inspire-indiana Chapter 15 Return to the Ruins? The navigation doesn't have this place.
Chapter 15 Return to the Ruins? The navigation doesn't have this place.
As Chu Jiang looked at the ragged Taoist priest in front of him, the last lingering electrical sound in his mind completely disappeared.
The system has crashed.
This was his greatest reliance since he transmigrated, and now it has become a brick.
"Return to the Void?"
Chu Jiang picked at his ear, his expression as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable.
He walked around the Taoist priest once, craning his neck to peek at the mysterious chains on the man's body.
"Master, my boat is a Netherworld bus, operating on a dedicated line."
Chu Jiang spread his hands and pointed to the glowing Gate of Reincarnation on the other side of the river.
"Starting point: Santu Ferry Terminal; Ending point: Ferris Wheel Entrance. There are no stops in between. Please disembark at your destination."
He spoke with such seriousness, just like a dutiful ticket seller.
The Taoist's empty eyes showed no emotion; he simply repeated those two words.
"Return to the Ruins".
"Going to Guixu is fine too." Chu Jiang changed the subject, rubbing his fingers together.
"That's called chartering a boat, which is a high-end customized tour, and it costs extra."
The Taoist priest fell silent.
The ancient and desolate aura emanating from him seemed to have intensified even further.
The surrounding ghosts didn't dare to breathe, feeling that if the Taoist priest got angry, the entire ferry crossing would be buried with him.
"Look, Daoist Master." Chu Jiang pointed to his brand-new riverside cave dwelling, and then to the Soul-Devouring Beast in the river that was practicing its smile.
"I'm running a small business; I have a boss to support and younger siblings to raise."
"You're going to Guixu? That place isn't even on my navigation app. What if you get there and the boat runs out of fuel and can't get back? Who can I complain to then?"
For the first time, a trace of emotion that humans could understand appeared in the Taoist's empty eyes.
That was bewilderment.
He seemed to be trying to understand the meaning of words like "chartering a boat," "adding money," and "navigation."
After a long while, he slowly shook his head.
Then, to the astonishment of all the ghosts, he turned around, walked back to the end of the line, and stood in his place again.
He was like a silent stone statue, not saying a word, just quietly standing in line.
It was as if the world-destroying request he had just made was never his idea at all.
Chu Jiang breathed a sigh of relief.
Goodness, these days even ancient powerful beings are falling for reason.
He cleared his throat and shouted down, "Alright, alright, stop looking and get back to work! Next one, hurry up!"
The ferry business is back on track.
A ghost who appeared to have been an accountant in life carefully boarded the ship.
He took out a stack of relatively neatly burned paper money from his pocket and offered it with both hands.
"Lord Chu... Lord Chu, this is just a small token of my appreciation."
Chu Jiang was about to say to follow the rules when his eyes caught a line of small characters written in cinnabar on the ghost money.
[I humbly request Lord Chu Jiang to take care of my seventh son and ensure he is reborn into a better family in his next life. — Respectfully submitted by Wang Fugui in the mortal realm]
Chu Jiang was stunned for a moment.
He took the stack of ghost money and looked at the ghost accountant.
"Your seventh child?"
"Yes, sir, I am the accountant of the Wang family. This was specially burned for you by our master." The accountant bowed and scraped. "Our master said that you are a magnanimous person who does not hold grudges and is willing to help us. This is a great kindness. This is just a small token of our respect."
Chu Jiang understood.
So, my reputation has even spread back to the mortal realm?
He rowed the boat to the other side and saw off the ghost accountant.
The next few ghosts to board the ship were in similar situations.
Some of the joss paper money is inscribed with the words, "May the God of Chu bless me so that I may be a civil servant in my next life."
Some offerings even had QR codes attached, with a note next to them saying "Scan the code to add me as a friend and discuss reincarnation services in detail."
Chu Jiang looked at these fancy and bizarre things and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"When did my ferry crossing for the three paths become a popular wishing well in the underworld?"
He tossed a paper Louis Vuitton bag with the words "May you be reborn as a rich, handsome, and successful man" affixed to it into the donation box and shook his head.
Just then, a somewhat dull-looking young ghost boarded the ship.
There was nothing written on the ghost money he handed over.
Chu Jiang, however, thought highly of him, considering him a breath of fresh air.
However, just as Chu Jiang picked up the oars and prepared to row,
A cold, foul-smelling black aura suddenly emerged from behind the young ghost.
The black mist condensed into a thin black line, like a venomous snake, silently shooting towards Chu Jiang's back.
This power is extremely insidious, specifically targeting the very essence of the soul.
The ghosts queuing around, even Meng Po and the vampire count, did not notice anything unusual.
The black line moved incredibly fast, arriving in an instant.
Chu Jiang was humming a little tune, preparing to set sail, when he suddenly felt a mosquito bite on his back.
It's a little itchy.
He subconsciously turned around and scratched himself.
"Sizzle—"
A soft sound, like hot oil hitting cold water, rang out.
The golden light of merit emanating from Chu Jiang flashed only slightly, and the sinister black line melted away like ice and snow, instantly turning into a wisp of green smoke and disappearing without a trace.
"Huh? Who's burning something on the ship?"
Chu Jiang smelled a burnt odor and frowned.
……
Meanwhile, in the mortal realm, in a dilapidated Taoist temple deep in the mountains.
A sinister-looking young Taoist priest sat cross-legged in front of an altar covered with strange runes, chanting incantations.
In the incense burner in front of him were three long black incense sticks, their tips burning with green flames.
In front of him was a straw effigy with a piece of yellow paper pasted on its chest, on which two words were written in blood: Chu Jiang.
Behind the young Taoist priest stood a pale-faced young man, Lu Xiu, who was the "second place candidate" whose spot had been taken by Chu Jiang.
"Master, how is it? Is that scoundrel dead yet?" Lu Xiu's eyes were filled with resentment and anticipation.
"What's the rush!" the young Taoist sneered. "My 'Heart-Piercing Soul-Corroding Curse' is an ancient secret technique. Those afflicted by this curse will have their souls rot inch by inch from the inside out. Within seven days, they will surely turn into a pool of pus, never to be reincarnated!"
"He's just a newly deceased ghost; even if he becomes a messenger in the underworld, how much spiritual power could he possibly have? He's doomed!"
The young Taoist priest revealed a ferocious smile.
Just then.
"Bang!"
The straw man in front of him exploded into a fireball without warning.
"puff!"
The young Taoist priest was struck as if by a heavy hammer, spitting out a mouthful of black blood and flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall.
"Ah—!" he let out a piercing scream.
The backlash returned along the same path he had taken, connected to the spell, and was amplified more than tenfold.
His right hand, which was casting the spell, instantly turned charred black, followed by his arm, then his shoulder...
"My hands! My magic!" The young Taoist priest looked at his body in horror, his eyes filled with despair.
Lu Xiu was so frightened that she backed away and sat down on the ground with a thud, her face turning deathly pale.
"Master! What's going on!"
"Backlash... Golden light of merit... Such powerful golden light of merit..." The young Taoist mumbled incoherently, his eyes rolled back, and he completely fainted.
……
The underworld, the ferry crossing of the three paths.
Chu Jiang felt that something was wrong.
He activated his Netherworld Eye.
In his view, the whole world had become a network of causal lines.
He saw an extremely thin, broken black causal line extending from his back, crossing the boundary of the underworld, and connecting to the distant mortal realm.
At the end of the causal line, a scene flashes by: an altar explodes, and a Taoist priest vomits blood and flies backward.
Chu Jiang withdrew his supernatural powers, and his expression became somewhat strange.
He was silent for a moment, then silently gave the middle finger in the direction where the causal line disappeared.
"A staged accident?"
He muttered something to himself.
"These days, the cost of staging an accident is quite high."
He shook his head, picked up the oar, and the Yellow Springs Spirit Boat set sail once more.
It was as if nothing had happened.
The young ghost on the ship remained expressionless throughout, as if he had no idea that his body had just been used as a medium for casting a spell.
Chu Jiang glanced at him but didn't say anything.
He took the ghost to the other side, collected the fare, and turned to prepare to pick up the next passenger.
But as soon as he turned around, he froze.
The vampire count, Bruch, appeared out of nowhere with a suit and vest, wearing white gloves, and was meticulously wiping the stone tablet inscribed with the rules with a rag.
In the river, the ancient soul-devouring beast's enormous head emerged from the water, its mouth gaping open as it tried to make a "smile" expression.
Although that smile looked worse than crying.
"Great Father! Look! I've already started training it in service etiquette!" Bruch exclaimed to Chu Jiang, as if seeking praise.
Chu Jiang ignored him.
His gaze fell on the black jade slip in his hand.
Tomorrow is the Underworld's Awards Ceremony.
I need to bring a "product" to the event to sell it.
What should I bring?
Chu Jiang stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Bruhe and the Soul Devouring Beast.
A vampire count who is both strong and resilient.
An ancient ferocious beast that can guard the gate and perform water-spraying acts.
perhaps……
Could we offer a bundled package deal?