Chapter 81 Let me guess who your lover is.

Chu Shu now looked more rugged than before, with a high ponytail and a slightly unkempt appearance, exuding a dashing and heroic air. Xu Zangyu was particularly envious of her voluptuous figure.

He scanned the wall and firmly chose the sideburns on the far left.

Although he had a fierce expression and a scar on his face, it was clearly the face of a chivalrous knight-errant, and his physique was probably no worse than Chu Shu's.

The boss really doesn't know how to do business; he just put it in the corner where it's gathering dust.

"That one will do."

He pointed to the masks on the wall, and both of them froze after he finished speaking. Chu Shu was speechless, unable to understand why Xu Zangyu liked this kind of thing, while the makeup artist covered her lips and laughed, "Are you sure you want this one? This is a face that we haven't sold in half a year."

"How could no one choose this style?" Xu Zangyu couldn't understand why any man wouldn't like this heroic style.

The mask flew into the makeup artist's hand. Xu Zangyu reached out to take it, and the realistic fleshy texture made him tremble with fear. So he was a little slow in putting it on, and just then he heard what the makeup artist was about to say.

"This man was a notorious bandit who struck fear into the hearts of all, committing arson, murder, robbery, and rape. He once wiped out a village of 101 people, and finally died at the hands of a chivalrous knight-errant."

She pointed at Chu Shu, "Look, it's the one next to you. I'm completely smitten with this chivalrous man. If it weren't for the fact that the Ferryman wanted to buy him, I would definitely treasure this face."

Xu Zangyu had a lot to say, so he silently put the card down again.

"If you want that face, I'll give it to you at half price. However, if you go to the underworld with that face, you'd better watch out for your past enemies."

"I think I'll get a different one." Xu Zangyu silently returned the mask; he simply couldn't bear to deal with such a wicked person.

The makeup artist did not stop him, but watched him with a smile, as if she had already made up her mind to return the favor.

Xu Zangyu spent a long time choosing, and the makeup artist said, "Those who sell their faces here are either struggling to make a living or ashamed to face the world. Apart from the vicious person you just chose, the others are basically good and kind people."

He breathed a sigh of relief, chose a handsome young man's robe, and after putting it on, he suddenly looked much shorter than Chu Shu. His waist was so thin that his original clothes couldn't even stay on. Xu Cangyu felt an indescribable itch all over.

However, considering that he was still getting used to his new body, Xu Zangyu didn't pay much attention to it.

Just as the two were about to head to the Yellow Springs, Xu Zangyu was stopped by a white-bearded Taoist priest holding a "divination and fortune-telling" divination stick, who immediately launched into the usual swindling rhetoric of the martial arts world.

“Young master, I see that your forehead is dark, which means you will face a calamity soon.”

The old Taoist priest was quite unserious; he winked mischievously at him and smiled obsequiously, "Want to take a look? No charge if you don't approve."

"I am short of money and will not trouble you today, sir."

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” the old Taoist waved his hand. “I’m not a money-grubber. Young master, you can owe me for now.”

"I don't like owing people things."

Xu Zangyu remained silent, but the old Taoist remained calm and composed, twirling three copper coins in his hand. "I'm not referring to the person with the young master's face."

Xu Zangyu took two steps, then suddenly turned around, "What do you mean?"

Chu Shu's expression also changed abruptly, a hint of wariness appearing in her eyes as she began to observe carefully.

This Taoist priest is neither human nor ghost. Although he is a demon, his demonic aura is faint. This is either due to his extraordinary acquired abilities or his powerful cultivation that allows him to conceal his presence.

Although he showed no hostility, Chu Shu could no longer ignore the fact that he had his eye on Xu Zangyu.

The golden fan, transformed into a golden scimitar, was tucked into his waistband, its warning meaning self-evident.

The old Taoist stroked his beard and laughed, "Don't be nervous, I just want to earn a few taels of silver."

Xu Zangyu walked up to the old Taoist's stall and asked, "Tell me, what kind of calamity awaits me?"

The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "Let me take a look at the young master's palm."

Xu Zangyu did as instructed and stretched out his hand, watching the other person trace the lines on his palm with their fingers. Suddenly, his body felt like it was being electrocuted, and his waist felt incredibly weak. This body was just too strange.

After reading it, the old Taoist priest remarked, "The young master had many patrons during his lifetime."

Just as Chu Shu was about to draw his sword, he added, "I was referring to the owner of this face."

Xu Zangyu gritted her teeth, cursing the makeup artist for not explaining things clearly before selling the items.

He withdrew his hand. "The calamity you just spoke of..."

"This is a calamity that has not yet passed."

He tossed two copper coins on the table. “The swamp is trapped, making every step difficult. If you want to overcome this tribulation, you need the help of others.”

He took out a palm-sized brocade pouch and said, "This is a brilliant plan I'm giving to the young master. Whether you do it or not is entirely up to you."

This Taoist priest had a knack for being mysterious, saying things that seemed unrelated yet somehow managed to manipulate people's hearts. Xu Cangyu suspected that he was colluding with the makeup artist to deliberately trick him again.

He was about to open the brocade pouch when he was stopped. "Since it is a brilliant plan, it should only be opened in times of crisis."

The pouch wasn't empty; inside was a small box, but he couldn't tell what was inside.

Xu Zangyu admitted defeat, tossed him twenty taels of silver, put the brocade pouch in his pocket, and then left with Chu Shu.

When he turned back halfway, the old Taoist priest was indeed gone. Xu Cangyu sighed, "Could he have come here just to fool me?"

Chu Shu remained silent, and after using her spiritual power to investigate, she found nothing dangerous, so she let him put it away.

The boat to the underworld has set sail.

The River Styx is dotted with starlight, like fireflies drifting across the sky. Some fall into the water and are swallowed by fish, while many more swim about like duckweed with nowhere to go.

Xu Zangyu reached out and caught a sliver of starlight that was about to fall. The starlight clung to his hand and refused to leave. "What is this?"

Chu Shu slapped the object out of his hand, and the starlight flew away in a flash. "This is a shattered soul. After the soul is scattered, it wanders in the underworld with nowhere to go. This thing is like a parasite that likes to stick to people. Just get rid of it."

Xu Zangyu stared at the river for a long time, lost in thought. According to the original story, the original owner was devoured by the Black Mountain Demon Insects and became a scourge. The protagonist, Xiao Mingxin, eliminated the scourge and attained enlightenment. In the end, would he also become a faint starlight above the River Styx?

Some of these shattered souls were devoured by fish in the water, while others were caught in a large net on the shore, becoming the appetite of ghosts and monsters, and eventually disappearing without a trace.

He noticed people in the corner of the riverbank casting a large net to scoop up starlight from the river. They searched through the fine starlight, but when they didn't find what they wanted, they poured it away and cast the net again.

That net was no ordinary item; it was a high-level spirit-catching net used by cultivators to capture souls.

This person was not a demon or monster, but someone who, like him, had infiltrated the Yellow Springs Ferry.

He had been casting the net for who knows how long; he was almost soaked through, emaciated, and his eyes were filled with despair. "Why didn't it work? Why!"

Xu Zangyu: "He wouldn't be trying to piece together those shattered souls, would he? Is that even possible?"

He heard Chu Shu scoff, but it wasn't mockery; rather, it carried a bitter taste of self-pity. "Shattered souls have nowhere to go and will eventually dissipate. Besides, there are countless shattered souls in the River Styx. What does he think he can gain?"

The shadow gradually faded into the distance. The small boat passed through the Yellow Springs Ferry. The skeletal ghost soldiers on the city walls stared eerily at both banks of the River Styx. Like the others, the two boats were also stopped. Xu Zangyu saw the ghost soldiers holding a portrait for comparison, seemingly looking for someone.

When it was his turn, the portrait was compared to his face, and Xu Zangyu finally saw the person in the portrait clearly.

It was him.

The Yin soldiers compared the items for a long time but found nothing wrong. Suddenly, Chu Shu grabbed Xu Cangyu's waist and made him let out a soft moan. He quickly bit his tongue, not daring to look at Chu Shu's strange gaze.

“Sir, you should be able to tell that he is not the person in the portrait,” Chu Shu said.

Yin Bing snorted coldly and put away the portrait. "I saw him at Hua Xiang Lou not long ago. I didn't expect him to have a new customer so soon."

Only after realizing that nothing was amiss did they allow the two to pass.

Xu Cangyu broke free from Chu Shu's hand and sat in the cabin, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Why is there a portrait of me here in Huangquan?"

"Of course someone is looking for you. Why don't you guess who it is?" Chu Shu said with a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Xu Zangyu: "Is the Yellow Springs a place that ordinary people can come to?"

Little did he know who had gone to all this trouble to find him.

"Of course not, but there's always someone who would go to great lengths for Junior Brother, isn't there? Let me guess, is this person Junior Brother's—adulterer?"

"Xiao Mingxin, Xue Wenxiang, or Wen Qianchu?"

Chu Shuyue's words filled Xu Cangyu with increasing alarm. "You...you haven't lost your memory?"

Chu Shu narrowed her eyes. "If I hadn't lost my memory, how would I have known that my junior brother would want to remove the blood seal the moment he saw me? Junior brother spoke so decisively, do you have a clear conscience?"

Xu Cangyu lowered his head, his voice slightly hoarse, "It's because I feel guilty that I don't want to continue lying. I am not a gentleman; I only act to achieve my goals. As the sect leader said, I am not a good match."

"Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? Do you care whether you're a gentleman or not?"

Chu Shu suddenly fell silent. Whether he was being used or not was no longer important. What he cared about was who was in Xu Zangyu's heart.

He was even willing to give away his vital essence.

*

Yunxiang Tower.

The little demon, curled up on the ground, had been tortured and was barely clinging to life; its soul was almost crushed.

“Wen Jun, this little demon is mute and illiterate, forcing her won’t work.”

The Ghost King wasn't embracing a beauty this time; he was still living a life of drunken revelry, clutching a wine jug.

"You've been searching for your little apprentice for so many years. If he were really alive, wouldn't he come to see you? There are many beauties in the Flower Pavilion. Why not enjoy yourself while you can instead of suffering torment yourself?"

"A new recruit came recently, and he does resemble your little apprentice somewhat. Would you like me to introduce him to you?"

Wen Qianchu pushed the drunkard who was leaning against his back away, "I believe he's not dead."

The Ghost King couldn't help but complain in his heart, thinking, "Why are you guarding the Yellow Springs for so long when the person isn't even dead?"

He stumbled and fell onto the bed, saying, "You didn't actually think I hid someone, did you?"

Wen Qianchu stared blankly, remaining silent. Seeing this, the Ghost King clicked his tongue and said, "Wen Jun, does your little disciple know how much his good master loves him?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Qianchu immediately rebuked him, but the Ghost King was even more amused, and his gaze towards Wen Qianchu carried a hint of mockery for his sanctimonious attitude.

He shook the wine jug, stood up, and patted Wen Qianchu on the shoulder, "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Wen Jun, you'd better wake up soon."

-----------------------

Author's Note: The main story is expected to end around 300,000 words; only the ending remains. Let me think about how to write the rest... [Sigh]