Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 498 Fengdu City

As the boat approached Fengdu City, the group saw that even the river water had turned a stagnant, rotten green, thick with black bubbles. Horrifying human faces and decaying hands occasionally emerged from the water, trying to drag them to the bottom of the Nether River.

This is where Faxiu came in handy. He clasped his hands together and chanted the Shurangama Mantra. Golden light emanated from his body, enveloping the entire small boat. The ghostly faces and hands that touched the golden light were like snow meeting boiling water, howling and wailing as they instantly vaporized.

"Why don't you Buddhist disciples show any compassion to ghosts?" Su Xiaoxiao asked.

"Huh?" Fa Xiu was taken aback, not expecting her to ask such a tricky question.

“Remember this, next time you just say that helping them find liberation is true compassion,” Su Xiaoxiao answered for him again.

"Ah." Fa Xiu nodded. Braving the waves with these older women all the way has been truly exhausting.

The group saw several small boats without sails or oars going in and out. Each boat had a ghostly messenger holding a mourning staff. The difference was that the boats entering the harbor, in addition to the ghostly messengers, also carried a varying number of dead souls.

All the souls were dressed in their dying clothes, their faces pale and their eyes vacant, chained together. Some fierce and malevolent spirits were bound in heavy shackles with biting bits to prevent them from biting people.

The small boat mingled among the dead and docked at the pier. The few living people naturally stood out among the group of the dead, but fortunately, the ghost messengers were very professional, and no one came forward to question them.

The group walked on the moss-covered, decaying pier, each step producing a grotesque creak. A stench of rotting flesh and corpse oil filled the air. Pale white banners, soaked in blood, fluttered eerily in the windless, ghostly atmosphere, adorning the pier's pillars.

At the end of the shore stood a massive, pitch-black gate, seven or eight zhang tall, with its door knocker made of two dragon spines. Above the gate were three large, ancient seal characters, "Gate of Hell," glowing with a faint phosphorescent light.

Countless human faces emerged from the giant gate, some baring their teeth in savage grins, others shaking their heads and screaming in agony. They stretched out bluish-purple arms to grab at the crowd, their fingernails slicing through the air with a piercing shriek. The crowd carefully dodged the ghostly hands, and just as they were about to step into Fengdu City, a furious shout rang out:
"No strangers allowed!"

The speaker was a giant, eight feet tall, with blue hair, a dark face, eyes like copper bells, and a broad mouth. He held a purple-gold axe with floral patterns, and his entire body was clad in black armor that emitted a dark light like the waters of the River Styx.

Dozens of ghostly soldiers suddenly appeared behind them, their bronze halberds and spears forming a crossfire, blocking their path.

"Oh, it's an acquaintance, oh no, a familiar ghost." Su Xiaoxiao couldn't help but chuckle when she saw the giant leading the group.

"How did a dignified Ghost General become a gatekeeper?"

"You!" The giant was none other than Qiang Liang, who had led the ghost army to besiege Peach Blossom Spring. His pupils contracted, and he recognized Su Xiaoxiao as well. His old face flushed red as he said, "Isn't it all your fault!"

"Isn't that your own fault? Who told you to attack Peach Blossom Spring for no reason? So many of our people died!" Su Xiaoxiao put her hands on her hips, her words sharp and aggressive, giving the other party no chance to retaliate.

"Forget it, forget it, I don't argue with women, much less with female ghosts." Qiang Liang waved his hand dejectedly and said, "What are you doing here all of a sudden? Do you dare to come and collect a debt?"

“We’re not here to collect debts,” Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “We’re here to see the Ghost King.”

"His Majesty the Ghost King? You think you can just see him whenever you want?" Qiang Liang immediately trembled again, puffing out his chest at Su Xiaoxiao and saying, "A dung beetle blocking the road—no way!"

"Report it to us; we've brought what the Ghost King wants," Chen Lingzhi said in a deep voice.

"What is it?" Qiang Liang had been reduced to a mere gatekeeper, so he naturally dared not be careless. "It's what you were looking for when you attacked Peach Blossom Spring," Chen Lingzhi said calmly.

"Really?!" Qiang Liang's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Even if we dare to lie to you, would we dare to lie to the Ghost King?" Su Xiaoxiao asked.

"That makes sense." Qiang Liang nodded, then shook his head and said, "No, you can't lie to me!"

"If you keep talking nonsense, you might mess things up and get demoted to emptying chamber pots again." Su Xiaoxiao glared at her.

"Wait here," Qiang Liang shouted, his voice stern but his tone weak, before dashing inside to deliver the message.

After a short while, Qiang Liang returned and waved to signal the ghost soldiers to make way.

"His Majesty summons you. Please come with me!"

~~
Perhaps because they were going to see the Ghost King, Qiang Liang even prepared a carriage for them, pulled by a skeletal ghost ox, with its wheels glowing with phosphorescent light as it shuttled through the streets and alleys.

To everyone's astonishment, Fengdu City was bustling with activity, lined with shops, and quite lively. However, the men, women, and children on the streets were not human, but rather all sorts of ghosts, including birth ghosts, hanging ghosts, demon ghosts, big-headed ghosts, hanging-boot ghosts, and disheveled-haired ghosts—a true parade of a hundred ghosts at night.

The crowd watched as children chased translucent kites on the street corner. As they laughed, a faint blue light emanated from their mouths. Occasionally, they would bump into 'passersby' and, amidst scolding, turn into wisps of smoke and escape, only to reform in the distance and continue playing.

The girls curiously looked at the shops along the street, finding everything new and interesting... For example, the coffin shop with a gilded plaque reading "Pavilion of Rebirth" hanging above it, and the couplets on either side reading:

'The secrets of the yin and yang dwellings are hidden within, and the coffins and outer coffins contain the essence of the deceased.'

The shop is filled with layers of coffins in various styles, catering to all budgets… For example, a plain white paulownia wood coffin is displayed near the entrance, with a price tag stating, 'Affordable burial, 100,000 yuan in paper money, negotiable.'

The most eye-catching item in the store is a five-piece set of dark wood coffins, intricately carved and inlaid with luminous beads, with bronze animal heads at the four corners. The price tag reads, "A royal and noble coffin, with a land deed for a burial site, worth millions of gold ingots."

Girls have the sharpest eyes when they're out shopping. They spotted a black jade coffin floating above a magic array in the innermost room, with shadows swirling inside. Although they couldn't see the price, they knew it must be incredibly expensive.

The other shops, like the coffin shop, were entirely geared towards the deceased, quite unlike shops in the human world. If it weren't inconvenient to get out of the car, they would definitely have gone inside to have a good look around.

Fa Xiu, however, noticed a magnificent pavilion with silk lanterns hanging from its eaves. Looking at the eerie, ambiguous crimson glow emanating from the lanterns, and listening to the sounds of music and laughter emanating from within, she couldn't help but think to herself, 'It looks like a brothel. Do ghosts frequent brothels?'

Upon closer inspection, he saw that the ghostly maidens in the building were draped in semi-transparent gauze, outlining breathtaking lines, with a ghostly purple glow at the corners of their eyes, making them exceptionally alluring and bewitching.

"Wow, it really is!" Fa Xiu exclaimed in astonishment.

Just then, a ghostly maiden leaning against the railing noticed Faxiu. She twirled a strand of phosphorescent blue hair between her fingers and teased him with a seductive smile, "Oh, little monk, come in and sit down. The underworld is not the mortal world; there aren't so many rules and regulations there."

(End of this chapter)