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"Ah, Master is truly brave; he really went to the City God Temple to find Yin Chai," Master Xiao exclaimed in shock.
Master Pan shook his head and said, "Sigh, my commotion didn’t have any real effect; instead, it made those below think Old Xu was lying. Look, Old Xu has taken the initiative to clarify this matter himself."
I nodded. Given Master’s temperament, he probably wouldn’t tell the truth. However, it had already been over ten hours since he left, and perhaps those below were starting to doubt his claims, which is why they hadn’t let him return yet. Thinking of this, I asked Aunt Wang if she could help me go down to find Master.
Aunt Wang and Master Pan simultaneously said two words: "Nonsense."
Master Pan continued, "Now we can only wait for Old Xu to wake up before discussing it further. Since those below know that things are not as Old Xu described, they will find a way to uncover the truth. I believe they have already made a judgment; it's just that Old Xu disagrees, which is why he hasn’t come back up."
Master Xiao asked, "Master, what do you think this judgment will be?"
I also wanted to know, so I looked forward to Master Pan's response.
Master Pan said, "There are only two possible outcomes: one is that the three of us share the blame, but I don’t think Old Xu will agree to that. The other is that Old Xu takes all the responsibility alone, but those below won’t accept that either. So we can only wait for Old Xu to come back up to see what the final outcome will be."
I nodded and glanced at Master’s door, hoping he would return soon.
At six in the evening, as darkness approached, Master still hadn’t come back up, which made us increasingly worried. If he didn’t return after twelve hours, it would be dangerous; Master was getting older and his health might not hold up.
By nine o'clock in the evening, after dinner, Master still hadn’t returned. At this point, I could no longer remain calm. I asked Aunt Wang and Master Pan if they could forcibly summon Master's Earth Soul back. Aunt Wang advised against it, saying that if Master X was still down there, forcibly summoning him would be equivalent to soul snatching, and we would all suffer consequences. Master Pan gradually calmed down and said, "If it reaches midnight and Old Xu still hasn’t returned, then we’ll just have to force it; there’s nothing more we can do."
Aunt Wang said, "Let’s do this: I’ll go down and take a look. If I find Old Xu’s Earth Soul, I’ll see if I can remind him to come back quickly."
Master Pan nodded slowly and said, "Alright, go quickly and return quickly."
I wrote down Master’s Birth Date and Time on a talisman paper and handed it to Aunt Wang. She entered the bedroom and pulled three strands of hair from Master’s head to wrap in the talisman. Then she held the talisman in her mouth and sat upright in the Main Hall's Grandmaster Chair to begin her ritual. After a while, Aunt Wang began shaking violently; her hands were constantly slapping her thighs as she mumbled some incantations that I couldn’t understand.
As Aunt Wang’s movements grew faster and reached a peak momentarily before suddenly stopping, her previously upright body slumped down into the Grandmaster Chair. Her eyes rolled back completely; there was no trace of black pupils visible.
Aunt Wang had successfully gone down.
In the Underworld, there are two methods: one is quite common—inviting spirits to possess a living person. This involves bringing deceased elders from someone else's home into oneself for conversation. During this process, Aunt Wang’s own soul must replace the summoned spirit in its position. Wherever the summoned spirit is located at that moment is where Aunt Wang must stand in for it; once the time is up, both souls will switch places again.
The second method involves her soul leaving her body to travel to the Underworld based on the Birth Date and Time along with a name to locate that spirit without any communication—just observing how well that spirit is doing. The purpose is simply to inform the deceased whether they are doing well or not; this method saves time and effort.
Since the Master had taken the initiative to go down and was merely a local spirit, the first method could not be used. Aunt Wang went down just to check on the Master's condition.
Aunt Wang woke up after about three minutes, her forehead drenched in sweat and her face flushed. It was unusual to wake up in such a state. Master Pan quickly asked, "What happened? Why are you like this?"
Aunt Wang waved her hand and said, "Master X went to a place called the Hall of Judgment. I couldn't enter, so I could only shout a few words from outside before being swept back by Yin Chai. However, he heard me and should be back soon."
"Thank you, Aunt Wang. Do you know what kind of situation my Master is in over there?" I asked anxiously. I had never been down there and had no idea what it was like inside, but from what Liu Bi had told me, the path below was not easy.
Aunt Wang reassured me, "Don't worry. Master X is at least a Master who has eaten Underworld Cuisine. They won't do anything to him down there; he's in good condition and hasn't faced any restrictions."
I nodded, feeling relieved. Now all we had to do was wait for the Master to come back up.
Sure enough, after about ten minutes, a violent coughing sound came from the bedroom inside. I dashed in and saw the Master wiping his forehead with his hand, trying to shake off the sweat.
I grabbed a towel and helped him wipe his forehead. When he regained his composure and saw me, he asked in confusion, "Why are you back? Who told you to come back? Hurry up and leave."
I replied, "I came back to check on you, Master. You can't handle this alone. You're getting older..."
Before I could finish my sentence, Master Pan interrupted me, saying, "Old Xu, how did it go? What was the outcome?"
The Master glanced at Master Pan and said, "Sigh, we couldn't reach an agreement. There's still no conclusion on the matter, so I rushed back. We almost got into an argument just now. I expect they'll send Yin Chai up soon."
Master Pan clapped his hands and said, "Not reaching an agreement is fine; you don't have to be so stubborn. It's much easier for three people to share the burden than for you to handle it alone. Why bother?"
The Master didn't respond to Master Pan's words but looked at me and said, "You brat, hurry up and leave. Someone will definitely come down later at midnight; Old Pan, you should go too. If they see you here, they'll immediately know your connection to this matter."
"I'm not going anywhere! If I were afraid, I wouldn't have gone to the City God Temple to intercept Yin Chai," I retorted. "Xiao X, come here! Let's prepare some good food and drinks to entertain an Underworld official." With that, Master Pan left, followed by Master Xiao.
The Master shook his head at me and said, "So you're not leaving either?"
I grinned and replied, "Well, Master, you know me."
The Master sighed and said, "Since that's the case, fine." He then got out of bed and walked into the small room next door to start preparing for Yin Chai's visit. Granny Huang had been sitting in the Main Hall without moving; when she saw the Master come out, she stood up and said, "Master X, I can't get involved in what's happening down there anymore. I'll head back now; if you need anything else, just call for me."
The master took out a red envelope and handed it to Aunt Wang, expressing his deep gratitude.
After Aunt Wang left, under the guidance of the master and Master Pan, I and Master Xiao began to arrange the Main Hall for receiving Yin Chai. In the center was a large offering table filled with various tributes: a rooster, cured duck, pork, candies, grains, and wine. Everything that could be offered was laid out on the table.
Four wooden stools were placed around the offering table, facing each direction. In the center of the table, twenty-one sticks of high-quality incense were lit. Each position was set with bowls and chopsticks, along with a small cup of wine.
Once everything was prepared, it was nearly eleven o'clock. The master and Master Pan sat at the north and south sides of the offering table. I stood behind the master; Master Xiao had no relation to this matter and had to stay away.
Since it was uncertain whether one or two Yin Chai would come, two spots were left open. Originally, I intended to sit at the table as well, but there could only be four seats. As a junior, I could only stand behind the master.
At exactly eleven o'clock, the slightly ajar door of the Main Hall slowly opened by itself, and the incense at the threshold burned out quickly. This indicated that Yin Chai agreed to accept the welcoming incense and consented to meet here.
Seeing this scene, both the master and Master Pan nodded slightly, stood up from their stools, and respectfully bowed towards the entrance.
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