Chapter 349
The Ghost Infant
The Washing River?
Upon hearing this name, a flicker of emotion appeared in Yao Taifeng's eyes.
"What a strange name. Does this river only allow women to bathe in?"
Hongxian couldn't help but ask curiously, and looked at the river in front of her, eager to try, but she only calmed down when she saw the boss's eyes.
"bath?"
A cold smile flashed in Yaotai Feng's eyes as she said, "The name 'Washing River' exists in many places, but it's not the 'washing' in 'bathing,' but the 'washing away.'"
Zhou Sheng was taken aback, then seemed to understand something, and his gaze toward the river became exceptionally deep.
“What Fengya said is right. In some places, there is an unwritten rule that if a family has a baby girl, they will put the newborn baby in the river to drown her. This is called ‘washing the girl,’ which means that they will wash away the girl and have a boy.”
Yu Zhensheng sighed deeply: "Over time, that river became known as the River of Washing Women, where countless female infants were found, their resentment condensing and unable to be reincarnated."
"In the sixteenth year of Yuanfeng, a powerful ghost king was born in the Xinu River, slaughtering dozens of villages and towns, with blood flowing like a river. At that time, the Celestial Master Xujing, who was in charge of Longhu Mountain, killed the ghost king with his sword. He originally wanted to eliminate all the ghost infants, but he couldn't bear to do so. So he used his great supernatural powers to guide all the Xinu Rivers to the boundary between Yin and Yang."
"Master Xujing suppressed all the ghost infants in the river. Once their malevolent energy dissipates, they can float downstream and be reincarnated."
At this moment, Yu Tianheng snorted coldly and said, "Master Xu Jing seems to be benevolent, but he doesn't know how many of our Yin Opera masters he has killed."
"This river connects to the Underworld Sea. To enter the sea, one must cross the river by boat. However, the resentment of these ghost infants in the water is so strong that they will not let the living go. Less skilled Yin Opera practitioners often fall into this river."
Zhou Sheng nodded upon hearing this; no wonder Elder Yu felt such disgust when mentioning this river.
Among the various schools of Yin and Yang, Yin practitioners frequently travel between the Yin and Yang realms, visiting various temples across the country. In some places, they can simply follow the Yin-Yang path, while in others, they must cross the Nether Sea.
Driven by resentment, these ghostly infants often attack living people crossing the sea.
“They were killed right after birth, and it’s very difficult to resolve their resentment. In the past, many eminent monks tried to convert them, but all of them failed. This shows how dangerous it is. We must not let our guard down later.”
Yu Zhensheng gave his instructions.
Although their team is very strong and should normally be completely fearless of the Washing River, they still need to be cautious.
Zhou Sheng nodded, then raised his hand and took out a small boat that looked like a model.
He chanted an incantation and gently tossed the small boat into the water. The boat swelled with the wind and, when it landed on the water, it had transformed into a large boat several meters long. The boat's hull shimmered with a faint, precious light and was engraved with characters that looked like ghostly talismans.
"Hehe, as expected of the treasure of the Black and White Impermanence, it is perfect for crossing the Washing Maiden River."
Yu Zhensheng stepped onto the treasure ship and smiled slightly.
Yu Tianheng glanced at Zhou Sheng with some surprise. He hadn't expected that Zhou Sheng would have such a good relationship with the Black and White Impermanence of the Underworld, and that he could even borrow this treasure ship to cross the Yellow Springs.
Yes, Zhou Sheng borrowed this boat from the Black and White Impermanence in advance.
When he completed his apprenticeship, he had ridden on this treasure ship. At that time, the Yellow Demon God summoned countless evil spirits to tug the ship underwater and stir up the waves, but it took a long time to capsize the ship.
That was also the turning point in the relationship between Zhou Sheng and the Black and White Impermanence.
Later, they turned enemies into friends along the way. When Zhou Sheng left the underworld, they even gave him a special talisman that, when burned, could summon them to help him.
With the help of the Luoshu, Zhou Sheng had already foreseen the difficulty of crossing the Xi Nu River, and thus borrowed this treasure ship from the Black and White Impermanence in advance.
With a thought, he formed a mudra with his hands.
The treasure ship shot off like an arrow, cutting through the wind at an incredible speed. The banks seemed to recede rapidly like afterimages, and the sound of the waves was incessant.
This speed far exceeds that of when the Black and White Impermanence used it, mainly because Zhou Sheng's magical power is now too profound.
Little Red Thread tied the sail to the boat with the monkey's tail and cried out excitedly.
Perhaps because of the extraordinary power of this treasure ship, after sailing for about a quarter of an hour, the sea was calm and there were no strange occurrences.
Before Zhou Sheng could even relax, a hazy mist began to appear ahead, and it was visibly thickening. The Washing Maiden River was extremely wide, and with the mist obscuring the view, it was easy to lose one's way.
Zhou Sheng activated his divine eye and found that his vision had only improved slightly; he still couldn't see through all the fog.
An hour later, the surroundings were completely shrouded in fog, and it was even difficult for the people on the boat to see each other.
A maze of ghosts.
Judging by the speed of the treasure ship, they should have already entered the Underworld Sea by now, but they are still circling in the river.
"These ghost infants know how powerful we are, so they dare not board the ship. They use a bewitching array to keep us going around in circles and unable to escape. Moreover, the ship's speed is getting slower and slower. Hehe, since they are courting death, then I will send them on their way."
Yu Tianheng's gaze darkened, and he was about to make a move when he heard a sword cry.
"Let me try."
The speaker was Yao Taifeng. She drew the Wind Sword from the Wind and Thunder Swords, channeled her magic power, and pointed the sword. Like a white dragon breathing, she stirred up a mighty wind that instantly swept away the surrounding mist.
The view suddenly became clear.
But what they saw made everyone pause in surprise.
All around the treasure ship, hair was densely packed, like black water plants spreading and ravaging the entire river.
This is also why the treasure ships are getting slower and slower.
As the fog dissipated, perhaps sensing the sharpness and danger of the sword, the infants underwater suddenly began to cry.
In an instant, the cries of countless babies rang out, exploding in everyone's ears.
Zhou Sheng, with his profound skills, remained unmoved, but Tan Sheng and Hong Xian were far less skilled. They immediately felt as if their brains were being stirred by steel needles, and they became dizzy and disoriented.
"Don't cry, don't cry, I'll give you something good to eat!"
Just as Zhou Sheng was about to make his move, Hong Xian suddenly threw out a few candied fruits, and then the crying abruptly stopped.
Splash!
The dense hair rose up, revealing chubby little faces and pairs of big, shiny black eyes.
"Here you go, here you go, and here you go too!"
Red Thread kept scattering candied fruit, as if feeding goldfish. She even got closer and closer to the ghost babies and boldly reached out to touch their wet hair.
"Be careful--"
Zhou Sheng paused, because he saw that the ghost infants were actually being patted on the head by the red thread and eating candied fruit on their own.
But strangely, when they tried to get closer, the ghost babies would immediately scream or run away in fright.
"A body born of nature, a heart of innocence—I never imagined that the red thread could make even a ghost infant with such deep resentment lower its guard."
Yu Zhensheng also showed surprise and exclaimed.
Hongxian truly didn't know what fear was. After touching her head, she boldly jumped into the water and played with the ghost babies like a water monkey.
Soon after, a miraculous scene unfolded on the River of Women.
"Men, charge!"
Standing on the deck, Hongxian gave an order, and countless ghost infants towed the ship, riding the wind and waves, heading towards the Underworld Sea.
...(End of this chapter)