Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 117: Dream of the Underworld

It was gradually approaching evening, and cooking fire smoke was rising from the homes in the mountainside villages.

Some people occasionally glanced in the direction of Wafeng Mountain. The dark clouds still lingered, but the sound of thunder had weakened.

“The weather was really strange this afternoon. The sun was still out, but it was cloudy over Wafeng Mountain. The thunder continued for so long, but we still can’t tell how heavy the rain is…”

“Hey, isn’t that just what the weather is like in the mountains?”

A couple villagers chatted at the entrance to the village as they waited for their wives and mothers-in-law to call them back for dinner.

“It won’t rain tonight, will it?”

“I can’t say for sure. If the clouds don’t disperse after dinner, bring in the clothes that are drying outside.”

“Okay!”

The villagers outside were still chatting, but for the the demons in the mountain the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

After the half-human-faced demon had its soul extracted, the second unlucky victim was the Serpent-Woman. Because she tried to escape into the mountain in a panic, her original body was pressed into the hole she had dug by the City God of Duming Prefecture.

Countless soul-binding chains whipped into her from behind, destabilizing the Serpent-Woman’s soul and detaching it from her body. Then, more soul-binding chains immediately bound her soul, and officers of the various divisions joined the soul-catching messengers in extracting it…

In the end, the remaining two demons had to face the two Prefectural City Gods and the other ghosts and gods alone, at the center of the large formation. They didn’t last long.

Just before dusk, the horizon gave off a sunset red glow.

In the depths of Wafeng Mountain, the mountainside near Dark Wind Ravine was littered with fallen trees and tumbled rocks. The dust from the impact to the mountain still hung in the air, and had not yet completely dispersed.

The battle between the gods and the demons in the two prefectures of Ji Province had come to an end. Two of the demons had their souls extracted and captured, while the other two were eventually beaten to death. It was difficult to say whether the latter had survived.

Above Wafeng Mountain, the Green Vine Sword sheathed itself in the air. The sword intent in the sky was immediately stored away, and the stars in the sky that were faintly visible grew a little clearer.

All the ghosts and gods seemed to sense the disappearance of the sword intent, and looked up at the immortal sword in the sky.

Without waiting for the ghosts and gods to react, with a quiet, sharp sound, the immortal sword turned into a stream of light and rushed to the sky, gradually fading away from the sight of the assembled spirits, and entering a strong wind in the heavens to be carried off.

“I don’t know which immortal might own this Immortal Sword, but thanks to its help, we were able to smoothly subdue these evil spirits today.”

“Well, where does the sword light lead to?”

“It must be somewhere far away.”

It was rare for so many city gods to gather together as they did now. Thus, they simply chatted for a while on the mountain.

Below, the ghost officials of the two prefectural governments and the chief officials of the Yin and Yang Departments went into the demon cave to investigate. They found the source of the resentment miasma, and discovered hundreds of white bones in the darkness. This infuriated the city gods and the officials of both prefectural governments.

However, the deceased were most likely abducted civilians from different provincial jurisdictions. Otherwise, the underworld could not possibly be unaware of so many mortals who had been killed by evil spirits, This also proved that this group of demons knew how to take advantage of the loopholes in the underworld structure.

By the time everything had finished and the sky had turned to night, the city gods of the two prefectures and their respective counties stood on either side of the border passing through the center of Wafeng Mountain and bowed to each other.

“Everyone, this matter here has concluded, and we should disperse. This group of villains is related to a case that happened in my city. This ‘Red Skull’ that the snake demon cursed out is the perpetrator. Why don’t we take them back to the Chunhui Prefecture underworld for interrogation, and then we can inform you as to the results?”

The City God of Chunhui Prefecture bowed to the city gods before him and to the left and right.

“City God Zhao, there’s not need to be polite. Chunhui Prefecture is the capital of Ji Province, so it’s most appropriate for you to taken them in for interrogation!”

The City God of Duming Prefecture spoke up in agreement, and the city god of other counties had no objections.

“Thank you, City God Li, and thank you to all the assembled city gods. Until we meet again!”

“Farewell, fellow city gods!”

“Until we meet again!”

This scene was indeed a rare sight. After the city gods bid each other farewell, they either flew away or moved away, leaving only a mess in the depths of Wafeng Mountain. Fortunately, very few people would approach the Dark Wind Ravine, let alone explore th bottom of the gully, otherwise they would have been scared to death just seeing the piles of white bones in the depths.

In the eyes of the villagers living near the mountain, the dark clouds from the direction of Wafeng Mountain finally dispersed shortly after dark, and the thunder completely subsided. They could see the starry sky behind the mountain peak, so they could continue to hang their clothes in the yard to dry without worry.

. . .

In the Guixiang Inn next to the Imperial Examination Hall in Chunhui Prefecture’s capital city, Yin Zhaoxian’s fever had died down, and he had woken up. Although it was still nighttime, he was nonetheless reading a book by the candlelight in the room in a somewhat uneasy mood.

“Ah… I’ve provoked a monster, what should I do… I can’t stay in Chunhui Prefecture forever, what will happen to my family, my reputation…”

If he were an ordinary person, the memory of the City God’s dream last night would have become blurred the next day when the sun rose. However, Yin Zhaoxian remembered it clearly.

In the dream, the City God of Chunhui Prefecture didn’t seem to know much about the origins of the monster. Yin Zhaoxian had finally gotten the opportunity to realize his ambitions, it was unacceptable to wind up being eaten by that monster for no reason.

‘I wonder if I can go to the temple and ask for a protective talisman? ’

In the afternoon, the magistrate of Chunhui Prefecture sent someone to see him and inquire about his condition. At that time, Yin Zhaoxian looked very depressed; others thought he was sick, but in truth he was just worried sick.

“If only Mr. Ji were here…”

Looking at the words on the book in front of him, Yin Zhaoxian still couldn’t concentrate. His vision seemed to gradually become blurry, and he grew dazed and began to doze off. Soon, he had fallen into a deep sleep, slouched over the table.

“Yin Jieyuan, Yin Jieyuan!”

Hearing someone calling him, Yin Zhaoxian raised his head, only to find two officials in black official robes standing in the room next to him. The style of their robes was a little strange, and there were even characters on their tall caps.

On one man’s hat was written: Night patrol, not daytime patrol.

The other man’s hat read: Manage the yin, not the yang.¹

Although he felt that something was a little unusual, Yin Zhaoxian stood up, bowed in greeting, and asked.

“Who might the two officials be?”

At Yin Zhaoxian’s questioning, the two men who appeared to be officials cupped their hands and bowed to him in return.

“Yin Jieyuan, the Lord City God of Chunhui Prefecture invites you to join him! Please, Jieyuan, make this easy and come with us!”²

‘This is really bad! ’

Yin Zhaoxian was shocked.

“Ghost messengers, has my life come to an end?”

“Hahaha… Yin Jieyuan, don’t be afraid. It’s not that your life has ended but simply that the Lord City God wishes to invite you to join him!”

“That’s right, we will take you back later, don’t worry!”

It was good that he wasn’t dead. After calming himself, Yin Zhaoxian to the ghost messengers’ request. As he followed them to leave, he experienced the miraculous feeling of passing through a solid door.

After leaving the inn and walking through the streets, Yin Zhaoxian soon felt as if he were walking through fog. He followed the underworld messengers step by step into the underworld.

For a mortal, this was definitely a special experience. Although it was like trying to spot flowers through thick fog, he truly caught a glimpse of the bustle of the underworld. He spotted many ghost messengers, and underworld judges reviewing official documents. He even heard the sounds of whips and screaming coming from a certain direction.

The scream that left the deepest impression scream seemed to come from a woman. It shrill and extremely frightening.

“Yin Jieyuan, that one over there that is screaming is a vicious demon. It has murdered may people, and the punishment is already far from enough.”

“I see, I see!”

“This way, please!”

Yin Zhaoxian didn’t dare to say much or ask any more questions. He followed the ghost officers to a large hall, which looked very similar to the main hall of the City God Temple in Chunhui Prefecture. The City God of the prefecture was sitting in the room.

Yin Zhaoxian didn’t dare delay his greetings and hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed to the City God.

“Ning’an County’s Yin Zhaoxian greets the Lord City God!”

The City God came down from his seat and led him to a seat to the side of the coffee table.

“Yin Jieyuan, no need to be so polite, please sit here!”

Looking at Yin Zhaoxian’s nervous expression, the City God went straight to the point.

“Yin Jieyuan, the demon who attacked you before has been completely destroyed, and all other affiliated demons have also been captured or killed. They can no longer harm anyone.”

When Yin Zhaoxian heard this, he quickly stood up, despite only just having sat down with trepidation, and bowed to the City God.

“Thank you, Lord City God, for getting rid of these evil spirits. Now I can rest assured!”

“Yin Jieyuan, no need to be so polite. We actually may need to thank you at this time!”

The City God spoke, and continued without waiting for Yin Zhaoxian to wonder for too long.

“Yin Jieyuan, you once said that you made a strange friend. When the demon tried to harm you last night, you were injured by some ability that he left behind. Does your friend carry a sword with him?”

Generally, immortal weapons that had given birth to spirits would also practice their own cultivation, and were unlikely to—and did not like to—be stored within spatial treasures. Therefore, Yin Zhaoxian might very well have seen the true form of the immortal sword, and so the City God asked him this question.

“A sword?”

Yin Zhaoxian thought about Ji Yuan’s daily life and shook his head.

“I’ve never seen him with one, but… my son once said that he saw Mr. Ji performing a sword dance, and the fallen leaves and flowers followed his movements. Watching his sword dance was like seeing the bright clouds and the rising sun, and it felt like flowers blooming and flowing water…”

Yin Qing was gifted with a bright mind and pure heart from a very young age, so when he saw Ji Yuan’s sword dance, he could more clearly feel the path that the man’s aura traveled. What he experienced was not merely the superficial appearance of Ji Yuan’s sword dance.

Yin Zhaoxian had never seen it, so it was difficult for him to recount it clearly, and he could only give a general description.

However, the City God’s expression grew much more solemn at his words. He had originally been 60% certain, but that had now become almost 90%.

“Yin Jieyuan, although your friend may already know something about this, and perhaps someone of his level may not care about this matter, if you meet him again in the future, please pass on this item to him on my behalf! “

Yin Zhaoxian watched as the City God handed him an ebony plaque the size of his little finger, with a black tassel attached to it. There were no pictures or inscriptions on any of its sides. He didn’t know what it was, but since it had been given to him by the City God, Yin Zhaoxian he naturally didn’t dare to neglect it. He took the small wooden plaque with both hands and answered respectfully.

“If I see him, sir, I will definitely pass it on to him!”

“Excellent, thank you, Yin Jieyuan. I have kept you here for long enough, it’s time to send you back!”

The City God excused him, and Yin Zhaoxian didn’t dare to stay in the underworld for any longer. He bowed repeatedly in farewell. The City God also bowed slightly in return, and the two underworld messengers brought Yin Zhaoxian back.

As he passed by a certain place, he glanced into the distance at a certain dark red area in the direction of the Punishment Division. From time to time, he could hear many noisy shouts and screams.

Suddenly, there was a sound like grinding teeth, or a stroke of a saw, and the sound of whipping, standing out from among the other noises.

“Ah ah… I’ve said it all, I’ve already said it all… Kill me… Ah ah…”

The woman’s clear, sharp, and shrill screams made Yin Zhaoxian tremble with fright.

“Yin Jieyuan, please don’t stop, follow me!”

Yin Zhaoxian hurriedly caught up to the messenger under his urgent reminder.

“Alright, okay! Thank you for your help!”

. . .

In the inn’s room, Yin Zhaoxian was so drowsy that his head nodded off downwards. With a “boom!” it hit the table, and he suddenly woke up.

Looking around, he saw that he was still in the room at the inn, with a book in his hand.

“Was it a dream?”

Yin Zhaoxian was so puzzled, that he hadn’t noticed that he still held a cold ebony plaque in his right hand.

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T/n: damn the underworld really needs to hire a better PR team

1. T/n: I know this isn’t the case, but I just thought it would be hilarious if these were like stamps that the City God gave these two because they were idiots and kept forgetting that they’re the night patrol not the day patrol. Like, “if you’re going to keep patrolling in the daytime then let this be a reminder!” *stamps giant characters on their foreheads so they literally can’t forget each time they look at each other*
2. T/n: I, too, was taken aback at how this sounds like they’re arresting him, but yeah that’s how it was written, and the next line makes it seem like this was intentional (YZX also thinks he’s being arrested LOL)