Chapter 128: The Ghost Behind the Scenes

The original hotel staff had already collapsed onto the floor, with the exception of Ma Yuxu, who was still struggling to hold on. Having arrived later and possessing a background in martial arts, his vitality was stronger than that of an ordinary person, allowing him to persist. Zhang Shouzhen had anticipated the appearance of the netherworld envoy, but the envoy addressed the female ghost as "Zimei." Wasn't Zimei the mother of Little Pudding?

"You are Little Pudding's mother? Do you have any idea how long he has been waiting for you outside the hotel? And yet, you refuse to go out and see him!"

Zhang Shouzhen furrowed his brow deeply. How could there be such a cold-hearted mother in this world? Abandoning her own son while she lived a lavish life here at the Netherworld Inn!

"Little Pudding?!"

Upon hearing her son's name, Zimei reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She let out a sharp cry, staring at Zhang Shouzhen with a look of extreme shock, before turning her head to glare coldly at the envoy. "Buyuan, didn't we agree that if I came here to work for you, you would take my son to be reincarnated? Why have you broken your word!"

The envoy, known as Buyuan, gave a cold hum, sounding rather disdainful. "Hmph, your son is not yet qualified for reincarnation. Do you think just because you say so, I’ll take him to the Underworld?"

"Buyuan, you have broken your promise! Do not blame me for turning against you!"

Zimei’s willow-leaf eyebrows arched in fury. Her aura surged, and her long, raven-black hair began to dance wildly in the air.

"You are a living human? You were the one who destroyed my Soul-Binding Chain? Mortal, do you really think the Soul-Binding Chain is so easily broken? Zimei, I advise you to be sensible. Do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Buyuan reached out, and the black mist dispersing from the chains swirled around him once more. In an instant, they reformed into solid chains circling his body. They moved through the void, emitting a chilling "clack-clack" sound. The cowardly spirits beneath the stage had long since fled; after all, many of the ghosts here were wandering souls, and some were hiding specifically to evade capture by envoys.

Although there were other envoys present, they were few in number and mostly kept their identities hidden, not even daring to reveal their soul chains. However, Zhang Shouzhen had dealt with such beings before and could recognize them by their aura and the distinctive features of their attire.

"Buyuan, you have some nerve. Don't think I don't know what you've been up to—colluding with a water ghost to open this Netherworld Inn! I know everything about your dealings!"

Seeing the Soul-Binding Chains around Buyuan, Zimei’s hostility only grew, her posture one of a desperate gamble.

"Oh? Little Zimei, who gave you such courage? It seems business cannot be conducted today. I should consider a complete purge; after all, you truly know too much. I cannot leave you alive!"

A chilling wind swirled through the room, followed by a faint voice. Suddenly, rings of water rippled across the stage, and a figure emerged from the liquid. The man looked to be in his thirties, impeccably dressed, and, save for being soaking wet, could almost pass for a refined gentleman.

"Daoist, I know you possess the ability to see through the yin and yang, and that you will intervene in this matter. I don't know if I will ever see my son again, but there are things you must know. This water ghost, Wang Zhaoyang, comes from a place called Guye Village in Fuyuan City. He found a substitute not long ago and should have returned to the Underworld, but he escaped. Buyuan is the envoy responsible for capturing him, but I never expected these two to collude, seize this location, and exploit its unique environment to open a secret passage to the Underworld every day, drawing in spirits and disrupting the order of the mortal realm!"

Zimei stared coldly at Wang Zhaoyang and Buyuan, her eyes filled with rage. Had Buyuan not promised to help her son reincarnate, she never would have come to work at this inn. But to think her son was still outside, waiting for her in agony—at the thought, Zimei’s eyes welled with red.

"Oh, I see. I have been to Guye Village. Thanks to you, Xia Wen's soul caused complete chaos in the village. I will certainly burn incense and pray to report everything that has happened here to the high authorities of the Underworld."

Zhang Shouzhen watched Wang Zhaoyang and Buyuan with extreme vigilance.

"Brother Bu, what shall we do?" Wang Zhaoyang shrugged helplessly, looking at Buyuan with a mocking smile.

By now, the ghosts under the stage had all departed, leaving only a dozen black-clad ghost servants standing below, each holding a club. A few female servants stood further back; they were not skilled in combat, but were adept at serving their masters.

"Heh heh, what else is there to do? Now that this guy knows the truth, if we don't kill him, are we going to wait for him to go and report us? The Underworld has too little to offer; it's not as comfortable as my life here in the mortal realm. Enough, do it!"

Buyuan refused to say more. His body flickered, and the soul chains, carrying rolling black mist, shot toward Zhang Shouzhen. If he could trap Zhang, his soul would be imprisoned, and Buyuan would have plenty of ways to punish him severely. After all, even low-level evil spirits could not escape the control of the soul chains, let alone a human.

"Brother Bu, drag this brat's soul out. I will take over his body. This boy’s flesh looks quite good. If I possessed a human body, it would be much more convenient to get things done, and I wouldn't have so many concerns! I hadn't found a good vessel before, but now this one has delivered itself to my doorstep—it suits me perfectly!"

Wang Zhaoyang laughed heartily. He wasn't worried about failing to merge with Zhang Shouzhen's body, for the envoys had the means to do so, though they usually avoided it due to the laws of the Underworld.

At that moment, Zimei struck. Her form blurred into countless ghostly shadows that pounced on Wang Zhaoyang. He merely sneered, standing still as the shadows thrust sinister claws at him.

"Squelch!"

Wang Zhaoyang’s body dissolved into water, splashing across the floor. The various shadows merged back into one. Zimei stared at the water in surprise, but at that moment, the water behind her rapidly coalesced. Wang Zhaoyang struck her back with a palm, and Zimei let out a miserable scream as her form suddenly dissipated.

The black mist of her body swirled in the air before landing on the ground and reforming into a human shape. However, her ghostly aura had significantly dimmed; that single blow had severely wounded her. Another few hits, and she would likely dissipate into nothingness.

She chose to momentarily evade Wang Zhaoyang, but the moment she appeared, his servants swarmed her, their clubs crashing down toward her head.

"Demon-Subduing Sword Technique!"

Seeing the chains coiling toward him, Zhang Shouzhen immediately let go of Ma Yuxu and drew a Taiji circle in front of him. He lunged forward with his sword, the black and white light of the Taiji symbol coating the blade, making its glow even more intense.

Just then, at Zhang Shouzhen's side, a pool of water began to slowly take human form. Wang Zhaoyang reached out his hand, preparing to strike Zhang Shouzhen hard in the back.