Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2(26)

He squeezed through the crowd with immense difficulty, shouting all the while, “Excuse me! Excuse me!”

Because the boy had spent most of his life hiding and dodging in the Mortal Realm, escaping was practically second nature to him. His head could be seen in one second, then there was a shadow the next, and after that, there was nothing more; he was getting farther and farther away. Xie Lian didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt that the crowds on the street were getting thicker by the minute. With humans and ghosts alike pressed against each other, it made it really difficult for him to jostle through. Xie Lian’s mind was in disarray, so he knocked over a number of stalls, and he cried “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” as he continued to run.

Ghosts weren’t to be crossed carelessly, however, and they yelled after him, “Sorry does shit! Catch him!”

Xie Lian suddenly felt a chill on his back as if a hand had seized him, and he immediately knocked it back. “Who is it?!”

The hand was a tentacle that had come out of nowhere, and a mob of ghosts came swarming, their screeching and rough voices surrounding him.

“Hey, hey, hey! Let’s teach this little pretty boy a thing or two! How dare he start shit in Ghost City!”

A large, dense crowd of nefarious creatures poured onto the street. Seeing that he was about to lose the boy in the crowd, Xie Lian did his best to throw off the tentacle that caught him.

“Everyone! I’m really sorry. I don’t mean any harm. Please allow me to find someone, and we can discuss reparations afterward?”

The horde of ghosts was relentless. “You wish!”

In all the pushing and pulling, the boy had disappeared completely. Xie Lian was dazed, not quite sure what he was feeling. Was it disappointment at not being able to catch the boy, or was it relief that a nightmare had passed once more?

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the ghost crowd. They immediately parted, forming a path, as if someone of importance had arrived. Xie Lian came to his senses and saw a tall, black-clad figure walking straight toward him through the path created by the mob.

That person yelled, “Settle down. Let him go!”

The black-clad figure, like most of the ghosts on the street, wore a mask. It was a funny mask, with a face that was contorted as if it was smiling woefully. The mob muttered under their breath, “It’s the Waning Moon Officer!”, and they released their hold on Xie Lian at last. It seemed this black-clad figure was someone significant in Ghost City.

The moment he approached Xie Lian, he bowed. “Greetings, Daozhang. Chengzhu wishes to see you.”

“Huh? Me?” Xie Lian pointed at himself.

The Waning Moon Officer replied, “Yes. Chengzhu has been waiting for you at Paradise Manor.”

All around them, the mob sucked in their breath.

“Chengzhu wants to see him? Did I hear that right?”

“Paradise Manor? That’s Chengzhu’s sanctuary—he’s never had guests there!”

Someone who had come from a different street pointed out, “Wait a sec, isn’t he the one who won against Chengzhu today at the Gambler’s Den? I mean…the one Chengzhu educated?!”

All eyes were now focused on Xie Lian, each pair bigger than the next, forcing Xie Lian to raise the bamboo hat in his hand to hide from the stares.

The Waning Moon Officer beckoned. “This way please.”

Xie Lian nodded and followed him.

The crowd parted once more, and the Waning Moon Officer led Xie Lian through the path. No one dared follow, and after an incense time, the two had left the bustling street behind and made their way further into a quieter, more remote part of the city.

During their walk, the two barely conversed. The Waning Moon Officer walked as though he was going to disappear into the shadows at any moment, so Xie Lian followed closely. As his eyes swept idly past the officer’s wrist, he abruptly noticed that it bore a black cursed circle.

It was something he was more than familiar with.

A cursed shackle?!

His eyes widened, but he was silent in his shock. Just then, the Waning Moon Officer spoke up.

“We are here.”

Xie Lian looked up and realized he had been led to a lake. There were haunting will-o’-the-wisps floating above the waters, playing around and chasing each other. Next to the lake stood a large, resplendent mansion.

The Heavenly Realm and the Ghost Realm both possessed glamorous architecture. However, the glamour of the Heavens put an emphasis on prominence and prestige, whereas the glamour of Ghost City lay in bewitching frivolity. Even the large characters displaying the name of this mansion, “Paradise Manor,” emitted an evil aura.

Strange music came from the inside, airy and soft, incredibly enchanting, as if there were many women giggling and teasing, singing and dancing languidly in play.

Following the music, Xie Lian entered the mansion slowly. After raising a beaded curtain, warm perfumed air came rushing at his face. Xie Lian turned his head slightly to avoid getting engulfed in the scent.

A thick, snow-white rug made from the fur of some unknown beast covered the floors of the great hall of Paradise Manor; surprisingly, it was a full pelt. Many beautiful and captivating women, barefoot and clad in light silk, were unfurling their lithe limbs like blossoming petals, sensual and beguiling as they danced to their hearts’ content. The music he heard came from them.