Chapter 18: Ghost Hero

When Lao Wang passed away, he was all alone. He had no children during his life, and after arriving in Di Fu, no one burned paper money to offer sacrifices to him. Ghosts like him, because they had no money to bribe the Underworld Ghost Officials, could never get into the queue for reincarnation. Every day, he still had to perform all kinds of hard labor in Di Fu to maintain his livelihood in the underworld. Yet, even though he worked very hard, the salary he earned each day was only enough for food and clothing; there was simply no surplus. The money to bribe the Underworld Ghost Officials was, to him, truly an astronomical figure. As time passed, Lao Wang grew older as a "ghost," and his work became slower. Even when the whips of the Underworld Ghost Official overseers lashed against his body, he could no longer quicken his pace. The Underworld Ghost Officials understood that the time had come; it was time to let him do that thing.

The Underworld Ghost Officials called Lao Wang before them and said to him, "Ghosts like you originally have no chance for reincarnation. But we truly pity you and are willing to give you one chance to reincarnate; we hope you can grasp this opportunity well."

Upon hearing this, Lao Wang could not stop nodding and said, "Many thanks, my lords! I will certainly handle the matter well."

The Underworld Ghost Officials nodded and said, "The construction projects of Di Fu always require people to do them. We can let you return to the world of the living; you go find a substitute to do the work for you, and then you can go to reincarnate."

Upon hearing this, Lao Wang asked in confusion, "I wonder, what is a substitute?"

The Underworld Ghost Official said, "Does this even need to be said? Naturally, it is someone to do the work for you. No matter what method you use, as long as you bring back at least one ghost, you can go reincarnate." As he spoke, the Underworld Ghost Official handed Lao Wang a small booklet with the words "Complete Guide to Finding a Substitute" written on it, telling Lao Wang to go back and study it well.

Lao Wang took the booklet, returned to his small shack, and began to flip through it. When night fell, the Underworld Ghost Official came to ask Lao Wang, "How is it? Have you understood everything?"

Lao Wang quickly said, "Understood! Understood! My lord, rest assured, I will certainly find a substitute and return." The Underworld Ghost Official nodded with satisfaction and secretly sent Lao Wang to the human world. Lao Wang traveled by night and hid by day, and soon he found a place very suitable for finding a substitute. This was a tranquil river; by the riverbank stood a small town called Wujiang Town, and there were many people on the river riding boats for pleasure, admiring the scenery along the riverbanks. If one were to act as a water ghost in the depths of this river and overturn passing small boats, finding a substitute would be as easy as pie. Looking at the long-lost street market by the riverbank and the atmosphere of human life, Lao Wang could not help but be moved by the scene, giving rise to a sense of loneliness and desolation. While in Di Fu, Lao Wang was weary of the toil and loneliness of the underworld, thinking every moment of ending such a life early so he could reincarnate and be a person again. But when he arrived in the human world once more, looking at everything before him, he felt it was so unfamiliar; clearly, that world was right before his eyes, yet it felt incomparably distant.

Lao Wang gradually suppressed the thoughts in his heart, sank into the river, and began to size up the boats passing on the river. Soon, he set his gaze upon a small boat occupied by only two children; this was undoubtedly the easiest target. These two little children were only five or six years old, and with no adults around to look after them, pulling one into the water would be as easy as turning over one's hand. Pondering this, Lao Wang swam toward the small boat carrying the two children.

Upon reaching close range, he saw the two children crying at a golden carp in a water basin on the boat. One of the children cried, "Little fish, although I am very reluctant to part with you, I still have to let you go. Dad said he would stew you to eat for the New Year." As he spoke, he cupped the golden carp in both hands and slowly placed it into the river water. The fish entered the water, swam around the small boat a few times, and then poked its head out to blow a few bubbles, as if it were saying goodbye to the two children.

The other child said, "Little fish, hurry and go, don't get caught by anyone again!" The little fish seemed to understand, slowly diving into the water.

Seeing this, Lao Wang could not help but feel ashamed, secretly pondering, "These two little children still cherish the life of a fish so much. And yet, I am now going to use their lives to trade for my own? I lived as a human for eighty years and have been a ghost for nearly eight hundred years; am I not even as good as two little children?" As Lao Wang pondered this, he swam back to the center of the river to search for a target again.

Before long, Lao Wang locked his gaze onto a small boat carrying an old woman and a middle-aged man. The old woman looked to be nearly seventy years old, appearing to be plagued by illness and lacking spirit; she was the perfect target to strike at. Lao Wang swam to the side of the old woman's boat and was just about to strike when he heard the middle-aged man on the boat say, "Mother, you've come out for an outing, is your mood a bit better? Is your chest still feeling stifled?"

The old woman said, "Much better, much better. It is still my son who is thoughtful, taking me out to relax. It is just that it has been hard on you, always looking after an old hag like me, and it has delayed your future."

The middle-aged man said, "Mother, what are you saying? Serving one's mother is a matter of course; between mother and son, how can there be any talk of being a burden? Mother, do not overthink it. After a while, when I have saved enough money, I will hire someone to invite Physician Xue from the neighboring town; he will certainly be able to cure Mother's illness, so please set your heart at ease." As the man spoke, he took off his own clothes and covered the old woman's legs.

Seeing this, Lao Wang felt unbearable in his heart and secretly pondered, "This is truly what is called a mother's kindness and a son's filial piety. If I, for the sake of my own selfish interests, wish to harm the mother of a filial son, would that not be intolerable to the laws of heaven?" As Lao Wang pondered this, he returned to the center of the river to search for a target again.

This time, he set his gaze upon a small boat carrying a young man and woman; the woman looked frail and weak, and she should be easy to handle. Lao Wang swam to the side of the boat, only to hear the man on the boat say to the woman, "It really has been hard on you, my wife, letting you live such a bitter life with me."

The woman said, "Husband, what are you saying? Being able to live such an ordinary life is exactly what I have longed for. If I had followed my parents' orders and married that fop from the official's family, that truly would have been a life not worth living. We are already very well off being free and unfettered like this; what is there to be dissatisfied about?"

The man and woman sat huddled together in the boat, the moonlight spilling over them, adding a touch of sadness and desolation.

Lao Wang thought to himself, "I fear this is a pair of star-crossed lovers who eloped to this place. They must have experienced many twists and turns to end up together. If I were to harm that woman, would I not become the wicked crone who breaks up a pair of lovers? As the saying goes, it is better to tear down ten temples than to destroy one marriage. This girl is even willing to give up the glory and wealth of an official's family to live an ordinary life with this scholar. How could I, for the sake of my own selfish interests, destroy such a beautiful union?" As Lao Wang pondered this, he swam toward the center of the river, distracted.

Looking at the small boats on the river, Lao Wang could not help but smile bitterly and tease himself in his heart, "If this continues, I fear I will truly not find a single substitute. Every time I hear the conversations of those people on the boats, things go wrong. It would be better if I blocked my ears; that way, no matter what they say, I won't hear it. As soon as I reach the side of a boat, I will strike immediately without hesitation; that way, there should be no problem."

Thinking this, Lao Wang dived to the bottom of the river, found a few water weeds, and plugged his ears. Just then, a boat slowly sailed toward Lao Wang's side, and Lao Wang said, "This is perfect, it saves me the effort of searching; this is the one!" As he spoke, he swam toward that boat.

He saw that on the boat sat a man and a woman with a child. On the table in the boat was a guqin, and the man was playing it with great enjoyment. The woman was dancing gracefully to the music, while the little girl clapped and laughed to the side. The family was chatting and laughing, and every person's face was filled with a happy smile. Strangely, even though Lao Wang had clearly plugged his ears, he still felt he could hear the music played by the guqin and the laughter of the little girl. Yet he also felt as if he hadn't heard it, as if it were just an auditory hallucination in his own heart. But those sounds were so real that, in the end, Lao Wang was not sure whether he had heard something or had not heard anything at all.

But seeing the smiles on the faces of this family, he pondered in his heart, "Even if I suffer, I am only alone. But if I were to harm one of the people on this boat today, I don't know how sad the other two would be. Would I not be causing this happy family to be torn apart? Could I, for the sake of my own selfish interests, cause another family to be broken and destroyed? Forget it, forget it!" As Lao Wang pondered this, he returned to the center of the river once more.

Lao Wang was aimlessly daydreaming in the center of the river when he heard a voice from under the water saying, "Interesting, interesting! I have been here for over a thousand years, but this is the first time I've seen a water ghost like you. You don't look like you're here to find a substitute; you look more like you're here for a swim."

Lao Wang followed the sound and looked toward the bottom of the water, only to see a ghost with green water weeds on his head swimming rapidly toward him.

Lao Wang said in surprise, "Are you a water ghost?" The ghost said, "You could say that; ever since I became a ghost, I have been here."

"Are you also here to find a substitute?"

"I don't look for substitutes, but I have seen many ghosts come here to find substitutes, and in the end, they all succeeded without exception. You, however, are an exception; until now, you haven't even had the heart to overturn a single boat."

Lao Wang asked in confusion, "Since you don't look for a substitute, what are you doing here?"

"I am quite special; I can no longer enter reincarnation, and I am unwilling to live in Di Fu and be enslaved, so I have just stayed here."

Lao Wang said, "Why can you not enter reincarnation? You have been here for so long; have no Underworld Ghost Officials come to drag you back?"

"The register that recorded my name has been destroyed, so I am now a wandering ghost. No one knows of my existence, so I cannot reincarnate, and naturally, no Underworld Ghost Officials come to catch me."

Lao Wang said, "Oh, that is quite interesting. I have long since had enough of the days in Di Fu. How was your register destroyed? I would like to go try it too."

"It is not that easy. This is a long story, and I was only fortunate thanks to someone else. But if you are interested, I can tell you about it."

The ghost with water weeds on his head relaxed his limbs, let himself float on the river surface, and slowly began to speak, "At that time, I had just died, and my soul was brought to Di Fu by Black and White Impermanence. Like other ghosts, I queued to enter the Ghost Gate, waiting for the Ten Kings of Hell to pass judgment on my afterlife. Those ghosts who had relatives in the human world to offer sacrifices often had 'road-buying money' prepared early, so they could naturally queue at the front. As for those without money, they naturally queued at the end. The Underworld Ghost Officials hate these people who have no oil to scrape the most, and there is usually no shortage of lashes from their whips. I and several other ghosts were all whipped until our souls were dissipated and our courage lost, constantly begging for mercy. Only the burly ghost walking in front of me did not make a sound. The two Underworld Ghost Officials saw he would not beg for mercy and became even more annoyed, using all their strength to swing their whips at him. Who would have expected that the burly man would suddenly reach out a hand and tightly grasp the ghost soldier's whip? The ghost soldier saw this and was so angry he pulled and tugged, using all his strength, but he could not break free. Instead, he was lightly yanked by the burly man and fell flat on his face, tumbling at the burly man's feet. The ghost soldier stood up, still unconvinced, and raised his whip to lash the burly man again, but he was stared down by the burly man's angry glare, causing his whole body to tremble; he dared not be presumptuous again. He had no choice but to leave in a huff and run to find other ghost soldiers, though I don't know what he said. After waiting for two days and nights, it was finally our turn to go up to the hall. The burly man was originally just in front of me, but because those few cowards all kept hiding behind, he ended up being the first. When the burly man reached the hall, the ghost soldiers told him to kneel, but he would not kneel. The King of Hell was furious and asked him what his name was."

The burly man said, "Bawang."

The King of Hell and a crowd of minor ghosts were shocked upon hearing this, and it took them a long time to recover.

The King of Hell feigned composure and said, "Since ancient times, the victor is the king and the loser is the bandit. Besides, in Di Fu, there is only I, the King of Hell; I have never heard of any other king."

The King of Hell called over a crowd of minor ghosts, some pressing his legs, others his shoulders, trying to force him to submit. But no matter how much the crowd of minor ghosts struggled, the burly man did not move an inch, and the King of Hell became even more enraged. The minor ghost who had previously whipped the burly man saw his chance, ran to the King of Hell, and whispered a few words. The King of Hell then ordered the crowd of minor ghosts to bring out a three-legged cauldron filled with oil, using ghost fire to boil the oil in the cauldron until it was scalding. Black and White Impermanence used the Soul-Snatching Lock to hook the burly man, and countless minor ghosts swarmed over, dragging him toward the oil cauldron. With his hands and feet bound, and just as he was about to be thrown into the oil cauldron by the crowd of minor ghosts, he suddenly let out a roar and actually snapped the Soul-Snatching Lock. He stood up and beat the crowd of minor ghosts until they were scurrying to hide, and even Black and White Impermanence were no match for him. Having dealt with the crowd of minor ghosts, he walked to the cauldron, grasped its two legs with both hands, and actually lifted the entire large cauldron high, smashing it toward the King of Hell's desk. The King of Hell saw the large cauldron flying toward him and hurriedly dodged, but the desk in front of him was smashed to pieces. The boiling oil in the cauldron flowed out, staining the Book of Life and Death on the broken desk so that the handwriting could no longer be seen. The burly man caused a great disturbance in Yan Luo Dian, and no one in Di Fu could stop him; he then walked out of the hall alone, and no one knew where he went. I and several other ghosts, because the Book of Life and Death that recorded our names was destroyed, have been unable to reincarnate and have had to do odd jobs in Di Fu to get by. As for me, I took advantage of the fourteenth day of the seventh lunar month, when the Ghost Gate was wide open, and snuck here; counting it up, it must have been fifteen hundred years."

Lao Wang listened, entranced, and it was a long time before he came to his senses. He could not help but sigh with emotion, "Truly brave and martial, ultimately strong and unyielding. The body is dead, but the spirit is divine; the soul is resolute, a hero among ghosts. If I compare myself to such a person, my life is simply too pathetic. He was a hero among men in life, and a hero among ghosts in death. And what about me? I was spineless while alive, and spineless after death. Now, if I cannot find a substitute, I cannot enter reincarnation; returning to Di Fu, I will still be bullied by those Underworld Ghost Officials. What is to be done?"

The water ghost said to Lao Wang, "The key is still that Book of Life and Death that records names. As long as you can find a way to destroy it, the Underworld Ghost Officials will not know your whereabouts, and naturally, they will not be able to catch you. When the time comes, find an opportunity to escape Di Fu, and you will be as free as a bird entering the forest."

Lao Wang said, "If I could do that, I would be just as free and unfettered as you; even if I couldn't reincarnate, it wouldn't matter. But I wonder, who is in charge of that Book of Life and Death? Where should I go to find it?"

The water ghost said, "It is held by the head of the Sida Panguan of Di Fu, Cui Judge; it is right in his residence."

Lao Wang secretly noted this down, bid farewell to the water ghost, and returned to Di Fu.

The Underworld Ghost Officials of Di Fu saw Lao Wang return empty-handed, and naturally, there was no shortage of mockery. Fortunately, the Underworld Ghost Officials were gathered together drinking and making merry, so they had no time to bother with Lao Wang, sparing him much physical suffering. That night, all the ghosts had rested. Lao Wang secretly climbed up and headed toward the residence of Cui Judge. When Cui Judge's residence was being expanded, Lao Wang had once worked there, so he knew the path and was familiar with the layout of the house. Lao Wang bypassed the ghost soldiers guarding the gate, climbed over the wall from the other side, and headed straight for the study. Sure enough, he saw that the Book of Life and Death of all living beings was stored on the shelves inside the study. Lao Wang was overjoyed, but just as one foot stepped into the door of the study, the door suddenly shone with great golden light. Lao Wang felt as if he had been struck by a giant wave and was sent flying backward.

The ghost soldiers heard the noise in the room and swarmed in, catching Lao Wang red-handed. Without allowing him to explain, they each drew their Soul Chasing Whips and began to greet Lao Wang with them. Lao Wang rolled on the ground in pain, but he gritted his teeth and suddenly surged up, grabbing one of the Soul Chasing Whips and pulling hard, throwing a ghost soldier to the ground. Lao Wang picked up the Soul Chasing Whip dropped by the ghost soldier and swung it wildly in the air, accidentally injuring several ghost soldiers. Seeing this, the ghost soldiers became even more ferocious, waving their Soul Chasing Whips and lashing at Lao Wang without holding back. The pain of being covered in wounds caused Lao Wang's vision to gradually blur, and his legs could no longer support the weight of his body, causing him to collapse to the ground. The ghost soldiers swarmed forward, surrounding the fallen Lao Wang and continuing to lash him.

The fallen Lao Wang's soul gradually grew dim, yet he still tightly gripped the Soul Chasing Whip he had snatched, smiling and murmuring to himself, "I was tough for once!"

Under the frantic lashing of the ghost soldiers, Lao Wang's soul finally vanished like steam into the endless dark abyss of Di Fu, leaving only that Soul Chasing Whip lying quietly on the ground...

(End of chapter)