Chapter 130

Su Jingmo heard Qin Cheng’s voice. He heard Qin Cheng calling his name, and unable to resist, Su Jingmo slowly opened his eyes. However, when he opened them, Su Jingmo didn’t find the owner of the voice. Instead, he found an endless darkness surrounding him.

The darkness was so dark that nothing could be distinguished. As his soul body had no senses, Su Jingmo was unable to distinguish up from down, which way was left and which way was right. On top of all this, Su Jingmo was even more confused from his own current state, unable to discern whether he was lying down or standing up.

Su Jingmo frowned and wondered: ‘ What is this place? ’

The last thing Su Jingmo remembered was that, after having merged the incomplete soul of the Policeman, Jiang Ping, with that of the General, his own soul should have turned to dust. With his soul scattered, Su Jingmo should have ceased to exist.

‘ Why am I conscious right now? ’

‘ Could it be that after my soul scattered, I was sent to a place like this? ’

However, before Su Jingmo could reflect on it any further, a voice was heard from behind him.

“Have you finally awakened?”

In response to the voice, Su Jingmo turned around, only to find a particular looking young man standing there. The young man wore an ink-black robe and a ceremonial crown. When the young man saw Su Jingmo turn towards him, the young man respectfully greeted him with a bow.

“I’ve been waiting for you here for quite a long time.”

Su Jingmo said nothing, he merely carelessly surveyed the surroundings. Then, he looked at the flattering man in front of him. At that moment, Su Jingmo could sense that the man in front of him was a ghost, since he didn’t perceive the Qi of a living being in him.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you about my origin!” The man bowed slightly, showing a respectful attitude, and explained: “I’m a Special Envoy from the Underworld, just like what the Mortal Realm calls the Black and White Ghosts Officials ¹ . However, while the Black and White Ghosts are in charge of guiding the common people, I am in charge of guiding Emperors and Generals.”

“The Underworld?” Su Jingmo raised his eyebrows slightly. “From what I remember, my soul should have scattered away.”

“Your soul? Scatter?” Su Jingmo’s words stunned the Special Envoy. “That’s not possible. If your soul had scattered, you couldn’t even be here.”

Upon hearing this, Su Jingmo narrowed his eyes. ‘ Of course my soul should have scattered, and yet, right now I can feel that my soul is intact…. ’

‘ What is happening? I remember Master Xuyun telling me that if my soul were to leave the tomb, it would be scattered and I wouldn’t be able to reincarnate. Is it possible that something went wrong with Master Xuyun’s spell, which ended up causing this unexpected turn of events….? ’

As Su Jingmo pondered over this, his eyelids trembled slightly. At the same time, some kind of joy began to surge inside his heart, Su Jingmo found it hard to control the corners of his lips from curling up into a slight smile….

‘ Ah, that’s right, why should I even bother to dwell on these things now? Regardless of the circumstances that brought forth this outcome, it couldn’t be any better for me in the end. ’

Su Jingmo closed his eyes and focused on inspecting his soul. ‘ Indeed, my soul is fully intact, which proves that I haven’t yet disappeared from this world, thus I still have a chance to see that fool…. ’

‘ However…. ’

Seeing that ‘Special Envoy’ standing in front of him, Su Jingmo arched his eyebrows. Su Jingmo placed a hand behind his straightened back, and asked: “You said you’ve been waiting here for me for a long time?”

“That’s right. The King of Hell ² ordered me to hasten to these parts of the Underworld to find you. But when I arrived, what I found was your soul immersed in a deep slumber.”

Su Jingmo nodded: “How long have you been waiting?”

“About half a year worth of time in the Mortal World.”

Su Jingmo frowned slightly. After all, he had forgotten something very important. From the moment he disappeared, until now, he had been in an unconscious state, so he didn’t know how much time had passed in the Mortal World…. ‘ Could it be that while I slept here, another thousand years had passed in the Mortal World….? ’

“In the Mortal World, what year and month is it?”

“Year of the Sheep, 8th month of the Lunar Calendar. According to the calendar mortals use now, it should be late August, 2015.”

“August, 2015….”

‘ According to what Qin Cheng taught me, it should have been around 9 months…. That’s fine, compared to thousands or hundreds of years having passed, this time apart is really short. ’

Lost in thought, Su Jingmo didn’t notice that the Special Envoy had been staring at him in fascination. Truth be told, the Special Envoy had been serving in the Underworld for over 300 years. During that time, he had seen several Emperors and Generals. However, none had been as handsome and stunning as the Emperor he had in front of him….

‘ Furthermore.… ’ The Special Envoy silently looked at Su Jingmo, his mind full of doubt. ‘ The clothes this Emperor wears do not resemble any of the ones I have seen Humans wear before…. ’

The lingering gaze on his person didn’t escape Su Jingmo’s attention, so with a half smile, he raised his gaze to warily look at the Ghost Official. Seeing himself trapped, the Ghost Official hurriedly lowered his head. Su Jingmo simply said: “Is this ghostly realm ³ known as ‘Hell ⁴ ‘ or the ‘Underworld ⁵ ‘, as the Human World calls it?”

The Special Envoy quickly shook his head: “No, this Ghostly Realm is located in the crevices of the Three Realms: the Heavenly Realm, the Mortal Realm, and the Underworld. It doesn’t belong to the Underworld.”

“It’s not the Underworld? Then why am I in this place?”

“I don’t know.” The Ghost Official scratched the back of his neck. “Half a year ago, Lord Yama ordered me to come here to pick up a person, an Emperor, but I didn’t know which Emperor it would be. When I came here, I found you sleeping, so I’ve been waiting half a year for you to wake up.”

The Ghost Official carefully watched Su Jingmo’s reaction. When he saw the Emperor nod indicating for him to continue, the Ghost Official continued: “I was going to wait a few more days, but if you hadn’t awakened, I would have had to return to the Underworld to report to Lord Yama and be given new orders.”

"

"

“The King of Hell sent you here?”

The Ghost Official nodded: “That’s right.”

“How did he know I would be here?”

“Lord Yama is in charge of human life and death, so it’s only natural that he knows where all the ghosts are.”

Su Jingmo laughed disdainfully: “Does he even know which Emperor I am?”

“Well….” The Ghost Official frowned. ‘ This time, Lord Yama didn’t really tell me who the Emperor I should be picking was…. Although I asked at the time, Lord Yama just shook his head and told me not to ask again…. ’

Su Jingmo smiled at the Ghost Official who had become speechless, estimating that this Ghost Official hadn’t been in charge for long. No longer wanting to tease him further, Su Jingmo smiled and said: “So, will you transfer me to the Underworld now?”

“Naturally. Reincarnation is Heaven’s law and Earth’s Principle ⁶ .”

“And if I refuse? What will you do?”

The Ghost Official was no fool; naturally, he could sense the heavy ghostly qi emanating from the Emperor. ‘ The fact that he had been able to sleep peacefully in the Ghost Realm without any of the other evil spirits daring to approach him, indicates that he is no ordinary individual. ’

The Ghost Official said: “It is true that I cannot oppose you. However, you really don’t know how heavily infused with ghost qi you are? If you don’t enter the Underworld to reincarnate, there will be no place in the Three Realms for you to settle in. If you insist on remaining in the Mortal Realm, I fear that countless lives will perish. That would only cause the Heavenly Immortals to be angered, and cause your soul to be scattered once and for all.”

When the young Ghost Official mentioned the Heavenly Immortals, Su Jingmo couldn’t help but sneer: “Heavenly Immortals only get angry over matters they cannot control.”

The Ghost Official frowned, confused. Not fully understanding what Su Jingmo meant by this, he continued: “Furthermore, according to Heaven’s laws on reincarnation, no matter how powerful the ghost is, they cannot live under the sunlight in the Mortal Realm.”

Su Jingmo nodded, understanding that he really didn’t have a reason to return to the Mortal Realm, as Qin Cheng had already forgotten about him.

‘ In this life, one as a ghost and the other as a mortal, we cannot walk the same path…. ’ Su Jingmo is a wise man, and he understands that Qin Cheng still has a long way to go. He knows that Qin Cheng is destined for glory and wealth, to make a mark in history. ‘ As a ghost who has been dead for a long time already, why should I fixate on him so much? ’

Now that he knows there can be a new life for him, that he can reincarnate, Su Jingmo thinks he should be happy.

“Then let’s go, take me to meet the Underworld.”

“Sure.”

Although the Ghost Realm is said to be located within a breach between the Three Realms, the reality is that it is quite a vast place. The Ghost Official has a pass token, but he’s more knowledgeable in the Ghost Manipulation Technique, so he summoned a dark crane ⁷ to carry the two of them to fly away from this chaotic place.

As the eerie silence faded around them, a kind of gloomy feeling came over Su Jingmo. Without even requiring a warning from the Ghost Official, Su Jingmo knew that they had arrived at the Underworld Realm.

“I’m a little curious. You, the Ghost Officials, have been at this work for generations. Can’t you reincarnate as well?”

“It’s a tough job indeed. Being a Ghost Official is no easy task, and there are a lot of us in Hell. Those who have the potential to be promoted will gradually work their way up. If they don’t want to be promoted, they will be able to reincarnate as humans.”

“For example, in the past few decades, the number of people in the Mortal Realm has skyrocketed, so the number of people who have died is also quite high. The Underworld will have to increase its manpower, and they will all be chosen from among these ghosts.”

As it was his own work experience, the Ghost Official couldn’t help but become talkative: “You don’t know how busy the Underworld has become in recent years. The line of souls waiting to be reincarnated is so long that it has stretched all the way to the edge of Hell….”

As he said this, the Ghost Official waved his hand and a chunk of mist was dispersed. Then, he pointed downward and said: “Look down.”

Su Jingmo bowed his head and looked down. There, there was a boundless open space that was so crowded with ghosts, it seemed to have no end…..

Curious to see something this strange, Su Jingmo asked: “With this many people, how long will it take them all to reincarnate.”

“Those who are standing in that line over there will have to wait about a hundred years.”

“A hundred years?” Su Jingmo paused, then continued: “Will I also have to wait that long?”

“Not necessarily. You’re different from the rest, you were an Emperor in your past life. Only someone who has cultivated great merits by becoming an Emperor like you could get preferential treatment after death and reincarnate right away.”

“It turns out that the Underworld does this kind of stuff as well, huh?” Su Jingmo smiled.

“That’s right. Otherwise, even those who have accumulated great merit would have to wait hundreds of years to reincarnate. That’s unacceptable according to Heaven’s Law. However, a hundred years is actually a short time. If all the souls down there could be reborn into the Mortal Realm again, it would take up to three hundred years. Some of those souls will only be able to be reborn as animals in their next life.”

“Oh?”

Seeing Su Jingmo so interested in this topic, the Ghost Official became even more excited: “Do you know why there are so many people in the Mortal Realm right now? There have never been so many souls in the last thousand years. How could there be so many people?”

Su Jingmo raised his eyebrows and smiled: “Couldn’t it be that animals started to reincarnate into humans?”

The Ghost Official almost nodded.

Su Jingmo, reflecting on what Qin Cheng had told him about there being too many sinners in this world, Su Jingmo couldn’t help but laugh: “What has the world come to? Animals reincarnating into humans.”

“You’ve got it wrong.” The Ghost Official shook his head. “In fact, those who commit crimes in this world were all human souls in their previous lives. Surprisingly, animal souls were more virtuous in their previous lives. When a soul was human in its previous life, its thoughts were more malicious. In the Mortal Realm they have a saying; ‘even worse than animals ⁸ ’, which is used as an insult between Humans. But this insult is actually more derogatory towards animals.”

Su Jingmo agreed with that statement: “I didn’t expect that such a lowly Ghost Official could have such an understanding.”

“I have seen a lot in the Underworld, having been here for over three hundred years.”

“Three hundred years?” Surprised at the prospect of people being promoted in the Underworld, Su Jingmo asked: “Who has been Lord Yama, the King of Hell, from ancient times until now?”

“It is not the same person, they keep changing. It would be like what people in the Mortal Realm call ‘retirement’.” Seeing that they were about to reach the Underworld, the Ghost Official urged the dark crane to slowly descend: “Our current Lord Yama used to be a human being. In his mortal life, he was known as Bao Zheng ⁹ , the Great Lord Qingtian ¹⁰ of the Northern Song Dynasty!”

As he spoke of the King of Hell, the Ghost Official said with certain pride: “Once you arrive in the Underworld, you must give up your earthly name. But who among the Underworld Realm, the Heavenly Realm and the Mortal Realm, doesn’t know the prestige the King of Hell had in his mortal life? He has been the King of Hell for almost a thousand years, making him the oldest and most experienced being in our Underworld.”

Seeing the young Ghost Official smiling in front of him, Su Jingmo asked: “Do you even know how many years I’ve been a Ghost for?”

The Ghost Official shook his head.

“I’m afraid even your Lord Yama would have to call me his ancestor.”

‘ Maybe he doesn’t even know who I am. ’

“Ah?!”

Once the dark crane landed, and Su Jingmo jumped down, he looked up at the words ‘Yama’s Palace Hall ¹¹ ‘ on a sign hanging in the air. Su Jingmo walked a few steps forward and discovered that the Ghost Official behind him had not followed him. Su Jingmo turned around, and asked: “What? Isn’t this the right place?”

“Yes, this is it.” The Ghost Official quickly caught up with him and stepped into Yama’s Hall: “Please follow me. Let’s go this way.”

Su Jingmo nodded and followed the Ghost Official. As they walked down a deep dark hallway, the surroundings suddenly lit up all around, causing some strange images to pass in front of Su Jingmo’s eyes like a flash. At this, Su Jingmo couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

The Ghost Official behind Su Jingmo hastened to explain in time: “In the past, Lord Yama was supposed to inspect the lives of incoming souls one by one. If there was anything the soul was hiding, or had committed a serious crime, they would be sent to a specific level of Hell.”

“However, as there are too many souls in the Underworld nowadays, it becomes impossible for Lord Yama to take care of them all. In recent years, the Underworld has recruited some talents with knowledge in ‘high technology’ learned from the Mortal Realm and introduced an ‘automatic reproduction device’ that projects the lives of the souls. All you have to do is to look at a fixed point and press your fingerprints.”

Su Jingmo nodded. All this explanation no longer seemed strange to Su Jingmo, since Qin Cheng had at one time explained to him what ‘television’ was, so he could more or less accept these things now.

In fact, the four walls of the corridor were conveying his own life experiences in pictures. As too much time had passed, Su Jingmo had already forgotten many things about his life. Now, although being able to recover those memories had made a certain impact on him, it was like a small sigh of relief. After all, he had been dead for thousands of years, and he had already let go of many things.

Su Jingmo walked slowly, and looked at the images around him, only to lose interest soon. Those twenty-something years of his life were filled with nothing, but schemes and wars. He had grown tired of that kind of life while he was still alive, and found it even less interesting now that he was dead.

As Su Jingmo absentmindedly played with his jade ring, he thought of the black jade hairpin Qin Cheng gifted him. Unfortunately, it was left behind in that tomb.

‘I’m afraid that when the tomb collapsed, it ended up crushing Qin Cheng’s heartfelt gift.’

At the thought of the way Qin Cheng used to look at him, and how well Qin Cheng used to treat him, Su Jingmo felt a slight pain inside his heart.

‘ I clearly had intended to let him go, but….why can’t I just give up? ’

‘ That Xia Tong…. ’

Su Jingmo frowned slightly, and after a long while, he sighed. When he raised his head, Su Jingmo unintentionally looked at a picture. However, right after that, his body froze completely and the jade ring fell to the ground.

Bright red silk fabric, and a courtyard lined with eaves that looked all too familiar. ‘ This is my wedding day, over a thousand years ago….. ’

However, that wasn’t what struck him, but what he saw on that ‘memory’…..

‘ Qin….Cheng? ’

Su Jingmo got stunned for a mere second, and before he could come to his senses, the memory had changed again. At the same time Su Jingmo’s heart clenched, he reached out, and grabbed the Ghost Official by the collar.

“Can you go back to that memory?! The day of the wedding! My wedding ceremony!”

Su Jingmo’s ghostly qi suddenly surged throughout his body, even frightening the Ghost Official, whose soul body shuddered uncontrollably without understanding what had happened to the Emperor to make him react in this way. The Ghost Official nodded vigorously, and with a trembling voice, replied: “Y-yes you can. You can, you can see whatever you want, for as long as you want. Please settle down your ghostly qi, I can’t endure it!”

Su Jingmo’s body trembled slightly as he began to gradually restrain his practically uncontrollable ghostly qi which surrounded him all over. Su Jingmo then nodded, and said: “Hurry up and return that memory! I want to see it again!”

“A-alright.”

The young Ghost’s body shuddered, then began to tremble from head to toe as he summoned a spell to return the previous memory footage as fast as he could. In a heartbeat, the scene of Su Jingmo’s wedding day was replayed again, this time, without interruption.

The young Ghost leaned forward and looked at the Emperor in front of him, only to ask with extreme caution: “Is there a problem?”

However, the Emperor didn’t hear the ghost’s words, as all his attention was focused on the screen on the wall. The Ghost then turned his gaze towards the image with certain confusion, wondering even what was so interesting about it as to provoke such a reaction in the Emperor, to the point of making him lose total control of himself. ‘ Hadn’t he experienced all this in life already? ’ He thought.

Su Jingmo stared at the images playing in front of him. ‘ This was the day I married Lin Qing, that I remember quite well. But why is Qin Cheng at the Crown Prince’s Residence? ’

With trembling fingers, Su Jingmo lightly brushed the surface of the image in front of him. ‘ Short hair, the peculiar frame on the bridge of his nose, the strange clothing. Indeed, this is my Qin Cheng….. ’

Su Jingmo carefully looked at Qin Cheng, who was standing in front of the bedroom door adorned with red silk, in complete stupefaction. Then Su Jingmo saw himself dressed in the ceremonial wedding robe pushing the bedroom doors open with great vigor.

Su Jingmo saw Qin Cheng walk nervously, and slowly, towards him…..

Right after that, Su Jingmo saw Qin Cheng smile bitterly as he said: “Jingmo….you look very beautiful….”

The fingers that had been delicately touching the image on the wall soon clenched into a tight fist. On the back of Qin Cheng’s hand, there was still the scar left by the rain of arrows the day Su Jingmo disappeared.

‘ Qin Cheng…. hadn’t forgotten me after all. ’

⭐🌟💫✨Extra Chapter thanks to the Ko-fi Goal✨💫🌟⭐ [1/2]

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE:

Uoooooooooh!!!! Su Jingmo hasn’t disappeared!!! Huhuhuhu and he can see Qin Cheng’s ghost in his past too (since SJM is a ghost, he can see him now lol)

If you thought this chapter had too many footnotes, wait until next chapter sjsjsjsj

"

"

.

Ko-fi Goal for Extra Chapters~~ (≧◡≦)♡

Footnotes

<ol><b>黑白无常</b> <b>hēi bái wú cháng</b> ; Refers to two mythical figures in Chinese folklore. They’re often depicted as Ghost Guiders or Officials from the underworld, responsible for guiding souls between the realms of the living and the dead, rewarding the good and punishing the evil. They’re typically depicted as one wearing black attire, while other white, often shown as a pair, with complementary roles and appearances. <b>阎王爷</b> <b>yán wáng yé</b> ; In Chinese mythology, and Taoism, Yama is the God of Death and the ruler of Diyu ( <b>地狱</b> <b>dì yù</b> ; the realm of the dead or ‘Hell’ in Chinese mythology). The name ‘Yama’ ( <b>阎罗</b> <b>yán luó</b> ) is an abbreviated Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit term, ‘Yama Rāja’ (King Yama). He’s also the judge of the Underworld who passes judgment on all of the dead. In both ancient and modern times, Yama is portrayed as a large man with a scowling red face, bulging eyes, and a long beard. He wears traditional robes and a judge’s cap or a crown which bears the character for “King” ( <b>王</b> <b>wáng</b> ). <b>幽冥</b> <b>yōu míng</b> ; A term in Chinese mythology and folklore that refers to the realm or domain of the dead or the afterlife. It is often associated with the realm of spirits, ghosts, and shades. The concept of <b>幽冥</b> typically represents a mysterious and dark realm that exists beyond the realm of the living. Is often depicted as a shadowy or ethereal realm, filled with mist, darkness, and supernatural beings. <b>阴间</b> <b>yīn jiān</b> : A term in Chinese mythology and folklore that refers to the Underworld or Hell. In Chinese belief systems, the concept of <b>阴间</b> is closely associated with the idea of karma and the cycle of life and death. It’s believed to be a transitional space where souls may undergo purification, redemption, or judgment before proceeding to their final destinations or subsequent reincarnations. <b>地府</b> <b>dì fǔ</b> ; Another term in Chinese mythology and folklore that refers to the Underworld or a Palace of the Underworld. It’s often considered the administrative center or governing body of the <b>阴间</b> <b>yīn jiān</b> . This place is depicted as a hierarchical system with various Officials and Deities presiding over different aspects of the afterlife, whose ruler is typically known to be Yama, or the King of Hell. <b>天经地义</b> <b>tiān jīng dì yì</b> ; Chinese idiom. It refers to something that’s morally right, just, and in accordance with the natural order of things, implying that a certain action or behavior is not only morally correct, but also aligns with the principles and laws governing the universe. In this case, the Ghost Official means that Reincarnation is a natural and just course of events, implying that it’s right for souls to go through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in accordance with the cosmic order. <b>冥鹤</b> <b>míng hè</b> ; In Chinese mythology, it refers to the “Underworld Crane” or “Dark Crane”, which is a mythical creature believed to be associated with the realm of the dead or the Underworld. The <b>冥</b> ( <b>míng</b> ) means “dark” or “underworld,” while <b>鹤</b> ( <b>hè</b> ) means “crane,” a symbol of longevity and spiritual transcendence in Chinese culture. In mythology, the Dark Crane is often depicted as a black or dark-colored crane that serves as a means of transportation for souls or spirits between the Mortal Realm and the Underworld. It’s sometimes portrayed as an attendant or guide for the King of Hell. <b>连畜生也不如</b> <b>lián chù shēng yě bù rú</b> ; A Chinese expression which is used in a derogatory way, used to belittle or criticize someone by implying that the person’s behavior, actions, or character are so despicable or inferior that they are considered lower in value or worth even less than animals. It’s a strong and offensive statement intended to convey extreme contempt or disdain towards an individual. <b>包拯</b> <b>bāo zhěng</b> ; Bao Zheng [999-1062] was a famous historical figure from the Northern Song Dynasty [960-1127], who served as an upright and just government Official. He was renowned for his dedication to enforcing the law and his impartial judgments. In folklore and literary works, Bao Zheng is sometimes referred to as “Great Lord Qingtian” to emphasize his virtuous character and incorruptible nature. <b>青天大老爷</b> <b>qīng tiān dà lǎo ye</b> ; The term “Great Lord Qingtian” is used to describe a person who’s known for their uprightness, integrity, and incorruptible character, reflecting the virtues associated with the legendary figure. It’s often used to highlight someone’s unwavering commitment to justice and moral values. The title “ <b>青天</b> ” ( <b>qīng tiān</b> ) literally means “blue sky” or “azure heaven”, which is used as a symbol of purity and divine authority. “ <b>大老爷</b> ” ( <b>dà lǎo ye</b> ) is an honorific term used to address someone of high rank or status. <b>阎罗殿</b> <b>yán luó diàn</b> ; In Chinese mythology and folklore, the Hall of Judgment or the Palace of Yama, the King of Hell, it’s believed to be the place where souls are judged and assigned their fate after death, serving as the court or tribunal where this judgment takes place.</ol>