"Hey, wake up, look who that is."
Finding a slightly drier spot on a rocky protrusion, Xiang Wan tossed Hong Tianze, whom she had been carrying all the way, onto the rock—the kind that would roll off if she turned over.
Hong Tianze opened his eyes. It was pitch black all around, with only a faint moonlight shining down. He could only see a figure moving in front of him.
He tried to get up, but when he reached out, he found nothing and broke out in a cold sweat.
Xiang Wan took out a tinderbox, pointed the flame at the Black Impermanence floating in the air not far away, and gestured for Hong Tianze to look in that direction.
The distance between Hong Tianze and Hei Wuchang was less than a foot. Hong Tianze crawled backward using both his hands and feet, but Xiang Wan stepped on his shoulder.
Do you know what he's here for?
The flames drew close to his face, and Xiang Wan's smile, in Hong Tianze's eyes, was more terrifying than a ghost.
"Master... Master, what is he doing here? I... I'm not dead yet, so why can I see ghosts?"
"Ask him!"
Xiang Wan straightened up, took out the Hundred Ghosts Mirror, and looked at the moon again and again.
"Master, I really didn't lie to you... It was all Yanlang Shenjun's instigation. I haven't killed anyone, nor have I done anything evil. I... I don't want to die..."
Hong Tianze was in tears, looking utterly miserable.
Xiang Wan grabbed him by the back of the neck and pushed him to look down at the rocks.
"See those people? You're the one who killed them!"
Under the moonlight, staggering figures moved numbly forward, heads bowed, bound by the chains of the ghost messengers. Occasionally, they would glance up and hear the chains rattle.
"This...this..."
Hong Tianze recognized them; they were the strangers killed by the villagers of Xihong Village! But then he shook his head vigorously, "Impossible, this can't be..."
"What do you mean it's impossible? They shouldn't still have souls left, right? They should have all been eaten by Lord Yanlang, right?"
"..."
Xiang Wan released her grip, letting Hong Tianze stare blankly as the ghostly figures moved forward. She stood up and said to Hei Wuchang, "It's not that I want to interfere, but your underworld is too incompetent. If I hadn't arrived just in time today, how many more lives would have been lost? You don't care when ghosts do evil, but when humans do evil, I do, and you say I'm meddling. Hei Wuchang, his lifespan is over, isn't it? Take him away. I'll take the Hundred Ghosts Mirror. Tell the King of the Underworld that since it ended up in the human world and eventually came into my hands, it's mine. If he wants it, he'll have to exchange it for something."
As she spoke, Xiang Wan took out another exorcism talisman, firmly attached the Hundred Ghosts Mirror, and put it into her bosom.
Black Impermanence's white, beardless face was completely expressionless, his eyes fixed on Hong Tianze, waiting for his lifespan to end.
Xiang Wan smiled, turned her head and called out "White Impermanence", then kicked Hong Tianze off the rock.
The Black Impermanence turned his head, his face, which had been like an iceberg for ten thousand years, twisted for a moment, and then disappeared into the night.
Before long, he was seen chaining Hong Tianze and walking briskly toward the underworld.
Why should he relay the message?
Before Xiang Wan could turn around, that familiar oppressive aura returned.
"Divine Lord Yanlang? Ha!"
Xiang Wan's vital energy surged wildly, resisting the pressure that threatened to make her kneel. She turned around, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
Hades raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, saying, "Knowing too much won't do you any good."
"All I know is that His Majesty the King of the Underworld actually resorted to such despicable tactics, forcibly taking away people's souls. How is such behavior any different from that of those evil ghosts?" Xiang Wan spoke bluntly.
"Oh? Is that how you see me?"
Hades narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.
"Am I wrong?" Xiang Wan retorted without hesitation. "The human world and the underworld have always kept to themselves. The Ghost King has escaped, and I refuse to believe that you, the King of the Underworld, can't catch him. Now, the human world is plagued by evil spirits and suffering terribly. What are you doing? Taking advantage of the chaos? Or exploiting the situation? Don't forget, the night belongs to you, and the daytime is our human world. The two depend on each other for survival. Don't even think about swallowing us up; we will never allow it!"
"Jiang Xiangwan!" Hades roared in fury. "A mere ant-like human being, is she really worth protecting, to the point of opposing me and the entire Underworld?"
"Yes!" Xiang Wan's eyes widened. "You're the one who's going against us... One day..."
"Someday what?" Hades laughed in fury, "...to kill me?"
The laughter rose in volume, and Hades seemed to have heard a hilarious joke, his whole body trembling.
"Is it funny?" Xiang Wan's face was devoid of any smile. "Things change, the world turns, and this day will eventually come."
Hades' laughter gradually subsided, his eyes growing increasingly deep. "Do you know what you are like in my eyes? An ant!"
As he spoke, Hades paced to Xiang Wan's side, looked at the group of ghost messengers at his feet, and said, "I could crush them with one stomp, but I won't do that. I prefer to see them living and struggling, running around and busy with things that don't concern them."
"When life comes to an end, everyone will eventually return to the underworld. I am very curious, what is the meaning of life for people like you?"
"So, that's why you've been keeping an eye on me?" Xiang Wan turned her head and said calmly, "Only by living can you know the meaning of life."
Hades remained silent, then suddenly turned around, looked directly into Xiang Wan's eyes, and said, "Don't you want to know the secret of Lord Yanlang? Beg me, and perhaps I'll soften my heart and tell you."
Xiang Wan stared at him intently, and said, word by word, "In this lifetime, don't even think about it!"
Hades smiled, quietly withdrew his oppressive aura, and reached out to pat Xiang Wan's shoulder, but she dodged it.
"Rest assured, I will not let you have your way. Your life may be over in the next moment, and I can wait."
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