When Elder Wu realized that Niu Tou and Ma Mian really wanted to make a move, he became anxious. He was about to make a sound to stop them, when Lou Ming, who had been standing quietly beside Chen Yu, took a step forward and gently brought Chen Yu behind him.

The moment Niu Tou and Ma Mian saw Lou Ming, they were stunned. The two looked at each other and silently restrained their momentum. 

Tsk, this guy is the backer. 

“Third Brother, why are you stopping me?” Chen Yu looked at Lou Ming with some reproach.

Lou Ming helplessly shook his head. Because obstructing the Underworld from hooking a soul is a major crime, and you can’t beat them: “Grandpa still has to go to the Underworld with them. Don’t offend them.”

“But they obviously do not have good intentions towards grandpa.” Of course, Chen Yu knew he could not offend ghost messengers. People would eventually die, and souls would go to the Underworld after death. So, she would rather offend the living than offend ghost messengers. But… Chen Yu couldn’t restrain herself when she saw their attitude towards Elder Wu.

“It’s alright.” Lou Ming reassured her, “Grandpa has the merit of killing a drought demon. Ghost messengers won’t dare to do anything to him.”

Right, ah. Grandpa bears great merit. Chen Yu then relaxed.

Elder Wu secretly glanced at his granddaughter’s expression. Seeing her relax, he thought she must have figured it out, so he couldn’t help but address Niu Tou and Ma Mian, “Brother Niu, Brother Ma, let’s go.”

Hearing her grandfather’s words, Chen Yu’s relaxed expression just now was shattered again. The gag just now surprisingly made her almost forget that her grandfather would soon pass away.

“Don’t be sad. He’s just changed his living place to another. If you want to see him, you can go to the Underworld,” Lou Ming comforted her at the right time.

Chen Yu thought for a moment. She knew that Elder Wu’s matter was hopeless, and Lou Ming was right. If she wanted to see her grandpa, she could still go to the Underworld. She could also find Xiang Nan to inquire about her grandpa’s affairs.

“What’s the hurry? The time is not up yet.” Niu Tou and Ma Mian stood idly aside with their arms crossed.

“Time is money. It’s bad to waste it. Just hook my soul, and I’ll go back with you,” Elder Wu persuaded them.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. You’re not dead yet, no? It’s not too late for us to hook your soul when you’re dead. Moreover, you can leave your last words to the relatives around you.”

“I have nothing to say. Let’s go.”

“Chill out. There is still a lot of time.”

A living person was at death’s door, but what kind of development was unfolding where a ghost messenger refused to hook a soul that was already more dead than alive? The crowd watched in bewilderment.

“You guys are doing it on purpose.” Elder Wu knitted his brows in discomfort.

“Yeah,” Venerable Niu admitted very frankly.

“You must be feeling unwell now. If I hook your soul, you will lose consciousness. Are you thinking of escaping the pain? You wish.” Venerable Ma directly expounded on it, “Don’t worry. So long as you don’t stop breathing, I will never hook your soul and let you live to the last minute and second.”

“You guys are really too evil,” Elder Wu cursed in a fit.

“We act according to the rules. Don’t sling mud at us. If you’re so capable, take a knife and wipe your neck yourself,” Niu Tou and Ma Mian and returned

“…” Cruel it might be, but the crowd of bigwigs really wanted to praise Niu Tou and Ma Mian: Well done.

Chen Yu couldn’t stand it any long: “Grandpa, I’ll hook your soul.”

“I can’t believe it, ah, Old Wu ends up dying in the hands of his granddaughter.” Seeing that Chen Yu was about to start, Niu Tou and Ma Mian couldn’t resist pitching in nonchalantly.

Chen Yu froze and couldn’t move another muscle.

Lou Ming held Chen Yu’s hand and comforted her silently. He was in between tears and laughter at the scene in front of him. How did things develop to this?

“Fine. You guys wait for me.” Elder Wu simply gave up struggling. He sat on the spot, endured the pain, and waited for death.

For the first time, some people wanted someone to die soon, and others wanted him to die later. What a tangled mess.

Finally, after five minutes, Elder Wu’s soul floated out of his body with the pinched look of a hungry man. 

“Let’s go.” Venerable Ma took the chains and was about to tie Elder Wu’s soul.

“Wait a moment.” Elder Wu looked at Niu Tou and Ma Mian and said, “Let me show you something.”

Show what?

Just when the crowd was collectively puzzled, a blinding, eye-catching golden light emanated from Elder Wu’s soul, which was… the light of merit.

The corners of Niu Tou and Ma Mian’s mouths spasmed. Thus, they chained Elder Wu’s soul unceremoniously and dragged him to the Ghost Gate.

“Grandpa!” Chen Yu anxiously chased after them.

Lou Ming grabbed her and comforted her: “Didn’t I say it? Grandpa has great merit in killing a drought demon, so the Underworld will not embarrass him. Your spiritual power is unstable now, so it’s not suitable for you to go there. Wait for your spiritual power to recover. I’ll accompany you to see him.”

“En.” Chen Yu also knew that her current physical condition could not allow her soul to leave her body and enter the Underworld.

Elder Wu’s soul followed Niu Tou and Ma Mian to the Underworld. No matter what a farce happened just now, they still managed to restrain him.

Chen Yu took Elder Wu’s corpse back to Damu Village in Qingmu Province. After cremation, she sprinkled his ashes in a valley where Elder Wu used to take her to play when she was a child.

“Did you often play here as a child?” Lou Ming looked at the quiet valley full of flowers, and couldn’t help but confuse it with a memory. It was because the appearance of this valley was quite similar to where Feng Lou and Qing Ling pledged their love to each other.

“Hmm.” Chen Yu buried Elder Wu’s urn under the flowers and trees and said, “Whenever Grandpa was in a foul mood, he used to come here to laze. When I was young, I did not understand it, but after growing up I asked grandpa. Grandpa also refused to answer. He just said that when he dies later on, I should scatter his ashes here.”

Lou Ming looked at the piece of grass where Chen Yu scattered the ashes, and after looking closely at it for a while, he said thoughtfully, “Maybe it’s because Grandpa has an old friend here.”

“An old friend?” Chen Yu did not understand.

“The flowers and plants here are more spiritual than elsewhere.” Lou Ming asked, “Do you know why that is?”

“Because of the abundance of spirit qi here?” Chen Yu said.

“The spiritual qi in our courtyard is much more dense than here, but the flowers and plants there lacked spirituality here.” Lou Ming smiled and shook his head.

“Then why is that?”

“Have you ever heard of demons?” Lou Ming asked.

“A spirit demon like a weasel?” Chen Yu had only heard of fox fairies and weasels.

“No.” Lou Ming shook his head. “Today’s weasel and fox fairies can not cultivate into human forms. If they want to go out and about, they can only possess a human body. But long ago, all things had spirits. If bearing a sincere heart, grass and trees can transform into human forms at a favorable time and place.”

==

Niu Tou and Ma Mian dragged Elder Wu through the Ghost Gate, and walked all the way to the Mingwang(Hades/God of the Underworld) Palace.

To go to the Mingwang Palace, you need to go through the River of Forgetfulness, with the Naihe Bridge over the river. 

And on the bridge, a little girl with two braids was waiting.

The End.

The author has something to say.

—-

Elder Wu broke away from Niu Tou and Ma Mian’s chain and ran to the girl: “Miao… Miaomiao…”

The lady saw Elder Wu’s face full of wrinkles and suddenly smiled: “You’ve aged like this?”

Elder Wu turned around and turned into Young Wu (Fortunately, he can return to his young state when dead.) Lady: I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.

Young Wu shed tears in distress.

Lady: Now that you’re here, I’m going to reincarnate.

Young Wu was so excited that he followed the girl so they’d reincarnate together. However, Niu Tou and Ma Mian behind him dragged him back: “Mingwang wants to see you!!”

Young Wu: Let me go!!