Chapter 441: Lu Ying Encounters Tubo in the Ghost Market

Since the battle of Yuanqing three years ago, Lu Ying had not been seen; it was said he did not even return to the Taishang Sect.

At that time, Lieyang Zhenren had ascended, and even his remains were not found. Everyone was immersed in grief, and after searching for Lu Ying to no avail, they assumed he had also perished in that catastrophe, so they erected a cenotaph and let the matter rest.

Yet, Lu Ying had come to the Demon Realm all by himself.

Originally, he had been stuffed into a sack by a member of the Demon Race who intended to bring him back to the Demon Realm to feast upon, but unexpectedly, after arriving in the Demon Realm, that demon was delayed by Lingxiang's conferment ceremony, which, in one way or another, gave Lu Ying a chance to escape.

This could be considered being saved by Lingxiang once again.

After Lu Ying escaped the Demon City, he was affected by the Nether Qi, and in a daze, he stumbled his way to the Ruoshui Ferry, where he happened to bump into Baigao, who was poling a boat, and thus he was saved.

At that time, the Jiemen had been destroyed, and Lu Ying had nowhere to go, so he followed Baigao's advice and hid himself in the Ghost Market.

Why else would they say that when luck comes, you can't stop it?

Not long after arriving at the Ghost Market, he met a disheveled old man; that person was Tubo.

It is rumored that Tubo was originally an attendant of Lady Houtu. After Lady Houtu transformed her body into the Six Paths, Tubo managed the Underworld for a thousand years. After the Divine Court was stabilized, the Underworld capital was placed under the administration of the Great Emperor Ziwei.

Later, during the Conferment of the Gods War, the Immortal Dao descended to honor the Divine Venerables, and the Great Emperor Ziwei went to the mortal world to undergo tribulations, so the Underworld was handed over to Fengdu Dadi, thereby establishing the current Underworld administration.

Therefore, Tubo is one of the few ancient gods remaining, and the one who truly governs the Ghost Market is not the rumored dragon ghosts or heavenly dragons, but this Tubo.

When the Divine Court offered amnesty back then, Tubo, constrained by the fixed numbers of the Heavenly Dao, handed over the Underworld, but he was unwilling to associate with the God Race and could not let go of the Underworld that Lady Houtu had sacrificed herself for; thus, he established this Ghost Market outside the banks of the Weak Water to supervise every move of Fengdu.

If the Underworld path were unjust, he would rebel at any moment.

Now, Lu Ying had entered the Ghost Market according to Baigao's words, but he did not know where to go. He had not taken two steps before he was stopped by Tubo, who insisted on casting a divination for him.

Facing the old man, Lu Ying found it difficult to lose face, and seeing that he could not decline, he let him be.

In any case, he had nowhere to go, so what harm was there in having a divination cast?

Unexpectedly, the unremarkable-looking old man was actually quite accurate. Regardless of his origin, his master's sect, or his years of cultivation, Lu Ying did not say a word, yet he was accurately assessed in every detail.

This shocked Lu Ying; even his master, Lieyang Zhenren, could be said to have achieved much in the art of divination, yet he could not calculate so precisely.

Lu Ying was just beginning to believe it, but after hearing Tubo say that he was the reincarnation of the Heavenly Wisdom Star and insisting on taking him as a disciple, he became cautious again.

Did this routine not feel a bit like those swindling fake Daoists in the mortal world?

What virtue or ability did he, Lu Ying, have to be a reincarnation of a star in the heavens? If he were truly a celestial star, would he have been stuffed into a sack by someone and ended up in this situation with nowhere to go?

Hah! Words of divination should not be completely believed, nor completely ignored; he would just take it as entertainment.

However, this bit of doubt was completely dispelled when Tubo said he could provide a place to stay.

Tsk...

A hero finds it hard to survive on three taels of gold; a real man knows when to bend and when to stretch.

A beheading is no more than a bowl-sized scar; for the sake of a tiny place to live, it was nothing more than being tricked, and he wouldn't lose a piece of flesh, so what was there to fear...

Since he was here, he would settle in!

Lu Ying naturally comforted himself and accepted the current reality with peace of mind.

Tubo's small cottage was not very large, but it had everything one needed.

After all, it was the Youming Land; it was good enough to have a place to live, so he was in no position to be picky.

However, there was a small courtyard in the cottage; although there were no rockeries or flowing water, the stone paths and flowers and plants were all there, which had a unique charm.

It was just that some of the flowers and plants were strange in shape and looked quite terrifying.

Fortunately, Lu Ying did not care; he just took it as the eccentric hobby of an old man.

When he first moved in, Tubo was quite amiable, only saying that Lu Ying was, after all, of mortal flesh, so he should rest for two or three days first, and wait until he had adapted to the Nether Qi before discussing anything else.

So for the first few days, Lu Ying lived quite comfortably; every day, apart from practicing his arts, he would meditate, though he did not practice Zen introspection.

This had been a daily routine back at the sect, and after forming the habit, he found it hard to let go now.

Before coming to the Ghost Market, Baigao had once advised that the Nether Qi was extremely cold, and even a Chuyang zhi ti might not be able to withstand it; if not necessary, it was best not to circulate Qi or regulate his breath.

As for what Lu Ying was thinking about, that was unknown, but it was certainly not what he used to think about during morning lessons.

His current situation was not optimistic; on one hand, Lu Ying had to think of a way to escape, and on the other, he had to endure inner torment.

When setting out for Yuanqing, Lieyang Zhenren had repeatedly warned that this trip was unpredictable, and if the worst happened, no one should risk their lives for revenge.

The enemy was close at hand; if he could not avenge this deep hatred, would he not be a failure as a disciple? But his master's orders could not be disobeyed! And now that his own situation was like being hung upside down, how could he talk about revenge?

The days passed in this state of entanglement and comfort.

But one day, Tubo suddenly appeared, holding a ruler in his hand, his attitude changed drastically, and he forcibly demanded that Lu Ying practice Zen.

What? Practice Zen? Why didn't he just tell him to go die?

Senior Baigao had warned him not to circulate Qi or regulate his breath, and now this old man wanted him to practice Zen; he might as well have told him to go die.

Lu Ying was just about to argue a few words, but Tubo scolded him sternly: "Since you have become my disciple, you do whatever your master tells you to do; how can you have so many excuses!"

This old man, why did he flip his face faster than turning a page?

"But..."

As soon as Lu Ying opened his mouth, the slender ruler fell, striking his leg hard and emitting a dull thud.

Hiss...

That actually hurt...

Please... you... bookmark 6... 9... the book...!

This old man looked like skin and bones, yet his strength was surprisingly great.

Lu Ying rubbed the painful spot for a while, not daring to speak again, and could only look at Tubo with a grievance-filled expression.

Tubo looked very satisfied, putting his hands behind his back with a serious face, just like a tutor in the mortal world checking homework.

"I won't let you take this beating for nothing. Since you have doubts in your heart, then as your master, I will clear them up for you."

This...

Hearing this "as your master" was truly awkward...

Although Lu Ying was unwilling, he did not refute it and waited quietly for what was to come.

"The Netherworld was originally a fire prison, covered in flowing magma with seas of fire filling the sky; when heaven and earth first opened, Clear Qi rose to become heaven, and Turbid Qi fell to become earth, and what lay below that became the Netherworld."

"Turbid Qi is extremely yin and extremely cold, especially the part that fell first into the Netherworld, where it merged with the fire rocks to form mountain ranges and land."

"At that time, all things arose together, and birth, aging, and nature all followed transformation, which is why it was an age that birthed the myriad gods."

"The gods lived together, fighting with magic to vie for supremacy, causing the world to suffer a Collapse and the living to be plunged into misery."

"Houtu was compassionate, transforming her body into the Six Paths, and thus began Reincarnation."

"Hmm..." Lu Ying suddenly spoke up to interrupt, "So what does all this have to do with you insisting that I sit in meditation?"

Tubo, having been interrupted, looked dissatisfied; he raised his ruler high, scaring Lu Ying into shrinking his neck and hurriedly closing his eyes.

But after waiting for a long time, the ruler did not fall, and instead, he heard a sigh from Tubo.

"Does the child know why the Demon Race was born?"

This...

I have truly never heard of this...

Note: In common annotations of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," it is indicated that Houtu should originally have been male, the son of Gonggong.

In "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of Regions Within the Seas," it states "Gonggong birthed Houtu, Houtu birthed Yeming, and Yeming birthed the twelve months of the year," while in the "Classic of the Great Wilderness: North," it says "Houtu birthed Xin, and Xin birthed Kuafu."

So it can be understood that Houtu had two children: one named "Yeming," who birthed the twelve months of the year, or as some say, the twelve earthly branches; and one named "Xin," who birthed that foolish Kuafu who chased the sun to his death.

As for when Houtu became "Empress," it was mainly during the Later Han period.

At that time, through the analysis of characters, it was believed that the "Hou" in Houtu depicted a woman kneeling, and "Tu" represented a woman's breast, which together meant "a woman breastfeeding," signifying the nurturing of the earth.

The use of "Empress Houtu" is to align with the general public and has nothing to do with the records, as most records are fabricated and need not be deeply investigated.

Tubo originally referred to the Earth God, though some say he is a gatekeeper of the Netherworld, and others say he is a generation of Ghost Emperors; opinions vary, and there is no need to be too pedantic.

Everything in the text is borrowed and fabricated; dear readers, just enjoy it for fun.

If you are interested in the evolution of ancient mythology, you may refer to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," "Songs of Chu," "Bamboo Annals," "Book of Rites," and "Zuo Zhuan."