The God of the Human Realm!

Chapter 8 Legends of Demons and Ghosts
Avoiding the bustling crowd, Hong Yuan and his group of five disappeared into the bushes, silently crossing the houses in front under the cover of darkness.

Only the row of houses closest to the manor remained intact, seemingly having been specially renovated for the convenience of residents. The further one walked outwards, the more desolate and dilapidated the houses became.

The dilapidated mud walls and roof tiles were in ruins, with large sections collapsed and rubble scattered everywhere.

Hidden by overgrown weeds and trees, one can still vaguely discern mottled bluestone paths, leading in all directions, telling tales of the bustling atmosphere this place once was.

As they passed a stone wall that had mostly collapsed, the interior was filled with ruins of considerable size. There must have been a workshop standing here in the past, and Hong Yuan could still smell a faint, strange odor lingering in the air.

He thought for a moment and realized it smelled like tung oil.

The group walked nearly a mile under the moonlight, hearing the churning and rushing water. Ahead, a great river was surging and turbulent. After confirming that no enemies were chasing them, the four of them breathed a sigh of relief, except for Master Qin, who was being carried by the man in black and had completely fainted.

"Wutong Town!" Yang Lie finally turned his head, looking back at the place where the fireworks were burning, and answered Hong Yuan's earlier question.

Hong Yuan was slightly taken aback and a little confused. Yang Lie smiled and said, "Brother Hong is still young, so it's normal that you haven't heard of this place."

The group did not stop. Hong Yuan followed the man surnamed Wu and the man in black, walking towards the riverbank while listening to Yang Lie's story.

Wutong Town is located southeast of Qingxu County, only about 20 miles away. It is surrounded by mountains and embraced by water, which is the Jade Belt River, which flows through three prefectures and dozens of counties.

The town is surrounded by tung trees, and the townspeople mostly make a living by processing tung oil. They built a lot of oil refining workshops. Because the tung oil they refined had a high output and good quality, it attracted a large number of merchants to come and buy it. At its peak, it almost monopolized 70% of the tung oil trade in Linjiang Prefecture.

As a result, Wutong Town prospered.

However, the good times didn't last long. More than a decade ago, a sudden upheaval broke out in the town. Some rumors said it was due to internal power struggles and unequal distribution of spoils, others said it was due to a plague or banditry... and still others said it was the work of demons and ghosts. In any case, within just six months, the once prosperous town fell into ruin, and the townspeople abandoned their homes and fled in panic, scattering in all directions.

Even when the government intervened and relocated people several times in an attempt to restart the oil refining operation, the residents never stayed long. One after another, the relocated households fled. Even when threatened with knives by government soldiers, they initially yielded but later preferred to retreat into the mountains and live as wild men.

Over time, the town fell into complete disrepair, and even the government had no choice but to shut it down. The rumors about the town became increasingly mysterious, and it gradually came to be known as a 'ghost town'.

Hong Yuan suddenly realized.

He was only eighteen years old, so it was not surprising that he had never heard of Wutong Town. However, he still vividly remembered the name "Ghost Town". When he was a child, whenever he was naughty and refused to study, his father would scare him by saying that if he did not behave, he would be taken to Ghost Town by demons.

"Could there really be demons and ghosts in this world?" Hong Yuan asked curiously.

"The world is vast and full of wonders." The man surnamed Wu strode forward and casually replied, "When I was in the army, I also heard some strange things, but most of them were just hearsay and I couldn't verify their authenticity. If there really are such demons and monsters, I would really like to see them for myself."

He gripped the hilt of his sword, looking eager and ready to fight.

"I haven't yet had the pleasure of asking your honorable name and that of this... senior?" Hong Yuan cupped his hands in greeting, glancing hesitantly at the man in black. The man's face was covered, clearly indicating he didn't want to reveal his identity, but judging from his voice, he was quite old.

"I dare not accept such an honor. My surname is Wu, and my given name is Wu Duxiong."

Wu Duxiong suddenly stopped, a smug smile spreading across his usually cold face, his eyebrows dancing with delight: "This name was chosen by my dead father who paid an old scholar, and I am very satisfied with it."

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the man in black: "Old Yang's name is far inferior. Old Yang, stop playing dumb. I'm asking you a question, why don't you answer? And why are you still wearing a veil at a time like this? Whose daughter are you? Aren't you ashamed to show your face?"

The man in black, 'Old Yang,' glared at him irritably, then casually pulled back his mask to reveal a square face with a thick beard, bronze skin, and a man around fifty years old. He nodded to Hong Yuan and said, 'I am Yang Erhu.'

"Greetings, Senior Yang." Hong Yuan bowed solemnly again and said, "Thank you for saving me, seniors and Brother Yang. Without your help, I'm afraid I would have had a hard time getting out of that hellhole tonight."

"It was just a coincidence. We had our own plan and didn't intend to save anyone. You don't need to thank me. You should thank God!" Wu Duxiong shook his head.

Seeing Hong Yuan about to speak, he waved his hand and laughed, "Alright, a real man doesn't need to be so hesitant. You don't need to call us seniors. I find you quite pleasing to the eye, firstly because you have the courage to take action, and secondly because, although you are young, your skills are quite formidable. Of course..."

"The main thing is that you look exactly like me when I was young, if not similar."

Hong Yuan opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent.

Yang Lie glanced at Hong Yuanfeng's elegant and refined appearance, then looked at Wu Duxiong's long and narrow face, and couldn't help but think to himself, "As the saying goes, a man doesn't know his own ugliness, and a horse doesn't know its own long face. I've certainly seen it for myself."

He almost burst out laughing, but quickly lowered his head and forced himself to hold it in.

With a "smack," a large hand swung over, making his head throb. Yang Lie looked up and saw Wu Duxiong had already approached, his eyes sharp: "What do you want to say?"

"without!"

"Then hold it in."

Wu Duxiong then flicked Yang Lie's forehead, making the latter wince in pain. Yang Erhu on the other side suddenly muttered, "He was thinking, 'People don't know how ugly they are, and horses don't know how long their faces are.'"

"Ok?"

Wu Duxiong raised his eyebrows, his eyes filled with hostility.

Yang Erhu didn't even glance at him, just kept his head down as he walked: "If you want to hit me, I'll fight back."

“Let’s have a spar when we get home,” Wu Duxiong suggested.

Yang Erhu paused slightly, then slowly nodded: "Alright, it's been quite a few years since we, fellow disciples, have sparred. Let me see your progress."

Hong Yuan smiled as he watched, and Wu Duxiong turned back to look at him and asked, "Where do you live, kid?"

Before Hong Yuan could reply, he continued, "No matter where you live, you can't go back now. I just don't know if you still have any relatives at home? If you do, then it's a bit of a problem."

“Brother Hong really can’t go back.” Yang Lie chuckled: “Your good brother signed that damn ‘Immortal-Mortal Contract’ on your behalf, which is actually a contract of servitude. He also made you put your fingerprint on it. Once you go home, that fat pig will only need to remember you. He won’t even need to lift a finger. He’ll just hand the contract to the yamen and the government will bring people to arrest you.”

Hong Yuan's eyes turned cold.

Then she thought of that kind-looking fat man, Huang, her former classmate and friend. She had to avenge this grudge no matter what, whether it was to vent her anger or to settle the karma for the original owner of this body. She had to make a trip to the Huang family.

However, the Huang family is quite powerful in Qingxu County, so if they want to make a move, they need to plan carefully. At the very least, they need to deepen their understanding of this place and strengthen their own abilities.

“My family is from Qingxu County. All my elders have passed away. My father was a scholar who had accumulated some wealth, including land and a two-courtyard house…”

Hong Yuan didn't need to go into such detail, but he vaguely guessed what Wu Duxiong was thinking, so he explained the situation more clearly. Fortunately, he was an open and honest gentleman and had nothing to hide from others.

"My father passed away a few years ago. At that time, I was a student at the academy, and my skills were passable, so I was able to preserve the family property. After the imperial examination was abolished, there were no more students. It was one thing for others to covet it, but when those government officials and constables came to our door to demand taxes and corvée labor, and even demanded back payments for several years of previous years..."

He sighed, "In the end, I could only give up all my wealth to save myself. Now, all that's left in the county is two tiled houses in Shiban Lane... I still have a second uncle, but my father cut off all contact with him before he died..."

Hong Yuan did not reveal everything.

His second uncle did not have a good relationship with his father. His father was a scholar, while his second uncle was obsessed with martial arts. As a scholar, he considered himself to be from a family of scholars and naturally looked down on his second uncle for being uneducated and incompetent.

My second uncle was away from home most of the year. In the few times I remember him returning home, he would always have a big argument with my father and they would part on bad terms.

However, after the imperial examination was abolished, Hong Yuan "only" handed over all his land, family property, and two houses, and finally ended up with two tiled houses to live in. In fact, it was his mysterious second uncle who put in a lot of effort behind the scenes.

After all, the original owner was just a weak scholar, not the overpowered character of the new version. If he had no one to protect him, he would have been devoured long ago.

Putting everything else aside, her exceptional appearance is her greatest sin.

Hong Yuan remembered one time he almost got his hands on a sack. The next morning, several thugs with broken arms and legs, covered in blood, were lying in the alley, begging for mercy when they saw him.

At noon, Second Uncle led a dozen strong men into the stone-paved alley and stood at the door of his house. Second Uncle went inside and stayed with him for an hour, leaving some silver before leaving. In fact, they only chatted for a few words during that hour before sitting opposite each other. Hong Yuan knew that Second Uncle's purpose in coming was simply to deter those who dared to cause trouble.

Let people know that he is not alone and helpless.

My second uncle has been navigating the underworld for many years and is very experienced. He can also intimidate both the legitimate and criminal elements in the county, so he should have some influence. There is no need to worry about him being implicated in the short term.

But that fat pig looked rather crazy and couldn't be viewed as a normal person. I still need to improve myself as soon as possible.

Wu Duxiong nodded. He had a clean background, a simple origin, no burdens, and excellent aptitude. The more he looked at him, the more he admired him. He smiled and said, "Since that's the case, why don't you come with us? I'm not joking when I say I like you. If you don't mind, don't call us seniors. Just call us uncles, like Yang Lie did."

"Thank you for your help, Uncle Wu and Uncle Yang."

Hong Yuan followed up with the snake.

Anyway, there's nowhere else to go for the time being, and both Wu Duxiong and Yang Erhu seem to be knowledgeable, at least one of them comes from the White Scale Guard of the prefectural city, so I can learn a lot from them.

"Don't mention it!" Wu Duxiong laughed heartily, looking quite pleased, and patted Hong Yuan on the shoulder.

As the group talked, their steps were light and quick, and they soon arrived at the banks of the Jade Belt River. In a dense forest by the river, Wu Duxiong leaped down and knocked open a small awning boat hidden under withered branches and leaves.

Yang Lie quickly followed, and the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, pushed the awning boat into the river with slightly swollen arms.

Yang Lie took the oar, stood at the bow, and stabilized the boat. After everyone boarded, he pushed the oar towards the shore, and the awning boat rocked slightly before settling steadily on the river.

Yang Erhu carried Master Qin into the cabin and let him rest against the deck. He lit an oil lamp, and in the dim light, he saw that Master Qin was still unconscious, only occasionally uttering a few words in his sleep. He couldn't help but sigh.

Wu Duxiong also entered the cabin, pulled out a flask of wine from somewhere, and began to gulp it down.

Hong Yuan consciously stood at the bow of the boat with Yang Lie, and found another oar. In his previous life, there was a small river three zhang wide in front of his house when he was a child. At that time, there were no bridges or roads, and you had to row a boat to cross the river. Now, with his enhanced body, he was even more adept at it.

Wow! Wow!
The oars stirred up the clear waves, and the boat slowly sailed away.

The bright moon hung high, its light shining like silver, making the river surface barely visible. Hong Yuan's [Clear Vision] talent only allowed him to see clearly a few feet away at night; beyond that distance, the light remained blurry.

For safety reasons, the boats were not allowed to sail too far from the shore at night. They were kept close to the shore and drifted slowly with the current. Since they were going downstream, the journey was quite smooth.

Moreover, Yang Lie and his companion hardly needed Hong Yuan to row.

Yang Lie also mentioned that his destination was Yangquan County, which is adjacent to Qingxu County. However, it was already night, and the county town was closed, so they would have to stay overnight in a town a dozen miles downstream.

“In that abandoned Wutong Town, Wei Zhenzhu’s brothel couldn’t have been built in a short time.”

Inside the cabin, the firelight flickered within the lampshade as Wu Duxiong and Yang Erhu began discussing Wutong Town and the so-called 'Biwu Wonderland'.

"Even if she builds it in three years and enjoys it for three years, it will only last six years."

Wu Duxiong took a swig of wine, swallowed it, closed his eyes and savored the taste for a moment, and slowly said, "The legends of plague, banditry, and demons have been around for more than ten years... but Wei Zhenzhu and the others have not been harmed. Even if there are any demons or monsters causing trouble in Wutong Town, they have probably been gone for at least ten years."

Yang Erhu nodded and sighed, "It's true that good people don't live long, while evil people live for a thousand years."

His face showed a thoughtful expression again. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly said, "The row of houses outside the manor has been renovated. Do you think Wei Zhenzhu might want to restart the tung oil workshop?"

“The tung oil trade is such a lucrative business. If given the chance, I would definitely want to try it.” Wu Duxiong then smiled and said, “Rebuilding the workshop and having many skilled oil refining workers—even the simplest things like that are beyond that fat pig’s capabilities. She doesn’t have that ability.”

“She doesn’t have it, but the Wei family does.”

"The Wei family is the Wei family, and Wei Zhenzhu is Wei Zhenzhu. They cannot be confused." Wu Duxiong shook his head, his face full of sarcasm. "A monster like Wei Zhenzhu has long made the Wei family lose face in the prefectural city, which is why they have been unwilling to let her into the prefectural city for so many years. Why would they help her?"

"Don't forget Wei Zhenzhu's man..." Yang Erhu pointed to the small table with candles in the cabin, making a pointed remark.

"That Salt and Iron Judge?!" Wu Duxiong's expression also became more serious.

Zhou Wenjie, the Salt and Iron Judge of Linjiang Prefecture, was only a minor official of the eighth rank, but because he was dispatched directly by the prefecture, he held great power despite his low rank and had the authority to inspect the salt, iron, and tea taxes of the entire Linjiang Prefecture.

Zhou Wenjie's forces are also extremely formidable. On the surface, he has two hundred elite anti-smuggling officers and five hundred able-bodied salt workers. In private, he has colluded with countless other forces and recruited numerous so-called "heroes of the underworld."

Those burly men guarding Wei Zhenzhu's manor must have been salt workers who had been conscripted!

"I haven't admired many people, but I have utter respect for Judge Zhou Wenjie," Wu Duxiong exclaimed. "It's said he came from a peasant family, but to climb the social ladder, he got involved with the Wei family. Tsk! He actually married that fat pig for decades! How could he tolerate that?"

"Don't say that. I heard that Wei Zhenzhu was quite a beauty when she was young, but she got sick and started to get fatter and fatter..." Yang Erhu couldn't continue. Just thinking about Wei Zhenzhu made his stomach churn. He nodded in agreement: "You're right. Zhou Wenjie is indeed a remarkable person, a very important person!"

"Have you figured out the identities of the other six women besides Wei Zhenzhu?" Wu Duxiong asked again.

Yang Erhu said, "I now know the identity of 'Lady Xuansu'!"

"The one who ascended to immortality?" Wu Duxiong smiled.

Yang Erhu snorted coldly: "What immortality? That woman is the first wife of the Chen family in Yuxi Town. Almost 80% of the businesses in Yuxi Town belong to her family. It's a pity that Wei Zhenzhu and her group not only eat outsiders but also eat their own people. Once they join, they are slowly drained of their marrow. Once they are all eaten up, their whole family will ascend to immortality."

"The other women included wives of officials, pampered young ladies from wealthy families, noblewomen, and nuns from the mountains..."

Wu Duxiong listened in a daze, and after a long while he sighed, "These women really know how to have fun."

“It’s not that these women know how to have fun, it’s that the men do,” Yang Erhu said.

“Our Great Yin has its own national conditions and customs; what can we do about it?” Wu Duxiong sighed.

The Great Yin Dynasty ruled for nearly eight hundred years, during which rise and fall were commonplace. Whenever it declined, a great ruler would emerge to turn the tide. Just when the dynasty was finally stable, another eccentric emperor would ascend the throne.

Three hundred years ago, Emperor Chang Le of the Great Yin Dynasty was eccentric by nature and often did some absurd and ridiculous things. He not only had a taste for both men and women, but also often summoned his concubines to the main hall to hold parties while discussing politics with his ministers, allowing the ministers to watch and learn. Instead of feeling ashamed, he was quite pleased with himself.

Of course, the bad atmosphere of the Great Yin Dynasty cannot be attributed to Emperor Chang Le. There were countless eccentric emperors before him who did just as outrageous things.

"White Scale Guard, you probably can't go back, can you?"

"The White Scale Guard has long been infiltrated, with countless young masters and nephews planted inside. Their fighting strength isn't actually as strong as outsiders guess. I've had enough of this humiliation. This time I offended Wei Zhenzhu, so I might as well wander the world and be a wandering knight-errant. That's not so bad..."

"Why don't you help me..."

Wu Duxiong waved his hand to interrupt: "I know what you're going to say, but I've already chosen the best candidate for you..." He squinted and looked out of the cabin.

"Is this to take me as a disciple or something..." Hong Yuan thought to himself, but he wasn't really disgusted.

One's position determines one's mindset. Now, he wants to find a breakthrough in this world through Wu Duxiong and Yang Erhu, and becoming their disciple is no problem.

Hong Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, and in the blink of an eye, the words "flying mosquito" appeared before his eyes again.

“The Lord of Blessed Land?” Hong Yuan murmured, watching the mosquitoes transform into a vortex that attracted everything. He wanted to jump into it, but he ultimately restrained himself. There were other people on the ship. If the vortex sucked him in, how could that be explained?

"Just bear with it a little longer..."

(End of this chapter)