Chapter Five: A New Journey

  "Xi Meng, I've decided to take you for training. Originally, this was supposed to happen later, but your talent is not bad, so I've decided to bring you ahead of schedule." The prisoner stood in front of the window, with sunlight shining on him like crystal sparkling. I stared blankly at him, lost.

  "Ouch." Pain, Qiu knocked my head very hard.

  "What's on your mind? You're so focused. Didn't you hear what I said?"

  "Hehe, I wasn't thinking of anything. En, heard it, where are we going?"

  "Go to hell."

  "Oh, okay." I replied hastily, afraid that the prisoner would discover that I had been staring at him just now. "Wait, where did you say we're going?" Had I just misheard?

  "The underworld." The prisoner's voice was faint. But I seemed to be petrified, all the blood in my body congealed, and a chill pierced me deeply.

  "You're kidding, right? You know I'm timid and you still scare me, geez."

  "Xi Meng, I'm not joking." Prisoner frowned helplessly "I've thought about this for a long time, going there you will grow up faster."

  "Why? What's going on here? I mean, my life is going to be disrupted."

  "It's okay, the two spaces don't conflict with each other. After you finish your practice and come back, you can continue living here. Don't worry."

  "But, prisoner"

  "But no, Xi Meng, you have to listen to me." I didn't give up and still wanted to make excuses, but it seemed like he had made up his mind that this was what he was going to do.

  "Xi Meng, believe me, your time is limited. If you don't become stronger, she will eventually make a move on you."

  "Is she the Ghost King? You know her."

  "Alright then, don't ask anymore. Let's leave tonight, the path of cultivation isn't easy. You need to be mentally prepared."

  I didn't say anything else, with many doubts, but I knew he wouldn't tell me. What exactly happened in his past? What was the relationship between him and her, and why did he let me go? At this moment, I was a bit confused, and he seemed very far away from me. How could I enter his world?

  Night falls, and tonight's moon is so dazzling that it almost makes one neglect the stars beside it. Just like him by my side, I am so ordinary and dim. He will forever be a dazzling presence.

  "Xi Meng, it's time to go." The prisoner came over to me.

  "Prisoner, what is the underworld like? Is it frightening?"

  "It's nothing, you'll get used to it. The place and this space are opposite, just like the people here."

  "Will I adapt? Will ghosts eat me?" I asked immediately.

  "This is why I gave you the Pure Sound. The Pure Sound is the purest thing in the world, it can help you purify the darkness there. As for those ghosts, don't worry, she said that as long as you give them time, they won't harm you."

  "What's her name? Can you tell me about her?" I was really curious about this person who lived in a prison-like world.

  He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, closed his eyes, and fell into memories. In the fleeting moment of blooming flowers, he met a beautiful and simple woman who said her name was Su Yimiao. A rare expression appeared on his face. Perhaps it was that one glance that sealed their fate for several lifetimes.

  I gazed at the prisoner in my memories with a thoughtful expression, his lonely face has always been painful to look at, and now looking at me makes my heart ache even more, I guess it's that same feeling, lonely yet wanting to grasp onto warmth.

  "She's called Xi Mu." It was like a murmur, faint, but what I heard was so piercing.

  What's wrong? My heart involuntarily skipped a beat. She was talking about your knot.

  Looking at the prisoner in front of me, I lowered my head. Do you know? When mentioning that girl named Siyi Mo, you were so gentle. And now, the melancholy is also because of her, right? Whenever you mention her, you can't help but smile warmly, she really means a lot to you.

  At this moment, I remembered a name deep in my heart, Siyi Mo. Who knew that this memory would last a lifetime and cost so much. Of course, that's another story.

  Chapter 6: The Underworld

  This place doesn't seem as terrifying as I thought, after all, in my previous world, those underworlds and hells were just fantasies. This is just another space where species different from humans live, which we call ghosts, demons, and monsters. They also have living conditions and environments, for example, there seems to be no sun, moon, or stars here, no day and night, it's always like the twilight of the human world, with light but not enough. There are also no seasonal changes, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning are rare, once they appear, it means a strong explosion of power or the arrival of heavenly punishment. The most powerful force in this place is one group of ghosts, who can be said to be the rulers of the underworld, but there are also powerful families in the demon world, although their numbers are far less than those of the ghost tribe. This world gives me a feeling of deathly silence, without any breath of life. Such an environment would make me feel some fear now, but I won't resist this place like before.

  "The leader of the demon tribe is called the Demon Lord, but no one has ever seen his face and doesn't know where he resides. He must have lived for over a million years by now. The leader of the ghost tribe becomes the Ghost King, playing a dominant role in the underworld. The leader of the demon tribe is the Demon Emperor, but you won't encounter demons during your training here. Remember what I said earlier? Demons, ghosts, and monsters are all unified under the underworld. Growth here relies solely on one's own cultivation. If you become stronger, you can eat those weaker than yourself to increase your magical powers. Your level here is not considered strong, so if you encounter someone stronger, run away. Although this is her territory, no one can guarantee the loyalty of every ghost, just like human ambition. Moreover, for ghosts, you are a spirit medicine that can quickly enhance their powers. If a strong ghost takes a liking to you, it will be troublesome."

  "It's okay, with you here, who dares to mess with me?" I've always trusted Chui, besides, his strength is probably something that not many can surpass.

  "Xi Meng, I have to tell you. You can't grow just by relying on me, so this cultivation is not only for you, but also a must for any Dream Soul Master. And they all require me to disappear during this period of time, but I will always pay attention to your situation, just can't appear. When your strength reaches the requirement, it's when I'll take you away from here." Chou's tone was very serious, his hands were placed on my shoulders, and his eyes stared at me.

  "My god, you mean to leave me alone in a world full of ghosts and I'll be in danger of being eaten at any moment? No way, I want to go back! Qiu, you can't do this!" I'm really getting anxious now. Originally, I wasn't very brave to begin with, but since he brought me to the underworld, at least there was Qiu who could protect me. But now that he's gone and can't appear, leaving me to fend for myself among all these monsters... isn't this a joke?!

  "Ximeng, you're not an ordinary person, you have a mission on your shoulders. It's not just you, every Dreamweaver has gone through this, you don't have a choice, because if you give up, it means the living beings of the human world will be devoured, do you understand how important this is? Think about that little dog, think about your friends and family around you, do you want them to be slowly devoured?"

  Indeed, if I'm captured, I have no way to refute it, I'll just stay calm. As long as I survive, that means I have one more ability to protect the human world. At worst, I'll be eaten, but which side is more severe, I can still tell.

  The prisoner looked at me calmly and said, "Xi Meng, it's not as scary as you think. I brought you here because I have confidence in you. Have you forgotten that my duty is to protect you? Don't worry, first I'll take you to a ghost who is also a strong one among the ghosts. With his suppression, you will be safer."

  "Then he won't eat me? Is that credible?" Hearing the prisoner's words I started to feel at ease, but I didn't understand that ghost.

  "Humans have emotions, and even gods do too. Of course, ghosts do as well. They'll keep their promises. Although going to the human realm is the fastest way to increase one's powers, not all ghosts do so. After all, there are rules that constrain them. Just like how your Dreamwalkers and Onmyojis are no different from humans, but for ghosts wandering outside of the human realm, they're terrifying existences. So, the ghosts here aren't afraid of you, and you don't need to be afraid of them either. Understand?"

  "Alright, I'll bravely cultivate here."

  "Alright, Xi Meng, we're here. I'll take you in." The carriage came to a stop.