The Path of Hungry Ghosts

"Hmph!" Little Pig grunted in frustration, his four hooves kicking wildly.

Just as he was about to lose his temper, Wu Gou grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and stuffed him into Song Zi'an's arms.

"You didn't take part in the Golden Buddha's test. Before the Golden Buddha descends to the world, you can't enter the Star-Picking Pavilion."

"Everything is in chaos out there right now. What good will a pig like you do running out and adding to the mess?"

"What if someone catches you and roasts you?"

Little Pig struggled in Song Zi'an's arms, his tusks flashing with a cold light, clearly unconvinced.

"Enough, this monk knows you are loyal."

Wu Gou sighed, his tone softening slightly.

"But before your Master left, the only person he specifically named to be protected was this kid named Song."

"If you protect him, you're helping your Master. Do you understand?"

"There are so many ghosts out there. If anything happens to him, your Master will probably have you stewed when he gets back."

At the word 'stewed,' Little Pig froze. The fierce look in his eyes instantly became clear and foolish.

He aggrievedly retracted his tusks and buried his head into the crook of Song Zi'an's arm, oinking and nudging him a few times.

'It's just protecting a person. How hard can it be?'

"That's more like it."

Wu Gou nodded in satisfaction and stepped out of the side hall first. "Let's go."

Song Zi'an followed quickly, picking up the paper umbrella Jian Huaishuang had left by the door before leaving.

The paper umbrella looked ordinary, but it felt moist and cool to the touch.

Thwack.

The paper umbrella opened, hovering over the two of them and forming a cool sanctuary of shade.

The pervasive golden light was shut out.

The moment they stepped out, vast swaths of evil ghosts surged from cracks in the ground, densely packed like a black tide.

These ghost creatures bit and devoured each other, surging toward any living thing regardless of friend or foe.

"Oink!"

Little Pig looked up and scanned the area, two plumes of purple smoke snorting from his pink nose.

Buzz!

Thick fiendish qi erupted instantly, covering a radius of ten zhang.

Every evil ghost that tried to approach was hit by the fiendish qi. The madness in their eyes turned into a blur, and their bodies began to turn ethereal as they slowly sank into a terrifying nightmare.

The two people and the pig moved with difficulty through the ghost tide.

Little Pig's fiendish qi surged constantly, dragging any approaching evil ghosts into nightmares.

However, the number of ghosts was simply too high—densely packed and seemingly endless. For every batch that fell, more surged forward immediately.

The closer they got to the ruins of the palace wall, the richer the scent of food became.

The aroma was unique. At first whiff, it made one's mouth water, but upon closer inspection, it had a mysterious calming effect, as if it could soothe the anxieties of the soul.

The evil ghosts began to grow even more frenzied.

Originally, they had been indiscriminately attacking any living thing in sight, even cannibalizing their own kind or biting the black-spot monsters crawling out of the ground.

But Wu Gou keenly noticed that as they neared the palace wall, this chaotic slaughter actually decreased.

All the evil ghosts, even those with broken legs crawling on the ground, seemed to be under some kind of summons.

They dripped black saliva, their eyes vacant yet burning with fervor as they surged toward the palace wall.

"Master..." Song Zi'an murmured to himself, quickening his pace.

Wu Gou, however, stopped in his tracks, his expression grave.

What appeared before them was no longer a vermilion palace wall.

The once-lofty outer wall of the imperial palace had undergone a complete mutation.

The structure seemed to have come alive. The masonry had softened into bright red flesh, covered in countless fine wrinkles and blood vessels.

And where the palace gate should have been, there was now a massive mouth.

This mouth had no lips, only two rows of jagged, pale tusks like a shark's teeth, which were constantly twitching and snapping shut.

"Ah—! Food! It's food!"

"So hungry... so hungry..."

Countless evil ghosts attracted by the scent vied to throw themselves into that giant mouth.

Like moths to a flame, as soon as they got close, they were snagged by a long tongue extending from the giant mouth and dragged inside.

Crunch! Crunch!

A bone-chilling sound of chewing echoed from within the wall, as if countless people were crushing bones simultaneously.

With every chew, the enticing aroma of food grew a bit richer, and a layer of dark red grease seeped from the wall.

"Great Master, what... what is going on?" Song Zi'an asked, trembling with alarm.

Wu Gou's brow furrowed deeply, and the Buddhist beads in his hand turned rapidly.

"This monk said before that hungry ghosts were sealed within the walls of this Ghost Dynasty's palace to devour the resentment of disobedient ghosts and suppress it."

"I didn't expect that it wasn't just a seal. The palace wall itself is constructed from the piled corpses of countless hungry ghosts."

"Benefactor Song." Wu Gou turned his head to look at the pale Song Zi'an.

"The palace wall has swallowed an unknown number of wrongfully dead souls and malevolent ghosts. The resentment is so deep it has manifested a portal to the Path of Hungry Ghosts."

"Is your master... truly inside?"

Song Zi'an nodded without hesitation. "He definitely is."

He looked at the giant mouth, his eyes resolute. "Master said a chef must have heart-intent."

"I can sense Master's heart-intent in this aroma. I won't mistake it."

"He must be inside the wall, cooking for these hungry ghosts..."

By the end, his voice trembled slightly.

Cooking for hungry ghosts?

What kind of scene must that be?

Wu Gou was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Do you want to go in?"

Song Zi'an nodded vigorously. "I do."

"That is the mouth of the Path of Hungry Ghosts," Wu Gou reminded him.

"Entering is easy, but leaving is hard."

"Anything swallowed will be digested into pure resentment and become part of the palace wall."

"You have a mortal body. Once you go in, no one can guarantee your safety."

"If you regret it, it's not too late to turn back now."

Song Zi'an looked at the giant mouth that was constantly devouring evil ghosts. Though his body was trembling, his gaze gradually focused.

"Great Master, I'm not turning back."

He tightened his grip on the umbrella handle, as if bolstering his own courage.

"I wasn't even a year old when Master picked me up from the mass grave."

"Back then, I was nearly starved to death. Maggots were crawling all over me, and I smelled so foul that even rats wouldn't come near."

"Master carried me back up the mountain and washed me over and over with warm water. He boiled spirit porridge for three whole days and fed it to me spoonful by spoonful."

"He said that food is the foundation of life. As long as a person can still eat, they can still live."

"I followed Master on the mountain for fifteen years. He taught me how to cook, how to read, and how to be a person."

"He said that everything in heaven and earth can be made into a dish. As long as the heart is sincere, even a bowl of clear water can yield a hundred flavors of life."

Song Zi'an looked at Wu Gou, tears shimmering in his eyes. "Master Wu Gou, I am an orphan with no father or mother. Master is my father and mother."

"The clue Master left before he disappeared is down here."

"Regardless of whether he is dead or alive, I have to find him."

"If he's alive, I'll carry him out. If... it's a corpse, I'll carry his bones out."