touchnovel Chapter 10 Western Hell, is that all?
Chapter 10 Western Hell, is that all?
Chu Jiang's heart sank.
Shackles of Heaven? Not belonging to this realm?
This is quite a lot of information.
Following the system's prompts, his gaze pierced through layers of soul shadows and landed at the end of the line.
The Taoist priest in the tattered robe had already reached the ferry crossing.
He ignored the huge stone tablet inscribed with the rules, and the strange looks cast by the surrounding ghosts, and walked straight toward the Yellow Springs Spirit Boat.
Meng Po also sensed something was wrong. Her blurry face turned towards the Taoist priest, and her voice became solemn.
"This soul is rather strange. I've been on the Bridge of Helplessness for countless years, and I've never seen anything like it."
Chu Jiang activated his Netherworld Eye.
Under the discerning eye, the Taoist's soul was bound by chains composed of mysterious runes, invisible to the naked eye.
The chains exuded an ancient and powerful aura, binding his soul tightly, yet seemingly providing him with some kind of energy.
"He's not a ghost from the underworld, and... he doesn't even seem like a soul from the mortal realm." Meng Po's voice rang in Chu-Jiang's ears.
The Taoist priest walked slowly but with unwavering determination. With each step he took, a faint scorch mark was left on the ground beneath his feet.
The ghosts queuing around him seemed to have encountered their natural enemy, and involuntarily made way for him.
"Stop." Chu Jiang's voice rang out, not loud, but clearly carried throughout the entire ferry crossing.
He walked out of his mansion and stood at the bow of the Yellow Springs Spirit Boat.
"Didn't you see the rules? Line up."
The Taoist priest stopped, his empty eyes slowly rising to look at Chu Jiang.
He didn't speak, but simply raised his chained hand, pointed to the spirit boat of the underworld, and then pointed to the gate of reincarnation on the opposite bank of the river.
The meaning is clear: he wants to cross the river.
"Want to cross the river? Sure." Chu Jiang leaned against the gunwale, picking his ear. "Either queue up or use the VIP lane."
He pointed to the stone tablet.
"Do you have accumulated great merit, or do you possess a vast amount of ghost money?"
The Taoist priest remained silent, but his aura became even more oppressive, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
Just as Chu Jiang was preparing to physically discourage him from leaving.
"Boom!"
The sound of horses' hooves, accompanied by the rumble of wheels rolling over the earth, came from the other end of the Netherworld Path.
This commotion was even more exaggerated than Judge Cui's appearance earlier.
All the ghosts looked over curiously.
A magnificent black and gold chariot, pulled by six skeletal warhorses burning with eerie green flames, was rushing towards them at breakneck speed.
The carriage was made entirely of an unknown black metal, and was carved with countless twisted, wailing ghost faces and blood-dripping bat reliefs, its style being both extremely luxurious and eerie.
On the roof of the vehicle, a black flag was stuck, with an inverted cross and a blood-red bat with outstretched wings embroidered in gold thread.
"Whoa—"
A handsome ghostly figure, dressed in a tuxedo, with a face as pale as paper and lips as red as dripping liquid, suddenly pulled on the reins.
Six skeletal warhorses reared up, neighed, and came to a steady stop at the ferry crossing.
The spectacle was just like a domineering CEO making a grand tour.
The carriage door creaked open.
A tall, middle-aged demon, dressed in an elegant black tuxedo and a dark red lining cloak, with his hair slicked back, gracefully descended the mountain.
He held a silver cane inlaid with a huge ruby in his hand, and a black rose was tucked into his breast pocket.
His skin was even paler than the coachman's, almost bloodless, and his pupils, set deep in his eye sockets, were an eerie dark red.
After getting out of the car, he first took an exaggerated breath of the air by the River Nether, then frowned and spoke in a strange accent of Chinese.
"Oh, my dear friends, is this the underworld of the East? The air is filled with... um, the pure fragrance of earth."
Several more strangely shaped ghosts alighted from the carriage behind him.
There were winged little devils and stone gargoyles with dripping spouts, who surrounded the nobleman, looking around arrogantly.
"Your Excellency, look at these Eastern souls, they really... lack any sense of artistry," a little devil with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks said obsequiously.
The ghost clan member known as "Count" swept his gaze across the entire area, finally settling on the crystal-clear river and the Yellow Springs Spirit Boat radiating the light of merit.
His elegant expression froze instantly, then replaced by an incredulous, disgusted look, as if he had seen some kind of trashy artwork.
"My God! What is this?!"
He pointed his cane at the clear river water, his voice trembling.
"Water! It's crystal clear! How can this be called the River of Hell? This is an insult to the aesthetics of darkness!"
He then pointed to the Yellow Springs Spirit Boat on the Chu River and said with great sorrow.
"And this ship! It's glowing! Shouldn't a ship from hell be forged from the bones and wails of suffering souls, sailing through blood and fire filled with despair?"
He shook his head, looking at Chu Jiang with a disappointed expression.
"Young man, I can tell you're the owner of this ship. Is this how you treat the underworld in the East? Have you even forgotten what hell should look like? It's truly... utterly lacking in class."
The ghosts queuing around them listened in stunned silence.
Even Meng Po (the goddess of forgetfulness) curiously observed this group of "Western friends".
Chu Jiang didn't say anything, but just watched him perform quietly.
Seeing that Chu Jiang remained silent, the count assumed that he was intimidated by his aristocratic demeanor and became even more smug.
He straightened his bow tie and spoke in a lecturing tone.
"In our Western Hell, a proper River Styx, such as the Acheron or the Styx, must be pitch black and filled with vengeful spirits that cannot be extricated. Our boatmen, such as Charon, row boats whose planks are soaked with tens of thousands of years of suffering."
"That is art! That is the glory of darkness!"
He opened his arms, making a gesture of blissful embrace of the darkness.
Chu Jiang looked at him and finally spoke.
"Are you done talking?"
The count paused for a moment, then withdrew from his posture and nodded reservedly.
"Now that you've finished talking, get on the boat." Chu Jiang waved to him.
"Get on board?" The count tapped the ground with his cane. "Just on your shiny toy boat? Young man, I'm not here for sightseeing; I'm here to experience your Eastern hell..."
"Just come up here when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense." Chu Jiang was getting a little impatient.
He flicked his finger lightly.
A water whip shot out from the river, not striking the count, but instead lifting a huge rock from the bank and hurling it into the middle of the river with a "whoosh".
"Splash!" A loud noise, water splashed everywhere.
The count's eye twitched.
Chu Jiang looked at him and smiled.
"My boat is fast, stable, and you can even listen to music. Since you're already here, why not experience our unique Eastern service?"
The count hesitated for a moment.
A little devil behind him leaned in and said, "Your Excellency, why don't we go up and take a look? It would be a good opportunity for them to see what true noble manners are."
The count thought about it and agreed that it made sense.
He raised his head, tapped the bow of the boat with his cane, and said haughtily.
"Alright, since you've been so kind in inviting me, I'll condescend to experience your 'simple' ferry service."
After saying this, he led the two little devils and, with elegant steps, boarded the Yellow Springs Spirit Boat.
Chu Jiang's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.
He picked up the oar, and with a gentle stroke, the spirit boat glided silently into the river.
"Hold on tight."
As soon as Chu Jiang finished speaking, he suddenly pressed an inconspicuous rune on the side of the ship.
"Welcome to experience the Netherworld Heavy Metal Rock Mode."
Om-!
The entire Yellow Springs Spirit Ship shuddered violently.
The ship's soft, precious light instantly became blindingly bright, with red, blue, purple, and green lights flashing wildly, and the Soul-Purifying Lamp at the bow swaying wildly like a searchlight.
The ship began to violently lurch forward, backward, left, and right at an irregular frequency, sometimes leaping high like a wild horse, and sometimes spinning wildly like a top.
Above the river, a wild, rhythmic melody, woven from countless wails and howls, resounded.
"ah--!"
"My God! What the hell is this?!"
The two little devils on the ship couldn't take it anymore and were thrown about, screaming all the while.
The count initially tried to maintain his composure, gripping the ship's railing tightly, but soon his face turned from pale to ashen, and then from ashen to a ghastly green.
His once slicked-back hair was now a mess, resembling a bird's nest.
Even the most elegant dress was askew and crooked.
"vomit--"
He couldn't hold it in any longer, and while holding onto the gunwale, he vomited with a loud "whoosh".
What he vomited was not food, but mouthfuls of foul-smelling black blood, mixed with twisted runes.
Just as he was vomiting uncontrollably, a soft, golden light of reincarnation rose from the bottom of the ship and enveloped his entire body.
The count felt his soul lighten, and an unprecedented sense of comfort emanated from the depths of his soul.
The ship stopped.
The music stopped too.
The count collapsed to his knees on the deck, panting heavily.
He stared blankly at his hands, then touched his chest.
The Blood Curse that had plagued him for thousands of years, forcing him to rely on consuming soul blood to suppress it... was actually gone?
He suddenly looked up at Chu Jiang, who was leisurely putting away his oars, his dark red eyes filled with shock and fervor.
The next second, he scrambled over and grabbed Chu Jiang's leg.
"dad!"
A thunderous shout echoed throughout the entire Sanzu Ferry.