Jinshu Fu opened his eyes to see a stretch of black, chaotic vapor above, with no moon visible, leaving only sheets of ghost money fluttering randomly through the air.
The coffin had vanished without a trace, and wandering nether ghosts surrounded him. Some had died only recently, their physical forms still retaining the appearance of “humans,” the poor dressed in rags while the wealthy wore gold and silver. Other nether ghosts had evidently been dead for a long time, their faces looking grim and terrifying, heavy shackles bound to their ankles that clanged noisily as they roamed.
Tailor Gao explained to Jinshu Fu, “This Ghost Realm is governed by the Judge. Nether ghosts who committed bad deeds during their lifetimes, or those who died without a burial place and had no one to make offerings to them, cannot be reincarnated and can only remain in the Ghost Realm to suffer punishment. There are also some exceptionally vicious evil ghosts laden with heavy karmic obstacles whom the Judge will drive into the beast realm once they finish serving their days of punishment.”
Entering the beast realm meant that in their next lives, they could only become pigs, dogs, cattle, or sheep, no longer able to be human.
The arrival of the two of them only drew a small amount of attention from the nether ghosts. Jinshu Fu carried the ghost qi radiating from Tailor Gao, so he did not appear abrupt. The only reason they glanced at him an extra time was because Jinshu Fu appeared quite young and was dressed in fine brocade and jade garments, instantly marking him as a young master from an affluent household.
It was simply a pity that he died young, a fact that could not help but elicit sighs.
Jinshu Fu did not focus his attention on observing these nether ghosts, asking instead with his intent, “Where is the Yellow Springs Water?”
Tailor Gao pointed in a direction, “My Lord, if you wish to obtain the Yellow Springs Water, you must cross the Bridge of Reincarnation and then enter the Hall of Judgment. The Yellow Springs Water you desire is right inside the glazed bottle beside the Judge’s hand.”
Even though Jinshu Fu possessed formidable magic power, Tailor Gao still cautioned him, “My Lord, I heard that a new Judge has just taken office this term, named Yanzha, who is the biological son of King Yama. Among this Ghost Realm, he is the most formidable. If the Yellow Springs Water truly cannot be obtained, please do not force it, the loss would outweigh the gain, the loss would outweigh the gain.”
Upon hearing this name, Jinshu Fu’s traditionally serene eyes gained a spark of vitality: “Oh? The most formidable? Then I must go meet him all the more.”
Tailor Gao truly could not gauge his cultivation level, feeling only a cold sweat on his back out of fear of being implicated, so he quickly pleaded, “Then- then this humble servant will wait here for My Lord. If after two hours, My Lord has not returned, this humble servant will, will have to leave.”
Two hours in the Ghost Realm equated to two days in the mortal realm, and Jinshu Fu also needed to rush back to the Wei residence, having no wish to spend such a long time here, so he waved a hand, “Mn, I will return shortly.”
At the entrance of the Bridge of Reincarnation, Jinshu Fu lined up behind the nether ghosts, waiting for the nether soldiers to interrogate them one by one.
Currently, a ragged elderly person was holding hands with a barefooted young girl wearing patched clothing, undergoing interrogation by a nether soldier.
“Name, age, native place, grave site.”
The old man answered respectfully, “This old man is named Tao Sanmu, seventy-six years old, a person from Xishi Village in Yunliang. This is my little granddaughter, Tao Tao, just over six years old, grave site.”
The nether soldier recorded rapidly, and upon hearing him suddenly pause, he knew from years of experience that this pair of grandfather and granddaughter belonged to those who died unnaturally, leaving no relatives to set up graves and offer sacrifices.
The nether soldier barked, “Put your hand into the stone disk.”
The old man dared not disobey, extending his five fingers into the stone disk. The stone disk spun, subsequently revealing a flash of white light.
Understanding dawned in the nether soldier’s heart, and he waved a hand, “Unburied wild ghosts, come here, take them to the Luyou Hall and await the Judge’s disposition.”
The old man hugged the bewildered young girl, falling to his knees to plead, “Please show some mercy and accommodate us, my grandfather and granddaughter have no one to set up graves and tombs for us simply because everyone in the family, everyone died out completely.”
The nether soldier remained unmoved, “Then there are still relatives and neighbors; someone should always be able to bury the two of you.”
Overcome by grief, the old man seemed to recall some terrifying scene, his lips trembling: “Gone, all gone, a few days ago, a group of mountain demons came to Xishi Village, washed the village clean in blood, captured the young children of the village, and slaughtered all the adults in the village. My granddaughter and I hid in the wine cellar, but they set fire to burn the village.”
In a single night, hundreds of lives, and not a single survivor.
Nether soldiers never intervened in mortal affairs, and furthermore, if vicious demons were truly running amok, it was not the underworld Ghost Realm’s place to manage it.
He still showed no mercy, “The rules are thus, karma is not questioned. Take them away.”
Listening from behind, Jinshu Fu furrowed his brows slightly, thinking only in his heart that the rules of this Ghost Realm were far too rigid. The next moment, he saw a woman dressed in brocade and silks step forward.
“Liang Shi, the primary wife of the Ma family in Yunliang City, her native place is right in Yunliang, forty-one years old, with a memorial tablet and lamp oil dedicated in Taibao Mountain.”
The nether soldier offered an apologetic smile, asking not a single extra word of inquiry, and let the person go without even making her verify anything.
Well, it turned out these rules were not rigid at all; it was simply a matter of sizing people up and tailoring treatment to status.
Jinshu Fu felt a mental sigh, and not long after, his turn arrived.
The nether soldier looked him up and down and asked the questions.
Jinshu Fu answered, “Jinshu Fu, primary wife of the Young Master of Yunliang City, eighteen, with a memorial tablet dedicated in the ancestral hall of the Wei family.”
As these words left his mouth, the nether ghosts nearby began whispering among themselves.
“Eh, I heard Yunchan Wei married a male wife.”
“He died this fast? Ai, as expected, that white-faced Asura is not someone easy to get along with.”
The nether soldier was not particularly clear on mortal affairs, but listening to the words of the other nether ghosts, this person was indeed the wife of the Yunliang City Young Master without a doubt. Moreover, judging from his luxurious and exquisite attire and skin smooth enough to be broken by a blow, he was definitely not from an impoverished family.
Jinshu Fu passed the Bridge of Reincarnation with ease.
Following that, he needed to see the newly appointed Judge.
Before he even walked into the Hall of Judgment, a deep and authoritative voice rang out, “Liang Shi, harming concubines and children, cooking and eating children for the sake of beauty, yet choked to death by a child’s finger bone. Deserving of death and unforgivable, sentenced to suffer the punishment of nether fire for one hundred and thirty years, then cast into the beast realm.”
Subsequently, the woman’s miserable wails echoed continuously, crying out in exhaustion and despair.
“Jinshu Fu, primary wife of the Young Master of Yunliang City, why do you not kneel?”
Hearing a nether soldier call out his name, Jinshu Fu stepped forward a few steps and knelt in the middle of the grand hall.
Raising his head, he met the gaze of the Judge seated high above the hall.
Jinshu Fu curved the corners of his mouth, using a telepathic voice transmission technique that only the two of them could hear: “Long time no see, little Rakshasa.”
The face beneath Yanzha’s mask shifted abruptly, and he used the telepathic technique to reply, a boundless joy and surprise unmasked in his tone: “Jinshu! Where on earth did you vanish to for hundreds of years, no matter how I searched I couldn’t find you.”
Jinshu Fu glanced at the other nether ghosts in the hall and told him, “Do you want me to keep kneeling while talking to you?”
Yanzha immediately dismissed everyone present. Once only the two of them remained in the grand hall, Jinshu Fu rose gracefully to his feet, and Yanzha walked right up before him, looking him up and down from head to toe.
“Why has this physical form of yours shrunk?” Yanzha raised a hand intending to brush his hair, only to have Jinshu Fu tilt his head and dodge away.
It was no wonder Yanzha failed to recognize Jinshu Fu at first; the primary reason was that Jinshu Fu’s current appearance had undergone certain changes. A century ago, Jinshu Fu had always maintained the appearance of someone in his early twenties, lacking the red mole between his eyebrows. Although his features were peerlessly exquisite back then, they carried slightly less exotic charm than this current physical vessel.
“That physical vessel was destroyed.” Jinshu Fu still communicated with him using his intent without speaking aloud. Just before at the Bridge of Reincarnation, although he had opened his mouth, he emitted no sound, merely letting these people hear his intent directly.
“Destroyed? Who could possibly harm you.” Yanzha asked again, “Why can’t you speak aloud?”
Jinshu Fu had no wish to elaborate, deflecting vaguely, “It’s a long story, no need to mention it again. My purpose in coming to the Ghost Realm this time is that I still have a matter requiring your help.”
Seeing him decline to speak, Yanzha pressed no further, answering generously instead, “Whatever help you need, just speak.”
Jinshu Fu stood on no ceremony with him, pointing toward the spot where he had just been seated. A colorful glazed bottle rested directly on that desk, and the substance contained inside was precisely the Yellow Springs Water capable of washing the marrow and cleansing the meridians for Yunchan Wei.
“What do you want the Yellow Springs Water for?” Yanzha asked with confusion, since this item served no particular purpose for Jinshu Fu himself.
“I’m asking for it for my husband, his health is poor.” Jinshu Fu calculated the time roughly and urged him, “The bottle right on your desk will do. I must leave, we can slowly catch up on old times another day.”
With that, he moved to step forward and gather the glazed bottle into his pouch, but his wrist was caught by Yanzha.
Beneath the mask, Yanzha furrowed his brows tightly, a surging tide of jealousy erupting within his eyes: “Husband?! You underwent dual cultivation with that brat Long Xiao?!”
Jinshu Fu had yet to awaken to matters of romantic love and completely failed to understand the emotion underlying his gaze, though he recognized that a misunderstanding had occurred, prompting him to explain: “No, my husband is of the human race.”
“A mortal?” Yanzha grew even more sour, “A mere mortal is worthy of marrying you?”
Furthermore, it required Jinshu Fu to come fetch the Yellow Springs Water to alter his physical constitution; that mortal must undoubtedly be a medicine jar plagued by chronic illness. He could barely accept losing to that fellow Long Xiao, seeing as Long Xiao was at least the second prince of the dragon clan. Yet a mere mortal possessed at best a maximum of a hundred years of lifespan; by what right could he manage to marry Jinshu Fu?
Yanzha blocked his path forward, his voice hoarse: “This Yellow Springs Water, I no longer wish to give it to you, Jinshu.”