Chapter Seventy-Three: Rong Jiang Returns to the Underworld for Discussion
The silvery crescent moon hung high in the center of the night sky, its light pouring down like mercury, sprinkling onto Chang Ji's charred and twisted skeleton, making it appear even more pale and eerie.
The two rows of uneven, exposed teeth opened and closed with difficulty, making a dry, grinding sound: "That day... I was cultivating in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city when I suddenly sensed two extremely pure Netherworld auras approaching. They were two ghost messengers wearing standard robes, but they seemed... very strange; their auras were extremely unstable, even somewhat chaotic. I originally wanted to hide immediately, not wanting to confront them head-on. But they seemed... to have sensed something was wrong, and they crashed straight into where I was hiding. There was no way to avoid them, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight them."
Chang Ji's ghostly flames flickered, as if recalling that bizarre battle: "But they seemed to be severely injured, their strength far inferior to the legendary ghost messengers, and their coordination was completely chaotic. Even with two ghost messengers working together, they couldn't capture or subdue me on the spot. In the fight, we both suffered some losses. In the end, they seemed to be exhausted, or perhaps they had some urgent business, and hastily tore through space and left. After they left, I found this thing lying on the ground..." He looked at the tattered scroll in Rong Jiang's hand, "I picked it up and saw that although it was severely damaged, there were still remnants of Netherworld power and strange symbols on it... I guess it should be the legendary Book of Life and Death that controls life and death."
"Is that so?" Rong Jiang's voice was gentle, revealing no emotion, but her deep phoenix eyes seemed to see through all lies.
Chang Ji subconsciously tried to swallow—but found he had no saliva left to swallow. He could only make a swallowing motion, his bones making a slight "click" sound. He nervously emphasized, "Really! Absolutely true! I wouldn't dare lie to you!"
Rong Jiang smiled slightly, yet it nearly froze Chang Ji's soul fire. "I'll assume for now that what you say is true. If there's even half a lie—" She didn't finish her sentence, but the threat within was already quite clear. Although the Soul Searching Technique was convenient, allowing direct examination of the authenticity of memories, Rong Jiang didn't like to use it on anyone unnecessarily. A person's memories are incredibly complex; many trivial details, such as eating, drinking, and defecating, which even they themselves have forgotten, are etched deep within the soul. The torrent of information that floods in during a Soul Search is incredibly complex, and extracting useful information from it is an extremely mentally taxing task; she didn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary.
"I swear—" Chang Ji was about to raise his hand to swear, but then he suddenly remembered that he had neither arm nor hands. He stammered, his voice almost trembling with tears, "I...I'm telling the truth! Please see for yourself!"
Rong Jiang slightly curved her lips, no longer looking at him, and raised her head to look at the sky. The waning moon was setting in the west, and there was still some time before dawn, enough for her to return to the Underworld, investigate the matter, and make arrangements.
"Then, let's return to the underworld together to face judgment!"
With a slight tap of her slender finger, Rong Jiang silently tore a clean gash in the night sky before her. The torn space was a pitch-black void, devoid of any light or sound, with only the purest void energy slowly flowing within.
She strode gracefully, her figure disappearing into the void, her robes fluttering. Chang Ji was also swept up by an unknown, powerful force, involuntarily propelled into the void, following Rong Jiang step by step like a puppet.
After they all stepped inside, the spatial rift in the human world quickly closed up as before, showing no signs of abnormality, leaving only the cold moonlight still shining on the empty alley.
Upon entering the special void passage connecting the two realms, Chang Ji was astonished to find that his appearance had changed. In the mortal realm, he was a mutilated, charred, and ugly skeleton, but after entering this passage, his shattered arms miraculously "grew" back, his body became much more solid, exhibiting a semi-transparent, grayish-white soul-like state, his whole body light and airy, seemingly... transformed into a relatively "complete" ghost.
"Where...is this place?" Chang Ji looked at his hands, which had "reappeared," and tried to clench them, but they were illusory and powerless, without any substantial feeling, more like a projection of a form. "Is this...the underworld?"
In the mortal realm, a ghost with a painted skin must rely on human skin as a disguise; otherwise, it's just an obvious skeleton. But in the underworld, it's different. The underworld is the stronghold of ghosts and spirits, where the laws are different, and souls can naturally manifest a relatively complete form (unless the soul is severely damaged). Even without human skin, they usually don't maintain a skeletal appearance. Chang Ji's situation is because he had an arm in his previous life, and his soul's memories also contain an arm. Therefore, under the laws of the underworld, he manifested the form of an arm, but this arm is merely an empty shell, devoid of power—essentially a decoration—because the corresponding part of his original soul essence had been completely erased by Rong Jiang.
"The Underworld." Rong Jiang walked ahead without turning her head, her voice coming softly, "The Netherworld? That's not wrong." The current Underworld has integrated the old Netherworld system, but it is far more magnificent and complete than the Netherworld.
Chang Ji followed nervously, and after an unknown amount of time, a colossal, towering city gate came into view. The gate was ancient and desolate, emanating a profound and unchanging aura. Hanging high above the gate was a massive black plaque, inscribed with five large characters in ancient, ghostly script—characters seemingly cast from flowing, crimson gold—"Gate of the Netherworld." The characters were solemn, exuding an inviolable and supreme authority. Ghostly figures lurked before the gate, forming a long queue that orderly passed through the checkpoint, while countless powerful, armored ghostly soldiers stood guard on both sides.
Before long, a tall, slender woman strode in with a dashing air. Her face was a healthy, honey-colored complexion, her features sharp and beautiful, her brows carrying the fierce yet composed air of someone who had seen much of the battlefield. Upon seeing Rong Jiang, she immediately knelt, clasped her hands in a respectful bow, and said in a resounding voice, "Your subject, Cha Yin, the Eastern Ghost King and guardian of the Ghost Gate Pass of Taozhi Mountain, greets Your Majesty! We respectfully welcome Your Majesty back to the realm!"
"No need for formalities." Rong Jiang raised her hand, a gentle force lifting Cha Yin up. "Cha Yin, how have your recent brushes with death been? Has anything unusual happened?"
Chayin rose, her posture ramrod straight as a pine tree. She pondered for a moment before answering earnestly, “Your Majesty, recently, the Gates of Hell have been orderly. The registration and inspection of passing souls have been carried out according to the law, and no unusual occurrences have been found.” Suddenly, as if remembering something, her expression hesitated. She wasn't sure if this detail was worth reporting, but since His Majesty had personally inquired, she spoke the truth. “Your Majesty, about a few days ago, the ghost messenger team responsible for extraditions in the Changshao City area escorted a batch of new souls through the Gates of Hell. During the routine inspection, I noticed that several of the new souls appeared particularly bewildered and lost, their eyes vacant, as if their minds were unclear, slightly different from the state of ordinary souls who had just left their bodies. However, because their records of merit and demerit were complete, showing that they had all died of old age, and the ghost messengers showed no abnormalities, I allowed them to pass as usual. As for where they were subsequently taken, I am not quite sure.”
Tens of thousands of ghosts come and go every day. Although Chayin sits at the Gates of Hell and has the authority to oversee entry and exit, it is impossible for her to keep track of the detailed origins and final destinations of every single ghost. Assessing the merits and demerits of ghosts in their previous lives, judging their rewards and punishments, and arranging their reincarnations are the responsibilities of the Ten Kings of Hell and Sige.
"Long Spoon?" Rong Jiang's gaze shifted slightly. This was the very city where Chang Ji had committed his evil deeds.
"Your Majesty, this is indeed the jurisdiction of Changshao," Chayin said with certainty. Although the ghost messengers of the underworld have slight differences in their attire, their overall style is consistent. Currently, the number of ghost messengers in the underworld has been strictly verified and allocated, and is not so numerous as to be uncountable. In addition, since they have to escort souls in and out of the Gates of Hell every day, Chayin remembers very clearly the jurisdictions of the main ghost messenger teams.
“I understand.” Rong Jiang nodded, already having a plan in mind. She then instructed, “Chayin, take this ghost behind you to Qin Guang Palace and hand him over to Jiang for personal trial. Make sure to thoroughly investigate and record all his crimes. Afterward, immediately notify Huai’an, Jiang, and Xue, and order them to come to Luo Feng Palace to see me.”
These three are: Si Huai'an, the chief judge of the underworld and the direct person in charge of the ghost messenger system; Jiang, the First King Qin Guang, responsible for the initial assessment of the merits and demerits of ghosts; and Xue, the Tenth King Zhuan Lun, who oversees the Reincarnation Platform and is responsible for the final reincarnation. This matter involves the dereliction of duty by ghost messengers, the loss of the Book of Life and Death, abnormal souls, and loopholes in the reincarnation system, requiring the presence of these three key figures.
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Chayin solemnly responded, her halberd paused, and a chain of runes shimmering with a ghostly light appeared out of thin air, binding Changji tightly. The power emanating from the chain rendered Changji utterly powerless to resist.
Then, Rong Jiang's figure swayed slightly, transforming into a streak of light, heading towards the supreme Fengdu City deep within the Underworld, covering a thousand miles in an instant.
Chayin dared not delay. While escorting the trembling Changji to the nearby Qin Guang Palace, she immediately contacted her two other colleagues through the communication methods used by high-ranking officials in the Underworld.
Her divine sense surged violently, reaching a distant place: "Si Huai'an! Xue! You two hurry! Immediately! Set off for the Fengdu Imperial Palace right now! His Majesty has returned! His Majesty has just issued an edict summoning you urgently! Go quickly! Don't keep His Majesty waiting!"
As for Jiang, there's no need for additional telepathic communication. After all, she's currently heading to the Qin Guang Hall to deliver the "goods" and personally convey His Majesty's oral decree.
Chayin hurriedly escorted Changji to the solemn and majestic Qin Guang Palace. The ghost soldiers guarding the palace gates immediately bowed upon seeing Chayin: "Greetings, Lady Chayin!"
The next second, the ghost soldiers were utterly astonished to see a trembling ghost bound behind Chayin with specially made chains. Escorting ghosts for trial was usually the task of local ghost messengers. When did a mere little ghost require the personal escort of the Eastern Ghost King, who guarded this region? What was this ghost's background?
"Lady Chayin, what is this ghost...?" the leading ghost captain couldn't help but ask.
"Hand this over to your palace judges to keep a close watch on it! This ghost is extremely important!" Chayin waved her hand, handing the other end of the chain to the ghost soldier captain. "Is your palace master, Lord Jiang, in the palace right now?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Palace Master is currently judging the merits and demerits of the deceased in the main hall!" The captain of the ghost soldiers took the chains, feeling the heavy weight they carried and the Ghost King's solemn attitude, and answered with even greater respect.
"Take me to see Chiang Kai-shek immediately!" Chayin said urgently.
Another quick-witted ghost soldier stepped forward to lead the way for Chayin. Upon arriving at the magnificent bronze gate of the main hall, the ghost soldier guarding the gate immediately went inside to report to Jiang, who was working at his desk, that the Eastern Ghost King Chayin had come to visit urgently.
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