As Yun Qing thought back on all this, she remembered how utterly heartbroken she had been.
Qian Yao had been unable to stand it and rolled up her sleeves, ready to stand up for her.
Then...
A certain someone had looked Qian Yao up and down.
"Happy-Go-Lucky Kid, Troubled Girl, kids should stay out of grown-ups' business!"
Remembering how Qian Yao had looked then, indignant but at a loss for a comeback...
"Pfft!"
Yun Qing couldn't help laughing.
Come to think of it, someone really was a bit nasty. No wonder Qian Yao has always wanted to get him back!
Hmph, someone calls others Happy-Go-Lucky Kid, but he's no better. He acted all grown-up when he was little, then played the innocent, clueless straight guy once he grew up. And... and... 'We're too close to take our pants off'...
A blush spread over her lovely face, and a strange, mischievous glint shone in her limpid eyes.
You called Qian Yao Happy-Go-Lucky Kid, but what on earth goes through your own head every day?
Hmph, so you've finally been dumped!
Her expression grew a little wistful.
You back then, me back then, Qian Yao back then, and Zhou Linlin back then... we were all so young and naive. So much has happened before we even knew it. You suffered a sudden upheaval, Zhou Linlin showed her true colors, and I came into contact with the unknown...
"Junior Sister Yun Qing, Master wants to see you!"
"All right, I'll be right there!"
She picked up her phone, thought for a moment, and decided not to reply to Qian Yao.
That little imp loved stirring up trouble.
She tapped a certain someone's profile picture.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then she locked her phone back in the cabinet.
Master had said that their souls and flesh possessed a certain additional quality as Underworld Walkers, allowing their souls to leave their bodies without immediately dissipating. Even so, they had to keep their emotions and will as steady as possible, maintaining a calm, detached state of mind.
Moreover, bustling cities were filled with electromagnetic signals, fluctuations, and radiation, which could easily injure immature souls outside their bodies. That was why they had chosen this tranquil place for secluded cultivation.
Although the world had now changed, the Netherworld had truly appeared, and the rules had shifted, allowing them to grow stronger through gradual cultivation, they still could not walk safely through reality as souls. Their souls could, however, move about in a certain shadowy, ethereal realm.
At last, their abilities had a use, unlike before, when her master had possessed the means to slay dragons but had no dragons to slay.
Regret surfaced on her face.
But... but in the world as it was now, once she embarked on this path, she was destined never to have a peaceful life.
She was destined to become endlessly entangled with countless uncanny people and affairs.
Just like now.
Her master had summoned her.
She had a fair idea what it was about.
Since ancient times, even those who withdrew from the mundane world had needed offerings from it.
Now that her master's abilities could be put to use, she naturally had to repay those karmic debts.
How could I drag anyone else into this? Knowing nothing is a kind of happiness, too. Even finding out a little later means less anxiety and despair for ordinary people!
In the main hall of the Cloudflower Nunnery.
Yun Qing surveyed the people inside the hall.
She nodded to a nun in her fifties standing in the middle. "Master!"
"Benefactors, this is my lay disciple. I am Xuanhui, and she will accompany me into the Netherworld shortly to search for the soul of our faithful lay devotee, Lay Buddhist Li. With master and disciple supporting one another, we should be able to travel through the Netherworld. But you must make other preparations as well. The Netherworld is not as we imagined it. This old nun has only glimpsed it briefly and has not dared venture deeper. We may not be able to find him."
With that, she looked at her disciple.
"Yun Qing, are you afraid?"
Yun Qing lowered her eyes, remaining composed.
"Master, I've long since prepared myself. We were born different, and our auras readily attract the Netherworld. We cannot escape it!"
The people inside the main hall...
Aside from a few other nuns, there were men and women alike.
When they saw this laywoman named Yun Qing...
Every one of their eyes lit up.
She wore plain robes and had a tall, graceful figure. Her fair face was as fine as white jade, her features dignified and beautiful, and her eyes as dark as lacquer. Despite her composed demeanor, there was nothing frail about her. Instead, she radiated spirited vigor and an inexplicable vitality.
A jet-black braid hung down to her waist. Simple as it was, it gave her a fresh, neat appearance, making it easy to imagine how captivating her dark hair would be if she let it fall loose.
Even her loose robes could not conceal her full figure. As she stood there, the fabric rested against her body, faintly outlining her curves.
Had these people not been so grief-stricken and indignant, the men among them would have been unable to resist striking up a conversation.
What a radiant young beauty she was, gentle and poised, yet sensual and full of life.
But the hall was solemn and heavy with grief, so no frivolous young men approached to pester her.
Besides, they had vaguely heard that this beautiful disciple of the Cloudflower Nunnery had powerful connections and extraordinary abilities of her own. She was not someone to treat lightly.
One of the people leading the group pressed his palms together.
"Master, and young lady, we're counting on you."
His expression was sorrowful.
"My father was a kind man. He always treated others well and held both gods and Buddhas, as well as his fellow man, in reverence. Yet someone brutally murdered him. The police still haven't found any leads. Please, Master, may you and your disciple find my father's soul, learn the truth, and identify his killer!"
The others spoke up as well.
"Yes, please show compassion, Master. You must secure justice for my father!"
"My grandfather never once stopped paying homage to the Buddha..."
"Those police are all useless. They haven't found a single clue. Master, you're our only hope."
Xuanhui, the abbess of the Cloudflower Nunnery, nodded.
She also acknowledged the two police officers in the corner, whose awkward expressions were mixed with curiosity and skepticism.
Only then did she look at her disciple.
"Yun Qing, the Buddha said, 'If I do not enter hell, who will?' This journey carries considerable risks. Even I have only lingered there briefly. All I know is that sinister winds rage there, eating into the bones and searing the heart. It is vast and desolate, and ghostly beasts roam it. If you have any doubts, you need not accompany me!"
Afraid of hurting her disciple's pride, she added,
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future!"
Yun Qing shook her head and smiled faintly.
"Master, this is not something we can escape. Perhaps I'll be stronger in the future, but the Netherworld will also be even more mysterious and treacherous. This is the tide of the times. Of course, Yun Qing must go with you, so we can support one another."
"As for the risks, we need only do our utmost and leave the rest to heaven!"
After a moment of silence, a flicker of hesitation crossed her face.
"Master, please wait a moment."
Without paying any mind to the others' confusion, she turned away.
She hurried back to her room.
Once again, she took her phone out of the locked cabinet.
She opened a certain contact.
"I heard about what happened. Please take care of yourself. Also, the world is changing. You need to protect yourself and stay away from rumors of strange, uncanny things as much as possible!"
She sent the message.
Then she hesitated again.
"And... that woman didn't appreciate you. She's not worth being heartbroken over... um, if Qian Yao said anything unpleasant, don't take it to heart. Hehe, you said it yourself: Happy-Go-Lucky Kids have all the fun!"
She put her phone down again.
Yun Qing let out a breath.
At the same time, a certain curiosity and yearning shone in her eyes.
What exactly is the Netherworld like?
The changes in this world are frightening, yet they also give me something to look forward to!
Inside the main hall.
Incense burned steadily.
Its fragrance and smoke filled the air.
Abbess Xuanhui and Yun Qing sat cross-legged.
The other nuns formed a circle around them, guarding their bodies.
The others watched with astonishment and uncertainty.
Suddenly...
Everyone instinctively rubbed their eyes.
It felt as though they were hallucinating. Two spectral figures seemed to rise from the two women's bodies.
They nodded to the gathered people.
Then everyone in the hall suddenly felt cold, as though an icy vortex had appeared. The two faint figures did not resist. Holding hands, they were drawn into it.
Then everything returned to normal.
Everyone felt dazed.
When they looked again, Abbess Xuanhui and the young woman were still sitting where they had been, breathing normally and brimming with life. They had merely fallen into some kind of deep sleep.
After a while...
Only then did the devotee leading the group speak with a sigh.
Even his sorrow could not conceal his shock.
"It's just as an old friend secretly told me. The world has changed. The living die, souls appear; souls appear, into the Netherworld they fall!"
"To think such extraordinary people truly exist in this world. I only came to give it a try, but the Cloudflower Nunnery really is remarkable!"
The two police officers were also stunned.
They looked at one another.
"Was that real, or some kind of mass hallucination?"