Volume One: The Soul-Gathering Gourd and the Flame of Spirit Chapter Ten: Utterly Bewildered

“Nether script? The writing of the underworld?” King of the Underworld, Jiang Jingxue, nodded solemnly.

At this, Gu Mo was thoroughly bewildered. “Your Majesty, why can’t I see it?”

Jiang Jingxue shot him a glare and replied impatiently, “You little rookie, you have neither magic nor the eyes to see spirits. Even if you could see the nether script, you wouldn’t understand a thing!”

Gu Mo’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued. Was there something else engraved on the ornate box? At first, he’d thought it was just some undecipherable pattern, but upon closer inspection, the box did feel unusual.

In Jiang Jingxue’s eyes, not only the surface of the box, but even those two ancient books were inscribed in another way, with information hidden between the lines.

Gu Mo was now even more curious as to why this “silly girl” claimed there were markings in the books and box that he simply couldn’t see.

The next two hours passed with Gu Mo gingerly leafing through the ancient texts while Jiang Jingxue watched intently by his side.

What was different was that the usually mischievous “silly girl” was now quietly engrossed, her ghostly eyes shining like a galaxy as she read with relish. In silence, Jiang Jingxue’s beauty was truly captivating.

Seeing this, Gu Mo’s expression darkened, and he grumbled inwardly, “Who would’ve thought that when working for a living, I’d have to serve people, and now I have to serve ghosts too! I really ought to get my fortune told in a few days, if only that fortune-telling stall would open soon.”

Then, with a wave of her small hand, Jiang Jingxue made the ornate box float slowly. The nether script and illustrations carved into it shimmered into view in a burst of green light.

Gu Mo looked up curiously, thinking all these ghostly antics before him were simply too absurd!

Jiang Jingxue cleared her throat, pointed at the illustrations on the box, and said gravely, “Aside from the special engravings, the box reveals a location—Yuxu Peak’s Wuzhuang Temple. Beneath Yuxu Peak lies a secret passage leading into a mountain cavern where piles of gold dust and this very ornate box are stored.”

Gu Mo nodded; he recalled his grandfather mentioning such strange happenings when he was a child. At the time, he’d dismissed them as nothing more than ghost stories.

Still, his grandfather had said that ever since that incident, no one in their family had set foot in that eerie place.

Noticing Gu Mo’s nod and his eager, childlike curiosity, Jiang Jingxue was delighted. She continued proudly, “It’s not just the box—your two books and that bamboo slip all conceal tremendous secrets. Every item bears nether script invisible to mortals!”

“Take the Cloud Ascending Hidden Truth Manual, for example. Every line is packed with dense nether script notes. It’s clearly a method for cultivating ghostly energy.”

Upon this discovery, Jiang Jingxue was overjoyed, waving her small pale arms above her head and swaying with delight for a good five minutes before finally stopping.

Cultivating this ghostly energy would gradually strengthen her ghostly soul, so she’d never again have to worry about being bullied.

Following Jiang Jingxue’s instructions, Gu Mo fetched paper and cinnabar from his grandfather’s room. He rolled the bamboo slip, dabbed cinnabar on the top and bottom, and pressed it onto the paper.

Two crimson talismanic marks appeared on the pristine paper. Neither Gu Mo nor Jiang Jingxue could decipher them, so they simply set them aside for the time being.

Jiang Jingxue then declared, “In the three thousand worlds, the six paths of reincarnation reign. The living have their rules, the dead their order.”

She paused before continuing, “In fact, this book records the entire system of the underworld in astonishing detail! I seriously wonder, what was your grandfather’s true occupation?”

Such strange tales sent a chill down Gu Mo’s spine—he simply couldn’t accept any of it.

“My grandfather was a master of the supernatural, but his ways were always bizarre. I’ve been away for so long that even my memories of him are fading…”

He paused, then turned to Jiang Jingxue and asked, “Your Majesty, what about the red gourd in the ornate box? Why did my grandfather have me use it to refill the oil lamp? There’s nothing inside it at all!”

At this, Jiang Jingxue scoffed with contempt. “The red gourd? That is none other than the Supreme Treasure of the Underworld—the Soul-Gathering Gourd!”

“What? An artifact of the underworld? Soul-Gathering Gourd? And what does it do?”

Jiang Jingxue took it upon herself to explain. “Legend has it, at the dawn of creation, the heavens and earth were chaos, the sun, moon, and stars unseen. Pangu split the sky and earth, giving all beings a place to dwell. Later, ten ancient beasts ravaged the world, bringing chaos to the wilds.

In the end, one person, together with the True Martial Emperor and the Supreme Master of Shangqing, sealed and slew each beast.

Yet, wandering souls still brought turmoil. To preserve order, the Supreme Master and True Martial Emperor each bestowed four treasures, and the Supreme Master passed on the Seven-Star Heavenly Step, enabling this person to command the underworld.

The world knows of the Ten Kings of the Underworld, but not this individual!”

Gu Mo curled his lip in disbelief. “So, in the end, this person was just so forgettable? If not, why does nobody remember them?”

Jiang Jingxue glared fiercely. It seemed if he kept running his mouth, she’d strangle him on the spot!

Gu Mo, sensing her wrath, asked meekly, “Your Majesty, who was this person?”

Jiang Jingxue drew a deep breath, suppressing her anger before replying, “The Supreme Immortal Lord of the North Star, the Arbiter of Fate!”

Seeing her expression soften, Gu Mo relaxed, though he thought the title rather a mouthful.

Jiang Jingxue caressed the unremarkable box and continued, “Because there were too many lost souls, the Arbiter couldn’t handle them all alone. So, the Arbiter captured ten souls, bestowed them with power, and enlightened their spirits. These ten souls were sent to different places, each charged with a domain, building the underworld and commanding the dead. Thus came to be the Ten Kings of the Underworld!”

At this, Gu Mo’s body tensed and he stammered, “What? This person enlightened the Ten Kings? Doesn’t that make them the ancestor of all ghost officials?”

Jiang Jingxue nodded absentmindedly and continued, “The names of the Ten Kings are: the First King, Qin Guang; Second King, Chu Jiang; Third King, Song Emperor; Fourth King, Wu Guan; Fifth King, Yan Luo; Sixth King, Bian Cheng; Seventh King, Mount Tai; Eighth King, Capital; Ninth King, Equality; and Tenth King, the Wheel of Rebirth. Each rules over one of the ten courts of the underworld, and each court is divided into sixteen smaller halls.

The Soul-Gathering Gourd in this box originally belonged to the Arbiter. If all eight artifacts of the underworld are assembled, they can shake the heavens and earth, rewrite the fabric of yin and yang, and even grant immortality!

The eight supreme treasures of the underworld are: the Soul-Burning Lamp, the Heaven-Measuring Ruler, the Soul-Gathering Gourd, the Fire-Dragon Sash, the Scarlet Flame Cloak, the Shadow-Stepping Shoes, the Sky-Covering Seal, the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, and the Kui Ox Bone.

They are the underworld’s greatest treasures! Since the Arbiter vanished, these artifacts disappeared as well. Who would have thought one would end up in the world of the living?”

Befuddled by this supernatural lore, Gu Mo stroked his chin and asked, “Your Majesty, are you sure this isn’t just some myth? Where did you even learn all this? Just the names sound ridiculous—gourds and oil lamps and whatnot—I don’t understand any of it!”

Jiang Jingxue immediately planted her hands on her hips and stamped her foot in outrage. “What? You dare not believe me?”

Gu Mo broke out in a cold sweat. “No… I wouldn’t dare! I’m just curious, that’s all.”

With a snort, Jiang Jingxue rolled her eyes at him. “I grew up in my father’s Judgment Hall, surrounded by books. Knowing such hidden secrets is child’s play for me!”

Hearing this, Gu Mo began to suspect the truth about his grandfather.

“Artifacts of the underworld? Even if he was a master of the supernatural, wasn’t he still just an eccentric old man? How could he possess things like these?”

Jiang Jingxue, seeing Gu Mo deep in thought, cleared her throat and explained, “Little assistant, the Soul-Gathering Gourd can absorb souls and refine them. The ghostly energy thus refined is stored within. When you cultivate ghostly energy in the future, it will be much easier.”

Gu Mo, still utterly confused, couldn’t muster any interest. “Your Majesty, I’ve had enough bad luck—what good is collecting ghostly energy? It’s not like I can eat or drink it! If you like it so much, take this useless gourd. Tonight, you’re welcome to take it home and play with it!”

Jiang Jingxue stared at him, dumbfounded. “What? Don’t you want to collect the underworld’s artifacts and gain immortality?”

Gu Mo forced a bitter smile. He was already overwhelmed by all these spirits and monsters. If a female ghost appeared next, he might not live to see the sunrise.

Resolutely, Gu Mo shook his head. “No, I don’t!”

The King of the Underworld, rebuffed, frowned. “But why? Don’t you want to understand what ghostly energy truly is? Once you have it, no one will ever dare bully you again!”

Gu Mo just shook his head, still smiling bitterly.

Seeing his refusal, Jiang Jingxue was so enraged she could almost spit fire.

Suddenly, a chill wind swept through, filling the room with an icy coldness.

In a flash, a ghastly, waxen face pressed against Gu Mo’s own. Jiang Jingxue’s mouth bristled with terrifying, jagged fangs—like a row of saber-sharp blades—suggesting that at any moment, Gu Mo might be devoured alive, not even a bone fragment left.

Her freezing white hands tightened around Gu Mo’s neck, an unbreakable grip.

No longer was the silly girl harmless—she was now a true fiend of the underworld!

Gu Mo felt the air vanish from his lungs, his heart racing wildly…