Chapter Ninety-Five: My Mom Suddenly Appears

I was somewhat dazed, unsure whether the girl standing before me was really Wang Ying.

In appearance, she was unmistakably Wang Ying: her figure, her height, even her complexion were all the same. But her eyes were utterly different. Wang Ying’s gaze was full of shifts and subtleties, delicate and alluring, whereas the girl before me had only ferocity in her eyes. Yes, a kind of savagery rarely seen in ordinary people.

“Who, who are you? You’re not Wang Ying?” I could not tell for certain whether she was Wang Ying. Too much like her, and yet not at all.

“Move aside, or I’ll kill you,” the girl repeated what she had just said.

I instinctively stepped back.

With a sudden blur, the girl shot forward, snatched Yueyue up from the ground in the blink of an eye, and vanished into the night.

Wei Qi and Li Danian came running over from a distance, panting hard. “Where is she?”

“She’s gone. I... I saw Wang Ying,” I said, holding the Three-Foot Dragon Abyss sword in my hand, my voice hollow.

Wei Qi looked at me. “What do you mean? You saw Wang Ying?”

“Yes. It was Wang Ying, in a white dress. She took Yueyue away.”

Wei Qi was about to say something when several police cars howled up. They came over at once and restrained the rest of us. Had Yu Fang not arrived, we would probably have been in serious trouble. In the end, we were taken to the police station, where I gave a statement and recounted everything that had happened.

By the time we left the station, day had already broken. None of us had even had breakfast. Dragging our exhausted bodies, we hurried to Dinglin Temple, but Master Xingyun was still away; he had gone to Mount Wutai and had not yet returned.

What puzzled us now was Yueyue. What exactly had happened to her? Last night, it had clearly been her. Hadn’t Master Xingyun said she had been left at Dinglin Temple?

We asked the young monk to let us see Yueyue, but he refused. No matter how much we pleaded, he would not allow it. We had no choice. Dinglin Temple was a place of profound Buddhist power, and we could not resort to violence there.

What troubled me most was not Yueyue, but Wang Ying. Was the girl in white last night really Wang Ying? If so, it meant she had changed for the worse. Impossible. Wang Ying was clever as ice and snow, kind-hearted to the core. She would never turn bad. Perhaps, perhaps someone was forcing her into doing things against her will.

I told Li Danian and Wei Qi what I thought, and in the end they came to the same conclusion: all of this had to be the work of the Underworld King. Only the Underworld King possessed such energy and such power.

Calming myself, I thought it over carefully. This matter truly had to do with the Underworld King: Zhao Laosao, the ghost soldiers, the Soul-Sucking Art... A thought rose in my mind. I had to find the barrier leading to Nether City. No matter what, I had to bring Wang Ying back.

At noon, we went together to Wang Hao’s house. His front gate was tightly shut, and from outside we could see that the place had already been abandoned. We asked the neighbors nearby, and all of them said they had no idea where the family had gone.

In the afternoon, we held a brief meeting. Li Danian’s idea was to gather the nearby spirit-walkers and yin-yang masters, and unite them to capture Yueyue no matter what. If we failed to catch her, she would slowly drain the souls of the entire city. Li Danian also said something chilling: once the Soul-Sucking Art was cultivated to the ninth level, meaning it had absorbed the souls of nine times nine, eighty-one people, then no one would be able to stop it.

Li Danian went off to contact the nearby spirit-walkers. Before leaving, he quietly pulled me aside, looking ashamed.

“Dachuan, I’m sorry about last time. I’ll give Qingting back to you.”

As he spoke, he called Qingting softly out of his soul jar and placed her in my hands.

I did not refuse. Xuanli was gone, Wang Ying had left, and only Shangguan Wan’er remained by my side. Loneliness was inevitable. Having Qingting with me was not a bad thing.

When I got home, Shangguan Wan’er had prepared a meal for me and Wei Qi, along with a little wine, as a way of letting us rest. A troubled heart is quick to get drunk, and before long I was already slightly hazy. In my drunken state, an idea took root: tonight I would go alone into Ju Kingdom King’s Tomb on Fulai Mountain. I would find the barrier to Nether City. I had to get to Nether City. I had to find the Underworld King and demand Yueyue and Wang Ying back from him. If he refused, then I would fight him to the end.

After dinner, Wei Qi comforted me with a few words and went home alone. As soon as he left, I gathered my things, instructed Shangguan Wan’er to keep the house well, and said I was going out for a walk to clear my head. Shangguan Wan’er wanted to come with me, but I refused.

I stepped outside and headed for the highway as fast as I could. After some effort, I hailed a black taxi and made straight for Fulai Mountain.

Night had deepened. A thin veil of cloud covered the moon above, and Fulai Mountain stood tall and imposing in the darkness. I reached the back of the mountain and, guided by memory, made my way toward the opening of the tomb.

The rocks were jagged, the mountain path treacherous, but my resolve was firm. Tonight, no matter what, I had to find that barrier. No matter what, I had to rescue Wang Ying. After walking for quite some time, almost reaching the king’s tomb on the mountainside, a mist suddenly began to spread before me.

Not again. Was it another ghost curtain?

No. It was not a ghost curtain. This was a drifting mist; I could still make out the road ahead. It was not very clear, but I could continue by feel.

“Dachuan, Dachuan, is that you?” As I moved along the mountain path, a voice came through the mist.

Hearing it, my tears nearly fell. “Mom? Is that you?”

It had been months. My mother had vanished without a trace, and at last I heard her voice again. I hurried toward the dense mist.

“Dachuan, it’s me. Don’t come closer. I’m no longer among the living,” my mother’s voice drifted over again.

My heart lurched. How could this be? My mother had become a ghost too. Tears poured from my eyes. “Mom, where are you? Why can’t I see you?”

“Dachuan, it doesn’t matter if you can’t see me. Let’s just talk, mother and son. Don’t keep looking. You won’t be able to find me.”

“Mom, where are you? I want to see you. I need to see you.” I was frantic. At last I had heard my mother’s voice. How could I not see her? Even if she were truly dead, even if she were a ghost, I had to see her.

“Dachuan, don’t be agitated, and don’t be sad. I snuck out. I only have half an hour. If I don’t go back within that time, I’ll be scattered to the winds and will never be reborn in the next life.” Her voice was full of sorrow.

“Mom, where are you? How did you die? What about my second uncle? Didn’t he protect you?” I cried as I ran through the darkness, searching through the woods. All I could see was drifting mist and trees; there was not the slightest trace of my mother.

“Child, after you left that day, your second uncle said he would take me out for a walk. He said the spirit-walkers of the world were in for trouble, so it would count as travel, and also as hiding from danger. But by accident, we ran into the Underworld King. They captured us and took us to Nether City. Your second uncle and I were tortured to death. Your second uncle’s soul has already dispersed. I have been living a life worse than death in Nether City...” My mother wept as she spoke.

“Mom, d-don’t be sad. I’ll save you. I’ll definitely save you,” I said, wiping away my tears with the back of my hand.

“No, absolutely not. The Underworld King is ruthless and merciless. You must never go to Nether City. Never. There isn’t enough time left. I have to go.” My mother’s voice grew fainter and fainter, and then it vanished into thin air.

In a daze, I came fully to myself. The drifting mist before me had also disappeared. Ahead of me were only gray hills and trees. There was not the slightest trace of my mother.

A dream? No, absolutely not. I had been walking the whole time. I hadn’t slept at all. How could it have been a dream?

The Underworld King again. Damn that Underworld King again. If I did not destroy him today, then I would no longer be Wang Dachuan.

In a fury, I raised the palm thunder in my hand and struck forward with all my strength.

With a thunderous crash, the rocks and trees before me collapsed in a broad swath.

“Brother, what... what are you doing?” At the height of my rage, Shangguan Wan’er appeared before me.

“Wan’er, why are you here?” My heart was full of fury. Even when I spoke to Wan’er, there was no trace of a smile on my face, nor the least bit of calm.

“I waited for you at home, but you never came, so I followed your scent here.”

“Go back. Go home and keep watch properly.” I tossed her a single line and strode straight ahead. I had already decided to go alone into the underworld, and I did not want her following me.

“Brother, what’s wrong with you?” Shangguan Wan’er rushed over, clutched my arm, and began to sob. Only then did I notice that, after walking through the night, her dress had been torn. She was a ghost, so she could indeed fly, but carrying a mortal body made things far less convenient.

My heart softened. I gently drew her into my arms and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Good sister, go home. I have important matters to deal with.”