Chapter 27: Making Sense of It

The female ghosts couldn’t stay sealed inside the talisman for long; if they lingered, their souls would grow thinner and thinner until they completely vanished. The only solution was to ferry them on — guide them into the underworld to reincarnate.

But ferrying spirits was extremely difficult. These ghosts had lost their minds; at any moment they could shatter under the ritual. Only cultivators of profound power could bridge the realms of life and death and lead souls to the Yellow Springs, and this was an enormous group. Bai Yu was clearly unqualified. He thought over all his old acquaintances and realized none could handle this either.

So he had no choice but to ask the Patriarch, hoping Ye Yuan might help send the ghosts on.

Perhaps because he was in a good mood after a full meal, Ye Yuan was surprisingly agreeable. After a round of scolding the “rotten wood,” he tossed out a talisman and shooed Bai Yu out of the pagoda.

“Another talisman?”

Bai Yu stared blankly at the paper in his hand, turning it over and over without understanding. Finally he handed it to Yun Jiao.

“Girl, can you tell what this one does?”

Yun Jiao examined it carefully, then shook her head.

“No idea. Isn’t it for ferrying spirits?”

“Ferrying’s not that simple!”

It was rare to see the girl stumped, and Bai Yu brightened with a chance to lecture.

“You’ve just started cultivating, so you might not know. ‘Ferrying’ means dissolving a ghost’s hatred so it willingly steps onto the Yellow Springs Road — the path to the underworld to reincarnate.”

“What’s the Yellow Springs Road?” Yun Jiao asked.

“It’s the road the dead walk to reach the underworld,” Bai Yu explained.

“Only spirits can see it. The living can’t sense it. If you clear away their grudges, their minds clear and it’s easier for them to find the road. But these female ghosts have already lost all reason. Even if you remove the blood-soaked resentment, they probably still wouldn’t know how to go.”

“You have to pass the Yellow Springs to reach the underworld?”

“Of course! It’s the only road to the netherworld.”

“I see…” Yun Jiao studied the talisman again, thoughtful. It was far too complex, nothing like her textbooks. But the pattern at the lower right… didn’t it look a bit like an Exploding Rune?

“Ferrying’s always done by persuasion. I’ve never heard of a talisman that could do it,” Bai Yu muttered. “No idea why the Patriarch gave me this. Whatever — let’s just try it!”

“Wait—” Yun Jiao started to speak, but the old man had already activated the talisman. Flames flared; the paper burned away in a flash.

And… nothing happened.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

He looked around, then peeked at the ghost-sealing talisman — still packed with ghostly energy, the spirits untouched.

“So it doesn’t work? Maybe I have to release them first?”

Just as he was about to open the seal, Yun Jiao’s eyes widened. She grabbed him and yanked him sideways.

“Careful!”

The old man stumbled and nearly fell. A surge of bone-piercing cold rushed past where he’d just been standing.

He turned — and froze. A pitch-black hole had appeared in the ground, spewing a gale of yin energy like a burst balloon. Faint, translucent shadows drifted inside, and far in the depths rose towering black structures radiating a soul-shaking oppressive power.

“This… this is…”

Bai Yu’s breath hitched. His eyes widened in disbelief as one terrifying thought struck him.

“Could this be…”

“The underworld!” Yun Jiao pointed straight into the hole. Her sharp vision caught the words high on a distant gate: You Ming Di Fu — the Netherworld!

“Holy crap!”

He had only asked the Patriarch to help ferry a few pitiful ghosts — just to spare them from vanishing. He hadn’t asked him to open the actual gate to hell!

The gate to the underworld wasn’t some backyard door you casually pop open! And how had the Patriarch done it with one talisman? Was he the King of Hell’s relative or something, opening portals wherever he pleased?!

Bai Yu was completely dumbfounded, staring at the roaring black maw as yin energy poured out. Then came a chilling voice from the depths:

“Who dares to open the gates of the underworld without leave?”

Rustling, ominous sounds followed, drawing closer.

Bai Yu’s hands shook as panic set in.

“W-what do we do? Someone’s coming! Wait — maybe not someone human!”

He didn’t dare imagine what would step out. They’d opened the underworld’s gate without permission — obviously bad news.

“This is bad, so bad! How do we close it?!”

“The soul-collecting talisman!” Yun Jiao shouted. “Use it, now!”

“Right — the talisman!”

Bai Yu snapped out of it and hurriedly activated the slip holding the ghosts. Instantly, hundreds of ghostly shapes streamed out, whirling straight into the dark gateway. Within moments the talisman was empty — and the yawning black hole cinched shut and vanished with a whoosh.

Only then did Bai Yu slump to the ground, weak with relief. That had been the actual underworld — the place of no return. He had never imagined the Patriarch’s idea of “ferrying” was this literal. Others sent souls on their way; Ye Yuan just opened the destination and tossed them in.

Next time the Patriarch gave him a talisman, he was definitely asking what it did first. Nearly scared him to death.

“Good, good… finally sent them off.”

“Maybe not,” Yun Jiao said suddenly, pointing behind him.

“Huh?”

The old man turned — and nearly fainted. Behind him stood a blood-soaked figure in red, dripping gore, black hollow eyes locked onto him. Blood streaked down her face from her nose, eyes, ears. One look and he almost smashed into her.

Holy crap!

What the hell?!

Heart pounding, he leapt back and hid behind Yun Jiao. When he dared peek, he recognized her — it was Su Niang.

“Why is she still here?!”

Way to ruin the group exit!

“Maybe she hasn’t completely lost her mind yet,” Yun Jiao said. That would explain why she hadn’t been pulled in by the underworld’s call like the others.

Bai Yu understood and looked her over. Her body was wrapped in thick blood-miasma; only a sliver of reason remained. Her eyes still burned with hatred for them, but the soul-collecting talisman in his hand kept her from approaching.

“What do we do now?”

They couldn’t just wait until she went fully mad and then open hell’s gate again.

Yun Jiao didn’t answer. She simply raised her head to look toward the top of the tall pagoda.

When in doubt — ask the teacher.

Bai Yu’s mouth twitched. He muttered weakly,

“Any other options?”

“You think?”

Bai Yu: “……”

Is it too late to quit the sect?

(End of this chapter)