Chapter 1667: Chapter 1668: Grandma Meng Soup
"Lao Du, I’m not just telling stories, I’m informing you of the place we’re about to venture towards. Look at this Netherworld Road; though it doesn’t appear long, once we step on it, I believe we definitely won’t be able to turn back. If we turn back now, there’s still time."
You always feel something’s off here because everything around gives you a particularly strange feeling. Most importantly, you don’t know why, but you feel that since crossing the river, there have been some uncanny changes in your body.
Others might not react much, but you’re different. Since you started cultivating at 13, ever since your hands turned into Ghost hands, you’ve seldom used your left hand — it’s your ultimate move. However, after entering this space, you found your left hand seemed no different from an ordinary person’s hand, and even your body became sluggish. It felt like this body wasn’t your original one.
Du Yanan laughed and said, "What’s there to be afraid of? We’ve come this far; it’ll be my greatest regret if we turn back without going forward. Besides, no matter what happens next, one thing’s certain: the six of us can leave safely, as long as that’s assured."
You shrugged, "You said it, so from now on, I’ll lead, and Lao Du, you stay at the back of the team."
This time, Du Yanan didn’t object. She moved to the back of the team, letting Liang Xinyue walk between her and Wei Yingyue.
Standing before the blue stone slab road, you said to the five people behind you, "Now, let’s go!"
With that, you stepped onto the Netherworld Road.
Interestingly, the so-called Netherworld Road doesn’t feel eerie at all. You’re surrounded by a sea of Red Spider Lilies, inhaling their mesmerizing fragrance.
However, the Netherworld Road, which seemed fifty meters long, is actually much, much longer. You only feel like you’ve been walking for over half an hour, and this straight Netherworld Road appears endless.
"Why haven’t we finished walking yet? This road is way too long, right?" Deng Fang asked while leaning on Xu Mingjie.
Xu Mingjie gave a wry smile, the scenery on this road is almost the same; it was fresh at first, but you’ll get tired of the same view after a while.
"Wait." Suddenly, you said from the front.
"What is it?" Du Yanan asked from the back.
"Haven’t you noticed anything different about the surroundings?"
Du Yanan curiously asked, "What’s different?"
Wei Yingyue softly said, "Look closely, these Red Spider Lilies seem taller now. Initially, we could see distant views, but now they block our sight slightly further ahead."
"That’s right, and the road is finally not straight; there’s a bend ahead, and I guess the Bridge of Helplessness is just beyond it."
Upon hearing this, Deng Fang, despite being a girl, was not scared at all. Instead, she asked Xu Mingjie, "Hey, do you think Grandma Meng is a beauty?"
"I’m not concerned if she’s beautiful or not. What matters is that I don’t want to drink Grandma Meng Soup. I don’t want to forget everything I’ve experienced with you." Xu Mingjie said, looking at Deng Fang.
Deng Fang blushed and gently hit Xu Mingjie, "You’re so annoying, making me feel all mushy."
"Let’s go; we’ll know when we see her."
Led by you, the six of you turned a corner along the road. As you emerged from the bend, you found that the scene ahead was no longer a dazzling patch of Red Spider Lilies but a barren land. About a hundred meters away stood a bridge with a large boulder beside it, and near the boulder, there seemed to be a pavilion with someone standing beside it.
"No way, is it really her?" You exchanged glances with Xu Mingjie behind you, both feeling a bit creeped out.
Of course, Grandma Meng’s appearance certainly wouldn’t be too frightening. The most unbearable part is her Grandma Meng Soup.
In fact, from ancient times to the present, people understand one thing: memory is a person’s hallmark. Once lost, a person is as good as dead. Of course, this is only for them personally; for their loved ones, as long as the body remains, the person is still alive.
Grandma Meng herself isn’t scary, but her memory-erasing Grandma Meng Soup is truly terrifying.
Stepping on the cracked blackened land, the six of you approached the massive Stone of Three Lives ahead.
While the other five were focused on the Stone of Three Lives and Grandma Meng, your gaze was drawn to the gigantic banyan tree behind the Stone of Three Lives, which seemed at least a thousand years old.
The banyan tree was enormous; its hanging aerial roots required six people to encircle. The trunk had two branches — one extending toward the Bridge of Helplessness, and the other in another direction where there was also a winding path of broken stones.
The banyan’s leaves appeared very lush, like a giant dark green umbrella, eternally spread above Grandma Meng’s head, shielding her from sun and rain.
You suddenly thought, perhaps this banyan was transformed by the chivalrous man, who, unable to care for Grandma Meng in life, became a banyan in death to shelter her.
The six reached Grandma Meng. Upon closer inspection, you found that she was actually a kind-looking elderly woman. Despite the wrinkles covering her face, her smile was devoid of any sinister aura. Instead, it invoked warmth in one’s heart.
"You travelers from afar, must be tired, right?"
Grandma Meng’s voice was soft, a little husky, her tone reminiscent of childhood summers under the myriad stars, where grandmother fanned a cool breeze for you, driving off annoying mosquitoes.
Seeing how amiable Grandma Meng was, Deng Fang couldn’t help but take a few more looks at her and smiled, "Hello, grandma, can you tell me what this place is?"
"This place? This is the River of Oblivion Bridge."
"Oblivion, what a strange name." Deng Fang tilted her head.
"Little girl, after such a long walk, you must be thirsty. Sit down and have some tea."
Beside Grandma Meng was a tea stall with several low tables and stools for rest.
Before Deng Fang could answer, Xu Mingjie hurriedly pulled her back, saying to Grandma Meng, "Thank you, grandma, but we’re not thirsty."
Du Yanan stepped closer to Grandma Meng, scrutinizing her: "Old lady, can I have a look at your tea?"
"If you want to drink, little girl, hehe, alright, I’ll get some for you."
With that, Grandma Meng turned slowly and took out an ancient yet very clean clay bowl from beside the stove. The bowl wasn’t large.
When Grandma Meng brought the bowl to Du Yanan, you also leaned in. You found the water inside was clear, without any turbidity, and it emitted a faint fragrance that made people feel light and airy upon smelling it.
"Drink it, once you do, all worries will vanish."
Du Yanan took the Grandma Meng Soup from Grandma Meng and glanced at Wei Yingyue beside her, then prepared to drink it. You swiftly intervened, shaking your head at Du Yanan.
"It’s just a bowl of soup; what’s the big deal? You can’t honestly think it’s Grandma Meng Soup, do you?"
"Lao Du, didn’t your uncle and aunt teach you as a child not to eat things from strangers?" Saying this, you took Du Yanan’s Grandma Meng Soup and placed it on the table beside you, smiling at Grandma Meng, "Grandma, if we don’t drink this water, can we still cross the River of Oblivion Bridge?"