Chapter 114: Find Someone Who Understands the Art of Hexes

“These women are absolutely crazy!” Yang Meng shuddered at the memory of what had just happened. If it hadn’t been for Ling Feng risking his life to hold them back, there was no way he could have escaped from Zhang San.

Yang Meng attributed the sudden whitening of his face to a so-called “ancestral secret formula.” The girls, however, were intrigued by this “ancestral secret,” especially Long Xixiang, who quickly sketched out a business plan, even suggesting direct investment to build a cosmetics factory!

Among them, Chen Jiao showed the greatest interest in the “ancestral secret,” which made sense since her father was the head of the city’s health department.

Yang Meng touched his face with a bitter smile. He knew the effect was from the Yidi Immortal Wine; the places where he had applied the medicine had skin as tender as a newborn’s. The problem was: he had been careless, dabbling a little here and there, so some parts of his face were delicate while others remained unchanged. At a glance, it looked like a Peking opera painted face—was that attractive? Only these girls saw business potential in it.

Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, Yang Meng used his spiritual power to restore the color of his face. Then, riding his motorcycle, he went straight to the hotel where Zhang Quanbiao was lodged. Zhang Quanbiao was still unconscious.

Drawing the curtains and tossing the motorcycle keys on the table, Yang Meng said, “Come out!”

As soon as his voice faded, Lv Liling, manifesting softly from the motorcycle key, appeared. She had already told Yang Meng the whole story on the way.

In short, a Southeast Asian sorcerer had been hired to create and nurture a “little ghost” in Handong City for the employer, targeting Zhang Quanbiao’s daughter, Zhang Miaomiao. They orchestrated a car accident that killed Zhang Miaomiao and performed a “soul capture” ritual. Lv Liling had become involved and died as a result.

However, when the sorcerer was binding Zhang Miaomiao’s soul, Lv Liling’s spirit was also affected and was unable to enter the underworld.

What made things more tragic was Lv Liling’s inherently kind nature. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reformed Zhang Quanbiao into a new person. Even after such a fate, she had not transformed into a vengeful ghost.

It is said that “good people are easily bullied,” and the same applies to ghosts.

Unable to do anything, while wandering helplessly, she encountered the fierce ghost Zhao Yun. At first, Zhao Yun wanted to devour her, but upon learning the whole story, Zhao Yun spared her and even promised to avenge her after settling scores for herself.

But then Zhao Yun was captured by Yang Meng, leaving Lv Liling with no choice but to seek Yang Meng’s help.

She had come ready to have her soul scattered to the winds, believing Yang Meng to be a Taoist exorcist who dealt with demons and ghosts ruthlessly. To her surprise, Yang Meng was approachable and agreed to help save her daughter and husband.

Now, the look in her eyes was one of reverence—she had clearly seen Yang Meng’s power when he raced others earlier, his entire motorcycle enveloped in spiritual energy. Who would have thought there were such “great forces” in the mortal world? Her child was saved!

But in truth, Yang Meng was a bit clueless. What was “soul binding” or “raising little ghosts”? He knew nothing of these and wondered how he could help Lv Liling.

Hm? If he didn’t know, he could find help, right? With that thought, he summoned Baiji, the soul-reaping butcher, who appeared before him.

Lv Liling was both surprised and delighted to see Baiji.

Surprised that such a powerful underworld soldier was obedient to Yang Meng, and delighted because the stronger Yang Meng was, the higher the chances of saving her child.

This time, she had truly found the right person!

“Great Emperor, may I ask the reason for summoning me?” Baiji asked after bowing.

Yang Meng asked, “Baiji, have you ever heard of ‘soul binding’ or ‘raising little ghosts’?”

He immediately regretted asking. Baiji was from the late Warring States period! Back then, Southeast Asia was still a patchwork of primitive tribes, people were busy scrambling for food with monkeys. How could he have known about such things?

Yet Baiji nodded, “I have heard of them.”

“Hm?” Yang Meng was stunned. “How could you have heard of it?”

Baiji replied, “My lord, I have a friend in the underworld who told me about these matters. During his lifetime, he was stationed in Yunnan and was well acquainted with the southern barbarian regions.”

Yang Meng hurriedly said, “Then why are you still standing here? Call him here so I can ask him. Oh, and don’t let him come for nothing—you all like merit points, right? I’ve almost used up mine, but still have some left. Let him earn them!”

Baiji suddenly knelt and bowed again. “Great Emperor, my friend wishes to come but cannot.”

“Why not?” Yang Meng asked in confusion.

“He is currently imprisoned and punished in the Great Heat and Great Anger Hell,” Baiji answered.

“The Great Heat and Great Anger Hell?” Yang Meng frowned, “That’s where unfilial people are punished. Is your friend unfilial to his parents?”

Baiji hurried to explain, “My lord, that is a grave injustice! My friend’s father died the year he was born, and he was raised by his grandmother. When he was nine, his grandmother passed away. He was then adopted by his great-uncle as a son. Even if he wished to be unfilial, he could not.”

Yang Meng nodded thoughtfully; that made sense.

“Then why is he imprisoned in the Great Heat and Great Anger Hell?” Yang Meng asked.

Baiji glanced at him and sighed, “Great Emperor, the underworld is currently divided among three factions: the Western Buddhist faction led by Kṣitigarbha with his Ox-Head and Horse-Face minions; the Celestial faction led by the Heavenly Master Zhong Kui and the Six Heavens of Luofeng; and the conservative Taoist faction led by Your Majesty, upholding orthodox Taoism. Though the underworld is not as prosperous as before, the factions fiercely compete beneath the surface.”

Yang Meng sneered, “Where there are people, there is strife; the same goes for ghosts. Which faction is the strongest now?”

Baiji answered, “Originally, the conservative faction was dominant, since the underworld was established by Taoist masters. But since the separation between the immortal and mortal realms, the previous Eastern Yue Emperor locked himself in the Eastern Yue Palace and did not intervene. The conservative faction weakened, while the Western Buddhist faction rose rapidly. The Celestial faction remains strong with the Jade Emperor’s backing. Now, most of the underworld belongs to the Celestial and Buddhist factions. The capable members of the conservative faction have been courted by the other two, and those who resist are suppressed. Many conservatives have defected. My friend was suppressed and imprisoned in the Great Heat and Great Anger Hell. The Eight Kings of Hell, including the City King, now belong to the Buddhist faction. In fact, nearly all Ten Kings of Hell have joined the other two factions.”

Yang Meng was stunned. “So complicated? Suppression for disobedience? Has it come to outright conflict?”

He wanted to tell Baiji that the former Eastern Yue Emperor wasn’t simply secluded but trapped in the Eastern Yue Palace. But recalling how Huang Feihu had tricked him, he decided to keep quiet.

Baiji continued, “To be honest, the situation is worse than you imagine. We lowly underworld soldiers are somewhat better off. The worst off are the conservative faction’s ghost immortals, many of whom have fallen.”

“Fallen?” Yang Meng’s eyes widened.

Baiji nodded. “Yes. After the separation of immortals and mortals, the former Eastern Yue Emperor neglected the underworld, which descended into chaos. The factions fought each other; countless ghost immortals fell. Of the Ten Ghost Generals, only Lord White Impermanence’s whereabouts are known; Ox-Head and Horse-Face belong to the Kṣitigarbha faction, and the other seven have perished. The posts of Ghost Generals have been vacant for thousands of years.”

“Even Black Impermanence fell?” Yang Meng gasped.

“Yes,” Baiji said. “I don’t know the exact details, only that seven out of the ten generals perished overnight. The Ten Kings of Hell each formed their own factions. Later, the Celestial and Buddhist high councils intervened, realizing that continued fighting would destroy the underworld. They agreed to a truce. Since then, the underworld’s structure has been as it is now—peaceful on the surface, but with constant covert conflicts. Now the factions target opposing ghost generals and kings for recruitment or suppression.”

Yang Meng suddenly understood. “So your friend is either a Ghost General or a Ghost King?”

Baiji nodded. “My friend is Mu Kun, formerly a commanding general of the Black Rope Hell under the Song Dynasty emperor.”

“Mu Kun? Who is that?” Yang Meng had never heard of the name, but anyone holding a Ghost General position was no ordinary person.

Baiji explained, “He is the fifth-generation descendant of the Marquis of Xiping.”

Yang Meng suddenly realized—Mu was a Yunnan family name.

One of Wei Xiaobao’s seven wives was the “Little Princess” Mu Jianping, from the Mu family. Master Jin Yong’s brilliance lay in blending fact and fiction; Mu Jianping in The Deer and the Cauldron was from the Mu family.

The Mu family patriarch was Mu Ying, the adopted son of the Ming Dynasty’s founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Adopted at age eight, Mu Ying fought in battles from age twelve and held military posts from eighteen. After the founding of the Ming, Mu Ying pacified Tibet and was titled Marquis of Xiping. Later, he was stationed in Yunnan, and his descendants guarded Yunnan for generations until the dynasty’s fall. In fact, the Mu family perished simultaneously with the Ming dynasty—they held on until the very end.

Many think Emperor Chongzhen was the last Ming emperor, but that is not so.

After Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill, Prince Fu Zhu Yousong established himself as Emperor Hongguang in Nanjing, only to be conquered by the Qing. Then Prince Tang Zhu Yujian declared himself Emperor Longwu in Fujian with Zheng Zhilong’s aid. After his capture, he starved himself to death. Zhu Youlang succeeded him in Zhaoqing, Guangdong, becoming the last Ming emperor—the Yongli Emperor.

In his later years, the Yongli Emperor mainly stayed in Yunnan, with Mu Tianbo, the last Duke of Qian, by his side. As Qing forces advanced relentlessly, Mu Tianbo escorted the Yongli Emperor into Pagan (Burma), where they held out for more than two years. Eventually, the Burmese king betrayed and captured the Yongli Emperor, handing him over to Wu Sangui, who executed him in Kunming in 1662—eighteen years after the Qing entered the Pass.

Given the Mu family’s long tenure guarding Yunnan, it was hardly surprising they knew about soul binding and similar arts…