Returning Home

Inside the sedan chair, Zhou Sheng sat bolt upright, his eyes tightly shut.

It was not that he did not want to open his eyes and look at the other party. Rather, that fleeting glance had already left his eyes throbbing with pain from the blood-red divine radiance.

Mortals could not gaze directly upon gods. At best, they would go blind; at worst, they would die.

Zhou Sheng had Dao cultivation to protect him and had practiced eye technique since childhood, so he had not gone blind. But if he looked for too long, even if he did not lose his sight, his vision would still be damaged.

Of course, if he opened his Wise Eye now, he would be able to see the ferocious god before him clearly.

But the perilous situation gave him no such opportunity at all.

"If Your Divinity believes it was deception, then deception it was. But I wonder, when we see the judge and bow before King Yama, what will They think?"

Zhou Sheng was not fearless. In truth, he was afraid as well, but he knew even better that fear could not solve the problem.

The tougher and more unyielding his attitude was at this moment, the more he could remain neither servile nor overbearing, the more likely he was to truly turn danger into safety.

Since the other party feared the Underworld Law, then he would bite down on that point and refuse to let go. He would put on an uncompromising stance: you may kill me, but even if I reach the Yellow Springs and the underworld, see the judge and King Yama, I will still lodge a complaint against you!

Besides, that faint, elusive floral fragrance should have been the scent of Shore Flowers.

Shen Jinhua's case... the other party had definitely been involved, and was most likely the true culprit behind it all!

Zhou Sheng refused to believe that if They faced King Yama, They would truly feel no guilt at all.

"What courage, young man. It is rare to see a... Ghost Opera Performer with bones this hard."

A moment later, a soft laugh rang out. Then the terrifying pressure vanished, and the Yin wind left the sedan chair.

"Your blood is delicious. I have memorized your scent."

"Finish your apprenticeship soon. I am already growing impatient to hear you... perform."

Huff!

As the Yin wind drifted away, that terrifying Killing Intent and pressure disappeared completely. Silence settled over the surroundings once more.

Only then did Zhou Sheng's tightly tensed body suddenly slump. Beads of sweat slid down his cheeks, carrying a faint smell of blood.

The other party had cut a bloody mark across his face. Though small, he could feel a chilling cold burrowing into his flesh.

He had survived at last!

Zhou Sheng loosened his grip on the Startling Hall Wood. The bloodless tips of his fingers gradually regained their color.

"Young Master Zhou, why did you have to provoke that baleful star just now?"

"Exactly. I was so frightened that my head fell off..."

One Ghost Messenger picked up his head from the ground and pressed it back onto his neck, still looking shaken to the core.

There was a hint of resentment in their voices. They felt Zhou Sheng was far too proud. What would it have cost him to step out of the sedan chair, bow, and apologize?

Those who did not know were not at fault. Zhou Sheng did not blame them, merely smiling without saying anything.

The sedan chair continued onward. After another short while, when the Ghost Messengers had vented most of their complaints, he finally asked, "Gentlemen, may I ask what sort of deity that person we passed just now was?"

"Uh... to be honest, we do not know either."

The Ghost Messengers coughed and continued, "That One's divine radiance was too dazzling, and Their Killing Intent too heavy. We did not dare lift our heads at all. Even if we had, we would not have been able to see clearly."

"But whoever They were, although They traveled without an honor guard, with that Magic Power and that bearing, They were absolutely a great figure even in the underworld!"

"We were right to kneel..."

Zhou Sheng nodded and said no more.

The one-year pact still rang in his ears, yet reality immediately threw a basin of cold water over him.

This world was simply too dangerous. Even the Orthodox Gods of the underworld seemed to conceal murderous intent. Dealing with Ghosts and Gods truly meant treading on thin ice with every step.

The pride he had felt from his sudden increase in Dao cultivation was swept away at once. Zhou Sheng resolved that he would cultivate even more diligently!

He focused his mind and calmed his heart, continuing to practice his eye technique.

About half an hour later, Zhou Sheng suddenly heard a rooster crow.

When the rooster crowed, the world turned white!

The moment he heard the crowing, Zhou Sheng knew he had returned to the world of the living. This could not possibly be the Yin-Yang Road.

Sure enough, the sedan chair came down once more. This time, however, it landed silently and lightly, remarkably steady.

"Young Master Zhou, Qinggu County's boundary lies not far ahead. Dawn is approaching, and we cannot linger. We must trouble you to walk the rest of the way."

Zhou Sheng picked up the Opera Box, lifted the curtain, and stepped out of the sedan chair.

Familiar scenery came into view. The low houses in the distance, the locust grove, Pear Blossom River, and Shorty Mountain were all places he had often visited since childhood.

Though he had long known of the Yin-Yang Road's wonders, after experiencing it for himself, he could not help but feel astonished.

More than six hundred li of mountain roads, yet they had arrived before dawn.

When he had set out from Yang City, it had already been late at night. By his reckoning, they had traveled only a little over two hours, and that was after they had encountered that ferocious god and lost considerable time.

"You have all worked hard. Please leave your names and hometowns. I will burn extra paper money for you to show my gratitude."

"Haha, certainly, certainly!"

The Ghost Messengers exchanged glances, looking greatly excited. The way they looked at Zhou Sheng also became noticeably warmer.

This young man might have been a little arrogant, but he knew how to conduct himself.

After leaving their names and hometowns, they lifted the sedan chair and headed back, soon disappearing into a hazy mist.

Zhou Sheng examined the area carefully, yet could not find the entrance to the Yin-Yang Road. The mountains and waters around him were beautiful, and apart from a single mountain path, there were no other roads.

He did not delay any longer and hurried toward Qinggu County.

The Opera Box was heavy, but after taking the Mica Formula, Zhou Sheng seemed to have wind beneath his feet. He moved as swiftly as lightning, and with dawn only just breaking and scarcely a soul in sight, he let himself run freely.

Crossing rivers and bridges, weaving through streets and alleys, he was like a gust of wind. With a light tap of his toes, he could drift three or four zhang away.

Even after he had leaped past, several stray cats licking their fur in the corner of a wall would suddenly realize what had happened, their fur standing on end.

Knock, knock, knock!

At the sight of that familiar courtyard, Zhou Sheng unconsciously smiled and raised his hand to knock.

"Master, I'm back!"

Knock, knock, knock!

He knocked several more times, but no one ever came to open the door.

Zhou Sheng frowned slightly.

Though Master no longer performed Yin Opera, it was ingrained in his bones. He never slept in, and he slept very lightly, waking at the slightest rustle of wind or grass.

Master had said this was an old habit left behind by his many years of performing Yin Opera. He dared not sleep too deeply, for fear that one careless moment would leave him unable to wake ever again.

Could something have happened to Master?

At that thought, Zhou Sheng was suddenly alarmed. He opened the Opera Box, took out the Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear, and with a light leap, vaulted over the wall and landed without a sound.

The sky was still dim. The surroundings were silent and empty, while occasional cool gusts made the willow trees in the courtyard rustle.

Zhou Sheng caught a faint scent of blood, and a shadow fell over his heart.

In the courtyard's southeast corner, the goldfish Master had kept in a water vat for years was thrashing restlessly as well, striking the sides of the vat from time to time.

He adjusted himself, making his breathing even quieter. His steps were as light as a cat's as he approached the main hall at the center, inch by inch.

That was Master's room. Through the window paper, he could vaguely make out a human silhouette.

The moment he reached the door, he discovered scattered chicken feathers on the ground, along with drops of blood everywhere.

He picked up a drop of blood with his fingertip. It was still warm and sticky to the touch, with a strong raw, fishy stench and a faint scent of rust.

This should be rooster blood!

He concentrated his gaze and peered into the room through a crack in the door and window. But in the next instant, his pupils abruptly contracted.

Because he saw a scarlet eye.

The other party... was looking at him too!