Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 93 - 91: Settling the Aftermath in the Tomb, Accidentally Entering the Red Sleeve’s Invitation (Seeking Subscriptions)

Chapter 93: Chapter 91: Settling the Aftermath in the Tomb, Accidentally Entering the Red Sleeve’s Invitation (Seeking Subscriptions)

Three "two hours" later, at 7 p.m., it was also the beginning of the night watch.

Wearing a green shirt and with a Tiger Head Saber strapped to his waist, Wang Yuan stepped through the chilling wind and emerged from the "Yin Road" into the Owl God Tomb.

Even with mental preparation, the sight of the bustling festival scene before his eyes still rendered him slightly transfixed.

What appeared before Wang Yuan was not the cold and icy underground palace of a tomb, but... the vast Luoyang City!

In the flourishing city, lights were shining brightly everywhere.

The burning candle grease almost turned the night into day.

In the bustling night market, brimming with people jostling shoulder-to-shoulder, there was Qianghu currency, fragrances, jewels, furs, fine painted silk fans, delicate color paper fans, filigree dresses, Casual Scarves...

Not to mention all kinds of delicious foods, Sugar Cakes, lotus roots stuffed with sticky rice, seasonal fruits, fresh fish and meat from pigs and sheep, filling the air with tempting aromas.

Along the street, entertainment places were everywhere, such as Lotus Pavilions, Peony Tents, Yaksha Pavilions, Elephant Tents... These playhouses could accommodate thousands of people at once.

In the Flower Street where Wang Yuan stood, red lanterns hung high, with birds chirping and swallows tweeting, and the smell of scented powder and pastry was overwhelming.

Many a blooming maiden, wearing only a bellyband and a thin veil, leaned against the windows on the upper floors and smiled down at the passers-by on the street.

"Giggle giggle giggle, Lord, come quickly!"

"Come and taste if the rouge on my lips is sweet?"

"Nu’er has a dance of Feiyan to entertain Tan Lang."

With the beauty of courtesans and the dew on the peonies, these gorgeous girls were like delicate birds chirping on tree branches, as if they could dance in one’s hand, tempting passers-by to rush into the buildings uncontrollably.

"Astonishing, simply astonishing! Is this what Luoyang City was like two hundred years ago?

Though it’s just a residual image retained in the Deceit Realm Blessed Land, it’s still quite the sight to behold!"

For fifteen years, because of the threat of the Owl God Tomb, Wang Yuan never dared to stray from the darkness beneath the lanterns of Beimang Mountain.

The closest he ever came to Luoyang City was when he kidnapped Prince Zhou Jingyao years ago, viewing it from a distance across the Luoshui.

And how can the troubled current state of the Great Yan Dynasty be compared to its most glorious period two hundred years ago?

The seemingly vibrant night market of Wangren Town, when compared to here, is like a firefly to the bright moon; it doesn’t even deserve to carry its shoes.

Of course.

King Yili alone naturally does not have the capability to maintain such a vast and realistic Deceit Realm.

Just as Wang Yuan had bluffed to the White Mountain Lord before, underneath the Owl God Tomb there indeed lies the Beimang Mountain Blessed Land, one of the seventy-two blessed lands of the world!

He had never expected his words to come true.

He touched his stomach; today, he was not unfaithful to the tiger.

"The Beimang Mountain Blessed Land, one powerful "Weird," and all the people devoured in these two hundred years, together form this constantly repeating Deceit Realm: the Ghost Festival feast.

A more accurate name would probably be ’the Feast of Ghosts’ or perhaps... ’the Ghost Festival Gourmet Festival’?"

Ah——!

From the somewhat dim alley behind Wang Yuan, suddenly came a piercingly shrill scream of agony.

"Save me! Save me!

I won’t gamble anymore, won’t gamble anymore, please spare me."

Wang Yuan turned his head and with an impassive face watched a richly dressed scion of the Clan, with the title of Assistant General, being dragged away like a dead dog by two men who seemed to be staff from a gambling den.

A long trail of blood was left on the ground.

As the man was about to disappear completely into the darkness, he suddenly lifted his head, allowing Wang Yuan to see his hideous face, now missing both ears and a nose.

"Just as grandfather said, on the anniversary of King Yili’s death every July 15th, this Deceit Realm Blessed Land would repeat the last day of his life, which is the scene of his sudden death on the Ghost Festival.

Apart from the outsiders consumed by the Owl God Tomb on that day, not one of the several hundred thousand residents of the city is alive.

Moreover, most outsiders who enter here will lose their minds under the influence of the Nightmare Suppressing Power, oblivious to all anomalies and dangers, completely indulging in their desires.

They assume new identities, blending entirely into this city, becoming moving... Delicious Meat."

Thud! Thud! Thud!...

"First night watch over, prepare the hooks and molds, and get the bronze ready—!"

Hearing the hundred drumbeats from the Bell and Drum Tower signaling the starting of the night’s first watch, along with the reporting of the Chicken Singing Official, Wang Yuan nodded slightly:

"Rule: Only when the time reaches the first night watch, and the Ghost Festival begins, will the various recreational activities in the city strictly follow King Yili’s rules for killing.

Until then, it’s complete chaos; even the Daoist Soldiers might falter if careless.

A full three "two hours" is enough to cause heavy casualties and disintegration in both their powers, and also severely weaken the hidden trump card built by the Luoyang King through the Life Trading Coin.

Even for the Owl God Tomb consuming thousands of people at once, it is likely to suffer from severe indigestion, retching with a bloated belly.

Coming too early is too dangerous; coming too late might let others take the lead. Now, the timing is just perfect."

No faction, whether the three major forces or anyone else, had thought about coming after the degradation of the Owl God Tomb after the grand ceremony of two hundred years.

This is because July 15th is both its strongest and weakest time.

The strongest, because it will awaken and actively consume people; the weakest, because it is only on this day that there is a chance for internal and external communication, giving people the opportunity to successfully "steal luck" or solve it!

Just as without permission, one cannot enter Wangren Town.

The "Mysterious Realm·Hungry Ghost Festival" had been visited once by our Wang Family ancestor Wang Huchen, and once again by my grandfather Wang Wenhua and his peers fifteen years ago.

Although their purpose was to resolve the issue of the Owl God Tomb,

regrettably, they all failed in the end.

However, as the saying goes, ’third time’s the charm’, and Wang Yuan was determined to accomplish today what his ancestors and grandfather had failed to do, standing on the shoulders of those who came before him.

In the Small Book of Life and Death, Fate: 4 reads, "The carp guarding the river cannot ascend until it leaps over the Dragon Gate, but in time, with a transformed body, a leap can grant such heights."

And in his eyes, that "in time" was "today"!

Wang Yuan paused briefly on the spot before deciding on a plan,

"According to the guidance left by my grandfather, the first issue to solve after entering the tomb is to reach a specific entertainment place to obtain the ’game rules’ of the ’Mysterious Realm·Hungry Ghost Festival’.

Follow the map to find King Yili, who is hidden somewhere in the Deceit Realm Blessed Land.

Unless you’re a Mage, it’s not recommended to use force."

So,

Wang Yuan followed the sound of string and wind instruments and turned his head into a brothel named "Red Sleeve".

Even as he found himself tightly embraced by the arms of two scantily-clad, breathtaking beauties wielding dangerous weapons, pressing their cool bodies against him,

he still couldn’t fathom why his grandfather’s first stop after descending into the tomb years ago was the brothel?

Anyway, he was too afraid of dying at that time to dare to ask anything further.

He might as well believe what his grandfather said, that such a place might be relatively safer.

The expansive hall on the first floor of Red Sleeve, as well as the duplex design on the second floor, house numerous private cubicles bedecked with soft, thin silk quilts, within which half-dressed beauties display their charms.

Dance of sheer gauze, a faint scent of greasepaint, irresistibly enchanting.

Some of them are stunningly beautiful with a very cold demeanor; some have hot figures but a naive face; and some are mature and charming, exuding unique temptations all over...

Their clothes are not only made of gauzy Nichang, but also include translucid Taoist robes, monk robes, official robes, and even dragon robes...

They truly know how to play!

The owner of Red Sleeve really has a clear understanding of what men want.

Even though Wang Yuan was accustomed to seeing incomparable mortal beauties like his cousin sister and Lady Peach Fairy, he could not help but feel a warmth at the bottom of his heart from the boundless charm before his eyes.

As the sweet and greasy scent of powder hit his nose, a pink fog seemed to surge before his eyes, leaving him disoriented as if lost in the clouds.

While Wang Yuan was secretly guessing where the hint for the festival might be,

suddenly,

right next to him, in a cubicle without even a closed door, a sallow-faced man began to engage in pleasures of the flesh regardless of onlookers.

Only then did Wang Yuan realize that the custom here seemed to be to pay the "brothel fee" before one could stay.

In the room, a pale beauty clad only in a red gauze negligee, with blood-red Rouge-painted hands, tore open a visitor’s belly and bit off his entire liver with a satisfied lie-down, permitting the already impatient "man" to mount her.

The "people" living here are essentially leftovers eaten by the Owl God Tomb over the past two hundred years.

Not even complete ghost souls.

The only thing of value they had left was probably their own maimed bodies, as the parts were the most accepted currency here.

Of course, if the body is too damaged, it might dissipate into smoke rather quickly.

Like the yellow-faced man, for example, who likely didn’t have many more days to enjoy.

But compared to him, another person across the door seemed even more unfortunate.

Obviously still a living person, judging by the attire, probably a house servant who followed the entourage of Luoyang Royal Mansion.

With a leopard’s head and ringed eyes, his face full of flesh, yet his gaze was cloudy, as if he had long forgotten where he was.

The man, entangled by two identical-looking prostitutes who seemed to be twins, rapidly withered into a bony corpse before everyone’s eyes.

Seeing this, Wang Yuan’s pace involuntarily slowed.

Clearly, the Red Sleeve was full of pink skulls that would eat a man alive without spitting out his bones.

Just then, the two gorgeous women by his side clung to his body urgently, as boneless as they were eager.

One woman stared intently at his extremely handsome face, swallowing quietly before breathing into his ear,

"Let me take care of you, young master; I just need a small bite."

Another girl, who seemed younger than Wang Yuan, pleaded pitifully,

"Lord, let Nu’er serve you; I have a shallow stomach, I eat even less."

The numerous other beauties engaged in revelry, hearing their quarrel, turned to look in their direction simultaneously.

The next moment, a "hungry" green light shot from pair after pair of beautiful eyes.

"Er... This is dangerous!"

Wang Yuan suddenly realized the strategy given by his grandfather might not be foolproof.

An old dried-up man and a red-lipped, handsome young master being treated entirely differently in a place rife with ravenous women—