Chapter 247: with translation of chapter title

"Clang……" blankly searching for Han Duo, Little Fat's voice came from beside me, and Murong Jia Jia's voice suddenly sounded: "Hai Sheng, look, is the girl you're looking for over there?"

Following Murong Jia Jia's pointed direction, I indeed found a Han Duo wearing red clothes; at this moment, Han Duo, like a lonely wandering soul, was crowded by lonely ghosts and wild ghosts, step by step across the Naihe Bridge.

Seeing Han Duo's dazed, ownerless appearance, I couldn't help but curse loudly in my heart: How could Han Duo have completely lost consciousness!

The situation kept getting worse. According to reason, after Han Duo fell into the underworld, her consciousness should have cleared, but now she looks not much better than those lonely ghosts and wild ghosts. If we reason normally, Han Duo shouldn't be this weak, but I suspect she was previously injured by QingSongShu's heavenly eye ability, causing her soul to suffer grave damage, and after descending into the underworld she completely lost consciousness.

Yin officials lined up in two rows on either side guarding the Naihe Bridge. I bent down, scrambling wildly among the ghost crowd, rushed to Han Duo's side and grabbed her sleeve, I placed the command seal on her forehead, after knocking her out I slowly pulled her backward. As long as I drag her out of the Naihe Bridge, the Yellow Spring Road is the gateway between yin and yang; then there will be a way to return to Yangjian.

"Hey……please excuse me, don't block the way, okay?" It seemed a ghost was blocking me behind; instinctively I reached out and pushed back, trying to push away the ghost blocking my back.

But……this ghost is different from others, it feels as hard as a pillar, no matter how hard I push I can't move it, and moreover my hand feels like I'm gripping something round.

It felt soft to the touch, like a balloon; thinking this, I casually squeezed it twice. I hadn't even finished the two squeezes when I heard a loud "ah—ah!" cry.

How could there be a sound? I curiously turned around, and in an instant I was so scared I collapsed onto the ground. Damn, what the hell are these two black-and-white pillars? How tall they are, it's outrageous.

After I slowly calmed my surprise, I finally made out the identities of these two pillars. One black, one white, wearing tall hats, holding ghost-roasting sticks; one dressed entirely in white, with the tall hat inscribed in seal script with the four characters "One look brings wealth." The other entirely black, with the tall hat inscribed with the four characters "Peace under heaven." Clearly, they are the underworld's yin deities, the two top lackeys of King Yama, Black and White Impermanence.

Actually, according to legend, Black Impermanence should have a fierce face, while White Impermanence should have a smiling, squinty face. But now, not only does Black Impermanence have a fierce face, White Impermanence also has an angry expression.

Because……just now my hand accidentally grabbed White Impermanence's little JJ, feeling soft, I even casually squeezed it hard twice.

"White……White Grandpa's descendant root, truly magnificent beyond measure, makes me sweat in shame, I feel inferior, I feel inferior." I fawningly spoke while wiping cold sweat (of course, wiping cold sweat is my habit; as a ghost, I currently have no sweat). This is the life experience Pangzi gave me: no matter what mistake you made, you must flatter them to death. However, I never have Pangzi's thick skin; I can't spout such grandiose, lofty, unprecedented nonsense,

White Impermanence hadn't spoken yet, Black Impermanence gave a cold stare and said sternly: "Which sect are you from, actually not knowing life or death, daring to intrude into the underworld—don't you forget the laws of yin and yang?"

The so-called yang has yang rules, yin has yin laws; those who eat the Daoist Sect's food are naturally inseparable from the yin-yang realms. Over the years, predecessor Daoists who wandered the underworld have indeed existed. But in the netherworld there are netherworld regulations.

When a person dies and enters the netherworld, they must first pass the Ghost Gate; beyond the Ghost Gate is the Yellow Spring Road; past the Yellow Spring Road lies the Naihe Bridge; at the end of the Naihe Bridge is the Lookout Tower; after drinking Meng Po's soup, those destined for hell go to hell, those destined for reincarnation go to reincarnation.

A Daoist master who wishes to bring souls to the world of the living, to return those who mistakenly entered the netherworld to life, must seize a person on the Yellow Spring Road before the Ghost Gate. At this moment, wandering souls have not truly stepped into the underworld, so they are not under its jurisdiction. Saying that the Ghost Gate is this forked ridge, it is the black-and-white zone of the underworld.

Because I had cut Han Duo's hair while performing rituals earlier, and kept thinking of her appearance, upon entering the underworld I only gained awareness after following her to the Naihe Bridge. At this point I had already passed the Yellow Spring Road, but fortunately hadn't reached the Lookout Tower, so this slim chance of life lay in the hands of Black and White Impermanence. If they let me go, I could bring Han Duo back to life; if they refuse, I and Han Duo would likely be stuck forever in the underworld, wanting to become human again only possible in the next life.

"Honored deities, I am a disciple of the Yin Mountain Sect, yes, the Yin Mountain Sect's ancestral founder." Hearing Black and White Impermanence ask this, I hurriedly stated my affiliation; since ancient times, in Daoist sects, the Yin Mountain Sect has had the best relationship with the underworld's yin deities—Black and White Impermanence, the underworld kings, these deities are all worshipped by the Yin Mountain Sect.

After I blurted out my master's lineage, Black Impermanence's face showed surprise, and he and White Impermanence looked at each other, saying: "Old Xie, this is one of our own followers, isn't it?"

Immediately, the angry expression on White Impermanence's face gradually faded, replaced by a smile.

White Impermanence coughed twice, then said with a beaming smile: "So it's one of our own incense followers; in that case..."

"Yes, I am a fervent follower of both Black and White Impermanence; on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month I never forget to make offerings to the two lords." I secretly rejoiced, seeing that the Yin Mountain Sect's worship isn't of some lofty heavenly deity, but worshipping the underworld's yin deities also has its benefits; heavenly stuff like the Jade Emperor is too distant, whereas the yin-yang realms are more reliable.

Thinking this, I rolled my eyes, hatched a plan, approached Black and White Impermanence, and spoke in the same obsequious, fawning manner as Pangzi: "Lords, the fifteenth is coming soon; I have prepared at home a heap of golden boys and jade girls, underworld money and treasures, just waiting for the time to arrive to sincerely offer them to you two."

Don't think Black and White Impermanence truly covet that bit of underworld money and treasures; any disciple who offers to them sets up an altar. Once believers and disciples burn incense and pay homage, or disciples invoke their names to perform rites, these two yin deities absorb faith and merit. Faith and merit are not something that so-called underworld money and treasures can compare to.

Black and White Impermanence hearing me say this, smiles spread across their faces; White Impermanence coughed once and said: "Since you are also a disciple who offers to us, and still come from the Yin Mountain Sect's ancestral founder, I won't blame you for privately entering the Naihe Bridge. Leave that soul beside you, and quickly return to Yangjian to restore life."

White Impermanence actually showed great mercy; others, if not reported, who privately enter the Naihe Bridge will surely suffer a beating with the ghost-roasting stick. But my purpose this time is to take Han Duo away; if she stays here, I'd be pointless to go down to the underworld.

Thinking this, I couldn't help but become anxious, urgently pointing at Han Duo and saying to Black and White Impermanence: "Lords, this girl is actually a disciple of the Mei Shan Master's teaching, but her cultivation is shallow; upon entering the underworld she becomes dazed and her soul is led astray; I'm telling the truth, don't believe me? Look..."

Seeing Black and White Impermanence's expression worsening, I hurriedly shoved my middle finger into Han Duo's mouth. The blood of the middle finger can dispel evil, but when we project our souls, the soul's power can also flow from the middle finger out, to nourish the spirits of other ghosts.

Han Duo sucked my original soul like she didn't care about her life; just as I was about to faint, Han Duo finally slowly woke up.

"Huh……where is this, you brat, how are you here? Yeah, you all are……" Han Duo first glanced around dazedly and at me, then when she looked toward Black and White Impermanence she was startled and immediately formed a hand seal.

"You're crazy……" I grabbed her hand and glared at her fiercely. What kind of joke is this—this is the netherworld, Black and White Impermanence's turf; any high-level Daoist's power is weakened upon entering the netherworld, incomparable to the world of the living. Fighting here, damn, is a dead end.

Of course, the magical implements passed down from the master are useful, but damn, Han Duo's command flag is already destroyed; and even if I brought a command flag, I wouldn't dare act against Black and White Impermanence, since their effigies are still enshrined on my altar—asking myself whether I should still request their help in the future, or continue to associate with them at all.

"Lords, please don't be angry, my friend is making her first trip to the netherworld, she doesn't understand……" I clasped my hands and apologetically said to Black and White Impermanence: "You two, see if this works: let my friend return to life, and afterward she will also enshrine you two great deities on her Mei Shan Master's altar—one leads to two, two leads to three……" After saying that, I fiercely glared at Han Duo and whispered in her ear: "Cooperate, I'm helping you; do you still want to get out?"

Han Duo snorted, turned her head, and couldn't be bothered with me.

Undoubtedly, my proposal is very tempting; every Daoist's altar has many believers burning incense, and one more Daoist offering to Black and White Impermanence means they gain an extra share of incense power. The Mei Shan Sect enshrines the hunter deity Zhang Wu Lang, but as the saying goes, once there's a first time there will be a second; if Black and White Impermanence can enter a Mei Shan disciple's altar, after development they will surely merge with the Mei Shan Sect. In this way, branching out, the incense Black and White Impermanence receive will only increase.

Seeing Black and White Impermanence seem moved, I quickly stepped forward and added emphasis: "Great deities, look at my friend—her forehead also has converging spiritual light, her yang lifespan on the life-and-death register is certainly not exhausted; this time it's merely that she doesn't know the rules and mistakenly entered the Naihe Bridge. If you let her go, I believe King Yama will certainly not blame us."

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, except for this little pouty girl Han Duo, standing aside with her arms crossed, wearing an indifferent expression. This girl, why is she so clueless? At least she should learn from her older brother—being able to yield and stand firm is what makes a true man, right?

Black and White Impermanence were pondering when a distant bell rang from the underworld city. This bell should be the legendary soul-striking bell; when it sounds, it means the underworld is about to hold a meeting.

"The Prince Guang has an edict, Old Xie—I think we should go back first. Since these two youths are Daoists who communicate between yin and yang, and one of them is still from the Yin Mountain Sect's ancestral founder, counting as our own disciple, out of this sentiment, letting them go is not excessive." Black Impermanence turned his head to look at White Impermanence beside him.

Hey……opportunity has come!