Chapter 160

Chapter 160: Equivalent Exchange

The man in white robes held a jade brush, ready to check off all the names on the list, when he noticed an extra figure beside him.

When he turned his head, he saw a young, curious face. A pair of almond-shaped eyes stared at what he was holding, and the person smiled a little foolishly.

The moment the two of them appeared, Yun Xi’s eyes lit up. The legendary Underworld celebrities, Black and White Impermanence, were right in front of her, and one of them was holding a jade brush to hook souls. Her curiosity was instantly stirred, so she subconsciously used the “Thousand Shadow Wind-Supporting Technique” and, in the blink of an eye, arrived at the white-robed man’s side.

The man in black robes was startled and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Yun Xi chuckled and said, “I’ve long admired the great names of the Underworld’s two ghost envoys. Seeing you with my own eyes today makes me truly happy, so I boldly came closer to admire your presence. Please don’t blame me, please don’t blame me!”

After speaking, she politely cupped her hands.

Hearing Yun Xi’s words, Liu Hao Tian and the other two almost laughed, but they forced themselves to hold it in.

After hearing her, the man in black robes didn’t know whether to respond or not. He could only give a proud, cold snort, then flicked out a black chain and began capturing souls.

The man in white robes was much calmer. After he finished checking off the list and put away the register and jade brush, he finally spoke. “Young fellow cultivator, may I ask if you can tell me why so many mortal souls have gathered here?”

“Of course.” Yun Xi explained what had happened in a few concise sentences, then took out the bronze mirror she had stuffed into her sleeve pocket. “This is the bronze mirror that caused trouble. It doesn’t look like something from the mortal world, and it doesn’t look like something from the Cultivation World either. I was planning to take it back to my sect, but I’m not sure…”

Before Yun Xi could finish, Black Impermanence blurted out, “The Soul-Gathering Mirror? How could it be here?”

White Impermanence wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

Yun Xi immediately withdrew the motion of offering the mirror. Smiling, she said, “So this evil thing came from the Underworld!”

Black Impermanence subconsciously tightened his grip on the soul-locking chain, his little eyes drifting off to the side.

White Impermanence pressed a hand to his forehead and could only explain politely. “This Soul-Gathering Mirror is indeed a soul artifact issued to Underworld ghost envoys. It’s used to store souls. It’s just that when we ghost envoys go out on missions, we can also run into unexpected situations. This mirror was likely left behind in the mortal world by accident.

“Only Underworld ghost envoys can control soul artifacts. Ordinary mortals don’t have that ability. And from what you just described, the Artifact Spirit of this mirror forcibly absorbed souls to repair its own damage. That… surprised us.”

Yun Xi didn’t cling to the issue. After thinking for a moment, she said, “From what we know, the Artifact Spirit of this Soul-Gathering Mirror was likely bewitched or contaminated by evil cultivators. That’s why my spirit pet told me it smelled something strange, not just the aura of an evil cultivator.”

Her explanation made Liu Hao Tian and the other two suddenly understand. No wonder they had felt the bronze mirror’s actions were exactly like an evil cultivator’s. The Soul-Gathering Mirror devoured the souls that wish-makers offered as sacrifices, made their wishes come true, and then amplified their desires.

Mortals who wanted more would sacrifice more people. After the Soul-Gathering Mirror absorbed the sacrificed souls, it could repair its main body. The entire Peach Blossom Spring Village had died like this, and the only one who escaped, Yin Yong, was able to do so because he knew how terrifying the mirror was and wasn’t bewitched.

Liu Hao Tian continued, “The evil cultivators did this for two reasons. First, to shift the blame onto the Underworld. Second, to turn this place into a resentment-filled land and make it their cultivation paradise. Don’t underestimate a mortal’s resentment.”

Black Impermanence’s eyes widened, and it looked like he could spit fire in the next instant. “They want us to take the blame? They sure dream big!”

White Impermanence remained calm. He turned to Yun Xi and said, “Fellow cultivator, could you hand the Soul-Gathering Mirror to me? I will bring it back to the Underworld, and then give these wrongfully dead mortals an answer.”

Yu Qing Cheng’s phoenix eyes lifted slightly as she asked, not very politely, “Then what about us? To save people, we spent a lot of good things and almost got trapped inside the Soul-Gathering Mirror. If Master Wei hadn’t had a treasure bestowed by her master to protect her, we would be part of the mirror right now. You probably wouldn’t even have discovered the Soul-Gathering Mirror was doing evil.”

After hearing Yu Qing Cheng, Yun Xi nodded at once, showing that she wasn’t wrong.

Black and White Impermanence exchanged a look. White Impermanence coughed lightly and said, “This matter truly put the four of you in a difficult position. We also want to offer some compensation, but things from the Underworld are not suitable for you fellow cultivators.”

Yun Xi stared at Black and White Impermanence for a while, then smiled a little cunningly. “You two ghost envoys are ghost cultivators. You don’t use spirit stones for cultivation on a daily basis, right? You use soul stones instead?”

Black and White Impermanence’s expressions paused, but they nodded in acknowledgement. This kind of thing couldn’t be hidden from cultivators.

White Impermanence reacted even faster. He immediately said, “Fellow cultivator wants soul stones?”

“Mhm. I’m curious. I want to see them.”

Yun Xi didn’t deny it.

After exchanging another look, Black and White Impermanence said, “Fine. We will pay you soul stones according to the reward standard for retrieving a lost soul artifact.”

Black Impermanence immediately added, “Once you take the payment, we’re even.”

“Deal!” Yun Xi agreed readily.

The other three had no objections. Yun Xi was the main reason they had escaped with their lives. If she felt soul stones were useful, they certainly wouldn’t undermine their companion.

By now, Black Impermanence had already captured all the souls drifting above Peach Blossom Spring Village. After he discussed it with White Impermanence, he piled a heap of black crystal-like stones on the ground and said, “This is the reward we promised you.”

With a sweep of her divine sense, Yun Xi said, “In the Cultivation World, spirit stones and demonic stones are divided into high, mid, and low grades. I’m guessing the Underworld’s soul stones are the same. These soul stones look like they have quite a lot of impurities…”

Black Impermanence said helplessly, “You know quite a lot. These are indeed low-grade soul stones, but they’re suitable for your use right now. The soul power in mid-grade soul stones is too vast. You won’t be able to absorb it completely.”

Yun Xi knew he had a point, but she still bargained. “In that case, use the low-grade soul stones to trade for two mid-grade soul stones. Consider it a keepsake. We’ll split the rest evenly.”

White Impermanence knew there was no meaning in dragging it out. In any case, they would still take the largest share of the reward, so he straightforwardly collected a small portion of the soul stones and exchanged them for two mid-grade soul stones with fewer impurities.

Yun Xi lifted a hand and stored the two mid-grade soul stones and ten low-grade soul stones. The remaining portion was split among the other three. The three of them put their shares into their storage pouches, and only then did Yun Xi hand over the Soul-Gathering Mirror.

White Impermanence swept his sleeve and put away the mirror, then prepared to return the way they came. Yun Xi flashed over again, appearing beside them. With a bright smile, she took out two message talismans and handed one to each of them. “Meeting you two big brothers is fate. If you ever need anything in the future, you can send me a message. Let’s be friends and share what we have.”

Black Impermanence felt like he had broadened his horizons today. There were even cultivators who rushed to befriend ghost envoys. Still, he accepted the message talisman.

White Impermanence remained calm. He handed Yun Xi a black box.