Chapter 519: with translation of chapter title

Clang— I was aimlessly searching for Han Duo when Little Fat's voice came from beside my ear, and Murong Jia Jia's voice suddenly rang out: "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 dressed in red clothes. At this moment, Han Duo, like a masterless lonely soul, was being crowded by wild ghosts, walking step by step across the Naihe Bridge.

Seeing Han Duo's dazed, masterless 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, Han Duo should have regained consciousness after falling into the underworld, but now she looks hardly better than those wild ghosts. If we reason normally, Han Duo shouldn't be this weak, but I suspect she was injured earlier by QingSongShu's heavenly eye divine ability, causing her soul to suffer grave damage, and upon descending into the underworld she completely lost consciousness.

On both sides, the yin constables stood in two rows guarding the Naihe Bridge. I bent down, weaving through the crowd of ghosts, reached Han Duo's side and grabbed her sleeve, then pressed the command seal onto her forehead, rendering her unconscious before dragging her back bit by bit. Once dragged past the Naihe Bridge, the Yellow Spring Road becomes the gateway between yin and yang; then there would be a way to return to the Yangjian.

"Hey… please, move aside, don't block the way." It seemed a ghost was blocking me from behind; instinctively I reached back and shoved, trying to push aside the ghost behind me.

But… how is this ghost different from the others? It feels as hard as a pillar, and no matter how hard I push, I can't budge it; moreover, my hand feels like it's grasping something round.

It felt soft to the touch, like a balloon. Still puzzled, I gave it a couple more squeezes. I hadn't even finished the second squeeze when I heard a loud 'Aoo—'.

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

After I slowly calmed my surprise, I finally made out the identities of the two pillars. One black, one white, both wearing tall hats and holding ghost‑roasting sticks. The one in white robes had the four seal‑script characters 'One Look Brings Wealth' on his hat; the other, entirely black, bore the four characters 'Peace Throughout the World' on his hat. Clearly, they are the underworld's yin deities, the two chief lackeys of King Yama—Black and White Impermanence.

According to legend, Black Impermanence ought to have a fierce countenance while White Impermanence should wear a smiling, squinty look. But now, not only does Black Impermanence have a fierce face, White Impermanence too is wearing an angry expression.

Because… just now my hand accidentally grabbed White Impermanence's little penis, feeling soft, and I even gave it a couple more hard squeezes.

"White… White Grandfather's descendant root is truly magnificent; it makes me break out in a sweat, I am ashamed, I am ashamed." I said obsequiously while wiping sweat (of course, wiping sweat is my habit; as a ghost I currently have no sweat). This is Pangzi's life experience he gave me—no matter what mistake you made, you must flatter them to death. But I never have Pangzi's thick skin; I can't spout such grandiose, sky‑high nonsense like 'unprecedented, never to be repeated'.

White Impermanence hadn't spoken yet when Black Impermanence, with a stern face, coldly said: 'Which sect do you belong to, actually daring to trespass into the underworld without regard for life or death? Have you forgotten the laws of yin and yang?'

The saying goes, 'yang has yang rules, yin has yin laws'; those who eat the Daoist Sect's fare are naturally bound to the yin‑yang realms. Over the years, many senior Daoists who wandered the underworld have existed, but in the netherworld there are netherworld regulations.

When a person dies and enters the yin realm, they must first pass the Ghost Gate; beyond the Ghost Gate lies the Yellow Spring Road; past the Yellow Spring Road is the Naihe Bridge; at the bridge's end stands the Looking‑Home Platform; after drinking Meng Po's soup, those destined for hell go to hell, those destined for reincarnation go to be reborn.

To bring a soul back to the Yangjian and rescue someone who has mistakenly entered the yin realm, a priest must intercept the soul on the Yellow Spring Road, before the Ghost Gate. At that moment the wandering soul has not truly set foot in the underworld, so it is not yet under the underworld's jurisdiction. Saying that the Ghost Gate is this forked ridge, it is the black‑and‑white zone of the underworld.

Because I had cut off Han Duo's hair while performing my rites earlier and kept her image in mind, as soon as I entered the underworld and followed her onto the Naihe Bridge did I regain awareness. By then I had already crossed the Yellow Spring Road, but fortunately I had not yet reached the Looking‑Home Platform, 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 the Yangjian; if they refuse, I fear Han Duo and I would be stuck forever in the underworld, and becoming human again would only be possible in the next life.

"Honored deities, I am a disciple of the Yin Mountain Sect, that is, the Yin Mountain Ancestral Line." Hearing the Black and White Impermanence ask, I hastily announced my lineage; since ancient times, in the Daoist tradition, the Yin Mountain Sect has had the best relations with the underworld's yin deities—Black and White Impermanence, the underworld kings, these deities have all been worshipped by the Yin Mountain Sect.

After I blurted out my master and sect, Black Impermanence's expression shifted in surprise, and he and White Impermanence exchanged a glance, saying: 'Lao 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 turns out you're 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 is not of some lofty heavenly deity, but worshipping the underworld's yin gods also has its merits—heavenly figures like the Jade Emperor are too distant, whereas the yin‑yang realms are more reliable.

Thinking of that, I rolled my eyes, hatched a plan, and approached the Black and White Impermanence, flattering them in the same lewd, obsequious way Pangzi would: 'Lords, the fifteenth is coming soon; I have prepared a heap of golden boys and jade girls, spirit money and gold treasures at home, just waiting for the time to arrive to sincerely offer them to you two.'

Don't think Black and White Impermanence are really greedy for that bit of spirit money and gold treasure; any disciple who offers them sets up an altar. Once believers and disciples burn incense and pay homage, or disciples invoke the two yin deities' names to perform rites, those deities absorb the faith and merit. Faith and merit are not something that mere spirit money and gold treasure can compare to.

Black and White Impermanence heard my words, smiles spreading across their faces; White Impermanence coughed once and said: 'Since you are also our disciple and come from the Yin Mountain Ancestral Line, I will not hold your unauthorized entry into the Naihe Bridge against you. Leave the soul beside you and hurry back to the Yangjian to restore her to life.'

White Impermanence was actually showing great mercy; others who enter the Naihe Bridge without notice usually get a beating with the ghost‑roasting stick. But my purpose this time was to take Han Duo away; if she stayed here, I'd be pointless to go down to the underworld.

Thinking of that, I couldn't help but get anxious, pointing at Han Duo and saying to the Black and White Impermanence: 'Lords, this girl is actually a disciple of the Mei Shan Master's teaching as well, but her cultivation is shallow; once in the underworld she becomes dazed and her soul is led astray—I'm telling the truth, don't believe me? Look…'

Seeing the Black and White Impermanence's faces darken, I quickly 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 out from the middle finger to nourish the spirits of other ghosts.

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

"Eh… where is this, you brat, how did you get here? Uh, you guys are…" Han Duo first glanced around dazedly and at me, then, upon looking at the Black and White Impermanence, she was startled and immediately formed a hand seal.

"You're crazy…" I grabbed her hand in one motion and glared at her fiercely. What kind of joke is this? This is the underworld, the turf of Black and White Impermanence; any high‑level Daoist's power is weakened here, incomparable to the Yangjian. Fighting here, damn, is a dead end.

Of course, the magical implements passed down from my master are useful, but damn, Han Duo's command flag has long been destroyed; even if I brought a command flag, I wouldn't dare to act against Black and White Impermanence, for their effigies are still enshrined on my altar—how could I ever ask them for favors again, or continue to associate with them?

"Lords, please don't be angry; my friend is making her first visit to the underworld and doesn't know better…" I clasped my hands and apologetically said to the Black and White Impermanence: 'What if you let my friend return to the Yangjian? Afterwards she will also enshrine you two great deities on her Mei Shan Master's altar— as the saying goes, one leads to two, two leads to three…' After saying that, I glared fiercely 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 if one more Daoist offers worship to Black and White Impermanence, they gain an extra measure of incense power. The Mei Shan Sect venerates the hunter deity Zhang Wu Lang, but as the saying goes, once there is a first time there will be a second; if Black and White Impermanence can enter a Mei Shan disciple's altar, later development will surely lead to a merger with the Mei Shan Sect. In this way, branching out, the incense they receive will only increase.

Seeing Black and White Impermanence seem moved, I stepped forward and added emphasis: 'Great deities, look at my friend—her forehead also gathers spiritual light, and the yang lifespan recorded in the Book of Life and Death is surely not exhausted; this time she merely didn'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 girl Han Duo, who pouted, arms crossed, standing to the side with an indifferent look. This girl, why is she so clueless? At least she should learn from her brother—being able to yield and stand firm is what makes a true man, right?

Black and White Impermanence were pondering when a sonorous bell rang from the underworld city. This bell must be the legendary Soul‑Striking Bell; when it sounds, it means the underworld is convening a meeting.

"The King of Guang has issued an edict, Lao Xie, I think we should go back first. Since these two young men are Daoists who communicate between yin and yang, and one of them is from the Yin Mountain Ancestral Line, also 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.

Heh… opportunity has come!