library clerk

Chapter 998: Karma
Looking at the world in front of him, Song Jiang didn't know how to describe it in words for a moment. Although it was daytime, compared with Huangquan Town, everything here was even more depressing. Not only were all things dull in color, but the entire world had turned into gray, white and black. There was really not a trace of life at all.

Seeing that Song Jiang seemed to be startled by the moment he entered the door, Gu Hao slowly approached him and whispered, "I forgot to tell you that after entering the gate of hell, yin and yang will alternate, and the world will be turned upside down. You will feel a little dizzy."

Song Jiang couldn't believe it and said, "You call that a little dizzy? I was lucky that I didn't fall to the ground immediately... You are so tight-lipped. What else is different from the living world? Can you explain it all at once?"

Gu Hao smiled and said, "In fact, the biggest difference between here and the human world is everyone's state of mind. Different states of mind lead to different things they see... Most ghosts clearly understand and accept the fact that they are dead. At the same time, they also know clearly that after arriving in the underworld, they will go through the same process as other dead people and prepare to be reincarnated, so they don't feel that the world in front of them is gray. On the contrary, "ghosts" like you and me can see the difference between the world in front of us and the world of the living at a glance, because our state of mind is different from theirs. Do you understand what I mean?"

Song Jiang certainly knew what Gu Hao meant by "different", so he nodded and said, "So that's how it is. You just said that most people go to the underworld to go through a process after death and then reincarnate. Shouldn't they be judged first to see if they have committed any sins in their lifetime?"

After hearing this, Gu Hao glanced at the third brother who was arranging the formation, then lowered his voice and said, "Of course there will be approval, but some of the rules of the underworld are very different from the past. The saying that mistakes made during life will be settled after death is just to guide people to be good... It is to let ordinary people behave themselves and be good people, and not have so many verbal disputes every day. For example, it was said in the past that those who sow discord, slander and harm others, are glib, argue with clever words, and lie will suffer in the hell of tongue-pulling after death. But think about it, in the process of everyone in modern society from birth to death, who dares to say that he has never told a lie? If telling a lie will lead to the hell of tongue-pulling, then all the ghosts in this world have nowhere to go, they must all be crowded in the hell of tongue-pulling!"

Song Jiang thought that this made sense, so he asked in confusion, "Then who would go to the hell of tongue pulling out?"

Gu Hao thought for a moment and said, "He is a person who has truly formed the karma..."

"Karma? What kind of karma?!" Song Jiang asked in a deep voice.

Gu Hao said, "How should I put it? The lies you told caused some serious consequences... For example, spreading obscene rumors, because of a momentary nonsense, you said that a girl had done something indecent. This kind of lie can cause the girl to be pointed at and criticized on the street, causing great trouble to the girl's spirit and life; in serious cases, the other party may commit suicide because of depression. This is a typical karma, and after death, she will definitely go to the hell of tongue-pulling. However, some harmless lies, some white lies, and even some lies told for self-protection will basically be ignored. Because whether a person is truly kind or hypocritical, whether he is a minor evil or a great evil, it is very easy to investigate in the underworld, and there is no such thing as an unjust, false, or wrong case."

After passing the Ghost Gate, there is the Yellow Spring Road. When they get here, the ghost officials are basically not as tense as they are outside. Some even directly loosen the soul-locking chains that pull the ghosts and let the ghosts walk on the Yellow Spring Road by themselves... Because once they get here, there is no turning back. All ghosts have to keep moving forward and can't turn back in this life. What shocked Song Jiang the most was that there was a Yellow Spring Market on this road with stalls selling goods, selling some necessities needed after entering the underworld. For example, dog-beating sticks made of willow branches or bamboo are usually used by filial sons and grandsons to cry and drive away vicious dogs when passing through the evil dog village. They have high practical value... But these days, not everyone has filial sons and grandsons to help with the coffin, so naturally not everyone has a crying and mourning stick to beat dogs. At this time, if you can buy a self-defense stick at the Yellow Spring Market, it would be the best thing.

Seeing that Song Jiang and Gu Hao were whispering to each other, the third brother quickly walked over to them and whispered, "You two should stop here. This is the underworld, not a vegetable market... Look at the ghosts around you. They are chatting happily!"

Gu Hao, who was suddenly interrupted, apologized as soon as he heard it, "I'm sorry, Third Brother, my friend is a little nervous because it's his first time here, so I'm teaching him some of the rules here."

The third brother looked at the two curiously and said, "Li Wan said that you two went to the underworld to find a friend to work for you?"

Gu Hao nodded and said, "Indeed... We need his help with something important, but he is working in the underworld and it is not convenient for him to come out, so we can only come in by ourselves."

When the third brother heard this, he touched the stubble on his chin and said with a look of doubt, "To be able to work in the underworld... and not be able to leave the underworld, his official position should not be too low. With such a friend, why do you need to ask a small official like me for help? Now I have brought you in. We will reach the Naihe Bridge in a while. Let's separate here."

At this point, the third brother took out a piece of rag from his body and threw it to Gu Hao, saying, "This is the map of the underworld. Don't run around like a headless fly. If you are discovered, I will not come out to save you... We will meet on the Yellow Spring Road at this time tomorrow, and I will take you away then."

Gu Hao took the rag, took a look at it, then thanked him and dragged Song Jiang to pretend to go to the Yellow Springs Market, leaving the group of ghosts... The real purpose of their trip was the huge stone that they found in the crack of Queergou, so they must now bypass all the procedures after the death of ordinary people and directly enter the Avici Hell in the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

On the way, Gu Hao told Song Jiang that the general process for ordinary people to go to the underworld after death is to first walk through the Eight Scenic Spots of Yinshan Mountain, namely Ghost Gate, Naihe Bridge, Stripping Pavilion, Wangxiang Terrace, Evil Dog Village, Broken Money Mountain, Blood Pool and Mengpo Store, and then officially enter Fengdu City. The Avici Hell they are on this trip is the last stop of the underworld... the bottom of the eighteen levels of hell.