Chapter 302
Chapter 302
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unnumbered]
Chapter Title: Yan Guzhi's Desperate Soul Search
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In Xijing, Minister of Rites Yan Guzhi sat upright in the main hall of the Ministry of Rites, while nearly all the officials and clerks from the Shanglin Grove Office below him cast various soul-summoning, soul-seeking, soul-fixing, and pathfinding spells. Yet they still couldn't locate him, and Yan Guzhi frowned.
More than six hundred provincial scholars had clearly fallen into the underworld along with the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, yet there was no sign of them alive or dead. If they were just a bunch of peasants, it might not matter, but the key was that among them were elite disciples from Daoist sacred sites like Guo Daozi and Golden Gourd Daoist. Even more critically, Zhang You was among them!
Zhang You was from the Zhang family and was meant to inherit the sect leader position in the future. If someone like that died during this major exam, Yan Guzhi's career as Minister of Rites would be over.
"Those two bastards, Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying!"
Yan Guzhi cursed under his breath and urged the Shanglin Grove Office to come up with another plan.
The Shanglin Grove Office oversaw livestock and sacrificial goods, nurturing ghost gods on a daily basis. It was the yang world's office responsible for liaising with the underworld—a lowly position, but extremely important.
Normally, the Shanglin Grove Office offered livestock sacrifices to the ghost gods, opening channels to the underworld. This way, when underworld bailiffs came for nobles and dignitaries after death, they would generally give advance notice, allowing the dying person ten days or half a month to settle affairs. They could even bribe the underworld officials to secure positions for elders from the family in the underworld.
Because they offered so many sacrifices daily, the underworld bailiffs were happy to deal with the Shanglin Grove Office.
On the plaza below, people led in many pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep. An altar was set up, incense burned profusely, and green smoke rose slowly, permeating the air.
The sacrificial animals like pigs, horses, cattle, and sheep were brought to the altar, and soon underworld bailiffs emerged from the green smoke to enjoy the offerings.
Several clerks stepped forward and questioned these ghost gods one by one about the whereabouts of the provincial scholars trapped in the underworld.
After enjoying the sacrifices, the ghost gods were still foul-mouthed and abusive, but they answered the clerks' questions fully.
—One's mouth is soft after eating another's food; having accepted the sacrifices, they naturally had to give something in return.
After a long while, the clerks from the Shanglin Grove Office compiled the information they received and presented it to the Left Warden. The Left Warden quickly flipped through it, then hurried over to Yan Guzhi and presented it to him, bowing as he said, "Please take a look, my lord."
Yan Guzhi opened the document, and the Left Warden said, "My lord, we inquired about the fates of six hundred and forty-four provincial scholars and tried to trace their souls, but we couldn't find them. According to the ghost gods, two hundred and seventeen have already died, while four hundred and twenty-seven are still alive. The key individuals you were concerned about—Golden Gourd Daoist is deceased, but the others are still alive."
As Yan Guzhi read, he asked, "Where are they trapped? Why can't we summon their souls?"
"My lord, the ghost gods said the place they went to is not within their jurisdiction—it's the second hell, the Abandoned Land. They have no authority to enter it."
The Left Warden continued, "They also said that souls who fall there basically have no chance of coming out. Even these ghost gods don't dare go in; there are things inside far more terrifying than them. Soul-summoning spells are largely useless there and can't call forth souls from that place. Anyone who enters has no hope of survival."
Yan Guzhi's heart turned ice-cold, his eyes twitching as he rasped, "Are there no other methods?"
The Left Warden shook his head lightly. "We've tried every method available. There's nothing else we can do."
He hesitated, then said, "I've heard there's a散人 named Granny Sha who's unparalleled in soul-related spells. She was once the wife of Minister of Personnel Xiang Yunfei but was later divorced. Perhaps she could help."
Yan Guzhi said, "Quickly send for Minister Xiang! Also, these are all scholars who came to the capital for the exams—they can't be left to die in a foreign land. Continue the soul-summoning until they are brought back!" The Left Warden bowed and hurried down the stone steps, shouting to the Shanglin Grove Office officials, "Continue the soul-summoning!"
He then called over a clerk and instructed, "Go quickly to the Ministry of Personnel and invite Minister Xiang Yunfei." The clerk hurried off.
Before long, Minister of Personnel Xiang Yunfei arrived at the Ministry of Rites and paid respects to Yan Guzhi. Yan Guzhi asked, "Minister Xiang, can you invite Sha Qiutong to help us search for the provincial scholars lost in the underworld? I know you have your difficulties, but this is a grave matter—please don't refuse."
Xiang Yunfei bowed and said, "My lord, I have no ties left with Sha Qiutong. I don't even know where she is now. Even if I wanted to ask for her help, I'd be helpless."
Yan Guzhi smiled. "A few days ago, wasn't she outside the exam grounds of our Ministry of Rites, chatting and laughing with you?"
Xiang Yunfei's mind reeled, his eyes bulging as he stammered, "That woman did resemble Sha Qiutong somewhat, but Sha Qiutong is over sixty now..."
Yan Guzhi said, "She is Sha Qiutong, known as the Soul-Searching Rakshasa Granny Sha. She originally served in the Shanglin Grove Office as a registrar. You married her and had a son, but later you divorced her. Now, she's used some demonic spell to restore her youth and deliberately approached you."
Xiang Yunfei was dumbfounded.
After a long moment, he recovered and shook his head. "I truly don't know where she is. If you can find her, my lord, I will personally persuade her." Yan Guzhi frowned slightly and immediately ordered people to search for Granny Sha's whereabouts.
Days passed, but Granny Sha wasn't found. The Shanglin Grove Office officials tried every method, yet still couldn't locate the provincial scholars. "Lord Yan, all three hundred and sixty-four officials of the Shanglin Grove Office have been searching nonstop for thirteen days, day and night—they're exhausted and can't hold on."
The Left and Right Wardens came together to see Yan Guzhi and pleaded, "If we continue, there will be deaths! Please show mercy, my lord, and let them rest a few days before resuming the search!" Yan Guzhi looked below and saw the officials' vital energies depleted—they truly couldn't continue. He could only say, "Rest for two days."
The Left Warden hesitated, then said, "To be honest with you, my lord, even I believe that no matter how much longer we search, they won't be alive. The underworld is teeming with ghost monsters and full of dangers. The yin energy is heavy too. Even if they escape the ghosts' mouths, their cultivation will be eroded by the yin energy, decaying their bodies. Even if we rescue them today, they'll likely be crippled."
Yan Guzhi's eyes twitched as he thought of Zhang Fuzheng's stern face. Gritting his teeth, he said, "We see the living, or the corpse of the dead!" The Left and Right Wardens could only withdraw.
Two days later, the Shanglin Grove Office officials had recovered their vital energies and resumed the search.
Meanwhile, in the Plucking Elegance Pavilion, the entire Fuzheng Pavilion kept sending people to the Shanglin Grove Office and Ministry of Rites to inquire about news of the lost provincial scholars. Messages poured in continuously, and Shui Xuanzhi, Qin Su, and the others gradually relaxed.
"The longer time drags on, the lower the chance of survival."
Qin Su smiled and said, "It's already been half a month. Those provincial scholars in the underworld have probably turned to white bones by now. Pity the bones by the boundless river, still the dream lover in the spring boudoir. Their families still don't know they've died in the underworld."
The other Fuzheng Pavilion officials sighed one after another.
"With Chen Shi and Zhang You dead in the underworld, Young Master is as good as guaranteed the top spot." Registrar Tang laughed. Shui Xuanzhi said sternly, "How can we gloat over others' misfortune? Don't mention such things again!"
He paused, then said, "It won't be long before the Ministry of Rites halts the rescue. The metropolitan exam results will be posted soon, and Young Master will surely take first place. In another half month, the palace exam will be a mere formality. This top scholar title was hard-won for Young Master. Everyone, we must start building momentum for him early!"
Everyone nodded.
Chancellor Dou Qi asked, "Chief Clerk Shui, after being trapped in the underworld so long, can they still come back alive? What if they suddenly appear then..." "Impossible for them to come back alive."
Shui Xuanzhi said flatly, "Even someone at my Great Vehicle Realm would struggle to last long in the underworld. It's crawling with ghost gods everywhere, magic monsters at every turn, full of uncanny perils—no one can survive a month there, not even me! What's more, most of these provincial scholars who fell haven't even formed their primordial spirits, let alone severed the three corpses."
He smiled faintly. "Their three corpse gods will absorb the yin energy, growing stronger and ruining their Dao foundations. Even if someone survives and returns, their foundation ruined, they'll be wastes from then on—what's there to worry about? The underworld is far more terrifying than you imagine!"
In the underworld, a bluestone path stretched through the air, extending endlessly forward. Below, Blackie Pot carried Chen Tang racing ahead.
On the bluestone path, Granny Sha—who appeared to be in her blooming twenties—stood at the road's end, the bluestones continuously paving forward beneath her feet.
She had regained her youth, her vital blood abundant and vigorous. Before, her vital blood had been withered, and she dared not squander it so lavishly. Now, not only was she spending freely, but her cultivation had advanced further, faintly showing signs of a breakthrough. The man, the dog, and the two of them had been traveling through the underworld for over ten days, with Granny Sha constantly helping Chen Tang pinpoint directions.
Blackie Pot helped them slaughter the ghost gods and magic monsters they encountered along the way, charging unstoppable.
The underworld was vast—finding people wasn't easy. But Granny Sha had divided the underworld into nine districts, allowing her to quickly determine directions. However, when she tried summoning Chen Shi's soul, she found that Chen Shi and the others weren't in any of the nine districts.
These days of travel in the underworld were mainly to use the nine districts' coordinates to locate Chen Shi's position in the underworld's space. She suspected there might be a second layer of space in the underworld, and this was to pinpoint that space's exact location.
She had offended many experts in the underworld, and now that she was out in the open, many underworld bailiffs came chasing—but they were all blocked by Chen Tang and Blackie Pot. Strangely, in recent days, the pursuing underworld bailiffs had dwindled, eventually stopping altogether.
Lately, the parts of the underworld they'd gone to had no ghost souls, no underworld bailiffs or monsters—just desolation everywhere. The earth was pitch-black, the sky a hazy gray, devoid of other colors. "Chen Tang, Blackie Pot, stop! It should be nearby!" Granny Sha suddenly said.
Blackie Pot halted immediately at her words, looking around. The place was shrouded in twilight haze, vast and desolate, everywhere enormous withered trees. Each withered tree would take dozens of people to encircle, incredibly thick.
Chen Tang jumped down from Blackie Pot's head and examined the trees closely. "These are Bodhi trees, the enlightenment trees of Buddhism. Legend has it that Buddha Sakyamuni attained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree to become the Buddha."
Granny Sha's bluestone slabs continued paving forward beneath her feet. In the withered forest ahead stood an ancient temple, grand in scale and emanating antiquity.
Chen Tang and Blackie Pot followed her over. Upon reaching the temple entrance, they saw the plaque hanging crookedly to one side, inscribed with "Ksitigarbha King's Temple." "This place should enshrine Buddhism's Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."
Chen Tang said, "This Bodhisattva delved into Buddhism's hells, repeatedly rescuing his mother's ghost soul, and vowed to ferry all beings sunk in hell."
The two humans and the dog entered the temple, immediately encountering the skeleton of a giant hound sprawled on the ground. Blackie Pot barked twice at the hound's bones.
The temple had only a divine shrine—no idol. The idol had been smashed to pieces.
"Chen Shi and those provincial scholars are nearby! But they're not in the same underworld as us."
Granny Sha looked around, fetched two prayer mats and laid them on the ground, sitting on one. "Little Tang, I'll cast a spell to send our primordial spirits into another underworld. Blackie Pot will guard us and keep us safe. Sit down." Chen Tang sat opposite her.
An imperial daughter primordial spirit emerged behind Granny Sha, extending a palm. The ground beneath them seemed to vanish, replaced by a pool of clear spring water.
Chen Tang looked down. The prayer mat had become a lotus in the clear spring; they were now sitting on the lotus. Looking down the lotus stalk, he saw the clear spring surging upward, delving into the depths, crystal clear—as if drilling out from another time-space. "This spell of mine is called Visiting Dwelling."
Granny Sha said, "Relax and manifest your primordial spirit."
Chen Tang did as instructed and manifested his primordial spirit. Granny Sha's voice came to his ears.
"What is called 'dwelling' is a shelter, a place to house the body. The flesh body is the soul's dwelling. Since we can't enter another world, we'll discard our original dwelling and descend into a dwelling in that other world with our souls, giving us bodies to act freely."
Granny Sha activated the incantation. Chen Tang saw various symbols he'd never seen before emerge around them, constantly evolving and transforming—he couldn't help but be astonished.
His talisman inheritance came from Chen Yindu—the few talisman manuals and the Talisman Creation Codex his grandfather had left at home. He'd learned half by self-study, half by asking Chen Yindu and Little Five the Creator, mastering the contents of both books. In the world, few could surpass his attainment in talismans!
There weren't many symbols in the world he hadn't seen, but Granny Sha was using many unfamiliar ones in this spell. "Sister Sha, what symbols are these?" Chen Tang asked.
Granny Sha glanced at him. "These are some soul-type symbols I created myself—the spells I pioneered. Little Tang, do you know why your father prefers Chen Wu a bit more? You're knowledgeable and quick to learn, surpassing many your age, but you lack innovation. You're better suited to learning than creating your own things. In this, you're far behind Chen Wu, even further behind your father—and not as good as me."
Chen Tang said nothing.
He learned anything quickly, mastering it instantly. But creating new spells or symbols was difficult for him. Little Five the Creator was different—he always tinkered out bizarre spells, winning Chen Yindu's favor.
Suddenly, Granny Sha's spell erupted. Their primordial spirits plunged sharply, as if passing through countless time-spaces. White light wheeled endlessly before Chen Tang's eyes. His primordial spirit jolted violently, as if crashing into something. He hurriedly steadied himself.
"Guaji guaji!"
Beside him, a green-faced, fanged ghost monster looked at him puzzledly and said, "Guaji?" Chen Tang said in shock, "I don't understand..."
But as soon as the words left his mouth, they became, "Guaji guaji..." Strangest of all, he actually understood it!
He quickly examined himself and saw he'd become a green-faced, fanged ghost monster too!
At that moment, another ghost monster walked up, carrying a fork with a human corpse impaled on it—wearing only tattered loincloth—and beckoned to Chen Tang. Chen Tang hurried over and probed, "Godmother?"
The ghost monster hammered his head hard and snarled, "Call me sister!" "Sister." Chen Tang complied readily.
"Come with me!" Granny Sha hiked up her loincloth with her left hand and said.
Chen Tang followed, unable to resist saying, "Sis, you've got a person on your fork." Granny Sha said, "Does this corpse's clothing look familiar?"
Chen Tang looked closely, his heart pounding wildly. "It's a provincial scholar from the metropolitan exam!"
Granny Sha hiked up her loincloth again. "When I entered this dwelling, I found it carrying this scholar's corpse on its shoulder. This means Little Ten and the others should be nearby!" She suddenly grabbed a passing ghost monster and asked, "Guaji guaji?"
"Guaji guaji guaji!"
Granny Sha said to Chen Tang, "It says the things that fell from the sky are that way! Let's go!"
Chen Tang perked up, and the two raced over. Before long, they found the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, but there were no living people left inside.
They exited the blessed land and searched around. Then they encountered a herding ghost god—its feet were enormous wheels, flesh growing from the wheels, its body towering. Granny Sha stopped and asked, "Guaji guaji?"
"Guaji guaji guaji!"
The herding ghost god raised an arm, pointing toward the distant Buddhas, and said, "Guaji."
Granny Sha bid farewell to the ghost god, hiked up her loincloth, and led Chen Tang onward. "He said those pasture grasses went into the mountains. It was too dangerous, so he didn't go herd there." Chen Tang was filled with worry. The two delved into the Buddhas Great Mountain, where eyes popped out from the Buddhas' bodies one by one, curiously watching them.
Granny Sha caught a ghost monk that jumped down from one of the eyes and interrogated it harshly. She exclaimed in delight, "Alive! He says Little Ten and the others are still alive!" She hiked up her loincloth, rushing ahead excitedly, laughing. "They've been in the underworld so long and can still survive!"
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