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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 138: A Hidden World
Lin Xiaoqi stood beside me, wearing a snow-white long dress, her hair casually flowing. At a street corner, she saw me and reached out to touch my face, asking, "Are you tired?"
I nodded. Lin Xiaoqi hugged me tightly, and tears streamed down my face. Seeing this, Lin Xiaoqi gently wiped the tears from my cheeks with her delicate hands, and soon she began to cry as well.
I held Lin Xiaoqi tightly, repeatedly murmuring, "We will never be apart again, never again."
Lin Xiaoqi covered my mouth with her hand and said, "Don't say anything; I understand everything!"
In a surge of emotion, I embraced Lin Xiaoqi and kissed her while crying.
I felt something dripping on my face and opened my eyes to find it was just a dream. Cao Qilong was holding a shell and splashing water on my face, grinning foolishly at me.
I sat up and realized I was in a wooden house. The walls were made of boards, and there was a rickety wooden bed beneath me. A candle was burning at the head of the bed, and outside the wooden window patterned with ten thousand characters, it was pitch black.
I asked, "How did we end up here? What about that female ghost?"
After I lost consciousness, Cao Qilong was also anxious. He hadn't summoned the Yin God either. In that critical moment, the only thing he had was the paper soldier from the jade pendant. However, the paper soldier couldn't touch water and melted within minutes. With no other options left, Cao Qilong bit his tongue and chanted, "Offering countless soldiers daily to assist in punishing ghosts! Urgent Order! Rise!" After saying this, he released all the paper soldiers at once. He sprayed out a mouthful of tongue blood; by the end, he nearly bit his tongue off. The paper soldiers didn't charge at the female ghost but instead surrounded her in a circle. The ghost couldn't approach us and began to seduce Cao Qilong. He sprayed another mouthful of tongue blood; the ghost was furious but helpless. I had started to sink downwards, and Cao Qilong could only paddle desperately to pull me up. Unfortunately, his swimming skills were poor, and we sank together until we reached the riverbed. Cao Qilong saw that he had run out of breath; his face turned green from holding it in until he suddenly sank deeper.
Cao Qilong pulled me along and said, "Come on, let me show you this place."
As we stepped out of the room, Cao Qilong asked if I was ready. I looked at him with a rather foolish expression; did he really need to be so mysterious? Seeing that I wasn't in the mood for games, he walked into the yard and raised his hand for me to look up!
I walked into the yard and looked up to see that above us there wasn't water! Instead, it was a dark expanse that seemed like we were in another space beneath the ground. Clearly, there was another world beneath the water.
This was impossible in real life; it was nothing short of a miracle! I couldn't believe it. Grabbing Cao Qilong's candle, I dashed out of the yard. Outside was a narrow path paved with rectangular stones on both sides lined with ancient buildings! At the end of the road stood a larger building with a three-story gatehouse. Two large white lanterns hung at the entrance, casting white light onto the street in front of the gate. Above it hung a plaque whose writing I couldn't decipher.
Could this be ancient Fengdu? Both Cao Qilong and I were puzzled; neither of us knew what was going on! There was light ahead, so we could only go see for ourselves.
We had lost all our belongings; even my grandfather's Slayer Sword was missing. The only things left were our jade pendants.
As we approached the gatehouse, it didn't seem far away or particularly tall from a distance; however, with each step we took toward it, it appeared to grow larger. By the time we reached it, the gatehouse towered dozens of feet high; each white lantern looked as big as a truck's front end. On either side of the ground squatted two black stone sculptures—one of a tiger and one of a leopard—each standing as tall as two people. The plaque hanging above the gate read "Underworld" in large characters!
Before us were stairs half our height leading up to two doors several feet high that were tightly shut. I couldn't help but exclaim, "How did we end up here?"
In "Chuci," the phrase "Soul, Return. You shall not descend to this Underworld" describes this place, which is the domain of the Earth God, known to people as Houtu Niangniang. In Taoist texts, Houtu Niangniang is revered as the Four Sovereign Heavenly Emperor, governing the Yin and Yang of the world. This Yin and Yang represent sunrise and sunset, overseeing the lands of the ten directions and nine provinces, also referred to as the Mother of Earth. Long before the Qing Dynasty, every year during the Vernal Equinox, offerings were made to the Earth Mother for favorable weather.
It is said that this place has been lost for a thousand years, and now it has finally come into view. I felt a surge of excitement; it seemed I had come to the right place. I climbed the stairs, knelt before the door, and bowed my head, saying, "Disciple of the Three Pure Ones offers paper offerings to Pan Shenbao, hoping to encounter this deity and humbly bow before the Four Sovereign Heavenly Emperor."
After saying this, I began my three bows and nine knocks, with Cao Qilong following suit. After finishing, according to tradition, the door should have opened; however, it remained tightly shut.
What the hell? Why isn't it following the script? This isn't how it's supposed to go. Cao Qilong was equally frustrated and kicked the door hard; unexpectedly, his kick caused it to swing open.
The door creaked open silently, revealing a scene that made me break into a sweat. I did not close my Heavenly Eye; I couldn't even begin to describe what I saw.
Inside was like a bustling marketplace with numerous houses lining the streets under a gray sky. Countless ghosts wandered back and forth as if they were shopping! Drowned souls, hanged spirits, beheaded ones; ancient and modern alike—it was truly a garden of a hundred ghosts.
Cao Qilong tugged at my sleeve; his face had turned pale as he nervously glanced around, suggesting we could still leave. I felt the same way! Damn it, this is too much; I didn't have anything on me. Looking at this scene, even a hundred of me would be useless.
Just as we were about to turn and leave, the door suddenly slammed shut right through us.
I faced a crowd of ghosts who turned their heads toward me upon sensing living breath. One headless ghost held its own head in its hands and stared at me. I pushed against the door; did it think I was going to die here?
What should I do? What should I do? My mind raced like a spinning top. The headless ghost grinned widely: "Hey hey, two living ones have arrived!"
Cao Qilong was trembling so much he looked like he might collapse. I felt just as terrified but had no choice but to lean against the doorframe and feign calmness: "As they say, Yin and Yang are separated; humans have their paths while ghosts have theirs. But today in the Underworld, I must apologize to you esteemed seniors. I am a Yin-Yang Disciple here to pay my respects and borrow a Ming Ship to cross Wangchuan River. I will definitely report back to Yama. Esteemed seniors, may you transcend early."
The headless ghost lifted its head and presented it directly in front of me; its eyes rolled around before it spoke: "You two little brats! Do you know where this place is? How dare you cause trouble here!"
I couldn't hold back any longer; this was truly over for us. I took out my jade pendant and recited: "Clear Skies, Earth Spirit, Earth Spirit—one incantation opens heaven, two incantations split the earth; summon Five Direction Deities and Ghost Generals from beyond the ghost gate! First summon Ox-Head and Horse-Face; second summon Night Wanderers… Come forth to Disciples' Altar and display your might! Urgent Order!"
Then I shouted loudly: "Ox-Head and Horse-Face are on their way! Night Wanderers are coming soon! I am a disciple of the Three Pure Ones—those unafraid of being reduced to ashes step forward!"
I finished my desperate plea in one breath, drenched in sweat again! Now I couldn't even find a talisman; what kind of mess was this? Cao Qilong must have used up all his paper soldiers too—this was truly a dead end. The only option left was to call upon those black-hearted Yin Gods. As for Black and White Impermanence—I wouldn't call them again after nearly breaking my hand last time crafting paper figures.
One second passed… two seconds… time stretched unbearably long. Never had I wished so desperately to see Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Previously they seemed terrifying; now that I thought about it—they were actually quite adorable!
I don't know how long it took; my shout barely made an impact as ghosts surrounded us in layers like spectators watching a giant panda.
An Iron Chain suddenly slammed down in front of us, separating us from the ghosts. Then came a voice: "You two bastards! Ever since those two from your family died, when have you ever had peace?"
Hearing that voice drained all my spirit away; I wanted nothing more than to rush up and kiss them both. Ox-Head brandished his steel fork and roared: "Hell Patrol Officer Abang is here! All ghosts retreat immediately or face annihilation!"
Horse Face shouted, "Hell Inspector Rosa is here, all ghosts retreat, or face the eternal damnation of the Soul Locking Chain!"
Then the incident with the eyes occurred. Ox-Head and Horse-Face, two Yin Gods, were figures that could walk freely in the Underworld. No matter how fierce a ghost was, they would only find themselves unlucky upon seeing them. Yet here, surrounded by layers of ghosts, they showed no fear and continued to encircle us! Some ghosts were even discussing, "Look at that guy with the long Ox-Head, how strange!"
What the hell are these ghosts? They aren't even afraid of Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Horse Face has always had a bad temper; he swung the Soul Locking Chain and struck out. Any ghost touched by the Soul Locking Chain instantly turned into a wisp of blue smoke, their souls scattered. Only then did the ghosts realize how formidable he was; in an instant, they fled in all directions, leaving only those who reacted slowly to be turned into wisps of blue smoke. At the entrance, only Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Cao Qilong, and I remained.
Turning back, Horse Face slapped me hard with his hoof. His strength was immense; although he held back, I still felt like my face had been hit by a hammer. The slap knocked me directly to the Ground, and Cao Qilong also suffered, being knocked down by the same slap.
"Do you know where this place is? Just because you have some skills doesn't mean you can roam freely! Here, gods don't ask, and ghosts don't listen; compared to this place, even a mass grave is nothing!" Ox-Head said sternly, looking straight at my face.
I touched my face and could only recount my encounter with the female ghost to Ox-Head and Horse-Face. After finishing, I added, "If such a fierce ghost was thrown into the river, why didn't you go catch her? We were chased here by ghosts, and you still hit me." I looked at them innocently.
Horse Face reached out with his hoof to strike me again, but Ox-Head blocked it just in time. Ox-Head then said, "Isn't it because you little Yin-Yang troublemakers are always causing chaos? You think you have a reason?"
Next, I asked Ox-Head and Horse-Face what was going on here. Ox-Head explained in detail so that I could understand.
It turned out that this Fengdu City was once part of the Yin Realm a thousand years ago, inhabited by many people. However, one night it was flooded, and those living in the city were buried underwater, never to see the light of day again. The ghosts in this ancient city were those who once lived there.
Horse Face urged us to leave quickly. Before we could react, they slipped away on their own without leaving a trace.
Looking at the ghosts that had just been driven back by Horse Face, they surged forward again. With a shout of "Oh my god," I turned around and ran down another ancient street with Cao Qilong.
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