Chapter 3

Inside the Netherworld Gate, it was eerily quiet, and the atmosphere outside was even more peculiar.

Jin Wen and Kong Lin stared at Su Wen in unison, their gazes blatantly accusatory: Do you even feel ashamed?

Su Wen was also taken aback, not expecting that the Little King of Hell would actually stand up for him.

As a Judge, he had been battling evil spirits in the Underworld for many years, and never had anyone protected him—he was always the one protecting others.

This feeling was so novel that Su Wen lowered his head and whispered, “My Lord, this subordinate has not been wronged.”

Little Qi Wu turned her head: “But you were unhappy just now.”

Su Wen was at a loss for words. He had many reasons to be unhappy, and in fact, he had just been feeling down about raising a child, which was a rather rebellious thought.

At that moment, Little Qi Wu leaned in and whispered softly in his ear, “I promised I’d get back at them for you, didn’t I?”

Su Wen was momentarily stunned, then a faint smile broke through his usual cold and indifferent expression.

The Ghosts and Gods who witnessed this scene found it miraculous. In a thousand years, when had the Judge ever smiled? This was the first time.

The Judge himself hadn’t noticed the change in his demeanor and simply nodded, saying, “They’ve already been dealt with.”

From within the Netherworld Gate, a hoarse voice of an evil spirit sneered, “What a joke! The esteemed Judge now needs a snot-nosed brat to back him up?”

Su Wen’s expression hardened, his smile vanishing as he coldly looked toward the Netherworld Gate. “Do you think the Karmic Fire within the Netherworld Gate isn’t burning hot enough?”

He stepped half a pace behind the Little King of Hell, slightly lowering his gaze, but raising his hand. The Judge’s Brush inscribed a rune on the Netherworld Gate as he spoke in a low voice, “You are not worthy to speak in her presence.”

He declared firmly, “She is Qi Wu, the deity who can imprison you forever within this Netherworld Gate.”

The cinnabar mark on Little Qi Wu’s forehead turned a deep red, and her small body gradually became enveloped in a crimson light, floating into the air.

Jin Wen and Kong Lin, standing behind her, were somewhat worried. After all, this was only the Little King of Hell’s third visit to the Netherworld Gate. The first two times, she had been too young to understand, and now that she was a bit more aware, she was being mocked by evil spirits. They weren’t sure if the lessons they had taught her would hold up.

Just as the two were about to step forward, Little Qi Wu suddenly moved.

She looked into the Netherworld Gate, her King of Hell’s Robe billowing in the wind as her voice spread slowly, “I am the ruler of the Netherworld, the King of All Ghosts. How dare you be so insolent!”

As soon as Little Qi Wu finished speaking, the crimson light surrounding her coiled into the Netherworld Gate, and no further sounds could be heard from within.

All the Ghosts and Gods were stunned.

After everything had settled, the crimson light around Little Qi Wu dissipated, and she slowly descended. The three Ghosts and Gods hurried forward.

Su Wen, who was closest, instinctively reached out and caught the falling Little King of Hell in his arms. She was soft and tiny, so delicate that it seemed she could be crushed with a little force. It was hard to believe she had spoken those words.

Before he could say anything, the Little King of Hell in his arms suddenly stirred. Su Wen looked down to see her hiding in his embrace, secretly patting her chest, then clutching her milk bottle and taking several big gulps. In a barely audible whisper, she said, “This King is not afraid, not afraid…”

Su Wen: “…”

After finishing her drink, the Little King of Hell patted his arm and said, “This King got them back for you.”

Jin Wen and Kong Lin, who had rushed forward, exchanged a glance and simultaneously covered their faces.

Su Wen: “…Thank you, My Lord.”

Since the matters here had been settled, it was time to return. Su Wen carried the Little King of Hell and placed her on Di Ting’s back. For some reason, he felt uneasy and checked the small chair repeatedly, fearing it might not be safe.

He steadied the chair and said, “Why isn’t there a softer cushion? Di Ting has a bad temper and always sways when walking. What if the Lord falls or gets hurt?”

Di Ting retorted, “Are you being polite? I don’t have a bad temper!”

Su Wen replied, “See for yourself.”

Little Qi Wu quickly patted Di Ting’s head, “Di Ting is so well-behaved.”

Su Wen remained silent.

Jin Wen interjected with a smile, “Alright, Judge, are you coming back with us, or will you stay at the Netherworld Gate as usual?”

In the past, Su Wen would hardly ever leave this place unless something major happened in the Judge’s Office under his jurisdiction.

Kong Lin said, “He won’t leave…”

“I’ll return,” Su Wen interrupted expressionlessly. “Since the Lord is here, the Netherworld Gate will remain quiet for a while. I’ll go back with you.”

Jin Wen’s smile deepened, “That’s fine.”

On the way back, Little Qi Wu picked up the Book of Life and Death she had just received. The book was thin but contained the names of countless ghosts. After reading about one ghost’s life earlier, she was eager to learn about the lives of other ghosts. It was something new and fascinating that she had never encountered before.

However, there were too many names in the book, and after touching a few, her mind began to feel overwhelmed. The Judge then stopped her actions.

Little Qi Wu looked up dizzily, “Are these all ghosts who haven’t been reincarnated?”

Su Wen replied, “Yes.”

“One, two, three, four…” Little Qi Wu tried to count but couldn’t keep up, her small face scrunching up, “So many.”

The three Ghosts and Gods fell silent. Finally, Jin Wen said softly, “It’ll get better. There will be fewer in the future.”

Little Qi Wu asked again, “Can I go see them?”

She had always been in the Hall of the King of Hell and had never seen these ghostly souls before.

Su Wen answered without hesitation, “No.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Because you’re still young, and these matters are too heavy.

Su Wen couldn’t bring himself to say it, and neither could Jin Wen.

Instead, Kong Lin nodded, “Yes, you can.”

The other two Ghosts and Gods turned to look at him. Kong Lin sighed, “It’s necessary. She’ll have to face it sooner or later, won’t she?”

Su Wen frowned slightly and lowered his voice, “She’s still too young.”

Kong Lin said firmly, “What does it matter? She’s the King of Hell. This is her duty.”

“You…”

Before Su Wen could finish, his hand was tugged. He turned to see the Little King of Hell sitting on the small chair, peeking out with an innocent look, “Don’t fight, okay?”

Su Wen suppressed his frustration, “We’re not fighting.”

Kong Lin turned back and asked, “Lord, why did you say those things at the Netherworld Gate earlier?”

Little Qi Wu tilted her head and thought for a moment, “That was… taught by Grandma Meng. She said that when outside, I should say those things to unfriendly ghosts.”

Jin Wen was surprised, “You remembered that?”

Little Qi Wu nodded, “Grandma Meng said it, and I remembered it all.”

Her speech was clear, but when speaking in long sentences, she needed to pause to organize her thoughts. After a few seconds, she continued, “You said that I should become… a great King of Hell in the future.”

So when she saw those evil spirits being so fierce, she recited the words Grandma Meng had taught her.

Kong Lin smiled and said to the other two Ghosts and Gods, “If Lord goes over now, it will make those Ghostly Souls feel better, won’t it?”

“The Lord is learning to be a good King of Hell. How long will you keep protecting him? Ten years? Twenty years? Or like us, for thousands or even tens of thousands of years?”

“Can the current Underworld last that long if things continue like this? We can’t compare to the Faith Merit the Lord can receive.”

Su Wen held the Judge’s Brush, remaining silent.

Seeing them getting upset again, Little Qi Wu leaned on the armrest of her small chair and said earnestly, “Ben Wang can learn!”

Su Wen turned to look at her and silently adjusted her to sit properly.

In the end, Di Ting changed direction.

“I finally understand why the birth rate is declining year after year. How can this go on? The efficiency of your Underworld is too low.”

“Don’t even talk about Reincarnation. I don’t even have basic Ghostly protection here in the Underworld. I worked so hard to buy a car and a house in my lifetime, but after death, I have to squeeze into a bridge hole with you. My fate is so bitter.”

“Don’t mention cars and houses. There’s no internet, no phones here. I can’t even get incense, candles, or Ghost Money. I don’t know what the point of this Ghostly life is. Can a Ghost die again? Let me die once more!”

“What are you talking about? Spider webs? What are phones?”

“You wouldn’t know. Nowadays, we’re not like you back then, struggling to eat and stay warm. Now it’s socialism, the people are in charge. Modernization and intelligence have long been widespread. Unlike you, where a letter takes ten days to travel eight hundred miles…”

…

The River of Oblivion was still crowded with Ghosts. Since the King of Hell had drunk his fill of milk, the current Underworld environment wasn’t so harsh to survive in. So, everyone lounged by the River of Oblivion, chatting. At a glance, Ghosts from various dynasties made for a spectacular sight.

This was the only form of entertainment in the past thousand years.

In another sense, this could also be considered a “cultural exchange between ancient and modern times.”

Di Ting was good at listening. Sitting on its back, Little Qi Wu could learn some strange things from it, and it would also relay messages to her.

So, when Little Qi Wu heard about intelligence and socialism, she was full of curiosity.

She turned to everyone and asked, “What are they talking about? Society, society what?”

Di Ting added, “Socialist modernization.”

Little Qi Wu nodded, “Hmm, it sounds very impressive.”

Kong Lin had many City God Temples in the Human Realm. Although the connections were fewer, he knew much more than the other two Ghosts and Gods. He explained, “Those are things from the Human Realm.”

Little Qi Wu asked innocently, “Can’t things from the Human Realm be used in the Underworld?”

The three Ghosts and Gods were momentarily stumped.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t, but the Underworld in the past had no time to manage such things. Simply handling the Cycle of Life and Death, judging evil and promoting good, was already exhausting.

But now, it seemed it might be possible?

Jin Wen said, “Lord, we have been disconnected from the Human Realm for a long time.”

Little Qi Wu asked, “Can we reconnect then?”

Reconnecting was necessary; otherwise, there would be no source of Faith Merit. But now that the King of Hell was still young, how could he become as well-known as the Ten Halls Kings of Hell of the past? How could they reconnect?

The three Ghosts and Gods were still pondering how to explain when they suddenly heard a Ghost not far away stand up, hands on hips, and declare, “Of course, I’m handsome. I was a household name before I died, a celebrity. Even going out to buy groceries, people would recognize me.”

“What do you mean by household names? Even our emperors, the Sons of Heaven, were rarely seen by the common people!”

“Times are different now. When I appear on a show, the entire nation can see me. It’s not the same, is it?”

“I know, I know. My daughter adores you. If only I could send her a dream, I would tell her that I died alongside her idol and that we’re here chatting together.”

“…”

Another ghost sighed, “Whether it’s policies or development, the Underworld should learn from the Human Realm. Don’t let us ghosts die without peace.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“Right…” The ghost turned towards the voice and suddenly met a pair of innocent, adorable eyes. His voice abruptly stopped, “You…”

“Hmm?” Little Qi Wu had already been set down by Di Ting. She stood behind the group of ghosts, her eyes sparkling, incredibly beautiful.

The ghost was stunned for a moment, then looked at the child’s attire and his eyes lit up with realization, “Wow, which dynasty’s child is this? She’s so cute!”

At that moment, a stern voice came from behind, “Disrespectful.”

The ghost was startled by the imposing aura and looked up to see the three great Ghosts and Gods of the Underworld standing in unison behind the little girl, staring intently at him.

He was so frightened he almost died again.

“This, this, this…”

Little Qi Wu smiled, her voice clear, as if carrying a soothing power that gently calmed all the Ghostly Souls present, “Ben Wang is not a child. Ben Wang is from this era… they call Ben Wang, Lord Yama.”

The banks of the River of Oblivion fell silent.

Everyone could feel that power, calming their restless hearts, and could hear that crisp voice.

She took a few steps forward and looked at the celebrity ghost who had just spoken, “You are really good-looking.”

The celebrity ghost’s face immediately turned red, “You, you are also good-looking, more than anyone I’ve ever seen… yes, more beautiful!”

Little Qi Wu asked curiously, “Then can Ben Wang be liked by many people like you?”

The celebrity ghost’s heart melted at the sight. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t afford to offend her, he would have rushed over to hug this Little King of Hell.

He nodded vigorously, “Of course, you are cuter than any child on those child-rearing reality shows! If you went on one, the entire nation would surely love you!”

Child-rearing reality show?

This was new knowledge. Gaining love would mean Karma.

Little Qi Wu silently noted this in her heart.

Kong Lin, who had the most contact with the Human Realm, suddenly focused his gaze, slowly lowering his eyes to look at the curious and innocent Little King of Hell.

There was actually another way to quickly gain Faith Merit from the Human Realm.

Three days later, in the Hall of the King of Hell.

Su Wen frowned as he looked at Kong Lin, “Go to the Human Realm? Are you mad?”

Kong Lin shook his head, then looked at the Little King of Hell sitting obediently on the throne, “Do you think there’s a faster, more direct method than this now?”

Su Wen disagreed, “She is the King of Hell. How can she go to the Human Realm?”

“Why not?” Kong Lin said, “In the past, the Ten Halls’ Kings of Hell, including our Beiyin Emperor, have also been to the Human Realm. Moreover, the current Lord Yama can only stay in the Hall of the King of Hell and gain nothing. Going to the Human Realm, she can not only learn about the Human Realm but also gain Karma.”

He slowly asked, “Or do you want her to continue learning the things we left behind a thousand years ago?”

Jin Wen remained silent for a long time before speaking, “I think Kong Lin has a point. The current pace of development in the Human Realm is something our Underworld urgently needs. Our order is too chaotic.”

Su Wen found it laughable, “A child, learning about development? Really?”

“Of course not,” Kong Lin shook his head, “That’s why we need a Ghost or God to accompany her.”

Su Wen asked, “Who?”

Both Jin Wen and Kong Lin turned their heads simultaneously, silently staring at him.

Little Yan Wang, not understanding what was going on, also followed suit, opening his big eyes and looking over curiously.

Su Wen: “…”

“?”