Chapter 1: The Broken Heart Has Lost Its Soul

  At midnight in the year 200X, Meng Ying stood alone in the apartment elevator, with only her tired face reflected in the mirror after returning from a business trip. The originally narrow moving iron box unexpectedly seemed somewhat empty.

  "Ding", the high-end apartment's secure elevator took her directly to the door of her own home, where the lights were dim and warm. She took a deep breath, trying to squeeze out a smile, not wanting to affect Yu Chang'an, her gentle and considerate husband, with her bad mood from work. They had been married for five years already.

  Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, she remembered it was already midnight, so she quietly took out her key and entered the house softly. The living room had only one lamp on, and the bedroom door was slightly ajar with some faint music coming from inside. She was somewhat surprised, although Chang'an usually left the light on for her late-night returns from overtime work, it was rare for him to be listening to music at such a late hour. Moreover, she had returned earlier than expected due to the failed signing, and he shouldn't have known about her early return. She wanted to surprise him, but thinking of the Wuhan trip, the new deputy general manager suddenly changed to use suppliers from Changsha because of kickbacks, her heart sank again. Clearly, that new supplier's price was more than twice as expensive as the original one...

  She thought gloomily, still quietly opening the bedroom door, then she was as if her feet were rooted to the ground, a stiff smile on her face, unable to move her eyes or body.

  On the wide bed, a woman much younger than her, with thick and bright makeup but fully dressed, held the sheets tightly with both hands, and let out a delightful moan from her cherry lips, shining brightly in Mengying's eyes. Her two mouths were being gripped by a robust man under his armpits, that man sat on their marital bed fiercely attacking her mouth, his whole body flushed red because of her mouth, it was indeed her Lang'an...

  Meng Ying's body suddenly gushed out all the blood, feeling icy cold all over, and the passionate couple let out a shrill cry, frantically covering themselves up in disarray...

  Chang'an always told her that he liked to grope for her in the dark, ignite her desires, Chang'an liked to gently and slowly torture her on the bed, no, this was not Chang'an.

  Chang'an always told her that his **** wasn't very strong, having just one of hers was enough, no, this isn't Chang'an.

  Chang'an always told her that he liked the silk sheets she chose, and it was very happy to do mouth on them. But now another woman is being flipped over on them, no, this is not Chang'an.

  But Chang'an had put on his pajamas and walked over with a look of extreme embarrassment: "Ying, you... how are you today...." Chang'an smiled at him in a flattering manner. She used to love seeing Chang'an smile, but now she found this smile really annoying. She nervously smiled back: "You guys....."

  Then she turned around and rushed out of her bedroom, she couldn't remember how she got on the elevator, how she went out of the gate of the community, and the face of that security guard was full of astonishment.

  It wasn't until cold rain fell on her already tear-stained face that she realized she was standing alone in the empty street.

  A sharp car horn, a strong light, made her instinctively raise her hand to block the glare, and in the daze, she heard the frantic cries of Chang'an, but endless darkness rushed towards her.

  Scarlet hibiscus flowers bloomed profusely on the Yellow Spring Road beneath, resembling a blood-red carpet that stretched endlessly to the end of the underworld, where the vibrant red color contrasted sharply with the dull grey sky, creating a breathtaking scenery in the underworld.

  I wandered aimlessly on the Yellow Spring Road, and in front of me were two black-robed handsome men, also known as the notorious Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced officials of the underworld. They were enthusiastically discussing the shiny ROLAX on their wrists, which seemed to be the new GMT116710 Greenwich model. The fragrance of the peony flower wafted into my nostrils, and before my eyes flashed all sorts of scenes from my past life, including the extremely sensual scene I saw in the last second before my death, starring my husband and a minor girl, which made me wear a green hat. But now, there is not a hint of anger in my heart. Is it the fragrance of the peony flower that has intoxicated all my senses? Or is it that as long as one enters the Yellow Spring, they will erase their past and become calm and peaceful, with a heart as still as water and as heavy as stone?

  Look around, the oncoming figures are varied in shape and size, old and young, ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, with some being calm, some ferocious, some fearful, some struggling to resist, some crying out for their parents, and even some laughing loudly, extremely happy to let the different black-robed ox-headed horse-faced deities exert themselves to move them.

  I was just about to ask how much longer this road would last, when suddenly the two handsome guys in front of me stopped and pulled me aside, and the other underworld officials also pulled their souls to a stop on both sides, with solemn faces.

  After a while, a group of flying horsemen with four hooves and mouths spewing flames appeared in the sky. The huge sound of horseshoes shook my eardrums until they hurt. After the horsemen passed by, a large metal cage flew over, pulled by a sturdy divine cow at high speed. Four extremely handsome men wore red, green, blue, and white armor respectively, holding weapons and flying around the cage. Their foreheads were embedded with gemstones of the same color as their armor, their faces stern, and their bodies shining with holy light.

  Wow! So cool, my saliva started to overflow, and my gaze shifted back to the cage, where the prisoner was wearing thin black clothes, with layers of chains wrapped around his body, and shackles on all four limbs, but still couldn't hide the knots of muscles on his body, his long hair as black as jade hanging down to his knees, fluttering in the wind on the road to the underworld. His face was so beautiful that it was hard to distinguish whether he was a man or a woman, although his appearance seemed slightly thin and tired, but those extraordinary purple eyes shone with an otherworldly light, making people feel like they couldn't breathe, and in an instant, seven-tenths of their soul had been taken away. And on his body, there was a constant flow of holy clear light mixed with a dark black aura, wherever he passed by, half of the flowers on the other side would grow rapidly, while the other half would wither and die.

  The ox-headed deity in front of me whispered, "Alas, aren't these the four great divine generals of the heavenly realm: Zhuque, Qinglong, Baihu and Xuanwu? It seems that we've finally caught him."

  Ma's face pulled him up: "I heard that the four great gods spent nearly a hundred years catching this purple-eyed monster who escaped to the human world."

  "I told you so, don't learn from humans about gene editing and cloning, look what kind of freaky thing you've created, no wonder it's out of control."

  "Shh, don't say anything else, after this purple float passes Naihe Bridge, we'll go celebrate."

  Although the sky was gloomy, it suddenly brightened up due to this unexpected guest. My mind completely forgot what Yu Chang'an looked like because of this person. I stared straight at the prisoner called Zi Fu, not thinking that he would glance at me with a flash of his purple pupils, and then he turned his head towards me, giving a slight smile.

  This smile is clearly Napoleon's triumphant return, smiling back at the welcoming crowd lining the streets...

  This smile is Brad Pitt walking on the red carpet in Hollywood smiling elegantly at the media crowd.

  This smile is obviously Beckham enthusiastically waving to fans...

  This was not a prisoner waiting for sentencing to be paraded in the streets, yet it was this smile that overturned the masses that made the four great gods beside him also look at me with suspicion and seriousness. I immediately swallowed the saliva that had been left outside and stiffened there.

  I lowered my head, the prisoner's cart slowly passed by, and everyone stood up again. I curiously asked my official: "The two officials, please ask who that person is, why do you need to have the Four Great Divine Generals come to escort him?"

  No one answered, I thought for a moment, took off the white gold necklace and handed it over.

  The lid of the conversation box was opened, and the black-clad handsome guys rushed to answer: "This is the newly famous Purple Micro Heaven King in the Heavenly Realm, the first war general of the Heavenly Realm. Unfortunately, he is an experimental fusion body of immortals and demons..."

  "You saw his purple pupils didn't you? Only those with pure and unadulterated great demon bloodline have purple eyes."

  Ah, is that so? The manga I've read in my mind's eye is vivid, it seems like Inuyasha's dad was a big demon, and his eyes were gray, right? But it seems like Sesshomaru-sama's pupils are purple-red.

  "He lost control of his demonic nature, betrayed the Heavenly Emperor, and bloodied the imperial court. He killed many superior immortals, seized many fairy maidens, and even wanted to establish himself as a king, rivaling the Heavenly Emperor."

  "Oh! Just like Sun Wukong back in the day!"

  "Compared to the Battle Buddha of those years, this one is even more formidable and has committed all sorts of evil in various spaces on earth, robbing and plundering, causing natural disasters and man-made calamities that harm human society, such as the plague in Beijing and the hurricane in America."

  "SARS, Katrina Hurricane?"

  "It was indeed, that time the mortal world was too miserable, we were short-handed, an official often had to lead dozens of souls, and was exhausted." said Ox Head Marshal.

  Ma's face was sideways, looking up at the sky and sighing, with tears flowing down. On each of his five fingers were rings set with precious stones that shone brightly.

  I arrived at the final trial hall, it was my turn, I knelt down in the hall, the solemn King Yan read out all sorts of things about my previous life, the conclusion was that because I had done many good deeds, I was sentenced to enter the third path of Yuqiao in the six paths of reincarnation. That Yuqiao is for people who have accumulated merits in the world to pass through, and after reincarnation, they will become noble and wealthy people, enjoying a life of luxury and glory.

  I stood up numbly and drifted with the cow-headed horse-faced to the Sorrowful Bamboo Floating Bridge - Naihe Bridge.

  Under the bridge is a mountain stream with red water flowing horizontally, six huge whirlpools are wildly opening their mouths. On the opposite shore, on the Chi Ming Rock, there are four lines of large powder characters that read:

  It's easy to be a man, but it's hard to be a good one; and even harder to be a great one.

  Where there is the will, there is a way; it's easy to be consistent in words and deeds.

  An old woman with hair as white as a crane and a face as youthful as a child stood on the bridge, peacefully handing out bowls of medicine to the crowds of ghosts. I thought to myself, that must be Meng Po and her Meng Po soup.

  The singing on Naihe Bridge is faint, it's the lingering singing of a restless soul day and night. My heart is filled with sorrow and longing. Is this how my life will end? How heartbreaking for my parents to see my corpse! And Chang'an, will he be heartbroken? Or will he be even more reckless and crazy in his love affair...

  The ghosts in front of me, either half-pushing or trembling slightly, or with great fanfare, finished drinking the Meng Po soup.

  There are some evil and cunning ghosts who refuse to drink the soup, so sharp knives will appear under their feet to trip them up; the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced Guards beside them will use copper pipes to pierce their throats, making them suffer greatly before forcing them to swallow the Meng Po Soup through the copper pipe.

  I and the ghosts watched with bated breath, but Granny Meng's expression didn't change. Then it was my turn, I was about to reach out to take it when I met Granny Meng's icy and profound gaze, and I couldn't help but shudder all over.

  Suddenly, the group of ghosts dispersed, and four radiant gods were seen escorting a heavenly being who was said to have committed all sorts of evil in the three realms but shone with an unbearable brilliance.

  Then the four gods knelt down together with Old Lady Meng, and Old Lady Meng very respectfully presented the soup.

  That crimson-clad deity boomed: "I hereby escort the Purple Subtlety Heaven King to the sixth path of reincarnation. May the Heaven King attain enlightenment and return to the Heavenly Palace soon."

  Wow! The sixth pass is the Bamboo Bridge, which is for those who are cruel and evil to cross. They will be transformed into four different forms: 1) as a fetus, such as cows, dogs, pigs, etc.; 2) as an egg, such as snakes, chickens, etc.; 3) as a larva, such as fish, crabs, shrimp, etc.; 4) as a transformation, such as mosquitoes, flies, ants, etc.

  This is a very severe punishment, I really can't imagine such a handsome person turning into a fly, sea cucumber or even an ant, of course it's also unpredictable, and there may be some improved breeds appearing.

  The Ziwei Heavenly King took the bowl of soup, nobly and coldly smiled: "The Heavenly Emperor is truly benevolent to me, not only did he not let my soul scatter, but also gave me the opportunity to transform into a sacrificial animal to cultivate, you all thank the Heavenly Emperor for me, Purple Floating thanks him for his rebirth grace." The words were not without sarcasm, but the four great heavenly generals just nodded in agreement, without any reaction. Purple Floating raised his hand and drank it all in one gulp, turned around and walked towards the other end of the Naihe Bridge, I clearly felt that the four Heavenly Kings let out a sigh of relief.

  After reincarnation, I took a sip of that wine-like soup, which seemed to be a mixture of sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami flavors. I thought to myself, "Is this meant to make me understand that the joys and sorrows of this life have come to an end, and everything is about to start anew?" As I pondered, I turned around and shouted to the crowd of ghostly spirits: "Comrades, I'm leaving! I've decided to forget all the unhappiness of this life and live a happy and carefree life in the next one, doing everything I want to do."

  I reckon the underworld officials have heard this declaration too many times, and most of the ghosts are also fed up with it. No one pays attention to me anyway, who cares? I'm going to become a noble lady in my next life and enjoy all the glory and wealth!

  Suddenly, a gust of cold wind behind me, I was caught from behind by a sturdy arm and dragged backwards, it felt so uncomfortable. I struggled to turn my head back, and it was those beautiful purple pupils again. He gave me an eerie smile, at this moment I finally understood the true nature of the monster, what did he want to do?

  He dragged me to the Naihe Bridge without looking back, my bowl had long been thrown away somewhere. The four great gods were in a state of panic, and the White Tiger God held up a sharp sword: "Zi Fu, you have already drunk Meng Po's soup, why do you still want to harm people?"

  It's probably that he thought again, and since there were only ghosts here, no humans, he changed his words: "Heaven has the virtue of good life, why do you want to change this girl's fate? The female ghost's destiny is to be reborn into the animal path in the next life, which is the will of the Heavenly Emperor, what does it have to do with her, don't try to create more karma."

  "Right, what's it got to do with me..." His hand tightened and I couldn't speak anymore.

  He glanced at me and lazily smiled, "The road to the afterlife is too lonely, I have to find someone to serve me." After saying that, he pulled me down to jump together. Oh my god! I don't want to be a fly, nor a abalone, nor a fat sea cucumber... Must I serve another sea cucumber? Sea cucumber... Oh my god, how do I serve...

  At the moment he jumped, he laughed maniacally: "Who said I wanted to be a beast?" A light ball flew from behind and hit him, seemingly causing him to deviate from the Jade Bridge he was about to jump off. I heard him say in a harsh tone: "Damn it..."

  I don't know which cycle of reincarnation he was jumping into, but before I entered a world full of colors, I thought of a serious problem. The instructions on the Meng Po soup clearly stated: Meng Po soup, for those who were good in life, drinking it would make their eyes, ears, nose, tongue and limbs more refined, clearer, stronger and healthier than before; for those who did evil, it would cause their voice, mind, soul and spirit to dissipate, gradually becoming weak and feeble; so as to warn oneself, repent and start anew.

  This Ziwei Emperor drank Meng Po's soup, and I only took one sip, the rest was all poured on him.

  Note:

  The so-called six paths of reincarnation refer to the Golden Bridge, Silver Bridge, Jade Bridge, Stone Bridge, Wooden Bridge, and Bamboo Bridge.

  The first pass is the Golden Bridge: for those who have cultivated Xian Fa, Dao Fa or Buddhist Fa during their lifetime and have accumulated a large amount of merit, to ascend to immortality or attain enlightenment.

  The second is the Silver Bridge: for those who have accumulated merit, virtue and created blessings for society in their lifetime, they become gods of the land, such as the god of the earth, and enjoy incense from humans.

  The third pass is Jade Bridge: for those who have accumulated merit in the world to pass through, they will be reborn as nobles and enjoy wealth, honor and glory.

  The fourth path is the Stone Bridge: for those who have done both good and evil in their lifetime, they will be reborn as ordinary people, enjoying a modest life of comfort.

  The fifth pass is a wooden bridge: for those who have been in the world more than their due, to cast themselves into poverty, illness, suffering and loneliness among the lower classes.

  The sixth pass is the Bamboo Bridge: for those who have committed evil deeds and harmed others, they are divided into four forms to cast themselves off: one as a fetus, such as cows, dogs, pigs, etc.; two as eggs, such as snakes, chickens, etc.; three as insects, namely fish, crabs, shrimp, etc.; four as transformation, such as mosquitoes, flies, ants, etc.

  The author has something to say: Because of Jinjiang's requirements, there can't be any erotic descriptions, so I've revised it. If you've read it before, you can skip it, but honestly, I think there's nothing that needs to be changed...

  Insert Bookmark