"Yin Changsheng?"
The old man slowly turned around, his expression cold and sinister, and that pitch-black ghost eye looked incredibly eerie. "You must be mocking this old man. In Fengdu County, who doesnât know âYin Changshengâ!"
"Oh?"
Li Yan was somewhat surprised and cupped his hands, saying, "I have traveled a long way and indeed do not know. I hope the elder can enlighten me."
The old man furrowed his brows, "Itâs very simple."
He pointed towards Jiangbei Mountain, "This famous mountain is one of the Taoist âCave Heaven Blessed Landsâ precisely because of âYin Changshengâ."
"This mountain was originally called âPingdu Mountainâ. During the Han Dynasty, a Fangshi named Yin Changsheng and Wang Fangping practiced on the mountain. It was rumored they ascended to immortality. Later, people sang praises, connecting Yin and Wang together, but mistakenly called it âYin Wangâ."
"Furthermore, this mountain indeed has its peculiarities. Cultivators find it hard to store their spirit, and strange visions appear at midnight. Over time, the name âGhost Cityâ spread."
"During the Northern Song period, Su Shi wrote the poem âPingdu, the ancient famous mountain under heaven,â and thus it started being called a âfamous mountainâ."
"It can be said that the origin of Fengdu Ghost City is âYin Changshengâ and âWang Fangpingâ."
"I see..."
Upon hearing this, Li Yan was deep in thought.
He hadnât expected Yin Changsheng to be so famous here.
And thereâs also Wang Fangping.
Wang Fangping is also a figure in the âImmortal Chroniclesâ.
Ordinary people know little about him, but in the Mystical Sect, he is quite famous, with several anecdotes widely shared.
The first is that Emperor Huan of Han summoned him multiple times, but Wang Fangping always ignored it. Emperor Huan then sent someone to forcibly drag him to the capital. Upon entering the capital, Wang Fangping inscribed four hundred prophecies on the palace gate. Emperor Huan had people erase the inscriptions, but the ink had seeped into the boards, and the more they scraped, the clearer the inscriptions became.
The second story is about his travels, where constables with sealed wax mouths opened the way for him, five dragons pulled his carriage, and banners accompanied him, making the Mountain God and Water God bow as he passed. It seemed like a kind of escape technique, quite impressive.
Thereâs also a story involving âMagu.â
âMaguâ is even more famous, with places like Qingcheng Mountain having Magu Grottoes. Li Bai mentioned in âShort Songâ about âMaguâs flowing hair, half already frosted.â
And Yin Changsheng? Heâs even superior.
He transmitted his Dao techniques to Bao Jing, who happened to be the father-in-law of Ge Xianweng. Even the Taoist sects in Shu were heavily influenced by Yin Changsheng.
But what Li Yan wanted to inquire about wasnât this.
Judging from the old manâs appearance, he probably didnât know that Yin Changsheng had another identity as a living Yin messenger.
Moreover, he was one of those who successfully ascended among the living Yin messengers.
Thinking of this, Li Yan probed further, "Elder, what I wish to know is, does this place have any relics left by Yin Changsheng or places for cultivation and the like?"
"There are many." The old man sneered, "On this famous mountain, Yin Changshengâs cultivation caves are not numbered ten, but eight at least. Regardless, if you find a grotto, just claim itâs related to Yin Changsheng."
"I advise you not to bother with this. For thousands of years, this famous mountain has been thoroughly searched. Itâs more important to figure out how to get through tonight."
He said, somewhat puzzled, "By the way, you, boy, were quite arrogant earlier. Why are you so humble now?"
Li Yan was silent for a moment, looking at the youth in the cabin with a trace of pity in his eyes. "To sustain life with ghost energy, but it wonât last long..."
This was the reason for his change in attitude.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that this youth was already severely ill, originally destined to have his soul scattered, but had used Yin Ghost Qi to gather his soul.
Thatâs why the youth didnât leave the cabin, wrapped in a quilt, because he constantly felt as if he was falling into the Netherworld, cold all over.
The youth couldnât cultivate, relying solely on Hook Paper to suppress the ghost energy to sustain life, like a living dead.
The Mystic Sect orthodox doesnât need a reason to act.
No wonder the old man had such a hostile attitude.
This youth was the weakest among the living Yin messengers, and that agreement was the only guarantee for the grandfather and grandsonâs safety.
"Mind your own business!"
Upon hearing this, the old man instantly flew into a rage, gasping heavily, his voice trembling somewhat.
Li Yan remained silent, not saying anything more.
This old man, he likely practiced ghost techniques frequently inviting fierce ghosts to possess him for battles.
Itâs even possible heâs helping his grandson complete tasks.
After all, no expert would willingly protect this burden...
Pitiful?
Definitely pitiful!
But thereâs no solution...
After a long silence, the old man, gazing at the river surface, suddenly spoke when the boat neared the shore, "I was a part of the Yin Mountain Sect, just like you, relying on spells and acting reckless, and eventually got my comeuppance."
"My son practiced ghost techniques, greedily pursuing achievements, resulting in bearing a child with a weak soul, bound by ghost energy."
"The living Yin messengerâs organization is called âYellow Springsâ!"
"I bear you no malice, I just donât want this Fengdu to be disturbed. On this Yellow Springs path, I only wish to accompany my grandson for a few more years..."
"You can go now. Once you reach Jieyin Hall, someone will lead you into the mountain."
Li Yan nodded silently, and as the boat approached, he jumped ashore, turned around, and cupped his hands, "Rest assured, elder, regardless of tonightâs outcome, I will leave swiftly."
With that, he turned and ascended the mountain amidst the heavy rain and fog...
...
Outside Fengdu City, by the river dock.
It was already late at night, the dock was pitch black, and though a few boats had oil lamps lit inside, they couldnât illuminate far in this stormy night.
Crash!
The river water surged, hitting the dock.
Splash!
On the green stone steps, a pair of footprints suddenly appeared.
Then, the footprints appeared again, reaching outside Fengdu City.
Outside Fengdu City, there was a bronze sculpture, ancient and bizarre in appearance, resembling a huge ghost head.
Just as the footprints approached, a faint white smoke emerged from the mouth of the bronze ghost head, accompanied by the sound of chains.
The footprints quickly retreated, lingering uncertainly by the river.
On one of the small boats at the dock, the outside was pitch dark, but inside the cabin, an oil lamp was lit, dimly illuminating two people seated cross-legged at the table.