Chapter 419: Chapter 383: Yunzhou
The coffin lid was lifted, and the flickering light and shadows from the woods pierced into Sang Que’s eyes. She raised her hand to shield them, feeling the dampness of the air and hearing the various bird calls echoing one after another.
Qiao Ling’s familiar voice held a teasing tone, "You woke up just in time. We just entered Yunzhou territory yesterday."
As Sang Que’s eyes adjusted to the brightness outside and her vision gradually cleared, she sat in the coffin, seeing Qiao Ling with her arms crossed, a Ghost Vendor with one eye carrying a load, and Cheng Ge sitting on the cart shaft. A small yellow-brown snake with horns on its head poked out of Cheng Ge’s collar, hissing at her.
Sang Que looked around. The twilight spilled through the branches and leaves of the tall trees, vines intertwined, and all around were gigantic exotic flowers and plants. Colorful spiders and poisonous insects occasionally moved through the forest.
A giant golden python detected their presence from a nearby tree, raised its upper body to a higher position. The little snake in Cheng Ge’s collar raised its head and flicked its tongue, causing the giant golden python to immediately feel threatened and flee in panic.
Yunzhou made Sang Que feel like she had entered a tropical rainforest, with its humid and sultry climate. She did not expect that after falling asleep, she would wake up in Yunzhou.
The Yin Child inside Sang Que was restless, wanting to come out. Sang Que, fearing that the return of the Yin Child to Yunzhou would cause unusual changes, forcibly suppressed it until she understood the current situation.
"You’re already at the fifth layer?"
Before Sang Que could ask, Qiao Ling noticed the difference in her. As a Bell Doctor, she was very sensitive to changes in people’s aura.
Upon hearing that, Cheng Ge looked at Sang Que in astonishment. He remembered when he first met her, Sang Que’s power was not even equal to his, only at the third layer.
Just a few days ago outside Jianshui City, her power was on par with his, definitely at the fourth layer.
Now, after sleeping for more than ten days, she’d reached the fifth layer, surpassing him.
Cheng Ge originally thought that bringing Sang Que back to Yunzhou would put him in control, making her hand over the Five Spirits Saintess. But now, Cheng Ge suddenly felt uneasy, less confident about retrieving the Five Spirits Saintess.
The Ghost Vendor reacted normally, carrying the load and walking beside the cart. Despite not making large or fast strides, he could keep up steadily with the speed of the Five Ghosts pulling the cart.
Sang Que emerged from the coffin, sitting on the edge of the cart, "What’s the situation in Qinzhou now?"
Qiao Ling sighed heavily, "The entire Qinzhou has become a Death Domain, shrouded in blood mist, and ghosts run rampant. Even the Hidden Realm has been affected. We fled from the Hidden Realm, heading towards the nearest Yunzhou. As for the conflict between Zuo Jin and the Ghost Opera Troupe, we still don’t know who won or lost."
Sang Que already knew that it was Zuo Jin who had won.
Cheng Ge said in a muffled voice, "When we passed by Tianliang City earlier, corpses were strewn everywhere with no living people left. However, judging by the traces on the road, some people managed to escape into Yunzhou. The mountain range between Yunzhou and Qinzhou is relatively high, temporarily able to withstand the blood mist."
Sang Que frowned. She planned to return to Bright Moon Mountain afterwards and wondered if the upheaval in Qinzhou would affect the Five Ghosts’ communication.
"Can the Death Domain in Qinzhou be reversed?" Sang Que asked Qiao Ling and the Ghost Vendor.
Both gently shook their heads, and the Ghost Vendor heavily uttered a single word, "Difficult!"
Qiao Ling added, "The situation is unclear now. We can’t figure out which side’s power created the Death Domain, so we can’t treat it properly. Unless we find a Ghost God stronger than the Opera God and Zuo Jin, it’s unlikely to reverse the Death Domain."
"Can’t the Daoist Lord and Longevity Buddha do it?" Sang Que asked.
Qiao Ling shook her head, "Though the Daoist Lord and Longevity Buddha are Ghost Gods, their power is probably only at the Seventh Level. The Witch Lady’s power back then was about the Eighth Layer, but unfortunately..."
As she spoke, Qiao Ling glanced secretly at Sang Que, observing her reaction. With outsiders present, Qiao Ling couldn’t verify certain things with her.
Cheng Ge checked the sky and said to everyone, "About ten miles ahead, there’s a village that worships the Dragon and Snake Child. We can rest there tonight. What are your plans after that?"
Qiao Ling looked at Sang Que, "You still have the Earth Ghost’s mark on you. You need to fulfill your promise soon, or the Earth Ghost’s constant harassment will be detrimental to you."
Sang Que came this way tonight for this very reason.
"Sister Qiao, do you have a solution?"
"What did you promise at the time?" Qiao Ling asked.
Sang Que replied honestly, "A month, offering up my soul."
As soon as she said it, the three of them inhaled sharply. They didn’t expect Sang Que to be so ruthless, but on second thought, it made sense. Otherwise, why would the Earth Ghost summon Yin Soldiers? The better the offerings, the more the Earth Ghost has to offer in return.
The Ghost Vendor, experienced in this area, was momentarily helpless, "If it were a small promise, one could use something of equivalent value to cheat the Earth Ghost, who would not mind much. But if you promised your soul, the Earth Ghost would never allow a replacement."
Qiao Ling nodded, worry etched on her face. Even if Sang Que died, as long as it was not more than a day, she could find a way to bring her back.
But if her soul was taken by the Earth Ghost, there would be no way to save her.
"What if I seek protection from the Daoist Lord or Longevity Buddha?"
Sang Que had considered that if possible, she would temporarily join the Taoist Sect or Buddhist Sect of the Deceit Dynasty.
Qiao Ling chuckled at Sang Que’s whimsical idea, "You think you can fool the Daoist Lord and Longevity Buddha? Without offering anything in return, they won’t protect you. And since you’ve already promised your most valuable soul to the Earth Ghost, making the same promise to the Daoist Lord and Longevity Buddha won’t work."
Cheng Ge hesitated to speak several times but ultimately remained silent.
The group suddenly fell into silence, pondering their own thoughts as they journeyed forward.
When night fell, they finally saw the village nestled in the jungle. Rows of stilted bamboo houses scattered along the mountainside, lanterns at the corners swaying in the wind like fireflies, guiding lost travelers.
The Ghost Vendor led them to the village entrance. He had his own rules to follow; aside from Yin Walkers, he only did business with ghosts after dark, avoiding contact with regular living people, not entering villages, not disturbing locals.
Qiao Ling understood this rule and advised the Ghost Vendor to be careful while staying overnight outside, as Yunzhou’s ghosts were more numerous and active at night than elsewhere.
Everywhere in the village, there were various snake totems. With Cheng Ge bringing the Dragon and Snake Child, the villagers warmly welcomed them. Even with outsiders like Sang Que and Qiao Ling, they said nothing and immediately vacated a stilted house for them and prepared food.
Cheng Ge needed to help Xingzhu restore her body, which could be done at the altar in this village. He could only leave Qiao Ling and Sang Que alone in the stilted house while he followed the villagers.
After Cheng Ge left, Qiao Ling immediately went to the door and windows of the stilted house, inserting several silver needles used for acupuncture, sealing the entire house.
She walked up to Sang Que, seriously gazing into her eyes, "Mulan, tell me the truth, are you the Witch Lady’s daughter?"
Sang Que, knowing Qiao Ling would ask this, directly admitted, "Yes."
Qiao Ling’s eyes widened, even though she had guessed, hearing Sang Que’s admission left her shocked, not expecting that the person Nine Songs had searched for was right in front of her.
The Nine Songs now resembled scattered sand, difficult to restore to their former glory, in dire need of someone to unite everyone, especially with the issues in Qinzhou that needed Nine Songs to resolve.
Sang Que appeared at just the right time!
But then Qiao Ling remembered the issue between Sang Que and the Earth Ghost, and her mind went blank.
Sang Que watched Qiao Ling’s expression shift from shock to joy to a face like ashes and couldn’t help but laugh, "Sister Qiao, I’m not even scared; what are you afraid of?"
"You still have the nerve to say that!"
Qiao Ling’s temper flared, having always treated Sang Que and Xia Chan like sisters, angrily glaring, and even wanting to twist her ear like she used to with Xia Chan.
"So tell me, what are you going to do now?"
Sang Que leaned closer to Qiao Ling and whispered, "Between the Five Spirits God worshipped in Yunzhou and the Earth Ghost, which is stronger?"
