Chapter 112 The Ghost Soldiers, Part 3
Back at the Soul-Snatching Bureau, Zhen Su looked around but couldn't find A Gui. He asked around, but the ghost soldiers all looked displeased, perhaps because he was a stranger, and none of them were willing to answer. Finally, among a group of extremely tall and strong ghost soldiers, Zhen Su inadvertently caught a glimpse of a pair of familiar gray rabbit ears, and that's how he found A Gui, who was almost completely hidden from view.
Shinju thought she was being made difficult, so he quickly stepped forward, only to find that Agui was actually scolding someone. Those tall people were scolded until they looked ashamed and blushed.
Before Shinju could speak, Agui's rabbit ears twitched, as if she had noticed something. Suddenly, she ran out from the group of ghost soldiers and came to Shinju's side, her eyes filled with a hint of excitement and... admiration?
Although Zhen Su was confused, he was eager to repay the money before going on his mission, so he pretended not to notice and stuffed two taels of silver into A Gui's hand, saying, "Sister A Gui, can this money be used to pay for the Qiankun bag?"
Agui felt the weight in his palm and was slightly taken aback. He looked up and asked, "Where did you get so much money to spend? It's only been two days."
Shinjuku said, "I earned it by mining."
"...Mining is that profitable?" How come she didn't know? Agui frowned, weighed the money in her hand, and it was indeed two taels. "That Qiankun bag is just an old item, and it doesn't hold much, so let's just take it as payment!"
Even the most common low-grade ritual implements would cost at least ten taels of silver. Those who had visited the market naturally knew the differences.
Therefore, he was quite surprised by Agui's generosity.
After expressing his gratitude, Shinjuku added, "If Sister Agui needs any help, please feel free to ask."
Sister Agui laughed heartily, then slammed her rabbit ears onto Shinju's arm, clearly pleased with Shinju's words.
As Shinju was pondering and about to ask how much the disguise artifact on his face was worth, a commotion suddenly broke out in front of the Soul Reaper's office. He turned his head and glanced in that direction, only to be startled by what he saw: two familiar figures appeared at the center of the commotion.
The two figures stood out starkly against the backdrop of the ferocious, demonized Yin soldiers. Both retained human form, showing no trace of demonic transformation, and wore tall hats—one white, one black—making them quite conspicuous. Coupled with their already slender figures, the tall hats made them appear even more striking, like cranes among chickens. The surrounding Yin soldiers parted to make way for them, their expressions a mixture of fear and respect, allowing Zhen Su to instantly spot the two figures.
One was filled with malevolent energy, the other with solemn composure; the Soul-Hooking Chains rattled and creaked as they moved. Stepping over the threshold, they slowly walked along the corridor where Shinjuku and Agui were.
Shinjuku's golden eyes widened, and his red lips parted slightly: "..."
Isn't that the Black Impermanence he encountered when he arrived? And that guy in white next to him...
Previously, he was "blind" and could not see the ghosts, so he encountered ghosts everywhere. The only person he could see in the upper level of Fengdu looked exactly like this person.
Shinju choked for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "He is... Bai Wuchang?!"
A-Gui heard Zhen-Su mutter something, but didn't quite catch it. Just as she was about to ask, she saw Zhen-Su swiftly appear behind her, turn his back, and suddenly ask, "What level of cultivation can a disguise artifact conceal?"
Agui was genuinely unaware that the Underworld rarely used cultivation level to measure strength, but rather used class or soul rank. Therefore, she was truly stumped, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Cultivation level? If we use cultivation level instead..."
Shinju hurriedly interrupted and asked again, "Can impermanence be seen through?"
"It is possible..."
No sooner had they finished speaking than the Black and White Impermanence passed by them. Ah Gui quickly greeted them, "Black Master, White Master!"
Upon hearing this, the Black and White Impermanence glanced at her, but the next moment, they both turned their gazes to what was behind her.
Remembering that Shinju hadn't met the two lords yet, Agui introduced them, "Ah, the one behind me is the only newcomer who returned unscathed from the Demon General's place last time. Uh, his name is..."
Agui was stumped because Shinju had never told her his name. So she turned her head to ask him, but when she turned her head, she saw not the tall young man, but a boy.
"?!" Agui wondered who you were, but seeing that the person's attire remained unchanged, she immediately swallowed her words.
"Greetings, Master Black and Master White," the young Master Zhensu said with a slight nod.
Black Impermanence was the first to look away, his steps unwavering as he walked straight into the hall. White Impermanence, however, stopped, leaning closer to examine Shinju's face. His previously menacing gaze became intriguing. After staring for a while, noticing Shinju's hand clenching in his sleeve, seemingly about to strike, White Impermanence touched his chin, his expression returning to its usual blankness. He then stepped away from Shinju without looking back.
After the two had walked away, Shinjuku slowly relaxed his fist.
At this moment, Agui had already pulled the person aside and asked, "You, how did you get smaller?!" Before, Shinju was at least two heads taller than her, but now he looked much smaller, and his face under the veil also looked younger, like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy.
Shinju sighed; he had reverted to his previous boyish form. Although he could now change his appearance using only spiritual energy without needing poison, he had acted preemptively in the heat of the moment before he heard Agui say that the veil would not work against the Black and White Impermanence.
His appearance wasn't significantly different between his teenage years and his youth, so it was hard to say whether the Black and White Impermanence would recognize him. However, even if he wanted to directly change into someone else's appearance, doing so would leave too many traces of spiritual energy, making it more likely that he would be detected.
However, it seems that the two people did not recognize him.
Masahiro couldn't explain the whole story to A-Kei, so he just vaguely said, "Sometimes when I get nervous, I turn into this. I don't know when I'll be able to turn back. I'm not sure either."
Ah Gui was well-informed and knew that the Immortal Ghost Realm was similar to the cultivation world. Although such things were unusual, they weren't particularly strange. So when Ah Gui saw that Zhen Su was unwilling to talk about it, he didn't ask any further questions. He was just worried that Zhen Su's appearance might affect his mission later.
"It's alright." Shinju adjusted the hem of his overly long robe and said seriously.
Before setting off, Shinju discovered that not only were the Black and White Impermanence standing in front of the black coffin, but even Ox-Head and Horse-Face had arrived.
Shinju frowned slightly and whispered to Agui beside him, "This time, so many underworld officials have been mobilized again? Are Ox-Head and Horse-Face also tasked with collecting souls?"
Agui nodded with his arms crossed, "No. Ordinary Ox-Head and Horse-Face are stationed in the headquarters. They are only entrusted with support for Class A and Special Class missions."
Shinju couldn't help but think of the mission to subdue the demon general last time. Even Ox-Head and Horse-Face were so overwhelmed that time, which showed how extremely difficult it was. He might have underestimated that demon general. Perhaps he was just lucky to escape unscathed back then.
Thinking of this, Shinju was suddenly aroused and trembled all over. He didn't know if it was because he was excited by his worthy opponent or because the feeling of being tightly bound at that time was coming back to him. That feeling lingered on his skin.
"..." Shinju shook his head violently, trying to shake off the trembling feeling in his body. Then, as the death knell rang, he followed the person in front of him and stepped into the coffin.
.
In the mortal realm, in the world of immortals, in the state of Yilian Village.
Although called a village, it is actually the size of a town, encompassing over a thousand families. Nestled among three mountains, bordered by a river and surrounded by a lake, the village features elevated walkways and narrow corridors. Most residents use boats for transportation, and their livelihoods depend on brocade weaving and the cultivation of spiritual spring water. While seemingly not backed by any major sect, it maintains relationships with several neutral aristocratic families, receiving a rotating supply of spiritual spring water, thus achieving a certain balance. This makes the area relatively stable and not a place of intense power struggles.
As Shinjuku and his companions strolled along, the shallow water reached their knees. Under the deep blue night sky, the water reflected the shadows of the mountains and forests, appearing dark and profound, as if ominous monsters lurked within. Their rapid heartbeats were barely audible, for in the distance came the sound of a waterfall crashing against the rocks, and nearby, the occasional voices of conversation drifted from the houses.
As night had just fallen, the village still carried the warmth of the setting sun. Many villagers were still strolling around and visiting each other by the dim light of the lamps, chatting and laughing as they got to the parts they were interested in.
In an ordinary village, this would be nothing unusual, but in the heart of a strange place where 180 lives have just vanished into thin air, the fact that the villagers could still have such leisure and composure is chilling without even needing to think about it.
When a person dies, they are not actually under the jurisdiction of the underworld. However, after death, the soul is cut off from its way back to the underworld and does not know where to go. This is the most common problem that the soul collectors deal with.
The disappearance of so many souls is a rare and serious case even within the Soul Collection Bureau. Therefore, the Ox-Headed Horse Guard was dispatched as reinforcements, with the aim of finding these 180 souls.
After entering the village, the ghost soldiers and messengers split into several groups. Zhen Su and A Gui and others were responsible for a hilltop, wading through the water to inspect the surroundings.
"Is there anything strange about this?" The group walked around for a while, then gathered again.
"That's strange!" A-Gui exclaimed.
She described the scene that she and Masakuni had just witnessed.
On the south side of the mountain, there was a patch of land filled with graves. A faceless man was digging a grave, wielding a shovel with great skill. In no time, he dug a hole, placed a coffin inside, filled it with soil, and offered libations.
"Could it be that those 180 people are buried there?" The others were immediately intrigued.
Agui pursed her lips and shook her head.
"What's so strange about that?"
“There was no body in that coffin,” Shinjuku said.
"?!" Everyone was astonished.
Shinju used his divine sense to examine the hundred or so graves in the mountains. At least half of them had fresh grass on them, clearly indicating that the other half had been disturbed recently, possibly by the faceless man. The coffins in these graves were all empty.
There were far fewer than 180 empty coffins.
However, no one would believe that there was nothing suspicious about such dubious behavior.
But dwelling on this was useless; they had too little intelligence. So, they began to track and search, using soul-tracing arrays and soul-reaping talismans. As night deepened, Yilian Village, which on the surface gradually returned to tranquility, began to erupt in uproar on the opposite side of life and death.
Another hilltop.
Black Impermanence always felt a chilling sense of being watched ever since he stepped into these westernmost mountains.
Just as he was about to ask Bai Wuchang if he felt the same way, he realized that Bai Wuchang was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, White Impermanence, where have you been slacking off again?!" Black Impermanence roared angrily, but no one answered.
While searching around, he accidentally slipped and fell down a slope, tumbling down a cliff and landing at the entrance of a cave.
Inside the cave, Black Impermanence saw a group of beautiful and graceful women singing and dancing, purifying their faces with spiritual spring water, and holding a mysterious banquet.
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Author's note: There will be one update tomorrow.
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