I, Wang Ha, the Three Red Unparalleled Assassin

She tossed the bamboo sticks representing the punishment down to the floor below, and waved for the cold-faced Grim Reaper to drag the ghost away and throw it into the corresponding eighteen levels of hell according to the judgment.

After working overtime to deal with all these troublesome cases, Shiki Eiki still couldn't go home to rest because there was still a pile of unusual case files to process.

Before receiving clear instructions from the Ten Kings of Hell, Shiki Eiki dared not easily send this large group of people who had not yet reached the end of their lifespan to the underworld to report for duty.

She could only instruct her subordinates to keep these ghosts under their guard until she reported the matter and received approval before taking any further action.

"I'll take a long vacation after I finish this work. It's been a while since I visited the Old Man of the Mountain. I really want to hear him talk about death again."

Shiki Eiki leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling of the Hall of Right and Wrong, muttering to herself.

Just as Shiki Eiki was stretching and preparing to leave work, her request, which she had just sent to the Ten Kings of Hell using magic, was approved, leaving the girl wide-eyed in astonishment.

"There are so many strange things happening today. In the past, it would have taken ten days to half a month to get a reply."

"After all, the work in the underworld is very busy, and new problems arise every moment. Letters to the Ten Kings of Hell should be sent in order of priority."

Shiki Eiki muttered to herself, picked up the reply letter, opened it, and began to read. But after reading it, her face showed only a big "bewilderment".

Because the orders from the Ten Kings of Hell are quite simple, this unusual matter will be handed over to the Old Man of the Mountain to handle, and all that is needed is for her to cooperate fully.

"How could Lord Mountain Elder, the angel of death from the West, interfere in the internal affairs of the Eastern Underworld? This is against the rules."

Although Shiki Eiki didn't feel any dissatisfaction with the order, she subconsciously got stuck on the details because she liked to follow the rules.

"Never mind, perhaps Lord Mountain Elder has connections with the Ten Kings of Hell. The affairs between these important figures have little to do with a mere judge like me."

While Shiki Eiki was still analyzing and interpreting the order in her hand, the mature and elegant Dragon God had already opened the passage between the underworld and the human world, sending the old man of the mountain and the others there.

Hieda Rei, who was caught red-handed without any explanation, is still in a daze and has no idea what's going on before being thrown into this mess.

Recently, due to an inspection trip, Hieda no Rei has not been staying in Heian-kyo. Before leaving, he kept sighing because he couldn't attend Kaguya Houraisan's wedding.

Thus, Hieda no Rei escaped certain death and is still working hard to compile the Kojiki.

Logically speaking, as an ordinary person, she shouldn't be able to survive in the underworld, but with the Old Man of the Mountain protecting her from both inside and outside, it's not a big problem.

"Old Man of the Mountain, what is going on here? Where is this place? It's so creepy."

Hieda Arie huddled beside the old man of the mountain, anxiously asking questions. Deep down, she was quite afraid of ghosts, especially with countless ghosts hovering right in front of her.

"This place is the underworld. I will explain the details to you later."

As the old man spoke, he took off his black cloak and draped it over Hieda no Rei.

"Wrap yourself in this cloak, and you will be safe in the underworld."

Following behind Elder Bai Ze, Huiyin curiously observed everything in the underworld, seemingly not afraid of these ghostly things.

As a mythical beast known as Bai Ze, who is said to know everything from astronomy and geography to the smallest details and can understand the future from the past, a strong thirst for knowledge and a desire to explore are indispensable.

The old man of the mountain glanced at the long road to the underworld and the blooming spider lilies on both sides. Although the scenery was different, the atmosphere was not much different from that of the Valley of the Darkness.

He took a step forward, followed by a deep, gentle voice.

"Let's go to the Hall of Right and Wrong to retrieve the case file and confirm it. Let's get started on resolving this trouble as soon as possible."

Chapter 134 The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

Arriving at the banks of the River of Oblivion along the Road to the Underworld, the Old Man of the Mountain stopped in his tracks, gazing at the vast expanse of water, seemingly pondering a way to cross the river.

"Old Man of the Mountain need not be so anxious. The Dragon God should have already communicated with the Underworld and will certainly not overlook these minor details."

As soon as Elder Bai Ze finished speaking, a small boat slowly emerged from the Wangchuan River, which was shrouded in a misty gray fog, and docked at the shore.

The death girl standing at the stern, holding an oar, wore a blue dress, her bright red hair tied in twin ponytails, and thick-soled wooden clogs.

It was Shiki Eiki, who had received prior notice, who specially dispatched Onozuka Komachi, the ferryman of death, to lead them across the River of Oblivion.

After Komachi Onozuka reached the shore, she first bowed respectfully, and then straightened up and said:

"Lord Mountain Elder, Lord White Ze, I, Onozuka Komachi, the ferryman of the River Styx, have come to greet you on the orders of the Four Seasons Judge."

The old man of the mountain naturally recognized Onozuka Komachi, and nodded slightly in response before taking the lead and boarding the small boat.

After Bai Ze and his grandson, along with Hieda Ari, were all settled on the boat, Onozuka Komachi pushed the oars and left this shore, heading towards the other side, which symbolized death.

The Grim Reapers responsible for ferrying ghosts to the Hall of Right and Wrong all possess the ability to manipulate distance, and the width of the River of Oblivion is determined by the amount of money the Grim Reapers collect from the deceased before ferrying them across.

Naturally, the more money you have, the shorter the distance becomes.

The "ferry money" refers to all the property that the deceased had at that time.

It is said that all the property is not all the property owned by the deceased during their lifetime, but rather the sum of money spent on them by their close relatives and friends.

If the deceased's total assets are negative, they will be thrown directly into the river from the ferry by the Grim Reapers.

This is why people hold grand funerals for the dead and burn large amounts of paper money and ghost money.

Otherwise, the deceased would not even be able to cross the River of Oblivion safely, so how could they be reincarnated or go through the cycle of reincarnation?

However, even though Onozuka Komachi didn't receive a single penny for this job, she still had to dutifully row the boat and couldn't even entertain the thought of throwing the guy who didn't pay her into the river to bathe.

Or rather, they dare not act on it.

However, due to the regulations of the underworld regarding ferry services, she is not allowed to use her abilities to shorten the distance between the two sides without receiving the ferry fee.

Therefore, unable to slack off, Onozuka Komachi had no choice but to obediently row the entire length of the River of Oblivion, bringing the old man of the mountain and the others to the other side.

On the shore, Shiki Eiki had been waiting for a long time. The trial had been taken over by another judge, and her current task was to assist Hakutaku and the Old Man of the Mountain in resolving the war in Heian-kyo.

"Old Man of the Mountain, it's been a long time! How have you been?"

Holding the repentance staff, Shiki Eiki greeted the old man of the mountain. Although the old man of the mountain was now wearing a mask, the pure death aura emanating from him was enough to identify him.

"What can I, a leisurely recluse, do? I'll just live a simple and ordinary life."

The old man of the mountain responded to Shiki Eiki's question, and then went straight to the point, acting decisively and efficiently.

"You should already know the general situation. Our purpose in coming here is to repair this broken chapter of human history in Heian-kyo. I wonder if the relevant case files are complete?"

Shiki Eiki naturally understood the importance and urgency of the matter, and at that moment she could no longer reminisce with the old man of the mountain, and resumed her capable judge demeanor.

"The files on the ghosts that have been appearing in Heian-kyo have been completed. Please follow me."

Guided by Shiki Eiki, the old man of the mountain and his party went straight to the side hall of the Hall of Right and Wrong.

A thick stack of papers was piled up in the empty hall, but the most detailed and useful information had already been selected and copied out.

"Lord Mountain Elder, do you intend to revive the dead in Heian-kyo in a special way first, and then use other means to modify people's memories?"

As Shiki Eiki handed the compiled information to Elder Bai Ze, she inquired about their plans for the future.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Shiki Eiki sighed softly, flipped through a few pages of the documents, and said:

"This method is undoubtedly feasible, but there is still a problem that needs to be solved."

"In the past two days, in addition to those who died from the abnormal exhaustion of their lifespan, there were also some who were just about to die, but these people have now gone to reincarnation."

Upon hearing this, Elder Bai Ze frowned slightly, pondered for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke:

"If there are any important figures among them, then we really need to be careful, but if they are just ordinary country folk, then we can ignore them."

Shiki Eiki nodded in agreement, showing that she agreed with the old man Bai Ze's point of view.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about, because there are indeed a few people among them who hold high positions in the human world. If they disappear without a trace, it will inevitably cause more trouble."

Hieda Arie, who had been standing silently at the back, stepped forward and asked softly:

"I wonder who these people are? If they are officials in Heian-kyo, I should know them all."

Shiki Eiki traced a line on the list of names in the document and read out the names of the four unlucky people.

"Prince Ishizaki, Minister of the Right Abe, Ōtomo Dainagon, and Ishigami Chūnagon."

"These four people just reached the end of their lifespan during this period, and their souls passed away. There is no way to bring them back to life."

After listening quietly to their conversation, the old man of the mountain turned his gaze to Hieda no Rei, who was wrapped in a black cloak.

"Ali, your task this time is to write a history that can replace the original events. Can you do it?"

Hieda Are pondered for a moment and realized that if he only started from the war in Heian-kyo, he would not be able to handle it perfectly, because the cause-and-effect logic could not be perfectly restored.

"It is possible, but if we want to completely cover up the original history, we must start from the source and replace it. Grafting in the middle will not work."

The old man Bai Ze stroked his beard and nodded, seemingly agreeing with Hieda Ari's statement, and couldn't help but ask:

"Then what point in time do you think is appropriate to begin? As long as you can write it down completely, I can create it."

"The old man of the mountain already told me the whole story when we were on the ship."

As a historian, Hieda no Rei's abilities within his professional field are beyond doubt, and he quickly formed a general outline and ideas in his mind.

"The core of this war in Heian-kyo is undoubtedly Princess Kaguya of Houraisan. Whether it was the initial upheaval that shook the whole country or the tragic ending, it was all inextricably linked to her."

"Therefore, the reshaping must begin from the moment Kaguya of Houraisan descends to the ground, because that point in time is the beginning of everything that follows."

Hieda Arie's viewpoint was very reasonable and well-founded. After everyone studied and discussed it and confirmed that there were no problems, it was approved. Fortunately, the time span was only half a year, so writing it in the style of a historical biography was not too cumbersome.

"Old Man of the Mountain, how should your existence be addressed in this part of the history I have written?"

After hearing Hieda Arie's question, the old man of the mountain pondered for a moment before giving his answer.

“Erase it. I am not a person of this era, nor should I exist in this period of history.”

Hieda no Are was not surprised by the old man's answer, because in her opinion, someone as transcendent as the old man would not care about whether he could be remembered in history.

"understood."

"Then this part of history will mainly focus on Kaguya of Hourai Mountain, and incidentally, we can also give a brief account of those high-ranking officials who cannot be resurrected."

Hieda Are sat down at the table in the side hall, picked up a brush and began to write on the paper, noting down the necessary elements one by one.

"Although it is intended to be a replacement for the original history, it is not real history. Strictly speaking, it can only be considered a story."

Hieda Are paused for a moment with his pen, and after a long while, he wrote four large characters at the beginning of the title.

"Therefore, let's name this book 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'."

Chapter 135 The Bell: Why is it going to be rung again?

After obtaining the information they wanted in the underworld, the old man of the mountain and his companions quickly returned to the human world.

Although Hieda Rei was wrapped in the cloak of the Old Man of the Mountain, as a living person, she could not stay in the underworld for too long, otherwise her lifespan would be reduced.