Chapter 104 Fengdu Part 1
After the boat entered the inland river, many of the spirits saw the ghost soldiers and the Black Impermanence and hurried away from the riverbank. Some who couldn't run away knelt down, while others hid early on. However, many spirits silently continued on their way, without showing any fear on their faces.
Perhaps because the passageway on the bridge was too narrow, the wandering spirits pushed and shoved each other as they fled, and several of them unfortunately fell into the river, screaming and hissing as they perished in the water.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Everything happened too fast. Black Impermanence instinctively tried to throw the Soul-Hooking Chains to save the ghosts, but it was too late. The chains were thrown, but one end fell empty into the Yellow Springs.
After he retrieved the chain, he suddenly realized that the length seemed a bit off. The usable part looked the same length as when it wasn't tied up.
Black Impermanence looked down and saw that the red fox fur cloak on the boat was flat and limp, as if it had been deflated.
He lifted his cloak and saw a hole in the bottom of the boat, but no water was coming in, and naturally, there was no one there. He slapped the heads of two ghost soldiers hard, their helmets hitting each other and making a crisp sound.
One of the ghostly soldiers cried out, "Ah! What... what is this?! How did he break free of the soul-snatching chains?!" This was utterly unprecedented!
The other ghost soldier remained calm. He analyzed, "Slipped away from the bottom of the boat? That's just walking into a trap. They're probably gone like the ghosts from before. We don't need to worry about them, right?" Because no soul can escape the corrosive effects of the Yellow Springs water.
Hei Wuchang was persuaded, but after calming down, his mind was filled with that person's beautiful face, and his expression did not become more relaxed.
Meanwhile, on a small riverbank about half a mile away.
Shinjuku was soaked to the bone by the waters of the underworld. His thin undergarment clung to his body, clearly outlining his perfect physique, while water continued to drip down.
He wasn't exactly cold, but he still missed his cloak. If it weren't for his escape plan, he wouldn't have been willing to give it up. Later, he used a poisonous membrane to seal the hole corroded in the hull, then shrank back to escape. All because he didn't want to be sent to some damned "black prison," where he knew he'd have no chance of getting away.
A cold wind blew across the riverbank, but it was eerily quiet, without a single ghost in sight. Shinju wiped the water from his face and walked into a deep alley, away from the river.
Even though he didn't see anyone on the road, Masaya kept feeling like he was bumping into something, and his shoulders and chest were getting bruised. It took him a while to get rid of the feeling of being bumped into, and the road became much smoother.
"Why is it so desolate? Isn't this Fengdu?" Shinju looked around at the signs of the shops and houses. Seeing that they all had prefixes like "Ghost Capital" or "Fengdu", it was clear that this was the place in the underworld where ghosts awaiting judgment were placed—the infamous Fengdu.
The volcano a little further away, though emitting heat waves, wasn't scorching hot. Occasionally, it would scatter some emerald-green sparks that danced on the ground, and Shinju's ankles would occasionally brush against them, feeling a chilling sensation. This showed that they were all yin fire.
He was looking for an inn to stay in, but there were no waiters or managers, and no guests either. Occasionally, cups, bowls, chopsticks, and plates would hang in mid-air, making it seem like a haunted place. Masakyu could only go in and out, searching room by room.
After nearly half an hour, he finally found a living "person".
It must be said that, due to his slightly over-excited state, Masakatsu lowered his guard and went straight up to the other person, calling out, "Brother, sir—"
The person being addressed was dressed in pure white, exuding a solemn and dignified air reminiscent of someone in mourning. Yet, with one foot on a bench and the other holding a wine jug, he occasionally took a sip, his demeanor frivolous. His face was pale, with slight hollows beneath his cheekbones, but when his pair of green eyes, clearer and more flawless than the finest jade from an old mine, looked at someone, they resembled a pool of intoxicating spring water.
The other party only glanced at Shinjuku but did not reply, as if waiting for Shinjuku to continue.
Shinjuku pointed to the bench opposite him, indicating whether he could sit down.
The man glanced sideways at the person opposite him, remaining silent, but a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
Seeing that he had no objection, Shinju was about to sit down when he was inexplicably tripped by something. At the same time, something came whistling from his side, which he caught with a palm. Then the resistance on the bench disappeared, and Shinju was able to sit down.
Shinjuku saw nothing and felt that the person had used some special method to attack him, so he couldn't help but show an expression of appreciation.
However, the expression on the other person's face became strange.
A series of clanging and clattering noises erupted from the next few tables. Wine pots and teacups fell to the ground, rolled to the side, and then inexplicably shattered.
Shinju glanced at the snacks on the table, then looked around the empty hall and asked, "Brother, do you know of a suitable place to stay?"
The man in plain clothes held the flask to his lips, but no wine dripped down. He held it up for a moment, and just when Shinju thought he wouldn't pay any attention to him, he asked, "A newcomer?"
Masakatsu hesitated before nodding.
The man showed no surprise. He glanced at Shinjuku's body out of the corner of his eye, then swallowed hard and silently lowered his leg from the bench, crossing it over his other leg.
“I do have a place to stay around here, shall we go?” he suddenly suggested.
Majutsu hadn't expected the other party to be so proactive and straightforward. After thinking it over for a moment, he decided it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look, since there wasn't a soul in this godforsaken place.
How can one even talk about cultivation?
Left with no other choice, Shinjuku had to go with that person.
"How did you die?" The man tossed his high ponytail to one side, dodging the blue lanterns hanging in the air, and bent down to climb the wooden stairs next to a house. The stairs were narrow and dimly lit, and the aerial corridors inside were winding and meandering like sheep intestines. Without someone to guide you, you would probably not be able to find them.
Shinju said, "He was stabbed to death with a poisoned gun."
The other person was silent for a moment, then turned around and asked, "Not a cultivator?"
Shinju casually asked, "What is cultivation?"
"...Okay." It's unclear whether the person believed it or not, but they didn't ask any further questions.
Before long, he followed the man to a rather spacious side room. In the center, there was only a quilt on the floor, which was covered with wooden planks.
"If you wish to sleep here, then sleep."
"Only one quilt?"
"I don't sleep here. This is just a temporary place for me to stay when I'm drunk and can't get back in time. You can sleep here."
Unexpectedly, this person was so generous, and Shinju quickly thanked him.
"A verbal thank you isn't enough." The man suddenly forced Shinjuku against the wall, bracing one hand on the side of Shinjuku's head while fiddling with Shinjuku's gold earring with the other.
Those green eyes stared straight into Shinjuku's golden eyes. Just as Shinjuku frowned in displeasure, the other person took a step back and sneered, "You don't seem to have any money to pay, so I'll make an exception and let you stay for one night. What can I do? If you have money to pay, leave it here, and you can stay as long as you want." With that, the person bent down, pushed open the low door, and left.
"...Thank you." Shinju tilted his head, not understanding the other person's intention, but did not try to stop him. He turned his head and looked around.
.
The Soul-Hooking Bureau, a place of rest.
"I told you not to report this to your superiors, that no one would believe that ghosts can break free of the 'soul-hooking lock'! Now look what's happened, this matter is hard to explain, if the higher-ups take it seriously, they might even search our souls!!" The Yin soldier sat down at the tea table dejectedly.
The other ghost soldier also looked unwell, and it took him a long time to sit down properly on the stool, his forehead and back covered in cold sweat.
A short while later, Black Impermanence passed by, carrying several long-tongued, fat ghosts with fierce faces. No matter how much they struggled, they could not break free.
"There's nothing wrong with these chains..." Black Impermanence muttered to himself, then plunged back into the library and began flipping through ancient books.
After a while, he finally joined the ranks of the ghost soldiers, sat down at the head of the tea table with a bitter face, and drank tea to drown his sorrows.
“Charm, Evil, Demon, Fiend… among the four Soul Ranks, I have never heard of any being able to break free from the Soul-Hooking Lock.” Black Impermanence couldn’t understand it, and he almost pulled out half of his hair.
"Master Hei, could there be something even higher than 'Sha'?" the Yin soldier suddenly asked.
Black Impermanence suddenly felt enlightened, but then he thought, wouldn't that be even worse?!
"We absolutely cannot let that White Impermanence find out." If he did, he would surely be ridiculed. Black Impermanence's mind was in chaos, but even in his confusion, he didn't forget to warn the two ghostly soldiers.
Just as the ghost soldiers nodded, a figure in pure white walked in from outside.
"Hey, why are you all sitting here? It's your turn to be on duty, why aren't you leaving? You all look so unlucky, have you lost your souls?" the newcomer joked.
What a clever pun, but unfortunately no one is happy about it.
"Master Bai..." The ghost soldiers dared not fail to pay their respects. After finishing, they tried to run away, but Bai Wuchang grabbed them one by one. "What happened today? Tell me quickly."
White Impermanence narrowed his emerald eyes, staring directly at Black Impermanence opposite him, a merciless mockery on his lips.
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Author's Note: [Revision] Fixed the inconsistency in the number of drowning ghosts at the beginning.
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