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Looking at the three characters of Moxuyou, Xing Ruyi decided to take this trip. As the fox said, such a strange occurrence, coincidentally related to Moxuyou, would be a pity not to investigate.
The newly appointed Lord Xie was the only guide. He handed over all the official duties he had just taken on and had yet to sort out to Chang Tai while he himself dressed casually and rode lightly.
Xing Ruyi wanted to ride a horse, but considering her riding posture was rather ungraceful, she could only sit obediently in the carriage. Fortunately, Master was quite considerate; just as they left Luoyang City, it started to rain lightly behind them. The rain wasn't heavy, but it fell steadily. Naturally, the fox sat in the carriage with Xing Ruyi. As for Lord Xie, he initially appeared quite dashing, but even he couldn't withstand the drizzle; at this moment, he sat upright on his horse, holding the reins in one hand and an oil paper umbrella in the other, draped in a raincoat he bought at the city gate.
Upon reaching the outskirts, the persistent light rain meticulously soaked a patch of open land near the capital into wet mud. A few scattered Tomb Mounds without tombstones were washed away by the rain, and in one or two shallower graves, faint white bones were even visible.
Xing Ruyi lifted the curtain of the sedan chair to look outside and saw a man in a raincoat standing among the mounds. He was holding an iron shovel. He first walked between two Tomb Mounds, observed for a while, then began digging into the ground repeatedly.
“Lord Xie, what do you think that person is doing?” Xing Ruyi asked, gently pointing at the oddly behaving man.
Xie Xuan followed Xing Ruyi's finger and frowned slightly before saying, “From what it looks like, that's a Graveyard. If he's not a grave robber, then he's likely a relative or enemy of someone trying to retrieve their remains.”
“Are there any unclaimed Corpses buried here that were executed by your Government Office?” Xing Ruyi activated her Ghost Eye, discovering that most of the wandering spirits in the Graveyard were aimless souls with incomplete Three Souls and Seven Spirits.
While appearing to play with the falling raindrops with her hands, Xing Ruyi was actually capturing one ghost after another. After examining them closely, she finally confirmed that these wandering spirits were all lowly ghosts without any awareness. Such ghosts were not even worth collecting by Yin Si, as they had no need for Reincarnation. Even if forcibly taken to the Underworld and sent for Reincarnation, they would just be fools.
These wandering ghosts included both men and women of various ages; some had been sentenced to death by the Government Office, while others had died by suicide or illness. Due to their different causes of death, the Eerie Aura surrounding them varied as well. Xing Ruyi lowered her head slightly and asked the fox, “Can you tell how these souls perished?”
The fox gently shook its head: “Humans have Three Souls and Seven Spirits, and so do ghosts. However, some people are stubborn in life and refuse to go to the Underworld for Reincarnation after death, wandering this world endlessly. Some souls simply get lost along the way. Of course, there are also those unfortunate ones who encounter monks or Taoists who take away one soul or spirit. In short, human Graveyards, when it comes to the underworld, belong to an area where no one manages things; both living Daoists and Monks and underworld Ghost Messengers can freely capture them. Even some monsters might use them as food for cultivation purposes, like Yin Yuan. However, these wandering ghosts have little nutritional value, so even he wouldn't bother with them.”
Xing Ruyi pouted and silently replied through her thoughts: “My family’s Yin Yuan is not a monster!”
The fox did not argue with her but merely smiled slightly: “If you say so.”
Then it closed its eyes feigning sleep.
Feeling disheartened, Xing Ruyi raised her head just as her gaze met that of Xie Xuan. He chuckled and began explaining the origins of the Graveyard, along with some key processes regarding how the Yamen handled unclaimed corpses. While listening absently, whenever she heard something interesting, she nodded to show her interest in what Xie Xuan was saying.
With someone chatting beside her, this originally dull rainy day seemed to become more interesting. However, as it rained and made travel difficult, after entering February, daylight became even shorter. Just after lunchtime, it grew dark outside. Fortunately, they were still within the territory of the Rouge Shop, and since the fox was quite familiar with the surrounding terrain, it easily found an inn.
The inn consisted of only three simple rooms: one for the owner and two for passing guests to rest temporarily. Since it was still early for dinner time and with his clothes damp from the rain along the way, Xie Xuan requested hot water for bathing from the innkeeper before entering one of the guest rooms on the left side. Since Xing Ruyi shared a carriage with the fox and referred to herself as his wife externally, she was naturally placed in the guest room on the right side. Once inside her room, after closing his eyes to rest, when she found herself bored, she decided to tease him into conversation. Seeing that he didn’t respond, she poked his shoulder lightly and murmured: “How about you turn into a fox for me to cuddle?”
The fox gently lifted its eyelid, not saying a word, and transformed into a white fox, jumping onto Xing Ruyi. Xing Ruyi, blissfully unaware, hugged the fox and began to meticulously groom its fur.
Time passed slowly. Xing Ruyi started to feel drowsy and stretched lazily, eventually resting her head on the table. A wisp of white smoke flashed by, and the fox returned to human form, just in time to catch Xing Ruyi in its arms and gently carry her to the couch.
Suddenly, faint sounds of crying could be heard from outside, gradually approaching the window. The fox raised an eyebrow in displeasure, while Xing Ruyi, who had just fallen asleep, blinked a couple of times before groggily waking up. Just as she was about to ask what was happening, the fox shushed her by placing its index finger on her soft lips.
Xing Ruyi playfully stuck out her tongue and licked the fox's fingertip. The fox's eyes deepened instantly, and then it leaned down to kiss her lips. Xing Ruyi instinctively wrapped her arms around its neck, pulling it onto the bed with her. Their lips intertwined passionately, yet their conversation continued unaffected.
Xing Ruyi: "What's going on outside? I think I heard someone crying!"
Fox: "Something is coming!"
Xing Ruyi: "Not a person?"
Fox: "Not a person!"
Unexpectedly, Xing Ruyi bit the fox's lip and said through her lips, "Then never mind that; let's finish kissing first."
The fox's eyes sparkled with amusement but also showed a hint of helplessness. With a flick of his fingers, the lights in the room went out. Then he turned over and lifted Xing Ruyi onto himself. In the dim light of the room, their intimate position created an extremely ambiguous atmosphere that made Xing Ruyi unable to resist licking her tongue, hoping to take advantage of the moment.
Unfortunately, just as this mischievous thought crossed her mind, the fox had already placed her on the bed and stepped out to open the door.
As soon as he took a step outside, they heard Xie Xuan's voice followed by two knocks on the door: "Young Master Yin, Miss Xing, it's time for dinner! Young Master Yin, Miss Xing, are you there?"
Before Xie Xuan could finish speaking, the fox opened the door. Xie Xuan was taken aback, holding up his hand with a mix of awkwardness and cuteness in his smile. Unfortunately, before his smile could fully blossom, he collapsed onto the ground.
Hearing the noise, Xing Ruyi followed him out. With the reflection of raindrops in the courtyard, they saw a bloodied ghost kneeling at their doorstep.
"Who are you? Why are you kneeling at our door?" The fox's voice was not loud but carried a chilling tone.
The ghost trembled and quickly bowed its head: "I did not mean to offend; I died unjustly. I happened to see the Celestial Being and this young lady coming here to stay overnight. Therefore, I took the liberty to request that the Celestial Being and the young lady help me escape this place and be reborn in the Underworld. Also, this establishment is a black shop; please do not eat dinner here later."
"A black shop?" The previously drowsy Xing Ruyi's eyes suddenly brightened: "What do you mean by that?"
The ghost gave a bitter smile, and its voice was extremely harsh. As it shook its head and sighed, blood continued to flow from its body, making the scene all the more unsettling. Fortunately, both the fox and Xing Ruyi were accustomed to such situations; they merely waved their hands in front of their noses to dismiss the smell of blood and frowned slightly.
"The ghost, like the Celestial Being and the young lady, is just passing through this place for a night’s rest. Who would have thought that in the middle of the night, it would catch a whiff of an unusual fragrance? The ghost felt an unbearable hunger in its belly and came out to inquire. The innkeeper was quite generous, bringing out a large basin full of meat along with a jug of fine wine. The ghost ate happily and drank joyfully, and before it knew it, it had passed out. When it woke up again, it found itself transformed into a ghost, lying naked on the chopping board like a lamb awaiting slaughter. Just as the ghost was filled with confusion, it saw the original innkeeper had transformed into a butcher, wielding a cleaver and coming at the ghost. The ghost dodged left and right but was still cut into this state. In desperation, it could only hide and wait for an opportunity. Fortunately, it encountered the Celestial Being!"
Hearing this, Xing Ruyi couldn’t help but curiously ask, "How did you know my husband is a Celestial Being?"
The ghost smiled awkwardly. "It has been seven or eight years since I arrived here. Don’t be fooled by this inn; all sorts of beings come and go here—travelers as well as wandering spirits. The innkeeper isn’t human either; he’s just a novice ghost who can’t discern what he truly is. This innkeeper has sharp eyes; if he encounters someone like me, it's naturally hard to escape death and end up as his meal—soul on his chopping block. But if he meets someone powerful, they can be treated well and sent on their way. Of course, what they eat is human flesh, and what they drink is likely not good either.
The ghost's eyes were dull but could still see that the Celestial Being's true form was a Nine-Tailed Fox. According to books, the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan only exists in Qingqiu and is under the ancient goddess Nüwa; thus, they belong to the Celestial Beings. That’s why I dared to seek help. If it were anything else, even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t dare provoke them."
"You are quite clever!"
"What good is being clever? I’ve ended up as a lonely spirit here. If I could still live, I’d probably be like that gentleman down there—a mere official at best. To be honest with you, Celestial Being and young lady, I was once a scholar from Beijing preparing for exams; I ended up here because I missed my chance to stay at an inn. Who would have thought that overnight, not only would I miss my golden opportunity but also lose my life?"
Xing Ruyi found the ghost's words rather humorous; although ghosts are skilled at lying, human hearts are even harder to read. At present, there was some amusement in its words, so Xing Ruyi reluctantly agreed to its request.
"Don't worry; if this place truly is a den of evil, we will definitely take care of it all at once. As for you, you should reincarnate or undergo rebirth as needed. At worst, my husband can use his influence to find you a guide to take you down!"
"Thank you, young lady! Thank you, Celestial Being! The ghost will take its leave now!" With that said, the ghost became so excited that blood spilled everywhere again before vanishing from sight.
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