Chapter 8: Lost and Wandering Sunday (2)
“A soul messenger from the underworld?”
Soul messengers, that would refer to figures like Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence, wouldn’t it? But this woman in front of me, who looked like a hostess, was hard to associate with those monsters.
And that scythe behind her, it looked like something a grim reaper would use, didn’t it?
Is a soul messenger equal to a grim reaper?
The woman who called herself Qin Lianshe saw the distrust in my eyes and quickly raised a finger to explain.
“Uh, please believe me! I really am a soul messenger. It’s just that I don’t look like the legends of old… That’s because during the last reform, the Underworld Spirit Act was revised, and acts of frightening the souls of the deceased were classified as criminal offenses. So, soul messengers have to pay attention to their appearance now.”
Ugh, I wanted to complain, but it was so hard to. What was with this overwhelming modern vibe?
Is it because the outside world is progressing, so the dead are progressing too?
This wasn’t just lacking a terrifying aura; it had completely destroyed any sense of mystery.
So, is this the current situation for all the dead? After watching the highlights of their lives, they thought they could finally rest, only to hear the soul messenger say: Quick, open your eyes, it’s time to move on. Don’t waste time, there’s a line of people waiting to register. Don’t wander off, or you’ll be mistaken for a stray soul and dealt with by the ghost-catching team if you don’t have a soul registry.
Yeah, it was truly full of regulations. So, modern soul messengers were basically civil servants of the underworld? (Laughs).
Seeing that I wasn’t responding, the soul messenger thought I still doubted her and continued to explain.
“Please believe me, I’m really not a suspicious person! This scythe is because I used to work in the grim reaper squad. After transferring to become a soul messenger, I couldn’t shake the habit of carrying a scythe. I just feel like holding this thing allows me to… The soul-reaping function has been removed, so it’s just an ordinary scythe. Although I do have a scythe-holding permit, you know.”
“Emmmmmm.”
“Ah, it’s because of my attire, right? It’s really weird, isn’t it? It’s weird, right! Other soul messengers wear formal uniforms, but only I wear this super short cheongsam that barely covers my underwear! It was Lord Yama’s insistence… He said if I don’t wear it, he’ll dock my salary. This is abuse of power! Sob sob sob, pity this little soul messenger, being bullied so badly by her superior.”
You don’t look like you’re enjoying it at all.
“Um, can we talk about the main issue? You just asked me if I knew Juncheng An. Why, are you related to Juncheng?”
Hearing that I finally responded, the soul messenger immediately changed her demeanor and said to me with a serious expression.
“Ah! Yes! Actually, I was ordered by Lord Yama to bring his soul to the underworld after Juncheng An’s death, but…”
“That… I couldn’t find his soul.” CC sighed with embarrassment.
As she spoke, the soul messenger lowered her head, fiddling with her index finger in shame, like a child who had made a mistake.
Aha, I thought I might get a clue, but it turns out she’s in the same situation as us, still looking for Juncheng’s soul.
It’s really… Wait, she said she couldn’t find Juncheng’s soul either? This person is a soul messenger from the underworld!
Originally, Juncheng’s soul should have been brought to the underworld by this soul messenger after his death. But if even the soul messenger couldn’t find Juncheng’s soul, then where exactly is Juncheng’s soul now?
Things seem much more complicated than I imagined.
“Miss Soul Messenger, are you saying that you haven’t found his soul from yesterday, when Juncheng died, until now?”
“Yes. After he died, I immediately arrived at the scene, but I couldn’t find Juncheng An’s soul. Then I searched a radius of ten kilometers centered on the death location, but still couldn’t find it. I even checked the nearby hidden worlds… but still no clues. Wuwuwu, please help me, Miss Zi’ai An. I heard you are Juncheng An’s other half, you should be able to sense his location! Lord Yama gave me a strict order—if I don’t bring Juncheng An to her, it won’t just be my salary that gets docked this time!”
“I’m sorry, although I am indeed Juncheng’s other half, we don’t have that kind of spiritual connection. He can contact me unilaterally, but I can’t actively contact him.”
“Eh?! How could this… Ugh, do I really have to go to hell and do hard labor? Wah! I don’t want to!”
The soul messenger clutched her head and collapsed on the ground, ungracefully arching her butt as she lay on the floor, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly despairing.
“Stop crying. Get up. Didn’t you come to me for help? Let me ask you a few questions first.”
“Eh? Y-yes!”
Hearing my command, the soul messenger stood up reflexively. Though she was trembling all over, she assumed a “stand at attention” posture.
Just like Lily, she has a masochistic and weak personality. I seem to be getting better and better at using commanding tones.
“First, were you present when Juncheng died?”
“No, uh, wasn’t there a major incident happening over there at that time? Even we in the underworld were affected to a certain extent.”
“Moreover, I sensed a terrifying presence, countless times more terrifying than Lord Yama herself. Perhaps even the Ghost Emperor is nowhere near that being.”
“That being… The Mother of Black Goats is at the very top even among abnormalities. After all, it’s an Outer God. In many mythologies, it’s considered one of the most powerful and worst. Even just descending through Kaoru Tsukiyose’s body is incredibly powerful. Speaking of which, if that thing truly descended in its true form, it wouldn’t just be half a city affected; the entire Earth would probably be in danger.”
“So, you didn’t go because you were scared?”
“Please don’t put it so directly, but… anyone who can sense that presence would immediately flee as far as possible. Me staying nearby is already extremely dedicated work! I was so scared at the time that I almost… No, no, no! Nothing happened!”
The soul messenger understood the implication in my words and exclaimed, hitting her hand with realization.
“I see, you mean, perhaps Juncheng An didn’t die, and that’s why his soul couldn’t be found, right? But, even if I wasn’t there, Kaoru Tsukiyose was. The fact that she ate Juncheng An’s body is undeniable. And Lord Yama has already confirmed his lifespan and death date through the Book of Life and Death. Of course, there’s always a possibility of escaping death… Hmm, the possibility is almost zero, right? You see, even that terrifying existence has descended.”
“Then why couldn’t you find his soul?”
“I don’t know! Wuwuwu, what should I do now…”
“Isn’t your Lord Yama friends with Juncheng? Then why didn’t Lord Yama come herself?”
“Ugh, because yesterday was the Ghost Festival. Lord Yama was completely tied up. In fact, she became extremely busy starting from before the Ghost Festival, having to process tens of thousands of documents every day. Lord Yama said she took some time to give Yi Shui to Juncheng An, to give him more hope of survival, but alas, he still died.”
“Yi Shui? What is that?”
“It’s a potion that allows one to regain memories. It’s the exact opposite of Meng Po’s soup. If you drink enough Yi Shui, you might even recall memories from your past life. Lord Yama must have wanted Juncheng An to regain his past life memories, perhaps to find a breakthrough.”
No, Yi Shui wasn’t for Juncheng to drink.
Perhaps, Juncheng gave it to Kaoru Tsukiyose to drink.
Kaoru Tsukiyose had forgotten her memories of Juncheng due to being possessed by the Mother of Black Goats.
Then, conversely, as long as she recalled memories related to Juncheng, perhaps the possession could be lifted.
Then why did she eat Juncheng? The instinct of a ghoul?
Ghouls eat corpses to complete… complete… souls?
Light Novel
Could it be that Juncheng’s soul is currently inside Kaoru Tsukiyose?
Just like she once put part of her soul into Jiang Xueqing’s body, Kaoru Tsukiyose devoured Juncheng’s soul.
That’s why, during the day, she said, “Juncheng belongs only to me,” meaning not his body, but his soul!
“Miss Soul Messenger, can ordinary people see souls, like beings like you?”
“Of course not. Although there are people with ‘eyes of yin and yang’ and such, they are almost extinct in modern times. Cultivators can still see us, but ordinary people absolutely cannot. Therefore, to enable us to communicate with ordinary people in special circumstances, there’s a method to manifest during the hour of the rat.”
“So, after 1 AM, I won’t be able to see you anymore?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I see… Then let’s depart now. I’ll go back to my room to get dressed, and you wait for me at the door.”
“Eh? Miss Zi’ai An?”
I can’t directly see souls. Now, I need to borrow the abilities of this unreliable soul messenger.
The hour of the rat refers to the two hours between 11 PM and 1 AM. It’s almost 11:30 PM now, with about an hour and a half left. I should hurry and verify if my thoughts are correct.
Returning to my room, I quickly put on my clothes. The other three were still fast asleep.
I pulled my stockings all the way up, put on my skirt, and was about to go out when someone tugged at my skirt.
“Xueqing?”
“There’s an urgent matter, I’m going out. I’ll be back soon.”
“No, it’s dangerous.”
“I’m not going alone, someone will protect me.”
“No need to follow. You must be very tired. What you need now is rest so you can help me. Forcing yourself to follow will only make me more worried about you. You don’t want something like Juncheng saving you to happen again, do you? I’ll do what Juncheng would do, okay?”
“…”
Q SF Light Novel
“Alright, be good, go to sleep.”
I ruffled Xueqing’s hair. She finally nodded obediently and burrowed back into her covers. I watched by the door for a moment before opening it and stepping out.
The soul messenger was already waiting for me at the door.
“Let’s go, Miss Qin Lianshe, the soul messenger. We’re going to find Juncheng’s soul.”
“Ah, okay. Eh?! You already know where Juncheng An’s soul is? !”
“Not yet. Right now, only you can directly see souls, so please lend me your eyes. Let me confirm beforehand, can you really see souls? Can you see them no matter what obstructs your view?”
Miss Qin Lianshe nodded in confirmation.
“Yes. This is an ability I acquired when I was the captain of the ghost-catching team. Nothing can block my soul vision. I can directly see anyone’s soul. This is also why Lord Yama sent me to find Juncheng An.”
Not only was she a grim reaper, but she was also in the ghost-catching team? You’ve really done it all.
After a pause, Miss Qin Lianshe tilted her head, tapped her chin, blinked her eyes, and said to me astonishingly.
“Speaking of which, Miss Zi’ai, you are quite peculiar.”
“Hmm? Peculiar how? Because I’m from a parallel world?”
Could there be something different about my soul?
“That’s also very strange, but I’m referring to something more direct.”
“More direct?”
“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a person without a soul.”
“What…?”
“Eh? You don’t know about this? I can’t see a spirit within your body. Yes, there’s nothing in your body that can be called a soul. It’s just pure spirit. It’s truly amazing.”
“How… I…”
“Am I not human?”
