Walking by the Abyss on Thin Ice

Chapter 123 – Eastern Master

"Eastern Master?"

Su Yun's heart stirred slightly as he looked towards the emperor in the carriage. He had heard of this Eastern Master before.

A few days ago, he and Hua Hu and others left Tianmen Town and entered the chaotic area of Tian Shi Yuan. They stayed overnight at the Wen Sheng Temple, where Wen Sheng Gong was invited by the Eastern Master. That night, Su Yun and the others were attacked by giant monsters and the three ancestors of apes, and they encountered Lou Ban by chance.

"If the Eastern Master can invite Wen Sheng Gong and Wen Chang Emperor, he must be extraordinary. He must not have been an unknown person in his lifetime. So who is he?" Su Yun thought to himself.

"Who else is there besides Lou Ban and the Eastern Master who set up stalls with me?"

Bao Tianjiang and Xue Qingfu's faces changed dramatically.

Xue Qingfu's face changed constantly, apparently knowing the Eastern Master, but he seemed extremely wary of him and was unwilling to approach him.

Suddenly, Bao Tianjiang burst into laughter, his voice loud and clear: "What can the Eastern Master do? The no man's land of Tian Shi Yuan is a branch of our no man's land. The God King saw that you were pitiful, so he didn't bother with you. Our two holy places have always been peaceful. Do you think I, Bao Tianjiang, am afraid of you?"

Bao Tianjiang turned and walked away, laughing: "I'm not afraid of heaven or earth, but since I came to your territory, I'm naturally in the wrong. Goodbye, goodbye!"

After speaking, his body became smaller and smaller, turning into a small child about a foot tall. He grabbed many of his spiritual weapons with his short arms, and ran away in a flash.

The palace maid sneered: "You're fast."

She came to Su Yun's side and said softly, "Young friend, my master invites you."

Su Yun bowed and said, "Please lead the way, sister."

The palace maid led the way in front, towards the carriage. Su Yun followed behind, and Xue Qingfu said coldly, "You go, I won't go. I'd rather die here than go to the Eastern Tomb..."

Bao Tianjiang suddenly emerged from the woods and stuck his head out, shouting, "Saint Xue, are you serious? A saint's words are trustworthy and cannot deceive me!"

Su Yun used his blood to transform into an ape and controlled Xue Qingfu to walk forward. Xue Qingfu struggled and shouted, "A patriot does not drink from a stolen well! I'd rather die outside..."

Su Yun used his blood to seal his mouth, making him quieter.

The Eastern Master's carriage was grand, with a total of eighteen carriages, with dragons and phoenixes as the drivers, as well as various other divine beasts.

Su Yun looked closely and realized that these divine beasts were not real, but rather tomb beasts carved from stone and placed on both sides of the road leading to the tomb to guard it.

In the chaotic area of the no man's land, when night falls, it becomes exceptionally lively. Not only do the ghosts and gods in the tombs come out to have fun, but the tomb beasts guarding the tombs also come to life and jump around.

When they arrived at the Eastern Master's carriage, Su Yun boarded the carriage, but Xue Qingfu still refused to board. Su Yun forcibly controlled his body to get on the carriage.

Xue Qingfu closed his five senses, closed his eyes, and refused to look at the Eastern Master.Su Yun looked over to the opposite side and saw the Eastern Master sitting behind a light veil, unable to see his face clearly, only able to see a man wearing a black robe with a crown on his head, with a dignified posture.

Su Yun thanked him and said, "Thank you for saving me, Eastern Master."

The man behind the veil laughed and said in a deep voice, "Last time you stayed at the Wen Saint Temple and encountered danger, the Wen Saint Lord blamed me for holding a banquet and almost causing harm to your life. Today, I happened to be on patrol and encountered your danger, which can be considered as making up for my mistake. Please sit."

Su Yun thanked him again and sat down, wondering in his heart, "Looking at the Eastern Master's grandeur, he seems to have the style of an emperor who has passed away. Could he be a certain Emperor Yuan Shao?"

The carriage set off and headed towards the deep parts of the Tian Shi Yuan.

Su Yun recounted his experience of entering the Old No-Man's Land and said, "Fortunately, Eastern Master saved us, otherwise Xue Saint and I would not have survived."

"I see."

The Eastern Master smiled and said, "You are injured, and the Bao Tian General is waiting for you to be separated. Why don't you stay at my house for a while and heal your wounds first?"

Su Yun was overjoyed and thanked him.

The carriage continued to move towards the deep parts of Tian Shi Yuan, and the sound of silk and bamboo music rose again. There were palace ladies singing and dancing, with graceful figures and enchanting voices.

The two of them chatted and laughed on the carriage, talking about their experiences of setting up stalls in the Tian Men Ghost Market. The Eastern Master was extremely elegant, making Su Yun even more certain that he was probably an emperor in his lifetime and was buried in Tian Shi Yuan after his death.

When they arrived at the Eastern Tomb, the carriage gradually slowed down. Su Yun looked out of the carriage and saw the bright moon and stars shining, especially bright under the moonlight. The grand mansion in front of him was even more magnificent, with multiple palaces and red walls, and several mountains inside.

The carriage entered through the main gate one by one, and Su Yun saw a long bridge lying on the waves, artificial mountains and flowing water, quiet and winding. Every turn would reveal a grand palace, a building, a water pavilion, or a pavilion, dazzling the eyes!

The Eastern Master smiled and said, "My place is divided by a long bridge, with fifty-six major scenes, the same layout as the fifty-six states of Emperor Yuan Shao. Among the fifty-six major scenes, there are three hundred and sixty minor scenes, similar to the three hundred and sixty counties of Emperor Yuan Shao. You can play in the garden when you are bored while staying here to heal."

Su Yun thanked him, shocked in his heart. Even the Li family, the Marquis of Shao Fang, didn't have such a grandeur!

And this was just a tomb!

The Eastern Master ordered his servants to arrange for the two of them to stay and said, "You are living people and cannot eat the food of ghosts and gods. You can go to the nearby village and ask a few kitchen ladies to take care of your meals."

The servant agreed and turned into black smoke and disappeared.

The Eastern Master smiled and said, "You two should rest first. I still have duties to perform and need to patrol Tian Shi Yuan to prevent bandits from causing trouble."

Su Yun thanked him again.After the Eastern Master left, Su Yun released the bloodthirsty white ape and immediately tried to leave, but his injuries were too severe, and he stumbled and fell after only a few steps, struggling to crawl out.

Su Yun dragged him back, and Xue Qingfu was furious: "Ancient heroes would rather die of thirst than drink from a stolen spring. Even if I die outside, I will not linger in the tomb of a great thief! Let me go!"

He crawled out again, and after half an hour, Su Yun finally helped him out. Xue Qingfu had crawled over a mile, but still had not left the Eastern Tomb. There was still a mountain and more than ten miles to the entrance.

Su Yun dragged him back, and Xue Qingfu was so angry that he cried for a while before finally accepting his fate.

"Who is the Eastern Master?" Su Yun asked as he examined Xue Qingfu's injuries.

Xue Qingfu's face darkened, and he remained silent. Su Yun asked again, and Xue Qingfu finally said, "The Eastern Master's name is Liu Zhantuo. He is the ancestor of all thieves, burning, killing, and plundering everywhere. Thousands of years ago, he attempted to steal the Emperor's throne and roamed the world without anyone able to stop him. He was buried in the Eastern Tomb after his death. This old thief died of natural causes!"

Su Yun was surprised and laughed. "Such a talented person exists?"

Xue Qingfu was so angry that he trembled. "Talented person?!"

Su Yun smiled. "Senior, if everyone had enough food and clothing, why would the people rebel? Isn't it because they cannot survive? When the Eastern Master rebelled, he was following the will of the people. When the Emperor was unjust, he was overthrown. Isn't that the will of heaven?"

"That's nonsense!" Xue Qingfu turned his head and ignored him.

Su Yun smiled. "I heard that the Sage of Literature and the Sage of Painting also respected him, and many other sages attended his banquet. Although you have the title of sage, your contributions may not be as great as theirs. If these sages were willing to enter the Eastern Tomb, why do you care about who is the rightful heir?"

Xue Qingfu's face softened a little, and he turned to Su Yun. "Su Shi, I hope you can continue to speak like this in the future."

Su Yun didn't understand why he said that, but he didn't pursue it.

"The Eastern Master does have some extraordinary abilities. I heard that he became the Ghost Emperor at Tian Shi Yuan, and this area is under his jurisdiction."

Xue Qingfu sighed. "Many great sages have passed away in this area, but there is no need to worry about the Eight Heavenly Generals. If I die and become a ghost, I will have to seek his protection."

The two of them stayed in the Eastern Tomb, and Xue Qingfu was respected as a sage with vast knowledge and excellent medical skills. After two or three days, he could walk again, and his internal injuries were no longer life-threatening.

However, his medical skills were not enough to completely heal his injuries. If he were treated forcefully, it would leave a great hidden danger.

Su Yun's injuries were very light, and he recovered after two days. The wounds on his nails had healed a long time ago, so he considered whether to take Xue Qingfu to Doctor Dong for treatment.

The Eastern Master would patrol Tian Shi Yuan at night and rest in the coffin during the day, so Su Yun had to ask for his permission before he went on patrol at night."The two distinguished guests want to leave, and I won't keep you. After all, life and death are separated, and staying in one place for too long will inevitably damage your Yang energy."

The Eastern Master smiled and said, "It's my duty to patrol at night to prevent chaos. I can't personally send you off, so I'll have Long Xiang escort you back to Shuo Fang City."

A servant stepped forward and untied a half-dragon, half-horse monster from the carriage, leading it to Su Yun.

Su Yun had been kicked by a weapon in the shape of Long Xiang before, so he had some reservations about him. The Eastern Master said with a smile, "When you arrive in the city, you can release Long Xiang, and it will naturally return to me."

Su Yun thanked him and helped Xue Qingfu onto Long Xiang. The Eastern Master said, "Xue Saint, please wait a moment. I want to have a chat with Su Junior."

Xue Qingfu nodded lightly to express his gratitude to the Eastern Master.

Su Yun boarded the Eastern Master's carriage and sat opposite him.

The carriage drove outside the tomb, and the distance between the Eastern Master and Xue Qingfu grew. He then asked, "Do you know about Xue Saint?"

Su Yun was slightly taken aback and truthfully replied, "I only met this saint three days ago."

The Eastern Master said, "I saw his demeanor and a deep palace in a big city. There are countless paths, each with a hidden face. His true face is hidden in the deepest part of the main hall, and what you see is not his real self."

Su Yun was surprised and looked up, but he couldn't see the Eastern Master's expression behind the curtain.

"Do you know who would have such a demeanor with countless faces hidden in deep paths?" The Eastern Master didn't wait for an answer and said, "I've seen this demeanor before. Every time I look in the mirror and see myself, I have this demeanor."

Su Yun was shocked and stood up silently.

The Eastern Master ordered the carriage to stop and said, "We are friends, so I warned you. I wouldn't tell others. Be careful."

Su Yun bowed deeply and walked down from the carriage.

The Eastern Master's convoy drove into the darkness, and Xue Qingfu rode on Long Xiang and asked, "What did the Eastern Master say to you, Su Scholar?"

"He talked about love affairs and beautiful women, among other things."

Su Yun climbed onto Long Xiang's back and said with a smile, "He also talked about the past of the Heavenly Gate Ghost Market and my family, asking me to visit them more often."

Xue Qingfu smiled and said, "I didn't know about Su Scholar's family background."

Su Yun smiled faintly, looked up at the sky, and sighed.

Xue Qingfu also looked up at the sky, his eyes flashing.

Suddenly, Su Yun patted Long Xiang's butt hard and said with a smile, "Let's talk about it another day! Let's go back to the city first and treat the saint's injuries!"

Long Xiang, who was several zhang long, shot out like an arrow, leaping over mountains and crossing ridges, and headed straight for Shuo Fang.