The bronze bell whispered, "Ah Ying, he who offers courtesies unprompted harbors either malice or deceit. This old fellow is in league with that sorrowful old man who fed you the Meng Po soup. Besides, when we were at Second Shendu, we saw him keeping company with that sorrowful old man..."
Wearing a smile on his face, Xu Ying forced his voice out between gritted teeth: "Don't alert him. Let's see what he wants first."
The bell took the hint and quickly instructed Yuan Qi. Yuan Qi caught on as well, refraining from exposing the white-robed old man.
Xu Ying bowed in greeting to the white-robed old man and said politely, "This is my second time seeing you, Elder, yet I haven't had the chance to ask your honorable name."
The white-robed old man chuckled. "My surname is Bei, given name Chen. Those who know me call me Beichenzi."
He looked toward Zhu Chanchan, his appetite thoroughly whetted, torn between astonishment and suspicion. *This girl smells so savory,* he thought to himself. *How did she cultivate herself into such a delectable morsel? A rare treat indeed!*
Xu Ying humbly asked, "Does Elder know the origins of this Diqiu?"
Steeling his Dao heart, Beichenzi shook his white beard and chuckled. "I have heard a thing or two about Diqiu. Legend has it that this place is the tomb of the ancient Emperor Zhuanxu. The city of Diqiu was where the tomb guardians dwelt, and over time, a stone city was built. As for why Diqiu vanished, I have no idea."
They strode quickly to the other end of the stone city. Earlier, the city had been spewed forth from the mist beyond. When Xu Ying stepped outside the city walls, he found an abyss tens of thousands of feet deep yawning beneath his feet, bottomless. Having walked too hurriedly just now, he had nearly missed his footing and plummeted down.
The group halted and gazed toward the opposite side, only to see dense mist sealing off the far shore of the chasm, obscuring whatever lay across.
Suddenly, muffled roars echoed from the depths of the abyss. Xu Ying caught a vague glimpse of something rearing its head from the chasm, flailing countless thick tentacles as it struggled to crawl out!
Even when he circulated his Heavenly Eye, he could not see clearly.
Just then, the crisp crack of a whip resounded. A long whip lashed out from the fog, striking the colossal creature in the abyss with a resounding crack.
The whip had appeared slender when unfurled, but after striking out, it swelled rapidly, growing thicker and longer like a dragon or python with entwined sinews and coils. As it struck deep into the abyss, there was no telling how long it was!
Lashed by this whip, the behemoth within the abyss roared like thunder, a dull and terrifying rumble. Abruptly, one of its massive tentacles rolled over, and a towering mountain was released from the abyss, landing heavily upon the opposite shore!
This spectacle was truly astonishing; even Zhu Chanchan jumped in fright.
Xu Ying's heart jolted violently. While the sight of mountains flying out of the abyss had been frightening enough, what shook him even more was that whip!
He recognized that type of whip. He had once held one just like it—the whip that maiden Qing of the coffin had given him to lash the Plague God!
The two whips were virtually identical!
Xu Ying asked, "Chanchan, can you see what's inside the abyss?"
Zhu Chanchan said, "You can see it if you use your Heavenly Eye. But I've never seen the monstrous thing down in that abyss either. Truly bizarre."
Xu Ying looked at Beichenzi and asked, "Does Elder know what lies inside the abyss?"
Beichenzi was also visibly unsettled. Craning his neck to peer downward, he replied, "I do not. Such things already existed back when I was born. In those days, we called the whip-wielders the Abyss Watchers. They live in seclusion within the mist of the abyss. If any fiendish demon of the abyss crawls out, they lash it back down."
He paused and added, "Back then, many people intended to venture into the abyss to explore, but leaping into it made them dizzy and lightheaded, and none ever returned. The abyss is utterly terrifying."
Xu Ying gazed across. The mist had not dissipated; it was peculiar, impenetrable even to the Heavenly Eye, leaving the whip-wielder's appearance completely hidden.
The Abyss Watcher continued to lash into the depths, the strikes drawing relentless howls from within the chasm.
After a while, the creature in the abyss retreated, and the whip coiled back into the clouds and mist, vanishing without a trace.
Doubts churned in Xu Ying's mind. Maiden Qing of the coffin possessed the same whip—did that mean she was of the same kind as the Abyss Watchers? Or had she snatched the whip from an Abyss Watcher?
*This stone city was probably released from the abyss as well.*
Xu Ying suddenly recalled the Cangwu Abyss and thought, *Could the Cangwu Abyss and this chasm be the very same abyss? And where on earth do those Abyss Watchers come from?*
By evening, Xu Ying and Zhu Chanchan worked together to wash and skin the beast king god. Zhu Chanchan declared, "I'll go find a pot!"
"No need!" The bronze bell flew up, expanding larger and larger until its mouth faced the heavens.
Xu Ying filled the bell with water, deposited the beast king god inside, and then stepped into Yuan Qi's belly to retrieve salt and various seasonings, sprinkling them into the bell.
Yuan Qi spat out a plume of heavenly fire and placed it beneath the bell to heat the makeshift pot.
Zhu Chanchan and Beichenzi stared in dumbfounded amazement. As for the bronze bell, it had long grown accustomed to this.
Beside the heavenly fire, Xu Ying leafed through the two golden sheets given to him by Yuan Weiyang, quietly waiting for the meat to cook. Inscribed upon the sheets were the Dragon-Seeking Locating Art for the Yellow Court secret depository and the opening chapter of the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction, the closely guarded secret technique of the Yuan clan.
For him, there was no need to obtain the complete technique of the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction; he only needed the method to circulate within the cave-heaven.
*I wonder if the Taiyi Guiding Technique can mobilize the three secret depositories—Mud Pill, Crimson Palace, and Yellow Court—all at once?*
Xu Ying held his breath and focused his mind, executing the Dragon-Seeking Locating Art to search for the location of his Yellow Court. According to the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction, the Yellow Court secret depository resided within the spleen, serving as the chamber of the soul and the wellspring of consciousness.
He opened the Yellow Court secret depository. The cave-heaven of this secret depository was shaped like an earthenware pot, extending into a realm of mysterious yellow qi. Instantly, his divine sense surged immensely. In the haze of the mysterious yellow qi, he vaguely saw a golden hall borne within, exceptionally striking!
Just as he moved to inspect it closely, the mysterious yellow qi billowed forward, obscuring his vision and preventing him from seeing clearly.
*There is an other shore in the Yellow Court secret depository as well! It seems the Six Secret Depositories of the Human Body most likely correspond to six other shores, and that is where the gate to immortality truly lies!* Xu Ying mused inwardly.
He had made a wager with Yuan Weiyang to see who could refine the immortal medicine of the Yellow Court's other shore first. Thus, he was in no hurry to cultivate the Yuan Dao Heavens Induction, choosing instead to ponder deeply, searching for flaws in the technique and attempting to mend them.
However, the opening chapter of the *Yuan Dao Heavens Induction* was exceedingly obscure and profound. For the moment, Xu Ying could not discern where any flaws lay.
The savory aroma of cooking meat gradually drifted from within the bell. Yuan Qi and Zhu Chanchan's appetites had long been piqued. Xu Ying was also drawn out of his thoughts by the fragrant steam. He tasted a bite and announced, "It's ready to eat."
The girl and snake let out a cheer, scooping up chunks of meat and digging in.
Zhu Chanchan stuffed her mouth so full her cheeks bulged, muttering muffled praises, "Delicious, delicious! I haven't eaten a meal in over six thousand years!"
Hearing this, Beichenzi was caught between shock and bewilderment. *Over six thousand years? Could she be even older than me?*
Xu Ying invited Beichenzi to join the meal. Beichenzi did not stand on ceremony, sitting down to eat with them. The beast king god had cultivated itself into extraordinarily delectable meat. The parts where skin clung to flesh were not the least bit greasy; every bite filled the mouth with lingering fragrance and indescribable satisfaction.
They were all Qi Refiners. As they ate heartily, the beast king god's meat dissolved into yuan qi once it reached their bellies, proving immensely nourishing. With Yuan Qi, that colossal creature, among their ranks, the entire beast king god was soon polished off.
Xu Ying's yuan qi cultivation had remained depleted following the battle in Shendu. After finishing dinner, his vitality returned to its peak.
The group sought a place to rest in the city. There was a palace within named Shensi Palace, which was fairly spacious and furnished with beds and quilts. Yuan Qi coiled himself among several pillars to sleep, Xu Ying chose to rest on a bed, and Zhu Chanchan slept in another room.
Beichenzi also found a room to settle into, but he sat beside a table and laid out a chessboard, staying wide awake.
Moonlight spilled through the window, shining upon the white-robed old man. Beichenzi's expression flickered between dark and light. Suddenly struck by a premonition, he looked out the window. On a mountain peak outside the stone city, someone had erected an altar and was performing a ritual, candle flames soaring straight into the clouds.
That person possessed formidable magic power. Cave-heavens rotated behind him one after another, looking exceptionally dazzling under the moonlit night sky.
On the mountain peak stood roughly a hundred Nuo masters of various statures, each blooming their own cave-heavens and pushing their cultivation to the limit!
Beneath the altar stood about a hundred gods, each cloaked in dense incense smoke qi and wielding mighty power, bowing deeply toward the altar. In the center of the altar lay a single bow and seven arrows.
"The Nailhead Seven Arrows Book?"
Beichenzi's heart seized. The chess piece slipped from his hand, clattering to the floor. "These Nuo masters are quite something," he murmured. "To think they could unearth such an esoteric art!"
The Nailhead Seven Arrows Book was a sorcery of the ancient Qi Refiners designed specifically to destroy souls. It had already been lost in Beichenzi's era.
Never would he have imagined that today, when Qi Refiners were all but extinct, these Nuo masters could still find such a spell and restore it!
*They seem to be Nuo masters of the Shendu imperial court. The imperial Li clan must have excavated plenty of Qi Refiners' tombs, or how else could they reconstruct such a vicious art?*
Beichenzi activated his Heavenly Eye to peer outward, seeing everyone on the mountain peak outside the city with crystalline clarity. *They must be masters dispatched by the emperor, using the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book to claim Xu Ying's life!*
He could not help growing excited. He had long heard of the terrifying notoriety of the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book; such a ferocious ancient sorcery could shoot even gods and immortals to death!
*If the Nuo masters of the imperial Li clan can truly shoot this bane to death, then I shall be free!*
Beichenzi could barely contain his glee, yearning to dance and burst into song right there in his room. *If he's shot dead, who needs the demon-quelling runes?*
Once the Nuo masters and gods finished their ritual, the Great Nuo with the highest cultivation respectfully took up the longbow, nocked an arrow to the bowstring, and drew it back with all his might!
The other Nuo masters and gods offered sacrifices in succession, chanting incantations as streams of incense smoke qi entwined around the arrow feathers.
With a sharp whoosh, the Li clan's Great Nuo released his draw. The arrow transformed into a streak of flowing light, shooting straight toward Xu Ying's room!
The Li clan's Great Nuo drew and loosed repeatedly, unleashing all seven arrows. By the time the first streak of light plunged into Xu Ying's body, the remaining six streaks had already entered the room, leaving no room for evasion!
Beichenzi trembled with excitement, mumbling in a shaking voice, "Legend says the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book kills without form. When struck, the victim feels nothing at all before their soul is snuffed out. With these seven arrows, each arrow extinguishes one corporeal soul. Seven arrows wipe out all seven corporeal souls—he'll be dead as dead can be!"
Just as the thought crossed his mind, after all seven arrows were spent, the Li clan's Great Nuo on the opposite mountain suddenly convulsed violently, spewed blood from his mouth, and collapsed backward onto the ground.
Beichenzi saw it clearly through his Heavenly Eye: for some unknown reason, the Great Nuo's soul abruptly burst apart, ending his life on the spot!
Beichenzi stood frozen. On the mountain opposite, the crowd of Nuo masters and gods fell into utter disarray. Hastily hoisting the Great Nuo's corpse, they gathered their belongings and fled in panic.
"Even the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book couldn't shoot him dead..."
Unwilling to accept this, Beichenzi circulated his Heavenly Eye to peer into Xu Ying's room. He saw Xu Ying's soul shining resplendently, casting tens of thousands of radiant beams, his body wrapped in an imperishable true spirit that emanated an imperishable spiritual light.
Presumably, the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book had struck that imperishable spiritual light, only to be reflected back and strike the Li clan's Great Nuo dead instead.
"Forget it. I'd better just wait for the demon-quelling runes," Beichenzi sighed.
Come midnight, the empty stone city of Diqiu suddenly became packed with sea-like crowds. Pedestrians were everywhere, bustling and jostling as they came and went.
In a steamed bun shop, a clerk lifted a steamer basket lid, deliberately wafting the white steam out into the street to entice patrons. In a tavern, a few drunken customers were brawling. In a tea shop, idle patrons sipped tea while grinning at the pretty maidens passing by on the street.
A peddler carried a straw pole on his shoulder, surrounded by children clamoring to buy pinwheels.
Xu Ying opened his eyes in a daze, only to be greeted by a fragrant breeze. A woman lifted a beaded curtain and approached the bedside. Slipping off her garments as she leaned toward the bed, her voice rang like rolling pearls: "I'm so sleepy, I'll rest for a bit... Who are you?!"
The woman shrieked, scrambling up in a panic and clutching her clothes to her chest as she stared at Xu Ying in terror.
Xu Ying quickly said, "Please don't scream, miss! I am no wicked person! I walked all day and was exhausted. Seeing no one here, I lay down to rest, planning to leave at dawn. I never meant to offend you!"
The woman commanded, "Turn around until I finish dressing!"
Xu Ying turned his back, hearing the rustling of clothes behind him. The woman said, "I'm dressed. You may turn around."
Xu Ying turned around, only to find a cold, gleaming sword resting against his shoulder. The woman's almond eyes flared wide with fury. "What an audacious lecher, daring to wrong me! Today I shall make your blood splatter where you stand!"
Xu Ying hurried to explain, "Miss, I truly came here by accident; I had no intention of being improper. Besides, I am a cultivator, you cannot harm me—"
Just as he spoke, he tried to circulate his yuan qi, only for his heart to sink. The yuan qi in his body had vanished without a trace!
The woman flicked her sword and barked, "What is your name? Let me know which lecherous ghost will die by the blade of me, Feng Xue'er!"
Realizing all his cultivation was gone, Xu Ying groaned inwardly. "Miss, my name is Xu Ying."
"Xu Ying?"
The maiden froze, her pretty face suddenly flushing crimson. Dropping the sword, she turned and fled.
Xu Ying was stunned for a moment before snapping back to his senses. He scrambled to his feet, preparing to slip away. Right then, a mature woman accompanied by several maids led the bashful maiden back inside. From afar, the woman beamed and chuckled, "So our son-in-law has arrived, without even sending word! Who went and arranged our son-in-law to stay in this boudoir?"
Stunned and at a total loss, Xu Ying hastily stammered, "When did I ever—"
Bashful and shy, the maiden cast him a sidelong glance and whispered softly, "I thought he was a lecher and nearly harmed him..."
The woman took on a serious tone. "Though the marriage was arranged long ago, our girl has not yet crossed the threshold as a bride, so there is no reason for you to barge into her boudoir. Since our son-in-law is already here, let us hold the wedding here in our Feng Manor, lest gossips wag their tongues."
"Lord Bell! Lord Bell!"
Xu Ying called out urgently, but the bronze bell made no sound. He called for Yuan Qi next, but Yuan Qi did not answer either.
Panic welled up in Xu Ying's heart. He whispered to himself, *It's a dream! An illusion! I just need to wake up!*
Believing it to be a dream, he calmed down and offered no resistance.
The wedding took place that very day. Though rushed, it was beautiful. On their wedding night, when all the guests had dispersed and the revelry faded away, Xu Ying sat beside the bed, his heart thumping wildly. He kept telling himself that this was a dream, that none of it was real.
Yet his heart would not stop pounding.
The maiden, Feng Xue'er, lifted a corner of her bridal veil and giggled playfully. "You dared to barge into a maiden's boudoir and lie in her bed, yet you don't dare lift her veil?"
Summoning his courage, Xu Ying stepped forward and lifted the maiden's veil, his face blushing so hotly he dared not look her in the eye.
Feng Xue'er leaned into his embrace, her body feeling pleasantly languid. She smiled and murmured, "I don't know why, but my heart pounded so hard the moment I saw you. It felt as though I'd known you for a long, long time..."
She raised her head, eyes glittering like stars. In those eyes, Xu Ying saw a familiar light.
He had seen that starlight in Yuan Rushi's eyes before.
She pressed her lips to his; it was a familiar taste.
The night toppled the beaded curtains; how fleeting and short that night of passion felt.
The next morning, Xu Ying still felt it was a dream. In his heart, he silently called out to the bronze bell, yet received no reply. This dream was very long. Feng Xue'er rose, and together they went to pay their respects to her parents.
Life suddenly became filled with happiness—a happiness the snake-catching youth had never dared dream of before.
Months went by, and he gradually forgot Yuan Qi, forgot the bronze bell, and forgot that there was also a Zhu Chanchan. He came to believe that *that* had been his dream, and he could not live in a dream forever.
The happiness before him was real. He treasured every day he spent with Feng Xue'er.
One day, Feng Xue'er told him that several great masters had arrived in Diqiu by order of Emperor Wu to perform the Heaven-Human Induction. The Heaven-Human Induction was a path of cultivation proposed by a Qi Refiner surnamed Dong to commune with the gods of heaven and earth.
Xu Ying did not take it to heart at first. The Heaven-Human Induction held by those great masters dragged on for a long time, communing with the spirits and deities of heaven and earth. Gradually, terrifying changes gripped the celestial signs; heaven and earth seemed to tilt, and the townspeople grew deeply anxious.
Fortunately, nothing disastrous ever happened.
One day, Xu Ying awoke from sleep to find the space beside him completely empty. An ominous foreboding seized his heart. He walked out of the room—the Feng Manor was deserted, without a single soul.
He stumbled out of the Feng Manor. The streets were deserted too, utterly devoid of people. The steamer baskets by the roadside still billowed with steam, the tea in the teahouse was still warm, and the braised beef gave off a rich aroma.
Yet there was not a single person left in Diqiu.
Everyone had vanished.
Panic tore through his heart. He searched for his wife, searched for the great masters, but found nothing at all.
"Where did you all go?" he rasped hoarsely, searching frantically like a madman.
"Where is everyone?!"
"Xue'er!"
As though he had lost everything, he wailed aloud, tears and snot streaming down his face, wandering alone through the empty streets.
On this day, he lost everything. Like a wounded wolf, he wept with heart-wrenching agony.
Heaven had bestowed upon him the most wonderful things, only to snatch them away.
Had he never been given them, he would not be so heartbroken.
Inside a teahouse, an old man with furrowed brows appeared. A steaming cup of tea sat upon the table before him.
"Drink this cup of tea, and you will forget everything that happened here. You will have a new life," the sorrowful old man said to him.
His hopes thoroughly dashed, Xu Ying stumbled toward the cup of tea.
...
"Ah Ying! Ah Ying!" A chime sounded. The voice of the bronze bell seemed to travel from far away, drawing closer and closer.
Xu Ying snapped awake, only to find that he had somehow ended up beside a street in the city of Diqiu. Just like in the dream, he stood in a teahouse, holding a cup of steaming tea in his hands.
Xu Ying hastily set down the teacup and wiped his face. It was drenched in tears.
"Ah Ying, you were sleepwalking!" Yuan Qi said solemnly.
"I was sleepwalking?" Xu Ying murmured, dazed and desolate.
Zhu Chanchan chimed in, "Yeah, you were sleepwalking, screaming and shouting. It was like you'd lost everything in an instant, crying so bitterly. You kept searching for someone in your dream."
"Is that so?"
Xu Ying steadied his mind and looked down at the cup of tea on the table.
Was what happened in the dream real?
Or was it merely a vivid dream?
"If it is, then this is a cup of Meng Po soup."
He lifted that cup of tea from three thousand years ago and drained it in a single gulp. It was a familiar taste.
Chapter 108