Chapter 28

"Clomp clomp clomp clomp...!"

In the dark forest, the iron hooves as wide as bowls trampled the earth, their glossy black scales densely packed, and their strong, powerful limbs moved with precision, as if measured beforehand.

The long mane, without any wind, fluttered like deep, graceful flames, and the crystal-carved eyes looked down upon the world. With a toss of the head, a rough snort echoed, and a flurry of hellish sparks spurted out, the expression on its face full of arrogance!

"Nightmare!" Su Xing exclaimed in surprise, immediately recognizing the infamous fierce horse of the netherworld—the Nightmare!

"To actually ride a group of Nightmares, and the lead one is the King of Nightmares! No wonder he's a young master from the Eastern Inner District!" Su Xing marveled, his eyes filled with envy.

The Nightmare horses were indeed magnificent, but the young men riding them were even more extraordinary. Each one was dressed in fine clothes, riding with vigor and high spirits, ready to see the entire Fengdu City in a day!

Especially the leading young man, who, though only twelve years old, wore a white robe, exuding charm and grace, standing out with his exceptional demeanor. The Nightmare King he rode was even more remarkable, completely black, but with a three-inch-long jade horn on its forehead, a sign of extraordinary talent.

At this moment, the leading young man, dressed in fine clothes, noticed Su Xing's gaze and turned to look back. Just one glance made Su Xing feel a chill down his spine.

Fortunately, the young man in white quickly averted his gaze, finding Su Xing completely unremarkable. It was like the difference between an emperor and a commoner. To the commoner, the emperor was as towering as a mountain, surrounded by countless halos and stars. But to the emperor, the commoner was like a blade of grass, no, not even worth a glance!

"Continue forward, let's go see the son of the Lord of Mount Tai!" The young man, riding the King of Nightmares and dressed in white, said calmly. The other young men, dressed in fine clothes, responded in unison, and the hooves of the Nightmares beat the ground, the deep flames fluttering, as they transformed into a whirlwind and left, ready to see the entire Fengdu City in a day, to meet the son of the Lord of Mount Tai who had come from beyond the pass!

Dust flew, the earth trembled, and as the Nightmares and the sons of the great ghosts departed, the horses gradually regained their spirit.

"The leading young man is the youngest son of the Eastern Inner District's greatest young master, Bai Wuchang—Bai Xixun. The young men behind him are all sons of great ghost officials and ghost generals, each one very capable," the old innkeeper said, lifting the curtain and slowly stepping out after the young masters had left.

"Isn't it impressive? In the inner district, it's common to see the sons of ghost officials and ghost generals traveling, with bone dragons and ghost carriages pulling them, which is quite ordinary."

The old innkeeper smiled, his cloudy eyes sweeping over Su Xing before slowly returning to the carriage.

Su Xing was taken aback, suddenly laughing out loud, shaking his head and following the old innkeeper back into the carriage, muttering under his breath, "They have power and influence, what does it have to do with me?"

After the Nightmares left, the horses, no longer under the pressure of hierarchy, returned to the road. The driver carefully drove the carriage, wary of the terrifying aura of the passing fierce beasts, fearing that they might startle the horses and cause chaos.

Su Xing and the old innkeeper chatted in the carriage, occasionally touching on sensitive political topics, all mentioned in private. For example, just now, the young son of Bai Wuchang—Bai Xixun—leading a group of young masters to welcome the son of the Lord of Mount Tai, was theoretically reasonable. The father of the Lord of Mount Tai, the Great Emperor of the East, was a peer of the Ten Kings of Hell, and the status of the Lord of Mount Tai was equivalent to that of the Ten Great Yin Generals. The private visit of the son of the Lord of Mount Tai to Fengdu, being welcomed by Bai Xixun, was the best arrangement.

In reality, the Great Emperor of the East was the ruler of the old netherworld, with a higher seniority than the Ten Kings of Hell. His son's visit to Fengdu should have been treated with the highest honors by the King of Hell, rather than a casual meeting by Bai Xixun.

At the same time, outside the western city of Fengdu, a young man riding a dragon horse as strong as a white elephant lifted his head and gazed into the distance. He was the son of the Lord of Mount Tai, Tai Ping, who had traveled a thousand miles to enter the netherworld.

"Fengdu, the Fifth Hall, King Yama, interesting... I traveled a thousand miles from Yin Tai to Yin Shenzhou, hoping the young men of the netherworld won't disappoint me..."

Tai Ping's lips curled into a mysterious smile, and his dragon horse, which resembled a white elephant, suddenly became agitated, as if facing a great enemy. But Tai Ping's slender, delicate hand gently stroked the dragon horse's head, and it calmed down.

"Clomp clomp clomp clomp..."

The sound of hooves echoed through the city gate passage, like a symphony of metal and earth, the ground trembling, dust flying, as if a thousand troops were charging. In the distance, the leading young man, dressed in fine clothes, could be vaguely seen.

The city of Fengdu was filled with rumbling sounds, the terrifying aura like a mountain pressing down on the outer city, scaring the ghosts to cower in their courtyards, the wide streets empty.

When the sons of the great ghosts traveled, all other ghosts made way!

"Are they all here? This seems interesting." Tai Ping lifted his head, his hand stroking the agitated dragon horse, his eyes blazing with fierce determination.

The Ten Kings of Hell, the Four Judges, and the Ten Great Yin Generals were all silent, but their children were all showing their fierce and sharp edges!

However, none of this had anything to do with Su Xing. They were high above, with overwhelming power, and could crush Su Xing with a single finger, beings he could only look up to.

Riding fast, they finally reached their destination, the residence of the legendary hero.

"What kind of person will he be?" Su Xing, who had heard countless stories about the hero from the old innkeeper in the carriage, was filled with admiration and had already imagined many different images of the hero, from a sage-like old man to a graceful young noble, a middle-aged man with a commanding presence, a towering giant, and even a mischievous child.

After the two disembarked, they saw a small courtyard surrounded by a fence, with chrysanthemums blooming, a few chickens catching insects, and a few thatched-roof houses, all very ordinary. Here, one could see the famous mountains.

It truly had the charm of "picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains."

"Truly a place for a great person!" Su Xing's eyes lit up, and he praised loudly.

"Indeed, transcending the world, transcending nature." The old innkeeper nodded, his eyes full of admiration and reverence. They stood outside the fence, afraid to disturb the owner's rest.

"Come in."

At this moment, a distant, clear voice echoed, with the charm of "a shepherd boy riding a yellow ox, his song shaking the forest."

Hearing this voice, Su Xing and the old innkeeper were invigorated, as if granted a great pardon, and immediately pushed open the fence gate, walking cautiously on the sacred land, feeling that this sacred land truly had mysterious power, even a chicken raised here was more powerful than a ghost carriage.

"Truly amazing." Su Xing sighed, his steps light, afraid to defile the sacred land.

"Ha ha, no need to be so nervous. You two are too funny, acting like thieves." Suddenly, a child's clear, innocent voice laughed.

Su Xing was taken aback. This voice was also clear and clean, but different from the previous one.

"Is there someone else here?" Su Xing wondered, looking at the old innkeeper, who seemed both nervous and accustomed to it.

"Red Boy, no mischief!" The distant, clear voice echoed again, sounding ancient but not old, as if one could see a vast, green mountain.

As the voice faded, an old farmer with white hair and wearing a hemp robe slowly walked out of the cottage, followed by a fat, naked child in a red belly band.

"Human?" Su Xing's eyes widened in shock. This was the first time he had seen a living human in the netherworld, and the old farmer and the child gave him the first impression of "human"!

"Hero!" Su Xing immediately bowed deeply to the old farmer, speaking respectfully.

"Senior!" The old innkeeper also bowed to the old farmer, speaking respectfully.

"Ah, I am not a hero." The old farmer moved lightly, surprisingly appearing on the other side, avoiding Su Xing's bow.

The old farmer waved his hand and said, "I am called Ouyang Feng, and I just happen to live in the hero's home. As for the hero, he has been away for a thousand years, seemingly traveling through the three realms."

"Ah!" Su Xing exclaimed in surprise, turning to look at the old innkeeper.

"Ha ha, actually, I have never met the hero either, only heard his voice. Usually, I see Senior and Red Boy." The old innkeeper laughed and said.

Ouyang Feng shook his head and said, "Old Tang, in terms of age, you are older than me. After all, you have been in hell for so long, while I am from the Ming Dynasty."

"Your martial arts are so powerful, you should be called Senior, and you are the hero's disciple." The old innkeeper said.

"I can't really be called a disciple. I just watch the hero's home, and occasionally receive his guidance, which is already a great fortune." Ouyang Feng said humbly, his eyes filled with admiration when mentioning the hero.

"I, I!"

At this moment, Red Boy, unable to bear the silence, ran to the middle, pointing to his nose and said, "I am the hero's registered disciple, I am the hero's registered disciple!"

Saying this, Red Boy's chubby apple face was full of pride.

Su Xing, the old innkeeper, and Ouyang Feng looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at!" Red Boy said angrily, his little lips pouting.

"Ha ha ha, Red Boy is indeed the hero's registered disciple. Don't look at him being small, he is a unique person in the human world, chasing the hero to the netherworld, without cultivation but able to fight fiercely, scaring even ghosts. He is older than me, but unfortunately, he can't grow up, always a child!" Ouyang Feng laughed.

Red Boy thought Ouyang Feng was praising him and raised his chubby apple face.

As they chatted, they carried the child, sat in the thatched house, and took out wine brewed in the human world, drinking together with people and ghosts from different eras, enjoying themselves thoroughly.

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