"Ancestor!"
Jiang Dabao knelt in front of an old grave overgrown with weeds, tears streaming down his face as he lamented, "The Jiang family has come to an end in my generation. This unfilial descendant, Jiang Dabao, is living a life darker than coal!"
"Middle-aged, I've lost my job, and my wife ran off with all my possessions with another man. Before she left, that vile woman even used my ID to take out a mountain of online loans."
"What's worse, after being provoked by that woman, I was diagnosed with moderate erectile dysfunction today. If I can't afford treatment, the Jiang family will truly have no descendants!"
Jiang Dabao's face was as bitter as a gourd, his expression mournful as he continued to recount his misfortunes: "Ancestor, I know I'm unfilial. I haven't come to burn paper money for you, for grandpa, grandma, dad, and mom during Qingming and Chongyang. Now that I've become this ghostly figure, I can't blame you for not protecting me."
"But, Ancestor, the Jiang family now has only me left. I'm already 38 and still childless. If you don't want the Jiang family to end, please show your spirit and bless me!"
After speaking, Jiang Dabao kowtowed heavily a few times in front of the grave, then took out an electronic device resembling a motorcycle helmet.
"Ancestor, back in your 21st century, the most advanced games were just 3D online games. But in my generation, virtual games with 100% realistic experiences have emerged. Look, this is an epic game helmet—Mountains, Rivers, and Realms."
"Many people in our generation have turned their lives around through this game, even becoming rich overnight."
"Ancestor, I used my last savings to buy two game helmets for Mountains, Rivers, and Realms, and I'm burning one for you. Please, you must bless me, let me stand out in this game and turn my life around."
"When the time comes, I will definitely bring glory to the Jiang family, rebuild your, grandpa's, grandma's, dad's, and mom's graves, and offer incense and burn paper money for you every Qingming and Chongyang..."
After his rambling, Jiang Dabao truly threw the game helmet for Mountains, Rivers, and Realms into the fire, then kowtowed heavily a few more times before finally getting up and leaving.
Meanwhile, in the underworld's most barren and ghostly impoverished land, the old ghost Jiang Yun, who had been dead for 181 years, was lying in a thatched hut that neither sheltered from the wind nor rain, idly passing the time.
He had thought life was hard, but he never imagined that after death, falling into the underworld would still be unbearably difficult.
Without incense offerings and paper money from descendants in the living world, even as a ghost, there's nowhere to express sorrow, and Jiang Yun was just like that.
He still remembered that shortly after his death, when he first entered the underworld, every year his descendants would burn incense and paper money, and life was quite comfortable.
In just ten years, he went from a lesser ghost to a greater wandering soul, had enough money to live in the most ghostly abundant high-class ghost city apartments, and even befriended a few lesser ghost officers.
At that time, he was thriving, even able to spare some effort to protect his descendants in the living world, helping them ward off minor disasters.
But good times didn't last long. When his son and daughter-in-law's lives ended and they came to the underworld, the Jiang family's offerings dwindled.
In less than 10 years, Jiang Yun and his son and daughter-in-law no longer received any paper money from descendants.
In the underworld, without continuous money and power, survival is impossible.
Originally living in a top-tier ghost city apartment, Jiang Yun, unable to continue paying the high "ghost coin" fees, had to move back to an ordinary area, living in a dilapidated old house.
As a result, without abundant ghostly nourishment, not only did his cultivation not progress, but it regressed.
Another fifty years passed, and when his son and daughter-in-law's ghostly lives ended, they had to reincarnate.
But Jiang Yun, having previously cultivated to the level of a greater wandering soul, still had several hundred years of ghostly life left. Without completing this ghostly life, he couldn't reincarnate and could only continue to endure.
Yet, no matter how long he endured, he couldn't wait for descendants to send incense and paper money.
Over time, Jiang Yun couldn't even maintain living in the most ordinary old house in the ghost city and was driven out to wander.
After more than a hundred years, Jiang Yun had fallen from a greater wandering soul to a mere wandering ghost, relying on previous savings to occupy a broken thatched hut here, barely surviving.
He was hardly a wandering wild ghost, but not much better.
So, Jiang Yun resigned himself to lying down, planning to endure all his ghostly life and reincarnate, hoping to be born into a good family with filial children in his next life.
"Where is the little ghost Jiang Yun?"
Suddenly, a lifeless ghostly voice came, as if from the depths of the Nine Hells.
A lesser wandering soul, draped in black, with no hands or feet, floated in mid-air, slowly approaching.
This was a lesser wandering soul of the underworld, one rank higher than a lesser ghost, specifically running errands for various lesser ghost officers.
The nearby wandering souls and wild ghosts, seeing the arrival of the lesser wandering soul, were all frightened and hid to the side, making way.
"Is someone calling for me?"
Jiang Yun was taken aback.
After driving away two wild ghosts from this broken thatched hut thirty-one years ago, no ghost had come looking for him for thirty-one years.
Jiang Yun was shocked, quickly got up, and saw the lesser wandering soul with a high posture, accompanied by a ghost box, arriving in front of the thatched hut.
"Is that... an Underworld Merit Box for receiving incense offerings from the living world?!"
Jiang Yun's ghostly eyes widened in disbelief.
Realizing this, he hurriedly stepped out of the broken thatched hut, respectfully bowing to the arriving ghost, "Greetings, esteemed officer. This little ghost is Jiang Yun."
Only true ghost officers, that is, high-ranking wandering souls officially recognized in the underworld, were qualified to be called ghost officers.
The lesser wandering soul before him was actually just an errand runner for lesser ghost officers.
However, being flattered by Jiang Yun's "esteemed officer," the lesser wandering soul felt quite pleased.
"Oh, you little ghost, you have quite a sweet tongue."
The lesser wandering soul said smugly, "Look, this is the incense offering your descendants from the living world burned for you. Sign for it."
Saying this, the lesser wandering soul tossed the Underworld Merit Box to Jiang Yun.
All the surrounding wandering souls and wild ghosts, like Jiang Yun, were in such dire straits because they couldn't receive incense offerings from descendants.
Now, seeing Jiang Yun receive incense and paper money from descendants, they were all envious, their ghostly eyes turning red, wishing they could have such luck.
"Thank you, esteemed officer."
Jiang Yun accepted the Underworld Merit Box, his heart filled with disbelief.
He never expected that after more than a hundred years without receiving any incense offerings from descendants, he would suddenly receive offerings today.
It was like winning the lottery.
After signing for it, Jiang Yun didn't avoid the lesser wandering soul but opened the Underworld Merit Box right in front of it.
The first thing to roll out of the Underworld Merit Box was a round, tech-filled motorcycle helmet?
"(#‵′) Damn! Which unfilial descendant burned me a motorcycle helmet? This wretched thing!"
Jiang Yun was dumbfounded.
Fortunately, besides the motorcycle helmet, this descendant also burned some paper money and ghost coins.
But the truly useful ones were just three bundles of yellow joss paper with copper coin prints.
Descendants in the living world, do you know that those paper notes from the so-called Heaven and Earth Bank, worth tens of millions, hundreds of millions, or even trillions, even if burned and sent to ancestors, are just stiff waste paper in the underworld, not even fit for wiping one's behind, despised by ghosts.
Utterly useless!
Only the traditional yellow joss paper with copper coin prints can circulate in the underworld.
These three bundles of yellow joss paper were equivalent to 30,000 ghost coins, barely enough to secure legal residency in an ordinary ghost village, scraping by for a year or so.
However, the environment in that ghost village would certainly be far better than here.
Jiang Yun discreetly handed over yellow joss paper equivalent to 20,000 ghost coins to the lesser wandering soul before him.
Over a hundred years ago, Jiang Yun was far more illustrious than this lesser wandering soul. At that time, he had already advanced to a greater wandering soul, just one step away from becoming a lesser ghost officer and entering the official ranks.
Therefore, he was well-versed in the ghostly ways of this ghostly world!
"Esteemed officer, you've worked hard. Please accept this small token as a gesture of appreciation, perhaps to enjoy some tea."
Seeing Jiang Yun so sensible and generously offering two-thirds of the ghost coins, the lesser wandering soul's previously icy voice softened a bit.
"You little ghost, you do know how to handle things."
It accepted the yellow joss paper and turned to leave.
Jiang Yun quickly flattered, "Farewell, esteemed officer. May your journey be smooth and your future bright."
However, the lesser wandering soul suddenly stopped, turned to face Jiang Yun, and extended a hand.
"You are quite sensible, and I have high hopes for you. The village chief of a lesser ghost village five hundred kilometers away by the You River is an acquaintance of mine."
"If you go there and mention my name, he might accept you as a ghost resident there on my account."
Jiang Yun was overjoyed upon hearing this.
Even the lowest-level ghost village, as long as one can settle down, not only avoids various Three Calamities and Five Poisons and other threats in the underworld but also receives protection from ghost soldiers and enjoys a certain amount of ghostly nourishment.
With a certain level of mature ghostly nourishment, one's strength below a lesser wandering soul won't easily decline, and there's even a chance to stabilize.
But to join a ghost village and be accepted, a mere 30,000 ghost coins might not be enough.
After all, the number of ghost residents a ghost village can accommodate is limited, and competition is fierce.
"Thank you, esteemed officer. Your great kindness and virtue, Jiang Yun will remember forever."
Jiang Yun quickly handed over the last 10,000 yellow joss paper to the lesser wandering soul.
The other accepted it, gave Jiang Yun a rough piece of ghost jade, which was a token of its identity.
Jiang Yun could take it and head to the ghost village it mentioned.
After the lesser wandering soul left, the surrounding wandering souls and ghosts all had their ghostly eyes shining, staring at Jiang Yun with ill intentions.
"Hmph!"
Jiang Yun's ghostly face hardened, and with a light snort, the little ghostly energy he had left flared up, immediately making these wandering souls and wild ghosts realize that Jiang Yun was not someone to be trifled with here.
Otherwise, the only thatched hut within a five-kilometer radius that could avoid the Three Calamities and Five Poisons wouldn't have been occupied by him.
Once a greater wandering soul, even if now reduced to a lesser ghost, Jiang Yun was still among the more fierce and ruthless of the lesser ghosts.
Receiving the incense offering from descendants in the living world this time, if he could successfully reach that ghost village and join it, it would be a turning point.
However, separated by five hundred kilometers, even if a lesser ghost could drift, it would take several days.
Moreover, the journey would pass through territories of wandering souls and wild ghosts who had formed small dominions, making it undoubtedly risky.
To be safe and secure, the best way is to have the descendants who finally remembered to worship their ancestors quickly burn more paper money for support.
With money, one can navigate this ghostly world smoothly and get things done!
However, to achieve this, he must first know who the descendant burning the incense and paper money is and what they desire.