Chapter 185: Lan Shi Afei, a Desolate Unknown World

Originally thought that this tale of three lifetimes was merely a human story, but as time passed, the wheel of fate pulled this narrative into another world…
As the sun set, fierce winds swept up clouds of yellow dust, rendering the land vast and boundless. All around was nothing but endless expanse—endless yellow soil and mountains. It was a desolate world, with few plants in sight, yet strangely unsettling. Monsters never seen before soared through the sky, and within the yellow soil lurked strange creatures beyond comprehension.
The afterglow of the setting sun colored the white clouds in the sky, creating a stunning sight. On this vast land stood a middle-aged man in black clothes with white hair. His eyes were covered by black silk that fluttered in the wind, and he carried a long sword, leaving footprints as he walked. With his eyes covered, it was clear he was blind.
Beside him was a girl in purple clothes, dressed very flamboyantly in a purple-red form-fitting suit with a short top and a skirt, along with long boots. Her long, fair, and smooth legs and flat stomach were fully exposed due to her outfit. Though her arms were covered by blue bandages, her smooth shoulders remained uncovered.
These two were Liu Yi and July, who had come to the underworld to break the curse of the Heavenly Maiden. In search of the nine tears—whose existence was uncertain—they set foot on this desolate land. Upon arriving, they changed their tattered clothes and could no longer wield their swords. For some reason, they could only slowly make their way out of this barren region.
As they walked, July glanced around and exclaimed, “Is this really the underworld? It’s even more desolate than the wasteland forest we’ve been to. It seems the underworld truly isn’t a place for humans to live.”
There was only yellow soil and small mounds nearby. The only plants were strange mushrooms and things with leaves that resembled swords. There were no roads—just endless emptiness. After discussing it, they decided to head in the direction the sun had set. Since the range mentioned for the nine tears was so vast, they felt it would be impossible to find them all in this world. The only option was to walk slowly and look for any inhabited areas to gather information.
After walking for a while, July asked again, “Scholar, do you think we can find those nine tears?”
Liu Yi replied, “Didn’t Yelang and Hongniang say that as long as we believe, it’s possible? As long as they exist in this world, we will definitely find them.”
July nodded, though inwardly she harbored doubts. Perhaps she didn’t really believe they could find those nine tears, as they seemed so illusory, as if they could only exist in stories and were hard to believe.
July continued, “Why can’t we use our swords here? Our cultivation level hasn’t decreased at all.”

Liu Yi replied while walking, “I’m not sure about that either. Maybe… this world has been sealed, or some special force prevents the use of flying swords. Since we can’t use flying swords, we’ll just walk. A little difficulty won’t scare me.”
July nodded and said, “This world is so vast yet so desolate. I really don’t know what to do next…”
As July was talking to herself, Liu Yi suddenly tilted his head and said warily, “Someone’s coming—six of them.” Following Liu Yi’s warning, July also became alert.
July could clearly sense that the six people were three in front and three behind, approaching quietly. Given their efforts to hide their presence, they were clearly not passersby. From this, it was obvious their target was the two of them.
July turned around and grabbed Liu Yi’s arm. It wasn’t out of concern that Liu Yi might get hurt—she knew well that those six people weren’t even a match for him. She was simply trying to create an opportunity to see them clearly. Liu Yi helped her sit down on a nearby mound and said, “I’m so tired. Let’s rest for a while.”
Liu Yi nodded obediently and said, “Okay.”
As the two talked, the six people hidden behind the mounds began to move. Liu Yi used telepathy to warn July, “Be careful, they’re coming.”
As soon as he finished speaking, under the glow of the setting sun, six dark figures could be seen rushing toward them, wielding long straight knives. Their speed seemed ordinary. As they approached, Liu Yi carefully analyzed their intentions. Clearly, he and July had arrived here a few hours ago. From this, it was certain these six people weren’t their enemies. Moreover, given their mediocre skills, Liu Yi said to July, “I bet these six are robbers.”
July’s mood instantly brightened, and her worries vanished. She replied telepathically, “What’s the bet?”
Liu Yi thought for a moment and said casually, “If I’m right, you’ll treat me to a drink when we find the first inn.”
July laughed and said, “Okay. So even you, this reclusive demon king, want to drink? Haha. There are so many coins in your clothes—made of gold. I wonder if that’s the currency here.”
Liu Yi didn’t respond, as he also had many coins in his clothes. It was likely that the matchmaker or Yelang had done something to them. If that was the case, perhaps… not being able to fly on a sword was also a problem created for them. With this thought, some questions began to find answers.
Just then, the six figures vanished in a flash and reappeared right in front of them. Liu Yi could clearly sense the strength of their vital energy. With their yellow-colored vital energy, he could even pinpoint their positions. Coupled with his sharp hearing, his senses were hardly weaker than before he went blind. He wondered how cultivation levels were ranked in the underworld. In the three realms, these six would be considered decent mid-level experts at best.

At that moment, six figures moved. Soon, they surrounded Liu Yi and July in a semi-circle, using the still-glowing sunset as light. The six men, of varying heights and builds, were all clad in black, leaving July able to see only their eyes. Long knives were pointed at Liu Yi and the others. The man in black at the front seemed to be the leader; he spoke first, “Friends, we’re in a tight spot right now and need some money to make ends meet. Would you be so kind as to lend us some?” Though it sounded like a request, with those knives present, it seemed more like a robbery. Hearing this, July frowned and stepped forward a few steps, asking, “Excuse me… are you robbers?” The leader froze for a moment before responding, “Yes, we’re robbers. Since you already know, I advise you to hand over all your valuables obediently. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe.” Just then, another man in black stepped beside the leader and said, “Boss, look at this girl—she’s pretty nice. Let’s take her with us too.” Hearing this, the leader glanced at July several times and smirked darkly, “Good, good.” Suddenly, July burst into laughter, slapping her legs as she said, “You really are robbers.” Thinking July had overheard their conversation, the man next to her replied, “It’s good that you know. If you resist, you’ll die a horrible death. Better to… be obedient, hehe.” Though his expression couldn’t be seen, it was clear he was extremely lecherous. But July ignored him and turned to a blind man sitting on the ground, asking, “Scholar, how did you guess so accurately? Don’t tell me you read something in some sacred book that said this.” Liu Yi just smiled without answering. His eyes were covered by black silk, his white hair fluttering in the wind, and his smile in the darkness added to his mystery. Laughing amidst these robbers made him even more unpredictable. July stamped her foot and said, “No good. Even if you invite me to drink, they have to pay.” Clearly, the two men in black didn’t understand what she meant. They exchanged glances before turning back and suddenly noticed a glowing gold coin in July’s hand. At that moment, she smiled and asked, “Do you know what this is?” The robber leader’s eyes widened as he blurted, “It’s a gold coin.” July then looked at the robber next to the leader and said, “Come here. If you take it, I have many more like this. I’ll give them all to you.” Hearing this, the man chuckled lecherously and said to the leader, “Boss, it’s this girl who asked me. I’ll go see how many more gold coins she has, hehe.” With that, he indeed walked toward July, but his lustful gaze made it clear his intentions went beyond just the gold coins…

Just as the robber got within seven feet of July, July suddenly raised her right leg, and a powerful surge of true energy shot out along with her beautiful leg. A gust of wind swept through, followed by a scream. Then, a dark figure, like a kite with its string cut, flew straight six zhang away. Amidst the swirling dust, the figure lay motionless on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

The remaining five robbers shifted their gaze from July’s legs to the fallen figure. After the figure flew away, they turned their attention back to July. The five of them exchanged glances, but none spoke. Suddenly, the robber leader panicked and asked, “Are you… from the Ye Luo family?”

July didn’t understand what the Ye Luo family was, but she replied, “I don’t know who you’re talking about. I don’t recognize them, nor do I know anything about them. But today, this young lady wants to tell you to hand over all your valuables right now, or else…” As soon as she finished speaking, her sword drew from its sheath. With a pink glow, a sword aura like a meteor shot across the ground toward a mound six zhang away. Once again, dust filled the air as the mound was split in two by the sword aura.

Before July could continue speaking, the remaining five robbers had already placed all their copper coins and a small amount of silver coins on the ground, along with their knives.

July was surprised that these five reacted even faster than she did. She nodded and said, “Good. Well done. You may go.”

These five were originally robbers who made a living by plundering. Today, they encountered a blind man and a beautiful woman, thinking they would make a huge profit. Instead, they were the ones who got robbed. Now that they heard they could leave, it was as if they had received an amnesty, and they immediately ran in different directions.

Just as the robber leader turned around, a strand of white hair drifted past him. Then, a dark figure appeared in front of him. The robber was terrified, thinking he was seeing a ghost. When he turned back, the blind man who had been sitting on the ground was gone. Turning his head again, he saw the blind man and the girl in purple standing right in front of him.

The robber leader quickly said, “Two heroes, no, two great warriors! I really have no money left. Please spare me.” He thought to himself, “All the others have left. Why did they only catch me? Do they know I still have a gold coin hidden?”

Liu Yi replied, “Don’t worry. Go pick up all the money. I need your help.”

Hearing this, the robber glanced at the ground. Although it was his companions’ money, there seemed to be quite a bit of it. He immediately bent down and said, “Hero, just give me orders. Since this money has already been… offered to you, how could I accept it?” Though he said he wouldn’t take it, he still picked up the money, claiming it was for Liu Yi’s storage.

Liu Yi continued, “Starting today, you’ll follow us. Help us find a map of this place, and then tell us about the local martial world, what you’ve seen and heard. I… my junior sister and I just came from the mountains and are not familiar with this place. We still need your help.”

Hearing Liu Yi’s words, July seemed puzzled. He hadn’t called her his sister. Though she had countless questions, the joy in her heart didn’t give her time to think.

The bandit leader put the money away and, upon hearing this, quickly said, “That’s easy, that’s easy. So you’re someone who practices immortality in the mountains. No wonder you’re so powerful—I thought I met someone from the Ye Luo clan.” As he spoke, the bandit pulled down the black cloth covering his face. Although it was already late, in July’s light, one could still see the face of a middle-aged man—with a full beard, a flat nose, large eyes, and thick black eyebrows, as if his face were saying, “I’m an honest person,” giving off an honest appearance. Yet his words didn’t match at all with that appearance.

Liu Yi let out an “Oh,” but he wasn’t in a hurry to ask questions. Instead, he changed the topic and said, “Now take us to the nearest tavern or inn here. We need to rest.”

The bandit smiled and said, “Sure. The nearest inn is Mo Chen. It’s located at the border between Cangzhou and Mosangzhou. Mo Chen Inn is the most famous, but it’s also quite chaotic—everyone kinds of people are there. It’s about a hundred li away from here. We should be there in half an hour.”

Hearing this, Liu Yi asked in doubt, “How can we cover a hundred li in half an hour?”

The bandit replied, “Don’t you know, hero? Haven’t you ridden a Wind-Horned Beast before?”

July couldn’t help but ask, “What is a Wind-Horned Beast?”

Liu Yi quickly interjected, “My junior sister and I grew up in the mountains since childhood and know very little about the mortal world. Please explain.”

The bandit nodded and said, “Perhaps the immortal mountain where you live doesn’t have such common beasts. That’s not strange. Wind-Horned Beasts are the most common mounts in the netherworld. Ordinary people ride them to travel—traveling a thousand li a day isn’t a problem. Of course, those of noble status domesticate better ‘spiritual beasts,’ but Wind-Horned Beasts are indeed the ones commonly used by ordinary people like us.”

Liu Yi nodded and said, “Since that’s the case, please lead the way.”

The bandit replied, “Okay. Follow me.”

After a few turns, the three of them arrived behind a huge mound. In the darkness, they could see six beast-like creatures. July asked, “Your brothers are really fast—no need even for mounts.”

The bandit laughed and said, “Wind-Horned Beasts are everywhere. They can domesticate one wherever they go.”

Liu Yi couldn’t see what the Wind-Horned Beasts looked like and could only feel them by touching them with his hands to gauge their appearance. July, on the other hand, saw them clearly. These Wind-Horned Beasts were even taller than ordinary horses on earth, covered in feathers, with two long horns on their round heads—quite cute. Their four hooves seemed slender yet strong, no wonder they could travel a thousand li a day.

As the bandit led over a Wind-Horned Beast, he said, “Hero, this little one’s name is Lan Fei. Just call me A Fei.”

Liu Yi casually tossed over a gold coin and said, “A Fei? Hehe, I’ll need your guidance a lot in the future. As long as you do well, money won’t be a problem.”

A Fei took the gold coin, his mouth watering. It turned out that Liu Yi and July were unaware of the value of these coins in the Netherworld. Pure gold coins were very rare there; copper coins were far more common. One silver coin could be exchanged for a thousand copper coins, while one gold coin required five thousand silver coins. A decent meal only cost a few silver coins, which gave an idea of the value of gold coins in the Netherworld. That’s why gold coins had another name there—Lucky Coins.

The three rode on the tall Windhorn Beasts, guided by A Fei, toward the so-called Mo Chen Inn…

Along the way, Liu Yi thought about many things, especially the recent experience, which made him feel even more confused. From the information he had obtained in the Three Realms, the Netherworld should be under the rule of the Lan family, the King of the Netherworld. However, the Ye Luo family mentioned by A Fei also seemed formidable. Could it be that the Netherworld, like the Three Realms, was not a unified whole? Liu Yi had always believed that a world named after a single family should be a unified entity. But now it seemed that both the Ye Luo family and the Lan family were extremely powerful.

This was all he knew for now, deduced inadvertently from A Fei’s words. As he learned more, Liu Yi guessed that the Netherworld might also be a chaotic world. If that were the case, finding the Nine Tears would seem even more difficult. Thinking about these troublesome issues, Liu Yi looked up at the bright moon rising in the sky and sighed, “The moon over the sea is bright, yet it weeps tears…”

It was their first day in another world. It seemed so natural yet uneasy. The unknowns of this world left the two confused. Yet they both knew this was just the beginning—a new start. After this, the Nine Tears awaited them.