Yellow Springs Inn (Zhang Xiao Qi)

T/N: Just to put it in perspective, the netherworld is written as『阴』间 (yin jian) and the world of the living as『阳』间 (yang jian). 阴 means shadow while 阳 means sun or light, so really 阴间 means shadow place and 阳间 means light place.

After leaving the inn, I prepared to walk around the netherworld as it"s been a long time since I"ve left Yellow Springs Inn, and even how long exactly it"s been is something I don"t remember anymore.

I put my hands behind my back, humming a little tune, stepping with little steps towards the River of Forgetfulness 1 filled with pretty and bright red spider lilies2.

The red spider lilies might be beautiful, but they are also miserable; the flowers and leaves will never touch, like cruelly making two mutual lovers separate and never meet again for all of eternity; this is inexplicable an suffering!

On top of the River of Forgetfulness is the Bridge of Helplessness, and after crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, drinking Lady Meng"s soup will allow one to reincarnate, to once again live as a human3.

After pa.s.sing by the River of Forgetfulness, as I prepared to go up the Bridge of Helplessness to visit Lady Meng, a netherworld soldier barred my way.

"You cannot cross!" the netherworld soldier said.

I looked at the soldier questioningly, "Why can"t I cross, this bridge does not belong to your family!"

The netherworld soldier looked me over, seeming to recognize me, said, "Shopkeeper Xiao Qi, Yama4 is on there!"

I froze, thinking in my heart: Isn"t Yama very busy? He ate until full and when he had free time came here for what?

Whatever, since Yama is here then I don"t feel like going over anymore!

But I"m curious; for what purpose did Yama come here?

I looked at the netherworld soldier and smiled, "Since Yama is on there, then I won"t bother you anymore, goodbye!"

Finishing my sentence I turned and left that side of the Bridge of Helplessness.

But how could I leave so easily? From the side that wasn"t guarded I crept down underneath the Bridge of Helplessness, standing on an already fully bloomed red spider lily.

My two hands hugged against my chest, ears perking as I listened to the conversation on the bridge.

Yama said, "Luo Qian Qi, why did you come to the netherworld this time?

Listening to Yama, I froze. The person talking with Yama up there was actually Luo Qian Qi? Are they familiar with each other?

Luo Qian Qi smiled coldy, "It seems that you, Yama, do not welcome my coming to the netherworld!"

Yama smiled while looking at Luo Qian Qi, his voice calm as he said, "You Luo Qian Qi, the grand Thousand Jade Hall"s Hall Master, would never come to the netherworld without a reason; if there is a matter then you can say it!"

Luo Qian Qi nodded his head, "If it"s like this, then I won"t hide anything; coming to the netherworld this time was to bring back something!"

Suspicious, Yama asked Luo Qian Qi, "What do want to bring back?"

Luo Qian Qi looked at the River of Forgetfulness"s red and pretty spider lilies, before saying to Yama, "Red spider lilies!"

Yama froze for a moment, then refused, "No, every one of the River of Forgetfulness"s spider lilies records every person"s life or death; how many River of Forgetfulness’s spider lilies there are represents how many people are alive. If that person"s red spider lily is taken away, it"s the same as taking away their life, so I cannot allow you to take red spider lilies!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at Yama and smiled, "Do you know who"s red spider lily I want to take away?"

Yama looked at Luo Qian Qi for a moment before shaking his head.

Luo Qian Qi smiled and said, "I want to take away my own red spider lily; can you give it to me?"

Yama froze. "Why?"

Luo Qian Qi sighed, "My life is too dangerous, only if my life is in my own hands will I feel safe!"

Yama watched Luo Qian Qi, laughing gently, "It"s true, the position of Thousand Jade Hall"s Hall Master is one that a lot of people think about, while clearly knowing that it"s very dangerous, but still a lot of people want to sit in this position!"

I was below them listening to their conversation and felt a little frustrated. So Luo Qian Qi"s reason for coming to the netherworld to find Yama was to take away his red spider lily!

Then why did Hei Bai Wu Chang say that Luo Qian Qi escaped from them?

After I left the River of Forgetfulness I arrived at the world of the living. Looking at the environment that was completely different from the past, I was shocked.

When I was at the Yellow Springs Inn, although I did hear a lot of ghosts tell about the changes in the outside world, I never thought that the changes were so big.

The wooden houses of the past became tall buildings and large mansions, and everywhere were flickering neon lights.

I happily looked up and down in all directions, feeling that everything was so queer, so new and original, so unimaginable.

I stopped on the street for a while before asking a few small ghosts to tell me Thousand Jade Hall"s address.

I followed the small ghosts" directions and found Thousand Jade Hall.

Thousand Jade Hall was at a place away from civilization, where there were no cities full of clamor, appearing to be very quiet and peaceful.

"Thousand Jade Hall!" I looked at the wooden board hung up high on the door and read out loud.

Thousand Jade Hall was very imposing, and also was an ancient-style building, even having two fierce lion statues standing at the door.

When I was planning on entering Thousand Jade Hall, the door G.o.ds 5 blocked me!

One of the door G.o.ds pointed at me rebuking, "Where did this small ghost come from, quickly leave!"

I crossed my arms and looked at the two door G.o.ds, harrumphing coldly, "You two look at me carefully, I am definitely not some small ghost!"

Those two door G.o.ds stared at me carefully, when one of the door G.o.ds said, "Yellow Springs Inn!"

I nodded my head, "Uh-huh, Yellow Springs Inn, now can you let me in?"

The two door G.o.ds both looked at each other for a moment, before one door G.o.d said, "We are truly sorry, it"s not that we brothers are not accommodating, it"s just that some other people told us two brothers to watch over the door, we, we brothers also have troubles, right!"

I looked at those two door G.o.ds and nodded; what they said really does have some meaning: if they were to let me go in, it would be neglecting their duty, also damaging their reputation as well!

I looked at those two door G.o.ds and said, "Then what should I do, no matter what I must go in!"

One of them laughed, "Then let"s do it this way, you can walk in from the back door, the back door is out of our jurisdiction!"

I looked at them and asked probingly, "That is the truth?"

The two door G.o.ds nodded. I thanked the two door G.o.ds before going to the back door.

Those two door G.o.ds did not trick me, and since there were no door G.o.ds at the back door to obstruct my way, I smoothly walked into Thousand Jade Hall.

I carefully scrutinized the inside of Thousand Jade Hall. The decorations were all of cla.s.sical style, like the houses of the dynasty I had lived in.

Thousand Jade Hall had numerous guards inside; it could be said that it was watertight security, however none of them could see me!

When I walked up to the fake mountain, I saw a sneaky shadow.

I hid behind the fake mountain and watched the shadow. To be sneaky this late in the day, this person must have bad intentions!

I didn"t even think before beginning to follow the person, as I wanted to know what exactly he wanted to do!

I followed the person to a single courtyard; inside, the courtyard was pitch-black, like there was n.o.body living here.

That person walked up to a room and halted. From the person"s figure, it was probably a man, and about twenty, or else the person would not have such a st.u.r.dy body structure.

I watched as the man opened the door and crept in, and so I followed him in.

I did not push open the door; instead, I directly phased through it.

After entering the room, the man lit a candle. That candle"s light may have been small, but it was also enough to see the room"s state.

For me, whether there was light or not was not important; even if there was no light, I could still see the room"s state clearly all the same.

Judging from the decorations in the room, this was probably someone"s bedroom, since there is a table, a desk and bookshelf, as well as a bed.

I also saw that on the bed there was a person with his legs crossed, two eyes slightly closed as he sat on the bed, while the man who had just walked in held a dagger in his right hand.

The man held the dagger looking at the person on the bed, harrumphing coldly, "Sorry, who let you sit in this position [of Hall Master]!"

I looked carefully, realizing that the person sitting on the bed was Luo Qian Qi.

I looked Luo Qian Qi sitting on the bed with doubt. Wasn"t Luo Qian Qi with Yama on the Bridge of Helplessness talking? How could he come back so quickly?

Then I immediately thought again; no, the one in the netherworld is his spirit, while this is him in the flesh.

With my face calm, I watched the man who wanted to harm Luo Qian Qi, thinking: Although I do not like Luo Qian Qi very much, I can"t watch someone die and not save them, or else if his physical body is damaged, he will never be able to come back [from the netherworld]!

The man raised the dagger and stabbed towards Luo Qian Qi"s heart. Seeing the situation, I immediately lifted my leg towards the man"s wrist.

In pain, the man held his wrist, and the dagger left his hands, piercing a pillar on the side of the room.

The man looked around in frightened astonishment, but could not see anyone.

The man also realized that there might be people in the dark helping Luo Qian Qi. He glared maliciously at Luo Qian Qi before quickly leaving the room.

After the man left, I materialized my form. I walked up to the pillar and pulled out the dagger there, fiddling with it a little before walking up to Luo Qian Qi"s bed and sitting down.

I sat by Luo Qian Qi, laughing as I waved the dagger in front of Luo Qian Qi"s body without a spirit.

I played with the dagger as I laughed, "What kind of position is Thousand Jade Hall"s Hall Master?

Suddenly I paid attention to Luo Qian Qi"s eyes. His eyes were not like ordinary eyes.

I used my right hand to pry open Luo Qian Qi"s left eye, and saw that his eye really stood out from the crowd.

At this time, Luo Qian Qi opened his mouth, "What are you trying to do?"

I stared at his left eye, not thinking at all as I replied, "I want to eat your left eye!"

Only after saying this did it register that Luo Qian Qi had awoken. I pulled my hand back, immediately standing up to maintain some distance from Luo Qian Qi.

Luo Qian Qi rubbed his left eye, looking at me as he said, "Who are you, what did you come here to do?"

I threw the dagger in my hand to Luo Qian Qi, laughing, "Just now there was someone who wanted to kill you. It was me that saved you, how will you thank me?"

Luo Qian Qi held the dagger that I threw and inspected it, his tone indifferent, "You still haven"t answered my question!"

I looked at Luo Qian Qi and laughed, "I am Zhang Xiao Qi, I came here in order to help you protect your corpse!"

"My corpse?" Luo Qian Qi said, furrowing his eyebrows, his tone immediately becoming icy, "Don"t need it [your protection]!"

I looked at Luo Qian Qi and hmphed, "If I wasn"t here, you would already have become a corpse!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at me coldly, "I remember you, you are Yellow Springs Inn"s shopkeeper!"

I nodded my head, "So what?"

Luo Qian Qi smiled coldly, "Then I will warn you to peacefully go to be your shopkeeper, or else, I"m afraid you wouldn"t even know how you died!"

My body flashed as I appeared by Luo Qian Qi"s side, my right hand raising his chin as I laughed, "What a bold tone, it"s been some thousand years, such a long time since someone talked to me like this!"

Luo Qian Qi slapped away the hand that was raising his chin, his voice icy, "Get lost!"

I laughed and looked at Luo Qian Qi for a moment, then rolled onto the bed, laying on the bed.

Luo Qian Qi looked at me with a gaze full of bewilderment.

I looked at Luo Qian Qi and smiled, "Hall Master Luo, you wouldn"t mind if a girl like me borrowed your room for a night, right, after all you do owe me money for a meal!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at me laying on the bed, in an icy tone said, "When did I owe you money?""

I laid down on the bed, one hand lifting up Luo Qian Qi"s chin, "Hall Master Luo, your memory really is not the ordinary kind of bad, just a few hours ago, you ate a bowl of beef noodle soup at my inn and didn"t give money!"

Luo Qian Qi furrowed his eyebrows, "Didn"t I have Hei Bai Wu Chang give it?"

I looked at him, laughing mischievously, "Sorry, they forgot to give it to me, so you still are in my book of debtors!"

Luo Qian Qi looked at me, his tone ordinary, "Tomorrow I will burn it for you!"

"No!" I didn"t even think before refusing.

Luo Qian Qi wrinkled his brows asking, "Why?"

I looked at him as I laughed and said, "This is the living world, not the netherworld, so you cannot burn it for me, you have to give me the living world"s money!"

Luo Qian Qi watched me and asked, "How much?"

I counted on my fingers, smiling, "Three hundred million!"

"I don"t have it!" Luo Qian Qi didn"t even consider it before he answering.

I looked at Luo Qian Qi unhappily, "Don"t have it, so you want to dine and dash!"

1. River of Forgetfulness: equivalent to the Lethe and Styx Rivers in Greek mythology; it is where you forget your past life (see below) and separates the human world from the netherworld ↩
2. Red Spider Lilies (彼岸花): they are the flowers of death. If you"re curious, read more ↩
3. Bridge of Helplessness (奈何桥) and Lady Meng (孟婆): the Bridge of Helplessness is on the River of Forgetfulness; when you go up the bridge, Lady Meng aka Meng Po gives you a bowl of forgetful soup, which will allow you to forget what happened in the life you just lived, before you cross the bridge into a new life. ↩
4. Yama (阎王): king of the Buddhist netherworld (Buddhism is a hugely popular religion in China and j.a.pan, giving rise to all those reincarnation stories), also known as Enma in j.a.pan. ↩
5. Door G.o.ds: two big stickers that you stick onto the door to chase off evil spirits ↩