Chapter 104: Parallel Worlds

Shangguan Wan'er grabbed me. "Why be so impulsive? It’s not easy to see your uncle and mother, is it? Now that we’ve finally met, why are you in such a rush to leave? There are other ways to handle things!"

Wei Qi nodded repeatedly, adding that coming to the Underworld was no easy feat and we shouldn't leave so soon when so many matters remained unresolved.

In truth, I didn't want to leave; my earlier reaction had been a spur-of-the-moment impulse. Having been separated from my uncle and my mother for so long, how could I not miss them? As for my uncle, I felt more sorrow and guilt. It was I who had turned him into this state, and I shouldn't have lost my temper with him.

"Uncle, I'm sorry," I turned and said to him.

"Dachuan, I am your own uncle; of course I won't blame you. Everything I do is for your own good. You just don't understand it yet," my uncle said calmly. Despite his state of being both corpse and ghost, he was no different from before.

"Uncle, just tell me! Why did you and Mom come to the Underworld?" I had decided to use some psychological tactics to get him to tell the truth.

"Dachuan, don't be in such a hurry to ask me. Let me ask you first: how have things been with your Seventh Uncle? Have you learned anything?" As he spoke to me, he didn't forget to glance at Wei Qi.

Wei Qi’s face flushed. "Big Brother, you have so much skill but didn't teach him yourself, and now you want me to? What could I possibly teach him?"

My uncle shook his head and sighed. "Sigh! It is beyond one's control. Sometimes you cannot simply quit just because you want to, nor can you forget just because you wish to. Wait... Dachuan, I must ask, who taught you the Palm Thunder? I recall that few people in the seven parallel dimensions possess this technique."

"What? Seven parallel dimensions? What are the seven parallel dimensions?"

My uncle’s gaze flickered. "Did I say that?"

I was stunned. He had indeed said it. Was there something to be afraid of? "Uncle, you did say it: the seven parallel dimensions."

My uncle smiled. "I misspoke. I meant that few people in this world know this technique. Let me warn you, the Palm Thunder is unique, but it cannot be used often. It consumes vital essence and damages one's lifespan."

So, the Palm Thunder had such side effects. Master Xingyun had never mentioned this to me. When he taught it to me, he had called me a once-in-a-millennium prodigy. "Is it really that serious?"

"Yes, it is very serious. The Palm Thunder is powerful, but you have only unleashed thirty percent of its potential—that was purely the power of your own innate conditions, not the power of the technique itself. If you want to master it, you still have much to practice." My uncle spoke with great authority. He had never spoken to me like this before; growing up, he had only ever talked about arranging ghost marriages and told me that as long as I handled those well, I would never have to worry about food or clothes. Now, he was speaking about the Palm Thunder with such expertise.

Most importantly, the Palm Thunder couldn't even hurt him, provided he chose to dodge it. Who exactly was my uncle? And why, upon coming to the Underworld, had he become the Underworld King?

***

Everything was a mystery.

"Uncle, when I attacked you with the Palm Thunder today, I saw a layer of energy shielding you. What was that? It seemed the Palm Thunder had no effect on it at all." I couldn't help but think: if Uncle could teach me that, I wouldn't have to fear anything.

"The Yin-Nether Shield. It is a technique unique to the Underworld; it loses its power once you leave. You still haven't told me who taught you the Palm Thunder."

"Master Xingyun, a high monk at Dinglin Temple on Mount Fulai," I answered truthfully.

"Master Xingyun?" My uncle’s face changed the moment he heard the name, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion. "Why would he pass on such a profound and formidable technique to a complete stranger? Why?"

I recounted the story of how Wei Qi and I had stumbled upon Master Xingyun on Mount Fulai and obtained the technique by chance. I also mentioned that it was Master Xingyun's idea to attack the Underworld.

My uncle stood up, his hands clasped behind his back, pacing back and forth. Suddenly, he turned to Zuo Yi. "Left Protector, what do you make of this?"

"Reporting to the Underworld King, I spent time in the human realm in the past and heard of Master Xingyun. He is a man of great virtue and prestige, not a treacherous villain. His leading an attack on the Underworld must be a misunderstanding," Zuo Yi replied earnestly.

"Brother, what do you think of Master Xingyun?" my uncle asked Wei Qi.

Wei Qi smacked his lips. "Big Brother, I feel Master Xingyun is a good man. He treats righteousness as his personal duty and enjoys fighting against evil forces. Our attack on the Underworld this time was actually because of that girl, Yueyue. She has mastered the Yin-Absorbing Technique, and everyone suspects you are using her." Wei Qi’s perspective was comprehensive and thoughtful.

"What? The Yin-Absorbing Technique? You say someone has mastered the Yin-Absorbing Technique?" My uncle was shocked to hear of it; it seemed the technique was indeed formidable.

"Uncle, you know about the Yin-Absorbing Technique?"

"The Yin-Absorbing Technique is a cultivation method from the Ghost Border, a rather dark art within the parallel dimensions. It can absorb the souls of the living to satisfy the needs of those practicing evil arts. A teenage girl, no matter how gifted, couldn't do it alone—even a Yin Messenger couldn't. There must be someone behind the scenes manipulating her. It seems the human realm is truly headed for a catastrophe." My uncle paced as he spoke, his expression heavy with worry.

Hearing my uncle describe it this way made the situation feel even more urgent. The girl who looked like Wang Ying was with Yueyue; I hoped she wouldn't be implicated. Yueyue had once been a frail, weak girl, but now she had become a soul-devouring demon. She had no chance of redemption.

"Brother, Dachuan, and this young lady, I have an idea—I don't know if you are willing? This is the Underworld. It is not as good as other places, but as long as I am here, it is safe. The human realm is about to be plunged into chaos. Why don't you stay?" my uncle suggested.

I was the first to shake my head. "Uncle, that is impossible. I have to go out and find Wang Ying; I have to save her."

***

My uncle sighed. "Very well, I will not stop you. A man should experience some trials in his life. But I still don't understand why Master Xingyun would treat you two so well. While one should not have the heart to harm others, one must always have the heart to guard against them. You two must be careful with Xingyun; I feel his actions do not conform to common logic. Furthermore, when you return, tell him that Wang Ying and Yueyue are not with me, nor did I incite them. As for the Yin soldiers, the Underworld does have some—they are soldiers protecting the realm, commanded by the Left and Right Protectors. That Zhao Wuji you saw last time claimed he was being persecuted in the human realm and fled to me. However, he did not follow the rules; to increase the combat effectiveness of his soldiers, he actually let them eat human flesh. I purged him from our ranks last time, as you witnessed."

"Big Brother, Zhao 'The Scoundrel' has been resurrected. Didn't you know? He was the one leading the group of Yin soldiers to attack us last time, while we were trying to reform Yueyue," Wei Qi said.

My uncle looked even more bewildered as he looked at Zuo Yi. "Such a thing happened?"

Zuo Yi was also full of confusion. "How is that possible? After Zhao 'The Scoundrel' died, I personally sent his corpse out of the Underworld. He was resurrected?"

I was dizzy! I had wanted to clear things up, but the more we spoke, the more muddled everything became. Even I couldn't distinguish the rights from the wrongs anymore.

"Mom, Uncle, this is my sister—my sworn sister. Like you, she is both corpse and ghost, though she is from before the year 2000." I felt it was time to introduce Shangguan Wan'er to my mother and uncle; it was a sign of respect to Wan'er.

My mother, hearing my words, approached with love in her eyes and gently took Wan'er's hand. "What a fine girl. I saw you the moment you walked in, but this boy kept going on and on about Wang Ying, so I didn't get a chance to ask. Since you two call each other siblings, you must learn to look after each other in the human realm. Your brother is a bit of a scatterbrain; I’m sorry for the trouble."

Wan'er’s lips curled into a smile, and she called out sweetly, "Mom, don't say that. It’s my brother who has been taking care of me. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be where I am today."

The scene was somewhat moving, adding a touch of warmth and vibrant color to this gray, gloomy world.

"Mom, are you planning to stay here with Uncle for the rest of your life?" I asked, wrapping my arm around my mother's shoulder and whispering.

"What do you mean by that, you rascal?"

"Nothing special. It’s fine for you to be here with Uncle, but what if my eccentric father shows up at our village? After all, you two never officially divorced." Now that my mother was in the Underworld, it was hard to say when we would meet again, so I had to say what was on my mind.