Chapter 33

After winter, the first snow fell on the human realm, and they received a reply from the Chunyang Sect, inviting Zhong Kui to Jingzhou after the New Year to discuss the invitation of Xu Zhi Nan out of seclusion. Seems like these few times of sending letters are not in vain.

Compared to their concern for the identity of the evil spirit, the Wuliang Sect's response was indifferent, and there has been no news about them since they left Mount Shu. Even Lan Chui Han had written to ask about the progress once, but Wuliang Sect had not even bothered to make a perfunctory reply and did not investigate at all. When they thought that Zhong Kui had inexplicably reduced his life because of this incident, they were even more determined to find out the truth.

While Fan Wu She was recovering from his injuries, he was almost "grounded" in the Heaven Master Palace and was bored out of his mind, so as soon as he recovered, he proposed to wander around the Underworld.

It was only then that Xie Bi An remembered that since he had come to the Underworld, he had been moving around almost exclusively in the Heaven Master Palace, and as impermanence, even if he was not officially appointed, he should be more familiar with the place.

The brothers left the Heaven Master Palace and flew deeper into Mount Luofeng on their swords. The Heaven Master Palace is built at the foot of Mount Luofeng. The magistrate's palace and the residences of the underworld generals are built around the mountain. Surrounded by mist, visibility is very low and often feels isolated. In fact, there are hundreds of millions of ghosts in the Underworld, but they are all in their own places.

As you look upwards, you can see palaces and beacon towers among the mist, ghostly fires lining the paths, smoke of wolves’ dung* and meteors, making the whole Mount Luofeng look like a volcano with lava flowing from it. Another river comes from the sky and flows down into Jiuyou and into the infinite darkness.

Mount Luofeng in the human realm is much the same as any other mountain in the world, and this spiritual, eerie beauty only belongs to the ghost world.

Xie Bi An stood tall on his sword. The wind from the mountain blew, his white clothes fluttering and rattling as he exclaimed, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Mmm."

"From here, you can get a general view of the Underworld." Xie Bi An pointed at his feet, "The underlings take the human souls through the Yin Yang Monument, walk through the Huangquan Road, and then through the Ghost Willow. The first place they reach is the Mirror of Sins. The Mirror of Sins can reveal a person's good and evil virtues. If they are good or if their good offset against evil, they can be sent directly to reincarnation; if they are evil or if they have difficulty distinguishing between good and evil, they will be sent to the ten Yanluo Halls for trial, and that is the Yanluo Hall."

Halfway up the mountain, there are ten majestic palaces spread out, each bearing a flag.

"Underneath the Yanluo Hall is the entrance to hell. If you want to go and see it ...," Xie Bi An turned to Fan Wu She, but saw him looking at the Yanluo Hall with a stony expression, as if there was some kind of flooding beast there," … Wu She?"

Fan Wu She said, "I don't want to go."

"Well, that place makes people unwell, so it's better not to go." Xie Bi An flew forward and made a small half circle around the mountain, "This river is called Wangchuan. See that bridge over the river? That is the Naihe Bridge. People who are going to reincarnate have to pass this bridge and drink Mengpo Soup on the bridge to forget their past and re-enter reincarnation."

"Mengpo Soup." Fan Wu She said softly, "You drank Mengpo Soup."

"Of course." Xie Bi An said, "Everyone has to drink it, and you drank it too, otherwise you wouldn't be able to reincarnate. However, there are exceptions." He pointed to Wangchuan River and said, "This water comes from the sky and turns black when it flows down to the ground, but in fact it is not black, but blood red. There are countless ghosts drowning in it. They want to bring their memories and reincarnate, so they are not willing to drink Mengpo Soup and could only cross Wangchuan River. But the majority of them lost themselves in Wangchuan and became wild and lonely ghosts.”

Fan Wu She secretly clenched his fist and said in a low voice, "I didn't drink it."

"What?" Xie Bi An didn't hear clearly.

We had agreed that no one would drink and we would meet again when we reunite, yet you reneged on your promise and forgot about me.

"Why should I drink." Fan Wu She raised his voice, "Is there no memories worth keeping alive for this lifetime, and the people in this lifetime?”

Xie Bi An thought for a moment, "There’s definitely memories worth keeping alive. But if you can't let go of the past, how can you start again in the next life."

"Why must we start over, many people live their whole lives without understanding at all, and starting over from scratch is just repeating the same mistakes."

"You're right. But I think that reincarnation is a lesson for everyone. To cultivate goodness, to cultivate evil, to cultivate poverty, to cultivate wealth, to cultivate health, to cultivate sickness and weakness. Only by maintaining one's original heart and one's thoughts for goodness in every life's trials can one cultivate full merit and virtue and transcend reincarnation and be free from its suffering. Drinking Mengpo soup is actually giving one a chance to start all over again, otherwise many people would just repeat the same mistakes and obstinately stick to the wrong course."

Fan Wu She was silent.

Xie Bi An smiled lightly, "Besides, after a hundred years of life, at the end of the day, one doesn't even care about one's life anymore, and there are actually very few things that are important enough to part with."

"Very little." Fan Wu She gazed into the distance, "But as long as there is one thing, it is worth going through fire and water*."

Xie Bi An snorted, "You're so young, why do you sound so mellow?"

Fan Wu She turned his face away and pondered for a moment, "Senior brother, can you take me to see the Eastern Emperor’s Bell?"

"Sure. Have you heard many legends of the Eastern Emperor's Bell in folklore?"

"Yeah."

"You've never been to Kunlun either, have you? Have you never seen any of the four ancient magical treasures?"

"..."

"Haha, senior brother will take you to see the world today."

The two of them flew into the mountain range, and a flat valley appeared between the two peaks. Looking from the sky, a huge spell formation was painted on the ground, and the eye of the formation was none other than a large antique golden bell.

When they landed, the bell looked even bigger, like a giant tree. The body of the bell was covered with many dirty and stained signs of age, but the inscriptions were still clear.

Xie Bi An couldn't help but say proudly, "This is our master's magical treasure, it's really intimidating."

Fan Wu She looked at the Eastern Emperor's Bell in silence, his heart stirring for a few moments. He was someone who had used Shen Nong Ding to forge a sword and had mastered two ancient magical treasures, but only at this moment when he saw the Eastern Emperor's Bell did he believe that the folklore was true, that this Eastern Emperor's Bell was worthy of being the first of the four ancient magical treasures, and that just being near it gave him a sense of divine power that forced him to bow down and worship.

Xie Bi An walked into the spell formation, "Wu She, you can come closer to see it, you can also touch it, it's okay."

Fan Wu She walked over. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked the body of the bell, which felt warm, cool and heavy to the touch. The thought that it was a divine object from a million years ago makes people fill with deep veneration.

"This Eastern Emperor's Bell, a man can touch it, but a ghost cannot touch it." Xie Bi An's finger curled slightly and knocked on the bell, "but we cannot make a sound or shake it a bit, only the Master can."

"With this divine object, it would be easy to unify the immortal cultivation world. Unexpectedly, Master is willing to put it here to mend the boundary instead."

"That's why Master is admired by the world." There was admiration in Xie Bi An's eyes, "Although Master, as a person, is sometimes unreliable, he has a red heart and a heart for the people, which no one can compare to."

Fan Wu She's feelings were somewhat mixed. He was both disdainful and had to admire Zhong Kui's broad-mindedness. So selfless and generous, he could not do it.

He did not want admiration, he wanted submission. He wanted those things that had been taken away from him to return obediently one by one, and that man he wanted, his eyes cannot have others except for him.

Xie Bi An put his ear to the Eastern Emperor's Bell and whispered, "Wu She, listen, it seems like you can hear a sound."

Fan Wu She followed his example and closed his eyes.

The clouds in the highest heaven opened, the holy light shone, and a distant and magnificent sound of the bell came from the sky, gong - like a dragon whistling, like a thunderclap. It’s lingering sound uninterrupted, traveling through millions of years of time, piercing through the three realms of the ghost, mortal and immortal, pulling the heartbeat of all living creatures, resonating with them in their chests, rivers and lakes, flowing through all limbs and bones, towering mountains and precipitous ridges, sculpting flesh and bones, the essence of the sun and moon, transforming the soul and the spirit.

It called out to the living beings with a deafening bell sound, and all three worlds responded to its call.

Fan took a violent step backwards, panting heavily. A layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Xie Bi An pressed his shoulder soothingly, "I forgot to tell you, the divine power of the Eastern Emperor's Bell is too strong. You cannot touch it for too long. It will mess with your mind. Let's go back."

As the two of them walked out of the spell formation, Fan Wu She looked back at the Eastern Emperor’s Bell again, "Senior brother, if there was an Eastern Emperor’s Bell a hundred years ago, what would have happened?"

"Zong Zi Xiao would not have been able to raise that much of a stir." Xie Bi An said with determination.

"Makes sense." That was why this object had to be a barrier forever. He would never let anyone stand in his way.

The two of them circled around Mount Luofeng and returned to the Heaven Master Palace.

As soon as they landed, Xie Bi An's gaze fell on Fan Wu She’s hands, seeming to notice something, "Hey, your sleeves, did they get shorter?"

Fan Wu She slightly unfolded his arms, "It seems a bit."

"You've grown taller?" Xie Bi An held his wrist and stretched his arms straight, comparing them, "It's really the age when you jump up sharply. In a little more than half a year's time, the clothes became surprisingly short."

"I'll be as tall as you next year."

"Really? How do you know."

"You'll see."

Xie Bi An skimmed, "It's a good thing that when the clothes were being tailored, the tailor thought of you growing and left a little surplus when sewing the hem so that it could be altered easily, otherwise the clothes would have been a waste." He looked down, "And the trousers, are they shorter too?"

"A bit."

Xie Bi An went around behind Fan Wu She again and suddenly wrapped both arms around his waist, measuring up with his hands and murmuring words under his breath.

Fan Wu She's body tensed up. A sultry fragrance mixed with warmth burrowed into all his senses. He could even feel Xie Bi An's chest unintentionally brushing against his back. He even stopped breathing.

"One, two..." Xie Bi An gestured for a moment, "Our waists are about the same. You go back tonight and change into my clothes first. Bigger ones are slightly less uncomfortable to wear than smaller ones. Give me all your clothes, I will alter them for you ."

Fan Wu She took a deep breath: "You still know how to alter clothes?"

"What's so difficult about that? It would be a waste of silver to go to a tailor for this little job." Xie Bi An smiled and patted Fan Wu She’s back, "Well, your body is much stronger, I seem to have fed you well."

Fan Wu She stole a glance at Xie Bi An, his expression didn’t change but his heart was already filled with a hint of sweetness...

---

In the Underworld, there are two festivals that are particularly important, one is the Hungry Ghost Festival and the other is the Chinese New Year Festival. During this period, there are many rituals and offerings in the human realm, and those in the underworld can receive tributes from their friends and relatives in the mortal world may also go back to visit those they miss.

Xie Bi An started early to get busy for Chinese New Year. He and Fan Wu She went to Fengdu City to buy a lot of Chinese New Year goods, such as couplets, lanterns, firecrackers and fireworks. Everything that should be here is here, and they brought them all back to decorate the Heaven Master Palace. In order to have the freshest meat, Xie Bi An even brought back two geese to keep. Live animals are not allowed in Qiankun bags. The two of them had to go through a lot of trouble for this pair of fresh meat.

Fan Wu She looked at the shit on his trouser leg and felt that his dignity as a Supreme Demon was being greatly provoked, but the person who had "provoked" him didn't even notice, still smiled so beautifully and wiping his sweat so gently that he couldn't even get angry.

"Wow, wow!" Bo Zhu chattered around them, "White Master, I thought you can't bring living things back to the Underworld? The last time Heaven Master brought back Black Master, Official Lord hadn't even gotten over it yet."

Xie Bi An shushed, "Two geese are nothing to worry about, we'll kill one on the 30th and one on the 2nd. If Official Lord finds it delicious, he will be embarrassed to scold me.

"Then why don't you bring back more chickens and ducks? I like your chicken stew best."

"Chickens and ducks are noisy, and a goose doesn't like to honk as long as there's nothing around to startle it." Xie Bi An touched the big white goose and said, "Look, it's white and fat, it must be delicious."

"Then this goose, how do we eat it?" Bo Zhu asked, his saliva dying to drip down.

"I'll think about it." Xie Bi An asked, "Have you sent out all the invitations you were asked to send?"

"I sent all of them."

"So the patrols are coming together?"

"Yes." Bo Zhu nodded, "It's just that one person always falls asleep and it's so awkward at dinner time."

"What's so awkward about it? As long as we're together, it's a reunion."

Fan Wu She wondered, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't think I've told you before. The two tour patrols…" Xie Bi An laughed, "I'll explain it to you when they come."

---

On New Year's Eve, Cui Jue, who had been invited to the Heaven Master Palace, and the Day Patrol and the Night Patrol all showed up at his door as scheduled. He understood what Xie Bi An and Bo Zhu had been talking about that day.

The man who came with Cui Jue this time was Day Patrol, who wore the same blue suit as Night Patrol. He is handsome with an extraordinary appearance, just that he looked cold and frosty, while Night Patrol, whom he had seen before, was floating beside him as if she were asleep, which seemed strange.

Xie Bi An welcomed the guests in. After Day Patrol sat down, Xie Bi An put Night Patrol in a chair, padded the backrest and straightened her limbs and head, his movements very gentle.

Fan Wu She wondered, "This is ..."

Xie Bi An pulled him to one side and explained: “Day and Night Patrols were originally a couple. I heard that they made a terrible mistake in their life, but the emperor was touched by their deep love, so he punished them by having them patrol the human realm day and night. Only Day Patrol is awake during the day, after sunset, he will fall into deep sleep, whereas Night Patrol is the exact opposite. Only active at night, and will fall into a deep sleep when dawn arrives. Although the 2 of them stay together, they could only look at each other in a hurry twice a day. They might not even have time to say a word."

Fan Wu She looked at them in amazement.

"I often wonder if this is the emperor's mercy or cruelty." Xie Bi An sighed, "The moment their eyes met was all that was left between them, and the rest of the long hours were spent only guarding a sleeping lover."

"But even then, they couldn't bear to give up."

"Well, if they reincarnate, they will never see each other again, so they prefer to hold on to each other like this." Xie Bi An frowned gently, "What a deep love for each other."

A tingle of pain passed through Fan Wu She's heart. He understood this obsession to keep the other person by his side at all costs.

Xie Bi An had prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner. The colors and flavors of which were so delicious that they made people's fingers tingle.

Cui Jue praised Xie Bi An and Zhong Kui tried to persuade him to drink more wine, but Cui Jue was not a strong drinker. When he drank a little, he became more of a lecturer and when he drank more, he became more poetic.

At the banquet, Bo Zhu also didn’t behave; he ate and played with fireworks sticks at the same time.

As the night arrives, Day Patrol and Night Patrol switched states, with Night Patrol occasionally feeding Day Patrol a little wine and occasionally whispering something in his ear, with a rare feminine touch on her face.

Xie Bi An and Fan Wu She also drank some wine and chatted about the world. At this moment, Fan Wu She forgot about the past for a while and focused on being his junior brother.

It had been a long time since the Heaven Master Palace had been so lively, and everyone was red-faced and joyful.

Suddenly, they heard a loud honking sound, which seemed to be a goose.

Cui Jue looked to his left and right in bewilderment, "Why, why do I seem to hear something honking."

Xie Bi An immediately sobered up and Bo Zhu looked at him nervously and said quietly, "What's going on? I thought geese didn't like to honk."

"Something must have scared it, I'll go and see." Xie Bi An said and ran outside, but before he could step outside the threshold of the Jiuyun Hall, a vermillion figure strutted in.

"Red, Red King?"

Jiang Qu Lian carried two small red clay wine jugs in his hands and smiled faintly, "How come there are geese in your Heaven Master Palace?"

Xie Bi An scowled at him and waved his hand.

Jiang Qu Lian raised his eyebrows, "I thought our Impermanence was a good boy, but it turns out that he has been taught badly by his master."

Xie Bi An was embarrassed when Fan Wu She stood beside him and said warily, "What are you doing here."

"I'm here to celebrate New Years with everyone."

"No one invited you."

"I know." Jiang Qu Lian said with a big smile, "I'm thick-skinned and uninvited."

"..."

Jiang Qu Lian stepped in as if no one was there, "Heaven Master, Official Lord, I've come to pay you New Year's greetings. Oh, the Patrols are here too."

Zhong Kui looked at him with a tigerish face, "What are you doing here."

"As a colleague, you didn't invite me to join you for this reunion festival, it's so sad." Jiang Qu Lian shook the wine in his hand, "I am much more generous than you. These two 100 year-old jugs of wine, does Heaven Master want to try?”

Zhong Kui's eyes lit up, "Fine, fine, the visitor is a guest, have a seat."

Jiang Qu Lian sat down with a smile.

"I warn you, don't think of my magical treasure."

"I indeed thought of your magical treasure, but as long as you keep an eye on it, there's no need to worry, right?"

Zhong Kui glared at Jiang Qu Lian, "Cut the crap and come drink with me, Cui Zi Yu cannot take it."

Xie Bi An watched dumbfounded as Zhong Kui and Jiang Qu Lian drank together, the two of them exchanging words and verbal sparring, but it didn't stop them from drinking with great enthusiasm.

Fan Wu She pulled Xie Bi An to one side: "Just ignore them and eat well."

Xie Bi An whispered, "We can't drink anymore, we have to help our master keep an eye on the Red King."

"Don't worry, I'm here." Fan Wu She gazed at Xie Bi An, his eyes were full of deep feelings that he himself had not even noticed, "Senior brother, this is our first New Years together, in the future…in the future let’s spend the New Years together.

Xie Bi An smiled and said: “Of course, in future we will celebrate New Years together.”

Fan Wu She raised his glass: "It's a deal."

"It's a deal!"

 

 ----

smoke of wolves’ dung*[狼烟]---these are burnt at the border posts to signal alarm

going through fire and water* [赴汤蹈火]---not afraid of any difficulties and dangers

 

Edited  on 21 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

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