Yama was catching ghosts throughout the village, while Master Zhou sat there, carefully examining those ghosts missing parts of their souls. With a hint of nostalgia, he muttered in an old voice, "Isn't that Old Li?... Old Li's Wife has died too? Everyone's dying so quickly... How did they end up with incomplete souls?"
The ominous wind was still howling fiercely around them, rustling the leaves on the trees.
The villagers were so frightened they hurriedly closed their doors and windows.
"Found... one," Yama squeezed out the words with difficulty, grabbing hold of a ghost. The ghost slowly materialized from its transparent state.
The ghost looked relatively young, only about 30 years old. He wore a blue cotton jacket with a hole in his head.
Master Zhou's mouth gaped open: "Isn't that... the former Village Secretary from our village?"
"Young Master!" Master Zhou hurriedly turned to speak to Jing Jiujiu.
But behind him was empty - where was Jing Jiujiu? Even Bai Yuhuai had disappeared.
Master Zhou trembled in fear, breaking out in a cold sweat: "Young Master? Mr. Bai?... Don't tell me my house can eat people? They come in one by one and all vanish?"
"We're here," Jing Jiujiu's voice came from behind the wall in the living room.
Master Zhou suddenly felt relieved, thinking to himself, why are you hiding over there? Are you actually afraid of ghosts?
"King Yama has found a ghost that can speak. Would you like to chat with him for a bit?"
As Master Zhou spoke, he started walking around the wall, his footsteps crunching on the dead leaves covering the ground.
Jing Jiujiu: "...Wait there." He hesitated for a moment: "Um... I'm checking this area to see if there's anything unusual."
Master Zhou obediently stopped in his tracks.
He could still hear the rustling sounds, even though he wasn't walking anymore. How strange.
Master Zhou shivered silently, not daring to go any further. He quickly turned back and stood next to Yama.
Even if they were all ghosts, Yama was the official big ghost - the King of Hell! In charge of all lesser ghosts in every direction!
Wouldn't that provide some sense of security?
Meanwhile, Jing Jiujiu was leaning against the wall. Since Bai Yuhuai had pressed him rather forcefully, it inevitably produced rustling sounds, like paper shaking.
Jing Jiujiu smacked his lips and asked quietly: "Can you tell?"
Bai Yuhuai's eyes were dark: "I can't tell."
Jing Jiujiu: "Looks like my plan was brilliant!"
Bai Yuhuai: "...Mm."
Jing Jiujiu pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth: "It just feels a bit strange..."
Bai Yuhuai said softly: "Let me wipe it."
Then he extended his thumb and pressed it against Jing Jiujiu's lips.
Jing Jiujiu opened his mouth slightly: "...Don't you need to reach inside to wipe?"
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Bai Yuhuai: "You're right."
Bai Yuhuai's finger entered his mouth, gently caressing, wiping, and stirring.
His gaze, fixed on Jing Jiujiu, took on a different color.
Jing Jiujiu suddenly became excited.
He felt as if his hair was standing on end with electricity.
Is it because I'm made of paper and friction is causing sparks?
Jing Jiujiu unconsciously reached out and hugged Bai Yuhuai's waist.
Bai Yuhuai: "It's clean now."
He slowly withdrew his hand, then kissed Jing Jiujiu's ear before softly saying, "All done."
Jing Jiujiu: "Is it really done?"
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm."
Jing Jiujiu made a heart shape with his hands, then casually strolled out on his own.
Bai Yuhuai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
How could it not be done?
If it wasn't finished, there'd be no way to end things today.
Meanwhile, Master Zhou finally heard footsteps and turned to look, breathing a huge sigh of relief.
As long as they were still here!
Jing Jiujiu showed no shyness or bashfulness like someone who had just been secretly kissing. He confidently squatted in front of the ghost and began conversing with him.
This ghost who had died young spoke very coherently and didn't use any dialect.
After chatting for about ten minutes, Jing Jiujiu stood up and gestured towards the house: "He says he always sees a mouth, bigger than the house, gaping over your roof like this..."
Jing Jiujiu paused for a moment, then asked a deeply philosophical question: "Doesn't it drool if its mouth is always open like that?"
Master Zhou first felt a chill run down his spine, but soon relaxed and even felt like laughing.
Master Zhou: "I never noticed. Is that mouth still there now?"
Jing Jiujiu shook his head: "It's gone. He said it disappeared about three years ago... If it was Chaos, then hearing this, it sounds a bit stupid."
Master Zhou: "Hm?"
Jing Jiujiu: "You've been away from home for who knows how long, and it stayed above your roof guarding for so long without catching anything... Isn't that stupid?"
Master Zhou: "..." Suddenly it didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
Bai Yuhuai calmly spoke up: "It's a bit stupid, but it may not have caught nothing."
Jing Jiujiu quickly realized: "Oh, you mean them?" He pointed at the ghosts that Yama had tied up earlier.
Those ghosts were still opening and closing their mouths, making "aba aba" sounds.
"Were their missing soul fragments sucked away by that mouth?" Jing Jiujiu asked.
Bai Yuhuai: "Probably." "With incomplete souls, they can't enter the cycle of reincarnation."
When Master Zhou heard this, he frowned.
At this moment, Yama finally lowered his tall head, crossed his legs, and sat down, kicking the other ghosts away in the process.
Yama slowly swept his gaze over them, perhaps with a hint of apology, but he quickly turned away and squeezed out awkward Mandarin from his throat: "Even with... complete souls... they can't... enter."
Jing Jiujiu: "Hm? Because the underworld is gone? So for all these years, have the dead been wandering in the mortal realm?"
"Management is troublesome... Some entered the netherworld. Some became ghost officials, some... fed the mouth."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuhuai's eyes flickered, and he stated with certainty: "That's right, it was swallowed by Chaos."
Master Zhou could hardly believe it.
After searching for so many years, everything became clear in an instant? Was it really Chaos?
Yama stiffly nodded and said: "Chaos... can devour heaven and earth... Its stomach capacity is so vast... beyond ordinary human... imagination."
Jing Jiujiu hugged his knees and tilted his head: "It's not that strange. According to mythology, heaven and earth were originally wrapped in Chaos. Naturally, Chaos would be immense..."
Master Zhou let out a long sigh: "Then we can leave now..."
"Wait a moment," Jing Jiujiu spoke up, "What about the files on your granddaughter and daughter-in-law?"
Master Zhou paused: "Right, Chaos only swallowed people, it didn't kill them..."
Bai Yuhuai reached out his hand and pulled Jing Jiujiu up from the ground: "Let's depart directly. I'll have someone send the files over."
Master Zhou: "Ah!"
They didn't linger in the village any longer, but as Master Zhou was leaving, he looked back and said: "Alright, when I follow the expert to catch that mouth, I'll return those missing soul fragments to you all..."
He didn't take anything with him except for a photograph, then got into the car with the others.
According to the letter from the Cloud Return Sect, the place that would swallow people was in another large province, locally known as Lu City.
Lu City was rich in mountains and waters. They rode in a small car, weaving through the forests, while holding the files of the Zhou family's mother and daughter in their other hand. The files contained photos of the scene taken from various angles.
"Don't look," Bai Yuhuai covered Jing Jiujiu's eyes.
Jing Jiujiu obediently stopped looking.
...Perhaps it was truly horrifying, which was why Bai Yuhuai wouldn't let him see.
In fact, the scene wasn't gory or bloody, but after seeing it, people would feel an indescribable chill down their spines, an eerie sensation.
Moreover, shattering beautiful things is something that people find emotionally unacceptable...
Even though Master Zhou had seen it countless times in his dreams, the image was practically etched into his brain. Even now, he couldn't help but shed a few tears.
"It's indeed unrelated to Chaos," Bai Yuhuai said, pausing for a moment. "It's more like an evil god."
"Hm?" Jing Jiujiu grabbed his hand. "How is it an evil god now?"
"There are two red dots on the little girl's neck," Bai Yuhuai said.
Master Zhou hurriedly leaned in to look: "Yes, but they're not very noticeable. Her clothes cover most of it."
Jing Jiujiu suddenly remembered: "Were there handprints left on their bodies?"
Bai Yuhuai: "Yes. After death, the handprints naturally dissipate. Their manner of death also matches those cursed by evil gods - contorted bodies, and in severe cases, even completely shattered bones..."
Bai Yuhuai took out another photo: "Look here..."
On the bulky television, there was a small circular mark. Inside the circle was clean, while outside it was covered with a thin layer of dust. It was obvious that something had been placed there before.
Master Zhou also understood, his face contorted with rage: "My son only thought about making money, he must have brought something back from someone else and enshrined it. As a result, he got off easy, swallowed whole by the Chaos. But his wife and daughter? They died so horribly!"
Jing Jiujiu asked in a low voice: "So are we still going to look for him?"
Master Zhou: "Of course." He gritted his teeth: "When I find him, I'll chop his head off myself!"
Jing Jiujiu fell silent.
How many people had the evil god harmed?
And Taoist Qu Yi had made so many... for what purpose? Just to experiment and then turn himself into a god?
Jing Jiujiu suddenly remembered one of the system tasks given by the little robot—
Find the lost divine address.
Jing Jiujiu removed Bai Yuhuai's hand.
Bai Yuhuai had already put away the files by this time, so he allowed the action.
"Bai Yuhuai." He called him by name.
Bai Yuhuai met his gaze and said softly: "Yes, Qu Yi's ancestors wanted to create gods. Countless gods. To restore the glory of the past. And for someone from their family to become the supreme god..."
Jing Jiujiu nodded, continuing where Bai Yuhuai left off: "Now, not many people believe in gods or worship Buddha anymore. And after a god statue is made, it needs worshippers, otherwise it's just a statue. So, they sent the god statues out. Who would believe in gods? Beggars, gamblers... those struggling at the fringes of society, unable to find a way out. As long as they could grasp their psychology, these people would surely enshrine the god statues."
"Such a vicious act..." Master Zhou gnashed his teeth in hatred. If not for this, even if his son had died from being beaten by debt collectors, at least his daughter-in-law and granddaughter would still be alive.
"If I had known, I should have stabbed him a few times that day!"
"Fortunately, we took away all the god statues that day..." Jing Jiujiu said, furrowing his brow, "But how do we find the god statues that have already spread among the people? They might be harming people right now."
He thought of himself and then of others.
His life had been so difficult.
Might others be suffering even worse?
Bai Yuhuai: "Chaos... Why did Chaos chase the Zhou family?"
"Because it also likes the evil god's offerings?" Jing Jiujiu's eyes lit up.
Bai Yuhuai: "Mm."
That made things much simpler.
By catching that Chaos, they could follow the scent of the evil god.
Jing Jiujiu suddenly felt much more at ease.
Could he also find that divine address along the way? After completing the task, would he be able to see his father?
Bai Yuhuai suddenly took out his phone: "Jiujiu."
"Hm?" Jing Jiujiu turned his face slightly.
Bai Yuhuai quickly snapped a photo, then pressed his finger against the back of the phone, asking uncertainly in a low voice: "Can I post it?"
It was rare for Bai Yuhuai to be like this.
But he knew clearly, how could Jing Jiujiu not be good enough for him, as some online comments suggested? More often, he wondered if he was worthy of such a perfect little prince.
Jing Jiujiu was stunned for a second, but quickly reacted.
"You want to post it on Moments, right?"
He knew all about this!
Some girls, after falling in love, always want to announce their relationship status on certain social media platforms, and incidentally stake their claim.
This also avoids trouble from people who aren't so bright.
Bai Yuhuai: "Not Moments." "Weibo."
Master Zhou drew in a sharp breath when he heard this.
With Bai Yuhuai's national popularity and fan base, posting on Moments would only be telling friends, but posting on Weibo was basically announcing it to the world.
Jing Jiujiu didn't know the difference and casually nodded: "Okay, no problem."
Bai Yuhuai's lips curled slightly upwards, and he logged into his long-neglected Weibo account that had almost grown moss.
He didn't write any text, just posted the photo.
A speeding car, with blurred green trees passing by outside the window.
But more eye-catching than the background was the profile of the young man close to the lens.
The profile was slightly blurred due to the quick capture, but beneath that blur, the delicacy and beauty of his features stood out even more clearly.
There was a kind of beauty in the silent stillness.
Bai Yuhuai caressed the photo with his fingers for a long time before closing his phone.
At this moment, netizens had just finished digesting the Weibo posts from Ding and Yin a few days ago, when they suddenly saw the main character himself speaking out.
[Damn! Is this an official announcement?]
[Jing Jiujiu is really good-looking, yum yum]
[? Don't get any ideas, ls. Bai ge will chop you up]
[Is this during a trip? Are they on their honeymoon?!!! excited.jpg]
Bai Yuhuai had personally posted on Weibo, and he always kept his fans in check. While there were inevitably a few crazy fans, most were rational.
So for a moment, his Weibo comments were almost all congratulatory messages.
There were even some crying out: [Bai ge is finally off the market, I thought he was going to be alone forever]
[Get married soon, we've brought the civil affairs bureau to you]
[Happy honeymoon!]
"We're here," said the driver.
Bai Yuhuai held Jing Jiujiu's hand as they got out of the car, unlocking his phone with one hand and briefly scanning the Weibo comments.
Bai Yuhuai had heard countless praises and compliments.
There were even wishes like "may you be as happy as today year after year" and "may you walk on flower-strewn paths and win big awards every day" and such. He had become almost numb to them.
But now, scanning through the congratulatory comments, Bai Yuhuai finally understood why so many people in relationships want to post on Weibo, or at least on Moments... It turns out that seeing so many blessings really does bring joy from the bottom of one's heart.
It was as if after hearing these words, he and Jing Jiujiu could really be together forever...
Bai Yuhuai casually picked a comment with the longest paragraph and the most pleasing words, and replied with four characters: "Thank you, we will."
The comment section exploded.
Because everyone knew that Bai Yuhuai rarely posted on Weibo, let alone reply to any comments.
[Wow, Bai ge, I can flatter you even better! Wait, I'll give you a speech right away... Wishing you two an early and enjoyable doi, sweet and lovely in thirty-nine positions...]
[? Sister, you're not right]
Bai Yuhuai also saw this comment. His eyes flickered, and not only did he screenshot and save it, he actually replied with one word: "Good."
The comment section was filled with question marks.
[? This is okay too? When it comes to being lsp, no one can beat me! Bai ge, want some clips?]
In no time, the comment section was filled with all kinds of quirky blessings and considerate inquiries.
Jing Jiujiu asked curiously: "Did you post it?"
Bai Yuhuai: "I did."
Meanwhile, the driver returned to the car, helped unload the luggage, then quickly stepped on the gas and drove away.
"Don't stay here too long! Call me when you're leaving, I'll come pick you up!" the driver shouted.
He couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He knew Bai Yuhuai was a big star, incredibly rich, but why on earth would he bring his boyfriend here for a honeymoon?
Jing Jiujiu responded without looking back: "Mm!"
Then he moved closer and asked softly: "What did they say?"
Bai Yuhuai didn't let him see those improper comments, and said in a low voice: "They said we're a perfect match."
Jing Jiujiu licked his lips, looked up at Bai Yuhuai, and said: "I want to kiss you."
Bai Yuhuai's heart fluttered.
How could he be so cute?
Not hiding his emotions at all.
Bai Yuhuai put his hand on his waist as a form of comfort. He looked up towards the distance and said softly: "We can't now..."
"Hm?" Jing Jiujiu turned his head to look in the same direction.
They saw that the clear sky over the forest was suddenly covered by a layer of gray mist, which was gradually spreading and approaching them...
Jing Jiujiu let out a soft "Ah": "Is this what Lin Zhi's true form looks like? It looks like smog."
Master Zhou exclaimed in surprise: "Is this Chaos? Why did they suddenly appear?"
Jing Jiujiu pointed at himself: "Probably because of me, I still have the scent of the evil god's offerings on me."
Master Zhou immediately became nervous: "Don't worry, if it tries to eat you, I'll block it first!"
Jing Jiujiu didn't say that Chaos could pass through him.
He just responded softly: "Mm."
Master Zhou stood there, no longer feeling afraid.
He stood ramrod straight, as if transforming all the resentment and regret from being unable to protect his daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and failing to keep his son, into an imposing presence at this moment.
He finally no longer looked like a vulgar old trickster.
Seeing this, Bai Yuhuai said nothing. He reached out to grab Jing Jiujiu's waist, pulling him back slightly, and then half-embraced him.
To consume Jing Jiujiu, one would have to swallow him whole.
Jing Jiujiu wasn't afraid. He spoke softly to Bai Yuhuai: "You used to say that chaos is like a blank piece of paper. Whatever you paint on it, that's what it becomes... Tell me, is this chaos that's come now good chaos or bad chaos?"
As soon as Jing Jiujiu finished speaking,
That large patch of mist suddenly dove down, enveloping them.
In the blink of an eye, everything around them turned pitch black.
Their bodies felt light, as if they were flying through the air.
Chaos had swallowed them.
And clearly, this chaos was much smarter than Lin Zhi.
"Young master?" Master Zhou's voice sounded muffled.
Jing Jiujiu: "Mm." He gripped Bai Yuhuai's hand tightly, not feeling scared at all.
Jing Jiujiu asked: "Is the bag with you?"
Master Zhou: "It is."
Jing Jiujiu: "Then you don't need to be afraid anymore."
Master Zhou: "Ah!" His tone indeed became much more relaxed.
After all, King Yama was in his arms! If he died, who would collect him? So he definitely couldn't die!
Of course, chaos had no stomach, let alone gastric juices.
It couldn't digest them directly, only wrapped around them as they flew for who knows how long, until finally stopping.
Jing Jiujiu, clutching Bai Yuhuai's sleeve, rolled together with him.
Master Zhou nervously said: "It spit us out... Holy crap!" Master Zhou's body suddenly stiffened.
Jing Jiujiu opened his eyes to see a vast expanse of forest shrouded in dense gray mist, stretching as far as the eye could see.
If this were merely psychologically oppressive...
Looking around, countless figures were staring fixedly at them.
Some of these beings had faces, others did not.
Those with faces had black, rigid eyeballs. When they looked at them, their eyes revealed obvious malicious greed.
Jing Jiujiu said softly: "Looks like it's all bad chaos."
Looking ahead,
A pitch-black cave sat there, like a bloody maw... no, wait, it actually seemed to be a mouth.
The chaos that had transported them here swooped down again, snatching them up and feeding them into that giant mouth.
Master Zhou exclaimed in bewilderment: "What? Does even chaos have a division of labor? That one's just responsible for catching us to feed this mouth?"
Inside this mouth, half was pitch black, half was covered in a sea of blood-red, with a dilapidated palace in the middle.
All around, there were many beings, some with faces and some without, staring fixedly at them.
And further away, floating and shrieking in their throats, were... countless densely packed, crowded ghosts.
Jing Jiujiu took one look and became furious: "They stole a historical site and put it in their mouth?!"
Hearing this, Master Zhou no longer paid attention to the ghosts.
He quickly focused his gaze and exclaimed: "Indeed, isn't that the ruins of the Qishan Palace? ...They're not even charging admission, won't these ghosts and chaos trample it to pieces?"
At this moment, several chaos beings came forward, about to drag them away.
"Offer them up, offer up the tribute," the chaos beings chanted.
Their voices had no tonal inflection, sounding cold and mechanical, like ghostly speech.
Bai Yuhuai slightly raised his eyebrows, grabbing one of the approaching chaos beings. Before Jing Jiujiu and Master Zhou could react...
...That chaos being was torn to shreds by him.
The other chaos beings were startled, all revealing fierce expressions.
Bai Yuhuai coldly glared back at them.
Jing Jiujiu saw this. How dare they be fierce towards Bai Yuhuai?
Jing Jiujiu immediately bared his teeth too, showing his little fangs, his yin energy surging, looking quite fierce!
The chaos beings revealed even greedier expressions, but their actions showed much more fear.
Bai Yuhuai particularly despised their appearance.
He hadn't expected there to be so many shape-shifting chaos beings...
And these chaos beings had interrupted Jiujiu kissing him.
Since they served no other purpose anyway, might as well tear them all apart.
As soon as Bai Yuhuai had this thought,
"Kill them!"
"Please, King, kill them!"
"Tear apart their flesh and bones, extract their souls, and raise them on the banks of the River of Oblivion!" Apparently these chaos beings could speak after all. Their voices were cold and full of murderous intent, and as they shouted, they slowly approached Jing Jiujiu.
Hearing this, Master Zhou not only felt his scalp tingle, but his tongue went numb: "These things... how can they be so vicious?"
As Master Zhou finished speaking, a wisp of mist flew out from the palace.
That round ball of mist plopped down in front of Jing Jiujiu.
Seeing this, the chaos beings bowed and kowtowed, trembling in fear: "King!"
It's the 21st century, and they're still playing at feudal monarchy!
Jing Jiujiu wrinkled his nose.
Then that wisp of mist stood up, took human form, and immediately burped: "Wuwuwu Jiujiu, save me quickly, they insist on fattening me up, don't you think they have issues? Don't you think they just can't stand that I'm better looking than them?"
Jing Jiujiu: "Ah." "Lin Zhi?"
Lin Zhi: "Wuwuwu I'm so touched, Jiujiu you came specially to save me, didn't you?"