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墨書 Inktalez
When I woke up again, it was already the next morning. The outside world was bright, but not glaring like in the human realm; the light still carried that dim, ghostly feeling of the underworld.
I had actually been awakened by the urge to relieve myself. As I pondered where to go, a mournful voice whispered in my ear, "The restroom is behind that door at the end."
"Ah?" I gasped in surprise, looking around for any ghostly figures. It then dawned on me that this place was filled with spirits, and they could be frightening enough to scare someone to death.
"Sorry for startling you."
A black shadow gradually took shape in the corner by the door and transformed into the figure of a middle school girl with neatly styled twin buns—a charming young girl.
"I am sent by the Lord to serve you. You can call me Little Bugs."
"Are you a bug?"
"No, Little Bugs is my earthly nickname. I was born shortly before I died and didn't have a chance to get a proper name. The Lord saved me, and I used to serve him."
"Oh."
Due to my urgent need to relieve myself, I didn’t ask any more questions and rushed through the door. I expected the restroom to be as rudimentary as those in ancient times, but I was taken aback by its modern decor.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed that many things here blended ancient and modern styles—except for the internet.
They had mobile phones, but they were flat and transparent screens. You could call someone simply by saying their name and receive messages too. I was quite curious and wanted one for myself, but according to Little Bugs' report to Jun Chong, my request was denied due to insufficient spiritual energy, which could lead to self-harm. This left me feeling frustrated for an entire day.
Having just arrived in the underworld, I was full of playful curiosity. Fortunately, Little Bugs was very familiar with her surroundings and took me around while sharing some insights about the underworld.
In the Underworld, the supreme ruler is the King of Hell, who commands seven guardians. Four of these guardians oversee the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—while the remaining three maintain order within the Underworld Palace and its surroundings.
Beneath the King of Hell, there are officials for both governance and local administration, each layer strictly monitored. They are collectively referred to as Grim Reapers, each governing their own territories.
This is just a general overview, as Little Bugs does not have extensive knowledge and thus cannot provide a detailed explanation.
We are situated in the eastern part of the Underworld, which is the area with the most transient souls. It is chaotic with spirits coming and going, but it is also where information flows the fastest.
The place where Jun Chong took me is one of his safe havens, disguised as a brothel to gather intelligence. To prevent me from being harassed by other lecherous spirits, Jun Chong decreed that whenever I go out, I must disguise myself as a young boy.
As long as he doesn’t stop me from wandering around, I’m fine with it. Ultimately, I want to explore this realm for two reasons: first, to understand more about the Underworld; second, to seize the opportunity to inquire about Molin.
I nodded, shaking my hair lightly and adjusting my clothes. Around my neck was a red string tied to a small jade bottle the size of a thumb. Inside the bottle was a strand of hair—Jun Chong’s hair.
Previously, while discussing with Tian Yuan, it informed me that "a ghost's hair possesses spiritual power. The older the ghost, the stronger their power becomes. The strength of ghostly hair also increases with age. When you enter the Underworld, you can ask Lord for a strand of hair to keep on you; it will protect you from being bullied by lesser spirits."
When I asked Jun Chong for a strand of hair, he seemed to understand immediately. He took a small jade bottle and placed his hair inside it before personally tying it around my neck. He then cast a spell on the red string to ensure it wouldn’t fall off easily.
"Be careful, Miss."
Little Bugs pulled me aside, and I noticed that people on the street had moved aside voluntarily, clearing a path. Then an antique bus slowly approached.
I exclaimed, "Is that the Ghost Bus?"
"Yes," Little Bugs whispered in my ear. "This is the Ghost Bus assigned to East City. The Ghost Bus will take you to East City Yamen, where Grim Reapers will assess causes of death and categorize souls based on their past actions. Those burdened with heavy resentment will be sent directly to the Soul Cleansing Pool. If their grievances are not washed away after cleansing, they will be sent to the Eighteen Layers of Hell for punishment. As for those who committed numerous wrongs in life without remorse or made grave mistakes in the Underworld, they will also be sent directly to the Eighteen Layers of Hell."
"Is there really an Eighteen Layers of Hell?"
"Really," Little Bugs nodded. "But I've never seen it myself; I've only heard some patrons say that even the most vicious ghosts would have their legs go weak and not want to return to that place."
As for the Eighteen Layers of Hell, I had only read about them in books, and the reality was completely different, so I didn't feel any fear.
Just as the Ghost Bus passed by and I was about to pull Little Bugs to grab something to eat, I saw the grim reapers in black robes, each wielding a scythe taller than themselves, making their way through. We had to dodge them once again.
They had posted a notice on the bulletin board. I pulled Little Bugs over to take a look, and she scanned it quickly.
"This is the announcement for the new reaper's appointment. There are ranks involved; the ranks of reapers from lowest to highest are black, white, orange, red, blue, and purple. Although sometimes higher-ranked reapers like to wear black outer garments, if you look closely, you'll notice that the color of their waist tags, wrist bands, and the gems on their scythe handles are all different."
"Wow, it's so complicated?" I nodded in half-understanding, my eyes glued to the names listed below. Until I spotted a name at the top: Red-Clad Reaper. I murmured, "Qin Ling?"
"This ghost is quite impressive; usually no one jumps straight to the fourth rank. Most only reach black or white. It seems he has extraordinary abilities and is highly valued by those above." Little Bugs clicked her tongue and tugged at my sleeve to continue sharing her knowledge. "The highest ruler of Yamen is blue; there are three purple reapers in Underworld Palace, and there’s only one guardian in each direction—north, south, east, and west—those are the seven guardians of the King of Hell."
"I always thought the underworld was as simple as it is in animations, where all reapers wear black clothes. I didn't expect there to be so many intricacies. But Little Bugs, you really know a lot."
A faint blush quickly appeared on Little Bugs' delicate cheeks, contrasting beautifully with her fair skin as she shyly lowered her head. "I learned all this from what I've seen daily and from Sister Mu Yan's teachings."
"But you got one thing wrong."
"Huh?" She looked at me in confusion. "What did I get wrong?"
"Those seven guardians may be powerful, but they can't compare to the first Rakshasa of the underworld, Rong Zhi!" I bent down with a broad smile. "Do you know what Rong Zhi wears?"
"Black Gold Thread," Little Bugs replied with an expression of knowingness and smiled at me. "It's said that this battle robe was personally sewn by the former King of Hell and awarded as the highest honor in the underworld. It's said that it shines with golden light against a black background and has countless sparkling colors; it's incredibly magnificent. However, after the former King of Hell abdicated, he reportedly never wore it again and relinquished the honor of being the first Rakshasa. He went into hiding. I later learned from Sister Mu Yan that he actually followed Lord."
"Why did he follow Lord?"
I don't understand, and neither does Little Bugs, shaking his head. "I don't know either."
"I know!"
A playful voice reached my ears, startling me. I turned to look, and inadvertently my lips brushed against something cool and soft. I was so shocked that I stumbled back several steps, only to be pulled tightly into an embrace by that hand.
"Hey there, you smell amazing." He took a deep breath, smiling as he said, "This is the unique fragrance of the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion! How come I've never seen you before?"
Still shaken, I noticed Little Bugs standing nearby, anxious to approach me but being intimidated back by a single glance from the man.
"Who are you?"
The man was extraordinarily handsome, with dark hair loosely tied behind him. His fair complexion seemed meticulously sculpted, flawless and exquisite. His features were delicate yet not effeminate; his eyes sparkled with laughter, hiding a charm that could captivate anyone. The slightly open collar revealed sensual collarbones, and his bright eyes shone with a cheerful light that made it hard to look away.
He wore ordinary clothes, but a blue token hung at his waist. I immediately understood why Little Bugs was afraid.
"Even the Grim Reaper enjoys teasing others?"
His eyebrows raised slightly as he rolled his eyes playfully. With one hand, he lifted my chin and chuckled softly, "Meeting such a beautiful woman makes it hard not to tease."
"I'm a man, not a woman." Since I was still quite young, I even took a moment to check myself; though I might have appeared somewhat delicate, I still looked decent.
He smiled faintly and unceremoniously pinched my chest while laughing. "Is this still considered a man?"
"…"
"Lord Lianchi, please, please let her go. She—she is—"
Little Bugs stammered, unsure of how to describe me. If I said I was a girl from Fragrant Blossom Pavilion, it would only give him more opportunities to be frivolous. Yet, Jun Chong had warned me repeatedly before leaving that I must not let anyone know my identity.
"Who is she?"
Although the ghosts wandering the streets cast curious glances, none dared to step forward to intervene. This only emboldened Lianchi, who brushed my hair aside and kissed my ear.
I struggled in vain, unable to move at all, my anger flaring up.
"Still calling yourself Lord Lianchi? I think you're just a shameless scoundrel."
The ghosts that had been milling about froze at my words for a moment before hastily retreating, leaving only those who were oblivious to the situation.
Even Little Bugs trembled in fear, while Lianchi seemed momentarily stunned. Just when I thought he would be angry, he burst into laughter instead. "Haha, you’re quite amusing, Girl. You should know that no one dares to joke about my name."
"Not daring doesn’t mean no one will."
"You’re becoming more and more interesting."
Lianchi was about to make another move when a voice called out from the side, " Lord Lianchi, it's about time; we should be leaving."
I found the voice familiar and turned to look, my eyes widening in surprise. "Mo, Molin?"
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