"Ox-Head and Horse-Face?"
-
(゜-゜)
"Black and White Impermanence?"
(.)
Hearing Xueyan and Zijuan say something even more naïve than she would, Annie pursed her little lips and gave them a look that said they really didn't know much. Then she asked bluntly:
"Where are those things?"
(_)
"Have you seen them?"
(||￢▽￢)
As soon as she said that, Xueyan and Zijuan were stumped. They looked at each other, and then Xueyan instinctively retorted:
"How could they not exist?"
"They're in the plays and the storybooks!"
"Everyone says so!"
"The Netherworld has to have Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence! Without them, who would hook souls and claim lives, and keep the balance between yin and yang?"
Yes, to Xueyan and Zijuan, this was basic common knowledge. It was simply what they had always believed.
"They really aren't here!"
At that moment, Daiyu, who had been silently observing their surroundings, suddenly spoke.
As Xueyan and Zijuan looked at her in confusion, she stepped forward slowly and let out a sigh before explaining with certainty:
"Xueyan, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence do exist."
"They're righteous deities of the Netherworld's underworld offices, responsible for claiming souls, escorting them onward, and judging their sins."
Seeing Xueyan look ready to argue, Daiyu gently changed tack and continued:
"However, ever since ancient times, when the Heavenly Court reestablished order in the Three Realms and issued its strict laws, an ironclad rule has been in place to prevent officials on either side from colluding and abusing their power: immortals and cultivators of the mortal world may not enter the Netherworld without a special decree!"
"Those who disobey are executed!"
"The underworld's deities and ghost officials are likewise forbidden from freely entering the mortal world. Those who disobey are executed as well!"