Chapter 1 "Come, look."

He walked to the window, opened a crack, and beckoned to everyone. The guests, filled with curiosity, gathered around, pressing close to one another.

Squeeze in, make some room.

Since ancient times, people have loved to watch a spectacle.

But this time, it was different.

Those who were closer were initially quite curious. They craned their necks, their eyes darting about, gleaming as they peered through the crack in the window.

Soon, the curiosity in their eyes vanished, replaced by sheer terror.

They witnessed an astonishing sight, their faces turning deathly pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably!

It was the eighteenth day of the sixth month, in the twenty-fifth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, at the second watch.

Heaven and earth were completely immersed in darkness.

The "people" carrying the signal bells emerged from the Chang'an Right Gate in the inner city and walked towards the Zhengyang Gate.

The sound of the bells grew nearer.

And the bell-bearers were seen by the mortals observing from the shadows.

Most of those carrying the bells were dressed in black or white. They carried lanterns, held bells, and brandished chains and *pudao* (a type of Chinese long-handled knife), their expressions solemn and devoid of any emotion.

One person, in green robes and carrying a book, led a chestnut-red horse, their hair disheveled, their black high boots reaching almost to their knees.

Besides these bell-carrying "people," there were also giant men with blue faces and fangs, and ferocious tigers covered in mottled patterns.

This bizarre and terrifying procession moved through the deserted, pitch-black streets, lanterns swaying and bells ringing. The surroundings were desolate, and a ghostly blue light emanated from their bodies as they walked.

"W-what are those things?"

The guests lowered their voices to a bare whisper, trying to maintain complete sentences. Some retreated, trembling, their faces ashen with fear.

"Ghosts, they're all ghosts!"

"Don't talk nonsense! These aren't ghosts. They used to be people, and now they're gods!"

The mustached Korean official's eyes gleamed with excitement: "Open your eyes wide and look! You probably won't see this solemn sight anywhere else."

"The Underworld is out, and all the ghosts flee!"

"Green robes, disheveled hair, black high boots, leading a chestnut-red horse... It's the Night Watchman!"

The mustached Korean official was extremely excited, explaining to the guests on his own. He seemed to know more about the situation in the Ming Dynasty capital than the Ming people themselves.

"Do you know why the outer city of Shuntian has seventy-two red post stations, but seventy-six bells? Actually, there used to be seventy-eight, but now the seventy-six represent the seventy-six offices of the Underworld!"

"At the beginning of the night watch, the Underworld sets out, entering the inner city from the Dongyue Temple to the imperial city, patrolling Shuntian. If mortals go out at this time and collide with the Underworld, the Yin energy will enter their bodies, causing all kinds of diseases, even sudden death in the streets!"

The guests were all amazed, although their expressions remained grim. The innkeeper, an old man with a short white beard, praised the Korean official, saying:

"How are you so familiar with the affairs of our country?"

The Korean official smiled and said, "I came to the capital in the twentieth and twenty-third years of Wanli, but at that time, I was just a minor official. Because it was late, I was fortunate enough to see this scene, but only the tail end of it."

"Now my official rank is slightly higher than before, so I can come out of the imperial city in the evening and into this outer city."

The innkeeper asked, "May I ask your honorable name?"

The Korean official laughed. "I wouldn't dare. In the Heavenly Dynasty, how could I be called an honorable official? My surname is Ryu, my name is Mong-in, and my courtesy name is Eung-mun."

"And you, sir?"

"My humble name is Lei Xuan."

The innkeeper answered and went behind the counter to collect money, not even looking up.

The mustached Korean official exchanged a few pleasantries with the innkeeper and immediately turned his head to look out the window, his excitement evident. All of this would become "material" for the strange tales he would write. But at that moment, one of the guests widened his eyes and said to the Korean official:

"Wait, listen! Is that chanting?"

At this, the guests and the mustached Korean official were drawn to the new sound, and they turned the crack in the window to the other side.

In the center of this main road in the West District, which led directly south to the Yongding Gate.

The gods of the Underworld had just left.

They all looked to the south at this moment.

A woman stood on the road not far away, holding three burning incense sticks in her hand, her eyes glazed over:

"Great Yin gives birth to light, illuminating the sacred fire..."

The woman stood blankly in place, and the gods of the Underworld stopped, but did not stop ringing the bells.

The bells rang.

The voice of the Night Watchman, leading the procession and dressed in green, was eerie, like the grating sound of two stones rubbing together:

" *Taiyin Shengguang Puzhao Liaoyi Baojuan* (Precious Scroll of the Great Yin Giving Birth to Light and Universal Illumination)... remnants of the Yellow Heaven Sect..."

The Night Watchman in green looked at the yellow book in his hand. The yellow pages rustled as he flipped through them. On one page, a certain name was gradually turning black.

A person's choices affect the life and death changes of their own destiny on the yellow book.

Just as the name turned completely black, the Night Watchman in green began to recite the name. At the same time, he raised his hand, extended a finger, and pointed at the woman:

"Gao Wan..."

"Her life is exhausted."

"Kill..."

The inn's patrons were dripping with sweat, hearing the eerie voice of the Night Watchman in green. One of the mottled tigers suddenly pounced, and only a gust of Yin wind carried a soul-stirring tiger's roar. Several deep claw marks appeared on the ground, and the woman standing in the middle of the road holding incense was already disemboweled, her head rolling on the ground with a thud.

The gods of the Underworld did not move; the bells continued to ring.

"W-what... what is that thing...? I've seen that woman before."

Suddenly, someone in the inn spoke, his expression terrified. The other guests were startled and quickly took three or five steps back, leaving him space, then asked him to begin his story.

"She's a weaver near the Yongding Gate. I bought cloth from her earlier, before dark. She even gave me a stick of incense..."

As the guest spoke, the fear in his eyes suddenly faded, turning into bewilderment, then into a blank stare. He began to mutter:

"Great Yin gives birth to light, illuminating the sacred fire..."

Whoosh!

The surrounding guests were immediately horrified, overturning tables and chairs in fright. The place was in chaos for a moment, and the gods of the Underworld outside all turned to look at the location of the inn!

The yellow book in the Night Watchman's hand turned again, and a name gradually turned black!

The gods of the Underworld seemed somewhat angry.

The Night Watchman in green raised his finger, staring at the name in the yellow book, and uttered a syllable:

"Liu..."

But just then, the innkeeper, this unremarkable old man, gently tapped the edge of the table with his finger.

The guest who had suddenly turned into a follower of the Yellow Heaven Sect immediately fainted.

At this moment, the name in the yellow book instantly changed from completely black back to clear.

The gazes of the gods of the Underworld also retracted at this moment. The voice of the Night Watchman in green stopped. His finger remained raised for two seconds, then lowered it. As if nothing had happened, he began to walk away.

Many of the guests, as well as the mustached Korean official, had felt the hairs on their bodies standing on end like the quills of a porcupine. But suddenly, the Underworld stopped paying attention to them, and the sweat on their bodies soaked their clothes. Some collapsed, plopping down on the ground.

"Damn it! Damn it! The nights in Shuntian are so terrifying! I never want to come here again!"

Someone sat on the ground, panting heavily, while the Korean official turned his gaze towards the imperial city, frowning.

"Could something big be happening tonight?"

As soon as he spoke, it was as if some premonition had been sensed.

The mustached Korean official, Ryu Mong-in, was almost scared to death, his heart nearly stopping. He slowly closed the crack in the window, his face as pale as a corpse. Leaning against the wall, he slowly sat on the ground, gasping for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Just a moment ago, everything around them had been pitch black.

But now, it was brightly lit!

The shops and houses all around suddenly, without warning, lit up with lights. Countless figures were reflected in the windows, making the motion of lighting three incense sticks!

Ryu Mong-in muttered to himself, his terror unabated: "What exactly are those..."

The innkeeper sat behind the counter, not even looking up, his tone lazy:

"It's nothing. It's the Yellow Heaven Sect. Back in the Jiajing Emperor's time, there was an old soldier named Li Bin who retired from the army. He met a wandering Daoist who taught him magic, so he founded this sect, calling himself Tiger Eye Chan Master. Taking advantage of the Jiajing Emperor's fondness for cultivating the Dao at that time, it spread widely in Hebei. Now he's dead, and the sect has turned into the White Lotus Sect."

"Go to sleep early tonight, don't run around. Everything will be fine tomorrow morning."