Chapter 136 Impermanence and the Underworld

The Black and White Guards of Impermanence did not wear the garments of the Underworld; instead, they were dressed no differently than mortal men.

Standing at the foot of Hidden Mist Mountain and sensing the spiritual aura of the place, they found it to be truly a blessed land of the mortal realm. Exchanging a glance, they thought simultaneously: "We have indeed encountered a high master."

Therefore, they transmitted their voices to kowtow before the mountain, observing the utmost courtesy.

Barely had their voices faded when Cao Kong's figure materialized right before them, devoid of any fluctuation in magic power and as natural as could be.

Had the two of them not been ghost immortals of a high tier, they would have thought they were seeing a ghost.

Xie Bian, the White Guard of Impermanence, cupped his hands and said, "True Lord, you possess magnificent methods."

Cao Kong smiled and said, "You flatter me. Why not enter the mountain and have a chat?"

Before long, the three of them reached the mountain peak.

When the Black and White Guards saw the fiery jujube tree and the lotus in the pond, and associated them with the wondrous medicinal liquors mentioned by Cao Kong, they felt all the more that he was an extraordinary person, and their desire to cultivate a friendship with him grew even stronger.

Cao Kong set out several kinds of spiritual liquor, produced wine cups, and gave a gentle tap. The mud seals flew off, and the liquor surged forth on its own, filling the bowls.

The Black and White Guards stood on no ceremony and raised their cups in a mutual toast.

The moment the liquor went down their throats, they immediately realized its extraordinary nature. Even with their level of cultivation, this liquor actually produced beneficial effects for them.

The two of them naturally did not know that, regardless of what kind of liquor Cao Kong brewed, he would always add primordial sweet dew to it, making its magical properties doubly apparent.

Drinking as they conversed, they discussed the wondrous occurrences within the three realms, which Cao Kong listened to with great relish. He was in no rush to bring up the matter of a transaction; such matters were always better left for the other party to propose first, which would make it easier for him to respond.

However, Cao Kong was somewhat curious about the Underworld, so he asked:

"Two Underworld Commanders, after Li Ping entered the netherworld, did he immediately go to reincarnation? Might the two of you tell me about the laws and regulations of the Underworld?"

Hearing this, the White Guard smiled and said, "True Lord, as the saying goes, living beings have their allotted mortal lifespans, and ghosts likewise have their nether lifespans. The netherworld constitutes a realm of its own, possessing its own order and jurisprudence, so it does not happen so quickly."

Compared to the White Guard, the Black Guard was rather fond of liquor. Seeing that the liquor brewed by Cao Kong not only possessed exceptional spiritual charm but also tasted exquisite, he downed three bowls in succession, and his conversational floodgates naturally opened.

He said, "Quite right, quite right. All mortals who come to our Underworld after death must be punished if they have committed evil and wrongdoing, and those with heavy sins must enter the eighteen layers of hell.

As for those with lighter misdeeds, they may linger in the Underworld, which is called spending their nether lifespan. Before this nether lifespan is exhausted, they can engage in labor within the Underworld to work off their sins.

If they have accumulated goodness and possess deep hidden virtues, they may linger in the Underworld before their nether lifespan ends, or they may reincarnate at any time, entirely according to their own wishes.

Why, if the sacrificial offerings from the mortal realm are abundant, it is even possible for them to secure a post as a minor deity of fortune and virtue."

Hearing this, Cao Kong felt that this legal system sounded somewhat familiar.

"What about that Li Ping..."

The Black and White Guards replied, "We two brothers reviewed the life of Temple Guardian Li. He was kind to others, persuaded people to do good, and was a good man, so the True Lord need not worry. For now, he is temporarily staying in the Underworld.

Even when he eventually goes to reincarnation, he will certainly be escorted by underworld attendants to a prosperous region in China and born into a respectable family."

Hearing this, Cao Kong nodded and smiled. Seeing that the spiritual liquor beside the table was running low, he brought out a few more jars of even rarer brews, including liquor brewed with Five-Qi Spiritual Dew and Fiery Jujube Spiritual Liquor.

The Black and White Guards clicked their tongues in secret. As they drank together, they could hardly restrain themselves and said, "The liquors the True Lord knows how to brew are truly extraordinary, and there are so many varieties."

"There are not many things I know how to do; I have only researched the Dao of liquor quite deeply," Cao Kong said.

The Black and White Guards continued, "The two of us drank that Soul-Cleansing Liquor last time, and it was truly remarkable. I wonder if the True Lord knows how to make something with similar effects?"

Cao Kong smiled faintly. "Naturally. I know of some that are beneficial to the cultivation of the spirit, and I even understand some spiritual liquors that can refine the yin dregs within the soul. Unfortunately, I lack the spiritual materials."

The Black and White Guards were even more tempted. The two of them were ghost immortals. Among the five categories of immortals, although nominally there was no distinction of superiority or inferiority, ghost immortals were actually the lowest.

Because ghost immortals transcended from the yin state and their divine images were unclear, though they did not undergo reincarnation, it was difficult for them to attain pure yang, making their cultivation arduous.

If there truly existed the kind of spiritual liquor mentioned by Cao Kong that could refine the yin dregs in the soul, could they use this to take another step forward?

"What spiritual materials does the True Lord require? Might you inform the two of us? We two brothers can search for them for the True Lord, only asking for a share or two of such spiritual liquor."

Cao Kong also smiled. "I had the exact same thought. Then I shall leave it in the hands of you two."

Hearing this, the Black and White Guards were overjoyed and repeatedly raised their cups in a toast.

They then proceeded to discuss how the spiritual liquor should be divided. The Black and White Guards proposed a split of three to seven, meaning seven parts for Cao Kong and three for them.

However, they saw Cao Kong shake his head, which made their hearts tighten, thinking that Cao Kong was dissatisfied.

Cao Kong smiled and said, "The spiritual materials are provided by the two of you, and yet you still give me seven tenths. Would that not be too unfair to the two commanders? Let us divide it evenly, fifty-fifty."

The Black and White Guards breathed a heavy sigh of relief and instantly felt that Cao Kong was magnanimous.

After all, to put it bluntly, spiritual materials could be obtained elsewhere even without the two of them, and if one really put in the effort, finding them was quite easy. However, the recipe and method for brewing such spiritual liquor were hard to come by.

After all, the more potent the effects of the spiritual liquor to be brewed, the harder it was to find the ingredients, which were mostly controlled by great figures and were beyond their reach or ability to trade.

Thinking of this, the two brothers were also men of character and insisted on taking only four parts no matter what. Cao Kong could not dissuade them, and recalling the folklore surrounding the two of them, he smiled and nodded.

Legend had it in the mortal world that the two had known each other since childhood. One day, the two set out together when rain began to fall.

Whereupon Xie Bian, the White Guard, asked Fan Wujiu, the Black Guard, to wait a moment while he went home to get an umbrella. Unexpectedly, a sudden thunderstorm broke out, and the river water surged violently.

Moreover, Fan Wujiu was short in stature and was swept away by the water and drowned. After Xie Bian arrived with the umbrella and saw that his friend had died, he was grief-stricken and hanged himself directly from a bridge.

Struck by a sudden surge of interest, Cao Kong asked whether this tale was true.

Seeing the White Guard fidget awkwardly while a reddish hue appeared on the Black Guard's dark face, Cao Kong burst into hearty laughter and poured them another drink.

After a hearty bout of drinking, he escorted the two out of the mountain. The two stated that before long, underworld attendants would deliver the spiritual materials.

Cao Kong watched the departing figures of the Black and White Guards and thought, "They are indeed men worthy of deep friendship."

......

The efficiency of the Black and White Guards was extremely high. Within three to five days, underworld attendants indeed arrived to deliver the spiritual materials with the utmost reverence.

After accepting the spiritual materials, Cao Kong informed the attendants to come and collect the liquor in about one hundred and eighty days, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and then set to work on the brewing.

First, Cao Kong brewed the five grains, followed by the extraction of Underworld-Returning Grass, Sun-Returning Flower, and other spiritual materials unique to the netherworld.

These spiritual materials could be used to brew two kinds of spiritual liquor that were immensely effective for Cao Kong: the [Seven-Turn Soul-Enhancing Liquor], which could strengthen the spirit, and the [Single-Yin Re-Yang Liquor], which could refine the yin dregs within the soul.

According to what was recorded in the [Classic of Liquor], he was to use his own golden light to refine the yin and turbid qi while preserving its origin unchanged, and afterwards dry it in the shade—it could only be dried at night and must not be exposed to the daytime.

Next came the steps of making the distiller's yeast, cultivating the yeast, piling the yeast, grinding the yeast, and soaking, until the work was finally completed.

Cao Kong pondered to himself: "If I am aided by these two liquors, the day I cultivate my Yang Spirit should be shortened by half. It's just that it requires waiting for over a hundred days.

Previously, my senior brother gave me the trail of a treasure; I might as well take this opportunity to go and search for it."

He then asked everyone in the mountain if any were willing to travel with him.