Chapter 6 The White-Bearded Old Man
Upon entering the Underworld, Qin Wuyan immediately sensed a chilling atmosphere. Looking around, it seemed no different from the desolate wilderness of the mortal realm, with stone walls and sand everywhere, devoid of any life. Yet, the path was littered with white bones, and he could hear various ghostly wails from time to time. Qin Wuyan had grown up in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect since childhood, and as a child, he had been thrown into the Valley of Poisonous Snakes by the Poison God. He had seen countless corpses, white bones, and various poisonous creatures, but seeing and hearing these things in the Underworld still sent shivers down his spine.
Before entering the Underworld, Qiao Nan had told him that the Underworld was said to be divided into five realms: the first was the Realm of Rebirth, the most expansive space in the Underworld, where all kinds of souls wandered when they first entered; the second was the Netherworld Court, where the Ten Kings of Hell, judges, and ghosts of impermanence, among other Underworld officials, judged all kinds of ghosts; the third was the Realm of Karmic Fire, the legendary location of the eighteen levels of hell; the fourth was the Abyss of Reincarnation, the location of the Reincarnation Platform, said to be the boundary between the Underworld and the human world and the heavenly realm; and the fifth was the Nine Nether Purgatory, said to be under the jurisdiction of the Nine Netherworld Emperor, the deepest part of the Underworld, imprisoning all souls who defied the Heavenly Dao and were forever forbidden from reincarnation.
Qin Wuyan couldn't tell where he was, so he just wandered around aimlessly. The surrounding area was empty and desolate, so quiet that even the ghostly wails that he used to hear all the time when he first arrived in the underworld were gone.
The Heartbreak Flower has grown its second petal for quite some time now. The Hehuan Bell contains a fragment of Biyao's soul. Qiao Nan once said that as long as you follow the sound of the Hehuan Bell, you can find Biyao's soul.
He followed the directions indicated by the sound of the Hehuan Bell, but when he arrived at this barren land, the Hehuan Bell showed no reaction whatsoever! Watching the third petal of the Heartbreak Flower in his hand begin to grow, he couldn't help but feel anxious!
After walking for a long time, Qin Wuyan finally spotted a teahouse that looked like a human dwelling in the distance. He quickly quickened his pace and rushed there. Upon closer inspection, he saw a cloth hanging from the ceiling, but he couldn't understand the writing on it, so he asked, "Excuse me, is anyone here?"
The surroundings remained eerily quiet! Qin Wuyan paused, then asked again, "Is anyone there?"
"There's no one here! All you see are ghosts!" A deep voice rang out behind Qin Wuyan. He turned around, but there was nothing there!
Qin Wuyan was very confused and asked, "May I ask where you are, senior? I have accidentally gotten lost in this desolate place. Could you please give me some pointers?" The third petal had already grown, and he no longer had time to worry about anything else!
"Oh? Lost? Hahahaha!" A white-bearded old man walked out from behind the shed, laughing loudly. Qin Wuyan was slightly surprised and carefully looked him over. The man was wearing a white silk robe, and his hair, eyebrows and beard were all white, especially his white beard, which was so long that it almost reached the ground!
The white-bearded old man laughed and said, "Child, this is the underworld, how could there be any people here? If you are a human, why would you come here?"
Qin Wuyan said, "I am indeed not human, but I have come here because of a matter of life and death. If you do not mind, senior, could you please give me some pointers?"
The white-bearded old man laughed loudly again, his deep voice echoing across the empty wasteland: "Child, although you are not human, you cannot be considered a true ghost either. Your lifespan has not ended, so what are you doing in this underworld?" Qin Wuyan was somewhat surprised, realizing that his identity had been exposed, so he could only reply: "I've come to save a friend of mine!"
"Save your friend? The underworld is a place of no return. You think it's so easy to save someone from here? You might not be able to get back yourself if you're not careful," the white-bearded old man said earnestly.
Qin Wuyan, however, remained calm and composed, saying, "I understood that long ago, but I absolutely must save this friend of mine! If I can't save her, I'll just stay here with her!"
The white-bearded old man wasn't surprised. He smiled and said, "It seems this person is very important to you."
Qin Wuyan nodded and smiled slightly, "She is as important as my life." The beautiful figure of Biyao appeared in his mind, but when he thought that he was only indulging in wishful thinking, he smiled bitterly and felt a pang of heartache.
Seeing his reaction, the white-bearded old man stroked his beard and continued, "Was your friend a girl who died for love?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyan immediately asked anxiously, "What? Senior, have you seen her before?"
"I haven't seen her, but some ghosts from the Underworld came here for tea and chatted. I heard them mention that the Underworld had taken in a soul that voluntarily came to the Nine Netherworld Purgatory. It seems to be a girl, but her soul is missing a part, so she is blind in the Underworld!" The white-bearded old man said while arranging the tables and chairs in the shed.
Qin Wuyan pressed on, "The Underworld Palace? What kind of place is that? How can I get there? Did they say where that girl is imprisoned? She's blind, how is she now? Have they tortured her?"
He was extremely anxious. After searching for a long time, he finally found a clue. So, disregarding everything else, he bombarded the old man with a barrage of questions, which really surprised the white-bearded old man! He looked at Qin Wuyan's anxious appearance, smiled but did not answer. He poured a cup of tea and gestured for him to sit down.
Qin Wuyan couldn't wait any longer and asked anxiously, "Senior, my time is very limited. Could you please tell me everything about that young lady? I would be extremely grateful!"
The white-bearded old man remained calm and said, "Child, don't rush, sit down first, and we'll talk later."
Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Qin Wuyan had no choice but to sit down, but did not touch the teacup.
The white-bearded old man laughed again and said, "What? You still don't trust me? Are you afraid I'll poison this tea?"
Qin Wuyan, realizing his thoughts had been seen through, lowered his eyes slightly, unsure how to respond. The old man said, "Don't worry! This is a teahouse in the underworld. While ghosts and spirits may not need food, they cannot go without water! Besides, I've never met you before, why would I harm you? You're new to the underworld; if you want to go to the Netherworld Palace, drink this tea and it will remove the fresh scent of your soul!"
After hearing his words, Qin Wuyan hesitated for a moment, then saw the white-bearded old man pick up his teacup and drink it all in one gulp. Finally, he raised his teacup, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, senior!"
The white-bearded old man smiled, poured Qin Wuyan another cup of tea, and said slowly, "The Underworld Palace is naturally the residence of the Underworld Emperor. The fates of the souls imprisoned there vary greatly. Our Underworld Emperor is unpredictable, so I don't know if that girl will be tortured. If you want to go to the Underworld Palace, it will probably take you another day to travel."
"It will take another day to get to the Underworld Palace from here?" Qin Wuyan was so shocked that he immediately stood up. Two days and one night had already passed, and time was running out!
The old man asked him to sit down and continue drinking tea, then said, "I told you not to rush! Come, keep drinking tea. Let's get rid of the smell on you first, otherwise, when you get to the Underworld Palace, you might not even get through the gates before being eaten by the ghost beasts there! Those ghost beasts are extremely sensitive to the smell of fresh souls!"
Qin Wuyan immediately realized he had been too hasty, so he continued drinking his tea and listened to the old man continue, "Wait until the smell on your body has mostly dissipated before you set off! When you get there, take this token to the palace gate, and they will naturally let you in! But how to find your girl is up to you!" As the old man spoke, he handed Qin Wuyan a black wooden token. Qin Wuyan took it and said gratefully, "Thank you, senior! But we are complete strangers, why are you helping me like this?"
The white-bearded old man stroked his beard and chuckled, "What, do you suspect I have ulterior motives?"
Qin Wuyan's silence was an implicit agreement. Having grown up in a world of intrigue and deception, he knew very well that there was no such thing as genuine affection in this world. In his eyes, there was no such thing as help without a reason, so he was always suspicious of anything offered to him by others.
Seeing that he didn't answer, the white-bearded old man simply smiled and continued, "Actually, you should be happy that others have designs on you. It proves you have value, not that you're completely useless. Child, to be honest, I'm here to help you. If you trust me, start in this direction and keep going straight. Your bell will soon respond; just follow its instructions. Good luck! We'll meet again..."
Immediately afterwards, to Qin Wuyan's astonishment, his figure disappeared along with the sound!
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