Mythology

Chapter 494 The King of Growth
The man huddled in the corner, his eyes filled with unspeakable fear.

He stared at Yang He's retreating figure, his pupils trembling violently. "Why...why did he dare to kill an official?"

The constables' shouts were clearly from two or three streets away, yet Yang He carried the corpse back in just a few breaths—something no human could do.

The waiter's teeth chattered uncontrollably: "He asked the official whether he was a human or a ghost, so... is he a human or a ghost? Or a Taoist priest with supernatural powers?"

Yang He suddenly turned his head and asked, "Young man, my surname is Yang. What's your name?"

"Liu A...A-San".

"How long have you been in the Women's Kingdom?" Yang He asked as he had the Pupil Ghost possess the corpse, meticulously examining every inch of its flesh and bones, trying to find anything unusual.

"It's been almost four years."

Liu Asan looked dazed. In his memory, he was only fifteen or sixteen years old four years ago when he accidentally wandered into the Women's Kingdom. If it weren't for Manager Li Ao taking him in, he might have died long ago.

He calmed down and realized that Yang He really didn't look like an evil spirit.

Yang He was completely unaware of his companion's thoughts. He noticed that the corpse's palms were covered in calluses, marks left from years of holding a knife. The stomach contained ordinary rice, noodles, and vegetables, and some organs even had nodules.

The characteristics of the body, both inside and out, indicate that he was just an ordinary old constable in life.

"Could it be that my perception has been affected, and I accidentally killed a mortal?"

"strangeness."

Yang He's gaze lingered on the cinnabar birthmark between the corpse's eyebrows. The red dot was eerily bright, as if it had just been dotted on with blood, and its position was precisely in the center.

He tried scratching it with his fingernail, but the cinnabar mole seemed to be deep inside his skin.

"Could a mole between the eyebrows be related to Buddhism?"

However, concluding that the corpse was related to Buddhism based solely on the red birthmark is rather far-fetched.

"Have you seen this before?" Yang He suddenly turned to look at Liu Asan.

"Wha...what?!!"

When Liu Asan saw Yang He asking about the red mole between the eyebrows of the corpse, he opened his mouth wide, at a loss for words.

Yang He knew it was pointless to ask; all the men in the Women's Kingdom were outsiders, living like pigs and dogs, so how could they know any secrets?

"If we follow the official's lead and dig deeper, we should be able to trace it back to the palace."

"However, it is too early for some things. The original story's Kingdom of Women revolves around the royal palace, so it is impossible for it to be completely without any abnormalities. If we rashly set foot there, we will alert the enemy."

While Yang He was pondering, Liu Asan scrambled to within half a meter of him.

"Is something wrong?"

Liu Asan hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Master Yang, aren't you afraid of hysteria?"

"Hysteria?" Yang He narrowed his eyes. "You mean the officials we see are different?"

Liu Asan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his mutilated hand unconsciously scratched at the floor: "To the locals, the official is just a constable around forty years old, but we outsiders are a... terrifying monster."

"Moreover, if the officials cannot find work in the Women's Kingdom for a long time, they will become even more ferocious."

Liu Asan's breathing was heavy, and his few words stirred up the fear in his heart.

His pupils were dilated, and his voice became extremely hoarse. "Master Yang, I remember it was the fourth day after we arrived in the Kingdom of Women. The official transformed into a giant carpet made of human skin, with hundreds of wailing heads nailed on it. Wherever he crawled, he left behind pus and blood, and in that blood... in that blood, there were wriggling eyeballs!"

Liu Asan clutched his head, bruising his scalp. "The boss is even more terrifying! He's indescribable, and many outsiders have gone mad because of him."

His screams stopped abruptly, his face flushed as if someone were choking him.

Memories of the boss brought back vivid images in my mind, like a fishbone stuck in my throat, causing me so much pain that I scratched myself unrecognizable, almost gouging out my eyes.

Yang He also felt that Liu Asan's words were incoherent and that he was clearly on the verge of collapse after years of experience. So he took out a calming pill, extracted its medicinal properties, and applied it to the back of Liu Asan's head.

"Liu Asan, tell me in detail about the changes in your hysteria."

"Hoohoohoo."

After calming himself down and organizing his thoughts for a long time, Liu Asan burst into tears.

"When I first arrived, I only saw the official at night. Later, I could see him during the day as well. However, during the day, the official's huge face was on the constable's head, and he kept staring at me."

"Within five days, the boss started secretly watching me; I could sense it..."

Liu Asan swallowed hard. "The boss seems to be getting closer and closer to me, almost within reach. He could be hiding in any shadowy corner."

Yang He remained noncommittal. Based on Liu Asan's description alone, it did indeed resemble hysteria. The monster in Liu Asan's memory had never attacked him on its own initiative.

Liu Asan raised his bare hands. "I knew I couldn't escape it. Luckily, Manager Li Ao invited me to work at the inn, and that's how things have been peaceful ever since."

Compared to the rules in the market, the inn's rule of chopping off ten fingers did not pose a threat to life.

"Master Yang, I have a favor to ask."

"You said."

Liu Asan lowered his voice and said, "Manager Li Ao went to the Sixi Opera Troupe to watch a play half a month ago, but he hasn't come back yet. I... I've also been to the Sixi Opera Troupe a few times, but I still haven't been able to see Manager Li Ao."

"If I have the chance, I will visit the Sixi Class."

Yang He got up and headed towards the third floor of the inn. After taking a few steps, he turned around and asked, "I heard that we have to leave the inn before dawn. Why is that?"

“If we outsiders stay in the inn all night, it can worsen our hysteria.”

"Yes, thank you."

"Master Yang, the innkeeper said that outsiders can stay in the wing room at the end of the third floor to reduce the chances of hysteria attacks. I... don't know if it's true or not."

Yang He ignored Liu Asan's advice and went straight up the creaking stairs.

The second-floor corridor was deep and quiet, with the doors of the side rooms on both sides tightly closed.

He casually pushed open the first door, and what came into view was a carved wooden bed covered with a neat blue quilt, and a bronze mirror on the dressing table that was polished to a shine.

Yang He continued into the next room. A plain-colored silk dress hung on a clothes rack in the corner, with twin lotus flowers embroidered on the cuffs. Embroidered shoes were neatly arranged under the bed, with the toes pointing outwards.

I looked through all the side rooms on the second and third floors one by one, and all the side rooms were the same.

Each room seemed strangely quiet, as if its owner had just left, but there was nothing unusual about it. He went back to the lobby and asked Liu Asan, and learned that very few people stayed at the inn.

The only room mentioned by Liu Asan was slightly different; it was simply furnished and showed no signs of human activity.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing if the so-called hysteria is a bit severe; let's figure out the situation as soon as possible."

Yang He didn't believe that there were no immortals or gods behind the Women's Kingdom. Once they became aware of him, they would definitely make arrangements. There was no time to wait for his hysteria to worsen.

He chose a private room near the entrance on the second floor, lay on the bed, and could even smell a faint scent of rouge, with a lingering warmth surrounding him in the quilt.

Yang He closed his eyes to rest, but there were countless fiery eyes opening on the floor and walls of the room.

The darkness before dawn is the deepest.

Time flew by, and there was nothing unusual during the hours of midnight and 1-3 AM, when the yin energy was usually strongest. But as soon as 3-5 AM arrived, a faint smell of rust seeped into my nostrils.

Suddenly, a piece of white cloth was seen hanging from the roof beam.

The moment Yang He stood up, a female corpse was hanging there straight.

The female corpse's neck was tilted back at an awkward angle, and all four of her limbs were broken by external force, hanging limply like a doll. She was wearing a wedding dress that resembled one of the others, but it looked as if it had been stained with blood.

What surprised Yang He the most was the abdomen; the woman's belly had been cut open with a sharp instrument before she died.

The fetus, curled up inside, was exposed.

The baby was bluish-purple all over, with the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck, and was making weak cries.

Before Yang He could react, the female corpse suddenly turned her eyes, and her rotting lips slowly parted. At the same time, there were also female corpses in the other rooms, each with a different appearance, but all wearing wedding dresses, with either slightly protruding bellies or indicating that they were ten months pregnant.

Based on the previous furnishings in the room, they seemed to have lived in an inn before.

Yang He reached out and touched the hanging female corpse. The information revealed by his spiritual vision indicated that it was an ordinary corpse, but the baby in his arms grabbed his wrist.

Why did my mother kill me?!

The baby suddenly opened its eyes, its face contorted with venomous resentment.

Yang He noticed that the baby had a congenital defect: it was born without an intestine or stomach, and the skin and flesh on its abdomen were extremely shriveled, with a spine even visible.

"Mother!!"

"Mother!!!"

"Mother!!"

Suddenly, a series of scratching sounds filled the entire inn.

The female corpse remained motionless, but the infant dragged them to Yang He's room, banging on the door, and the stench of blood grew stronger.

Yang He observed coldly, noting that the female corpse ghost infant and the official gave off a similar feeling.

It looks intimidating, but it has absolutely no ability to threaten me.

It's even worse than ordinary people.

"However, the omens of my impending doom are growing stronger."

Yang He waited silently. When the first ray of morning light pierced through the window, the female corpse that had just been crashing into the room vanished into thin air, leaving only an empty inn.

He was covered in blood, as if he had personally committed a massacre.

In a moment of confusion, the bloodstains on his body disappeared, and everything that had just happened was just an illusion. But the infant's bloodstains on his skin reminded him that an indescribable upheaval must have occurred in this Kingdom of Women.

Yang He walked down the stairs, the wooden steps groaning under the weight.

Liu Asan was wiping the counter in the lobby when he heard the noise. He looked up and his face turned pale.

"Master Yang... Master Yang?" His rag fell to the ground. "Were you in the side room all night last night?"

Yang He did not answer, his gaze sweeping over every corner of the inn.

Morning light streamed through the open entrance, casting dappled shadows on the blue brick floor, while a faint musty smell mingled with the scent of sandalwood filled the air.

"Master Yang, did you hear anything?" Liu Asan's voice trembled, his mutilated hand unconsciously scratching at the counter. "Crying in the middle of the night, or... or knocking on the door?"

Yang He walked to the counter and patted Liu Asan on the shoulder.

This action made Liu Asan tremble violently, like a startled rabbit.

"Did Manager Li Ao ever mention that a group of brides had stayed at the inn before?"

Liu Asan's pupils suddenly contracted, his lips trembled but he couldn't speak, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and after a long while he finally opened his mouth, "No...nothing."

"Nevermind."

"Master Yang!!!"

Liu Asan mustered his courage and glanced into the cracks in the floor tiles. “The inn has never housed any brides, but ten years ago, it was said that a dozen or so porcelain jars with the character ‘囍’ (double happiness) on them were temporarily placed in the inn.”

Yang He narrowed his eyes. Ten years ago? It seems the upheaval in the Women's Kingdom wasn't caused by the four members of the pilgrimage group.

Liu Asan continued, "The shopkeeper once said while drinking that he could hear crying coming from inside the jars, but those jars could only fit half a person at most!"

The lobby fell silent.

The street outside was gradually becoming lively, with vendors shouting loudly and the faint sound of wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs.

"Understood. Take care, Liu Asan. Wait for my news."

Yang He turned and walked towards the door. The damp morning breeze, carrying the aroma of breakfast stalls, wafted over him, instantly dispelling the stagnant air in the inn.

"Master Yang!" Liu Asan called out from behind, his voice filled with desperate pleading.

"If you go to Sixi Opera Troupe, please check if Manager Li Ao is still..."

Yang He didn't turn around, but raised his hand and waved to indicate that he had heard, before disappearing into the adjacent street.

On both sides of the bluestone road, shops gradually removed their doors, and the market was bustling with people. Naturally, Yan Niangzi set up her stall early. While the mother and daughter were busy, a scarred shop assistant came to help them.

There were also seven or eight crazy bodyguards howling and wailing in the market.

They weren't as lucky as Liu Asan; they suffered a mental breakdown in just one night, losing half of their three souls and seven spirits, beyond even the help of a deity.

"Well."

Yang He noticed the spying and glanced at the alleyway not far away.

In the flickering shadows, the official's iconic giant face grinned, just as Liu Asan had said, monsters could indeed be seen even in broad daylight.

"Let's start with the Four Joys Class. If that doesn't work, we'll switch to another class."

Yang He didn't linger and headed straight for Sixi Class.

He circled the theater, but found the presence of living people inside through the back door.

"Looks like we don't need to force our way in."

dong dong dong.

Yang He knocked on the door, and the other person peeked through the crack before cautiously opening it.

The visitor was an acquaintance.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Song Laoda looked at least twenty or thirty years older than before, with a full head of white hair and a face covered with dense wrinkles. No one knew what had happened.

When Song Laoda saw Yang He, he seemed a little dazed, and opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time.

"Boss Song, were you at Sixi Class all night?"

"Yes Yes Yes."

Old Song, with his back hunched, gestured for Yang He to walk into the backyard together.

"The manager of the Sixi Troupe is kind-hearted and let me hide in the theater for a night. No officials have come to visit yet, so I've found a job to make a living."

"Master Yang."

Old Master Song couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. "We can't leave the Kingdom of Women. The manager has already promised me that he will arrange for all the brothers from the escort agency to work in the theater. If you need any work, you can stay and try."

"Well, I hope Boss Song can help me get an introduction."

“That’s great. We can support each other. The miscellaneous tasks at Sixi Restaurant are difficult to handle.”

The two walked through the alley one after the other. The theater seemed perfectly normal on the surface, with female opera singers practicing every now and then, and they were extremely indifferent to the two outsiders.

"That person is... the manager of the Sixi Troupe. Let's wait for the manager to finish singing."

Boss Song pointed to the stage, where the manager, dressed as a military general, was pointing out the female lead.

Yang He squinted, noticing the exaggerated facial makeup depicted by the steward.

The face is predominantly blue, with lightning bolts drawn on the eyebrows and forehead. Holding a sword, the figure proclaims, "World Honored One! If I, the one who captures and seduces the masses, manifest such various forms: talkative, thirsty, confused, or with glazed eyes..."

Yang He recognized that the manager was playing the role of the Heavenly King of Growth.

Four Joys Class?
Four kings?

(End of this chapter)