Chapter Sixty-Eight: Fortune Favors the Good (Extra Chapter for the New Life on the Island 836988)

The old woman looked at the grimace I was making and asked, “Young man, what’s wrong? No appetite?”
I could only force a bitter smile. How could anyone eat this kind of food? Not only was it raw, but it had already gone off. Maybe those ghostly soldiers would like it. “Granny, I can’t eat it raw.”
She paused in surprise. “Seems you two aren’t from the Nether City, are you? You must be from the living world! Actually, the moment I saw you, I felt you two were different from the people here.”
Since she’d already guessed it, there was no point hiding it from her, so we admitted it. The old woman said, “This is the Nether City. There’s no fire here, nor does anyone eat cooked food. How about I fetch you some fruit instead?” With that, she got up to go outside. Wei Qi and I wanted to stop her. In our current predicament, we wanted even more to leave this place. If she could help us find an exit, that would be much better than getting us some fruit. In this colorless place, I doubted any fruit would taste good.
Before we could say a word, a powerful force suddenly swept in. The door burst open, and the old woman was thrown by the force, slamming right into the fence with a bang.
At the door stood a group of people dressed just like the ones we’d fought off earlier. The moment I saw them, I mobilized my energy—damn it! If you take one step closer, I’ll blow you all apart.
“Da Chuan, look.” As I was quietly gathering my strength, Wei Qi nudged my hand and pointed at someone behind the soldiers.
Zhao Old Scoundrel? It really was him. The moment we recognized him, Wei Qi and I stood up together.
I was not the same as before; now I had Thunder in the Palm. Who was I afraid of?
“Zhao Old Scoundrel, so it was you behind all this!” Wei Qi, ever the gutsy one, didn’t seem afraid at all—maybe because he had the Cloud Piercer Staff in hand. I still felt a bit of dread deep inside.
“You two have some skill! I was wondering who could be so capable as to wipe out the soldiers I’d trained so carefully. No wonder—Cloud Piercer Staff and Thunder in the Palm. Impressive!”
The crowd parted as Zhao Old Scoundrel strode toward us, a wicked grin on his face.
“Don’t move, or I’ll incinerate you right now!” I clenched my fist tightly, feeling the heat in my palm. Rage filled my chest—I truly wanted to strike him down.
“Wang Da Chuan, you think you’re fierce just because you have Thunder in the Palm? This is the Nether City. Unless you don’t want to leave, you’d better listen. I’m telling you plainly: there’s only one way back to the world of the living. If you cross me, I won’t tell you how to leave.” Zhao Old Scoundrel smiled coldly, arrogance and pride all over his face.
Wei Qi glanced at me, his teeth bared in a single word: “Fight!”
No sooner had he spoken than he leapt up, brandishing the Cloud Piercer Staff. I thrust my right palm forward at full speed.
With a thunderous blast, several ghost soldiers at the door were blown apart. I was about to strike again when, suddenly, the fence behind us collapsed and a few soldiers rushed in from the back and pinned me down. I’d been ambushed.

These men were completely cold-blooded. Though their movements were a bit sluggish, their strength was overwhelming. Several of them forced me to the ground; I couldn’t move at all.
Wei Qi fought valiantly, wielding the Cloud Piercer Staff like a dragon surging from the sea. But he was only human—he’d eventually tire. Though he took down dozens of ghost soldiers, he was still overpowered, forced to the ground, and finally tied hand and foot. We were utterly helpless.
“Take the old one and the young one back, chop them up, and feed them to the soldiers. We’re short on rations anyway,” Zhao Old Scoundrel said coldly, glancing at the old woman and child lying on the ground.
Soon enough, Wei Qi and I were thrown onto a cart, bound like pigs. The wheels rumbled as we bounced along, completely at the mercy of our captors.
“Da Chuan, feeling miserable?” Wei Qi lay on the cart, his belly looking even bigger.
I didn’t answer. My mind was filled with thoughts of Wang Ying. Is this really fate? Are we truly doomed never to be together? I don’t ask for a lifetime—just a love between a living person and a ghost would be enough. The more I thought, the sadder I became, my eyes growing red.
“Da Chuan, what’s wrong? Scared?” Wei Qi shifted, making the cart sway.
“Uncle Qi, I’m not scared. I just miss Wang Ying. We’re in deep trouble now.”
“Fortune favors the worthy, Da Chuan. Do you remember what I told you when we first met?” Wei Qi lay there, tightly bound, yet he showed not a trace of fear. I had to admire his composure.
Honestly, I couldn’t remember. “Uncle Qi, you’re still in the mood for jokes?”
“You’re still young. I’ll tell you—you're one of the Seven Killers of the Celestial Star. Not only can you marry several ghost brides, but no one can kill you. The fortunate have Heaven’s blessing.” Even facing death, Wei Qi was still grinning.
“Oh, come on, Uncle Qi. Enough joking. Think about what we’re going to do!” I felt utterly helpless. Wei Qi was a good man, but how could he be so relaxed at a time like this? If things went on like this, we’d soon be chopped up and fed to the ghost soldiers.
“Get some sleep. Heaven favors the worthy. I’ve already read your fortune—there’s no disaster for you this year. Maybe I’ll profit from your luck. Take advantage of the ride and sleep.”
With that, Wei Qi closed his eyes and, before long, was snoring.
Unbelievable! He could sleep even now. I wanted to kick him off the cart, but my feet were bound and I couldn’t move at all.
After seven or eight minutes, Wei Qi and I were dragged onto a wide earthen platform. There were two posts, and we were tied to them.

Zhao Old Scoundrel approached, his face shrouded in gloom and malice. He sneered, “It’s all your fault for uncovering my secret. Otherwise, I could still be in the living world, eating human hearts. But now, forced to flee to the Netherworld, I haven’t tasted human hearts in ages.”
His words reminded me of the corpses in the county hospital morgue, their hearts gouged out. I’d thought they’d been used for corpse oil, but it had been him all along. Strange—if he could get in and out of the morgue, why did he arrange for us to go there?
There was something fishy going on, but I couldn’t figure it out. Judging by the situation, I probably never would—Zhao Old Scoundrel clearly wouldn’t give me a chance.
“You, go fetch the King of the Underworld. Let him feast on fresh human flesh. It’s been a long time since the Netherworld had any. That old fool, the Young Minister, is too busy playing around—he killed three people but didn’t bring back a single one,” Zhao Old Scoundrel ordered one of his underlings.
Meanwhile, someone came over with a knife and a basin, standing right in front of me.
Seeing the flashing blade, I remembered watching pigs being slaughtered as a child. Damn it, am I really just a pig to them now? I turned to look at Wei Qi—he was still asleep, tied to a post. I was speechless.
“Zhao Old Scoundrel, if you kill me, my second uncle will come after you. He’s not someone to mess with.” I was disappointed in Wei Qi—how could he sleep at a time like this?
“Your second uncle? Even your father and your grandfather couldn’t do anything. I’ll be waiting for him right here in the Nether City—let him come if he dares!” Zhao Old Scoundrel laughed and walked away to welcome the so-called King of the Underworld.
When I saw the King of the Underworld, my mind went blank. What was this? Was I seeing things? He looked so familiar—was that my second uncle?
“Uncle Qi, wake up! Look—who is that?” It was hard to see clearly with the distance and the swirling mist, but he really looked like my second uncle. I saw Zhao Old Scoundrel bowing and scraping in front of him.
“Who? Can’t I get a little rest after all this?” Wei Qi muttered sleepily, barely opening his eyes.
“My second uncle—doesn’t he look like my second uncle?”
At that moment, guided by Zhao Old Scoundrel, the King of the Underworld came closer. His walk, his posture, even his face—all so much like my second uncle.
“Da Chuan, he really does look like your second uncle! But… but it’s not him. Your second uncle is too rustic—not as refined as this one, and his face isn’t so cold.” Wei Qi stared intently at the King of the Underworld, murmuring to himself.
Hearing him, I too noticed the difference. My second uncle was a walker between the worlds, but he was a farmer at heart, toiling in the fields his whole life. He was indeed rough around the edges. The King of the Underworld, however, exuded an imposing aura. Beneath his cold, inscrutable face, he was worlds apart from my uncle.
But in appearance, they were strikingly similar—the only difference was their spirit.