The Golden Crow fell to the west, the sky's light swallowed by the horizon. The living returned home, the dead walked at night.
Situ Jing knew about walking the Yin Road; his Master had also guided him along that Yin-Yang Road before.
But when he truly witnessed Qing Wu's method of walking the Yin Road, his jaw nearly dropped.
"Taking a living person to walk the Yin Road? How is that possible!"
"The Yin-Yang Road is filled with deathly energy. If a living person enters, wouldn't they become food for solitary ghosts and wild spirits, or be possessed, or have their Yang energy drained dry!"
Mu Ying had already been helped out, carrying the lantern that Qing Wu had given her.
"If you think it's impossible, it just means you haven't lived very long, child."
Qing Wu formed a mudra with one hand, her tone as casual as if she were opening her own back door.
"Edict, Yin-Yang Road, open!"
There was no change in their surroundings, but everyone felt a yin wind rush towards them, a chill drilling straight into their bones, making their teeth chatter.
Without further ado, Qing Wu took Mu Ying's hand with one hand and grabbed Xiao Chenyan's sleeve with the other, pulling them both forward with a single step.
In an instant, the figures of the three disappeared.
The yin wind receded, and everything seemed like a hallucination.
'Child,' Situ Jing pinched his thigh hard and took a deep breath, "As expected, I am too young!"
This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
The Yin-Yang Road.
Rather than a road, it was more like a boundless, dark wilderness shrouded in heavy fog.
A faint light flickered, the lantern in Mu Ying's hand. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably. In the heavy fog, it seemed as if pairs of eyes were spying on her, and all sorts of strange, fragmented whispers echoed in her ears.
"Scram—"
The woman let out a fierce shout, causing even the heavy fog to tremble. Something within the fog seemed to scream and then scatter.
Mu Ying felt as if the pervasive yin energy had also let her go, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then she heard the woman's voice from behind:
"I have sealed your Yang fire into the soul lantern. It will guide you to find your son. No matter what sounds you hear, do not look back."
"Remember, do not let go of the lantern. Once the lantern goes out, whether you find Wang Yulang or not, I will immediately take you away."
Mu Ying's heart tightened, "I understand." She felt the pull of the soul lantern in her hand and subconsciously wanted to walk faster.
But even without the bone-chilling yin wind, the Yin-Yang Road was not easy to traverse. Her feet felt as if they were stuck in a quagmire of sand, unable to gain purchase. Every step required immense effort.
Two figures followed behind. Qing Wu watched calmly, not offering further assistance.
The rest of the journey had to be Mu Ying's own.
Compared to Mu Ying's struggle, Xiao Chenyan walked as if on level ground. He even had the leisure to observe his surroundings.
Perhaps it was the bone-chilling yin wind that had been present for ten years, but even without a soul lantern in his hand, he didn't feel the surrounding yin wind was particularly bone-chilling.
In fact, after entering the Yin-Yang Road, the yin sha qi on his body had become dormant, as if in fear, not daring to show itself.
"So bright..."
Xiao Chenyan turned his head at the sound, meeting those deep, beautiful eyes.
Qing Wu stared at him intently, her gaze making Xiao Chenyan feel a sense of unfamiliarity. It wasn't her usual teasing and nonchalance, but rather a inhuman greed.
Like a hungry beast spotting a delicious meal.
"What's so bright?"
"You." Qing Wu suppressed the surging greed within her, trying hard to muster a trace of human touch, "You probably don't know how conspicuous you are on this Yin-Yang Road."
Conspicuous? Xiao Chenyan didn't feel that way.
The Judge's Brush swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "I knew his fate was precious before, but it was obscured by the yin sha qi, so I couldn't tell how valuable it truly was."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. With this golden light of merit and the dragon aura of a king, he has the innate destiny of an emperor. No wonder you dared to let him walk the Yin-Yang Road directly, A Wu."
Xiao Chenyan suddenly frowned and looked at Qing Wu again.
He had vaguely heard something speaking just now, and the voice came from Qing Wu. Although he couldn't make out the specifics, Xiao Chenyan was certain he hadn't misheard.
Xiao Chenyan lowered his eyes and suddenly asked, "Is this the world after death? The Yellow Springs Road?"
"This isn't quite the Yellow Springs Road yet; it's just the gap between the Human Realm and the Underworld," Qing Wu said.
"The Yellow Springs Road is a hundred and eight thousand li long, with countless wandering souls and wild spirits roaming within. One must have a Ghost Messenger to snatch souls to complete the journey, and then cross the Yellow Springs to reach the Underworld."
"Those who wander on the Yin-Yang Road are either souls who died unjustly or vengeful spirits. Their obsession with the Human Realm has not yet dissipated, so they continue to wander here, seeking an opportunity to return to the Human Realm."
Xiao Chenyan seemed to have thought of something and suddenly grabbed Qing Wu's hand, staring at her without blinking, "If I wanted to find someone's soul, could I find it here?"
"You can't," Qing Wu shook her head. "I know who you want to find, but their souls are not on this road."
Who Xiao Chenyan wanted to find was none other than the former Crown Prince and the former Crown Princess.
But unfortunately, it wasn't just her parents and elder brother whose souls went missing after death.
Xiao Chenyan's parents' souls were also gone.
Ten years ago, his parents immolated themselves in the Eastern Palace, and her parents and elder brother died in the Northern Territory. It all happened on the same day.
"Xiao Chenyan," Qing Wu suddenly clasped his hand back and said earnestly, "I came to help you. Are you willing to trust me?"
The warmth from the woman's palm dispelled the surrounding yin energy, transmitting directly to him.
This warmth didn't seem to come from her physical body as a living person, but rather from a burning soul hidden within her.
Xiao Chenyan found it both strange and familiar.
Trust?
He was lost in thought for a moment.
Trust a ghostly being of unknown identity, wearing the skin of a living person?
This was a gamble.
However, before Qing Wu could receive an answer, Mu Ying let out a startled cry from ahead.
"I heard it! It's Yulang's voice! I heard Yulang calling me!"
Mu Ying couldn't help but cry. She instinctively started running, "Ahead, it's just ahead!"
"Yulang's voice is drifting away, he's asking me to save him!"
Suddenly, a chain shot out from the heavy fog ahead, whipping towards Mu Ying.
A strange, chilling voice simultaneously rang out, "A living person dares to trespass on the Yin-Yang Road, courting death!"
A hand directly grabbed the incoming chain. Then, with a clang, a long sword was drawn and slashed downwards, severing the chain.
Qing Wu looked at Xiao Chenyan in surprise.
The man's eyebrows were grim and murderous, his aura of war capable of shaking ghosts and gods.
She truly hadn't expected Xiao Chenyan's sword to be able to cut the Soul Hooking Lock.
A shrill cry erupted from the fog, roaring in rage:
"Audacious mortal, how dare you sever the Soul Hooking Lock!"
The heavy fog dispersed, revealing a person with a pale green face, bulging eyes, and wearing a green Ghost Messenger uniform. He held a black chain, to which two living souls were tied. The other end of the chain had been cut.
He was emanating a ghostly aura, his eyes fixed unpleasantly on Qing Wu and the other two.
The little boy among the two living souls cried out, "Mother!"
"That's Yulang! That's my Yulang!"
The green-clothed Ghost Messenger heard this, and malice flared in his eyes, "Good, so you're here to find a soul. Mortals nowadays are truly audacious."
"You dared to damage this officer's magic tool. Since all three of you are here, why not stay forever!"
The moment Qing Wu saw the green-clothed Ghost Messenger, her eyes turned cold.
A clue in her mind suddenly became clear.
The Judge's Brush also became angry, "How could Wang Yulang's soul be in the hands of this petty minion? You used Xiao Chenyan's Yang energy to deceive the Book of Life and Death, and Wang Yulang's soul was trapped and hidden."
"Only when Mu Ying finds Wang Yulang's living soul will the Book of Life and Death react. The Ghost Messenger will only guard by Wang Yulang's physical body, waiting to snatch the soul."
"This green-clothed Ghost Messenger is strange. How did it know where Wang Yulang's living soul was?"
Qing Wu's response was chilling, "Are you blind? Didn't you see that this scoundrel is snatching two living souls?"
"According to the Yin Records, living souls cannot be apprehended. Those who violate this will be dismissed from their Yin office and thrown into Volcano Hell."
"And who said this scoundrel is a Ghost Messenger?"
The green-clothed Ghost Messenger revealed his true intentions. Upon seeing three living people appear on the Yin-Yang Road, his gaze fell upon the golden light of merit on Xiao Chenyan, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.
This was a fat sheep!
However, in the next moment, a terrifying gaze, imperceptible to the living but causing the souls of ghostly beings to tremble, swept towards him.
"I was unaware that, since when, a green-headed fly could become an Underworld Ghost Messenger!"
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