The group emerged from the gate, climbed the stairs over the city wall, and found the carriage that had brought them still parked by the roadside. They boarded the carriage and saw the guide ghost sitting on the sofa, engrossed in watching a movie.
"Is everything done?" Seeing the group board the carriage, the guide ghost paused the movie, still seemingly engrossed in the story, and turned to ask.
"Hurry up, take us to the passage to the divine realm, we'll go up to the seventeenth floor," Gu Qi said.
"Weren't we supposed to go to the eighteenth floor? Why did we change our destination to the seventeenth floor?" the guide ghost asked in astonishment.
"You ghosts! You're not even worried when the corpse energy isn't right in front of you. The corpse energy is almost up to the seventeenth floor! Shouldn't the fairy go up to the seventeenth floor to face her tribulation?" Gu Qi said irritably.
"What? The corpse energy is dissipating so quickly? Thank goodness, whether it's above or below, it's still far away from here. You must block the corpse energy as soon as possible." The guide ghost showed a surprised expression, but then quickly regained its composure.
"Midsummer Green Willow District, Willow Leaf Ferry!" As he spoke, the guiding ghost called out to the outside of the carriage again, and the carriage quietly started moving. Gu Qi took out his phone again, bowing and scraping, probably reporting to some King Yama. After talking for a long time, he finally hung up the phone.
"Lord Wang is currently on the seventeenth floor directing the response to the calamity. Just as you were looking for him, Lord Wang also said he wanted to see you," Gu Qi said to Wang Yao, putting away his phone.
The carriage traveled smoothly for a while and then stopped. At the call of the guiding ghost, everyone got off the carriage and saw a winding river in front of them. The banks of the river were planted with lush and verdant bamboo. A breeze swept through the bamboo forest on both sides, making the bamboo leaves rustle.
Where the carriage stopped, a small path paved with bluestone led to the riverbank, where there was a simple ferry crossing. Beside the ferry crossing stood a large, leafy tree, and a ghost was sitting under the tree, holding an iPad and watching intently.
Not far from the ghost, a small boat was moored on the river, its mooring rope loosely tied to a tree trunk.
The guiding ghost got off the carriage and stood there without moving, instead calling out to the ghost under the tree.
"Hey! What movie are you watching? Why are you so focused?"
Hearing the cries, the ghost under the tree paused its iPad before turning around to look. Upon seeing the guiding ghost, it couldn't help but grin.
"I was watching the Love Trilogy, and I just finished the last one, Love That Can't Be Loved Anymore. What brings you here?"
"I told you not to watch those soap operas, they're completely useless, but you wouldn't listen. Instead, watch those foreign blockbusters instead, that's real edutainment," the guiding ghost lectured with dissatisfaction.
"Hehe, this job is killing me. Watching TV series is a better way to pass the time. I watch movies one after another, but by the end, I've forgotten everything that was said in the movies." The ghost didn't seem to care and said with a smile.
“Watching blockbusters is for learning! How can you waste your time like that? Look at those foreigners, their features are so defined, and they make movies that look so professional. You watch those human soap operas all day long, don’t you find them boring?” the guide ghost scolded.
"The flavor isn't bland at all. I'm really getting to the heart-wrenching part. You wouldn't believe it, the male and female leads are actually siblings! It's unbelievable. Luckily, they haven't slept together yet. If they had, it would have been incest, wouldn't you say?"
The ghost was still there, staring wide-eyed, trying to explain.
"Damn, you can actually stand watching this cheesy stuff? You're hopeless. Even on the tenth floor, in a place with such a rich cultural atmosphere, you haven't made any progress." The guide ghost shook his head repeatedly.
"Are we going to get on the boat?" Gu Qi asked, pointing to the awning boat, growing impatient with the two ghosts' nonsense.
"Of course, you've come and gone so many times, do I need to tell you? There's a guide at Willow Leaf Ferry below, so I'll take you here." The guide ghost rolled his eyes at Gu Qi.
Gu Qi lowered his head and remained silent, leading the fairy, Wang Yao, and Wu Ying along the pebble path to the riverbank, where they jumped onto the covered boat one after another.
"I love watching TV series, especially those war dramas set in the human world. I love those the most. As for the foreign world, their names are so long and complicated, I can't remember them."
The ghost under the tree put away his iPad, stood up, and while talking to the guiding ghost, he untied the mooring rope of the awning boat from the tree, but held it in his hand without letting go, and called out to the people on the boat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, once you board the ship, please sit down. This is a fixed passageway that leads only to Wuling Pass in the Divine Realm. Once you arrive there, the Divine Realm will personally guide and assist you in disembarking."
"Thank you for your help, Master Guide." Gu Qi bowed to the ghost, turned around, bent down, and went into the cabin. Fairy Maiden, Wang Yao, and Wu Ying followed one after another.
Wang Yao felt that the cabin of the awning boat was pitch black, cramped and low. He had just sat down by touching the wooden strips on the side of the cabin when he felt the boat shake for a moment, and then it stabilized.
"If you die on your way to the God Realm, take precautions first. I won't be responsible if you die on the way out!" The group exchanged bewildered glances upon hearing a rough voice from outside the ship. This ship was going way too fast! They hadn't even settled in yet, and they were already in the God Realm? It seemed to be much faster than an elevator.
"Your Excellency, I am Gu Qi, the judge of the zeroth floor of the Underworld. I am here to accompany Lady He Xiangu, a member of the Heavenly Court's Six Realms Security Committee and deputy director of the Female Immortals' Rights Protection Center, on this matter of dealing with the Underworld's tribulations..."
"Lord Yue Lao of the Heavenly Court's Office in the Human Realm, Wu Ying, the Inspector of the Peace Path on Floor Zero, is passing through your realm on his way to the seventeenth floor of my Underworld. Please grant me this favor," Gu Qi called out from inside the cabin.
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