Love & Redemption
Chapter 257: Final Volume: I Am Liuli - 16: Descent of the Gods (Part 3)

Chapter 257: Final Volume: I Am Liuli Chapter 16: Descent of the Gods (Part 3)

Who would have known that once he entered Yidu, swept away by the crowd, he could no longer find that woman’s figure. In a trance, he felt that Yidu was no different from the towns in the human world, with ghosts and Yin Cha moving to and fro leisurely and comfortably. Yu Sifeng wandered aimlessly for a while, when suddenly, he saw a towering building rise straight from the ground ahead, with its eaves layer upon layer soaring upward, just like a phoenix spreading its wings, and he couldn’t help but walk towards it.

Once inside, he saw countless Yin Cha running back and forth in the hall, extremely busy, while a few Yin Cha were discussing something in low voices in a corner.

"By rights, that person isn’t under the jurisdiction of hell; in the past, whenever they descended, they did so with great pomp and circumstance, but this time, they were bound tight like a rice dumpling. If it weren’t for Emperor Hou Tu’s prescient foresight, who extracted her Divine Sense first, if this person stirred up trouble, hell wouldn’t have a single peaceful day."

"Are you talking about that woman? Curious and strange indeed, she didn’t look like that before; when she first came, she was still a..."

"Silence! Such matters should not be mentioned."

The Yin Cha looked around nervously, checking if any suspicious ghosts were eavesdropping on them. Only when they felt slightly reassured, yet still not daring to continue the topic, did they make small talk for a few more sentences before dispersing.

The more Yu Sifeng listened, the more intrigued he became. Seeing that the group had scattered, he wanted to question a Yin Cha alone, but the people here ignored his presence entirely, and he couldn’t touch anything. Never before in his life had he encountered such a strange phenomenon, so he could only wander around aimlessly, passing through one luxurious hall after another until he inadvertently entered a room. The opulence and refinement of the room hardly needed mention, but what was peculiar was that three walls appeared normal, while one wall was covered with a massive curtain. No matter how he tried to circle around, he couldn’t get behind the curtain to see what was hidden.

Not knowing what to do, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. The door creaked open, and a middle-aged man in green robes with a Judge’s hat entered, bowing his body. He knelt before the curtain and said respectfully, "Your subordinate pays respects to Emperor Hou Tu."

Behind that curtain was none other than Emperor Hou Tu, ruler of the Netherworld. Yu Sifeng was startled and, without considering that others couldn’t see his movement, immediately held his breath, hung his head, and stepped aside cautiously, not daring to give offense.

A voice that was neither male nor female yet extremely gentle came from behind the curtain, "Judge Zhou, there is no need for such formalities. I have summoned you here to entrust you with a matter."

Zhou Pan was a clever man and immediately grasped what Emperor Hou Tu meant. He spoke gravely, "Does the Emperor mean... that person?"

There was a hint of fear in his voice when he mentioned that person.

The voice behind the curtain slightly smiled, "That person, this person — there is no such way to refer to others. She has long since stopped being the terrifying Evil God she once was and has not committed even a minor wrongdoing. Why do you all need to be so afraid?"

Zhou Pan nodded slightly but remained silent.

Emperor Hou Tu continued, "I fear she will soon arrive. Judge Zhou, the Heavenly Emperor has entrusted me with a plan. The heart was taken from her long ago, in the hope that thereafter she would serve Heaven. Yet, mysteriously, she developed her own Divine Sense and committed those heaven-shaking crimes. However, looking at the big picture, it is Heaven that owes her an apology. After making her descend to the Lower Realm several times to endure tribulations and sufferings, in hopes that she would emerge with a new persona, who knew this course of action would once again be mistaken. That day, I reached a stalemate with the Heavenly Emperor in our game of Go. Unable to proceed, he asked me how to untangle the initial thread from the entangled mess, so I disrupted the game board and told him to cut it off and start over. Touched by this, he entrusted me with giving her a new beginning. I took her Divine Sense and memory, turning her into an uncarved block of stone. Judge Zhou, you have always been stern and upright, second to none, and I hope you can carve this stone into jade."

Zhou Pan was moved, bowing deeply and said, "Your subject lacks virtue and capability; I dare not shoulder such a great responsibility!"

Emperor Hou Tu laughed, "Judge Zhou, there is no need for such modesty, being a teacher is a great merit. There’s no need to refuse."

Only then did Zhou Pan agree.

Yu Sifeng listened on the side, half-understanding, aware that they were referring to Xuanji, but why should Heaven feel guilty to her? What did they mean by starting over? Emperor Hou Tu said she was once an Evil God, but Heaven has always been indifferent and without conflict, so where could an Evil God come from?

He was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Zhou Pan say, "I make bold to ask the Emperor to give that person a name, hoping that she will receive this auspicious omen, and someday, upon achieving Tao, she will return to the Heavenly Court, not letting down the tender nurturing hopes of the Heavenly Emperor and the Emperor."

Emperor Hou Tu pondered for a moment and then said, "Luo Hou and Jidu are originally names of evil stars, hardly graceful. Since she is starting anew, her future is a mystery... Mystery... I shall bestow upon her the name Xuanji, in the hope that she will have a bright and clear future, attaining the great Tao."

After speaking, a delicate, moon-white note flew out from behind the curtain. The handwriting on it was soft and elegant, neatly written with the characters "Xuanji."

Zhou Pan held the note with great respect and tucked it into his chest.

In that instant, Yu Sifeng suddenly realized that Xuanji’s descent to the Lower Realm was neither to undergo tribulations nor to face punishment. Her fate was so unclear that not even the Heavenly Emperor knew what it was; each step she took was not predetermined and relied entirely on her own choices. Whether she would attain enlightenment, become a demon, or just be an ordinary mortal all her life depended solely on her.

Given that, what about the matter of rebellion? Could it be that the Heavenly Emperor foresaw signs of Xuanji becoming a demon and thus decided to strike preemptively? But that rationale was even harder to substantiate; he considered himself the person closest to Xuanji and couldn’t fathom the idea of her becoming a demon. With her dull and naive nature, becoming a demon was probably too difficult for her.

Why?

He could never quite figure it out, remembering that both the Heavenly Emperor and Emperor Hou Tu possessed divine powers capable of penetrating heaven and earth. Although he was in the Netherworld and invisible to others, Emperor Hou Tu must certainly be able to see him. Why not go and ask him?

Just as Yu Sifeng was about to speak up and inquire, he suddenly saw a massive curtain rise high and sweep toward him—engulfing him in an instant from head to toe. Yu Sifeng was taken aback, attempting to call out, but the curtain covered even his mouth and nose. Struggling, he found the fabric cold, slippery, and tough, unlike any ordinary cloth. As it wrapped around him, it felt as if he was ensnared by an enormous python, leaving no room for him to squirm free.

Gradually, he felt his blood rush to his head and was on the verge of passing out from suffocation, when suddenly everything loosened, and he tumbled to the ground, gasping for air. Terrified, he looked up and discovered that somehow, he was already at the banks of the Wangchuan River. On the opposite shore, countless newly dead souls silently advanced under the escort of the Yin Cha, returning to the scene he had witnessed before.

What on earth was happening? Completely bewildered by the inexplicable events, Yu Sifeng had no choice but to stand up and head back to Yidu. Just as he was approaching the Wangchuan, the Yin Cha spotted him and swiftly surrounded him, harshly demanding answers—this time they could see him again.

Yu Sifeng tried to explain but was at a loss for words. After the Yin Cha questioned him for quite some time and saw his hesitant silence, they unceremoniously threw iron chains to bind him. Yu Sifeng was grasped by the arms and legs by the mob of enforcers, an absurd spectacle, and he urgently protested, "I am not a ghost!"

The Yin Cha didn’t listen and immediately threw a soul-locking chain over his head—with several clinking sounds, the chain passed right through his body, not even catching a single hair. The enforcers were all stunned, and one of them exclaimed, "Bad omen! Could he be a living person?" After saying that, they gave him a solid pat, and with a crisp "clang," streaks and strands of golden light radiated from his chest, exquisitely beautiful to behold.

Even Yu Sifeng himself was shocked at the sight. Why was golden light emanating from his chest? He looked down and saw his chest twinkling with a shiny golden glyph that bounced and flickered beneath his clothes, radiating a divine aura.

The sight of the glyph made the Yin Cha’s already pale faces turn an even uglier shade of green, as they scrambled away in all directions, repeatedly saying, "He’s been marked by the Heavenly Emperor! We beg your pardon! Young master, please do not take offense!"

After saying this, seemingly afraid he might retaliate, they vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Yu Sifeng looking blankly at the shimmering golden glyph on his chest, which faded after a while, leaving everything as it was.

Marks from the Heavenly Emperor? So, everything had been arranged by him?

Dazedly, he continued forward. The enforcers all knew he was marked by the Heavenly Emperor and no one dared bother him, allowing him to wander aimlessly. Yu Sifeng had intended to return to the palace in Yidu, but since he could no longer become invisible, and everyone could see him, his journey became unfeasible. After walking back for a while, attempting to find an exit from the Netherworld, he suddenly saw a mist ahead and a fox appeared, cutting through the haze with a majestic air.

Yu Sifeng exclaimed, "Zi Hu!"

The fox, with its purple fur as lustrous as brocade, looked extremely beautiful. Hearing Yu Sifeng calling her, her large ears flickered, and she quickly turned back. On spotting Yu Sifeng not far away, her eyes lit up instantly before dimming again. With a swish of her tail, she charged towards him, weeping, latching onto his clothes with her paws, smearing her tears and snot all over him.

"Si Feng, Si Feng! Have you also died? No way!" She trembled as she spoke, her eyes brimming with tears.

Yu Sifeng urgently said, "You’re dead?"

Zi Hu nodded with tears in her eyes, murmuring, "How else would I be here? Don’t you even know whether you’re dead or not?"

Yu Sifeng, finding the situation both comical and pitiful, asked, "Am I dead?"

Zi Hu jumped off him with an exasperated look and transformed into a beautiful woman in a purple dress. Wiping her tears, she sighed, "You’re luckier than me; you don’t even know how you died. My death was truly tragic."

Yu Sifeng asked softly, "You... how did you die..."

She rubbed her eyes, saying, "Dead is dead, what’s the point of talking about it? Let’s go. I’ve been awfully lonely by myself, having you here will make me feel much better. Just hoping Xuanji won’t get jealous."

Yu Sifeng shook his head, saying softly, "With you gone, Wuzhiqi and the others must be extremely upset..." He understood their temperaments quite well, and with Zi Hu’s death, their repressed violent emotions would likely be uncontrollable, possibly causing chaos.

He turned and walked away, while Zi Hu quickly caught up and called out, "Hey! Where are you going? Aren’t you heading to Yidu?"

He shook his head, saying, "I’m going to stop them! If I’m too late, I’m afraid they might cause a disaster!"

Zi Hu clung to him persistently, pleading, "You’re already dead, why bother with all this trouble! Everything is futile after death—haven’t you heard that before?"

Yu Sifeng felt a mix of amusement and exasperation once again, sighing, "I’m not dead... I just don’t know why I ended up here."

"Oh, really!" Zi Hu clearly didn’t believe him, "Then I’m not dead either; I just mysteriously ended up in the Netherworld."

(To be continued, If you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. The site has more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)