Republic of China

Chapter 102 The Gate of Hell

ugly time.

The snow still remains.

There are many fire pots lit in the main hall, which is as warm as spring.

Because we don’t know how many days it will take to go through the next ‘Yin Walk’, people’s body temperature must be guaranteed, especially the person who is responsible for the ‘Yin Walk’. If the body temperature drops suddenly without consciousness, it may really happen. will die.

Zhao Sanyuan and Shangguan Baitu sat in front of the brazier and tried to fill their stomachs as much as possible, taking as many bites as they could.

Maybe I’ll have to eat it in the future, maybe I won’t.

At least this time, 'Zou Yin' can't be a starving ghost.

Breaking off a chicken leg, Zhao Sanyuan asked vaguely: "Do you have any last words, or something you want to bring to someone? You can write it down. If anything happens to us, I will ask Lao Kang to help you." Bring a message.”

"No." Shangguan Baitu replied calmly. It was difficult to see any emotional fluctuations from her cold face. Her facial paralysis index was comparable to that of Python Qingyan.

"For example, no one in your family, teachers, colleagues, or close friends wants to leave a message?"

"If I have to say one, the only one is Uncle Gao."

"Ah? Your yamen is quite chaotic." Zhao Sanyuan was surprised as he held the chicken leg in his mouth with an expression of disbelief.

In a word.

Shangguan Baitu, who had a peaceful mind, glared angrily, wanting to shoot him a hundred and eighty arrows.

Fortunately, Lao Liu waved at this time, "It's almost time. You two lie down in it. Not to mention that Lao Kang can even do carpentry, and the coffin is well made."

In the center of the main hall is the tall head lying on the wooden board. Next to him is a makeshift coffin made of wood.

Nine lotus lanterns were lit on the periphery, connected to each other by red ropes, and small copper bells were tied every other foot. At the ends of two red ropes, there were tied the wrists of straw men made of old mugwort, one male and one female, with the words The two people's birthdays and horoscopes.

Liu Mangfan was sitting cross-legged in front of the coffin, tinkering with the magic weapon for final confirmation.

Kang Muang, who was on the side, patted the coffin and said, "There is not enough material, so we can barely make a pair and a half coffins. You guys can make do with it and lie down in it. Anyway, you won't feel crowded after going to the underworld."

Without feeling the slightest resistance, Zhao Sanyuan and Shangguan Baitu lay down in the coffin one after another, but this was the first time they had experienced this experience.

"Keep them close to you." Kang Muang handed over three lotus bags, "They will appear in your arms after your souls leave the body. Their function is to temporarily contact Lao Liu and me. For example, you must say something in advance when you come back. , it’s convenient for us to prepare here.”

"Oh, by the way, just to be on the safe side, apart from the paper money, Lao Liu and I made some things for you out of paper. When we go to the underworld to withdraw the money, we will also pick up these things. You will definitely need them."

"Going down here is not like going for a walk in some village. You have to be careful in everything. If we can make a noise, try not to do anything. We will come back safely after we find Lao Gao's soul."

Kang Muang was still chattering as usual.

Like an old lady.

Zhao Sanyuan hesitated for a long time, but still couldn't hold back and said: "Old Kang, you used the Five Thunders Tianxin Zhengfa to kill you before."

"I don't regret it." Kang Muang turned away without saying anything more. He placed a copper tripod in front of the coffin, inserted three sticks of incense and ignited it.

It is about to reach the two moments of Chou hour, which is the period of strong Yin energy among the twelve o'clock.

Liu Mangfan began to sign up for promotion, with a solemn and pious look on his face.

"The sky is round and the earth is round, and there are nine chapters of laws and regulations."

"I am in peace now, and I will keep you lucky forever."

"Ksitigarbha protects and the order of death comes true."

"The Purple Mansion is authentic, looking back at home."

"Some may compose poems or rhymes."

"With regular calligraphy, the judgment is clear and direct."

"To comfort people's hope and continue to give ultimatum."

"There are many green smokes, don't stop, don't stop."

"Nine lotuses point the way to the netherworld."

"Don't talk about the dangers in the world. Bo Yuekong relies on the sky to reach the sky, and Yinping flies across Mianzhu Pass."

"Where there is a will, there is a way. The great ancestor was drunk and killed the white snake, and the Weaver Girl was worried about the return of the king."

"Burn incense and dissolve the sparse, remember this, kowtow and worship, and uphold the holy good deeds forever."

"This disciple is sincerely afraid that I will be extremely grateful, so I will kowtow to you again."

"Open the journey to hell!"

Order softly.

The top of the tower spontaneously ignited.

When it was about a third of the way burned, there was a loud bang and the flames shot up high, with green smoke swirling.

Liu Mangfan kowtowed, while Kang Muang next to him knocked on the wooden fish.

Every time flames burst out from the tower, Lao Liu would kowtow again, and with the sound of wooden fish, the eyelids of Zhao Sanyuan and Shangguan Baitu, who were lying side by side in the coffin, became heavier and heavier, and sleepiness permeated their bodies.

When you cheer up again.

Zhao Sanyuan unexpectedly found himself and Shangguan appearing in a deserted field. Not far in front was an ancient stone niche. There were many people standing in front of the stone niche?
There are about a hundred ghosts in total, including men, women, old and young. Almost all of them are wearing shrouds, but most of them are elderly.

Some of them were confused and confused, some were wailing and crying, and some were crazy.

"The new year is approaching, and it seems that there are still many people who can't make it through the last year." Shangguan Baitu said softly: "We should be taken into the underworld together, right?"

Zhao Sanyuan nodded, "That's right, but I haven't walked through the yin. I can't say for sure what the process is. Let's look at it step by step. Just don't get caught."

While they were talking, many ghosts realized the fact that they were dead and ran out shouting.

However, there is an invisible black circle within a hundred feet, like something drawn when burning paper at a crossroads.

The ghost cannot cross the thunder pool even half a step. If it touches the invisible barrier, it will be bounced away with great force, but it is not fatal.

Three quarters of ugly time.

Dots of blue light glowed from the left and right sides of the stone niche, converging into two human figures.

The local city god is the wandering god, responsible for leading the ghosts into the underworld.

One is holding a spiritual flag, and the other is carrying an iron chain.

One has a smile on his face, and the other has fierce eyes.

"Life is over, blessings are in vain. This journey of your life has come to an end. Sadness or joy, pain or joy are all passing by. But in the end, we still have to go on this journey. I hope you will not let it go. I'm in trouble."

Lingtou Banner Youshen had a professional smile on his face, and he didn't know how many times he had done this kind of work. After finishing speaking, Iron Chain Youshen shook the iron chain in his hand, split it into countless pieces in mid-air, and tied them to each one. The left wrist of the ghost.

This move caused the ghosts to completely explode.

After all, it was the first time to die. I had never seen such a scene before. Some people's mentality collapsed, and some tried their best to break free from the chains.

The wandering gods on the left and right are also accustomed to this.

The Iron Chain Wandering God raised his right hand casually, and for any struggling ghost, the iron chain on his left wrist split again, binding his hands, feet and neck.

And the more they struggled, the tighter they became, and some of them were even strangled into their bodies.

No mercy.

Not even worried.

Only absolute rules.Whoever does not obey the rules will be punished.

unwilling?
If you don't like it, don't die.

The most stable ones are Zhao Sanyuan and Shangguan Baitu. No matter how they are detained by the evil, strictly speaking, this is the effect they want.

Because in the eyes of Yin Chai, there is no difference between the two of them and ordinary ghosts, and they are qualified to be taken into the underworld.

Shangguan Baitu asked softly: "Although I don't know about the underworld, I have heard that those who restrain the soul are either bull heads and horse faces or black and white impermanence. Why don't they come?"

Zhao Sanyuan felt helpless, "You idiot, do you know how many ghosts enter the underworld every day? Even if the four of them are tired and urinate, they can't restrain them. The one who can make them take action personally is either a great sage or a great sage. It’s a great treachery and evil.”

After hearing this, Shangguan Baitu nodded slightly to express his understanding.

Think about it, this is indeed the case.

At this time, a god took out a stack of documents from his arms and checked the ghosts' information one by one.

"Hey, those two young couples, stop mumbling. I know you are two hard-working couples. You will have plenty of time to chat when you get to the underworld, so hurry up and join the team."

Zhao Sanyuan and Shangguan Baitu obeyed orders and mixed in with other ghosts. Because Old Liu Shao's essays described the two as husband and wife, so in the eyes of the left and right wandering gods, this pair was the worst. They both burped at such a young age. .

"Let me make it clear in advance. This trip is directly to the gate of hell. It only takes half a cup of tea. During this period, you will see a lot of things. If you want to struggle to break free of the special soul-binding rope, it is easy, but the result is that you will fall on the road to hell. Wandering around forever, it’s worse than a lonely ghost in the world, but don’t blame me for not warning you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Youshen waved his spirit head flag, without giving the ghosts any time to mentally prepare.

The ghosts soon found themselves trapped in a world of pure darkness that seemed to have no end.

Immediately afterwards, all the events from his lifetime appeared before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

It is the broad shoulders of the father, the kind smile of the mother, the playful intimacy of the child, and the caring and thoughtfulness of the wife and husband.

Full of children and grandchildren, bright future, deep blood feud, and loneliness.

Everything is so real, but also like a dream.

And it lasts only a short time, at most half a cup of tea, and all the 'reality and bubbles' disappear.

In front of you is a different world.

It is not as scary and gloomy as the world imagines.

It looks like an ancient pass, but it is surprisingly huge. It is pitch black and towers into the clouds, with iron walls extending to the left and right as far as the eye can see.

A pair of silver hooks and irons are drawn on both sides of the pass entrance.

People and ghosts, ghosts and people, people and ghosts have different paths.

Yin and Yang, Yang and Yin, Yin and Yang are always separated.

gate of hell!
Under the gate of hell, batch after batch of ghosts were brought here by evil messengers from all over the place. Without any nonsense, they removed the soul-binding rope and left directly without fear of the ghosts escaping.

After realizing something, Zhao Sanyuan looked back.

The sky is dim and the land is desolate.

There is a rugged road with no end, like a dry river bed, with a sea of ​​enchanting flowers blooming on both sides.

There is a stone tablet at the other end of the road with two large characters engraved on it.

Underworld?

Huangquan Road!
Just at the dividing line between Huangquan Road and Guimenguan, the sky above was equally clear. One side was dim and the other was gray. There were no stars, only a strange rolling sea of ​​clouds.

Whether it is the gate of hell, the road to hell, or the top of your head, as long as you look up, you will feel helpless from the bottom of your heart, realizing that you are really dead and have nothing to do with the world of the world, and your grudges and hatreds are all false.

Shangguan Baitu forced to suppress this growing feeling and asked softly: "What should we do next?"

"I asked our old Monument King about the general process. First we have to find a way to enter through the gate on the left." Zhao Sanyuan pointed forward.

At this time, the gate of hell is closed.

The ghosts all lined up to move forward. After all, they were all dead. No one was in the mood to jump in line here. The order was quite good.

But there were noises from time to time at the front.

Either they were shouting that they were wronged, or they were shouting that I was not convinced.

Looking away, there is something under the city gate that is sprinkling some kind of feathers, red and white, on every ghost that wants to pass.

Ghosts with more red feathers than white feathers will be dragged away by vicious ghosts and put into iron cages. No matter how hard they struggle, it will be useless.

Shangguan Baitu looked confused and couldn't figure out what it meant.

Zhao Sanyuan explained: "There are too many ghosts entering the gate. They were good and bad during their lives. In order to save time and make the underworld more efficient, the ghost gate will first conduct a screening. The red feathers represent sin and the white feathers represent virtue." , if there are more red feathers, they must be treacherous and evil, and they will be sent directly to the Yin Cao for trial. The rest are not in a hurry and can go to the Yin Cao before the first seven days."

"According to what you said, if red and white are the same, can the merits and demerits be offset?"

"How can it be such a coincidence? Gong is a matter of merit and demerit. If you do evil deeds, you will be punished. If you have been punished by human laws while you are alive, then the sin will disappear on its own. Otherwise, you have to find amends and wait until the sin is cleared. In the Well of Reincarnation, the Yin difference determines which one to vote for. If you want to escape, you can just wander around in the underworld instead of going to the Yin Cao. But if you want to cross the Naihe Bridge, you must have an ultimatum from the Yin Cao. Understand."

Shangguan Baitu's eyes gradually changed.

I can't help but feel a little uneasy.

As a person with a heavy weight of nine, among other things, he must have committed a lot of killing karma, and he really can't guarantee that there will be more red feathers and white feathers.

If he were really sent directly to the underworld to be sentenced, it would be extremely difficult to escape.

"Is there no way to fool it?"

Zhao Sanyuan rolled his eyes and almost lost his breath.

"Sometimes I really wonder if you are a white rabbit that has become a spirit. Is this a question that people can ask? Look, the place we are stepping on is the underworld. Do you think we can have an easy relationship in the earth?"

Shangguan Baitu looked serious, "Money can make people go around, is it fake?"

Tricky angle.

The question gets right to the point.

Zhao Sanyuan sighed helplessly, "I don't know whether money can be pushed around by ghosts. After all, this is the first time I've come back to this ghost place. Even if I could, I couldn't do it at the gate of ghosts. There is only one way in and out. What kind of evil spirits and ghosts can do it?" How dare you show up to be corrupt? So there is only one choice left for us, to do our best in personnel and affairs and obey fate."

"So what if I can't make it through?"

"Break hard."

"it is good."

The ghost team moved forward very quickly.

It will be Zhao Sanyuan's turn in more than half an hour.

Yin Zai's appearance is not that big of a deal. He is at most as weird as one eye and six ears. Overall, he is still humanoid.

But ghosts are different. When viewed up close, there are all kinds of weird things. A standing rabbit with green fur and muscles, a giant turtle with four heads walking upside down, a pig face and a snake body, a bird head and a human body, etc. It's as weird as you want it to be. They stared at the ghosts fiercely, and if they had more red feathers than white feathers, they would directly arrest them and drag them away.

For example, the person in front of Zhao Sanyuan.

When the two pots of feathers were removed, there was no white at all on the body, and all that was left was red. This shows that he had not done anything humanly possible during his lifetime.

"It's unfair! It's unfair! It must have been a mistake. I didn't—"

I saw the green-haired muscular rabbit kicking the ghost eight feet away, and then dragging the ghost's legs towards the iron cage, which was so skillful that it made people feel distressed.

Just when Zhao Sanyuan was about to step forward, Shangguan Baitu beat him to it.

"I'll come first. If you see the situation is not going well, go back and think of a solution."

(End of this chapter)