My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

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"Generally, Nether Phantoms are driven by strong obsessions that remain unresolved until their death. After becoming a Nether Phantom, they exist in a realm of these obsessions, never finding release!" Gu Simu explained. "These are stories my father used to tell me before bed. My mother thought he was just trying to scare me and scolded him a few times... I never thought they were actually real."

Gu Simu stuck out her tongue, her expression showing a mix of happiness and pride. She had always been interested in stories about Nether Phantoms. When she saw the beggar woman earlier, she had a sense of familiarity. Initially, she thought it was just a story and didn't take it seriously.

But when the beggar woman revealed her true nature and attacked, Gu Simu realized that her father's stories were indeed based in reality. As a result, her Exorcism Talismans had activated automatically, suppressing and eradicating the Nether Phantom.

"In fact, many Nether Phantoms are quite pitiable," Gu Simu continued. "Father once said that there was a Feng City in the Underworld, which was specifically meant to shelter these unresolved Nether Phantoms."

"I should have been gentler when suppressing that old woman," Gu Simu said, looking towards the spot where the beggar woman had appeared, a hint of compassion in her eyes. Though it was only a brief moment, the compassion quickly faded. The Nether Phantom had shown malicious intent, so being suppressed was its own doing.

Gu Simu had been learning royal tactics from Grand Tutor Su Hua since childhood. Despite her inherent innocence, she was not naive enough to overlook the necessity of dealing firmly with threats.

"Feng City! When we entered the city just now, I saw these two characters on the city gate. This must be the Feng City mentioned by our master. But why is there only one Nether Phantom?"

Zhe Liang reflected on everything that had happened, marveling at his young master's remarkable knowledge and combat skills. At the same time, he found the city increasingly mysterious. Feng City and Nether Phantom—terms he had never heard of in his years in the Underworld. It was clear that this city was ancient, and its heritage likely dated back to the primordial era.

If the Underworld's major forces were aware of such ancient heritage, they would surely vie for control of the city.

Gu Xiaoqi and Gu Simu, hearing Zhe Liang's words, were somewhat bewildered. They had been so excited when entering the city that they didn't notice the characters on the gate. Gu Simu was also unclear why only one Nether Phantom appeared.

In her memory, Feng City was a bustling place, filled with ghost markets, bizarre items, and powerful beings like the Empress of the Netherworld and the Ten Yama Kings.

Meanwhile, in the human realm at Lanyan Royal School, Gu Lan was writing a story about Chenxiang encountering a little fox. As he pondered how to introduce a plot twist, he saw his daughter and her group arriving at Feng City. He had learned about these Underworld legends from Tianji Pavilion's records.

Those stories were crafted using the Spring and Autumn Annals' style for children, and how much of it was true, he didn't know. Anyway, it was Tianji Pavilion's records, and he, as a Tianji Pavilion devotee, had no direct involvement.

"These kids sure can run," Gu Lan sighed, closing his script for the Bao Lian Lantern play. He pulled out another notebook and started recording the events involving his daughter and her companions. Such valuable material couldn't be wasted.

In the depths of the Mandala Arena in the Underworld, at the center of Feng City, Gu Xiaoqi and her companions arrived at a location resembling an altar. The area was a vast plaza with a massive black statue in the center. The statue seemed to have been damaged; its upper half was missing, and its original form was unknown.

Next to the large statue, there were ten smaller statues, also in a similar state.

Gu Xiaoqi and Gu Simu, unfamiliar with the statues, investigated but found nothing of interest and lost interest. They hoped for some surprising adventure during their exploration.

Meanwhile, Zhe Liang found the broken statues somewhat familiar, though he couldn't recall where he had seen them before.

"Heh heh! It's been a long time since any living person came to Feng City. Today, we have a few little kids visiting. How interesting! How interesting!" As they prepared to leave the statues, a childish laugh suddenly echoed from the surroundings. Soon, a sneaky figure appeared beside the largest statue.

"Swift as the law commands! Still trying to escape under the master's talisman? Be destroyed!" Gu Xiaoqi was startled, her brows furrowing suddenly, thinking it was another Nether Phantom. She quickly took out an Exorcism Talisman and, following Gu Simu's example, threw it at the figure.

With a loud explosion, the figure was blasted away, emitting a shrill scream. "Ah! My goodness! Who the heck made this Exorcism Talisman with true dragon's blood? Is this really an Exorcism Talisman? This is overkill!"

After the scream, the figure stood up, patting itself and looking at Gu Xiaoqi in fear. "No, no, no! I'm a good person! No, wait… I'm a good ghost, no, that's not right either… Anyway, I mean no harm!"

Seeing that Gu Xiaoqi was about to throw another Exorcism Talisman, the figure retreated, waving its hands frantically to show it meant no harm, nearly raising a white flag.

Gu Simu quickly recognized the figure. It was an old man with a white beard and hair, short in stature and with a voice reminiscent of a child's. At first glance, it was easy to mistake him for a child.

"Xiaoqi, hold off for now," Zhe Liang advised. "This old man is not a Nether Phantom; his aura is strange, possibly a vengeful spirit?"

Hearing Gu Simu's explanation, Gu Xiaoqi hesitated but eventually put away the Exorcism Talisman. Zhe Liang also positioned himself in front of the two, not relaxing his guard despite the old man's apparent lack of malice. This person, surviving in the rumored Feng City, couldn't be an ordinary being.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The old man straightened up proudly. "This young lady has sharp eyes. I am indeed a vengeful spirit, but a higher-grade one compared to the usual. I am the Guardian of the Tomb of Feng City!"

Proudly declaring his identity, the old man stood tall, though his confidence wavered when he saw the Exorcism Talisman in Gu Xiaoqi's hand. "You little ones are here by fate. If you need any help, just ask. Currently, this Feng City is devoid of any ghosts, and outside there are only evil spirits…"

In the end, whether out of the pressure from the newcomers or genuine fear of the outside evil beings, the old man's tone gradually softened.