Chapter 245

Only after Xie Bi An took a few breaths was he able to brace himself and continue to clean up those hideous wounds.

Fan Wu She had always been half-leaning on him, clutching his clothes tightly, and letting out gruff snorts when he was hurting like hell, but most of the time, he was just restraining himself by shivering. Occasionally whispering in his ear, "Big brother, I’m in pain."

Anger and pain were the poison that infused emotions. The black death aura couldn’t stop diffusing from his whole body, and the blood vessels in his eyes were getting darker and darker, as if wanting to swallow the whites of his eyes.

Xie Bi An regretted it. He regretted saying “cry out when you feel pain”. When Fan Wu She really announced the pain in his mouth, the one who couldn't resist was him instead. He finally couldn't help but respond: "Bear a little more, it will be done soon."

Even if there was only a trace of a soothing tone in this sentence, it was also grasped by Fan Wu She. To him, it was like a long drought meeting sweet dew, because that was the tenderness that this person had not given for a long time. Almost in a flash, the black death aura was collected, his eyes also regained clarity, and his heavily damaged heart was smeared with honey. He held the clothing material in his hand tightly, secretly revealing a light smile, and continued to say in a hoarse voice: "But it really hurts. Was big brother in this much pain just now?"

"No."

"It must have." Fan Wu She put his hand on Xie Bi An's waist’s eyes*, "If only all of the pain was on me, that’ll be good.”

"... Don't move." Xie Bi An cleaned another wound again, "It's almost done."

Fan Wu She snorted: "Last time, when I couldn't keep up with practicing my martial arts, big brother always said that the time would be up soon. In the end, it was still a long time. Is big brother lying to me again?"

"I’m not lying to you."

"Then if I persist till the end, how will big brother reward me?" Fan Wu She’s tone carried some joy, "Make some delicious food for me in the evening? Or take me out to play?"

Xie Bi An pursed his lips. Looking at Fan Wu She’s whole body covered in blood, his tall and strong body was trembling in his arms, and repeating those warm and intimate conversations of when he was young. A flaw had appeared on his heart that was in full gear at this moment. He heard himself reply without thinking: "When was there a day that I didn’t make what you loved to eat?"

When this statement came out, both of them were equally shocked. Wouldn’t this response admit that Fan Wu She was Xiao Jiu? This seemingly ordinary sentence was like a tempestuous storm to their moods and circumstances.

But what came subsequently was great sorrow. At this moment, they seemed to have really dreamed back to a hundred years ago, when they seemed to be close brothers and all the ugliness had not happened. This was not the Underworld, the land of the dead, but just an ordinary afternoon in Wuji Palace.

What other words in this world are crueler than "last time"?

This was Fan Wu She’s deliberate attempt to drag Xie Bi An to this stage. He should have been overjoyed, and should have continued his victorious pursuit, but he carefully leaned against Xie Bi An and did not speak again. He was afraid that this was another dream, and that even the slightest sound would frighten the person in this dream.

Xie Bi An also didn't speak anymore. He quickly finished cleaning Fan Wu She’s wounds, applied medicine and bandaged it in one go.

Fan Wu She took out a new set of clothes from his qiankun bag and slowly put them on his body, but he was very weak and could not put them on after several attempts.

Xie Bi An helplessly took the clothes.

Fan Wu She smiled embarrassedly, "After I turned five, you wanted me to put on clothes by myself."

"Raise your hands." Xie Bi An turned his face away and did not look at him.

Fan Wu She straightened his chest, raised one arm, and intentionally placed it next to Xie Bi An's shoulder in an embracing position.

The two of them were very close to each other, not far from each other since they started to heal each other's wounds. Gradually, Xie Bi An became completely lax about this kind of distance, so much so that only now did he notice that Fan Wu She's naked body almost surrounded him. Those undulating muscles, which were wrapped in white gauze in many places and could not be covered, were like lofty mountains. That broad, hard chest and long, strong arms made Xie Bi An suddenly feel the heat of his skin, and that heat also naturally fumigated him.

This body was very familiar to Xie Bi An. In those absurd and licentious days in Wuji Palace, Xie Bi An had once fused together with him like water and milk* countless times. It was tall, strong, and extremely aggressive. Even if Fan Wu She pretended to be harmless, he could not stop recalling those countless fragments and details.

Xie Bi An straightened his body, took back his gaze, and put the clothes on Fan Wu She expressionlessly. However, when Xie Bi An was fastening his belt, Fan Wu She took advantage and put both arms around and embraced him.

Xie Bi An stiffened and said coldly, "Let go, don't make me hit you.”

"It doesn't matter if you hit me. To be able to hug big brother like this, even if it’s just for a while, nothing else matters.”

"You won't get what you want by being shameless and rascally like this."

"I want you. Everything is changing except you. For example, I just wanted to stay by your side and redeem myself from my previous mistakes. Later, I wanted you to recall more of our past. Today, when you admitted I’m Xiao Jiu, I will reach out for a yard after taking an inch*. I want you... "

"I did not admit anything. If your injury does not recover, it will affect our operation." Xie Bi An paused, "That's all."

Fan Wu She smiled, "You admitted it. Now it's too late to go back on your word. Big brother always had me in your heart, why do you need to deceive yourself?"

Xie Bi An glanced at him faintly and clasped his wrist. He secretly exerted some force and pushed his whole arm away from his body.

This move affected the wound. Fan Wu She’s face turned white with pain, and let go of Xie Bi An. He could not hide his disappointment, but he did not give up: "Big brother, do you still remember what you said before you drank Meng Po soup?"

Xie Bi An's face changed slightly. He had the memories of his past life and present life, but what happened in the Underworld were memories after death, so he naturally did not know. It was Meng Po who told him, told him that when he chose to forget everything and went forward to reincarnate, at that moment when he truly ended being Zong Zi Heng, the biggest regret of his life, the person he could not let go of the most, was still Xiao Jiu.

"If big brother can cook another meal for me, I would die willingly."

Xie Bi An's face showed anger: "Shut up. Concentrate on recovering from your injuries. Don't delay our business."

"Big brother is so nice." Fan Wu She stared at Xie Bi An, his eyes wishing to be filled with affection, "Always this nice."

Xie Bi An simply turned around and meditated with his eyes closed.

"I will never let you down again." Fan Wu She said softly and promised seriously.

----

The two of them rested here for the night, and thanks to the top-notch immortal elixir and their top-notch roots and bones, their bodies began to take a turn for the better.

After dawn, Wuya led them to continue their journey and finally escaped from the dense forest full of miasma.

Galloping on the boundless land, the blood-red sun in the sky was their only guide. The Underworld was so dark, desolated, and overgrown with underbrush ---- it seemed that there was nothing here, only endless desolation. No matter people or ghosts, if they lost their way, they would be lost here forever.

So when a village suddenly appeared in front of them, both of them had a sense of surrealism, as if being cut off from the outside world for ages.

"It's the ghost citizen’s village." Fan Wu She looked into the distance, "Should we grab a ghost citizen and ask if we are going in the right direction?"

"Many ghost citizens are born in the netherworld* and may never have been to the Underworld in their lives, they may not know even if they are asked."

"Then let’s go into the village and ask. There must be someone in the village who knows."

"This will scare the snake by beating the grass*." Xie Bi An thought for a moment, “Let's take a look around the village with the blind-eye talisman first, and act according to the situation."

"Okay."

The person or object pasted with the blind-eye talisman is as inconspicuous as a stone on the roadside in the eyes of those with low cultivation. As long as one doesn’t make big moves or make loud noises, one can muddle through.

They pasted on the talismans, held their breaths and adjusted their breathing to the lowest state, hid their scent of the living, and then strutted towards the ghost village.

The ghost village looked similar to the earth’s village, just that they were very impoverished. The houses and appliances were very simple and crude, like a gathering place for refugees.

Ghost citizens don't need to eat or drink, so naturally, they don’t need to farm, but that doesn't mean they don't do anything. They have to think of ways to "live". Apart from their own cultivation, they also risked going to the mountains, swamps, the wild and dense forests looking for herbs and spiritual treasures that can improve their cultivation. Although they don’t eat nor drink, don’t get old nor die, but in fact, they are food for all fierce ghosts, evil spirits, monsters, and beasts.

And one of the greatest threats to them is that they do not know when a hungry ghost reincarnated from the Hungry Ghost Path will all of a sudden be born beside them.

After those hungry ghosts have had enough months, they will tear their own ghost mother's belly and crawl out, taking the ghost mother as their first food to satisfy their hunger, and then frenziedly eat the ghost citizens around them. After eating up a village, they will find the next village. When they become powerful enough, they will eat fierce ghosts, demons, and even devour each other. In the end, they either become food or a ghost king.

When a hungry ghost is no longer hungry, no longer manipulated and tormented by the desire that seems to be unable to be filled, his cultivation must have been very good.

This was the path that the red-clothed ghost king, Jiang Qu Lian, had taken in the Underworld for hundreds of years.

After entering the village, they soon got something. The two ghost hunters were discussing which forest they found a large area of spiritual weaving grass, but there were a few fierce ghosts guarding it, and how many ghost citizens had to be organized to go there together. When they talked about the direction of that forest, they used the Underworld as a reference, so that they knew from their words that they were going in the right direction, and that the Underworld was only half a day's journey away according to them.

The two of them got their answer and didn’t want to delay. They intended to set out on a journey as soon as possible, but were stopped at the same time because of a sentence.

The ghost hunter behind them said, "Have you heard? Casting the living into Hell is unheard of."

"Yes, then this Lan Chui Han, is he still considered a living person now?"

Xie Bi An opened his eyes wide and he turned around suddenly.

The ghost hunter had a quiver and felt something unusual around him, but when he scanned around, nothing seemed different, so he couldn't help but scratch his head in confusion.

"Big brother, calm down." Fan Wu She said softly.

Xie Bi An clenched his fist.

"According to reason, when a living being comes to Jiuyou, he is naturally dead, but then Heaven Master and Impermanence are also living people traveling back and forth in the Underworld, so it’s not unusual to see Lan Chui Han being alive. But putting the living into Hell, isn’t that just torturing him to death?"

"Who knows? What exactly is the feud between the Red King and that Lord Lan? That Lord Lan doesn’t seem to be an evil person. He originally shouldn’t have gone to Hell.”

"It must be a grudge from the previous life." The ghost hunter sighed, "Whatever his grudge is, just don't let it affect us. I heard that the earth has been in chaos, and the Underworld is now controlled by the Red King. Who knows whether it is a blessing or a curse."

"That's not for small insignificant citizens like us to think about. Let's discuss how to deal with those fierce ghosts."

Xie Bi An held back his raging emotions and silently retreated from the village to a farther place before tearing off the blind-eye talisman and viciously throwing it on the ground, growling, "Jiang Qu Lian, this evil beast, how dare he do this to Brother Lan!"

"Big brother, it’s useless to be anxious now. If Jiang Qu Lian really wants revenge, he will not kill him so easily. Let's go save him."

Xie Bi An gasped: "I'm afraid that big brother Lan has been ..."

"Wounded? Crippled? It's useless to think about these now. It's good that he's alive. Big brother, don't worry, wherever you want to go, I will accompany you."

"That is Hell ah." Xie Bi An muttered.

Fan Wu She looked at Xie Bi An's worry that was frozen on his brows, and he felt distressed. He hooked his lips and smiled: "It would be good if big brother also worried about me like this."

Xie Bi An was slightly stunned and remained silent.

"Big brother, let's go." Fan Wu She held back his jealousy, "Let’s go save him."

----

After several days of trekking, they found Mount Luofeng. Mount Luofeng was still the same as before, towering so high that it’s impossible to see its peak, and stretching for more than a thousand miles. The Underworld was set up in that mountain range, along with Huangquan Road, Naihe Bridge, Yanluo Hall, and Hell, where the world was familiar with them.

Xie Bi An was hovering above the Underworld with his sword. Looking at the familiar buildings beneath his feet, especially the Heaven Master Palace where he grew up in, he felt an oppressive pain. The Underworld did not seem to have changed much, but it had been forced to start afresh. He didn't know whether the Underworld under the rule of the red ghost king was still performing its responsibilities, whether the trial in Yanluo Hall, Meng Po soup and the six paths of reincarnation were still operating as usual. Looking far from the sky, it seemed that nothing had changed, but there was no place for him to go back to.

"Big brother, now all of the Underworld is Jiang Qu Lian’s people. Let's mingle in and have a look around by acting like Yin servants."

"Mm."

"Jiang Qu Lian will most likely put the Book of Life and Death in the Red Palace."

"Mm."

"I know you're worried about Lan Chui Han, but this time our most important goal is to get the Book of Life and Death first."

"I know." Xie Bi An sighed, "I don't know what kind of scene the Underworld is in at this time. Maybe we can still find someone to help us. Let's go in first."

Xie Bi An’s qiankun bag was stocked with Yin servant’s clothes. The two of them changed their clothes, put on their ghost masks, hid their breaths again with the Breath Closing Technique, and pretended to be the Yin servants on patrol, going all the way into the Underworld.

On the surface, it seems that the Underworld is operating as usual. There are still many Yin servants moving around, and there are also souls being taken back to the Underworld to go where they should go, as if nothing has changed.

Fan Wu She grabbed an Yin servant, put the puppet talisman on him, and asked him to find out what was going on.

Since the battle at Fengdu City, Jiang Qu Lian had taken complete control of the Underworld. Cui Jue, Night Patrol, Bo Zhu, and many of Cui Jue's former subordinates were imprisoned, but Day Patrol escaped, while Meng Po was still boiling her soup on the Naihe Bridge, seemingly completely unaffected by whoever was running the Underworld.

She was able to stand alone, which was obvious because she did not participate in that battle, and Jiang Qu Lian still needed her.

The two of them discussed and decided to take a risk by asking Meng Po for help.

It was difficult for them to steal the Book of Life and Death and save someone from Hell at the same time without exposing themselves, and Meng Po was the only one who was capable of helping them. However, Meng Po had always been unpredictable. No one knew what she was thinking, why she was willing to guard that bridge, day after day, repeating the same thing. Even the Great Emperor Beiyin was somewhat courteous to her.

However, they were also worried that Meng Po was like the five ghost emperors, standing by and watching others battle, or maybe not only refusing to help them, but also selling them out. But they could only try now.

The two blended into the queue of Yin servants to send souls to reincarnate, and slowly went up the Naihe Bridge. Looking at the scarlet water under the bridge, they couldn't help but sigh with emotions.

When they stood in front of Meng Po, she was not surprised at all. She just waved her smooth snake tail: "I thought you guys were dead, coming back so late." There was some coldness in that mocking tone.

"Meng Cao Lao." Xie Bi An arched his hand, "I wanted to come back every day, but I was recovering previously."

"Looking at your injuries, you are not recovering well either." Meng Cao Lao could see from a glance that both of them were unhealed from their injuries, and neither had much blood in their faces.

"This was because of encountering some fierce ghosts in the dense forest." Xie Bi An said seriously, "The Underworld has become like this today, with Official Lord Cui, Night Patrol and the others being locked up. This is not what Meng Cao Lao wants to see, right?"

Meng Po gently flicked the unkempt hair with her fingers. Her pale face seemed to be tired of making an expression. She said, "Then do you know why the Red King did not imprison me?"

"Did Meng Cao Lao have some kind of deal with him?" Xie Bi An stared straight at Meng Cao, "If we turn around and leave now, will Meng Cao Lao tell the Red King about this?"

Meng Cao Lao let out a string of laughter, "Look at how scared you are. You are too inferior to your master."

"How can I compare with Master?"

Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes dangerously, "Meng Cao Lao, if you keep evading the crucial points like this, we will not let you go if we are found out."

Meng Cao Lao let out a sorrowful laugh: "Your Holiness doesn't have to drop these harsh words, I didn't say I wouldn't help you guys either."

 

 ----

waist’s eyes*[腰眼]---this was a direct translation. The position of ‘waist eyes’ are:

fused together with him like water and milk*[与其水乳交融]---- 水乳交融: The analogy is that the relationship is very harmonious or the bond is very close, or become one just like blending water and milk together

reach out for a yard after taking an inch*[得寸进尺 ]--- be insatiable;   give him an inch and he'll take an ell;   Much will have more;   The more one gets, the more one wants;

netherworld*[幽冥]--- 幽冥 and 冥府 both mean the same thing…actually

scare the snake by beating the grass*[打草惊蛇]--- act rashly and alert the enemy

 

Edited on 20 June 21 (Emzie)

 

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