Young Master Is Being Jealous Again!
Chapter 845: A Figure in Tattered Clothing Lingers in Fengdu City, Covered in Blood

Chapter 845: Chapter 845: A Figure in Tattered Clothing Lingers in Fengdu City, Covered in Blood

The red-robed female puppet knelt on one knee before Chu Zifeng, her expression subservient, "My lord, I do not know, the aura on this woman is very strange."

Chu Zifeng fanned his nose and said with a look of disgust on his face, "I can tell, that smell on her is very much like that of Ming Tianheng!"

Qin Ruan lifted her head to glance at Chu Zifeng, who was leaning on the couch of the imperial concubine. Even though he was surrounded by immortal energy, he didn’t seem like a righteous person and had none of the Underworld King’s majestic presence.

She was already harboring suspicions, and with a furrowed brow, she asked, "Who exactly are you?"

At her words, Chu Zifeng couldn’t help but laugh, "How amusing you are, girl. You intrude into my territory and then ask who I am. Why don’t you introduce yourself first?"

As Qin Ruan’s breathing grew heavy, her fierce eyes swirled with doubt, "You know the Underworld King? As the leader of the Five Ghost Emperors, why would you linger in the forbidden area of the Human Realm school? There are countless oppressed souls here, could it be that you have betrayed the Netherworld?"

Hearing the talk of betrayal, Chu Zifeng sat up straight, his eyes flickering with a sinister and fierce light, and he warned in a deep voice, "Girl, watch your words!"

An oppressive feeling burst forth from Chu Zifeng in an instant, weighing heavily on Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan, already unsettled by the chaotic memories from before, had her expression darken abruptly under this coercion.

A strong surge of cold Evil Qi accompanied by intense Nether Power burst forth from her body, challenging Chu Zifeng who sat across from her.

"Indeed, it’s passed down from the same lineage as Ming Tianheng!"

Chu Zifeng’s cold eyes softened, and with a wave of his white sleeve, he dispersed the attack launched by Qin Ruan.

That should have been the end of the strike.

Yet, the attack Chu Zifeng flung out concealed a trace of the utmost Yin Evil Qi, which could severely injure a person’s body. When it came into contact with Qin Ruan, it poured into her organs following her skin.

By the time Chu Zifeng thought to retract the Yin Evil Qi, it was already too late.

He knew very well the harm that the utmost Yin Evil Qi could cause to the human body: at the least, a lingering illness, and at worst, death.

However, not only did Qin Ruan absorb every bit of his Yin Evil Qi, the Nether Power passed down from Ming Tianheng even started to stir and linger around him, seeking to draw more Yin Evil Qi.

Chu Zifeng’s lazy and relaxed demeanor disappeared as he pursed his lips, his gaze on Qin Ruan cold and filled with a hint of murderous intent.

He wondered if this girl even knew what she was doing.

The consequence of the Yin Evil Qi being drained was that he faced the crisis of greatly reduced magical power.

Qin Ruan, having stolen a trace of Yin Evil Qi from Chu Zifeng, the leader of the Five Ghost Emperors, felt her whole body relax, her pores exultant in the sensation, wishing for more.

Chu Zifeng watched as Qin Ruan suddenly laughed. He curved his eyes, his laughter pleasant and seductive, as if one could accidentally fall into his dark abyss.

"You are Ming Tianheng’s disciple."

With one statement, he exposed Qin Ruan’s identity.

It was precisely this suspicion that made him show mercy just now.

He had been here for a thousand years and harbored the competitiveness of a fellow subordinate of the Emperor of Fengdu towards Ming Tianheng.

The office of the Five Ghost Emperors was not inferior to that of the Underworld King, and he and Ming Tianheng were both the Emperor of Fengdu’s trusted aides.

He had not expected that after a thousand years, that lad would have taken a female disciple.

It was only after they clashed that he realized Qin Ruan had a Demi-God Body.

Qin Ruan withdrew the Nether Power swirling around Chu Zifeng, her emotions now much calmer, "The Underworld King saved my life; I cannot speak of being his disciple."

Chu Zifeng gave her a profoundly inscrutable smile, "Though your body is now that of a mortal flesh, your spirit has been tempered into a Demi-God Body. Moreover, you have fully mastered the true teachings of the Underworld King, bearing the Nether Divine Power that only the sovereign of the Netherworld should possess. You also have the seed of the Hellfire within you, could it be that Ming Tianheng is preparing you to be the next ruler of the Netherworld?"

Towards the end, Chu Zifeng furrowed his brows lightly, his face filled with confusion and incomprehension as he looked at Qin Ruan.

No, this woman also had an even more complex aura about her, impossible to trace back to any origin.

Qin Ruan looked down at the female puppets sprawled on the ground, each ghost not only beautiful but also of exceptional elegance and grace.

Recalling the suggestive sounds she had heard outside the door earlier, Qin Ruan remained wholly on guard against Chu Zifeng before her.

She pointed to the Jin Ling undead beneath her feet and asked Chu Zifeng, "May I ask why you are here, sir, and why this puppet has just died and appeared here? There are tens of thousands of students at the Shengshi Academy. The Evil Qi here is dense; any one of them could be facing a threat to their life if they are tainted by it. Are you aware of this?"

Chu Zifeng, propping his chin with his hand, looked languid and at ease, speaking in an indifferent tone, "You seem quite righteous, young lady, but I don’t see much of an awe-inspiring sense of justice in your demeanor or deep within your heart."

Qin Ruan seemed not to catch his sarcasm and replied coldly, "I am not a good person to begin with."

A smile reached the depths of Chu Zifeng’s eyes as he looked at Qin Ruan more favorably, "Then you should know that this is my territory, just as Ming Tianheng manages the Netherworld, and I guard the Puppet Gate."

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Ruan’s eyes, "Although my memory is not good, I am clear that this place is not the Puppet Gate."

"Quite the sharp tongue!"

Chu Zifeng waved his hand, and the scenery around them changed abruptly.

The space became cramp, and Qin Ruan felt an invisible force enveloping her.

The room before her, antique in style, instantly transformed into a strange sight without sunlight, without vitality, a grey and desolate expanse.

Above the towering city gate, the words Feidu entered Qin Ruan’s view.

It stood high above, commanding solemn reverence.

With just one glance, Qin Ruan knew where she had arrived.

The extremely awe-inspiring, upward-looking eighth station of the Netherworld—Feidu City.

The vast Feidu City, looking upwards one could not see the stars and the sun; looking downwards, the soil and dust were not visible.

Feidu City’s gates were guarded by Yin Soldiers, and two lanterns hovered high above the city tower, utterly motionless.

One lantern shone brightly, the other was dim and dark.

Indeed, the Netherworld, like the Human Realm, has its own order, with a management system just like that of the mortal world.

It is said that when people die and enter the Netherworld, the first station they reach is— the local Earth God Temple.

The newly departed undead are still living souls and need to visit the local Earth God Temple.

There is an Earth God Temple for every place, invisible to the eyes of the living, yet they truly exist.

Past the Earth God Temple, one must go to the Netherworld’s second station— the Yellow Springs Road.

Looking up on Yellow Springs Road, one can see neither sun, moon, nor stars; looking down, there is no land or dust; looking forward, there is no bright main road; looking back, no kith nor kin can be seen.

The Yellow Springs Road is perilous, with a hundred dangers in the deep abyss; life and death hang in the balance, and from the desperate situation, there is no escape; a single misstep can lead to shattered bones.

On the road, the spirits cannot yet be called puppets; only after entering Feidu City do they truly become puppets.

The Netherworld’s third station— the Wandering Soul Terrace.

After crossing the Yellow Springs Road and reaching the Wandering Soul Terrace, one can look back at one’s hometown but never return.

Reaching the Wandering Soul Terrace means there’s almost no possibility of the soul returning to life.

The Netherworld’s fourth station— Evil Dog Ridge.

Descending from the Wandering Soul Terrace and proceeding along the way, one hears bursts of fierce barking, chilling the souls of countless undead.

Dogs and roosters are important mediums of communication between the Netherworld and the Human Realm; dogs would bark upon seeing the souls from the Netherworld.

At the break of dawn, the spirits with weak Puppet Power avoid the sunlight to keep from being shattered utterly.

The ridge is home to a pack of fierce dogs with savage glares, steel-like teeth, and fur hard as wire; they devour the passing souls.

Once bitten, unless a piece of flesh is torn off, they will not let go.

The Netherworld’s fifth station— Golden Rooster Mountain.

At Golden Rooster Mountain’s peak are two ridges one must carefully climb over; crossing over the mountain, one reaches Feidu City.

Upon entering Golden Rooster Mountain, flocks of roosters pounced, ready to peck out the souls’ eyes. Their sharp claws could rip flesh and penetrate the viscera, never ceasing until they had torn out the heart and liver.

Both Evil Dog Ridge and Golden Rooster Mountain are checkpoints all souls must pass through when following proper procedure.

The sixth stop in the Netherworld—Wild Puppet Village.

The souls lingering here are those who, after surviving Evil Dog Ridge and Golden Rooster Mountain, have been transformed from dismembered spirits.

They wait in this place to find new souls with complete soul bodies, so they can continue their journey forward.

Many healthy souls, led astray, are unable to escape the clutches of the mutilated spirits of Wild Puppet Village.

Here, the ceaseless sounds of agony echo constantly, causing passing souls to often witness blurred scenes of blood and flesh.

The seventh stop in the Netherworld—the Enchanting Hall.

In the Enchanting Hall lies a pavilion with a deep well from which steaming spring water emerges.

Once past this, Feidu City lays ahead.

The pavilion is known as the Enchanting Hall, and the bubbling spring is the Enchanting Water. The drinking of this water compels souls to spill the truth and report all of their mortal sins, awaiting King Yama’s interrogation.

Once a soul drinks this water, even if a great immortal descends, it’s hard to resurrect and return to life.

And at this very moment, the ground beneath Qin Ruan’s feet is the eighth stop in the Netherworld—Feidu City.

Surrounded by scenery that felt overwhelmingly familiar, she desired to wander again amongst the countlessly tread paths.

The next stop in the Netherworld is the Eighteen Layers of Hell.

For Qin Ruan, the Eighteen Layers of Hell were all too familiar; prior to her rebirth, the purgatory where she refined her soul was there.

She looked up at the towering city walls, at the words "Feidu" engraved upon it, and her heart ached inexplicably.

In this world where stars remained unseen in the dark, Qin Ruan seemed to perceive a familiar figure, tattered and bloodied, entering the city gates repeatedly.

An unexplained sourness welled up in her eyes, hot tears streaked down her cheeks, dropping onto the dark soil beneath her feet.

The surrounding space warped for an instant, and Qin Ruan found herself back inside a restricted house within Shengshi Academy.

Chu Zifeng saw her red eyes and the uncanny change in her demeanor, he carefully spoke, "Why are you crying, girl?"

Qin Ruan raised a hand to her face, feeling her wet tears.

Startled, she didn’t understand why she was crying.

"Perhaps I’ve been dazzled," her voice contained an uncontrollable pallor and sourness.

Chu Zifeng did not delve into her oddity, uncertain whether he believed her or not.

His beautiful lips curved into a faint smile, "This is the boundary between the Netherworld and the Mortal World. I was sent here by the Emperor to suppress this place for a thousand years, to prevent the Evil Puppets of the Netherworld and the greed-driven villains of the Mortal World from doing evil."

Pointing to a Jin Ling spirit on the ground, he said, "Since you have come here, presumably in pursuit of this Puppet, take her and leave quickly."

The message to depart was blunt and discourteous.

Qin Ruan put away the complex emotions in her heart, gazed at Chu Zifeng’s excessively handsome face with a slight frown, and abruptly said, "I met the Underworld King recently, and he instructed me to come to this restricted area."

Chu Zifeng’s curiosity was piqued, "Why?"

Qin Ruan hesitated for a moment, then answered obliquely, "Now, as I walk in the Mortal World, my life is sustained by Evil Qi."

Upon hearing this, Chu Zifeng sat up straight, a chilling aura swept across the entire room.

He appeared suddenly in front of Qin Ruan, his sharp gaze weighing heavily upon her.

After a long look, Chu Zifeng voiced his suspicion, "Your spirit is rather strange."

His keen eyes naturally noticed the Evil Qi stored within Qin Ruan; it was entwined tightly with her fate.

Qin Ruan, due to Chu Zifeng’s proximity, detected the alluring Dark Evil Energy emanating from him.

She unconsciously licked her lips as her fingers twitched, eager to absorb every ounce of his Dark Evil Energy.

Chu Zifeng, with a lowered gaze, caught her subtle movement.

He stepped back and produced an item from his bosom; it was a black token the size of a palm.

An overpowering evil aura surged from the token, its cool breath wrapping around Qin Ruan, giving her a pleasant, refreshing sensation.

Her eyes locked onto the black token, almost glued to it.

"A thousand years ago when I was sent to guard the boundary between the Netherworld and the Mortal World, the Emperor assigned me a task to wait here with this token for the predestined person. If you absorb the black evil from this token, I will have fulfilled my mission and can leave this place early," he said.

After speaking, Chu Zifeng extended the token towards Qin Ruan.

The prospect of life-extending Dark Energy right before her eyes, how could Qin Ruan possibly refuse? She reached out to accept it.

As her hands eagerly touched the token, her fingers passed right through it, unable to touch even the slightest bit of it.

Chu Zifeng’s eyebrows raised just a bit, but he did not show much disappointment.

He pocketed the token, his eyes smiling as he said, "It seems you are not the fated one after all."

Qin Ruan didn’t doubt his words, but a sense of regret washed over her, and a tinge of disappointment flickered in her eyes.

Chu Zifeng’s gaze lingered on Qin Ruan’s cold and beautiful face, his look somewhat unfathomable, as he spoke, "Dawn is nearly upon us; if you do not leave now, you may not be able to leave at all."

She turned to look at the skies outside, with a pale white spreading across the eastern horizon.

Qin Ruan’s expression changed subtly; she had not spent much time here, at most an hour – she had not expected dawn to break so quickly.

Having not returned for a day and a night, she wondered if her elder had become worried.

Qin Ruan made a grabbing motion in the air, capturing Jin Ling’s soul body from the ground and said to Chu Zifeng in a manner neither cold nor warm, "I have bothered you today, we shall meet again another day."

She would return, for there were too many mysteries about Chu Zifeng.

And since the Underworld King had sent her to the forbidden area of the school, he must have had deeper intentions.

Of course, she could not deny that the evil aura from the token in Chu Zifeng’s hand held a vast attraction for her.

Qin Ruan commanded the captured soul and turned to leave.

The sound of dripping water echoed in her ears, and she looked down to see the ground was wet.

Tracing the source of the wetness, it seemed to be dripping from Jin Ling’s body.

Jin Ling was dressed in the same clothes he had died in, which were somewhat revealing.

On his lower garment shone a clear, ambiguously stained patch.

With a whiff of her nose, a fishy smell came forth.

Anyone with experience would recognize the nature of the wet patch on Jin Ling’s clothes at a glance.

Qin Ruan’s face flushed with embarrassed anger, her eyebrows tightly knitted as she turned back to look at Chu Zifeng, who was leaning on the imperial couch.

His eyes teased her with a mockingly amused expression.

Qin Ruan challenged him out loud, "Are you really Chu Zifeng, the chief of the Five Ghost Emperors?"

The state of Jin Ling clearly indicated that he had had an encounter, leaving foreign remnants within his soul body.

The revolting, mucus-like substance had fallen to the ground as he moved, making people disgusted.

Chu Zifeng clicked his tongue and said, "It was just an insignificant living soul that sought its own death by appearing before me. I’d find it dirty to even touch such a filthy thing."