Ghost in the palace

The first rays of sunlight slipped quietly through the carved windows of Phoenix Palace.

Golden light spread across the luxurious chamber, illuminating the silk curtains embroidered with phoenixes.

Outside, the palace was peaceful.

Palace maids had not yet entered.

Only the soft singing of birds could be heard.

On the large phoenix bed, Lian An slowly turned beneath the quilt.

"...Mmm..."

She rubbed her eyes lazily.

After returning from the Duke residence yesterday, she had fallen asleep almost immediately.

Her entire body still felt tired from days of wedding preparations.

She stretched comfortably.

"...Finally..."

"A peaceful morning..."

She slowly sat upright.

Her messy hair fell across her face.

Without even looking around, she reached toward the bedside table for a cup of water.

Nothing.

She frowned.

"Hm..."

Then...

She raised her head.

Three faces suddenly filled her vision.

Fen Yu was floating upside down from the bed canopy.

Li Shen had folded his hands behind his back, staring at her as if studying an ancient painting.

Wei Rong stood beside the bed with his arms crossed, silently watching her.

The three ghosts were so close that if they had been alive, she could have felt their breathing.

Silence.

One heartbeat.

Two.

Three.

Lian An’s pupils shrank.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Then—

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

Her scream echoed through the entire Phoenix Palace.

The ghosts jumped nearly as high as the ceiling.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

Fen Yu screamed even louder than Lian An.

Li Shen stumbled backward straight through a bookshelf.

Wei Rong instinctively reached for a sword that wasn’t there anymore.

The three ghosts scattered in complete panic.

Fen Yu hid behind a folding screen.

Li Shen floated halfway into the ceiling before realizing he was still visible to the other ghosts.

Wei Rong hid behind a large porcelain vase.

Lian An clutched the blanket tightly against her chest.

Her heart nearly burst out of her ribs.

"What are you three doing?!"

Fen Yu peeked from behind the folding screen.

"What are YOU doing?!"

"You screamed!"

Lian An pointed at herself.

"I screamed because I woke up and found THREE GHOSTS STARING AT MY FACE!"

Li Shen slowly floated back down.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"...Perhaps..."

"...our distance was slightly inappropriate."

"Slightly?"

"You were practically inside my personal space!"

Wei Rong finally spoke.

"We wanted to see if you were truly awake."

Fen Yu nodded seriously.

"You looked adorable while sleeping."

Lian An stared.

"...You watched me sleep?"

All three ghosts nodded together.

"Yes."

Silence.

Lian An slowly covered her face with both hands.

"I have officially lost all privacy."

Fen Yu looked confused.

"What is privacy?"

Lian An looked toward heaven.

"Someone, please save me."

Before anyone could continue—

Footsteps hurried outside the chamber.

The head maid’s anxious voice rang through the door.

"Your Majesty!"

"Are you alright?"

"We heard your scream!"

Lian An’s eyes widened.

"Oh no."

Fen Yu gasped.

"The maids are coming!"

Li Shen adjusted his robes.

"Quick."

Wei Rong immediately pointed.

"Hide."

Within a heartbeat—

The three ghosts began panicking again.

Fen Yu flew behind the wardrobe but accidentally passed straight through it and landed inside the wall.

"My head is stuck!"

Li Shen tried to look dignified while hiding inside the bookshelf.

Wei Rong stood perfectly still behind a pillar despite being completely invisible to everyone except Lian An.

Lian An looked at the ridiculous scene.

Despite still being frightened...

Her lips twitched.

Then—

She burst into laughter.

The three ghosts looked at each other.

Fen Yu blinked.

"...Why is she laughing?"

Li Shen sighed.

"I believe..."

"...we have become the joke."

Three familiar faces were staring directly at her.

Fen Yu floated upside down from the bed canopy.

Li Shen stood beside the bookshelf with his hands folded behind his back.

General Wei Rong stood beside the window, his arms crossed.

None of them spoke.

None of them smiled.

They simply...

Stared.

Lian An blinked once.

Then twice.

"...Why are you three looking at me like that?"

No one answered.

Fen Yu quickly lowered her eyes.

Wei Rong looked toward the window.

Li Shen suddenly found the floor very interesting.

Lian An frowned.

"...What happened?"

Silence.

Her expression slowly became serious.

"You’ve never been this quiet."

She climbed out of bed and walked toward them.

"Did something happen last night?"

Fen Yu nervously glanced at the other two ghosts.

"You tell her."

Wei Rong immediately replied,

"No."

"You."

Fen Yu puffed her cheeks.

"Why me?"

Li Shen sighed.

"Because you’ll cry if you keep holding it inside."

Fen Yu looked ready to argue.

Instead...

Her eyes suddenly became red.

Lian An’s heart skipped.

She had never seen Fen Yu like this.

She walked closer.

"Fen Yu..."

"What happened?"

Fen Yu sniffled.

"...We did something stupid."

Lian An looked confused.

"What did you do?"

Wei Rong answered quietly,

"We investigated."

Lian An folded her arms.

"Investigated what?"

Li Shen finally spoke.

"Shin Gu."

The room became completely silent.

Lian An’s expression immediately changed.

"You went..."

"...to Shin Gu’s courtyard?"

The three ghosts nodded together.

Lian An rubbed her forehead.

"I told you to be careful."

Wei Rong lowered his head slightly.

"We know."

"But we needed answers."

Lian An let out a slow breath.

"What did you find?"

None of them answered immediately.

Fen Yu hugged herself tightly.

"It was horrible."

Lian An’s voice softened.

"Tell me."

Li Shen nodded slowly.

"We entered the courtyard after everyone had gone to sleep."

"The moment we arrived..."

"...everything felt wrong."

"There were no flowers."

"No birds."

"No insects."

"No servants."

"It was completely silent."

Wei Rong continued,

"Not ordinary silence."

"The kind that makes even ghosts uncomfortable."

Fen Yu shivered just remembering it.

"It felt like the whole place was dead."

Lian An listened quietly without interrupting.

Li Shen continued,

"We searched every room."

"They were empty."

"Cold."

"As though no one had lived there for years."

"But..."

He paused.

"There was one room."

"A single locked room."

Lian An asked softly,

"You opened it?"

Wei Rong nodded.

"I pushed the door open."

His usually calm face became unusually grim.

"The moment it opened..."

"I wanted to leave."

Fen Yu immediately nodded.

"I wanted to run."

Lian An looked between them.

"What was inside?"

Li Shen answered quietly,

"A black altar."

The words hung heavily in the air.

Lian An’s eyes narrowed.

"A black altar..."

Wei Rong slowly continued.

"It was surrounded by black candles."

"Dark talismans."

"Ancient symbols carved into the floor."

"I’ve fought wars."

"I’ve seen battlefields covered in blood."

"But..."

"I have never felt anything like that room."

Fen Yu hugged herself tighter.

"It wasn’t just scary."

"It felt..."

"...hungry."

Lian An frowned.

"Hungry?"

Li Shen nodded.

"The spiritual pressure was overwhelming."

"It felt as though something inside the altar was watching us."

"We weren’t looking at it..."

"It was looking at us."

Silence filled the chamber.

Fen Yu’s voice trembled.

"I thought ghosts couldn’t feel fear anymore."

"I was wrong."

Lian An’s face slowly became serious.

Li Shen continued,

"I recognized some of the symbols."

"Only fragments."

"They appeared in ancient forbidden manuscripts."

"They were connected to rituals that should never have existed."

Lian An whispered,

"So..."

"You believe Shin Gu practices forbidden magic?"

Li Shen answered honestly.

"I cannot prove it."

"But nothing inside that room belonged to righteous cultivation."

Wei Rong nodded.

"Whatever she’s doing..."

"...it’s dangerous."

Fen Yu suddenly grabbed Lian An’s sleeve.

"There is something worse."

Lian An looked at her.

Fen Yu’s voice became almost a whisper.

"I think..."

"...she knows."

Lian An’s eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"When we left..."

Fen Yu swallowed hard.

"The candles suddenly flickered."

"There was no wind."

"It felt like..."

"...the altar noticed us."

Wei Rong slowly nodded.

"I felt it too."

Li Shen lowered his head.

"It was almost as though..."

"...someone opened their eyes."

A chill passed through the room.

Fen Yu looked genuinely frightened.

"What if Shin Gu knows we entered her courtyard?"

"What if she knows we saw that altar?"

"What if..."

Her voice broke.

"...what if she comes after us?"

Lian An remained silent.

Fen Yu continued,

"Li Shen said that altar is connected to forbidden rituals."

"What if..."

"...she uses it against us?"

Wei Rong clenched his fists.

"We’re already dead."

"But..."

"We don’t know what something like that can do to ghosts."

Li Shen spoke quietly,

"If she truly understands those rituals..."

"...she may be capable of destroying wandering souls."

Fen Yu’s eyes filled with tears.

"I don’t want to disappear."

"I finally have a family."

"What if..."

"...she sends us to the Grim Reaper?"

The chamber fell completely silent.

Lian An looked at the three spirits standing before her.

Fen Yu, who was always cheerful.

Wei Rong, who never admitted fear.

Li Shen, who always seemed calm.

Now...

All three were frightened.

Not for themselves.

But because they feared leaving her alone.

Lian An stepped closer.

Her expression softened.

"You foolish ghosts."

Fen Yu blinked.

"You risked yourselves because you were trying to protect me."

Wei Rong looked away awkwardly.

"It was our decision."

Lian An smiled gently.

"And now it’s mine."

The three ghosts looked at her.

"From today onward..."

"No one goes near Shin Gu’s courtyard alone."

"No investigations."

"No heroic plans."

"If we uncover the truth..."

"We’ll do it carefully."

"Together."

Fen Yu sniffled.

"...You’re not angry?"

Lian An shook her head.

"I’m grateful."

She looked at each of them.

"You’ve protected me more than once."

"It’s my turn to protect you."

Fen Yu suddenly burst into tears.

"She really does love us!"

Wei Rong sighed.

"There you go crying again."

"You cried too!"

"I did not."

"You almost did."

Li Shen smiled faintly.

"I believe the General’s eyes became slightly moist."

Wei Rong immediately protested.

"Dust."

Fen Yu looked around the spotless chamber.

"There isn’t any dust!"

Lian An couldn’t help laughing.

The heavy atmosphere finally began to lift.

Even though the danger hadn’t disappeared...

For that brief moment...

The room felt warm again.

Outside, the palace slowly came alive with the beginning of a new day.

But inside Phoenix Palace—

The Empress and her three ghost companions had made a silent promise.

Whatever darkness waited within the palace...

They would face it together.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!