Feng Ru felt the touch of death once again. But this time, there was no son rushing to his rescue, no last-minute salvation. He could no longer escape death's shadow.
Even as his final breath left his body, his thoughts were filled with confusion. Everything had been going so well. The Eternal Life Society was growing stronger, his body had grown younger—how could death strike without warning?
Suddenly, he remembered the dreams sent by the underworld messengers long ago, where he was warned of future punishment. "Is this... retribution?"
Maybe it was for the best. If he died now, at least his son wouldn't be burdened anymore.
When his body perished and his soul left the flesh, he barely got a glimpse of his aged and withered corpse before something hooked into his belly. A wave of nausea hit him, and the next moment, he was drifting through a murky, gray mist filled with cold, oppressive air.
A single chain pierced through him, dragging him along a winding path with no beginning or end. Blue-white lanterns floated in the mist beside the road, casting a ghostly light that chilled him to the bone. His lips were frozen shut, and his thoughts grew muddled.
He didn't know how long he had been drifting before it hit him—he was dead.
Was this the underworld? Was the figure ahead, pulling the chain, a ghost officer?
Wait... that ghost looked familiar.
Jinwen? Why was Jinwen here too?!
Feng Ru's mind cleared in an instant. "Ah—(son)…"
His ghostly qi surged to his throat, and he barely managed to croak out a sound.
Feng Jinwen heard the voice and turned suddenly. His lips silently mouthed, "Dad!"
The two locked eyes through the gaps between other souls, hearts aching.
"Keep moving!" the ghost officer snapped impatiently. He cracked his whip with a sharp flick to remind them who was in charge.
Still stunned, the father and son didn't react fast enough. The whip lashed across their forms, and they were once again plunged into a daze. Bound by the soul chain, they had no choice but to keep walking until they finally arrived at a towering, pitch-black hall.
When the nameplate above the gate came into view, the three characters for "Hall of Yama" shone in blood-red ink. The sight instantly sobered every soul in the line.
"This is the Hall of Judgement," the ghost officer declared. "Your deeds will be weighed here. The scribes will decide where your soul belongs. Go on in!"
He tugged the chain tighter, ready for the usual outbursts from wicked souls fearing their fate.
"Merits… and sins," Feng Ru and Feng Jinwen whispered, their ghostly faces paling to an eerie blue.
With one shouldering the burden of 18 levels of major evil and the other carrying 12, neither had illusions of mercy inside that hall. They struggled, but the chain only dug in tighter.
"Move it!" barked the ghost officer, pulling them into the hall.
Inside, in front of the Book of Life and Death, each soul was forced to relive their entire life—from birth to death. Most souls committed only minor sins or good deeds. After a brief stay in the underworld, they could head to Fengdu City to live a meager afterlife while queuing up for reincarnation.
But Feng Ru and Feng Jinwen could only watch as their sins were laid bare before the book, their every misdeed coldly documented and ranked.
Feng Ru received one count of Level 18 Major Evil for spearheading the Underworld Plan, and another for founding the Eternal Life Society to drain others' life force for his own gain.
Feng Jinwen also earned one count of Level 12 Major Evil for his role in the Underworld Plan, and another Level 18 count for extending his father's life through the same methods.
These were just their two most severe crimes.
When the judgement was complete, Feng Ru was sentenced to 751 years of punishment in hell. Feng Jinwen received 669. The hell officers in the hall sneered and stepped forward to drag them away. But both men remained frozen, stunned by what they saw in the Book of Life and Death.
"Cause of death: Killed by curse through the Secret Art of Paper Crafting, cast by Song Miaozhu."
It was her!
A curse? Song Miaozhu had mastered something so vicious?
Dragged toward the gates of the hall, they finally understood—they were being taken to hell. They began to struggle violently.
"Wait—what about our good deeds?!"
"We haven't been judged for our merits!"
Their voices echoed in protest.
After all, they had done some charity work in their lifetimes.
The looming figure at the front of the hall said nothing, but the hell officer laughed and replied mockingly:
"What's the point? No soul has ever survived centuries of torment in hell. Even if you do, your sins outweigh your good by miles. Once you get to Fengdu, you'll be in eternal debt—no stipend, no hell coin to pay with. You'll be reduced to ashes in the end."
"Now, move it. Since you're father and son, I'll be nice and put your torture chambers next to each other. That way you can listen to each other scream."
With a groan, the great doors of the Hall of Yama slammed shut behind them.
Still fuming, Feng Ru and Feng Jinwen turned to the ghost officer. "She used such a vile technique to kill us—doesn't that count as an evil deed? Won't she go to hell too?"
The officer, amused by their indignation, answered:
"Evil deed? Hardly! Publicly, she was upholding justice. Privately, she was avenging herself. What, did you think it was 'goodness' to forgive your enemies? That's just stupid. Killing you wasn't a crime—it was a merit."
"Besides, judging by your memories, wasn't she from Anshou Hall?"
"A Heaven-grade ghost shop, connected to both the living and the dead, blessed by ancestors. She's probably the manager. With how fast she earns hell coin, she can live comfortably in Fengdu for years."
"As for you two? Once you've served your sentences, you'll vanish forever."
"No way!" Feng Ru and Feng Jinwen shouted. "Doesn't evil have rights? How can she live so freely after killing us? Isn't the underworld supposed to be fair?"
"Rights?" The ghost officer sneered. "Those who never respected the rights of others are worse than beasts by the laws of the underworld."
"Anyway, we're nearly there. Welcome to the 18 levels of hell. Which punishment would you like to start with?"
"…"
"Fine, let's start with the closest one. You've got centuries to serve, so we'd better get moving."
With a flick of his wrist, the officer shoved them into the torture chamber of the first level. As a final flourish, he placed their cells right next to each other, so they could clearly hear each other's screams.
When Feng Ru could no longer endure and begged Feng Jinwen to take his place, the ghost officer snorted and increased the torment.
"You think this is still the world of the living? Taking turns? What do you think I'm here for, decoration?"
Feng Ru and Feng Jinwen were in too much pain to speak.
They wished they could disintegrate on the spot. But no matter how intense the suffering became, their awareness remained painfully intact.