Spirit Reaper - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Underworld Network System—The Underworld Gossip Forum??

“Hiss, what the hell? Who’s bold enough to launch a terrorist attack right on Qin An’s turf?” Wuyi pressed hard against the wound on her arm where an arrow had grazed her. Her upper teeth left a deep bite mark on her lower lip.

Though she hadn’t seen the attacker’s face, she could keenly sense a powerful pressure and blood-red killing intent—something far beyond her current strength. That was exactly why she hadn’t used her magical artifacts to fight back but had chosen to flee instead.

“Are you guys okay?” Feeling the little things in her arms shivering, their ears pressed flat against their heads, Wuyi ignored her own pain and looked down.

The small bronze lions’ pupils were dilated, clearly traumatized. She tentatively reached out to stroke their backs. The icy, smooth texture made her pause—oddly enough, it reminded her of Qin An…

Qin An… her hands are just as cold.

Realizing her thoughts were drifting, Wuyi shook her head to focus. Seeing that the little lions didn’t resist her touch and were beginning to calm down, she let out a sigh of relief.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. Now stabilized, the bronze lions jumped from her arms and anxiously circled her injured arm, sniffing it and letting out low, engine-like purrs.

“As long as you’re okay.” The heavy stone in Wuyi’s heart finally fell. She sighed heavily and tried to stand, but the little ones tugged at her sleeve, pulling her back.

Just as she was wondering what they intended, a warm energy suddenly enveloped the stinging wound on her arm. She could clearly feel the pain receding bit by bit. She turned her head in disbelief.

The tiny bronze lions were leaning down, licking her wound. The bloody gash was visibly healing as they worked. By the time they finished, the pain had vanished completely. Wuyi flexed her arm; seeing no issue, she excitedly scooped up the four lions and gave each a kiss on the head. “I knew I could count on you!”

Caught off guard by the “ambush,” the bronze lions froze for a few seconds before sillily chasing their own tails in circles, their “purring” growing louder by the second.

Wuyi couldn’t help but smile. But their joy was short-lived. Heavy footsteps echoed from behind—each step seemed to land exactly on the tail-end of Wuyi’s breath, making it hard to breathe.

Exchanging a glance with the little lions, the one human and four beasts dashed forward simultaneously like arrows released from a bow. They navigated through the dark corridors, turning corner after corner. The footsteps behind them grew faint, but they were never truly gone.

Suddenly, the lions leading the way slammed on the brakes. Wuyi nearly crashed into them. Before she could speak, she felt a sudden push. She stumbled through a cold iron door that had appeared in the hallway.

Thud—! The heavy door slammed shut, followed by the sound of five sets of hurried footsteps receding into the distance.

…

Wuyi squeezed her eyes shut from the fall, but warm light filtered through her eyelids. When her eyes adjusted, she saw she was in a room filled with exquisite rosewood furniture.

Strangely, the decor felt familiar. It was identical to the wedding chamber from her wedding night. Unlike the eerie blue candlelight outside, the room was lit with a soft yellow glow that calmed her racing heart.

She scrambled up and rushed to the iron door, but it was locked tight. No matter what she tried, it wouldn’t budge. Realizing she was trapped, Wuyi felt a deep sense of powerlessness—the same feeling she’d had against the Red Spirit and this hidden attacker. She felt leagues away from being the “Emissary who saves the Underworld” that Qin An spoke of.

Full of doubt and worry, Wuyi eventually sighed and climbed onto the spacious bed, pulling out the Underworld map Qin An had given her.

It wasn’t so much a map as a high-tech, holographic encyclopedia. Every inch of the Underworld was projected before her. Underworld tech is actually this advanced?

Accompanied by a mechanical female voice, Wuyi browsed the map. The Underworld was divided into three tiers: the Lower Tier for the most sinful and vengeful spirits; the Middle Tier, containing the Eighteen Levels of Hell and the reincarnation queues (the busiest and most chaotic area); and the Upper Tier, the location of the Eleven Yama Palaces. Normal spirits only saw the Upper Tier during their judgment.

“The Hall of Correction…” Seeing the golden characters flashing on a pagoda-shaped building, Wuyi remembered what the White Guard had mentioned. She tapped the pagoda.

A golden light shot out from the scroll, momentarily blinding her. When her vision cleared, the words “Network Connected” flashed by. Rows of scrolls belonging to different souls appeared. She tapped one; it listed every sin committed by the owner in their lifetime—black and white, undeniable.

As she tried to scroll down to find a “Retrial Live Stream,” the map began to beep and vibrate uncontrollably. The hologram blurred and then stabilized as the mechanical voice spoke again:

“User detected. Automatic login.” “Identity confirmed: Emissary of Zonglan Palace, Yu Wuyi.” “GPS activated. Permissions granted.” “Welcome to the Underworld Network System.”

“Wow, high tech…” Wuyi watched a small red dot appear on the map. She moved a few steps, and the dot moved with her.

She decided to zoom in to see exactly where she was. She enlarged the Zonglan Palace until the layout was clear. The red dot representing her was pinned squarely inside a room labeled “Zonglan Palace Master Bedroom.”

Wuyi blinked in disbelief. She re-centered the map, but the dot stayed put.

The soft mattress suddenly felt like a red-hot iron plate. She shot up from the bed. She wasn’t vain enough to think the bronze lions were meant to bring her here. What boss lets an employee they’ve known for a few days into their bedroom?!

“I swear to the Heavens, I didn’t mean to break in,” she whispered. “It was an accident. I’m just hiding here to save my life. That’s a reasonable excuse, right?”

The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. She huddled in the corner of the room, hoping that if Qin An found her there, the punishment would be lighter.

To pass the time, she played with the map and accidentally opened a new interface: The Underworld Gossip Forum.

It looked just like a human internet forum, filled with the latest news:

• “SHOCKING! Middle Tier’s biggest melon farmer has stall smashed by e-bike rider!”

• “About to reincarnate. Does anyone want to adopt a three-month-old kitten ghost?”

• “Took the Underworld Civil Service Exam today. Are these questions even designed for ghosts?”

• “Insider info! Something big is happening in the Underworld!”

Wuyi got sucked into the “melons” (gossip), temporarily forgetting her fears. Suddenly, a post labeled HOT in bright red caught her eye:

“HOT It’s true! The Eleventh Yama Zonglan recently married a living human! Is this a distortion of ghost nature or a moral decay?”