Chapter 253: Deaf Heaven, Mute Earth, Death of the Divine_3
"It's not that they don't want to live, but only one person can survive."
County Magistrate Lu's expression was still somewhat ethereal. It was unclear whether it was due to just returning to his senses or because the blow to his heart was too great to accept for the moment.
Listening to County Magistrate Lu's account, Xu Qing slowly unraveled his doubts.
Before County Magistrate Lu was victimized, the Yin fiend from the well had already invaded the bodies of the other County Magistrates. For them, reviving themselves was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
Once the County Magistrates realized they could not be resurrected, they placed all their hopes on the body of a new victim.
If they wanted to take revenge, they needed someone who could empathize with them to walk the Mortal World and expose Yang Mingchun's crimes.
However, new magistrates entering the well either had ranks too low to catch the eyes of the County Magistrates or had little lifespan left. Even if they managed to preserve their bodies, they wouldn't live long upon returning to life.
Only when County Magistrate Lu, who still had over a decade of life left, was thrown into the well did everyone finally yield.
A Scholar who ranked first, even with his body occupied by Yang Mingchun, still had more than a decade of lifespan left. Who wouldn't be impressed?
Thus, through the sieve of academic snobbery and layers of lifespan trials, County Magistrate Lu became the honored darling of many resentful ghosts.
He was cherished dearly; they feared he might dissolve if kept in their mouth, or shatter if held in their hands. All six County Magistrates treasured him immensely and exerted every effort daily to raise his body, devising ways to preserve it intact.
County Magistrate Lu did not disappoint them. With an abundance of scholarly energy, he astonishingly broke through the path leading from the well to the Ancient Yin River Dao, becoming a wandering soul traversing between the Yin and Yang Realms.
"The Ancient Yin River Dao is filled with evil spirits; how did you survive as a lone ghost?" Xu Qing found it increasingly incredible as he listened.
Even he dared not delve deep into the Ancient Yin River. The entrance from Qianzhou led to an even more unknown realm. Though County Magistrate Lu had scholarly energy to protect him, enduring ten years seemed nearly impossible.
"As Mr. Xu said, the Yin River is indeed a domain of ghosts, a nation of the dead. In less than half a day of drifting, I experienced several dangers, but thankfully, the two attendants, the Deaf and the Mute, guided me, allowing me to remain unharmed."
"The Deaf and the Mute?" Xu Qing felt the names were familiar, as if he'd heard them somewhere before.
"The Deaf and the Mute are the two attendants of the Wenchang Emperor. They say those who can know cannot speak, and those who can speak cannot know. The Deaf attendant can speak but cannot know, managing the destiny records of scholars. The Mute attendant can know but cannot speak, responsible for holding the Wenchang Seal."
"Wait a minute! How did the attendants of the Wenchang Emperor come to be within the Yin River realm?" Xu Qing faintly felt he had heard some remarkable news.
Sure enough, the next moment, County Magistrate Lu uttered astonishing words, saying, "In the past, the Wenchang Emperor was following the Celestial Emperor's decree to patrol the Heaven-Reaching Road but was ambushed and fell in battle in the Yin River."
"With the Heaven-Reaching Road severed, deceased deities could not return to the upper realms. The Celestial Emperor's list of deities also temporarily lost its efficacy, leaving the true spirits of the heavenly deities to either roam in the Netherworld, undergo reincarnation, or await the re-opening of the Heaven-Reaching Road."
"These are bits of information shared and signaled by the Deaf and the Mute, from which I gathered some news."
"And the reason my soul could survive in the Yin River was due to the protection of the two attendants holding the seal."
At this point, County Magistrate Lu worriedly continued, "A few days ago, there was a grand exorcism. The Serpent of Disaster of King Yuming pursued us. The two attendants had no time to look after themselves and could only flee separately."
"Fortunately, at the moment of crisis, Mr. Xu summoned me back to the Mortal World. The two attendants perceived this and did not obstruct, but rather aided me in opening the path from the Yin River, allowing me to return to the Mortal World."
Xu Qing, after hearing County Magistrate Lu's narration, was unable to calm his heart for a long time.
He had imagined the dangers of the Ancient Yin River Dao, but he never thought even deities could not safely retreat from the Yin River.
"What are County Magistrate Lu's plans for the future?"
"In my current condition, even if I have a home, I cannot return. What plans can I possibly have?"
Xu Qing smiled slightly and said, "I see that County Magistrate Lu has unique bones and extraordinary scholarly vigor. I happen to have a Cultivation Technique for cultivating scholarly energy. I wonder if County Magistrate Lu might be interested?"