Chapter 52 Part 2

The clear, golden wine poured into the pool, sending all the koi fish fleeing in panic. In a flash, they hid on the other side of the pool.

The Immortal in the pool still hadn’t moved. Yet on her normally indifferent face, a pink blush slowly rose, as if she were drunk.

Yinyu set the wine flask down on the bank. Filled with anticipation, she asked, “How is it? Is it good?”

How could Lian Sheng possibly answer? Her body, which should have been standing perfectly straight, tilted slightly, as if about to collapse.

A Young Monk passed by nearby. He sniffed the air and asked, “What’s that smell?”

With a wave of her hand over the flask and cup, Yinyu made the items vanish into thin air. She turned her head and said, “What does the Little Monk smell? Could it be the scent of lotus flowers?”

The Young Monk shook his head and looked toward the lotus pool. Seeing the Immortal in the Pool looking unsteady, he exclaimed in surprise, “Oh dear, what’s wrong with the Lotus Immortal?”

Yinyu feigned worry, but she remained stretched out on the ground, not looking anxious at all. “Probably tired from standing. She wants to rest.”

The Young Monk couldn’t figure out the reason. Accepting that the Lotus Immortal was simply tired, he pressed his palms together and said, “Speaking of which, that Silk Cloth with the lotus painting on it—shall I return it to the Lotus Immortal?”

“Wait a little longer.” Yinyu stirred the pool water. “Wait until she can come out of the pool. Then you can give it to her.”

Far away on Little Desolate Islet, at Two-World Sea.

The Judge saw the lotus-patterned golden light, and then saw Heavenly Thunder rolling. He was nearly scared into running for cover. Only later, when he realized the Heavenly Thunder wasn’t striking Two-World Sea, did he finally exhale the breath caught in his throat.

However, the ground at Overgrown Mountain continued to shake ceaselessly. Countless Soul Spirits swarmed out, surging mightily and scattering in all directions.

The Judge hurriedly flipped open the Underworld Register. He felt another change occurring over at Ivory Mast Beach. He calculated again with his fingers, only to find that all his previous divinations were suddenly null and void. Those who should have died hadn’t died; those who were missing now had traces to follow. Everything had abruptly returned to its proper course.

Staggering, he ran beneath the pagoda and bumped into the Mute Underworld Clerk guarding it. Because his own power had greatly diminished, that Underworld Clerk was now able to squeeze out a few garbled, indistinct syllables.

“Re… re… re…” The Underworld Clerk strained with all his might. “Re… lease… me!”

Afraid the Heavenly Thunder would strike him, the Judge simply slapped the Underworld Clerk hard on the crown of his head, withdrawing the Speech Sealing Spell. He shouted, “Go!”

Before the Underworld Clerk could even draw a long breath of relief, he was violently swept away. Like duckweed, he drifted past the Karma Mirror Platform and landed on the Two-World Sea.

Passing the Karma Mirror Platform and entering the Two-World Sea meant he was about to move on to his next life.

Eyes brimming with tears of joy, the Underworld Clerk threw himself into the sea.

Even after sending that Underworld Clerk away, the Judge still couldn’t calm his heart. He hurriedly rushed to the base of the Nether Pagoda and saw the room full of Mill-Turning Ghosts.

The Mill-Turning Ghosts toiled day and night. They never cried out in weariness or exhaustion, nor did they know what was happening outside. They were still pulling the ropes, struggling with difficulty as they circled the enormous stone millstone.

Not daring to slow down for even a moment, the Judge struck the stone mill with a palm blast, shattering it into dust!

The stone mill disappeared, and the Hemp Rope vanished along with it. Yet the Mill-Turning Ghosts were still maintaining their original postures, trudging step by step. Their steps, however, were much lighter than before.

Having shattered the stone mill, the Judge’s next task, naturally, was to send away this room full of Mill-Turning Ghosts.

He gathered a great breath and exhaled forcefully. All the thin, toiling souls filling the room drifted far away.

All the souls imprisoned beneath the Nether Pagoda returned to where they belonged.

In front of the Cuihui Eight Treasures Pavilion, two figures suddenly appeared. It was none other than Lu Yiqi and Feng Qingshuang. The two stood motionless. Only when they heard the door of Jade Gathering being pounded so hard it rattled did they snap back to their senses.

The pounding on the door grew more and more violent. Lu Yiqi asked in a trembling voice, “It couldn’t be Sansheng, could it?” As soon as he finished speaking, he sprinted over and kicked the door of Jade Gathering until it broke.

The room beyond the door was empty. Feng Qingshuang, standing at the side, said, “Let me calculate how much we’ll have to pay Jade Gathering for damages.”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as Sansheng wakes up,” Lu Yiqi said.

After that, not only did Lu Sansheng wake up, but even Feng Yuyan, who had gone missing from the Feng Family, suddenly reappeared on the school grounds, becoming a new campus urban legend.

On the other side, at Ivory Mast Beach, Lu Dongqing received a phone call. He was so overjoyed he nearly couldn’t catch his breath. After a long moment, his eyes welled with hot tears. “They’ve all come back? Back is good, back is good!”

Feng Pengqi, however, was stunned. Previously, he had been heartbroken, truly believing that Yu Zezhi and Wu Yinyu had harmed the descendants of the Five Gates. Only when he was at his wit’s end did he command the Little Ghost to obstruct them.

Now, hearing this happy news, he couldn’t smile. After a long while, he asked, “What about Zezhi and Yinyu? Now… can you reach them?”

Naturally, they couldn’t be reached. Even Zhen Hezi, the boss of the Mountain-Foot Inn, couldn’t get through to their phones.

Zhen Hezi felt a sense of loss. She said to the girl at the front desk, “Keep those two rooms for them for now.”

The girl hurriedly nodded. Her hand, gripping the mouse, couldn’t help trembling. Stammering, she said, “They… they’ll definitely make it out.”

The morning in Dark Snow Heaven was still gray and hazy, no different from the evening.

Yinyu suddenly jolted awake. Her back and waist were so sore from the hard bed planks that they were difficult to bear. She slowly sat up and realized her hand seemed to be clutching something. Looking down, she saw she hadn’t loosened her grip all night.

Lian Sheng had sat there the entire night, yet she looked more spirited than Yinyu, who had slept the whole time. She merely cast a faint glance over. “You’re awake.”

Yinyu released the corner of fabric in her hand. She let out a soft hiss. “I slept terribly.”

Lian Sheng stood up. “The Innkeeper came to knock half a quarter of an hour ago. He said there’s tea and rice porridge prepared downstairs.”

Yinyu lightly tapped her aching back a few times and dawdled through washing up. It wasn’t that she meant to be so slow. She had simply grown used to her previous world. Now, in this place lacking this and that, she momentarily didn’t know what to do with herself.

Leaving the room to head downstairs, they had to pass through a long, narrow corridor.

The windows on one side were all propped open. The cold wind, carrying snow, howled in, making anyone shiver uncontrollably.

Just as they were about to reach the corner, a figure appeared silently, drifting like a wandering soul.

The woman was heavily made up. Her face was painted whiter than the plaster on the wall, yet her eyebrows were drawn long, thin, and graceful. The rouge on her cheeks and lips, however, was so red it made her look like a Paper Effigy from the Yu Residence.

It hadn’t been clear last night. Now, in the early morning light, one could truly see: this person’s makeup was extremely heavy, and her stature was truly tall—even slightly taller than Lian Sheng.

At a sudden glance, Yinyu thought someone had brought out a Paper Effigy. She took a slight step back before asking, “Miss, were you unharmed last night? Did you just return now?”

The woman didn’t answer. Her eyes seemed to hold a hint of anger. She looked quite fierce.

“Did you, Miss, come to Dark Snow Heaven to eliminate evil entities and do good deeds?” Yinyu asked again.

The woman still didn’t reply. She brushed past Yinyu, pushed open a door, and walked inside on her own.

The door shut with a thud, leaving no room for anyone to disturb her.

Yinyu smiled at Lian Sheng and gestured with her chin. “Let’s go, Boss Yu.”

Downstairs, the Innkeeper saw someone descending. He squinted for a moment, and once he made out who it was, he called out, “How was your night, you two? Was it comfortable? There’s food prepared on the small table, still hot. Please, help yourselves.”

Naturally, it couldn’t have been comfortable. After all, Yinyu’s back and waist were still aching.

Yet Yinyu nodded. Not only did she not rush to eat, she even planted herself right in front of the counter. “Was that person who just went in coming from outside?”

The Innkeeper let out a short “Ah,” then realized who she was referring to. He nodded. “That ‘Fairy Maiden’ came from outside. She’s traveling with a male Cultivator. They’re a brother and sister. They’ve been staying here for a while now. Reckoning it up, it’s been half a year.”

Yinyu’s interest was piqued. “Are they here to eliminate evil entities?”

“Yes, but…” The Innkeeper rubbed his head and cast a glance outside. He brought his hand to his mouth and lowered his voice. “That brother and sister offended the Kang Family. Every time they come back, they tiptoe around. Perhaps they’re afraid of bringing trouble to my inn.”

“In this place, the Kang Family seems to hold absolute power.” Yinyu chuckled. “I thought you, afraid of trouble, would have directly driven that brother and sister away.”

“Oh dear.” The Innkeeper forced an embarrassed smile. “Business still has to go on. After all, there are no other guests usually.”

“Can’t the Demonic Qi in this Dark Snow Heaven be completely cleansed?” Yinyu asked slowly.

Hearing this, the Innkeeper sighed and waved his hands repeatedly. “It’s difficult. This place has lost the protection of gods and immortals. It’s freezing cold here. Over these twenty years, all the able-bodied City Residents who could move have moved away. Right around the time the weather first turned cold, a group of Immortal Cultivators did come. They arrived with great fanfare, as if they were looking for something. They also made a huge commotion about hunting demons and eliminating evil entities. But the result—you’ve seen it yourself, Miss. Not a bit of use.”

At this, Lian Sheng turned her head. She asked indifferently, “Looking for something?”

The Innkeeper nodded, squinting as he slowly began his tale.

That was twenty-three years ago. One day, the falling snow, which had been like crow feathers filling the sky, suddenly turned white. A blizzard raged across the entire city of Dark Snow Heaven. The fallen snow instantly piled five feet high. Even under the eaves, icicles froze. Everyone found it extremely difficult to move.

Before that, Dark Snow Heaven had been like spring all year round. With this sudden cold, half the city’s people fell ill from the freezing temperatures. Not a single crop survived.

The weather had changed far too abruptly. Many people thought it was the emergence of Malevolent Ghosts. They rushed to offer sacrifices to gods and Buddhas, but all their efforts were in vain.

That year, a group of Immortal Cultivators arrived in Dark Snow Heaven. The group came with great momentum, claiming they were here to capture the Evil Entity plaguing the land. They practically turned the entire city upside down searching, short of even digging up the dirt.

Those people called themselves Immortal Cultivators, but they didn’t seem like it. Each one was eerie and demonic. Had their compass for detecting Ghostly Evils not remained motionless, the City Residents would have truly driven them out as evil entities.

Nevertheless, they did possess some ability. They could rise into the clouds and fly on swords, possessing the bearing of Half-Immortals. Wind, thunder, water, fire—they could summon them at will. If they wanted to enter a house to search, no one could stop them.

The city folk asked what they were looking for. They gave no answer. Their attitude was somewhat arrogant. They smashed many clay vats people used to store grain, broke vases, and tore paintings off the walls.

Even after searching for days, they didn’t seem to find anything. Left with no choice, they settled down in Dark Snow Heaven to live.

Dark Snow Heaven was freezing. Half the city’s people had fallen ill together. Those who worked couldn’t work. Those who traded couldn’t trade. Everywhere, there were people crying from cold and hunger. The entire city was on its last breath.

Praying to the gods was useless. Finding no other way out, some people went to plead for the group of Immortal Cultivators to help. Those Immortal Cultivators said that the place was full of malicious evil entities and wandering souls everywhere. They absolutely had to think of a way to eliminate the Evil Entities and pacify the Departed Souls.

That so-called method was to establish an Altar of the Abandoned. It had to be built. Otherwise, they claimed, within the year, Dark Snow Heaven wouldn’t have a single living person left.