#12: Thousand Gates Ghost Fort (3)

After nightfall, the barrier of the Thousand Gates Ghost Fort indeed disappeared. From a distance, waves of singing could be heard—many men and women singing in duet, but the content of the songs was hard to understand.

As the three walked further, they came upon a wide plaza, bustling with people. They were dressed in colorful, ancient folk costumes, holding hands, and regardless of gender or age, they danced joyfully to the music. Most of their faces had large spots, as if they had contracted some kind of plague.

When they discovered Yao Yin and her companions, the crowd immediately erupted.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had living people here, beautiful maiden, welcome!” A young man approached Yao Yin, smiling at her. Then he took her hand and pulled her into the center of the crowd. Once she was among the people, he took a bamboo flute from his waist and played it beside Yao Yin. The music began, melodious as if from heaven.

A young woman came over and, taking Yao Yin’s hand, began to dance to the music. Following local custom, Yao Yin didn’t hesitate and danced with her.

As she spun, she remembered a time in Pure Heaven when she was invited to dance with a group of butterfly fairies. In the end, everyone unanimously agreed that she stuck out like a sore thumb, and even Master Lisheng didn’t speak up for her, only shaking his head and sighing.

Thinking of this, Yao Yin involuntarily laughed out loud. At this moment, she suddenly looked up and saw Yun Yan and Zichen staring at her wide-eyed, their expressions filled with embarrassment.

“I was so busy having fun, I actually forgot about them!” Yao Yin was annoyed that she had gotten carried away and forgotten the main purpose of their trip. Yao Yin immediately stopped dancing and walked out of the crowd. She took Yun Yan’s hand, asked a passerby for directions to the ghost doctor’s residence, and then pulled Yun Yan up the mountain.

The people in the square weren’t very surprised; most just smiled and watched them leave, then happily resumed dancing.

“The people in this fort aren’t exclusive, but they’re not as hospitable as they seem on the surface. It’s quite strange...” Yao Yin frowned.

“There’s something even stranger,” Zichen said.

“What?”

“These immortals don’t have Guardian Stones, and the spots on their faces aren’t from any plague, but lividity. In other words, they’re all dead. And have been for a very long time.”

“What! Why didn’t you say so earlier! Ugh...” Yao Yin remembered holding hands and dancing with them just now, her excited face turned green, and she instinctively bent over the roadside, retching.

“I thought you could tell. After all, your magic is above mine.”

“It seems that’s true...” Only then did Yao Yin remember that Zichen’s immortal rank was below hers. If she couldn’t even tell, how could he?

As the two spoke, they had already reached halfway up the mountain. The stone path became steeper and steeper, eventually requiring both hands and feet to climb. Later, Yao Yin simply picked up Yun Yan and flew up.

After they flew up to the halfway point of the mountain, a small, secluded path appeared, and the road surface suddenly became flat. The small path was surrounded by bamboo, and they walked along it until they reached the depths of the mountain forest, where they saw a wooden house shaped like a tent. The wooden house was covered with layers of colorful prayer flags, and against the moonlight, it appeared rather eerie.

“Is anyone home?” Yao Yin knocked on the wooden door, but unexpectedly, the door opened inwards by itself. A musty, decaying smell emanated from inside the house, as if it had been uninhabited for many years.

“Ghost Doctor, are you there?” Yao Yin called out several times. Seeing no response, she walked in herself.

A black curtain hung inside the main door. Yao Yin used a tree branch to push it aside. The next moment, her heart suddenly gave a great thump, and she almost cried out—she saw a man with a two-toned face standing inside the curtain, perfectly upright in a life-sized coffin. The colors of his left and right cheeks were distinctly divided into black and white, even his lips were the same, and his hair was messy and bushy, looking extremely eerie.

“Are you... human or ghost?” Yao Yin suppressed the tension in her heart, feigning composure.

The man slowly opened the eye on his black cheek. His eyes were also black.

He glared fiercely at Yao Yin, then abruptly pulled the curtain shut and shouted, “Old Ghost Ri isn’t here! If you have business, come back later!”

“Then I’ll, I’ll, I’ll intrude no further.” Yao Yin, still shaken, immediately retreated.

The room was filled with old, dusty items, suggesting they were many years old. Only in the corner, on a sandalwood shelf, were jars of various sizes, wiped clean and sparkling.

What was inside them?

Although Yao Yin was curious, she dared not snoop through others’ belongings. She then led Yun Yan to sit on the bamboo couch outside the door, quietly waiting for Old Ghost Ri to return.

Zichen was deep in thought nearby, not speaking, and a silence fell between the three of them.

Yao Yin looked at Yun Yan and suddenly remembered that she hadn’t formally introduced herself to him yet. So she turned Yun Yan’s head and smiled at him, “My name is Yao Yin...” Her words were only halfway out when Yun Yan squinted, giving her a disdainful look, as if saying “I don’t care who you are,” and directly turned his back to ignore her.

“This child, he really doesn’t understand the respect due to a teacher,” Yao Yin thought, annoyed but helpless. Who could blame him when Yun Yan’s background was so pitiful? So no matter what he did, she would forgive him.

Zichen, who had seen all of this, wanted to laugh but dared not make a sound. He struggled to suppress the trembling of his shoulders, his face turning red from holding it in.

Just then, a yawn suddenly came from inside the wooden house. Presumably, the “Old Ghost Ye” had woken up. Yao Yin immediately stood up, walked to the wooden house, bowed respectfully, and said, “Mr. Ye.”

Soon, Old Ghost Ye pushed aside the curtain, his white-cheeked eye open, and said in a strange tone, “Who said I’m Old Ghost Ye? I am the Day Patrol God!”

“Day Patrol?” Yao Yin blurted out.

“Day Patrol... it’s been a while since I’ve heard that title,” he raised his eyebrows, staring at Yao Yin for a long time, then burst into laughter, saying, “Miss has good judgment!”

Yao Yin smiled. Back then, the Day and Night Patrols worked in shifts, administering good deeds and punishments in the wild. Who knew that after only a few hundred years, they would be impeached by the immortals for greed and accepting bribes? Emperor Haoyue had them taken to the Immortal Executing Platform, but only one of their bodies was executed; the other escaped and had been missing ever since. To think that they had merged into one and were hiding in the Thousand Gates Ghost Fort...

“What is your business with this god?” Day Patrol God said, walking to the sandalwood shelf, opening one of the jars, and grabbing a handful of ink-green, glowing little bugs, throwing them into his mouth. The sound of him chewing the bugs echoed through the air.

Yao Yin felt like vomiting, but still forced herself to appear calm. She pointed to Yun Yan and said respectfully, “To be honest, immortal, this is my younger brother...” Yun Yan, hearing this, his tightly closed eyes suddenly widened, as if he wanted to devour Yao Yin.

Yao Yin paid no mind and directly said, “A few days ago, my younger brother suddenly fell gravely ill, and many doctors were at a loss. That’s why I had no choice but to come and seek your help.” As she spoke, she gently stroked Yun Yan’s face to show affection, but he bit her hand. Yao Yin was in great pain but couldn’t cry out, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

“Your brother?” Day Patrol God asked, full of suspicion.

Yao Yin smiled and nodded, “Yes.”

“Let me see,” Day Patrol said, then lit a candle and walked towards Yun Yan.

Day Patrol crouched down and extended his hand to touch Yun Yan’s wrist, but Yun Yan didn’t appreciate it. He disgustedly shook off his hand, turned his head away, and wouldn’t even look at him.

“A-Yan!” Yao Yin cried out in alarm, but Yun Yan remained completely calm, as if he feared no one, not even the Celestial Emperor himself.

“You little brat, you’ve got guts!” Day Patrol God’s eyes suddenly glinted with malice. He pinched Yun Yan’s chin and sneered, “Good looks, very suitable for cultivation...”

With a crisp “Slap!” Yun Yan turned around and slapped him, interrupting Day Patrol’s words. The sound of the slap was sharp and clean, full of force.

This slap seemed to have struck everyone’s heart. Yao Yin had never imagined that a child could possess such great strength.

Zichen, standing by, also slightly opened his mouth, appearing extremely surprised.

Day Patrol God was stunned for a long moment. When he reacted, he gnashed his teeth in anger: “I think you have a death wish!” He sprang to his feet, intending to tear Yun Yan limb from limb.

Yao Yin quickly shielded Yun Yan, trying to mediate: “Immortal, calm down, calm down! The child is ignorant, you are a magnanimous adult, don’t fuss over him!”

“Hahahahaha—If I don’t use you for cultivation today, then I don’t deserve to be called Day Patrol!” Day Patrol God burst into a frenzied laugh. Although his voice was hoarse, its penetrating power was extremely strong, shaking the entire mountain. With a ferocious expression, he bared his fangs and claws, pushing Yao Yin aside, then wildly lifted Yun Yan, violently grabbing him into the room and pushing him towards the corner.

Yun Yan slumped, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. His eyes, however, showed neither subservience nor arrogance, not the slightest bit of fear.

“Little brat, meeting me today is your...”

“Wait!” Yao Yin lunged forward, blocking Yun Yan. From her sleeve, she took out a small gift box. Inside the box was the Snow Jade Toad, a gift from Master Lisheng upon her completion of training.

Yao Yin knew the Snow Jade Toad was a precious treasure. She had eaten one before and hadn’t been able to bring herself to eat the other, keeping it until now. She hadn’t expected it to come in handy today.

Yao Yin held the Snow Jade Toad high. Day Patrol God immediately stopped speaking, a sharp glint flashing in his half-closed eyes. “Is this the essence of a Snow Jade Toad transformed?” As he spoke, he reached out to snatch it.

Yao Yin immediately retracted the box, helped the unconscious A-Yan up from the corner, held him in her arms, and slyly said, “This humble girl has an impudent request. I hope the great immortal will overlook a commoner’s offense and save my younger brother.”

“Hmph,” Day Patrol God raised an eyebrow, answering her with a sniff.

Yao Yin smiled again, “This is just a small immortal child, how can he compare to the essence of a Snow Jade Toad?” As she spoke, she handed the Snow Jade Toad to Day Patrol God, saying, “If you accept my essence, then release my brother and treat him. For you, it’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Day Patrol God took the essence and swallowed it whole.

“Old Ghost Ri, how could you hog it all!”

“Are you waiting to benefit from me instead?” Day Patrol God’s mouth suddenly emitted two distinctly different tones, and his already eerie face became even more twisted.

The black and white sides of the Day and Night Patrol’s face, originally distinct, were now mixed together. He was actually fighting himself. After several rounds, his left hand had pulled his right cheek to its limit, and a large chunk of his left scalp had been torn off by his right hand.

“Immortals, wait—” Yao Yin lost her composure, unsure how to intervene. It took her a long moment to squeeze out those few words.

The Day and Night Patrol Gods stopped pulling and “both” looked at her.

Facing the starkly contrasting dual-colored pupils, Yao Yin suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, momentarily forgetting what she was about to say.

At this moment, Day Patrol God’s eyes gleamed, saying, “Old Ghost Ye.”

“What’s up?”

“Aren’t there two more good things to nourish the body? How long has it been since we’ve eaten immortals?”

He licked his tongue, “It’s been some years.”

“What do you want?” Yao Yin said with a hint of anger, “Day Patrol God, how can you go back on your word!”

Day Patrol God sneered, and frankly said, “We two have long been expelled from the ranks of immortals. Why would we care about a false reputation? Besides, who would know after we eat you?” As he spoke, he pounced towards Yao Yin.

Day Patrol God’s tall figure appeared even more sinister in the candlelight. The windows rattled in the wind, and the shadows of tree branches outside the forest cast on the windows looked like demonic claws.

“Esteemed Immortals, may I have a word outside?” Just then, Zichen, who was outside the door, suddenly spoke.

The night was very dark, the light dim. Zichen stood backlight, his face unclear, but his voice sounded very calm.

For a moment, Yao Yin felt like she saw a god when she looked at him, but the next moment she started to worry. She knew better than anyone that Zichen was just a newly ascended rogue immortal, and his magic was far inferior to hers.

“Who are you?” Day Patrol God straightened up and asked.

“You won’t want to know who I am, but I have a better treasure to exchange for their lives,” Zichen said, pointing at Yao Yin and Yun Yan.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Zichen nodded lightly.

“That’s excellent, excellent,” the Day and Night Patrol Gods’ eyes lit up. After speaking, they followed him out of the wooden house.

“Don’t trust them!” Yao Yin wanted to chase after them, but found herself bound by a barrier, completely unable to move. Yun Yan in her arms was even more disoriented, likely due to severe injuries he had just sustained, his life hanging by a thread.

Yao Yin could only focus on healing Yun Yan first, but in her heart, she prayed that nothing would happen to Zichen.

As soon as the Day and Night Patrol Gods walked out of the house, they felt a sword at their necks. The sword was transparent and emitted a faint glow. Its blade was sharp, appearing even more chilling under the moonlight.

Zichen held the long sword, his face cold, his gaze deep and profound as he said, “You are merely criminals on the Immortal Executing List, how dare you act so recklessly?”

“Who exactly are you!” The Day and Night Patrol Gods panicked.

If it were just an ordinary sword, they wouldn’t be afraid, but at this moment, they clearly smelled the scent of Lihen Heaven on the sword!

That was a nightmare more terrifying than anything.

“Is it the Divine Sword Zixiao?” Night Patrol God said in disbelief.

“Haoyue’s personal sword? How did it get into your hands?” Day Patrol God also recognized the sword.

Zichen held the long sword, looking down from above, and said coldly, “Given your status, are you qualified to know the reason?”

The Day and Night Patrol Gods were intimidated by his expression and unconsciously their legs went weak, falling to their knees with a thud. Zichen’s aura had crushed the last straw of their spirits. As they knelt, they repeatedly begged for mercy, “Great Immortal, spare us! Great Immortal, spare us!”

“Yun Yan’s illness, will you cure it or not?”

“Cure, cure, cure! We will definitely cure it! Great Immortal’s command, we dare not disobey!” The two trembled, covered in cold sweat, practically rolling and crawling back into the wooden house.

After they entered the room, the long sword in Zichen’s hand instantly turned into air and dissipated. Then, he walked in with an unchanged expression.

Leaves rustled, and the wind passed without a trace.

“Heh, how interesting...” A faint, almost imperceptible husky laugh drifted through the forest.

At some unknown point, the window frames had been covered in green wisteria, but at this moment, it suddenly seemed to come alive, scattering completely.

At some unknown point, a few magpies suddenly appeared in the forest. They didn’t linger long, flapping their wings and screeching as they flew away.