Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 473

Runsheng ate all the offerings on the steamer.

The black aura emanating from him was so thick it looked as if it had been doused with ink, churning and overflowing.

The water on the kitchen floor had already submerged the shoes, and a gray mist was rising.

Yin Meng realized that she had done something wrong despite her good intentions.

She was so focused on bringing out the best things for Runsheng that she neglected whether Runsheng could handle them.

This is the closest offering to the Emperor, who is an unimaginably enormous corpse.

Since the establishment of Fengdu, the Great Emperor's true form has never left the underworld. Even when he was fighting against a Bodhisattva, he would first drag the Bodhisattva into hell, and then suppress him with his own foot.

Therefore, such items imbued with the aura of the Great Emperor are basically non-existent in the outside world, let alone such sacrificial offerings.

When Runsheng consumed these sacrificial offerings, the special qualities within him were fully activated, even to the point of boiling over.

"Runsheng...Runsheng".

Runsheng did not respond to Yinmeng's call; he just stood there, emanating a chilling aura.

Yin Meng's first reaction was to try to salvage the situation; she was going to go out and call Xiao Yuan.

However, as Yin Meng walked out of the kitchen, Run Sheng, who had been motionless, suddenly started turning his head to follow her.

The water at the kitchen entrance turned into steam and rose to the surface, forming an invisible door.

Immediately afterwards, the surrounding walls, including the roof, were also covered with moisture.

It was like a cage, trapping Yin Meng here and preventing her from leaving.

"Runsheng, it's my fault. I didn't think things through. I shouldn't have let you eat these things without my permission. Please control yourself first, and let me go out and contact Brother Xiaoyuan. Brother Xiaoyuan will definitely know how to solve this problem, okay?"

However, once he was sure that the person in front of him could not leave him, Runsheng stopped reacting.

Yin Meng was not afraid. Even if Run Sheng was just standing still, or even if he really lost control and wanted to kill or eat her, she would not be afraid.

But she feels guilty now, because she has ruined this meeting that she had been longing for day and night.

Yin Meng squatted down, repeatedly patting her forehead with her palms, her eyes reddening.

She quickly shook her head, forcing herself to break free from feelings of regret and guilt, and tried to calm herself down and think of a solution.

However, Runsheng received no feedback from all the methods he tried from the afternoon until dark.

She couldn't leave the kitchen, nor could she truly touch Runsheng's body. Yinmeng even doubted whether her voice could reach Runsheng's ears.

In the end, Yin Meng even took out the token for entering and exiting the Ghost Gate, but in this environment where it was surrounded and isolated on all sides, the Ghost Gate could not be opened at all.

As night falls, the vendors on Ghost Street pack up and the shops close. The rising fog, accompanied by the setting sun, lends Ghost Street an eerie tranquility.

"My disciple, let your master see how the harvest is today."

Master Yang, holding a divination banner, came to his apprentice's stall.

He dressed as a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe, while his disciple wore a kasaya and played a Buddhist monk.

The master and apprentice were located at opposite ends of Ghost Street, one at the east end and the other at the west end.

In Yang Banxian's plan, this means capturing all the customer traffic while also appealing to both Buddhist and Taoist groups.

The apprentice looked troubled and took out the alms bowl.

Yang Banxian reached out and fiddled with the money inside, asking in confusion, "Is that all?"

The apprentice touched his newly shaved head and said, "Master, I'm not good with words, I can't fool people."

Master Yang's face darkened with anger, and he cursed, "You scoundrel, how dare you speak like that!"

The apprentice shrank back in anger after being scolded.

Master Yang: "How did your master usually teach you? This is called 'unable to save those with primordial spirits'."

"You silly kid, you can't even speak properly, how could you possibly swindle money?"

Apprentice: "Master, please let me continue working for you. I really can't support a stall on my own."

Master Yang sighed: "Try for a few more days. If it's still like this in the next few days, you can continue to set up your stall with your master. Look at you, the little money you earn from the alms bowl is less than what the beggars over there earn. It's a waste of all the money your master spent on this outfit for you."

Apprentice: "Hehehe, I just love following my master."

Master Yang said, "I'm getting old. Who knows when I'll kick the bucket and go see the Buddha? How will you live on your own after I'm gone?"

Disciple: "May Master live to be a hundred years old!"

Too lazy to take money out of the bowl, Yang Banxian pushed it in front of his apprentice: "Take this money and buy some cake."

Apprentice: "Master, this amount is only enough to buy sponge cakes, not enough to buy ones with cream."

Master Yang: "You brat, you can't even make money, and you're still so picky about food!"

Despite the cursing, Master Yang still took out a coin and threw it into the alms bowl.

He still cared for his disciple.

She was even more worried that if her apprentice didn't go to the cake shop in the county town to buy a cake, she wouldn't be able to find time to go to the hair salon to get her hair washed.

"Thank you, Master."

"Hurry up, or the shop will close."

"Okay, okay, I'm going right now!"

Master Yang took out a cigarette, lit it, and after taking two puffs, he noticed that his disciple, who had been running with the alms bowl in his arms, suddenly slowed down. The way he walked, from behind, really gave off a solemn and dignified air.

"You brat, that's more like it! That's how you walk! If you strike that pose, the Yuan people will come looking for you to ferry them across!"

Master Yang was quite pleased with his comments when he saw that his apprentice hadn't taken the alleyway out of Ghost Street, but instead was walking up the main street. He paused for a moment, then exclaimed:

"Hey kid, where are you going?"

The apprentice did not respond and continued forward.

Master Yang quickly caught up: "You little brat, I'm talking to you, why are you pretending to be deaf!"

He reached out and grabbed his apprentice's shoulder, but the apprentice continued walking, and with a thud, Yang Banxian was pulled down and fell.

Although he was old, he still went to the hair salon to exercise every now and then. Master Yang immediately got up and ran to his apprentice.

"You silly boy..."

The words were stuck in his throat.

This is clearly still the disciple's face, but the kind and gentle look on his face is a quality that a disciple could not possibly possess.

If he had that ability, he could simply sit there and, without even shouting, people would naturally come and put money into his alms bowl.

"Disciple, disciple, what's wrong?"

The apprentice remained silent, bumped past Yang Bansian, and continued forward.

Yang the fortune teller touched his aching chest and said in disbelief, "Is this possession?"

But then he looked at his disciple's full monk's attire...

"My goodness, what evil spirit dares to run into this?"

Yang Banxian had no choice but to follow along while trying to come up with a solution. Before he knew it, he noticed that the fog around him had gotten thicker, and all the shops on both sides of Ghost Street had turned off their lights. Apart from him and his apprentice, there was no one else on the entire street.

"This is a huge problem, this evil spirit is terrifying."

Master Yang gathered all the magical artifacts and talismans he had on him, held them in his arms, and then spread them all over his disciple.

To everyone's surprise, these things were of no use at all, and the apprentice continued to make steady progress.

"This... shouldn't be the case!"

Although he taught his apprentices deception, it was because they were dull-witted. But Yang Banxian knew that he had some skill. No matter how powerful the evil spirits were, they couldn't possibly render his tools completely useless, right?

Finally, the apprentice stopped and turned around.

Yang Banxian looked up and saw: Yin Family Coffin Shop.

This is the only shop on this street that is still open and lit up.

The apprentice's fingers tapped the alms bowl.

"Do...do...do..."

The sound was clear and crisp, and it seemed as if there were chanting sounds echoing from all around.

The apprentice stepped into the shop.

After hesitating for a moment, Yang Banxian gritted his teeth and followed him inside.

The apprentice stood in front of a curtain with a talisman pasted on it.

When Yang Banxian saw the talisman, his eyes lit up. What a great talisman!

He couldn't describe exactly how good it was, but he knew it was definitely a good thing.

"Namo Amitabha."

The apprentice raised one hand, chanted a Buddhist mantra, and the talisman fell off, lifting the curtain.

Yang Banxian glanced around, wondering whether this was a kitchen or a water curtain cave.
Inside, Yin Meng noticed the change outside. She turned her head and looked at the kitchen doorway. There was a young monk standing outside, and behind him stood an elderly Taoist priest.

Yin Meng's eyes turned serious, and she activated her Ghost Eye, seeing a blinding golden light.

What followed was a sound that came from outside but echoed solemnly within the kitchen:
"The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore. All beings suffer, but the Buddha comes to ferry them across. Come to my seat and attain enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, Yin Meng immediately shouted angrily at the monk at the door:

"Bald monk, you're asking for death!"

Yin Meng recognized who the other person was.

In Fengdu, she resided in the highest level of hell, while the one before her resided in the lowest level. Yin Meng also sensed the other's intention: to take advantage of Runsheng's dazed state to guide him to believe in Him, just as the Ghost King was converted to the position of a high-ranking official.

In an instant, a phantom of an official robe appeared on Yin Meng's body, surrounded by a chilling aura, with her hair flowing, her ghostly eyes turning white, and her hands transforming into claws as she reached forward.

Yang Banxian outside seemed to see a fierce female demon about to pounce out from inside.

"Disciple, be careful..."

"My Buddha is merciful."

A golden light appeared on the disciple's body, and the female Rakshasa let out a muffled groan and flew back.

Master Yang: Could it be that my disciple is not possessed by an evil spirit, but rather that a Bodhisattva has descended to earth to subdue the demon?

This is the only plausible explanation in Yang Banxian's eyes, and it also explains why his talismans and magical artifacts have no effect on his disciple. The disciple is not an evil spirit at all; he might even be a Bodhisattva!
However, Yang Banxian's reasonable explanation was quickly shattered.

A person emanating black smoke rushed out of the kitchen. His disciple's body once again flashed with Buddhist light, but this light was immediately shattered.

"boom!"

The disciple's neck was grabbed and he was pressed against the wall. The person covered in black energy stared at him expressionlessly.

"Master...Master...save me...save me..."

It was my disciple's voice.

Yang Banxian was stunned. What was this? A Bodhisattva had descended, but was driven away by the dead?
After Runsheng was released, the cage was broken, and Yinmeng was able to escape.

She looked at the little monk whose neck was being choked by Runsheng and said:

"Runsheng..."

Before Yin Meng could finish speaking, Runsheng released her hand.

The little monk fell to the ground, and Master Yang immediately rushed over and hugged his disciple. The two of them buried their heads and pretended to be ostriches.

After a long while, Yang Banxian finally mustered up the courage to raise his head and found that the shop was empty, and the dead statue and the female Rakshasa were gone.

"My disciple, hurry, let your master take you away from here."

Yang Banxian helped his apprentice up and left the coffin shop, but the fog outside was so thick and eerie that they ended up wandering back to the coffin shop.

"This……"

Yang Banxian turned around, led his apprentice to continue moving, and then moved back to the original position.

Unwilling to accept his fate, Yang Banxian tried again, but still couldn't get out.

He was desperate.

He put down his disciple, who had already fallen into a deep sleep, and sat down on the threshold of the coffin shop, lighting a cigarette.

"Oh no, we've been left in the cave as food by those two evil spirits."

Exhaling a smoke ring, Yang Banxian narrowed his eyes and said regretfully:
"What a pity. I heard that a senior hairdresser who came back from the south has joined that salon. He's very skilled, and I was planning to go there tonight to test my skills."

……

A thick fog enveloped the area. Runsheng walked in front, with Yinmeng following behind.

She didn't know where Runsheng was going, and she was even more worried about Runsheng traveling alone in this state. Fortunately, the thick fog concealed the black aura on Runsheng's body.

Runsheng stood in front of a shop, reached out his hand, and the door panel cracked open.

This is a hot pot restaurant, Yin Meng's favorite.

After breaking down the door, Runsheng went inside.

There was a telephone on the counter of the hot pot restaurant. Runsheng stood in front of the telephone, picked up the receiver, put it to his ear, and dialed a number.

Without saying a word, after a while, Runsheng put down the microphone, walked to a hot pot, and sat down.

Yin Meng walked over quickly, picked up the phone, only to find that there was no sound.

She turned to look at the thick fog seeping into the shop and realized that she was in a special environment. There was only the furnishings of a ghost town, but no living people. Naturally, the phone here could not be used to contact the outside world.

Yin Meng put the phone back and walked to Runsheng's side. Runsheng was still unresponsive, but he seemed to know what he should do.

For example, right now, Yin Meng seems to understand that he is treating her to hot pot.

Yin Meng also sat down.

The two of them sat facing each other for the entire time it takes to eat a hot pot meal.

Runsheng stood up and walked out of the hot pot restaurant, with Yinmeng following behind.

As he walked, Runsheng came to a furniture store located in an alley. It had a front shop and a back workshop layout. After Runsheng went in, he carried out a tall stack of materials.

Yin Meng bit her lip, wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, sniffed, and continued to follow.

This time, Runsheng returned to the coffin shop.

Sitting on the threshold, Yang Banxian watched as the terrifying corpse returned, carrying something frighteningly tall. He didn't bother to see what it was; he simply closed his eyes instinctively, awaiting death.

Death came rather late. Yang Banxian opened his eyes and found that there was no one in front of him, but behind him came a clanging sound. This was probably the only sound in the entire Ghost Street in the thick fog.

Yang Banxian turned around and immediately swallowed hard. He thought he was seeing things because he saw a dead body being made into a coffin!
“My disciple, it’s actually quite good to die with Rakshasa. They take care of killing, eating, and burying you.”

……

dusk.

As the boat sailed down the river, Ghost City Wharf lay ahead. Li Zhuiyuan and A Li stood at the bow of the boat.

Tan Wenbin walked over with a mobile phone in his hand and said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, we didn't have a signal in the mountains before, but in the few days since we came out of the mountains for a meeting, Runsheng hasn't called once. I'm worried that something might have happened to him."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Something must have happened."

Runsheng is very obedient. He will definitely contact me when he gets to Ghost City. Even if I can't answer the phone at that time, he knows to call Lu Yi at the school store.

Moreover, besides Runsheng, there is also Yinmeng in the ghost city. Knowing that they will also be coming to Fengdu soon, they will not forget to contact us.

However, when Li Zhuiyuan went down the mountain for a meeting and found that he had not received a call from Runsheng, he performed a sacrifice for the Emperor of Fengdu.

The sacrifice was normal. Yin Meng did not respond, which means that Yin Meng was not in the underworld at this time, but in the ghost city, which means that she had already met with Runsheng.
The emperor did not respond, which means something has happened, but it is under control.

Li Zhuiyuan trusted the Emperor's judgment. He had only just paid off the first installment of interest, so the Emperor's attitude towards him at this moment should be very cautious.

The ship docked at the pier.

Li Zhuiyuan led A Li off the boat, and at this moment, Ghost Street was bustling with activity for the last time of the day.

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou stood on either side, blocking the flow of people.

They were very close to the coffin shop. Tan Wenbin sniffed and said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, I think I smell a dead body, but I don't know the exact location."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Because it is here, yet it is not here."

The coffin shop door was open, and inside were several newly made and recently painted coffins, but no one was there.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around.

Across the street is a shop selling ceramic figurines as souvenirs. In addition to selling ceramic figurines with Fengdu characteristics, the shop also sells other types, such as terracotta warriors, Astro Boy, and Ultraman.

It's very similar to the small coffin-shaped pencil case that Yin Meng made when she was guarding the shop.

These kinds of shops are essential for the atmosphere of Ghost Street, but their business is destined to be difficult to succeed, since not many people who come to stroll or travel will choose to buy a piece of Ghost Pottery to take home and display.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell on a clay figurine clad in armor.

The eyes of this armored terracotta figurine are facing the Yin family's coffin shop.

"Brother Binbin, go and turn that armored clay figurine around."

Tan Wenbin walked over, offered the boss a cigarette, and while chatting, picked up the ceramic armor figurine to look at it. When he put it down, he turned it away from him.

Boss: "Take it, take it, it's yours."

Tan Wenbin: "I can't possibly accept this."

Shop owner: "Anyway, we can't sell them all. If you like them, take them, haha."

Tan Wenbin: "Thanks."

Tan Wenbin picked up the armored clay figurine with its front facing in and walked back.

Facing the coffin shop, Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Snapped!"

In an instant, a thick fog enveloped the surroundings.

At the entrance of the coffin shop sat a young monk and an old Taoist priest, the young monk lying in the old priest's arms.
"Master, I'm hungry, I'm so hungry..."

"My disciple, your master is hungry too, hungry..."

Inside the coffin shop, Runsheng, his body billowing black smoke, was making a coffin, while Yinmeng squatted beside him, helping with the painting.

Noticing the commotion outside, Yin Meng turned around and looked at Li Zhuiyuan and the others who had walked in.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, it's my fault. I shouldn't have taken the offerings from the ancestral altar and given them to Runsheng to eat..."

While listening to Yin Meng's description of the events and Runsheng's symptoms, Li Zhuiyuan instructed Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou to prepare the necessary items, as he was going to treat Runsheng.

The coffin was laid on the ground, which was covered in puddles. Runsheng himself was focused on making the coffin the whole time and did not react to the outside world.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand: "Brother Binbin, stop for a moment."

The boy walked up behind Runsheng and called out:
"Brother Runsheng."

Runsheng slowed down his movements and gradually stopped.

He turned his neck stiffly, turning his face around. A ripple appeared in his dark eyes, as if driven by instinct, searching for the location of the voice.

Finally, he lowered his head and looked at the boy standing in front of him:
"Xiao Yuan..."

(End of this chapter)