Immortal of the Nine Realms

Before agreeing to work with the scurffy Daoist, the three first questioned him about his origins. Unfortunately, they could only drag his Daoist name out of him and nothing more.

The four of them rode the clouds, flying toward a distant direction.

Xie Aman asked casually, ”Senior Yun Que, were you and my junior brother’s master fellow disciples?”

Yun Que rolled his eyes. ”Fellow disciples? Hardly. Our Daoist names happen to sound similar, that’s all. At best, we exchanged nods in passing.”

Fang Chen’s expression turned odd. One was Yun He, the other was Yun Que, and the old man had earlier called Yun He a ”damn brat.” It didn’t sound like they were mere acquaintances. Fang Chen attributed this to his fragmented memory.

”Even nodding acquaintances is already impressive,” said Xie Aman, teasingly glancing at Fang Chen. ”Ninth Brother, did you ever see the senior who taught you Daoist arts again?”

”My master’s whereabouts have always been elusive,” Fang Chen replied. ”I actually didn’t spend much time with him, just met him a few times by chance.”

He paused, sighing lightly. ”Back then, I didn’t understand why. But now that my horizons have broadened, I realize my master’s background must be extraordinary.”

Xie Aman smiled. ”That’s normal. People with real ability are always like that. You’ll get used to it.”

”Senior Yun Que,” said Little Immortal Honglian, ”where exactly are we going this time?”

”Where else? Naturally, to find the Ghost Mother of Self Transformation.” Yun Que snorted impatiently, then frowned. ”You people fly so slowly. Forget it, I’ll do the hard work.”

The moment his words fell, a violent gale swept over them, and their speed surged several dozenfold.

Xie Aman’s heart jolted. That velocity rivaled the Black Dragon Ship at full power, just slightly slower than the speed of a Formation Movement Technique!

She wondered, Is his cultivation really that high, or is it because we’re inside the ghostly realm?

If it were pure cultivation driving their flight, then Yun Que might truly be capable of contending against a ninth-transformation immortal. However, it could also be the environment. Since this was a Ghost Realm, perhaps this speed wasn’t entirely real, merely an illusion created by the surroundings.

After more than ten years of flight, the Daoist suddenly raised a hand, and their speed slowed.

”This city,” he said, pointing downward with a grin, ”Is the capital of the Ghost Realm.”

Below lay a prosperous metropolis, glittering with life.

”The one you’re looking for, the Ghost Mother of Self Transformation, is here. She goes by the name Xu Qinghe and lives on Fenghua Alley. Go find her yourselves. I’ll stay outside the city.”

”We’re supposed to find her on our own?” Xie Aman looked at him suspiciously. ”Senior Yun Que, you’re not digging a pit for us to jump into, are you?”

Yun Que sighed. ”What’s wrong with you, girl? With my cultivation, do I really need to set traps for you?”

”That’s true,” she said with a faint smirk, ”But I’m still curious, why live outside the city?”

”Back then, I’d only lose my memory when I got within 100 feet of her. Later, it became 1,000 feet. Then 10,000. Now, I can only keep my memories if I stay outside the city. If I go in, I’ll forget everything in an instant, including you three, and it’ll take years before I remember again.”

”She affects you this badly?” Xie Aman murmured.

She nodded. ”Fine. Stay outside, Senior. We’ll go into the city and find this Ghost Mother and see if we can awaken her memories.”

”I’ll be building a hut right out here,” Yun Que said, waving them off impatiently. ”Move quickly. The odds aren’t great, but there’s still a sliver of hope.”

With that, the three entered the city.

Little Immortal Honglian hesitated. ”Senior Sister, Fang Daoist, how much of that old man’s story do you think is true? And if we lose our memories when we approach her, what then?”

”That’s simple,” Xie Aman said cheerfully. ”We’ll let... Ninth Brother go first. If he loses his memory, we’ll help him recall it afterward.”

She turned to Fang Chen with a teasing smile. ”No problem, right? I’ll stay here to oversee things, so I can’t take risks. As for Junior Sister Hong, she’s a lady, and she’s weaker than you. Can’t have her take the danger, can we?”

”I’ll go,” Little Immortal Honglian volunteered. ”If I lose my memory... it’s not such a big deal.”

”I’ll handle it,” Fang Chen said firmly. ”This looks strange, but not truly dangerous. Senior Yun Que’s memory loss likely comes from his own nature as a Yang God. We, on the other hand, are merely wandering souls in this place. It shouldn’t affect us.”

Little Immortal Honglian thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, allowing Fang Chen to meet the so-called Xu Qinghe first.

After asking for directions and confirming the exact location of Fenghua Alley, Fang Chen set off. As he walked, he couldn’t help noticing that Little Immortal Honglian had seemed faintly... expectant, almost hoping his memory would be affected.

Could it be that, like Wang Chong Song, the proportion of demonic memory in her is lower than her human memory—but not as low as Wang Chong Song’s? Is she conflicted because of that? Or am I just overthinking it? I’ll test this theory when I get the chance.

***

Fenghua Alley.

Just as Fang Chen arrived, a group of teenage boys came barreling out of a side street. Laughing and jeering, they jostled past him, ducking low.

A second later, a basin of water came flying through the air.

”You little brats! If you dare bully Little Yun again, I’ll tan your hides raw! Get lost!”

”Hahahahaha!”

The boys ran off, still laughing.

The water splashed all over Fang Chen. He didn’t dodge. Instead, he looked toward the source of the voice, a young woman, sleeves rolled to her elbows, wooden bucket in hand, fierce and full of spirit.

Beside her stood a timid little girl, five or six years old, clutching the woman’s clothes with teary eyes.

”Oh no!”

The young woman gasped when she saw the stranger she’d just drenched, then hurried over, flustered.

”Young Master, why didn’t you move? Why are you standing there like a fool? Good thing it wasn’t my foot-washing water, otherwise you’d really be in trouble today!”

”I couldn’t react in time,” Fang Chen said, smiling faintly.

The woman before him looked exactly like Qinghe, the abbess. She had the same face, same figure, only with long, glossy hair and a livelier manner.

”You’re soaked through,” she said briskly. ”Come with me, I’ll get you cleaned up before you catch a chill.”

She grabbed his hand and started leading him away, calling over her shoulder to the little girl. ”Little Yun, go home now! If those brats bully you again, just tell me, and I’ll deal with them!”