Chapter 119: Ghosts in the Underworld Don’t Celebrate Western Festivals [6k]
When Lu Wenwu heard this, he was shocked and quickly covered Hei Jiubawu's mouth, cold sweat pouring down his body.
"Brother, please don't say any more. I'm already sweating profusely. If you continue, it will all be gone!"
"What? What? Everything is gone? Even though the old principal has been reincarnated, the underworld has already undergone modernization! Compared to before, it's become much more ghostly!"
Hei Jiubawu struggled to break free from Lu Wenwu's restraints, grumbling in dissatisfaction.
"And Xiaowu, let me tell you, Quantai University is still my alma mater. I went there to study for many years because of its reputation. Now I go back every year for the alumni association. Speaking of which, I really miss those times."
"Unfortunately, after the old principal implemented the modernization reforms for the underworld, he rejected the invitation of the Emperor Dongyue. He had no intention of becoming a Yin God to manage the underworld. Instead, he directly used his merits to go through a special process to be reincarnated. No one can stop him."
"That bold spirit! That vigorous heroic posture! Tsk tsk tsk tsk"
"Speaking of my alma mater, Quanzhou University, everything about it is good, except that the location is too auspicious. It is also too close to the world of the living. Ghosts with weak wills are often purified and liberated during their studies, and occasionally they still cause trouble for people."
Hei Jiubawu kept chattering, madly missing his old principal and alma mater, and the youthful years at Quanzhou University.
Lu Wenwu was sweating profusely, fearing that Hei Jiubawu would say something that should not be touched upon, which would attract the attention of some unspeakable power and completely wipe out the entire universe in an instant.
Bai Eryiyi came over with a laptop and helped him fill out the exam registration form and the department of choice.
The elephant keeper of the Demon Subduing Division.
A ghost food chef from the Food Research and Development Department of the Wangchuan Ghost Food Bureau.
The material manager of Tiandi Bank.
Bai Eryi gave all the three positions mentioned above, which offered low pay but high freedom, to Lu Wenwu.
Of course, we didn’t forget to write about the most important Ghost Gate Security Bureau.
There is no way to indicate your intended position in advance. After passing the exam, you will be assigned based on your grades and performance after an internal interview and additional tests.
Soon, a form was basically filled out.
Bai Eryi used the underworld camera to take a four-inch bare-headed photo of Lu Wenwu with a black background and uploaded it.
A beating heart, trembling hands.
Lu Wenwu took a deep breath, selected [Other] in the race column, and quickly filled in two big words in the blank space behind it - living person.
Then, submit!
Hei Jiubawu was still chattering, recounting his school history with a look of regret on his face.
Lu Wenwu and Bai Eryiyi were standing in front of the computer, staring at the words "Under Review".
Generally speaking, due to the physical conditions of the ghosts working in the underworld, and the fact that they work in three shifts 24 hours a day, the efficiency of the audit is extremely high.
Even if this type of audit is done by ghost workers, the results can be produced within a few seconds.
However.
This page seems to be stuck.
No matter how Bai Eryi refreshed the page, it only showed the words "under review".
Helplessly, the man and the ghost had no choice but to wait.
I simply dragged the still chattering Hei Jiubaiwu to the rooftop platform to barbecue, drink and eat egg-filled pancakes.
Lu Wenwu and his friends were having a great time eating and drinking.
The Civil Service Bureau of the Underworld was in an uproar.
Originally, everyone was just clicking the "approved" button on the ordinary registration form during this boring day, complaining that it was too much that they couldn't take a break during the Ghost Festival.
Until a registration form was uploaded with "Other" selected in the race column.
The young man in charge of the review rubbed his eyes and yelled, "Fuck!"
The attention of the entire audit department was drawn to it.
The supervisor, Old Ghost, walked over quickly, gave him a slap on the neck, and said angrily, "What the hell are you yelling about? You can't even celebrate the Ghost Festival and you're crying in the office?"
"No, boss, look at this!"
The young ghost looked aggrieved and pointed at the computer screen with a look of grievance.
The old ghost was unimpressed. "Isn't it just an application form? What's the big deal? Young ghosts are just ignorant. I once went to Huangquan Country to exchange and learn with the Western Hell. What the hell is this!?"
Don't say.
You're right.
The howling of old ghosts is more powerful than that of young ghosts.
This shout directly alarmed several departments next door.
Several department heads and a group of senior employees are now peeking in from outside the office wall, all wanting to know what's going on here.
If a living person came and took a look at it at this time, he would be scared to death.
A row of heads hung on the wall were looking in the same direction, looking eagerly.
"Old Lu, what are you yelling about?" asked a ghost with a dark blue face.
The old ghost who was in charge of the review department looked at the curious ghosts on the wall with numb eyes, his face pale. "Among the applicants for the position of ghost messenger, oh no, civil servant in the underworld, there is a living person."
Old ghosts: “???????”
What the hell?
Living people! ?
"How did he get down here?" an old ghost was puzzled. "Is there really a living person who can go to the underworld? Even the great celestial masters of the past couldn't do it, right?"
"Everyone knows why." Another old man squeezed half of his body in and shrugged. "Speaking of which, Old Lu, no matter how he got here, shouldn't this application be sent back to him?"
"How do I call back?" Lu Laogui was very helpless. "He followed all the legal procedures. Our underworld doesn't say that living people can't apply for the underworld civil service exam."
The old ghosts fell silent.
The entire audit department was silent.
This seems to be a real problem.
Since the underworld has undergone modernization reforms, the dead who have obtained permanent residence permits in many places, such as the Yellow Springs, Western Hell, Western Heaven, Egyptian Underworld, Ancient Greek Underworld, Valhalla, and Niflheim, are now allowed to participate in the underworld civil servant assessment.
Although there is basically no such thing, at least it is written in the rules.
Live people can participate.
This is really the first time.
Although the King Yama in the Fifth Palace also sentenced people to death during the day and ghosts after death, he is a meritorious ghost god chosen by heaven and earth and wished by all people in the world of the living!
Could it be the same as the current situation?
Before he came down, he was already half the master of the underworld.
After coming down, because the big guys above were too Buddhist, they simply became the actual supreme rulers of the entire underworld.
This can't be considered an example, right?
Therefore, the leaders of the Civil Service Bureau of the Underworld did not sleep all day that day, held a meeting at night to discuss the matter, and reported the results to King Yama for approval.
Finally, with the approval of King Yama, Lu Wenwu's application form was officially reviewed and qualified for the exam.
For the next half month, Lu Wenwu stayed in the staff dormitories of Hei Jiubawu and Bai Eryiyi, repeatedly doing past exam questions and listening to Bai Eryiyi's lectures.
As an old ghost who has worked in the position of Wuchang for many years, Bai Eryiyi has extremely profound knowledge reserves and is a very good teacher.
During the learning process, Lu Wenwu also gained a general understanding of the current living conditions of ghosts in the underworld.
Overall, it is quite similar to the world of the living.
However, due to racial changes, many living habits are completely unaccustomed to by people in the mortal world.
For example, the time of festivals in the underworld is not fixed. Generally, the exact holiday notice will be issued based on the statistical data of the Astrology Bureau when the date is approaching.
Another example is the most common one: except for the ghost messengers and ghost soldiers who work in three or four shifts, the ordinary ghosts in the underworld sleep during the day (Blue Star Shenzhou time) and work at night.
There is no way. It is too auspicious during the day, the yang energy is strong, and it is easy for ghosts to happen in some places.
Therefore, most ghosts who have no cultivation will not go out during the day.
There are also some buildings that look like the underworld.
I can only say that it is worthy of being the underworld, the level of horror is outrageous.
Some players with relatively high absolute values of good and evil and who escaped from the Eighteen Levels of Hell quickly experienced a terrifying experience when they first arrived at the Ghost Realm Castle.
Every day Lu Wenwu could see a group of new ghosts screaming in fear on the streets.
You don't need to open the Eye of Insight to know that these are the players who are participating in the world dungeon.
It's not a real ghost, and my mindset hasn't changed. I really can't adapt to the extremely gloomy style of the underworld.
The street was dark, illuminated by green ghost lights floating overhead. Two ghosts loomed ahead, emitting a creepy, gruesome laugh. Several young ghosts, cosplaying as drowned ghosts and skeletons, were walking in groups of three or five. Turning back, they saw seven or eight rosy-faced paper figures following behind them, chatting and laughing.
It’s really hard not to be scared!
This is the happy bean effect!
During these intense days of exam preparation, Lu Wenwu felt that his life was extremely fulfilling.
It was as if I was back to the month before the college entrance examination.
However, compared to the past, his [Physical] attribute has now exceeded 5,000, and his memory and learning abilities are much stronger than before.
It completely achieved the legendary effect of remembering everything at a glance.
This is quite an advantage in the underworld test.
For ghosts, it is very difficult to remember new things and ensure that they do not forget them, especially for ghosts without cultivation. It requires a lot of effort.
If it weren't for this, Bai Eryiyi would probably have directly advised Lu Wenwu to give up.
Soon, nearly a month passed, and it was August 15th, the eve of the exam.
This is the last day of the legal Zhongyuan Festival in the underworld, which is called the Moon Worship Festival in the underworld. It is also the Mid-Autumn Festival in the world of the living.
This is the second most important day in the underworld calendar after the Ghost Festival. Its importance is roughly equivalent to a weakened version of New Year's Eve in the human world and an enhanced version of the Lantern Festival.
On this day every year, the moon shines at its brightest and the gods in heaven hold a banquet.
Friends who often act like ghosts should all know that the power of ghosts can be enhanced by moonlight. Therefore, this is also the time of the year when the yin energy is the heaviest.
Therefore, the underworld will hold a grand blessing ceremony in the Ghost Realm Castle to draw in the power of the moon, increase the happiness index of the underworld, and improve the living environment of the underworld.
Every year around the Ghost Festival and the Moon Worship Festival, the entire underworld is at its busiest.
Not only will the ghost kings from all over the underworld come to the Ghost Realm Castle to participate in the banquet, but the dead from other underworlds will also find ways to travel to the underworld and experience the different customs and practices.
It’s a pity that the civil servants in the underworld who selflessly serve the ghost people are on a rotation system throughout the year.
Even during major festivals, the ghost messengers have to take turns on duty.
It's just that the three shifts are divided into twelve groups, and each group takes turns for two hours, which is still quite humane.
The shift schedule this year was pretty good, as I happened to catch Black 985 and White 211 taking turns on duty on Celebration Street, the main road in Yama District, and was able to experience the rich festive atmosphere of the underworld up close.
Lu Wenwu decided to take a half-day break to change his mind, so he took the opportunity to go through a back door, sitting in a special black and white paper boat, and patrolled the streets with the two guys.
Flying is prohibited over all residential areas, including other ghost provinces. Only Gui An and the ghost messengers in charge of patrols have the privilege of flying at a low altitude slightly above the houses.
Ordinary ghost soldiers are not allowed.
The main roads of Yanluo District were lit up with white lights everywhere, and everywhere one looked was filled with a ghostly aura.
The black yin energy gathered and swirled, rendering the entire street dark.
Countless white candles and white lanterns were hung high up, and from time to time, white square pieces of paper money in the style of paper money fell from the sky to enhance the atmosphere, causing bursts of laughter among the ghosts.
"What wonderful paper carriages and horses! Come and have a look!"
"A brand-new technological fusion of the living and the underworld, the God-like Mate 444pro is on sale for a limited time! Take this cool phone home for just 9.98 pounds!"
"A performance by a troupe of demonic demons from Hell. One ticket costs one pound and two ounces of ghost money! The second ticket is half price!"
"The same bandages as Ramses II's mummy, imported from the Egyptian underworld, are the most fashionable choice this year!"
"Sign up for the Huangquan Kingdom tour group! We have seats available! Limited-time offer of 30 kilograms of ghost money per person!"
"Today's signature dish: Stir-fried Minotaur Pork with Scallions! Everyone, don't miss it if you're passing by!"
The cries of hawkers from the street vendors are endless.
Looking at the lively scene below, which was like the New Year's Eve, and the countless small animals mixed in with the ghost stream, Lu Wenwu couldn't help but ask, "Brother Hei, where did all these cats, dogs, birds and beasts come from? I don't think I've seen them over there."
Hei Jiubawu rested one arm on the window of the flying boat, tilting his head, and replied with a smile: "These are small animals that died in the mortal world. They usually hang out in the Yanluo District, Chujiang District, and Qinguang District. Our area is a gathering place for ghost officials, and these little guys don't want to stay there."
"People have to reincarnate, and so do small animals. Most of them have no one to repair their graves, and there will be no burial sites for them after they are born, so they all live in shelters waiting to be reincarnated. Some of them don't want to live in the city, so they run away to live in the shadowy mountains behind the Ghost Realm Castle."
"So that's what's going on." Lu Wenwu nodded.
"I get angry whenever I mention this. Let me tell you, Xiaowu, my youngest and I were thinking about raising a few Nightmare Hellhorses for transportation a long time ago. Back then, they were still a newly introduced species. But because of this incident, we just gave up!"
When he asked this, Hei Jiubawu seemed to have opened his mouth and started chattering again.
"We had completed all the paperwork, but when the two horses arrived home, they collapsed and died inexplicably! I was furious. I thought I had just bought a fake product, so I went to confront them."
"Later, when the supervisors and Gui An came to investigate, they discovered that the yin energy, the fierce and ominous aura, and the courtyard were too unlucky. The Nightmare Hell Horse couldn't adapt to the climate and couldn't handle it, so it was frightened to death!"
"Because of this, the higher-ups docked my and my youngest's bonuses for a month for 'killing an introduced species and not reading the breeding manual carefully before domesticating it.' This is absolutely outrageous!"
"What do you mean by this?"
"We just imported the products the day before, and two of them died right after we started selling them. The envoys we sent haven't even left yet, and the people who were interested in buying are watching us. If this gets out, all our efforts will be in vain."
Bai Eryiyi didn't care much about it. He drove the flying boat with one hand casually, with a very calm expression.
"Although it was an accident, it was also a mistake. If it weren't for the mercy of Lord Yama, you and I would have been eaten by the elephant. Do you still want to continue being the impermanence?"
"I'm just complaining secretly." Hei Jiubawu said in his heart.
Lu Wenwu did not get involved in the daily interactions between the two old partners. He just looked at the scene below with interest, looking at the players who were scared to tears by the Underworld Festival.
This is also quite interesting.
The ghost festival in the underworld is so lively.
The howling of ghosts and wolves continued.
The noise seemed even louder than when I arrived just now.
Suddenly, Lu Wenwu suddenly felt a special smell in the air.
He didn't ask the two old ghosts who were quarreling in front.
After all, ghosts have no sense of smell, so it’s useless to ask.
He sniffed hard and smelled something like a unique flame roasting something.
Following the direction where the smell came from, Lu Wenwu stood up from the paper boat and looked into the distance, looking in the direction where the burning smell came from.
He swore that what he saw was the most shocking scene in his life so far, no doubt about it.
In the distance, on the open space known as the Great Square of the Underworld, an extremely large monument at least several hundred meters high rises from the ground.
Below the monument, the huge and majestic Bixi holds its head high, as domineering as the Xuanwu in mythology.
The entire body of the stele presents a gorgeous, slightly transparent green color, like the finest jade. It is unknown what material it is made of, but it is extremely dazzling.
At the top of the monument, a blue ghost fire is burning brightly.
The flames were so huge, fierce, and brilliant, like thunder exploding from the sky, swaying and shining.
Lu Wenwu mobilized his hearing and vision to take in the sounds from afar and to take in the shocking scene.
Countless ghosts, young and old, knelt around the monument.
As many as millions of ghosts knelt down in unison, and the kowtows rose and fell like waves.
Several Western ghost tourists from hell with red and yellow hair on their heads kept shouting "Oh my God!" and banging their heads loudly among a group of ghosts with oriental faces, looking extremely pious.
Some of the "young ghosts" had confused looks on their faces, and it was obvious that they didn't know what was going on.
I just blindly followed a group of old ghosts and kowtowed continuously, imitating other ghosts, and kept chanting words like "xx God bless you", "ask for marriage", "ask for merit", "ask for ghost money" and so on.
The gathering of millions of ghosts and the simultaneous release of their soul power is a rare spectacle.
It even caused a small-scale tide of Yin energy.
Even some ghost kings who were eating, drinking and having fun around were attracted and cast glances of surprise or joy towards the monument.
"It's so shocking. It's really worth coming here today!"
Lu Wenwu held up his phone, turned on the video mode, and said with great emotion.
Hei Jiubawu suddenly felt a little smug, and without even turning his head, he said, "Let me tell you, Xiaowu, this Moon Worship Festival in our underworld is a unique one. It's a pity you didn't make it to the Zhongyuan Festival morning party. Hey! That was really lively! But this year's Moon Worship Festival isn't bad either. Listen to how miserable the people down there are yelling!"
"It's already very lively!" Lu Wenwu didn't even look back. "This is the first time in my life that I've seen millions of people... Oh no, millions of ghosts bowing to a flaming monument in unison!"
"Flame Monument?"
"Millions of ghosts bowing together?"
Black 985 and White 211 were stunned for a moment.
Hei Jiubawu, the co-pilot, looked back and saw Lu Wenwu recording the video. He asked, "Brother, what are you looking at? We don't have this kind of large-scale kowtow ceremony during the Moon Worship Festival, and there's no flame monument."
"Ah? What am I looking at?" Lu Wenwu was very surprised and pointed in the direction they came from.
Bai Eryiyi was also confused.
So he put the flying boat into hovering mode, stood up with Hei Jiubawu, and looked in the direction he pointed.
Then
Bai Eryi, who was always extremely calm, instantly turned from white to black, and then from black to blue, his entire facial expression collapsed.
"God of Fengdu, that fucking monument to the underworld is on fire! Go put it out!"
While howling, he didn't even sit down, but stretched out his legs and stepped on the accelerator hard, almost breaking the joystick.
Lu Wenwu: “???”
ah?
It turns out this wasn't a show, it was an accident?
My buddy was thinking that the monument in the underworld was so cool, and the designer was so talented that he could design such an awesome monument.
It's on fire.
No, what are these old ghosts worshipping here when there is a fire?
The entire flying boat drifted and launched instantly, and almost threw Lu Wenwu and Hei Jiubawu out together.
Hei Jiubawu was also a little overwhelmed.
He quickly took out his communicator and called for reinforcements.
After a while, a large number of Black and White Impermanence and Ox-Head and Horse-Face arrived, followed by a large group of Gui An.
The Ox-Head and Horse-Face were responsible for maintaining order, Gui'an was responsible for dividing the flow of people in the square, and the Black and White Impermanence cast spells at the same time to quickly extinguish the raging ghost fire on the top of the monument.
When the will-o'-the-wisp fire went out, an entire layer of the top of the monument was burned!
Now it looks like an obelisk.
Lu Wenwu, who had been sitting on the paper boat, could now see clearly that there seemed to be a half-dead old ghost lying on top of the monument that was almost burned down.
The whole ghost looked like it had been struck by lightning, burnt on the outside and tender on the inside, and shattered into pieces by lightning.
Is there still hope for Lei?
(End of this chapter)
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