Young Master Xu, Have Some Tea

In the Underworld, a scene like this suddenly appearing beside the River of Oblivion Bridge was rather eerie.

Xu Ying raised his guard and slowed his pace. As he passed the willow tree, the person beneath it invited him, saying, "Young Master Xu, why not come sit for a while?"

Yuan Qi said warily in a low voice, "A Ying, this visitor means us no good!"

Xu Ying nodded lightly. "Since we're here, we might as well make ourselves at home. They've clearly laid out their formation here and have been waiting for us a long time. They won't let us leave easily."

He walked over to sit opposite the person, apologized briefly, and took his seat. The few bull demons stood behind him, but not on the ground. They stood within clusters of dark wind, their feet hovering above the earth, sinister and terrifying.

That was Xu Ying's confidence.

Although he did not know why these bull demons followed him, with them and the White Bone Soul Striking Whip, he reckoned he could handle any danger he encountered.

The person opposite him was a Worried Old Man with a perpetually furrowed brow. It was impossible to tell how old he was. One could only see wrinkles like blades, carving themselves stroke by stroke into the depths of his skin, so deep they seemed to reach his bones.

He was so old that his eyes had sunk deep into their sockets. Sitting beneath the Green Lamp, his eyes were like two red sticks of incense hidden within his eye sockets.

A peculiar scent of incense clung to him as well, but from his appearance, he did not seem like a deity.

The Worried Old Man poured tea for Xu Ying. Though Xu Ying was thirsty, he did not drink it. Instead, he asked, "Old sir, do you know me?"

Yuan Qi stared at the teacup and swallowed, but there were only two stools and two cups of tea. There was none for him.

The Worried Old Man smiled. "I do. When you were little, I even carried you in my arms."

Xu Ying stared at him in surprise, trying hard to recall his childhood. "Why don't I remember you, old sir? My family lived in Xu Family Village, where everyone was surnamed Xu. My father was the third son and was called Xu Sanlang. My mother was from the neighboring village and was called Luo Yinghua. I was the second child in the family, and I also had an elder sister... No!"

His eyes gradually reddened. The scene at the Hometown Gazing Platform surfaced in his mind, and he remembered the little boy who had bumped into his leg, as well as the married couple whose faces he could not make out.

Yuan Qi and the Great Bell each grew tense. "Oh no, A Ying's acting up again!"

The Worried Old Man gestured for him to drink his tea. "You've suffered from headaches since childhood, and they still haven't gotten better. What a poor thing."

Xu Ying's head throbbed as if it were splitting apart. He picked up the teacup, then set it down again with a smile. "Since you carried me when I was little, you must know many things about my childhood, don't you?"

Seeing that he had not drunk the tea, the Worried Old Man's sorrowful expression deepened. Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder boomed in the sky. A massive temple flew overhead, and the voice of the White-robed Nuo Immortal rang out: "You little wretch who raised that giant snake, where are you hiding? Stop hiding and come out! Come show me those two sword strikes again!"

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi's expressions changed drastically. The Great Bell also gave a clang, while the few bull demons remained calm, standing in the dark wind and snorting several times.

Xu Ying immediately rose to take his leave, but the Worried Old Man said, "You can rest assured. He won't find me here. The judge Ling Youdao of Yongzhou's Ghost Court will pass by shortly and lead him away."

Xu Ying's eyes flickered. He quietly activated his Heaven Eye to observe the man and smiled. "Old sir, how should I address you?"

Divine sense gathered between his brows like a lens. His Heaven Eye opened wide, illuminating the Worried Old Man.

Xu Ying's heart jolted. Behind the Worried Old Man sat a vast, boundless godlike figure. It sat in the void amid ten thousand rays of radiance, impossible to look at directly!

"A Qi Refiner!"

Xu Ying shuddered inwardly and hurriedly dispersed his Heaven Eye. He lowered his gaze, watching his nose and his heart, daring not to show the slightest abnormality.

This Worried Old Man was actually a Qi Refiner, just like the Maiden in the Coffin!

But hadn't the Maiden in the Coffin said that Qi Refiners had already vanished? Where had this sorrowful old man come from?

The Worried Old Man sensed something unusual, as though someone had glanced at him. Yet that strange feeling vanished at once. He was puzzled and looked around. Nearby, only the ghosts and gods of the ruined temple wandered about, while the White-robed Nuo Immortal piloted his great temple in circles, searching for Xu Ying and the others. There was no other expert present.

"Could some expert be hiding nearby?"

He failed to find the person spying on him, but secretly heightened his guard. "The Nu Immortal of Shuikou Temple is surnamed Chen and named Mianzhu. He was once the emperor of the Southern Dian Kingdom. He admired the culture of the Divine Land and came to study there. His talent was indeed astonishing, and his fortune was extraordinarily deep. After learning the Nu Master's inheritance, he opened the Yu Jing Secret Treasury and obtained a mysterious inheritance as well. After returning to his kingdom, his cultivation and strength advanced by leaps and bounds. In a mere hundred years, he reached the realm of a Nu Immortal."

Xu Ying listened carefully when he heard the White-robed Nuo Immortal's origins.

The Worried Old Man continued, "Chen Mianzhu lived for three hundred and sixty-seven years. When he became a Nu Immortal, he felt that his lifespan was limited, so he began preparing for what would come after his death. He gathered the strength of the Southern Dian Kingdom, made his people worship the gods, and forged one divine statue after another. By the time his life ended, he had finally built Shuikou Temple, with one end connected to the Mortal Realm and the other to the Yin Court. He hid his Hidden Scenery Sublimation Land in the Underworld, hoping to become an undying and imperishable Nu Immortal who would exist in both the worlds of yin and yang. He enslaved the gods to refine elixirs for him and attend to his food and daily life, allowing him to continue living like an emperor. That so-called life like an immortal was nothing more than this. Until one day..."

Xu Ying picked up the thread. "Until one day, a sword came slashing in and split open his Hidden Scenery Sublimation Land! An unparalleled expert entered his Sublimation Land and killed him!"

The Worried Old Man's expression turned strange. "That person charged into his Hidden Scenery Sublimation Land with a sword, but did not kill him. They ate him instead."

A chill welled up in Xu Ying's heart, creeping from his tailbone all the way to the back of his head. His voice turned hoarse. "Ate him?"

Without realizing it, he took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

Yuan Qi and the Great Bell were so engrossed in the story that they did not notice this at all.

The Worried Old Man said, "They ate him clean, leaving only his skin. Even his soul was devoured completely. The being who ate him did so with great care, as though savoring a delicacy they had cooked themselves. They truly could not bear to waste even the tiniest bit."

As he spoke, the Worried Old Man's throat bobbed involuntarily, as though he were swallowing saliva, as if the Nu Immortal were some mouthwatering delicacy.

The Worried Old Man lifted the teapot and poured more tea for Xu Ying. "If he had died an ordinary death, Chen Mianzhu would not have accumulated such deep resentment. It was precisely because he had been eaten bite by bite while still alive, until only his skin remained, that his resentment soared to the heavens. In truth, only a remnant of his consciousness remains."

Xu Ying suddenly understood. He drank his tea and said, "No wonder his strength looks formidable, but isn't quite that formidable."

The Worried Old Man said, "He was eaten clean, with only a little skin left. How much strength could he have? He's merely strong on the outside but hollow within. He can bully a Great Nuo, but he'll suffer the moment he meets a true expert. There, the Ghost Court's Tongpan has already led him away."

At that moment, Ling Tongpan's startled cry came from the sky, followed by the White-robed Nuo Immortal's booming laughter. "You wooden-and-clay god, with hardly any flesh on you, and you dare come cause trouble here?"

Ling Tongpan's voice rang out. "I am a Tongpan of the Yin Court! What can you do to me? Killing me would violate the Heavenly Law. You'd be unable to escape the consequences!"

"What is the Yin Court supposed to be? One day, I'll kill my way into the Yin Court and become its Son of Heaven!"

Their voices gradually faded into the distance. Xu Ying let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you, old sir."

The Worried Old Man said, "Young Master Xu, please be on your way."

Xu Ying rose. His vision was somewhat blurry, and he shook his head. He quickly came to his senses, then led Yuan Qi and several bull demons into the boundless night. Their figures gradually disappeared.

The Worried Old Man stood there dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long while.

After a moment, the Worried Old Man blurted out, "Meng Po, you really watered down this tea! No, it wasn't just watered down—the tea was added to the water!"

He was so furious that his hands and feet trembled. The dignified Meng Po's Soup, the Soul-Bewildering Soup, had only made Xu Ying slightly dazed for a moment before he recovered, as though it had failed to bewilder him at all.

Meng Po had definitely gone easy on him!

"No! I'm going to find Meng Po and demand an explanation. She owes me an answer!"

The Worried Old Man rose and cleared away the stone table, putting away the tea set. As he did so, he reached for the Green Paper Umbrella leaning against the edge of the table, but grasped nothing.

The Worried Old Man reached out again, but still failed to touch the paper umbrella. He could not help shouting angrily, "Where's my umbrella? Which bastard stole my umbrella?"

His heart turned cold. "Could it have been that expert who secretly glanced at me just now? He spied on me from the shadows, then silently stole my paper umbrella. Could he be demonstrating his power to me?"

He warily looked around and called out, "Which friend is playing a joke on this old man? Why not show yourself?"

He waited a long while, but there was still no movement around him. He then retreated step by step, guarding against every angle and watching for a hidden ambush.

He suddenly leaped into the air, transformed into a streak of light, and vanished into the blue sky. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. "Even if it was that great expert, they still wouldn't find the slightest flaw in me!"

"We've finally reached Mount Wu Wang!"

Xu Ying and the others returned to Qin Yan Cave on Mount Wu Wang and entered the Ni Wan Palace. Yuan Qi could not help shedding tears of joy. "I've nearly died both times I left the cave. I'm never going out again!"

The Great Bell flew out from behind Xu Ying's head, carrying a Green Paper Umbrella. Curious, it asked, "What happened the last time you nearly died?"

"I encountered a Snake Catcher and was chased by him for three days and three nights."

Yuan Qi examined the Green Paper Umbrella and asked suspiciously, "Master Zhong, what's with this umbrella?"

The Great Bell preened. "I saw it leaning beside the table leg and thought it was rather charming. I took it while that old man was distracted. He really didn't notice."

Yuan Qi curled the tip of his tail around the Green Paper Umbrella. With a bang, it opened and he held it over his head, looking like he had a little mushroom growing atop him. "It's too small."

With a whoosh, the Green Paper Umbrella grew much larger, just big enough to cover his massive head. Yuan Qi clicked his tongue in wonder and cried, "It's actually a magical treasure!" He then refused to return it to the Great Bell.

A Ying already has Master Zhong. This umbrella naturally belongs to the second-in-command of Qin Yan Cave!

Xu Ying picked up the White Bone Whip and examined it carefully. The skull at the tip swayed from side to side, looking smug and giving a clacking laugh.

This whip lashed souls. Whether living people, the dead, or even gods, as long as they had a soul, it could strike them. Even City Gods and the ghosts and gods of ruined temples would be beaten until their bodies twisted and they wept bitterly. Yet the White Bone Soul Striking Whip could not strike Xu Ying, which left him rather curious.

"Why am I not afraid of this whip?"

Puzzled, Xu Ying handed the whip to Yuan Qi. "Give me one lash."

Yuan Qi gripped the whip and immediately found his courage. He shouted, "A Ying, you're the one telling me to lash you. You can't go back on your word!"

Xu Ying urged him, "Hurry up!"

Yuan Qi swung the whip down and shouted, "With this lash today, I'll repay the grudge of you hunting me down. From now on, the enmity between us is settled, and neither of us owes the other anything!"

"Smack!"

The whip struck Xu Ying's body. Xu Ying only felt his soul tremble slightly, without any other sensation.

The few bull demons followed Xu Ying into Qin Yan Cave. When they saw Yuan Qi lashing Xu Ying, they grew furious and all swung their whips at Yuan Qi.

Yuan Qi hurriedly cried, "He told me to lash him! It wasn't me... Ah—pain!"

A whip struck him, and he suffered unbearable agony as he fell to the ground. In an instant, a herd of bulls surrounded him, swinging their whips without pause. His screams and the sharp smacks of the whips rang out without end.

Xu Ying hurried forward to stop the bulls, only managing to rescue Yuan Qi after a struggle. The giant snake had been beaten until he foamed at the mouth and was barely breathing. In a weak voice, he said, "A Ying, you still can't settle what you owe me..."

Xu Ying was puzzled. "Why did Little Seven scream so horribly when he was beaten, while I felt nothing?"

The Great Bell was puzzled as well. "The Soul Striking Whip specializes in lashing souls. Could your soul be different from others? Wait a moment. I'll knock your soul out and take a look!"

Without waiting for Xu Ying to say anything, it suddenly let out a tremendous clang. Xu Ying was shaken into a daze. When he opened his eyes, he saw another version of himself standing before him.

The Great Bell said, "Don't look at that one. That's your physical body. You're the soul."

"I'm the soul?" Xu Ying cried out in shock.

The Great Bell looked him up and down. "A Ying, tell me honestly. How many Myriad Spirit Pills have you eaten?"

It was grief-stricken. "Your soul is almost becoming solid all the way through!"

At the Hometown Gazing Platform.

Yuan Tian Gang stroked his beard and watched in puzzlement as a little old man walked toward the River of Oblivion Bridge with his hands behind his back, neither hurried nor slow. The little old man wore a deeply worried expression, as though troubled by some vexing matter.

"But where's his Green Paper Umbrella?" Yuan Tian Gang wondered.