Chapter 151: Blurred Boundaries

“Are you sure you’re not joking?” I asked.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” he retorted. But the peddler really wasn’t the type to joke around. I shook my head, saying he didn’t seem like it, and he said, “We’ll strike together soon—quick and clean, no one gets away, and no one will notice.”

“All right! What crime is it to raid the Qin Guang Prince’s mansion alive?” I inquired.

The peddler chuckled coldly. “You dare attack the Gate of Hell itself; what’s a little crime like this to you? Don’t worry, they won’t catch us, so it’s as if we’re innocent.”

“That makes sense,” I admitted.

Then the peddler strode straight toward the Qin Guang Prince’s mansion. When the guards came to question him, he said nothing, simply moved his hand and touched the guard’s brow. The guard immediately collapsed.

At the vermilion gate, the peddler gave a small shake of his hand.

A muffled sound followed, and the door creaked open.

When I entered with him, I saw several little ghosts lying motionless on the ground. The massive door bolt had been snapped in the middle.

The bronze lock on his body hadn’t reacted negatively, which meant the power of his spell was but a fraction of what he could wield.

Next, we fought side by side.

After all, it was the Qin Guang Prince’s mansion—heavily guarded, not to be taken lightly. There were shadow soldiers, ghost generals, and minor spirits numbering over a thousand at least. But to us two, these were nothing.

With a few swift moves, we laid them all low.

Still, a few slipped through to raise the alarm. The peddler said it didn’t matter; by the time they finished reporting, we’d be long gone—no harm done.

After clearing the guards, we proceeded to the inner hall of the mansion.

From afar, I could see it.

On the desk in the inner hall lay the Book of Life and Death, glowing with an eerie blue light. Each of the Ten Yama Kings had their own volume of the Book of Life and Death—it was divided into sections, and this was one of them.

I intended to step forward and grab it, but a beam of golden light suddenly struck me, sending me flying backward. The peddler flipped over and caught me.

I raised my hand to block the golden light. Thankfully, my dragon-scale armor protected me, so I wasn’t injured, only feeling a burning sting. The peddler said, “The Qin Guang King has precautions for something this important!”

“What do we do then?” I asked.

“I’ll handle it.”

He walked to the desk, took the Book of Life and Death, then returned to the hall and tossed it to me.

I looked at him in surprise. He said, “The Qin Guang King’s magic doesn’t affect me, so don’t be surprised.”

At that moment, I finally understood what the peddler meant before—that no matter where in the underworld, he could come and go freely. It wasn’t just talk.

I opened the Book of Life and Death immediately.

Within its pages, the main text did not list Weiyang’s name. But in a special section, the first name I saw was my own. Then came my grandfather’s name, Master Li’s name, and Weiyang’s name. Each of us had a dedicated page, and beside our names in red characters were the words “died a natural death.”

“It seems not only your lover but all four of you have been recorded here. In truth, none of you were originally under the jurisdiction of the Book of Life and Death. The Qin Guang King wrote your names in there to exercise control over you through his position.”

“As soon as any of you die, the underworld will immediately dispatch little ghosts to collect your souls. You’ve experienced this—Qin Zhong is one of Qin Guang King’s minions, you know how it works,” the peddler explained.

After he finished, I asked, “But Weiyang is a shadow spirit. What happens if her name is written in the Book of Life and Death?”

“The Book’s greatest function is to determine life and death. Ghosts’ names should never be written in it. If a ghost’s name appears there, their death means their soul is utterly destroyed. Even for the Phoenix clan, that’s the same. So your lover’s fiery demise in the battle of the wild immortals means her soul was obliterated, not reborn in flames.”

Hearing this, I grew worried. Sensing this, the peddler added, “Don’t fret; I haven’t finished. Although her soul was destroyed, that’s the Book’s doing. What’s written in the Book can actually be reversed, especially items added without following the underworld’s laws.”

“You mean the Book of Life and Death can be changed?” I asked.

“Of course it can. Otherwise, why would the Qin Guang King add your names? But to amend the Book, you need one thing—the Judge’s Pen,” the peddler said.

I had heard of the four great judges of the underworld before. I had seen Zhong Kui of the Punishment Office and Cui Yu of the Underworld Laws Office, but not the other two judges. The peddler told me the Judge’s Pen was wielded by one of those two—the Judge Lu Zhi Dao. But he also said Lu Zhi Dao was upright and incorruptible, never siding with any faction in the underworld. So borrowing the pen from him was impossible.

“Since borrowing’s out, do we steal or snatch it?” I asked.

“That’s out of the question. Lu Zhi Dao always carries the pen with him; it’s never left behind at his residence. The only way is for you to take the Book of Life and Death to Lu Zhi Dao and plead your case. He’s just and impartial—he won’t side with anyone. If he sees the situation with his own eyes, he will use the Judge’s Pen to erase the offending entries.”

“But Lin Yi, you must think carefully. This is a risky gamble. The entire underworld is watching you. You’ve aided the enemy by attacking the Gate of Hell. By law, your crime is severe. Furthermore, although you did it to gather evidence, stealing the Book of Life and Death is a grave offense.”

The peddler paused there. I said directly, “You must have a solution, right?”

He sighed, “Lin Yi, you really are a bottomless pit.”

“Let’s go—I’ll take you to Fengdu City!”

“Fengdu?” I asked, puzzled.

“Lu Zhi Dao resides in Fengdu; we must go there,” the peddler replied.

Then the peddler and I left through the back gate of the Qin Guang Prince’s mansion. We followed a narrow path for over ten minutes before I saw Lord Cui waiting for us from afar.

Beside him was a black sedan chair and several burly, blue-faced little ghosts.

I’d seen Qin Zhong ride in such a sedan before—only those of status in the underworld had the privilege.

We approached, and Lord Cui said, “The little ghosts who escaped from the Qin Guang Prince’s mansion have been dealt with by my underlings. Soon, I’ll go clean the scene there. The backup little ghosts are all ready—experienced, so rest assured!”

The peddler nodded and said, “Delay them as long as you can. If you can’t, don’t force it. Your identity must remain hidden for now. Afterward, hand off the matter here to Zhong Kui. We’ll depart after half an hour. Then you head to Fengdu and follow the plan.”

“Understood!” Lord Cui replied.

Afterward, the peddler and I boarded the black sedan chair, carried by eight strong little ghosts in shifts, who bore us swiftly toward Fengdu.

I had little concept of the underworld’s geography—I didn’t know where the Gate of Hell was, nor Fengdu City, or how far apart they were.

Along the way, the peddler sat cross-legged with eyes closed, seemingly resting and healing. The backlash he suffered outside the Gate of Hell had been severe; he surely hadn’t recovered yet.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Friends?”

“Hard to say.”

“Will we be friends in the future?”

“Also hard to say.”

“Then why help me? If not friends, then enemies?”

“Sometimes, it doesn’t matter,” he said, opening his eyes. He looked at me with a gaze so profound and inscrutable it was hard to read. I had never looked so directly into the peddler’s eyes before, but now, our eyes met.

His eyes were indescribable—deep and unfathomable, like an endless abyss of hell. The longer you looked, the more it felt like you’d fall into the void.

I quickly looked away and said, “Friends are friends, enemies are enemies—clear cut. Is there really ever a time when it’s not clear?”

“Yes, sometimes it’s not clear. Lin Yi, do you think you carry only the souls of ghostly beings behind you?” he asked.

His question surprised me further. “What do you mean?” I am the master of the Ghost Dao; naturally, I bear the souls of the ghostly world.

“Lin Yi, your grandfather was not from the Ghost Dao, nor was Li Nanhua. You have no blood relation with your grandfather and no prior connection with Li Nanhua. Why do you think they both chose you and stand by your side? Do you think your grandfather just happened to find you while gathering herbs in the mountains? And that Ye Weiyang in the deep mountains happened to spare your life?”

The peddler fired several questions at me, leaving me confused. I hadn’t expected him to know so much about me.

“Your grandfather was originally a mountain god. Do you believe he needed to gather herbs? That was just his story. Finding you in the wild mountains was no coincidence!” the peddler continued.

His words were logical and compelling, forcing me to reconsider. It was something I had overlooked until now. How many coincidences can there really be in this world?