Xing Shuishui barely heard what he was shouting.
The air currents in the passage were chaotic.
Even though she desperately held onto He Liansheng’s clothes, they were still separated by the force.
When she regained consciousness, Xing Shuishui found herself lying on a street in the ghost city. Red lanterns hung high, with many ghosts surrounding her. When she opened her eyes and saw the ghosts before her missing arms and eyes, it was so creepy she almost slapped them away.
“This young girl looks so young, how did she die?”
“These are chaotic times. From her aura, she’s a peach spirit. Probably eaten by a greater spirit. Or killed by a cultivator.”
They discussed back and forth about how Xing Shuishui had died.
Only the more experienced one-eyed ghost noticed something was off: “Who are you? Why do you have the aura of a living person? You’re not dead?”
Xing Shuishui sat up, dusting herself off and reattaching the concealment talisman that had fallen. She said calmly, “What living person’s aura? I’m already dead. I’m looking for my deceased relatives to go to the King of Hell’s court for judgment!”
“Judgment doesn’t happen that quickly! I still have to wait a hundred years before I can go to the King of Hell’s court!”
“You’re so fast? I had to bribe officials to get it down to five hundred years!”
“You think this is something good? The more serious your crimes in life, the earlier your judgment. I was a bandit before! Killed quite a few people!”
The people beside him immediately moved away.
So that’s how it is, Xing Shuishui thought deeply. When that person mentioned Guan Yinzi and her name, they were likely figures from four hundred years ago, though she didn’t know exactly when they died.
If they hadn’t gone to the King of Hell’s court yet, they were either virtuous in life or on the run.
This matter could wait.
She thought of her sister and cautiously asked, “Have you heard of someone named Xue Zhuangxin? Has she gone to the King of Hell’s court yet?”
The younger ghosts clearly hadn’t heard this name. But the older spirit ghosts became alert: “Xue Zhuangxin, the former master of Lihuoshan Manor? Xue Jiuling’s sister? Or is it just someone with the same name? What’s your relationship to her? Why are you asking about this?”
Xing Shuishui said innocently, “I’m just curious. When I died, I kept hearing about Xue Jiuling chasing and trying to kill Du Dizhu. It seemed to be because of her sister Xue Zhuangxin.”
The young ghost said, “Your information is outdated. Xue Jiuling died over a hundred years ago, struck by heavenly lightning, her soul scattered.”
Xing Shuishui looked at him expressionlessly.
The elderly spirit ghost pondered for a moment and said, “Didn’t Xue Zhuangxin’s soul scatter long ago? How could she go to the King of Hell’s court? No being in this world could survive under the Separation Fire.”
The young ghost asked confused, “Huh? What Separation Fire? Wasn’t it Du Dizhu who killed her? Souls don’t normally scatter after a normal death.”
The spirit ghost explained, “The problem was that night when Xue Jiuling was chasing the killer, she lost control. The Separation Fire affected her sister’s soul, likely causing it to break apart and vanish from this world. Speaking of which, the current manor master Xue Sansi hated Xue Jiuling because of this. He never let her step foot in the manor again. He was very good friends with Xue Zhuangxin in life.”
The young ghost said, “I know what happened after! When Xue Jiuling was struck by lightning, Xue Sansi said she deserved it. No wonder. So that’s why!”
Xing Shuishui clutched her skirt tightly. Maybe it wasn’t so serious since only a tiny spark had touched her sister.
She asked hopefully, “If a soul scatters, would there still be a record in the Book of Life and Death?”
The spirit ghost replied, “Soul scattering? Perhaps even the name would disappear.”
Fine then. She would go to the King of Hell’s court. Checking the Book of Life and Death might help her find the person using the Yinshan dark arts too.
The City of Fengdu was truly dark. She reached out her hand, and the spirit money floating in the air turned to ash on her skin.
Xing Shuishui wasn’t very comfortable here.
But right now, the person she least wanted to see was He Liansheng. That bad-tempered cultivator. If he caught her, he’d probably want to tear her to pieces. Any time would be fine for him to appear, as long as he didn’t haunt her now.
The King of Hell’s court was at the center of Fengdu City.
When Xing Shuishui arrived, there was a long line in front of the hall, all waiting for judgment. Some came out excited to be reincarnated, while others were directly carried to the Tongue-Pulling Hell by guards. The statue of the King of Hell at the front looked fierce, as if seeing through everyone’s sins.
She was pushed around in the crowd, nearly falling several times. Finally finding a safe place to stand, she learned her lesson and decided to come back at night, when it would be darker and quieter.
Night came quickly, though the sky in Fengdu City was always dark, but they still followed the human concept of time.
Xing Shuishui heard the night watchman’s call and snuck into the King of Hell’s court.
The hall was quiet, with only dim candlelight burning. When she encountered patrols, she would transform into a peach blossom and lie quietly in a corner, changing back after they passed. She quickly found where the Book of Life and Death was kept.
Flipping through the book, she soon found the year her sister was born.
The Separation Fire rose from her palm, illuminating the names in the book.
That year wasn’t there.
Her sister’s name seemed to have never existed in this world. Just like Xing Shuishui’s own name. Not in the Book of Life and Death, nor in the Five Elements.
She was stunned, unable to believe it.
“Who dares to break into the King of Hell’s court! Such audacity.”
Xing Shuishui turned around and saw several fierce-looking guards, different from those she’d seen before. These guards wore red clothes and had paler skin.
She showed no fear: “I want to see your king.”
There must be something wrong if her sister’s name wasn’t in the Book of Life and Death.
The guard sneered: “Heh, we’ll send you to see the King of Hell!”
Xing Shuishui gave up resisting as the guards took her to the King of Hell’s private chambers. Ghost vines wrapped around the pillars, making it even more eerie than the main hall. The guards knelt to report.
The King of Hell’s eyes narrowed when he first saw her: “You’re alive? How did you come here?”
Xing Shuishui said, “Someone in Fengdu City is using Yinshan dark arts to cause trouble in the mortal realm. Lingshan borrowed a path from the guards for this matter. I just came along.”
The King of Hell said, “Ridiculous, you’re a spirit staying with spirit hunters?”
Xing Shuishui was startled, realizing the concealment talisman didn’t work on these divine officials.
She said, “You don’t need to know how we’re staying together. They don’t even know I’m a spirit. Besides, that’s not the main reason I came.”
The King of Hell laughed coldly: “No matter why you came, sneaking into the court and looking through the Book of Life and Death is a capital offense. Don’t be afraid, we’ll send you back to the mortal realm soon.”
His expression turned serious as he commanded: “Guards, send her to be reborn as a beast.”
Xing Shuishui measured the short blade in her sleeve. Separation Fire wrapped around her eyes, the flames bright, the blade’s gleam cold.
The King of Hell’s expression changed: “Separation Fire?”
“You’re Xue Jiuling!”
Xing Shuishui asked, “Do all you immortals know I’m not dead?”
She was confused: “On my first day of rebirth, an earth god came to me, claiming it was heaven’s will.”
The King of Hell: “Please calm down, friend, let’s talk this through. Put away the fire first, the wood here is precious and can’t withstand such treatment.”
Xing Shuishui extinguished the Separation Fire.
The King of Hell said, “Whether we know or not isn’t important. What’s important is we’re helping you. You came down here about your sister?”
Xing Shuishui said, “The night I was chasing the killer, the Separation Fire accidentally touched my sister’s soul.”
The King of Hell made a gesture to check the Book of Life and Death, and indeed couldn’t find Xue Zhuangxin’s name. He immediately understood. Not being in the book likely meant her soul had scattered.
But Xing Shuishui persisted: “If I could be reborn after being struck by lightning, surely my sister’s soul can be gathered too.”
The King of Hell said reluctantly: “The dead have passed on. I advise you to let go early. Soul gathering isn’t something that can be done just because you want to.”
Xing Shuishui: “Is there any way?”
The King of Hell said: “There is. But I need to look through ancient texts. It will take some time.”
He changed the subject: “Weren’t you here to investigate the Yinshan dark arts? I just checked the Book of Life and Death, Guan Yinzi’s name isn’t in it, so it probably wasn’t him. Did he have any disciples?”
Xing Shuishui said: “I killed them all. I burned the books myself.”
Everyone fell silent. The situation had reached an impasse. No one knew where this person had come from, not only fooling everyone but also knowing the Yinshan secret arts that had been lost for hundreds of years.
Where was He Liansheng now?
The hall’s light was dim, mist swirling.
Thinking of him, Xing Shuishui suddenly looked up: “I want to check one more person’s death.”
The King of Hell asked: “Who?”
“Lingshan’s master’s disciple, He Liansheng.”
“I want to know how he will die, and how many years he has left. Though I really dislike him, he’s the most talented celestial master I’ve seen from Lingshan.”
If he doesn’t die, he’ll ascend.
Ascend to immortality.
The King of Hell sighed: “When he was born, the Book of Life and Death stirred, so I checked his fate. Exceptionally talented, cold-natured. Unfortunately, he’s destined to not die peacefully, he will die at the hands of his beloved.”
Xing Shuishui was stunned, wondering if something was wrong with the Book of Life and Death? How could someone as cold as He Liansheng actually love someone, and even be killed by that woman? He was really hiding things well!
She asked curiously: “Who is this woman?”
“Let me check.”
The King of Hell waved his hand, and another Book of Life and Death appeared in his palm. He looked through it for a moment, then made a surprised sound.
“How can this be?”
Xing Shuishui leaned forward to look, seeing the words: He Liansheng, young master of the He family, disciple of Lingshan’s master. Auspicious signs appeared at his birth, but at death he will be abandoned by all. Born with immortal bones, a prodigy in cultivation, seemingly cold-natured but actually deeply passionate…
The last line read: At twenty years old, for one person he will suffer a thousand arrows through his heart, for one person he will betray his master and principles, make enemies of the world, but ultimately die at the hands of his beloved. Alas, how difficult it is to understand love in this world.
When her finger touched it, the ink of this sentence was slowly fading. This meant his fate had shifted unknowingly.
Xing Shuishui was also puzzled about who could be this variable? Nothing unusual seemed to have happened around him.
Just then, a huge commotion suddenly came from outside, like thunder on flat ground, continuously crackling as if someone had lifted up the entire City of Fengdu. Xing Shuishui and the King of Hell nearly fell to the ground.
The people inside reacted.
The King of Hell angrily said: “How outrageous! Go see who’s causing trouble outside! Who dares to act up in my domain? Want to be reborn as a beast?”
Several guards accepted the order and went out. Xing Shuishui, having a bad feeling, followed them.
“What happened?”
“Daring to fight in the City of Fengdu? Don’t want to live anymore? This is disrespecting the King!”
“Must want to be reborn as a beast!”
“Such a handsome young man, to be reborn as a pig in the next life, what a pity, what a pity.”
Outside, ghosts gathered.
The spirit money floating in the air turned to ash in the clash of spells. Xing Shuishui raised her face, and the ash happened to fall on her cheek, burning hot enough to make her squint.
She saw the young man cut off an evil ghost’s arm, black blood splattering everywhere. The Taoyuan sword hummed, its crimson headband floating.
The opponent had crashed through several fruit stalls, his expression pained.
He Liansheng stepped on his face, pressing his sword against his throat, looking down with a cold smile: “Tell me, who sent you? I don’t like repeating myself.”
Leave a Reply