Chapter 449: Salvation in Xiangfan

Xiangfan.

A major city of the world.

Countless died during the Spring and Autumn period.

According to Yu Youwei's thoughts, having been a battlefield for ten years with two hundred thousand dead, this should be a Fengdu ghost city filled with gloomy yin energy. Yet, it was not so.

Inside and outside, Xiangfan was quite beautiful and prosperous, with people coming and going shoulder to shoulder in an endless stream, far beyond what the miserable Beiliang could compare to. The twenty years of management by Prince of Jing'an Zhao Heng showed a glimpse of his strategic foresight.

A white horse walked slowly upon Shouyang Lake, one of the famous lakes of the world.

Sitting on the horse's back was a black-clad youth whose handsome appearance bordered on the demonic; in his arms, he held a beauty with a graceful figure, and the beauty held a white cat. The white cat seemed to have slept enough, its eyes, bright as gemstones, darting around, curiously examining everything.

This combination of "black-clad man holding a beauty, beauty holding a white cat" was very eye-catching, drawing many to steal glances.

Of course,

anyone with a bit of discernment could see that this pair and their mount were no ordinary figures, so no lecherous scoundrels came up to look for a beating.

Of course, it was still impossible to avoid some wandering scholars and poets putting their all into reciting poems and singing verses, hoping to catch the pair's favor.

It was just a pity that they were completely ignored by the two, who didn't even cast a glance their way.

Yu Youwei, holding the cat in her arms, admired the scenery of the river embankment and parted her red lips slightly: "You seem to still be a wanted criminal of the Imperial Court; appearing so openly in Xiangfan City now, aren't you afraid that Prince of Jing'an Zhao Heng will lead troops to surround and capture you?"

Yu Liancheng held Yu Youwei, feeling the soft jade and fragrant warmth, and smelling the faint scent from the courtesan's hair, he smiled slightly: "He is a smart man; it's not worth it for him to come and throw his life away. You can rest assured; he might even have already given instructions to those below."

Sure enough, they encountered several groups of city patrol officers along the way, all of whom took the initiative to avoid them, yet dared not stay too far away, watching the tourists vigilantly for fear that someone blind would provoke the man and woman.

Yu Youwei changed the subject and said: "Li Baishi is a famous courtesan of the world; did you just let her leave like that? I can tell that Li Baishi is interested in you too. If you crooked your finger, you might have become her guest of honor, and perhaps even had the chance to try that pair of fair feet to see if the rumors are true?"

Yu Liancheng chuckled: "Yesterday you were affectionately calling her 'Sister Li, Sister Li.' Today you call her by her full name. Women, oh women, your name is jealousy."

"None of your business. You men aren't much more broad-minded. Even if you like a thousand or ten thousand women, you still hope that those thousand or ten thousand women have only you in their hearts." Yu Youwei's pretty face flushed slightly, and she gave the person behind her a coquettish glare: "Alright, stop the glib talk. Tell me the reason?"

After saving Li Baishi that day, the group arrived in Xiangfan. Li Baishi left first, seemingly returning to Xiangguo Lane, and Yu Liancheng did not stop her, merely waving his hand quite dashingly.

Based on Yu Youwei's understanding of Murong Tonghuang's character, she thought the other party shouldn't have let such a beauty go.

"If I tell you, will you agree to my proposal from last night?"

Yu Liancheng rested his chin on Yu Youwei's fragrant shoulder, his eyes dropping downward.

The courtesan Yu was wearing an extremely magnificent embroidered fur coat today, but unfortunately, it was a bit too modest, lacking the charm of her usual subtle allure. Fortunately, as she held her beloved white cat, it also pushed her chest out to show a bit of its true nature.

When he first saved Li Baishi, Yu Liancheng had secretly compared Li Baishi with the courtesan Yu. He had originally thought that Li Baishi's two peaks were superior, but after careful reflection, he realized he was dead wrong.

Li Baishi had a petite figure, and with her surging waves, the contrast between the two gave one an illusion.

After spending this time together, he realized that the one before him was the truly alluring creature, especially the two proud, snowy mounds on her chest, which were even more impressive than Li Baishi's.

"Pah, stop debasing people, speak quickly." Yu Youwei's face was slightly flushed; she was indeed charming whether angry or happy.

"If you don't agree, I won't tell you."

"I know even if you don't tell me. That Li Baishi appeared very coincidentally, and she kept asking about you on the boat, looking as if she were infatuated with you."

Yu Youwei bit her cherry lips with her pearly teeth, her beautiful eyes flickering: "I am also a courtesan of the brothels and have known countless people. Her fake smile at a glance was clearly just an act. If I am not mistaken, she is likely harboring evil intentions, acting under someone's orders to gather intelligence."

"Truly smart, much like my own guess." Yu Liancheng turned his head and kissed Yu Youwei on her fair, smooth cheek, immediately causing a flush to rise on her face.

"But if I really wanted her body, she would never refuse. If it weren't for the worry that you, my nearly cooked fish, would get angry, I would have already tasted her charms. What a pity, to let a beauty go."

Yu Youwei was about to part her red lips, but suddenly she shivered, her whole body feeling cold: "I don't know why, but although there are many people in this Xiangfan City, it always makes my heart feel cold."

Yu Liancheng looked up at the vast sky and said: "Perhaps there are still many lingering wronged souls in this city."

"You only know how to scare me." Yu Youwei's already fair face turned even paler, and she couldn't help but snuggle into Yu Liancheng's arms. Feeling a sense of warmth and safety, she finally let out a sigh of relief, but she no longer had the interest to play.

After circling Shouyang Lake, the two stayed at an inn near the lake. The inn was a place where one could get the best advantage by being near the water, and it understood the principle of gouging customers well; the price was not cheap at all.

As the night deepened, with a "creak," the window was opened by Yu Liancheng. Dark clouds obscured the moon in the sky, and only a bleak moonlight leaked through the clouds.

Yu Liancheng closed his eyes and calmed his mind, faintly hearing the entire city seemingly filled with wailing, from men and women, old and young, but it was too faint and too chaotic, as if it were a buzzing sound.

With a tap of his toes, he drifted onto the roof ridge.

Standing with his hands behind his back, Yu Liancheng closed his eyes and heard those whispers again. Mixed together, they were still like buzzing mosquitoes, but they were vaguely clearer, and he could hear the pain and resentment contained within the voices, as if filled with immense suffering and hatred. Even though several years had passed, they still could not forget.

Yu Liancheng sighed softly.

There are indeed ghosts in this world.

It is just that for ordinary people, when a person dies, the lamp goes out. But too many people died in Xiangfan City in a short period, and each one held resentment, turning this city into a land of yin, with ghosts remaining in the world, unable to be liberated.

Thus, Yu Liancheng lowered his head, closed his eyes, and pressed his palms together, chanting passages of scripture; it was the *Ksitigarbha Original Vow Sutra*, specifically for the salvation of the dead.

As each Sanskrit sound was spat out from Yu Liancheng's mouth, at first it was as thin as a mosquito, but in an instant, it transformed into a loud chant, becoming like a roaring mountain and sea in a heartbeat, surging from Yu Liancheng as the center toward all directions like a tide.

But this was not simple chanting; it used divine sense and the *Great Thunder Sound Art*.

As the saying goes, the loudest sound is like the silence; apart from ghosts, very few people could truly hear these bursts of Sanskrit chanting.

For example, the Celestial Master responsible for the salvation at the Diaoyutai of the city gate.