Clutching a large block of ice, I looked at the expert with a sense of speechlessness.
He had just tossed me a small snake and told me I could leave this wretched place. Was he kidding me?
According to the expert, this "loach" would be my ticket out of here. I felt like I could sprout wings and fly out myself.
Seeing the utter disdain on my face, the expert flicked a strand of long hair from his forehead. "What? You think it's beneath you?"
I stared at him, speechless.
Beneath me?
I was far beyond feeling wronged!
He took a good portion of my blood, claiming this little creature would help me leave. Was he joking?
Did he take me for a three-year-old?
Besides,
I'm just a physiognomist and fortune-teller. I can barely support myself. Was I supposed to keep a snake too? Wouldn't that be a death sentence for both of us?
"Expert, you took a good chunk of my blood, gave me this tiny thing, and told me it would help me leave. Are you treating me like an idiot?"
With that, I threw the little white snake onto the ground. If it hadn't been lying there belly-up, I would have stomped on it.
The expert blinked, his voice laced with disdain.
"Kid, do you really think you're someone important? Let me tell you, you wouldn't find another Yin-Nether Snake like this in the entire Half-Nether Realm. If it weren't for you... well, since you don't want it, I'll just roast it and eat it." With that, the expert reached for the little white snake.
Hearing that there wasn't another like it in the entire Half-Nether Realm, I snatched it first.
"What are you doing? Didn't you say you didn't want it?"
The expert, having missed his grab, asked with a hint of confusion.
"Ahem..."
"You just said it could help me leave here, right? If you roast it, how will I leave?"
The expert's eyes, hidden beneath his long hair, flickered.
"Sly."
I chuckled awkwardly. "Expert, you said you couldn't find one like it in the Half-Nether Realm. What's so special about it?"
The expert shook his hair. "Kid, do you know how the Yin-Nether powers are classified?"
I shook my head, indicating I didn't.
Despite being a Yin-Diviner, I actually knew very little about the classification of Yin beings' powers. My master had only taught me to focus on physiognomy and fortune-telling, to do my job, and that knowing too much would do me no good.
The expert paused. "You seem to possess some cultivation. How can you not know this?"
"My master only taught me physiognomy, fortune-telling, and marriage. He didn't tell me anything else. This is my first time out."
After hearing this, the expert brushed his hair from his forehead and looked at me with a perplexed expression. "It's quite unusual for a Yin-Nether person to explain things to a living being."
Then, the expert proceeded to explain the power hierarchy of Yin beings to me.
Humans were divided into nine grades, just as meat had its prime cuts. Yin souls were no different.
Not everyone who died became a Yin soul, or a ghost. Most people's Yin souls were incinerated along with their bodies, turning into ashes.
This was why the elders of the past disliked cremation; it was no different from burning a living person.
Those without attachments returned to nature after death. However, those with lingering desires could transform into Yin souls.
Initially, Yin souls had no consciousness, merely instinctively wandering in familiar places.
Their aimless wandering caused endless distress to the living, manifesting as crying children or sick family members. At this point, families would invite Yin-Yang masters to perform rituals.
Generally, those without resentment, upon having their consciousness temporarily awakened by the Yin-Yang master's Taoist arts, would naturally leave their families and cease to cause trouble.
However, those who were mistreated by their children in life would not leave. Yin-Yang masters would try to persuade them to depart peacefully, but sometimes, those with extremely deep resentment, due to the limited cultivation of the Yin-Yang master, could only be suppressed temporarily. Knowing the principle of karma, they would not interfere, allowing their children to bear the consequences, and would simply conclude the matter hastily.
A Yin soul with attachments and awakened consciousness was no longer a mere Yin soul; it became a fierce ghost. Most of them wished to fulfill their unfinished desires. Their attachments were so deep that they became bloodthirsty, and eventually, most were annihilated by skilled Feng Shui masters.
However, a small minority became ghost soldiers.
All ghost soldiers were equivalent to living beings. They knew they were dead but, for various reasons, could not reincarnate and had to live in the Netherworld until they had an opportunity to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.
The next level was the ghost general. These were essentially the officials of the Netherworld, a managerial class. Those at this level generally no longer reincarnated.
As for ghost kings, they were even more formidable. They were equivalent to leaders of a city or county, though some might also claim territory as their own.
"Ghost Emperors are legendary beings. Apart from the Great Emperor Fengdu, any other Ghost Emperors mentioned in Taoist texts are pure fabrication."
Listening to the expert's eloquent explanation, I felt somewhat bewildered.
I had never imagined that Yin souls were divided into so many ranks. I had always thought they were simply categorized by power, not by status.
Looking at the still unconscious little white snake in my hand, I couldn't help but ask curiously, "What level is it?"
"It might be of the Great Emperor level."
What?
Great Emperor level?
Damn it! In the future, all Yin souls would have to bow to me. They'd probably even pay me before asking for favors.
And some of the beautiful descendants of these families... Haha... this little thing was worth every penny.
Just as I was lost in my own self-congratulatory thoughts, the expert's annoying voice sounded in my ear.
"Wipe that disgusting expression off your face."
I chuckled awkwardly. "Hehe, I'm just so happy. Thank you, expert."
The expert let out a cold laugh. "What are you grinning about? I only said it *might* be Great Emperor level. Right now, it's just a Yin soul."
His words were like a bucket of cold water dousing my head, instantly extinguishing my dreams of conquering battlefields and subjugating countless Yin souls.
My voice trembled slightly. "Didn't you say it was Great Emperor level?"
"Tch, am I calling you naive, or just stupid? Ghost Emperors! How many are there in the entire Netherworld? The true Ghost Emperor is only Fengdu. The other Five Direction Ghost Emperors are just Taoist exaggerations. It *might* reach that level, but it doesn't mean it *is* a Ghost Emperor."
Seeing the disappointment on my face, the expert continued, "If you want it to become a Ghost Emperor, it's not impossible. If you can kill millions of ghost kings to help it grow, perhaps there's a chance."
I gave the expert a roll of my eyes, feeling utterly speechless.
What a joke!
After your explanation, ghost kings are not like common cabbages that you can just chop down. Besides, with my current strength, let alone encountering a ghost king, I'd have to detour around a fierce ghost. If I met any ghost, I'd be as good as dead!
While we were talking, the little white snake in my hand, as if drunk, woke up, shaking its little head.
Its emerald-like eyes were gone, replaced by eyes similar to those of a human.
It blinked a couple of times, flicked its forked tongue, and then sprang up. Its inch-long venomous fangs were already bared in mid-air.
Its speed was astonishing, but the expert's was even faster. A silvery-white flame ignited in his hand, and he caught the little white snake.
"The master-servant contract has been signed. Behave yourself, or I'll really roast you and eat you."