"Ah..." I yawned widely, my spoon aimlessly stirring the rice porridge in my bowl. A peaceful sleep had been disturbed by the commotion caused by Ox-Head and Horse-Face.
Even with great effort to appear more alert, it was impossible. This was only because those in the Yin business could communicate with them; an ordinary person would have fallen gravely ill today.
One must understand that Yin Messengers carried Yin energy. Even when they tried their best to restrain it, they couldn't completely conceal even a trace. Coupled with the night's disturbances, it was akin to being exposed to a chill.
"What's wrong? You look so listless. Were you tired yesterday? Or did you dream of things you shouldn't have?" Zhang Dabiao happily drank some wine, then picked up a piece of pickled cabbage and popped it into his mouth, looking at me with a grin.
Seeing his lewd smile, the word "scram" blurted out of my mouth. "What are you thinking? There's nothing of that sort going on. Last night..." Su Dan Novel Network
I recounted the incident with Ox-Head and Horse-Face to Zhang Dabiao, but I didn't reveal a single word about the treasure of the Half-Yin Realm being in my possession. After all, the fewer people who knew, the better, and the fewer knew, the safer I would be.
It wasn't that I didn't trust Zhang Dabiao, but some things, if he knew, would have negative consequences for him. Not only did powerful figures in the capital want to seize the Half-Yin Realm, but it now seemed that some individuals in the underworld were also restless and desired it.
I could understand the desire to seize the Half-Yin Realm in the mortal world as a means to achieve immortality, to continue controlling the mortal realm after death and manipulate its order. However, the coveting of this treasure by someone in the underworld set off alarm bells in my heart.
The Half-Yin Realm could be both Yin and Yang. If this item fell into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, they would have the complete ability to create their own "new world." From Ox-Head and Horse-Face's questioning yesterday, it was clear they couldn't confirm its presence with me.
"Ox-Head and Horse-Face? Those two guys who came yesterday?" Zhang Dabiao put down his chopsticks, a look of knowing on his face as he said this.
I nodded and said, "Yes, it was them. Do you know them?"
"No, there aren't just two Ox-Heads and Horse-Faces in the underworld. Who knows which forgotten corner they crawled out from," Zhang Dabiao finished his wine in one gulp, wiped his mouth indifferently, and poured himself another glass.
His words immediately piqued my interest. I placed my bowl aside, adopting a docile expression, and looked at Zhang Dabiao. "Isn't there only one Ox-Head and Horse-Face in the underworld?"
Despite being an Yin Diviner, capable of calculating Yin fortunes and locating remains, my knowledge of the underworld was limited. According to my master, the underworld was not a place to be entangled with, and the less one interacted with it, the better. Thus, in this regard, I was almost no different from Xiao Bai.
In my impression, there was only one 'King' in the underworld, the King of Hell. Ox-Head, Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence were also singular. Hearing Zhang Dabiao suddenly mention that there was more than one Ox-Head and Horse-Face, how could I not be surprised?
Zhang Dabiao put down his cup and poured himself another, looking at me with some surprise. "You don't actually think there's only one Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and only one Black and White Impermanence in the underworld, do you?"
I nodded and said, "That's exactly what I thought. And the sole ruler of the underworld is the King of Hell. Isn't that right?"
Zhang Dabiao, who had just lifted his wine cup to take a sip, sputtered the wine all over my face before bursting into laughter.
I was utterly bewildered by his laughter. I took the towel handed to me by Zhang Sao and wiped my face, asking with some annoyance, "Is it that funny?"
Zhang Sao, standing nearby, chided Zhang Dabiao a couple of times.
"Little brother, did your master never tell you anything about the underworld?"
"No."
"In that case, let your elder brother tell you... In the underworld, there are actually ten Kings: King Qin Guang, King Chu Jiang, King Song Di, King Wu Guan, King Yan Mo, King Bian Cheng, King Tai Shan, King Du Shi, King Ping Deng, and King Zhuan Lun.
Each King of Hell has a different responsibility. Therefore, what people commonly refer to as the King of Hell is actually a collective term for these ten. However, because the King of Hell mostly controls the Book of Life and Death, people are more familiar with him. As for Ox-Head, Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, they are simply positions within the Yin Bureau.
It's like village chiefs. Do you think there's only one village chief across all of China? Do you think that's possible?"
Although I felt a bit uncomfortable being lectured like a novice by Zhang Dabiao, I also gained a lot of knowledge. After a moment's thought, I asked him if he wasn't curious why Ox-Head and Horse-Face came to find me.
Zhang Dabiao shook his head and said, "What's there to be curious about? They came to you because they had something to discuss. As for what it was, I won't ask. Everyone has their own secrets, don't they?" He then winked at me.
This made me suspect for a moment if he knew that the treasure of the Half-Yin Realm was in my possession, otherwise, why would he have such an expression?
"Brother Zhang, do you know something?"
"I know many things, but there are also many things I don't know. However, based on my judgment, you must owe them something. Otherwise, they wouldn't casually seek out people from the Yin business. As for what you owe, only you know."
I breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't know about the Half-Yin Realm being in my hands, that was enough. I then changed the subject, saying, "Brother Zhang, I didn't rest well yesterday. Let's move the Yin house tomorrow."
"If you hadn't mentioned resting, I wouldn't have planned to move the Yin house today either. I need to prepare the coffin, the funeral wood, and find people to carry the coffin. It will take at least until tomorrow to move the house. You just rest at home honestly; you'll be busy tomorrow."
Facing such a considerate elder brother, I felt a sense of shame. He was so sincere and open with me, hiding nothing, while I, due to the matter of the Half-Yin Realm, was keeping secrets from him, making me feel like a petty person.
Just as I was contemplating whether or not to tell him about it, Zhang Dabiao continued, "Little brother, the fewer people who know certain things, the better. Some people knowing could cost you your life."
Hearing this, I felt my heart settle. I guessed that he might already know about the treasure controlling the Half-Yin Realm being in my possession. He had hinted at it, and there was no point in continuing further.
After finishing the porridge in my bowl, I said, "I'm going back to my room to sleep."
"Mm!"
...
The depletion of my Xuan Yang True Qi couldn't be replenished in a short time, and I had no way to quickly recover it. I could only move my bed to the window and bask in the sun, using sunlight to slowly replenish it.
When I woke up, it was already noon. A group of people had arrived in the courtyard, busily making funeral wood, and others were crafting paper figures and paper horses... they were all engrossed in their work.