Chapter 130: Returning to Normal

"Aren't you afraid of laughing your head off talking such big words? If you have the guts, try touching even a single hair of someone from the Qian family or the Heavenly Demon Sect! I guarantee it will scatter your soul and make you vanish into thin air. Get lost right now and don't let me see the two of you ever again. If we cross paths next time, you won't be this lucky!"

Zhang Shouzhen stared fiercely at Bu Yuan, putting on a menacing front. He didn't want to drag this out any longer; his soul projection could not be sustained for much longer, and this ghost bailiff wasn't an easy opponent to deal with. Besides, he didn't want to kill this ghost bailiff just yet because he had come up with a better idea—to kill with a borrowed knife. Although such behavior was utterly despicable, what did that matter when it came to dealing with a major demonic sect?

"I've remembered what you said today. Just wait, I'll make you regret this!"

Bu Yuan waved his hand, and the ghost servants below instantly transformed into palm-sized paper figures that vanished into his palm. Then, Bu Yuan leaped upward and flew away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

A short while later, the ghostly aura here dissipated. The central stage, the lanterns outside, and everything else vanished as well. Tranquility was restored to the hotel, along with boundless darkness. Zhang Shouzhen's soul returned to his physical body, and he slowly opened his eyes to the sound of heavy breathing all around him.

"Young Master, are they all gone?" Nie Shisan asked cautiously.

"Yes, they're all gone. You can rest easy now."

Zhang Shouzhen stood up, feeling a bit dizzy. During the spiritual battle just now, his soul had consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy. He touched the Ruyi amulet tucked inside his robe, feeling much more at ease. If it weren't for this precious artifact, his physical body would likely have been usurped by Wang Zhaoyang, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Click!"

The lobby lights flickered on, appearing somewhat dazzling. Zhang Shouzhen narrowed his eyes slightly. Ma Yuxu walked over, though his legs were still trembling and his face was pale as a sheet. The other hotel staff members also gradually regained consciousness, their faces filled with panic.

"Shouzhen, you've finally made it here. If you had been a few days later, I'm afraid I would have lost my life right here."

Ma Yuxu's voice was extremely weak as he stared at Zhang Shouzhen, his face full of gratitude.

"No need to be so formal. Fortunately, my senior brother received your text message, otherwise, there was nothing I could do. Alright, get some rest first, and then buy a large string of firecrackers to set off in the hotel to drive away the lingering ghostly aura. I have some business to attend to, so I'll take my leave for a moment."

Seeing the figure standing at the entrance of the hotel lobby, Zhang Shouzhen called out to Nie Shisan and hurried over.

"Zimei, why won't you step out of the hotel and go see Xiaopuding? No one is forcing you anymore."

Zhang Shouzhen stood beside her and spoke gently.

Zimei took off the ghost bailiff robe she was wearing and handed it to Zhang Shouzhen. Her face was clouded with sorrow, and her eyes were filled with a complicated mix of emotions. After letting out a sigh, she spoke slowly, "What good would it do to go outside? I am not a good mother. If it weren't for my carelessness, neither Xiaopuding nor I would have died, nor would we have wandered the streets for all these years, leaving Xiaopuding unable to be reincarnated."

"Why can't he be reincarnated? He doesn't have a shred of resentment on him, nor is he a ghost looking for a substitute. By all rights, there should be ghost bailiffs to guide him, and the same goes for you."

Zhang Shouzhen scratched his head. This was simply too bizarre, unless...

"Xiaopuding was born out of wedlock and was never registered in the family registry. Without a mortal registry, Xiaopuding cannot be reincarnated. But I am different; I have a registry, so the ghost bailiffs came to take me to the underworld. Naturally, I refused, so I fled everywhere with Xiaopuding to escape the ghost bailiffs' pursuit, eventually ending up in this place. In fact, this place was the Netherworld Inn long ago, but it belonged to another evil ghost of the Manifested Yin realm. Later, Bu Yuan usurped the nest, teamed up with Wang Zhaoyang, and beat that evil ghost until its soul was scattered.

I happened to pass by here. Bu Yuan saw that I had some looks and wanted me to be the manager of this Netherworld Inn, and he promised me that he would take Xiaopuding to be reincarnated. As for what happened afterward, you already know..."

Zimei's face was full of worry. She bit her lower lip and looked at Zhang Shouzhen, feeling somewhat at a loss.

A look of sudden realization dawned on Zhang Shouzhen's face. The grand hotel had started experiencing haunting incidents long ago, and Wang Zhaoyang was only able to leave Guoye Village after Xia Wen died, meaning they couldn't have been the ones who originally opened this Netherworld Inn, as the timelines didn't match. Now that Zimei had explained it, he finally understood completely. However, she mentioned that Xiaopuding was born out of wedlock and lacked official registration—wasn't this situation very similar to the little ghost and little spirit kept by Jiu'er?

"Actually, as long as you spend some money, getting that sort of thing sorted out isn't a difficult task."

Nie Shisan, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, gave a few light coughs and spoke up.

"But I don't have a single family member left in the mortal world. That man fled as soon as he found out I was pregnant, and he never even showed up when Xiaopuding was born. I have no assets in the mortal world. Little Daoist Priest, can you help me? I, Ye Zimei, will repay you as a beast of burden in my next life."

Ye Zimei suddenly dropped to her knees before Zhang Shouzhen, her entire body trembling as she spoke.

"Sister Zimei, please get up quickly. If I can help, I certainly will. Right now, the main priority is to go check on Xiaopuding."

Zhang Shouzhen looked at Ye Zimei with a sense of helplessness. Although Nie Shisan claimed that money could solve the problem, he wasn't entirely certain about that. After all, the underworld was quite different from the mortal realm; their rules were extremely strict. It was said that they knew a person's birth characters down to the finest detail, and even a person's destiny was fully recorded. Therefore, he didn't dare make a rash promise—after all, even Jiu'er hadn't kept Little Spirit by her side for such a long time without complications.

"Many thanks, Little Daoist Priest."

Ye Zimei stood up, feeling much better. Before long, she found Xiaopuding on the street. Xiaopuding hugged Ye Zimei tightly, refusing to let go for even a single second.

Zhang Shouzhen arrived at the vortex on the street. This place essentially served as a passage connecting to the underworld, with ghosts emerging from it. Therefore, this passage now had to be sealed off.

This world was very strange and mysterious. Previously, if they wanted to find the path to the underworld, they had to choose specific locations and use boundary-crossing talismans to open the passage. But now, it was different—the passage here seemed to have formed naturally.

As soon as he approached this area, Zhang Shouzhen felt a biting chill emanating from the vortex. Within this pitch-black passage, it felt as though ghostly entities could emerge from it at any moment.

If he wanted to completely prevent underworld ghosts from coming out through this passage, the only way was to destroy the passage entirely using absolute force.

After taking a deep breath, Zhang Shouzhen cautiously took out the jade Ruyi amulet from his robe. This Ruyi was a supreme treasure; both of its ends were carved with lotus flowers, making it look thoroughly mysterious. According to the ancestors, this Azure Lotus Ruyi had been passed down through generations of the family, giving one a sense of how ancient this artifact truly was.

Li Tagu had said that this Azure Lotus Ruyi was forged by an even more distant ancestor of the Li family, and only those carrying the Li family bloodline could properly unleash its power. Presently, Li Tagu was living by borrowing a corpse to return to life and no longer possessed the bloodline of the Li family, which was why he had passed it on to Zhang Shouzhen.