Liu Buli's condition persisted for longer than they had anticipated.
Nearly half a year passed before the frequency of Liu Buli's madness gradually subsided.
Another year went by. Shen Muzhi observed him closely for several months, and upon confirming that he no longer experienced any relapses and that the demonic energy within his body had achieved a balance with his spiritual energy, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and declared to Liu Buli that the treatment was now completely over.
Upon hearing Shen Muzhi's words, Liu Buli felt like a prisoner released from their sentence; the sense of relaxation was beyond description.
During this period, Ghost City had indeed been transformed by everyone's collective efforts, becoming entirely different from its former state.
Houses and the city itself were rebuilt.
However, these were merely fundamental issues.
The most crucial development was Lu Wuming using his ghost energy to create artificial light sources, dividing Ghost City into distinct periods of day and night.
According to him, he had initially sought a similar magical artifact to solve the problem, but no suitable substitute existed. Thus, he had to use his own ghost energy as a sun-like light source to illuminate the entire Ghost City. After six hours, he would retract his ghost energy, establishing a clear division between day and night.
When he first began this endeavor, the other ghost tribes in Ghost City were somewhat unaccustomed to it. However, they gradually discovered that having light was not necessarily a bad thing.
Their previous aversion to light, they realized, stemmed solely from the fact that their living environment had never possessed any light sources. Now, with light and after adapting to it, they found that light itself caused them no harm.
The perceived harm they had experienced before was merely the constraint of unfamiliarity.
Upon realizing this, they gradually began to enjoy the sensation of the changing day and night. With the illumination of light, many things became clearer than before, and life seemed to offer more choices.
Beyond this, there was another, even more significant development.
When Liu Buli's condition had somewhat stabilized, he set up a large pot on a street in the center of Ghost City with Lu Wuming. He then had Lu Wuming personally cook for the ghost tribes in Ghost City for over ten days.
Initially, Lu Wuming disagreed with Liu Buli's arrangement.
However, when Lu Wuming voiced his refusal, Liu Buli did not force him. Instead, he nodded understandingly and told Lu Wuming that if he was unwilling to do it, Liu Buli would do it himself.
This statement, though seemingly normal, was the greatest threat to Lu Wuming.
Putting aside whether their master's cooking was good or not, the crucial point was that even Lu Wuming himself rarely allowed Liu Buli to cook. What right did those ghost tribes have to eat food personally prepared by their master?
Lu Wuming was one hundred percent against this.
It was precisely for this reason that the entire cooking responsibility was handed over to him.
Liu Buli sat nearby, arranging for Shisan and Chu Er to help serve the food. Watching the ghost tribes eat with delight, Liu Buli felt immensely satisfied.
In truth, from the very beginning, he had no intention of cooking himself.
His purpose in arranging this was to let the ghost tribes know that the cuisine from the human world was far more delicious than they could imagine.
However, his own skills were lacking. If he had cooked himself, he would have been unable to evoke any sense of wonder in the ghost tribes.
But Lu Wuming was different.
To cater to Liu Buli's picky eating habits, Lu Wuming had already honed his culinary skills to perfection. Even if those ghost tribes were to travel to the cultivation world, they would be hard-pressed to find restaurants that served better food than Lu Wuming's.
Liu Buli was aware of this.
Therefore, after Lu Wuming had cooked for over ten days, ensuring that all the surviving ghost tribes in Ghost City were well-fed and happy, Liu Buli once again presented Lu Wuming, in his capacity as the new Ghost King, to reiterate the dietary principles he had once taught Shisan to the ghost tribes.
In essence, Lu Wuming, as a fellow ghost, had never consumed a human but was far stronger than any of them.
This lesson, in its initial intent, was flawless.
However, Liu Buli had no idea how it happened, but the ghost tribes, after listening repeatedly, ultimately concluded that they needed to eat more of the kind of food Lu Wuming cooked to become as strong as him.
Consequently, a culinary craze inexplicably swept through Ghost City.
Liu Buli considered this a good thing.
He specifically instructed Lu Wuming to write down all his recipes. Countless copies were made by his subordinates, ensuring that every household in Ghost City had one. Witnessing their diligent practice, Liu Buli felt a great sense of gratification.
Building upon this, Liu Buli also established a multitude of study classes. One aspect was teaching culinary skills, while another was teaching literacy and the principles of the world. In his exuberance, he even had Shen Muzhi join him in teaching the principles of alchemy. There was no compulsion; anyone in Ghost City who wished to learn could attend.
The initial aspects were, of course, handled by Lu Wuming and Shen Muzhi.
However, for the latter subjects, even with Shen Muzhi and You Siqi willing to assist, Liu Buli often had to take the lead himself.
Originally, Liu Buli's intention was for everyone to learn to read and write. As for the other subjects, they were entirely voluntary, and he had no intention of forcing anyone.
What he did not anticipate was that the reforms he had implemented in Ghost City over the past year had elevated his image in the hearts of all the ghost tribes to a level as lofty as a deity.
Thus, no matter what Liu Buli intended to teach, the ghost tribes of Ghost City listened with utmost reverence.
In the end, Liu Buli had no choice but to sit outside the newly constructed Ghost King's Palace and use his spiritual energy to amplify his voice, transmitting it to every corner of Ghost City.
While he was doing this, Lu Wuming was consumed by jealousy but could not say anything. His master had told him that he was the king of the ghost realm, and everything his master did was merely to consolidate his position. Therefore, no matter how many people worshipped his master, he could not express any dissatisfaction.
Time passed day by day.
Under Liu Buli's guidance, Ghost City continued to improve.
However, a peculiar rumor also began to circulate within the city.
Everyone believed that their current King was merely a figurehead, a puppet king in name only.
The true Ghost King, they felt, was that omnipotent beauty.
No, he shouldn't be called the Ghost King.
He should be called the deity who saved the ghost realm.