Spirit Walking Through the Netherworld

"Let me Spirit Walking Through the Netherworld?" Ding Songyan agreed, somewhat suspiciously.

As Prince's Residence Guards, this was what he was supposed to do.

Surely we can't expect the Steward to invite the Martial Prohibition Bureau or the Martial Prohibition Bureau artists under its control?

Although the Prince's Residence's Mansion didn't consider Xiaoming Sect as one of their own, but rather a collaborator, they were still better than outsiders and had an excellent reputation, making them trustworthy.

Ding Songyan followed Peng Jushan as they wandered around the Prince's Residence until they arrived at a rather secluded courtyard.

A figure stood in the courtyard, dressed in a dark red and blue guard uniform. He was muscular but slightly bulky, with red markings on his face, neck, and the back of his hands. He had upturned eyebrows, a large nose, and a slightly protruding mouth.

"Commander Han, this is Xiaoming Sect of the Ding Songyan." Peng Jushan bowed to the man in the courtyard.

Commander Han? Ding Songyan recognized the person in front of him immediately by combining his physical characteristics:

Han Shun, one of the four trusted confidants of Prince Kang (Hong Jingyuan) and commander of the guards, practiced the "Golden Fort Divine Skill," making him invulnerable to swords and spears, and unharmed by lightning.

The martial Martial Arts skills of the Martial Grandmaster cultivated by the Prince's Residence's Mansion can be divided into three categories: the first is the "Golden Fortress Divine Art" which focuses more on personal skills; the second is the "Accumulated Waters Divine Art" which comes from the army; and the third is the family martial arts passed down by the Hong family Zhen Family Disciple. For example, Han Shun followed Hong Jingyuan when he was first granted the title of Prince Kang. It took him fourteen years to gradually progress from the Initial Realm perfection to the Perfected Law Realm.

After Ding Songyan greetings, Han Shun nodded slightly and said:

"Thank you for your trouble, Erlang."

He was very polite.

As the commander of the guards, he was well aware of the affairs of the Xiaoming Sect. He knew that Ding Songyan and Miss Zheng Zhuxi Miss Zheng a close relationship and were very likely to get married. Miss Zheng's father was Zheng Ziming, the former Chancellor of the Menxia- Ordinary and the Prince's maternal uncle!

Considering the distance between them, Second Brother Ding and the Prince might become family in the future, so they must be treated with respect.

However, this Second Brother Ding is a womanizer by nature, fond of flirting. He hasn't been at the Prince's Residence for long, and he's already having an affair with Twelfth Madam Luo from the Back Street, without any regard for others. The Miss Zheng I remember is cheerful, enthusiastic, public-spirited, upright, and polite. How could she be interested in someone like him? Han Shun was completely puzzled. As he led Ding Songyan into the West Wing Room of the courtyard, he smiled slightly and said:

"Erlang, you only need to ask me what I'm told to ask later, and afterwards you can't tell anyone about today's events unless you get permission from the Prince's Residence's Mansion. Can you do that?"

"Our Xiaoming Sect has always kept its word, Commander Han, please rest assured." Ding Songyan nodded, indicating that he could do it.

He realized that the matter to be inquired about during the Spirit Walking Through the Netherworld would obviously involve confidential information, which was why the Prince's Residence had not invited anyone else.

If it weren't for the Xiaoming Sect's outstanding reputation, Commander Han might have had to come up with another plan.

West Wing Room, there was a corpse covered with a white cloth. Ding Songyan, who had already opened his Yin Eye, saw a ghost lingering nearby.

The ghost also practiced the "Golden Fortress Divine Art." Its features were quite handsome, but they were twisted, its face full of pain, and there were hideous blood-red cracks and coarse black hemp threads on its head and neck.

Ding Songyan did not recognize the man, but guessed that he must be one of the staff members in the Prince's Residence responsible for doing the dirty and wet work.

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Ding Songyan described the scene he had witnessed, and Han Shun nodded in agreement:

It was him.

"Ask first, 'Was the mission leaked? Did you do it?'"

Under the "Demon-Subduing and Evil-Repelling," the Yin Soul was trembling all over, its fear outweighing its pain, clearly indicating that it had not reached the Law Realm.

Ding Songyan moved the Qingmengmeng "Seed" to his throat and emitted a sinister, cold voice.

The Yin Soul nodded quickly and said:

"Yes."

What a Traitor! I wonder what mission he ruined... Uh, could the death of the Fire-Stealing Sect leader be related to this? One after the other, they've come in quick succession. Unless it's a coincidence, it could really be the same thing... Ding Songyan turned to look at Han Shun.

Upon hearing the ghost's reply, Han Shun did not show any indignation. He pondered for a moment and said:

"Which faction did you inform?"

Ding Songyan quoted verbatim without making any changes.

The Yin Soul, now much thinner, answered tremblingly:

"Yellow Heaven Path has been informed."

Yellow Heaven Path? One of the Upper Nine Paths of the Twenty-One Paths of Evil Demons... This, this Flame Capital is truly a gathering of heroes, no, a chaotic dance of demons... Ding Songyan felt his scalp tingle for Emperor Jianwu and Prince Kang.

The Yellow Heaven Path originates from Chiyou Chiyou, who is the master of war, the extreme of ferocity, the master of metal, the pioneer of courage and determination, and the opposite of heaven and earth.

Of the Twenty-One Paths of Evil Demons, Upper Nine Paths, and two of them are descendants of Chiyou, demonstrating the terror of this ancient ferocious god.

Han Shun unconsciously frowned:

Why did you betray the Prince's Residence and join the Yellow Heaven Path?

Yellow Heaven Path and his ilk are all born rebellious.

Ding Songyan dutifully played the role of interpreter, relaying Commander Han's question to the ghost.

The Yin Soul trembled as it spoke:

Four months ago, I made a stupid mistake and messed up a job. Yellow Heaven Path seized on this and threatened me to pass on messages for them. In return, they would help me make up for my mistake and help me gain merit.

"I originally intended to play along and only give them some superficial information, but somehow I let it slip and said things I shouldn't have."

Did I make a stupid mistake? Somehow I let it slip... Ding Songyan instinctively, looking at Han Shun and carefully saying:

"Commander Han, that answer sounds familiar. May I ask him, 'Have you ever considered asking for help or trying to salvage the situation, but always forgot the crucial thing?'"

Could it be that he betrayed the Prince's Residence because he was Heavenly Heart Imprint?

Unfortunately, this person is already dead, and the Heavenly Heart Imprint cannot be detected by using "Candle Eyes and Star Pupils" to see Yin Soul...

Han Shun thought for a few moments and said:

"Ask away."

Ding Songyan immediately inquired about the ghost.

The Yin Soul shook its head like a rattle drum.

"No."

No... it's not the Heavenly Heart Imprint? Hmm, there's another possibility for making a foolish mistake... Ding Songyan to Han Shun:

"Making a foolish mistake is often associated with ' Sage-Slaying and Wisdom-Abandoning,' and I'd like to ask about that."

Han Shun had a similar thought and gave Ding Songyan an appreciative look:

"You can ask further questions."

He discovered that although Second Brother Ding was naturally a womanizer, he was also tactful, intelligent, perceptive, and easy to get along with.

Ding Songyan considered for a moment and said:

"When you met with Yellow Heaven Path Members, were there any other people present, or were there any people you found particularly odd?"

The lingering Yin Soul continued to dissipate, fading so faintly that it seemed poised to disintegrate at any moment.

"Yes, there was a woman wearing Black Gauze Veil Hat; she was just listening and didn't say a word."

Black Gauze Veil Hat, a woman... oh dear, could it be my stepmother? Is she practicing the "Sage-Slaying and Wisdom-Abandoning Scripture"? Ding Songyan's thoughts raced, and he asked in a deep voice:

"When you made that stupid mistake and messed up the job, did you see a similar figure?"

The Yin Soul fell into deep thought, and after a long while, it said:

Yes, I have seen it!

His voice betrayed an unspeakable terror.

"It seems that the Sage-Slaying Path is cooperating with the Yellow Heaven Path," Ding Songyan said to Han Shun in a heavy tone.

Is Yellow Heaven Path connected to the Path of Accumulated Evil Path and the Returning Ruins Sect? Is Demoness Ji's reluctance to reveal her identity and commit murder due to fear of Yellow Heaven Path's misunderstanding?

The reputation of the Sage-Slaying Path is such that it can sit at the same table as the Accumulated Evil Path; it is indeed impossible for them to do anything that could lead to misunderstandings.

Han Shun's expression was much more serious than before.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard the Yin Soul let out a shrill scream, and then there was no more sound.

Ding Songyan looked guilty.

"Commander Han, my Spirit Walking Through the Netherworld harms ghosts. This Yin Soul could not withstand it and vanished."

"It's alright, I already knew about this from the Martial Prohibition Bureau." Han Shun slowly exhaled, neither blaming Ding Songyan nor expressing regret or pity.

He paced back and forth a couple of steps and then said:

"Yellow Heaven Path and Sage-Slaying Path seem to be cooperating. I need to report this to the Prince as soon as possible. Erlang, thanks to your Spirit Walking Through the Netherworld, I will report your merit to the Prince. You should go back and rest now."

Without asking any questions, Ding Songyan left the West Wing Room and followed Peng Jushan back to the area he was familiar with.

Steward Peng, he walked away while pondering what had just happened:

"Commander Han has been trying to prevent me from finding out what the mission is about..."

"That's normal. It involves the secrets of the Prince's Residence. Even a well-known collaborator like Xiaoming Sect can't disclose that information..."

"Damn it, Yellow Heaven Path and Sage-Slaying Path probably already know, what else can't we know?"

"If all else fails, I'll ask my dear Little Sister. But Little Sister's never ambiguous about important matters and never shows favoritism. Before, I was the one who got information from her, and she only told me things that weren't important to her... I... I won't be influenced by ' Sage-Slaying and Wisdom-Abandoning, ' will I?"

"Commander Han didn't ask what information had been leaked, which is crucial and should have been one of the first three questions. He clearly knew that my Spirit Walking Through the Netherworld would cause ghosts to completely perish..."

"He knew very well that the deceased only possessed partial information, not the most crucial and core secrets, which is why he wasn't in such a hurry?"

What exactly is the Prince's Residence secretly doing? Is it related to His Majesty's hidden motives in Consort Selection?

"This pool is really deep, luckily I came a few months in advance..."

"Wait a minute, the leader of the Fire-Stealing Sect could ' Stealing Flint Fire and Controlling a Hundred Flames.' If his death is related to this, does it mean that some link or key part involved 'fire'?"

"Fire"... The Hong family cultivates the "Fire God Scripture" and "Yinghuo" passed down by Zhurong, the former also being related to "fire"...

Is there some kind of connection between these?

After walking around a rockery and two ponds, Ding Songyan suddenly realized something:

"The reason Commander Han asked me to Spirit Walking Through the Netherworld is probably because he values my ability to make ghosts disappear along the way, and this is something he can't control!"

"He's silencing them, silencing the Yin Soul of the dead!"

"No wonder he showed no regret or pity when he heard that the target had been annihilated; instead, he seemed relieved."

After roughly understanding the reason, Ding Songyan put his hands behind his back and leisurely enjoyed the scenery along the way.

Since he had noticed something amiss, and Han Shun had no special techniques or higher levels of self-defense, there was no way he could keep the secret.

Whether they met in dreams or shared their innermost thoughts, he was always able to be completely honest with Commander Han.

However, we can't rush this. This is the time when Han Shun is most vigilant, and it's easy for any abnormalities to be detected. It will be a good opportunity to communicate once the other party feels that there will be no more complications.

P. S.: Requesting double Monthly Tickets at the end of the month!