Chapter 46
Big Pineapple's soul floated in midair, his expression grim.
He was dead, but not completely dead.
Because his soul still existed.
Yet he could do nothing, not even leave this place.
None of that mattered. What mattered was that the ant queen was still alive!
Although the ant queen was also gravely wounded, to the point that she could not recover without a decade or two, alive was still alive!
As long as he was still alive, the ant crisis could not be considered resolved.
In the end, he had still failed.
He could only hope that the Asura Clan could develop as quickly as possible during the years he had bought them.
Or that someone would discover what was happening here and finish off that ant.
In truth, Big Pineapple wanted to kill that ant more than anyone right now, but he could do nothing.
He could only drift around this place, and could not even drift very far.
Perhaps this was what they called an earthbound spirit.
Only after a long silence did he tell everyone in the livestream chat about his current situation.
[So Brother Pineapple has turned into an earthbound spirit.]
[Brother Pineapple, do you still have some unfulfilled wish? I heard only people with overly strong obsessions become earthbound spirits.]
[I'm a Daoist priest. Brother Pineapple, want me to perform rites to help you pass on?]
[I'm a monk...]
[Isn't Brother Pineapple's obsession obvious enough? It's that ant queen. Unless someone can kill her, Pineapple might stay like this for the rest of his life.]
[I've never actually seen a ghost in the real world, but I've heard that if an obsession is too strong and a spirit can't dissipate, lingering in the mortal world too long will turn it into an evil ghost.]
[Wait, what? That's a thing too?]
[It's actually pretty simple. Even a living person will go mad if they stay in one place too long without being able to talk to anyone.]
[Brother Pineapple, don't be scared. We'll keep you company. Remember not to turn into an evil ghost.]
"Is there any way for me to leave this place?"
[According to ancient texts, there are two ways. The first is to fulfill your wish. The second is to find a place with good feng shui and bury your body there.
I don't know whether any of this is true, though. After all, this is my first time seeing a situation like yours.]
[Benefactor, how about I give you a sutra for helping souls pass on? Try reciting it a few extra times every day and see whether you can help yourself pass on.]
Big Pineapple's mouth twitched. "What the fuck are you talking about? What do you mean, help myself pass on?!"
And so, Big Pineapple now spent every day chatting with the livestream viewers and his parents.
From time to time, people also gave him psychological support and recited scriptures remotely to keep him from really turning into an evil ghost.
Although he still worried about Yu Ji and Little Pineapple, there was nothing he could do.
And according to the livestream viewers, the most important thing for him now was to put his mind at ease, or he really might turn into an evil ghost.
Originally, Big Pineapple could actually have returned after dying.
But not long ago, after Su Mo discovered those people stirring up trouble, he had simply blocked the way.
Now, anyone who wanted to enter or leave needed Su Mo's personal approval.
Yu Ji wiped away her tears and once again looked toward the sun setting in the west.
Her king had still not returned.
She knew her king would never return.
Little Pineapple was very considerate. Watching his mother weep, he never asked when his father would return.
Because he knew his father was a hero to the entire Asura Clan.
Nor had he forgotten his father's words when he left, telling him to take good care of his mother.
After that day, Yu Ji never came here again to wait for her king's return.
Instead, she began taking Little Pineapple along as she handled the Asura Clan's affairs.
It was not that she had never sent people to search for Big Pineapple.
Rather, that entire section of the ant nest had collapsed completely, and even now, they had yet to dig a single passage all the way through.
The ant queen's disappearance, the ants' chaos, and the decline in mosquito numbers.
These allowed a touch of green to appear on the surface once more.
The Asura Clan also moved out of their underground caves.
Five years passed, and their king still had not returned.
Thanks to five years of favorable weather and the various texts Big Pineapple had left behind long ago.
The Asura Clan's population had now reached five hundred thousand.
Although their work excavating the ant nest had never stopped over the years, they still had not found their king's body.
All these years, Yu Ji had kept herself busy, because only that way could she keep herself from longing for her king.
That day, Yu Ji looked at Little Pineapple sitting on the throne, handling affairs just as Big Pineapple had, and fell into a slight daze.
"Mother, you're here."
Zhang Aimin stood and walked toward Yu Ji.
Hearing Little Pineapple's words, she watched her son walk toward her, now a full head taller than she was.
My king, Aimin has grown up!
He really has become a worthy king, just like you!
My king, can you see this?
My king, Yu Ji misses you.
Little Pineapple came up to Yu Ji. Seeing the sudden glimmer of tears at the corners of his mother's eyes, he asked in confusion, "Mother, what's wrong?"
Yu Ji raised a hand to wipe away the moisture at the corners of her eyes, then smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking how Aimin has grown up. In the future, you'll surely lead the Asura Clan toward its future, just like your father."
"Mother, why are you saying this?"
Yu Ji shook her head again. "I'm a little tired. I'd like to go out for a walk."
With that, Yu Ji left the great hall.
My king, Yu Ji has fulfilled what you entrusted to her.
Aimin has grown up.
Yu Ji can come find you now, too.
Inside the great hall, Little Pineapple watched his mother's departing back without speaking.
He knew what his mother was going to do.
But he did not stop her.
He knew his mother had been suffering all these years.
So all he could do was work even harder to do his very best.
Only after his mother's figure had disappeared completely did Zhang Aimin return to his throne and continue handling the Asura Clan's affairs.
Yu Ji left, taking three hundred members of the Asura Clan with her.
She had wanted to leave that place long ago.
To leave that Asura Clan without her king.
But Aimin had still been young.
She had promised her king that she would raise Little Pineapple to adulthood.
Now, Little Pineapple had grown up, and she had fulfilled her promise to her king.
Now, she only wanted to find her king and bring him back.
She knew her king hated loneliness most of all.
All these years, her king had been alone. He would not be used to it.
My king, Yu Ji is coming to find you.
Don't worry. From now on, Yu Ji will always stay by your side.
After ten uninterrupted years of livestreaming, even though people kept chatting with Big Pineapple every day, he still grew tired of it.
All the more so when he was stuck in this pitch-black underground place the entire time.
That day, a thunderous crash rang out, and a faint ray of light shone in.
The light was very dim. It did not seem to be shining in directly; it was probably a tiny bit of reflected light.
But to Big Pineapple, who had spent years in darkness, even this little bit of light counted as a rare sight.
"Your Majesty, we've opened a passage over here."