Chapter 320: The Divine Tomb of the Underground Palace (7)
After the initial show of force, the villagers clearly began to fear Yan Shixun’s potential brutality. Compared to their earlier stubborn resistance, they had now become unbelievably obedient.
Yan Shixun had just returned from the battlefield of the old Fengdu, and the murderous intent on him hadn’t yet dissipated. Even fierce ghosts fled at his presence—so what chance did these villagers have?
Once they offered to host Yan Shixun and the others, the villagers rushed back to their homes, terrified that if they angered him even slightly, he might do something to them.
Yan Shixun let out a cold laugh, not the least bit concerned that they might try something behind his back.
Every single villager present was no match for him. Even if a real confrontation broke out, he wouldn’t be afraid in the slightest. In fact, by intimidating them now, he was saving them—he simply didn’t want to resort to violence.
Even those few young and strong men he had injured badly earlier fled quickly with the help of their families, not even daring to meet Yan Shixun’s gaze.
Soon, the entrance of the village was left in total disarray, not a single villager in sight.
The scene left the guests in the car dumbfounded. The tense atmosphere in the vehicle was suffocating, yet at the same time, they were excited—so much so that they were rubbing their hands in glee.
The first thing Yan Shixun did upon getting back into the car was march straight to Ye Li. His first words were, “Was it you?”
Ye Li immediately put on a look of wounded grievance. His usually sharp eyes and brows drooped as he stared at Yan Shixun in disbelief, clearly hurt by the idea that Yan Shixun didn’t trust him.
Perhaps because Ye Li was usually so cold and expressionless, this sudden display of vulnerability felt especially convincing. Yan Shixun instantly understood what he was feeling—and even found himself moved by it.
There was something especially poignant about seeing a cold, detached person showing fragility.
Yan Shixun blinked rapidly, and to his own surprise, a trace of guilt stirred in his heart.
Although Ye Li hadn’t said a single word yet, Yan Shixun’s emotions had already betrayed his reason. His heart had chosen to believe him.
But he quickly suppressed that flicker of emotion and asked Ye Li seriously, “If it wasn’t you, then who else could travel a thousand miles in a day?”
“From the moment we left the southwest until now, only three hours have passed. Yet here we are, eight hundred kilometers away in northern Jiangbei. And it’s already five in the evening.”
Yan Shixun continued calmly, “Don’t tell me that’s normal.”
Ye Li didn’t respond. But when Yan Shixun said only he could pull off something like that, Ye Li’s eyes subtly shifted to the side—as if by accident—glancing at the general.
Yan Shixun noticed Ye Li’s gaze and followed it.
Then he paused, suddenly realizing—Ye Li wasn’t the only one.
The general who shared the same body but different consciousness with Ye Li could do it too.
“Shixun, you can always trust me. No matter what anyone else does, I will never go against your will.”
Ye Li enunciated each word seriously, “I want to become one with you. How could I ever betray you?”
Although Ye Li’s attitude was sincere, the way he hurried to confess his true feelings after accidentally revealing the presence of the general made it all too obvious. His scheming mind was practically written all over his face.
The King of Hell, watching from the sidelines: ………
Tsk, where’s that overwhelming smell of tea coming from?
The King of Hell stared blankly at Ye Li and the general, feeling that these two were starting to become quite different from how he remembered them. Why did both turn into such manipulative charmers the moment they were in front of Yan Shixun?
Was this what they meant by “if you can’t beat them, join them”? After seeing the general’s green tea tactics work, Ye Li had now embarked on the green tea path himself?
He even began to doubt—did the Great Dao know about this?
Did it know that the Lord of Fengdu, in whom it had placed such high hopes, was about to become the Lord of Tealand?
But just as Yan Shixun’s favor seemed to be tipping toward Ye Li, the general finally looked up and gave Yan Shixun an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, Shixun.”
The general spoke softly, “I didn’t expect things to turn out like this. I just didn’t want to see you disappointed or troubled. When you said you wanted to save Lu Xingxing, your wish became my obsession. That’s why, guided by fate, we ended up here.”
No one could be more unwavering or resolute in their obsession than the general.
A thousand years ago, his obsession had driven him to launch a long-distance assault on Fengdu, where he killed the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor to seek justice for the dead civilians.
Now, his obsession was fulfilling Yan Shixun’s wish.
Even if he himself hadn’t realized what the right answer was supposed to be.
When the general spoke, his calm expression carried a hint of guilt, as though he felt sorry that his good intentions had caused trouble for Yan Shixun.
Yan Shixun was taken aback, and recalled how, when Lu Xingxing had been seriously injured before, he had briefly considered using the power of ghost deities to save him.
But for that to happen, the most crucial premise was that Ye Li would need to retrieve his old corpse and become part of the Great Dao.
So, in that case, was the general trying to help him? Was that why they had unknowingly ended up in Jiangbei?
If so, then the remains of the soldiers from the Battle of Ye City might be somewhere nearby.
Yan Shixun’s expression softened, and a faint smile even formed on his lips. He gave a gentle nod to the general and said, “You don’t need to apologize. In fact, I should be the one thanking you.”
If his initial trust in the general was only because of Ye Li, mixed with a bit of caution, then now, Yan Shixun was more willing to truly believe in the general.
Because of this silent, unseen preparation.
The general met Yan Shixun’s gaze directly and smiled warmly.
Meanwhile, Ye Li: “…………”
That guy’s smile was such an eyesore! Might as well find a quiet place and take him out!!!
The King of Hell: “Ah…”
He gave Ye Li a complicated look, then turned to glance at the general. Only one thought crossed his mind—a worthy opponent.
Two hands from the same body fighting each other—how could you even tell who was winning?
One moment, Ye Li’s green tea maneuver had gained the upper hand, but the next, the general smoothly reclaimed the lead and even left a good impression on Yan Shixun’s heart.
The King of Hell fanned himself and slowly shook his head, tsk-tsk, as he turned to walk away. He had no interest in getting involved in the battle between these two.
When Fengdu fights, it’s the King of Hell who suffers…
Better to leave it to Yan Shixun. That Evil Spirit Bone Transformation, who didn’t seem to grasp the nuances of emotion, was unexpectedly effective at keeping things like this in check.
And the King of Hell was right—Yan Shixun didn’t notice the subtle undercurrents or sharp rivalry between Ye Li and the general at all.
His attention had already been drawn away by the new information the general revealed.
Although he had indeed been hesitant before—partly because he wasn’t sure Ye Li would be willing to retrieve his corpse and become one with the Great Dao, and partly because no one knew where the body even was—things were different now.
The general had not only led them here and narrowed down the area to this vicinity, but had also clearly expressed his willingness to help save Lu Xingxing.
This made Yan Shixun start seriously reconsidering the feasibility of the idea.
“There’s not much signal in this area. If we want to contact the rescue team, we’ll probably have to climb up the mountain,”
Yan Shixun said helplessly. “There’s still a lot of cleanup to do at Baizhi Lake. I’m guessing the officials in charge over there are so swamped, they won’t even notice for a while that we’ve gone off course.”
Although Yan Shixun knew he would need to contact the rescue team, he wasn’t in a rush.
Ever since the general had personally confirmed that this was very likely the burial site from back then, Yan Shixun had immediately changed his plans and decided to delay the rescue team’s arrival.
After all, no one knew the real situation of the burial site. Not even Ye Li knew what had happened on the battlefield after he left.
Ghost deities could see everything in the world—except themselves.
Let alone something as significant as their own remains.
Yan Shixun worried that once the rescue team arrived, they might get caught up in the situation here. The safest course of action was for him to investigate first, eliminate any dangers, and only then hand things over to the rescue team.
With that in mind, he rubbed his temples and casually said to the King of Hell beside him, “You and Ye Li stay in the village with the others for now. I’ll go up the mountain with that person to check things out.”
“Looks like we’ll have to spend the night here. It’s already past five o’clock—leaving now wouldn’t be a wise move.”
Yan Shixun let out a helpless sigh and said to the guests, “I know you’re all eager to go home, but bear with it for tonight.”
The King of Hell nodded in agreement with Yan Shixun’s plan and raised no objections.
Only Ye Li’s expression shifted slightly and didn’t look too good.
After everything they’d experienced, the guests now had a clear understanding of their environment.
They hadn’t signed up for a travel reality show—it was more like a survival show.
Given that, wasn’t it normal to suffer a bit and get tired?
There was nothing scarier than being trapped in an abandoned village with no way out. After what happened at Baizhi Lake, the guests had let go of all their previous fears.
An Nanyuan even felt that sleeping in a morgue wouldn’t be all that terrifying now.
…Of course, he was just saying that—he didn’t actually want to.
What worried the guests more, though, was the look on Yan Shixun’s face.
“Brother Yan, are you okay?”
Bai Shuang asked with concern, “You look exhausted.”
Yan Shixun was well aware that he wasn’t in great shape. After all, he had just been through what happened in Old Fengdu. If it were anyone else, they would have already collapsed.
Even for Yan Shixun, he was only holding on by sheer willpower, wanting to deal with the matter at hand as quickly as possible to avoid any unexpected complications if things dragged out.
Every extra minute spent also meant more danger for Lu Xingxing.
Only when everything was settled could he finally relax.
Yan Shixun merely nodded at Bai Shuang and offered a few words of comfort: “Don’t worry. I know my limits.”
“Let’s go. You can’t sleep in the car. Winters in Jiangbei are much colder than in Binhai City. Spend a night outside and by morning, you can go straight to the King of Hell to demand compensation.”
Smiling, Yan Shixun pushed the car door open and motioned for everyone to get out and head into the village. “I’ll take care of the food and lodging. You guys just pack up the essentials and come along.”
“Oh, right.”
He had just turned around when he suddenly seemed to remember something. Turning back to face them, he winked and placed a long finger against his lips in a “shh” gesture.
“Don’t let those people find out our real identities, got it? You all know how to act the part, right?”
It took the guests a beat to catch on to what he meant, but once they did, no one was more excited than Song Ci.
The young master nodded eagerly, his delicate little face flushed with excitement. “Don’t worry, Brother Yan. I watched a ton of Hong Kong movies when I was a kid—I’ve got this!”
Zhao Zhen: “…Pfft.”
The young master glared fiercely at Zhao Zhen, clearly dissatisfied. “What? You don’t think I can pull it off?”
“No, no, I have complete faith in you, young master.”
Zhao Zhen shook his head and smiled. Then he grabbed his backpack and rummaged through it for a while before actually pulling out a few temporary tattoo stickers.
An Nanyuan looked on in amazement. “You even carry those around?”
As he spoke, he leaned over to peek into Zhao Zhen’s backpack.
To his surprise, there weren’t just tattoo stickers, but also sunglasses, gold chains, calligraphy brushes, gold-rimmed glasses…
An Nanyuan was stunned. “Dude, is this a treasure chest or a backpack?”
Zhao Zhen, unfazed, handed a pair of sunglasses and a gold chain to the curious Song Ci and said matter-of-factly, “You wouldn’t be surprised if a repairman carried tools, right? Well, I’m an actor. Isn’t it totally reasonable for me to carry this stuff?”
An Nanyuan: “…You’re a little too dedicated, bro.”
Still, the guests’ tension quickly melted away thanks to the little comedy routine between Yan Shixun and Zhao Zhen.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement over the idea of having to “play a part,” treating it like they’d just received royal permission to show off. Giggling and joking, they all began digging through their backpacks for anything they could use to change their appearance.
Aside from Song Ci, everyone was from the entertainment industry. They were long accustomed to switching up their looks and weren’t new to the business. It didn’t take much for them to get into the spirit.
Even Song Ci, who’d seen plenty of actors before, got into the mood. With Zhao Zhen’s props and a bit of imagination, he quickly transformed his image with enthusiasm.
The variety show celebrity even pulled out a tight, black, short-sleeved shirt. When he shook it open, the giant tiger head printed on the front made everyone burst into laughter.
“That’s so on point, man!”
An Nanyuan laughed so hard he slapped the back of the chair. “With your build and that shirt, you look like a full-on gangster!”
“Right?”
The variety show celeb sighed dramatically. “I saw some pretty boy wearing this on another show and thought it looked great, so I bought one too. But guess what…”
“They looked like a stylish street punk. Me? I looked like I was squatting by a wall waiting for the cops.”
As he spoke, he went to the back of the van to change. When he came out again, everyone doubled over in laughter. Bai Shuang laughed so hard her eyes teared up. She shook from laughing as she wiped her tears.
The variety show celebrity nodded in self-awareness. “I get it. Looks like I win this round.”
His comment instantly sparked the competitive spirit in everyone.
“Please! I haven’t even changed yet—how do you know you’ve won?”
“As a musician, I refuse to lose!”
“Hurry, Zhao Zhen! Lend me that gold chain! And the tattoo stickers too! How do you use these things?”
Even Zhao Zhen jumped into the fray, smiling meaningfully at the variety star. “Back when I was doing bit parts, I played all kinds of gangster bosses—and plenty of corpses too. I’m very experienced.”
Variety show celebrity: “…Kid, chill with the competitiveness. You’re acting like being an extra is a major flex.”
Yan Shixun hadn’t expected everyone to get this fired up. An Nanyuan simply shrugged and laughed, “Wasn’t my intention either, but Brother Yan, you said we were going to pretend to be badass. That’s just too cool!”
“Which kid hasn’t dreamed of a cool, dramatic makeover?”
An Nanyuan giggled. “My fifth-grade dream is finally coming true—thanks, Brother Yan!”
Yan Shixun was both amused and exasperated. “Do your fans know you’re like this?”
Even though he didn’t follow the entertainment industry, he knew most celebs cared a lot about their image. But An Nanyuan’s childlike excitement gave him a whole new perspective on how childish these people could be.
For a while, the van turned into a dressing room. Some changed clothes, others applied tattoos. They even made a DIY hair gel using water and makeup, then carefully styled their hair in the mirror.
Bai Shuang painted on bold red lips and tied her hair into a high ponytail.
With sunglasses on and a leather jacket, she genuinely looked like a tough gang leader.
Seeing Yan Shixun’s surprised expression, Bai Shuang beamed proudly. “I used a similar look in one of my old music videos—this is nothing for me.”
An Nanyuan’s voice rang out from the back, refusing to be outdone. “Don’t get cocky, Bai Shuang! You’re not the only one who’s played a role like that. I’ve danced similar styles on stage!”
So, when the group finally got off the van, there was no trace left of their tired and obedient selves.
Instead, they looked like they were decked out with sunglasses, tattoos, and gold chains—definitely not people to be messed with.
Song Ci had a lollipop stick in his mouth, pretending it was a cigarette. When he tilted his head and looked down at others with that arrogant, indifferent gaze, he really pulled off the vibe.
The variety show celebrity, already a bit chubby, wore the tiger-head shirt so tight that his belly made the tiger head look three-dimensional—perfectly fitting for a thug-like enforcer.
Everyone else held their own, refusing to be overshadowed.
When they got out of the vehicle, the driver regretted not bringing along the massive speakers he used to haul around in his younger days—if he had, he would’ve definitely played the theme song “Superstar in Troubled Times” as background music for the guests.
Only Yan Shixun remained standing on the car, staring speechlessly at the group who looked as excited as a pack of huskies finally let out for a walk: “…………”
Wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night—were they pretending to be fortune tellers? Should he draw up a few talismans on the spot to match their ‘aesthetic’? :)
He suddenly felt that he should never have said that sentence.
But just then, An Nanyuan turned around and saw Yan Shixun was still in the car. His eyes lit up as he walked over with a grin, bowed deeply, and shouted, “Brother Yan!”
Yan Shixun, “You’ve definitely got something wrong in the head…”
Before he could finish, the rest of the group followed An Nanyuan’s lead, crowding around and shouting together, “Brother Yan!”
Yan Shixun: “……”
Sure, they usually called him that anyway, but dressed like this, in a setting like this… it just felt bizarre, like the authorities might show up any second to arrest them.
A sharp clang! suddenly shattered the scene.
Still standing on the vehicle, Yan Shixun lifted his eyes to look and saw a young villager standing not far away.
The farm tool in the man’s hand had slipped to the ground. The anger on his face hadn’t fully faded before it was immediately replaced by terror, freezing his features in place.
He stared wide-eyed at the group climbing down from the vehicle—all of them looking suspicious at best. His knees began to tremble uncontrollably in fright.
Especially the one they called “Big Brother”—wasn’t that the guy who had practically beaten up half the village not long ago?
The man stood tall in a black coat, calm and composed as he faced the respectful greetings from his group, clearly used to this kind of treatment. And just from their grinning faces, it was obvious how devoted the others were to him.
The young man recalled the street-market pulp novels and old crime films he’d seen before. Suddenly, countless assumptions about Yan Shixun’s identity filled his head, and he scared himself so much that his vision started to go black.
He had originally stormed over out of indignation, but now he had no fight left in him at all. Trembling, he said to Yan Shixun, “B-Big Brother, the house in the village is pretty much cleaned up. Would you… would you like to take a look?”
Yan Shixun’s expression was complicated. I was aiming to distract them a little… but I didn’t expect it to work this well. Do I really look that terrifying? If I said I was just an ordinary guy, would anyone even believe me?
Still, he didn’t let any emotion show on his face. He simply nodded slightly at the young man and said calmly, “No need for all that.”
“Didn’t you say there was a guy in your village who went off to patch a tire?”
Yan Shixun let out a cold laugh. “Since he’s the reason I got stuck here today and couldn’t leave, then tonight we’ll just sleep at his place.”
The young man didn’t dare ask any more questions. He quickly agreed and turned to run.
Besides, the guy fixing tires lived outside the village, pretty far away from the rest of them. If these people stayed over there, the young man figured he’d feel a bit safer.
But just as he took his first step, Yan Shixun stopped him. “Hold up.”
Yan Shixun pulled out the thick wad of cash the villagers had stuffed into his hands earlier and slowly slapped it into his palm, right in front of the young man’s eyes. The guy’s gaze instantly locked onto it, his eyes filled with barely concealed greed.
“Prepare bedding and food. Who knows, if I’m in a good mood, I might even throw around some cash.”
In a soft but clear voice, Yan Shixun asked, “Got it?”
“Got it, got it, got it! Don’t worry, there won’t be any slip-ups!”
This time, the young man was so enthusiastic he treated Yan Shixun like his own father.
No—he never treated his real father this well.
It had hurt to fork over the money in the first place, but now there was a chance to earn some of it back. Who could resist that kind of temptation?
Especially not these greedy villagers.
The young man quickly led them to a house located outside the village. After happily telling them to wait a bit, he dashed back to the village, eager to spread the word and get everyone to bring out their best food in preparation.
Meanwhile, the guests quietly cheered among themselves, exchanging high-fives and practically bursting with excitement.
“Yay!”
“Didn’t expect I’d actually look the part—haha!”
“Actually, I played the role best, didn’t I? Didn’t I?”
In the midst of all the laughter and celebration, only Yan Shixun felt completely numb.
Do we really need to keep pretending this much…?
Yan Shixun quickly snapped out of his thoughts and said to the general, “Let’s go, up the mountain.”
But as the general passed by Ye Li, Ye Li suddenly grabbed his shoulder. “You can’t go.”
Yan Shixun looked at Ye Li in confusion.
Ye Li hesitated for a moment, then clenched his jaw and said through gritted teeth, “He’s not suitable.”
The general smiled calmly. “These are my own remains. Who could be more suitable than me?”
Yan Shixun nodded in agreement. “He should have the deepest connection to the burial ground, right?”
If they were looking for a corpse, who could do it better than the person himself? Asking someone else to do it would make no sense.
Ye Li: “…”
But his gaze drifted to the King of Hell beside him. He immediately pointed and said, “He used to do this kind of work. Let him go—he’s the most suitable.”
The King of Hell, who had just been smiling and watching the guests celebrate: “?”
Yan Shixun turned to the King of Hell and thought it over. Actually, it did make sense.
After all, the Underworld had always specialized in this kind of work. It was a perfect match.
So he nodded and said casually, “Then you two stay here. I’ll go up the mountain with the King of Hell.”
Just a second ago, the King of Hell had been excluded, standing on the sidelines like a bystander—now suddenly, he got handed a pie from the sky.
The King of Hell: Pfft.
The general slowly turned his head, his gaze icy as it landed on Ye Li. The killing intent in his eyes was almost tangible.
But Ye Li sneered: Don’t think I don’t know your little scheme—you just want to be alone with Shixun.
The general: …And your solution is to hand the opportunity to an outsider?
The King of Hell spread his hands with a helpless look. “You two argue it out. I’m heading off with Yan Shixun.”
A gift fallen straight from heaven, without lifting a finger~
The general’s stare almost burned two holes through the King of Hell’s back. But the King of Hell had already walked beside Yan Shixun, and the two figures slowly disappeared into the darkness ahead, one in front, one behind.
The general: Tch.
Once they were out of everyone’s sight, the smile on Yan Shixun’s lips faded and he turned serious.
“What have you heard about the burial ground?”
His voice was soft but carried weight—enough that the King of Hell dared not ignore it.
The King of Hell thought for a moment, then answered sincerely, “To be honest, I don’t actually know where Ye Li’s bones are now.”
“Time changes everything. The world has shifted so much that even the rumored locations from back then have likely vanished.”
He chuckled lightly and gestured with his folding fan at the ground beneath them. “Who knows, maybe the very spot we’re standing on now is the burial ground.”
“Back then, the only one who stood up for the wronged citizens of an entire city was Ye Li.”
The King of Hell said plainly, “You can imagine how many people he must have offended.”
“Later, he rode across a thousand miles to challenge the heavens and earth, ultimately slaying the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor. Though the heavens acknowledged him, many of the exorcist sects on earth came to hate him bitterly. They believed he’d disrupted the balance of the world and might bring disaster.”
“It was from that point on that he began to harbor resentment toward the exorcists of the mortal realm.”
The King of Hell sighed softly. “In life, he protected the people. In death, the people risked their lives to collect his bones and give him a proper burial.”
The battlefield had been strewn with corpses, and the new regime didn’t allow anyone near. Their hatred for Ye Li was so deep, they wanted his cavalry to rot in the wilderness, their souls to become wandering ghosts, never to be reborn.
The people, filled with grief and urgency, waited for nightfall. Then one night, they organized everyone from the nearby villages, sneaked into the battlefield, and with tears in their eyes, quietly gathered and buried the fallen soldiers.
By dawn, everything had already been done.
Real and false rumors alike had buried the truth of the burial ground.
The locals, born and raised there, cleverly hid the remains using their deep familiarity with the terrain.
From that point on, no one had been able to find the exact spot for a thousand years.
And the stories about Ye Li slowly faded from memory, forgotten by the world.
Except for Yan Shixun, no one else had ever tried to uncover the truth of the past.
Yan Shixun listened silently to the King of Hell’s tale, and the long road up the mountain began to feel much shorter.
With Evil Spirit Bone Transformation and the King of Hell accompanying him, not even the dusk-time ghosts dared to interrupt their conversation.
The King of Hell lazily reached out to part the branches as they made their way up the mountain, walking with such ease it was as if they were out on vacation.
“Still, Yan Shixun, you really should think this through. Are you sure you want to find the burial ground?”
The King of Hell’s lashes lowered slightly, and his refined, handsome face showed a trace of contemplation. He continued, “What’s harder than finding it may be what comes after. This trip to Jiangbei wasn’t in my plans at all. Anything unexpected could happen, and it’s beyond my control.”
“There’s very little I can help you with this time.”
The King of Hell looked conflicted. After some hesitation, he finally spoke ill of the Great Dao.
“If that person wasn’t lying, and truly came to Jiangbei by fate just to fulfill your wish, then the most likely reason is that the Great Dao has intervened.”
“I’ve never trusted the Great Dao. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have risked my life to escape all those years ago, barely surviving the fall of the gods. Until the very last moment, it’s nearly impossible to understand what the Dao truly intends.”
The King of Hell gave a bitter laugh. “This feeling of losing control is unbearable—but there’s nothing that can be done about it.”
Yan Shixun came to a halt at the mountaintop. The soles of his combat boots crunched on the sandy soil, sending a few stones tumbling down the slope with soft clattering sounds.
He listened calmly to the King of Hell, eyes cast downward as he looked toward the base of the mountain.
In winter, Jiangbei’s trees were no longer lush like they were in summer. Through the gaps in the bare branches, he could clearly see the terrain below.
He had originally planned to come to the mountaintop for better cell signal to contact the rescue team, but after surveying the landscape, he discovered an abandoned village on the other side of the mountain.
The place had clearly been deserted for a very long time—far worse than the area around Baizhi Lake. Even the houses had mostly collapsed, leaving only scattered bricks and debris.
The fields, long untended, had grown over with thick weeds.
Almost all signs of human presence had been erased. Only mountain animals coming down at night to forage made the weeds in the village sway now and then.
Faint green glows appeared in the dark. From between the grass and ruins, pairs of glowing eyes lifted and stared coldly up the mountain.
Yan Shixun noticed the green lights and immediately understood. “Wolves down there?”
The King of Hell glanced down, then made a noise of confirmation. “Huh, looks like it.”
“Want to go check out the village?”
Yan Shixun shook his head. “No need. Judging by its condition, it’s probably been abandoned for over a hundred years. The architectural style and materials are all from the past. We’re short on time—we’ll skip it for now. The others are still waiting in the village.”
With that, he pulled out his phone.
After trying a few spots on the summit, he finally got a faint signal and managed to call the official in charge.
When the official saw the call, he was surprised. He thought the guests would all be passed out from exhaustion on the way back. Why was Mr. Yan calling? Surely nothing had gone wrong again?
Puzzled, he answered the call—only to hear Yan Shixun say calmly: “We’ve encountered another anomaly.”
Official: “…………”
Official: PFFFFT!!!!
He immediately spit out the water in his mouth, too flustered and annoyed to care about appearances. He shouted, “Director Zhang and his damn luck! What kind of luck is this!?”
Hearing the commotion, the King of Hell blinked innocently and said, “This time, it really wasn’t me.”
Yan Shixun, mindful of the unstable signal, didn’t explain much to the person in charge. He simply said, “We’re in Jiangbei, the exact location is unclear, probably near the area of old Ye. Around eight tomorrow morning, once the sun has fully risen, approach our location then…”
Before he could finish, there was a loud crackling of static on the phone.
Then, the signal dropped.
The official in charge: “%￥&*#!!!”
Fortunately, Yan Shixun had already relayed the general situation, so he casually put his phone away without much concern. After glancing one last time at the abandoned village on the other side, he turned to head down the mountain. “Let’s go back.”
Taking advantage of Ye Li and the general’s absence, the King of Hell, with his sleeves gathered up and a cheerful grin, spilled quite a bit of their secrets. Everything he knew, he more or less told Yan Shixun.
“I just never expected Ye Li to have that kind of side—being deeply in love with someone, even going so far as to give them his divine name.”
The King of Hell leisurely added another jab, “I also didn’t realize Ye Li had such talent for palace intrigue.”
Yan Emperor Shixun: “…Honestly, I think Ye Li occasionally wanting to hit you isn’t entirely unjustified.”
The King of Hell spread his hands indifferently. “That’s why I’ve decided—next time Ye Li plans to hit me, I’ll come hide at your place.”
As they spoke, the two returned to the village house where they were staying for the night.
The house was brightly lit inside. From a distance, the sound of laughter could be heard, and the aroma of food drifted out.
The village chief, whom they had met earlier, was pacing back and forth along the field’s edge, rubbing his hands as if waiting for Yan Shixun’s return.
The moment he saw Yan Shixun, the chief’s eyes lit up, and he rushed over with a beaming smile. He started gushing about how well-prepared the food and bedding were, swearing it would all meet their satisfaction.
Yan Shixun gave a distracted “mm” in response. Then he pointed toward the mountain and asked the village chief, “There’s another village over there. Were the people there killed by your lot?”
The village chief nearly dropped to his knees at that question. His face went pale, and he stammered, “Oh heavens! How could I dare!”
“That place isn’t a village. My grandfather said that back when he was young, that area used to be a large yizhuang—a place for storing corpses.”
Clearly shaken by Yan Shixun, the village chief hurriedly explained, “Back then, so many people starved or died of illness. Everyone was terrified of a plague, even more so of corpses reanimating. So we just started transporting the dead from every village out there, instead of keeping them in the village. They were all stored in that isolated yizhuang.”
“That way, if any corpse mutated or there was a plague, the nearby villages would at least have some time to react and escape.”
He lowered his voice, as if afraid to touch on some taboo, and whispered, “My grandfather used to say that someone in his generation kept a body at home after death, and that night, the corpse changed and bit the whole family to death.”
The village chief waved his hand with a heavy sigh. “According to my grandfather, there was blood from the door to the street—wiped out the entire family. Just tragic.”
“But later on, for reasons unknown, the yizhuang was gradually abandoned. I wasn’t even born back then, so I don’t know the exact cause.”
With a resentful expression, the village chief muttered, “What you’re saying is way too scary… Like we’re some kind of villains…”
Yan Shixun gave a cold snort. “Then should we hand you a trophy and a banner for your efforts?”
The village chief quickly said he didn’t dare, but still didn’t leave. He just smiled at Yan Shixun, rubbing his fingers together suggestively, clearly waiting for something.
Yan Shixun understood at once—the man was waiting for payment.
He didn’t care. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed over a wad of cash.
Yan Shixun had never planned on keeping the village’s money in the first place.
If it weren’t for the need to maintain appearances in front of the villagers, he found the money so repulsive that he didn’t even want to touch it.
Taking the money also meant accepting karmic consequences. A village with so many minor evils must have accumulated plenty of negative karma. But whatever consequences came of it, they were the result of what the villagers themselves had sown.
Yan Shixun couldn’t be bothered to interfere, and he certainly had no intention of helping people like this resolve their karma.
He ignored the village chief’s endless string of flattery, simply waving him off to leave.
His thoughts were still on the abandoned yizhuang.
Such a large facility, about the size of a village—he hadn’t expected it to be a yizhuang…
Yan Shixun tilted his head back to glance at the dark, silent mountain.
Night had fully fallen. Deep in the remote mountains, the stillness was almost terrifying.
A ghostly green light flickered in the darkness and vanished again.
Weeds swayed in the wind.
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