68: Chapter 68 Heading to Trap Alley

"That's right!" The Bowl-Playing Ghost nodded like a mortar pestle, his neck joints clicking and clacking. "Bet ten years, win twenty! If you're lucky, you can go from a nobody to a Grandmaster overnight!"

"Impossible."

"It's true!" The Begging Ghost suddenly lunged forward. "I saw it with my own eyes! Three months ago, there was a poor kid who didn't even have a sense of Qi. He went in with his only year of lifespan cultivation. An incense stick's time later, he came out in the Silk-Binding Stage, having directly gained ten years of cultivation! Real, solid ten years!"

Jiang Jiye crossed her arms, her brow furrowed into a ' river' shape. "And then?"

"Later..." The Begging Ghost's voice dropped extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard. "Later, he went back. After winning ten years, he wanted to win a hundred. After winning a hundred, he wanted to win a thousand. He gambled in the gambling den for three days and three nights straight."

"And finally, he lost."

The Begging Ghost suddenly shrieked, clutching his head with both hands, and dropped to the ground with a 'thud'. "He lost everything! And he still owed five hundred years! Since he couldn't produce anything to pay the debt, he pulled his own soul out from his crown and slammed it, dripping with blood, onto the gambling table!"

"Now he's in the gambling den, carrying thousand-pound Yin stones and hauling buckets of feces filled with maggots every day. His soul has been pierced through the shoulder blades with black iron chains. When the sun comes out, he's scorched until he sizzles, and when the moon comes out, the Yin wind freezes the marrow in his bones. He can never die, never escape, and will never be reincarnated."

The Bowl-Playing Ghost took over, his voice also beginning to tremble. "The gambling den in Trap Alley doesn't play with money; it plays with human hearts."

"Win once, and your heart itches. Win twice, and your guts grow fat. Win three times, and you are no longer yourself."

"You will bet your cultivation. Bet your flesh and blood. You will bet the bones your parents gave you, the lives of your wife and children—you will bet it all."

"You will think that you are sure to win the next round. You will think that the world's luck is on your side."

"Only when you have lost your very last hair will you realize that you had lost from the very beginning."

"The cruelest part isn't losing money." The Bowl-Playing Ghost's voice dropped even lower, almost pressing against the ground. "It's the desire."

"The moment you step through the door of the gambling den and place your first bet, win or lose, your soul is nailed down right there."

"Desire will burrow into your soul like a maggot, gnawing at your reason and devouring your conscience."

"You will become greedier and crazier. Your eyes will see only dice, only Pai Gow, only winning and losing."

"You will go without eating or drinking, without sleeping or resting. You will gamble until your fingers rot, until your eyes go blind, and your heart stops beating."

"Then, your soul will be dragged away by the Restriction to become a dog of the gambling den. Wagging your tail forever, working forever."

Ling Muxue leaned against a pillar, her gaze flickering with a hint of disdain. "You make it sound so mysterious. Could it be that not a single person has ever won and walked away? Is it possible that everyone in the world is unable to control that little bit of greed?"

The Bowl-Playing Ghost shook his head violently. "No. Not one."

"That rush of winning is something no human can withstand. The sound of dice falling into a blue-and-white porcelain bowl is more pleasant than the singing of the Nine Heavens fairies. The moment the Pai Gow is revealed is more blissful than ascending to immortality."

"Not to mention, there is also the desire."

"Even if you grit your teeth until they shatter, cut off your own hand, and force yourself to run away, the seed of desire has already taken root and sprouted in your soul."

"When you eat, you will see dice spinning in your rice bowl. When you sleep, you will hear someone shouting for you to place your bets in your ear. When you walk, you will feel that what you are stepping on is not the ground, but a gambling table."

"Day and night, every second of every minute, you will have no peace."

"In the end, you will crawl back yourself, crawling on your knees. Begging them to let you gamble one more time, even if it means betting your own tongue, your own eyes."

"I saw one," the Begging Ghost said, slowly raising his head. "His luck was off the charts. He bet a hundred taels of silver in one round and won a hundred thousand taels of pure silver."

"He thought he could control himself at the time. He stuffed the silver into his robe and turned to leave. The people from the gambling den stood at the door, not even stopping him, just smiling and saying to him, 'Welcome back next time.'"

"And then?"

"After returning home, on the first night, he dreamed that he bet ten thousand taels and won two hundred thousand. Mountains of gold and silver, piled higher than his own house."

"On the second night, he dreamed he won ten million. The wealth of the entire Jiangnan region became his."

"On the third day, he went mad."

The Begging Ghost suddenly laughed. "He torched his own house, sold off a thousand acres of good farmland for a pittance, tied up his wife and children tightly with ropes, threw them over his shoulders, and ran toward Trap Alley."

"He bet his wife and lost. He bet his three-year-old son and lost again."

"Finally, he cut off his own tongue and offered it, dripping with blood, to the Black-Eyed Ghost. Begging the Black-Eyed Ghost for a job as a gatekeeper."

"Now he squats at the entrance of Trap Alley. He wags his tail when he sees people and barks when he sees dogs. Even if his own mother came, he wouldn't recognize her."

After a long time, Qiu Chuanxing finally spoke. His voice was as heavy as iron, making a sound when it hit the ground.

"So, Trap Alley is a living graveyard. Not a single person who goes in can come out alive."

"Not even an expert in the Evil Pill Stage?"

The Bowl-Playing Ghost nodded, so hard his head nearly fell off. "Evil Pill Stage? Last month, some old monster in the Middle Stage of the Evil Pill Stage thought he was invincible. He brought a dozen Disciples and carried Magic Treasures as he stormed in."

"And then?"

"Now he's in the gambling den dumping night soil, and his Disciples have all been ground into powder and made into dice. They get tossed around by people every day."

"Then why are you telling us all this?"

"Didn't the Black-Eyed Ghost send you here to lure us to Trap Alley?"

The Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost exchanged a look, the color instantly draining from their faces.

"The two of us were originally Mountain Patrol Envoys. Because of our poor performance at the Yin Sui Cave last time, we were demoted by the Great King to serve under the Black-Eyed Ghost."

"The Black-Eyed Ghost doesn't treat us like ghosts at all. He makes us eat excrement and drink urine, makes us lick his boots. If he's the slightest bit displeased, he uses soul fire to burn our souls, burning us until we roll on the ground, begging for death but unable to find it."

"This time he sent us to Kuaizai Pavilion to probe your background and then trick you into going to Trap Alley," the Begging Ghost continued, his voice choked with tears as tears mixed with black-green drool streamed down his face.

Ling Muxue sneered. "So, you want to use our blades to kill your master?"

"Once we kill the Black-Eyed Ghost, you can turn the tables and become the masters?"

"Yes! Yes!" The two ghosts nodded hurriedly, like chicks pecking at rice. "We know you are all experts! You will definitely be able to kill the Black-Eyed Ghost!"

"We are willing to lead the way for you! We know where the entrance to Trap Alley is! We also know the Black-Eyed Ghost's weakness! His left eye is fake; it's made of Yin Soul Stone! As long as you shatter his left eye, his strength will be greatly diminished!"

Wu Xi's eyes turned pitch black in an instant.

In that split second, the eyes of the Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost became hollow.

Like two puppets with their strings pulled, they stood there stiffly. Their bodies stopped trembling, their lips stopped quivering. All expressions on their faces—fear, despair, obsequiousness—vanished completely. Only dead, silent numbness remained.

"Everything you said, is it true?" Wu Xi's voice sounded as if it came from the Nine Nether Hell, carrying a strange magic.

"It is true." The two ghosts spoke in unison, their voices cold, like rusty machines turning.

"Does the Black-Eyed Ghost really want to lure us to Trap Alley?"

"Yes." "Why?"

"Your souls are the best sacrifices. By sacrificing them to the Great King, the Black-Eyed Ghost can achieve a Breakthrough to Ghost General."

"Once the first bet is placed, is the soul bound?"

"Yes. Alive, you are the gambling den's person; dead, you are the gambling den's ghost. You will never be free for all eternity."

"Are you hiding anything?"

"Yes."

"What are you hiding?" Wu Xi's voice remained calm.

"The Black-Eyed Ghost knew you were coming long ago." The two ghosts' voices had no fluctuation, as if they were reading from a book already written.

"He has invited two helpers into Trap Alley. Just waiting for you to go in."

"He let us tell you the secrets of the gambling den on purpose."

"He knows you are all experts. The more dangerous the place, the more you want to go. The more bizarre the matter, the more you want to investigate."

"He wants to stir up your curiosity and your competitive spirit. To make you think you've seen through a small conspiracy, and then, with a sense of superiority, walk voluntarily into that real, fatal, great conspiracy."

"Furthermore, the Restriction doesn't begin when you place the first bet."

"It begins from the first step you take into Trap Alley."

"The moment your foot touches the soil of Trap Alley, desire will wrap around your soul like a venomous snake."

"At first, you won't feel anything. By the time you do feel it, half of your soul will have already been devoured."

Every sentence, every word the two ghosts spoke, was taught to them phrase by phrase by the Black-Eyed Ghost.

Even the fact that they would see through this "small conspiracy" was within the Black-Eyed Ghost's calculations.

He wanted them to believe they were in control of everything. Then, willingly, walk into that grave tailored specifically for them.

Wu Xi's thoughts stirred.

The pitch black in his eyes slowly faded, returning to their normal color. The Whispers of the Ancient God dissipated into the intangible.

The Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost trembled all over, as if they had just been fished out of ice water. They were soaked through, cold sweat streaming down their cheeks and pooling into two black-green puddles on the ground.

They raised their heads and met the gazes of the group. Those gazes were cold and angry, as if they wanted to swallow them alive. The faces of the two ghosts instantly turned as white as paper.

"You... you..." The Bowl-Playing Ghost's lips quivered, unable to form a complete sentence for a long time. "How did you know..."

Wu Xi nodded. His gaze was as cold as ten-thousand-year glacial ice. "Anything else to say?"

"Thud."

The two ghosts collapsed to the ground simultaneously. Like two piles of mud.

The Begging Ghost muttered to himself, his eyes unfocused, as if he had lost his soul. "It's over... it's all over... The Black-Eyed Ghost won't let us off... He will grind our souls into powder and scatter them in the cesspit... letting us be gnawed by maggots for all eternity... never to be reincarnated..."

"Know fear now?" Ling Muxue sneered, stepping on the Bowl-Playing Ghost's hand.

"Crack!" The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.

"Ahhh!" The Bowl-Playing Ghost let out a shrill scream, rolling on the ground in pain. "We were forced! We were really forced!"

He cried out, snot and tears streaming down his face. "The Black-Eyed Ghost planted Soul-Devouring Nails in our souls! If we didn't obey, he only needed a single thought, and we would be Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering! We really had no choice!"

"Enough." Wu Xi spoke.

Ling Muxue lifted her foot, looking at him coldly. Jiang Jiye released her sword hilt, looking at him with confusion. Qiu Chuanxing also turned his head, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

Everyone thought that Wu Xi would slap these two ghostly things to death and then lead everyone to turn and leave.

After all, knowing that there was a net spread out ahead, a trap with no chance of survival, no one would be stupid enough to jump in voluntarily.

"I don't want to hear your excuses." Wu Xi looked at the two ghosts on the ground, saying each word clearly. "Now, I give you two choices."

"First, take us to Trap Alley. Second, Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering."

The two ghosts raised their heads abruptly. Their eyes widened like copper bells, their faces full of disbelief. They thought they were dead for sure. They thought Wu Xi would kill them immediately. They didn't expect that he would still want to go.

"You... you still want to go?" the Bowl-Playing Ghost stammered, his voice filled with disbelief. "The Black-Eyed Ghost has set a net to wait for you! If you go, you're just throwing your lives away!"

"That's not for you to worry about." Wu Xi said indifferently.

"You only need to answer. Go, or do not go."

The Bowl-Playing Ghost and the Begging Ghost exchanged a look. Both saw a sliver of hope for survival in the other's eyes. If they didn't go, they would die now. Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, never to be reincarnated.

If they went, maybe there was still a chance to survive. Even if it was only a one in ten thousand chance, it was better than dying right now.

"We'll go! We'll go!" The two ghosts hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, not even bothering to brush off the dirt and gore on their bodies. "We are willing to lead the way! We will go through mountains of blades and seas of fire without hesitation!"

Wu Xi nodded. "Very good, lead the way."