Is the ghost messenger looked down upon by ghosts?
"Grandpa."
Tian Baozhu took the initiative to go up and call him. When the old man saw Tian Baozhu, he felt like he had seen a savior. The laughing ghosts hid aside, but did not leave.
"Little girl, you are here. There are more of you. Come with me and drive them back."
"Grandpa, we were trying to drive them back, but it's really hard to control their movements. They suddenly became active. What's going on? Do you have any idea?"
"Well... maybe I understand this feeling. But..."
"But what? Do you know the reason? Tell me."
"To make a guess that may not sound pleasant, perhaps this is caused by you planting flowers, little girl."
Tian Baozhu was completely stunned. Did her planting flowers cause a disturbance among ghosts? Did her good intentions lead to bad consequences?
"Ah, this is just Grandpa's guess. Just listen to it, don't take it seriously. Don't take it too seriously."
"Okay, please tell me your guess about the current chaos."
"I think it might be because Huangquan Road has come to life."
"Isn't it good to have life on the Yellow Springs Road?"
"Okay, of course. But what was the Yellow Springs Road like before? It was covered in yellow sand. We ghosts would sit on the stone mountain and feel numb, our hearts covered in dust, not wanting to think about anything. But now you've planted these flowers, and the dust has been pressed down. The red and green leaves have brought vitality, and there's also the silver-green grass that sways gently in the wind at night, swaying and swaying, and it makes people's hearts suddenly move. Last night, I saw with my own eyes those ghosts suddenly stand up, swaying with the fluorescent grass, and then they said, 'It's been a long time since I saw the stars.'"
"Were those ghosts conscious last night?"
"Yes, suddenly many ghosts stood up. They talked to each other, as if they had awakened. They no longer had those rigid postures as before, but ran around quickly."
After hearing the old man's summary, Tian Baozhu's heart was in turmoil. She had always wanted to make the underworld vibrant, to free those idle ghosts from their torpor. Now, through the landscape of red spider lilies and fluorescent grass, it had inadvertently been realized. Wasn't this the scene she had always dreamed of? But now it had caused trouble.
"Am I wrong? If I had known that those ghosts would become like this, I wouldn't be in this situation..."
"Do you regret it?" Hei Wuchang asked her.
Tian Baozhu was thinking and weighing the pros and cons. She looked at the ghosts moving around the flower field, and saw their previously wooden faces now had various vivid expressions. She came to a conclusion:
"No, we shouldn't regret it. Lord Yama gave us the task of transforming the Yellow Springs Road as our first task. Wasn't he also hoping for a vibrant underworld that could resist corruption? We've done nothing wrong. What we need to do now is regulate the behavior of these ghosts."
Think about it, what should she do? In the human world, there would be warning signs, surveillance cameras, and loudspeakers constantly broadcasting reminders such as "Civility Viewing". Oh, right, this is it——
"How about we put on the radio?"
Hei Wuchang: "What is broadcasting?"
It's broken! She forgot that there's no electricity in the underworld. Tian Baozhu thought about the past and asked the staff, "How did you get those ghosts to draw lots? They didn't have any initiative before, did they?"
"Ah, we have conch shells that can amplify the sound. We can go from hill to hill and call them down."
Oh, this one can be used.
Tian Baozhu came up with an idea. She and her staff traveled from hilltop to hilltop, using conch shells to transmit the sound of the spirit-calling bells further afield. Once heard, the spirits would follow the rules: they were forbidden from stepping into the flower fields or picking flowers. They also created a sign with the rules in mind and placed it next to the red spider lily experimental field.
This operation was effective, and most of the ghosts became obedient, but occasionally there were still ghosts that challenged the prohibited behaviors in the promotion.
There were a few young, yellow-haired ghosts who kept jumping around the flower field, pretending to step into it. When the employees came over, they immediately withdrew their feet and said that we did nothing and made the employees run around exhausted, but they couldn't get angry with the employees because they didn't step into it.
Hei Wuchang saw it and reached for the hidden space behind him, but was gently stopped by Tian Baozhu. She shook her head, "Severe punishment is not necessary yet."
Of course Tian Baozhu also saw it, and she asked the employees to gather.
The four employees, the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced, and the Green-Faced and Fanged, looked like the Four Dharma Protectors. Tian Baozhu tried her best to look more like a villain. She imitated the postures of those big guys, saying nothing, but pointing with a gesture: "Hold them up."
Several people flew into the air.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!!” Screams rang out everywhere.
It’s so scary!!
Tian Baozhu continued to remain silent, and Fang next to her conveyed the message.
"Do you dare to commit crimes again?!"
"I don't dare anymore! Sorry, all the ghost messengers! Please put us down!"
"You said we were ghost messengers? You really don't recognize a great man. This is the ghost messenger hand-picked by our Lord Yama—Lord Bai Wuchang!"
The ghosts bowed in the air and said, "I was wrong. I didn't expect the ghost messenger to be such a young talent. I thought it was some little girl who was waiting to be reincarnated with us."
She was indeed waiting to be reincarnated. They were right. She had been a ghost messenger for so long without knowing why.
"And this one is our Lord Black Impermanence!"
"Oh, you are all young and talented. I don't know you well. Please forgive me, my two masters."
Although they said so, the ghosts' eyes were full of dissatisfaction. It was a temporary measure forced by several underworld employees with ferocious appearances. There was no remorse or respect in their eyes.
Were both of them looked down upon by the awakened ghost?
※※※
Forget it. Tian Baozhu didn’t expect them to obey her for the moment. She wanted their attitude to set an example for other ghosts.
After they made a verbal promise, they were let go. Tian Baozhu thought: They've used intimidation, so they'll probably think twice before doing anything else.
Black Impermanence was different. He still took out the Soul-Catching Scythe and said, "Those who dare to provoke me will have to taste this next time."
This ruthless method was indeed more effective. Several ghosts knelt down and worshipped on the spot: "I won't do it again, Master Ghost! I will never do it again!"
The matter finally came to an end.
They all thought so at first, but the battle line was long and there were still occasional fish that slipped through the net and were reported and caught in the act of breaking into the flower fields.
Tian Baozhu was furious. She wanted to help them reclaim the remaining land of Huangquan Road by capturing any ghosts!
Caught the pioneer?! No one would do it! This is much better.
※※※
The day after the red spider lily blooms, the first batch of new seeds are harvested.
The red spider lilies grew very quickly, but a number of them withered soon after blooming. Tian Baozhu dug up the roots deep in the soil and found that, just as Meng Po had said, the bulbs had grown a hundredfold, and the resulting bulbs could be used as new seeds for planting.
The red spider lilies in the underworld have a very good cycle once they survive and are divided. I really want to let Meng Po see it. Meng Po spent many days looking for medicine and missed the red spider lily blooming. It's a pity. I hope she can see it when it blooms next time.
Speaking of which, Meng Po said she was going to look for herbs. It's been three days now, and she still hasn't returned. It seems she's having a hard time finding them. It's only a few days until the next Ghost Gate opens. I hope she finds something.
Since she was still thinking about it, she might as well go to Naihe Bridge to take a look, Tian Baozhu and Hei Wuchang suggested, and Hei Wuchang followed her there.
At the Naihe Bridge, the lottery line was nearing the end. When Meng Po's employees saw Tian Baozhu, they thought she was still here to dig fertilizer and said they would help her later.
Tian Baozhu said, "I came here to see if Meng Po has returned."
"We haven't seen Lady Mengpo for a long time. She explained some things a few days ago and hasn't come since."
Meng Po has not even been to Naihe Bridge, so she probably hasn't come back yet.
Tian Baozhu asked, "You guys usually help make Meng Po soup, right? Can't you buy those herbs in the shops in the ghost market?"
"You can't buy it. The herbs used in Mengpo Soup are a secret recipe. They are all collected by Lady Mengpo herself. We are only responsible for brewing it. We don't know the names of the herbs used. In the past, when Lady Mengpo was short of herbs, she would go and collect them herself, but this time it took her the longest time."
"Where did she go to find the herbs?"
"We don't know the exact location, but she went to the area behind the mountain."
Tian Baozhu's heart skipped a beat: "Is it the place marked 'unknown area' on the map?"
Hei Wuchang frowned when he heard this, but he did so because of Tian Baozhu's reaction. Tian Baozhu's expression looked like she was saying, "I want to explore too."
"Yes, that's over there."
"Have you ever been there?"
"How could we dare to go there? We would die if we went. Some brave employees went there before, but they never saw him again."
"I see. It seems really dangerous."
"If it's dangerous, don't get close to it." Hei Wuchang interrupted her at the right time.
"I'm worried about Meng Po."
"Don't worry, Master Bai Wuchang. The number of times Master Mengpo has been in the mountains is much greater than our years. Going into the mountains is like returning home."
Although she didn't know what the analogy was, Tian Baozhu felt a little relieved. She said, "I'll come back later."
※※※
A dog ran past Tian Baozhu's feet.
Tian Baozhu was about to leave, but because of the dog, she stopped and looked back at it.
This dog... is it the same dog she saw last time when she saw Meng Po's child by the river?
She asked Hei Wuchang beside her: "I have always wondered, are there no other animals in the underworld? They are all human."
"The essential difference between other animals and humans is that they don't need to be judged by the King of Hell. They are reincarnated very quickly, so you won't see any trace of them in the underworld."
Tian Baozhu understood. "But why is this dog still here? It seems like no one is taking care of it here."
Just after she finished asking, a light bulb suddenly flashed in her head, and she seemed to know the reason. This dog ran very fast and it was impossible to catch it. It would not take the initiative to draw lots for reincarnation, so it just stayed here.
"How about I catch it and let it reincarnate smoothly."
Tian Baozhu squatted down with the utmost caution and carefully observed the dog's condition.
It is about 40 centimeters long, the size of a small dog, and looks like a native Chinese dog. The most special thing is that the dog is covered with black hair all over its body, but there is a tuft of upright yellow hair between its eyebrows, like an extra eye.
In Chinese culture, such dogs can "see through everything".
"Hey, little puppy. Come here." Tian Baozhu stretched out her hand to tease it.
The dog stopped not far away, maintaining a standoff.
"Don't you have a spirit-summoning bell on you? Use it." said Hei Wuchang.
"Using the spirit bell on a puppy is only temporary and won't last long. I know there's a better way than using the spirit bell."
"Is there anything more useful than the Soul-Summoning Bell, the most powerful magic weapon in the underworld?" Hei Wuchang raised his eyebrows slightly.
"I'm not entirely sure, but based on my previous observations and personal experience, as well as watching so many videos, large and small, I believe there's a method that's the most universal and best used in China."
"Oh? Then you try it."
※※※
Tian Baozhu could never have imagined that this was a vicious dog that could understand all their conversations. No, to be precise, it was a chaotic product of the fusion of an evil child and a dog.
Their entire conversation fell into the ears of the vicious dog, which laughed at the conversation between the two people in its heart.
Humph, you don't take me seriously?
Especially that girl in white, who boasted so confidently that she had a method? Its track record was impressive, and this little girl actually wanted to control it? It was ridiculous.
"Woo woof woof woof woof!!" It let out a series of low roars, which were very threatening.
Its sharp fangs protruded from every root, and its extended tongue mixed with splattering saliva made it look like a vicious dog that was not to be trifled with and had gone mad and was not afraid of death! It seemed as if it would pounce on you at any second.
"Suck, suck, suck."
It's strange, why does it feel like its strength has weakened?
"Is it any use? Look, it still has that big mouth."
The man in black clothes next to him was talking, which made the vicious dog suddenly regain its senses.
It began to threaten them again with gnashing teeth.
"It should be possible. Did I scream too softly? Or maybe I didn't scream enough? I'll try again."
Suck, suck, suck.
Suck suck suck.
Suck suck suck suck suck.
It feels so familiar and scary, like a devilish sound lingering in my ears.
It didn't understand why it became soft when surrounded by this series of magical sounds, why it stuck out its tongue to please the girl in white clothes, and why it walked towards her involuntarily, wagging its tail and lying down with its head down.
"Oh, it really works. Good, good, good dog. Slurp, slurp~"
The dog's tail wagged even more happily.
As expected, in China, no dog can resist the ultimate dog-calling method of sucking.
Hey, almost there, she was about to touch it...
"I found that vicious dog! Everyone, come here!"
A noisy voice was heard.
The vicious dog that had been quiet just now suddenly became agitated and jumped away.
"Where are you going, dog? Slurp, slurp—"
It took only a few leaps in the air before it suddenly braked to a stop, obviously resisting its instinct. Just as Tian Baozhu was about to call it back, the vicious dog was caught by a hand that came across.
It was not polite at all and pretended to open its mouth wide to bite people. The ghost hand that was grabbing people got panicked and it took the opportunity to jump down.
Just as the vicious dog was free and about to run away, Tian Baozhu took the opportunity to catch it.
"Girl, give us that dog."
A group of ghosts surrounded Tian Baozhu...
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