Rabbit Must Die
Chapter 491 - 104 Naihe Bridge_1

Chapter 491: Chapter 104 Naihe Bridge_1

Having said that, Qin Shou hugged his own shoulders and gazed up at the sky, attempting to see the moon within the dark night canopy, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Moon Palace, or perhaps Chang’e.

However, the Netherworld is the Netherworld, there is no moon in the Netherworld, nothing at all, only darkness...

Just as Qin Shou looked up for a long time and let out a long sigh, the sound of chains clinking came from downstairs.

Qin Shou, curious, peered down and saw pairs of ghosts, their feet shackled with iron chains, struggling to move forward. Behind them, every three steps stood a Ghost Soldier, prodding their backs with long spears and reprimanding, "Move faster! There isn’t much time!"

In this way, pairs of ghosts wailed as they hastened forward.

Just as Qin Shou was filled with doubts, suddenly someone appeared beside him.

"Do you know where they are going?"

Qin Shou turned his head and discovered that the person beside him was none other than Cui Jue!

Qin Shou frowned and said, "You... aren’t you supposed to be working?"

Cui Jue laughed lightly and said, "I am just a Judge of the Judicial Division, one small inspection per month, one major inspection per year, each lasting half a month... Although it’s busy, there isn’t really much that falls on my shoulders. Rabbit, do you know where those ghosts below are headed?"

Qin Shou shook his head.

Cui Jue raised his hand and pointed to the distance, "Look over there, that’s the River of Oblivion, and on it lies the Naihe Bridge. All these ghosts have been judged and are going over the Naihe Bridge... Those that should cross the River of Oblivion will do so, those bound for Hell will go to Hell, and those due for reincarnation will be reborn."

After finishing, Cui Jue yawned and said, "Oh dear, I almost forgot, I still have matters to attend to. Rabbit, I’m off now. If you have time, feel free to visit me."

Having said this, Cui Jue didn’t wait for Qin Shou to respond, and immediately rose into the air, vanishing into the darkness as a streak of light.

Qin Shou smacked his lips, feeling that Cui Jue’s arrival was unusual. However, Cui Jue’s words had piqued his curiosity. The River of Oblivion? Naihe Bridge? These were names he had heard countless times in his previous life, and the one who spoke most about them was Old Master Qin."

Suddenly, Qin Shou’s curiosity was fully aroused. Since he couldn’t sleep, he decided to jump off the eaves and land directly among the ranks of the ghosts, slowly following the procession, wanting to experience the sensations of the River of Oblivion and the Naihe Bridge for himself.

Meanwhile, Cui Jue had not gone far but was hiding in the shadows, watching as Qin Shou was indeed enticed by his words to join the procession of ghosts. Only then did he smile contentedly, turn around, and rise into the air once again.

The ancients say, "On the River of Oblivion lies the Naihe Bridge, beside the Naihe Bridge stretches the Road to the Netherworld, along the Road wander the lost souls, the lost souls gaze at the Naihe Bridge: How will they cross, how will they cross? Once gone, they never return."

At this very moment, on the Naihe Bridge, Cui Jue appeared beside an old woman, whispered something to her, and the old woman chuckled, bowing respectfully, "Judge, rest assured, anyone who crosses the Naihe Bridge must drink Mengpo’s Soup."

Upon hearing this, Cui Jue smiled satisfactorily, thinking smugly, "Damn rabbit, you still want to catch a grip on this Judge to tattle to the Heavenly Court? After today, you probably won’t even recognize the way to the Heavenly Court!"

Having said that, Cui Jue quietly retreated, hiding at the other end of the Naihe Bridge, stealthily watching.

Before long, another group of ghosts arrived at the Naihe Bridge.

Cui Jue stood on tiptoes to peer into the crowd and, sure enough, spotted a pair of long ears poking out from the thigh of a man. He immediately grinned, chuckling wickedly, "Damn rabbit, wait until you drink down this bowl of Mengpo’s Soup, huh huh..."

Cui Jue squinted his eyes and kept silent.

At this very moment, Qin Shou, following the main group, drifted listlessly to the front of the River of Oblivion.

Watching ghost after ghost line up in front, lifeless, he boredly gazed into the River of Oblivion. The water was extremely turbid, yellow and red, like blood mixed with mud. It churned tumultuously as if countless snakes and vermin were writhing within it, a sight so disgusting and chilling that Qin Shou saw a snake suddenly lunge out of the mud straight towards him with its mouth agape!

In that instant, Qin Shou reacted almost reflexively, pulling out a big black pot and lighting a fire, with one hand on the chili and the other on the salt, his eyes bulging at the snake. However, under the influence of his righteousness, the snake suddenly turned and dove back into the river, never to emerge again.

Regarding this, Qin Shou muttered with great regret, "It’s really TM cunning!"

In the River of Oblivion, apart from snakes and vermin, what Qin Shou saw was not so much the ferocious faces of the wronged souls as in the legends, but rather faces of lamentable and patiently waiting pitiful souls.

Looking at those longing eyes, Qin Shou felt like he was seeing himself in a mystic connection, his heart souring with a pang of compassion.

It was then that Qin Shou saw a woman step onto the Naihe Bridge ahead.

This in itself wasn’t anything special; after all, there were many who crossed the Naihe Bridge, and one more would hardly make a difference.

But whether by chance or fate, Qin Shou just happened to see a man’s face surface in the river. The man had a complex expression, enduring the agony of being gnawed by snakes and vermin. It looked like he wanted to shout something, yet eventually, his face showed an unwillingness to bear it, and he closed his eyes, sinking into the blood-yellow River of Oblivion.

Qin Shou frowned; although that face had flashed by in an instant, the complex emotions were seared into his soul like a branding iron. It was as though he had seen himself in that obscurity, and he couldn’t explain it; the pain was just unbearable.

Upon closer observation, Qin Shou realized that for every man or woman who stepped onto the Naihe Bridge, a face of the opposite sex would invariably appear in the River of Oblivion. They would watch each other with complicated expressions, yet the other would be completely unaware, drinking down a bowl of soup made of who-knows-what and then staggering forward senselessly. As for the person in the river, amidst the pain was a look of relief, their complex emotions eventually succumbing to the silence of the blood-yellow River of Oblivion.

Moreover, Qin Shou discovered that these souls weren’t actually being submerged by the river water but rather were being covered and carried away by the snakes and vermin, their fates unknown, yet the agony was something Qin Shou could faintly experience...

Just as Qin Shou was unable to make sense of it all, he finally set foot on the Naihe Bridge.

He didn’t climb up there by his own will but was prodded onto it by two Ghost Soldiers with long spears at his back, compelling him to walk involuntarily.

Having never experienced it, one couldn’t know. It was only after he truly walked up that Qin Shou understood that being on the Naihe Bridge and standing outside of it were two completely different concepts!

As Qin Shou stepped onto the Naihe Bridge, the world in front of him underwent a sudden change. Suddenly a decrepit old woman with long hair and ambiguous features appeared on the desolate Naihe Bridge, only her pair of gloomy eyes visible, flickering like two oil lamps in the dark, seemingly staring at him yet not quite seeing him.

At the same time a hoarse voice resounded, "Come here, drink this."

PS: In the last few minutes, I’ve finally finished writing! Hurray!