Chapter 106: Pulled Underground

Chapter 106.1 : Pulled Underground

Mu Lai’s face sank, her eyes looking a little complicated. [This little lass is younger than her by several years so how is she seemingly so easy and familiar….. in a place that was such a messy hotchpotch of all kinds of crooks and people like she often frequented them?]

[And with that scene earlier, no matter how cold and aloof she could be, she was afterall still a young lady and could not help feeling embarrassed by that. But this little lass….. had stood there watching it all with such great interest!]

[If she had not pulled the young lass away just now, they would surely have seen something that would give them styes!]

Mu Lai was wearing a set of full black robes, her long hair bound up high on top of her head. With her original cold and aloof mannerisms, there was nothing out of place seeing her dressed up as a man. Instead, it gave her a sense of suave indifference, which attracted many pairs of eyes among the ladies.

One didn’t even need to mention Qing Yu at all in this case. She had always dressed herself up in male clothes when she went out for convenience and with her exquisite and flawless facial features, she just needed to conceal a bit of her young femininity which then gave her a look of devil may care elegance, her long upslanted alluring phoenix like eyes soul captivating. She looked so outstanding that many could not take their eyes off her, attracting the hearts of both male and female.

She was clearly such a enchanting and beautiful young lady but she did not show any single characteristic of femininity in the slightest dressed up like that, presenting herself to look just like a real man thoroughly, enchantingly handsome, elegantly sexy while exuding an unconscious tinge of proud nobility, the cream of the crop among men.

Mu Lai had been caught off guard and her heart had also wavered a moment before she silently cursed inwardly, calling her a demonic temptress but went on to say aloud: “I have come to the Afterlife Loft a few times before. On the surface, it’s a guesthouse and restaurant, but it’s highly chaotic and messy inside, where all kinds of people gather. There are no lack of fugitives, killers, all kinds of brutal and fierce felons in here and hence the world outside gave the Afterlife Loft another nickname, called Sin City.”

Saying it’s a city, was no exaggeration at all. The Afterlife Loft was so vast that its territories stretched out a thousand miles around, and not only was it nine stories high, there were also three levels underground that no one knew about.

All the villains entrenched in this place all year round, as the moment they step out of the Afterlife Loft, the only thing that awaited them would only be death.

So as time passed, they then become a part of the Afterlife Loft, assuming the role of a protector. If anyone tried to create a ruckus and stir up trouble, they would not hesitate to kill or kick those people out.

There are even those who found a new lease of life, where through their incredible luck at the gambling tables had turned into extremely rich tycoons, or some who won countless battles in the arena that gained them rare and priceless treasures, to become one of the main pillars of the arena fighters.

In short, they began to slowly sink into this peaceful world of theirs, one filled with riches and glory, fine wine and beautiful women, always immersed in hazy drunkenness, living their lives as happy as the gods, no longer having to be oppressed and be filled with jitters running for their lives all the time.

The Afterlife Loft was dangerous and mysterious, and yet exceptionally safe at the same time. Many deals that must not be seen were conducted in here and they did not have to worry about it being leaked at all.

The soundproofing in the private rooms were all very well constructed and it shut out the raucous clamour outside in an instant, almost feeling like it separated one into an entirely different world.

Qing Yu slowly poured out a cup of tea and she was just about to take a sip when her suddenly nostrils flared slightly. The corners of her lips then curled with into a smile and she put the cup down. The Afterlife Loft was really quite interesting.

Mu Lai saw her actions and she picked up the tea pot to bring it closer before she took a suspicious whiff of its contents. Her face darkened. “There is the scent of Forgetful Creek Grass in here.”

Forgetful Creek Grass, as its name implies, is a herb that can cause a person to temporarily lose their memory. It is not harmful when taken in small doses but if taken over a prolonged period, one will gradually lose his mind, and slowly sink deeper and deeper till he becomes immersed inside his own world.

Chapter 106.2 : Pulled Underground

[What what kind of a scheme is the Afterlife Loft plotting? To think that they would add such things into their tea!]

Mu Lai immediately wanted to go find the manager of the place to question him but was stopped by Qing Yu who called out to her.

“You can save your breath. I do not think that they have been doing this for only a day or two. Having you go expose them would only enrage them from being humiliated. It will only bring disadvantages towards what we came here to do.”

Mu Lai knitted up her brows, and gave up on the idea after thinking about it. “Is the entrance to the Ghost Cavern….. really here in the Afterlife Loft?”

“You must believe in my sensory powers. There is an extremely dark and evil aura in this place and if my deduction is not wrong…..” Qing Yu paused for a moment before she tapped the point of her foot on the floor. “It is right below here.”

Mu Lai’s body stiffened, thinking that it was unbelievable. “The rumoured three levels underground?”

Qing Yu shook her head and was seemingly deep in thought for a moment. “It seems to be even deeper down.”

“Then how are we going to go down there?” Mu Lai’s face was looking rather conflicted as she then said: “We do not have the ability to delve through the ground and moreover if it’s in a very deep place….. It will be very dangerous with just the two of us here and we might even suffocate down there.”

“Mm. That is why I called for someone who will be able to help us to come.” Qing Yu then opened her mouth to say.

Mu Lai was a little surprised. “When did you do that? And the thing we are about to do here is highly dangerous. If the other party comes to be implicated by us, will you…..”

Qing Yu laughed softly and said: “You do not have to worry. The helper I called in is highly reliable and is highly skilled.”

On the other side, because Qing Yu’s note had not stated any other information but just the name of the place, Bai Zhi Yan was not overly concerned but to merely ask the grey robed man to come along. Who asked him to be good for nothing else but just possess incredible skills.

Although the Afterlife Loft was well known throughout the entire lands, few people knew its exact location. It was because its location was really just too far remote, so it was very hard to find it even with it was such a prosperous place.

Bai Zhi Yan and his group were delayed for awhile and they only came to find the place after asking people for directions.

They could have just used dimensional teleportation which would bring them there in a single breath but they tarried all over the place for a good hour.

Before their eyes, a massive building was revealed before their eyes, layer upon layer of hill slopes surrounding it, which made the entire place look even more impressive. To think that such a prosperous city would exist in such a location, sticking out like a sore thumb out here in the wilderness, which was just so surprising to see.

Bai Zhi Yan unconsciously shivered with a chill and he said: “What kind of a fetish is that kid Baili Ji Ran hiding? Why would come to open an inn in a dumb place like this? It’s so creepy here at night, isn’t he afraid of attracting ghosts?”

The grey robed man yawned lazily, looking very sleepy as he said: “You’re right about that. There’s quite a number of wild ghosts around here. A few of them had even just gone in!”

“What did you say?” Bai Zhi Yan’s face was one of horror. “How many went in?”

Bai Zhi Yan was not able to see strange sights like that, but the grey robed man was born with the Yin Yang Eye which allowed him to see things that the naked eye was unable to see. He swiped his palm lightly over his face and the undulating ripple of energy appeared before him like a picture.

He raised his eyes to look and saw several malevolent ghosts latched threateningly onto the bodies of people, their posture awkward as they walked, their limbs dragging along stiffly, their faces sinister looking.

Occasionally, he would see a lone single person fall behind and that person would then be dragged into a corner. The person’s neck would be broken and after he had stopped breathing, the ghost would bite into the person and suck up the blood in a frenzy. The person would turn into a dried corpse in mere moments and the withered body would then be eaten up, where even the bones would be crushed to bits as the ghosts crunched on them hungrily.

Chapter 106.3 : Pulled Underground

(Translator Note: Changed Ghost Cellar to Ghost Cavern)

The thing that made it more chilling was the fact that the ghosts would possess the humans, and what was seen were just humans eating humans. It could very well be imagined just how terrified and panicked the people inside were at that moment, thinking that those attacking humans had totally lost their minds. People were running away screaming in all directions, pushing and shoving each other.

Quite a number of people fell to the ground from being shoved and they were trampled upon by countless feet. No one paid attention to what they were stepping on but only knew to escape in a mad dash. No one even thought to pull up those people on the ground where a good number of them were trampled to death, ending up as food for the ghosts.

That scene starkly revealed the ugliest side of human nature, showing just how selfish people were. As long as they themselves were able to survive, everyone else who stood in their way could be killed, just so that they would gain a little more time for them to escape.

The situation was just too chaotic and Lou Jun Yao’s gaze darkened. “Search for the little fox’s current location.”

Hearing that, the picture before the grey robed man moved and changed quickly, till it came to show an incredibly horrifying scene!

Several thin and withered black clawed hands had come out from the ground that were grabbing onto a white clothed figure. Those hands were grasped around the ankles of the young lady dressed in male clothing, seeking to pull her down underground.

Beside her was another cold faced young lady in black clothes, who was grabbing on her hands trying to pull the white robed young lady back up. But in the very next instant, several more sharp claws hands came out of the ground and grabbed onto her as well, pulling a small section of their calves down.

Lou Jun Yao’s face darkened and his body suddenly disappeared right before their eyes.

The other two people could see how urgent the situation was and they immediately rushed forward to catch up.

This sudden turn of events had really caught them off guard.

Qing Yu found that she could not struggle free from those strange black clawed hands as her entire body had suddenly gone stiff the moment she was caught by them, unable to resist in the slightest, as if the strength in her body had been sealed.

“Lai Lai, I am unable to move…..” Qing Yu said, her face mournful with a bitter smile.

“I can’t move either.” Mu Lai squeezed out those few words out from her mouth. “Looks like we can be certain that the Ghost Cavern is down below.”

“I really admire the fact that you’re still calm enough to make that conclusion in the current circumstances.” Qing Yu’s body slid down a little bit more despite her struggles and half her body was already dragged into the ground.

“I admire you quite a lot too. That you’re still able to crack jokes at a time like this.”

Mu Lai retorted, but her eyes dimmed slightly. Her hands were still tightly clasped around Qing Yu’s as she continued to say: “I’m sorry, I’ve really dragged you down this time.”

“What nonsense are you even talking about? Who asked you to be my only friend?”

The black clawed hands underground then seemed to grow stronger in that instant and Mu Lai was dragged down in an instant, disappearing from the surface completely.

Qing Yu only had her shoulders and hands still above ground and just when she was going to fall inside, she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening, quickly followed by the hurried patter of feet. Her hand that was the only thing still up above the floor’s surface was tightly grabbed, and the person was pulled down into the complete darkness down into the chasm.

The situation was highly turbulent underground with broken rocks and crumbling rubble cascading down all around her, falling at an extremely fast speed which would surely cut and disfigure her badly.

Qing Yu was feeling her consciousness clouding over but somehow still remembered to want to protect herself from getting disfigured, her arms subconsciously reaching up to protect her head. But she then found herself suddenly being held pressed right against a wide chest, while a low magnetic voice sounded in her ears. “Don’t worry. Everything’s alright.”

[Who’s that…..]