Once Called Me Young Master, Now Calls Me Son

"This is really pushing people to their deaths. You have to fight with all your might to complete the lore."

As soon as Yang He stepped out of the yamen, he looked up at the sky with a solemn expression.

From the perspective of others, the clouds were only tinged with a bit of black and gray.

But with Spiritual Vision, he could see the substantial yin qi gathering overhead.

[Spiritual Vision: 37.8 points]

After prolonged contact with the coffin, Yang He's Spiritual Vision was approaching fifty.

He didn't know if it was good or bad, but at least it made his perception of ghosts sharper. He'd worry about falling into the third layer of hell when he got back to the Main World.

"Hoo."

Li Feng exhaled, tying the coffin to his back with a rope. His skin was already showing a bluish-purple hue, demonstrating the invasiveness of yin qi.

Yang He would have been the best person to carry the coffin, but the Daoist Initiate was too frail.

"Daoist Yang, you don't need to worry about their lives. If there's danger, you don't even need to worry about me; just save yourself."

Li Feng was also unsure, which was why he had brought thirteen soldiers.

If necessary, the soldiers would unhesitatingly buy them time. Even Li Feng himself didn't expect to return to Cailian Town alive.

Drip.

Rainwater trickled down.

The yin qi was intensifying. If nothing unexpected happened, the continuous drizzle would blanket hundreds of miles.

Yang He found it extremely troublesome, but he couldn't wait until tomorrow to escort the coffin.

It wouldn't be long before Madam Yin's avatar would head towards the coffin. To survive, they had to reach Qing Lake as quickly as possible.

"We have to go on this trip, otherwise the Ghost Lotus won't see hope of completion."

Yang He took out twenty to thirty Great Replenishing Pills and handed them to Li Feng.

"I don't have any farewell wine, but I have plenty of farewell pills."

"Haha."

Li Feng said cheerfully, "It'll be hard for me to focus on dealing with malevolent spirits from now on. I need to concentrate on resisting the yin qi. Daoist Yang, you lead the way."

He swallowed four Great Replenishing Pills, his heart rate quickening, and his outward fatigue disappeared.

However, he was still of mortal physique. The Great Replenishing Pills had more drawbacks than benefits; the yang fire they boosted was like burning lifespan as firewood.

Yang He took advantage of Li Feng's remaining strength to ask, "Lord Li, why would the General's Mansion have you bring the coffin to Cailian Town?"

"This place is remote. Wouldn't you pass through some town if you were going somewhere?"

"We are indeed passing through."

Li Feng chuckled helplessly, "We were originally planning to go to Yuanjue Cave on Mount Lingjiu. Cailian Town is just to the east, over the mountain range."

"Mount Lingjiu..."

Yang He felt a strange sense of familiarity, but he couldn't recall whose dojo it was.

Li Feng no longer treated Yang He as an eleven or twelve-year-old child and said without reservation, "It is said that the immortal on Mount Lingjiu is named Rā holding a lamp."

Yang He's mouth gaped slightly, but he didn't reply.

In the original work, Daoist Rādharana and the Twelve Golden Immortals all belonged to the Chan Sect. After the Investiture of the Gods, they seemed to have joined Western Buddhism and become Buddha Maitreya.

Yang He knew very little about Investiture of the Gods and was unclear about the intricate details.

But no matter what, Li Jing clearly had no intention of letting Nezha live. The arrangement in Cailian Town was likely a premeditated plan by Grandmaster Taiyi.

At this moment, the group had just exited the city gates of Cailian Town.

The rain had soaked the soil, turning the official road into a muddy mess. The dense yin qi rising from it coated the mountain forests in a layer of silver frost.

[Spiritual Vision: 37.9 points]

Yang He looked back at Cailian Town with belated realization, and a chill ran through his body.

Figures of strange and inexplicable nature stood in the streets and alleys, watching them leave. Then, the town seemed to erupt into a bustling market.

The living hid in their homes, while the malevolent spirits repeated their actions from life.

"Be careful!!"

Li Feng warned, "Yin qi entering the body will affect our yang fire. You must steady your mind, lest you be startled and extinguish your yang fire."

He muttered with a complex expression, "Who knows how many years the remains in the mountains have been piled up? With the nourishment of the rain, how many malevolent spirits will be born?"

Yang He felt a chill down his spine and simultaneously felt his yang fire consumption increasing.

Everyone subconsciously quickened their pace. Although Qing Lake was only separated by a mountain ridge, they felt as if they were crossing the Nine Nether Yellow Springs.

"Hee hee."

Yang He heard a light chuckle swaying in the wind and gripped his copper coin sword tightly.

The soldiers couldn't help but turn their heads, and instantly the yang fire in their right shoulders flickered.

"Hiss..."

Before he could even react, a section of his finger was gone, and he could faintly hear the sounds of chewing coming from the shadows not far away.

"Damn it."

Yang He tossed his copper coin sword, and the ghost hand on his back grabbed the hilt and extended outwards.

The laughter abruptly stopped. A half-missing ghost face appeared on the copper coin sword, its mouth stretched to its ears, still showing mockery even in its dying moments.

Yang He retracted his ghost hand, only to see over a dozen human heads rolling towards him from the side.

The malevolent spirits were newly born weak ghosts, far inferior to the hungry ghost he had killed in the Main World. Their bodies were clearly half-solid and half-ethereal.

But... their numbers were truly terrifying.

Yang He swept his gaze around. The grass along the official road was filled with eyes watching them.

"This won't do. It's completely unrealistic to fight our way to Qing Lake."

Li Feng panted, "I'll guide them to expose their yang energy. Daoist Yang, you just need to prevent the malevolent spirits from disturbing their yang fire."

"Alright!"

Yang He said in a deep voice, "All of you, close your eyes!!"

The soldiers complied. Yang He then found spare ropes and tied them around their waists, positioning himself at the front to guide their direction.

"No matter what happens next, do not open your eyes."

Li Feng pounded his chest and abdomen. The soldiers couldn't help but feel their mouths go dry. Instantly, hot air began to rise from the top of each of their heads, and the swarming ghosts stopped their advance.

Rustling sounds continued, and the enticing aroma kept the ghosts lingering.

Yang He also kept his eyes closed, relying on his pupil ghost to navigate in the darkness.

It was fortunate that he had played the role of a Lotus Root Harvester before and had experience going to Qing Lake at night; otherwise, just finding Qing Lake would have been a major problem.

When there was no light in the sky at all, they entered the mountain where Qing Lake was located.

In the woods, black hair could already be seen entwined with the branches, and occasionally, several corpses were hanging. Most were wild beasts, but there were also quite a few dead people.

According to Wu Hong, looking directly at the black hair would incur Madam Yin's displeasure.

They walked with their eyes closed, relying on the ropes. Although they were in a sorry state, it was relatively safer, and Li Feng could get some respite.

After an unknown amount of time.

Yang He heard the sound of water rippling, realizing they were getting closer to Qing Lake. The yin wind mixed with raindrops stung their faces.

"Wait."

Yang He stopped them from moving forward, and his pupil ghost appeared behind his head, scanning the surroundings.

"Wh-what is it?" Li Feng's joints were bleeding, and he was constantly chewing on Great Replenishing Pills.

"I thought it was because Madam Yin was at Qing Lake that the malevolent spirits didn't follow, but then I smelled a very familiar fragrance."

"A fragrance unique to lotus roots."

The soil within a hundred meters loosened, and a large number of pale white lotus root arms emerged.

"My child~~"

A mournful murmur echoed. After being usurped by Madam Yin, it was clear that the Three Mountains Goddess was wandering in the mountains, seemingly filled with resentment.

"Daoist Yang, why do I feel like it's coming for you?" Li Feng secretly clicked his tongue. The word "child" echoed in Yang He's ears.

"Could it be that because it's missing child ghosts, it's targeting me, an underage person?"

"And besides..."

"Madam Yin is also coming soon."