The gate was being pounded loudly, and from inside came a deep, powerful voice that sounded somewhat helpless:
“Little ancestor, it’s not that I won’t open it for you. Old Ox is just a lowly gatekeeper. If I dare open this gate, my ox head will be struck by heavenly lightning and turned into a charred ox head.”
Another voice chimed in, “Yes, yes, please have some mercy on us.”
With the Three Realms severed from connection, those assigned to guard the gates of the underworld were certainly no ordinary beings. Yet even such individuals were helpless against this “aunt” of his.
She was blatantly demanding to break the law, and they could only coax her gently.
Li Yue’s heart stirred, thinking that his aunt’s master must be a major figure in the underworld…
Having figured out the key, the Emperor’s heart settled. The gate would surely open.
Sure enough, after Ling Xiao threatened to have them transferred to the Yellow Spring to fish for souls, the gate slowly creaked open.
Those who remained gathered behind the Emperor, their eyes wide as they peered inside.
Beyond the bronze gate lay a vast expanse of mist, flanked by two “figures.”
The one on the left was extremely tall and burly, standing at least fifty feet high! The bulging muscles on his arms left no doubt about the strength they held, and he bore the head of an ox.
The one on the right was comparatively slender, with exceptionally long legs that gave the impression of being all legs at first glance, and he had the head of a horse.
The Ghost-God, who barely reached Horse-Face’s knees, swaggered through the gate with the arrogance of a crab.
With a wave of her hand behind her, Li Yue, ever perceptive, followed her step by step, while the others bowed their heads and formed a line, shuffling along in small steps.
Ox-Head silently knelt on one knee and extended a hand. Ling Xiao climbed onto it, raising her hand halfway into the air:
“Hey, didn’t my master send word long ago for me to enter? What are you two playing at!”
“Are you looking down on me?”
Li Yue’s heart trembled as he watched the Ghost-God transform while speaking. Her skin grew paler, her lips turned blood-red, and four additional arms sprouted from her sides with a rustling sound. Wisps of mist surged into her body.
Her aura was awe-inspiring, intimidating all around her—the king among ghosts!
Ox-Head shook his head. “How would we dare? Please, rein in your ghostly aura. As you know, ‘a ghostly spirit through ten thousand calamities finds it hard to attain sainthood.’
Lord Prefect concealed the workings of heaven to allow you into the mortal realm precisely to cleanse the yin energy from your spirit and help you ascend to immortality.”
“A ghostly spirit through ten thousand calamities finds it hard to attain sainthood?” Li Yue pondered. The ancients said that pure yin cannot flourish, and ghosts are beings of extreme yin—
Could this be the reason she entered the mortal realm?
Horse-Face nodded repeatedly, more ingratiatingly. “Yes, it’s not that we’re disobedient. You know that without Lord Prefect taking responsibility, how could we dare to open the Ghost Gate on our own?”
“Nonsense!”
The little girl retracted her arms and cursed with a sinister tone. “Out with it! Why didn’t my master come to fetch me?”
Ox-Head and Horse-Face hesitated for a moment. The little girl snorted coldly, and a golden light appeared, shining brilliantly.
Upon closer inspection, it was a golden brick, hurtling toward the two with a whoosh. Thwack, thwack, thwack! Despite their formidable appearance, Ox-Head and Horse-Face couldn’t dodge a single blow and were struck several times.
During this scuffle, those brought along could only watch in trepidation, unable to intervene in the slightest.
The timid burly man, who couldn’t even compare to the delicate and gentle Wang Fu, was so frightened that he crouched on the ground.
The two ghosts wailed in agony. Horse-Face was the first to give in. “Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha left the hells to attend to matters in the Western Pure Land. Lord Prefect couldn’t get away and had to go to the hells temporarily to suppress the fierce ghosts.”
“Should have said so earlier,” the little girl pressed her advantage, clearly spoiled rotten, and gave a few more unsatisfied thumps.
“Host, why not just manifest your master directly? Why go through such a roundabout way?”
No one knew that while being beaten and begging for mercy, Ox-Head and Horse-Face were simultaneously sending messages to Ling Xiao.
“Mystery is the most powerful!” Ling Xiao replied meaningfully.
Not far away, a six-petaled golden lotus drifted over slowly. The Ghost-God’s childish face wore an expression of proud arrogance as she pointed at the lotus and said to Horse-Face:
“My master has come to fetch me. Take these few and wander around somewhere.”
With that, she leaped onto the golden lotus out of thin air and left without looking back, leaving Li Yue and the others trembling like frightened chicks.
“Farewell, Little Highness.”
Seeing the princess of Qin off, Ox-Head and Horse-Face visibly relaxed.
“Let’s go. Since we’ve received our orders, we can’t disobey in secret,” Ox-Head said nonchalantly, resting his spiked club on his shoulder.
An eager middle-aged man, desperate to curry favor with the Emperor, gritted his teeth and stepped forward. “How dare you! This is the Son of Heaven, the true dragon ordained by Heaven! How dare you speak like this!”
Before his words faded, Ox-Head and Horse-Face burst into uproarious laughter.
Seeing this, Li Yue couldn’t help but curse the man’s lack of perception inwardly. The middle-aged man’s face flushed with alternating shades of green and white.
He was the legitimate second son of the Duke of Hua’s household, fond of studying but repeatedly failing the imperial examinations for years. He considered himself unrecognized talent and, after being chosen by the Ghost-God, believed himself even more extraordinary.
“What are you laughing at? When His Majesty passes, he will still be the Emperor of the Underworld Dynasty! Aren’t you afraid of retaliation?”
His voice was hoarse and desperate, like a cornered dog.
In the crowd, Wang Fu pinched her handkerchief to cover her mouth, hiding her disdain. Such a person, relying on borrowed authority and outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, had no brains at all.
Her beautiful eyes swept over the crowd. A few others also wore mocking expressions, though some showed agreement. Wang Fu thought to herself: sensible people are worth befriending, but fools…
Meanwhile, Li Yue stared fixedly at this “loyal” subject, wishing he could etch him into his memory.
Damn it, where did this idiot come from!
Even a fool could figure it out: throughout history, so many emperors have died—could every single one of them command these Ghost-Gods upon arrival?
Not to mention the matter of dynastic changes. Each dynasty has its own court; when the mortal realm changes rulers, how could the underworld remain unchanged?
Prime Minister Wang, Minister Xu, Song… I miss you all.
Hearing this, Ox-Head and Horse-Face actually stopped laughing and instead said seriously, “These words must have been told to you by the Little Highness, right?”
Li Yue nodded calmly and countered, “My aunt spoke them herself. I would not dare to fabricate them.”
Ox-Head and Horse-Face exchanged a glance. Horse-Face explained, “Son of Heaven, since the Little Highness informed you, we’ll be straightforward. Although the Underworld Dynasty exists, it holds no authority over us.”
Li Yue nodded without surprise. He had always been self-aware.
“The Underworld Dynasty was merely established by the underworld to manage the wandering souls of that mortal dynasty. Once the mortal realm undergoes a dynastic change, no matter how powerful the Underworld Dynasty was, it can only fade into obscurity.”
At this point, Horse-Face’s tone shifted, and his horse-like face actually revealed a look of envy:
“But you need not fear. With the Little Highness here, you’ll surely receive benefits.”
It must be said that knowing one is special always brings a sense of satisfaction. Those present who could be considered human rejoiced, especially the Emperor.
He began to feel a sense of kinship toward Ling Xiao.
Li Yue wisely refrained from asking how his grandfather, father, and relatives had been kicked off to reincarnation, and fell silent.
The middle-aged man, forgotten to the side, wore a ghastly pale expression—a mix of awkwardness, fear, anger, and resentment.
Wang Fu, being attentive, sensed something amiss and nudged the burly man beside him, gesturing for him to look.
The burly man, confused, looked up and saw the middle-aged man’s skin sprouting squirming flesh buds, his features contorting like a demon’s, while his legs fused together into a massive tail.
“Mother of mercy!” the burly man screamed, covering his head in terror.
“Haha, I forgot to mention,” Horse-Face said casually, “the underworld is filled with yin energy. Mortals, if consumed by the five poisons in their hearts, easily turn into demons.”
With that, he speared the middle-aged man to death with his trident.
Witnessing a living person meet such a gruesome end, even if the man was unpleasant, stirred a sense of shared sorrow among the others.
Ox-Head urged Horse-Face, “Hurry up and show them around. The young princess is surely up to mischief in the mortal realm again, and the Lord of the Underworld will have tasks waiting for her. Let’s finish our duties early and slip away.”
“Right, let’s go…”
From the highest point, Ling Xiao sighed. Finally, it was time for the next step.
The System let out its signature cackle—several more tasks had been completed.