoved in the convenient hidden pockets of his costume. "My agency would like us to have a concerted approach in regards to some of the questions we might get." 

Xin Hulei nods towards the buffet, his face unreadable. "Grab some food, we can eat in my trailer and go over some details."