Chapter 14

"Yuan Liunian?"

Sure enough, the seven or eight ghosts stopped, exchanging glances.

"There's hope!"

The expression on Su Xing's face, who was crouched on the ground, immediately brightened, and he was about to stand up.

"Yuan Liunian? Do you know him?" one ghost asked.

"I don't know him. Do you?" another ghost shook his head and asked another ghost.

"Never heard of him." The other ghost also shook his head, and none of the seven or eight ghosts knew Yuan Liunian.

Not know him? How is that possible! Su Xing's heart sank, and he knew something was wrong.

"You're playing with me? Beat him!" The seven or eight ghosts glared angrily, looking like fierce demons, and once again rushed forward, punching and kicking Su Xing even harder, as if they were angry that Su Xing had used Yuan Liunian to mock them.

Su Xing hugged his head, curling up as much as he could. He felt pain all over his body, as if silver needles were constantly pricking him, and his skin was about to bleed.

After a while, the seven or eight ghosts got tired, muttering curses, and gradually moved away, leaving Su Xing, who was covered in injuries.

"Ouch, I didn't expect ghosts to feel pain too. It hurts so much." Su Xing sat up, groaning, and checked his injuries, gasping in pain. He raised his eyebrows, his eyes fixed on the backs of the seven or eight ghosts, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Ghosts who had seen venomous snakes knew that Su Xing's eyes were as poisonous as a snake's!

Su Xing had been a hitman for a while before his death. He wasn't physically fit and didn't know martial arts, but he was skilled at lying in wait like a venomous snake, then striking with a thunderous attack, delivering a fatal blow!

"Wherever you are, the law of the jungle is an eternal truth! Without strength, you must know when to be cautious!" Su Xing clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and stood up, walking unsteadily toward the Chenghuang Temple in Fengdu.

In life, Su Xing had been an orphan since childhood, with a desire to become strong that was stronger than anyone else's, and it had never diminished.

The underworld has a well-organized structure with clear roles and responsibilities.

The Chenghuang, a natural deity and local official, is enshrined in every city, and in places far from the imperial court, the Chenghuang is like a local emperor.

The underworld divides the Chenghuang into five ranks: the Ten Halls Chenghuang, who oversee the ten halls, have a rank equivalent to the Ten Great Yin Marshals and the Four Great Judges!

The State Chenghuang, who oversee the thirteen states of the underworld, have a first-rank position; the Prefecture Chenghuang, who oversee the prefectures within the states, have a second-rank position; the Capital Chenghuang, who oversee the capitals within the prefectures, have a third-rank position; and the County Chenghuang, who oversee the counties within the capitals, have a fourth-rank position.

Below the Chenghuang are the Jingzhu, who oversee unclaimed territories, with a fifth-rank position. However, among the various ranks of Chenghuang and ghost officials, there is a saying: "Better to be a ninth-rank ghost official in the Ten Halls than a fifth-rank Jingzhu in a remote area." This shows that the position of Jingzhu is not very desirable.

The Chenghuang of Fengdu, honored as one of the Ten Halls Chenghuang, is comparable to the Ten Great Yin Marshals and the Four Great Judges, with a vast number of officials under his command, overseeing Fengdu, and wielding immense power. It is not easy for Su Xing to see him.

As expected, Jin Yu stood at the Fengdu population registration office for several hours without any response. He clenched the token given by Meng Po, the *Meng Po's Great Forgetfulness Sutra*, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

After a while, two fat ghost officials wobbled out of the Fengdu Chenghuang Temple population registration office.

"Did the Chenghuang agree to see me?" Su Xing immediately put away his cold smile, his lips curving slightly upward, and he approached with a slightly fawning expression.

"See you?" One of the fat ghost officials stood on the steps, looking down at Su Xing with disdain. "How could that be! The Chenghuang is not someone you can just see! He is busy with many important matters and has no time to deal with you!"

"But!" Su Xing gritted his teeth, took out the crumpled *Meng Po's Great Forgetfulness Sutra*, and said with great reluctance, "I have Meng Po's token. She said that with this token, I can see the Chenghuang!"

"Ha!"

The two fat ghost officials exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"If it were really Meng Po's token, the Chenghuang would naturally find time to see you. But Meng Po is so busy, how could she have any connection with a small ghost like you, and give you the *Meng Po's Great Forgetfulness Sutra* as a token? I think you were tricked by a cheap knockoff from the street." The ghost official mocked.

Su Xing's heart sank, and he finally felt disheartened, turning to leave.

"Wait." The other ghost official, who had not spoken, suddenly called out to Su Xing.

Su Xing's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he stopped.

"Su Xing, right? Your name has been registered, and you are now a formal citizen of the ghost kingdom." The ghost official said loudly, his voice like a bell. "Also, change out of your funeral robe. Other ghosts can tell you're a new ghost at a glance and might bully you."

The funeral robe, indeed...

Su Xing was slightly surprised and glanced at the ghost official. "Thank you."

A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. Su Xing remembered his face and turned to leave.

"Why do you always try to be a good ghost?"

"Ah, the world is bleak, and it's not easy to be a ghost."

The faint voices of the two ghost officials could be heard behind him, but Su Xing didn't care. He stood at the foot of Fengdu's hundred-zhang city wall, picked a piece of black moss from the grayish rocks, put it in his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it with a frown.

"The taste is not as good as the moss in the human world." Su Xing muttered, leaning against the city wall and casually observing the prosperous Fengdu. His heart suddenly felt empty and lonely, surrounded by unfamiliar ghosts.

But Su Xing was already used to it. It was just a change of scenery, from the human world to the underworld.

For Su Xing, who had been a lonely wanderer since childhood, this was a daily routine.

"Find a place to settle down and then try to survive. I didn't expect being a ghost to be so troublesome. You can feel pain, die, feel hungry, and feel cold. What's the difference from being human?" Su Xing complained, trying to comfort himself.

At that moment, Su Xing's sharp eyes noticed a few ghosts bullying a new ghost in a corner of the city wall, and his lips twitched.

"Better change out of the funeral robe quickly." Su Xing didn't have any ghost money to buy clothes, but he had other methods.

With a "tear" sound, Su Xing tore long strips from the edges of the robe-like funeral robe, then wrapped them around other parts, tying knots or braiding them into different shapes.

"Not bad, not bad. It seems my disguise skills haven't deteriorated." Su Xing looked at his clothes with satisfaction, nodded, and his eyes caught a patch of grass on the ground, which suddenly lit up.

"I was wondering what was missing. It's this." Su Xing smiled, bent down, and pulled up a handful of grass, squeezing out the juice and drawing a "凶" (xiong, meaning "fierce") character on his chest in a bold, flowing style.

"Done!" Su Xing threw away the grass, clapped his hands.

To test the effect, Su Xing walked past the ghosts who were beating the new ghost, walking to a distance and clenching his fists in excitement.

"The effect is good. I was really afraid those ghosts would suddenly attack me, and I would suffer again." Su Xing said, having solved the clothing problem, he began to think about food and shelter.

In a strange city, with no money, it's not easy to survive.

As the ghost official said, the world is bleak, and it's not easy to be a ghost. Good ghosts are rare, and it's even rarer to encounter a good ghost by chance. Su Xing looked at the various buildings and casually asked about the price of a house, which was so high that it made the ghosts' hair stand on end.

In the underworld, there is no day or night. When Su Xing was tired, he found a bridge pier, curled up inside, and took a nap. When he was hungry or thirsty, he grabbed moss from the city wall to fill his stomach.

For about a month, Su Xing lived like a homeless person. He finally found a job and received his salary, one hundred ghost coins, enough for a good meal.

"After a month, I'm quite familiar with the area. I guess I'm an old ghost now." Su Xing tightly held the one hundred ghost coins in his hand, self-mockingly comforting himself.

He was still wearing the modified funeral robe, but no ghost thought Su Xing was a new ghost anymore.

Now, Su Xing looked even more wretched than when he first arrived in the underworld. His long, black hair was matted together in clumps, his face was dark and covered with a thick layer of dirt, and his body was dirty, but his eyes were still as sharp as ever.

"I've heard that the ghost city's pickled vegetables, immortal bean curd, Fengdu red heart pomelo, and ghost city spicy chicken are all incredibly delicious, making even ghosts and gods drool. I really want to try them." Su Xing thought, his empty stomach growling. He held his stomach with one hand and grabbed a handful of moss with the other, stuffing it into his mouth, and began to imagine the ghost city's pickled vegetables, immortal bean curd, Fengdu red heart pomelo, and ghost city spicy chicken.

As for actually eating the ghost city's pickled vegetables, immortal bean curd, Fengdu red heart pomelo, and ghost city spicy chicken, with only one hundred ghost coins, he couldn't even buy the stems of the pickled vegetables, the dregs of the bean curd, or the bones of the chicken.

The ghost city's pickled vegetables are so famous that even a small bag costs one thousand ghost coins, let alone the immortal bean curd, which is said to be a delicacy that even a Great Immortal would praise. It is truly a priceless delicacy, making one sigh in admiration.

Su Xing didn't plan to use the one hundred ghost coins he had earned with hard work to fill his stomach. He intended to find a bathhouse to clean himself, buy a clean set of clothes, and look for another job!

Buddhas need gilding, and ghosts need proper attire. To find a better job, he needed to dress up properly.

Su Xing, who was dirty all over, could only find a dirty job.

In the suburbs of Fengdu, in a shabby bathhouse, Su Xing talked his way into the bathhouse with great effort.

Su Xing took off his clothes, first rinsed himself, and then stepped into the bath pool.

Splash, the green medicinal soap water overflowed, and the entire bathhouse was filled with steam and a faint medicinal fragrance.

"Ah, comfortable..." Su Xing rested his arms on the edge of the pool, leaned back, closed his eyes, and groaned in comfort.

The warm, flowing medicinal soap water felt like a woman's delicate hands, gently caressing every inch of Su Xing's skin, making his bones and muscles relax.

Su Xing groaned and gradually fell asleep, he was too tired.

End of page AD

Start of page AD