Chapter 55

Zhu You pushed through the crowd to the front of the hall. Di Ting hurried down to receive him, his eyes scanning Zhu You for any sign of injury before he could breathe a sigh of relief. He fell into step behind the Ghost King, shielding him attentively as they made their way to the Ghost King's Palace.

When Zhu You got a clear look at Lin Yu, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He ran through the appearances of the heavenly gods in his mind—he had never seen her before. Yet the moment he drew near, he sensed that innate aura of divinity.

Zhu You closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating. The divine aura around Lin Yu was strong, her identity unmistakable. He simply took her for a newly ascended deity. But from the aura he sensed, her status was not to be underestimated—she must be connected to some highly respected god.

"You look quite familiar, miss. Have we met before?" Zhu You asked with a smile.

Fu Ming cast a cold, indifferent glance at Zhu You. Lin Yu also gave him a sidelong look—Zhu You had skin as pale as snow, a pair of phoenix eyes with slightly upturned outer corners, the very picture of a ghostly specter. "No," she replied.

Zhu You let out a light chuckle. "Is that so? Then I must have been mistaken."

Zhu You didn't press further with small talk. His expression shifted to one of apology. "As for today's matter..."

His gaze swept across the crowd until it suddenly locked onto Fu Ming, who stood behind Lin Yu. Zhu You's heart lurched, and every hair on his body stood on end—a look of shock crossed his face.

Zhu You's eyes widened in disbelief, his gaze fixed on Fu Ming for a moment before darting away. This was... a demonic cultivator of formidable power!

Demons were bloodthirsty and cruel, slaughtering all living beings. A thousand years ago, the gods had mustered their full might to annihilate the Demon Tribe, sparing no cost even at the price of many gods falling and heaven and earth being remade. In the thousand years since, no trace of demons had been seen in the world. How could...?

How could the gods be in league with a demonic cultivator?!

Uncertain, he wanted to take another look. But the moment he lifted his eyes, he saw Fu Ming standing with his arms crossed, head tilted slightly, looking down at him from above!

The instant their gazes met, Zhu You quickly averted his eyes to the ground, defeated. He composed himself and said to Lin Yu, "Today, my people in the Ghost Realm mishandled matters, forcing you to personally descend to the Underworld. It is truly a sin of the Ghost Realm. Whatever you require, just name it—anything within my power, I will spare no effort!"

Zhu You's gaze darted back and forth between Lin Yu and Fu Ming, carefully observing their expressions as he spoke. "You mentioned earlier that you wanted to search for those wrongly taken by the ghost officers, correct?"

Lin Yu hadn't figured out what Zhu You was thinking. His attitude was almost too accommodating. She had expected at least some back-and-forth, yet he agreed just like that. Lin Yu frowned, paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."

Zhu You turned and commanded Di Ting, "Go. Bring me the Soul-Guiding Ring."

Di Ting received the order and left, returning shortly with a ring-shaped artifact that at first glance resembled a gold bracelet. Di Ting knelt on one knee before Zhu You and presented the Soul-Guiding Ring with both hands.

Without hesitation, Zhu You cast the Soul-Guiding Ring into the air above the crowd. It rapidly expanded, and when it came to rest in midair, its size had spread to the horizon, easily accommodating the nearly ten thousand people below.

The Soul-Guiding Ring was the most formidable artifact of the Underworld. Zhu You's tone carried a hint of pride. "Living beings cannot pass through the Soul-Guiding Ring. I'll simply verify the lifespans of these people."

Lin Yu smiled politely. "Is that so?"

Zhu You said with certainty, "But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The Ghost Realm has never had a case of mistakenly taking a living person into the Underworld."

Fu Ming's icy gaze fell upon him again. Zhu You suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had spoken too much. He quickly corrected himself, "As for today... it was purely an accident. Once I find the ghost officer who made the mistake, I'll beat him until his soul scatters to make amends to you both."

With a gesture from Zhu You, the Soul-Guiding Ring suddenly tightened. Dense masses of people below were instantly wreathed in wisps of black qi, flying straight into the ring's circle.

Without exception, they all passed through the Soul-Guiding Ring smoothly and were sent back onto the Yellow Spring Road. In a matter of moments, half the crowd before the hall had thinned out.

Lin Yu clenched her fingers, her gaze never leaving the enormous array of light beneath the Soul-Guiding Ring. She carefully studied the faces of each passing soul.

Only about two or three thousand remained. None of the previous seven or eight thousand had gone wrong. Zhu You, who wore his emotions on his sleeve, began to brighten. He said to Lin Yu, "See? I told you—my ghost officers wouldn't make any mistakes..."

Suddenly—BOOM! A thunderous crash!

Lin Yu looked up. It was a small figure blocked by the Soul-Guiding Ring! It hadn't passed through to continue on the Yellow Spring Road. Instead, it had been sifted out and fell tumbling toward the ground!

Lin Yu's pupils contracted. It was a living soul! The soul of an infant who had died to make the Longevity Fruit!

Seeing this, Zhu You's expression shifted. He beckoned to Di Ting, and the two retreated to the back, speaking in hushed tones using a special language.

Ensuring Lin Yu and Fu Ming couldn't hear their conversation, Zhu You asked in anger, "What's going on? How did these infant souls end up here too? Weren't they supposed to have been dealt with long ago?!"

Di Ting scratched the back of his head. "Huh? There were too many people reincarnating—the line stretched for dozens of li. I was going to let them enter the cycle of reincarnation first, but..."

A vein bulged on Zhu You's forehead. "But what?"

Di Ting said, "But the old woman Meng wouldn't allow it... She beat me back."

Zhu You was incredulous. "Didn't you tell her it was the Ghost King's order?"

Di Ting said with a pitiful expression, "I did! But that old woman Meng is stubborn as a mule. She insisted on going by order and wouldn't let them cut in line. She made them queue up, or else they'd have to enter the animal path. They're humans—how could they enter the animal path? I wouldn't accept it, so I got into a shouting match with her. But when I argued with her, she hit me with her staff. I'm afraid of her."

Di Ting rubbed his head. "So I took them to line up. At the current pace, they won't get to be reborn until next year. This god really showed up at a bad time."

Zhu You squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. After the first living soul was blocked, more than a dozen infant souls were sifted out one after another. Lin Yu's expression grew worse and worse.

But the Soul-Guiding Ring had already been released, and pulling it back halfway through would be hard to justify. Besides, the ones in front had already been discovered—they had no choice but to tough it out and keep going.

Zhu You gritted his teeth, his face still desperately maintaining a smile. "You're afraid of the old woman Meng, but you're not afraid of me?"

Di Ting scratched his head with a sheepish laugh, trying to laugh it off.

"Boom!"

The crowd's attention was drawn by the loud crash. Before Zhu You could react, Lin Yu had already rushed forward.

Zhou Yuan was tightly restrained by Fu Zheng, who refused to let go. The two had failed to pass through the Soul-Guiding Ring, instead slamming into it and falling back down. Lin Yu hurried over to support Zhou Yuan.

Everyone followed Lin Yu's lead, and in moments, Zhou Yuan and Fu Zheng were surrounded on all sides. Fu Ming helped Lin Yu up, and noticing something was off with Fu Zheng, he pulled Lin Yu back a step.

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up at the sight of Lin Yu. She tried to climb to her feet and approach, but Fu Zheng yanked her back again. Fu Zheng's expression was blank, his eyes hollow, both hands gripping Zhou Yuan tightly as if in a death lock.

Lin Yu was about to step forward when Fu Ming whispered in her ear, "He's not in his right mind. Be careful."

When a person dies, their life flashes before their eyes, replaying their past experiences. Generally speaking, the dead actually gain a stronger memory—so how could he have lost his memory and become delirious? Lin Yu unconsciously glanced at Zhu You, but he stood calmly to the side, showing nothing unusual.

Zhou Yuan's voice had gone hoarse from crying. Her eyes were bloodshot, her throat raspy, as she said to Lin Yu, "Save me... He's really gone mad!"

Fu Zheng pulled at Zhou Yuan. "Don't run anymore, okay? I won't let you leave. I won't..."

Mid-sentence, Fu Zheng suddenly fell silent. Because in his line of sight appeared a figure he knew all too well. He abruptly looked up and saw Fu Ming.

Fu Zheng suddenly broke into a foolish grin. "Imperial Brother!"

"Imperial Brother, will you grant me and A-Yuan a marriage? I really like her—she's the daughter of Sacrificial Wine Zhou of the Imperial Academy. Our bond... is as strong as metal and stone."

"After I die, she must be buried with me in the imperial tomb."

As he spoke, Fu Zheng tried to climb up and grab the hem of Fu Ming's robes. Fu Ming didn't dodge, instead letting Fu Zheng grab hold of him and pull himself up.

Lin Yu took the opportunity to help Zhou Yuan up as well. She tried to pry Fu Zheng's hands off, but he refused to let go no matter what. Looking closely, she saw Zhou Yuan's wrist was already bruised purple from his grip.

Lin Yu said, "And this is what you call never having wrongly taken a living person?"

Zhu You wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Before them stood more than a dozen infant living souls, along with the deranged Fu Zheng and the bewildered Zhou Yuan.

Zhu You stammered, "This... this must be my subordinates' negligence. I'll go discipline them right away! You wait here—I'll be back in a moment." With so many people implicated this time, he was overwhelmed. Lin Yu and Fu Ming both looked hard to deal with, so after speaking, he turned to flee.

But no sooner had he taken a step than he felt someone grab him from behind. Zhu You turned stiffly, meeting Fu Zheng's face.

Zhu You immediately grew wary. "What are you doing?"

A flicker of clarity returned to Fu Zheng, and his tone became more normal. He stared blankly at Zhu You for a long while, as if recognizing him, then asked, "Didn't you promise to remove my name from the Book of Life and Death? Why... why am I still dead?"

Zhu You froze, then slapped Fu Zheng's hand away. "What nonsense are you talking? Everyone's lifespan is predetermined by heaven. I'm the Ghost King—how could I defy heaven's will to remove a mortal's name for you? You've mistaken me for someone else. Don't talk nonsense!"

Lin Yu quickly seized on the key word in their exchange—the Book of Life and Death. She asked, "He's a prince, after all. He wouldn't slander someone for no reason even in death. Perhaps there's some misunderstanding between you. I have an impertinent request—could you bring out the Book of Life and Death to verify?"

Zhu You's whole body stiffened. He forced a smile. "There's no need for that, is there?"

Lin Yu said, "Of course there is. Just look—your subordinates have wrongly taken so many innocent people whose lifespans were not yet exhausted. If not for the ghost officers mistakenly taking His Majesty as well, drawing me here to investigate, wouldn't all these wrongly taken people have died in vain?"

Lin Yu's tone grew heavier. "In just seven days, so many were taken by mistake. How many wrongs have you committed over all these years? Aren't you afraid the heavens will come investigating?"

Zhu You had no way out. He grudgingly agreed to Lin Yu's request and left with Di Ting, leaving a few ghost officers behind to await orders.

Watching Zhu You's hurried retreat, Lin Yu leaned slightly back toward Fu Ming and said in a low voice, "This is strange. The Earth Immortal spread word among mortals that he has the Book of Life and Death and can remove names for mortals. But there's only one such book in the world. If it's with the Earth Immortal, then where did this one in the Ghost Realm come from?"

"Or, if the one in the Ghost Realm is real, then the Earth Immortal is a god after all—why would he lie about having the Book of Life and Death?"

Fu Ming lowered his head and whispered in Lin Yu's ear, "Not necessarily. Maybe the Ghost King and the Earth Immortal made a deal and share the book between them."

Lin Yu frowned. "A god conspiring with a ghost—that's a serious matter."

"What matter!" Fu Zheng suddenly shouted, startling Lin Yu.

Lin Yu: ...

Fu Zheng was still clinging to Fu Ming, not letting go. Lin Yu gave him a once-over, then gently pressed her hand to his forehead. A warm, serene divine power flowed into Fu Zheng's sea of consciousness.

A flash of green light passed through Fu Zheng's eyes. He rolled them, and consciousness returned.

Fu Zheng looked around to assess his surroundings. When he realized who stood before him, he quickly released his grip on Fu Ming's robes. He lowered his head, staring at the yellow dirt beneath his feet. "Imperial Brother... you... why are you here?"

Fu Ming brought his palm down on Fu Zheng's head, and judging by the sound, it wasn't light. "Came to see you die too fast, so I figured I'd watch the joke."

Seeing that Fu Zheng had regained his senses but still hadn't released Zhou Yuan, Lin Yu frowned and slapped the hand he had wrapped around Zhou Yuan. She said calmly, "Let go."

Fu Zheng pulled his hands back. Zhou Yuan broke free and hurried to hide beside Lin Yu, away from Fu Zheng. She watched him warily, not moving.

Lin Yu said flatly, "You know the Ghost King? Who did you ask for longevity from?"

Fu Zheng rubbed his stinging wrist, thought for a moment, and said, "Of course I know the Ghost King. If you want to extend your lifespan, who else would you ask?"

Lin Yu sensed something was off. The Longevity Fruit in Fu Zheng's mansion was clearly the Earth Immortal's doing. If he had sought out the Ghost King, where would he have gotten the Longevity Fruit?

Lin Yu said, "And the Earth Immortal?"

Fu Zheng was taken aback, looking at her with confusion. "He died long ago. Why bring him up?"