When Elder Wu first passed the forbidden technique to Chen Yu, he reminded her a hundred times not to use it casually if her cultivation level was insufficient. In light of Chen Yuâs previous laziness in cultivation, Elder Wu was quite confident that this girl probably would never have the chance to use this forbidden technique. However, who would have thought that not long after she left the village, she had the guts to use the forbidden technique without permission?
As a result, one, two, three⊠there was always a busy tone on the other end of the phone.
âWicked girl, donât tell me she really encountered a mishap?â Elder Wu frowned at a rare occasion.
Ghost messengers couldnât take away the soul of a living at will, but under special circumstances where a person interferes with the Underworldâs normal process, ghost messengers could capture the soul of a living to the Underworld. Theyâd decided how to deal with him/her after interrogation and conviction.
In other words, if Chen Yuâs soul was captured by a ghost messenger, then within 24r hours, her body in the present world would fall into a coma. However, after 24 hours, the Underworldâs verdict would come down. If her crime was more serious, her living soul would be stripped of its vital qi, then she would die.
Elder Wu calculated the time. It would take about two hours to fly from the airport to the capital, and he traveled to the airport from the Internet cafe for about two hours. He still had 20 hours left. He intended to go to the capital to see Chen Yuâs situation first. It was best if she was fine. If her soul was indeed hooked, he would have to run a trip to the Underworld. Although, he really didnât want to go to the Underworld again before his life came to an end.
âDear passengers, flight MU2066 to Beijing is delayed due to weather conditions. We advise passengers to be patient.â An airport employee announced a flight delay without warning.
âFlight delay?â
âI knew the flight would be delayed. Blame it on the bad weather today.â
âSo when can we fly, ah?â
âLetâs wait for the thunderstorm to pass. Hell knows when it will pass.â
Hearing the voices of the passengers next to him, Elder Wu got up and walked to the glass window of the lounge. He looked up at the thick clouds, estimated the duration of the thunderstorm, and then resolutely walked to the bathroom in the airport lounge.
Although Elder Wu was an exorcist and wasnât proficient at geomantic omen and divination, he could still figure out some general celestial phenomena. When observing the sky and clouds, Elder Wu estimated that the thunderstorm would take about 12 hours to pass. Even if the plane took off after 12 hours, there would be no time to bring Chen Yu back even if he found her.
Elder Wu walked to the bathroom, looked for the innermost compartment, went in, and locked it.
Since he couldnât contact Chen Yu, heâd better go to the Underworld first to find out what was going on. If Chen Yuâs soul wasnât there, then it didnât matter if he travelled to the capital later. If Chen Yuâs soul was there, then heâd better go early than late.
After making up his mind, Elder Wu put down the toilet lid, simply sat on it, closed his eyes, and muttered a mantra silently. When his soul was separated from his body, Elder Wuâs originally sitting upright body suddenly leaned weakly against the partition of the bathroom, looking lifeless.
Elder Wu didnât dare to delay. He opened the Ghost Gate with his spiritual power and quickly went in. Although his soul wouldnât affect his body for a period of time, he was presently not at home, but at the airport. If the delay was long and ordinary people found his body, they would certainly mistakenly consider him a corpse. At that time, who knew whether they would call the police or send him to the hospital first?
From the present world into the Underworld, every ghost would first reach the River of Forgetfulness, above the river was the famous Naihe Bridge. Only after crossing the Naihe Bridge and drinking Meng Poâs soup would they be eligible for reincarnation.
However, at this time, the Underworld wasnât like the legends in the world of the living. There were many wandering souls everywhere. The construction of the Underworld was also much more prosperous than that in the world of the living. Wandering souls lived in lake-view apartments on the shores of the River of Forgetfulness. If they had nothing better to do, they could go out shopping, and the lucky ones could also meet their ancestors seven or eight generations removed. Together, they would talk about the familyâs legends in those years.
âHow come there are more houses than before?â Elder Wu came to the Underworld once 30 years ago, when there werenât so many apartments and shopping malls along the River of Forgetfulness.
âHave you bought the latest civil service reference book?â
âYeah. We must review carefully this time. If we canât get into the civil service again, we will be reincarnated.â
âYeah, I donât want to reincarnate.â
ââŠâ Elder Wu finally knew why there was an increase in the number of houses in the Underworld.
Elder Wu went to the dead soul registry according to his memory and scanned the ghosts coming and going. When a certain propaganda reached his ears, his mouth immediately twitched.
(Dear residents of the Underworld, the Underworld has now launched a rare animal reincarnation project. Every reincarnation into a rare animal can be exchanged for a rich second generation, a peerless woman, and a peerless man in the next life. You can choose from the three gift packages.)
(If you survive long enough in the world of the living, you can get extra points if you want to take the civil service exam after death. Underworld residents, youâre welcome to apply.)
âIf I fail the civil service exam again this year, I will go and choose a rare animal with a short life expectancy to be reincarnated.â
âIâm of the same mind. The one who was born as a Yangtze alligator before, ten points was added to his score, and he finally passed the exam.â
â⊠â The ghosts nowadays have such unique ideas.
The so-called Dead Soul registry was actually a place where every ghost who entered the Underworld after death went to register. Dead souls should register, and so should living souls. Elder Wu had a clear plan in mind. He would first go and check if Chen Yuâs name had been registered. That way, he could determine if Chen Yu had been brought to the Underworld. If not, then he could just turn around and head out of the Ghost Gate back. If she was in, then heâd have to find a way to see if he could save her.
River of Forgetfulness â the Styx river in Greek Mythology Naihe Bridge â or can also be called the Bridge of Forgetfulness Meng Poâs soup/the Soup of Forgetfulness/Five-Flavored Tea of Forgetfulness. Meng Po is the Goddess of forgetfulness in Chinese mythology. The main ingredient of the soup is said to be all the tears the spirit cried on earth, both sad and happy.