Chapter Thirty-One: Into Peril

The madman pointed at me and shouted, "You're next!" before bursting into wild laughter. Even though I knew my senior brothers were watching from not far away, the manic laughter still sent a chill down my spine.

After wandering around the town for a while without further incident, I returned to the inn. There, I sat around a table with my senior brothers, discussing the madman’s words.

“A madman’s words aren’t to be trusted,” Dongfang Mo declared.

“My junior brother’s making progress! Even if you didn’t catch the flower thief, someone called you a beauty. Pity he’s a lunatic,” Eleventh Brother teased me.

“That flower thief has abducted so many women to satisfy his desires. Just how depraved must he be… Look at our master, pure in heart, living a solitary life without desire,” Kunpeng Brother sighed.

“How can you compare the flower thief to our master! Master is a god—modest, unconcerned with fame or fortune, with a celestial bearing, and utterly devoted to our mistress…” Eleventh Brother never missed a chance to flatter our master.

“Indeed, worlds apart,” Twelfth Brother agreed.

“If our junior really is the next target, that’s perfect. We’ll catch the flower thief and return triumphant,” Stone Jun Brother said with a guileless smile.

I ignored their jokes and pondered quietly. Could the madman have seen the flower thief? If what he said was related to the thief…

“A moonless, windy night”—that’s the timing, meaning at night.

The location is the Kingdom of Yao Min, a small mortal country on the borderlands. It takes time to reach here from the heavens.

“A demon”—that suggests the flower thief possibly possesses magic, perhaps not even a human.

“Faceless”—no face… Among the beings I know, only the Faceless God fits this description.

Suddenly, I asked Eleventh Brother, “The flower thief is probably not mortal. Among all the supernatural beings, who is faceless?”

“Only the Faceless God. But that’s impossible—he’s a deity and our master’s friend,” Eleventh Brother dismissed the idea.

“Anyone similar to the Faceless God?” I pressed.

“Well, now that you mention it, there is someone—in our own Jade Purity Realm,” Eleventh Brother’s expression turned tense.

“Jade Purity Realm?” Everyone was puzzled.

“Spring Breeze Elder! Isn’t he shameless? Always planting and picking flowers day in, day out!” Eleventh Brother stuck out his tongue, laughing.

Honestly, I thought he might have a point.

Thinking perhaps the flower thief, like the Faceless God, wore a mask—after all, hidden faces are faceless—I asked, “What about those who wear masks?”

“There are plenty! At the masked balls held by the Jade Pool and Myriad Forms Divine Palace, every immortal in attendance wears a mask. Our master wore one once—he charmed a flock of goddess immortals. Princess Changyang fell in love with our masked master at first sight, but master fell for Lady Lu Xue, also masked. She performed a breathtaking dance and then disappeared, leaving master unable to find her. Later, when they met again at Mount Wu, neither wore a mask and so didn’t recognize one another…” Eleventh Brother, relishing tales of our master’s past, launched into a long-winded account.

“Hey! Brother, you’re off topic. We’re here to catch a flower thief, not our master,” I reminded him, uneasy at the mention of master and mistress.

“Alright, back to the flower thief. I bet he’s hideous! Insecure! Otherwise, why sneak about stealing flowers? If he were as handsome as our master, women would throw themselves at him.”

I sighed; Eleventh Brother’s flattery was second nature.

“And his true form might be a snake or a dragon, or he might wield a whip-like magical artifact,” I analyzed.

Twelfth Brother thought for a moment. “You forgot, Eleventh Brother—there’s someone who fits that description in the Netherworld.”

Eleventh Brother’s eyes lit up. “You’re right! There is one. The rising star of the Netherworld, Second Prince Ming Zhong—also known as Ming the Second. They call him the God of Netherworld’s Shadow. Rumor has it his powers are immense, he’s brave and skilled in warfare, a master of military strategy, and his ways recall the young Nether King. But he always wears a mask—no one knows what he looks like. Netherfolk usually resemble fiends; perhaps Ming Zhong is so ugly he wears a mask.”

“Is Ming Zhong’s true form a snake?” I asked.

“No, not a snake. The royal family of the Netherworld are jiao—related to dragons, very much alike. His weapon is a whip.” Eleventh Brother, who prided himself as the first divine detective of the heavens, was indeed well informed.

“If it’s him, I’ll settle my nation’s grudge and avenge my family—catch him and exchange him for my mother! But can we really trust the words of a madman?” Dongfang Mo said through gritted teeth.

“We should proceed with caution. If things go awry, we’ll report to master,” I said. Although the madman’s words might not be reliable, I had a nagging feeling this flower thief wouldn’t be as easy to catch as the ginseng child.

My brothers laughed at me, saying I was intimidated by a madman’s ravings. Even if it was Ming Zhong, five divine lords should have no trouble catching him.

But master always taught us: to win, avoid the enemy’s strengths and exploit their weaknesses. If the flower thief really was Ming Zhong from the Netherworld, all we knew were his strengths, none of his weaknesses—a grave mistake in strategy.

That night, I pulled Dongfang Mo to sleep under the bed while I lay on top, fully clothed, and the others rested in adjacent rooms.

But that night, something truly happened…

I was awake, vigilant. I heard a noise, and dimly saw a figure wearing a dark gold mask appear at my bedside like a ghost.

I had cultivated for a thousand years under master’s tutelage; my powers were considerable. Yet after exchanging two moves and crying out “Brother!” I was instantly sealed.

In a flash, the masked figure carried me away in a sack slung over his shoulder, moving with a swiftness equal to my master’s! I wanted to struggle and shout, but my body was limp and powerless, my magic useless, my true form locked away. There was no breaking his seal.

Within moments, I was thrown into a damp, stifling corner…

In the darkness, outside the sack, came two strange, sinister voices.

“Let’s take a look.”

“Just a peek?”

The sack was opened with a spell.

Under the eerie light, two fiendish, demon-faced figures loomed over me.

My heart lurched—these were Netherfolk, unmistakably fiendish in appearance! Was this the Netherworld? Had Ming Zhong really captured me? A cold terror gripped me.

“Pretty good looking!” one of them remarked, drooling copiously.

“Second Prince has good taste! Come on, let's bring the rest in before… Heh, look at you, drooling already.” The other leered at me and dragged his companion out.

I glanced around—a sinister, bizarre palace. At its center was a large round pool, molten lava churning and steaming within. Something seemed to be refining in the black and red waves. Not far off stood a cabinet full of multicolored bottles and jars, with a bed nearby. Scattered around the bed lay a dozen girls, collapsed in various states—unconscious, sobbing, or struck dumb with terror.

Soon, more girls were tossed in by the two Netherfolk.

They sat on the floor to rest.

“Is the Second Prince still collecting yin energy from these ones?”

“This time, it’s for alchemy.”

“What kind of pill?”

“Supposedly one to prolong the Nether King’s life.”

“That fairy too?”

“No idea. We’ll follow Second Prince’s orders. She’s probably saved for last.”

“That fairy… should we, first? Heh…”

“You dare? If you try, I won’t. I’m afraid the Second Prince would cut out my heart.”

“Honestly, I don’t dare either. But if the First Prince were here, he’d take the fairy’s virginity first, and when he’s done, we could have our fun… Heh, I’ve never touched a fairy.”

“The First Prince is out at the opera, but he’ll be back soon. If he wants the girl, the Second Prince won’t refuse him. Last time, the First Prince took one—she was amazing, but died before he’d had his fill.”

“So, let’s not slack off. Finish the work, and when the First Prince returns, we might get a taste… I’ve never had a fairy before.”

After a bit of lewd chatter, they closed the door and left.

What to do? What to do! I desperately tried to find a way to escape, running through every spell my master had taught me, but none worked. This time, not only could I not save anyone, I couldn’t even protect myself.

Regret gnawed at me for sneaking down the mountain. At that moment, the heavy door creaked open. In came a Netherwoman and two small fiends.

The Netherwoman was human-shaped and well-dressed, pale-skinned but with a fierce, cruel expression. The two fiends were grotesque, skulls shaped like date pits, bodies hunched and limbs twisted, their skin withered and pitch-black save for a rag covering their loins—if anything, even uglier than the Netherfolk from before.

She ordered the two fiends to lift a girl onto the bed. The girl was too weak to struggle, her cries barely a whisper. The fiends stripped her, and the Netherwoman inspected her body. At her nod, the fiends threw the girl into the molten pool. The flames flared, followed by a nauseating stench.

A girl had been burned alive before my eyes!

Then came a second. The Netherwoman checked her as before.

“This one’s no virgin—tainted by yang energy. Take her out and let the others outside have their way with her, then kill her. You two get right back here, no dawdling!” she commanded.

The two fiends carried the girl out and promptly returned. From outside came the sounds of lecherous revelry. The fiends’ faces showed envy.

One by one, the girls were thrown into the molten pool…

I squeezed my eyes shut, but the faint, heartbreaking cries, the sizzle of flesh melting, the stench of burning bodies—all invaded my ears, my nose, and stabbed into my heart like knives.

Tears streamed down my face…

Now I finally understood why Dongfang Mo was so diligent in his cultivation—he’d survived the slaughter of the Netherworld, and his mother still suffered there.

I tried to gather the last dregs of my power to break the seal, but it was too strong—there was no breaking free!

Once the fiends finished with the other girls, they swept the room and spotted me, half-hidden in my sack.

“Here’s one more.” The fiends approached!

Like a lamb to the slaughter, I was carried to the bed. Their withered, filthy claws tore at my clothes. I was powerless to resist, tears pouring down my cheeks.

“Wait! Stop!” the Netherwoman barked.

She leaned close, sniffed my face, then straightened and sneered, “Who would have thought, with such a pure and innocent look, your yang energy is so dense! Clearly, a wanton girl who’s slept with countless men!”

“No need to check her—take her straight out!” the Netherwoman ordered.