Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Living Yin Marshal
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The swarm carried Chen Shi and Lady Shiji flying for a long time before finally arriving at a stretch of land—an island in the South Ming Sea, though vast in size.
The island featured layered mountain ranges with jagged, bizarre rocks, exuding a majestic grandeur.
Ghosts roamed the mountains in abundance, their skin an indigo blue, faces ferocious and savage, fangs protruding from their mouths. They leaned on steel forks, clad only in ragged strips of cloth stripped from corpses to cover their lower bodies.
These were what the little imps Chen Shi had seen in Lord Wuwang's mansion grew up to look like.
Towering far taller than ordinary people, they jabbed their steel forks at Chen Shi and Lady Shiji as the pair dangled upside down in the swarm's grasp.
Chen Shi hurriedly dodged, nearly getting poked in the belly.
Several human-headed bees flew over, flapping at the forks as they shouted, "The prisoner claims he's
the master's nephew. Kill him, and you'll have hell to pay!"
The ghosts stopped poking Chen Shi and turned to Lady Shiji instead.
Even unconscious, Lady Shiji's body was incomparably tough; they couldn't pierce her and had no choice but to give up.
But there were too many ghosts along the way. Every one that spotted them wanted to poke a couple times, keeping the human-headed bees constantly buzzing back and forth.
Finally, the bee swarm brought Chen Shi and Lady Shiji to an ancient palace at the island's center and set them down.
Chen Shi's body remained numb and immobile; he could barely swivel his eyeballs.
Flanking the palace entrance on either side stood rows of bee people—two legs, four arms, each pair of hands gripping a three-pronged fork. They stood ramrod straight, utterly still.
A plaque above the palace gate bore ghostly script, incomprehensible.
At that moment, a rather neatly dressed large bee emerged from the hall, seemingly a leader among the bees, several times bigger than the others. It had a human head, but two long antennae sprouted from its forehead. It swept a glance over Chen Shi and Lady Shiji. "Who are these?"
"The big-headed one is the prisoner who caused a huge ruckus in the South Ming,
and the one beside her is her accomplice."
One of the human-headed bees replied, "The accomplice claims he's the master's nephew."
The master's nephew?
The bee official hurried forward, bowing low as he scrutinized Chen Shi's face. Astonished, he said, "He does look just like the master's nephew! Still, we need to confirm. What's your name?"
Chen Shi could only move his eyeballs.
The bee official asked, "Did you poison him?"
The human-headed bee replied, "We didn't know he was the master's nephew beforehand, so we went a bit heavy-handed."
The bee official quickly fed Chen Shi a waxen pill. After a moment, seeing him able to move slightly, he pressed, "What's your full name? Where are you from? Who else is in your family?"
Chen Shi's throat muscles barely worked; speaking was still difficult, but he managed, "I'm from Qianyang Mountain in Xinduo,
family's just me now. I had a grandpa named Chen Yindu, but he's passed away."
The bee official exclaimed, "It's the master's nephew! Quick! Bring more antidote pills!"
Some human-headed bees hurried off and fetched antidote pills, feeding them to Chen Shi.
He felt his fleshly body able to move somewhat, though his divine embryo remained paralyzed and immobile.
The bee official, bowed low, supported him with its lower pair of arms as they entered the palace. "Take it slow, young master.
The servants didn't realize you were visiting, so they went a bit heavy... Guards, hang that big-headed woman up! This way, young master. Your divine embryo's fine; just recover your body, then circulate your qi and blood to channel the medicine and detoxify it.
Should we whip the big-headed woman?"
One human-headed bee asked.
The bee official said, "Hold off for now. Wait till the master returns."
Chen Shi said weakly, "The big-headed woman is my friend. Could you spare her?"
The bee official hesitated, then said, "She broke the rules of our Underworld Bee Mansion. The South Ming falls under our jurisdiction... Fine, for the young master's sake, let her down and force-feed her two taels of antidote. Don't fully detoxify her, lest she starts rampaging."
The bees obeyed and left.
The bee official helped Chen Shi through a vermilion corridor. Many bee maidens approached, dressed in gauzy blue silks, with women's faces and graceful figures, slender waists like bees. They chorused, "Registrar, we've come to attend the young master."
"No need to trouble yourselves."
The bee official said, "You lot support the young master and give him some honeyed water. Let him sleep it off to clear the poison."
The bee maidens assented, escorting Chen Shi to a fragrant pavilion. The room smelled sweet; the bedding was soft as clouds. They laid him on the bed, propping his waist to feed him honeyed water.
The bee maidens drew the gauze curtains and stood guard outside.
Chen Shi drifted into a hazy sleep, breaking into a heavy sweat that flushed the poison from his body.
He sat up to find his clothes changed at some point—his old ones riddled with holes from the stings, no doubt swapped by the bee maidens while he slept.
He circulated his qi and blood to detoxify his divine embryo.
A girl's voice came from beyond the gauze: "Young master awake? Shall we prepare a bath? I'll have water drawn."
Chen Shi replied, "I'm detoxifying my divine embryo first. No rush on the water."
The girl stepped forward, parted the gauze, and hooked it to the golden hooks on either side. Smiling, she said, "The master's back and waiting to see you.
You can bathe and detoxify at the same time, young sir."
She was a girl with an exquisitely proportioned waist, a delicate face, and a charming smile.
Were it not for the two antennae on her forehead, she'd pass for a human woman.
Quick with her movements, two hands supported Chen Shi while the other two straightened his clothes.
Chen Shi got out of bed to find a new pair of shoes on the floor—another swap by the bee maidens.
The bee maiden supported him to another room, where several bee maidens had already carried in hot water, pouring it into a large wooden tub.
By the time Chen Shi approached, the tub was nearly full.
The bee maiden reached to undress him, but Chen Shi clutched his waistband in panic. "Sister, I'll do it myself!"
The bee maiden laughed. "What shyness, young master? I changed your clothes earlier—what haven't I seen?"
Chen Shi blushed crimson. "Good sister, let me handle it."
The bee maiden laughed. "Fine, fine! Do it yourself.
Just step back a bit—no peeking."
She retreated behind the screen as instructed, chuckling, "I won't peek."
After a moment, she couldn't resist. "Young master, I already saw everything earlier."
Chen Shi, face burning red, stripped and entered the tub.
Hearing the splash, the bee maiden emerged from behind the screen. Chen Shi yelped, "What are you doing in here? Out! Get out!"
"To help you bathe, of course."
The bee maiden grinned. "If I don't wash you, how'll you have time to refine the poison from your divine embryo?"
Chen Shi flushed to his ears, sitting awkwardly in the tub as the bee maiden wiped him down with a silk cloth, teasing, "You're a cultivator, young master. Why so restless?
I heard the master say true cultivators face collapsing mountains without flinching, pass through flowers without lingering, see beauty without stirring.
So why's your heart pounding away?"
Chen Shi took it to heart. "Lesson learned."
With that, he let her wipe him while focusing on circulating qi and blood to purge the remaining toxins from his divine embryo.
This bee venom was a meticulously refined poison of the swarm, laced with underworld miasma. It paralyzed the body—even the soul—terribly potent.
But with the heavy dose of antidote pills, he'd replaced the tainted qi and blood in his divine embryo and soon cleared it.
He opened his eyes. "Sister, what is this place?"
The bee maiden laughed. "Can't call me sister, young master. I'm Feng Ling'er. Just call me Ling'er."
She paused. "This is the South Ming Bee Mansion, home of the Bee Marshal among the Yin Marshals."
"The Bee Marshal among the Yin Marshals?"
Chen Shi puzzled. "What Yin Marshals are there?"
"The underworld's generals and commanders: Day and Night Wanderers, Black and White Impermanents, Ox-Head and Horse-Face Ghost Kings, Leopard-Tail, Bird-Beak, Fish-Gill, and Hornet.
The Bee Mansion is the Bee Marshal's domain."
As Feng Ling'er scrubbed his chest, she smiled. "The master is one—he wields military authority in the underworld over insects' life, aging, sickness, and death."
Chen Shi wondered, "Ling'er, has Uncle A'zhe passed away? Why else serve as Bee Marshal in the underworld?"
Feng Ling'er shook her head. "The master's in his prime—how could he be dead?"
Still confused, Chen Shi listened as she laughed. "The master's from the living world but wields underworld authority there too."
Chen Shi's heart stirred. Grandpa had mentioned people who took underworld posts before dying—like living ghost catchers who hunted escaped厉鬼s plaguing the mortal realm.
Such folk were called living yin差, living Impermanents.
Others dodged death's deadline with spells, so living yin差 and Impermanents captured them for judgment in the underworld.
Chen Shi had only heard tales before, never imagining the bee-keeper A'zhe was a living Yin Marshal.
Right, Guotu's predecessor was a living Yama from the Ancestral Divine Continent—serving as Yama King while alive.
Chen Shi thought.
"Young master, lift your leg. I'll scrub it."
Feng Ling'er offered.
Chen Shi hurried, "No need!"
"Then stand up—I'll scrub your back."
Chen Shi's face turned beet red, stammering, "Ling'er, I'll wash myself."
Feng Ling'er giggled. "You, a cultivator, getting all worked up again? Fine, wash yourself."
She handed him the silk cloth and retreated behind the screen.
Chen Shi stood quickly, scrubbing himself.
He'd sweated out heaps of toxin-laced filthy blood-mud, reeking; a good scrub was needed.
Done, Chen Shi dried off, stepped from the tub, and reached for clothes.
Hearing him, Feng Ling'er peeked out, laughing. "Young master, let me dress you."
Chen Shi covered himself, turning away. "Back! Get back!"
Feng Ling'er giggled. "Covering what? I saw it all already!
Seeing him about to dive back in, she added, "No helping, no helping.
Those clothes were for sleeping—sweaty now, can't wear 'em. I've new ones ready for you."
She fetched a fresh set, placing it on a stool beside him.
Chen Shi kept his back turned.
Feng Ling'er eyed his pert rear, mischief rising, and gave it a smack before scampering off laughing.
Chen Shi glanced back, saw her gone, and relaxed, dressing piece by piece.
But after the underclothes, Feng Ling'er skipped back in to help with the outer robe, straightening the collar.
She led him to the vanity, combing his hair, tying it up, fitting a small golden crown, and inserting a short gold pin.
Chen Shi rose; she fetched a red silk sash, cinched his waist, and hung a peace jade pendant at it.
Spruced up, Chen Shi checked the mirror: a dashing, elegant youth beamed back. He smiled at his reflection.
"Young sir, follow me."
Feng Ling'er led him from the room, down long corridors, past great halls, to a study. Stopping outside, she bowed. "Master, the young master is here."
"Come in."
A deep voice came from within.
Feng Ling'er opened the door, glancing at Chen Shi.
His heart thumped; doubts bubbled up.
Grandpa on his deathbed said his friend A'zhe was around Big South Lake, most loyal. But Granny Sha claimed the bee-keeper A'zhe had been corrupted by evil essence ten years ago, turning into a great evil spirit.
Now meeting Grandpa's friend at last, Chen Shi felt uneasy.
Steadying himself, he entered.
The study held ranks of bookshelves, topped with indigo little imps hanging upside down, pens in hand, scribbling in books.
The imps glanced at him, then licked their brushes and resumed.
A broad-shouldered youth stood between shelves, book in hand, frowning over some puzzle.
Spotting Chen Shi, his brows eased. He set the book down, approached, clapped Chen Shi's shoulders hard, gripped them, sized him up, and laughed. "Little Ten, you finally came to see your uncle!"
"Little nephew greets Uncle A'zhe!"
Chen Shi bowed.
A'zhe hauled him up, chuckling. "No need for mortal formalities between us.
Last I saw you, you were in a coffin—looking lifelike.
Busy with duties lately, no time to visit Qianyang Mountain."
With thick brows and big eyes, he had a simple, heroic air. Bluntly, he asked, "How's your grandpa?"
Chen Shi dimmed. "Grandpa passed—gone to the underworld."
A'zhe froze, then slapped his thigh laughing. "Good on him."
Chen Shi looked up astonished.
"His body's long since indestructible. Descending to the underworld in the flesh—he can come find me now."
A'zhe eyed him eagerly, grinning. "When'd your grandpa pass?"
"Over half a year ago."
Chen Shi said.
"Half a year?"
A'zhe's eager light faded to disappointment. "Half a year and he hasn't visited... Did he mention me before the end?"
Chen Shi rushed, "He did.
Grandpa said Uncle A'zhe was the most loyal, his best friend—shared tons of old tales.
He told me if trouble came, find you—you'd help for sure."
A'zhe beamed, murmuring, "Knew he hadn't forgotten.
Down in the underworld without seeking me—must be tied up elsewhere!
Forget this ghost book.
Uncle and nephew reunite—gotta drink till we're smashed!"
Chen Shi said, "I don't drink."
"No matter.
Underworld wine's just bland water."
A'zhe headed out laughing. "How old are you now?"
"Twelve, thirteen after New Year."
"You forgot—you died eight years back! You're twenty, turning twenty-one!
I met your grandpa at ten—got me roaring drunk!
Twenty now—you can drink!"
"Ten?"
Chen Shi muttered. "Grandpa's a real beast,"
"Don't praise him.
He's beastly enough as is."
A'zhe roared with laughter.
Chapter End.