Niannian almost had the words “You don't deserve it” written all over her face.
Yusheng felt a lump in his throat, as if his young heart had suffered a great trauma.
Oh, he didn't deserve it!
He didn't even have the qualification to see King Yama after death.
He got it!
“It's not that everyone has to take this path. After the soul dies and enters the underworld, there are actually three paths to take. The first one is for those who have done more evil than good in the world. It's the Thirteen Stops of the Underworld. By walking to Fengdu City on their own, most of their sins will be washed away.”
“The second one is for those who have done more good than evil. The ghost messengers will come to escort them personally. They will walk along the Yellow Spring Road, head towards the Field of Flowers on the Other Shore, cross the Naihe Bridge, and finally enter Fengdu City. Guided by the ghost messengers, they won't encounter any danger on the way.”
“The third one is for the extremely wicked. The ghost messengers will personally escort them. They will first pass through the Eighteen Levels of Hell and then enter Fengdu City to await punishment.”
After Xiaotuanzi finished explaining, the middle - aged ghost had already had one of his arms gnawed off by the evil dogs and stumbled out of the Evil Dog Ridge.
He ran incredibly fast.
The evil dogs around showed no interest in the two living people at all.
The big and the small leisurely left the Evil Dog Ridge and arrived at the fifth stop: Golden Rooster Mountain.
As soon as they entered Golden Rooster Mountain, groups of roosters rushed towards them. Their iron - like beaks were even more terrifying than those of vultures. They pecked at the souls' eyes one after another.
The flapping wings made it impossible for the ghosts to open their eyes. Their sharp claws were just like the soul - grabbing hooks in Lord Hei's hands. One scratch could tear the ghosts' skin and flesh, and even reach their internal organs. They wouldn't stop until they had grabbed out the hearts and livers.
The wailing sounds came one after another, deafening.
Each sound stimulated Yusheng's nerves.
At this moment, he secretly vowed that he must be a good person in this life.
No matter what, he didn't want to go through the Thirteen Stops of the Underworld.
It was too terrifying, too terrifying!
They quickly passed through Golden Rooster Mountain.
Suddenly, their vision opened up. There was a sea of people, and gongs and drums were blaring.
Everywhere they could see was lively. The ghosts were laughing and chatting merrily, as happy as if it were the Chinese New Year.
“What place is this? Why is it so lively? It looks quite festive. It should be less dangerous, right?”
The fear from crossing the two mountains just now vanished completely after seeing this lively scene.
Yusheng couldn't help but sigh.
What he got in return was Niannian's third eye - roll and a long sigh.
“Second brother, you're probably the kind of person that my third senior brother talks about, innocent, simple, and stupid. What you see is just an illusory appearance. This is the sixth stop, the Village of Wild Ghosts.”
The name “Village of Wild Ghosts” didn't sound like a good place.
And in fact, it wasn't.
The souls that had been gnawed to pieces on the Evil Dog Ridge and Golden Rooster Mountain almost all gathered here.
The souls with incomplete limbs couldn't move forward.
They could only stay in the Village of Wild Ghosts and wait for luck.
When some lucky souls that managed to get through the first two stops intact entered the Village of Wild Ghosts.
The ghosts that had been lingering here for a long time would rush forward and tear them apart.
They would then attach the intact limbs to themselves.
In this way, they could leave the Village of Wild Ghosts and head to the next stop.
The middle - aged man's ghost was already in tatters. He had to stay here.
However, there was a second way to leave the Village of Wild Ghosts.
That was to leave some toll money.
If his relatives missed him and burned enough paper money for him, he could buy and sell limbs in the Village of Wild Ghosts to supplement his soul and continue on his way.
This was also the origin of the saying “Money makes the mare go”.
But the middle - aged ghost was a new ghost. He had just died not long ago, and his family hadn't had the time to burn paper for him.
His journey could only end here.
Niannian could accomplish her task after escorting the person here.
Taking advantage of the fact that the evil spirits in the Village of Wild Ghosts weren't paying attention, she quickly grabbed Yusheng and ran towards the side.
The ghosts in the Village of Wild Ghosts didn't care if you were a living person or a ghost.
As long as they could complete their souls, they would tear you apart, even if you were a living person.
This place was not suitable for a long stay.
They had to get out of here quickly!
Xiaotuanzi ran extremely fast. Yusheng felt as if he was about to grow wind - fire wheels under his feet as he was being dragged along.
The seventh stop, the Hall of Confusion, was also a place where one couldn't stay casually.
After bypassing the Hall of Confusion, Niannian found the Naihe Bridge with ease. Before they even got close, they saw two figures, one black and one white, smiling and waving at her.
“Brother Xiaohei! Brother Xiaobai!”
When Niannian saw the two figures, her eyes lit up.
She opened her arms and ran over in a flash, completely forgetting about Yusheng.
Yusheng had no choice but to follow on his own.
He saw Xiaotuanzi happily pounce on the white figure.
Today, the Ghostly Messengers weren't wearing their iconic tall hats.
The two ghost messengers were even quite fashionable and had put on suits.
They looked elegant and imposing.
They seemed like high - ranking social elites.
Xiaotuanzi was picked up by the White Ghostly Messenger. She didn't hesitate to pucker her lips and give the White Ghostly Messenger a smooch on the cheek.
“Brother Xiaobai, I missed you so much!”
The slightly upturned corners of the White Ghostly Messenger's eyes overflowed with a gentle smile. He lovingly patted Niannian's head and said, “Yes, I missed you too, Niannian.”
“What? Don't you miss me? Every time you see your Brother Xiaobai, you forget about me.”
The Black Ghostly Messenger's eyes were deep. His serious and stern appearance was quite intimidating.
Niannian didn't hesitate to give her second smooch. She stretched her neck and gave the Black Ghostly Messenger a smooch on the cheek too.
“How could I? I missed Brother Xiaohei so much too!”
One smooch for each, very evenly distributed.
The master of balance, Little Niannian, had arrived!
“Come on, I'll take you to the Ghost Market. Your Brother Xiaobai and I only have half a day off today. We have to go and watch over the gathering of ghosts when the Ghost Gate opens tomorrow.”
This was the only drawback of being a ghost messenger.
They had no rest throughout the year, 24 hours a day.
They were just like bricks, to be used wherever needed.
This half - day off was painstakingly applied for by the Ghostly Messengers.
It was also because the Judge thought they had been too hard - working recently and specially approved it.
Otherwise, they wouldn't even have this half - day off.
“Okay! Let's go quickly!”
Xiaotuanzi was extremely excited. Her little face was blushing like a little apple, looking extremely cute.
The White Ghostly Messenger couldn't put her down.
He really wanted to keep the little one by his side forever.
But the little one was a living person, and they couldn't do that.
The two adults and the little one turned around and headed towards the Ghost Market. Yusheng saw how fast they were floating away and quickly shouted, “Wait for me, sister!”
Hearing the shout from behind, the Ghostly Messengers turned around and looked. They murmured in confusion, “A living person?”
Hearing Yusheng's voice, Niannian then remembered that she seemed to have forgotten something.
She quickly explained, “This is my second brother by blood. I caught a ghost before I came today and escorted it to the Underworld, taking the Thirteen Stops of the Underworld. He insisted on coming with me, so I brought him along.”