#13: Fengdu Ghost City (1)

The Day and Night Patrol Gods returned to the house, carefully checked Yun Yan’s pulse, then shook their heads and sighed: “The young master’s pulse is normal; no illness can be detected. However, his seal of destiny is darkened and his body is weak. He must be possessed by ghost energy and needs a ritual to drive away evil!”

Yao Yin thought about it and felt that his explanation made a lot of sense. She respectfully said, “Then I shall trouble the two Celestial Immortals.”

“Please follow me, all three of you,” the Day and Night Patrol Gods smiled and nodded. With that, they picked up Yun Yan first and flew down the mountain.

Yao Yin flew up, closely following them, but she couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled. Why had these two suddenly become so friendly? Yao Yin looked at Zichen with a questioning gaze, but he just smiled faintly and shrugged, indicating he didn’t know either. Yao Yin was now completely focused on Yun Yan. Seeing that Zichen wouldn’t elaborate, she didn’t have time to press for details.

In the mountains at night, the air was cold, and a thin mist permeated the area, making everything appear somewhat indistinct. The few of them moved through the mountain forest, finally stopping beside a dry well under an old tree. The old tree’s roots were gnarled and twisted, its canopy blotting out the sky. A circle of white funerary paper was wrapped around its trunk. Beside the dry well, withered leaves lay scattered on the ground, mixed with the funerary paper, blown about by the wind. Yun Yan was placed beside the dry well, sitting on the ground, his small eyes half-closed, looking at the Day and Night Patrol Gods with utter disdain, and casting contemptuous glances at Zichen and Yao Yin out of the corner of his eye.

Just then, the Day and Night Patrol Gods somehow produced a copper bell. The bell chimed with a “ding-a-ling,” emitting a sound like an ancient clock, striking directly at one’s soul. The Day and Night Patrol Gods, tall and robust, danced around the dry well to the rhythm of the copper bell. The sound of the bell echoed in the night, appearing ethereal and eerie.

“Strange, very strange.” After a short while, the Day and Night Patrol Gods stopped, frowned, and said, “Too strange.”

“What’s strange?” Yao Yin nervously moved closer to Yun Yan.

“Come and see,” the Day and Night Patrol Gods said, pointing at the dry well, their brows furrowing tighter and tighter, as if something very terrifying lay within the well.

Zichen walked over at the sound. He wasn’t nervous about Yun Yan, but rather curious about what was in the well. He bent down and peered into the well, only to see that it was pitch black inside, nothing visible.

“What’s strange?” Zichen asked in doubt.

“Take a closer look,” the Day and Night Patrol Gods said. As Zichen concentrated, they vigorously pushed him. Zichen, merely playing the pig to eat the tiger, was ultimately no match and was pushed into the well.

“You brat, I don’t care who you are, go to hell!” The Day and Night Patrol God laughed triumphantly, their black and white face appearing even more terrifying.

“What are you doing!” Yao Yin cried out in alarm, immediately casting a protective barrier around herself and Yun Yan.

“Isn’t it obvious? Of course, it’s to kick away the annoying obstacle and then eat you all!” Day Patrol God snarled, lunging forward with a menacing grin. The barrier Yao Yin had set up was insignificant before the Day and Night Patrol’s magical power. Seeing the barrier about to break and escape impossible, she simply flashed and, holding Yun Yan, jumped into the well. At least dying from the fall was better than being eaten by them.

A sensation of falling came, but it wasn’t a rapid descent. Before she could even use her levitation spell, she landed on a hard surface. Although the speed of the fall wasn’t fast, it still left her bones aching. The laughter of the Day and Night Patrol Gods still faintly echoed in her ears, but when she opened her eyes, she found that this was no longer the bottom of a well. The sky above was covered in dark clouds, without a single star. A thick fog rose all around, making it barely possible to discern some tall, ancient archways. The scenery on both sides of the street resembled that of the mortal realm, but it was utterly desolate and chilling.

Yao Yin found that there wasn’t even a trace of immortal energy here. The entire town was silent and empty. She had a premonition that she was definitely no longer in the Thirty-Three Heavens.

“Where is this?” Yao Yin muttered to herself.

From behind the thick fog, Zichen, as if out of nowhere, produced a lantern, illuminating the path ahead. His right hand was raised high, pointing towards the sky, and he gave a smile, saying, “Welcome to Fengdu.”

Yao Yin looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that in the dark sky, the thick fog gradually dispersed, revealing a complete archway. The ancient characters carved on the archway were thin and straight, with sharp strokes. This type of script was rarely seen, but she could still barely make out the three characters written on it—Ghost Gate Pass.

“Ghost Gate Pass... Fengdu Ghost City? We’re in the Ghost Realm?”

Zichen shrugged innocently and nodded.

“Heaven wants to destroy me...” Yao Yin heard this, and her vision went black, almost fainting.

Fengdu Ghost City, no living being should enter. The Ghost Clan and Immortal Clan were irreconcilable enemies; immortals who entered never returned. Now that she had fallen into the den of thieves, how could she survive?

“It hurts so much...” Yao Yin staggered, trying to stand up, but found that she seemed to have injured her right foot. She endured the pain and shakily stood up.

At this moment, Yun Yan, who had been unconscious on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing his amber pupils. His expression was calm, entirely devoid of Yao Yin’s tension. Instead, he seemed to be suddenly full of vitality. He took deep breaths, his face filled with satisfaction, as if he were smelling the most fragrant thing in the world.

“A-Yan... you’re awake?” Yao Yin, having no choice, endured the pain and squatted down again, asking with concern, “Does your wound still hurt?”

Yun Yan ignored her, still enjoying whatever it was to himself.

Yao Yin saw that Yun Yan’s complexion had improved significantly, which reassured her: “It’s good that you’re okay. That makes me feel relieved.”

Yao Yin finished speaking to herself. Without a doubt, Yun Yan still acted as if he hadn’t heard. Yao Yin comforted herself: “As long as A-Yan’s body is fine, everything is manageable. As for his habit of always ignoring me... I can always soften him with time and love.”

Of course, that’s assuming they could get out of Ghost Gate Pass alive this time...

“Ding-dong... Ding-dong...”

In this ghost city, where there was no sun or moon, no sense of time, a strange copper bell sound suddenly echoed in the air. From far to near, it grew louder and louder. Yao Yin quickly pulled Yun Yan and hid behind a wall. Zichen, however, was not nervous, following the two calmly.

Then, at the alley entrance, two men wearing tall hats appeared. They held soul-summoning banners in their right hands and raised copper bells high in their left. The bells chimed in their hands, echoing through the ancient city. Behind them followed about a hundred souls, big and small. These souls looked no different from ordinary people, dressed like mortals. They were Soul Reapers.

Yao Yin gave Zichen a look, and Zichen immediately understood what she wanted to do. Immediately after, she pulled Yun Yan and walked up, joining the very end of the procession. The three of them, with unspoken understanding, remained silent, simply following them unhurriedly. Most of the souls, having just entered the City of Wrongful Deaths, were still confused or lost in thought about their past lives, and thus didn’t notice them. The procession of ghosts entered the Ghost Gate Pass, exited the City of Wrongful Deaths, and then stepped onto the Yellow Springs Road.

On the Yellow Springs Road, crimson Manjusaka flowers bloomed all over the mountains and fields, appearing from afar like an endless carpet woven from blood, seemingly connecting with the dim sky. On both sides of the road, among the Manjusaka flower bushes, countless nearly transparent souls drifted, dressed in white, with disheveled hair and vacant eyes. They were souls who had died unnatural deaths; their names were not in the Records of Yin and Yang. They could not ascend to the Nine Heavens Palace nor descend into the Purple Haze Yellow Springs; they could only wander as restless ghosts on the Yellow Springs Road, reliving their pasts over and over again.

“Forgive me...”

Just then, an incredibly familiar voice entered Yao Yin’s mind. Yao Yin trembled all over, listening to that sigh, which seemed to have traveled through millions of years, echoing in her mind.

It was the male voice she had heard countless times in her dreams.

In her dream, when he stabbed a sword into her chest, he said: “Why didn’t you die? I exhausted all my efforts to set up this trap, but why could you still return?”

At that time, his voice carried no emotion.

But now, he was begging for her forgiveness.

“Forgive me...”

Yao Yin kept feeling as if the speaker was right behind her, as if she could see his face if she just turned around. Tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes. She really wanted to know who he was.

Yun Yan sensed Yao Yin’s distress and immediately pulled her, desperately urging her forward.

On the Yellow Springs Road, do not look back; if you look back, you cannot leave.

Yao Yin, like a soulless puppet, let Yun Yan drag her along. She truly did not have the courage to stay alone on the Yellow Springs Road. Although she knew it was all an illusion, this nightmare had tormented her for so long that she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist looking back. Because she really wanted to turn around and see him, to ask him, “Why is all this happening?”