Chapter 15

Meng Po, the Outstanding Lady

On the other side of the Yellow Springs, the yellow sands stretched for eight hundred miles, while the Wangchuan River churned endlessly. The ^[1]Naihe Bridge (奈何桥, Nàihé Qiáo) is a well-known concept in Chinese mythology and folklore. It is the bridge that souls must cross after death to enter the afterlife. According to legend, Meng … Continue readingNaihe Bridge spanned across an invisible abyss.

The fierce wind lifted the endless yellow sand, and Lin Qianyou and Qi Shanglan instinctively closed their eyes and turned their heads to shield themselves from the blowing sand.

“Pfft!” Lin Qianyou spit out a mouthful of sand and waved her hand to brush off the sand still floating in front of her face. “So this is what the Yellow Springs look like, huh? So much sand… This looks nothing like how my brother described it.”

Qi Shanglan shook his head slightly and raised his hand to comb through his hair, shaking off the sand mixed in. “Yeah, there’s a lot of it.”

He was concentrating on brushing his hair, not noticing that Lin Qianyou was staring at him. Suddenly, her hand gently patted his right shoulder, and then she laughed. “Your hair is so smooth! It’s so soft.”

His movements froze, and his brows lifted. “Hmm?”

Lin Qianyou’s reaction made him chuckle again. She hummed and laughed for a few seconds before suddenly remembering something. “Oh! I forgot the main thing. Let’s find Fan Ming first.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.

Qi Shanglan didn’t understand where her confidence was coming from. He had just glanced around, and the Yellow Springs stretched out endlessly in all directions. He had no idea where to begin searching, but she looked completely confident and determined. Unable to hold back, he asked her, “Do you know where we should look?”

“Let’s go to the Naihe Bridge to find Meng Po. She’s the master here. Didn’t Ah Fu say it? It was Meng Po who discovered Fan Ming,” Lin Qianyou said, pointing ahead to a stone bridge in the distance. Beside the bridge was a tree, and under the tree, there was a faint figure. She guessed that it was Meng Po.

Qi Shanglan, still skeptical, followed Lin Qianyou. “You know so much?”

“Know so much?” Lin Qianyou looked back at him. “Isn’t this common knowledge? Didn’t you watch mythology stories when you were little?”

Qi Shanglan hesitated for a moment and said, “Is this considered a mythology story?”

“Well, then it’s a ghost story. You’ve heard ghost stories, right?”

He shook his head. “No, I’ve only watched a few horror movies.”

“Ah, then we’re the opposite. I can’t watch horror movies, the visual impact is too strong for me. I just listen to my brother telling me ghost stories. He also said that the Yellow Springs is a very beautiful place, and Meng Po is an extremely beautiful woman. There are red flowers everywhere, very pretty.”

“You sure about that?” he raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

Lin Qianyou looked at the endless yellow sand and smiled awkwardly. “So they say seeing is believing, but hearing is deceiving.”

Qi Shanglan: “…”

However, when the two of them reached the Naihe Bridge, they only saw an elderly woman under a withered tree by the bridge.

They had teleported here, and when Meng Po saw the two suddenly appear, she froze for a moment. The soup she was holding nearly spilled out.

But as her gaze swept over Lin Qianyou and landed on Qi Shanglan, still fiddling with his hair, she couldn’t help but gasp. Her pupils dilated, and the Meng Po soup fell to the ground. She trembled and stammered, “Disaster… disaster…”

“What?” Qi Shanglan looked up and met Meng Po’s surprised gaze. For some reason, he felt inexplicably irritated, and he didn’t even know why he felt that way.

Lin Qianyou saw this and gently tapped Qi Shanglan’s arm, quietly reminding him, “What do you think she meant by ‘disaster’? She obviously thinks you’re handsome, so she was just surprised. You should be nicer. She’s just an old lady, and your tone is too harsh.”

“Is there?” Qi Shanglan tilted his head and furrowed his brow, asking.

Lin Qianyou nodded. “Yes, look at what you’ve done! You’ve scared the old lady half to death!” She turned to Meng Po and said, “Hello, grandmother, do you happen to know where Meng Po is? I’m the Earth God of Yangcheng, and I’ve come to see her about a person.”

Meng Po took a moment to steady herself, and after exhaling deeply, her voice became raspy. “I am she, the God of the Underworld, Outstanding Lady Meng Po.”

“Ah?” Lin Qianyou was stunned. Wasn’t Meng Po supposed to be a young, beautiful woman? Why was she an elderly woman with white hair?

But she didn’t have time to dwell on that. She got straight to the point and asked, “Then, grandmother Meng Po, do you know where Fan Ming is? He accidentally entered the Underworld. We’ve come to bring him back to the living world.”

Meng Po waved her wrinkled hand on the ground, and a figure appeared in the yellow sand. He was wearing a blue and white school uniform, lying in the sand—it was Fan Ming.

“This person is Fan Ming. He entered the Yellow Springs to see his grandfather one last time. I had him drink the Wangchuan water. Once he returns to the living world, he will forget he ever came to the Underworld,” Meng Po explained.

This morning, Fan Ming sneaked into the cemetery. When he found his grandfather’s tombstone, he “plopped” down and cried out in grief, shouting and crying until his vision blurred. But he vaguely saw his grandfather, smiling gently at him from the artificial lake beside him.

Fan Ming froze immediately, calling out a few times, “Grandfather!” Then, unable to control himself, he ran toward the lake.

He fell into the lake, and in a moment of life-or-death confusion, he crossed the Wangchuan River and entered the Yellow Springs, where he saw his grandfather one last time before his grandfather crossed the Naihe Bridge.

However, Fan Ming’s grandfather had already forgotten him after drinking Meng Po’s soup.

Fan Ming, ignoring Meng Po’s attempts to stop him, ran to the Naihe Bridge and hugged his grandfather, but he grabbed nothing as his grandfather’s image gradually faded away. His grandfather’s smile disappeared, turning into a wisp of yellow sand that vanished from his sight.

His grandfather had been reincarnated.

Meng Po knew that Fan Ming had accidentally entered the Yellow Springs, so she had a few Yin officials restrain him while he was still crying in pain. She also made him drink the Wangchuan water.

Lin Qianyou helped the unconscious Fan Ming up, and Qi Shanglan naturally carried him on his back. After politely bidding farewell to Meng Po, they left the Yellow Springs with Fan Ming.

After the three of them left, Meng Po stared at the bowl of Meng Po soup on the wooden table. Her old face and white hair reflected in the soup as memories that weren’t pleasant surged in her heart.

After a moment, she waved her hand, and a Yin official appeared before her, bowing respectfully. “Greetings, Meng Po.”

Meng Po weakly waved her hand and spoke in a deep voice. “Go notify the King of Hell. The God of Calamity has returned.”

—

After arriving at the cemetery, Lin Qianyou and Qi Shanglan laid the drenched Fan Ming on the ground. He was coughing from the water, and Lin Qianyou gently patted his back to help him breathe easier.

At the same time, Qi Shanglan’s phone rang. It was a call from Bai Meng.

“Hello, Brother Shanglan, the surveillance shows that Fan Ming went to the Yangcheng Cemetery. I’ve already notified Captain Zhang, Xiao He, and Fan Ming’s parents,” Bai Meng said.

“I’m at the Yangcheng Cemetery and have found him,” Qi Shanglan glanced at Fan Ming, who was still spitting up water. “Don’t let them come. I’ll take him back to the station directly. He fell into the water. Have his parents bring him some dry clothes.”

Bai Meng agreed and then hung up.

“Police… uncle?” Fan Ming hesitated, calling out to Qi Shanglan.

“Hmm, are you awake now?” Qi Shanglan glanced at him. “If you’re awake, get up and come with me to the police station. Your parents have been going crazy looking for you. Don’t do this again next time.”

Fan Ming lowered his head and mumbled an “Mm” in response. “Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Officer.”

“Don’t call me ‘uncle,’ just call me ‘brother.'” Qi Shanglan said coldly, “What about you? Should I send you home first?” Qi Shanglan asked Lin Qianyou.

“Oh, no need! I’ll go back on my own. You take him to the station first, don’t worry about me.” Lin Qianyou waved her hand quickly. She suddenly remembered Ah Fu, but after scanning the area, she didn’t see it. She had no choice but to help Fan Ming stand up and walked out of the cemetery with them.

The three of them took two separate cars—Lin Qianyou went home, while Qi Shanglan and Fan Ming went to the police station.

In the taxi, Lin Qianyou was still lost in thought. Meng Po’s wrinkled face flashed through her mind, and she found it hard to believe and still felt incredulous.

So, the Yellow Springs really existed. So, Meng Po really existed.

But in the ghost stories Lin Bozhi had told her, Meng Po was clearly a young, beautiful woman.

Lin Qianyou didn’t dwell on this trivial matter any longer, because she had something else on her mind that was giving her a headache:

Learning how to kiss.

Earlier in the day, she had “consulted” Ke Siyu, who gave her a vivid description and even sent her a few video compilations of kissing scenes.

Finally, Ke Siyu summarized it with a few words: move your mouth, turn your head.

—

The area to the east of the city is a bustling street, and during the evening rush hour, traffic gets jammed. The taxi Lin Qianyou was in happened to stop outside a convenience store.

“Driver, I’ll get off here. I see the car isn’t going anywhere for a while. Don’t worry, I’ll pay the fare,” Lin Qianyou said, opening the door and getting out, heading straight into the convenience store.

Five minutes later, she came out of the store with a plastic bag full of cans of alcohol. She was also drinking one of the cans.

The summer night breeze made her feel hot and restless, but at least the chilled alcohol helped cool her down and made her feel a bit more refreshed.

Lin Qianyou specifically bought a few high-alcohol cans because she liked drinking when she was feeling frustrated. The slightly tipsy feeling made her feel light and relaxed.

She had planned to drink and walk home, but she accidentally glanced at the dimly lit alley to her right, where the local temple was. She suddenly remembered Ah Fu, who had disappeared back in the cemetery.

“Back to the temple?” Lin Qianyou mumbled to herself, casually tossing the empty can into a nearby trash bin before walking toward the alley.

The seal on the temple door was still intact, and Lin Qianyou hesitated for a moment before wondering whether she should rip it open. “Ripping it shouldn’t be illegal, right? Didn’t Officer Qi rip it open before?” Lin Qianyou nervously looked around before slowly tearing off the seal and opening the door. She quickly jumped inside and shut the door behind her.

As soon as she entered, Ah Fu rushed over and hugged her leg, affectionately calling out, “Great deity.”

“When did you come back?” Lin Qianyou looked down at it.

“Ah Fu came back after the Great deity went to the Yellow Springs.” It nuzzled her leg obediently. “Did the Great deity bring that human back?”

“Mm, brought him back, and he’s still alive.”

“Great, Great deity! That means the divine realm won’t punish you anymore!” it said excitedly, but Lin Qianyou could tell something was off and asked in confusion, “Punish me? Why would they punish me?”

Ah Fu immediately realized it had let something slip, and after some stammering, it refused to tell the truth. Lin Qianyou wasn’t someone who would press the issue, so when it wouldn’t speak, she decided not to ask further. Ah Fu skillfully dodged the topic.

Lin Qianyou blew the dust off the steps in front of the statue, sat down with a plop, and opened another can of alcohol. Ah Fu sat obediently beside her, resting its little palms on its chin, watching her drink with a cheerful smile.

Lin Qianyou had just opened the kissing scene compilation that Ke Siyu had sent her when she realized there was a child present. Her eyes subtly shifted to the side to glance at Ah Fu.

“What… are you staring at me for?” Lin Qianyou asked, while simultaneously turning off the video that was still playing.

“Ah Fu is admiring the Great deity’s human form,” it said, its voice filled with joy and pride.

“Human form?” Lin Qianyou was confused.

“Yeah, the Great deity’s human form is very beautiful. Ah Fu really likes it.”

“Pfft!” Lin Qianyou sprayed out her alcohol, awkwardly laughing. “Th-Thank you…”

The two chatted for a long time, and Ah Fu’s words made Lin Qianyou laugh often, so much so that she didn’t even notice she had finished all the alcohol she bought.

“Ah, it’s already eleven o’clock. No, no, I need to hurry home. I still have something important to do. I’ll leave now, Ah Fu.” Lin Qianyou picked up the empty cans and stuffed them into the plastic bag, drunkenly staggering as she tried to leave, even managing to reattach the seal.

But just as she turned around, she bumped straight into a solid chest.

The faint scent of camellia flowers wafted into her nose, bringing a refreshing coolness in the hot summer night.

She quickly lifted her head and found herself staring into a pair of dark eyes in the night. His defined jawline was so close that it almost touched her forehead.

Lin Qianyou stared at the chiseled face in front of her for a few seconds, then blurted out the incredibly inappropriate two words: “Male… model?”