Teng Hua pulled Ye Yang up, and only then did he realize that the swamp he thought had trapped him was actually just a small puddle.
Teng Hua led Ye Yang toward the ferry, chattering away the whole time without giving him a chance to speak. Ye Yang had only ever seen her lingering soul before—he never imagined this persistent girl would have such a cheerful personality.
In truth, Teng Hua was naturally introverted—it was hard not to be, given her family background—but great changes had shifted her character. She was also incredibly excited to be helping Ye Yang. She had thought repaying his kindness would have to wait until her next life, but then he just dropped in on her.
Teng Hua had earned merit as an attendant to the mountain god and had experienced other extraordinary encounters. Only after her broken soul was mended could she be reborn. Instead of suffering misfortune, she gained a position in the underworld as a Soul Searcher.
Soul Searchers wander the underworld. If they find lost souls, they lead them to the ferry, where they gather with other souls. A natural pull exists between souls, guiding them where they need to go.
After hearing Teng Hua’s words, Ye Yang felt even more confident about the idea that had formed in his mind.
The underworld was truly miraculous—it could mend broken souls. Shen Ming still had a sliver of his soul in his physical body. If Ye Yang was right, the part of Shen Ming’s soul that had already arrived here must still be somewhere. Only when that last fragment from his body was drawn over would his soul be whole.
Teng Hua confirmed Ye Yang’s guess and even volunteered, “So you’re here to find my great benefactor! Don’t worry, I’ll take you to him!” Both Ye Yang and Shen Ming had helped Teng Hua—Shen Ming had even protected the mountain god—so in her heart, Ye Yang was her “little benefactor” and Shen Ming her “great benefactor.”
Ye Yang was overjoyed. “You’ve seen him?! How is he?”
Teng Hua scratched her head, looking a bit troubled. Ye Yang’s heart immediately sank. After hesitating for a while, she said, “I can’t explain it in just a sentence or two. Let me take you to him first. Don’t worry—he’s not in danger.”
“Then… can his soul return?”
Teng Hua gave an OK sign. “No problem.” Her casual tone made it sound like they were discussing what to eat tomorrow… even though she probably didn’t need to eat at all.
Ye Yang couldn’t help asking again to be sure, “I mean bringing Teacher Shen back to life—returning his soul to his body.”
Teng Hua blinked. “I know. No problem.”
That was somewhat unexpected, but Ye Yang was still worried. Sending a dead soul back to its body—it sounded against the rules, against the natural order. He feared not only failure but also dragging Teng Hua down with him. But Teng Hua said, “Of course an ordinary person couldn’t do it. But the great benefactor is a deity. He was never meant to enter reincarnation. His soul is only stopping briefly in the underworld.”
Even so, Teng Hua wasn’t entirely without concern—not for herself, but for Ye Yang. “Souls can come and go through specific passages, but what about you, little benefactor? What are you going to do?”
Ye Yang was taken aback. He really hadn’t thought about that.
Oh well—cross that bridge when he came to it. He was about to see Shen Ming soon, and Ye Yang’s optimism returned.
Soon they arrived at the ferry. The path had been empty, surrounded by nothing but mist, but at the ferry, “people” suddenly appeared in droves—crammed together, pressing toward the riverbank, walking straight into the water.
Ye Yang watched curiously. None of them seemed aware of their own actions; they just kept walking forward. That river must be the Yellow Springs, and the bridge before it must be the Bridge of Helplessness—but why wasn’t anyone walking on the bridge?
Teng Hua seemed to know what he was thinking. While untying the only small boat at the ferry, she casually said, “That’s not the Bridge of Helplessness—that bridge is far from here. This is just a nameless river. The bridge is a newly formed river spirit who doesn’t let anyone step on her.”
“The water in this nameless river—actually, most of the rivers and streams in the underworld—is special. When souls wade through it, it helps them move faster, speeding their journey. But you, little benefactor, are here in the flesh. Whatever you do, don’t touch the river water, or you’ll end up paralyzed again like before.”
Ye Yang nodded solemnly, carefully stepped onto the boat, and once they were both settled, the boat began moving on its own.
It looked battered and worn, but the boat was steady. After crossing the river, they walked back into the familiar mist. Ye Yang couldn’t tell directions at all—maybe only the locals knew the way.
After a while, the mist slowly cleared, and the light gradually brightened. It was still dim, but in the distance, he could see lamps and the faint, towering shapes of buildings.
Teng Hua stopped. “The hall with the lamps up ahead—we’re there.”
“The great benefactor is inside, with my boss. I still need to patrol Mount Baodu, so I won’t go in. Go on in yourself.”
“Wait!” Ye Yang was startled. “This is Mount Baodu?”
Teng Hua scratched her head. “Ah, yeah.”
Ye Yang: “…Your boss—are you talking about Zhou Qi and Ji Kang?”
Ji Kang, co-ruler of Mount Baodu with Zhou Qi, held the title of Central Ghost Emperor, one of the Five Regions’ Ghost Emperors, governing Mount Baodu.
Teng Hua nodded. “Yeah.”
Ye Yang sucked in a breath of underworld air.
The human realm has no contact with the underworld. Ye Yang never imagined he’d have a day like this—getting to meet those two. He felt an odd sense of excitement, as if about to behold a historical figure in the flesh.
Feeling a little thrill, he thanked Teng Hua and said goodbye, then immediately quickened his pace.
Up close, the vague silhouettes became clear. Amid the barren, dark, mist-covered wilderness stood a towering, majestic, ornately carved palace. But whenever he tried to make out the patterns on the carvings, they blurred again before his eyes.
Ye Yang dared not look too long, thinking only of Shen Ming as he hurried up the steps. The central door of the great hall opened automatically, and stone lanterns on both sides lit up in sequence, guiding him past the front hall and through the corridors until he finally arrived before a room with its doors wide open.
“Teacher Shen!”
Shen Ming immediately sat up straight, a rare look of astonishment on his face. “How are you here?”
Ye Yang rushed forward, only stumbling and falling flat before realizing—the figure before him was Shen Ming’s spiritual body, utterly intangible.
Fortunately, the fall helped him calm down considerably.
Looking more closely, Teacher Shen was seated upright before a low table, his face full of worry as he looked at Ye Yang. He reached out, hesitated, then withdrew his hand—he couldn’t touch Ye Yang either.
Ye Yang looked back at him, his eyes brimming with joy. How wonderful—Teacher Shen seemed perfectly fine. He’d had a thousand things to say, but now that they were face to face, none of them seemed to matter anymore.
The moment Ye Yang smiled, Shen Ming couldn’t help but smile back, the corners of his mouth curving upward as he gazed at him.
“Ahem…” Zhou Qi couldn’t help but clear his throat, interrupting their silent exchange of glances. “Young friend, this is the one you mentioned, isn’t it?”
Ji Kang swirled his wine cup, casually gathered his loosely draped outer robe, and leaned in with an expression of pure amusement.
Ye Yang started, his face flushing bright red. He’d been so focused on Shen Ming that he hadn’t even noticed two other people in the room—sitting right there!
Shen Ming chuckled, rescuing Ye Yang from embarrassment as he introduced the three of them in turn. He explained that the two Ghost Emperors had been his friends when they were still alive. After the upper realm closed and the deities of the underworld could no longer leave, they simply hadn’t seen each other for a long time.
When it came to introducing Ye Yang, Shen Ming paused thoughtfully, then said, “This is my most important friend.”
“Ohhh~” Zhou Qi acknowledged with a knowing look—and for some reason, Ye Yang felt there was a deeper meaning in his gaze.
Ji Kang waved cheerfully. “Now that our young friend is here, sit down and join us.”
A bit nervous, Ye Yang sat close beside Shen Ming. Looking more closely, he saw they had been drinking wine—quite leisurely, actually.
No matter how great the calamities or disasters in the outside world, they had no effect on the underworld. With the upper realm sealed and the deities who held authority over the underworld nowhere to be found, nothing changed among the various factions here. The current structure of the underworld was no different from what Ye Yang remembered from his inherited memories.
The Great Emperor of Fengdu in the Northern Yin ruled the underworld. Below him were the Five Regions’ Ghost Emperors. Beneath them were the Six Heavenly Officials of Luofeng, followed below by the more widely known Ten Kings of Hell, the Four Judges, the Ten Great Yīn Commanders, and so on. Further down still were City Gods and the Bedside Grandmother.
A wandering soul like Teng Hua didn’t even rank—no wonder she had stopped so far from the main hall.
Both Ghost Emperors were reeking of wine. Empty jars littered the low table and the floor around it. In the corner stood a mountain of wine jugs reaching up to the ceiling over ten meters high. The moment Ye Yang’s gaze swept over it, Ji Kang subtly waved a hand behind his back—
The wine jug mountain vanished.
Ye Yang: “…” That’s not hiding anything at all!
Shen Ming watched Ye Yang’s eyes go wide and felt an itch in his fingers. He mimed vigorously rubbing Ye Yang’s face from a distance. “Never mind them. Tell me—how did you end up here?”
…
Zhou Qi raised an eyebrow, lost in thought. “So that’s how it is. No wonder you were able to come down.”
He explained: the ruler of the Underground Floating City was the City Lord of the Southeastern Underworld, the Great King Bian Cheng of the Sixth Hall, also known as the True Lord Bao Su Zhao Cheng—one of what common folk called the Ten Kings of Hell. If the underworld were a company, he’d be middle management.
Ji Kang burst into hearty laughter. “I’d thought about dealing with him sometime, but I was too lazy to move. Ha! Who knew you’d end up helping him without meaning to, Xuanwu?”
Ye Yang suddenly grew anxious again. He turned urgently to Shen Ming. “You have to go back right now, or it’ll be too late!”
Shen Ming asked the two Ghost Emperors—who had been listening even more intently than Ye Yang—”What time is it in the human world now?”
“Let me see,” Zhou Qi drained his cup in one gulp. “You’ve been here less than half a day. In the human world, about half a month should have passed.”
“!” Ye Yang was horrified. “Half a month already?!”
“No—you have to go back this instant. Now! Immediately!”
Shen Ming’s expression also turned serious. He rose, pulling Ye Yang up with him. “Trouble the two Emperors to send us back to the human realm.”
Time flowed differently between the human world and the underworld. Shen Ming hadn’t known—this was his first visit, after all. If he had realized that Ye Yang was up above worrying and rushing about for him, he would never have sat there drinking so leisurely.
The two Ghost Emperors had been enjoying the gossip along with their wine, but though they were reluctant to part with the entertainment, they wouldn’t dream of delaying such an important matter.
Ye Yang didn’t see them make any visible move. He only felt his vision blur, and in the next instant, the world flipped and scrambled. When he finally regained his footing, he was back in the Underground Floating City.
Stunned for a second, Ye Yang immediately sprinted toward the exit. Bursting out of the market, he dashed to the teleportation array in mere minutes and reached the field hospital.
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