The Fourth Chapter: Beneath the Forgetfulness River

The bell tightened around his wrist, embedding itself deeply into his skin as if it were alive. In the blink of an eye, the bell's cord melted into his body, transforming into a ring of red tattoo-like material.

Looking at the bell itself, it's practically embedded in the flesh; every time you shake it, you can feel a slight tugging sensation on your skin.

"Hiss..." Yu Xing took a light breath with a natural expression, it was unclear what he was sighing about.

The others' faces immediately turned grim, especially the two girls who had teamed up, Chengzi and Xiao Yan, who were so frightened that they dared not touch their wrists.

It doesn't hurt, but it's unsettling enough... This is my wrist, after all. If something happens, it'll be just like cutting my wrist!

"Go on, come back here in six hours, and I'll settle your wages." The foreman waved his hand, shooing the wary deducers out.

After leaving the locker room, Xiao Yan's tearful voice rang out behind Yu Xing: "Chengzi, what should I do? I'm scared!"

Yu Xing glanced back and saw that Chengzi, though pale-faced, was still gently patting Xiao Yan's back and comforting her, "It's okay, it's okay, don't be afraid. We'll be fine if we follow the rules. I'm here."

It seems these two really are newbies, and it's very likely that their time was up and they were forcibly sent into the deduction Yugi by the system.

Yu Xing was so proactive that the system couldn't find any fault with him, so the system never reminded him that a deducer below the Differentiation Tier must enter the Yugi once every half month, or it will be forced if he doesn't take the initiative.

Such avoidance is understandable, but it often implies the fear of the person performing the deduction, and usually, such people do not fare well.

"Where are we going?" Zhao Yijiu interrupted Yu Xing's thoughts.

Yu Xing withdrew her attention, remained silent, and simply pointed to a sign in front of her.

The three halls on the first floor are divided by a dividing line, and the space between each pair of halls narrows, with a double-sided sign placed at the entrance.

The changing room is a separate room, while the sign at the entrance to the lobby next to it reads "The Other Shore".

Zhao Yijiu understood what he meant. It didn't mean they should stay at the Other Shore Wine Cafe, but rather that they should go Other Shore Wine Cafe first to avoid other people before discussing their action plan.

The two left the six people who were still pondering and headed into the bar.

Yu Xing lowered his voice and said, "Let's go to the River of Oblivion."

If you were to draw a floor plan of the first floor of the bar, the Other Shore, the Underworld, and the River of Oblivion would be connected from left to right, with the main entrance on the Yellow Springs Disco Hall side.

When Yu Xing was performing his deduction, he appeared directly in the Yellow Springs Disco Hall in the middle. He didn't have time to go to the Forgotten Rivers Hall, so he passed by the Other Shore Wine Cafe and went to the changing room.

Zhao Yijiu said calmly, "Because of the stairs?"

"That's right." Yu Xing remained calm, despite the occasional glances from the ghostly customers at the Other Shore Wine Cafe.

Since the bar has a second floor, and they didn't see any stairs on their way to the changing room, it can be guessed that the stairs leading to the second floor must be located near the Wangchuan Wine Cafe.

Being near the stairs makes it most convenient for them to go up and down, and they can also observe other groups going up and down the stairs. There's another important reason...

Yu Xing's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly quickened his pace, squeezing into the crowd at the Yellow Springs Disco Hall.

Zhao Yijiu didn't quite understand what was wrong with him. As if sensing something, she turned around and saw a woman in a red dress standing up at some point, looking at Yu Xing's back as it was swallowed up by the heavy twisting of his figure, her expression slightly disappointed.

If Yu Xing hadn't slipped away quickly enough, she might have already caught up.

Zhao Yijiu: "..."

Without saying a word, he silently turned his face away from the disco crowd and walked towards Wangchuan Wine Cafe.

That was close!

Yu Xing successfully made his way through the noisy horde of ghosts, still feeling lingering fear.

That vengeful ghost in red hasn't given up on him yet!

Given his current status as a waiter, if the red-clad ghost were to make any unreasonable demands, he wouldn't be afraid of being forced, but he would be afraid of accidentally turning on the ghost and beating it up.

That would be a huge problem; he could easily be ganged up on and then face complaints.

Soon, Zhao Yijiu caught up, asked nothing, and walked past him into the Forgetfulness Hall.

Speaking of which, all the terms in this "Sheqing Ghost Bar" are quite interesting, corresponding one by one to ancient Chinese legends about the underworld.

The River of Oblivion (忘川) refers to the Forgetfulness River).

Many people believe that the Yellow Springs is the river in the underworld that needs to be crossed, but this is a misunderstanding. The river that the souls of the dead need to cross is called the River of Oblivion.

Jade Falling Yellow Springs: Biluo is the sky, and Huangquan is the earth. Although Huangquan is also known as one of the Nine Hells and Nine Springs, it is actually an underground path.

Legend has it that after death, a person is guided by ghost messengers to pass through the Gates of Hell and walk the Yellow Springs Road. Before entering the Underworld, the Forgetfulness River divides the land into two banks. Across the River of Oblivion is the Bridge of Helplessness. After crossing the bridge and drinking the Meng Po's Soup, all past events become illusions.

The Forgetfulness River is blood-yellow, and the Wangchuan Wine Cafe Sheqing Ghost Bar also use this color.

The dim yellow light cast a hazy glow on each booth, and the dark yellow bar counter looked luxurious and sophisticated. Against the wall, the cabinet was filled with bottles of intoxicatingly beautiful liquid. The bartender was a woman of unknown age, shrouded in a black veil that covered her mouth and nose, revealing only a pair of pure black eyes without any whites.

Yu Xing saw the staircase in the corner. The staircase was entirely black with blood-red embellishments on the handrail. He almost immediately thought of what the staircase represented— the Bridge of Helplessness.

So, does the second floor symbolize the underworld?

"Give us the drinks menu."

Suddenly, Zhao Yijiu's voice rang out next to Yu Xing. Yu Xing looked over and saw that Zhao Yijiu had actually walked to the bar and was talking to the female bartender.

Only a handful of people were sitting at the bar. Perhaps because the night session had just begun, and nighttime was the best time for ghosts to enjoy themselves, the Forgetfulness Hall was not crowded yet, a stark contrast to the bustling Yellow Springs Hall.

The drinks menu lists the names and prices of all the drinks available for sale, making it easier to promote them to customers.

Yu Xing glanced at him: I didn't expect Zhao Yijiu to be so experienced.

He walked over as well.

"You're the new servers today." Although the bartender's attire was also odd, she was clearly more pleasant than the male bartender with his face covered in white powder in the Other Shore Hall. Her voice was gentle as she skillfully pulled a piece of paper from under the counter and handed it to Zhao Yijiu. "Here you go. According to the rules, you need to complete my requirements to get the full drinks menu."

Zhao Yijiu nodded expressionlessly, glanced at the paper, and then handed it to Yu Xing.

Yu Xing glanced at it briefly and saw that the note read:

[A wicked demon climbed aboard the ferry of the Forgetfulness River. Having bribed the ferryman, it reached the Bridge of Helplessness. It should have been forever lost in the river. Find this demon in this hall and trick it into buying a wine called "Beneath the Forgetfulness River."]

In addition, the paper listed more than twenty kinds of alcoholic beverages, but it lacked descriptions and price lists.

The menu includes over twenty different drinks, Tongue of the Evil Ghost, Regret Cocktail, Beneath the Forgetfulness River, Unfillable Greed, Melancholy Phantom, and Wuchang Ice Beer, plus the most expensive one: Meng Po's Soup.

"This is really interesting," Yu Xing muttered, exchanged a glance with Zhao Yijiu, and then turned around to start the mission.

The bartender paused, a look of bewilderment even appearing in his dark eyes.

Wait... you haven't asked me why there's such a rule, or how powerful this evil spirit is!

Is she that enthusiastic about her work?