The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 45

Ning Fuyi hastily looked down at her own body, and all she saw was glossy, oily fur. She opened her mouth but failed to make a sound. Extending a hand before her face, she saw a paw with sharp nails and feet covered entirely in fur.

Looking at herself this way, she could not determine what creature she had become. She scrambled over to the polished, reflective bronze pillar in the main hall and discovered that she had turned into a chipmunk with bulging cheeks, its rear topped by a massive tail.

She wanted to voice her astonishment, but only a squeak escaped her lips.

“What is the meaning of this, Magistrate? How can a disciple of our sect be turned into a beast at will?” Elder Pingyao said furiously.

“Elder Pingyao,” Mei Chengsi suddenly spoke to dissuade her. “Calm your anger.”

Elder Pingyao glanced at him, her thin lips pursing into a straight line as she fell silent.

“Do not be anxious, Elder. This lowly official had no other choice. You have no idea how chaotic the Underworld is right now. The number of deceased individuals from various regions has suddenly spiked, and they queue up before the Naihe Bridge every day, packing the area so tightly that it is completely impassable.” Even though the Magistrate’s face was bloody and terrifying, a look of misery could still be discerned upon it.

“Aside from this, something has gone wrong with the Meng Po Soup. Those who drink it not only fail to forget their past lives, but they actually grow even more frenzied. They block the Well of Reincarnation every day, unable to undergo reincarnation. Consequently, many pregnant women in the mortal realm are unable to give birth, suffering extreme agony. The six realms share a connected lifeline, and if this continues over time, I fear the world will fall into utter chaos,” the Magistrate said, clapping his hands.

“The Underworld ghost messengers are already short-staffed, unable to capture all the wandering souls and wild ghosts. The Yama Kings are also at their wits end, which is why we dared to come knocking on your door.”

“Is that truly the case?” Elder Pingyao asked with a frown.

Elder Yuanming beside her nodded, offering a rare, serious response: “This is indeed no falsehood. Many disciples traveling outside the sect have sent back messages, mentioning numerous instances where pregnant women are unable to give birth.”

Elder Pingyao placed her hands behind her back and fell into contemplation, while Elder Jingshan muttered in bewilderment: “What on earth has been happening lately? After the incident at Mount Shaoyao, the six sects dug three feet into the ground yet failed to find any trace of the demon race. Even the Penglai Realm sent people, yet they were equally at their wits end. The trouble over there has not even concluded, and now the mortal realm and the Underworld are becoming unsettled as well.”

After exchanging glances, the group said nothing further, turning their eyes toward Ning Fuyi.

“Ning Fuyi, are you willing to make this journey with Exalted Goddess Chu Ling?” Elder Pingyao sighed.

The person had already been turned into a squirrel before any permission was granted, so was she even capable of speaking? Ning Fuyi squeaked a couple of times in frustration. However, on second thought, demons and ghosts belonged to the same family; if she went to the Underworld where yin energy was abundant everywhere, she might just find some opportunities for herself.

Thus, she nodded her little head.

Seeing that she agreed, the Magistrate joyfully extended his tongue a bit further, shaking the official hat upon his head as he said, “This lowly official thanks everyone on behalf of the Underworld and the nether realm.”

“At the hour of the rat tonight, this lowly official shall return here. At that time, the gates of the nether realm shall swing wide to welcome the two of you.” As he spoke, his voice gradually grew faint, and his body passed through the wall to depart.

After his departure, the night-glowing pearls upon the walls ignited abruptly, and the chilling frost was replaced by warm air. With a soft pop, Ning Fuyi’s body reverted to its original form.

A few strands of chipmunk fur had fallen into her mouth. She spat a couple of times, only then feeling a bit more comfortable.

Chu Qingqiu, who had remained silent the entire time, was currently looking at her. Just when Ning Fuyi assumed she would speak out to stop this, the woman turned around and left the main hall.

Instead, it was Elder Pingyao who walked to her side, offering words of caution: “Your cultivation is low, and the Underworld is a place entirely isolated from the outside world. Even we have never set foot there. You must keep close to Exalted Goddess Chu Ling, and it will suffice for you to help mask her yang energy well; you do not need to concern yourself with anything else.”

“Do you understand?” she asked sternly.

“Yes,” Ning Fuyi replied.

“Alright, go make your preparations. You do not need to participate in today’s lectures,” Elder Pingyao said. As Ning Fuyi took her leave, she scanned the main hall. Mei Chengsi’s eyes, hidden beneath his thick brows, were staring intently at her, while Elder Yuanming beside him let out a light cough, shaking his fan as he blinked his eyes at her.

Ning Fuyi departed.

She did not inform the other disciples about her upcoming journey to the Underworld with Chu Qingqiu, choosing to tell only Liu Wenzhu and Rong Jin. One of them was worried while the other was excited, surrounding her for the entire day.

“Since ancient times, very few living people have been able to enter the Underworld. Now that you can go along with Exalted Goddess Chu Ling, there will surely be many extraordinary encounters!” Liu Wenzhu said enviously, holding her heavy hammer. “If only I could follow along as well. Helping the Underworld escape its predicament would surely earn me praise from my father when word reaches his ears.”

“Though that is true, the Underworld is an unvisited place after all, filled with numerous bizarre occurrences. You must exercise extreme caution and keep close to the Exalted Goddess,” Rong Jin said with a face full of worry, offering repeated reminders.

Ning Fuyi was nagged by them for an entire day regarding various records of the Underworld. It was not until dusk that she escaped. After bidding farewell to Pingan, she arrived before the Yunshen Hall.

Chu Qingqiu was already waiting here, with Qiu Yi beside her holding the Baigu staff, her face filled with worry: “Master, do you truly forbid this disciple from following you? You have just recovered from your injuries, and the yin energy in the Underworld is heavy, teeming with lonely souls and evil ghosts.”

“Would I be afraid of ghosts?” Chu Qingqiu said softly. Her fingertip, as white and smooth as fat, tapped lightly against Qiu Yi’s forehead to push her away, casually accepting the Baigu staff from her palm.

Chu Qingqiu had never been this gentle with her. Ning Fuyi’s brows knitted tightly, and she averted her gaze.

Chu Qingqiu favored and indulged her disciple; she had known this in her past life. She herself had absolutely no connection to her, so what was there to be dissatisfied about now? Ning Fuyi thought to herself.

“Why is she allowed to follow Master?”

Qiu Yi’s words drifted over again. Ning Fuyi spoke up in irritation: “Because I was born at the hour of the rat on the Ghost Festival. If you have the ability, go change your own birth date and time.”

Qiu Yi’s face flushed a deep crimson. She raised her hand, prepared to argue with her, but she was checked by Chu Qingqiu’s gaze, leaving her to punch the edge of her sleeve in grievance.

“To think so many people are seeing me off!” Just then, a crisp and melodious voice resounded. Jiang Li, carrying her medicine box, arrived upon auspicious clouds at some unknown point, landing gracefully as her words flowed like pearls. “I originally thought I could leave without saying goodbye.”

Chu Qingqiu displayed a slight look of surprise: “The Medicine Immortal is not staying for a few more days?”

“My purpose in coming this time was to treat the Exalted Goddess’s injuries. Since the Exalted Goddess has fully recovered, there is no need for me to remain. I have been traveling across the four seas and eight wildernesses to treat people over these years, and it has been a full century since I last returned to Mount Wu, so I am rushing back to take a look,” Jiang Li said with a smile.

As she passed by Ning Fuyi, she suddenly grabbed her and spoke to Chu Qingqiu: “Borrowing your disciple for a moment.”

With that, she pulled Ning Fuyi aside, her sleeve brushing past Ning Fuyi’s palm to leave behind a needle as thin as a hair.

“What is this?” Ning Fuyi asked, perplexed.

“This is the Bone-Shaving Needle, unique to the Jiang clan of Mount Wu, crafted from the human bones of the deceased members of the Jiang clan.” Jiang Li retracted her smile, speaking seriously. “Although the Exalted Goddess’s injuries have healed, they will still relapse. When a relapse occurs, it feels as if thousands of copper nails are piercing through her bones, making life worse than death. Once a relapse happens, drive this needle into her chest to suppress it.”

Although her words were flat, they sounded like a sudden clap of thunder in Ning Fuyi’s ears. She could not help but look toward Chu Qingqiu, who stood in the wind with a slender back.

How intense must the agony of copper nails piercing through bones be; had she already experienced it? Or had she not?

“The Exalted Goddess forbids me from informing others, but there are no other cultivators in the Underworld. Since only you will be by her side, I can only reveal this much, hoping you can offer her some help when she is in extreme pain.” Jiang Li spoke sincerely.

Only at this moment could Ning Fuyi discern the traits of a healer upon her. Thus, she concealed the Bone-Shaving Needle and stated that she understood.

“I can be considered an old acquaintance of your mother as well. Although we only met a few times, every single encounter was unforgettable.” Jiang Li spoke with a smile, her eyes dipping into memory as she patted Ning Fuyi on the shoulder.

Ning Fuyi was startled. Just as she wanted to ask a few more questions, Jiang Li pushed her away, bidding farewell to Chu Qingqiu in a loud voice. Her figure ascended gracefully, her sash merging into one color with the residual glow of the setting sun.

In the blink of an eye, she vanished into the horizon.

Just as she departed over here, the Magistrate appeared over there. The horizon that had been dyed with orange light suddenly darkened, resembling the sky before a violent thunderstorm. Powerful winds rose all around, causing the leaves to rustle loudly.

Qiu Yi, who was seeing them off, was blown backward repeatedly by the wind. The Magistrate appeared in midair with his tongue extended, swaying left and right like a lonely soul that had been hanged to death, scaring Qiu Yi into repeated screams.

The Magistrate seemed highly satisfied that he had frightened someone, letting out a series of cackling laughs. Afterward, he tossed down a red skull, and a crimson bronze gate abruptly manifested on the originally vacant white jade platform.

Opposite the bronze gate lay the nether realm, from which waves of chilling wind emerged along with the faint wailing of ghosts. Chu Qingqiu’s hand tightened, tucking the Baigu staff into her waist.

The Magistrate muttered a few incantations indistinctly, his pale finger pointing at Ning Fuyi. Ning Fuyi’s body rapidly shrank, after which she soared into the air along with the wind, crashing into Chu Qingqiu’s embrace with a soft pop.

Her body after turning into a chipmunk was exceptionally difficult to control. Ning Fuyi extended her two small paws to scramble about for a long time, finally grasping Chu Qingqiu’s ear to barely steady herself.

“Ning Fuyi!” Chu Qingqiu could not help but reprimand her. Just as Ning Fuyi wanted to utter an apology, the bronze gate suddenly swung wide open. Countless blood-stained hands extended from within the gate, dragging the two into the entrance.

Qiu Yi’s screams came to an abrupt halt, and those hands vanished as well. They found themselves standing upon a trestle bridge. This bridge was very narrow, capable of accommodating only three people abreast, yet it was exceptionally long, so lengthy that the end could not be seen at all.

Countless ghosts were passing along the bridge with blank stares, crowding together. From time to time, ghosts were squeezed off the trestle bridge, vanishing soundlessly.

Ning Fuyi hopped about on Chu Qingqiu’s shoulder, pulling at her hair as she looked down. Upon clearly discerning the river water flowing beneath the bridge, she instantly let out a squeak.

Beneath the pitch-black water surface, face after pale, bloated face was reflected, drifting along with the current toward some unknown destination. The scene looked quiet and eerie.

Ning Fuyi tugged at Chu Qingqiu’s hair to make her look down. Chu Qingqiu tilted her head slightly, speaking softly in a manner that suggested she was at the end of her patience: “Just think your words; I can hear what you say.”

“Below.” Ning Fuyi attempted to speak using her divine sense. Chu Qingqiu indeed followed her gaze to look beneath the bridge, her face turning pale in an instant.

“This is the River of Forgetfulness,” Chu Qingqiu said.

“Yes,” the Magistrate floating in midair suddenly spoke. His face had reverted to the state of a normal person, looking quite fair and clean, though it was a bit excessively pale. “In the past, not so many ghosts fell into the River of Forgetfulness. However, the Road to the Yellow Springs is currently overcrowded with ghosts, packed so tightly that they cannot move, so they fall in one after another.”

He let out a sigh: “Many who were supposed to enter reincarnation are barred from rebirth for eternity. How pitiful.”

The moment his words fell, bloodstains suddenly stained his fair face once more. His eyes were hollowed out, and his tongue shot downward with a splat, emitting an ear-piercing scream toward the congested area ahead. Chu Qingqiu’s face turned a shade whiter, and she closed her eyes tightly.

Upon hearing this cry, those ghosts scattered and drifted away in terror. Some fell into the River of Forgetfulness, while others crowded forward, only then clearing the path.

“Apologies,” the Magistrate’s face reverted to its original state, and he smiled with satisfaction.

At this moment, the bronze bell at his waist suddenly began to jingle. The Magistrate’s expression changed, and he said hastily, “Ghosts have escaped into the mortal realm once more. I must go capture them. The yang energy on the Exalted Goddess can only be masked for seven days. Once seven days pass, this little immortal friend will also expose her true form. I will return before then to lead you out of the nether realm.”

“Remember, the two of you must not separate for a single step.”

The moment his words fell, the Magistrate’s silhouette vanished, leaving only faint fireflies in midair.

Chu Qingqiu was bumped by a ghost. She hastily turned her body aside, watching the ghost that had bumped her walk past. This ghost had died a wretched death in life, with half its intestines hanging outside, dragging along the ground as it walked.

Ning Fuyi watched with great interest, yet Chu Qingqiu retreated repeatedly.

“Exalted Goddess, look at that one,” Ning Fuyi said, standing upon Chu Qingqiu’s shoulder. In the distance arrived a person who had been torn apart by chariots; their body, limbs, and head each moved on their own, hopping about on the ground.

“Do not look. We only have seven days; there is no time to wander about,” Chu Qingqiu’s voice sounded strange, as if she were on the verge of vomiting. However, the moment she took flight into the air, half the ghosts on the Road to the Yellow Springs suddenly snapped their gazes toward her direction. Thousands upon thousands of ghost faces twisted toward the two simultaneously, creating a scene of unspeakable horror.

Chu Qingqiu dropped her hand and landed back onto the bridge, only after which the faces of those ghosts twisted back.

Seeing this, Ning Fuyi extended a small paw, and a pale pink immortal force erupted from her palm. Those ghosts once again turned their heads in unison toward the two of them. This time, they did not merely look; they actually swarmed over in a dense mass, resulting in another series of splashes as a whole sheet of them fell into the river in no time.

Ning Fuyi unleashed her immortal force for a moment and then retracted it. The ghosts across the bridge moved their gazes back and forth like string puppets. Only then did she withdraw her hand, speaking near Chu Qingqiu’s ear: “Exalted Goddess, it seems we cannot use immortal force; otherwise, we will be detected by them.”

“I see it,” Chu Qingqiu said, stepping forward to blend into the crowd of ghosts, walking forward along the edge of the trestle bridge.

“This wretched ghost Magistrate failed to even mention that we cannot use immortal force. The nether realm consists of more than just the Underworld; if we encounter some powerful evil ghost, won’t we be doomed?” Ning Fuyi sat down upon Chu Qingqiu’s shoulder, her paws grasping her earlobe to steady her body as she swung her legs.

Turning into a chipmunk was actually quite fun; at least she did not have to walk her own path, Ning Fuyi thought.

Chu Qingqiu did not offer a reply, nor did she make Ning Fuyi let go. She simply traversed rapidly through the sea of ghosts. After walking for an unknown duration, the end of the trestle bridge finally came into view.

Ahead lay an exceptionally broad riverbank. The bank was packed with ghosts just as the Magistrate had described, with ghost heads moving about like a dense swarm of ants.

The ghosts in this location did not behave as orderly as those on the trestle bridge, darting back and forth with faces full of urgency as resentment washed over the area.

Chu Qingqiu’s hand had already gripped the Baigu staff tightly. She closed her eyes, planning to walk through the midst of them, but a long-tongued ghost suddenly made a turn, gliding rapidly toward her.

The bloody head enlarged in an instant. Chu Qingqiu turned her body aside with a pale face to dodge, instinctively preparing to manifest the Baigu staff. Seeing this, Ning Fuyi hastily stood up on her short legs, letting out an ear-piercing shriek toward the ghost using the voice of a chipmunk.

Upon hearing that sound, the ghost immediately detoured in terror. At the same time, the other ghosts also yielded their positions, causing the resentment around them to thin out instantly.

Chu Qingqiu’s breathing was rapid, looking as if she had suffered a massive fright, as she slowly concealed the Baigu staff.

Ning Fuyi was close enough to hear Chu Qingqiu’s heartbeat thudding like thunder. She hesitated for a moment, then suddenly hopped in front of the woman, grasping her collar as she locked eyes with her using her dark, round eyes.

“Exalted Goddess, are you afraid of ghosts?” she asked, curling the corners of her lips.

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