Traveler of the River of Time and Space

Everything during the day seemed normal.

Kyoto isn't very large, and Su Ziyu has almost explored it thoroughly in two days.

Today, he deliberately passed by Abe no Seimei's residence. Before even getting close, the clover emblem vibrated numerous times; nearby, he could sense a special barrier preventing any perception of the interior. Yin Yang Masters have the ability to command shikigami, most of which are demons and spirits. The clover emblem's activity was most noticeable here, and he even caught a glimpse of a fleeting little spirit that resembled a Zashiki Warashi.

Nightfall approached.

Su Ziyu changed into black clothing and re-entered the Ghost Capital.

"Lord Su!"

A samurai-like figure on night patrol appeared not far away. Seeing Su Ziyu, he quickly flew over and respectfully said, "Lord Judge requires you to guard the Vermilion Bird Dao tonight!"

"Understood." Su Ziyu nodded indifferently.

Of course, he wasn't really here to act as a Ghost Messenger; he had no leads yet, so he could only first inspect the Netherworld's situation before making plans.

The two most important structures of Vermilion Bird Dao are the Vermilion Bird Gate and Rashomon. This area is where demons and spirits are most active, yet for some reason, the Vermilion Bird Dao was somewhat quiet tonight. Su Ziyu had just arrived when he noticed the ghost lights here had decreased significantly compared to yesterday.

"Could they have known I'm coming and all hid away?" Su Ziyu frowned and looked around, then headed towards Rashomon.

The most crucial task for the Netherworld currently is to guard Rashomon and prevent other spirits from passing through it into the Mortal World.

"Run quickly!"

"The Ghost Emissaries are coming soon!"

A shadow swept over Vermilion Bird Dao accompanied by heavy footsteps and the sound of frantic galloping.

Su Ziyu only caught a glimpse of dust vanishing in the distant street corner; he had no idea what kind of spirit it was, but its speed was impressive, fleeing before he could approach.

"Meow!"

"You're here early!" The figure of a Nine-tailed cat descended from the sky, landing on a rooftop.

She glanced around, scratched her head, and said curiously, "Why are there so few spirits tonight?"

I don't know.

Maybe they were scared away by me.

Just as Su Ziyu was about to speak, he suddenly furrowed his brow and turned to look behind him.

The sound of slightly unsteady footsteps echoed.

Then, a humming song-like whisper followed.

When Su Ziyu turned his head, he saw that a drunkard had appeared behind him. He looked like a samurai, weapons at his waist, holding a bottle, visibly intoxicated as he staggered and swayed while walking, then leaned against a wall, bleary-eyed glancing around, saying, "Huh? Where is everyone? Why is no one here?"

This is a human.

More precisely, this is a human soul.

"Do people in Kyoto not light lamps at night? Why is everything so dimly dark?" The drunkard took a swig from his alcohol bottle, then struggled to stand up.

A minty scent wafted in.

The Nine-tailed cat stealthily landed beside Su Ziyu, whispered, "Why is there a living soul here?"

A living soul refers to the soul of a living person.

The soul of a deceased person is a ghost.

"No idea. He just suddenly appeared." Su Ziyu glanced around, noticing shadows stirring restlessly. These were nearly senseless spirits, for whom a living soul was extremely precious. If they consumed a living soul, they could potentially seize the human corpse—this was the simplest way to possess a body.

"Hey!"

"Is anyone there? Come drink with me! Is there not a single living person around?" The drunkard sat on the ground, dissatisfied, loud as he shouted.

He hadn't yet realized that his soul had detached.

This drunkard still thought he was in Kyoto, unaware he had already entered the Underworld.

"So strange!"

"I can't even see a ghost shadow!" The distant drunkard pushed open a door, not seeing anything at first, but then a lantern's light came into view, followed by a figure holding a lantern emerging from an alley.

It seemed to notice the drunkard, eyes showing a hint of joy, carefully approaching.

"Finally, a living person!"

"Do you know where nearby still sells alcohol?" The drunkard staggered over to ask.

In the next moment.

A terrified scream echoed, the drunkard fell to the ground, then turned and ran frantically. Behind him, a lantern floated mysteriously in mid-air, accompanied by a headless spectral figure.

His condition resembled Spiritual Vision: when he saw the ghost, the ghost could see him too.

The scream alarmed many ghosts, with shadows emerging from the darkness, driven by a desire for the living soul which surpassed their fear, attempting to devour this living soul.

"Ghosts... Ghosts!... There are ghosts!..." The drunkard seemed awakened by fear, scrambling frantically as he ran.

Time to deal with this.

Su Ziyu still didn't understand why a living person's soul had suddenly appeared in the Ghost Capital but drew the Meteor from his waist and faced the spectres emerging from the darkness. These were low-tier spirits; some fled upon seeing Su Ziyu, while the others that didn't escape were swiftly eliminated by him.