Chapter 13

The rest of the day passed quietly, and the crowd, after a brief chat, dispersed to attend to their own affairs. The days when the ghost gate opened were few, and each household had to spend some time on the business they received.

For people like Old Gou and Fat Lu, who dealt with food, they naturally had to bury or burn the food that the ghosts had consumed. Others would deliver the items purchased by the ghosts to the designated places and burn them for the buyers. Cheng San helped Old August deliver the paper offerings and incense, while Luo Guifu, Wu Majiang, and others went about their business. The city god temple was left with Old August and the old temple keeper, who resumed drinking their flower wine.

Flower wine means peanuts and wine—a rather pleasant and comfortable arrangement!

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The reason for Zhibao's awakening was simple: he was very hungry. He peered out the window, seeing only darkness, and knowing the routine, he didn't think much more. He got up from the bed, passed by the shrine, and casually took a fruit from the offering plate, then slightly moved the other fruits around...

"Ah, now it's not noticeable!"

He went to the outhouse, urinated, and finished the fruit, throwing the core into the latrine. Just as he was about to head to Fat Lu's tavern to find his master Old August for some food, he suddenly saw something move on the hill behind the temple!

Zhibao, who usually dealt with more ghosts than people, had a particularly large heart. Seeing something strange, he couldn't help but be curious. His hunger forgotten, he didn't even think about finding his master Old August and instead ran up the hill.

As he reached the halfway point, he suddenly heard a whistling wind, and a faint black shadow darted forward as if fleeing for its life. Behind it was a white shadow, chasing and laughing eerily.

He knew the fleeing one was a ghost, and the one chasing was also a ghost. He found it amusing and couldn't help but chuckle!

The white shadow glanced at him. Although he couldn't see its face, its playful expression immediately turned fierce. It contracted its abdomen, raised its chin, and opened its mouth to extend a long, blood-red tongue that reached its chest, making it look incredibly terrifying in the night!

"Ah..."

Without even looking at Zhibao, it threw the iron plaque in its hand!

The iron plaque, attached to a chain, whirled in the air and returned, striking the black shadow. The white shadow flicked its wrist, and the iron plaque flew up again, wrapping around the black shadow twice.

The black shadow let out a piercing scream, fell to the ground, and curled into a ball. The iron chain burned into its body, emitting black smoke, like a hot iron on fatty meat. The white shadow, seemingly accustomed to the screams, stepped on its chest:

"Life and death, wealth and poverty, are all predestined. When the time is set, even the King of Hell cannot change it. Hei Laocai, even with your vast wealth, you are nothing but an ant to us. I never thought you would try to hide in a corpse's grave and transform into a zombie to return to the human world. It was quite a challenge to find you!"

He raised the white stick in his right hand and struck the black shadow's head repeatedly, ignoring its cries and pleas. He then said, "Go!"

After a few strikes, the black shadow shrank and became thin, being sucked into the end of the stick!

The white shadow held the iron plaque, waved his hands, and the stick and iron plaque disappeared, unseen.

Zhibao clapped his hands and jumped out from the grass, shouting, "Wow! Amazing, Uncle, you're so amazing! You handled that fierce guy so easily, you're really skilled!" He tilted his head and stared at the white shadow, then jumped up again, "Your tongue is so beautiful and long, better than those of the hanged ghosts..."

He reached out his hand, ready to touch it!

This white shadow was none other than Xie Bians, one of the famous underworld spirits, known as the White Wuchang in the human world. Normally, if a person saw him, they would be terrified and faint. But today, he met a child who not only wasn't afraid but also praised his tongue, leaving him speechless. Seeing the hand reach out, he quickly stepped back, almost biting his own tongue!

The White Wuchang waved his hand, "Who are you, child? Why are you not afraid of me?"

Zhibao laughed, "I live over there..." He pointed far away to the city god temple, "But I don't know whose child I am. I only have a master named Old August."

The White Wuchang looked in the direction he pointed and realized he had chased for hundreds of miles, reaching the range of Que'er Mountain. Hearing him mention Wang Bayue, he knew he was a disciple of the Wulun Sect of Yin-Yang Masters and understood:

"Oh, you're a disciple of the Yin-Yang Master, no wonder you're not afraid!"

Since the matter was clear, he didn't want to delay and patted Zhibao's head, "I have official business to attend to, so I'll..." As he touched the child's head, he suddenly felt something different!

The touch was icy cold, just like a ghost!

Before a person dies, their soul is nourished by three fires and bound by the life thread, giving it a warm and moist feeling, known as the Yang Soul. After death, the soul leaves the body and, to remain in the human world, must resist the forces of the six realms, quickly becoming cold, known as the Yin Soul.

The Yin Soul and Yang Soul are different. The Yin Soul is easily harmed when entering the human world, while the Yang Soul, like a living person, can enter temples, shrines, and other places without being harmed by deities like Zhong Kui or Guan Yu.

This child clearly had a physical body, but inside, he was a Yin Soul!

The White Wuchang moved his wrist, and the soul-catching plaque reappeared in his hand. He raised the plaque and recited a spell over the child's crown:

"Eliminate impurities, the nine orifices receive the spirit; all ghosts and spirits, the four births receive grace; those with heads transcend, those without heads live; those killed by spears and swords, those who jump into water or hang themselves... Command! Reveal the destiny, show the three lives, your life and death are clearly recorded!"

Normally, after reciting the spell, the back of the soul-catching plaque would display the following: "So-and-so, born in such-and-such year, childhood and adulthood, lifespan, and year of death..."

But this time, after reciting the spell, no such words appeared!

That... seemed to indicate that the child was not within the three realms and five elements?

The White Wuchang was startled and was about to take the child's soul back to the underworld for questioning when the back of the soul-catching plaque suddenly became cloudy. After the clouds cleared, three large characters appeared:

"Chujiang Wang!"

Knowing that the matter involved the Second King of Hell, Chujiang Wang, the White Wuchang decided not to handle it at this time and planned to ask later. He gave Zhibao a terrifying smile, waved his hand, and turned into a gust of wind, disappearing.

Zhibao, unaware that he had just been at the gates of hell, thought it was just a game with the white ghost. He clapped his hands and waited, but when the ghost didn't return, he realized he was gone and had to give up.

Looking up at the bright moon, he knew it was late. Zhibao returned to the city god temple, where he saw Old August and Liu Piyun still drinking. Surprisingly, the rarely seen Fox Lady was also there. Curious, he approached, looking for something to eat while listening to their conversation.

He heard the Fox Lady's somber voice, "Liangmu Kanli, the wind and clouds have not yet settled! The girl's soul cannot be found. So, the path of using her soul to send a dream is impossible." She retreated into the shadow of the oil lamp and continued, "We need to find another way!"

The old temple keeper, Liu Piyun, sighed and picked up the wine bottle, pouring a thin stream of wine into the cup. He raised the cup to his lips, his eyes seemingly lost in thought. The old August, growing impatient, said, "Are you making a mountain out of a molehill? In my opinion, there's no need to worry. If that wandering man doesn't come, it's fine. If he does, we can just do what we did before. We don't necessarily have to lose!"

The temple keeper smiled faintly, placing the cup on the table, "What August said is true. We don't necessarily have to lose to a wandering end family, and I don't take the袍哥会 (Pao Ge Hui) seriously. But today, I saw a map, and the shape of the tomb cluster is a perfect lid!"

He pointed to the field, "Look at the lotus, calculate the time... haven't you forgotten?"

Upon hearing this, the Fox Lady and Old August's faces changed dramatically, and they said in unison, "Do you mean...?"

"Exactly!" The temple keeper said solemnly, "The lid of the coffin and the lotus seal the ghost gate. The bird closes its eyes and swallows the golden pill. If the water moistens the three rivers, it will be a cycle of sixty years!"

He recited the poem and paused, "It's now the sixth cycle of sixty years since the temple was established. This year, when the river flooded, I was worried. I didn't expect my worries to come true. The lid of the coffin and the lotus shadow have appeared. The only thing missing is the bird closing its eyes and swallowing the golden pill. Is it possible that the peaceful era is over, and we must enter a chaotic era?"

Zhibao, who had been listening for a long time, didn't understand anything but saw the three of them looking serious and worried. He mustered his courage and grabbed Old Liu's hand, asking:

"Old Liu, I don't understand what you're talking about, and I don't know what you're worried about, but I know this saying," he cleared his throat and recited, "Life and death, wealth and poverty, are all predestined. When the time is set, even the King of Hell cannot change it." He repeated what the White Wuchang had said.

He laughed, "My master also said, 'Heaven has its own will, and people have their own paths.' We don't know how heaven has arranged things, but as long as we follow the will of heaven and accumulate good deeds, there's nothing to worry about!"

After he finished speaking, the three of them were stunned!

Zhibao was nervous, unsure if he had said the right thing. He was thinking about sneaking away when they suddenly burst into laughter, and Old Liu and Master August drained their cups!

Old August, after a few drinks, felt a surge of boldness and slapped the table, shouting:

"Well said! I didn't expect a little kid to enlighten us today. Yes, the way of nature is supreme! Why should we worry about those things? We just need to do our best!"

At that moment, even the usually unseen Fox Lady laughed, a sound like sawing wood!

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