Chapter 135: Zhou Family Anomalies

Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng took a while to compose themselves. The stationery stall owner nearby chuckled and spoke to them.

"You two were quite lucky," he said. "Anyone who dares to behave like that at Scholar's Ferry is definitely not someone ordinary people can afford to offend. I didn't even dare to warn you. You should leave quickly. Or perhaps you'd like to look at some stationery?"

Still shaken, Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng repeatedly thanked the stall owner and declined his offer. Then they tidied their book-boxes and headed north.

At the furthest small dock, they soon found the covered boat. Ji Yuan, wearing neither a straw raincoat nor a conical hat, sat peacefully at the bow reading, appearing even more refined than the passing scholars.

Relieved upon seeing Ji Yuan, Yin Zhaoxian quickly led Shi Yusheng, both with their book-boxes, through the crowd to the dock. Ji Yuan, seeing them approach, timely put down his book.

"Mr. Ji, just now we..."

Ji Yuan raised a hand to stop Yin Zhaoxian.

"Enough," he said. "The two of you shouldn't discuss this matter further. Get on the boat first; we're crossing the river."

Realizing that Mr. Ji must know what had happened, Yin Zhaoxian said no more and boarded the boat, followed by Shi Yusheng.

With yesterday's experience, they were much more comfortable on the covered boat today.

As the small boat departed, they looked back at Scholar's Ferry, where the large ferry boats were still waiting for passengers. It would likely be another hour before even the fastest one departed.

As their small boat moved forward, Scholar's Ferry receded from view, blurring surprisingly quickly.

Ji Yuan, paddling at the bow, saw them repeatedly looking back at Scholar's Ferry. He smiled and said:

"Master Yin, Young Master Shi, our boat may be small, but we've crossed first, gaining an advantage. Don't look back; look ahead! That's the capital prefecture!"

The two turned their heads upon hearing this and were astonished to find they were already nearing the opposite bank.

The covered boat didn't dock at the main pier but stopped at a smaller set of steps to the side. After the two scholars stepped from the slightly swaying bow onto the shore, Ji Yuan cupped his hands and bade them farewell.

"Master Yin, Young Master Shi," he said, "the capital prefecture is only a dozen li to the west from here. I wish you both success in the provincial and imperial examinations!"

As Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng returned his farewell, Yin Zhaoxian suddenly remembered something and fumbled in his robes for a small black wooden token.

"Mr. Ji, this is..."

He paused, glanced at Shi Yusheng, then stepped back onto the covered boat and whispered to Ji Yuan.

"Mr. Ji, this is something Lord City God of Chunhui Prefecture asked me to give to you."

Ji Yuan frowned and took it solemnly. Perhaps due to his powerful righteous aura, he hadn't noticed the faint trace of Yin energy emanating from the small wooden token while it was in Yin Zhaoxian's possession.

After Ji Yuan took the token, Yin Zhaoxian stepped back onto the shore.

After they exchanged farewells again, the two scholars walked towards the dock area, where they could hire a carriage to the capital city. Ji Yuan, meanwhile, stood on the covered boat, examining the small wooden token closely.

This was Yin wood, used to record information through the 'essence transfer' method, a technique described on the jade slips he had borrowed from the old dragon.

'What does the City God of Chunhui Prefecture want with me?'

Ji Yuan pondered as he sat down, then concentrated to activate the information stored in the token. Images of the underworld appeared, revealing a snake spirit tightly bound within a dark red execution chamber.

A reddish-black disciplinary whip was personally swung onto the snake spirit by the Chief of the Department of Punishment. Each lash caused the snake spirit to scream in extreme agony. During the torture, ghost officers used knives to scrape off its scales and unleashed a type of insect that would trigger trypophobia, biting the snake spirit where its soul-scales had been removed.

Even Ji Yuan, watching this, felt a slight prickling on his scalp. The snake spirit's screams never ceased, yet it could not escape its torment. The Chief of the Department of Punishment coldly laughed and told the snake demon that it still needed to endure 120 more lashes, and only a confession would reduce its sentence and offer a quick end.

The worst part was that the snake demon had already confessed everything it knew, yet its sentence was only reduced by twenty lashes. The remaining torture would last for six months. Only after the final punishment was complete would its demon spirit finally collapse and dissipate, transforming entirely into Yin spiritual energy to replenish the Underworld.

However, the torture of the demon spirit was secondary; the primary concern was what the demon had confessed during its torment.

One of the remarkable features of 'essence transfer' was its ability to convey a lengthy period of events to the viewer in a short span of time. By the time Ji Yuan finished viewing the contents on the Yin wood, only a dozen breaths had passed in the outside world.

"Alas," he murmured, "matters outside of Great Zhen are beyond my power right now. City God Zhao, you truly overestimate me..."

Mumbling to himself, Ji Yuan tucked the token into his robes, then took up the oar, pushed off from the bank, and rowed the boat back to Chen Family Village.

On the second and third days, within the Tongtian River Water Manor, Dragon Prince Ying Feng received consecutive reports from his yakshas stating they could no longer find the unique fisherman on the river surface. Ying Feng grew so anxious that he personally patrolled a hundred li of that river section, but indeed, he could not find his father's friend.

How could Ji Yuan not visit the capital prefecture? Unlike Yin Zhaoxian and Shi Yusheng, who were busy searching for commoner residences to rent while preparing for their exams, Ji Yuan had no fixed destination and didn't necessarily need a bed to sleep. He simply wandered through the city, guided by his instincts.

The main streets and small alleys were all well-ordered, and shops and residences were densely packed. Ji Yuan's first impression was of wide roads and flourishing trade.

The several main roads crisscrossing the city were the noisiest areas, filled with the cacophony of moving carriages and rolling wooden wheels. Hawkers' cries and shouts rose and fell as merchants and travelers from all corners of the land converged here. Even Chunhui Prefecture could not compare with this place.

The capital prefecture comprised a total of eighty-one large districts, housing nearly 400,000 people. It was truly the rightful capital of Great Zhen.

In the bustling market, Ji Yuan, who was simply strolling, suddenly had his attention drawn by something.

On a street lined with shops, a Day Patrol spirit passed by, followed by a Soul Reaper wearing a tall hat and carrying an umbrella. They did not walk to the end of the street but turned into an alley.

Ji Yuan's heart stirred. This must mean someone whose allotted lifespan was ending was about to die, and the Underworld was coming to claim their soul!

This was something Ji Yuan himself had never witnessed. Curious to see what would happen, he naturally followed them.

Dodging the street crowds and avoiding carriages and horses, Ji Yuan quickly turned into the alley. Although he could no longer see the Underworld officials with his physical eyes, he could smell traces of Yin energy, making it easy to find their location.

This district was named "Jin'an Fang." Although it didn't feature grand mansions along the street like those of royalty or nobility, its residents were either wealthy or influential. At least, the residences Ji Yuan passed seemed quite large, which was remarkable given that this was the capital prefecture, where land was extremely valuable.

After about the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, Ji Yuan caught up with the Underworld officers. They were standing outside a residence with "Zhou Manor" written on its plaque.

The characters on the plaque were so large that even if blurry, Ji Yuan could still make them out.

The Underworld officers seemed to be waiting for something. Ji Yuan, from a distance, widened his eyes to observe the interior of the manor, where he could vaguely see the rising aura of the people within.

"Hmm?"

Ji Yuan suddenly sensed a slight anomaly. Enduring the strain, he widened his eyes further. The aura of Zhou Manor immediately became more vivid and clear. Among the streaks of human aura, there was a faint, unusual scent—he couldn't quite tell if it was demonic energy or something else.

At this point, the Underworld officers probably realized the time was right, and they passed through the gate one by one.

Although the Underworld registers could sense the condition of those recorded, they were not Books of Life and Death. It was impossible to know the exact moment of one's death from birth. They could only perceive the reduction of a person's lifespan and changes in their fortune, prosperity, virtue, and karma. At the appropriate time, this would alert the Underworld that the person was about to die. It was somewhat similar to vague fortune-telling, but more intuitive.

Ji Yuan thought for a moment, then cast a concealment spell and lightly leaped into Zhou Manor.

In a large bedroom in the back of Zhou Manor, a pale-faced man, appearing to be in his sixties, lay on the bed. Men and women stood in a circle around him, and the atmosphere was very somber.

"The doctor said... I... only have, only have these two days left," the man on the bed whispered. "After I die... the eldest son... will, will manage, the family... business... Remember the family motto, do not..."

The eldest son, kneeling by the bed with reddened eyes, suddenly stood up and walked towards the bedroom door.

"Father!" he exclaimed. "It must be that wretch who harmed you! You kindly took her in for years, and she repays your kindness with such enmity. I will never forgive her!"

"Yiqing! Cough, cough, cough..."

The dying man on the bed suddenly became agitated and yelled at his son.

"If you do this," he rasped, "it will be our Zhou family that repays kindness with enmity!"

At this moment, the bedroom door opened, and a woman in white, with a white velvet flower in her hair, walked in. She went directly to the bed without even glancing at the eldest son of the Zhou family.

The eldest son, who had been furious a moment ago, now immediately recoiled a few steps, somewhat afraid to look directly at the woman.

The woman walked to Master Zhou's bedside and sat down, a trace of sorrow on her face. She reached out and gently caressed the old man's face.

"I shouldn't have come here today," she murmured. "If the Underworld officials see me later, they certainly won't spare me. But... you've loved me for over thirty years. Let me accompany you on your final journey today!"

The woman spoke of thirty years, yet her face was beautiful and youthful, showing no signs of age.

The old man, who was on the verge of death, now seemed to have a moment of lucidity; his complexion grew slightly ruddy, and his expression became incredibly agitated.

The other people in the room seemed to have known about this for a long time. They all moved away, showing some fear, and dared not speak.

At this very moment, the Underworld Soul Reapers arrived, carried by a gust of Yin wind, yet they failed to notice anything unusual about the woman by the bed.

Two Soul Reapers stepped forward and said to Master Zhou, "Zhou Niansheng, your lifespan has ended. Come with us!"

If the soul had been claimed like this, there would have been no issue. However, at this moment, two Day Patrol spirits were outside the room. As the Soul Reapers carried out their duty, the Day Patrol, after their usual patrol of Zhou Manor, also entered the room. They were immediately startled, and their gaze instantly fixed on the woman by the bed. The woman, in turn, calmly looked at the two Day Patrol spirits.