Becoming a fox fairy from Liaozhai

Chapter 884 Unclaimed Souls

Chapter 884 Unclaimed Souls

The mighty river surges on, its waves never ceasing, nurturing countless generations with the power of nature.

The Golden Dragon King is currently composing the Yangtze River Water Chart in his divine palace. The Yangtze River Water Chart is a divine artifact of the Yangtze River Dragon Palace, which allows one to command the wind and rain of the Yangtze River.

From the source of the Yangtze River to the coast of the East China Sea, wherever the Yangtze River Water God is located, the spiritual energy of the water veins is collected by the divine artifacts of the Water God's palaces in various places, and finally gathered on this Yangtze River Water Map.

For example, the God of Taihu Lake would combine the Taihu Lake water map onto the Yangtze River water map.

The divine artifact does not represent the complete picture of the water map; areas untouched by the gods will be missing from it. Some of these untouched areas are occupied by demons, causing the artifact to lose its place; some have been lost for many years, with no one to inherit their legacy; and some are simply wild and untamed lands, never under the control of the gods.

King Jinlong deduced the Yangtze River water map in an attempt to make it coincide as closely as possible with the real Yangtze River water system. He wanted to expel the demons from the lands they occupied as soon as possible, cultivate successors in the lands where the traditions had been lost, and summon gods to the wild lands.

This is not only a magical artifact for commanding wind and rain and mobilizing water veins, but also a precious mirror to prove that the Yangtze River Water God is fulfilling his duties.

As King Jinlong was deliberating, a servant announced from outside the door, "Your Majesty, Master Shuiyue requests an audience."

"Let him in."

A moment later, a servant led a young man into the gate of the Golden Dragon King. This young man was handsome and wore a blue robe, which made his face look as white as jade, captivating everyone's heart.

The attendant was respectful; as a close attendant of the Golden Dragon King, he naturally knew how to behave in front of the king's beloved general. Although Mr. Shuiyue had only been at the Dragon Palace for a short time, he was highly valued by the Golden Dragon King, who often ordered him to adjust the spiritual energy of the water veins. Wherever he went, misfortune was averted and good fortune was brought forth, and his achievements were remarkable.

The attendant led Mr. Shuiyue into the room, then bowed and withdrew, closing the palace gate behind him.

Mr. Shuiyue bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have come to ask for leave."

The Golden Dragon King glanced back at him and immediately saw through the situation: "So that's why you suddenly came back when you were doing so well controlling the floods. It turns out a calamity is about to befall you. What have you done wrong?"

Mr. Shuiyue smiled and said, "It was a few enemies who caused trouble. They thought their time had come and wanted to fight like cornered beasts to get rid of me as soon as possible. Little did they know that I had seen it all and they couldn't cause any big trouble."

The Golden Dragon King revealed a knowing look and said, "You have always been quick-witted and intelligent. Since you have already made your plans, there is no need for me to say more. However, it is still best to be careful. The greatest danger in tribulations is the entanglement of cause and effect. If one's fortune declines, the tribulations can easily escalate into a major tribulation, ultimately leading to an uncontrollable situation." He looked at Mr. Shuiyue and asked, "Do you need my help?"

Mr. Shuiyue said, "How could I dare to trouble Your Majesty with such a trivial matter? There may be some twists and turns, but it will be nothing serious. After this ordeal, I will be more clear-headed in the future."

King Jinlong then turned his gaze to the Yangtze River map and said, "Very well, you have an auspicious sign and will surely be able to turn misfortune into good fortune. Then go and return as soon as possible. When you come back, I have something else for you to do."

Mr. Shuiyue raised his hands: "Your Majesty, please spare me. I'm not really here to become the Water God."

King Jinlong sighed and said, "This matter is related to Dongting Lake. Xia Gu might act impulsively, and I'm afraid that others might make wild guesses. It's more reassuring to entrust it to you."

Seeing his serious expression, Mr. Shuiyue no longer refused. Although he had come to the Dragon Palace to comprehend the virtue of water and experience the power of creation and procreation, the Golden Dragon King had been very accommodating to him. He replied, "Then Your Majesty, please look forward to my early return."

The Golden Dragon King chuckled and said, "Come and take a look here."

Following the Golden Dragon King's finger, Mr. Shuiyue looked at the Yangtze River map. Before him stretched an endless river, its length unknown, and the boundless water vapor swept him into it. He traveled eastward from the source of the Yangtze River, like a divine dragon swimming and creating all things.

Following the guidance of the Golden Dragon King, Master Shuiyue entered the Yangtze River Water Map to comprehend the virtue of water, the rolling waves echoing in his ears. The mighty waters filled the vast sky, like the roar of the Yellow Springs in the netherworld, shaking people's hearts and minds.

But at the actual Yellow Springs, the damp air permeated the void, and a heavy mist shrouded the banks of the Naihe River, completely obscuring the shadowy figures along its banks.

The judge of the Merit Department stood by the Yellow Springs Water, his loose strands of hair, damp and slightly curled by the mist, his face always bearing a look of compassion. He was dressed as a Taoist priest, and said to the young talent beside him, who was dressed in five-colored robes, "Brother Yue Zhen, what do you think of this place?"

Before him, the surging Yellow Springs flowed through the underworld, attracting many lost souls who knew neither their origin nor their destination.

The judge said, "Most of these unclaimed souls are incomplete, with no origin and no destination. They are led by the Yellow Springs, living in a daze. If they are near Haoli, they can be guided by the Yue family and have a place to go. If they are not in Haoli, those who are unlucky will either be imprisoned by other evil ghosts and demons or swallowed by the Yellow Springs. None of them will have a good ending."

Yue Zhen looked down at the souls floating in the Yellow Springs and asked, "Where will these floating corpses of the Yellow Springs eventually go?"

The judge said, "You will not go anywhere. In the end, your consciousness will be completely washed away by the Yellow Springs water, and you will turn into mist and be taken to the Netherworld Mist by the Yellow Springs."

Yue Zhen sighed, "It's pitiful. If we can guide these wandering souls, it would indeed be a meritorious deed."

Just as Da Pan was about to respond, he suddenly heard a burst of ferocious barking.

A pack of demonic hounds rushed out from the mountain valley not far from the underworld, chasing and biting the wandering, ownerless souls, feeding on them.

Those lost souls who still retained their senses became restless and were driven like a flock of sheep, while those whose senses had been lost were left behind and were devoured by the demonic hounds.

In the midst of the commotion, many lost souls fell into the water and became floating corpses, never to be able to climb out again.

Once the demon dog had eaten its fill, it carried the arm and leg back into the ravine, and the commotion gradually subsided.

After this commotion, Da Pan couldn't help but sigh and asked, "Brother, you've already—you've already seen quite a few assignments with me, all of them good ones for accumulating merit. This one, while it can also accumulate merit, is tedious and difficult, requiring one to endure hardship. Brother, have you made up your mind? Would you like to take another look?"

“I think this one is quite good,” Yue Zhen said. “The previous assignments were good, but they were either too closely related to the Yue family or they didn’t serve to temper my character. The former was not what I wanted, and the latter was not what the higher-ups wanted. The matter at hand is complicated and difficult. I need to put aside my pride and humble myself, using compassion as a raft and courage as an oar. This is exactly the way to go through tribulations.”

The judge smiled and said, "Very good, just as it should be."

Yue Zhen smiled and shook his head, saying, "Brother, you're testing me."

The judge said, "Who knows what your relationship is with that female immortal? If there's something I don't know, wouldn't that delay your important business?"

Yue Zhen waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't talk nonsense. I was indeed asked to do it, and I couldn't refuse."

The cunning judge chuckled, "Now I believe."