Chapter 100: The Mysterious Woman-Nether Spirit Realm(Endless as Nai An)

When Jiang Pingchuan returned to Wanggong Pavilion, the entire hall was empty. Just as he was about to step through the main door, he suddenly halted and retraced his steps toward the street he had just come from.

He was searching for a specific spot—one that aligned exactly with the window of his room. Standing there, Jiang Pingchuan looked back toward his room from where he had seen the old scholar earlier.

At first glance, a chill ran down Jiang Pingchuan’s spine. What he saw was no longer his room. Surveying his surroundings once more, he realized he was no longer in Yang City.

Everything around him had changed. The empty street looked strangely familiar—it was the same street he had seen in his dream the previous night. Standing at the roadside, a crowd soon materialized beside him, lively as if it were daytime in Yang City.

“Young man, please make way,” came a low, aged voice beside him, startling Jiang Pingchuan. For some unknown reason, he suddenly felt a flicker of fear toward the scene before him.

Looking down, he saw an elderly woman in her seventies smiling kindly at him. Jiang Pingchuan stepped forward apologetically and moved toward one side of the street.

“Take your time, the road ahead is long,” the old woman called after him, her voice leaving Jiang Pingchuan slightly unsettled. He turned back and offered her a faint, symbolic smile.

“Dong, dong, dong...”

“Yin officials on patrol, pedestrians yield...”

Suddenly, the sound of drums echoed from ahead, like the officers of the Underworld inspecting the street. Jiang Pingchuan stepped aside with the other pedestrians.

A group of about a dozen passed before him. In the middle stood a woman scanning the street—no doubt she was one of the Yin officials mentioned by the first drummer.

Jiang Pingchuan watched the procession with growing boredom until it abruptly stopped.

The woman in the middle stared at him, frozen in place, then walked directly towards him. Those nearby looked at her with a hint of fear, but Jiang Pingchuan quietly muttered to himself that she was not targeting him and slowly closed his eyes.

“Open your eyes and look at me.”

Jiang Pingchuan thought she had moved on, but to his surprise, she stood right before him, gazing intently. He offered an awkward smile.

“Excuse me, could you tell me how to get back to Yang City?”

He felt no reason to linger in the Underworld any longer. He believed he had made a grave mistake: assuming the entire Underworld was inhabited by ghosts.

But to his astonishment, the Underworld was not much different from Yang City. The only distinction was that the Underworld’s guards were spirits and shades, while Yang City’s were human. Aside from that, the residents were human as well.

There was no true difference. Yet, precisely because everyone was human, Jiang Pingchuan felt uneasy. He wondered how the Underworld’s inhabitants coexisted with the spirit guards.

Looking at the woman before him, Jiang Pingchuan bluntly asked how to return to Yang City, immediately regretting it. He recalled his own experience asking the same question in Yang City and could foresee the trouble he was about to face.

“Heh heh heh, you’re quite amusing. Since you’re in the Underworld, why not enjoy yourself instead of rushing back to Yang City? Our folk here are much more sincere,” the woman laughed mockingly at his embarrassment. Jiang Pingchuan cleared his throat twice, feeling inexplicably changed since arriving in the Underworld—especially his courage, which seemed to have diminished.

“I’m just asking,” Jiang Pingchuan replied, avoiding direct eye contact with her peculiar eyes. A single glance had unsettled him. When something posed no temptation, he was unwilling to risk exploring it. Having said his piece, he sidestepped the woman and headed down the street.

“Jiang Pingchuan, while you indulge in pleasures in Yang City, our Underworld maidens are far more beautiful. Why not stay and enjoy?” the woman called after him, her tone tinged with sarcasm as she watched his retreating figure.

“You know me?” Jiang Pingchuan turned to face her. Her words had stirred the street into a lively buzz, much like daytime in Yang City. The difference was in the topic: in Yang City, they debated whether Jiang Pingchuan wore undergarments; here, they questioned why he played with Yang City’s women but ignored theirs. Hearing such talk, Jiang Pingchuan wished he could vanish.

“I once admired you greatly, but seeing you now, you’re nothing special—still lustful and no different from any common man,” the woman said coldly. Jiang Pingchuan only smiled and walked away without replying.

“Boom...”

The woman, angered by his disregard, struck out with a palm. Jiang Pingchuan casually brushed her attack aside with a wave of his sleeve.

She snorted and teleported before him, grabbing his wrist with a cold smile.

“Miss, grabbing me like this, are you trying to seduce me?” Jiang Pingchuan said lightly, shaking his wrist to free himself. The woman clutched tighter, pouting in a playful fury, refusing to release him.

“Shasha...”

Just as she thought she had a hold on him, Jiang Pingchuan’s figure emitted a rustling sound and vanished before her eyes. The onlookers were stunned.

When he reappeared, dressed in white, he was already far ahead. The woman waved to the patrol behind her to continue, then quickened her pace to follow Jiang Pingchuan closely.

“Why are you following me?” he asked, turning to face her. She said nothing, tilting her head in thought, her expression icy. Jiang Pingchuan stopped and looked at her.

“What do you want?”

He shrugged helplessly. He wished she were truly a ghost, so he could end things with a single strike. But for some reason, the woman made his body shiver uncontrollably.

“I want you to marry me,” she said after a long silence, nearly choking him with her words. Jiang Pingchuan glanced at her and turned to walk away. Her cheeks flushed before darkening once more as she followed him.

“Don’t follow me. I have a wife,” Jiang Pingchuan said softly, emphasizing the last words to remind this mysterious woman that he was already married.

“I didn’t say I want to marry you—I want to marry you off. Understand?” she replied coldly.

The woman’s face reddened slightly as she chuckled—a hollow, eerie smile that unsettled Jiang Pingchuan deeply.

“I have no time for this,” Jiang Pingchuan snorted and turned to leave. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and pressed it against her proud chest.

Startled by the soft touch, Jiang Pingchuan quickly withdrew his hand, his expression a mix of panic and annoyance. The woman smiled slyly, her eyes sparkling.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, irritated. He had never met such a woman—cold in demeanor but so brazen.

“If you touch me, you must marry me. That’s the rule in the Underworld. Otherwise, you’ll never leave,” she said earnestly.

Frowning, Jiang Pingchuan shook off her hand and was about to walk away when a sudden gust of chilling wind swept over him.

“You dare touch my daughter and think you can leave so easily? You don’t take the reputation of our Underworld princess seriously,” a sultry woman’s voice said coldly in front of him. The woman was stunning, her figure alluring, her tone just as icy as the one beside Jiang Pingchuan.

Only then did Jiang Pingchuan realize the woman beside him was not a Yin official but the Underworld princess. By extension, the beautiful woman before him must be the lord’s wife.

“No one can block Jiang Pingchuan’s path, nor force him to do what he does not wish,” Jiang Pingchuan said grimly. He detested the cold, commanding tone of the lady—it felt like an order or a threat, and he had never been one to be threatened.

As a child, he had the backing of the mighty Hongwu, his grandfather, and older brother. Now that he was capable, he refused to be coerced.

“Impudent!” the lady snorted, her aura suddenly erupting with the power of a Foundation Establishment stage beginner.

Jiang Pingchuan smiled faintly and strode toward her, releasing his own aura. The lady frowned, sensing the pressure he emanated.

The closer he approached, the stronger his oppression grew. When he stood before her, a trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth, and she dared not meet his gaze.

“Just childish antics, young hero Jiang, forgive my laughter,” a distant, ancient voice echoed from above. Jiang Pingchuan felt his oppressive aura ease considerably.

This new realm surpassed the peak of the Foundation Establishment beginner stage. Jiang Pingchuan bowed slightly toward the endless darkness overhead and withdrew his aura. As he did, he sensed another presence recede with it.

“Young hero, would you care to visit the manor for a gathering?” the old voice sounded again, clearer this time. It was familiar, though Jiang Pingchuan could not place where he had heard it before.

PS: This is a preview of the later stages of the Nether Spirit Realm plot. Join the fan group to brainstorm and imagine more together!