Volume One: The Gourd That Draws Souls, The Lamp That Ignites Spirits Chapter 31: The Map of the Netherworld

The night was cool as water, time slipping away in a sudden rush. As Gu Mo opened his eyes, a wave of excruciating pain swept across his body. Seeing himself lying in the incense shop, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Grimacing through the ache, he glanced sideways and caught sight of Xiao Yulou and Yanwang Silly Girl, both wearing faces of worry.

“What happened to me this time?” he asked.

The eccentric Taoist, Xiao Yulou, offered a faint smile tinged with sarcasm. “Brother Gu, your use of ‘again’ is most appropriate!”

Gu Mo felt a flush of embarrassment. Ever since he had dealt with the Immortal in the Painting, every encounter with monsters or spirits brought fresh complications. Last time it was a zombie state—so what was it now? The barrage of questions made his head pound, but since he was clueless, he decided to ask outright.

He sat up, looked Xiao Yulou in the eye, and said, “Master Xiao, what’s happened to me this time?”

Xiao Yulou made a Taoist hand seal, chanted “Boundless Heaven Venerable,” then spoke leisurely, “Brother Gu, I am quite curious. What is that talisman on your chest?”

Gu Mo was baffled. “Huh? What talisman?” He looked down. He was covered in a yellow Taoist robe, and beneath it, nothing but a pair of yellow duck-patterned shorts. A faint scent of blood wafted up, making him mortified. This was the incense shop; there was no crack to crawl into, or he would have done so.

His face twisted in embarrassment as he glared at Xiao Yulou and Yanwang Silly Girl, bellowing, “Damn it! Where are my clothes? Did you two do something weird to me?”

Xiao Yulou’s face darkened, his brows furrowed as he rebuked, “What weirdness? I am a cultivator of the Tao, dedicated to ‘Supreme Goodness Like Water, Expelling Demons and Upholding the Way.’ I would never commit such disgraceful acts!”

He glanced lewdly at Yanwang Jiang Jingxue, who responded with a cold snort. “Hmph! You drove yourself mad, little follower—that’s not the King’s fault!”

“Madness? What nonsense is that?” The new term left Gu Mo bewildered.

Xiao Yulou, hearing this, made a Taoist hand seal and muttered the Three Pure Ones Incantation. Eerie golden light shimmered again. With a single hand, he traced a golden circle in midair.

Within the circle, a scene played: Gu Mo, clad only in shorts, wielding the Heavenly Measuring Ruler in battle. The pitch-black gluttonous ghost was ultimately sucked into the Yin Soul Gourd…

Gu Mo gasped. Fighting skeleton soldiers in just his shorts was absurd beyond words!

After a long moment, sweating profusely, Gu Mo addressed Xiao Yulou. “Master Xiao, what’s going on?”

A strange expression flickered across Xiao Yulou’s already roguish face. “Brother Gu, have you lost your memory again?”

Gu Mo raised his brows, pondered briefly, shook his head, then nodded. “I just remember my mind growing fuzzy, as if freezing over, then nothing at all!”

Xiao Yulou stroked his chin, deep in thought. “It seems the red, eerie talisman on your chest must have a remarkable origin.”

Curious about these oddities, Gu Mo parted his Taoist robe.

---

On his chest, save for a few wisps of hair, there was nothing visible.

“Master Xiao, what exactly is that red talisman?” Gu Mo asked.

Xiao Yulou shook his head faintly. “Though I lost my memory and most of my cultivation, I haven’t entirely forgotten my studies of talismans… Yet that strange talisman is unfamiliar to me.”

He paused, then continued, “But… judging by appearances, I suspect it’s a seal. Each time the seal loosens, you fall into a frenzy, and your power greatly increases.”

Gu Mo smiled knowingly. “An increase in power? That doesn’t sound so bad!”

Xiao Yulou scoffed, full of disdain. “Brother Gu, you’re too naive! We don’t know the purpose of this seal. If it’s fully released, you might turn into a murderous monster!”

Gu Mo’s mind went blank. “What? A monster? I don’t want to become one! Master Xiao, please think of a solution!”

Xiao Yulou sighed deeply, then spoke solemnly, “Brother Gu, it seems you must cultivate even harder.”

The word ‘cultivation’ filled Gu Mo with displeasure, but for the sake of his life, he had no choice. His eyes rolled, recalling the ragged Old Ghost Xia. That day in the Underworld, the old ghost had struck him on the chest.

He quickly recounted his experiences in the Underworld to Xiao Yulou.

Upon hearing these bizarre events, Xiao Yulou’s face darkened, his expression tense. “Brother Gu, did you say Old Ghost Xia struck you?”

Gu Mo nodded calmly. “Yes! At first, my neck was bound by White Warden’s Soul Binding Chain. Old Ghost Xia’s palm strike forced the chain into my body.”

Xiao Yulou’s heartbeat was palpable as he flicked his robe sleeve, drew out his left hand, and closed his eyes to calculate. After a moment, he broke out in cold sweat…

The result was utter void!

Such a situation was unheard of, unseen. The only explanation: Gu Mo’s fate had shifted again!

Gu Mo, seeing Xiao Yulou’s change of expression, felt a surge of unease.

“M-Master Xiao, w-what’s wrong?”

Xiao Yulou came to himself, met Gu Mo’s gaze, and said, “Brother Gu, my calculations have gone awry. But this proves Old Ghost Xia must have a remarkable background!”

He paused, then added, “Since Old Ghost Xia has lingered in the Underworld for years, he must know some earth-shattering secret.”

Gu Mo pondered and found the situation highly unusual, feeling as if the old bastard was setting a trap for him.

Curiously, Gu Mo asked, “Master Xiao, why, after being summoned by Black and White Wardens, did I find myself on a dark, sunless path?”

Xiao Yulou laughed, then suppressed his previous expression, replying roguishly, “Brother Gu, that day you appeared on the ‘Human Path’ of the Underworld!”

“Human Path?”

Xiao Yulou nodded gravely. “Yes, precisely the ‘Human Path’!”

He flicked his robe sleeve, smiled lightly, and explained, “The ‘Human Path’ is the first stop in the Underworld. Many records from the living world are incomplete, and since none have ventured to the Underworld, it’s natural for rumors to arise.”

---

Gu Mo mused to himself, ‘Is this scruffy fellow deceiving me? From his manner, it’s as if he’s really been to the Underworld!’

But in the next few minutes, Xiao Yulou, sitting cross-legged, produced paper and pen, and began a detailed account. Before long, he had sketched a complete map of the Underworld.

Yanwang Silly Girl was utterly astonished, sensing that the scruffy Taoist understood the Underworld even better than she did!

Gu Mo, brow furrowed, scrutinized the so-called Underworld map. Aside from the Knife Mountain and Sea of Fire, there were also the Thirteen Stations of the Netherworld. These bizarre features left him utterly perplexed.

The most amusing part: the map even included the Earth God Temple and City God Temple.

Gu Mo burst out laughing. “Hahaha… Master Xiao, are you sure this map isn’t meant to fool a three-year-old? Why include the Earth God Temple!”

Xiao Yulou shot him a venomous glare. Had looks been lethal, Gu Mo would have been a still-warm corpse.

Xiao Yulou cleared his throat, then pointed to a winding path on the map. “Brother Gu, you were summoned right here—the Human Path!”

Gu Mo, seeing Xiao Yulou’s serious demeanor, followed his finger and looked closely.

“The Human Path is shrouded in ghostly aura and black mist. Above, there is no vast galaxy; below, no river flows.

“To the left rise towering mountains: the Knife Mountain and Sea of Fire of the Underworld! There are mountains, peaks, ridges, caves, and ravines; but the mountains bear no grass, the peaks touch no sky, the ridges hold no travelers, the caves admit no clouds, the ravines carry no water…

“In the darkness, the wind howls, the mist thickens, making one’s hair stand on end—terrifying indeed…”

Gu Mo was startled! Xiao Yulou’s description matched exactly what he had seen.

‘Unexpectedly, the clown was myself!’

So Gu Mo sat upright, listening intently.

Xiao Yulou, cross-legged, pointed to the map and continued, “On either side of the Human Path lies a great expanse of dead trees. These trees are all alike in height and girth. A lost soul entering the forest is easily bewildered. Past this forest stands a lofty city gate, called the Hall of Life and Death Reincarnation!”

Gu Mo’s heart tightened—he hadn’t expected the scruffy fellow to know this too!

Xiao Yulou paid no heed to Gu Mo’s astonished gaze and went on, “The souls detained by ghost wardens traverse the Human Path and arrive at the Thirteen Stations of the Netherworld.”

At this, Yanwang Silly Girl, who had been silent, grew restless. Beneath her phoenix crown, her beautiful face turned pale, almost unable to maintain composure.

A sharp question rang out. “Master Xiao, who are you really? How do you know so much about the Underworld?”

Xiao Yulou only smiled bitterly, full of sorrow. “It’s nothing. Ten years ago, I journeyed to the Underworld. It was your father who received me then!”

Gu Mo exclaimed in surprise.

“Holy crap!”

The atmosphere in the incense shop shifted abruptly…