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墨書 Inktalez
The Underworld is truly unappealing, especially with its always eerie atmosphere and the occasional distant sounds of wailing and howling, unmistakably from hell. I was walking alone on the infamous Yellow Springs Road, raising my hand to greet the Ox-Head beside me before hastily continuing on my way.
Just a moment ago, I was watching Red Boy torment Weird Brother with a hundred spells, but now I found myself on Yellow Springs Road. Why? (Definitely not because Red Boy accidentally shot me dead.)
The reason was that I suddenly received a call from Yama King, requesting me to rush to the Underworld immediately. I really couldn't understand what could be so urgent. Could it be that the Bridge of Helplessness collapsed? No, I'm not Mason; it wouldn't matter if they called me.
With a head full of questions, I entered Yama's Hall. Upon entering, I saw Yama King was in the middle of an interrogation.
A person was kneeling in the hall below, head bowed, making it impossible to see their face, but judging by their attire, they seemed to come from a wealthy family.
Yama King sat high behind his desk and slammed the Judgment Wood, demanding, "Who is below?"
The kneeling person trembled and replied in a quivering voice, "I am Song Zuji."
"What crime has this fellow committed?" I stood outside and asked the Ghost Messenger who was standing nearby.
"Colluding with his sister-in-law to scheme for his brother's wealth while lying about it. The evidence is conclusive, yet he refuses to admit it," the Ghost Messenger said while leaning on his Fire and Water Staff, looking bored. "Someone like this should go straight to hell; why bother with a trial?"
"Then why waste time? Just take the Dog Head Chopper and be done with it."
"The guillotine outside is just for show; we're already in the Underworld. What else can we chop?" The Ghost Messenger pulled out a toothpick from his pocket and started picking his teeth while chatting with me. "Just wait; there will be a good show soon."
Despite Yama's relentless questioning, the man below refused to acknowledge his crimes, which frustrated Yama King. He slammed the Judgment Wood again!
"Dynasty Ma Han Zhang Long Zhao Hu!"
Wow, this is really happening? This is practically standard equipment for Bao Qing! Four burly men walked in from the back hall and cupped their fists towards Yama King, saying, "My lord!"
Yama King waved his hand dismissively: "No need for pleasantries; get to work."
After that, Yama King stood up, adjusted his ceremonial robe, turned around, and left. One by one, the four burly men took out their tools and approached the one called Song Zuji.
Wang Chao took a folding stool, Ma Han weighed a brick, Zhang Long pulled out a wine bottle, and Zhao Hu held a baseball bat.
"What does this mean?" I asked in surprise; this scene felt so familiar.
"Just beat him up. Ever since they arrived, we haven't had to work at all."
Indeed, the role of the Ghost Messengers was overshadowed by these four guys. When it came to fighting, those Ghost Messengers couldn't compare to the experience of these four.
Wang Chao swung the folding stool, Ma Han lifted the brick, Zhang Long smashed with the wine bottle, and Zhao Hu jabbed with the bat.
I understood why Yama turned and left; it was embarrassing!
"Who are you?" the one with the folding stool noticed me and paused his actions to ask.
"You guys keep practicing; I'm here to find Yama," I said, rubbing my forehead. "I'm the new Judge."
I pointed to my Judge's Robe, and the four of them let me pass.
After going around the front hall, I reached the back where Yama rested. Although there were Ten Kings of Hell, each with their own responsibilities, this was the first Yama's Hall. The Yama here was on rotation; for this period, it was Yama King in charge, and soon King Qin Guang would take over.
Why? Because almost all souls entering the Underworld had to pass through this Yama's Hall, making it quite busy.
While each king's duties weren't particularly heavy, this first Yama's Hall was crucial. If one king were to stay here for too long, he would go insane. Therefore, the position of Yama in this hall rotated every quarter. The other nine kings just needed to manage their assigned responsibilities.
Yama King was sitting in his room drinking tea. Upon seeing me arrive, he raised his hand to signal me to sit down and poured me a cup of tea.
Why is he suddenly so polite? I had an ominous feeling.
"Um, Judge Bao, if there's something you need, I still have things to attend to," I said cautiously.
This is me. If someone else were to face Yama, they would probably be scared out of their wits. Honestly, I'm not busy, but who wants to stay in Underworld for no reason? I really can't get used to this feeling.
"Have some tea, have some tea," Yama King said with a beaming smile, as if he could brew honey on his face.
Looking at that smile made me even more anxious. With a grin like that, he was clearly trying to curry favor with me. Who is this? Yama! Yama is trying to flatter someone; what does he want?
I gently touched the teacup to my lips, but before my lips even got wet, I set it down. This tea is from Underworld; who knows what would happen if a living person drank it? And what if Yama King put something in the tea?
"How's the tea?" Yama King asked with a smile.
"Not bad," I replied insincerely. In fact, I hadn't even tasted it yet, so how would I know what it was like?
"This is our famous tea from Underworld. It only grows on the deepest layer of hell," Yama King began to boast about his tea, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"It can only be grown on human skeletons," Yama King said as he happily took a big sip of the tea.
My stomach churned at that thought. I lowered my head and braced myself against the table, feeling nauseous.
Thank goodness I didn't actually drink it; otherwise, my insides would have been ruined.
Yama King continued to proudly brag about his 'Bone Tea,' completely oblivious to my discomfort.
"Yama, can we stop this? Let's get to the point," I said as I grabbed Yama King's wrist. "Anything is fine, just don't make me drink any more tea."
"But this is yours," Yama King suddenly changed his tone and began to speak with righteous indignation.
I facepalmed; this was too much of a reality check.
"Alright, alright, just hurry up."
"We seem to have been invaded in the Underworld," Yama King murmured as he stood up, placing his hands behind his back.
"I know," I replied. "Earlier, we encountered someone who could use your Underworld's Ghost Fire."
That person was Mr. Cui, whom I had met with Wang Ni. His secret weapon must be the Ghost Fire; if it weren't for Old Black being there, that fire would have been quite difficult to deal with.
"Is he the one brought back by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva? I've already asked the Bodhisattva, and he is just a pawn," Yama King said. "He merely brought the Underworld's Ghost Fire to the human realm, which is still a problem. This time, we have been robbed of our prison."
"Robbed of our prison?" Can hell really be robbed? What would they do with it? Scare people?
"The Hundred Demons Prison has been raided," Yama King said solemnly.
Aside from the fact that people who die without entering hell become ghosts, there are also natural spirits that belong to the earth. For example, Uncle Xing is often followed by several Tracking Ghosts, which are a type of ghost. There are many kinds of these spirits, each with different abilities. As the saying goes, it's easier to deal with Yama than with ghosts. This refers to these living spirits.
Some ghosts can remain in the human realm, like Virtuous Ghosts; these spirits do not harm people but instead encourage them to do good. However, there are also Evil Spirits that take pleasure in doing harm or even make a living from it. Such spirits can be even more terrifying than the souls that leave a person's body because their malice is instinctual. Of course, Ghost Messengers are also a type of ghost, but they are more understanding of human nature and can be used as messengers.
In the Underworld, there are specific hells designed to imprison these spirits. But now Yama King and I find ourselves having our prison raided; isn't that absurd? What good does releasing ghosts do?
"Do you want me to catch the person who raided the prison? You think too highly of me; if they can enter the Underworld, I might not be able to handle it."
"I don't expect you to catch that person," Yama King said, looking at me as if I were an idiot. "I already have a good idea of who invaded the Underworld; even I might not be able to take him down."
"Then why did you call me here?" I had already guessed what he wanted.
"Those ghosts that have escaped into the human realm will be your responsibility." As expected, Yama King waved his sleeve at me.
"What if I refuse?" I looked coldly at Yama King.
"Dynasty Ma Han Zhang Long Zhao Hu!" Yama King suddenly shouted loudly.
I can't believe this, are they really going to start a fight if I don't agree?
Four people entered through the door. Wang Chao grabbed a folding stool, Ma Han weighed a brick in his hand, Zhang Long pulled out a bottle of liquor, and Zhao Hu carried a baseball bat.
"Judge Bao, what's going on?" the four of them said in deep voices. Zhang Long had already smashed his liquor bottle and pulled out a case of beer from under Yama King's bed. He opened a bottle and gulped it down in one go, holding the empty bottle upside down in his hand.
"Master Bao, leave this matter to me," I said, patting my chest. Goodness, if I don't agree, I'll definitely get beaten up.
"Look at this, if I have to take action, we are all reasonable people who believe in virtue," Yama King said, pretending to be philosophical.
Indeed, believing in virtue is only because one can't win a fight; who would want to suffer if they could win?
"Master Bao, is there anything else you need to tell me?" I asked with a bitter face. "If there's something to say, just say it all at once. I can't handle running back and forth."
"How about this? I'll have Dynasty Ma Han Zhang Long Zhao Hu help you."
"No way, I can't afford to support them."
Another four people? Am I still going to survive? My salary is already low; how can I support so many people? Just based on how Zhang Long drank that whole bottle of beer in one go, my monthly salary should be enough for them to drink for two months.
"It's fine; you just need to summon them when you need them. If there's nothing going on, they'll stay here with me. I still need them too."
That's true; what if someone doesn't comply without these four? Those Ghost Messengers wouldn't be as motivated otherwise.
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