The Altar of the Abandoned was naturally built. The moment it was completed, the Wandering Souls drifting through the city all rushed toward it. Their passage knocked people over and caused buildings to collapse, turning the entire surrounding area into a wasteland.
Not only the wild ghosts of Dark Snow Heaven surged toward it, but Wandering Souls from all eight directions also came, drawn by the news. The dense, gloomy Ghostly Qi dyed the falling snow black, making this small patch of land seem like it had returned to the time before the cold snap.
People peered out their windows, holding a sliver of hope. But the thick accumulated snow of Dark Snow Heaven didn’t melt at all. If anything, it seemed to grow even colder.
Building the Altar of the Abandoned wasn’t enough. Some Malevolent Ghosts didn’t go for that. They only fed on the Life Energy of the living. Moreover, they couldn’t stand seeing other Ghostly Evils eat their fill and thrive. They grew increasingly rampant, causing the city’s inhabitants to wail in misery. Some people were literally ripped open and disemboweled by Malevolent Ghosts barging into their homes, dying exceedingly gruesome deaths.
The Immortal Cultivators who set up the altar then said that building the altar wasn’t enough. They also needed to perform a Living Sacrifice Ritual. Only a Living Sacrifice Ritual could quell the Malevolent Ghosts’ fury.
What was a Living Sacrifice Ritual? It was a thing where living people were used as offerings. Living, breathing human beings thrown onto the Ritual Platform, letting the Lost Wandering Ghosts and wild ghosts eat them alive!
Such a method that trampled on human life—it was actually devised by these so-called Immortal Cultivators.
At that time, resentment and complaints filled Dark Snow Heaven. No one wanted to be captured for the Living Sacrifice Ritual. Yet the very people who set up the altar claimed, ‘Offer your lives, and this place will be at peace. Those who ascend the Ritual Platform will be revered as great Living Buddhas who saved lives.’
These words sounded extremely pleasant. Some believed them, but no one was willing. Whoever wanted to be this Living Buddha could be. They only wanted to live.
Some people, their hearts turning malicious, began spreading rumors everywhere, pushing their enemies into the fire. They claimed their enemies had long been possessed by Malevolent Ghosts, that such individuals were no longer human and deserved to die.
Those slandered became targets of public condemnation. They had to die, whether they wanted to or not. They couldn’t even escape. They were captured alive and taken to the Altar of the Abandoned. Later, it was the white knife going in and the red knife coming out: they died miserably on the Altar of the Abandoned.
That scene was truly bloody. But after the Living Sacrifice Ritual, Dark Snow Heaven was indeed peaceful for a while.
Once peace was restored, it was time to pray for blessings and send away misfortune. So that group of people built boats and burned them. The boats were laden with offerings and some Paper Effigies modeled after Malevolent Ghosts.
Great fires blazed across the snowy ground. Only after watching the boats burn to ashes did everyone return home.
After burning the boats, those Immortal Cultivators left. When they departed, the snow hadn’t stopped falling, but the Demonic Evils and ghostly entities everywhere had lessened somewhat.
Back then, everyone was lost, unsure whether this counted as a good thing.
Finishing his story, the Innkeeper let out a long sigh. He gazed outside the door and said distantly, “That Altar of the Abandoned and its Living Sacrifice Rituals—they were only useful for that short period. Not even a year later, this Dark Snow Heaven was once again thick with Ghostly Qi. It’s just like lighting a stick of Incense to repel insects and snakes. Once it burns out, you need to light another.”
“Were there more Living Sacrifice Rituals later?” Yinyu had never heard of such a thing before. Using Living Sacrifice Rituals to appease Wraiths—what was this? Feeding ghosts?
The wooden puppet’s eyes spun rapidly, as if it had a bellyful of accusatory, angry words to say. But due to Lian Sheng’s presence nearby, it dared not utter a single word.
Lian Sheng’s nostrils flared slightly. She smelled a faint odor. Suspiciously and coolly, she glanced down toward the bottom of the counter. “Since some believed, there would naturally be more.”
“That’s right.” The Innkeeper narrowed his eyes, reminiscing. “The later Living Sacrifice Rituals were all handled by the Kang Family. Only, they wouldn’t let others make the decisions anymore. Even if someone actively wanted to offer themselves up, it wasn’t allowed. They would carefully select people. Some individuals who had committed murder, arson, or robbery would be captured by them and burned alive on the Altar of the Abandoned.”
“This Kang Family is interesting. They seek living people as substitutes for themselves, yet can’t stand seeing others do evil.” Yinyu made a light, airy remark.
The Innkeeper flicked an abacus bead and said hoarsely, “The Kang Family acts on the orders of those Immortal Cultivators, assisting the Half-Immortals. They’re quite high and mighty.”
“Aren’t they afraid of retribution?” Yinyu snorted.
The Innkeeper smiled ambiguously and shook his head. “Retribution? What retribution? Just look at how well they live in this Dark Snow Heaven. The most carefree ones are the Kang Family. By doing these things, they not only establish their authority but also pacify the City Residents. Quite brilliant, isn’t it?”
Hearing his tone, Yinyu couldn’t quite gauge his true attitude toward the Kang Family.
Lian Sheng tapped her knuckles on the counter. “Did they take anything with them when they left?”
“Something?” The Innkeeper scratched his head, racking his brains to remember. He shook his head. “It didn’t seem like they found what they were looking for. They left empty-handed. However, it all happened too long ago. I can’t quite recall clearly anymore.”
Lian Sheng looked at Yinyu. Her gaze held a hint of scrutiny, appearing neither warm nor cold.
How could Yinyu not understand the meaning in the other’s expression? That group back then had probably come looking for her. Or perhaps, they were looking for something related to her.
Back then, she had pleaded with Lian Sheng to secretly take her away. And this Lotus Immortal, who appeared to strictly observe vegetarianism and uphold rules and duties, had actually agreed. She had made sure no one found her.
The rules, indeed, had been broken long ago.
“Innkeeper.” Lian Sheng’s voice was bland. She always looked thoroughly uninterested in everything. “That group of Immortal Cultivators back then—their leader, was it a man or a woman? What was their appearance?”
This was even more difficult. The Innkeeper paced back and forth, his eyes squinting until they were almost completely shut.
His footsteps suddenly halted. He raised an index finger. “I remember now. It was a woman. She was dressed in the guise of a Buddhist nun. At the time, I thought to myself, someone cultivating this path is truly rare. They should be infinitely merciful and compassionate. But who would have thought, the idea of the Altar of the Abandoned and the Living Sacrifice Rituals—it was proposed by her!”
Hearing “Buddhist nun guise,” Yinyu naturally thought of Wuxian. Such deeds truly seemed like something Wuxian would do.
The Innkeeper’s expression was dark. “Tell me, can someone who does such things truly achieve the Dao and become an immortal? I don’t know if she harmed herself, but she certainly harmed others. This chief culprit, she should be eliminated!”
When he said the word “eliminated,” he actually ground his teeth, as if his aged body had suddenly burst with boundless vitality.
“It’s her, then.” There was no anger in Lian Sheng’s eyes.
Yinyu, holding the wooden puppet, happened to lower her head at that moment. Abruptly, she met the Puppet’s eyes, which seemed about to spin into a shadowy blur.
The Ear Whisperer God was desperately hinting at something, seemingly agreeing wholeheartedly.
Unfortunately, Yinyu was getting dizzy just looking at it. She truly couldn’t bear to watch directly and simply pressed down on one of the Puppet’s eyeballs.
With one eye spinning and the other held still, the Puppet decided to stop hinting.
“You two.” The Innkeeper’s cloudy eyes suddenly widened. “Know this person?”
“We’ve heard a little,” Lian Sheng said.
The Innkeeper’s expression relaxed. He snorted hoarsely. “She shouldn’t have become an immortal, right? If someone like her could become a god or immortal, then what would White Jade Capital become? Calling it a Devil’s Den wouldn’t be an exaggeration. What immortals or gods? They’re all selfish and self-serving, not even as humane as some Lost Wandering Ghosts on the earth below.”
Lian Sheng’s brow furrowed slightly. She cast a flat, indifferent glance at him.
Yinyu thought of the various scenes in her dreams. That Wuxian, she had indeed entered White Jade Capital once. But whether she remained among the Twelve Towers later, Yinyu had no way of knowing.
“The Heavenly Dao will naturally exact severe punishment on behalf of Dark Snow Heaven against those who commit evil,” Lian Sheng said calmly.
The Innkeeper retorted in a foul tone, “The people here have been accumulating fury for years. If the Heavenly Dao had clear eyes and a bright heart, it would have shown its power long ago. At the very least, it should have made that altar-setter taste some hardship!”
Lian Sheng looked out the window, not answering another word.
Still planted in front of the counter, Yinyu said meaningfully, “When the Altar of the Abandoned was being built back then, ordinary people would have avoided it if possible. Many might not even know what those Cultivators looked like. You, Innkeeper, seem to know quite a lot.”
The Innkeeper was at a loss for words for a moment. It took him a while to slowly say, “At that time, many people were rounded up to contribute labor. Carrying bricks, laying stones—all sorts of things needed manpower. I was also busy working there for a period. Naturally, I came to know more.”
He realized he had spoken too much today and quickly changed the subject. “Ah, I’ve just been standing here chatting, forgetting to invite you two to dine. Please, quickly take a seat. The soup and rice will be cold soon.”
Yinyu obligingly took a seat. She picked up her chopsticks and glanced at Lian Sheng sitting opposite her. “Does Boss Yu want some?”
Lian Sheng didn’t pick up her chopsticks first. Instead, she took a sip of hot tea. Only after the tea slipped down her throat did she unhurriedly grasp her chopsticks and pick up a piece of dried persimmon.
“I thought that when Boss Yu returned to this Wisdom Water Red Mountain, she wouldn’t need to eat these mortal foods anymore,” Yinyu teased.
Lian Sheng took a small bite of the persimmon. “It’s not that I can’t eat them.”
The Innkeeper walked outside and stood there for a while. He sighed several times, seemingly full of deep emotion. A shiver ran through him from the wind, and he retreated back inside, hands and neck tucked in. He hurriedly sat behind the counter to warm himself by the fire.
What was strange was that he let the wind rush freely through the hall. He would rather endure a bit of cold himself than close the door.
Faintly, Yinyu smelled a certain odor. It was somewhat fishy and fetid, difficult to describe.
Once no one else was nearby, the Ear Whisperer God could finally no longer hold its tongue. Righteously indignant, it said, “The one who set up that altar must have been Wuxian. It was bad enough that Wuxian committed evil over there. To come here and still be laden with sins like this—it’s utterly disgraceful!”
The more it spoke, the less it could contain its anger. Those last four words were practically shouted.
The voice was childish and sharp, sounding no different from a child’s.
The Innkeeper seemed to grow drowsier more easily during the day, only appearing “full of life and vigor” at night. He had just dozed off after sitting behind the counter when he suddenly raised his head at the sound. Confusedly, he looked around and asked in surprise, “Did you two hear a sound?”
Yinyu’s expression remained unchanged as she covered the Puppet’s mouth. Calmly and composedly, she asked, “What sound?”
The Innkeeper cocked his ear to listen more carefully, but he couldn’t hear it anymore. Puzzled, he said, “Why would there be the sound of an infant? Could a ghost have entered the inn? A child ghost—those are utterly vicious and evil.”
“Perhaps it was the wind. You misheard.” Yinyu picked up some food with her chopsticks.
The Innkeeper looked at her suspiciously. “Really?”
“Really,” Yinyu said.
The Innkeeper smacked his lips. For some unknown reason, his face actually showed a hint of regret.
Fortunately, the food on the table was still warm. It just tasted a bit bland, like clear soup with little flavor.
Yinyu wasn’t truly a picky eater. Especially now that it was so cold, not eating more would make her feel the cold even more easily. Besides, this place was impoverished. Things like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were all rare and precious. The cook likely didn’t dare to use much, so she just had to make do.
Holding her chopsticks, she picked through the dishes and popped a piece of pickled string bean into her mouth. “Tell me, can someone who bears a Servitude Nail implant a Servitude Nail in someone else?”
“Yes,” Lian Sheng said. She had only taken one bite of the dried persimmon. Perhaps finding it unpalatable, she set it down.
Anything she didn’t like eating, she wouldn’t touch even one more bite.
Yinyu picked through the food again and put some dried bamboo shoot into her mouth. “If Wuxian also implanted Servitude Nails, doesn’t that mean she’s also fallen into Devilry?”
“It’s not impossible.” Lian Sheng took another sip of tea and turned her head. “Innkeeper, how does one get to the Altar of the Abandoned?”
The Innkeeper had already raised his hand, seemingly about to give directions, but before he could speak, he was interrupted.
Downstairs came a man dressed in a long black coat. His brows were furrowed in anger as he said, “The Altar of the Abandoned is no good place. Those with weak constitutions are easily possessed if they go there. You two are ladies; you should avoid it.”
Yinyu turned her head to look. The man’s face was deathly pale, his lips completely bloodless. Yet the dark circles under his eyes were starkly prominent—as if he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a hundred years. He looked no different from a Wandering Soul.
