Update Notice (29/08/24)
T/N: I’ve made some edits to chapters 80-101 to address an issue.
- “Yin” is now translated as “Energy”
- “Linyue Valley” is now translated as “Lunar Valley”
- “Mo Duanyan” is now translated as “Mo Duan’yan”
- “Yan Red Quarter” is now translated as “Yan Hong Fang” (where “Hong” means “red” and “Fang” means “Quarter”)
- “Immortal Ascension Quarter” is now translated as “Ascension Immortal Restaurant”
- “Soul-Seizer” is now translated as “Soultaker”
And some minor changes were made, involving the substitution of certain words with their synonyms to enhance the translation’s clarity and accuracy.
The rest of the changes were focused on correcting the ellipses and punctuation errors.
Chapter 102: The Luo Xing’s Path of the Netherworld
“Eh?”
During lunch, Hua Shuya was surprised to hear about their plan to go out. “Senior and Madam Mao are going to Jianggai County?”
“Yes.”
Mao Ruoyu quickly suggested, “Miss Hua, if you’re interested, you can come with us…”
But Hua Shuya shook her head. “There are many difficult cases piled up at the county government office that ordinary officers can’t solve. I have to help out, so I can’t leave.”
Lin Tianlu frowned slightly. “Are they related to demons and ghosts again?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Hua Shuya pondered. “I’m still investigating.”
She had just returned to Changling County not long ago and had only greeted the officials. Naturally, she hadn’t had time to investigate personally.
“Be careful, Miss Hua.”
Mao Ruoyu reminded her softly. “Safety first.”
Hua Shuya said seriously, “Don’t worry, Madam. After traveling with Senior for half a month, my strength has improved a lot. Even if I encounter an evil creature that I can’t defeat, I’m confident I can escape safely.”
Mao Ruoyu took a bite of food and nodded in agreement.
Although she wasn’t a martial artist and couldn’t judge the strength of martial arts, she had seen Hua Shuya’s impressive display of agility in the courtyard yesterday, which reassured her.
But…
Thinking about going on a trip alone with Lin Tianlu, she subconsciously bit her chopsticks, her body warming up, her heart beating faster.
She felt a little uneasy.
Especially since Miss Cheng had already been intimate with Sir, and even Miss Hua seemed more compatible with him. Mao Ruoyu couldn’t help but feel a complex mix of emotions, sweet joy, guilt, and anxiety.
Moreover, even though it was just a short trip, the beautiful woman felt quite nervous about traveling alone with Sir.
How should she interact with him, what clothes should she wear, what distance should they maintain… As soon as she started thinking about it, all sorts of random thoughts flooded her mind.
“Madam, is something bothering you? Why are you just holding your bowl without eating?”
Lin Tianlu’s gentle voice startled Mao Ruoyu back to reality. She forced a smile and said, “N-nothing. I just remembered meeting a child on the street earlier. He asked me to send his regards to you, Sir.”
“A child?”
Lin Tianlu looked curious. “Could it be…”
“It’s the poor child you saved before, Sir.”
Mao Ruoyu calmed down and said softly, “He has found a stable job now, he’s eating well and no longer looks thin and pale, and he’s dressed very neatly. He was full of gratitude and praise for you, Sir.”
“He’s a good kid.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled. “And just like you, Madam, he’s strong and hardworking. Truly admirable.”
“Eh?”
Mao Ruoyu was stunned, then said shyly, “How am I strong?”
“To me, Madam, you are a true heroine.”
“Ahem… S-Sir, please don’t say such embarrassing things.”
Mao Ruoyu blushed slightly. “That child is very busy with his work now, so he could only ask me to pass on a message. He said that a brothel was recently built downstream of the Ningguan River. It’s full of beautiful women with alluring skills, even the scholars from the academy are smitten with them.”
Hua Shuya’s chopsticks paused. “A brothel?”
Mao Ruoyu said with a strange expression, “Perhaps he’s worried that there are ghosts haunting the brothel?”
“That’s indeed a possibility.”
Lin Tianlu nodded thoughtfully.
After all, he had encountered a similar situation in Ganchang Village.
But the owner of that brothel, Ren Yinshan, was kind-hearted and hadn’t done anything harmful. He just didn’t know if this newly built brothel was… “Sir, if you really want to investigate, please don’t get too involved with the courtesans. It wouldn’t be good for your reputation.”
Mao Ruoyu said with a rare serious expression.
Most importantly, she was worried that those women might be carrying diseases and would harm Sir’s health.
Lin Tianlu chuckled helplessly. “You’re worrying too much, Madam. I wouldn’t get entangled with courtesans.”
Mao Ruoyu opened her mouth slightly, but then hesitated, her cheeks flushing red.
“…I made some nourishing soup. Please try it tonight, Sir.”
Lin Tianlu was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. “Thank you for your trouble, Madam.”
He didn’t expect her to actually go to the trouble of making soup for him.
It was a little awkward.
“I-it’s no trouble at all.”
The beautiful woman mumbled, her mind racing.
Although Cheng Yishi was always vague in their conversations, seeing her walk unsteadily, her face flushed and shy, she could sense something was amiss.
Although Sir seemed gentle and refined, his Yang energy was probably unmatched, especially when it came to… bedroom matters…
Mao Ruoyu shook her head shyly, trying to banish those embarrassing thoughts from her mind.
Knock, knock, knock.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
“I’ll go see who it is.”
Lin Tianlu put down his chopsticks and walked quickly to the door.
…
A carriage had stopped in front of the gate, and three people dressed in formal attire stepped out.
Lin Tianlu looked at their faces in surprise. “You’re the one from…”
The owner of the Ascension Immortal Restaurant?
“I am Ji Hang. I’m honored that Master Lin still remembers this old man.”
Ji Hang quickly introduced himself.
The young man and woman who had come with him bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Master Lin!”
“These are my children, my eldest son Ji Yuan and my second daughter Ji Fenglin. They were born when I was already old, so they’re still young.”
Ji Hang bowed deeply with a solemn expression. “Master Lin, you saved our family that day, and you also slayed the great demon, protecting Changling. We came here today to express our gratitude.”
“There’s no need for such formality, Shopkeeper Ji.”
Lin Tianlu quickly helped him up. “I was just doing my duty. There’s no need for such a grand gesture.”
“Master, your noble character is far beyond what us ordinary people can compare to. If I could, I would gladly give you the Ascension Immortal Restaurant, all its wealth and silver, as a token of my gratitude.”
“That’s absolutely unnecessary. But—”
Lin Tianlu quickly smiled gently. “Shopkeeper Ji, you didn’t come here just to thank me, did you?”
“…Sigh! You see right through me, Master.”
Ji Hang shook his head and sighed, his face filled with shame. “I was foolish in my younger days. I accepted benefits from the Luo Xing. Although I didn’t commit any murders, I was still an accomplice for many years. I haven’t been able to sleep peacefully these past two weeks, my heart filled with fear and anxiety.
After much thought, I could only come to you, Master Lin, to beg for your forgiveness and seek a way out for my family.”
“Do you really need me to tell you, Shopkeeper Ji?”
Lin Tianlu chuckled.
He could tell at a glance that this old man was shrewd and understood the difference between good and evil. He was already remorseful.
“But I—” Ji Hang looked conflicted, his brows furrowed.
Seeing his troubled expression, Lin Tianlu raised an eyebrow, a thought crossing his mind. He said slowly, “Shopkeeper Ji, with your many years of experience, you should know what to do. You’re well aware of which ill-gotten gains you’ve obtained.”
“Master Lin…”
“You’re not here seeking a way out, you’re seeking peace of mind.”
Lin Tianlu said calmly. “You still have good intentions in your heart, and you haven’t committed any major sins. How to perform good deeds and to what extent is up to you to decide.
Know that good deeds are not forced upon anyone. Whether you can live a life without regrets and shame, worthy of your ancestors… Shopkeeper Ji, you just need to ask yourself.”
Ji Hang’s eyes flickered.
After a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh. “Indeed, I was too fixated on my worries.”
Then, Ji Hang bowed deeply in gratitude. “Thank you, Master Lin, for your enlightening words!”
“It was just a casual remark.” Lin Tianlu smiled gently. “If I have the chance, I’ll visit the Ascension Immortal Restaurant again. I hope business will be even more prosperous then.”
“Rest assured!” Ji Hang said seriously. “I’ll be able to hold my head high and invite you to a feast then, Master.”
Lin Tianlu nodded in satisfaction.
But just as he was about to say goodbye, the old man took out something from his sleeve.
It was a token.
“This is…”
“A Luo Xing Path of the Netherworld token.”
Ji Hang’s expression turned serious. “It was given to me personally by a Luo Xing Soultaker a few days ago. I heard it has many mystical effects. The wearer can live longer, and it can even bring many benefits in the Path of the Netherworld.”
Path of the Netherworld… again.
Lin Tianlu said in a deep voice, “Do you know what the Path of the Netherworld is, Shopkeeper Ji?”
“This… I really don’t know. Although I received this token, I haven’t participated in it.”
Ji Hang sighed regretfully. “I don’t dare to get involved with demons and ghosts anymore. I’m afraid of bringing shame and disaster upon my descendants.
I wanted to have someone destroy this token, but no matter what methods I tried, it couldn’t be destroyed. And I was afraid that if I discarded it carelessly, someone else might pick it up. So I could only… bring it to you, Master Lin, to decide.”
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