The Netherworld's Ghost Gate

Xie Jin, Fan Xiaoguo.

Were all the legends really true?

Du Yu remembered reading that White Impermanence was named Xie Bi'an, and Black Impermanence was named Fan Wujiao.

Following Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo, he moved forward with the crowd.

The line of over ten thousand people moved much faster than Du Yu had imagined. They were practically jogging the entire way.

Soon, the three reached the front of the line.

Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo did not take Du Yu straight through the Ghost Gate. Instead, Xie Jin stepped forward and addressed a black-faced Underworld Enforcer. "Hello, sir. We have a suspected case of unjust death here, so he won't be crossing the River of Forgetfulness yet. Could you find a judge to take charge of him?"

The black-faced Underworld Enforcer nodded and went through the Ghost Gate. Before long, a burly middle-aged man in burgundy official robes emerged. He stood two meters tall, had a full beard, and held a jet-black ruyi scepter.

"Who needs judging? Make it quick." The burly man's coarse voice sounded like an engine rumbling low.

"Hello, sir!" Xie Jin bowed to him. "We do. We've brought an Unjust Death Victim today, and we need you to pass judgment."

"An Unjust Death Victim?" Without even lifting his eyelids, the man took a notebook from inside his robes and rapidly flipped through it. "No. The quota for unjust deaths is full for these next few years. Put him down as an 'accidental death' and give him five extra years in his next life. Otherwise, the workload will be too much."

With that, he snapped the notebook shut and turned to leave. All three of them froze.

"Sir!" Fan Xiaoguo snapped out of it and called after him. "This deceased person probably died under the influence of the 'Supreme Pivot.' There's no way that doesn't count as an unjust death!"

"So what if it was the 'Supreme Pivot'?!" The man turned back. "The Legend Management Bureau has been abandoned for nearly a thousand years. Haven't you seen enough cases involving the 'Supreme Pivot'? If every death caused by the 'Supreme Pivot' counts as unjust, how can anyone keep watch over the living world? How can this netherworld be governed?"

As he spoke, he advanced on them, a faint aura of anger radiating from his body. The two girls were forced to retreat step after step.

As the three stood there in a panic, a fierce gust swept in from behind them. Wind whistled past their ears, heading straight for the burly man. In a flash, a white-robed figure came to a stop before their eyes. His back was to them, and he faced the burly man, holding an enormous writing brush covered in talismans.

The white-robed man was nowhere near as imposing in build, but the burly man's eyes widened in terror the instant he saw him. Before he could say a word, the white-robed man raised his hand and delivered a vicious slap across his bearded face.

The slap was so hard that the burly man spun a full circle on the spot.

"Three points," the white-robed man said evenly. "First, from now on, you will never speak to other Underworld Enforcers that way again. Second, an unjust death is an unjust death, no matter how many people die. That is a judge's responsibility. Third, the Legend Management Bureau has never been abandoned."

The sight terrified Du Yu. The burly man in red certainly looked frightening enough, yet this newcomer in white had slapped him across the face. Who on earth was he?

Before Du Yu could react, the red-robed man dropped to his knees with a thud and spoke in a voice on the verge of tears:

"As you command, Grand Judge!"

At the words "Grand Judge," not only the red-robed man but also the Black and White Impermanence beside Du Yu hurriedly knelt. Within moments, every Black and White Impermanence and Underworld Enforcer serving as a gate guard nearby had dropped to their knees. As far as the eye could see, only the souls remained standing.

Then the souls slowly followed the Underworld Enforcers' example and knelt as well. Du Yu was no exception.

In a plaza holding over ten thousand people, only the white-robed man remained standing, his hands behind his back.

"Judges have ranks too? Who is he?" Du Yu whispered to Xie Jin as he knelt.

"Of course judges have ranks!" Xie Jin whispered. "The netherworld has four great judges: Lord Wei Zheng of the Office of Rewarding Goodness, Lord Zhong Kui of the Office of Punishing Evil, and Lord Lu Zhidao of the Office of Investigation. This is Lord Cui Jue, head of the four great judges and master of the Office of Yin Law! He's also the foremost of the Eight Great Netherworld Officials, known as the 'Civil Judge.'"

The white-robed man slowly turned around. He had a scholar's face, yet an unmistakably oppressive presence.

"Everyone, get up. I was only passing by. There's no need to make a fuss. It'll be troublesome if those Kings of Hell hear about it."

At that, the Underworld Enforcers rose one after another, bowed respectfully to Cui Jue, and returned to their work.

Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo stood as well. This was their first time meeting a Grand Judge, and they could not help feeling excited.

"You get up too," Cui Jue said, looking at Du Yu, who was still kneeling. "I'll judge your case personally this time."

Du Yu was rather overwhelmed by the favor. "Oh, oh, thank you!"

Cui Jue swept his right hand outward. The Soul-Reaping Brush in his hand glowed blue-green, its talismans falling away one after another. With a turn of his left hand, a ledger-like book appeared out of thin air, its cover bearing the unmistakable words-"Book of Life and Death."

As the Book of Life and Death flipped through its pages on its own, the Soul-Reaping Brush's blue-green light blazed brighter. Du Yu slowly stood and said, "Sir, do you need my name? I'm Du Yu..."

Cui Jue smiled without speaking. Just as he was about to write Du Yu's name, his gaze fixed on Du Yu's face.

"You..." Cui Jue seemed to want to say something, but the words appeared to slip away at the tip of his tongue. For a long while, he could not get them out. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What did you just call me?"

"Sir. What's wrong?" Du Yu looked at Cui Jue in confusion.

Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo did not dare speak either. They could clearly see the bewilderment on the Grand Judge's face. What could possibly elude a Grand Judge who understood yin and yang and knew past and present?

Only after a long silence did Cui Jue ask, "Did we meet in Zhenguan Year Nineteen?"

"Zhenguan Year Nineteen?" Du Yu paused, then laughed. "Forget Zhenguan Year Nineteen. I wouldn't even have been around in the nineteenth year of the Republic."

Xie Jin also sensed something was wrong. "Grand Judge, have you forgotten that he's a mortal? He probably wouldn't remember anything from the nineteenth year of Zhenguan."

"How strange," Cui Jue said. "Before I met this young man, I had no recollection of such a memory. Yet after seeing him, those memories came gushing out like spring water."

But why? Cui Jue had seen countless departed souls over the past thousand years. Why was Du Yu the only one who appeared in his memories?

After a little thought, a bold hypothesis formed in Cui Jue's mind, and excitement stirred within him.

"Young man, let me ask you: did you choose reincarnation or service?"

"Reincarnation. As a rich family's kid."

Seeing Du Yu answer without a moment's hesitation, Cui Jue shook his head.

"Young man, although I can rule your death unjust, you should know that there have been enormous numbers of unjust deaths in recent years. You'll have to queue for reincarnation."

Du Yu nodded. "I know. These two Underworld Enforcer ladies told me earlier."

"You know there's a queue, but do you know how long the wait is?"

"No, I don't."

"Seven hundred and twenty-six years." Cui Jue smiled. "Until then, you can only remain a wandering soul in this netherworld."

"Over seven hundred years?!" Du Yu was stunned. After more than seven hundred years, would that world still be the one he envisioned? Would it still be the world he wanted to return to?

Looking at Cui Jue's meaningful expression, Du Yu suddenly realized that things might not be so simple.

"Sir, is there something else you want to say?"

Cui Jue smiled and nodded. "Indeed. I want you to do something for me. If you do it well, I'll pull every string I can to move you as far up the reincarnation queue as possible. Do we have a deal?"

Do something for him?

Not only Du Yu, but Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo were puzzled too. Cui Jue was a Yin Immortal, after all. Even if his mastery of the arts did not reach the heavens, he possessed tremendous divine abilities. With cultivation like his, what could he possibly need a wandering soul's help with?

"Then I need to get something straight first, sir," Du Yu said. "Is it dangerous?"

"Extremely. If it's handled badly, the living will die, and the dead will scatter."

"Well..."

Du Yu had only asked as a formality. He had not expected Cui Jue to admit it so bluntly.

"...Sir, are you serious? You're making it very hard for me to agree."

"I don't want to deceive you. What I need you to do really is dangerous. However, this is all based on my guesses and hypotheses. It's possible I won't need you at all. So I want you to think carefully. Seven hundred years of waiting, or a chance to take a gamble?"

"I..."

Du Yu was visibly wavering.

When he was alive, he had had plenty of opportunities like this, but Du Yu had let every single one slip away. From birth, he had never been someone willing to fight for anything. Even during his days at the orphanage, he had never taken the initiative to compete for anything. Perhaps that was why no one had ever adopted him.

"I agree."

Du Yu gave his answer with great solemnity.

"I'll do that extremely dangerous thing for you, and you'll send me back to the human world."

Cui Jue nodded and said to Xie Jin, "Forty li west of the Ghost Gate stands a Yin Mountain wreathed in yin energy. Half the mountain is green, and half is black. The people of the world call it the Peak of No Return. There is a house at its foot. Take Du Yu there, both of you."

Not daring to delay, Xie Jin hurriedly pulled Du Yu and Fan Xiaoguo along and set off.

After bidding Cui Jue farewell, the three returned to the van.

"Xie Jin, what's going on?" Fan Xiaoguo muttered as she started the vehicle. "The Grand Judge seemed kind of strange."

"How could we understand what those big shots are thinking? Just do as we're told."

Du Yu gazed out the window, his feelings tangled.

"Du Yu, have you ever met Lord Cui Jue in the living world?" Xie Jin asked.

"No. That was my first time seeing him."

"Then that's really strange."

As they spoke, Xie Jin's phone rang.

Seeing the caller's name, Xie Jin immediately straightened up.

"Hello? Greetings, Old Ancestor." Xie Jin answered with great respect.

"Oh, my dear Jin Gua Sun. Who are you with?"

"Reporting to you, Old Ancestor, I'm with Xiaoguo of the Fan family, escorting an Unjust Death Victim."

Hearing Xie Jin mention her, Fan Xiaoguo called toward the phone, "Hello, Seventh Ancestor!"

"Xiaoguo? Hello. Give my regards to the Eighth Master."

"Thanks to your blessings, Eighth Ancestor is at home talking about you every day."

"Talking about me? That old ghost still owes me a meal. Say, my dear Jin Gua Sun, you promised to teach me how to use photo-editing software today. Half the day's gone already. Aren't you finished yet?"

"Ah, Old Ancestor, I'm so sorry." Xie Jin apologized repeatedly, then explained the whole chain of events to the person on the other end.

Du Yu thought to himself, Anyone Xie Jin calls Old Ancestor must be White Impermanence, Xie Bi'an, whom people call the Seventh Master.

After hearing Xie Jin's account, Xie Bi'an paused. "My dear Jin Gua Sun, what did you say the person you're escorting was called?"

"His name is Du Yu."

For some reason, the other end fell silent.

"What's wrong with Seventh Ancestor?" Fan Xiaoguo asked quietly after driving for a while.

"I don't know..."

Suddenly, the van flying through the air began shaking violently, and even the sky changed color.

"Huh?"

As the van continued to shake, Xie Jin panicked at first, but quickly regained her composure. She hurriedly turned to Du Yu and said:

"Dear passenger, our vehicle has encountered some turbulence. Please remain seated, fasten your seat belt, and stow your tray table. The restroom is temporarily unavailable..."

"What the hell? What tray table or restroom? Where did you even learn this stuff?" Du Yu complained as he felt around his seat, only to discover that there wasn't even a seat belt.

After several seconds of violent shaking, the space ahead of the van abruptly warped. Fan Xiaoguo slammed on the brakes and stopped in midair. A figure flashed out of that distorted space and stood in the void, his feet resting on empty air.

He wore white robes and a tall hat bearing four bold characters-"Wealth at First Sight." His silvery-white hair poured down like a waterfall, but most astonishing of all was his incredible beauty. Though unmistakably a man, he was breathtakingly beautiful.

Somewhat puzzlingly, he also had several cucumber slices stuck to his face.

"Seventh Ancestor?!" Fan Xiaoguo shouted.

"Old Ancestor?!" Xie Jin cried out. She hurriedly opened the passenger door and stepped out, forgetting that her cultivation was still shallow and she had yet to learn the art of flying through the heavens and burrowing through the earth. Her body tilted, and she nearly plummeted. Only when Xie Bi'an gently waved a hand did she come to a stop in midair.

"My dear Jin Gua Sun, there's no need for ceremony. I'll leave after taking a look."

Seeing the legendary White Impermanence, Xie Bi'an, for the first time, Du Yu was so nervous he could barely speak. Compared with Xie Jin and Fan Xiaoguo's black-and-white work uniforms, Xie Bi'an's official hat and long robes were much more frightening.

Xie Bi'an stared at Du Yu inside the van for a long time, making his skin crawl. Finally, he slowly spoke:

"Du Yu..."

Xie Bi'an's expression grew increasingly wild. Then he threw back his head and laughed.

"Brilliant, Cui Jue, brilliant! Hahahaha!"

Faced with Xie Bi'an's earth-shaking presence, all three froze.

"What's going on? I've never seen Old Ancestor like this before."

"My dear Jin Gua Sun, I won't be learning that photo-editing software today. I'm going back to put on a face mask. Make sure you deliver Du Yu safely to the Peak of No Return."

With that, Xie Bi'an flicked his sleeve and vanished into thin air again.

"Xie Jin, what's going on today? Why are the Grand Judge and Seventh Ancestor both acting so strangely?"

Xie Jin thought for a moment, then turned back to look at Du Yu.

"I don't know. All I know is that it seems to have something to do with Du Yu."

A dozen or so minutes later, the three indeed found the Peak of No Return, wreathed in yin energy.

At the foot of the Peak of No Return stood a concrete house that had almost completely fallen into ruin.

"Don't tell me this is the place?"

The three parked and slowly approached the house. Beside its door was a sign overgrown with vines. It read:

Legend Management Bureau Netherworld Office.