Volume Ten: Crossroads Chapter One: The Supernatural Incident at the Crossroads

Today, Yaoguang’s mood was rather indifferent. Early in the morning, Chen Haiqu called to say the scroll had been delivered to Guishan Temple. Yaoguang lounged on a deck chair outside, feeling a bit dejected. After so long in the mortal world, she found that some things now eluded her comprehension—hatred, for example. She too had hatred, directed at the Ghost Sect. To be honest, hatred was a truly terrifying thing, capable of multiplying endlessly within a person’s heart until it became a great flood that drowned all reason. People always said it was better to resolve grudges than make enemies, but putting that into practice was never so easy. After pondering for a while and getting nowhere, Yaoguang simply flashed and leapt into the swimming pool. Forget it—if she couldn’t reason it out, she wouldn’t think about it anymore. If she couldn’t have something, then let it go. It wasn’t such a big deal, after all.

“Miss, something has arrived from Phoenix Lingshan,” Yitian announced, appearing by the pool.

“What is it? Open it and let’s see.” Yaoguang poked her head up from the water.

Yitian opened the brocade box and tilted it so she could see. One glance and Yaoguang sprang joyfully from the pool. “The Xuan Ying Feather Robe! It’s finally finished! Wonderful! Hahaha!” Like a streak of lightning, Phoenix dashed upstairs, quickly changed, then went to the wine cellar to grab a few bottles. Returning to Yitian, she said, “I’m off to the Underworld,” took the box from Yitian’s hands, and vanished in a gust of wind, leaving Yitian standing there bewildered.

Delighted, Yaoguang headed straight for the capital city of the Underworld. Before the guards at the gates even registered her presence, she was already inside the King of the Underworld’s private chambers.

“How long has it been since I last visited? And here you are again, neither quite man nor woman,” Yaoguang remarked, looking at the King of the Underworld reclining on the chaise.

“What do you want me to look like today?” the King replied, meeting her gaze.

“Suit yourself—just don’t ruin the clothes,” Yaoguang said as she opened the brocade box.

“Is this... the Xuan Ying Feather Robe?!” The King’s eyes lit up at the sight of the softly glowing garment. With a wave of the hand, the robe floated from the box into the King’s grasp. Retreating behind a curtain, the King reemerged a moment later.

“I tailored the Xuan Ying Feather Robe into a work outfit—white shirt, white vest with fine black stripes, and suit trousers. Stylish and elegant,” Yaoguang said as she placed a bottle of peach blossom wine on the table, then looked up and froze for a moment. “You look really good in that.”

The King of the Underworld had shoulder-length hair, fair skin, and a tall, graceful figure—an image of a professional woman.

“Yaoyao, why do you always prefer me in my female form?” the King asked, twirling before the mirror.

“Best friends should be girls! Male best friends? That’s just weird. Something feels off about it,” Yaoguang replied.

“You haven’t come to see me in so long—I’m bored to death,” the King complained.

“So long? Sister, it’s only been a few days since the Ghost Sect incident—half a month at most. And you say I haven’t visited?” Yaoguang retorted.

“Hmph, easy for you to say! You’re out in the human world every day, so vibrant and colorful. And me? Here, it’s nothing but black, black, and more black. It’s dull,” the King grumbled.

“Alright, I can’t win with you.” With a wave of her hand, Yaoguang transformed the room’s scenery. “Here—spring, summer, autumn, winter. Use the remote to change it as you like. It’s a new gadget—3D effects.”

“Thank you, Yaoyao.” The King threw her arms around Yaoguang and kissed her on the cheek, which instantly gave Yaoguang goosebumps.

“Come on, I’m taking you out to have some fun today,” Yaoguang announced.

“Alright!” The King was overjoyed.

“But remember—three rules: don’t reveal your identity, don’t use any spiritual power, and do as I say, no matter what,” Yaoguang warned.

“Agreed, agreed,” the King promised eagerly.

“Don’t try to fool me. You must obey, unless you want to see my soul scattered to the wind,” Yaoguang said sternly.

“I wouldn’t dare. Yaoyao, you’re the only one who can get me out of the Underworld, the only one who’ll be my friend, and the only one capable of creating the Xuan Ying Feather Robe. Don’t worry,” the King assured her.

“Why do you sound so pitiful? Alright, let’s go,” Phoenix said, leading the King out of the Underworld. “Have you decided where you want to go?”

“You decide,” the King replied.

“Let’s go to the entertainment center—eat, drink, and be merry. How’s that?” Yaoguang suggested.

“Perfect. Lead the way.” The King happily linked arms with Yaoguang. They returned to the villa to get the car, then drove straight to the entertainment district.

“Yaoyao, I just realized— I didn’t bring any money. Mortal currency, you know,” the King said with a sheepish grin.

“I invited you out, so I’ve got it covered. And your phone—time for an upgrade. Let’s buy you a new one first.” Yaoguang took the King to the Apple store, settled the phone in five minutes flat.

Next stop: the street of snack stalls, where the King reveled in every variety of gourmet treat.

“Want to try the roller coaster?” Yaoguang asked.

“Absolutely!” the King replied with feigned calm, but a minute later: “Ah! Yaoyao, I want to go home...”

“How about the pirate ship?”

“No problem.” Another minute later: “Ah! Yaoyao, I want to go home...”

And so it went for the next two hours—the phrase Yaoguang heard most from the King was: “I want to go home.”

Drop tower, spinning saucer, sky car, crazy arm ride—all prompted, “I want to go home.”

Atop the bungee tower.

“Yaoyao, ready to jump together?” The King was strapped in by the staff.

“Ready. Let’s go!” With a sweep of her wings, Yaoguang leapt, pulling the King down with her.

“Aaaaah! I want to go home! Aaaaah!” the King’s screams echoed.

“Hahaha...” Yaoguang’s laughter rang out in response.

“Yaoyao, did you use spiritual power?” The King sat on a bench, catching her breath.

“Nope. That would ruin the fun!” Yaoguang replied.

“You’re so brave. I was scared to death.” The King sipped coffee. “Where to next?”

“Shopping.” Yaoguang dragged the still-dazed King into the mall.

In the women’s flagship store: “This one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one—one of each in her size. And those, and those, and those, also in her size. Package them all.”

Two hours later, Yaoguang’s trunk was crammed with shopping bags.

“Let’s go—karaoke!” she laughed.

The King took the microphone and sang who-knows-what.

“Sister, you’re off-key—let me try...”

An hour later...

“Yaoyao, this was so much fun. When can we come again?” the King asked.

“No problem, as long as you’re happy,” Yaoguang replied, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

“I want one too...” The King leaned over.

“When did you learn that?” Yaoguang was surprised.

“I’ve known how for ages—you just didn’t know. I don’t do it often, that’s all. Hehe.” The King grinned.

“You win,” Yaoguang said, speechless.

Her phone rang. She answered: “Xuanchen?”

“Something strange happened at Phoenix. Come back,” Xuanchen said on the other end.

“Alright.” Yaoguang hung up and turned to the King. “Come with me to Heavenly Sword. Looks like there’s a case.”

“Okay. Hey, Yaoyao, how long will the Xuan Ying Feather Robe last?” the King asked.

“Seven days at most. So you must return before then,” Yaoguang replied.

“In those seven days, will you solve the case?” the King asked.

“I must—otherwise I wouldn’t be a legend, would I, sister?” Yaoguang replied.

As they spoke, the car pulled up in front of the Heavenly Sword building.

“What’s happened?” Yaoguang led the King into the office.

“And this is?” Xuanchen paused at the sight of the King behind her.

“My distant cousin. Urban life left her with a level-two disability, so I have to keep an eye on her. Now, what’s the situation?” Yaoguang said.

“I really am a level-two urban casualty... Tragic...” the King thought, inwardly crumbling.

“At the intersection of Xiyang Street and Xiling Street, strange incidents keep happening. Here are today’s trending posts,” Xuanchen said, handing her a tablet. “It’s all over the internet now—Chief Jia wants us to investigate.”

“Midnight, supernatural events frequently occur at the intersection, people searching for their savior. What’s going on?” Yaoguang frowned.

“We’re not entirely sure. All the accounts are self-reported on social media, and since that intersection isn’t a main road and is off the beaten path, there are no cameras—no way to verify anything,” Xuanchen explained.

“At the intersection, pedestrians ignore traffic signals and are pulled back to the sidewalk by some unseen force? Cars running red lights stall in the middle and won’t start? Overloaded trucks mysteriously break down and get caught by traffic police? Yaoyao, what is all this—someone maintaining traffic order?” the King said, scrolling through posts. “And look at this—cars about to run a red light suddenly stall, and a mysterious voice from the back seat warns the driver not to go. Or this: drunk drivers fall asleep at the wheel when the light changes, the car stalls, and the traffic police—tipped off anonymously—arrest them. But none of the people involved saw who was doing these things, as if an invisible hand is controlling it all.” The King was baffled after reading the posts.

“This is really intriguing. The intersection where all this is happening—where Xiyang and Xiling meet—has no cameras, so people often take risks. But since it’s out on the eastern edge of town, there aren’t many vehicles or pedestrians. So even though people break the rules, accidents are rare,” Xuanchen commented.

“How many days has this been going on?” Yaoguang asked.

“I checked the posts—these incidents started about a month ago, but only in the past few days have they become frequent enough to draw attention,” Xuanchen replied.

“As soon as one person posts about something strange, the rest come pouring in. Now it’s trending—everyone’s talking about it. But have you noticed? In all these supernatural events, no one gets hurt, and nothing happens to the cars. The people involved are always protected by some invisible force,” Huo Mingkun said, walking over while looking at his phone.

“And now there are thrill-seekers going to that intersection at midnight, running red lights to see if anything strange happens—but none of those people have experienced anything odd. Online views and comments have already topped a hundred million,” Jiang Yun added, looking up from his screen.

“Could it be just a coincidence?” Chen Haiqu asked.

“It’s unlikely. One person could be a coincidence, but so many people? The odds are almost zero. Plus, have you noticed? All these incidents occur between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.—the hour of the rat. Midnight is the most frequent, which is the dead of night. Nothing happens outside that window. Do you think that’s normal?” Yaoguang replied.

“Could it be a ghost at the crossroads? But aren’t ghosts supposed to hurt people? Why would one save them?” Huo Mingkun wondered.

“Who told you that? Ghosts are people too—there are good ones and bad ones. Why lump them all together?” the King retorted.

“Right, right, miss, you make sense. So, Master, what do we do now? There are no cameras at the intersection, so how do we investigate? The whole city’s talking about it, and Chief Jia’s taking it very seriously,” Huo Mingkun said, frowning.

“I have an idea,” said Chu Tianyou, who had been silent until now, rising from his seat by the monitors. “Come with me.”

Yaoguang glanced at him and smiled. “The old fox really is the cleverest. Kid, pay attention and learn something.” She pulled the King along and followed Chu Tianyou out.

“What’s going on? Master, can you explain?” Huo Mingkun called, trailing after the group.