Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy of the Ancestors, Bloodstained Brocade Chapter 102: The White-Haired Monkey

Amidst Zhao Yuan’s shrill, agonizing screams, the large man beside him felt his legs turn to jelly and collapsed to his knees.

The little enchantress let out a silvery, melodic laugh and asked the man, "I’m not letting Black Flash gouge out your eyes, so what are you afraid of?"

Cold sweat drenched the man like rain. Trembling, he stammered, "Miss... Miss, spare me. I... I..." He stuttered, unable to find the words.

"He is always playing tricks and never telling the truth." The little enchantress stood before the man and asked, "Tell me, who exactly is he?"

"He... he is the Judge...!" Knowing the little enchantress’s vicious nature, the man trembled and said, "I... I only follow his orders. Please, Miss, let me go."

"And what is this 'Judge' supposed to mean?" the little enchantress asked. "As long as you behave, you don't necessarily have to die."

The man replied, "The Judge... the Judge is the adjudicator of the underworld, the one who keeps the ledger of life and death...!"

"The ledger of life and death?"

"Yes... yes. In the Nine Nether Underworld, the cycle of reincarnation is governed by the Judge, who weighs one's sins and then... then casts them into the eighteen levels of hell...!" The man’s face was deathly pale, his entire body shaking; it was clear he had been terrified out of his wits by the little enchantress. "We... as long as we follow the Judge, we can... we can prolong our lives, and we won't have to enter the eighteen levels of hell after we die...!"

Yang Ning was momentarily stunned, thinking the man must have been scared senseless by the little enchantress to be spouting such nonsense.

The little enchantress clearly shared this sentiment. "If you keep talking nonsense, I will have Black Flash pluck out your eyes right now."

"Miss, I... I dare not lie. It is all true." The man knelt on the ground with his head bowed. "The Judge is right here; you... you can ask him yourself."

The little enchantress laughed. "You say that as long as you follow him, you can prolong your life? Why not say you can achieve immortality and never die?"

"If... if one performs great service, then... then one can indeed achieve immortality," the man insisted.

The little enchantress giggled and looked over at Zhao Yuan. Zhao Yuan was held fast by the giant ghost, his shoulders pinned so he could not move. Blood streamed from his empty eye sockets, a truly terrifying sight.

"He says that listening to you grants immortality," the little enchantress said to Zhao Yuan. "You can't even protect yourself, yet you claim to grant others immortality? You are the 'Judge,' and he says you control life and death. Well then, do you have the ability to make me die right now?" She walked over to him and mocked, "Your life is in my hands now. Does that make me the Judge?"

Zhao Yuan’s body shuddered, but he still hissed and roared, "You profane the netherworld! You will not... you will not have a good end. The Nether Ksitigarbha will never... never forgive you."

"I don't believe you," the little enchantress replied. "If there really is some Nether Ksitigarbha, tell him to come and find me." Her fair, delicate hand suddenly held a pill. As Zhao Yuan opened his mouth to curse again, she seized the moment to toss the pill inside. The giant ghost immediately clamped a massive hand over Zhao Yuan’s mouth, preventing him from spitting it out.

Watching from the sidelines, Yang Ning wondered if the little enchantress intended to poison Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan felt the pill being forced into his mouth and struggled violently, but the giant ghost held him down like a beast. Unable to escape or spit out the pill, he was held until the giant ghost finally pulled his hand away a moment later. Zhao Yuan gagged, but only spat out phlegm; the pill was gone.

The little enchantress giggled, "The pill dissolves as soon as it enters your throat. You can't spit it out even if you want to."

"You wicked girl, you... you shall never be reborn," Zhao Yuan cursed. Then, he began to chant like a monk: "Immovable as the earth, deep and mysterious as the secret repository, the Nether Ksitigarbha... ah... ah...!" His voice suddenly rasped and faded into incoherent grunts; he could no longer speak.

"That's for playing god and spouting nonsense," the little enchantress clapped and laughed. "Now that you've become a mute, let's see what else you can say."

Only then did Yang Ning realize that the pill was meant to take away one's voice.

The little enchantress dismissed Zhao Yuan’s words as gibberish, but Yang Ning sensed that there was a deep secret hidden behind those bizarre claims.

The way Zhao Yuan and his group had seized the old Qi family estate was already highly suspicious. Yang Ning had long guessed there must be someone powerful backing them; otherwise, a mere handful of men would never have dared to provoke the noble House of Qi. It was now certain that there was a formidable figure behind Zhao Yuan, but who were they, and why target the Qi family?

And this "Nether Ksitigarbha" Zhao Yuan kept mentioning—what kind of deity was that?

However, Zhao Yuan’s martial arts were mediocre at best, and the "Nether Ksitigarbha" he spoke of likely wasn't much better in combat, probably relying instead on conspiracies and tricks.

It was a pity the little enchantress had turned Zhao Yuan into a mute; otherwise, he might have been able to force some useful information out of him.

The little enchantress did not linger. She headed straight toward the bamboo grove ahead, while the giant and small ghosts forced Yang Ning and the others to follow.

Yang Ning tried to see if he could break free from his bindings. During his training in his past life, he had been taught exactly how to escape ropes, but after a few attempts, he knew it was nearly impossible. The ropes were not ordinary; they were sturdy and tough. Unless cut by an incredibly sharp blade, even standard weapons would struggle to sever them.

He pondered his options, hoping to recover some strength and find an opening to use his "Carefree Steps" to escape. The little enchantress was cold-blooded and ruthless; he could not let her continue to dictate his fate. If a chance arose, he would not hesitate to take her hostage, though he knew this cunning girl would not be easy to handle.

After passing through the bamboo grove, the path narrowed. A while later, it opened up again. Suddenly, a pond appeared. On the opposite bank, the ground was lush and green, filled with all kinds of flowers and plants. Yang Ning was astonished; it was the season when all things withered, and even the mountain trees had shed their leaves. How could such verdant greenery exist here?

Nearby stood three thatched cottages, but there was no sign of human life anywhere.

"So, someone really does live in this valley," Yang Ning thought. "The little enchantress must be bringing us here to have our poison neutralized." He still had no idea what the girl was truly plotting.

Rounding half the pond, they arrived at the flower garden. Yang Ning noticed the plants were arranged in neat, orderly rows with irrigation ditches; the soil was damp, as if it had just been watered.

The little enchantress stared at the cottages and suddenly gestured. The giant ghost raised his trident and swept it across the flowerbeds. With his immense strength, the flowers and plants were broken and scattered in an instant. He showed no sign of stopping, sweeping back and forth.

Yang Ning frowned, wondering what the little enchantress was up to. They hadn't even seen anyone yet, and she was already destroying someone's garden.

He could tell these were no ordinary plants; they had been carefully cultivated.

Just then, a squeaking sound erupted. A shadow darted out from the side and lunged at the giant ghost with incredible speed. Before Yang Ning could clearly see what it was, the giant ghost let out a low roar. Squinting, he saw a small, snow-white monkey perched on the giant ghost’s shoulder, frantically scratching at his head while letting out angry squeaks.

The white monkey was small and lightning-fast. In a blur, it tore the headscarf off the giant ghost, revealing a perfectly bald pate.

The giant ghost’s face was covered in thick yellow hair, but the top of his head was completely smooth.

The giant ghost dropped his trident and reached for the monkey, but the creature was too quick. Before his hands could reach it, the monkey dove down, darted behind the giant’s back, and began clawing furiously. In the blink of an eye, it shredded the giant’s clothes and left bloody gashes on his back.

Though the giant was tall, he was not slow; he swiped at his front and back, but he could never catch the white monkey, leaping and stumbling in frustration.

Suddenly, a cawing sound cut through the air. Yang Ning looked up to see a shadow descending from the sky—it was Black Flash, diving like a lightning bolt.

The little enchantress giggled, "Black Flash, gouge out the eyes of this little monkey!"

Black Flash swooped down, its sharp, hook-like talons aiming straight for the white monkey on the giant’s back. Yang Ning’s expression hardened; those talons were razor-sharp, and if they caught the monkey, it would surely die.

Just as the talons were inches away, the white monkey performed a graceful flip and dodged. Black Flash’s claws raked into the giant ghost’s flesh instead, causing him to let out a pained roar as two chunks of skin were ripped from his back.

Black Flash didn't stop, circling around and diving again. The white monkey darted across the giant’s body, dodging every strike with ease, while the giant ghost suffered more and more bloody wounds from Black Flash’s misses.

Yang Ning had expected the monkey to be killed in an instant by Black Flash’s speed, but the monkey was just as fast, if not faster, and far more agile. Monkeys were naturally nimble, but this one was exceptionally quick, and its evasive maneuvers were beyond anything he had seen.

Yang Ning despised the little enchantress and disliked Black Flash, so watching the monkey tease the bird and cause the giant ghost to roar in agony was a gratifying sight.

The little enchantress’s face darkened. She took out a small bamboo tube and held it to her lips, preparing for a sneak attack. Yang Ning watched, thinking, *This little enchantress truly has no shame. The giant and the bird together can't catch the monkey, and now she’s resorting to bullying.*

Suddenly, a crisp voice called out, "Bailing, come here!" The voice came from right beside Yang Ning.

Yang Ning followed the sound and saw a woman standing nearby. She wore a simple blue tunic, her trousers rolled up to her knees. Her skin was a healthy, sun-kissed wheat color, nowhere near as fair and delicate as the little enchantress’s. Her calves were strong and shapely. Though her attire was plain and humble, looking almost like a village girl, she stood with a graceful, upright posture that carried an air of serene, natural elegance.