Chapter 6

"Flight is prohibited above the First Hall. Only ghost officials of the third rank and above can enter the First Hall freely. Those below the third rank need to be summoned," Song Jing pointed to the magnificent First Hall in the sky and said gently.

"Then, what rank is Brother Song?" Su Xing asked curiously.

"Fourth rank!" Song Jing said proudly, "I have served in the court for a thousand years and, through my own efforts, have risen to the fourth rank. I currently work under Lord Bai Wuchang."

"A thousand years!" Jin Yu was speechless, staring at the young and scholarly Song Jing in disbelief.

"That's right. After cultivation, one's lifespan is greatly extended. As a minister of King Yama, one's lifespan naturally has to be longer. Haven't you thought about what King Yama is in charge of?" Song Jing smiled and winked at Su Xing.

"Life and death!" Su Xing suddenly understood and answered.

"Exactly! This is one of the benefits of being a minister of King Yama," Song Jing smiled gently and said.

"I'll tell you eventually, but since we have the chance now, I'll say it. As a minister of the Ten Kings of Hell, there are several ranks. The lowest are the ghost constables and clerks, like the small ghosts and yakshas you saw on the way, and the flag-holding ghosts. They are all ghost constables and clerks. Above them are the nine ranks of ghost officials, with the ninth rank being the lowest and the first rank being the highest. I am a fourth-rank civil official. Above the ghost officials are the Four Judges and the Ten Yin Generals."

"So many!" Su Xing said in surprise, not expecting the underworld to have such a complex and intricate structure.

Song Jing nodded and continued, "But from the smallest ghost constables and clerks to the largest judges and Yin Generals, they are all ministers of the Ten Kings of Hell and must follow the orders of the Ten Kings of Hell."

"Uh-huh." Su Xing pondered, the ruling method of the underworld was a centralized system, with its pros and cons.

"By the way, in the underworld, there are two extremely important figures. One is the One-Shoulder King, the Great Emperor of the East Peak, who oversees the old capital of the underworld, Tai'an! The other is the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who made a great vow to build the City of the Wrongly Dead. They can rival the Ten Kings of Hell!" Song Jing added.

"The Ten Kings of Hell, the Great Emperor of the East Peak, the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha..." Su Xing memorized these mythological figures, never daring to forget them.

The two ghosts chatted idly as they rode the black cloud up to the First Hall and stopped at the West Ghost Gate.

"Stop!"

A resounding voice rang out, and two sharp and fierce halberds were thrust across the West Ghost Gate, blocking Su Xing and Song Jing from entering.

Su Xing widened his eyes and carefully observed the two ghost generals guarding the gate. They were ten feet tall, clad in dark black armor with spikes all over, and their fierce, beast-like helmets completely obscured their faces, making them look very imposing.

Song Jing patted Su Xing on the shoulder and whispered, "Don't stare at the ghost generals guarding the gate, or you'll be eaten, just like the ghost carriage!"

"Ah!" Su Xing quickly averted his gaze, scared to look around.

"Don't worry, take it easy," Song Jing patted Su Xing on the shoulder, whispering to comfort him, then looked at the ghost generals. "Is Lord Bai Wuchang here?"

"Not here!" The ghost generals replied decisively.

Song Jing smiled slightly, as if the answer was expected, and asked again, "What about Luo Sen?"

"Here!" The two ghost generals answered in unison.

"Please inform Luo Sen that Song Jing has arrived," Song Jing said, handing the jade tablet to the ghost generals.

The ghost generals took the jade tablet, and a white jade red light burst forth, with mysterious netherworld characters flying out.

"Identity verified, this is the fourth-rank civil official Song Jing. Please wait!" After using a mysterious method to test the jade tablet, the ghost generals returned it to Song Jing.

"Thank you." Song Jing said politely, then whispered to Su Xing, "The jade tablet is not only a rare ghost treasure but also a form of identification."

"Ah." Su Xing's eyes twinkled, wondering what kind of identification ghost officials used during the Qing Dynasty if not jade tablets.

While lost in thought, a tall and imposing man strode over from a distance, clad in tiger armor and carrying a broadsword, looking very imposing!

When the tall man approached, Su Xing noticed he had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and hair as stiff as iron spikes, making him look very bold and heroic. This was Luo Sen.

"Song Jing!" Luo Sen shouted in a hoarse voice and strode over to give Song Jing a bear hug!

"Cough, cough, I'm not used to it!" Song Jing quickly dodged, pushing Su Xing forward and coughing.

"Brother Song..." Su Xing looked pitifully at the twelve-foot-tall man, whose mountain-like figure cast a shadow over him.

"Who's this kid?" Luo Sen glanced curiously at Su Xing and looked at Song Jing, "A virtuous soul, Song Jing, what good thing have you found? No wonder you always volunteer to be a guide, most of your disciples are found this way."

"Luo Sen, I brought him here for a serious matter. Don't you find it strange that this virtuous soul is so young?" Song Jing smiled bitterly, placing his hand on Su Xing's shoulder and speaking seriously.

"Oh?" Luo Sen looked at Su Xing again, pursing his lips, "When King Yama calls for someone to die at midnight, who can keep them alive until dawn? He came to the underworld either because his lifespan was over or because he died unnaturally."

"He says he doesn't know how he died and hopes to find out," Song Jing said, "If he died unjustly, it fits the rules to see the Ten Kings of Hell, after all, his soul's virtue seems considerable."

Luo Sen's tiger-like eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a glint of light as he sized up Su Xing, "A golden soul, hmm? There's actually so much Netherworld energy stored in his body!"

As he spoke, Luo Sen's eyes suddenly opened wide, looking at Song Jing in surprise, "Did you tell him?"

"How could I?" Song Jing shook his head, "The Netherworld is a long and winding road, who can tell a soul the secrets of the Netherworld? Death is a small matter, but being cast into the Eighteenth Level of Hell is worse than death!"

"Good to know, I just fear you might get carried away by your love for talent," Luo Sen sighed. Although he and Song Jing were from different factions, one civil and one military, their relationship was as strong as iron, and many things could be settled with a single word.

Luo Sen understood Song Jing's character, his love for talent, and his numerous disciples. Although he was a fourth-rank ghost official, no ghost official or general dared to look down on him.

"Alright, let's get to the point. I need your help to ask Lord Cui to check the Book of Life and Death to find out the cause of death," Song Jing said.

Su Xing's eyes twinkled, and he perked up his ears. When he realized he wouldn't see King Yama, he felt a bit disappointed.

"Why not take him to Lord Cui yourself? Why come to me, a military general?" Luo Sen's lips twitched, unwillingly.

"This..." Song Jing looked hesitant, "Lord Bai Wuchang had a falling out with Lord Cui a few days ago. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to bring a virtuous soul to see Lord Cui now."

"You're too picky." Luo Sen slapped his chest armor and said firmly, "Leave it to me, but next time you have to drink with me until we're both drunk!"

"Deal!" Song Jing's face lit up, and he said heartily.

"You wait here for a moment. I'll go see Lord Cui; he's right in the First Hall." Luo Sen disappeared in a black whirlwind, in a hurry.

"Haha, Luo Sen is a drunkard, look how eager he is, he must be thinking about my few jars of locust flower wine," Song Jing laughed, watching the black whirlwind.

Su Xing said enviously, "Brother Song and Brother Luo have such a good relationship."

Song Jing was taken aback, looked at Su Xing, and suddenly burst out laughing, "Hahaha... Luo Sen and I were friends in our previous lives. Don't look at him now, he was even thinner than me in life. If it weren't for cultivating the 'Ghost Dao Senluo Sutra,' hah!"

"The 'Ghost Dao Senluo Sutra'?" Su Xing muttered, his bright and clear eyes gazing at the First Hall, which was radiant and magnificent, his thoughts drifting. He had no friends in his previous life and was very envious of Song Jing and Luo Sen. In the modern world, having a friendship as strong as iron and blood was rare.

"The 'Ghost Dao Senluo Sutra' that Luo Sen cultivates was bestowed by Lord Zhong Kui, and the 'Wuchang Sutra' that I cultivate was bestowed by Lord Bai Wuchang. These two classics are very famous throughout the underworld. We'll talk about it when you become a ghost constable or clerk," Song Jing stopped there, not wanting to reveal too much to Su Xing.

Not wanting Su Xing to aim too high, Su Xing quickly understood Song Jing's meaning, his heart burning with curiosity.

Maybe getting a position in the underworld isn't bad...

Su Xing's thoughts began to change. Instead of being reborn into a good family, it might be more carefree and free in the bizarre world of gods and ghosts.

Song Jing's lips curved into a gentle smile, his eyes turning a glassy blue, seeing through Su Xing's thoughts.

"He's here." Song Jing suddenly said.

"He's here?" Su Xing looked around curiously but saw no one, not even a ghost, in the empty First Hall.

"Behind you." Song Jing said calmly.

"Ah!" Su Xing turned around and found a mountain-like ghost suddenly behind him, almost falling off the black cloud in shock.

"How did it go?" Song Jing asked.

"What are you, exactly?" Luo Sen didn't answer Song Jing directly but sized up Su Xing, his ghostly eyes making Su Xing feel intimidated.

Have I been found out? I'm pretending to be a virtuous soul, Su Xing thought, feeling his mind almost being sucked into the ghostly eyes.

"Hey, Song Jing, you're too protective. Do you know who this kid is?" Luo Sen shouted.

"Who is he? Does he have a background?" Song Jing was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Su Xing curiously.

"What background do I have?" Su Xing was depressed, having no family, money, or power in the human world, how could he have a background?

"Hmph, there's definitely something wrong!" Luo Sen's ghostly eyes stopped, and the 'Ghost Dao Senluo Sutra' ceased to operate, "You probably don't even know, you're a virtuous soul!"

"What? A virtuous soul!" Song Jing almost jumped up, grabbing Su Xing's shoulder, "You're a virtuous soul?!"

"A virtuous soul?" Su Xing was confused, "I thought I was a virtuous soul. What's a virtuous soul?"

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