Chapter 66: Reality: The She Family

Chapter 66: Reality: The She Family

She Lingshuang's house was not far from the village entrance. Its cement courtyard walls were painted white, gleaming brightly under the sunlight.

The surrounding century-old trees, with their lush foliage, cast dappled shadows on the yard, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

The courtyard had a concrete floor, leaving only a circular strip around the edges for planting flowers and trees. On the open space, some dried beans and purslane were laid out to dry. A little girl with ponytails held a toy airplane next to a baby carriage, making "whooshing" noises, probably imitating the sound of an airplane in flight.

"Dear daughter, take your sister to play in the room. Don't expose her to the sun."

She Lingshuang addressed the child in a thick local dialect.

The little girl indeed proved quite obedient. She raised her chubby, tiny hands and grasped the rope on the stroller, taking the initiative to pull it along as she accompanied them into the house. Then, with youthful energy, she dashed off towards her own bedroom.

The interior decoration of the house was quite ordinary, with a floor of granite tiles on the first level. By the window stood a diminutive old lady. Perched on a small stool, she was using an iron to smooth out a peculiar semi-transparent fabric.

Upon noticing the arrival of a guest, she turned her head, pushed herself up from the stool by the table, and then strolled over with her hands clasped behind her back, squinting slightly.

Ming Yiyang had seen her on numerous occasions, yet no matter how many times he did, an impolite thought would always surface in his mind: How old must this lady be?

The wrinkles on the old lady's face were even more crumpled than the bark of a century-old tree, and she was indeed over a hundred years old, known locally as a famous centenarian.

On each of her birthdays, a community charity team would climb the distant mountains to bring her oil, rice, flour, and other provisions as tokens of care.

Everyone called her "Grandma She," not often using her actual name. Actually, at her age, apart from her family, very few people knew her true identity.

But Grandma She didn't seem to mind much. Squinting behind her wrinkled eyelids, she sharply focused on the two large bags Ming Yiyang was holding.

After a moment, Grandma She's toothless mouth pursed slightly, and with a voice as old as time itself, she drawled,

"Yang Yang knows too?"

Ming Yiyang suddenly felt as if everyone in the world knew Yan Qiling's secret except him.

He hadn't expected Grandma She to be involved in this.

In his memory, the old lady would often sit on a stool outside to bask in the sun, then return home to watch TV and weave bamboo crafts, exuding an aura of peaceful contentment.

Without waiting for him to respond, Grandma She stood back up on her stool. Despite her advanced age, she moved with surprising agility, speaking without difficulty.

She stammered again,

"Alright, alright, the Qilian Formation is ready. Take Young Master Yan over there."

Noticing Ming Yiyang's peculiar expression, She Lingshuang explained,

"Great-Grandma is used to calling Uncle Yan that way. Let's head upstairs."

The rural house was spacious, with several rooms partitioned on the upper floor. She Lingshuang led them to the innermost one.

Ming Yiyang had always assumed it was a storage area for old items in the She family's house. Now, the clutter had been pushed to the corners, and objects representing the Eight Immortals hung around: swords, flutes, flower baskets, gourds, palm-leaf fans, lotus flowers, fish drums, and ceremonial tablets.

These items were intricately tied with red silk threads and arranged at the eight directions of the Bagua, gathering pure and balanced energy. The once dark and damp room now seemed illuminated as if by the Three Pure Ones.

A complex array pattern was painted on the floor with dark purple pigment. The scent of herbs filled the air, identical to the subtle fragrance emanating from Yan Qiling, except for this formation...

"The Qilian Formation seems to be intended for communicating with the underworld," the young man observed, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Does the Lord of the Realm of Wujian have his life and death under the jurisdiction of the Netherworld?"

The realms of the living, the dead, and the Realm of Wujian belong to three distinct worlds. The world of the living is a mirror image of the Netherworld, each with their own operational laws. However, the Realm of Wujian is chaotic, devoid of any semblance of order.

In principle, both the world of the living and the Netherworld attend to their respective domains, while the Realm of Wujian lies in a no-man's-land beyond their reach.

"The Netherworld might not be able to control his life and death, but it can oversee the vessel he occupies in the mortal world."

She Lingshuang instructed him to place the bag at the center of the Bagua diagram, her expression unchanged, her alluring fox-like eyes curving into a crescent moon smile.

"Uncle Yan is essentially returning to life by royal decree. A century ago, he had several unresolved karma cases on his hands. As they say, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it; only he can settle his own karma."

"The Begging Lotus Array is a secret technique of the Yan family. This array serves as a request to the administrator of the underworld's registry to return to life. It includes filling in one's birthdate and Eight Characters, and summoning the Eight Immortals as witnesses to ensure that no wrongdoings will be committed after resurrection. Then, one waits for approval."

"Once approved, the judge will oversee the restoration of the physical body. The approval process takes seven to twenty-eight underworld days, which translates to three to seven days in the human world. There's no need to worry, all of you."

Pan Hu expressed his sincere gratitude first, but She Lingshuang didn't let them stay and began to usher them out.

"That's it. I prepared this application on his behalf. Now, all non-essential personnel should leave to avoid any interference with the judge's assessment due to conflicting auras."

Pan Hu stepped out the door and received a call, hurriedly rushing outside to take it. Ming Yiyang, on the other hand, grabbed Chi Zhe by the side, his expression icy.

"Let's talk."

Chi Zhe had long expected this, his demeanor calm and composed.

"Follow me."

As they descended the stairs, Grandma She was still ironing the fabric, her curly white hair shimmering in the sunlight seeping through the window.

-

Chi Zhe led Ming Yiyang around the shaded paths without waiting for the young man to speak, beginning to explain on his own initiative,

"Lingshuang didn't explain it clearly just now. Let me fill you in on what you want to know. The Hell Train emerged thirty years ago. Its dangers were made clear to you when I introduced you to this line of work."

Ming Yiyang remained silent, tacitly acknowledging the truth.

The Realm of No Escape has existed since ancient times, but the Hell Train is a phenomenon that suddenly appeared fifteen years ago.

It lures those whose life spans have not yet ended into the Realm of No Escape, using them as nourishment for the Ruler of No Escape in various terrifying micro-worlds. It feasts on the fear and despair of these "nourishments," consuming them to strengthen itself.

Rumor had it that the initial train was a solitary one.

Three decades later, it expanded to twenty-one trains, each with ten carriages, transporting flesh and blood to the realm of the damned day and night without cease.

Many who were privy to this information attempted to halt the expansion of the Hell Prison Train.

At first, there was a well-known "Train Demolition Plan" organized by some, but it ultimately failed. The few survivors claimed that the Hell Prison Train was unstoppable because to eliminate the train, one would have to kill its owner.

However, the owner of the Hell Prison Train had long been dead.

The dead couldn't die twice.

All they could do was watch helplessly as the train grew freely, giving up on the idea of halting it completely. Instead, they protected their clients on a job-by-job basis, saving as many as they could.

But as more people got involved over time, the business gradually became commercialized. For example, protecting clients on the Hell Prison Train was one of the main services provided by Chi Zhe's company.

"The Hell Prison Train disrupted the balance between the living and the dead. When the plan in the world of the living failed, the underworld had its own methods. Hence, four years ago, Yan Qiling suddenly appeared in She Village."

Chi Zhe paused his steps. Not far from them was a stone path covered in moss.

At the end of this path lay Shexia Village's semi-abandoned ancestral temple.

The Taoist pointed with an outstretched hand, his azure sleeves billowing in the forest breeze.

"He was crouched on top of the stone lion in front of the temple then. You couldn't tell he was human at all."

The mirth on Chi Zhe's face had faded at some point, replaced by a somber expression as if recalling the first time he'd seen Yan Qiling – it was like beholding a hellish demon.

"Grandma She acknowledged him and accepted the Begging Lotus Formation he brought, giving him a physical form. Only then did we learn that the Judge had requested his help to resolve the matter of the Hell Train, in exchange for his return to the living world."

As they walked toward the temple, Chi Zhe let out a breath, partially freeing his thoughts from the gloom of the past.

"No one knows the specifics of his connection to the Hell Train. But it's true that he can devour those worlds without respite."

"The worlds he devours won't be restored; that means... given enough time, he could destroy all the terminal stations, leaving the train nowhere to go, thus achieving the goal of stopping it."

Ming Yiyang asked,

"Where was he during the time his body was destroyed?"

"He is the Ruler of Chaos. After his death, he would naturally return to his own world," Chi Zhe said leisurely.

Chi Zhe continued, "As long as his world isn't destroyed, he can live as long as he wishes. Once the Begging Lotus Array takes effect, the Judge will find him. He'll come back when he hears the call."

Ming Yiyang couldn't help asking, "Is his body really normal?"

"Hmm... Not quite normal, considering it was assembled from materials. Hey, what does that look on your face mean? Let me tell you, we live in a society ruled by law now. It's not acceptable to use living beings as materials."

Seeing the doubt on Ming Yiyang's face, Chi Zhe quickly explained, "If you don't believe me, go touch the skin that Grandma She just burned. That's what we used to mend Yan Qiling's body! Everything is legitimate, so don't let your imagination run wild... Would I, your senior brother, lie to you?"

By then, they had arrived in front of the She family's ancestral hall. A gentle breeze blew through the dim hall, which was surrounded by trees. The hall was adorned with artificial flowers and fruit, along with two electronic candles burning beside them.

Since the entire ancestral hall was made of wood, the local community, fearing sparks might ignite a fire that could spread to the mountain, had specially replaced all the items with electronic ones.

Chi Zihao assumed Ming Yiyang was lost in thought about the "significant gap" between himself and Yan Qiling, but Ming Yiyang's mind was actually occupied with...

So it turned out that Yan Qiling's mention of their friendship transcending age was genuine, and the Spirit Binding Rope might indeed be an old artifact passed down from his ancestors.

Chi Zihao stroked his chin, feeling a sense of responsibility to take an interest in his junior brother's romantic life.

Most importantly, he needed to make Ming Yiyang profoundly understand the concept of "different paths for humans and spirits."