Chapter 29 After two days of admiring the lotus blossoms, Yan Chao departed...

Two days later, Yan Chao left Xingfeng Xiaozhu.

She shook the string of sandalwood beads, thinking that she would have to wait a while, so she sat down under a tree. Just as she closed her eyes, she heard a voice from not far ahead: "I'm sorry, miss, please forgive Yaxin for being late."

Yan Chao suddenly opened his eyes and saw a simply dressed, short man standing five steps away from him with his head slightly lowered. Seeing the man's ashamed expression, Yan Chao thought to himself, "Where did I get so late? Only a few breaths have passed."

Yan Chao stood up and said, "I have long admired Ya Xin's reputation. Everyone says that you are the most punctual people in heaven and earth. Seeing you today, I can see that your reputation is indeed well-deserved. However, I did not agree on a specific time with Lord Ghost King beforehand, and you arrived in just a few breaths, so you are really not late." Yan Chao did not know how people in the Ghost Realm called Feng Xi, but guessed that not many people knew his real name. However, calling him Gongzi Lian seemed inappropriate, so he used this title that could not be faulted.

Ya Xin replied very respectfully, "You flatter me, young lady. It is all I should do."

Ya Xin is a ferryman who travels between the human and ghost realms. Most of them are nameless and faceless wandering ghosts who have no origin and are naturally unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation, thus becoming ferrymen.

Unlike ordinary ghosts, they are not bound by day and night and can come and go freely. Their duties are: first, to guide the deceased into the Twin Cities at any time; second, on important festivals such as the Ghost Festival, after the guides cross the Bridge of Remembrance, to light lamps and pray for the deceased at the Tree of Rebirth.

Because they are nameless and faceless, and calling them wandering ghosts doesn't sound nice, they have a more pleasant collective name—Ya Xin (雅信).

Yan Chao said, "Shall we set off now?"

Ya Xin said, "That's fine. But it's still early. My master said that if you'd like, young lady, I can take you to visit Nian Bridge first..."

"Yes, yes!"

Before Ya Xin could finish speaking, Yan Chao readily agreed. Having lived so long, he had traveled to most parts of the human world, but he had never had the chance to visit Tiandu and the Ghost Realm. Now that this opportunity had been delivered to his doorstep, it would be a shame not to go.

Ya Xin raised her hand and drew a talisman, which created a door. Ya Xin explained, "This place is a bit far from the Ghost Realm. My magic power is insufficient, so it will take some time to walk here. Please don't mind, young lady."

Yan Chao shook his head to indicate that he was fine, and the two went in together in silence.

Yan Chao wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Ya Xin was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. His eyes also looked a bit strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange about them.

Yan Chao thought to himself, "It must be because I didn't rest well at home, so my mind started to wander."

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, when the door opened again, a bizarre and wonderful world unfolded before her.

The first thing that catches the eye is a bridge made of glazed tiles, which is the Liaonian Bridge. Below the bridge is the Qiandu River, which stretches as far as the eye can see. Many lotus buds are growing in the river, and the flowers and leaves are transparent. Many shimmering blue spots appear in the river, making the lotus flowers look like phantoms in the water, dreamlike and ethereal.

Across the bridge stands a tree, covered with strips of cloth, no different from any other tree in the world. The only difference is that the strips are not all red, but red and white, covered with prayers for the deceased; this is the Tree of Rebirth.

Looking up, the sky lanterns form a constellation of stars, a key to communication between the living and the dead, where though separated by time, the longing remains.

Yan Chao followed Ya Xin to the bridge. She gazed at her reflection at her feet, remaining silent for a long time. Seeing her silence, Ya Xin couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about, young lady?"

Yan Chao snapped out of his reverie, chuckled, and said, "I was wondering what it will be like when I come back next time?"

Ya Xin didn't discern any particular emotion in her expression, assuming she simply enjoyed the scenery. He then recommended, "Miss, you can come again during the New Year festival. At that time, the lotus flowers along the Qian Du River will bloom, and these lights will turn golden. The living and the dead will hold a lantern festival on the Liao Nian Bridge. I'm sure you'll love it."

Yan Chao smiled but did not answer. Instead, she turned and walked towards the Tree of Rebirth. She casually picked up a red cloth strip, on which was written, "Peace in every life, early reincarnation, and may we meet again."

Yan Chao turned to the side and asked, "Why are there two different colors of cloth strips here?"

Ya Xin did not answer immediately, but pointed to the two roads ahead and said, "The road on the left leads to Wangsheng City, and it is marked in red; the road on the right leads to Wangsheng City, and it is marked in white."

Yan Chao then grabbed a strip of white cloth with the words "Redeem your sins and repent of your past mistakes" written on it.

On one side is hope, on the other is delusion.

Your destination is just a matter of a single thought.

Ya Xin looked at Yan Chao, her eyes devoid of emotion, and said calmly, "No matter what kind of person someone is, there will always be someone who cares about them."

Yan Chao paused for a moment, then murmured, "What about those who are destined to be forgotten?"

Ya Xin didn't hear clearly and asked, "What did you say, young lady?"

Yan Chao waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. Where are we going next?"

Ya Xin pointed in the direction of Wangsheng City and said, "Let's go find the master."

Yan Chao followed Ya Xin, and the more they walked, the more desolate and eerie the atmosphere became, filled with a gloomy and oppressive air. Black crows occasionally flew overhead, cawing loudly. Yan Chao, however, did not feel frightened. Instead, he missed Mo Mo and wondered if Xiao Shan and the others were alright.

On the way here, we encountered many Ya Xin escorting the dead. Most of them were dressed in white and had no expression. Some of the dead they were escorting had disheveled hair and missing limbs, while others were dressed in fine clothes and had radiant faces.

Looking at the man before him, he saw that he was neither dressed like his colleagues nor had the same expressionless face. Though both were men of refined character, this man was clearly more vibrant.

Yan Chao asked in bewilderment, "Why do you two, both of you, behave so differently? Are you, like these two cities, different in your ways?"

Ya Xin turned around and smiled, somewhat smugly saying, "No, they're all the same. It's just that I'm the most special one."

Just then, Yan Chao's vision suddenly cleared, and a patchwork of red and green came into view.

This is a huge incense burner.

The three incense sticks in the incense burner burned slowly, and the escorted spirits all stopped in front of the incense burner to bow. Their expressions varied; some were in pain, as if resigned to their fate; others were joyful, confident and fearless, completely unaware of the ending they were about to face.

Yan Chao followed Ya Xin behind. After passing through the incense burner door, there was a long corridor that seemed to stretch on forever.

On both sides of the long corridor are bottomless pools of water, from which terrifying roars and wails occasionally emanate. On the surface of the water float the eerie, greenish remnants of souls, bleeding from their seven orifices. They have been trapped in the pools year after year, having long lost their minds, yet they desperately want to break free.

They clung desperately to the stone slabs with their remaining limbs; if they had no limbs, they used their teeth to bite; and if they had no teeth, they stared hungrily at the "people" passing by, praying that one of them would accidentally fall into the water and sink with them, becoming their meal...

This cycle continues until the day the soul is completely devoured.

As if on cue, a figure had indeed fallen into the water. The remnants of the spirits in the water pounced on him, devouring and tearing at him, emitting cackling laughter. He struggled and cried for help, but no one paid him any attention. In an instant, the "person" became one of their own.

Seeing this, those behind, fearing they might fall behind, lined up tightly in the middle, showing remarkable unity, with no one daring to fall behind.

As they walked, they came to a huge black building.

This building was truly magnificent and solemn. Its pillars, roof, and exterior walls were all painted a somber and dignified black, far surpassing the grandeur of Chunshan Tower. Beyond its solemnity, it possessed an additional layer of intimidating power. Those "people" felt a sense of dread simply by looking at it. The interior was eerily quiet, devoid of any sound. This must be Gongzi Lian's main hall.

Ya Xin said in a low voice, "The master is inside. Miss, you can go in directly. I won't accompany you."

Yan Chao was about to thank him when, in the blink of an eye, the man had disappeared.

Yan Chao chuckled, thinking to herself that Ya Xin was truly elusive, appearing and disappearing without a trace. She followed behind into the main hall, which was quite "lively" inside.

As soon as you enter, a beautifully made-up marionette suddenly falls from above and meets the gaze of a "person." The marionette gives a mechanical smile and says, "Would you like to dance with me?" Before the "person" can answer, the marionette wraps its arms around the "person's" neck and instantly transforms into a puppet, completely at their mercy.

Those behind dared not utter a sound; one was even so frightened he tried to run away. But a thread ghost, whose entire body was sewn together, held it in his hand as if it were an ant. The thread ghost played with it for a while, then swallowed it whole. It licked its lips as if it had tasted something delicious. The thread ghost looked down at these little creatures, but couldn't find a single one that suited its taste, so it had to leave dejectedly.

Next, some were roasted by fire, some were drowned, some had their tongues cut out and eyes gouged out, and some were pierced through the heart by a thousand arrows...

They awaited their second death one by one, trembling with fear and begging for mercy, but one was always an exception.

He was the last of these undead. No one knows what methods he used or what price he paid, but he seemed completely unconcerned about dying again.

Yan Chao watched the show quietly from the back.

He swaggered to the end of the hall, where a figure in blue was casually leaning against a chair.

The distance was a bit far, and Yan Chao couldn't see clearly, but the person was Feng Xi.

After a moment of silence, he said, "I want to be reincarnated! To be born as a human being in every life!"

She seemed to hear Feng Xi chuckle lazily, saying, "Being reborn as a human in every life? What good is that? Now that you've come to this City of Delusion, you should know the outcome. Being reborn as a human? You don't even deserve that."

He didn't care at all, and instead became even more arrogant: "I'm different from them! I'm a great philanthropist! I build bridges, pave roads, and establish charitable institutions, isn't every one of them a good deed? Those people just died, and I'm still perfectly fine, isn't that enough?!"

Feng Xi said, "Not enough."

He scoffed and said, "I know, it's just a lack of money, right? I have money! I have lots of money!"

"You say you build bridges and pave roads, but you use inferior materials. How many innocent souls have died because of the collapses? Can you even count them?"

"You openly build charitable institutions to take in orphans, but behind their backs you coerce those children into committing illicit acts with you. How much blood has flowed from their bodies? Can you wipe it all clean?"

The man panicked immediately, but still refused to budge, saying, "So what? I'll just exchange my soul for yours!"

Feng Xi said, "How much is your soul worth? It's filthy."

Feng Xi's words were full of contempt, as if he was unwilling to listen to any more of his nonsense. With a slight lift of his index finger, he turned into ashes and merged into the foundation of the hall.

Feng Xi slowly stood up, looked at Yan Chao who was still watching the show, and smiled, "Are you enjoying the peach blossoms?"

As Yan Chao walked forward, he clapped his hands and said, "Lord Ghost King is mighty! I have long admired Young Master Lian's name, and to meet him today is truly an eye-opening experience!"

Yan Chao walked up to him and finally saw Feng Xi's appearance clearly.

He was still dressed in blue, his skin as white as jade. Only now his hair was as white as frost, and beneath the silver-threaded wolf-fox mask, his features were more defined. Though his true face was not visible, his composure and calmness were evident. Compared to the boy before, he now resembled a man more.

She couldn't see his eyes, but she had a feeling that he was smiling when he looked at her.

Feng Xi removed his mask, revealing a white lotus mark on his forehead, giving him an air of otherworldly elegance. Yet, the wild and untamed spirit between his brows added a touch of the sinister charm of a demon king. The two qualities blended perfectly within him, without any sense of incongruity.

His eyes were still as bright as stars, but his left eye was gray.

Yan Chao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's get to know each other again. My name is Yan Chao."

"I say that autumn days surpass spring mornings."

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Author's Note: Sorry I'm late! Four consecutive days of updates this week, then three days on break.