Chapter 173: The Lady of Fengdu

"Fourth Brother, why are you here!" Chen Mo's words were full of confusion; though he tried his best to avoid it, his face was still written with surprise.

He remembered clearly that Mo Dao had been dead for a long time; although he had not watched the burial with his own eyes, he had helped collect the remains.

He was definitely dead, yet why would he appear in this place now?

Could it be that this Ruins Realm was evolving based on his own memories? But if so, why were the other pedestrians on the street people he had never seen before?

Or was it that this Ruins Realm was extremely special, and all those who died would gather here?

This was certainly possible; otherwise, it would be hard to explain why Wei Xia, as a Ghost Spirit, was like a fish in water here.

However, despite this speculation, Chen Mo still did not let down his guard.

"Thirteen! How can you be here? Did you receive the message I entrusted the County Magistrate to send out?"

Mo Dao's expression was exceptionally excited; he hurried to Chen Mo's side, placed his hands on his shoulders, and gripped them hard.

"Fourth Brother, then how can you be here?" Chen Mo asked the same question, his True Qi circulating throughout his body as he secretly prepared for defense.

"Don't mention it, that's a long story! Do you still remember when our foster father asked us to go to Qingzhou to investigate the bandits?"

Once this topic was brought up, Mo Dao's face was full of things to say, wishing he could tell it all in one breath.

"Fifth Brother and I encountered a Ziyi Daoren there. That person's strength was extremely high. I fought him desperately to let Xiaohu escape, but then that person struck me with one arm, and I passed out.

When I opened my eyes, I didn't know why I appeared near this city. I wanted to enter the city to ask about the situation nearby and find a chance to look for you all again.

But in this city, most people don't even know where Xingyuan Prefecture is, and many don't even know about Ding Prefecture.

Fortunately, there is a government here. I went to see the local County Magistrate first and learned from him that Xingyuan Prefecture is over ten thousand miles away from here.

The key is that there are vast mountain ranges and the lands of Alien Races in between. Let alone me, even a Post-Heaven Martial Artist could potentially perish on the road if they went rashly.

So I could only stay here first. When the County Magistrate learned that I came from the Border Army and held an official title, he had me fill the vacancy of the County Lieutenant in this county.

Learning that I still wanted to find you, he advised me to settle down for now and find a way to help me send a message to you. I followed his method and bought a house and land in this city to settle down."

Mo Dao sat at the table, speaking a lot in one breath, telling all about his own situation and encounters.

Chen Mo listened very carefully, nodding from time to time in response.

"How did you come here? Could it be that the Imperial Court's army has attacked? How is Xiaohu now? And how is our foster father?"

After finishing his own affairs, he asked several questions he was quite concerned about in succession.

"The Alien Races invaded, and the Imperial Court sent us as the vanguard to come here and investigate the situation.

Foster father is also on the road now and has already been promoted. As for Fifth Brother, he also got promoted, passed the exam for the scholar title, and got married."

Chen Mo spoke briefly and concisely, telling him the questions he most wanted to know.

"Good, good, good, as long as everyone is fine!" Mo Dao was exceptionally happy to hear this; he had stayed in this city for nearly two years and knew nothing about the outside situation.

Now that he saw Chen Mo, an acquaintance, he was naturally very afraid of hearing some bad news from him.

And since everyone was fine now, that was for the best.

"I wonder who this young lady is?" Mo Dao's tone was slightly confused, shifting his gaze toward Wei Xia.

"This is a powerhouse from the Imperial Court's Patrol Heaven Guard, who came here with me to investigate." Chen Mo did not hesitate and made up an identity for her as well.

Mo Dao did not doubt it too much; in this world, women could practice martial arts and cultivation, so of course, they could be officials and work in the Patrol Heaven Guard.

Many daughters of noble families practiced Martial Dao, and their strength was not necessarily inferior to men; as long as they were willing to be officials, they could certainly do it.

In the end, everything had to be spoken for by strength.

"Then how did you come here? This place is not connected to the vast majority of our Great Gan territory, and it is further separated by mountains and Alien Races. It's not that easy to get in."

Mo Dao felt confused again and asked in bewilderment.

"Little Brother's strength naturally had a small breakthrough, and plus this time entering this place to investigate, there was cover from Imperial Court powerhouses, so I was able to come here." Chen Mo explained with a smile.

Mo Dao wanted to ask him why he came here to investigate, but the words reached his lips and he didn't say them.

He also came from the army and naturally knew that if Chen Mo didn't take the initiative to tell him some things, it was better not to ask.

"Let's go, let's go, hurry and follow Fourth Brother home; let's have a good drink."

He started another topic and immediately looked at Wei Xia, "This official, would you like to come along?"

"Very well." Wei Xia looked at Chen Mo first, then nodded.

"Old Qian, hurry up and cut the beef and send it to my house, and prepare some more good dishes. Put the bill for my brother's table on my tab as well; I'll settle it with you at the end of the month."

Seeing his brother Chen Mo, Mo Dao was exceptionally excited; while pulling him toward his home, he did not forget to instruct the innkeeper.

Mo Dao's home was a detached blue-stone courtyard, not far from the inn, only a hundred steps away.

The small courtyard was cleaned quite neatly and tidily, with everything in perfect order.

"Wife, my brother is back; hurry and have someone get wine from the cellar." As soon as Mo Dao walked into his home, he shouted loudly.

He served as the County Lieutenant here, and after settling down for half a year, the County Magistrate took the initiative to arrange a marriage for him. He married the eldest daughter of the County Assistant, and now the couple lived in harmony.

"Alright." A response came from inside the house, and a woman in her twenties, dressed in a floral dress with a gentle appearance, walked out.

"This is the Chen Mo I often mentioned to you." Seeing his wife walk out, Mo Dao introduced him hurriedly.

"Sister-in-law." Chen Mo bowed and saluted.

The servants in the house became busy, and several cold dishes and jars of wine were placed on the table one after another.

The inn also quickly sent over various foods, and soon the table was full.

Chen Mo and Mo Dao drank wine, while Wei Xia sat at another table chatting with Mo Dao's wife.

Brothers meeting and drinking together was naturally extremely happy, and Chen Mo took the opportunity to constantly fish for information from Mo Dao's mouth.

If he were truly evolved from this Mirage Mirror, then he would necessarily only look similar, and there would be many things he would certainly not know.

As long as he asked more, he would definitely be able to find flaws.

However, after repeated questioning, he became more and more certain that the Mo Dao in front of him was definitely not evolved from this Ruins Realm.

Looking at it this way, this Blood Sea was very likely the Netherworld, at least possessing some characteristics of the Netherworld.

It could allow many deceased souls to live here and behave no differently from living people.

And regardless of where a soul dies, it seems there is a probability of arriving here.

It is just that if this is truly the case, then the Blood Sea is likely far larger than a thousand miles, otherwise it would be impossible to contain so many souls.

Not knowing how many jars of wine he had consumed, Mo Dao was dead drunk, while Chen Mo appeared slightly flushed and reeking of alcohol, though his eyes remained clear.

Through his conversation with Mo Dao, he learned a great deal of information; for instance, this county town was named Wangsi City, and the vast majority of the commoners within the city had encountered accidents, only to find themselves here after a flash of darkness.

In Chen Mo's view, rather than calling this city Wangsi City, it would be better to call it Wangsi Cheng.

As for this point, they never felt anything strange about it; people in the city would marry, yet no newborns were ever born.

This point was likewise ignored by everyone, and Chen Mo wisely did not continue to press the matter.

By the time they had finished drinking in the afternoon, Mo Dao was already slumped over the table, fast asleep.

"Sister-in-law, the Imperial Court has sent me here on business, so we must go and see the County Magistrate of this place," Chen Mo said, rising to his feet upon seeing this.

"Very well, I will arrange for someone to lead you to the county office," she said with a gentle smile, calling a servant to guide Chen Mo and Wei Xia.

The county office of Wangsi City was built quite grandly, far larger than an ordinary county office.

"I am the General Conquering the West of the Imperial Court. Where is the County Magistrate of this place? Come and see me at once!" Chen Mo walked to the front gate of the county office and displayed his Official Seal.

The gatekeeper did not doubt him, hurriedly inviting him into the office and rushing to summon the County Magistrate.

Chen Mo did not wait long before the County Magistrate of Wangsi City came running over in small steps; he truly could not fathom why a high-ranking official like the General Conquering the West would suddenly visit their small town.

"My Lord!" He bowed low, his waist bent extremely deep.

Chen Mo did not look at him, but instead cast his gaze toward a person beside him.

This person's face was obscured by a black veil, making it impossible to see, but judging by the height and physique, it should be a woman.

Yet, apart from himself, no one else seemed able to perceive her at all.

"You are an outsider! You can see me?"

The woman was quite astonished upon seeing this and asked in a low voice.

Chen Mo nodded slightly; it seemed that even if this woman was not the master of the Blood Sea, she should at least be one of their subordinates.

It was just unclear why she would follow the County Magistrate; could it be to monitor him closely to prevent any changes in the city?

"The Imperial Court has sent me here on important business; you go and carefully compile the statistics for the register of the local populace first," Chen Mo said, casually assigning the County Magistrate a task to send him away.

"This subordinate understands!" Having received a specific order, the County Magistrate of Wangsi was actually less worried and hurried off to do it.

"I am the Duke of Pingyang, Grand Tutor, and General Conquering the West of Great Gan. May I ask who you are, Miss?" Seeing that there was no one else around, Chen Mo cupped his hands and asked the woman he had seen earlier.

Although she wore a veil, Chen Mo could still sense her astonishment; it seemed she was quite surprised that he could see her.

Wei Xia was also stunned upon hearing this, and even more so when she saw a figure gradually appearing in the void.

"I am a seal-bearing palace maid under Fengdu Niangniang, tasked by Her Ladyship to oversee this city," she said, head held high and tone arrogant.

"Goddess of the Underworld?" Chen Mo's tone was slightly puzzled; he had never heard of this title in the records of the Prince of Pingxi.

However, the presence of Fengdu Niangniang here only served to confirm that this place was highly likely to be the Netherworld.

"Of course! Our Lady was born of Heaven and Earth and governs this boundless Netherworld; she is a top-tier figure between Heaven and Earth."

The black-veiled palace maid spoke with a confident tone, her expression filled with great reverence for that Fengdu Niangniang.

"It is just that I have never heard of the command of Fengdu Niangniang, but have only heard of the master of the Blood Sea."

Chen Mo spoke with a look of confusion, wanting to continue fishing for information from the other party.

"Do not mention that despicable villain! Her Ladyship kindly saved him, yet he turned around and struck back, wishing to steal Her Ladyship's Divine Authority.

He even went mad, wanting to expand the Blood Sea to the entire world and drag all the boundless living beings of the world into it.

We of the Fengdu lineage have long been at irreconcilable odds with him."

The black-veiled palace maid's tone was filled with disgust and anger; it seemed there must be many stories behind this.

(End of chapter)