Chapter 84 Aunt's Ordinary Soul Bottle
Near the hidden door in the vast library, there were storybooks that Di Yan had collected from the human world.
Further inside are various tales of the strange and supernatural.
Further inside, there are case files stored.
The further in she went, the fewer books Jiang Yuzhi could open.
As if guided by some strange force, she walked to the very back and stopped in front of a row of bookshelves she had never noticed before.
None of the books displayed there had titles.
Pick up any book at random, and you'll only find a name in the corner of the cover.
The book in her hand happened to have the words "Huang Qi" written on it.
I lifted the book cover and opened it without any hindrance!
The first page prominently displays the three characters "Jiang Yuzhi," followed by her biography.
Jiang Yuzhi tried to flip back, but she couldn't flip any further.
She didn't insist and put the book back in its place.
Right next to hers were Tianqing, Diyan, and Xuanyu's books.
I could only see the first page of Tianqing's book—Zhao Qingyun.
As for the book about Earth Flame, Jiang Yuzhi had a vague feeling of something, with a secret joy, as if she was about to uncover a secret she had been searching for.
Jiang Yunxiu.
A familiar name came into view.
Jiang Yuzhi was stunned.
The strangeness of this name appearing here is no less than Bai Yan coming to her dressed in a skirt to tell her that he is actually a young woman, and that he has to disguise himself as a man in order to be with her.
Jiang Yuzhi shook her head violently, trying to shake off the inexplicable associations in her mind.
Looking at the biography of Jiang Yunxiu written below, it is indeed true that she is her aunt.
"Xiao Zhi, what are you doing here?"
A male voice suddenly rang out from behind her, and Jiang Yuzhi felt a chill run down her spine, her hair standing on end.
The visitor was none other than the Great Emperor of Fengdu, Di Yan.
As soon as Di Yan led Bai Ze and Chi Chi out the door, Chi Chi lay on the ground and refused to move.
After Bai Ze translated for him, Di Yan realized that Chi Chi insisted on waiting for Jiang Yu Zhi to come out.
It's not an unreasonable request, and Di Yan has no reason not to grant it.
After waiting for a while and seeing that Xiaozhi hadn't come out, he thought he'd go in and see how much longer it would take.
I didn't expect to find it in the library.
"What are you looking at?" A sinister voice crept into Jiang Yuzhi's mind through her ears.
"My... aunt?" Although Jiang Yuzhi felt guilty, she was not afraid of the so-called Emperor of Fengdu at all.
He paused for a moment, tilted his head, and stared intently into those dark, deep eyes.
Earth Flame instantly lost his power, he put one hand to his forehead, and after a long while, he let out a long sigh.
He knew it must be the work of the Heavenly Dao, which led Xiaozhi here and made her see the Book of Reincarnation of Heaven and Earth.
After all, Xiao Zhi is the youngest and last child in the Heavenly Dao.
Xiaozhi has always wanted to find her family.
Parents and brother have been found, but only aunt remains.
Heaven has no reason not to grant her wish.
Di Yan couldn't keep up the act any longer; seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, she said, "I'm sorry, Xiao Zhi. I didn't mean to..."
At that moment, Jiang Yuzhi had a sudden realization and understood something. She patted Di Yan's shoulder understandingly, "It's alright, Aunt... Uncle Yan, it's enough to know that you're all fine."
He was clearly a man, but after reincarnation he became a woman, so it's normal that he didn't want to tell her.
Jiang Yuzhi nodded seriously.
It wasn't that Di Yan looked down on women; it's just that the Heavenly Dao had initially endowed him with male characteristics, and after so many years, he had long since grown accustomed to it. To suddenly transform into a woman and live out his entire life was truly…
Moreover, this identity is closely related to Xiao Zhi, and Di Yan really doesn't know how to bring it up.
Anyway, Xiaozhi's family members have not been found yet.
So Di Yan has been keeping it a secret until now, and has almost forgotten about it.
"Uncle Yan, why are Bai Yan's or He Ji's names not on Huang Qi's book?" Jiang Yuzhi still remembered that she and Bai Yan were both part of Huang Qi.
"The Book of Reincarnation only records the one lifetime that has passed through the cycle of reincarnation. Bai Yan has always been in the human world, so he is not listed there."
Di Yan gave a simple explanation.
Jiang Yuzhi had another question, "But doesn't He Ji being reborn as Bai Yan count as reincarnation?"
"It's possession. I checked the Book of Life and Death. That infant named Bai Yan died in his mother's womb. The Xiao family is the chosen one, and perhaps attracted by it, he possessed the womb of a Xiao family woman. He was quite lucky, relying on the Xiao family's fortune to stay with you until you found him."
Jiang Yuzhi felt a mix of emotions as she listened to these few words.
Another voice came from outside the door, "Zhizhi?"
It is Di Ting.
"Let's go out. They must be getting impatient."
"good."
After cuddling with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for a while, Di Ting thought of his friends and followed the scent with unwavering steps.
Jiang Yuzhi waited at the door with Chichi and Bai Ze, but Jiang Yuzhi didn't show up. Even Di Yan, who went in to look for her, didn't come out for a long time.
Impatiently, he went in to investigate.
...
Fengdu has a long street with shops lining both sides, where ghost messengers and little ghosts waiting to be reincarnated live.
Merit is the hard currency on this street.
Di Yan, Jiang Yuzhi, and the three strange beasts are all major contributors to merit.
Chichi had never tasted incense before and was very curious. Diting then led it to several vendors selling incense and bought a large pile of them after picking and choosing.
The vendors all recognized Di Ting, and they were all extremely enthusiastic, greeting the two strange beasts.
Bai Ze and Jiang Yuzhi walked side by side a short distance behind them.
"This place has changed a lot." Bai Ze looked around the streets, which were already taking shape as a bustling place, with a sense of awe.
"If it's still shrouded in mist like it was back then, wouldn't I be doing this for nothing as the Emperor of Fengdu?" Di Yan chuckled twice, pausing for a moment as he spoke. "Xiao Zhi probably doesn't know where that mist comes from yet."
“Constructing mountains, rivers, heaven, and earth is quite a laborious task, and even adults don’t have the extra energy to spare. So, the still incomplete territory is covered by fog. Anyone who accidentally enters will lose their way in the fog, like being lost in a maze. This serves as a warning to all beings not to easily step into the fog.” Bai Ze gently picked up where Di Yan left off, subtly revealing the fact that the Heavenly Dao was being lazy.
"Hmph, you know how to talk," Di Yan said expressionlessly. "The Mountain and Sea Realm was his creation. I didn't expect that it would be unsuitable for mortals to live in after it was built. So he covered the parts that were unfavorable to mortals with mist. I didn't expect that mortals would still die out."
Jiang Yuzhi had only read about the Mountain and Sea Realm in the books in the library.
The land is teeming with man-eating beasts, and giant trees and poisonous plants cover the mountains and fields; a moment's carelessness can cost you your life.
Jiang Yuzhi's lips twitched. It seemed that Heaven had indeed tried its best to allow mortals to reproduce to this day.
"So that's why the Mountain and Sea Realm was isolated?" Jiang Yuzhi asked casually.
Bai Ze nodded, the fur on his head fluttering in the wind, adding to the peaceful aura of the beast. "My lord has learned from his mistakes and seems to have sought out a senior expert in this field to learn from, thus revising the rules of heaven and earth in the Mountain and Sea Realm. I am naturally knowledgeable about all things, and fortunately, I have been appreciated by my lord to oversee the beasts in the realm. Now, it is thriving."
“The little world that Xuan Yu and I lived in back then was searched out by him and developed into what it is now.” A flash of nostalgia crossed Di Yan’s eyes. “I thought Xuan Yu would run the underground with me, but now that Xiao Zhi is helping out, it’s not bad.”
Xuan Yu, a name that appeared in a letter Di Yan gave her.
It seems that the Queen Mother and Uncle Yan have a good relationship.
Jiang Yuzhi's thoughts became increasingly scattered. Logically speaking, Uncle Yan had been her aunt, and later she called him uncle in the underworld. Now, according to the Heavenly Dao, Uncle Yan should be considered her brother.
"Baa~ Baa~" The sound of Chichi eating heartily not far away interrupted her wandering thoughts.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Yuzhi squatted down to keep eye level with Chichi.
Di Ting, acting as translator, said quietly, "It wants that soul bottle."
Soul jars are a common type of funerary object, also known as barn jars or stacked jars.
Since Jiang Yuzhi started selling funeral clothes, she has gained some understanding of these burial items.
People in chaotic times pray for full granaries and a prosperous life, and the use of soul bottles has increased in recent years.
Jiang Yuzhi knew why Di Ting didn't want to eat but bought the Soul Bottle.
Because it's really not very useful.
The food inside, seemingly inexhaustible, is actually an illusion born from desire.
In the past, the little ghosts would buy soul bottles and use them as decorations in their homes.
They chose dishes that were exquisitely presented and filled with various kinds of food, which looked so satisfying and delightful that even ghosts would be happy.
The one Chichi liked was just an ordinary earthenware pot.
It's obvious at a glance that these were funerary objects belonging to poor families.
The earthenware jar contained only half a jar of grain.
That family might not even have enough to eat themselves, yet they still want to pray that their deceased loved ones will be reborn into a good family where they can have enough to eat in the next life.
"Come on, I'll go shopping with you."
After eating, he followed Jiang Yuzhi around happily.
"A broken pot." Di Ting curled his lip, but still went along.
Bai Ze and Di Ting were old acquaintances; the two white-furred beasts walked together in extraordinary harmony.
"Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the adults allowed the Taotie to cross the barrier and come here."
"What?" Di Ting looked at Bai Ze with a meaningful expression, seemingly understanding but not quite.
"Ha, where did your cleverness go at this time?"
Di Yan's sarcastic words prompted Di Ting to think for a moment and immediately understand.
Di Ting, as a mythical beast, was not imprisoned in the Mountain and Sea Realm. This was not only because Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vouched for it, but also because it had listened to people's thoughts for many years and was quite intelligent. It did not agree with the common practice of mythical beasts eating people.
Although the Heavenly Dao changed the rules of the Mountain and Sea Realm, forbidding strange beasts from eating humans, many strange beasts still tasted the flavors of mortals for various reasons.
The beast has thick hide and tough flesh; even if struck by lightning, it can recover in a few days.
Humans in the Mountain and Sea Realm already faced difficulties in surviving and reproducing, and with the addition of strange beasts devouring a portion of them, extinction was only a matter of time.
Nowadays, even the most gluttonous creatures, who are obsessed with food, have developed desires beyond just eating.
As Jiang Yuzhi approached the stall, she discovered that the seemingly ordinary soul bottle possessed an aura that made her feel incredibly close to it.
"Faith, it's your faith," Di Yan whispered in Jiang Yuzhi's ear.
The vendors buy the soul bottles from the owners using their own merits and then resell them at high prices.
The earthenware jar was his most prized possession, and seeing that the adults seemed to want to buy it, he eagerly handed it over.
As soon as Jiang Yuzhi touched the jar, a gentle force swept across her palm.
It is faith in the land, a vision for the afterlife, and the power that belongs to her.
It turns out that the poor family was able to survive because of their faith and their vision.
Jiang Yuzhi readily took out a piece of yellow paper money with merit attached.
The vendor accepted it with a smile.
"Meow~"
"It said that when you go to see it, the jar will be left as a memento," Diting dutifully relayed.
"Baa~ Baa~"
"And the human slaves who help it protect it," Di Ting asked in confusion, "It has slaves?"
Jiang Yuzhi felt a pang of heartache. She hugged Chichi tightly and rubbed it vigorously while softly answering Diting's question, "Perhaps it was the Prince of Huai'an who raised it for a while."
...
After spending two or three days eating and drinking with Bai Ze in the Underworld, it seemed that if Bai Ze didn't return to the Mountain and Sea Realm soon, something might go wrong.
After a brief farewell, Bai Ze and Chichi left, and Jiang Yuzhi also returned to the ground.
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