Chapter 983: It's nice to cool off under a big tree

After Xiao Jiu went back, he discussed with Liu Junyan, and the two then made another trip to Hu Shan, hoping to see the Seven Halls Yama or Tang Xun, but they couldn't even get close to the foot of Hu Shan.

Liu Junyan felt a nameless anger in his chest; he gritted his teeth and told Xiao Jiu to go back first: "I'll go on a trip to the upper realm; wait for me to return, then we'll come again."

Xiao Jiu didn't understand: "What are you going to the upper realm for?"

"I need an edict." Liu Junyan said, "As the Dìmài Lóngshén, I have the legitimate right to enter Hu Shan openly."

Only then did Xiao Jiu realize, "Right!"

The Dìmài Lóngshén oversees all the earth veins of Huaxia, and of course that includes Hu Shan.

But he normally wouldn't be so foolish as to lightly infringe on others' territory— isn't that just asking for trouble?

As long as that stretch of earth vein has no major issues, it's usually just passed over.

After all, they control a piece of territory; if that earth vein had a problem, affecting feng shui and such, it would surely be a major incident, and the one most urgently concerned would be the controller, not Liu Junyan.

Hu Shan is such a piece of territory.

It belongs to the Seven Halls Yama, guarded so tightly not even wind can get through.

If Liu Junyan really insisted, he could report to the upper realm that Hu Shan had some kind of problem and request an inspection edict; that wouldn't count as forcing entry, it would give the Seven Halls Yama face, and they wouldn't be turned away at the mountain's gate.

While saying these words, Liu Junyan spoke loudly, without deliberately avoiding anyone.

The guards stationed in Hu Shan's formation array would certainly have reported it right away.

Xiao Jiu realized this, and then chased after Liu Junyan to ask for more details.

She asked, and Liu Junyan explained.

The two went back and forth, delaying time.

Sure enough, within less than five minutes, the barrier around Hu Shan opened, and a ghost general walked out, inviting Xiao Jiu and Liu Junyan to enter Hu Shan.

Xiao Jiu silently gave Liu Junyan a thumbs-up: "Awesome!"

As they walked, Liu Junyan asked, "I've heard the Seven Halls Yama is ill; may I ask what illness?"

No one answered that question.

The ghost general leading the way kept his eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, and said nothing.

Liu Junyan asked again, "Was the order to let us in issued by the Seven Halls Yama, or by someone else?"

This time the ghost general replied, "It's the order of Lord Dong Dan."

"Dong Dan?" Xiao Jiu wondered, "Who is that?"

The Seven Halls Yama's surname is Dong, and his name is Dong Zhengqin.

The ghost general replied, "Lord Dong Dan is a relative of the Seven Halls Yama; he's worked in the Seven Halls Yama Hall for a long time, is the adult's trusted aide, and is the one he's been cultivating as a successor."

Both Liu Junyan and Xiao Jiu understood.

This Dong Dan is the one who will succeed the Seven Halls Yama after his retirement due to illness.

This person was cultivated by the Seven Halls Yama himself; he naturally trusts him, so he gave him the position.

It's just unknown whether, after Dong Dan takes office, he will still be able to tolerate the severely ill Seven Halls Yama.

After all, once he sits in that position, he must secure it.

Once he truly sits there, who would willingly give up the seat lightly?

Once the Seven Halls Yama recovers, it will pose a huge threat to his position, so…

While they were lost in thought, the ghost general had already brought them to the reception hall.

A man stood at the entrance of the reception hall.

The man looked quite young, and there was indeed a resemblance to the Seven Halls Yama in his brows and eyes; it's unclear whether this is due to being a relative or from working long in the Seven Halls Yama's service.

Upon seeing Xiao Jiu and Liu Junyan, the man quickly came forward, exchanged a few pleasantries, and ushered the two into the reception hall, where they each took a seat.

The man introduced himself: "You must have already asked about my basic situation on the way here; I am Dong Dan, a distant relative of the Seven Halls Yama; I have been selected to work in the Seven Halls Yama Hall since adulthood, and it has been four or five hundred years so far."

The Seven Halls Yama trusts me greatly; when he's absent, I handle all major and minor affairs of the Seven Halls Yama Hall, and out of respect for him everyone is a bit wary of me, so I manage things smoothly and keep getting better.

But I'm a doer type; I can handle hands-on work, but I'm utterly incapable of taking on leadership or succeeding to the Seven Halls Yama's position……

Hearing this, Liu Junyan and Xiao Jiu exchanged a glance.

They never expected Dong Dan to say such things to them!

Dong Dan, however, didn't see anything wrong with it, and continued: "Nowadays everywhere there are rumors that the Seven Halls Yama will retire due to illness, and news of my imminent succession is spreading wildly; I feel uneasy and don't know what to do."

Liu Junyan asked, "The one who chose you to succeed the position was the Seven Halls Yama himself; since he chose you, it shows you are fully capable of the role— you should be pleased."

"No, I'm not happy at all," Dong Dan said. "This burden is too heavy; if I can't bear it, the Seven Halls Yama Hall will rightfully change masters, and I cannot let the Seven Halls Yama Hall change hands under my watch."

"So, you genuinely hope the Seven Halls Yama recovers quickly and returns to his post?" Xiao Jiu asked.

Dong Dan nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it's nice to cool off under a big tree; I wish he would get better soon."

Xiao Jiu continued, "Since you wanted to see us, you must know why we came today; so could you tell us what illness the Seven Halls Yama actually has?"

"It's complicated," Dong Dan said, "but summed up you'll surely understand: this illness stems from when he, years ago, saved his beloved and incurred this condition; it flared up a few years ago, he suffered a backlash, and that's why he's been bedridden ever since."

The Seven Halls Yama, to save his beloved…?

Isn't that what happened after Tang Xun (who back then was called Feng Yixun) had an accident?

Xiao Jiu instantly thought of those butterflies.

He recalled Tang Xun in Medicine Valley, where countless butterflies gathered to condense her soul.

That medicinal field, those butterflies, were all meticulously created by the Seven Halls Yama to save Tang Xun.

With such a grand undertaking, how could he have paid no price at all?

It's just that no one normally thinks about it that way.

Thinking this through, Xiao Jiu asked Dong Dan, "Was the Seven Halls Yama struck by a backlash, or did he make some bargain back then that now comes due for fulfillment?"

"Both," Dong Dan answered truthfully, "the Seven Halls Yama's memories have been tampered with, causing confusion for many years; many memories were lost, some were sealed, and even after he fell ill he still couldn't recall what bargain he had made back then."

"At first he always had headaches; we thought it was just a lingering effect from the memory tampering back then, but as time went on his condition worsened, and when he brought Tang Xun back to Hu Shan, he was actually barely able to hold on."

But at that time, at least from outward appearance, there was basically nothing wrong.

「Until that day, Tang Xun actively expressed love to Seven Halls Yama, saying that as long as he wanted to marry her, she would marry him. 」 Dong Dan recalled, 「I don't know whether it was due to excitement or some other reason, but Seven Halls Yama suddenly collapsed and remained unconscious for several days…」