Chapter 254: A Change of Just a Dream

Lu Chengfeng, who had been bracing himself for disappointment, was momentarily stunned by Ji Yuan's words before realizing what Master Ji had said.

"Master Ji, are you serious?"

Lu Chengfeng immediately stood up from the stone stool, looking at Ji Yuan with a surprised expression.

"Is there really an Underworld? Are you truly an immortal?"

Ji Yuan, meanwhile, sat back down at the table, poured himself a bowl of Tusu wine, and only after taking a sip did he look at Lu Chengfeng again.

"Hero Lu, you must be from Yuchang County in Desheng Prefecture, correct?"

"That's right. Although Yuchang County isn't large, its strategic location at the border of Desheng and Tianyue Prefectures makes it quite prosperous. In the martial arts world, my Cloud Pavilion has also earned it some renown."

Ji Yuan nodded. With a quick calculation using his fingers hidden in his sleeve, he knew that Yuchang County had no local City God and was instead under the jurisdiction of Desheng Prefecture's capital city.

"Master Ji, when should we set off? How do we get to the Underworld?"

For some reason, everything Master Ji said had a convincing quality. In an instant, Lu Chengfeng's doubts vanished, replaced by nervousness and apprehension.

Ji Yuan looked at him and said,

"Hero Lu, aren't you drunk after all that wine?"

"Huh? I've only had one bowl, I couldn't possibly be drunk... no..."

In Lu Chengfeng's vision, Master Ji's face became increasingly blurry, or rather, his own head grew dizzier. He swayed, lost his footing, sat down on the stone stool, then slumped forward onto the table.

His eyelids grew heavy, and he soon drifted into a deep sleep.

"Ah..."

Ji Yuan, who had hypnotized Lu Chengfeng with an illusionary technique, let out a soft sigh.

Then, Ji Yuan extended a hand and clapped Lu Chengfeng's body, causing a semi-transparent version of Lu Chengfeng to be drawn out. It looked dazed and somewhat sluggish.

Although he hadn't specifically studied soul-drawing techniques, it wasn't difficult for the current Ji Yuan to achieve this effect indirectly, even if his method was a bit crude.

"Keep an eye on his physical body," he told the great jujube tree.

With a flick of his sleeve, the dazed Lu Chengfeng was drawn into his sleeve. Then, Ji Yuan stamped his foot, and his body shot into the air, disappearing into the sky in an instant.

Under the jujube tree, on the stone table, Lu Chengfeng occasionally smacked his lips and scratched an itch, seemingly dreaming.

In less than half an hour, Ji Yuan appeared outside the City God Temple in Desheng Prefecture's capital. With another flick of his sleeve, the Yin and Yang transformed before him, and he was now standing before the Gate of Hell in the Underworld.

The Yin energy here was exceptionally dense, existing in a realm between Yin and Yang, completely blocking out the daylight.

Only then did Ji Yuan release Lu Chengfeng's soul from his sleeve. Jolted by the surge of Yin energy, Lu Chengfeng's soul shivered and awoke, looking around before feeling slightly at ease upon seeing Ji Yuan beside him.

Now in the Underworld, Lu Chengfeng's semi-transparent form appeared as solid as a real human body, no longer ethereal.

"Master Ji, where are we? Why is it so dark? Wasn't it daytime just a moment ago? And this doesn't look like your courtyard."

"Where? Hehehe..."

Ji Yuan chuckled, pointing forward.

"Where do you think we are?"

Lu Chengfeng looked in the direction Ji Yuan was pointing. A gate-like structure stood before them, its plaque bearing glowing characters that read: "Gate of Hell of Desheng Prefecture."

"The Gate of Hell of Desheng Prefecture... the Gate of Hell!"

Lu Chengfeng suddenly realized where he was, as if waking from a dream, and immediately felt a chilling cold. He instinctively moved closer to Ji Yuan.

"What's wrong? Are you scared, Hero Lu? Heh heh, it's too late to be scared now. Let's go!"

Ji Yuan didn't pull him; he simply stepped out of the Yin-Yang boundary first and walked towards the Gate of Hell. Lu Chengfeng glanced behind him, where he could vaguely make out the bustling crowds of people in the outside world, but after a moment of hesitation, he followed Ji Yuan.

As soon as they emerged from the Yin-Yang boundary, the gatekeepers of the Underworld immediately noticed them.

"Who goes there? Why have you intruded into the domain of Desheng Prefecture's Underworld?"

However, before Ji Yuan could speak, as they drew closer and the gatekeepers recognized them, several of them gasped in surprise and quickly bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Master Ji!"

"So it is Master Ji visiting the Underworld! Please wait a moment, Master; we will inform the City God immediately!"

One of the gatekeepers said this and immediately entered the Gate of Hell.

Ji Yuan was slightly surprised. It wasn't strange for a few gatekeepers to recognize him, but it seemed as if all the gatekeepers near the Gate of Hell knew who he was.

What he didn't realize was that "Enlightening the Roaming Spirit of the Mortal Realm" was already a famous painting in Desheng Prefecture's Underworld, displayed in the Hall of Merit and Demerit. The transformation of the roaming spirit itself was extremely miraculous, and though not widely publicized outside, it was a well-known story within the Desheng Prefecture Underworld. Most gatekeepers had heard of it but had never had the chance to see it. Additionally, gatekeepers often had reasons to visit the Hall of Merit and Demerit, and nearly all of them had secretly taken a close look at the painting.

Lu Chengfeng, standing by, felt more shock than joy, amazed that even the gatekeepers knew Master Ji. However, it was still too early for him to be so astonished.

It wasn't until they entered the Underworld, when the City God of Desheng Prefecture personally accompanied them to the City God's temple and personally inquired about and dispatched people to find Lu Chengfeng's deceased parents, that Lu Chengfeng truly understood just how powerful Master Ji was.

This time, Ji Yuan did not specifically bring Lu Chengfeng's parents to a particular hall in the Underworld. Instead, he took Lu Chengfeng to the Lu family's spiritual dwelling.

The moment Lu Chengfeng saw his parents, he couldn't hold back his tears. After a choked "Father, Mother," he rushed forward and knelt before the two spirits.

Lu Chengfeng's parents initially thought he had also died and were equally grief-stricken. It was then that Ji Yuan realized that ghosts could indeed shed tears.

However, this sorrow didn't last long. Upon learning that Lu Chengfeng was not dead but had actively sought someone to bring him to the Underworld to see his parents, the two elders were stunned for a moment, then immediately began to scold their son fiercely.

The idea of their son willingly coming to a place like the Underworld infuriated them, practically making them explode with anger. Lu Chengfeng, still overwhelmed with emotion, was completely bewildered by the scolding, and Ji Yuan, watching from nearby, almost laughed.

When Lu Chengfeng emerged from the Underworld with Ji Yuan, his expression was still somewhat dazed. His parents hadn't truly scolded him like that since he came of age.

"How do you feel, Hero Lu?"

Outside the Gate of Hell, Ji Yuan asked playfully. After several shifts in expression, Lu Chengfeng finally managed a smile.

"It feels... a bit complicated..."

"Hahaha..."

Ji Yuan chuckled, raised his hand to draw Lu Chengfeng's soul back into his sleeve, and then left the Underworld, heading directly back to Ning'an County.

Under the great jujube tree at Ju'an Pavilion, a dappled ray of sunlight, filtering through the gaps in the swaying leaves, fell directly onto Lu Chengfeng's face.

"Mmm... ugh..."

Stimulated by the light, Lu Chengfeng gradually woke from his sleep. He lifted his head, looked around, recalling he was at Master Ji's home, then glanced at the table. The Tusu wine and wine bowl were there, but Ji Yuan was nowhere in sight.

"Did I just... get drunk?"

His memory was a bit hazy. He vaguely recalled drinking some wine with Master Ji in the courtyard and then collapsing drunk at the table.

"I think I had a dream..."

As he pondered, he suddenly remembered something from the dream. Everything else was blurry, but one detail was crystal clear: he had dreamed of his parents, and they had scolded him mercilessly. Yet, their scolding wasn't harsh at all; occasionally, it even included Lu Chengyun, a thorough tongue-lashing.

The scolding was filled with concern for both him and his brother, while the Cloud Pavilion was hardly mentioned.

As Lu Chengfeng thought about it, he chuckled aloud, "Heh heh heh..."

"Hero Lu, you're awake? I've brewed some hangover tea. Try this jujube blossom honey tea of mine; even the emperor can't get his hands on it."

Ji Yuan watched Lu Chengfeng's silly grin, then emerged from the kitchen carrying a tea tray with a smile. He sat at the table, poured tea, added honey, and presented it to Lu Chengfeng.

With a sip of the tea, Lu Chengfeng's desire to confide grew strong once more.

Over the fragrant honey tea, Lu Chengfeng didn't hold back this time. He recounted the ups and downs of the past few years to Ji Yuan. After that, he spoke about his dream of being scolded by his parents and asked Ji Yuan to interpret it.

Ji Yuan noticed that Lu Chengfeng's memory of most of his trip to the Underworld was blurry, with only the segment where he was soundly scolded by his parents being vividly clear. He couldn't help but inwardly mock his own crude methods compared to the Underworld's gatekeepers, yet also felt that this outcome was rather fitting.

Half the afternoon passed, and Lu Chengfeng made no other requests. It seemed he truly had only come to confide. With his heart unburdened, he was now content.

After finishing the pot of tea, Lu Chengfeng naturally rose to take his leave.

"My conversation with Master Ji today has lifted the sorrow from my heart. Affairs at Cloud Pavilion are still pressing, so I shall not trouble you further!"

Ji Yuan returned his bow with a smile.

"Very well, Hero Lu, take care. Helping your brother manage Cloud Pavilion is no less honorable than roaming the martial world and doing heroic deeds!"

Lu Chengfeng nodded solemnly, cupped his hands in a deep bow, and after a "Farewell," strode out.

He had indeed heard a little from Du Heng about Master Ji's supernatural abilities, but at this moment, he felt no need to covet anything from Master Ji.

Just as he was about to step out of the shade, he heard a whooshing sound. Instinctively, Lu Chengfeng waved his hand and caught a fiery red jujube from above his head.

He looked up. The green leaves formed a dense canopy, seemingly without any jujube fruits. Only when the wind occasionally stirred the branches could a faint blush of red be seen.

"This? Master Ji, your fruit has fallen."

Ji Yuan waved his hand, gesturing towards the great jujube tree.

"Keep it. It's from the tree."

"Hahahaha... Alright, thank you, Master Ji. Chengfeng takes his leave!"

He had arrived with heavy steps, but left with a light gait. Ji Yuan escorted him to the courtyard gate and, observing his aura from afar, saw that his spirits were soaring, and his inner fire burned crimson—all transformed by a mere dream.