Chapter 53: I Seem to Be Able to Only Watch from the Sidelines
Death is truly terrifying.
“What do you think? Lady Soul Messenger, slacking off?”
The slightly chubby Soul Messenger replied impatiently, lying on the boat with her legs crossed.
“Ah, don’t ask me about that… I’ve never died.”
“Huh? Lady Soul Messenger, you’ve never died?”
“I’m already a ghost, how could I die again? Disappear into ashes?”
“Lady Soul Messenger, you couldn’t have been born a ghost, could you? You must have died and then stayed in the underworld to be a Soul Messenger, right? Since you’ve lived, you must have died. And I remember even ghosts can die, so…”
“Wah! I can’t hear you! You, the dead person, are so annoying! Can you just be quiet! Can you let me have a good sleep!”
The Soul Messenger turned her body and covered her ears with her arm, showing that she didn’t want to talk to me anymore.
Alright, it seems I’ve been talking a bit too much… I wasn’t this chatty before—or rather, I didn’t talk to people at all.
Is it because I’m already dead, so nothing matters anymore? Or is it precisely because I’m dead that I want to find someone to talk to and relieve my loneliness… Well, it doesn’t matter.
Since the Soul Messenger is no longer paying attention to me, let me introduce my current situation.
Hello everyone, I am Juncheng An. I died five minutes ago and am now on the Soul Messenger’s ferry.
I’m sorry to disappoint you, I didn’t die completely. I escaped my body and came to this boat before the cast list was even released.
However, we are not on the Sanzu River right now, but in the sky above the Outer Wilds.
Since a moment ago, the area below has been covered by the black mist emitted by Lianbing, making it impossible for me to see anything clearly.
I don’t know what the situation is now…
I originally thought I would be taken away, but I didn’t expect the Soul Messenger to say, “You might go back later, so I can’t be bothered to make an extra trip.” Then she stopped the boat in mid-air and started slacking off by sleeping.
By the way, the Soul Messenger I encountered was…
A buxom lady! It’s really lucky! At first, I thought Ox-Head and Horse-Face or Black and White Impermanence would come to get me, but I didn’t expect it to be a buxom lady wearing revealing clothes.
“Y-You, stop staring at me! It’s uncomfortable!”
The Soul Messenger noticed my gaze, pulled down her extremely short skirt that barely covered her hips, covered her exposed side-boob, and said with a flushed face.
“Well, I think it’s difficult and contradictory to ask others not to look at you when you’re dressed like this.”
“It’s not like I want to dress like this! It’s because the underworld is currently holding a ‘Most Beautiful Employee Costume Contest’. As a result, the idiotic Lord Yama actually designed such a lewd outfit and forced me to wear it by deducting my salary. It’s simply inhuman!”
“Lord Yama isn’t human…”
“What are you picking at! Be careful, I’ll kick you down!”
“By the way, your underworld is really boring, holding such a bizarre competition?”
In the underworld, it doesn’t seem to be as…
When I heard Xuan’er talk about the existence of the underworld before, I thought it would be a terrifying place. But now, it’s not that scary.
“However, Lady Soul Messenger, you look good in this outfit?”
“…Wh-What did you say! Really…”
Are you still flirting with women even now? This guy is actually a womanizer at heart.
“Perhaps it’s true, maybe.”
“You really are a strange guy. The people I took away before either cried profusely or turned ashen when they knew they were dead. It’s rare to find someone like you who is so calm and even dares to flirt with me.”
…How should I put it? Because I was mentally prepared, and I somewhat knew that it might turn out this way, I wasn’t that surprised. Besides, Lady Soul Messenger, you don’t look scary at all and are quite beautiful. Of course, I wouldn’t be afraid.”
“…You really…”
“Oh, have you fallen for me?”
“I’d fall for a frivolous man like you in my dreams!”
“Aren’t you just a ghost?”
“Mmm-hmm-hmm… Annoying!”
Ah, I might have teased her a bit too much.
This Soul Messenger is a bit like Teacher Lili, so I couldn’t help but want to tease her.
Eh? Strange, is this my personality?
Something feels off… It’s a bit like being influenced by past life memories, but not that severe—
Oh dear, could it be that, as Yu Jiu said, I’ve been influenced?
“Hey, are you alright?”
Perhaps because I’m a ghost now, it’s not just my head that feels that fuzzy sensation; my whole body…
I looked up and forced a smile.
“I’m fine, thank you for your concern, Lady Soul Messenger.”
“Who’s concerned about you!”
The Soul Messenger turned her face away angrily. After a moment, she said haughtily.
“But, I know someone. That guy died once, but he became a zombie. Not only can he move, but he also eats a lot like an idiot. In that case, what’s the difference between living and dying?”
“Can the dead speak? Can corpses move?”
“Normally, no.”
“So that guy you mentioned is special, an exception, understand? There aren’t many like him!”
“Then are all these undead below also exceptions?”
“…”
“If death is no different from living, and the boundary between life and death becomes ambiguous, and living beings no longer fear death, even accepting it willingly, what will this world become?”
“If that happens,
the human world will become the second underworld, that’s all.”
A crisp voice interrupted our conversation. A golden-haired loli wearing a ruffled collar, wide-sleeved robe and a square hat walked over with her hands behind her back, looking quite proud, treading on air.
“Ah! Lord Yama!”
Upon seeing the loli, the Soul Messenger panicked and hurriedly said…
Oh, a big shot has arrived. I didn’t expect Lord Yama to come to see me in person… However, this physique, is it ‘Yama Loli’?
“You’re definitely thinking, ‘Lord Yama is actually a loli,’ aren’t you?”
“—Can you read minds?”
“No, it’s just that every time you see me, you say something like that. Last time you said, ‘Lord Yama is actually a little girl,’ the time before that you said, ‘Lord Yama is actually a brat.’ And the time before that—”
This Yama Loli seems to know me.
Seeing my confused expression, Yama King smiled playfully and walked onto the boat, forcefully pushing me down and sitting on my belly.
“Yo, long time no see. Your name this life is Juncheng An, right? I didn’t expect you to be so short-lived this life? Who’s little girl did you go and harm this time?”
“Uh, do you know me?”
“Heh, you might not remember, but we’re old friends. Every time you die, I’m the one who judges you.”
Yama King took off her shoes and stepped on my face with her small feet, saying with a wicked smile.
“And we’re also fuck buddies once per lifetime.”
“Really?”
The exclamation came from the Soul Messenger beside me, her face full of shock. It was clear she had never heard of such a thing.
“Someone actually fancies Lord Yama! / That pitiful…”
“Wah! Sorry! Sorry! I misspoke! Lord Yama! My salary is almost all deducted!”
Soul Messenger, the consequences of your actions will always find you, whether you’re human or ghost.
“Oh, they’re here. There’s a good show to watch, let’s go take a look together.”
“Huh? What?”
Yama King also saw something, then pointed her finger, and the ferry flew downwards, passing through the black mist and entering.
This place is filled with remains, bones, corpses, souls, and those… Beneath the black ice layer is an ocean of death. In the center is Lianbing, holding my corpse in her arms, her face as cold as ice.
“This place actually looks more like hell, don’t you agree?”
“I haven’t been to hell, so I don’t know how to compare… But, what is she doing?”
“That ‘calamity’ is performing a soul-reviving ritual, trying to resurrect you. You’re still as unlucky in love as ever.”
“Eh?”
Trying to resurrect me…
When I saw Ruansui walk towards my body in a daze, black energy emitting from her, and her title changing, I knew Lianbing was back.
Lianbing would want my corpse.
And I’m already dead, isn’t that exactly what she wanted?
“Well, this kind of thing has happened before. The soul-reviving ritual needs to involve all the undead in this large area to resurrect you.”
“What! Lord Yama, you can’t just stand by and watch!”
“This matter is not within my jurisdiction. These guys… you’re not a normal person… I mean, we should thank her for clearing away these troublesome guys for us.”
“Are you kidding me!”
If this is how I can be resurrected, I…
“Pfft, look at your expression, you’re almost frozen into an ice block. Don’t worry, things won’t turn out that way. Look, the other person who taught you is here?”
But as soon as they stepped into this place, they all fell unconscious.
I really couldn’t just watch from here. I floated over wanting to help them, but I passed right through them.
“You can’t do anything right now. You can only watch, only listen, you can’t do anything else.”
…
“Just obediently come and be my chair. Since you can’t do anything anyway, why not just watch and see what happens?
I don’t deny it, I tried to wake them up again, but it was useless. I was like an untouchable transparent person, my existence completely erased.
As Yama King said, I really can… But—
I could only pray internally, hoping they would wake up and stop Lianbing.
Finally, Li Nai woke up!
After she learned the cause and effect from the Skeleton King, she resolutely walked over, intending to stop Lianbing.
To stop Lianbing.
That’s great! Although Li Nai is an idiot, her simplicity is a great help at this moment!
But can this guy really persuade Lianbing?
As I was worrying, I saw Li Nai walk up to Lianbing, with great momentum, and shouted loudly.
“Lianbing! Give up on Juncheng, that deservedly dead idiot! Be with me!”
…What is this guy talking about!
