Simultaneous Transmigration: The Re-merging of 99 Selves

Chapter 188 A Chinese Ghost Story

"it is good."

Zhao Yu smiled and squeezed Lin Chaoying's hand: "I can take you there, but you have to promise me one thing."

"you say."

"If I sense any danger and allow you to leave, you must immediately return to the Great Song Dynasty without the slightest hesitation. There is no room for negotiation. If you do not agree, I will absolutely not allow you to come with me."

Lin Chaoying smiled, her icy expression melting away: "I promise you, I will never hold you back."

The couple looked at each other and smiled; no words were needed, their hearts were already in each other's shoes.

The next day, the two summoned Lin Hongyu and explained the arrangements for those who stayed behind.

He wanted her to occasionally impersonate him after his departure to stabilize the court.

Routine government affairs were still handled by Huang Yaoshi and the cabinet, without the need to consult him on every matter.

Upon hearing this, Lin Hongyu's eyes widened, and she looked at Lin Chaoying with a wronged expression: "Miss—Young Master, you two are living happily ever after, leaving me here alone to play tricks on you?"

"How dare you talk like that?" Lin Chaoying glared at her. "This matter is of utmost importance. I don't trust anyone but you. Do your job well, and when we get back, you'll be well rewarded."

Lin Hongyu pouted, though she was unwilling, she still bowed and agreed.

She knew perfectly well that this was a job that most people would love to get but couldn't.

After settling everything in the palace, Zhao Yu took Lin Chaoying's hand, and with a thought, the two disappeared from the bedchamber.

The chaotic space flashed by, and the next moment, I was standing on solid ground.

A choking cloud of dust rushed towards her. Lin Chaoying frowned slightly, then with a gentle wave of her hand, a surge of internal energy swept out, raising the dust that filled the room and sending it out through the window.

The originally gloomy room instantly became much cleaner.

The courtyard of this house was small and the house itself was simple. The tables and chairs were covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.

Lin Chaoying looked around, somewhat surprised: "You live in a place like this in this world?"

Zhao Yu smiled helplessly: "In the Song Dynasty, I was the emperor, but here I am nothing. This world is very complicated, and ghosts and monsters roam freely. Being too high-profile will only cause trouble."

He thought to himself that Zhao Yu had died half a year ago, and the house had been empty for half a year, so it was naturally covered in dust.

"Deep waters?" Lin Chaoying was even more curious. "You said before that there was a way in this world to restrain Shi Zhixuan? His martial arts are so high that even you are wary of him. What martial arts are more powerful than his?"

Zhao Yu shook his head and slowly uttered two words: "The Way of the Dao".

"Taoist methods?" Lin Chaoying was taken aback.

She practiced martial arts throughout her life, and was exposed to all kinds of martial arts in the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world). She also dabbled in Buddhist and Taoist internal energy cultivation, but she had never heard of true Taoist teachings.

She had previously heard Zhao Yu say that ghosts and monsters roamed the world, and she thought it was just an adjective. Now it seems that it might actually be true.

"This world is different from ours," Zhao Yu explained as they walked out. "Here, ghosts are real, spirits are real, and even the concept of reincarnation in the underworld may not be a myth. In the future, we might even be able to take a day trip to the underworld."

Lin Chaoying frowned slightly upon hearing this, finding it utterly unbelievable.

But she knew that Zhao Yu never spoke carelessly, so although she was shocked, she believed him to some extent.

"Where do we go now?"

Zhao Yu glanced at the bustling street ahead: "Let's find a place to ask for information first, and then go to Lanruo Temple."

Guobei Town is small, with sparse shops lining the streets, and many pedestrians look pale and sickly. The air is filled with a mixture of dust and decay.

The world was in turmoil, bandits roamed freely, and ghosts haunted the area outside the town, giving the whole town a deathly atmosphere.

The two found the largest restaurant in town, chose a window seat, and ordered two small dishes and a pot of wine.

Before long, the waiter brought up the wine and dishes, and was about to leave with a smile when Zhao Yu called him back.

"Waiter, could you tell me about a place?"

"Please speak, sir," the waiter said, bowing slightly.

How do I get to Lanruo Temple?

"Lan... Lanruo Temple?" The waiter's smile froze instantly. He shuddered, looked around, and lowered his voice, "Why would you be asking about that place, sir?"

Zhao Yu casually took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table. The white light was so dazzling that the waiter's eyes were wide open.

"Just say it."

The waiter quickly reached out and clenched the silver in his hand, then glanced furtively in the direction of the shopkeeper before leaning closer and whispering, "Lanruo Temple? It's located northwest of the county town, behind the mass grave about ten miles away. That place is incredibly eerie, haunted year-round. Any merchant who dares to spend the night there never comes out alive."

"Gentlemen, please heed my advice: do not go that way, you will lose your lives!"

Zhao Yu remained noncommittal, waving his hand and saying, "I understand, you may leave."

The waiter felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly ran away with his head down.

After finishing their meal, the two paid the bill and went downstairs.

They had only taken a few steps out of the restaurant when they exchanged a glance, and Lin Chaoying gave him a signal with her eyes.

"What should we do?"

Zhao Yu paused slightly and turned into a quiet alleyway, with Lin Chaoying following closely behind.

The alley was deep and secluded, with mottled earthen walls on both sides.

They had only gone halfway when the footsteps behind them suddenly quickened.

Two burly men wielding short knives emerged from the alleyway ahead, blocking the way.

There were six people in total, all with fierce looks and holding gleaming knives, surrounding the two of them.

The leader, a scarred man, chuckled and brazenly sized up Lin Chaoying: "You two look unfamiliar. Are you from out of town? We're a bit short on cash lately and would like to borrow some money from you."

A skinny man next to him swallowed hard, staring at Lin Chaoying with drooling eyes: "Boss, this young lady is really beautiful—"

Scarface laughed heartily, "Looks like today is a good day for us brothers, we've got both men and money!"

Zhao Yu sneered. He had long known that the security situation in Guobei County was bad, but he hadn't expected these thugs to be so rampant, daring to make a move in broad daylight.

He asked, "Are you going to do it, or should I?"

Lin Chaoying drew her sword: "Having lived in the palace for so long, apart from practicing with Hongyu, I haven't faced an opponent in ages. Don't make a move this time, leave it to me."

Zhao Yu smiled and agreed.

"Leave the leader for questioning, kill the rest."

"Um."

"Her? Hahahaha!" Upon hearing this, the group burst into laughter as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.

A delicate beauty holding a sword, and she dares to talk about killing?

Before the laughter subsided, a white light suddenly flashed.

The smiles on the faces of the two men blocking the alley entrance were still frozen when a line of blood suddenly appeared on their necks.

They opened their mouths, making a "hoarse" sound from their throats, and the short knives in their hands clattered to the ground. Their bodies went limp and they collapsed, never seeing how the other had drawn his sword before they died.

The remaining four people's expressions changed drastically.

"This is a tough one! Attack together!" Scarface roared, brandishing his knife as he charged forward.

But in Lin Chaoying's eyes, their methods were no different from slow motion.

She swayed and drifted into the crowd like a willow catkin, her long sword flashing as screams rang out one after another.

In just a few moves, three more people fell into pools of blood, leaving only the leader, Scarface, still wildly slashing with his knife, but he couldn't even touch the hem of Lin Chaoying's clothes.

He wanted to beg for mercy, but the opponent's sword strikes were like a rain of arrows, so dense and impenetrable that he didn't even have a chance to open his mouth.

"bite""

With a soft thud, the long sword in Scarface's hand fell to the ground.

There was a bloody mark on each of his wrists, and the tendons in his hands had been severed, causing them to hang limply.

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