Chapter 469: Do Your Best, Then Leave It to Fate

Netherworld Ferry?

When Yu Nian mentioned those three words, some dust‑covered memories immediately surfaced in my mind.

When my grandmother was alive, she once told me about the Netherworld Ferry.

Many people die with obsessions.

Obsessions come in many forms.

The vast majority of obsessions trap the soul, turning it into a vicious ghost that ultimately meets no good end.

But one kind of obsession is special: they refuse to forget this life's events and the people who accompanied them, hoping to carry their memories into reincarnation so that the next life is merely a continuation of this one.

However, once a soul enters the netherworld, it must inevitably cross the Naihe Bridge, drink Meng Po's soup, forget this life, and only then can it enter reincarnation.

But nothing is absolute.

If there is a way to avoid the Naihe Bridge and instead take the water route, successfully crossing the Wangchuan River, one can escape Meng Po's soup.

Yet the Wangchuan River is full of treachery and danger; a soul of low rank that carelessly falls into it will instantly become the meal of hidden river‑bottom monsters, vanishing in smoke and ashes.

Of course, there is a way to succeed in crossing the Wangchuan River.

On the Wangchuan River there are ferrymen; if you can persuade a ferryman to help you, that is a great fortune.

But carrying out this plan is truly difficult.

First, just seeing a ferryman is harder than climbing to heaven.

Moreover, ferrymen have seen too much of this world's suffering; ordinary stories hardly move them.

Therefore, most of the time it is the ferrymen who actively choose whom to ferry, and few dare to take the risk.

Thus crossing the Wangchuan River leaves only one option: the Netherworld Ferry.

However, the Netherworld Ferry is not something just anyone can build; the boat‑maker must have a specific identity, otherwise a paper boat entering the Wangchuan River is just a joke!

This is why Yu Nian said the Netherworld Ferry is beyond her capability.

Yet I did not expect the other party to smile and say earnestly, "We husband and wife have waited over a hundred years; we will not mistake a person. Shopkeeper, just build it—the payment will not be lacking, and we will bear all consequences."

As he spoke, the man actually pulled a gold ingot from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

Yu Nian was about to say more when the man added, "After fifteen o'clock, my wife and I will wait at the mouth of the Wangchuan River for the Netherworld Ferry to arrive; please trouble yourself, shopkeeper."

The couple both bowed to Yu Nian and then vanished before our eyes.

I glanced at the time—it was exactly three in the morning.

Everything happened so suddenly that Yu Nian had no chance to refuse.

I picked up the gold ingot on the counter to examine it; it was genuine, with a specification seal stamped on its base, weighing ten taels.

At today's gold price, ten taels of gold is roughly 300,000 RMB.

Moreover, this is clearly an antique, so its value is incalculable.

I asked, "Sister, what should we do?"

Yu Nian sighed deeply: "Build it, have it ready first, and we'll see later."

I placed the gold ingot on the counter; Yu Nian did not move it.

She then said to me, "Xiao Jiu, go get some more sleep; after dawn you can return to the Dang Pu by yourself. Even if I work fast, I'll need at least a day and a night to finish the boat, and I still have to consult my grandmother's notes and follow them step by step, which may take a few days. I'll go to the Dang Pu myself before the fifteenth."

I shook my head: "Sister, I'm not afraid of the delay; right now nothing is more important than your entering the Yin Dang Hang on the fifteenth. I'm worried this is a scam—how could the timing be so perfect?

After fifteen o'clock, you might just have entered the Yin Dang Hang, and they'd be waiting at this exact time for the Netherworld Ferry—isn't that forcing a difficult person? Besides, will the Netherworld Ferry you build really be able to cross the Wangchuan River? If the paper boat dissolves as soon as it hits the water, they'll come back to find fault with you—how will you respond?"

I had many messy thoughts, and the more I thought, the worse it felt.

Yu Nian laughed: "Xiao Jiu, after fifteen o'clock I will be a member of the Yin Dang Hang; if they have the guts, let them come to the Yin Dang Hang to find me—I'm not afraid."

I still felt uneasy.

Yu Nian began flipping through her notes, preparing the materials for the Netherworld Ferry.

The commission was hers alone; this Netherworld Ferry must be built by her only—no one else may help.

All I can do is stay and look after her daily life.

I called Li Qingying, explained the situation; fortunately the Dang Pu has been peaceful lately, and if anything happens I'll rush back immediately.

I also called Tang Xun, asking her to inquire with the Seven Halls Yama to see if they can help investigate the identity of that newlywed ghost couple.

The Seven Halls Yama replied with only six words: "Do your best, then leave it to fate."

Well, it seems this matter has no solution; we can only wait until after the fifteenth to see the outcome.

Yu Nian spent three full days to complete a Netherworld Ferry laden with various paper‑craft items.

Whether the tiger head on the bow, the Ten Halls Yama on the boat, or the tall mast, all are vividly lifelike.

The entire hull was oiled and waxed, sealing every paper‑craft item tightly.

After everything was done, we locked the door and drove back to the Dang Pu.

The gold ingot remained on the counter, untouched by anyone.

Returning to the Dang Pu, it was already the afternoon of the thirteenth.

Liu Junyan had also returned.

But the Copper Coin Person did not come back with them.

I asked specially; Liu Junyan said he had officially begun promoting and spreading the Buddhist path, though they stay in close contact, and Liu Junyan will summon the Copper Coin Person whenever needed.

While guarding the Dang Pu on the thirteenth night, I felt restless, constantly looking outward.

Li Qingying asked, "Xiao Jiu, are you waiting for someone?"

"Yes," I said, "It's already the thirteenth; by rights that old lady should have arrived."

Li Qingying blinked: "Who?"

Then she realized: "Oh, you mean the old lady who caused trouble in our Dang Pu last time? She dares to come back?"

"It's not a matter of daring or not," I said, "As long as her obsession remains, she will repeat the same action at the fixed time; she cannot control it herself."

As the words fell, a little old lady holding a Blue Cloth Jacket in her arms appeared out of thin air at the entrance of Dang Pu.

She had completely forgotten the earlier disturbance, and, holding the Blue Cloth Jacket, she went into Dang Pu just as she had the previous month, placing the Blue Cloth Jacket on the counter and saying, "It's almost the fifteenth of the lunar month again; you're going to Yin Dang Hang to settle accounts, aren't you? Something happened at Yin Dang Hang last year, and my Lao San left in a hurry, forgetting to bring his winter clothes…"

I didn't let her finish, asking directly, "Auntie, the work at Yin Dang Hang is too busy; Lao San can't get away, he asked me to pass along a message, requesting that I take you with me to Yin Dang Hang this fifteenth—will you go?"

At my question, the little old lady froze.

Things didn't go as planned, and she got stuck.

Gradually, her complexion began to change.

It seemed she was recalling many things; her steps faltered a few times, and her posture became unsteady.

After a while, she cautiously asked, "Shopkeeper, you're not deceiving me, are you? Really… can it be…?"