This Chapter is sponsored by @Jayne. Thank your for the Coffee (∩_∩)
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 Yu’s 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?
It was too dangerous to rob people from Yanwang, so he himself dared not use it casually. When he sensed that the forbidden technique was activated in the Internet café, he was so angry he itched to knock the head of his troublesome granddaughter with his long stem pipe.
Two hours later, Elder Wu arrived at the airport from the Internet café. He figured the forbidden technique should be over, so he took out his phone and called Chen Yu again.
As a result, one, two, three… there was always a busy tone on the other end of the phone.
“Wicked girl, don’t tell me she really encountered a mishap?” Elder Wu frowned at a rare occasion.
Ghost messengers couldn’t take away the soul of a living at will, but under special circumstances where a person interferes with the Underworld’s normal process, ghost messengers could capture the soul of a living to the Underworld. They’d decided how to deal with him/her after interrogation and conviction.
In other words, if Chen Yu’s 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 Underworld’s 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 Yu’s 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 didn’t want to go to the Underworld again before his life came to an end.
“Dear passengers, flight MU2066 to Beijing is delayed due to weather conditions. We advise passengers to be patient.” An airport employee announced a flight delay without warning.
“Flight delay?”
“I knew the flight would be delayed. Blame it on the bad weather today.”
“So when can we fly, ah?”
“Let’s wait for the thunderstorm to pass. Hell knows when it will pass.”
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 wasn’t 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 couldn’t contact Chen Yu, he’d better go to the Underworld first to find out what was going on. If Chen Yu’s soul wasn’t there, then it didn’t matter if he travelled to the capital later. If Chen Yu’s soul was there, then he’d 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 Wu’s originally sitting upright body suddenly leaned weakly against the partition of the bathroom, looking lifeless.
Elder Wu didn’t dare to delay. He opened the Ghost Gate with his spiritual power and quickly went in. Although his soul wouldn’t 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 Po’s soup would they be eligible for reincarnation.
However, at this time, the Underworld wasn’t 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 family’s legends in those years.
“How come there are more houses than before?” Elder Wu came to the Underworld once 30 years ago, when there weren’t so many apartments and shopping malls along the River of Forgetfulness.
“Have you bought the latest civil service reference book?”
“Yeah. We must review carefully this time. If we can’t get into the civil service again, we will be reincarnated.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to reincarnate.”
“…” 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, you’re welcome to apply.)
“If 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.”
“I’m 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.”
“… ” 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 Yu’s 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 he’d have to find a way to see if he could save her.
River of Forgetfulness – the Styx river in Greek Mythology Naihe Bridge – or can also be called the Bridge of Forgetfulness Meng Po’s 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.