Asking for Rice

The so-called "Asking for Rice" is a method where, using rice as a medium, a Spirit Walker can enter the Underworld and have the deceased possess someone to answer the living's questions.

However, this practice has many taboos. The "Three Don'ts" passed down are actually a form of protection for the Spirit Walker, to prevent them from being killed by vengeful spirits.

"Asking for Rice does have Three Don'ts, but what if we insist on asking?"

Yu Zhensheng stepped forward, saying calmly.

A flicker of emotion crossed the pupils of Granny Cui, which were covered by white cataracts. "Master Yu, how do you plan to be forceful?"

"You are a renowned figure among the Hundred Schools of the Underworld. For years, we've kept to ourselves, and I've never revealed a single piece of information about you. Master Yu, are you really going to bully this blind old woman today?"

As she spoke, the spirit tablets behind her began to tremble slightly, rustling, and the candlelight flickered erratically.

This made her white pupils appear even more sinister and terrifying.

The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point, becoming tense and confrontational.

Zhou Sheng tensed his body, feeling somewhat confused. Didn't his Master just teach him to maintain good relationships with disciples of other lineages?

Why was he suddenly so aggressive?

Yu Zhensheng smiled faintly and stepped forward. "Watch closely, this is how you do it forcefully."

With a snap, he placed a gold bar on the Eight Immortals Table.

Zhou Sheng: "..."

Granny Cui: "..."

"Master Yu--"

"Not enough?"

Yu Zhensheng placed another gold bar down.

Granny Cui looked at the two gleaming, golden bars. After a moment of silence, she still shook her head.

"...This isn't about money."

"This is precisely about money."

Yu Zhensheng chuckled and took out another item. This time, it wasn't a gold bar, but a string of copper coins.

However, these copper coins were extremely peculiar. Normal copper coins are round on the outside and square on the inside, symbolizing the roundness of heaven and the squareness of earth in the human world. These coins, however, were the opposite: square on the outside and round on the inside, with engraved text.

Whether it was an illusion or not, when these copper coins appeared, Zhou Sheng seemed to smell a faint scent of incense.

Instantly, Granny Cui's gaze was drawn as if by a magnet, and it didn't leave the string of copper coins for a long time.

It seemed the copper coins were far more attractive than the two gold bars.

"You are eighty-four this year, with little of your lifespan left. With this string of incense money, you can bribe ghosts and gods when you get below. Perhaps you can even become an Underworld Official."

"As for these two gold bars, they can be left for your young apprentice. After all, the living always have use for them."

Yu Zhensheng's words made Granny Cui fall into thought.

"Will you ask, or not? Give me a definitive answer, but I must remind you, once this opportunity is gone, it won't come again."

Granny Cui shook her head.

Just as Zhou Sheng thought she was still going to refuse, she sighed and said, "Alright, this is indeed about money."

"Xiao Yun'er, go prepare the items for Asking for Rice."

Zhou Sheng: "..."

Yu Zhensheng winked at his apprentice with a smile, secretly transmitting his voice.

"You brat, learn from this. This is experience in the world. Don't resort to fighting and killing at every turn."

About fifteen minutes later, everything was ready.

Granny Cui sealed the door. Offerings were placed on the Eight Immortals Table, and the incense burner held not incense ash, but pure white rice grains.

She placed her head on the table, respectfully lit three sticks of incense, then formed a hand seal and chanted words.

"May the law command the passage to the netherworld, my disciple's heart invites the true spirit. Ascending to the Heavenly Palace, connecting to the Underworld, quickly pass through myriad spirits of the underworld..."

As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed a handful of rice and scattered it around.

"First handful, scatter the Ghost Gate Pass!"

As the rice grains fell to the ground, Zhou Sheng's eyes narrowed. He noticed Granny Cui's complexion had turned ashen, and her chest was no longer rising and falling. She looked like a dead person.

A strong yin wind blew, extinguishing the candles and plunging the surroundings into deeper darkness.

"Second handful, feed the Vicious Golden Rooster!"

She tossed the rice like snow, scattering it clearly in all directions, while treading strange steps, as if quickly passing through a certain place.

The next moment, a miraculous scene unfolded.

On the ground covered in rice grains, black footprints shaped like a rooster's suddenly appeared. The rice grains were rapidly decreasing, as if being eagerly consumed by something unseen.

Zhou Sheng recalled that in folklore, when the dead travel to the Underworld, they must pass through a perilous place on the Yellow Springs Road called Golden Rooster Mountain. If the departed soul had abused animals or committed evil deeds during their life, they would be pecked at by swarms of golden chickens, their eyeballs gouged out and their internal organs torn apart.

Even virtuous individuals without evil deeds in life might still be pecked when passing this pass, though the injuries would be less severe.

Therefore, in some places, when burying the deceased, a handful of mixed grains is placed on them. This is so they can feed the flock of chickens when they pass Golden Rooster Mountain, thus suffering less pecking.

"Third handful, bribe the Yellow Springs Guide Soldiers!"

After Granny Cui scattered the third handful of rice, she suddenly collapsed onto the chair. Her limbs flailed as if in water, and a gurgling sound came from her throat.

She hadn't drunk any water, yet the sound was unmistakably real, impossible to mistake.

It was as if she had already left the mortal world and fallen into the Yellow Springs.

A moment later, she suddenly became still, slumping onto the chair like a corpse, her messy white hair covering most of her face.

Zhou Sheng could no longer feel any trace of life from her.

Just as he began to doubt if she was still alive, Granny Cui's eyes suddenly snapped open. She took a sharp breath and made a dodging motion, shouting repeatedly.

"Ghost Messengers, don't strike, don't strike! This old woman isn't playing tricks—"

Her voice cut off abruptly. When she realized she had returned to the mortal world, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Who are you?"

Zhou Sheng didn't know if the Granny Cui before him was still herself, or if she had been possessed by the ghost in the head.

"I'm not possessed. The spirit asking failed."

"Failed?"

Granny Cui nodded, then stared at the head with an extremely strange expression.

"I brought this head into the Underworld, but the Ghost Messengers told me..."

"This woman isn't dead. She's alive."

"Alive?"

Zhou Sheng pointed at the decaying head, his expression odd. "You're telling me she's alive?"

"That's what the Ghost Messengers said. They thought I was deliberately messing with them and whipped me twice..."

Granny Cui said this as she rolled up her sleeve, revealing two dark blue whip marks on her arm.

After speaking, she casually reached for the two gold bars and the string of copper coins, but Yu Zhensheng grabbed her wrist.

"You want the money even though the job isn't done?"

"Do you take me, Yu Zhensheng, for a fool?"

Granny Cui said with a pained expression, "I already asked, but the person is alive. What could I do...?"

Her voice grew softer, shame evident on her face.

Clearly, even she didn't quite believe the absurd claim that someone with a decaying head was still alive.

"Perh-perhaps the Ghost Messengers made a mistake? Or... should I try again?"

Yu Zhensheng shook his head. "Find someone else. Try this one. Call her up."

As he spoke, he handed over a sheet of yellow paper with a name and birth details written on it.

Zhou Sheng's gaze swept over it, and his heart jolted.

"Xu Cui Cui, Year Gui You, Month Ding Wei, Day Ren Zi, Hour Ji Mao."