Chapter 37: Source of Lust · Braving the Underworld · Simplest Method

Chapter 37: Source of Lust · Braving the Underworld · Simplest Method
Wu Qing quickly dressed up, took out a stack of banknotes and placed it in the hands of the cleaning lady. In front of her, he gestured mysteriously and said, "You haven't seen anything, okay?"
The old lady put the money in her pocket, made the OK gesture, and hummed a little tune as she walked away. Wu Qing manifested a stone knife in his hand, turned his head and wanted to slash at Mei Meng. At this moment, my soul was already able to take effect, and I immobilized him in place. I told him, "You're not going to get away with this lash!"
Wu Qing cursed loudly, "I fucking got hit with 749 lashes, you know!"
"Isn't that your karma for being obsessed with lust? I wonder if you've learned your lesson?" I asked.
Wu Qing stopped speaking, the stone knife disappeared, and he also lowered his head. I held Meimeng's hand with one hand and Wu Qing's hand with the other hand. I stomped my foot and said, "Change location." We were then transported to a realm of emptiness.
In front of me is a huge wall of people that seems to stretch endlessly, but all the people have lost their human forms.
Scratching his head, Wu Qing asked, "Liao Wu, what is this disgusting thing you brought us to see? It makes me want to vomit!"
"This is a massive collective subconsciousness. When sexual desire arises, your consciousness will connect with this subconsciousness. That's why you always feel that sexual desire starts off as a thin thread, then turns into a ferocious beast, and eventually becomes unstoppable like a landslide. This is also why the practice of Yin-Yang dual cultivation has become a fringe and controversial practice in Daoism, because hardly anyone can resist such a massive collective subconsciousness." I patiently explained to Wu Qing the origin of sexual desire.
Wu Qing nodded and frowned, saying, "No wonder!"
But the physical body ignored him, leaped back into it, and continued to sink. Wu Qing kicked the body and disdainfully said, "Damn! It's beyond saving!"
"Wu Qing, it is good that you think, but you often stay on the surface and find it difficult to reach the essence," I enlightened him and said, "The women you play with are just projections of your beliefs, and they may not be exactly as you imagine. When you think they are goddesses, they may actually be witches, and when you think they are witches, they are merely fragments of madness in your own mind."
Wu Qing shook her head and pointed at Mei Meng, asking, "It's too profound! I don't understand. Just tell me directly, is she a fairy or a witch?"
I looked at Wu Qing and then turned to look into Mei Meng's eyes, saying, "In my heart, she is no different from a fairy!"
"Hahaha! I'm dying of laughter!" Wu Qing laughed heartily and said, "Liao Wu, this time it's your turn to connect with this group of cow frogs!"
I didn't respond, I grabbed Wu Qing's hand, stomped my foot, and chanted, "Change of scene!" The three of us then arrived at Meimeng's house, in her mother's room. A woman who looked to be in her thirties was lying quietly in bed, with short and clean hair, a kind face, and good skin. Wu Qing asked, "Where are we? Who is this woman?"
I tell Wu Qing, "This is Mei Meng's home, and this is Mei Meng's mother. Ten years ago, she was thrown off the balcony by Mei Meng's stepfather. Fortunately, there was a rain canopy underneath to cushion the fall, but she still ended up in a vegetative state."
"But, she looks like she's only around thirty! How is that possible?" Wu Qing asked incredulously.
"Over the years, Mei Meng has sustained her mother's vitality and youth by absorbing the essence of men," I explained, looking at Mei Meng. "Even if you take Wu Qing's or anyone else's brain and put it in your mother's body, she still won't wake up. Don't ever do such foolish things again." She lowered her head.
"Ah, so you're also a tragedy, huh?" Wu Qing shook his head with a sigh, devoid of hostility.
After a while, Mei Meng looked up, tightly gripping my arm, crying and asking, "Liao Wu, you promised me to have a bright future! Can you help my mother wake up? It's been ten years! Not a day goes by that I don't miss her. I'm willing to trade my life for it! Let this sinful soul of mine suffer in hell!"
"Actually, I have been waiting for this moment, and now it seems the time is right." I brought them to the balcony and pointed to the canopy below, telling Meimei, "When your mother fell off the building all those years ago, it seemed like a short amount of time, but for the person falling, it was incredibly long. She didn't want to die, her determination was strong. When she fell onto the canopy, her soul instinctively grabbed onto it, while her body fell to the ground. That's how her soul and body were separated. Afterwards, for a long time, her soul remained stuck at the moment she fell onto the canopy."
"Oh!" Wu Qing interrupted and said, "So her mother became a vegetable, quickly summon her soul back!"
Mei Meng shook her head and said, "By the time I found out about all this, it was already too late. Maybe during the time my mother was in the hospital, her soul got lost without a body, I searched everywhere but couldn't find her..."
"Your mother's soul did not go missing. She was stuck under the eaves," I told Meimeng, "but later, when Heiwuchang was patrolling at night, he mistook her for a wandering ghost and took her to the underworld."
"Well, Liao Wu, how do you know all this?" questioned Wu Qing.
"I have heavenly eyes. What can escape my gaze?" I retorted.
At this moment, Mei Meng excitedly grabbed my hand and said, "Hurry, take me to the underworld to save my mother."
I nodded and turned to Wu Qing, saying, "Wu Qing, there is no guarantee that both Meimeng and I will come back unscathed from this journey. In the future, you must make good use of my ability to separate my divine consciousness, but never easily display my supernatural powers."
Wu Qing scratched his head and said, "Understood! With your amazing skills, you will definitely be able to come out unscathed, hehe!"
Mei Meng hurriedly asked, "Exactly! And you have the ability to see destiny, right? Can't you control your own fate?"
我答道，“有句话叫做‘善易者不卜’，很多事情想做便做了，至于结果已不重要。”
我拉住梅梦的手，告诉她地府所在，然后一同开始观想地府。
Just as I was about to teleport over, Wu Qing suddenly shouted at me, "Liao Wu! I understand! Results don't matter, because the future doesn't even exist!"
I nodded happily, telling him, "I've realized it!" and then teleported to the Underworld...
We arrived outside the Ghost Gate, and the river next to it should be the River of Oblivion. The river water is blood yellow, filled with worms and snakes, and a gust of foul wind hits our faces. There are already many ghosts being whipped by the ghost guards and queuing up to enter the gate behind us.
Without much time to think, Mei Meng and I were quietly pushed forward by them. We tightly held hands and walked through the extremely dark Yellow Springs Road. I even deliberately looked back, but didn't see anything, and then I was heavily whipped. Perhaps this is the reason why no one dares to look back.
After walking for a long time, Meime and I arrived at the Naihe Bridge. Finally, a lantern lit up and we saw an old lady sitting at the bridgehead. She looked just like the old woman we used to see washing clothes by the river when we were children. She gave a bowl of soup to each person who came. When it was our turn, I drank the soup in one gulp, while Meime held it in her mouth and her face puffed up like a frog.
As we were crossing the bridge, she quickly spat out the soup and looked at me with a soft voice of reproach, "Liao Wu, you're crazy! That's the Forgetfulness Soup, drinking it will make us forget everything before!"
"I know, I wouldn't remember it anyway if I didn't drink it, haha!" I comforted her with a smile. "Besides, I'm thirsty after walking for so long."
Not long after, we passed by a soil platform called Wangxiang Terrace. It is said that one can catch a last glimpse of their deceased loved ones here, and there is also a stone that records past lives. We weren't interested in any of that, so we just walked past it.
After walking for a while, we arrived at the front of the Evil Dog Ridge. From afar, we could hear the barks of dogs and the wailing cries of misery. At this moment, Mei Meng became nervous and grabbed my hand, sweating and anxiously asked me, "How do we cross here?"
"Do you kill dogs or abuse them?" I asked her in reply.
She shook her head and said, "I love dogs the most!" I patted her hand, reassured her that there's definitely no problem, and told her to stay calm and composed.
Upon reaching Evil Dog Ridge, I realized that these evil dogs weren't actually that evil. There were all kinds of dog breeds, but they all looked fierce, as if they were ready to attack. I noticed that if you showed fear, they would definitely bite you, but if you approached confidently, you could safely pass through.
When we arrived at Jinchishan Mountain, Meimeng's legs were already shaking. She muttered to herself, "I'm sure I will be pecked to death in this place!" I picked her up and said, "Before they peck you, they have to peck me first." She then nestled in my arms, like a little bird.
After climbing Mount Jinji, I realized that Meimeng was right. The countless iron roosters frantically gathered around us, darting through every gap to peck at Meimeng or claw at her with their steel claws. Every time, I would hold her tighter, using my back and arms as shields, and my legs and feet as weapons. Meimeng cried out, "I've caused harm to you, Liao Wu! I've caused harm to you!"
I didn't respond, determinedly opening up a way and crossing over Jinji Mountain. I gently set down Mei Meng, despite fiercely protecting her, she was still pecked all over and injured. She lowered her head and asked me, "Why didn't you leave me behind and burrow your way here first?"
I told her, "I can't expose myself so early."
"This is unfair! That is my sin! I am willing to take the punishment! What wrong have you done?!" she exclaimed.
"I want you to live, to save your mother, that is the punishment I deserve," I told her.
She calmed down a little and asked, "Can I go all out in the next level, the Ghost Village?!"
I told her, "Absolutely not. There are spies everywhere in the underworld, and all our previous efforts will be in vain."
"Ah, what should we do if we can neither use earth escape nor fight?" Meimeng asked anxiously.
"We'll play it by ear," I replied.
When we arrived at Wild Ghost Village, we realized that it wasn't as easy as we thought to not fight back. Since both of us were able-bodied individuals, the evil spirits were itching to take a bite out of us and kept on lunging at us. I had almost four or five little ghosts hanging onto my arm."
Under urgent circumstances, I suddenly thought of a way to escape. I told Mei Meng to close her eyes and plug her ears, and to be fully alert. Then, I gently clapped my hands and chanted, "Om!" The evil spirits in the haunted village were shaken in place, and when we shook our shoulders, the little ghosts on our bodies fell down like they were drunk.
"What kind of magical power is this?" Mei Meng asked in astonishment.
"This will be the simplest method for us to pass through the underworld!" I explained.
(End of this chapter)