Perhaps it was just a psychological effect, but Shang Can had been sleeping quite well these past few days.
There were no more instances of nighttime wandering on Yun Duan’s side, which put Shang Can’s mind at ease. After replenishing a batch of medicinal supplies and other materials, she prepared to head to the Outer Heaven with Yun Duan on the day they had agreed upon with Pei Chen.
Wan Shao had originally been quite worried and planned to secretly follow Shang Can, but was caught red-handed by an elder of the demon clan at the city gate. Thus, she had to give up on the trip, tears welling up in her eyes as she handed Shang Can a bamboo whistle.
“Blow this when you encounter trouble!” Wan Shao said with great concern, her tone earnest. “Like if you run into a ghost wall, get lost, or trip over a stone—”
“…I’m not a three-year-old going on a spring outing.”
Despite her complaints, Shang Can obediently tucked it into her pouch—after a strong protest from Wan Shao, she ended up wearing it around her neck. With Wan Shao’s repeated reminders of “be careful,” she finally managed to leave Biluohuangquan.
“Wan Shao seems really worried.”
While flying on their swords, Yun Duan spoke in a low voice, laced with concern. Shang Can felt a bit uneasy, fiddling with her loose hair by her ear, and sighed, “Maybe she has seen me in such a miserable state too many times and doesn’t want to witness it again this time—I’m fine now, I can see the sunlight.”
Understanding the implication in her words, Yun Duan chose not to probe further.
As midnight approached, the two arrived at the entrance to the ghost realm of Outer Heaven.
“You two are right on time.”
Pei Chen was already waiting there, greeting them with a slight bow, while Chu Ming stood nearby, visibly relieved upon seeing them.
“You both look well and seem to be in better spirits than before.” He stepped forward, circling around them—mainly around Shang Can—and gave a slightly mournful expression. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you take me along?”
“…It was full, sorry about that.”
Shang Can averted her gaze, thinking that having a Yun Zhong Jun was already quite overwhelming. If they brought along Yu Shan Jun as well—after all, was Biluohuangquan a demon clan stronghold that didn’t get along with cultivators, or a place to experience the charm of another race?
“Never mind.” Fortunately, Chu Ming was generally a magnanimous person and quickly let go of his grievances, saying seriously, “I thought about it these past few days. Why don’t I go down with you? The more hands, the better.”
“Don’t, Yu Shan Jun, we’re not going to fight,” Shang Can frowned and politely declined, “Four people… Isn’t that a bit too many?”
As she spoke, she looked at Yun Duan for help, only to receive unexpected support from an unlikely source.
“Shang Can is right; if too many people go in at once, it might disturb the residents of the ghost realm.”
The entrance to the Underworld Ghost Realm had now appeared on the ground, with an ominous aura rolling from the pitch-black opening. Pei Chen nodded towards Shang Can before turning to Chu Ming, “However, there is indeed something that requires Yu Shan Jun’s assistance.”
“Once this entrance opens, there will only be twelve hours. After this time, it will close on its own, and it won’t open again until next month.”
As he spoke, he took out six talismans, handing three to Chu Ming with a serious tone, “This journey is uncertain in duration. I’d like to ask Yu Shan Jun to stay here and wait. If the time is near and we haven’t come out yet, please ignite the talismans with your spiritual energy and stay by the entrance.”
He then handed two talismans to Shang Can and Yun Duan, saying, “Please carry these talismans on you. When Yu Shan Jun ignites the talismans outside, the talismans on us will forcibly bring us away from the Underworld Ghost Realm. Remember to keep them safe.”
They sounded like valuable escape items. Shang Can didn’t hesitate to accept it, quickly placing the talisman with her name written in ancient script close to her. She nodded in gratitude to Pei Chen, saying, “Thank you, Kun Yao Jun.”
“Although I hope this situation doesn’t arise, in case something happens and we miss the time inside…” Shang Can firmly patted Chu Ming’s shoulder and sighed, “Then it will be up to you, Yu Shan Jun. You should take the chance to get some rest now, right?”
“…Is this really a time for sleeping?”
With that, Chu Ming no longer insisted on going down with them, helplessly replying, “It’s just one day; I can wait.”
“We will act as quickly as possible,” Yun Duan said. “For now, please endure the wait, Senior Brother Chu Ming.”
“Not a problem, but Yun Duan, please be very careful,” Chu Ming said, his face showing worry. “Absolutely must not… get hurt inside.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Shang Can, who silently gave him a look that said, “Did you need to say that?” Pei Chen patiently waited for their conversation to finish before looking at the moonlight and saying, “It’s time.”
With that, Shang Can and the others all serious faced, stepped back a few paces. Pei Chen performed the same technique as he had a few nights prior, and as his voice rang out with “separate yin and yang,” the once breezy bamboo grove suddenly fell into silence, with the dark entrance on the ground opening up like a gaping wound in the earth.
Shang Can and Yun Duan exchanged glances, both understanding that this anomaly was reminiscent of when they encountered the ghost tribe in the mountains.
“Follow me.”
Pei Chen said calmly, stepping first into the entrance, quickly swallowed by the darkness.
Seeing his demeanor, it seemed he had been through this many times; otherwise, one would need to mentally prepare before entering such a chaotic place. Shang Can speculated how many times he had been there, ready to follow behind him towards the entrance, but then she felt a hand grasp hers.
“…Let’s go together.”
Yun Duan said softly, her hand tightly holding Shang Can’s, and Shang Can could feel that her hand was a bit cold, instinctively returning the grip.
It’s natural to feel uneasy on the first trip to such a place.
Shang Can’s heart softened. Seeing the Heavenly Fire bracelet she had given Yun Duan still dangling nicely on her wrist, she silently let it emit a warm glow and smiled gently at Yun Duan.
“Then let’s go.”
She held Yun Duan’s hand, plunging together into the darkness.
The descent was surprisingly easy.
Shang Can had expected to be bombarded by ghostly wails upon entry, but it was quiet around her, and they soon landed softly on solid ground.
Opening her eyes, she was met with a decayed, dark red view.
“…”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it soon.”
A familiar male voice drifted over, and Shang Can blinked hard, turning towards the sound to find Pei Chen, who had arrived before them, along with the sight in front of her.
Her first impression was dark red.
The place seemed to lack any source of light, yet Shang Can could clearly see everything. It was just that everything was bathed in a monotonous red, as if the light source had been covered with a red veil, rising dark red mist that enveloped the entire world in such color.
Dark red soil, red tree trunks, deep red leaves, and grass. Looking at it too long gave the impression that her eyes were damaged, and Shang Can soon felt a heaviness in her chest, forcing her to close her eyes to take a moment.
“Are you okay, Shang Can?”
A cool voice came through like a clear spring, followed by a gentle, cool hand touching her forehead, cautiously brushing her eyelids and covering her eyes with her palm.
“Don’t rush, rest a bit before opening your eyes.”
The faint fragrance emanating from Yun Duan was the best calming agent. Shang Can relaxed surprisingly quickly, though she lingered in the comfortable darkness brought by Yun Duan for a few moments longer before finally holding Yun Duan’s wrist and softly saying, “I’m fine now.”
The other person still seemed to be uneasy, hesitating for a moment before slowly lowering her hand. Shang Can opened her eyes to see Yun Duan’s fair and delicate face, which remained pleasing to the eye even in such a dreadful background.
She cast a comforting glance at Yun Duan, whose eyes still contained concern, then surveyed their surroundings again. Although she reaffirmed that this place was disgustingly shabby, her body showed no unusual signs.
That was probably just the ghost realm’s welcoming gift for cultivators, Shang Can thought, akin to a shocking and tacky toy designed to scare you.
“Are you okay?”
She turned to look at the seemingly untroubled Yunduan, who nodded in response: “I’m fine.”
Beside them, Pei Chen also looked normal and expressed concern: “The effect here varies for each person. It seems that CÃ n is quite affected by this place.”
This was not a good start; it felt like the atmosphere here was extremely hostile to her.
Feeling somewhat downcast, Shang CÃ n glanced at the two of them. Pei Chen’s heavenly robes seemed a bit dim here, and Yunduan’s white attire also appeared to have a tinge of red. After staring for a while, Shang CÃ n furrowed her brows tightly.
“…It’s been less than three minutes since we arrived,” she sighed and murmured, “and I already hate this place.”
“We need to head to Fengdu first, which is the main city of the ghost realm.”
After a brief pause, Pei Chen began to explain their itinerary.
“We’ll need to find the local authority here to obtain the roster of the ghost tribe, which will tell us how many ghosts have escaped from the Netherworld.”
He had mentioned these details to Shang CÃ n and the others before. Once he confirmed that they had no objections, he pointed in a direction: “Follow this path, and it should take about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to get there.”
Aside from the overwhelming dark red hue, the scenery before them was quite ordinary. All they could see were various plants. Although their shapes differed slightly from those outside, they were still within an acceptable range. It appeared to be a desolate outskirts, albeit with a strange color scheme.
Shang CÃ n looked in the direction he pointed and barely discerned a vague shadow of a city in the distance through the mist. She asked, not holding out much hope, “Can we fly with swords?”
“It’s best not to,” Pei Chen replied with a wry smile and a shake of his head. “This place is fundamentally unwelcoming to humans. The talismans I just gave you have the effect of suppressing the energy here, allowing us to temporarily pass as new ghosts. But since ghosts can’t fly on swords, it’s better for us to avoid actions that would draw their attention.”
“Alright.”
Shang CÃ n had to accept the reality of traveling on foot. Suddenly, she remembered something and summoned a small fireball in her palm, watching as the red mist around it vanished.
“Hmm—”
She tilted her head, observing it thoughtfully with a furrowed brow.
Yunduan walked over to her side and leaned in slightly.
“Can we use the heavenly fire?”
“…Yeah.”
Shang CÃ n felt her ear tingle from Yunduan’s warm breath, unconsciously tilting her head and saying, “Look, it’s burning normally.”
She pointed at the small fireball, which was gently flickering. Yunduan stared at it for a while before asking in confusion, “Isn’t the color a bit dark?”
Indeed, Shang CÃ n felt the same. The originally bright golden flame seemed to have dimmed slightly, as if tainted by the ominous atmosphere of this place.
“…It might just be the color scheme of this place,” Shang CÃ n pondered, rubbing her chin. “Let’s keep it for now; at least it’s still usable.”
After a moment of silence, Yunduan softly agreed and positioned herself slightly in front of Shang CÃ n, as if to protect her.
The misty fragrance faded a bit, and Shang CÃ n touched her nose, remaining silent.
…The color of the flame is off, and the expenditure of spiritual energy seems abnormal too.
It could just be her imagination, but even though she summoned the fireball without much effort, Shang CÃ n felt that it seemed to consume more spiritual energy than usual.
With only one sample, it was hard to conclude anything; better to observe the situation for a bit longer.
…She hoped it wouldn’t worsen to the point where Yunduan needed to protect her.
With a slight raise of her hand, the fireball flew up from her palm and gently settled on her shoulder like a small lamp.
Seeing Pei Chen, who looked a bit worried and was about to say something, she quickly interjected, “If worse comes to worst, can we just say this is a decoration from my clothes? Let me keep the fireball for observation. If it really becomes unusable later, I’ll be able to know right away.”
“…Alright, alright…” After much consideration, Pei Chen finally agreed, muttering to himself, “I’ve heard of ghosts in the ghost realm carrying ghost fire, but it’s usually white… I wonder if we can pull this off…”
Shang CÃ n carefully circulated her spiritual energy and found nothing unusual within herself. She looked again at the small flame quietly burning on her shoulder, her gaze thoughtful as she lowered her eyes, the hair on her forehead shadowing her expression.
…It would be great if she was just overthinking this.
Comment