After leading the old man to settle down in the underworld and repeatedly warning him not to believe the sweet words of other wandering souls, Ye Jie was about to leave when he was suddenly stopped by someone.
"Isn't this Brother Jie? What a coincidence! I just happened to be looking for you."
Following the sound, I saw a petite female ghost doll walking briskly towards me. The girl was about three or four years old, with bright eyes, a pretty face that was as delicate as jade and flushed, and a pair of dimples that could no longer suppress the smile in her heart.
Ye Jie knew the girl. She was the ghost catcher Sun, who was also a ghost catcher like him. However, Ye Jie preferred to call her by another nickname, Short-lived Sun.
"Short-lived grandson, you are laughing so happily. It seems that you have gained a lot this time." Ye Jie said casually.
The girl chuckled, "Of course. The bandit Hengshan has been plundering and killing people north of the Jing River. The more people he kills, the more wandering souls we send to reincarnate. It's been a long time since the Naihe Bridge has been so lively."
The girl stretched out her hand, wanting to pat Ye Jie's shoulder, but because she was too short she couldn't do it. She was so anxious that she scratched her head. Seeing this, Ye Jie had no choice but to half-squat down as the girl wished.
Finally patting Ye Jie's shoulder, the girl laughed out loud: "Come on, Brother Jie, I'll treat you to a drink!"
The two of them walked together, with the petite girl leading the way with cheerful steps, and the ghost messenger Jie, who was as tall and thin as a dead pine tree, following slowly from behind. Soon they arrived at a towering and magnificent restaurant.
The restaurant was filled with beauties singing and dancing. Among the diners coming and going were not only the third-rank Bull-Head and Horse-Face and the fourth-rank Black and White Impermanence, but if one could ascend to the upper floors and enter the private rooms, one could even catch a glimpse of the fifth-rank Judge.
"Aunt Meng's Winery? This is the most upscale restaurant in the underworld. You're quite good at choosing places." Ye Jie said in surprise, looking at the golden plaque shining above his head.
In Aunt Meng's Winery, even a pot of ordinary forget-me-not wine would cost at least a hundred Yin De, and a whole meal would cost at least a thousand Yin De. Coming here to drink was undoubtedly a very luxurious behavior for a second-level ghost.
Finding a seat by the window, the girl climbed onto the seat with great effort, her feet dangling a foot off the ground. Ye Jie tapped the sandalwood-scented wooden table with his slender, dry fingers and said,
"Short-lived grandson, you're a jerk who never comes to visit me for no reason. You invited me to this high-end restaurant. I'm afraid you've run into some trouble."
"No trouble, but there is a good thing." The girl grinned. "To be honest, I also benefited from the help of the bandit Hengshan. After sending more than a hundred wandering souls killed by the bandit Hengshan into the Samsara Well, my Yin De has exceeded 100,000, enough for a sixth-level reincarnation. From today on, I will no longer be a ghost messenger and will return to the reincarnation."
Upon hearing this, Ye Jie clasped his fists and congratulated him: "If you calculate carefully, it has been almost ten years since your soul returned to the underworld. During these ten years, if you lived frugally and diligently completed your ghost messenger duties, you would have accumulated nearly a hundred thousand Yin De. Your sixth-grade reincarnation guarantees you a safe and healthy rebirth. I congratulate you in advance."
The girl also clasped her fists in return, "Brother Jie, I wish you good luck. Hehe, a sixth-grade reincarnation not only allows you to be reborn into a healthy family, but also grants you a random gift of magical power at birth. I don't know what kind of gift I'll get this time, but I really hope I can be lucky enough to draw a first-grade talent..."
Ye Jie laughed dumbly. "The talents and magical powers that can be drawn during reincarnation are divided into nine grades. Although the probability of drawing is random, the hope of obtaining a first-grade talent for a sixth-grade reincarnation is really slim. The possibility of being reborn directly into an immortal family is greater than drawing a first-grade talent. It is still more realistic to pray for a third or fourth-grade talent and magical power."
"Don't mention it. Thinking about what happened in my last life makes me gnashing with hatred."
The little girl suddenly puffed up her lips, looking unconvinced. "In my last life, I finally drew the third-rank talent 'Ice Skin and Jade Bones' and was reborn into a family of cultivators. But when I was three years old, my parents took me on an outing and I was captured and eaten by a green-haired lion monster. Just thinking about it makes me angry! That's a third-rank talent, though. With the blessing of 'Ice Skin and Jade Bones', I could at least reach the fifth level in the human world, or even go further and reach the realm of immortals..."
At the end of her speech, the girl shrugged and sighed, "Now I have nothing. I just hope that when I reincarnate next time, I can draw a better talent. If I draw the worst ninth-grade talent, I might as well have spent a hundred Yin De to reincarnate at the ninth grade ten years ago..."
Ye Jie smiled and shook his head. Anyone with third-grade talent would become a powerful person as long as they embarked on the path of cultivation. It was rare for someone like Short-lived Sun to be killed at the age of three and only be able to serve as a ghost messenger. This was the origin of her nickname.
Ye Jie was about to say a few words to comfort them, but he heard a bang and the waitress slammed the menu in front of the table.
"What do you want to eat?"
The world-weary maid with shark teeth and triangular eyes stared at the two of them, with the expression "get out of here right after eating" written all over her face. It would be strange if she could attract repeat customers with that kind of attitude.
"Oh no, why is Guazi on duty today?"
The short-lived grandson scratched his head and whispered in Ye Jie's ear, "There are seven maids who take turns on duty at Aunt Meng's Winery. I came here knowing that Sister Lan would be on duty today, but I never expected Guazi to be here. Among the seven maids, Guazi has the worst attitude. She also happens to be the one with the highest cultivation level, reaching the fifth level of the Sealed Immortal Realm. Even the Black and White Impermanence have to take a detour when they see her. She is invincible below the level of a True Immortal. She can wipe out second-level ghost messengers like us with just a flick of her finger."
Ye Jie couldn't help but complain: "Why are you so powerful as a maid? Become a judge."
"I was hoping to hear Sister Lan play a pipa piece to bid you farewell, to bring good luck before reincarnation. Looks like I won't have that chance," the short-lived grandson sighed. "As a fellow wine-country maid, Sister Lan's realm isn't as high as Guazi's, but she greets every diner with a smile, patiently listening to the troubles of passing ghosts. Her pipa melodies are enough to draw applause from the diners."
"Sister Lan is sick. Are you going to eat it or not?" Seeing that the short-lived sun dared to compare himself with Sister Lan, Guazi pulled the corners of his mouth and glared at the two of them with his eyes.
"Let me see..." The girl took the menu and flipped through it. "Give me two pots of eighth-grade forget-worry wine, and some konjac rice. Oh, and I hate lion monsters the most. I want the braised lion's head!"
After ordering the dishes and waiting for Guazi to leave, Ye Jie continued the previous topic: "Short-lived Sun, have you ever thought that the reason you died so young in your previous life was because your surname was too fierce?"
The girl was puzzled: "What do you mean?"
"Hundreds of years ago, there was a powerful man named Sun who broke into the underworld. He swept through the Ten Kings of Hell with a stick, killed the Emperor of the Underworld, tampered with the Book of Life and Death, and caused unrest in the three realms. His casual drawings on the Book of Life and Death also implicated all people with the same surname as him in the world. From then on, the surname Sun was suppressed by destiny, and people with the surname Sun were also implicated, and most of them had a short life." Ye Jie instructed.
"I know. You must be talking about the Monkey King Sun Wukong." The girl blinked.
Ye Jie nodded: "Now that you know this, have you ever blamed that powerful person? If it weren't for his entry in the Book of Life and Death, the Sun family wouldn't have been implicated to this extent."
The girl laughed heartily after hearing this: "I'm not complaining at all. The Sun family finally produced a great and powerful person who traverses the three realms. Of course, I, the short-lived grandson, must take advantage of his glory."
Ye Jie did not say anything more, but heard the girl change the subject and said:
"Brother Jie, it was thanks to you getting me three recommendation orders that I was able to successfully become a ghost messenger. To get a recommendation order from other ghost messengers, you'd have to work like a slave for at least ten years. Three orders would mean thirty years, which is a waste of time. I heard from others that you've been a ghost messenger for at least sixty years. How's it going? Have you accumulated the one million Yin De required for a fifth-grade reincarnation?"
Seeing the girl's curious face, Ye Jie smiled bitterly and waved his hands: "I'm afraid the Yin De I have accumulated now is less than ten thousand."
"How could it be?" The girl exclaimed, covering her mouth. Then, as if she remembered something, she glanced at Ye Jie helplessly, "I see, you are still doing those unprofitable businesses."
Guazi brought the wine over, and Ye Jie said nothing. Short-lived Sun poured a glass for Ye Jie and another for himself. The rich aroma of wine filled his nose, and then he spoke:
"Among the ghost officials I know, the others are all trying to deduct the merits from wandering souls. Only you are willing to pay for the merits and do a loss-making business, helping wandering souls fulfill their last wishes before reincarnation."
The girl counted on her fingers and said, "I heard your conversation with the old man's soul just now. In seven days, you will bring him back to life and let him speak in a dream, right? Let me calculate for you. You need to use the teleportation stone that can shrink the earth into an inch four times. Each use requires 25 Yin De, so four times is 100 Yin De. You need to use the Qingming branch to shuttle through the underworld formation twice, which costs 200 Yin De in total. A cup of Yellow Spring water to bring him into the dream costs 300 Yin De. A soul-protecting talisman to keep his soul pure and prevent him from becoming an evil spirit also costs 300 Yin De. You have tried your best to protect him all the way, so a hundred Yin De is not too much to ask for as a reward, right? It adds up to 1,000 Yin De. Can he afford 1,000 Yin De?"
Seeing the girl spread out her ten fingers, wishing she could even use her toes, and finally figured out the final result, Ye Jie smiled and said, "You miscalculated one thing. He has a pair of children. I may need two Yellow Springs water."
The girl looked at him helplessly. "The mortals who can come up with a thousand Yin De are all well-known good people in the surrounding area. Their souls have long been reserved by third-level ghost officials like the Ox-Head and Horse-Face. How can we, second-level ghost officials, have a chance? You really are doing a losing business."
"That's not the case." Ye Jie shook his head slightly. "Perhaps for other ghost messengers, bringing wandering souls back to the living to send messages in dreams is just a business. But for those souls about to enter reincarnation, it is their last hope of seeing their former loved ones. How can it be measured by the amount of good deeds they have done?"
The girl placed her arms on the wooden table, propping up her chubby face with her thin palms. "Hey... Brother Jie, I think you're just too kind. As the old saying goes, there's always something hateful about pitiful people. Those wandering souls have suffered their current fate because of their own fault. Who told them not to cultivate good deeds in life and not to accumulate merit after death? Ghost messengers can't gain merit by doing good deeds. Helping them is just a favor, not helping them is our duty. You can't help all the wandering souls in the underworld. Sometimes, letting things take their course and turning a blind eye can actually be better for you."
Facing the girl's reminder, Ye Jie just smiled carefreely: "In my previous life, when I was thirteen, there was a flood that year and my parents drowned. A few days later, I dreamed of them. They told me that they hadn't done much good in this life. Thanks to the help of a kind ghost messenger, they were able to return to the human world and see me in my dream for the last time."
After a pause, Ye Jie continued, "Unfortunately, I still don't know the name of that ghost messenger. However, inspired by him, I have been doing my best to help those wandering souls in the same difficult situation. What I paid was just a little bit of good karma, but what I fulfilled was their lifelong wish."
The girl stared at Ye Jie for a long while without saying anything. Suddenly she giggled and raised her glass to Ye Jie, saying, "Why are you saying all this? Come, Brother Jie, I'll toast you."
Ye Jie raised his glass and drank with her.
When he put down the wine glass, he saw the maid Guazi came to the table at some point and was staring at the two of them with a pair of dead fish eyes. In one hand she was holding a bucket of fragrant fried rice, and in the other hand she was holding a shiny silver plate, on which was placed a huge monster head that was roasted to a golden and crispy texture, with the meat fragrant and juicy.
"The corpse-flavored konjac fried rice and braised lion's head you ordered are all here," said Guazi.
The two of them had a delicious meal, which cost them a total of 1,900 Yin De, which was almost two months' income for a second-level ghost messenger. After eating and drinking, the girl patted her stomach and burped:
"Don't underestimate the price of Aunt Meng's Winery. If I could eat here every day, I would eventually break through the second stage of Soul Building and enter the third stage of Ox and Horse. Then I could become a third stage ghost messenger like the Ox-Head and Horse-Face..."
Ye Jie also exhaled a breath of foul air. As the precious ingredients went into his stomach, he vaguely felt that the bottleneck that had troubled him for thirty years had loosened. If he broke through this bottleneck, he would be able to advance to the middle stage of the second level Soul Building Realm!
I saw the short-lived Sun off all the way to the Naihe Bridge. Even though I was very reluctant to leave, it was time to say goodbye.
"Let's say goodbye now, Ye Jie... By the way, I recently found a good candidate and plan to let him take over as a ghost messenger. He will come to find you in a few days." Under the bridge, the girl bit her lip and shed tears as she said goodbye to Ye Jie. "Don't forget to give me your ghost messenger order. After all, I have a thousand Yin De."
Seeing that the girl was about to step onto the Naihe Bridge and was still thinking about the Ghost Messenger's Order, Ye Jie couldn't help but raise his arm as thin as a dead branch and pat the girl's head.
The girl stood on tiptoe, rubbed Ye Jie's palm, took a black token engraved with the word "Jie", and jumped onto the bridge.
The bridge was shrouded in a shimmering purple-red mist, resembling a vibrant dream or a fiery sunset. Through the thick fog, an elderly woman could be vaguely seen, hunched over, standing in the middle of the bridge, awaiting the arrival of departed souls.
Until the figure of the short-lived sun completely disappeared in the thick fog, Ye Jie suddenly felt a violent vibration in his arms.
He reached into his bosom and pulled out a torn page.
The ink flew, the pen moved quickly, and a string of new words appeared out of thin air on the torn page.
【Book of Life and Death:】
【In the winter of the twelfth year of the Zhenguan reign, the soul holding the Ghost Messenger Jie's token successfully underwent a sixth-grade reincarnation.】
【A second-level ghost messenger charges a one percent guide fee.】
【Ghost Messenger Jie gained one thousand Yin De.】
Next to the cold words, a girl's face was painted with bright red cinnabar, with tears in her eyes and a smile full of hope.
Putting the torn page back into his arms, Ye Jie looked at the other side of the Naihe Bridge shrouded in thick fog, and remained silent for a long time.