Chapter 67: Hooked Order

"A Hooked Order?"

Sha Lifei swallowed hard. His gaze toward Wu Laosi was filled with awe. "I heard this thing belongs to the Yin Messengers. You even robbed a Yin Messenger? I admire you, I truly do!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Laosi was stunned. He quickly waved his hands. "Sigh, don't speak such reckless words. My cultivation is only at the second floor; I lack the ability, and even more so, the guts."

Having said that, he hurriedly closed the box.

It was as if looking at it for one second longer would invite disaster.

Li Yan frowned. "This thing... is it related to the trouble you are in, Senior?"

"It's not trouble..."

Wu Laosi sighed, his complexion turning pale.

"It is a debt—a debt owed to the Netherworld!"

Sha Lifei was even more curious. "Does the Yin Office also practice usury?"

Wu Laosi was stunned again. He looked at Sha Lifei with a sense of disbelief, seemingly finding the thought process of this bald, bearded man strange.

"Don't interrupt!" Li Yan pulled Sha Lifei back, then nodded. "Please continue, Senior."

Wu Laosi shook his head. "This Hooked Order is related to inheritance."

"Those of us who practice the Art of Crossing to the Yin mostly worship the Primordial Yin Gods. My lineage obtained this Hooked Order from our ancestors, passing it down through generations. We worship the Great Emperor of Northern Yin, Mount Luo Feng. Occasionally, someone will receive a mandate from the Yin Office to assist the ghost messengers in capturing wanted criminals."

Li Yan frowned. "The Yin Office... what is it like?"

"I don't know." Wu Laosi said with a bitter face, "How could a mortal know the affairs of the Netherworld? Every time I return from Crossing to the Yin, aside from the task I had to perform, I remember nothing else."

Sha Lifei couldn't help but interrupt again. "Yin Messengers need help from people?"

Wu Laosi nodded. "According to my master, in every place across the Divine Land where people reside, deities are worshipped, and divine Qi gathers."

"Not to mention those blessed lands where primordial Qi gathers; there are some places even Yin Messengers cannot enter."

"Holding a Hooked Order grants certain benefits, such as being able to command the Netherworld ghost armies without needing to raise troops, but one must also shoulder the obligation of capturing Yin criminals."

"Some of these Yin criminals are already dead, yet their souls refuse to leave, turning into fierce ghosts to cause mischief. Others are practitioners who used heaven-defying methods to return to the living, or are hiding in blessed lands as living dead."

"Our task is to find them. By issuing the Hooked Order, we can cast them into the Netherworld. Therefore, those who hold a Hooked Order are treated with courtesy even by the Profound Heaven Sect."

Sha Lifei asked curiously, "With so many benefits, why are you hiding here, Senior?"

Wu Laosi smiled bitterly. "Because I botched the job."

"Once, I received an order in a dream from the Yin Office to capture someone who had escaped the Netherworld and returned to life. I didn't expect it to be a close friend of mine. I acted out of personal bias and used a method to fake his death. But ghosts and gods are hard to deceive; the matter was eventually exposed."

"Not only that, but I also misjudged the person. That close friend's resentment did not dissipate, and he turned into a fierce ghost, harming my entire family. Although he was cast into the Netherworld, I had also violated a taboo."

"To save my own life, I sealed my spiritual apertures and hid here."

"If I were to Cross to the Yin again, I would surely die!"

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan's heart sank. "Since that is the case, we shall not trouble you, Senior."

Taking action meant losing his life. Wu Laosi had been hiding in the opera troupe for years; clearly, he would not throw away his own life for others, and Li Yan could not force him.

"Yan Yan Xiao Ge, you are mistaken."

Wu Laosi shook his head. "Since I have told you all this, it means I intend to act."

As he spoke, he untied his clothes, slowly revealing his back.

Li Yan and Sha Lifei gasped.

They saw that his back was covered in dense, purplish-blue marks, like tattoos, deeply imprinted into the skin, vaguely forming a pattern:

In the center was the Hooked Order from just now, surrounded by chains!

Wu Laosi put on his clothes and sighed. "Human hearts are easy to deceive, but ghosts and gods are hard to fool. Some things cannot be avoided after all. This day was bound to come sooner or later. My days are already numbered."

"This time I will act, but I have two conditions."

Li Yan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Please speak, Senior."

Wu Laosi took out a jade pendant of a fish playing with a lotus from his bosom. His eyes were slightly red, and he said tremblingly, "I am originally from Fengyang County and had a modest family fortune. After the incident, I was terrified and fled in a panic. Even my deceased wife and daughter were buried haphazardly, without even a tombstone. For all these years, I have felt guilty, unable to find peace day or night."

"After I die, I hope you will bring my remains back to my hometown, so that I may return to my roots, and also properly complete the funeral rites for my wife and daughter."

Having said this, he pressed down on the lacquer box again. "And this Hooked Order—the ancestral temple of my lineage is in the Qin Ling Mountains. Our descendants have withered, and the incense is weak. I ask you to return the Hooked Order to the altar of the Great Emperor of Mount Luo Feng."

"If you agree, Yan Yan Xiao Ge, I can depart in peace."

Li Yan was silent for a moment, then bowed solemnly. "I will not fail your trust!"

Wu Laosi nodded. "The method of Crossing to the Yin can be performed tonight. But if the living soul is trapped in a Wandering Soul Jar, I cannot bring it back; I can only help you determine its location." "Having the location is enough!" Sha Lifei was suddenly full of joy.

Shopkeeper Wan had already said that as long as the location was confirmed, they could go to the Chenghuangmiao to bring reinforcements. No matter how strong Chen Fagui's techniques were, it would be useless; the people of the Law Enforcement Hall were eager to capture people to earn merit.

Wu Laosi stood up and said, "Since that is the case, let us prepare."

"There are many temples in Xianyang City, and the incense is strong. There are also Chenghuangmiao soldiers stationed there, which could easily cause interference. We must go outside the city to perform it."

"In addition, I need a coffin, a rooster, a bell, five-colored soil, yellow wine, and three jin of paper money and ingots..."

Li Yan and Sha Lifei noted them down one by one. Fortunately, these were all common items; no special artifacts were needed.

After doing this, the group went out.

Before leaving, Wu Laosi tidied up the room, organized the items neatly, and even locked the door.

When they arrived at the main courtyard, the servant was already waiting. He smiled and bowed. "Everyone, Zhou Banzhu Luo has prepared wine and dishes."

Wu Laosi shook his head. "Zhuzi, take me to see the Zhou Banzhu."

"Yes, Uncle Wu, please follow me."

!.

The servant did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly led the way.

Passing through the corridor, the group arrived at another courtyard.

This courtyard was built even more grandly, with a small building in the back, rockeries and ponds in the courtyard, and a small opera stage built right in the middle of the pond.

Clearly, this was a place used to entertain distinguished guests.

One could imagine: the bright moon in the sky, thin mist over the pond, the joys and sorrows of life being performed on the stage, and guests drinking and singing below—what kind of enjoyment that would be.

"Hahaha..."

Just as they entered the garden, Luo Shihai's laughter reached them.

He walked over with long strides, smiled, and bowed. "I truly have poor eyes. I didn't realize that a remarkable person like Brother Wu was hiding in my opera troupe. Please forgive me for any neglect in the past."

Some things in the Jianghu are not secrets.

Young people like Zhuzi didn't understand, but he knew that Shopkeeper Wan of the Craftsman Guild was a true member of the Mystic Sect.

The Zhou family's misfortune was also related to him.

Li Yan came holding his letter of introduction; it went without saying that Wu Laosi, who had been obscure in this opera troupe, was also a member of the Mystic Sect.

Wu Laosi was silent for a moment, then bowed directly.

"Sigh, Brother Wu, what are you doing?" Luo Shihai panicked and hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.

However, Wu Laosi insisted on kneeling and said in a deep voice, "For all these years, I have hidden in the opera troupe. My skills are mediocre, and I could only do odd jobs. It was all thanks to Zhou Banzhu Luo's kindness in giving me a meal and not driving me away."

"I have nothing to repay you with, so I can only bow to thank you for your kindness."

Having said this, he slowly stood up, his expression becoming serious. "The Longchang Opera Troupe has been prosperous all these years, and that hundred-year-old Patriarch statue has contributed significantly. It suppresses the luck and allows talent to emerge in the troupe."

"But as time has passed, a treasure has gestated within the Patriarch statue, and I fear it has already attracted the covetous eyes of evil people. A few days ago, someone snuck in, but I scared them away."

"After I leave, Zhou Banzhu, you must still be careful and take precautions."

"What?!"

Luo Shihai was both happy and shocked. "Brother Wu, did you see clearly who it was?"

He was born into a wealthy family and knew about such things as heavenly treasures, but he didn't expect that one had appeared in his own opera garden.

Wu Laosi whispered, "It is a sorcerer from Jiangzuo who usually hides in the Iron Blade Gang and has harmed several people for Zheng Heibei. Zhou Banzhu, you must be careful."

After saying this, he bowed and took his leave with Li Yan.

Luo Shihai stood frozen on the spot, having lost his appetite for the meal. His eyes flickered with uncertainty, and then he gritted his teeth. "Zhuzi, take me to the Taixing Transport Agency. I will also take action tonight!"

"They have gone too far, daring to plot against my treasure!"

…………

Unknowingly, night fell.

Outside Xianyang City, in the woods on the bank of the Wei River.

Under an old locust tree, Li Yan and Sha Lifei swung their shovels incessantly. Soil piled up on both sides as they gradually dug out a deep pit...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 68 =====