Volume One: The Soul-Drawing Gourd, The Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 23: Conversation

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Inside the incense shop, the atmosphere was thick with awkwardness. As Xiao Yulou reached out toward the counter, both Gu Mo and the King of Hell's silly girl simultaneously burst out in angry protest.

“In your dreams!”

At those words, the silly girl pointed a slender, porcelain finger at Gu Mo.

“Hmph~ Little lackey, you’re clearly the victim of a plot! If you weren’t after immortality, how do you explain all these Underworld artifacts?!”

Gu Mo frowned hard at that, shooting her a fierce look.

“I have no interest in such things! That black iron rod was pried out from the shop’s front entrance—this entire incense shop is my grandfather’s legacy. No one else will ever lay a finger on it!”

Hearing this, the King of Hell’s silly girl was so furious she fell silent.

Seeing the deadlock, the ever-sly Xiao Yulou tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his Daoist robe, signaling for Gu Mo to step outside. The two of them then sat together on the shop’s stone steps.

The night air was cool as water, and the chill wind calmed Gu Mo’s earlier agitation. Once settled, Xiao Yulou pulled out two cigarettes, passing one to Gu Mo. As the smoke curled upward, it seemed as if all grudges and grievances were dissipating along with it.

After a moment, Xiao Yulou, with his usual roguish grin, said,

“Brother Gu, there’s a saying—‘A quarrel between husband and wife is never carried over to the next day; what’s fought at the head of the bed is made up at the foot of it!’”

Gu Mo responded with a cold laugh, rolling his eyes.

“I have no intention of marrying that silly girl!”

Xiao Yulou merely chuckled and changed the subject.

“Brother Gu, are you truly uninterested in immortality?”

Gu Mo looked surprised, exhaling smoke as he replied.

“The value of life is in its quality, not its length! Why would I want to live forever? I’m content as I am. No matter what, guarding the shop my grandfather left me is what matters most!”

Xiao Yulou’s smile was full of approval.

“Brother Gu, you truly are different from the rest! At least my ten years of waiting have not been in vain.”

Gu Mo, curiosity gnawing at him, couldn’t help but ask,

“Daoist Xiao, why do you keep mentioning these ‘ten years’? Ten years ago I was still studying in another city. Did something special happen in that time?”

At this, Xiao Yulou gave a bitter smile—his expression alone was enough to show how hard those ten years had been.

Then, meeting Gu Mo’s gaze with rare seriousness, he said,

“Brother Gu, I’ll say it again: You are like an uncut jade—raw, unpolished. The day you awaken to your true potential, the world itself will shift with your decisions!”

Gu Mo could only respond with a wry, half-believing smile, skepticism plain in his eyes.

“Oh, come on! Daoist Xiao, we’ve known each other less than a day! Hearing you talk like this just puts so much pressure on me!”

Xiao Yulou stubbed out his cigarette, flicking it unerringly into a distant trash can. He turned back, an enigmatic smile on his face.

“Brother Gu, you may not know it, but I calculated your fate down to the last detail ten years ago. In the years to come, you will wed the Queen of the Underworld and rule the entire realm of spirits. Believe it or not, this is destiny!”

At that, Gu Mo frowned, casting a glance back into the incense shop.

“Marry that silly girl? I’d rather you just kill me now! Can’t I just be an ordinary person for once?”

Xiao Yulou burst out laughing, his face as roguish as ever.

“Hahaha! Are you joking, Brother Gu? Destiny isn’t something you can change at will!”

Watching Xiao Yulou’s earnest expression, Gu Mo couldn’t help but grumble inwardly:

“Damn it! If I marry that Queen of Hell, will I ever know peace? Domestic violence is no joke!”

But just as Gu Mo’s thoughts ran wild, Xiao Yulou spoke again, his tone mysterious.

“Brother Gu, you already possess three of the eight Underworld artifacts. Once all eight are gathered, the secret of your origins will be within reach!”

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At this, Gu Mo grimaced in disbelief.

“What are you talking about? Collecting all eight Underworld artifacts? Why would I want to gather that spooky stuff?”

Xiao Yulou could only smile bitterly.

“Brother Gu, you must understand—‘Once you’re in the martial world, your fate is no longer your own.’ Sometimes, laying low doesn’t mean trouble won’t come knocking.”

Hearing this, Gu Mo felt his confusion deepen.

“Daoist Xiao, what did you say earlier? The mystery of my origins?”

He spread his hands with a wry smile.

“I’m just an ordinary incense shop owner. How could there be any mystery about me?”

Xiao Yulou only smiled lightly, refusing to say more about Gu Mo’s origins. After a long pause, he looked Gu Mo in the eye and asked,

“Brother Gu, when you turned into a zombie, did you notice anything strange about the painting of the Immortal Maiden?”

Gu Mo bit his thumb and thought carefully.

“At the time, all I could think about was blood—I was half-conscious. In the painting, the Immortal Maiden… seemed to have a blood-red lotus mark between her brows…”

At this, Xiao Yulou grinned mischievously.

“Not bad. You still remember something…”

He cleared his throat and continued,

“That figure in the painting is in fact a wicked spirit cultivated by the White Lotus Sect!”

Gu Mo curled his lip in disbelief.

“Daoist Xiao, now you’re bringing up the White Lotus Sect? This sounds like a martial arts movie. Don’t try to fool me; I’m not that well-read!”

But Xiao Yulou just formed a Daoist mudra, his expression turning solemn.

“Brother Gu, you must learn to distinguish reality from illusion.”

He sighed and went on,

“The White Lotus Sect has existed for centuries. Throughout history, whenever chaos swept the land, the sect’s cultists would rise from the lowest rungs of society, inciting rebellion and disorder. Today, their followers are deeply embedded in every part of society—roots tangled in every profession and class…”

He then offered Gu Mo another cigarette. After lighting it, Xiao Yulou took a deep drag and said,

“The only sign of a White Lotus follower is their fondness for white clothing, and somewhere on their body they always bear a lotus mark.”

Gu Mo nearly choked on his smoke.

“What? Uniform clothing and a logo? Isn’t that just like factory workers? What, do they have corporate management too? …Hahaha!”

Seeing Gu Mo’s dismissive attitude, Xiao Yulou’s face darkened.

“Don’t underestimate the White Lotus Sect, Brother Gu. Their adepts possess extraordinary powers; a single misstep, and you might fall into their trap.”

Gu Mo’s smile froze.

“Daoist Xiao, what exactly is an adept?”

Xiao Yulou sighed and explained,

“An adept is someone who has awakened special abilities. Most have unusual backgrounds, and the ways in which they gain their powers are varied and strange. Don’t you yourself have ghostfire?”

He flicked the ash from his cigarette and looked Gu Mo in the eye.

“Yin cannot exist alone, nor yang by itself flourish! Where there is good, there is evil—it’s all a matter of perspective.”

This flood of philosophy left Gu Mo feeling as if his mind were a pot of glue being constantly stirred.

“Daoist Xiao, aren’t we getting a bit off track here?”

Xiao Yulou just took another deep drag, flicked his butt into the trash, and led Gu Mo back into the incense shop.

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As soon as they stepped inside, the King of Hell’s silly girl shot Gu Mo a glare, saying nothing. Xiao Yulou, grinning, stepped forward and formed a Daoist mudra.

“Your Majesty, what are these Underworld artifacts for?”

The silly girl’s face darkened as she pointed at the three items on the counter.

“The Soul Gourd, the Lamp of Burning Souls, and the Celestial Measuring Rod! The Soul Gourd refines wandering spirits, the Lamp of Burning Souls detects nearby monsters and evil spirits, and the Celestial Measuring Rod is an ancient divine weapon.”

Gu Mo’s face was equally dark as he sneered,

“Monsters and evil spirits? If you’re here, why isn’t this broken oil lamp lit?”

Already seething, the silly girl flashed in front of Gu Mo and seized him by the throat with her pallid, ghostly hand. The suddenness of it made cold sweat run down his back.

Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, her voice as soft and electric as silver bells,

“Little lackey, don’t forget—you’re soon to be this king’s husband. If you ever speak to me like that in front of others again, I’ll snap your neck!”

Faced with such a naked threat, Gu Mo inhaled sharply in terror. The prettier they are, the more dangerous!

With that, Jiang Jingxue—the Queen of Hell—released him and drifted back toward the counter. Xiao Yulou, as an outsider, could only examine the three artifacts more closely.

The Soul Gourd and the Lamp of Burning Souls appeared unremarkable, bearing no visible markings. At first glance, there was nothing special about them.

After a moment’s thought, Xiao Yulou closed his eyes, raised his left hand, and formed a Daoist mudra. When he opened his eyes again, two strange pupils glimmered within them.

One look, and Xiao Yulou shuddered, breaking out in a cold sweat. Inside the Soul Gourd, a turbulent green sea surged, beneath which countless twisted, wailing souls writhed.

Unable to help himself, Xiao Yulou picked up the gourd. Instantly, a bone-chilling cold shot through every nerve in his body!

He then turned his gaze to the so-called Celestial Measuring Rod—a black iron stick, wreathed in a sinister, terrifying aura, its surface covered in incomprehensible script and patterns.

His intuition told him these three items were anything but simple.

Turning, Xiao Yulou addressed Gu Mo,

“Brother Gu, take these three Underworld artifacts.”

Gu Mo, curious, glanced at Xiao Yulou—those bizarre pupils made him tense up with fright.

“Daoist Xiao… what’s wrong with your eyes?”

Xiao Yulou merely waved it off, urging Gu Mo to hurry up and do as he was told.

Still bewildered, Gu Mo stepped forward and gripped the Celestial Measuring Rod. In an instant, icy cold enveloped him.

There was a thunderous bang!

Green ghostfire erupted, swallowing Gu Mo from head to toe. From a distance, he looked just like a firefly.

“Damn it!”

Startled, Gu Mo dropped the rod, frantically patting at the green flames that clung to his body…