Chapter Fifty-Five
Beyond the stone door of the underground palace, a path paved with bluestone led straight to the Yellow Springs. Above the River of Oblivion stood the Bridge of Helplessness.
Behind the Bridge of Helplessness lay the Illusory Realm, which was the true Land of Rebirth—the Ghost Realm.
The three of them passed through unimpeded. The Bridge of Helplessness was quiet and still, clearly indicating that no immortals, demons, gods, devils, or humans were scheduled for reincarnation today.
Not even a trace of Granny Huang, who guarded the bridge, could be seen. Having arrived full of anticipation, the desolate journey left them somewhat disheartened. However, as they crossed the Bridge of Helplessness, the three of them, each harboring their own thoughts, stopped simultaneously before the stone said to symbolize a bond spanning three lifetimes.
"A Jin, look, this is the Stone of Three Lives." Ayin pointed to the inconspicuous stone tucked away in a corner of the bridge, trying her best to appear natural as she spoke, though a hint of guilt tinged her voice. "I’ve heard that if you make a wish before this stone, you can be bound together for three lifetimes."
"Oh? Is this stone truly effective?" Gu Jin, having just come to understand his own feelings, felt a stir of excitement upon hearing Ayin’s words.
"Let’s make a wish. Maybe we’ll soon meet the one destined for us across three lifetimes?" Ayin smiled brightly and beckoned to A Jin.
Her suggestion aligned perfectly with his thoughts. Just as Gu Jin was about to step forward, an unwelcome voice chimed in from the side.
"Hmph, you actually believe the nonsense from those mortal storybooks meant to fool children?" A Jiu sneered, crossing his arms. "This is all just for show, meant for those lovelorn ghosts. Can’t you see the layer of dust on it? Besides, which immortal among you hasn’t lived for tens of thousands of years? You can’t even finish one lifetime, so why bother with three? Arguing every day, growing sick of the sight of each other? Isn’t that just pretentious? Have you eaten too much and have nowhere else to expend your energy?"
To be honest, A Jiu’s sharp tongue might not be unprecedented, but it was certainly unmatched. With just a few sarcastic remarks, the two who had been brimming with romantic notions silently took two steps back, too embarrassed to even glance at the dusty Stone of Three Lives on the ground.
A Jin coughed awkwardly and walked toward the Illusory Realm beyond the bridge. "Let’s go, let’s go. I suppose this stone is just something from those strange tales used to deceive mortals. It’s useless to us immortals. Paying our respects to the Ghost King at the Palace of Bell and Spirit is the real matter at hand."
Seeing that the two had given up on making wishes, A Jiu felt much more at ease. For once, he responded to Gu Jin, humming a tune as he swayed along with his hands clasped behind his back, following them into the Illusory Realm.
Only Ayin hesitated for a long while, reluctantly trailing behind the other two, dragging her feet with every step, her lips pursed in clear displeasure. As the other two stepped into the Illusory Realm, Ayin’s eyes darted around. She gritted her teeth, turned back, and quickly bowed to the dust-covered Stone of Three Lives, murmuring a devout prayer before running off.
As the three disappeared into the Illusory Realm, a ripple of spiritual power suddenly emerged on the empty Bridge of Helplessness. A Ghost Lord dressed in an emerald brocade robe appeared on the bridge. This Ghost Lord was strikingly handsome, wearing an ornate crown, his sleeves embroidered with golden threads, and a warm jade pendant hanging from his waist. A playful smile lingered at the corner of his lips, making him both charming and noble. However, his face was exceptionally pale—so pale it seemed devoid of life. Even as a ghost, he looked like one on the verge of fading away.
He hovered at the edge of the bridge, his legs swaying slightly, and glanced at the flustered girl who had just vanished into the Illusory Realm, clicking his tongue in amusement."In this day and age, there are still immortals who believe in this broken stone—how adorably naive!" The Ghost Lord stroked his chin thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. "And it turns out to be a rare Water Condensation Beast."
He glanced toward the weathered and dust-covered Stone of Three Lives. "Lucky you. You’ve received offerings from countless female ghosts all year round, and now you’ve even tasted the devotion of an immortal. Hurry up and accumulate spiritual power. Once you’ve grown well, obediently become a snack for this Ghost Lord. It won’t be in vain that I picked you up from the mortal realm back then."
The Stone of Three Lives, hidden in a corner of the bridge, trembled and silently shifted away from the Ghost Lord.
This Ghost Lord was strikingly handsome, speaking with a calm and measured tone, appearing exceptionally refined from a distance. Yet, who would have thought he was utterly black-hearted?
"Haha, cough, cough..." The handsome Ghost Lord laughed upon seeing the Stone of Three Lives trembling in fear, but before he could finish laughing, he bent over coughing, looking utterly miserable.
"Ah, this body of mine is truly useless."
He sighed, and with another ripple of spiritual power, he vanished from the Bridge of Helplessness as if he had never been there at all.
As Ayin stepped into the Illusory Realm of the Bridge of Helplessness, she was immediately stunned by the sight before her.
As the rumors said, the Underworld was forever shrouded in darkness. But if she hadn’t just visited Eternal Peace, Ayin would never have known that the Ghost King had modeled the Ghost Realm’s royal city entirely after Eternal Peace. The Ghost King’s city within the Illusory Realm was just as bustling and prosperous as Eternal Peace, with the only difference being that ghosts could shapeshift, and everyone lived wearing beautiful appearances.
Eternal Peace Street was lively and noisy, with hundreds of large lanterns floating above the Underworld. Ghosts bustled back and forth on the street, filled with joy. Stalls selling festive lanterns lined the roadsides, and osmanthus cakes and candied hawthorns were everywhere, fitting the festive atmosphere. Ayin couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.
"Strange, why is the Ghost Realm like this? I thought it would be gloomy and eerie, with long-tongued ghosts and headless ghosts everywhere..." Ayin couldn’t help but mutter.
"The Ghost King is extremely mysterious. He forbids other races from entering the Ghost Realm, and Lord Bixi and the Soul Suppressing Pagoda guard its borders. For tens of thousands of years, very few have set foot here, so naturally, the rumors are inaccurate." Gu Jin looked toward the end of Eternal Peace Street. "Seeing that the royal city is built exactly like Eternal Peace, the Palace of Bell and Spirit must be in the same location as the imperial palace. Walking to the end of this street should lead us there. Let’s go."
Gu Jin led the two toward the end of Eternal Peace Street. Perhaps because the immortal aura around Gu Jin and the demonic aura around A Jiu were too conspicuous, and Ayin looked like a delicious and tempting treat, the three attracted countless covetous gazes, both overt and hidden, throughout the Ghost King’s city.
After all, the Ghost Realm was even more ruthless than the Demon Realm. The most vicious and wicked among immortals, demons, gods, and devils would end up in the Ghost Realm after death. If they did not wish to be reborn, they could remain in ghostly form, and the most direct way to strengthen themselves was to devour other souls to replenish their power. Besides, everyone was already dead—being devoured just meant dying once more, which wasn’t a big deal. But humans were different. Mortals had to drink Yellow Granny’s Soup on the Bridge of Helplessness and be reincarnated to maintain order in the mortal realm.
If Gu Jin and A Jiu hadn’t looked formidable, the three would have long been devoured by the covetous and vicious souls lurking in the shadows.The three of them proceeded without any hindrance. Only when passing through the middle of the street did they notice a particularly lively tavern, crowded with ghosts, including many Ghost Lords with profound spiritual power—truly a constant stream of visitors. The place was too conspicuous, inevitably drawing the attention of the three passersby. However, their main business was urgent, so they pressed on, making their way through the crowd until they arrived at the Palace of Bell and Spirit.
"Who goes there?" The Ghost General guarding the hall had some discernment, recognizing that the visitors were of no ordinary origin, and asked with a friendly expression.
Gu Jin handed the visiting card to the Ghost General. "Gu Jin of Great Marsh Mountain has come to pay respects to His Majesty the Ghost King. I humbly request an audience."
Upon hearing that Gu Jin was from Great Marsh Mountain, the Ghost General's expression grew even more amiable. However, he still pushed the visiting card back toward Gu Jin. "Immortal Lord Gu Jin, what unfortunate timing. His Majesty is not receiving guests today."
Gu Jin, suspecting nothing, assumed the Ghost King had official duties to attend to that day, and said, "Very well, we shall return tomorrow."
"Immortal Lord, His Majesty will not be receiving guests tomorrow either," the Ghost General hastily added.
Hearing this, it sounded more like an excuse. How could a mere ghost servant know in advance that the Ghost King was unwilling to receive guests? Gu Jin narrowed his eyes, a hint of anger surfacing.
Seeing the displeasure on the faces of Gu Jin and his companions, the Ghost General quickly explained, "Immortal Lord, please forgive me. It is not that this humble servant is unwilling to announce you, but the Palace of Bell and Spirit has its own rules. His Majesty only receives guests on the first day of each month. I dare not break His Majesty's rules."
The first day of each month? As luck would have it, today was the second day. Would they have to linger in the Ghost Realm for an entire month?
Ayin, who had been listening nearby, watched as Gu Jin and A Jiu seemed resigned to a long wait. With a sigh, she pushed the two aside and stepped forward, pulling a gold leaf from her sleeve and handing it to the Ghost General guarding the hall. With a cheerful smile, she said, "Little General, you see, we've come from afar and have no relatives in the Ghost Realm to take us in. Could you perhaps offer some guidance on how we might see His Majesty the Ghost King sooner?"
The two who had been pushed aside were quite displeased to see Ayin sneaking gold like a little rogue. Just as they were about to pull back this embarrassing little creature, the Ghost General smoothly accepted the gold leaf and replied amiably, "Esteemed guests, although His Majesty only receives guests on the first day of the month, there is still a way. On Eternal Peace Street, there is a place called Cultivation Speech Pavilion. They have a type of token there. If you present the token at the Palace of Bell and Spirit, His Majesty will grant you an audience."
"Does it require spending silver to purchase?" Ayin rubbed her fingers together.
The ghost servant nodded, praising her, "The Lady is truly clever. However, these tokens also have their intricacies. The higher the price you pay, the higher the priority of the token. As you know, His Majesty is extremely busy, and Ghost Lords seeking an audience are countless. He cannot possibly see everyone who comes to pay respects, so appointments must be scheduled by day and by hour. Isn't that right?"
Gu Jin and A Jiu, standing nearby, were utterly dumbfounded. One was a Little Divine Lord of the Divine Realm, born with the Dragon Spitting Pearl, and the other was the pampered young master of the Fox race. Neither had ever learned how to ask for favors, let alone imagined that meeting the Ghost King would involve so many twists and turns.
Moreover, the open sale of palace entry tokens for exorbitant profits—these Ghost Lords lived more pragmatically than humans!
A Jiu gave Ayin a thumbs-up, his expression full of admiration.The Ghost General finished with a smile, paying no mind to the expressions of the others, and thoughtfully pointed toward the bustling street not far away. "There, the Cultivation Speech Pavilion is right over there. Hurry along. If you offer a suitable price, you might even get to see His Majesty within the next couple of days."
The three of them followed the Ghost General’s gaze, and the tavern they had passed earlier came clearly into view. No wonder it was so crowded—it turned out that to see the Ghost King, one had to purchase a token. Otherwise, they’d have to wait for the five audience slots available on the first day of the month.
Having gathered the information, Ayin thanked the Ghost General and pulled the other two toward the Cultivation Speech Pavilion.
On the way, Gu Jin couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, "Where did you learn all this?" Logically, Ayin had grown up with him in the Forbidden Valley and had since moved among places frequented by Immortals, Demons, Gods, and Devils. Where had she picked up such down-to-earth ways?
"Qing Yi gave me some human-world plays to read," Ayin replied proudly, shaking her head. "As the saying goes, 'It’s easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his minions.' I think the human-world plays are quite well-written—they teach you how to be a person, you know? When we return to the mountain sect, I’ll ask Qing Yi to fetch a few more from the human world. I’ll share some with you so you can learn a thing or two about being human."
Gu Jin was speechless, silently deciding that once they returned to the mountain sect, he would confine Qing Yi to the Forbidden Valley to chop firewood. Instead of teaching proper things, he was filling Ayin’s head with nonsense—what kind of junior disciple was he?
Suddenly remembering something, Gu Jin asked again, "By the way, didn’t you say you had no money to buy candied hawthorns last night? How did you get gold leaves to bribe the Ghost General today?"
Ayin paused mid-step. "Yan Shuang gave them to me," she said, pulling out a handful of gold leaves from her robe and speaking to Gu Jin and A Jiu as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Yan Shuang said, 'How can someone who doesn’t even carry a bit of gold when they go out expect to marry a wife?'"
A sly smile spread across her face as she imitated Yan Shuang’s flamboyant expression. "Not a chance!"
Behind her, Gu Jin and A Jiu stared blankly at Ayin’s triumphant figure, silently resolving that no matter how far they traveled, they would steer clear of that foolish eagle.
OpenNovel