A certain man, surnamed Zhang, suddenly died. His ghost arrived at the Underworld and stood before King Yama. Yama commanded his attendants to fetch the Book of Life and Death, discovering that Zhang’s allotted time on earth had not yet expired. He berated the ghost official: “Fool! You have seized the wrong person! Take him back immediately.”

Zhang followed the ghost attendant away. Since he had never visited the Underworld before, he persistently begged the elder ghost brother to let him look around and widen his horizons. The attendant was very easygoing; being a ghost suited him well. On a whim, he took Zhang on a grand tour of the Nine Hells, pointing out the Mountains of Knives, the Trees of Swords, the Seas of Fire, and the Rivers of Ice for Zhang to examine closely.

Finally, they arrived at a place where a monk was suspended upside down, his legs pierced and strung through with rope, hanging from a wooden beam, wailing and screaming in utter agony. Approaching for a closer look, Zhang saw that the monk was none other than his own elder brother.

Zhang was overcome with terror and asked, “What crime did my brother commit to deserve such torture?”

The ghost attendant replied, “This monk indulged in drinking, gambling, and debauchery; he committed every evil imaginable, thus earning this retribution. To escape this fate, he must repent sincerely and reform his ways.”

Zhang fell silent. After a moment, he returned to the living world and awoke. Recalling everything he had seen and heard in Hell, he suspected his brother was indeed dead. To verify his suspicion, he immediately journeyed to Xingfu Temple, where his brother practiced, entered the temple gates, and navigated toward a certain room. There, he saw his brother hanging against the wall, sores blooming on his legs, pus and blood oozing out—exactly as it had been in the Yellow Springs Underworld. He quickly asked for an explanation.

His brother replied, “Hanging like this offers some comfort; otherwise, the pain pierces my very heart.”

Zhang told him truthfully what he had witnessed in Hell. His brother was terrified. From that day forward, he recited sutras, chanted Buddha’s name, and abstained from alcohol, meat, and women. Only after half a month did his condition begin to heal. Recognizing the depth of his past sins, he thenceforth strictly adhered to the precepts and never dared to act recklessly again.