A Pawn’s Passage

Master Yin was a Yin Being, and so was the little girl. As such, their true forms were likely grotesque.

Qi Xuansu had already seen the unmasked appearances of Master Wan and Madam Bai. The former was assembled from a pile of corpses, while the latter looked like a human skeleton half draped in human skin. Although Master Yin appeared like a reclusive Immortal, Madam Bai had once said that his true face was no less terrifying than Master Wan's.

So Qi Xuansu was mentally prepared for the little girl's true form and was not too surprised. After prolonged contact with the Yin Beings, he had grown accustomed to strange things, so much so that he could calmly pat her on the back.

Miss Yin retched for a while but did not actually vomit out much. Her corrosive power was simply too fearsome. Ordinary flesh did not stand a chance against the corpse qi and dissolved the instant it entered her mouth. In the end, she only spat out some scrap metal, likely some kind of spiritual object that was now riddled with holes and unrecognizable.

As the girl finished vomiting, she gradually returned to her adorable appearance.

Qi Xuansu withdrew his hand and said, "Thanks for your help this time."

The little girl was not shy in the least. Still leaning on her knees, she asked, "So how are you going to thank me?"

Qi Xuansu was slightly taken aback, then replied, "How about I give you Bu Yue?"

The little girl tilted her head and thought for a moment before nodding. "Okay!"

After becoming a Heavenly Being, Qi Xuansu no longer needed to ride horses. Bu Yue had lost its purpose to him, and since the horse had long been boarded at the little girl's home, this gift would be a favor done with little effort.

The little girl wiped her mouth, stood upright, looked around, and asked, "Is this the Fenglin that Aunt Bai talked about?"

Qi Xuansu chuckled. "You've got the seniority all mixed up. How is it that Master Yin and Master Wan are your grandpas, but Madam Bai suddenly becomes your aunt? She's not the type to care about age like mundane women, is she?"

He had a point. Women typically fear aging because beauty fades and youth slips away. But for those who stayed forever youthful, like Madam Qi, they would never hesitate to claim seniority. If Madam Bai really cared about her appearance, she would not be wearing only half a human face. She would have donned an entire human facade.

But the girl replied, "The seniority is correct! Aunt Bai is the third-generation Mystical Lord of White Bones. The first-generation Mystical Lord of White Bones died during the three sect's siege on the Gezao Sect, and the second generation fell to the Holy Xuan, who forged her into a sword. Grandpa Wan and Grandpa Yin are the second-generation Mighty Lord of Ten Thousand Corpses and Nine-Yin Lord of the Netherworld. Their predecessors also died during that siege, but they weren't slain by the Holy Xuan. So Aunt Bai is indeed a generation below them. They just don't fuss about seniority among themselves."

Only now did Qi Xuansu realize that the Three Yin beings had such a past. Including the little girl, they actually formed three generations.

Qi Xuansu asked again, "What about you? What kind of 'Lord' are you?"

The little girl waved her hand and chuckled. "I'm not any kind of 'Lord.'"

Qi Xuansu grew even more curious and pressed further, "By the way, we've known each other for so long, and I still don't know your name."

The little girl rolled her eyes at him. "I thought you'd never ask. I follow Grandpa's last name. My full name is Yin Wanmiao."

Qi Xuansu laughed. "Yin for Master Yin, Wan for Master Wan... Logically, you should be called Yin Wanbai, no?"

The girl rolled her eyes at him again. "That sounds awful. Wanmiao is perfectly fine. You can call me Miaomiao. That's what Grandpa always calls me."

Qi Xuansu asked, "Master Wan calls you 'Little One.' What does Madam Bai call you?"

Yin Wanmiao answered, "Little Yin...and Old Yin for Grandpa."

Qi Xuansu replied, "Miaomiao makes me seem like a senior. I'm not bold enough to presume such respect at my age. But you're also so small, so it's hard to think of you as an adult. I'll just call you 'Little Yin' then."

"Suit yourself!" Yin Wanmiao said, not minding in the slightest.

Then the two of them stood there staring at each other in silence for a moment.

Eventually, Qi Xuansu could not hold it in anymore and pointed to the Yin-Yang Gate. "Why aren't you going back?"

Little Yin shook her head. "It's fun here! Though it's far inferior to Ghost Kingdom, it's not much worse than the Ghost Pass. I want to play for a few days before going back!"

To be fair, the current Ise Province was indeed overflowing with yin energy. Otherwise, Qi Xuansu would not be able to open a portal to the Ghost Kingdom so easily.

As for why ordinary Yin-Yang Gates had distance limits while Qi Xuansu's could span across the sea to connect with the Ghost Kingdom was not due to the depth of his cultivation. However, Qi Xuansu merely served as a coordinate and key of the Ghost Kingdom. The power to open the portal came from Ghost Kingdom itself.

In ancient times, the yin energy in the Ghost Kingdom was so potent that it could erode the living world. At its peak, it even corroded a crack in the mortal realm, linking it with the netherworld.

In other words, the Ghost Kingdom already possessed a vast, pre-existing yin-yang rift that was stable and permanent. Any further openings were merely extensions of that seam, like folding a paper already creased. That was why Qi Xuansu could bypass distance entirely to access the Ghost Kingdom, something no other cave realms could replicate.

Of course, each major cave realm had its own unique wonders. For example, the Demon-Vanquishing Cave could extract the innate qi, magical power, and blood qi from imprisoned individuals. This kept the prisoners in a perpetual state of weakness while using their own power to summon thunderbolts for punishment at any time. Meanwhile, the Kunlun Paradise was said to be closest to the boundless heavens. It was a place where ascension, tribulation crossing, or entry into divine kingdoms was more easily achieved.

Qi Xuansu asked, "Does Master Yin know about this? Does he approve?"

"Of course, he knows," Little Yin said as she patted her chest. "Don't worry. Even if I die, I can come back to life on the Emperor Willow in the Ghost Kingdom. So if there's any danger, you can run off without needing to worry about me."

Qi Xuansu was slightly startled. Could this little girl actually be a spirit formed from the Emperor Willow? If the Emperor Willow was indestructible, then so was she. It was no wonder she was so fearless.

Given that, Qi Xuansu had no reason not to bring the girl along. Still, he reminded her, "I'm currently disguised as an Onmyoji from Fenglin, similar to a Diviner. Onmyoji have a technique called shikigami, which is essentially a variation of ghost-commanding methods. You can pretend to be my shikigami to mislead others."

Little Yin readily agreed.

The two set off together, quickly fleeing the scene of the incident.

Upon leaving the dense forest, Hisai Castle was not far ahead. However, that was a major target of the Daoist Crane Crafts, and Qi Xuansu had no interest in testing how deadly Daoist firearms could be. So he decided to bypass the castle and head straight for Anno District.

After walking for a short while, Qi Xuansu noticed something. Ghosts also abided by strict hierarchies. Wherever the little girl went, other ghosts scattered.

As the fourth Yin Being, Little Yin's rank was extremely high. Ghosts would back away the moment they sensed her presence.

That saved Qi Xuansu a lot of trouble. Though he was not afraid of these ghosts, they were just as annoying as flies. Little Yin was like an insect repellent—very useful.

Elsewhere, Maeda Masao and Metropolitan White noticed that the ninja they had sent out had not returned. Sensing something was wrong, they followed the trail marks left by the ninja and arrived at the scene, only to find the ground littered with torn limbs and mangled bodies.

Maeda Masao's expression darkened.

Each loss of a ninja was a financial blow to their master.

Within the Sonno-joi faction, the royal family, the Tenmon Sect, the Buddhist Sect, and the daimyos had more resources compared to the Jodo branch. The Jodo faction was composed primarily of ronin backed by regional powers, but in these hard times, even the landlords had no surplus. Their limited support had forced the Jodo faction to collaborate with the wealthy and extravagant Holy Court.

As a leader of the Jodo faction, Maeda Masao naturally could not afford to be as extravagant as the Chancellor's Office. He had to scrimp and save just to barely get by.

Metropolitan White remained calm. He squatted down and carefully examined the corpses.

Maeda Masao steadied his emotions and asked, "Metropolitan White, what do you make of this?"

"They didn't die from any Eastern magic, nor is there any trace of divine power. What I sensed from these corpses is a strong and pure aura of death," Metropolitan White replied, standing up and pulling out a handkerchief to wipe off some stains.

As he spoke, he walked over to where Little Yin had vomited. "It's obvious. A powerful creature of death attacked your ninja unit. Your men tried to flee, but it was futile. Most of them were bitten clean in half, which indicates immense bite force. The bodies also show signs of corrosion. Was it venom? Or corpse miasma? The creature even spat out some metallic objects that were severely corroded. Likely, it swallowed one of your ninjas and regurgitated what couldn't be digested. To swallow a grown man whole suggests its massive size. Could it be a Cerberus?"

Maeda Masao asked, "What about that Onmyoji?"

"He might have gotten away or been eaten along with the others." Metropolitan White shrugged.

Maeda Masao frowned. "I had people scout the area beforehand. There was nothing unusual. How could such a powerful monster suddenly appear?"

Metropolitan White mused, "There's another possibility that the powerful creature was actually the Onmyoji's shikigami, and he ordered the shikigami to kill your ninjas."

"Shikigami?" Maeda Masao narrowed his eyes. "Only the Tsuchimikado Onmyoji possess such powerful shikigami. Is the Tsuchimikado School making a comeback?"