Chapter 111
Chapter 111
Xia Ximo followed the direction Ren Fengjue had pointed out and headed all the way toward the North Courtyard.
Lantern Spirit Wuyou could finally come out for some air.
“With that Soul-Collision Bell the Daoist gave him around, I was about to suffocate!”
“I have to say, this Marquis Mansion really is impressive.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here as the Marquise for a few days before leaving?”
It still hadn’t fixed its bad habit of chattering nonstop the moment it got the chance.
Xia Ximo ignored it, her steps growing faster and faster.
Only when she stepped through the hanging-flower gate did her feet pause slightly.
The feeling here was different from the rest of the estate.
From the layout, this should be a guest courtyard.
But there were very few guests who would ever have the chance to stay overnight at Renxuan Marquis Manor, so compared to the other areas, this place had always lacked a bit of human warmth.
Now, Yin energy permeated the air, and Baleful Qi soared to the sky.
Xia Ximo saw that every room had its lamps lit.
What she could be certain of was that there was no one inside any of them.
She checked them one by one. She did not find Mu Tingting, but she did discover a neatly embroidered brocade sachet on the ground.
And from Xia Ximo’s memories, she could tell that the sachet’s owner was definitely Mu Tingting.
Which meant the person was gone.
After sniffing around, Wuyou suddenly sneezed.
“Why do I feel like the scents here are a complete mess?”
“There are traces of ghosts, and there are human scents too. And clearly, there were many, many people.”
“So why can’t we see anything?”
Xia Ximo walked out of the room and stood in the middle of the courtyard. All of a sudden, she discovered that two identical moons had appeared in the night sky.
Wuyou cried out in alarm at that exact moment.
“We’re doomed, Mogu. That ghost from Fu Tower… really isn’t any ordinary ghost.”
“I knew there had to be a reason the Earth Lord would personally come ask you to get rid of a ghost. So it turns out it’s this kind of thing!”
Xia Ximo remained calm. “What kind of thing?”
Wuyou said helplessly, “You should have heard of Chimei and Wangliang, the two great Vengeful Ghosts of the human world, right?”
“As far as I know, those two things have existed in the human world for several hundred years.”
“They definitely existed when you were alive!”
The moment the question left its mouth, Wuyou regretted it.
A Soul Ferryman had no memories of their previous life. They could only remember instincts, or things carved into their very bones.
For example, the Bone Art she had painstakingly cultivated while alive.
Or perhaps frame after frame of shadows that seemed vaguely familiar.
Xia Ximo was expressionless. “I don’t remember.”
“…”
Wuyou scratched its head. Thinking of how much it had to explain to her, it felt rather helpless.
“Still, in your era, this kind of Vengeful Ghost probably wasn’t quite important enough to be noteworthy.”
“Then, when you were in the Nine Abysses, did you ever hear other ghosts mention the Prajna Realm?”
Xia Ximo gave it a strange look.
“…Fine. A place like the Nine Abysses probably doesn’t offer many chances for friendly conversation anyway.”
Wuyou could only put on a serious tone. “Let’s start with Chimei and Wangliang.”
“Their original bodies were both born at the Yin-Yang Boundary. One was a Soul-Devouring Flower, and the other was Soul-Bewildering Mist.”
“At first, those two things liked to secretly devour the souls of the Underworld Administration. After the Underworld Envoy found out, it drove them out of the Yin-Yang Boundary.”
“Who knows how much time passed after that, but eventually, two great Vengeful Ghosts appeared in the human world, calling themselves Chimei and Wangliang.”
“Then they cultivated an extremely powerful Soul Art called the Prajna Realm.”
“What makes this Soul Art so formidable is that, unlike an ordinary Illusionary Realm, it isn’t affected by outside interference, nor is it limited to allowing only soul bodies to enter…”
“Instead, it drags people directly inside.”
Xia Ximo frowned slightly. “You mean everyone in this Marquis Mansion has been dragged into the Illusionary Realm?”
Wuyou shook its head. “To be precise, it’s a barrier.”
It glanced up at the sky again and said, “I’ve heard that if you look up and see two moons, it means the place you’re in has already been enclosed within the Prajna Realm.”
“Once trapped in this realm, you lose consciousness and can only be manipulated by ghosts. In that state, getting out is nearly impossible.”
“Legend has it that during a time of war, an empty city once appeared in the human realm. There was clear proof that living people had once been there, yet no matter how anyone searched, not a single person could be found. No bodies, either. It was as if everyone in the city had vanished into thin air.”
“At the time, outsiders wanted to find traces of the city’s people, so they stayed in the empty city for three full days. According to their account, every night, two moons would appear in the sky, and they could faintly hear voices by their ears, but they couldn’t see anyone…”
“Only later did people learn that a ghost had laid a barrier over the city, dragged everyone inside, and none of them ever came out again.”
By the time Wuyou finished, it almost felt as if phantom voices were ringing beside its own ears.
It hurriedly shrank back into the lamp and continued, “But if I remember correctly, those two great Vengeful Ghost entities were subdued by Mount Yunhe a hundred years ago. How could they have gotten out?”
Xia Ximo fell silent for a moment.
So the Ugly Ghost in Fu Tower-the one that fed on Living Soul-and Manager Bai came from that kind of background?
She asked, “Is there a way to get in?”
Wuyou poked half its head out. “That’s not somewhere you can enter just because you want to…”
“Wait! You’re not seriously thinking of going in, are you? If you can’t get back out, you’ll be trapped in there for all eternity.”
But Xia Ximo was utterly unmoved. “If I don’t go in, do you have another way to make it come out?”
“…”
Wuyou was helpless. “Unless it comes out of its own accord…”
Just then, the person and the soul both truly heard a sound by their ears.
Listening closely, it was the clear sound of gongs and drums…
Wuyou was puzzled. “Why does that sound to me like someone is getting married?”
Though Xia Ximo had never been married, she had seen wedding processions in the human realm.
Judging by the sound, Wuyou was right.
Wuyou immediately started fussing again. “Oh no, I have a terrible guess!”
“Inside this Prajna Realm, it’s basically another Marquis Mansion.”
“And right now, the person in the Marquis Mansion most likely to get married is Ren Fengjue!”
“That ghost might be trying to marry the Young Marquis!”
At that, Xia Ximo remained completely unruffled, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
But she asked, “So how exactly do I get in?”
Wuyou said, “The barrier is controlled by the ghost. Unless it invites you in…”
“But from the looks of it, it has no intention of inviting you.”
Xia Ximo asked, “If I speak, can it hear me?”
Wuyou’s eyes lit up. “Right! Since we can hear what’s happening inside, then the ones inside should be able to hear us too.”
The moment it finished speaking, Xia Ximo raised her voice toward the silent night sky and began to provoke it coldly.
“Ugly thing. Back at Fu Tower, didn’t you want to devour my soul?”
“You already lost to me once. Have you lost even the courage to face me again?”
“You’d better hide in that Illusionary Realm forever and never come out. Otherwise, I can kill you another hundred times.”
Wuyou never imagined she would actually choose to goad it like this.
It clutched at its empty chest.
“This really has nothing to do with me. Don’t take your anger out on me later!”
As it was muttering under its breath, a gust of cold wind swept past from the side and blew open a door.
Xia Ximo narrowed her eyes and looked over. Behind the door, mist billowed, as if it were the entrance to the Illusionary Realm.