Ma Xiong said, "Exactly. If Meng Po discovers Ganda retreating, and he gets sent to the eighteenth level of hell, won't they have killed Ganda?" The Fatty argued back, "Ganda is already dead; what's one more death? Besides, they meant well." Lu Zong stated, "Since you insist so much, then you go.

Go and pull Ganda back." Seeing Lu Zong's displeasure, the Fatty stopped arguing, merely grumbling sullenly, "I was just saying. What's wrong with saving a little face?" By this time, Ganda was long gone, and no matter how much the group searched, they couldn't find a trace of him. He had likely gone off to reincarnate.

Ma Xiong asked, "Hey, Lu Zong, when we came over, did you notice the Spring of Reincarnation?" Lu Zong replied, "The Spring of Reincarnation? What Spring of Reincarnation?" Ma Xiong explained, "After these ghosts drink Meng Po's soup, they head to rebirth. They all jump into a large pool, and that pool is called the Spring of Reincarnation.

Legend says that anyone who jumps in becomes part of the water, slowly seeping out through a small opening, and then descends to the mortal realm for reincarnation." Ma Xiong shook his head, "That's strange. If they are meant to reincarnate, they should be heading towards the Spring. If they are walking that way, the Spring must be there.

Perhaps if they jump in, they too might return to the human world?" The Fatty looked at Ma Xiong in confusion, then patted Ma Xiong's head, then patted his own, feeling that Ma Xiong wasn't running a fever. Had Ma Xiong gone foolish? He asked, "Ma Xiong?

Are you saying we should be reborn again, emerge from a mother's womb one more time? We'd certainly turn into freaks. Think about it—we never drank Meng Po's soup.

If we come out talking and singing, won't we scare people to death? I'm not doing that." Ma Xiong grinned, watching the Fatty's brow furrow deeply, and said, "I was just talking. I'm not actually planning on being reborn.

Let's go quickly." The Fatty glared at Ma Xiong and said angrily, "Don't joke about switching parents, even as a jest. Lu Zong, tell him, right?" Lu Zong didn't answer. The Fatty assumed Lu Zong hadn't heard and continued walking.

But after a few steps, sensing Lu Zong wasn't following, he spun around and looked back. "Lu Zong, are you coming or not?" Lu Zong remained frozen where he stood, staring straight ahead, as if he had spotted something extraordinary. The Fatty followed Lu Zong’s gaze and was instantly paralyzed with fear.

He saw two figures—one black and one white—marching aggressively towards them, each wielding a spiked club. It was obvious they were heading directly for the trio, because he clearly saw them waving the clubs menacingly, accompanying their advance with wails and incomprehensible mutterings. The Fatty urgently asked, "Ma Xiong, what in the world is coming towards you?" Ma Xiong looked up and froze too, then quickly backed away in surprise, lining up shoulder-to-shoulder with the other two so they could cover each other in case of trouble.

Ma Xiong uttered, "Could these two be the Black and White Impermanences escorting prisoners?" Lu Zong observed them and nodded. "Very likely. Look, one is black and one is white, and they hold something resembling spiked clubs.

And is that something black sticking out of their mouths? Aren't those the Black and White Impermanences?" Just then, the Black and White Impermanences suddenly let out a long, high-pitched cry toward the sky. The sound was incredibly mournful and desolate, and set against the surrounding terrifying atmosphere, it sent a chill down their spines, as horror descended upon them.

Staring at the two entities before them, the Fatty asked, "Ma Xiong, do you think they can see us? Legend says the Black and White Impermanences are Daoist priests of the Underworld who can see the living. We must have been discovered." Lu Zong replied, "Fatty, you're right.

Look, those two dark shadows are floating toward us." Before the words had fully left his mouth, the two shadows had already drifted close. By the time the trio reacted, the Black and White Impermanences had looped something resembling iron chains around two of their necks, instantly causing a sensation of suffocation. They struggled desperately but could not break free from the entities' grip.

The iron chain felt freezing cold, yet it wasn't entirely rigid; it possessed a certain pliability. Lu Zong pinched it with his hand, and the Black and White Impermanences suddenly shrieked. A flash of insight struck him.

"Ma Xiong, these aren't the Black and White Impermanences! They are some kind of animal native to this place, and they intend to make us their dinner!" Ma Xiong asked, "How can you be sure?" "If you pinch this chain, they feel the pain. That means the chain is part of their body.

Doesn't that prove something?" Ma Xiong quickly pinched it, and the entities indeed let out strange squeaks. Ma Xiong declared, "Lu Zong, you’re right! This thing really is the Black and White Impermanence, trying to defeat us psychologically!

Well, today I’ll show you what the old me can do!" With that, he struck out with his palm, hitting the White Impermanence squarely on its right eye. The entity immediately released Ma Xiong and stumbled backward several steps, nearly falling into the river. Seeing this, the Fatty also punched the Black Impermanence in the eye.

The entity's eye immediately swelled red, and its body staggered backward repeatedly. Fortunately, the Fatty was still holding onto its chain, preventing it from falling into the river. However, as soon as he yanked the chain, the entity let out a sharp cry of agony.

The Fatty drew his dagger and severed the chain. The Black Impermanence was writhing in pain. Upon seeing this, the White Impermanence, terrified, quietly slipped away and merged into Meng Po's procession.

Ma Xiong realized with a start, "So these two were just scoundrels trying to pull a fast one, disguising themselves as the Black and White Impermanences to scare us." He glared at the remaining Black Impermanence, which only trembled in fear before slowly crawling toward the line. Lu Zong said, "I don't think they merely wanted to scare us. They were trying to cheat their way through the process, avoiding reincarnation, and wanted to use us as scapegoats." The Fatty pondered for a moment, looked at the procession, and saw that the impostor Black and White Impermanences had already been administered Meng Po's soup and were swaying unsteadily as they followed the line, seemingly having forgotten their past and future lives.

He then chuckled and said, "I agree with Lu Zong's assessment. These two indeed had designs on us. If one managed this trick, another might too.

We should leave quickly before we get entangled with the local ghosts and cause trouble. Hmph, I never thought cheating could happen even in the Underworld when it comes to reincarnation." The moment he finished speaking, they heard the sound of water from below. He looked down from the bridge and was astonished to see a small, flat-bottomed boat quietly navigating the vast sea of quicksilver, captained by an old man whose face bore the unmistakable weathering of decades.

They looked increasingly familiar, yet they couldn't place where they had seen him before. Memory is peculiar; when you least want to recall something, it leaps from the depths of your mind. Yet, when you try to savor it, it vanishes without a trace, not even leaving a whisper behind.

The trio immediately decided it was best to hurry on; these must be the ones who refused Meng Po's soup and chose passage beneath the water. Lu Zong thought fearfully: if their next lives truly carried memories of their past lives, along with the precise time and place of their present doom, wouldn't this entire world descend into chaos? He dared not dwell on it, only feeling an urgent need to leave.

It seemed everyone here was looking at them askance, and besides, there were too many of them; they couldn't fight them all. The worst outcome would be if Meng Po took a liking to him and insisted he become her 'Lord Meng,' which would be disastrous. Having settled his thoughts, he grabbed Ma Xiong and the Fatty, who were still gazing down at the river, and said, "Hey, stop looking!

Let's go. We can't linger here." But Ma Xiong and the Fatty remained motionless, fixed on the water below. Lu Zong grew curious and leaned over to see what held their attention.

The sight nearly sent him tumbling into the river. He saw a soul piloting its own physical body slowly across the water. The spirit noticed the three of them, smiled, pulled something from the pocket of the corpse, showed it to the trio as a signal, and then continued forward.

The Fatty stammered, "That ghost is incredibly skilled to have brought his physical body along!" Ma Xiong countered, "That's impossible. There's only one road from the mortal realm to the Underworld, traversable only by souls. A physical body could never be brought across." The Fatty deliberately challenged him, "Then how do you explain the body being here?" Ma Xiong curled his lip at the Fatty.

"That’s simple! They must have died right here, so their bodies stayed here too." "Died here?" Lu Zong asked, curious. "How did they get here?

Why would they die here?" Ma Xiong pointed at the corpse. "You two look closely. See that wooden rod sticking out of the corpse's pocket?

The one that telescopes, and the part hidden in the pocket that looks like a shovel?" The two immediately looked toward the corpse's pocket and confirmed Ma Xiong's observation. Lu Zong guessed Ma Xiong’s meaning and asked, "Are you saying that rod in his pocket is a Luoyang shovel?" Ma Xiong mumbled, "Exactly. The Luoyang shovel is an indispensable tool for tomb robbers.

Yet, here it is on a corpse, suggesting that individual, like us, was here for tomb raiding. And a very skilled one at that, otherwise how could he have breached this place alone? We four were down one already." He paused.

"But why did he die here? That’s the puzzle." The Fatty chimed in, "Yes, look, there isn't a single scratch on him. It’s truly bizarre.

Could it be that the Ice Crystal Jade Fetus is actually a monster, and their queen is a demon?" Lu Zong felt a chill hearing the Fatty’s words; this was serious. Before the Fatty could finish, Lu Zong cut him off. "Forget it.

We should keep moving. We'll find out the truth at the end. Let's hurry and not waste time here; this mercury bridge might melt soon." The Fatty said confidently, "We don't need to worry about that.

As long as those ghosts haven't left, the bridge won't collapse rapidly. Let's go—Wait! Where did everyone go?" Lu Zong and Ma Xiong heard the abrupt change in the Fatty’s tone and looked toward the bridgehead.

Good heavens, the bridgehead was completely empty. Meng Po and the Black and White Impermanences were gone; only the three of them remained swaying precariously on the structure. They looked down; the small boat had also drifted far from the bridge.

It was clear the bridge itself was dangerous. Lu Zong commanded, "Hurry! This bridge is dangerous!" He shot forward first.

The Fatty, terrified, realizing this spot was unsafe, scrambled after Lu Zong. But the Fatty’s immense weight made the bridge tremble violently with every step. Ma Xiong stumbled to the ground countless times, swallowing mouthfuls of mercury.

Ma Xiong cursed, "Fatty, can’t you be more graceful? Stop shaking everything!" Lu Zong and the Fatty paid no mind to Ma Xiong’s swearing; they were focused entirely on escaping—or rather, on getting reincarnated. However, the bridge only shook a few times before stopping.

Ma Xiong looked curiously at Lu Zong and the Fatty, wondering, Have they finally understood? At that moment, Lu Zong and the Fatty had stopped moving and stood there, stunned, unsure of what had happened. But Ma Xiong's instincts warned him they were in trouble.

He walked over and grasped the reality of the situation: the hot air had begun to spread, and the path ahead had melted, merging with the mercury below. They were now waiting to see how soon the bridge would collapse down to their level. But one thing was certain: the speed of the bridge fracturing was definitely faster than the speed at which they could run.

Lu Zong stared blankly at the bridge end. "This is great. Even if we run fast enough, we’ll still meet the hot air.

In a head-on clash, the heat will win. We’ll definitely plunge into the lake below. What should we do?

Should we retreat the way we came and wait for the cold air to freeze the bridge again?" Ma Xiong shook his head. "No, forming this bridge was a fluke; we can't count on it happening again. We might starve before that happens.

How about this: we go down under the bridge and steal a boat from one of the ghosts to cross first." The Fatty expressed doubt. "Can we even ride a ghost’s boat? Besides, can the three of us really beat one ghost in a fight?" Ma Xiong rebuked him, "You don't understand the rules here.

In the Underworld, we are effectively ghosts too. When we walk up to them and declare, 'I am a human!' we'll surely scare them into jumping into the water." With that, he walked to the edge and looked down. He saw numerous stowaways below—spirits who must have slipped out during the bridge crossing, unwilling to face Meng Po's soup.

He shouted down to a few of them, "I AM HUMAN! AHH! AHH!" As soon as he yelled, the bridge shuddered, and the ghosts immediately vanished, leaving only one physical body behind on the water.

Ma Xiong exclaimed happily, "Lu Zong, Fatty, come look! There’s a body up here too! It seems this boat can carry us across as well!" The Fatty cried out excitedly, "Jump!

There's no time! That bridge will reach you soon!" Ma Xiong glanced at the fractured bridge; it was barely ten meters away, an instant away from their position. In that fleeting moment, Ma Xiong jumped.

Lu Zong followed immediately. As the Fatty was about to jump, Ma Xiong stopped him. "Fatty, don't jump yet.

If you jump now, this boat will sink instantly. When the bridge breaks off at your end, I'll row the boat right under your feet, and you can land calmly on it. It will be much safer that way." At this point, the Fatty’s legs were trembling, but he didn't dare jump until the bridge fractured right beneath him.

He felt his body drop straight down, quickly followed by his feet touching ground. He landed safely aboard the boat. The Fatty clutched his chest, gasping for air, exclaiming, "Oh my god, that scared the life out of me, it really did!" Lu Zong gently rubbed the Fatty's stomach to dispel the cold, then turned to Ma Xiong and said, "Ma Xiong, let's set off." Ma Xiong paused, then threw his hands up.

"What about our oars? Those ghosts must have knocked them into the water." Lu Zong slapped his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me.

How are we supposed to paddle?" The Fatty offered a solution, "Isn't there a corpse on the boat? Doesn't he have a Luoyang shovel? We can use the Luoyang shovel!" Ma Xiong exclaimed excitedly, "Haha, when it matters most, we rely on Fatty!

How did I not think of that?" He rushed over to the corpse to search for the Luoyang shovel. But as he searched, he realized the body seemed laden with other items, and he immediately grew excited. "Lu Zong, it looks like this corpse is a gift from the King of Hell!

I bet he came here to supplement our provisions." Lu Zong looked at the plump corpse and nodded calmly, though inwardly, he was thrilled. I wonder if he has any rations. Ma Xiong quickly emptied the corpse's pockets.

He handed the Luoyang shovel to the Fatty and began inventorying the rest. The corpse was carrying a pistol and several bags of dried rations. Ma Xiong first handed the rations to Lu Zong, instructing him to guard them carefully.

Then he discovered a pair of binoculars. He looked around, excitedly noting, "Lu Zong, we're not far from the shore now." Lu Zong took the binoculars from Ma Xiong, looked through them, and nodded in agreement. Next, Ma Xiong found a woman's dress.

He handed it to Lu Zong with disdain. "This guy is a pervert! Carrying a woman's dress on him?" Lu Zong took the dress curiously and sniffed it.

It still carried a woman’s delicate scent. It shouldn't have been worn by a man; had he stripped it from a woman? This was puzzling.

This was a gathering place for the dead. Even if a woman was exceptionally beautiful in life, her corpse and clothing should smell foul after death. Could someone up ahead have been alive for three thousand years and still be breathing?

He was perplexed when the Fatty snatched the dress back from Lu Zong and sniffed it. "Lu Zong, don't this dress and this scent seem awfully familiar to you?" Ma Xiong also took a sniff. "They do, don't they?

Haven't you noticed the style looks like Han Chong's? And this scent, it’s a pure bodily fragrance, completely free of perfume. Han Chong has always disliked heavy makeup and ostentation." Lu Zong’s mouth dropped open in shock.

"Are you suggesting Han Chong is up ahead?" Ma Xiong nodded. "That’s the likely implication. But we don't know where this corpse was acquired.

If we found it when we first set out, then it might not be his—besides, these clothes might not be Han Chong's specifically; plenty of people wear the same styles." Lu Zong ignored Ma Xiong, speaking with growing agitation. "So you mean this corpse stripped the clothes off Han Chong? What did he do to Han Chong?

How is Han Chong now?" He fired off a string of questions, clearly betraying his deep concern for Han Chong. Ma Xiong quickly tried to soothe him. "Lu Zong, calm down.

We can’t be sure of anything yet! We’ll find out when we see him later, won't we?"