Black Pot led the boat woman through the door, turned back and said, "Woof, woof woof." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
The boat woman was surprised, "Chen Jieyuan achieved top scorer? Then indeed he cannot be called Master Jieyuan, but Master Top Scorer. When will you return to the underworld? After all, you are a sacred being of the underworld, staying in the mortal world for too long is inappropriate."
"Woof woof, woof woof woof."
"True, Master Top Scorer cannot do without you."
Up ahead, Chen Shi approached, and the boat woman quickly went to greet him, about to pay her respects, but Chen Shi was anxious and signaled her to skip the formalities, asking, "Miss, have you rescued my mother’s soul?"
The boat woman hesitated, "We rescued her, but not completely."
Chen Shi was puzzled.
The boat woman said, "After my father and I entered the underworld, we immediately traveled tens of thousands of miles to find the Yuan Chen Palace where your mother’s soul was imprisoned. The guards at Yuan Chen Palace were not particularly strict. We snuck in, injured a few Yin Messengers, and rescued your mother’s soul. Knowing that escaping the underworld would be impossible, we immediately returned to the mortal world with her soul and hurried towards the Western Capital."
Chen Shi’s eyes lit up, praising, "Smart!"
The boat woman continued, "After we returned to the mortal world, carrying your mother’s soul, we could reach the Western Capital in three days at most. However, trouble arose the first night. I noticed that something was tracking us. Something had come out of the underworld, lurking in the dark, watching us from the shadows. Then, Yin Messengers began to act during the night, intercepting us in the Northern Territory."
Chen Shi felt a slight stir, knowing that the Northern Territory was a frozen wasteland, with sparse sunlight and moonlight.
The sun in the sky, the eyes of the True God, fixed in space, eternally unmoving, resulting in the same seasons everywhere, with no change.
As the Northern Territory received less sunlight, it was a famous land of bitter cold.
"Can Yin Messengers operate in the mortal world?" Chen Shi asked, puzzled.
As far as he knew, underworld Ghosts and Gods rarely operated in the mortal world, with the Yin Yang realms having their own rules. Beings from the underworld could not enter the mortal world in their physical forms, and Yin Messengers often had physical bodies.
The boat woman and boatman could appear in the mortal world because they had abandoned their original bodies, possessing those of a drowned father and daughter.
The boat woman said, "We Yin Messengers are weaker among Ghosts and Gods and can enter the mortal world at night when yin energy is strongest, to guide souls into the underworld. At this time, the Yin Yang Two Realms merge, and gathering souls in the mortal world is not troublesome. Those Yin Messengers took advantage of this time to hunt us. However, we managed to break through the first night. We planned to cross the Northern Territory at dawn, but dawn never came."
Black Pot, beside them, couldn’t help but say, "Woof?"
"Indeed, sir, dawn never came."
The boat woman said, "It remained dark. My father and I trudged through the ice and snow at night, occasionally pursued by Yin Messengers, battling many times, and fled millions of miles. It was night all along. Finally, we saw the Immortal City of the underworld."
Chen Shi felt a slight stir, "Immortal City? What kind of place is that?"
"A city formed by Yuan Chen Palaces."
The boat woman explained, "Yuan Chen Palace is where souls reside; everyone has a Yuan Chen Palace, with their soul inhabiting it. These Yuan Chen Palaces form the Immortal City. When a person dies, their Yuan Chen Palace dissipates like a lamp extinguished. In your Yuan Chen Palace, you will see your Three Corpse, also called Three Corpse Gods, residing in the palace’s three rooms. We infiltrated the Immortal City, found your mother’s Yuan Chen Palace, and rescued her soul. In the past, Master Top Scorer was also suppressed in his Yuan Chen Palace in the Immortal City by my father and me."
Her mention of this brought less sadness and a slight smile.
Chen Shi asked, puzzled, "Did you escape from the Immortal City, run millions of miles in the mortal world, and then return to the Immortal City? Did you get lost?"
The boat woman sighed, "At first, my father and I thought so too, but later realized it wasn’t."
Chen Shi was even more confused.
Black Pot said, "Woof woof?"
The boat woman showed fear, "Yes, sir. We encountered a Ghost Wall. The first night, it began affecting us, pulling us into the underworld. A mysterious and terrifying presence influenced our heart spirits and thoughts, making us believe we were still in the mortal world. When we saw the Immortal City, we realized we couldn’t escape. My father sent me back to the mortal world, covering my escape and helping me break through."
She gripped the half bamboo pole tightly, saying, "Master Top Scorer, we did our best, father and I."
Chen Shi frowned, wondering what terrible presence could influence the thoughts of the boatman’s daughter without their awareness, leading them unknowingly into the underworld?
He glanced at Black Pot; such an ability seemed very similar to Black Pot’s.
Could there be a kin of Black Pot in the underworld?
Chen Shi asked her to rest and heal, and the boat woman hesitated, saying, "If Master Top Scorer goes to the Immortal City to rescue someone, please take me with you. My father is trapped in the Immortal City, and as his child, I must rescue him."
After sending away the boat woman, Chen Shi pondered, realizing that Chen Tang stood not far away, pushing a wheelchair with Chen Shi’s mother in it.
"You heard everything?" Chen Shi asked.
Chen Tang nodded slightly.
Chen Shi approached, took the wheelchair from him, and said, "These maids are unreliable. One of us must stay to take care of my mother; either you stay, or I stay. After showing your strength, the Western Capital is highly wary of you. If the Thirteen Families have a chance to eliminate you, they will for sure. Even if they can’t eliminate you, they will exploit your weaknesses."
Chen Shi’s mother was indeed Chen Tang’s weakness.
Chen Tang walked with him through the corridor, reluctantly looking at the Chen Mansion under repair, saying, "You’ll go to the underworld, and I’ll stay. You should take Black Pot with you. After you leave, I’ll immediately take your mother and leave the Western Capital. We’ve been away from Qianyang Mountain for a long time, and haven’t returned in years. She surely misses Huangpo Village and old lady Wu Zhu."