“The guest might not know, but a life was lost on the Life and Death Arena today. The loser was thrown out to feed the hungry ghosts of the Yin Yang Road.
Listen, that’s the sound of the ghosts celebrating and carousing.”
The one pouring tea was a scruffy beggar with one blind eye. He looked at people with a slanted gaze, appearing truly bizarre:
“Heh heh heh, what’s the fun in the gambling games of the mortal world? It’s much more interesting to watch the Life and Death Arena. Severed arms, broken legs, flesh and blood flying everywhere—now that’s what I call exhilarating!
If the guest has some free time, why not go join the fun? It would be a waste to come to this Ruyi Pavilion and miss it.”
Nan Zhi glanced upward. Iron chains were driven into the grottoes from all directions, each one connected to a pitch-black stone coffin at the very top. It looked like a spider web, tethering grottoes of all sizes together.
On every chain, thousands of candles burned, their eerie green flames casting a miserable, sickly glow over the entire cavern.
As the candles burned, the wax flowed down the chains layer upon layer, looking like melted corpse oil. It dripped down, drop by drop, into the mouth of a fat ghost lying in the center of the main hall.
Bloody screams and ghostly wails echoed from the grottoes.
Guards drifted past, leading hungry ghosts on leashes.
Those hungry ghosts were slender and emaciated, like pieces of dry, charred firewood. They were wrapped in tattered strips of cloth, and their exposed skin looked as if it had been roasted by fire, black as charcoal.
Their faces were also charred black, their features blurred and indistinct. Only their eyes flickered with a ghostly green light, filled with hunger and greed. Upon seeing people, they would drool and let out low, mournful growls.
A guard wearing an ox skull threw down a bloody arm. The hungry ghost began to tear and bite at it frantically, making hair-raising crunching sounds as it chewed, which only drew loud laughter from the guests.
Nan Zhi furrowed her brows, feeling a bit nauseated.
Although she had seen hungry ghosts before, she had never observed them from such a close distance.
The Ruyi Pavilion truly lived up to its reputation as a grim ghost domain; even the conduct of the guards was so bloody.
“I see that you, elder, are a living person. I wonder how you came to do business here on the Yin Yang Road?”
Nan Zhi suppressed her discomfort and turned to strike up a conversation with the one-eyed beggar pouring tea:
“To tell you the truth, this is my first time at the Ruyi Pavilion. Seeing it today, I realize that the rumors weren't exaggerating—this place really is strange and terrifying.”
How could I not know your background and origins?
I’m just waiting for you to take the bait.
A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the One Eyed Immortal, who was disguised as the shopkeeper. He exchanged a look with Huaguzi before putting on a fake smile and lying:
“This old man’s time is nearly up. I’m breathing more out than in, and I don’t know when my soul will return to the Underworld. I have no children to my name, and I don't expect anyone to burn paper for me after I'm gone.
So, as I’m nearing death, I’m trying to earn a few more silver coins here on the Yin Yang Road. It’ll help me bribe the soul reapers later so I can live a bit more comfortably after I die.”
Having said that, he pushed the steaming tea cup toward Nan Zhi:
“Living people don’t eat the food of the dead, but this tea is from the world of the living. The water was just drawn this morning from a mountain spring. Please, young lady, have a cup to moisten your throat, and let this old man earn a bit of money.”
“By the way, elder, I heard them say there’s an extraordinary treasure in the Ruyi Pavilion this year. Do you know anything about it?”
Nan Zhi picked up the tea cup and brought it to her lips, but then she suddenly seemed to remember something and asked with great interest:
“They say the higher you go in the Ruyi Pavilion, the rarer the treasures become. I wonder if that’s true.”
A flash of disappointment crossed the One Eyed Immortal's eyes, but fearing discovery, he casually brushed it off:
“That is naturally true. The Ruyi Pavilion is a mysterious place. Legend has it that the higher the floor, the more precious and rare the treasures stored there are.
On those high floors, countless world-renowned treasures are kept. Every year, those who come to the Yin Yang Road to seize them find nothing but treasures that enhance cultivation or defy fate.”
“It’s more than just that.”
Huaguzi, sitting to the side, was very patient. Like a kind older sister, she answered Nan Zhi with a good-natured tone:
“Rogue cultivators like us who wander everywhere have the best information. Although we don't know exactly what the treasure on the top floor is this year, look at the people who have come to the Ruyi Pavilion today—which one of them isn't a powerful figure?
First, there’s Prince Nine of the West Sea. He is the youngest son of the West Sea Dragon King and is rumored to take charge of Lake Tai as its dragon king in the future. Then there are the River God and Well God; though their divine ranks aren't high, they are still water deities of their respective regions.
Not to mention Auntie Wanbao of the fox clan. She is a fox demon with a thousand years of cultivation, and her methods are incredibly formidable.
Moreover, even Old Monster Mayi of the Ten Thousand Ghost Cave has come. That one is famous for being fierce and ruthless. Think about it carefully: if there weren't some rare item, why would such figures come in person?”
“Heh heh heh, I heard that Old Monster Mayi has already reached the Nascent Soul Great Circle. There’s going to be a good show this time.”
The One Eyed Immortal gave a strange laugh and then turned to urge Nan Zhi to drink her tea:
“The tea is getting cold, young lady. Let this old man get you a fresh cup.”
“No need. I actually prefer cold tea; it quenches thirst better.”
Nan Zhi declined with a grin. She raised the tea cup, her throat moved, and she drained the tea in one gulp.
It’s done!
The two people beside her both showed looks of pleasant surprise, their eyes flashing with excitement, which they quickly suppressed.
“I saw just now that those South Barbarians didn't dare to cause trouble in the Ruyi Pavilion. I suppose this Ruyi Pavilion, like the Ghost Buddha Temple, has a very powerful background.”
Nan Zhi seemed not to notice the silent exchange between the two, continuing to ask what she wanted to know:
“That coffin also looks a bit strange. Every chain connects a grotto to the coffin, as if they’re supporting the grottoes.”
“You wouldn't know this, but they say that coffin is used to anchor this Ruyi Pavilion. The one hundred and twenty-eight Soul Binding Chains are there to lock that coffin.”
The One Eyed Immortal was in high spirits, already imagining the miserable sight of the person before him bleeding from her seven orifices. He squeezed out a sinister, strange laugh:
“Anyone who has set foot on the Yin Yang Road knows that the Ruyi Pavilion and the Ghost Buddha Temple are connected. But even if they know, no one dares to say it openly.
Do you know why? Even the Demon Suppression Division doesn't dare to be insolent in the Ruyi Pavilion. Do you know why that is?
Heh heh heh, you must know that ‘the living and the dead do not interfere.’ This is a rule set by the Underworld. No matter how powerful the Demon Suppression Division is, can they really stretch their hands onto the Yin Yang Road—”
After saying that, he pointed at Nan Zhi and quickly chanted three times: “Down, down, down!” Nan Zhi’s expression changed, and she suddenly sensed something was wrong. Just as she was about to stand up, she found her whole body limp, as if she had no strength. She collapsed weakly onto the table:
“You... the two of you drugged me! I... I have no grievance or enmity with you, so why?”
“I have no grievance with you, but someone is willing to spend silver to buy your life. The two of us are just following orders.”
The One Eyed Immortal was triumphant. He pulled out a sharp knife and used it to lift Nan Zhi’s wrist. Seeing that her wrist was as limp as a worm, he looked at Huaguzi with even greater pride:
“Huaguzi, this drug of yours is truly effective. With just a few words, this fool drank it down, and we didn't even have to disturb the guards.
If you ask me, this Ruyi Pavilion is the perfect place to destroy a body and erase all evidence. Once the poison takes effect, we’ll chop her corpse into pieces and throw them down to feed the hungry ghosts. No one will ever know. Isn't that wonderful?”
“Quiet. Just hurry up and do it so we don't invite more trouble.”
Huaguzi looked at Nan Zhi, feeling that something wasn't quite right. But she had seen with her own eyes Nan Zhi drink the poisoned tea. Thus, she stepped forward and began to search Nan Zhi’s person:
“Where is that Yin Wine Worm? Where on earth did you hide it?”
“How did you know I had a Yin Wine Worm on me?”
Upon hearing those words, a cold glint flashed in Nan Zhi’s eyes. She performed an acrobatic flip, and the Fish-Dragon Guillotine in her hand cleaved straight toward Huaguzi’s face!
Her movement was as fast as lightning. Caught off guard, the two of them had no time to react, and the latter actually took the blade full-on with her chest!
Rate on N.U.
