Day and night tour

Chapter 497 The Ancient Palace of Returned Souls
As Zhou Xuan rapidly connected with Bone Fang, a crisp laugh reached his ears.

“Oh, sir, my old Yu’s fate is such, how could you possibly spend so much money on him?”

Zhou Xuan turned his head and saw that the slippery hands from before did not come from Yu Guisheng's resurrection, but from "Hua Niang's" greeting.

Hua Niang was Yu Guisheng's young wife.

Yu Guisheng is over fifty-five this year, but Hua Niang is only twenty-five or twenty-six.

Since ancient times, there have always been unspeakable secrets and romantic affairs between old men and young wives. Zhou Xuan had long heard from the neighbors that Hua Niang's personal conduct was somewhat unrestrained.

At this moment, Hua Niang was not as heavy as she had been with the loss of her husband. She applied red lipstick and powder, and as she leaned against Zhou Xuan, her eyes were bright and alluring.

Zhou Xuan pointed to the memorial tablet and gently brushed Hua Niang's hand away, saying, "We're all neighbors. Old Yu is gone, so I should come and offer my condolences. However, you don't seem to care much about Old Yu's death?"

"Oh dear, sir, isn't it strange that Mingjiang Prefecture is like this? These days, life and death are so unpredictable. A few days ago, during the fire, Old Yu died, but he only came back to life after the East Market Street was rebuilt."

I cried all my tears when Lao Yu died the first time, and now that he's dying again, I can't cry much.

Zhou Xuan released his perception and traced along Old Yu's body inside the coffin. There were no external injuries or signs of poisoning. He had indeed died of old age, and it was not a despicable act committed by his young wife and lover.

Zhou Xuan then asked, "Hua Niang, how did Old Yu leave?"

Hua Niang was a seasoned veteran who had been through thick and thin with men. From Zhou Xuan's serious expression, she knew that he suspected that Yu Gui's death was suspicious.

Everyone in the entire East Market Street knows that Zhou Xuan's status is extraordinary; whether it's the government office or the Bureau of Parade Gods, they all have to act according to his wishes.

The courtesan was also afraid—afraid of being wrongly accused and sent to the authorities. She abandoned her earlier allure, adopting the demeanor of a businesswoman, and said seriously.

"Last night, there were lanterns everywhere in Mingjiang Prefecture, so I told Old Yu I wanted to go see them. Old Yu then closed his shop and took me to the main street."

After watching the lanterns and returning home, Old Yu went to the water carrier to buy hot water, took a bath, and then fainted in the tub. When I went in, I checked his breathing and found he was no longer alive.

Then I began to announce the death, and Old Yu's nephews dressed him in his clothes.

Zhou Xuan heard it without any problems; the whole death process was described in detail. However, he still asked one more question: "During the process, didn't anything strange or bizarre happen?"

He never expected that his unintentional question would turn Hua Niang's face pale.

Zhou Xuan immediately realized there was more to the story and rebuked him, "Still trying to hide it?"

Hua Niang never expected that Zhou Xuan would become so fierce when he lost his temper. She was immediately terrified, her legs trembling, tears welling in her eyes, and she sobbed, "..."

“Sir, there is something strange about it, but it has nothing to do with Lao Yu’s death. I didn’t kill Lao Yu. He really died on his own. I, Hua Niang, don’t have the guts to kill people.”

"Elaborate."

Zhou Xuan calmed down a little.

"After Old Yu was dressed, he was carried to the bed and covered with a black cloth. According to our local custom, no one can be in the bedroom. As his wife, I had to keep watch for him until most of the relatives arrived before we could begin the ritual."

“When I was watching over Lao Yu, he woke up. He lifted the black cloth and told me that he had been hooked by an iron hook and was in a lot of pain. He was also told that he would be dismembered and thrown into the furnace. He was very scared. Then, as he was talking, he stopped breathing again.”

Hua Niang said, "That's the strange thing—I'm afraid it was a final burst of lucidity before death, but I didn't tell the master just now."

"Then his death has nothing to do with you."

Zhou Xuan spoke calmly, but his mind was actually racing with thoughts.

Old Yu saw his own death scene: being hooked by an iron hook, then being dismembered, and finally thrown into a furnace. These processes matched the scene Zhou Xuan saw in his "dream".

"That dream might not really be an illusion."

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan continued to walk around the coffin, and after completing the customary steps, he said "Please accept my condolences" to Sister Hua before leaving the paper horse shop.

He didn't reveal the connection between Yu Guisheng and Mi Meng on the spot, since there were too many people around and he wanted to wait until a quiet place to speak in hushed tones.

"It's a pity that Lao Yu passed away. I gave him a gift. Let's go have breakfast."

Zhou Xuan addressed the group.

Li Changxun then said, "Master, we must wait for my Grandmaster Yun."

"Where did Lao Yun go?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"Look, they're presenting their gifts over there." Li Changxun winked at the ceremonial table.

Zhou Xuan looked over and saw Yun Ziliang taking out a small notebook, flipping through it while counting on his fingers, seemingly calculating something.

"What's Lao Yun doing here?" Zhou Xuan asked.

Zhao Wuyai replied, saying, "Brother Xuan, as you know, we dragon hunters love to accumulate luck, so we always deliberately lose at cards, deliberately miss out on lotteries, and always bet on the last horse in the races..."

"Wait a minute... are you deliberately losing, or is it that you really can't win even if you try your best?" Zhou Xuan called out to Zhao Wuya.

“Brother Xuan, don’t worry about those trivial matters,” Zhao Wuya said. “Grandmaster said that death is a big deal. He usually loses a lot of money to Lao Yu. This time, he should triple it to give Lao Yu a gift. That way, he can accumulate more luck.”

"Those are all crooked and evil ways. With that money, you could treat me to mutton soup and tea at a teahouse, wouldn't that be wonderful... By the way, where did Lao Yun get the money?"

Zhou Xuan remembered the key point.

Yun Ziliang is a man who does no work. He just plays cards, drinks tea, and beats up Zhao Wuya every day. How can he make any money?
Zhao Wuyai gritted his teeth: "Brother Xuan, what do you think..."

"So Lao Yun used your money to give gifts to others?" Zhou Xuan finally realized.

To be honest, Yunzi easily calculated how much money she needed to "pay" as a gift, took out a thick wad of bills from her wallet, and happily settled the bill.

The concierge was stunned. He couldn't understand what kind of favor it was that warranted such a generous gift.

After standing there for several seconds, he remembered his manners, hurriedly straightened his back, and shouted in a loud voice, "Master Yun Ziliang of Jingyi Shop, presents a gift of 1,125 yuan."

These days, if the monetary gift at a funeral or wedding is too extravagant, the ushers will loudly announce it so that all the guests around will know.

In this way, the host family gains face, and the guests who gave generous gifts also gain face.

At this moment, Yun Ziliang swaggered over and asked Zhou Xuan, "Xuanzi, is this gift generous and open enough?"

“I don’t know if you’re generous or not, but Ya Zi is quite generous. If you’re going to waste my money like this, then I’ll kick you out of the Jingyi Shop.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Ziliang returned the wallet to Zhao Wuya and said, "You can't say that. This time, Ya Zi paid more than a thousand yuan as a gift, but what I gave was a sincere heart."

"..." Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan felt that the sentence sounded familiar; such nonsensical lines often appeared in old idol dramas.

"See, Brother Xuan? In this day and age, you still have to be a master. Not to mention exploiting your disciples, you can also lie through your teeth. Our grandmaster has really mastered that. He can spout nonsense without even blushing."

Zhao Wuyai's rant was truly filled with resentment.

……

The group went to the breakfast shop, devoured the food in a whirlwind, and then returned to Jingyi Shop.

Upon arriving at the shop, Zhou Xuan closed the door and led Zhao Wuyai, Yun Ziliang, Li Changxun, and the White Deer Taoist into the stone temple.

Zhou Xuan completely trusted Zhao Wuyai, Yun Ziliang, and Li Changxun, as they were all his life-or-death companions who had gone through the dream of the Four Heavenly Venerables together.

As for the White Deer Alchemist...
While eating breakfast, Zhou Xuan secretly pondered that he could trust the character of the White Deer Taoist, but they had never risked their lives together before.

However, how bad can a chuunibyou old man who can shout "No one will help me to reach the clouds" really be?

Moreover, Danzi, as a rare "Danzi demon of the Well Kingdom," possesses truly profound insights into the Dao of Alchemy.
Zhou Xuan brought the White Deer Taoist priest into the Stone Temple, partly to have him serve as an "advisor".

Secondly, it is also to allow the alchemists of Bailu to update their knowledge of "alchemy" as much as possible, so that they can keep up with the latest version.

As soon as everyone entered the temple, the White Deer Taoist's eyes widened, and he circled around the elixir, carefully sniffing it.

Soon, he even started touching and groping Danzi's body.

Danzi looked at Zhou Xuan, and although he didn't say a word, his eyes seemed to be deafening.

"You're a rare gem; everyone's never seen one before, so it's normal for them to be a bit enthusiastic about you."

Zhou Xuan slowly shook his head, offering a reasonable explanation for the "obsessive" behavior of the White Deer Taoist.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Not satisfied with just that, the White Deer Taoist stomped his feet and shouted "Wonderful!"

"Danzi, I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've ever seen Danzi alive."

Everyone turned their heads at the same time, and even Danzi looked intently at the White Deer Taoist. This old man was the first person in the stone temple to call out his name correctly without any prompting.

"You know his name is Danzi?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"I know."

The White Deer Alchemist said, "Although the people of Jing Kingdom all call them Dan Yao (丹妖), I have seen records of 'Dan Zi' (丹子) in many ancient books. However, since so many people call them Dan Yao, I've gotten used to calling them Dan Yao as well."

"Are you an alchemist?" Danzi asked. "Indeed, indeed, but the pills I refine are of little use."

The White Deer Taoist said.

Danzi didn't mince words with Bai Lu, the alchemist; he simply asked, "Do you know how to refine human pills?"

"will not."

"That's a pity, you haven't seen the truth about the Kingdom of Well."

After saying this with a hint of regret, Danzi turned to Zhou Xuan and said, "You've come to see me again this time, so you must have come to some kind of enlightenment."

Zhou Xuan nodded and said, "One of our neighbors has passed away. All his characteristics match perfectly with a dead person I saw in my dream."

"Therefore, the dream I saw was not a hallucination of a continuation of a false reality, but the real world."

“I told you before, Ren Dan is meant to help you rediscover the Kingdom of Jing.”

The Pill Demon continued, "Of course, you're probably wondering why I, a newly born pill, know so much. Luckily, there's a pill refiner here who can answer your questions."

He was steer the conversation towards the White Deer Taoist.

Bai Lu Fangshi is a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), and these kinds of chuunibyou people always have some strange sense of honor.

For example, right now, he felt very honored, his back was extremely straight, and he said loudly,

"The elixir was conceived and born within the enormous furnace."

When it shows signs of appearing, all the elixirs still being refined in the furnace will release their spiritual power, and the furnaces used to refine these elixirs will burst into flames, illuminating the surrounding area.

In other words, just before the elixir was formed, the entire Jing Kingdom, wherever there was an alchemy furnace, was within the elixir's sight.

Zhou Xuan rested his chin on his hand, nodded, and said, "Now I know why you know so many secrets."

"Let's cooperate, fine, but you need to tell me, where are most of the secrets you know concentrated?"

"Mr. Zhou, the Kingdom of Jing is a country where multiple spaces and multiple times coexist."

The nine laws of human existence all arise from these spaces and times.

"Those spaces require certain special conditions to enter."

“For example, the ‘Spirit Realm’,” Zhou Xuan said.

To enter the "spiritual realm," aside from certain high-ranking individuals who can enter at will, others must rely on a state of "being in harmony with the heavens."

“The Spirit Realm is a special kind of space. Besides that, there are many other hidden spaces.”

Danzi said, "The Zoroastrian sect has caused great harm to the people of Jing Kingdom. Even a god-level being has tried to find them, but after so many years, they have only found insignificant fragments. Do you know why now?"

"I understand, they are hiding in multiple dimensions within the Kingdom of Jing."

Regarding the space and time of the Jing Kingdom, Zhou Xuan had heard Miss Wall talk about it before. She once said that the Jing Kingdom had many spaces that were folded together.

"My Human Elixir can allow you and your people to enter these spaces."

Danzi said, "Those places are the essence of cultivation in the Jing Kingdom. I don't know if your ancient texts have deduced that I am named 'Boundless'."

"You are Wujiang?"

Unable to contain himself, the White Deer Alchemist exclaimed, "In ancient texts, the Celestial Master did indeed deduce a kind of 'elixir,' which can traverse time and space, and is called 'Boundless.'"

Zhou Xuan glared at the White Deer Taoist. He felt that the old White Deer was a good person in every way, except for his personality. He was easily startled and prone to revealing his true colors.

He then said to Danzi, "In a couple of days, I will be going to Huangyuan Prefecture. When I get there, you need to do something for me. If you do it, we will cooperate. If you don't, I will consider it as you bragging."

What are you going to Huangyuan Prefecture for?

“In Huangyuan Prefecture, there is a Zoroastrian fire pit where they refine human elixirs. I want to destroy it.”

"Why are you destroying it?" Danzi asked.

Zhou Xuan said, "I wanted to find the Zoroastrian sect before in order to find their formula for refining human pills."

"Then you don't need to go. There's no human pill formula in the world that I don't know," the Pill Demon said defiantly.

He was originally a highly effective elixir, and he was extremely knowledgeable about the formula for elixir.

Zhou Xuan shook his head and said, "I still want to go."

"You already have the formula, why are you still going?"

"The real hatred comes from those in the same trade. If I don't smash those pill-refining pits to pieces, how can I monopolize the pill market in Jing Kingdom?"

Alchemists are rare in this world; if there is one less fire pit, the heavens will lose one less supply point for human pills.

With fewer supply points in the heavens and the same demand for pills, the price of Zhou Xuan's pills naturally rose accordingly.

"It's reasonable for you to ask me to help you destroy the hearth in Huangyuan Prefecture as a token of my loyalty. However, I'll do you a favor first and help you destroy a small hearth. The fire tower you saw at dawn is a hearth."

Danzi lowered his head and said.

Zhou Xuan immediately recalled that dream, in which an old man was burning human remains under a fire tower.

The white smoke from the burning limbs was inhaled by some unseen "people".

"So, that's the hearth?"

"That space is the 'Ancient Hall of Returning Souls.' There are a vast number of these spaces, but each one is usually quite small."

Danzi said, "After the dead die, they will be summoned by the City of Souls. The dead will walk on a road leading to the City of Souls. At certain intersections where too many dead gather, they will be attacked by Yin energy day and night, forming some temple-like spaces."

"This space is called the Ancient Hall of Returning Souls," Danzi said. "Disciples of the Zoroastrian sect refine human pills in this ancient hall on East Market Street."

Zhao Wuyai asked from the side, "How did the Zoroastrians enter the ancient temple?"

Danzi sneered, "Is there any sect in the world that understands refining human pills better than the Zoroastrian sect? With a massive amount of human pills, they can access many hidden spaces."

Zhou Xuan asked, "In the Ancient Hall of Returning Souls, I lost all my supernatural powers. How could I possibly deal with the Zoroastrian sect in that fire pit?"

“Mr. Zhou, I can only help you find a fire pit, but I can't help you with how to deal with them. I am ‘Boundless,’ not ‘Martial Heaven.’”

"When is the earliest you can send me back to the Ancient Hall of Returning Souls in East Market Street?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"I also need to rest and recuperate. Tonight, I need to take a break."

Danzi kept her head down and continued chanting the scriptures.
Zhou Xuan and the others then left the stone temple.

The group of them, with perfect understanding, stopped discussing anything about "Danzi" once they left the temple.

The "elixir" was something Zhou Xuan had secretly kept hidden from "Heaven and Earth" and Bai Yujing. If this matter were to be exposed, it would be a major event in the Jing Kingdom.
If something happens, it will be a slide into the abyss.

……

Yun Ziliang, Li Changxun, and the others were busy with their own things, while Zhou Xuan was quietly thinking in the room—if he entered the "Ancient Hall of Returning Souls" at night, how would he deal with the Zoroastrian sect in the hall when he had lost all his supernatural powers?

As he was thinking, suddenly, Cui Jie's soft call came from outside the door.

"Brother Zhou, this is quite strange."

"Sister Cui said."

Zhou Xuan stood up and asked, "What's strange?"

"Last night, I heard noises inside the house and saw Hua Zi's figure, but I just couldn't find Hua Zi."

"Sister Cui said."

"Really?" Zhou Xuan asked, somewhat puzzled.

At this moment, King Xishan also came in and said to Zhou Xuan, "I also spent the night at Cui Meizi's shop last night. At dawn, I seemed to see Hua Zi, but he seemed... seemed to be waving at us incessantly."

"What happens next?"

Zhou Xuan asked again.

"Then, then, he was pulled away as if by something invisible."

King Xishan said, "I used my supernatural powers, with the immeasurable means of a sage, to strike behind Hua Zi, but I only hit a ball of light and shadow."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan suddenly became less puzzled—Hua Zi's soul had clearly been cast into the human world by "Heaven and Earth," but he had not fully returned to life and had been captured again.

"As a dead soul, Hua Zi must be walking the road to the underworld. Who took him away on that road?"

For no apparent reason, a phrase he had only heard recently surfaced in Zhou Xuan's mind—"the Ancient Palace of Returning Souls"...

(End of this chapter)