Chapter 23

The Skin of a Ghost in the Underworld

As a deep red hue filled my vision, a nauseating stench hit me. It was a mix of blood, decay, and something like cooked meat. The smell was so overwhelming that I felt dizzy and wanted to collapse on the ground.

At the same time, strange gurgling sounds echoed around us, like the popping of bubbles in boiling liquid and meat. A thick fog obscured our vision, its origin unknown.

We waved our hands, dispersing the fog a little. What appeared before us was infinitely more disgusting than a dung beetle on a dinner table: we were standing in a huge underground cavern. Surrounding us were countless pools, each covered by an iron cage. Inside, bubbling liquids, which were actually human blood, filled the pools. Floating in this blood were countless corpses.

No, it would be more accurate to say that they were not corpses, because although these people were all cooked, with missing limbs and heads, they were still struggling to swim and crawl. It was like countless pots of freshly cooked human soup. Seeing these things and smelling that stench made even breathing a torment.

“I... I can’t do this anymore...” I grabbed Fu Chenzi’s arm, “Is this the Netherworld? It’s so disgusting. Let’s get out of here.”

Just thinking about how the fog was rising from the blood, I vowed to take a hundred baths when I got back.

Fu Chenzi was also shocked by the sight and covered his face with one hand, never lowering it. Yin Ze, however, remained calm, only frowning slightly as he walked towards a cave entrance. “Go that way.”

We quickly followed Yin Ze towards the door, but a huge white creature jumped down.

I pulled Fu Chenzi back a few steps and saw what it was: a six or seven-meter-tall skeletal winged tiger. Its wings were ten meters long. It had no sound, no eyes, but its forward movement was exactly like the ferocious beast, Qiongqi, described in books. Looking at Xuan Yue, it was clear that she was terrified. Every step the tiger skeleton took towards us, she would squeeze my shoulder harder with her little claws.

Before the tiger skeleton could pounce, Fu Chenzi and Yin Ze charged forward and began to fight it. This was definitely a good opportunity to show off!

I clasped my hands in front of my chest, gathering my spiritual energy, ready to cast a spell and give it a fatal blow. However, before I could gather enough spiritual energy, the skeleton had been shattered by them, turning into a pile of broken bones. I said, “...Is it dead?”

“Dead? In the Netherworld, nothing is truly dead.”

The person who answered me was not Yin Ze, nor was it Fu Chenzi. I turned around and found that a person had appeared behind us without us noticing!

He was a young man of about twenty years old, wearing a blood-red robe. His black hair was like lacquer, and his robe covered his hands, revealing only half of a snow-white folding fan. His entire person seemed to be floating in the air.

Even from this distance, I could see that his eyelashes were thick and black, almost covering his eyes.

In an instant, he flashed and appeared in front of me.

A cold fragrance filled the air, and his red robe spread out like a cloud. An open fan appeared in front of me, and when he moved the fan away, his face suddenly enlarged before me. His face was ghostly yet exquisite, and for a moment, I was paralyzed, staring at him blankly...

“Watch out!”

Fu Chenzi pulled me behind him and drew his sword to pierce the man’s fan. With one hand behind his back, the man gently twirled his fan, turning Fu Chenzi’s attack into nothing. No matter how Fu Chenzi attacked, he could always dodge in the same way.

He opened his folding fan and gently fanned it towards us, and countless phantom skulls descended from the sky, aiming straight for our faces. This time, I used the “Soaring Smoke” technique to dodge his attack. As he was about to pursue his victory, Yin Ze charged forward and slashed at him with his sword, cutting open his flesh.

Before he could dodge, Yin Ze’s sword fell like lightning again, cutting him to the ground. Seeing the white bones exposed in his body, I almost vomited on the spot and turned my head away. Fu Chenzi said, “It’s just a skin-changing demon. It’s so powerful, and it took so long to kill. It’s not like an ordinary ghost in the Netherworld...”

Before he could finish his sentence, the skin-changing demon spoke again, “As I said, nothing here is truly dead. But you, a little immortal, a spirit, and a mortal, dare to come to the Netherworld and cause trouble.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he had repaired his bones and skin and stood up slowly. At the same time, the tiger bones that had turned into fragments also stood up. I was surprised and said, “Oh my god, he’s alive again! How can that be so fast?”

“Ordinary ghosts, if they are seriously injured, indeed cannot recover so quickly.” Yin Ze looked at the skin-changing demon, “He is not an ordinary ghost. He was once a celestial being.”

The skin-changing demon was originally ready to continue attacking, but suddenly stopped, “This mortal has good eyesight. How did you know I was once a celestial being?”

Yin Ze pointed at his folding fan, “Naturally, it’s because of the painting on your fan. Yunxiao Xianjun, I’ve always wondered about you. The Heavenly Emperor admired you so much that he hung your painting in his palace. Do you know how much your painting is worth in the celestial realm now? You, on the other hand, have wasted such talent by becoming a skin-changing demon here.”

“You are...?” The skin-changing demon squinted at Yin Ze for a moment and was stunned, “Divine Lord Yin Ze?”

The skin-changing demon recognized the Divine Lord, but I recognized the skin-changing demon. I used to love reading the “History of Ghosts,” and I didn’t expect him to be the flower demon king, Hua Zixiao, whom I admired the most! I remember the book described him as having “a complexion like peach blossoms and hair like a raven, and anyone who encounters him will be captivated by his beauty.” Now that I saw him in person, it was indeed true to his reputation.

I pulled Fu Chenzi’s sleeve and said, “Brother, he, he is Hua Zixiao.”

I often told him stories about Hua Zixiao, so he immediately understood. Hua Zixiao smiled, “This young lady actually recognizes me?”

“You’re so famous, of course I’ve heard of you. Every book about ghosts has a record about you. And, you’re so infatuated with your wife...” I turned to look at Yin Ze, “Grand Master, don’t say anything bad about him. He ended up here just to let his wife reincarnate.”

Yin Ze said, “I know more about the celestial realm than you.”

I knew he was trying to embarrass me. I pouted and didn’t respond. Yin Ze said, “Yunxiao Xianjun, if you hadn’t been so obsessed with that witch, you would have already ascended to the ranks of the gods. Do you regret it?”

Hua Zixiao thought for a moment and said, “It doesn’t matter. It’s all in the past. Besides, I can now take leave temporarily from the Netherworld and visit the Underworld every now and then. In a few more years, I can leave this place and live in the Underworld. I like peace and quiet, so whether I live in the Xuanyuan Palace or the Underworld, it doesn’t matter.”

“Your mindset is quite good. Then you should stay here well. We’re leaving.”

“Wait. Let me send you up. Just so happens that my wife is about to be reincarnated today. I can take this opportunity to leave the Netherworld and go to the Underworld.”

Yin Ze shook his head helplessly, “You’re so stubborn.”

All the way from the eighteenth level of the Netherworld to the Underworld, I had only one thought: I wouldn’t eat or drink for the next seven days and seven nights. And with Yin Ze by my side, I felt invincible.

When we arrived at the main gate of the Underworld, it was a gloomy day with a drizzle. The Naihe River flowed around the bridge, carrying countless tears of broken souls.

Hua Zixiao’s servant sent us an umbrella, and he also held one, sending us off to the bank of the Naihe River. “I cannot leave the Underworld, so I can only send you here. We may never see each other again in this lifetime. I hope you’ll be safe.”

English Translation:

“Farewell,” Yin Ze said.

Then, Yin Ze and Fu Chenzi walked ahead. Hua Zixiao called out, “Miss Luo.”

I turned my head and pointed at myself, “Are you calling me, Immortal?”

“I have something to ask of Miss Luo.”

“Please, go ahead.”

He pointed at the Naihe Bridge, “Do you see the girl in the green and white dress in the queue?”

I looked in the direction he pointed, and there was a line of ghosts waiting to drink the Meng Po soup for reincarnation. The woman at the back was wearing a green and white dress. “Is it the fourth from the last?”

“That’s right.” He closed his umbrella and handed it to me, “Please, Miss Luo, give this umbrella to that girl.”

“Should I pass on a message?”

Hua Zixiao looked at the woman’s back for a long time and said slowly, “No need. Just say you sent it.”

“Okay! Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”

I ran towards the bridge, and I was indeed so scared by a few ghosts that my soul almost left my body. But I don’t know if it was because of the awe of the Divine Lord, but when I looked at them closely, they didn’t seem so scary. Instead, they had a sad and pitiful look.

I quickly reached the bridge and patted the green-clothed girl on the shoulder.

The rain was as soft as velvet, and she turned around. She was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with almond-shaped eyes and thin lips, and an ordinary face.

I held up the umbrella, “Miss, someone asked me to give you this umbrella.”

The girl hesitated for a moment and took the umbrella, “Who is it?”

I said seriously, “He told me to tell you that I sent it.”

The girl was stunned for a moment and burst out laughing, “You’re really funny.” She opened the umbrella, and the water droplets on the tips of the hair were as white as mist in the shadow.

She stroked the handle of the umbrella and said softly, “My life is as short as morning dew, just like a dream. I didn’t expect that at this moment before reincarnation, someone would meet me by chance and be so kind... If I didn’t have to drink the Meng Po soup and forget my past memories, I would definitely thank you in person. Please pass on my thanks.”

“No problem. I have to go now!”

“Okay.”

I turned around and saw Hua Zixiao standing under the Naihe Bridge, beside the flowing water, without an umbrella. Strangely, even though he had shed his skin, I didn’t feel as disgusted as before. Perhaps it was because the rain had wet his black hair.

And then, with the lights of the ghost fire flickering, illuminating his fiery red robe, he looked even more striking. Seeing that I had completed my task, he bowed to me in thanks.

I originally wanted to go over and tell him what the woman said, but I heard several ghost soldiers on the shore shouting, “Mr. Hua, it’s time. Please come with us.”

Hua Zixiao glanced at the green-clothed woman one last time, then turned and left. So, under the protection of the ghost soldiers, he walked towards the road to the Netherworld.

In the faint smoke and rain, the path to the spring platform was hazy. With his red robe trailing behind him and his long black hair as deep as night, he looked truly captivating.

The incident with Hua Zixiao made me feel rather uneasy as I rode in the carriage. Fu Chenzi was riding a horse outside, so I couldn’t share my worries with anyone and could only sit there in a daze. Xuan Yue seemed very worried about me, and it kept stepping on my knee with its hind legs and pushing my collarbone with its front paws, its eyes shining brightly.

Finally, I couldn’t help it and grabbed Xuan Yue, “Xuan Yue, do you think they will have a good ending?”

Xuan Yue could understand what I was saying, but it obviously didn’t understand my words. It stared at me blankly. At that moment, Yin Ze said, “They have already had a good ending.”

“Do you mean, Grand Master, that they were husband and wife in the celestial realm?” Seeing Yin Ze nod, I sighed, “But now that Yunxiao Xianjun loves his wife so much, and his wife doesn’t know anything. Does he have to send her away every time she reincarnates? It’s so sad, I can’t bear it.”

Yin Ze said, “Oh? If you were Yunxiao, what would you do?”

I said, “If it were you, Grand Master, what would you do?”

After spending some time together, I had discovered that our supreme god was completely different from the compassionate Cangying God in the legends. He was young, arrogant, arbitrary, ruthless, and even the opposite of the legendary god. So, my guess was that he would say, “I won’t suffer for her.”

However, his final answer was still very unexpected, “If it were me, I wouldn’t have married that witch in the first place.”

“Wow, that’s deep,” I gave him a thumbs up, “I originally wanted to say that I would probably do the same thing as Grand Master, but now that I think about it, I would probably do the same thing as Yunxiao Xianjun and save the person I love. But I would have to wait a hundred years.”

“Why wait a hundred years?”

I smiled, “Once a teacher, always a father. Because the Grand Master has been so kind to me, I have to respect you for at least a hundred years.”

Yin Ze snorted, “You’re so smooth-tongued at such a young age.”

Seeing the smile in his eyes, I became a little bolder and moved closer to him, but he glanced at me and I shrank back obediently.

I couldn’t resist flattering him, “Every word I said comes from my heart. Although the Grand Master is not willing to take me as a disciple, as long as you don’t drive me away from Qinghong Mountain after I leave, I will follow you and serve you tea and water, and massage your shoulders every day.”

Yin Ze said, “You’re talking too much. Since you know this, why do you still call me Grand Master?”

I opened my eyes wide, “Ah?”

At that moment, Fu Chenzi outside shouted, “Weiwei, don’t you understand what Master means? Hurry up and change your address.”

“Yin Ze said, ‘Since you understand this,’ meaning ‘Once a teacher, always a father,’ right? Could it be... could it be that he intends to take me as his... ?”

“Oh, this... okay...” I scratched my head, feeling my cheeks flush. “Father...”

I understand.

The Divine Lord is quite old, even though he always looks like a young and vigorous man, he must have a lonely heart deep inside. Seeing a lively and lovely girl like me, it’s only natural for him to have the thought of marrying and having a daughter. After all, I grew up under the pressure of two beautiful older sisters and became my father’s most beloved daughter. It’s only natural for the Divine Lord to want to take me in. After all, my father has passed away, and adopting a foster father, especially such a powerful figure who dominates the six realms, is a good deal no matter how you look at it...

However, for some reason, there was a long, awkward silence inside and outside the carriage after I changed my address. Fu Chenzi remained as silent as usual, and Yin Ze’s face, which had finally softened, became cold and distant again.

For a moment, only the sound of the horse’s hooves could be heard.

A moment later, I suddenly realized something and knelt down in front of Divine Lord Yin Ze, kowtowing repeatedly. “Master, I was wrong! I was really wrong! Master, please forgive me! I’m begging you! Waa, don’t ignore me...”

Yin Ze never spoke to me again.