Chapter Twenty-Seven: Becoming

On the dusky blue street, people came and went, yet not a single footstep nor a sound of chatter could be heard. Carriages and horses moved along, and upon closer inspection, they were all made entirely of white paper.

“Isn’t it said that after eating Soul-Memory Grass, if we don’t return to the living within three days, we’ll truly die? Haven’t we been wandering for half a month already?” Qu Hanchen squeezed beside Xi Chunsnow, still shaken from the sight of a pale-faced woman with disheveled hair, bulging eyes, and a blood-red tongue that darted out as she opened her mouth.

“The book does say three days… and it’s not wrong.” Xi Chunsnow gazed at Su Yuanbai, who walked alone at the front, and spoke slowly. “One day in heaven is a year on earth. But people don’t know that a year in the underworld is but a day on earth, so those who return to the living often feel as if eons have passed.”

Su Yuanbai halted, his dark eyes fixed on Xi Chunsnow and the other three who always kept ten paces behind him. “The woman with wild hair who lingered near you is a Hanging Ghost. They love to haunt those who wish for death—so you must have been harboring heavy thoughts of dying.”

Su Yuanbai turned calmly to Qu Hanchen. “Honorable one, perhaps you should reconsider? That’s the Fifth Hall’s Yama King of Hell, whether male or female as you say. They are still the Yama Emperor, sovereign of all life and death.”

Duan Lingqi forced a smile, trying to persuade. He knew the man bound to him by a blood pact was powerful, but he didn’t believe he could defeat a hall master of Hell, especially on their own turf, with every advantage against them. Duan Lingqi glanced at the feeble soul-shadow of Qu Hanchen beside him and felt their group lacked unity as well.

“Judging by your skill in dispatching the jagged ghosts on Shadow Mountain and the underworld bailiffs, you could easily seek out Yama alone. The three of us would only drag you down.” Xi Chunsnow watched the indifferent, handsome man before her, unable to fathom why he would send an ordinary warden on such a world-shaking mission. It was as absurd as a country villager picking up a hoe to assassinate the emperor in his distant palace.

“You’re right. You would only hinder me,” Su Yuanbai replied calmly.

“Then why drag us along?” Xi Chunsnow retorted coldly.

“He is bound to me by a soul contract, and the other is my slave by blood pact. As for you, I don’t know why you follow me.” Su Yuanbai showed no expression, his voice emotionless, his eyes devoid of feeling as he looked at Xi Chunsnow.

Xi Chunsnow was so incensed she nearly lost her breath. She breathed deeply, opened her mouth, but found nothing to argue. She had indeed jumped down the deep dungeon passage of her own accord; he hadn’t forced her to follow him.

“Why didn’t you just let the Great Hell devour me? Why save me?!” Xi Chunsnow finally found a flaw and confronted Su Yuanbai.

“The Great Hell is the domain of the Brahma Yama Officer. Even though he followed Yama to the Palace of Forests, nothing that happens inside escapes him. Especially for an outsider soul like you who hasn’t been summoned by an underworld bailiff—saving you was merely to avoid exposing myself.” Su Yuanbai replied calmly.

“Then why not kill me outright, scatter my soul—wouldn’t that keep you hidden even better?!” Xi Chunsnow’s words, even Qu Hanchen found unreasonable, and he edged closer to Duan Lingqi, unwilling to be caught in her wrath.

“I have no idle desire to kill without cause,” Su Yuanbai said flatly.

“No idle desire to kill, yet you’re set on killing Yama? Do you realize without Yama, these ghosts would run rampant in the underworld, eventually turning against the living? When that happens, ghosts will roam the earth, black smoke will blot out the sun—would that please you?” Xi Chunsnow sneered.

“That’s why I brought him. He will become the new Yama,” Su Yuanbai said, looking towards Qu Hanchen standing between Duan Lingqi and Xi Chunsnow.

“Him?” “Him!” Duan Lingqi and Xi Chunsnow exclaimed together.

“What?” Qu Hanchen, moving closer to Duan Lingqi, looked from him to Xi Chunsnow, then stole a glance at Su Yuanbai. What was happening?

“When the Divine Emperor has not ascended the Sacred Tree nor reached the heavens, Yama of the Underworld was already appointed by the Celestial Emperor, ordained by fate. Even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance of killing Yama, he cannot become the true Yama,” Xi Chunsnow took several deep breaths to steady herself and the dizziness from the news.

“Honorable one, why him? Why not me? I’m much more capable! I can swim a hundred miles in a day and even spray water!” Duan Lingqi hadn’t thought much beyond this—he simply couldn’t understand why this lowly warden earned the master’s trust. He’d spent three hundred years with the master in the Jade Dungeon! Three centuries! This guy had only been here three years and already replaced him in the master’s esteem? Duan Lingqi was indignant, angry steam puffing from his nostrils.

“As long as he wishes it, he can,” Su Yuanbai said, eyes lowered to Qu Hanchen.

“No, I don’t want to!” Qu Hanchen finally realized what was happening, terror-stricken as he shook his head at Su Yuanbai. The greatest office he’d ever dreamed of was county governor—he’d never even imagined being a provincial chief. Now, suddenly, he was to become Yama of Hell?!

Su Yuanbai gazed at him calmly, unspeaking, but the meaning in his dark eyes was clear—it wasn’t a matter of what Qu Hanchen wanted, but what he must do.

“Can you tell me why you want to kill Yama? There must be a reason, right?” Qu Hanchen summoned his courage to meet Su Yuanbai’s gaze, but soon dropped his head, mumbling.

But before Su Yuanbai could answer, a chilling wind swept through, accompanied by cackling laughter.

“You reckless wild souls, dare to discuss the Emperor here? Ox-Head, Horse-Face, seize them! Throw them into the ghost prison!”

Su Yuanbai did not intervene to reveal himself. “I will not expose myself. Everything that happens here is yours to resolve. If you die and your souls are scattered, perhaps that is not such a bad fate,” he said calmly, allowing the blue-faced Ox-Head with steel fork and the white-faced Horse-Face with long blade to lead him away.