The night sky, pitch-black as lacquer, sank lower and lower.
High above the Eastern Divine Land, the moon hung alone, with not a single star to keep her company.
Until the moon turned her gaze elsewhere.
In the vast night sky, the constellation that symbolised Chenshui flickered faintly once before vanishing. The flash was so brief that it stirred not the slightest ripple.
Ripples spread gently across the Great Loch, like a slumbering goddess curled with her knees drawn in repose.
Two short, bulky shadows took advantage of the moonlight’s absence, wading into the loch with a tattered soft sedan borne between them. Step by step, they sank into the dark waters until they vanished completely.
Behind the sedan-bearers trailed a line of ragged shadows, every one of them just as shabby. Like clay dolls meeting water, they too disappeared without a trace.
A gong and two drums sounded with blares and beats.
The pair carrying the sedan were trudging along when one of them suddenly barked, “We’ve gone the wrong way! It’s to the left, left!”
The other shadow snapped back, “You remembered it wrong! It’s clearly to the right!”
“Left!”
“Right!”
The two of them bickered ceaselessly, each more adamant than the other. All of a sudden, a weak voice cut in, “Can you shut up?!”
The racket outside the sedan came to an abrupt halt. Inside, Xue Cuo felt light-headed, stomach lurching from the jostle. Suddenly, his bottom bounced, and he was flung clean out of the sedan—straight into a pair of arms hard as stone.
Still reeling with nausea, Xue Cuo glanced up… and shrieked as every hair on his head stood on end. “GHOST AAA!”
The creature had fiery red hair, green eyes, a bulbous garlic-shaped nose, a jaw full of fangs and eyes like a leopard. It leaned in with a grin. “That’s right, yes, yes. I am.”
Xue Cuo shoved it away, tumbled backwards, and scrambled to his feet in a blind panic.
The two shadows exchanged bewildered looks. “Why’s he running?!”
The other red-eyed, green-haired one leapt up and smacked his companion on the head. Lifting the sedan again, he grumbled, “You’re too ugly, that’s why you scared him off! Compared to you, I’m more dashing. I’ll go in front this time!”
The red-haired monster drooped in defeat and followed behind.
Xue Cuo ran and ran, until his steps began to slow. This place wasn’t like the world outside. He muttered to himself, “It’s the seventh month. Why is it snowing?”
He looked up to the sky. The moon was no where in sight. Snowflakes the size of a child’s palm drifted down from above, swirling softly, already blanketing the earth in a thick white layer. The surroundings were vast and utterly black, with the faint sound of water echoing nearby. Far off in the distance, there were towers upon towers—yet every one of them was cracked, weathered, ruined.
“What is this place? Strange. Where’s Tianyi Valley? Where’s the Great Loch?” Xue Cuo trembled as he crouched, then suddenly turned pale. He began frantically digging through the snow, sending great flurries flying.
Snow scattered through the air. They were all round pieces of paper with square holes in the centre, floating up, falling down.
Xue Cuo’s lips moved wordlessly. His face filled with doubt, he patted himself down, muttering, “Hell money. Don’t tell me, I’ve died?”
He gave his thigh a hard pinch. Eh, no pain. Was he dreaming?
Xue Cuo looked up. Just then, two fierce ghosts charging through the snow, tattered sedan in hand, sprinting towards him at an astonishing speed.
Xue Cuo gave a start. He held his little hands together, fingers pointed, eyes fierce. “Explode!”
Pop—
A white talisman shot out. In a place untouched by fire for thousands of years, a tiny flame suddenly sprang to life.
That’s not right! Why’s the power of my talisman so weak?! Am I really dreaming?
Sweating buckets, Xue Cuo stamped his feet in panic. No matter how hard he executed the Flowing Cloud Step, the flame showed no sign of growing.
Seeing the two little ghosts drawing closer by the second, Xue Cuo cried in his heart: This is a dream, this is a dream. Dreams go my way! Dreams go my way!
He suddenly threw up both hands, stretched his neck, contorted his face and flapped wildly. “Grow wings, grow wings! Fly! Fly!”
He stomped the ground with all his might. Bang! A mountain of hell money came crashing down, and his short little legs were instantly buried in the drift, unable to pull free.
The pitiful little flame, already shivering to begin with, sputtered once and went out.
Xue Cuo: “……”
The two panting ghosts: “……”
One green-haired ghost, flushed with pride, bellowed like a gong: “Let’s see where you can run off to now!”
The red-haired one bared his fangs as he chased from behind: “Where are you running to?!”
Two sparkling trails of tears rolled slowly down Xue Cuo’s cheeks.
The two ghosts slammed the sedan down with great ceremony, aggression brimming.
“Don’t come any closer!” Xue Cuo cried.
The green-haired ghost rubbed his hands together and bent over, vicious face replaced with a smile. “Young Master, let me help you into the sedan aaa.”
The red-haired ghost sprang three feet into the air. “I’ve had it with you! Why should you go first?! I will!”
“I will!”
“I will!”
They pushed and shoved, bickering madly, kicking up a blizzard of hell money between them.
A quarter of an hour later, one child and two ghosts were thoroughly buried in the paper drift, peeking out from under the pile.
Xue Cuo had a ghost’s head to his left, another to his right. Six eyes met. The red-haired ghost gave a fawning grin. “Don’t worry, Young Master. Once the tide rises, we’ll be able to leave. Her Ladyship will lend a hand!”
Xue Cuo groaned: “I’m definitely dreaming.”
The green-haired ghost hastily added, “You’re right, Young Master. It’s not wrong to say you’re dreaming. Your fleshly body is still in the realm of the living. It’s just your soul that’s come to the Underworld.”
Xue Cuo froze. He’d never heard of such a place, but suddenly, all his earlier doubts kind of made sense.
“The Underworld? What sort of place is this? And who exactly are you two?”
The red-haired ghost grew solemn at the mention, clasped his hands, and raised them ceremoniously to the left in a gesture of reverence. “Young Master, the Underworld is none other than the divine realm of Her Ladyship, The Naturally Wondrous, Merciful and Stern, Dao-Responding Goddess of the Great Loch.”
The Goddess of the Great Loch?
All of a sudden, Xue Cuo remembered the first time he had gazed out across the Great Loch at night. Back then, the bright moon overhead had been swallowed by cloud. In a moment of inspiration, he had grasped the [Stars Shrouding the Moon] Dao resonance, and, moved by instinct, had drawn a talisman.
He’d meant to draw a water-walking talisman. But as soon as the jade brush met the paper, a summoning talisman had formed with a single stroke.
Even then, he had a vague sense that something was amiss. Which was why he’d never dared use it.
But in order to deal with Xiao Dongping, he had used that talisman. And now… he’d gotten entangled with the Goddess of the Great Loch?
Xue Cuo howled internally: This is bad!
Xianghuo Divine Dao were not the righteous way. Most natural spirits were capricious and corrupt, neither wholly good nor evil, and utterly unfathomable. Though cultivators had long since purged the worst of the evil Xianghuo Divine Dao, the wildfires of faith were hard to extinguish. Remnants still smouldered in the corners of the world.
Had he fallen into misfortune? Could it be that Her Ladyship saw him as clever and quick-witted, and therefore wanted to adopt him as a son?
No thanks. One mother is already more than enough of a headache.
Sword Uncle, where are you aaa?!
Xue Cuo wiped at his eyes, sniffling as he gazed helplessly at the sky. At that same moment, the Snow Sword was flying slowly and leisurely towards Xiantian Village.
Despite the panic in his heart, Xue Cuo reminded himself that since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. If the enemy did not panic, neither would he. No matter what the two ghosts asked, he said nothing about his own affairs.
Clutching his little fists and raising his brows, he struck a dignified pose. “Uncles.”
The red-haired and green-haired ghosts both responded in unison. “We’re undeserving, undeserving.”
“What do you think Her Ladyship has summoned me for aaa?” Xue Cuo asked.
The red-haired ghost replied, “That, we’re not sure. Her Ladyship didn’t say.”
Xue Cuo frowned with concern. “Uncles, I can’t read a single character, my cultivation base is terribly low. I fear I won’t be able to satisfy Her Ladyship in any task. But I do know someone who is truly learned by the name of Xiao Dongping. Moreover, he just died young. Why don’t you send me back and seize his soul instead. Her Ladyship would probably reward you both handsomely.”
The red-haired ghost hesitated, giving Xue Cuo a once-over. He too began to wonder whether Her Ladyship had sought the wrong person. This child was too young. What could she possibly want with him?
He’s too scrawny even to feed a flood water dragon!
Xue Cuo lowered his voice and added, “Uncles, how old is Her Ladyship this year? What kind of talents does she favour? I also know a Daoist skilled in water techniques, by the name of Daoist Yibao who is more suitable. Why don’t you send me back and I’ll take you to him”
Before either ghost could answer, the sound of rushing tide began to echo from afar.
The red-haired ghost’s face lit up with glee. “Her Ladyship’s here! Eh… though the tide seems rather fierce today. Could it be that she’s regained some of her power?”
Xue Cuo looked up. The darkness above had descended to meet the ground, and the snow-white hell money strewn across the earth was being devoured by an inky tide.
The roar of water surged closer and closer, black waves consuming the paper offerings until they reached the three of them before stopping.
Xue Cuo stood directly before the tide. He could feel it, that the tide’s gaze was fixed on him.
After a long pause, a wave surged forward. The three of them were swept from the heap of hell money. Xue Cuo felt a sudden lightness in his lower half, tumbled across the ground. But before he could climb to his feet, his waistband snapped taut.
He was hoisted into the air.
Paak—!
A wet, echoing wave slapped his backside. Xue Cuo went from startled to outraged, from outraged to teary, yelping as he was smacked again and again.
From the perspective of the two ghosts, the black tide had condensed into a great watery hand, leaving firm red marks on the young master’s bottom.
Xue Cuo, snivelling, was gently set back down. The two ghosts rushed forward to steady him. “Young Master, are you alright?”
He clutched his backside, limping pitifully. “I, I’m fine.”
Behind him, the dark tide ebbed and rose, quiet and still, like a gentle young maiden.
The two ghosts helped Xue Cuo into the sedan, hoisted it, and began a slow, unsteady run. “Young Master, please sit tight. We’ll arrive shortly.”
Xue Cuo lifted the curtain, rubbed his stinging backside, and whimpered: “Alright.”
The rickety soft sedan travelled through a stretch of broken, crumbling buildings, headed towards a grand and imposing city gate. Xue Cuo peeked through the curtain at the dilapidated streets. Such a vast city, and yet not a soul in sight. In the silence, there lingered a sense of long-decayed time, as though this place had been forgotten for millennia.
The sedan stopped in front of a large residence. It appeared to be a four-courtyard estate. Two stone beasts squatted at the gates, their features eroded away, more than two-thirds ruined.
A dull grey sign hung over the door, the characters for “Spirit Tribunal” barely legible beneath the dust.
Xue Cuo hopped off the sedan. He already knew the goddess had a petty temperament, and dared not utter nonsense. Quietly and obediently, he followed behind the red-haired and green-haired ghosts.
“What does Her Ladyship want me to do?
He muttered inwardly, hesitated for a moment, then gingerly stepped half a foot across the threshold.
If things looked the slightest bit amiss, he’d make a run for it.
“Child.”
Xue Cuo froze. In a flash, he darted through the gate and dashed behind the screen wall.
But what met his eyes froze him in his tracks. Familiar faces. Familiar, bloodstained faces. His eyes welled up.
“Grandpa Village Chief!”
The old village chief beamed with joy and pulled Xue Cuo into an embrace. All the villagers, young and old, were bubbling with excitement. “Child, look at all these fine houses and lands. No one’s using them!”
An elderly auntie stroked a rockery with her severed hand, beaming with satisfaction. “This’d make a grand millstone!”
“Dad, I’ve had a look round. There’s plenty of fertile land for ten miles all around!”
Tears welled in Xue Cuo’s eyes. He trembled, voice quivering. “Grandpa, I’m sorry. I’ve… I’ve brought harm……”
The old chief looked troubled as he murmured, “I wonder if there are taxes to be paid in a place like this aaa…”
The red-haired ghost replied gruffly, “None.”
The old village chief eyes lit up. “Truly?!”
The green-haired ghost poked his head out. “Old man, this is the divine realm of the Goddess of the Great Loch. No taxes here.”
The headman and villagers burst into tears of joy. “To think such a divine land exists in this world. We’ll finally live a good life.”
Xue Cuo stood there in a daze.
