Chapter 323
Chapter 323
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 323
Chapter Title: Chapter 323 Mrs. Lingsu
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"Has the Red-Haired Ghost ever chased you?"
Chen Shi stood up and paced back and forth, puzzled.
"Young Master, what exactly is his background? Why is he looking for the Three Lives Stone? Miss, you were in charge of guarding me before—do you know who this Young Master is?"
The Boat Aunt shook her head.
"Our yin attendants take orders from the Yin Masters, the Yin Masters take orders from the Judges, and the Judges take orders from King Yama. We've never heard of any Young Master."
Chen Shi asked,
"Who ordered you to suppress me and my mother?"
The Boat Aunt said,
"The Yin Master's command. What about that Yin Marshal?"
"He's dead."
The Boat Aunt's face fell.
"Chen Yindu killed his way into the Immortal Capital and snatched you away. We couldn't beat Chen Yindu, so we went looking for the Yin Master and found him already dead. We tried to find the Judge next, only to discover the Judge was dead too. The two of us went searching for Lord Qingtian, but even Lord Qingtian had gone missing. We were at the end of our rope. We knew losing you meant a death sentence, so we immediately abandoned our true bodies and fled to the yang world."
Chen Shi's heart stirred faintly. His own death had occurred eleven years ago, and his suppression here must have happened sometime between three and eleven years prior—likely less than eight years, around five.
In a mere five years, the underworld had undergone a massive upheaval. The Yin Masters, Judges, and King Yamas—some dead, some vanished!
A burly female yaksha sauntered up to Chen Shi with a wine cup in hand, her drunken eyes hazy and seductive.
"If you're interested, sir, then drink this cup."
Chen Shi raised his hand and gave her a light push. The female yaksha flew backward, crashing through the wall and tumbling dozens of zhang away.
Chen Shi stared off into space.
"When Grandpa brought Granny Sha, Uncle Qingyang, and the others down to the underworld to rescue me, they also discovered the severe turmoil there—the ghost gods fighting one another with heavy casualties. It seems something huge happened in the underworld during that time! No, not just then!"
The Three Household Gods exchanged glances upon seeing him send that stunning beauty flying.
Even a heavenly temptress like her wasn't to their master's taste?
Chen Shi suddenly realized that Zhong and Tie had reincarnated over twenty years ago. In other words, a massive upheaval had already rocked the underworld more than twenty years prior!
Yet the Tongue-Pulling Hell had shattered fourteen hundred years ago. This war might have dragged on far longer than he'd imagined... Never mind all that!
His goal in coming here was solely to rescue his mother!
Chen Shi steadied his mind and thought to himself silently,
"Tomorrow, I'll find an opportunity to save Mother. Everything else, I'll ignore!"
He relaxed then, joining the female yakshas in the brothel for song and dance, reveling with abandon. Seeing this, Peng and the others grew cheerful too, thinking their plan had worked.
As dawn approached, the Three Household Gods turned into a gust of yin wind and blew away, vanishing without a trace and leaving Chen Shi to foot the bill. He settled the account and returned to his Yuanchen Palace. He opened the front hall, but it was empty—no sign of Peng.
He checked the other two side halls as well but found no trace of the remaining two Household Gods. They must only appear at night.
Chen Shi retrieved the food he'd prepared in advance from the little shrine, ate something to tide himself over, and set off only after eating and drinking his fill. He brought Blackie Pot along and followed the Boat Aunt as they made their way along the heavenly streets.
The Immortal Capital seemed far more desolate by day than it had the night before, but the heavenly streets were no longer frequented by people—instead, ghost gods and monsters prowled about. The lowest were little yakshas, ox-headed imps, and horse-faced imps. Some sought work anywhere they could, others toiled at dirty, grueling jobs.
Beyond them were great yakshas like Chen Shi, along with ox-headed monsters and horse-faced monsters—mere monsters, not yet qualifying as true ghost gods.
Only those who secured a post in the underworld, became yin attendants, and received incense offerings counted as proper ghost gods. Without incense, they were just freaks.
Chen Shi walked along the heavenly street, gazing at his surroundings. Endless Yuanchen Palaces stretched into the distance without end, filling him with profound awe.
Just how vast was the Immortal Capital?
Had anyone ever reached its edge?
"All the Yuanchen Palaces belonging to the people of the West Ox New Continent are located here," the Boat Aunt said. "Every moment, someone dies, and every moment, someone is born. Yuanchen Palaces are constantly extinguished, and new ones are constantly generated."
Chen Shi looked up and scanned the boundless sea of Yuanchen Palaces. In some, massive yuanshen stood tall and imposing, towering like deities—likely the yuanshen of powerful cultivators.
Such yuanshen were rare—one every few dozen palaces. Yet even a single one was utterly awe-inspiring. Only now did he truly understand what the little yaksha had said.
The little yaksha was right—Yuanchen Palaces were just like human bodies! They were like projections of the human form in the underworld, but even more wondrous. Viewed from the underworld, the yuanshen hid within the Yuanchen Palace. Viewed from the yang world, the yuanshen hid within the body. And the Three Household Gods were ghost gods formed from the body's myriad evil thoughts and vulgar desires.
Some measure of understanding dawned on Chen Shi. During the day, with rationality present, the yuanshen held sway, so the Household Gods lay dormant. At night, rationality receded, compounded by the moon's influence, allowing the Household Gods to take control.
In sleep or dreams, with rationality entirely absent, the Household Gods would lead the master's soul to carouse in the Immortal Capital, tempting it toward depravity.
In other words, the entire Immortal Capital was the manifestation in the underworld of countless people's bodies and dreams, with myriad ghost gods attached to it.
There were surely other even more profound mysteries at play, but that was the gist of it. Chen Shi looked around—it was all too marvelous.
The Immortal Capital was vast and ethereal. Before he knew it, they had arrived back at the courtyard the Red-Haired Ghost had entered the night before. Outside the courtyard, countless little yakshas stood in neat formation, queuing up in lines hundreds strong.
These little yakshas shouldered cudgels or forks and carried their kits—usually cloth sacks stuffed with moldy rations and paper money—shuffling forward at a snail's pace.
Chen Shi stepped forward to inquire. One little yaksha said,
"The master here is hosting guests and hiring diligent little yakshas for odd jobs. The pay's good. We're just trying our luck—maybe we'll land something. The mansion doesn't need great yakshas. You'd be wasting your time queuing up."
Chen Shi smiled.
"I'm just passing through—not here to steal your work. What's the name of the master here? Any background worth knowing?"
"Don't know."
Chen Shi asked several little yakshas, but none knew the courtyard master's name.
Chen Shi caught up to the Boat Aunt and Blackie Pot and passed by the courtyard's side. This courtyard dwarfed the other Yuanchen Palaces, spanning dozens of li in circumference.
Behind it lay utter darkness, where a street faintly hung suspended. In the distance, a single Yuanchen Palace loomed in the depths of the gloom—no other palaces in sight.
The space before the courtyard and the space behind it felt like two different worlds.
"That last time my daughter and I came, we tried to rescue your mother from that Yuanchen Palace," the Boat Aunt said.
Chen Shi took a closer look. The roads on either side were swallowed in pitch blackness, without a trace of light. With a thought, he formed a talisman from his qi and blood, condensing a Five Thunder Talisman amid the dark.
In the instant the thunder-light flared, he saw a colossal beast sprawled in the darkness—head to tail dozens of li long, encircling that Yuanchen Palace!
Along the roadsides floated numerous flatboats, each bearing a horse-faced ghost god—some standing, some seated, others lying back with conical hats, as if adrift on a river.
The boats hovered in the darkness as the thunder blazed. Chen Shi turned to flee at once, while the horse-faced ghost gods aboard rose one by one, opening their eyes and scanning toward the thunder's roar.
They held lanterns fashioned from children's heavenly spirits aloft, their beams piercing like torches. The rays converged, shattering the Five Thunder Talisman!
Realizing it was merely a Five Thunder Talisman, the horse-faced ghost gods swept their lights toward Chen Shi's position—but he had already fled.
The beams retracted, leaving only pairs of glowing eyes in the darkness.
Suddenly, behind those eyes, enormous lids dozens of zhang across slowly parted. Demonic flames roared to life, surging outward. It was a giant hound, crouched in the gloom, with Chen Shi's mother's Yuanchen Palace cradled in its forepaws.
The hound stirred awake, throwing the cluster of horse-faced yin attendants into panic.
"The Calamity Hound's awake! The Calamity Hound's awake!"
At that moment, a tall crimson figure descended into the darkness, landing on the road leading to the Yuanchen Palace. Red hair whipping about—it was the Red-Haired Ghost. He bellowed,
"What are you shouting about?"
Spotting the hound awake, his face drained of color. He hurriedly produced a talisman, sending it flying to slap onto the beast's forehead.
The giant hound let out a furious roar that left the yin attendants staggering. Even the Red-Haired Ghost swayed before steadying himself. The hound slumped back into slumber. The Red-Haired Ghost exhaled in relief, scanning the surroundings.
"What just happened?"
One of the yin attendants recounted the Five Thunder Talisman incident. The Red-Haired Ghost's expression flickered.
"A Five Thunder Talisman? Looks like the business from last time isn't finished—someone's stirring trouble again. Hold this place down. I'll report to the Young Master."
"Understood."
The Red-Haired Ghost returned to the courtyard, where landscapes of clear waters and verdant hills unfolded—even in the underworld, it resembled a paradise.
He arrived at the administration hall, where the Young Master was receiving a guest. After a moment, a woman in palace robes emerged from the hall and gave the Red-Haired Ghost a slight nod.
"Greetings, Lady Lingsu!"
The Red-Haired Ghost dared not slack, returning the courtesy at once. Only after Lady Lingsu departed did he enter the hall and report the matter.
The Young Master was astonished.
"A Five Thunder Talisman? The intruder isn't a yin god—it's a living person. Yin gods wouldn't use a talisman like that."
He was a noble young lord of refined features. If Xiang Tianyu were present, he would be utterly shocked—this man's appearance hadn't changed a whit from thirty years ago, as if he hadn't aged a day.
The Young Master rose with a smile.
"So, Chen Shi has arrived."
The Red-Haired Ghost looked alarmed.
"He's stirred up such massive trouble—yet he dares return to the underworld?"
The Young Master gave a faint, enigmatic smile.
"That's exactly why he dares. Take the yin attendants at once and seal off Chen Shi's Yuanchen Palace! He has nowhere to go in the Immortal Capital—he'll have to return there!"
The Red-Haired Ghost turned to carry out the order, but the Young Master called him back.
"One more thing—keep an eye on his Three Household Gods. He's cunning as they come, but those three will give away his location."
The Red-Haired Ghost acknowledged the command and hurried off.
Chen Shi, the Boat Aunt, and Blackie Pot fled at top speed. Only after putting dozens of li between themselves and the courtyard did they halt. Chen Shi frowned.
"The defenses are too tight—we can't rescue Mother like this! Especially that colossal thing in the darkness. Its power is unfathomable. We're no match for it!"
"Woof!"
Blackie Pot barked.
Chen Shi nodded. That behemoth was most likely kin to Blackie Pot—but fully grown and matchlessly powerful.
The Boat Aunt fretted.
"Last time my daughter and I came, there weren't so many ghost gods guarding the place. They must have beefed up security since then. What do we do now?"
Chen Shi halted and surveyed their surroundings. Ghost gods and monsters teemed throughout the Immortal Capital—rescuing anyone from here would be nigh impossible. Their only hope was to snatch the target the instant they succeeded and bolt straight back to the yang world for the escape.
At that moment, a carriage rolled past them and came to a stop. The window slid open, and a woman in palace robes glanced at Blackie Pot.
Blackie Pot fixed her with his gaze, but the woman merely smiled faintly.
"Naughty little pup."
Blackie Pot was stunned. She was utterly unaffected by his influence!
Chen Shi paled inwardly. In this world, those immune to Blackie Pot's power were invariably supreme experts!
The woman in palace robes shifted her gaze to the two yakshas that Chen Shi and the Boat Aunt had transformed into. She sized them up and smiled.
"Has Sha Qiutong's transformation art reached such perfection? Even I can't discern your true forms."
Chen Shi and the Boat Aunt went rigid with terror. The Boat Aunt's face twisted in horror, her body shaking like chaff. Suddenly, she stomped the ground hard and dissolved into a gust of yin wind, vanishing without a trace.
She was too frightened and fled back to the yang world, abandoning Chen Shi and Blackie Pot.
The woman in palace robes paid it no mind, turning her attention to Chen Shi with curiosity.
"Why didn't you run?"
Chen Shi answered honestly,
"I can't."
The woman burst out laughing.
"You don't know the spell to return to the yang world? And yet you dared sneak in anyway? Such nerve! Be careful now—don't go back to your Yuanchen Palace. Someone's waiting to ambush you there."
Chen Shi responded at once,
"Why are you telling me all this, miss?"
"Miss?"
The woman couldn't help laughing again.
"Just like your grandpa—quite the silver tongue. Don't call me miss. Call me Lady Lingsu. Otherwise, if Chen Yindu hears it, he'll accuse me of playing the coquette."
Chen Shi rose.
"Greetings, Lady Lingsu."
Lady Lingsu asked,
"How is your grandpa?"
Chen Shi's face fell.
"Grandpa... he passed away."
Lady Lingsu paused for a beat, then lit up with joy and laughed.
"He's finally dead? Heaven truly has eyes! Now that he's gone, we can be together forever!"
Her excitement palpable, she promptly ordered the coachman to turn toward Chen Yindu's Yuanchen Palace, laughing all the while.
"Chen Yindu, you always had so many female companions in life. Now, at last, you're all mine!"
Chen Shi stood dumbfounded for a moment before hurrying after her.
"Lady Lingsu, could you take me to Grandpa's Yuanchen Palace?"
Lady Lingsu halted the carriage and smiled.
"Get in!"
Chen Shi climbed aboard, with Blackie Pot trailing behind.
The carriage's interior was spacious, like a miniature palace hall—cloud cushions and rosy clouds for tables and chairs. They could see out, but no one outside could peer in.
Chen Shi plopped down on a cushion and saw that the coachman up front was a skeleton, while the mounts were a pair of skeletal dragons. They pulled the carriage airborne, weaving between countless heavenly streets as Yuanchen Palaces blurred past on all sides.
Chen Shi quickly glanced back and saw Blackie Pot bounding along effortlessly, keeping pace with the carriage. Only then did he relax.
He turned to Lady Lingsu. The woman in palace robes was strikingly beautiful, with a touch of voluptuousness, her yuanshen radiant and full, her bearing poised and elegant. Mustering his courage, Chen Shi asked,
"Lady Lingsu, are you my grandmother?"
Lady Lingsu's face darkened, and she sneered.
"No. And I'd like to know just which little vixen she was!"