Little Alpaca – Chapter 187

by Little Panda

Volume 5: Tribulation of All Beings

The Art of Attracting Yin

Although she wasn’t much help no matter where she was, Yi Qiu still didn’t want to miss any important plot nodes. How could she possibly miss out on a major event like teaming up to plot against the final boss?

Never mind going to a Mass Grave, even if they were taking a day trip to the legendary Eighteen Levels of Hell,¹ as long as she was by You Yan’s side, there was probably nothing to fear.

This entire room of non-humans was filled with top-notch efficiency. The moment You Yan said it was time to go, they all left the Xianlu Sect without a second word, not needing any preparation time at all.

Speaking of which, after not seeing him for so long, that Little Pig Trotter, Luo Mingyuan, had really changed a lot.

Compared to how he was at the beginning, it was as if he had grown up overnight. The feeling he gave off was completely different.

Before, whenever he spoke, his words were always tinged with a bit of self-deprecation, his gaze was somewhat evasive, his voice was always low and quiet, and he would even stutter a little.

Now, although he still didn’t say much, he was no longer as sullen as before. When it was his turn to speak, he could finally say it clearly and articulately.

Yi Qiu saw these changes and naturally felt very gratified—gratified that this guy hadn’t turned into the scummy pig trotter from the novel who had infuriated her to no end, and relieved that he was finally starting to look a bit like a male lead.

When they returned to the Heavenly Realm in the future, they would surely become good deities capable of protecting the mortal world.

Hopefully, their old friendship would still be there by then, and the relationship between the Heavenly and Demon Realms could be eased because of it.

She would definitely find a chance to get a promise from this Little Pig Trotter before he returned to the Heavenly Realm—to get a sun for the demon race.

It didn’t need to be as scorching as the one in the Mortal Realm, just bright enough to bring light. After all, the Demon Realm was simply too dark.

As Yi Qiu was thinking this, she was unknowingly brought by You Yan to the Mass Grave outside Moshui City that Luo Mingyuan had mentioned earlier.

The Xianlu Sect was located a hundred li south of Moshui City, while the place Luo Mingyuan spoke of was eighty li north of the city. This distance was by no means short, and by the time everyone arrived, the sun was already setting.

Cultivators were always far more sensitive to their surroundings than ordinary people. A place like a Mass Grave, where Resentful Spirits² gathered and Yin Qi was extremely heavy, would make one feel particularly uncomfortable just by getting close.

In the distance, the setting sun had just dyed the evening clouds red, and the sky shouldn’t have been so dim. But right above them was a dense patch of dark clouds, and all around were sounds like the wails of mountain ghosts, their origins unknown.

The area was littered with nameless, desolate graves overgrown with withered weeds. Luo Mingyuan said these were the ones that had been buried. Many other corpses were simply wrapped in tattered cloth and tossed aside, soon to be gnawed on by the insects, snakes, and wild beasts of the mountains until not even a complete skeleton remained.

Every inch of soil here was perhaps buried with broken bones, visible with just a light scrape of a toe.

Hearing this, Yi Qiu instantly broke out in goosebumps. She hurriedly stuck close to You Yan’s side, gripping her arm tightly with both hands.

“How can a little alpaca demon like you be so timid? Even if there are hundreds or thousands of Resentful Spirits here, they’re just some young Little Ghosts,” Yue Zhuo couldn’t help but ask curiously. “You’re a demon who has already achieved Human Form, what are you afraid of?”

“I… I just feel cold, okay?” Yi Qiu said, letting go of You Yan’s hand, a little embarrassed.

But the moment she let go, You Yan subtly took hold of her wrist in return, pulling her back to her side once more.

Yi Qiu pursed her lips for a moment, an irrepressible smile blooming in her eyes.

This time, You Yan was the one holding onto her, not because she herself was timid. That Little Hot Dog should have nothing more to say now, right?

As night gradually fell, the group walked deeper into the desolate mountain, seemingly searching for the place where the Yin Qi was most concentrated.

There were indeed many Resentful Spirits all around. If an ordinary person were to come here at this time, they would definitely be tainted by these Unclean Things. If their constitution was a bit weaker, they might fall gravely ill even after escaping back home.

However, these Resentful Spirits weren’t stupid. They knew that the people before them were not to be trifled with, so they only watched from a distance, not daring to approach in the slightest.

“I’ve heard that places like this often hold many, many Resentful Spirits. They had grievances in life and could not find peace after death, so they are influenced by the Yin Qi that shrouds this place. By choosing to stay, they have given up on eternal reincarnation.” As Jiang Yuyao spoke, she couldn’t help but sigh softly. “This place is like a cage, imprisoning more and more souls. They remain here, their ghostly presences lingering year-round, their resentment hard to resolve. Not only can immortals and gods not deliver them, but even the Ghost Messengers³ no longer come here to claim souls…”

“Will they stay here forever?” Yi Qiu couldn’t help asking.

You Yan said flatly, “They have already missed their chance for reincarnation. If they choose to leave this place, their souls will be annihilated.”⁴

Yi Qiu continued, “Can’t they be purified?”

“It makes no difference.” Jiang Yuyao frowned and shook her head. “Father said that the reason Resentful Spirits cannot be reincarnated is that their souls have been too severely corroded by resentful energy. They have even lost their memories and consciousness of being human, with only hatred left in their hearts. For such souls, losing their resentment is equivalent to losing everything. They would still have their souls annihilated.”

“So-called purification is just a more palatable way of putting it,” You Yan said coldly. “Killing is killing. There’s really no need to make it sound so pleasant. In any case, Resentful Spirits live on only to be eroded by resentment day after day, suffering unbearably, unable to even leave the tiny space that imprisons them. How is having their souls annihilated not a form of release?”

“Oh…” Yi Qiu was suddenly reminded of Jiang Yuyao’s ending in the original novel.

In the novel, Jiang Yuyao willingly gave up reincarnation and became an Earthbound Spirit,⁵ binding herself forever to a tiny patch of the mortal world, neither living nor dead, her heart filled with resentment.

Yi Qiu subconsciously looked up at Jiang Yuyao, suddenly feeling immensely grateful that it was all just a plot written in a novel.

Yue Zhuo pouted and said bluntly, not bothering to lower her voice in the slightest, “Then we might as well just burn them all with a fire and set them free. That way, anyone who comes here in the future won’t be disturbed by them either.” As she spoke, she looked up at Jian Li and asked, “Would that count as a meritorious deed?”⁶

Jian Li couldn’t help but fall into deep thought, as if also pondering whether this could be considered an act of kindness.

The moment these words were spoken, the surrounding Resentful Spirits scattered in an instant—though most had lost their memories and consciousness from their time as humans, living in a muddled state worse than death, they still retained the instinct for survival.

You Yan, however, responded flatly, “No rush. They still have their uses. If we’re going to burn them, we’ll wait until the Fei is out and burn them all together.”

Jiang Yuyao: “…”

It had to be said, the thinking of demons and humans was inherently different. There was not much pity in their hearts.

After a brief silence, Jiang Yuyao shook her head and said no more.

She probably also knew that the pity in her heart was of no use. You Yan’s thoughts and methods were the correct, most rational ones.

The group continued toward the deepest concentration of Yin Qi, finally stopping at the bottom of a low-lying slope.

The place was piled high with ghastly white bones. A single glance revealed it had once been a large Corpse Pit. It wasn’t hard to see that over a decade ago, people had thrown all the unsalvageable bodies here together.

The moment her gaze fell upon the slope, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

Reacting similarly to her were Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan beside her.

Jian Li frowned slightly, while Yue Zhuo just let out a “wow.” Her calm gaze was remarkably similar to You Yan’s, showing no other reaction.

“This is the place,” You Yan said flatly, turning to glance at Jiang Yuyao.

“Although Yin Qi is gathered here, there should be many such places in the world. Can we really succeed in reviving an ancient Ferocious Beast?” Jiang Yuyao couldn’t help but ask with a frown.

“While the Yin Qi here is far from enough to revive the Fei, using it to attract more Yin will be twice as effective with half the effort,” You Yan said. She wrapped an arm around Yi Qiu beside her and leaped down to the bottom of the slope.

When her feet landed, Yi Qiu stepped on a broken skeleton. She let out a startled cry, subconsciously taking half a step back, pressing her palms together, and apologizing frantically.

Yi Qiu: “Sorry, sorry, sorry…”

You Yan: “…”

After a brief silence, You Yan waved her hand, clearing the surrounding bones to the side.

Seeing this, Yi Qiu’s heart trembled, and she began apologizing frantically in her mind again.

The four behind them quickly followed. You Yan took a half step forward, turned to look at Jiang Yuyao, and said, “It’s your turn to help.”

Jiang Yuyao couldn’t help asking, “What should I do?”

You Yan: “Right here, leave your branch.”

Jiang Yuyao: “Huh?”

You Yan said flatly, “The divine Fusang tree can connect to the Three Netherworlds.⁷ Even if your divine power hasn’t recovered, leaving a branch here shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

Hearing this, Jiang Yuyao asked no more questions. She simply raised her hands, closed her eyes, and formed a hand seal.

The next second, a spiritual light flashed from her fingertips, finally transforming into a streak of new green that sank heavily into the ground like water. Within seconds, a new sprout broke through the soil.

Just then, You Yan stepped forward. The fingertips of her right hand lightly cut the pad of her left index finger, and she let a drop of blood fall onto the new sprout.

The blackish drop of blood tainted the Fusang’s leaves almost instantly, turning that streak of new green scorched black and incredibly gloomy.

“Back up,” You Yan said coldly.

Jiang Yuyao reacted immediately, pulling Yi Qiu back several steps.

Yi Qiu was stunned. She saw You Yan suddenly channel a powerful spiritual energy between her hands. A dark green spiritual light was mixed with a blood-tinged black mist, and all the surrounding Yin Qi seemed to be drawn in, converging on this spot.

Yi Qiu stared blankly, momentarily lost in a daze.

That was the power of a demon, something You Yan didn’t use lightly on a normal day—she was going to use Demonic Qi to attract yin. By doing so, all the resentment within a radius of several hundred li would gather here.

But that was still only a radius of several hundred li…

How could that amount of resentment give birth to the Fei in a short time?

Yi Qiu frowned in deep thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

She couldn’t help but turn her gaze to Jiang Yuyao, instantly understanding You Yan’s intention.

You Yan had Jiang Yuyao plant a branch here because she wanted to use the Fusang branch as a medium. Once the Yin-Attracting Barrier was stable, as long as they spread the Fusang branches to various places, they could gather all the Yin Qi here!

No wonder You Yan had said earlier that she couldn’t do this alone. Truly worthy of the name “bird woman”; she had calculated how to use everything and everyone around her.

The Fei would never have dreamed that even its birthplace could be arranged for it so thoroughly.

There was probably no boss in this world with less face than it, right?

The author has something to say:

If I don’t post an extra chapter, you all won’t love me anymore. The last chapter had so few comments, my OCD is killing me (°_°)

Footnotes

In Chinese mythology, Diyu (the underworld) is said to have eighteen levels where souls are punished for their sins before reincarnation.
Ghosts or spirits that linger in the mortal world due to powerful unresolved grievances from their lives.
Underworld emissaries, like the Heibai Wuchang, who are responsible for guiding souls to the afterlife and capturing those that refuse to leave.
Literally “soul flies and scatters.” This refers to the complete and utter destruction of a soul, erasing it from existence and preventing any possibility of reincarnation.
A type of ghost that is spiritually bound to a specific location and cannot leave it.
A concept in Buddhism and Taoism referring to positive karma or spiritual credit gained through good deeds, which can lead to better fortune or a better rebirth.
A term for the underworld or the realms of darkness. In mythology, the divine Fusang tree was sometimes said to have roots that reached into these realms.

Volume 5: Tribulation of All Beings

Footnotes

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