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墨書 Inktalez
I was somewhat at a loss for words, but I didn't say much as the Clay Bodhisattva transformed into a human.
At that moment, I was standing on a ground of bones. Many people thought that the Underworld Road was completely dark, but it wasn't; it just lacked the brightness of daylight from the living world.
It was somewhat dark—dimmer than a cloudy day on Earth.
I glanced around, curious since it was my first time on the Underworld Road.
The Clay Bodhisattva approached me and said, "Saning Brother, is this really the Underworld Road?"
I nodded. I had never been here before either, so my response was merely a guess.
The ground was covered in bones, and the presence of Shadow Wives felt heavy. Standing there sent a chill through me—not just a sensory cold, but a bone-deep chill that seemed to freeze one’s very marrow.
As I took a step forward, the sound of cracking bones echoed beneath my feet.
I thought about the episode in Journey to the West when Sun Wukong caused chaos in the Underworld. When he descended into the Underworld, there were many ghostly messengers around.
I was wary of encountering any ghostly messengers here, so I proceeded with caution. I pulled out my phone to check if I could make a call.
However, there was no signal at all.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. The Clay Bodhisattva leaned in curiously and asked what I was doing.
I replied that I wasn't doing anything.
I suggested we find someone quickly; lingering here felt unsettling since this was not a place for the living.
The atmosphere was eerie and terrifying, with a chill that pierced straight to my heart.
However, it was strange that I did not see a single soul here. Not one. It felt odd.
After dying and crossing the River of Yellow Springs, then passing the Bridge of Helplessness and drinking Meng Po Soup, one should directly reincarnate, right? But people die every day in the mortal realm. Why was this Underworld Road so desolate?
I couldn't make sense of it, and it seemed there were no traces of the ghostly messengers here. It looked like a stagnant pool of water, making me doubt whether this was truly the Underworld Road.
I walked forward with Clay Bodhisattva.
Clay Bodhisattva was carefree, completely disregarding this place. She bounced along, looking as if she were out for a stroll. I called out to her several times, but she didn’t listen.
Finally, I lost my patience and gave her a good smack, which finally quieted her down.
Clay Bodhisattva walked beside me, feeling wronged as she said, “Saning Brother, why did you hit me?”
I replied, “If I don’t hit you, you won’t understand the gravity of the situation. I'm doing this for your own good.”
Clay Bodhisattva nearly cried but managed to hold back her tears.
I continued walking forward. The road was littered with white bones; aside from the bones, there was nothing else. I tried calling out to Yiyan.
I called several times, but no one responded.
What troubled me most was the emptiness around me; there was nothing at all, which made my heart uneasy. I began to doubt whether I had come to the right place.
Clay Bodhisattva also called out for Yiyan.
I tugged at the red thread in my hand, and the bell on it jingled softly. The sound echoed in my ears.
I took a few steps and then realized something was off.
"Clay Bodhisattva" quickly asked me, "Saning Brother, what's wrong?"
I replied that it should be called "One by One," not "Yiyan." I called out "One by One," my voice echoing in the space, but still, no one answered.
I didn't know how long we had walked when I seemed to hear the sound of flowing water. It was the "Earth Farming Group."
As soon as "Clay Bodhisattva" heard the sound of water, he became excited and ran ahead. However, after running for a while, I coughed, and "Clay Bodhisattva" returned with a look of grievance.
"Saning Brother, I just wanted to go see."
I said I wanted to see too.
"Then let's go!"
I told "Clay Bodhisattva," "This isn't your home; if we're going to look, we need to do it quietly."
I just felt very uneasy being here, truly.
"Clay Bodhisattva" seemed to think my words made sense and quickly quieted down. We walked toward the sound of water and soon saw a stone tablet with two characters inscribed: "Underworld."
Last time on the rooftop, I seemed to have seen these two characters: "Underworld."
The appearance of the word "Underworld" here must mean that this is indeed the "Underworld Road." Did that mean the section we had walked before wasn't part of the "Underworld Road," and we had to pass this stone before it counted? My mind was in turmoil.
I took a deep breath.
The sound of flowing water became clearer. Listening to this clean sound of water, I could guess that this river must be crystal clear.
"Clay Bodhisattva" seemed impatient already.
I took a step forward.
Suddenly, I said, "Aren't you afraid that Clay Bodhisattva might not make it across the river?"
Clay Bodhisattva turned to look at me and said, "Saning Brother, I'm not Clay Bodhisattva. Besides, aren't you supposed to protect me?"
I replied directly to Clay Bodhisattva, "I won't protect you." With that, I strode ahead, and Clay Bodhisattva followed closely behind me. However, as soon as I stepped into the Underworld, I saw souls—only a few of them—but they seemed completely devoid of consciousness.
Could this really be Underworld Road? I couldn't help but doubt it.
Clay Bodhisattva suddenly exclaimed with excitement, "Saning Brother, the river is just ahead!"
We walked toward the river. I had expected clear waters, but to my surprise, it was a stream murkier than the Yellow River.
Although the water here was muddy, the sound of it flowing was quite melodious, as if it were the purest river imaginable.
Yet the truth was obscured from our ears.
I glanced around, and Clay Bodhisattva looked disappointed as well.
I continued searching for Yiyan's whereabouts when suddenly Clay Bodhisattva called out to me. I turned to look.
Clay Bodhisattva pointed into the river and said, "Saning Brother, there’s someone in the water."
I focused my gaze but could only see the surface of the river; there were no signs of anyone. Apart from the ripples caused by the flow, there was nothing else.
I couldn't see anyone, but Clay Bodhisattva did.
I was just about to speak when I noticed a spot in the river bubbling up, and the bubbles were increasing in number, expanding in area.
Eventually, I saw the water gradually turning red, and then a skeletal hand emerged from the crimson water. Without a second thought, I grabbed Clay Bodhisattva and turned to leave.
That silly girl was still saying, "Saning Brother, I haven't seen clearly yet."
I couldn't help but gasp; just moments ago, I felt a wave of deathly aura enveloping me, so vivid that I almost believed I was about to die.
We distanced ourselves from the riverbank and retreated. I thought to myself that this couldn't be the territory of Underworld Road anymore.
It was a river, and if there were a river in the Underworld, it should be the River of Forgetfulness.
After stepping back with Clay Bodhisattva, I found myself back on Underworld Road, searching for Yiyan.
Damn it, where could that bastard be hiding? I was getting frustrated. I sat down on the ground, surrounded by eerie white bones.
Clay Bodhisattva said, "Saning Brother, don't you think it would be so much fun if we just stayed here and didn't go back?"
I cursed at the girl for being foolish. How did Third Uncle ever leave her to me?
I asked Clay Bodhisattva, "What are you really thinking?"
She blinked at me and said honestly, Clay Bodhisattva was a beauty, but after being beaten by me earlier, she looked somewhat disheveled now.
"Saning Brother, do you know what my name is?"
I replied that I didn't know; I had never asked. Yet I always called her Clay Bodhisattva.
"Saning Brother, would you like to know my name?"
I said I didn't want to, and Clay Bodhisattva finally became unhappy. She stood up, pointed at my forehead, and scolded me, ready to roll up her sleeves and hit me.
Looking at Clay Bodhisattva's fierce demeanor, I almost burst out laughing.
But just then, my pupils constricted, and I hurriedly called out to Clay Bodhisattva, urging her to crouch down.
Seeing that I wasn't joking, Clay Bodhisattva quickly crouched down.
She asked me what I had seen.
I took a deep breath because I had witnessed something so shocking that I could hardly believe it. Previously, when we came to Underworld Road, we hadn't seen anything of value, not even when we might have reached the banks of the River of Forgetfulness.
But at this moment, I saw it—many souls were approaching us, countless in number, so many that I couldn't keep track.
However, these souls were surrounding something.
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