Fan Wujiu chuckled and said, "Seventh Brother, you're quite injured this time."
Xie Bian shook his head helplessly and asked, "You didn't extort too much from that kid, did you?"
Fan Wujiu shook his head, his dark face full of smiles, "No, I just asked that kid to offer you three sacrifices. You know I don't like these things."
Xie Bian finished speaking, feeling fortunate that the kid hadn't gone too far. He still remembered fifty years ago, a family had sought their help. This kid had demanded three sacrifices for a month before agreeing to help. It wouldn't be much now, but fifty years ago, prices were sky-high. Most families could barely afford meat a few times a year, let alone three sacrifices for a whole month. It was fortunate they were a wealthy family, otherwise, they couldn't have afforded it. However, a Taoist priest learned of this, wrote a letter, and reported it directly to the King of Hell. Fan Wujiu was almost beheaded for it. While it wouldn't matter to ordinary people, that Taoist priest had some cultivation, and even the King of Hell feared him by three points.
Fan Wujiu looked at Xie Bian, a wry smile on his face, "We've been doing business in the human world for so many years, and we don't even have a proper temple."
Seeing Fan Wujiu's sad expression, Xie Bian smiled faintly, "Silly boy, your Seventh Brother is fine. Let's go back to the underworld."
Fan Wujiu looked at Xie Bian, a smile appearing on his face as he nodded, "Let's go back to the underworld." Fan Wujiu knew in his heart that if it weren't for him, Seventh Brother could have ascended to the heavenly court long ago. Even guarding the gates in the heavenly court would be better than being a high official in the underworld. These were two entirely different concepts.
Xie Bian looked ahead and slowly said, "A'Fan, what did we say when we swore brotherhood?"
Fan Wujiu recalled their time as mortals and replied, "Share blessings, share hardships."
Xie Bian smiled faintly and looked at Fan Wujiu, "You were loyal to me back then, so how can I abandon you now?"
Fan Wujiu's eyes welled up, "Seventh Brother, you're really something, you're making me want to cry."
Xie Bian smiled, "You rascal, let's hurry back to the underworld."
"Okay, Seventh Brother."
Fan Wujiu nodded and carried Huo Qubing on his back, continuing towards the Ghost Gate. Because of a heavy rain, the two lost their lives, but it was also a blessing in disguise. The human world and the underworld gained a pair of ghost messengers—Black and White Impermanence.
Late at night.
Two figures, one black and one white, walked forward. Fan Wujiu suddenly thought of something, "Right, Seventh Brother, is it really okay for us to be so slow?"
Xie Bian looked confused, "What's wrong?"
Fan Wujiu turned to look at Huo Qubing on his back, "Brother Huo seems to be quite badly injured."
Xie Bian glanced at Huo Qubing on his back and suddenly realized, "Damn it, how could I forget this?"
The two looked at each other and quickly ran towards the Ghost Gate. Fan Wujiu looked at Xie Bian and asked, "Seventh Brother, is Brother Huo okay?"
Xie Bian was slightly embarrassed, "Probably… should… maybe… he's okay."
(The unconscious Huo Qubing: "I really thank you two for remembering me.")
Meanwhile.
Yu Daohang was desperately rushing towards the Yu family's old residence. He had forgotten one thing: dawn was approaching. It was already 4:30 AM when he said goodbye to Black and White Impermanence, and then he listened to Fan Wujiu's endless chatter. Although running in a soul state wasn't too tiring, it was still on foot. Some wandering souls nearby wanted to pounce on Yu Daohang, but seeing the black talisman on his chest, they were too scared to approach.
Yu Daohang looked at the surrounding wandering souls, his brow furrowed. If he didn't return to his body before sunrise, the talisman's magic would fail. At that time, these wandering souls would swarm him, and he would be at their mercy. The more Yu Daohang thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but curse, "That damned Fan Wujiu, he's going to get me killed without batting an eye."
Time ticked by, and the sky gradually brightened. Yu Daohang arrived at the village and ran towards his old residence. Passing through the alley, he saw the gate was within reach, and Yu Daohang let out a sigh of relief. He looked back at the wandering souls who had followed him all the way, gave them the middle finger, and curled his lips, "Eat shit!"
The wandering souls behind him could only watch helplessly as Yu Daohang reached the gate. The ghost command made them dare not approach, so they could only watch Yu Daohang return to his body. Yu Daohang clasped his hands behind his back, looking like a reclusive master, and strode towards the gate.
"Woof… woof…"
Just then, a dog bark was heard. Yu Daohang instinctively flinched back, his face turning ugly as he looked at the small dog that suddenly ran out. The small dog had glossy fur, orange-yellow eyes, was very intelligent, and most importantly, it was black.
"Why is it black!" Yu Daohang's expression changed drastically. It was precisely what he feared. Was heaven conspiring against him, Yu Daohang? He had just mocked the wandering souls behind him, and then a black dog blocked his path. Black cats attract ghosts, black dogs kill ghosts. Legend has it that black dogs are descendants of the Sky-Howling Dog and are naturally capable of eating ghosts. Ordinary minor ghosts would detour when encountering a black dog that was five years or older. Fortunately, he didn't encounter a black dog that was two years or older, or it would have pounced on him long ago.
The little black dog barked incessantly at Yu Daohang. "Woof… woof… woof…" Although it was young, the matter was not trivial. Yu Daohang was troubled. His soul, which had just departed, dared not approach this black dog. Unlike those who practiced soul-walking, he had not cultivated any soul-related techniques. Although his soul was more than ten times stronger than an ordinary person's, he had no means of self-preservation. The little black dog, being too young, dared not advance and simply blocked the way, barking continuously.
The sky grew brighter, and the magic of the talisman on his chest was gradually fading. Yu Daohang's expression turned grim. He looked at the lurking wandering souls behind him and the black dog blocking his path in front. The wandering souls behind threatened his life, and the black dog blocked his way in front. And he was in a soul state. It was truly a case of a dragon trapped in shallow waters being harassed by shrimp, and a tiger fallen on the plains being bullied by a dog. He, the peerless prodigy, the expert on the Heavenly Ranking, the Lord Yu of Jiangdu, was about to be killed by a black dog today. If this got out, even dogs wouldn't believe it.
In the Yu family's old residence, Wang Ming was happily slurping down plain noodles. Hearing the dog barking outside, Zhou Fu frowned, "What dog is barking outside? Is something wrong?"
Zhou Fu was about to get up to check, but Wang Ming stopped him, "It's just a dog. Let it bark if it wants to. Don't you know that a dog barking at the door is a good omen?"
Hearing Wang Ming say this, Zhou Fu returned to his seat. He also knew that a dog barking at the door was a good omen. As the saying goes, "When a dog comes to the door and barks, the God of Wealth will arrive tomorrow."