Celestial Master： I Have an Otherworld-Chapter 204 - 77: Otherworld (Part 2)

When parents are around,

death feels distant.

When parents depart,

only then can one truly feel the approach of death.

"Ding dong..."

The doorbell rang.

"Come in!"

"Click..."

The door unlocked, and a graceful figure walked in.

"Erqiu?"

"Mm." Perhaps it was too late at night or the chill too heavy, but Guo Erqiu's face looked a bit pale. She looked at Fang Zheng and slowly spoke:

"Tomorrow I leave."

"I know." Fang Zheng nodded:

"I heard from our senior that you're going abroad?"

"Yes." Guo Erqiu replied:

"The reason I wanted to stay in the country was because Grandpa was here. Now that he's gone, there's no point in staying."

"I see..." Fang Zheng's expression remained unchanged:

"Going out to see the world is good. You're still young, there are plenty of opportunities for you."

"Sigh..." Guo Erqiu took a deep breath and said:

"Besides this matter, there's something else."

"Our whole family has left. The house Grandpa left behind has no one to inherit it. My dad plans to sell it. Do you have any interest in taking it over?"

"If it falls into your hands, we can still come back and visit occasionally. Just give any price you wish."

"The house?" Fang Zheng shook his head:

"Master's house isn't a city property. The ownership belongs to the village collective. Outsiders aren't qualified to buy or sell it."

"Not that one." Guo Erqiu shook her head:

"It's another property, the old house in Guo Family Village."

She took out a stack of documents as she spoke.

Guo Family Village was a term from over twenty years ago. The village was near Celestial Plate Mountain. Later, it underwent large-scale demolition and construction, and many villagers moved to the city.

The original place mostly turned desolate.

Even the land properties have been converted into farmland or mountain land due to the nature shift, except for one place: where Guo Ziran used to live.

The current village was formed by merging several villages.

Because of this, neighbors were mostly unfamiliar with each other, and relationships were relatively distant.

Fang Zheng took the documents, eyebrows slightly raised:

"A Daoist Temple?"

"Yes."

Guo Erqiu nodded:

"Our family used to be landlords, and later... the place we lived was assigned to the Daoist Temple by the district government, but the property ownership remained with Grandpa."

Fang Zheng understood.

Back then, landlords' properties were seized, and to be able to reclaim ownership showed that Guo Ziran had some abilities when he was young.

"Though it's called a Daoist Temple, it's actually a small restaurant named 'Two Acres Diner', which pays more than ten thousand yuan in rent every year."

Guo Erqiu said:

"I used to play there often when I was a child."

"There are actually some issues with the property rights, as part of it belongs to the Daoist Temple. But I trust this won't be too hard for you to solve now."

Fang Zheng pursed his lips, thought for a moment, then nodded:

"Alright."

"Thank you!"

Guo Erqiu smiled sweetly.

...

The next day.

The glaring sunlight fell on the bed, causing Fang Zheng's eyelids to twitch.

"Mmm..."

With a slight groan, he slowly propped himself up from the bed, instinctively reaching to the side, only to find it empty.

"Left after playing?"

With a face of speechlessness, Fang Zheng lay back on the soft bed:

"Just like my previous girlfriends; women really have no sentiment."

But considering last night's intense events, it being her first time, Guo Erqiu could still get up. That was indeed admirable.

He took out his phone, only to find himself blocked on both calls and WeChat.

"Ah!"

"Heartless after usage!"

*

*

*

The void rippled like the surface of water, as a figure carrying a wooden box slowly stepped out, transitioning from the modern world into the Otherworld.

It was dusk.

The sky was slightly dim.

Just like a cunning rabbit that has three burrows, Fang Zheng was no exception.

This was a place he found outside Fang Mansion, a hidden spot for ease of access, from the outside appearing merely as an ordinary small courtyard.

Surveying the surroundings, it seemed nearly a month had passed since he last left, with the environment unchanged.

Except for one thing.

Silence!

An eerie silence.

Fang Zheng furrowed his brows, ears twitching as he listened intently.

The entire Gu'an County felt as though it had fallen into a deathly silence, lacking the cries of battle or the roars of refugees from when he departed.

At this time, it should still be early for curfew.

"Wah..."

From next door came the sound of a baby crying.

"Don't let him cry!"

"The baby is too small to understand words."

"Feed him!"

"It's been so long without food, how can I have any milk left?"

Fang Zheng's gaze shifted, not because of the neighbors, but because the Five Ghosts' Pouch hanging from his waist started fluttering without wind.

"This is..."

"A Yin soul forming?"

He looked surprised, murmuring:

"Such strong resentment nearby?"

The Five Ghosts' Pouch contained five Yin Soul Seeds which, unless the magical artifact was destroyed, could revert to Yin souls after absorbing enough yin energy and resentment.

Indeed,

theoretically, they could evolve into Fierce Ghosts.

Since acquiring the Five Ghosts' Pouch, many like Shopkeeper Ba, Hu Yanting, and Cao Wu had been killed by Fang Zheng, yet a Yin soul was still far from forming.

Now,

it's about to form!

This indicates someone died nearby recently, with overwhelming resentment.

"Tap tap..."

Just then, synchronized footsteps echoed from the street.

The crying next door ceased abruptly, as if the baby's mouth and nose were forcibly covered, while Fang Zheng wore a serious expression, gripping the knife hilt at his waist.

Something's wrong!

The footsteps outside were too synchronized, imbued with a heavy killing intent, beyond the capability of any forces in Gu'an County.

The footsteps grew closer.

Invisible yet seemingly accompanied by a pressure advancing with them, like clouds in the sky gradually closing in.

Such strong intimidation!

"Can't hold it any longer." A woman's voice from next door, edged with tears, pleaded:

"The baby won't survive."

"If he doesn't survive, neither will we!" the man growled back, followed by a pained grunt.