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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 180: Ghost Gate
As far as I know, the reason they were sent to this place was that they couldn't afford to bribe the Ghostly Enforcer, and now we would become a feast for the Evil Dog Ridge and the Vicious Dogs.
I thought about how, during Ghost Month, when the Ghost Gate was wide open, the Underworld and the Black and White Impermanence must be overwhelmed, which allowed these Ghostly Enforcers to indulge in corruption and oppress these poor New Souls.
The road ahead must be fraught with danger; even the corrupt Ghostly Enforcers were unwilling to escort us here. I was convinced that escaping through this faint light might not be a wise choice. The Monkey Spirit was right; the Ghostly Enforcers intended to leave us in Evil Dog Ridge. If I wasn't mistaken, going out from here would lead straight to Evil Dog Ridge.
Perhaps our current location was just another Skull Mouth.
"Go back, don't move forward," I urged.
"This is the exit; why can't we go?" A tall, thin Bald Old Man couldn't help but ask.
"Because going out this way is a dead end." I decisively stepped back, only to find a wall blocking my path a few meters away. I raised my hand to touch it; it was cold and slimy, and when I brought my hand to my nose, it smelled terrible.
The two New Souls following me noticed I had stopped and asked, "Why aren't we moving?"
"The way back is blocked," I said, turning around in disappointment to face them.
"What should we do now?"
Staying in this stinky ghost place wasn't an option; I had to find a way back to the living world, or things would spiral out of control. Anxious and hurried, I led them back to our original position and looked up at that beam of light.
That light was our hope.
I climbed toward the light with a hint of hope, inching my way up as the foul odor seemed to recede. The thought of breaking through to the light and seeing the world again filled my mind. I kept climbing until I finally emerged, only to find that the light had vanished behind me, replaced by an overwhelming stench that assaulted my senses. I straightened up and looked back, and as expected, we had crawled out from another Skull Mouth, with the source of the foul smell coming from the two eye sockets of the skull above.
Something was writhing in those eye sockets, and I didn't need to think hard to know what it was.
I turned my head away and shifted my gaze down past the shattered bones at the base of the mouth, revealing a vast expanse of forest-like scenery before me. It was eerily quiet all around, so silent it was unsettling; there were no signs of Vicious Dogs or other spirits, just a ground littered with dry bones.
I cautiously slid down, standing still to observe for any danger before waving to the others. Initially, the three of us walked together without noticing anything unusual. After some time, however, we began to hear distant barking from behind us and all around—a chorus of barks that grew louder and more chilling with each passing moment.
“Dogs…” Bald Old Man exclaimed in surprise. I hadn’t told them about Evil Dog Ridge. I was afraid of scaring them, and besides, what if this wasn’t Evil Dog Ridge after all? No one would come to scout the Underworld beforehand before officially entering it.
Death lurked at every corner; who knew when it would strike? It came without warning yet constantly threatened everyone.
“This is Evil Dog Ridge; we have to rush through here to reach our destination.” I quickened my pace but saw no dogs appearing or chasing after us. Perhaps I was overthinking it, so I relaxed my guard and continued on.
Just as we were making good progress, Bald Old Man suddenly seemed to remember something and grew anxious. “I’ve heard there are dogs in the Underworld. When my grandmother passed away, a priest placed a Rice Ball in her palm to ward off Vicious Dogs. Unfortunately, a rat stole that Rice Ball from her hand when she arrived in the Underworld. Without it, she was bitten by Vicious Dogs and had to send a dream to My Dad. She told him she was being attacked by dogs, but he didn’t take it seriously. Later on, when I got married and had kids, my grandmother came to me in a dream again—she was hurt all over. My mom and old man had both passed away by then; no one would believe me. Eventually, I got hit by something falling from above.”
“Was it your grandmother?”
The balding uncle forced a smile and shook his head. “If only it were my grandmother! Who knows if she could even make it to this place?”
Big Sister muttered under her breath, “Karma! Karma!”
Bald Old Man got angry, thinking Big Sister was referring to him. He jumped up and shouted angrily, “What karma? My grandmother didn’t die unjustly; she lived a full life!”
"Big Sister" pouted, "If you have filial piety, you should keep vigil. How could a mouse steal food with someone watching over the spirit?"
I thought "Big Sister" had a point, but "Bald Old Man" persisted, "Well, you have filial piety too, yet look at how miserable your fate turned out to be, just like mine."
"I..." "Big Sister" was at a loss for words, glancing around as if hiding something difficult to say.
"Sister, once you're in this place, there's no turning back. You need to express what's on your mind and let out the guilt in your heart. Go to that place clean and clear, so when the next life comes, you can be free of burdens," I encouraged her.
After a moment of hesitation, "Big Sister" spoke up, "It's all my fault. I was too young back then. I found a good husband but didn't like my mother-in-law. She had asthma and spent so much on medication throughout the year. When she was seriously ill, I had to take care of her. I was really frustrated; after getting married, I never got to enjoy myself. Plus, because of my mother-in-law's condition, my husband and I were afraid to have children. One time, she fell ill again, and I had to stay in the hospital taking care of her and personally feeding her. I couldn't help but complain about my miserable fate."
Both "Bald Old Man" and I listened intently, completely unaware of the danger creeping closer to us. Pairs of green eyes were fixed on us, their long tongues trailing behind them as they moved.
They weren't felines but possessed the alertness and keen observation typical of such creatures.
"Big Sister" continued recounting her story with her mother-in-law: "My mother-in-law was furious with my complaints. She gasped for breath while saying that I was ungrateful for the good fortune I had at home; after all, I was bought with their money. In a fit of anger, I shoved a rice ball into her mouth forcefully until she rolled her eyes back. I even cursed her to choke on it."
"And then you choked to death?"
"Yes, I couldn't accept it. It was just a few words; how could it come true for me?"
"What about your mother-in-law?"
"She died right when I was feeding her; she just couldn't catch her breath and passed away."
"That..."
I was about to say more when a dark mass came rushing toward us. It wasn't just that mass; there were also the sounds of creatures howling and swallowing saliva. I froze in fear and looked around. My goodness!
A pack of Vicious Dogs, their eyes fierce and mouths filled with sharp teeth, their fur as tough as steel wires, were baring their fangs, drool flying in the wind.
The Bald Old Man and Big Sister were so frightened they nearly collapsed to the ground. I quickly reached out to support them both. We huddled back to back, facing the Vicious Dogs that were closing in from all directions. The Vicious Dogs were restless, inching closer, and I could almost imagine our defenseless souls being torn apart by their steel jaws, becoming their meal, fueling them until they expelled us as mere gas.
"Help us! I don't want to be torn apart! I want to be a good person in my next life!" The Bald Old Man and Big Sister clung tightly to my arms. We spun in place, while the Vicious Dogs looked at us as if we were a plate of delicious braised meat.
Finally, the Vicious Dogs could no longer hold back and charged toward us with wild abandon. Their heavy breathing and low growls grew louder. At that moment, my heart raced to my throat. I could easily run far away without them, but they held onto my arms tightly, unable to break free. I had no choice but to prepare for a desperate fight.
As the Vicious Dogs lunged at us, I grabbed both of them and ran in the opposite direction.
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