Chapter 322
Chapter 322
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 322
Chapter Title: Chapter 322 Red-haired ghost
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Granny Sha had once said that Chen Shi's soul was too strong, which made his Three Corpse Gods terrifyingly powerful as well. In the future, when he purged his Three Corpses, it would likely be far more difficult for him than for others.
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The Lower Corpse God Peng Jiao seemed to sense the disturbance in the rear hall and lumbered over to the entrance, his massive eyes blocking the doorway as he peered inside.
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"Master, you're in there, aren't you? Come out already! I know of a few houses with beautiful women—stunning faces, graceful figures. Tonight, I'll take you for some fun, slip into their dreams and tumble through the clouds and rain for a good time!"
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At that moment, two more Corpse Gods crawled out from the left and right halls. The Upper Corpse God Peng Ju from the left hall had a handsome face, like a modest gentleman, all mild manners and amiable charm.
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The Middle Corpse God was rotund and portly, exuding an air of nobility—like Chen Shi himself, but ballooned many times over. They all bore Chen Shi's features.
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These two Corpse Gods also approached the door. Upper Corpse God Peng Ju smiled and said, "The moonlight's perfect tonight.
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Time to hit the pleasure quarters and listen to some tunes!"
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Middle Corpse God Peng Zui chuckled, "Great idea! I know a place with excellent delicacies from land and sea—perfect for a feast!"
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Lower Corpse God Peng Jiao coaxed patiently, "Master, you've saved up so much money down in the underworld. Money that isn't spent isn't money at all! Stop sleeping and come out. Your three brothers will show you a good time!"
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The other two Corpse Gods joined in the persuasion, urging Chen Shi to come out and join them for a night of wine, women, and song.
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"Don't worry, Master. They can't come in," the Little Yaksha said. Chen Shi asked curiously, "Why can't they enter?"
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The Little Yaksha explained, "Probably because the Yuan Chen Palace corresponds to Master's body—the front hall to the lower body, the left and right halls to the senses and organs, and this place to the Divine Court. The Upper Corpse God tempts with the five desires, draining your essence and energy. The Middle Corpse God spurs you to evil, eroding your merits. The Lower Corpse God lures with lust, sapping your lifespan and vitality. They activate when Master sleeps, but since your fate hasn't run out, your soul retreats to the Divine Court upon sleep, evading the Three Corpse Gods."
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Chen Shi glanced at Boat Granny with a questioning look.
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Boat Granny shook her head. "I wouldn't know. I'm a ghost god; I've never gone through this. It's beyond me."
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Chen Shi humbly sought instruction from the Little Yaksha about the Three Corpse Gods, and the Little Yaksha held nothing back. "The Three Corpse Gods will stop at nothing to sever Master's immortal path—making you gorge yourself, indulge in debauchery, chase dogs, horses, music, and women. They start by having you defile wives and daughters in dreams, then crumble your Dao heart in the waking world, leading you to the same follies in reality. You'll grow weaker and weaker, the Divine Court harder to hold. Eventually, with your lifespan exhausted, merits gone, blessings spent, the Three Corpse Gods will break through the door and devour your soul and primal spirit."
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Chen Shi asked for guidance, "How can one resist them?"
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The Little Yaksha replied, "Ears filled with lascivious tunes, eyes dazzled by colors, tongue savoring delicacies, nose inhaling exotic scents—these birth desires from food and stir passions from beauty, letting wicked thoughts run wild, all strengthening the Three Corpse Gods. To weaken them, cultivate pure yang methods: use your body as the furnace and cauldron, gather your mind and spirit inward, contemplate your form internally, keep essence from leaking outward, and your qi will grow mighty. When thunder arises naturally within and your body turns pure yang, the Three Corpse Gods will be slain effortlessly."
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Chen Shi was utterly astonished. "How do you know all this?"
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"I've worked in many households. Some folks fall under the Three Corpse Gods' control—gorging wildly, indulging without restraint in vice and revelry—quickly hollowing out their bodies. The Three Corpse Gods breach the Divine Court, devour the soul, and they're done for, alas."
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The Little Yaksha continued, "I've also seen cultivators of the Dao who practiced pure yang methods—their minds and wills unbreakable, bodies forged pure yang. The thunder born of their pure yang qi slays the Three Corpse Gods."
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Chen Shi asked, "Do other Little Yakshas possess your knowledge?"
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The Little Yaksha said, "I've met a few kin outside and talked with them—they're all muddled and dim."
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Chen Shi bowed deeply to him, sincerity overflowing. "You've taught me so much; you have my gratitude. Accept my bow!"
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The Little Yaksha knocked his head to the ground in haste. "You're the Master; I'm just the help. How could I accept such a grand gesture from you?"
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He kowtowed repeatedly with resounding thuds. Chen Shi's face changed; he quickly pulled him up, straightened him, then kowtowed back, returning every head the Little Yaksha had given.
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The Little Yaksha floundered in panic, clutching his little round cap, at a loss.
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After finishing, Chen Shi said, "You've done me a favor. If I accepted your bow, wouldn't that blur grace and grudge?"
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At that moment, the outside fell quiet.
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Chen Shi peeked through a crack in the door. The courtyard was empty of the Three Corpse Gods' traces.
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The Little Yaksha said, "They've gone to the underworld to file complaints. Every night, any cultivator's Three Corpse Gods scheme to drag you out carousing. If you don't go, they head to the underworld and tattle—telling the judge everything about who you bedded that day, how much lavish food you wolfed down, your nights of revelry—so the judge docks your lifespan."
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Chen Shi jolted in fright. No wonder Dao cultivators had to slay their Three Corpses; otherwise, with constant backstabbing, even the longest life would be whittled away.
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"What do these Three Corpse Gods gain from killing me?" he asked.
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The Little Yaksha replied, "Once they kill Master, they take your place collecting incense offerings—no work, money flows in, utter freedom."
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"What if someone kills these Three Corpse Gods while they're out?"
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"If killed outside, they respawn in the Yuan Chen Palace with little loss of strength."
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"What if I sneak out while they're off complaining?"
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"They take half a shichen round trip to the underworld. If Master leaves, return within half a shichen, or they'll catch you. They'll haul you off to brothels and taverns, ruining your Dao foundation."
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Chen Shi praised, "You know so much. Why work in others' Yuan Chen Palaces?"
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The Little Yaksha said forlornly, "No work, no survival."
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His demeanor turned desolate. "Yuan Treasure Trees' money can only be picked by the Master—we can't reach it. We earn by working."
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Chen Shi opened the hall door and stepped out, laughing. "Rare chance to visit the Immortal Capital—how could I not explore?"
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Boat Granny and Blackie Pot followed.
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The Little Yaksha dared not venture out, fearing capture by the Three Corpse Gods—he had no money for carousing.
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Chen Shi went to his Yuan Treasure Tree, plucked most of the money from it, doubled back, and stuffed it into the Little Yaksha's hands. "You've guided me, and I have no way to repay. Take this money—may you grow strong soon."
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The Little Yaksha bowed frantically in thanks.
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He didn't dare leave, retreating back to the Divine Court and barring the doors.
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Boat Granny's face grew solemn. "Top Scholar, first time in the Immortal Capital—you don't know the rules. Stick with me later; don't wander. Plenty of taboos here; easy to break them. We'll scout the lay first. Tomorrow morning, with no Three Corpse Gods stirring, I'll take you to your mother's Yuan Chen Palace!"
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Chen Shi nodded.
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Two Yakshas and a dog exited the Yuan Chen Palace. Chen Shi then noticed chains linking in all directions, locking his palace down.
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It was far from other Yuan Chen Palaces; one had to walk a good stretch to reach another.
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"Years ago, my father and I suppressed you right here."
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Boat Granny reminisced wistfully. "We wielded great power then, so impressive. After you were rescued, we had to flee."
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She sighed.
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Both he and Boat Granny were in great Yaksha forms—ghostly and monstrous—blending right in on the Immortal Capital's celestial streets.
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Nighttime Immortal Capital buzzed with ghosts coming and going, alive with revelry: handsome men and beautiful women everywhere, lanterns glowing, wine flowing, debauchery rampant.
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Along the celestial street, besides Yuan Chen Palaces, ghosts ran pleasure houses, taverns, gambling dens. A long river floated overhead, painted boats cruising it in endless carousing.
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"Make way! Make way!"
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Ghosts raced ghost horses down the street, shouting wildly. Boat Granny pulled Chen Shi aside to avoid collision.
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Roadside ghosts hawked bets with trays, wagering incense-scented paper money.
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Those weren't ordinary horses but underworld breeds—fanged maws, clawed hooves, streaking like lightning.
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Suddenly, a massive crash. The rider and ghost horse smashed into a Little Yaksha shoved into the street's center. The Little Yaksha's head flew off; the horse tumbled wildly; the rider was flung dead on impact—to raucous laughter from onlookers.
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Though dead, the rider seemed alive—fresh ghost soul turned black-and-white, stiff and numb. He'd gone from ghost to zombie, mindless and inert.
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Chen Shi saw a nearby Yuan Chen Palace dimming; the path to it faded translucent. The dead one must've been its master.
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He caught up to Boat Granny, weaving through the ghosts. More races, life-or-death gambles, singers, dancers, sword-swallowers, fire-spitters, illusionists, chefs roasting sheep and slaughtering cattle—plus botched head-chopping acts. Utter pandemonium.
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Back in the Yuan Chen Palace, he'd never imagined such frenzy outside!
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Horse-faced imps shouldered sedan chairs, sprinting past—masters inside embracing women, left and right, in bliss.
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Chen Shi eyed the horse-faced imps, then Boat Granny.
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Boat Granny said indifferently, "We earned pocket money like that as kids. Just scraping by. But back then, I never met a great benefactor like Top Scholar."
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Chen Shi asked, "Tiring?" "Of course. Half the horse-faces hauling sedans with me dropped dead from exhaustion in a year."
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Chen Shi halted, spotting ox-headed imps sweeping the celestial street clean.
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These ox-heads worked briskly, efficient.
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Others specialized in carrying folk—ridden necks, gripping horns, galloping wildly.
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The whole Immortal Capital drowned in decadence. Taverns and inns overflowed with rare delicacies, endless banquets for gluttons.
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Strings and pipes sounded; dances rose; beauties and pretty boys took the stage one after another, a dizzying whirl.
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The Immortal Capital was a city of desire, brimming with wild joy. "Why call it the Immortal Capital?" Chen Shi asked.
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Boat Granny said, "Life here feels ethereal, far happier than the living world. Mortals suffer there—this is paradise, naturally."
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Chen Shi pondered, then nodded lightly.
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Along the way, deaths nonstop: some succumbed mid-revels, others turned black-and-white mid-stride—forgotten to death.
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The Capital's ghosts built a vast industry, scheming paper money from Yuan Chen Palace masters—with Three Corpse Gods their best allies.
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To those masters, the brothels and taverns were real, the beauties flesh and blood. But Chen Shi, reborn with ghost-seeing eyes, pierced the facade: buildings mere paper facades, the lithe singers and dancers paper puppets.
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"Eh? Heavenly Listeners here too?"
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Suddenly, Chen Shi spotted one dangling upside-down from a rooftop, ear cocked, scribbling notes.
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His heart stirred. "Have the Heavenly Listeners infiltrated the underworld?"
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Just then, a colossal ghost god shuffled past on the celestial street, bowed low—ghosts scattering before him.
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Towering six or seven zhang, fiery red hair streaming upward, eyeballs bulging huge, ready to pop from sockets.
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"Red-Haired Ghost? The one beside that young lord who lured Xiang Tianyu into Buddhist hell—he had a Red-Haired Ghost!"
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Chen Shi's heart skipped; he chased the Red-Haired Ghost at once.
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Boat Granny hurried after. "Top Scholar! Time's almost up! The Three Corpse Gods are returning!"
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Chen Shi ignored her, sprinting full tilt, dogging the Red-Haired Ghost.
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The giant's stride outpaced him four or five steps to one.
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The Red-Haired Ghost wove the shifting celestial streets—paths twisting up, down, left, right. Unfamiliar, you'd never find your way back!
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Boat Granny fretted inwardly. Half a shichen left—even turning now, they'd be late.
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The Red-Haired Ghost reached a courtyard, pushed in.
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Chen Shi halted outside, stock-still.
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Boat Granny caught up, complaining, "Now we're stuck—your Three Corpse Gods will nab us for sure and drag us carousing!"
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Chen Shi eyed the courtyard. "This a Yuan Chen Palace?"
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Boat Granny blinked, looked it over, nodded. "Yes. But that Red-Haired Ghost is dangerous—immensely powerful!"
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"Master, got you!"
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Chen Shi's Three Corpse Gods appeared, blocking them, hoisting Chen Shi with a grin. "Master, off to fun!"
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Chen Shi quickly said, "I have two friends!"
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Peng Ju, Peng Zui, and Peng Jiao halted, glancing back at Boat Granny and Blackie Pot.
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Boat Granny and Blackie Pot cursed inwardly, trying to flee—but the Three Corpse Gods seized them too. Moments later, the pair and the dog sat in a pleasure house, lascivious tunes in their ears, lithe she-Yakshas and burly he-Yakshas dancing around Chen Shi and the scowling Boat Granny.
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Two she-Yakshas clambered onto the table before Chen Shi, crawling on knees, primping and posing.
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Blackie Pot glowered at the fine liquor before him.
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Two she-dogs flanked him, pressing drinks relentlessly.
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The Three Corpse Gods watched, smug as cats with cream, huddling to snicker.
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"Hit his weak spot—he'll fall!" Lower Corpse God Peng Jiao whispered. "Dead, his estate's all ours!" Upper Corpse God Peng Ju laughed.
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Boat Granny crushed her wine cup. Chen Shi's Three Corpse Gods attacked soft spots like this?
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Different species—how?
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Chen Shi propped his chin, ignoring the posing she-Yakshas, then clapped sharply. "That young lord's Yuan Chen Palace has held for at least thirty years! Extraordinary status in the underworld! But he's a living man! A mortal with such underworld pull—another Shadow Commander?"
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Boat Granny said, "Top Scholar, your mother's Yuan Chen Palace is near that courtyard. That Red-Haired Ghost led the chase against us last time."