Chapter 65 Chapter 65

After passing the Yellow Springs, there is the Naihe Bridge. Many souls who have walked the Yellow Springs Road and recalled their lives are queuing up to drink the bowl of Mengpo soup that is said to make people forget all memories.

When Gu Chi and Xi Bai passed by, Mengpo, who was originally diligent, was startled. She thought that she had neglected her duties without knowing it, and actually attracted the Lord Ghost King to arrest her in person.

"No, I was just passing by." Gu Chi said symbolically.

Xi Bai was looking at Mengpo curiously, surprised that this woman who appeared in many legends was not an old woman as described in preconceived or stereotyped impressions.

On the contrary, Mengpo looked very young, at most thirty years old.

Even her hair was black and shiny.

Gu Chi was used to it. He had never thought about this question before Xi Bai asked him.

So he touched his chin and guessed, "Maybe she occasionally drinks the soup she cooks, so she is free of worries and doesn't age easily."

Xi Bai: "But she is at work."

Gu Chi: ... ...

Seeing Xi Bai still looking at her, Meng Po carefully brought a bowl of soup.

Xi Bai blinked, and Gu Chi beside her looked at her expressionlessly.

Meng Po retracted her hand holding the soup.

"Maybe she is just being friendly." Xi Bai said to Gu Chi.

Don't be so fierce to girls.

"I'm not fierce." Gu Chi touched his nose, "I just treat you differently from others."

Xi Bai's ears were red and she had nothing to say.

After bidding farewell to Meng Po, who was even more trembling with fear due to the sudden inspection, Xi Bai continued to walk forward to the Hometown Viewing Platform.

Xi Bai was still alive, and he didn't have anything to recall, so he walked straight over.

Further ahead was the Three Lives Stone. After getting Meng Po's soup, the ghosts who were going to be reincarnated would first look back at their hometown on the Hometown Viewing Platform, and then watch their past, present and future lives in front of the Three Lives Stone. Finally, they would drink Meng Po's soup, completely forget everything, and go on the road of reincarnation.

Xi Bai didn't drink the soup, nor did he look back at his hometown.

But he was still a little curious about his past and future lives.

But he had just taken a step forward when he was dragged back by Gu Chi's waist.

"What are you doing?" Gu Chi's tone was a little uplifted, but he didn't sound very happy.

"I'll just take a look!" Xibai said, "I'm a little curious!"

"No." Gu Chi rejected it outright and continued to move forward with his people.

He was so domineering that Xibai forgot to fight for it.

Gu Chi easily carried Xibai forward all the way, and Xibai heard him say:

"Anyway, you will always be with me in the future, and I will not let you go even if you want to leave."

Therefore, past and present lives are not important.

Although the tone was hard, Xibai was sensitive to Gu Chi's words and caught a trace of uneasiness that was tried hard to hide.

He reached out and touched Gu Chi's head.

The latter turned to look at him.

"Yeah." Xibai narrowed his eyes and pressed his palm twice on Gu Chi's soft head, "We will always be together."

After passing the Three Lives Stone, there was an endless darkness ahead.

The souls who drank Meng Po soup had no spirit in their eyes. They lined up and moved forward, even their steps were somewhat orderly, one step after another, until they were swallowed by the darkness.

Xi Bai looked at this scene, which was really a bit weird for a living person, and subconsciously hugged Gu Chi's waist.

The latter smiled and said, "We don't go here."

He raised his hand and waved it in the air.

Xi Bai saw that the black mist that had been condensed on the left suddenly moved, flowing in a vortex, and finally separated to both sides, revealing a road that was also covered with red spider lilies.

Gu Chi led him forward. In the darkness, the red spider lilies emitted a faint red light similar to flames, illuminating the way forward.

"Let's go." Gu Chi hugged Xi Bai and walked forward.

Although she was accompanied by her boyfriend, when she walked on this road, all the sounds and scenery around her disappeared.

Xibai even looked back for other traces, but found that the living souls lined up, as well as things like the Three Lives Stone and the Hometown Viewing Platform, were all gone.

As far as the eye could see, there were only endless red spider lilies and darkness.

A hand covered Xibai's eyes.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

This was the second time Gu Chi said this to Xibai tonight.

But it miraculously soothed Xibai's heart.

He was led forward by Gu Chi, and after an unknown amount of time, he finally stopped.

The sounds around him seemed to become noisier and Xibai moved his ears, and heard shouting and hawking.

When the hand covering the eyes is removed, the first thing that comes into view is the countless orange-yellow sky lanterns floating in the sky, casting soft and warm light and shadows. Under the sea of ​​thousands of lights, there is an amazing, huge and prosperous black city.

Long streets and short alleys crisscross vertically and horizontally, stalls and carts form a market, and countless figures shuttle between them. An old woman carrying a bamboo basket bought mushrooms, a woman holding a child selected milk, a farmer riding a cow, a herder driving a sheep, or a merchant standing at a stall shouting and bargaining with customers, and sometimes a merchant who would stick out a long tongue and wrap it around his neck three times to prove his innocence when he got angry...

Xibai was shocked by the bustling and prosperous scene that was incompatible with the words "the underworld". Gu Chi's voice rang in his ears.

He smiled at Xibai beside him and said formally.

"Welcome to Fengdu Ghost Market."

Here he comes, to his world.

The market is prosperous, with people... ghosts everywhere, shoulder to shoulder.

But the large number of ghosts does not seem to affect the experience of the market, after all, most of the people here have no physical bodies.

Sometimes, when a child ghost passes through the body of an adult ghost and hooks out an intestine, the parent who catches up with it will pick it up and beat it up. The ghost that was hit will stuff its own dirt into its stomach and wave his hands and say it's okay, don't hit the child.

Although there is no blood, it

still looks weird.

The aura of a living soul is different from that of a dead ghost.

Xibai's arrival attracted a lot of attention in the market, but when they noticed the tall black shadow next to Xibai, all the curious people instantly turned into well-behaved quails.

"Are the people here... ghosts all residents of the ghost town?" Xibai looked around curiously and said.

"Yeah." Gu Chi nodded, "Some are long-term residents, and there are also some other situations."

Other situations?

"What's going on?" Xibai asked.

A voice suddenly came from the side.

"Hey! Benefactor!"

Xibai didn't notice this sentence mixed in the noise of the market at first.

Until Gu Chi touched his head and motioned him to look in a direction.

A ghost passed through the bustling market and rushed straight towards Xibai.

Being attacked by a ghost is still a bit scary.

Xibai subconsciously took a step back and leaned his back against Gu Chi's chest. He quickly grabbed his boyfriend's arm and hugged himself.

Protect me!

Xibai looked at Gu Chi seriously.

The latter hugged him tightly with satisfaction.

The ghost who rushed over saw Gu Chi hugging someone behind Xibai and braked suddenly with his face on the ground.

After finally getting up from the ground, he subconsciously took a step back.

"Your Highness the Ghost King." The ghost bowed and looked at Xibai again, "Benefactor!"

Eh? Was he called?

Xibai subconsciously pointed at his own face, but before he said anything, he took a closer look at the ghost's appearance.

"Looks a little familiar." Xibai muttered, "Do we know each other?"

"Benefactor, don't you remember me?" The ghost widened his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched out his tongue, made a whine sound, and pointed at his neck, which had a circle of clear black marks.

Xibai clapped his hands, "Oh!"

He remembered that when school started last year and he hadn't met Gu Chi yet, he had helped a hanged ghost in an alley near the school.

"Your tongue has recovered!" Xibai said in surprise.

He remembered that the hanged ghost couldn't speak, he could only whine, and once he opened his mouth, his tongue would roll all over the floor, blood dripping, it was quite scary.

The hanged ghost nodded, and immediately bowed to Gu Chi beside him.

"It's because the Lord Ghost King has mercy on us!"

Gu Chi?

The hanged ghost said, "Many ghosts you helped have received the Lord Ghost King's grace, and now they all live in Fengdu City. Everyone wants to thank you in person!"

Xi Bai turned around in surprise, and saw Gu Chi coughing softly with his hands covering his lips.

"It's just convenient, and they really deserve it."

Quite arrogant.

Perhaps he wanted to finish what he owed after regaining his normal tongue, so the hanged ghost chattered a lot about the recent situation of him and other innocent ghosts who were rescued by Xi Bai.

After those ghosts came to Fengdu City, they would receive compensatory preferential treatment because they had been wronged without any fault. Those

who don't want to reincarnate so quickly can live in Fengdu City.

If you want to go to the next life as soon as possible, you can arrange a good rebirth as soon as possible.

But perhaps because they were too disappointed in their lives, most ghosts chose to stay and settled down in Fengdu City.

A golden light floated over his head, and Xi Bai looked up and followed it.

He saw that the soul message floated to Gu Chi's side, and the latter reached out to receive it. After listening to the information inside, his brows wrinkled slightly.

"What's wrong?" Xi Bai asked.

Gu Chi's expression quickly returned to normal. He sent the soul away, took two steps forward, and said to the hanged ghost: "Can you help me take care of Xi Bai, take him around and so on."

The hanged ghost was stunned, then straightened his back, "Please rest assured, Lord Ghost King!"

"I have something to take care of." Gu Chi's eyes softened and touched Xi Bai's face.

"Is it serious?" Xibai asked, "I just saw you frown."

"It's not serious." Gu Chi said, facing Xibai's unbelieving eyes, he smiled, "It's really not serious, it's just very important."

Hearing him say this, Xibai said: "Then go quickly, don't delay."

"Yeah." Gu Chi nodded and pinched his earlobe, "You can't delay."

Before leaving, Gu Chi left a light kiss on the side of Xibai's ear.

Being kissed in front of the hanged ghost, the latter even raised his hand to cover his face with an ooze. Xibai suddenly felt a sense of shame and sweetness of showing affection in front of others.

A simple drawing of a red spider lily lit up on the side of Xibai's ear, and then faded and disappeared a little.

With this thing, no one dared to get too close to his boyfriend.

"Then I'll go first." Gu Chi said, "If anything happens, press the mark on your ear and I'll be right back."

Xibai blinked and looked in front of the mirror near the stall next to him. Only then did he see the faint outline of the red spider lily under his ear.

The red quickly covered it, making the flower look lighter. Is

it the territorial awareness of a large dog? I have to stamp it with a stamp before I leave.

Xibai rubbed his face quietly.

It felt like his palms were burned.

After Gu Chi left, the hanged ghost took Xibai to the center of the market.

"What's your name?" Xibai asked him.

This was already the second time they had met, and the other person was acting as his tour guide, so he couldn't keep calling him a hanged ghost.

"My name is Su Zhu," said the hanged ghost.

Su Zhu led Xi Bai to a small commercial area in the center of the market, and Xi Bai found that the temperament of the ghosts here was also a little different.

The ghosts in other places were shouting their wares more enthusiastically, but this area was relatively quiet, and was clearly distinguished from the lively atmosphere not far away.

The stall owners were busy with their own affairs, doing business in a friendly manner when there were customers, and seemed not to want to solicit customers when there were no customers.

But because the location was in the center of the market, which was also the center of the entire Fengdu City residential area, there were still many ghosts wandering around.

But this silence only lasted until the moment before Xi Bai arrived.

Su Zhu stood in the ghost group and shouted: "Ghosts, look who's here!"

Countless pairs of black eyes raised at this moment, and when they saw Xi Bai, a little light suddenly ignited in the dark shadow.

"It's my benefactor!"

"Ah, yes, that kind boy!"

"I remember him, he's from North City University, I was buried there two hundred years ago!"

"What are you doing now..."

"That wicked contractor dug me out and wanted to steal my body, it was this guy who helped me!"

Some were familiar, and some had been forgotten for a long time in the depths of memory, but more and more ghosts, all brought the best things on their stalls, took turns to float in front of Xi Bai, thanked him and presented their gifts.

Xibai soon ran out of space to hold the baby and said in a panic, "No, everyone, no need to do this!"

Su Zhu was helping Xibai carry the gift that he couldn't hold. He stood behind Xibai and noticed that there was a mark under his benefactor's ear that looked like a small red flower, which was shining.

Every time a gift was received from the ghost residents, the mark would glow with golden light.

This was not only a recognition and a concern, but also a merit.

The good deeds Xibai had done in the past have become his good fruits today. If anyone is looking at the book of life and death in the underworld, they will be shocked to find that the life span after Xibai's name is growing crazily. Maybe

the help in the past was just a matter of convenience, and it would be nothing more than scattered bits and pieces in the past few decades.

But when they burst out all at once one day, only witnesses will know how shocking it is.

Xibai accepted the gifts. Many of the large items were inconvenient to carry, so he thanked them and returned them.

What was left were small items that were easy to carry, or things like food and drinks from the underworld.

"Do you ghosts need to eat too?" Xibai asked in a low voice.

Su Zhu said, "Originally, we don't need to, but we are used to the life of the living, and these things are basically for the protection of the soul, so eating them is good for us."

"Then can I eat it?" Xibai pointed at himself, he was not dead yet.

Su Zhu: "Uh... I think I can."

It's a bit beyond the scope.

Xibai took a sip of the drink that looked like juice, it was cool, sour and sweet, and after drinking it, he felt his soul was refreshed.

"It looks fine." Xibai said, and took two more sips.

Led by the tour guide Su Zhu, he strolled around the ghost market.

Because of his carefree aura, many ghost residents could see that he was a living person, but they were only curious and no one dared to offend him.

Xibai walked to a shop selling small items.

The stall owner looked like a craftsman, and he must have died many years ago and came to the underworld. The clothes he wore were all made of linen, and the style looked like ancient times, probably from the Tang and Song dynasties.

His soul looked like he was in his forties or fifties, with some traces of time, but not old.

Seeing Xibai looking at it curiously, the stall owner smiled warmly and said, "You can look at whatever you like."

The stall was filled with small pottery, porcelain jars and other handicrafts, similar in style to the Tang and Song dynasty items Xibai had seen when he visited the museum before.

The workmanship was certainly not comparable to those fired in the official kilns in the museum, but it was still relatively delicate.

Xibai picked up a quail brush holder and while flipping through it, he asked casually: "Boss, have you been out of the ghost town in these years?"

"No." The stall owner shook his head, "We are all dead souls and have nowhere to go. Most people are like me, waiting here for our other half in the world of the living to come down and then pass away together."

"Lord Ghost King is kind enough to let us live in this ghost town. Although many people don't say much openly, we are all very grateful to him privately."

His tone and expression did not sound hypocritical, and the stall owners or ghost guests in the next stall who heard him speak nodded in agreement.

Xibai said: "Before I came here, I really thought the underworld would be very desolate."

Unexpectedly, there are so many former human beings in this ghost town, living a peaceful and happy life here.

"It really wasn't like this before." The shop owner said, and asked Xibai, "Did you walk that scary road after passing the Three Lives Stone? It was pitch black all the way, and there was nothing but scattered red spider lilies."

Xibai nodded immediately.

He was embarrassed to say that he was brought in blindfolded by Gu Chi, but Xibai really didn't dare to walk on that road alone.

The stall owner said, "A long time ago, most areas of the underworld were like this."

Xibai opened his mouth wide.

The stall owner put down the clay embryo he was holding in his hand, wiped his hands and recalled.

"When I first came, it was more than a thousand years ago."

More than a thousand years ago, the new ghost king, now Gu Chi, became the new master of Fengdu Underworld.

From that time on, the entire underworld slowly changed.

"Originally, the underworld consisted of only a wasteland and eighteen levels of hell. In the wasteland roamed ghosts like us who didn't want to leave, and in hell were evil spirits who were punished."

But Gu Chi's arrival made the Fengdu City, which was supposed to represent death and extinction, have some "human flavor" that shouldn't have been there.

Not all ghosts will be reincarnated immediately after entering the underworld.

Maybe it's resentment, or maybe it's a lingering attachment to the world of the living, or maybe it's other special circumstances, such as Xie Bian and Fan Wushe... The underworld, as the hometown of billions of Chinese souls after death, should not be just a machine that is only responsible for receiving living souls and sending them to reincarnation.

"At least in the eyes of this Lord Ghost King, it's not."

Many ghosts who couldn't leave, or didn't want to leave because of obsession, were left behind.

"You too?" Xi Bai asked.

The stall owner smiled, "I'm waiting for my wife."

Wife... Xi Bai opened his mouth.

A thousand years ago?

That shouldn't be...

"She was a demon." The stall owner smiled, with a hint of bitterness on the corners of his lips. "When her true identity was exposed, we were chased by demon hunters, and I blocked a sword for her."

At this point, the stall owner's voice was a little choked, "She told me to wait for her downstairs, and she would come to me soon after she killed those idiots."

Seeing a little tear in the stall owner's eyes, Xi Bai suddenly realized something.

Even demons have three souls and seven spirits, and they will go to the underworld and reincarnate after death.

Unless... the soul can't come.

In fact, many times, the reason why people live is just for a thought. Some things actually already have answers, but the parties involved still hold expectations. It's not that they don't know, but... sometimes, the answer is not so easy to accept.

Even if you become a ghost after death, it's the same.

Rather than looking at the endless night and darkness, floating aimlessly and helplessly, or embarking on reincarnation and betting on the next life knowing that there is no result, it

is better to barely maintain their already fragile obsession.

At least, it is a thought.

"I have been floating in the endless wasteland for a long time like a rootless duckweed." said the stall owner.

It has been so long that he can hardly remember the years, and he only relies on thoughts to hang on. There are

thousands of ghosts like him. At the beginning, everyone would encourage each other and talk to relieve the depression in their hearts.

But after a long time, they all became numb.

"For a period of time, a large number of wandering souls gathered in the wilderness, and everyone's eyes were empty."

They were alone, unable to see their own way, and had almost forgotten the past.

They only remembered that there was an obsession in their hearts that they could not let go of, and had not yet completed. And until a thousand years ago, someone finally built a shelter for these homeless souls who had nowhere to go.

...

"Idiot." Xi Bai whispered.

Stall owner: "What?"

"No." Xi Bai smiled and wiped the corners of his eyes, shook his head and said, "You continue."

He just remembered a fool and his eyes were a little hot.

A person who thought he had experienced fighting among ghosts and embarked on a ruthless and cold-blooded path.

But he didn't see through the warm and kind heart in his chest, and he was actually a fool who had never changed.

The stall owner and Xi Bai slowly told the history of the changes in Fengdu City, farming and planting trees, raising cattle and sheep, building houses... Gradually, the world has changed, and there is an area in the underworld that seems to be directly inherited from the world of the living.

And these wandering souls from all ages who are unwilling to leave, some have fulfilled their long-cherished wishes after waiting for many years, and left for the afterlife with the people they miss, while others, like him, stay here forever for a day for the arrival of the figure in their hearts.

Now, they call this place "home".

"From now on, Fengdu City has two cores." The stall owner pointed at his feet, "Our side is the core of the residential area."

Xi Bai glanced at his feet, then subconsciously raised his head and looked into the distance.

Under the bright starry sky, thousands of stars gathered and rotated, forming a vortex of the Milky Way. Countless translucent souls floated into it, indicating the direction that place leads to - reincarnation.

And a huge black city tower stood under the Milky Way.

The stall owner raised his hand and pointed to where he was looking.

"Over there, it is the core of the reincarnation domain."

As his voice fell, a series of whistles broke through the sky.

Thousands of ghosts raised their heads at the sound.

What they saw was the fireworks that illuminated the entire underworld.

The familiar warmth came from behind him. Xibai raised his head. In Gu Chi's deep eyes, he saw the sky full of flowing lights reflected.

He suddenly remembered that he had said something during the Chinese New Year, that he regretted not seeing the fireworks.

Gu Chi asked him a question at that time, and Xibai answered casually without taking it to heart.

But a fool remembered it.

"Baby."

Gu Chi hugged the person and kissed the soft little ear.

"Do you like it?"

Xibai's eyes curved up.

He answered loudly and forcefully: "I like it!"

As Gu Chi lowered his head, the fireworks reflected in his eyes turned into the reflection of Xibai's smiling face.

He grabbed Xibai's hand.

The two interlocked their fingers, and the green grass leaf rings gently touched each other, like intertwined swan necks.

Amid the continuous whistles and fireworks, Fengdu City was bustling. Countless residents, ghost messengers, and wandering souls all floated out from wherever they were. Looking at the fireworks that they had not seen for a long time, they recalled many stories that had been sealed in their memories for a long time.

Some people laughed, some cried, and some played...

Standing in this lively and beautiful scene, Gu Chi looked at the person in his arms, and could no longer suppress his feelings. He lowered his head and kissed Xi Bai deeply.

Xi Bai gave him an immortal ring.

Then he returned a fireworks display that will last forever in his memory.