Chapter 1097: Chapter 48: Today, Lost Souls Are Guided Home
“Grandma…”
Seeing a group of strange uncles and aunts looking at her, the little girl couldn’t help but feel scared. She turned her head and buried it in Miss Bai Zhi’s chest.
“It’s okay, don’t be afraid, come down and walk by yourself.”
“No.”
“Be good, listen.”
Miss Bai Zhi placed the little girl on the ground, her gaze sweeping the crowd, pausing slightly on Li Mumu’s face, finally landing on the woman in blood-red clothes, He Dinghong.
“Is the Netherworld Springs open?”
“It’s ready.”
Miss Bai Zhi nodded and closed her eyes.
In an instant, six pitch-black wings unfurled from her back, almost obscuring the entire sky.
Above her head, a Dharma Form of a three-headed, six-armed Bodhisattva appeared in the void, with two hands forming hand seals in front of its chest, two tearing the dimensional barrier, and two holding an intricately carved vase high.
A bone-chilling cold wind surged from the Netherworld Yellow Springs, instantly covering the dock with a layer of thin ice.
The Forgetful River Blood River Map rose from beneath the blood-clad women, forming a bridge in mid-air.
Then, a galaxy poured down from the vase.
Li Mumu widened her eyes, astonished at the fantastical scene before her.
They were the Lost Souls.
They were Lost Souls of countless Overseas Chinese who died in foreign lands, unable to return home, their resentment unable to find peace in Hell.
The Guiding Bodhisattva leads them to rebirth.
Today, the Bodhisattva guides the Lost Souls home!
Countless Lost Souls transformed into flowing lights, rushing into the Netherworld Yellow Springs along the bridge built by the Forgetful River Blood River Map, like a magnificent galaxy.
The Netherworld Springs are not a land of joy.
But it is still the Netherworld of their homeland!
In the marsh, whose land is it, gathering souls regardless of virtue or vice.
How the Ghost Lord urges on, giving no pause for human life.
Miss Bai Zhi glanced at the vase in her hand, then cast her gaze upon Li Mumu.
“Shanhu, Mumu!”
No more words were needed, Li Mumu almost immediately understood the implication.
Pure white hair like jade burst forth from her body, the red-tailed Chu Jiang stepping on the ground, opening a passage to the Thousand-Year Dynasty World behind her.
Meanwhile, Bai Shanshan hurriedly opened the door to Nanke.
Two streams separated from the vase, flowing into these two worlds.
These Lost Souls seemed different.
On Bai Shanshan’s side, they were clearly all Foreigners’ souls, each in suits and looking very dignified.
Whereas on Chu Jiang’s side, the souls appeared full of vitality, nothing like Lost Souls.
In a daze, she saw her grandfather.
The old man wore a black outfit of mourning, leaning on his cane, which he never parted with, surveying the surroundings without a word.
Li Mumu vaguely remembered that within her grandfather’s cane was hidden a sharp dagger.
But no one else in their family, aside from her, knew this secret.
Mu Yannang.
The swallow flies south, but will eventually return north.
Even upon confirming his return home, the old man showed no excitement, not throwing himself into the return like other Lost Souls.
He nonchalantly observed the differences in the three teleportation gates, pausing his gaze on Chu Jiang, a sudden realization flashing in his eyes.
He nodded slightly towards Chu Jiang, then casually moved into the stream of Foreigners’ souls.
In recent decades, many Foreigners have chosen to convert to the Dark Angel Anhelica, and after death, their souls do not enter Heaven or Hell, but find refuge under the Dark Angel’s wings.
But ultimately, they are Foreigners, not of our kind.
How could he be at ease?
Meanwhile, on Chu Jiang’s side, new guests arrived.
An elderly man with white hair and beard, donned in the official attire of the Former Dynasty, supported by an old servant, brought a dozen students who seemed no older than eleven or twelve, came before Chu Jiang and stopped.
Unhurriedly, the elderly man tidied his attire, knelt down, and bowed thrice towards the direction of the Capital, then rose to meet eyes with Wang Yunxiao.
“Are you a disciple of Zhou Yaowen?”
Wang Yunxiao started, quickly nodding, “Yes!”
“Tell him when he returns to inform his uncle, that I… brought back all the children.”
Wang Yunxiao did not understand the old story behind this and could only nod in agreement.
The elderly man turned, his eye catching the thriving scene around the docks with a smile on his lips, before flicking his sleeves and leading his students into the passage behind Chu Jiang.
The entire process of guiding the Lost Souls lasted a full thirty minutes, until the galaxy from the vase was completely spent.
Feathers scattered across the sky, the divine Dharma Form quietly dissolved, leaving only the petite figure of Miss Bai Zhi standing there.
“The job is done, you can rest now.”
Miss Bai Zhi caressed the little girl’s head, smiled at the women in blood-red, “I’ll settle the child first, then visit you all tomorrow.”
He Dinghong glanced at the little girl clinging tightly to her grandma’s leg.
“This is…”
“The child of Keyan, her nickname is Lele, full name Xu Huange.”
“Can’t really tell who is who.”
He Dinghong shook her head, whispered, “We didn’t know you’d bring a child back beforehand, didn’t prepare anything, and everything we have isn’t clean…”
Miss Bai Zhi laughed, “There’s no need for so many taboos, we’ll talk about it later.”
“I have something!”
At this moment Bai Shanshan suddenly jumped out, quickly stepping in front of the little girl under He Dinghong’s lethal gaze, she pulled out a fist-sized colorful gemstone from her pocket, “This is a meeting gift from your aunt!”
He Dinghong’s eyes were sharp as knives, “Bai Shanshan, are you crazy? Acting like you’re a young cucumber when you’re really their great-aunt?”
Li Mumu watched from the side, feeling a sourness in her stomach.
A Dragon Crystal, that is, Teacher Bai, where did you dig up a Dragon Crystal?
Wang Yunxiao even twitched the corners of his mouth.
He didn’t know what a Dragon Crystal looked like, but he sensed a certain first-year little glutton’s aura from that thing.
And did you keep a relic after eating dragon sashimi back then?
“It’s too valuable, not something for children to play with.”
Miss Bai Zhi raised a hand to stop, smiling, “I accept the gesture, getting the child some toys later will be enough.”
“This is a toy!”
At this moment, Bai Shanshan seemed like an iceberg melting, no longer having any arrogance, she thick-skinnedly stuffed the gem into the little girl’s hand, “It’s not something precious, if you lose it, auntie will get you another one.”
The little girl held the gem, looking at it from all angles, then timidly glanced up at Grandma, and softly said, “Thank you, auntie.”
“Lele is so good!”
Bai Shanshan beamed with joy.
Watching Uesugi Risa join in on the conversation with Miss Bai Zhi, Yang Qiming gestured to the driver behind him, then turned and asked Wang Yunxiao, “Can you drive?”
“I can.”
“You’ll drive later.”
“Uh…”
Wang Yunxiao hesitated, then softly asked, “Sir, one car can’t fit all of us, right?”
The three of you adults with one child, should I sit in the passenger seat and let my wife walk back?
“It’ll fit.”
Yang Qiming assured confidently.
“The other two are just extras.”