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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 118: The Road to the Underworld
It is said that the Ghost Messenger, while in the Underworld, was waiting for a chance to bring a person's soul but had not seen any progress. Worried that he would be blamed by Yama for missing the time, he ran to the mortal realm to find the Yang official and asked why he had not yet brought the person. The Yang official replied that the person had already died, so how could he still bring back their soul?
The Ghost Messenger went to check and found it was indeed true; the person had been dead for an unknown amount of time. He had no choice but to return to the Underworld and report to Yama.
He thought this would allow him to evade responsibility, but Yama found the matter suspicious and ordered a Court Official to investigate the person's background. It was discovered that this person was actually the son of the Yang official. In the end, his attempt to evade responsibility was uncovered, and his son was naturally captured and brought to the Underworld.
The outcome would not be good. Anyone who attempts to use evil methods to escape life and death will face consequences once exposed, and they cannot escape the responsibilities of the Ninth Realm of Beasts. It can be said that those who survive by such means have their own unavoidable hardships. The Yang official also faced a penalty for violating the laws of the Underworld, losing seventeen years of his lifespan and passing away early.
This illustrates the disadvantages of living people becoming Yang officials; being alive in the mortal realm means they are always burdened with various concerns. You can capture others' souls and witness their deaths, but if you know when your loved ones will die, how can you bear the pain of knowing they are destined to die while you are powerless to save them? This sorrow is something no one else can truly understand.
Returning to our main topic, I had prepared items like the life-extending lamp, crossing-over talisman, and Paper Horse, so I called Brother Wang to bring a bowl of water as we were about to begin the ritual for crossing over...
The clear water arrived, and I held it while reciting an incantation: "Divine water crosses over, once, twice, three times; without recitation, it won't work. Draw from the well five dragon's water, bring along grass shoe water from the road, fetch long-flowing water from the riverbank, scoop up Five Ghosts water from the river. First spray heaven open, second spray earth split, third spray human injury, fourth spray ghost extinction. I obey the Supreme Elder Lord's urgent order..."
Once I finished reciting the incantation, I sprayed four mouthfuls of clear water and then lay back on the sofa with my eyes closed and hands crossed over my chest in a posture resembling a corpse being prepared for burial. I instructed Brother Wang to place the crossing-over talisman I had drawn earlier on my chest. After a short while with the talisman applied, I felt dizzy and passed out...
Some people who cross over do not use crossing-over talismans but instead place grave soil or stones on their chest. This symbolizes resting in peace; it signifies that this person is already dead, with grave soil or stones pressing down on them as if they were buried.
You might wonder what this means. In this profession, it refers to collecting Yang energy from living people because due to the principle of Yin and Yang opposing each other, one cannot carry Yang energy into the Underworld.
Some people even consume soil when crossing over. Yes, you heard that right; they actually eat soil by holding it in their mouths. As they say, when speaking with people you speak human language; when encountering ghosts you speak ghost language. Those who do not understand ghost language must hold soil in their mouths so that what they say becomes ghostly speech; only then can they communicate normally with spirits below.
Of course, I understand ghost language myself, so I do not need to hold soil or have stones pressed against me because I can use a crossing-over talisman instead of soil or stones; it can temporarily seal my own Yang energy.
During the crossing of the underworld, the lying position is also significant; it must be the posture of a dead person sleeping, lying flat with both hands crossed over the chest. Normally, it is best not to sleep like this, as this sleeping position is most likely to attract ghostly pressure during sleep—remember this! This way of sleeping is called "the posture arranged by others," meaning that only after death will others help arrange a deceased person's body in such a position, which is very inauspicious.
Without further ado, once the talisman for crossing the underworld was applied, everything went dark before my eyes, and I could see nothing.
I don't know how long it lasted, but I felt as if I had awakened, yet it seemed like I was still in a dream. In a daze, it felt as though I was in another world, or as if I were riding a white horse on a mountaintop, traversing mountains and rivers. I wanted to open my eyes, but everything remained dark; I could see nothing.
This feeling persisted for a while until I heard Cao Qilong's voice beside me: "Junior brother, we've reached the Ghost Gate; hurry and open your eyes!"
These words pulled me back from my dream. When I opened my eyes, I found myself riding on a white horse, facing the Ghost Gate of Mound. The air inside the Ghost Gate was thick with yin energy, and gusts of cold wind blew out from within, representing endless death energy!
I glanced at Cao Qilong; his face was as pale as paper, devoid of color. Yes, at this moment we were no longer living beings but souls; our life force had been sealed by the talisman for crossing the underworld, leaving us with such terrifying appearances. If there were a mirror to look into, we would probably scare ourselves; however, ghosts do not appear in mirrors, so it would be useless.
In fact, those movies that claim one can see ghosts in mirrors are all fabricated; ghosts cannot be reflected in mirrors.
Looking at the wide-open Ghost Gate, I said to Cao Qilong: "Let's go; we can't miss the timing!"
Cao Qilong nodded, and then we spurred our horses forward as the white horse took us toward the Ghost Gate...
Above the stone door of the Ghost Gate were four flying eaves; the pitch-black stone door stood wide open and ominous. On a blood-rust-colored plaque hung above it were inscribed the terrifying words "Ghost Gate," which caught one's attention.
In front of the gate were several stone steps, and on both stone doors were carved eighteen punishing ghosts—each with greenish faces and fierce expressions, each in different poses and vividly lifelike. Inside the gate was thick with mist and deep darkness that gave off an eerie and terrifying feeling.
Soon we passed through the stone door; then the world before us dimmed. Cold winds whistled around us while everything appeared murky. There were no sun or stars visible, no trees or flowers to be seen, nor could we hear any human voices or birdsong. All that lay before us was an endless expanse of gray barren earth and a sky that seemed perpetually darkened—this place was filled with death energy!
Retracting my gaze to look down at my feet revealed a small winding path that was uneven and pitted. Seeing this path made me realize that this must be the legendary Yellow Springs Road.
On Yellow Springs Road flows the River of Forgetfulness; over this river lies the Bridge of Helplessness. Beyond this bridge is the Platform of Longing; beside this platform sits Meng Po. This describes the scene at the entrance of Underworld. After death, one must first pass through the Ghost Gate and then traverse Yellow Springs Road. Between Yellow Springs Road and the Underworld lies a boundary marked by the River of Forgetfulness.
As we passed through the Ghost Gate and stepped onto the Road to the Underworld, the Ghost Gate behind us suddenly vanished. When we looked back, we saw a road behind us just like the one beneath our feet, stretching endlessly into the distance. The once empty Road to the Underworld was now filled with passersby.
Surrounding us were countless souls, both male and female, young and old. Indeed, the Road to the Underworld had both the elderly and the young; no one knew when they would die because death does not necessarily wait until one is old.
The newly departed souls walked along the Road to the Underworld, appearing panicked and helpless. They did not realize they were dead, so they could only walk forward in a daze, following the crowd. Those who were reluctant to move forward were met by Ghost Messengers wielding crying sticks, who would rush over and beat them mercilessly, causing them to scream in agony.
Yes, once you are on the Road to the Underworld, there is no choice. You must walk whether you want to or not. As the saying goes, there are no inns on the Road to the Underworld; no matter how much wealth you have in life, you must obediently continue your journey here.
Walking on this Road to the Underworld felt exceptionally oppressive. Perhaps it was because I saw the desolate helplessness of those Wandering Souls, or perhaps it was a reminder of my own fate—my life has been lonely and miserable. If I were to die one day and walk this Road again, would I be unwilling to move forward? Would there be anyone or anything in the living world that I would care about?
Perhaps not, because my life has always been one of solitude…
As we walked on, I hardly spoke, and neither did Cao Qilong. I lost track of time since there was no sun or stars here; all I knew was that we had been walking for a long time. Suddenly, an Old Woman appeared before us, dressed in tattered ancient Han clothing. She was hunched over and supported herself with a broken cane as she slowly approached us.
Seeing this Old Woman puzzled me. On this Road to the Underworld, everyone moved forward; there were no signs of anyone going back. If she were a person from the realm of yin and yang, she should be riding a white horse; instead, she was also a Wandering Soul. Yet along this road, Ghost Messengers punished any Wandering Souls who refused to move forward with whips that left them battered and bruised. So why could this Old Woman walk back?
As I pondered this in my mind, the Old Woman reached us and blocked our path.
Since it was my first time in the Underworld and seeing that Ghost Messengers ignored her presence, I realized she was not an ordinary person. Not daring to show anger towards her, I bowed slightly and said, "Please allow me and my companion to pass, dear grandmother!"
However, the Old Woman showed no intention of moving aside. She struck her cane against the ground three times while still hunched over, not even glancing at us as she said, "Wandering Souls on the Road to the Underworld must pass; loyalty and treachery are determined by hooks and knives!"
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