I am a fairy in Journey to the West

In the underworld, Pei Jue stood before the Gates of Hell, watching the ghost messengers escorting new souls on both sides, but couldn't help but ask, "Why don't I have any ghost messengers escorting me?"

Hearing this, Song Xian, the Ghost King who was guarding the Gate of Hell, walked over, glanced at Pei Jue, and asked, "Where are you from?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Jue looked over at Song Xian and saw that he was wearing a Qilin auspicious ghost robe, clearly not an ordinary ghost general.

At this moment, the ghost general beside him saw that Pei Jue did not speak, so he shouted: "The Ghost King is asking you a question!"

Pei Jue was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "I am Pei Jue, and in my previous life I was the Mao Shen of Pu Yu City in the Golden Wheel Kingdom."

"Mao Shen?" Song Xian frowned and said, "Mao Shen is not a righteous god. Even if he dies, he still has a living soul. How come he wasn't escorted by ghost messengers?"

At this point, Song Xian suddenly asked, "How did you get to the Gates of Hell?"

You should know that once you enter the underworld from the mortal realm, there is still a long road to the underworld before you reach the gates of hell.

Pei Jue thought for a moment and said, "I only remember dying, everything went black, and when I opened my eyes again, I was here."

"Oh," Song Xian suddenly realized, and said with a smile, "Then I understand. Okay, you wait here for a while, someone will come to pick you up."

Pei Jue still looked confused. Seeing Song Xian about to leave, she hurriedly asked, "Ghost King, what's wrong with me?"

Song Xian laughed and said, "What else could it be? You must have encountered some important person. The fact that your soul can go directly to the gates of hell after death means that an important person intervened."

At this point, Song Xian added, "I've seen this kind of thing many times. Just you wait and see."

Pei Jue was a little confused. A big shot? The most important people he knew were the two immortals from Peach Blossom Temple, weren't they?
But just moments later, a commotion arose from within the Gates of Hell. Ghost King Song Xian turned his head and was immediately startled. He quickly went to greet him: "Judge Cui, what brings you here?"

The visitor was none other than Cui Jue, the Chief Judge of the Underworld Law Division and the head of the Four Judges.

Cui Jue was dressed in a Heavenly Fighting Spirit True Golden Crow Immortal Robe, looking dignified and composed. However, unlike the last time he was seen, this time Judge Cui had no entourage and was alone.

Despite this, along the way, whether it was the Yin Generals and Ghost Kings or the ghost soldiers and messengers, they all quickly bowed and paid their respects to Cui Jue upon seeing him.

Cui Jue nodded to Song Xian and then said, "I have come to pick up someone on the orders of the True Lord of Lingtai and the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha."

"What?!" Song Xian exclaimed in surprise, "The True Lord of Lingtai has descended upon the underworld?"

Cui Jue said, "I am currently having tea with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the Ksitigarbha Hall."

Upon hearing this, Song Xian suddenly remembered something, turned around and glanced at Pei Jue, who looked bewildered outside the gates of hell, and then asked, "Judge Cui, is this the person you're supposed to be picking up?"

Upon hearing this, Judge Cui looked in the direction Song Xian was pointing and immediately nodded, saying, "It is indeed this person. This person was once converted by the True Lord of Lingtai."

"I see." Song Xian nodded and said, "Then I'll go and call her over."

Judge Cui laughed and said, "No need, you do your thing, I'll go and summon her."

Upon hearing this, Song Xian immediately bowed and said, "Yes."

Pei Jue, who was standing outside the gates of hell, was looking around aimlessly when suddenly a divine voice came from ahead: "Pei Jue, do you still recognize me?"

Pei Jue hurriedly turned around and was immediately taken aback. He quickly bowed and said, "Pei Jue greets Judge Cui."

Cui Jue returned the greeting with a smile and cupped his hands in return. Pei Jue was even more surprised and said, "How dare this little demon accept such a great greeting from Judge Cui?"

At this point, Pei Jue glanced behind Cui Jue but saw no ceremonial guards or escorts, which made him a little puzzled.

Cui Jue seemed to have seen through her thoughts and said, "I've been ordered to come and pick you up. Come with me."

Pei Jue was stunned. This Judge Cui had come specifically to pick her up? This made her feel flattered.

"Stop daydreaming, come with me. A big shot from above wants to see you," Cui Jue said.

Pei Jue snapped out of her daze, still wondering which important person it was, but her feet unconsciously followed Cui Jue into the gates of hell.

Pei Jue followed Cui Jue across the Bridge of Helplessness, where they witnessed the breathtaking sight of the setting sun like blood over the River of Oblivion. They then passed the Mirror of Retribution, traversed the Ten Courts of Hell, and heard the shrill screams echoing from the eighteen levels of hell.

Finally, we arrived at a quiet and peaceful place, a palace radiating Buddhist light.

Upon seeing the Buddha's light, Pei Jue was so frightened that she took several steps back. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. She even reached out her hand, wanting to take out the 'Mysterious Iron Spear'.

But the feeling of emptiness in her hands told her that the Xuan Tie Spear had been left behind in the mortal world.

"What are you afraid of?" Cui Jue asked in surprise, looking at Pei Jue's terrified face.

Pei Jue said, "Judge Cui, is this important person you're talking about a Bodhisattva?"

Judge Cui laughed and said, "Yes, he is a Bodhisattva, but he is not the only one."

Pei Jue was shocked. He hadn't expected that after being killed in the mortal world, he would still be haunted in the underworld!

Thinking of this, Pei Jue couldn't help but sigh and say, "This world is truly too dark."

Judge Cui: "."

After saying that, Pei Jue put on a 'willing to die' expression and said, "Let's go."

Judge Cui looked on in confusion. What was that expression on her face? It was as if she was about to face her death.
But when Pei Jue arrived at the foot of the palace and looked up at the plaque above, he was stunned. "This is the Ksitigarbha Hall?"

Judge Cui asked, puzzled, "Otherwise what? What kind of place do you think it is?"

"Hey," Pei Jue said, "I thought it was the Rahu Temple."

Judge Cui suddenly realized that as the judge in charge of the Book of Life and Death, he naturally knew how Pei Jue died. "You mean that Clean Toilet Bodhisattva? His Bodhisattva position is not much better than your Mao Shen position in your previous life. His hands can't reach into the underworld."

Upon hearing this, Pei Jue asked with a puzzled expression, "But why does Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva want to see me? I have never had any karmic connection with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Judge Cui smiled and said, "It's someone else. Don't ask any more questions. You'll know when you get to the hall." So Pei Jue followed Judge Cui to the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's hall in a daze. As soon as she entered the hall, she immediately felt herself enveloped by a Buddhist light. Her soul felt extremely comfortable and even began to slowly rise from the ground, as if she was about to be converted by this Buddhist light and ascend to become an immortal.

But soon the Buddha's light dissipated from her body, and Pei Jue slowly landed, a trace of disappointment on her face, feeling as if she had fallen from the highest heavens into the deepest hell.

Judge Cui stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the Bodhisattva and the True Lord of the Spirit Platform, I have brought the soul of the Hairy God Pei Jue."

"You've worked hard," Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said with a smile, then pointed to the seat on the left side of the hall and said, "Judge Cui, please have a seat."

Judge Cui quickly bowed in thanks, then walked to the sandalwood chair to the side and sat down.

Only then did Pei Jue get a clear view of the scene inside the main hall. The first thing he saw was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva at the head of the hall, whose body was surrounded by Buddha light, and a wheel of merit behind his head emitted a golden light.

Judge Cui, who had just taken his seat, quickly said, "Pei Jue, this is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Pei Jue quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This little demon Pei Jue pays respects to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

"Young friend, there's no need for such formalities," Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said with a smile. "You have accumulated merit with my Buddhist community, and I invited you here today to repay that merit."

Pei Jue was taken aback upon hearing this. When had he ever done anything of merit for Buddhism?

“Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, please forgive my bluntness, but I have no merit to Buddhism and have no connection with it whatsoever. Bodhisattva, have you mistaken me for someone else?” Pei Jue said cautiously.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled slightly, then pointed to his lower right side and said, "Then take a look and see who this is?"

Pei Jue followed the gaze of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and was immediately startled, "Old Zhuang? What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing Pei Jue's words, Judge Cui almost choked on his own saliva.

But seeing that Zhuang Yan didn't seem to care at all, he didn't say anything more.

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "I've already taken your wages, so I can't just let you die like this, can I? That would be too boring."

Pei Jue asked, looking bewildered, "Old Zhuang, what do you mean by this?"

Zhuang Yan said with a smile, "It's nothing, I've just arranged for you to be a True God. Do you want it?"

"What?!" Pei Jue exclaimed in shock. "A righteous god? Is it the kind of righteous god who receives heavenly blessings?"

“Yes,” Zhuang Yan said, “the kind with grades.”

Pei Jue froze on the spot, and it took her a long time to react. She stared blankly at Zhuang Yan and said, "Old Zhuang, you're not making fun of me, are you?"

Zhuang Yan pointed at Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and said, "Do I need to make fun of you in front of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

Pei Jue immediately fell silent, and after a long while, he slowly asked, "Old Zhuang, I had a feeling that you were no ordinary person, and now it seems that you are indeed extraordinary."

Judge Cui, who was opposite him, couldn't help but laugh and said, "You little demon, can someone who can make me come to pick you up personally and who can meet Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva so easily be an ordinary person? Let me tell you, he is the Lingtai Manifestation Jade Extreme True Lord, the 'Great Master of Fate in the Human World' of the Heavenly Court."

“The True Lord of the Spirit Platform?” Pei Jue was astonished. She didn’t know what the ‘Great Master of Fate who governs the human world’ was, but she did know the ‘True Lord of the Spirit Platform’.

After all, Zhuang Yan was originally the mountain god of Lingtai Mountain, and naturally he had some legends and fame in Xiniu Hezhou over the years. Pei Jue had also heard of the legend of True Lord Lingtai.

Thinking of this, Pei Jue suddenly realized what was going on and quickly bowed to Zhuang Yan before hurriedly asking, "Then, old... no, Lingtai Zhenjun, what divine position are you going to give me?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and looked at Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, saying, "Then we'll have to ask Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Pei Jue then looked at Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who directly explained the reason: "Pei Jue, that Rakshasa demon Rahu is an enemy of our Buddhist sect. He slaughtered Buddhist temples and killed monks. Because he could not be eliminated immediately, the Buddha appointed him as the 'Bodhisattva of Peace and Cleanliness' to control his divine power. First, you destroyed his demonic form, forcing him to reveal his Bodhisattva form, thus weakening his demonic nature. This is a great merit. Second, you rescued the Golden Wheel King, lending a helping hand to our Buddhist sect. This is the great merit I mentioned earlier for our Buddhist sect."

After saying this, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said to Pei Jue, "With these two great merits, you are more than qualified to be granted a divine position."

At this point, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva pondered for a moment, then said to Cui Jue, "Judge Cui, the underworld has just set up an 'office' at Buzhou Mountain, right?"

Cui Jue reported, "It is indeed true, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

"Has the envoy for the office been selected yet?" asked Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Cui Jue said, "There are only a few candidates, but nothing has been decided yet."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled and said, "Then let's do it this way. Let Pei Jue become the 'Underworld Envoy' of the 'Underworld Office at Buzhou Mountain,' a seventh-rank deity of the Lower Realm."

Upon hearing this, Cui Jue immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "I will respectfully obey the Bodhisattva's decree. I will go back and decide on the candidates, and then report to the Ten Kings of Hell and His Majesty the Emperor of Fengdu."

"Yes." Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva nodded slightly, and then Cui Jue took his leave.

Only then did Pei Jue realize what was happening, and he couldn't believe that he had actually become a seventh-rank deity!
Although I was overjoyed and didn't know how to express it, I immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to express my gratitude.

After getting up, Pei Jue looked at Zhuang Yan again, and was about to thank him when Zhuang Yan raised his hand to stop him, saying, "You earned everything yourself. You sacrificed yourself for righteousness, eliminated demons and saved people. There's no need to thank me. But once you become a righteous god, you must uphold your original intention, do your job well, and bring blessings to all living beings."

Upon hearing this, Pei Jue immediately cupped his hands in a bow and said, "Yes, I will follow the teachings of the True Lord of Lingtai."

Zhuang Yan nodded, then stood up to bid farewell to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva quickly got up and came down from the hall to see him off.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva escorted Zhuang Yan all the way out of the Ksitigarbha Hall, and only returned after Zhuang Yan transformed into a divine light and flew out of the underworld.

Seeing Pei Jue standing to the side, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva smiled and said, "The official decree of investiture will be issued in a few days. You can stay in my Ksitigarbha Hall for the next few days."

Pei Jue bowed and said, "Yes, thank you for the Bodhisattva's compassion."

So Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva arranged for an attendant judge to lead Pei Jue down.

After waiting for six days, the imperial edict finally arrived. The Emperor of Fengdu issued an edict appointing Pei Jue as the "Envoy of the Underworld" of the Underworld's office at Buzhou Mountain, responsible for conveying and coordinating many matters between the Underworld and the human world, with the rank of a seventh-grade deity.

Thus, Pei Jue finally fulfilled the wish of generations and became a glorious celestial deity. (End of Chapter)