I thought if he intended to kill me and extract my Nian from my body, I would resist immediately. However, the other party didn't seem to plan on doing that; instead, they secured my legs with the chain and hoisted me onto their shoulder.

I figured this suited my plan perfectly, so as I was being carried up, I subtly squinted and glanced left and right. The one carrying me appeared to be Ma Mian, as I saw Niu Tou walking alongside him.

We were currently passing through a troop of monkeys, moving deeper into the procession. Past the monkeys, ahead was a group of ordinary people with vacant stares, wearing masks.

They held gongs, drums, flutes, and various other instruments, standing there dazedly. Far from the lively energy of a typical band, they exuded a sense of stagnation and death.

I accidentally spotted a centipede crawling out of one person's ear, traversing their cheek and disappearing into their collar—yet the person showed absolutely no reaction. In my sight, the Nian of these so-called people was incredibly faint, barely a wisp.

These people displayed more characteristics of the deceased than the living; I truly didn't know what they were. A cold dread prickled my scalp, and I began to question if my decision to feign death had been correct.

But even if I hadn't played dead, in that situation, I was no match for Niu Tou and Ma Mian. Even if I could withstand one of their attacks, it didn't guarantee they couldn't kill me on the next strike.

Although I knew that cultivating the methods from that ancient book had significantly altered my physique, I was only at the very beginning; I was essentially powerless right now. What I needed was a stable space to thoroughly study that book; perhaps only then could I survive by my own strength.

Ma Mian carried me, continuing deeper into the formation. Passing those dull-eyed humans, I saw another large group—this time, masked animals.

These animals included gorillas, colossal cats and dogs, and even tigers and bears. However, just like the humans before them, these animals stood there listlessly.

I could even detect a distinct smell of decay permeating the air. Ma Mian moved with surprising speed.

I held my breath and endured the journey, but when I saw the scene ahead, I was utterly stunned. Ahead were many more specters similar to Niu Tou and Ma Mian.

Some were humanoid, muscular figures carrying spiked maces, crowned with a single horn. Others were crouching on the ground like frogs, wearing Niu Tou masks but covered in small, warty bumps like a toad.

Still others were entirely covered in black fur, with massive paws, resembling small mountains. I thought to myself, Fine.

If I had stubbornly fought Niu Tou and Ma Mian just now, even if I won, I still had all these others waiting for me. The humans and animals earlier in the procession had shown varying degrees of awe toward Niu Tou and Ma Mian; they dared not even breathe loudly as we passed.

But now, these dozens of massive specters looked to be of equal standing to Niu Tou and Ma Mian. Seeing that they had brought someone back, these specters remained silent, turned around, and began walking back.

Clang-clang-dong-dong... As they led the way forward, the walking dead in the rear of the procession resumed striking their gongs and drums, creating a scene that felt both lively and solemn.

My mind was racing, trying to devise an escape plan; I had no attention to spare for the spectacle they were putting on. Before I knew it, we had returned to the entrance of that secluded chamber.

These large specters crowded around me, each one slipping into the inner room. At this point, I noticed that all the masks on the surrounding walls were gone; it seemed these things had been returned to their owners, who were now wearing them.

This must have happened after we left. On the mask-less walls, there were countless indentations, shaped like humans or animals, appearing deeply bizarre.

Ma Mian then set me down from his back onto the floor. He produced a heavily oxidized token, waved it a few times in the air, and recited a string of unintelligible words.

Suddenly, a wisp of green smoke billowed up from the center of the room. I flinched in surprise, shivering, nearly giving myself away.

Fortunately, all the large specters in the room were staring intently at the rising smoke. As the green smoke gradually dissipated, I saw that it had coalesced into a remarkably ancient, massive black wooden door.

This door stood alone in the center of the chamber, easily over three meters tall and two meters wide. The bright silver studs looked quite grand, and the lintel was decorated with wooden carvings resembling demonic fangs and tusks—somewhat reminiscent of the Rashomon gate from Japanese legend.

Faced with such an imposing door, I momentarily didn't know what to do. It wasn't until Ma Mian lifted me by one arm and walked toward the door that I seemed to grasp something.

When the door automatically creaked open, I saw a shroud of black Nian enveloping the entire space beyond. "This is..." I gasped, because I had seen this type of black gate before—it was the same black Nian we saw surrounding the spatial rift at the bottom of the river.

It appeared this door was going to transport me somewhere else. As soon as I thought this, Ma Mian dragged me through the doorway.

My vision went black, and in less than a tenth of a second, I found myself being held by Ma Mian, standing on a stone bridge. The surrounding space was pitch black, utterly devoid of visibility, but I could see the white bridge beneath my feet and the black current flowing underneath it with remarkable clarity.

When I saw an old woman wearing a mask standing on the bridge, holding a cracked bowl in her trembling hand, a sense of familiarity washed over me. After a moment of thought, I cursed, "Damn it, isn't this the Naihe Bridge, the Meng Po soup routine?

Did I actually die?" However, I also knew that even in China alone, countless people died every hour, yet on this Naihe Bridge, there were only Ma Mian and myself; the other spirits were nowhere to be seen. I happened to glance at a stone near the riverbank and discovered it was made of cloth.

It was constructed by weaving a stone shape out of bamboo strips and then covering it with a layer of fabric to mimic a real stone. Such props are very common in stage performances.

The place I was in was absolutely not the actual Underworld; it was a dramatic scene mimicking the Underworld. These Niu Tou and Ma Mian were putting on a serious show, bringing me to a meticulously crafted fake Underworld.

What sort of play were they staging? Ma Mian was gripping my scruff uncomfortably, but I felt I needed to keep my composure and figure out what their objective was.

Meng Po stood shakily on the Naihe Bridge. Seeing Ma Mian arrive, she extended the bowl in her hand.

I expected Ma Mian to take the bowl and offer me the contents to drink, but instead, Ma Mian seemed annoyed by Meng Po and flung the pitiful woman, bowl and all, into the river. Meng Po plunged into the black, unknown water, emitting a miserable, parrot-like squeak.

I was speechless, thinking that Ma Mian’s haste to drag me through the Ghost Gate meant there was surely some plot afoot. Just as I was pondering this, Ma Mian led me to the Ghost Gate.

The gate was set within a five-meter-high city wall, which did appear quite imposing. Ma Mian, still holding me with one hand, pushed the door open with the other.

Walking through a short corridor, I saw the entrance to the Yamen ahead, its door fallen off and covered in cobwebs. Ma Mian brushed away the webs with his hand and tossed me onto the floor of the main hall.

I decided to play along and glanced around while staying on the ground. I then saw the ghost officers lined up on both sides, standing stiffly, all thickly covered in webs.

Seated at the desk directly ahead was a figure wearing a tall hat and long black robes, appearing imposing. But this figure, like the ghost officers, was completely cocooned in cobwebs, slumped motionless over the desk.

I heard many footsteps outside the hall; I knew the theatrical troupe that escorted me had arrived. Moments later, several masked monkeys bounded in.

These monkeys scampered past me and actually began cleaning the cobwebs off the ghost officers and the Judge seated in front. Once the webs were cleared, they lit the six oil lamps on either side, suddenly bathing the hall in a strange green light.

As the lights illuminated the room, I saw a faint wisp of Nian slowly manifesting on the bodies of the ghost officers; they were actually reviving. Not only that, but the Judge on the main seat also stirred, his body making kaka sounds as his joints popped, and he slowly sat upright.

Seeing the Judge come back to life, the previously mischievous monkeys squeaked a few times, ceased their reckless movements, and stood obediently to the side. After a few seconds, the ghost officers began to move, rhythmically tapping their "Displaying Might" staffs.

I knew this meant the court session was about to begin, but I maintained my guise of unconsciousness. At this moment, one of the ghost officers moved its body, walked to the side of the hall, picked up a wooden basin filled with a black liquid, and approached me.

The black substance in the basin looked viscous and gooey; I wondered how long it had been sitting there without drying. I figured the ghost officer intended to splash this onto my face to wake me up.

Rather than having this disgusting substance thrown in my face, I decided it would be better to cooperate. So, as the ghost officer approached me, I abruptly sat up from the ground and said, "Stop!" The ghost officer had a stiff, pale face and moved with rigid mechanics, seeming not to have heard me at all, yet it continued to swing the basin toward me.

Out of pure reflex, I raised my hand and pushed the wooden basin away. Unexpectedly, this action knocked the ghost officer over onto the ground, splashing the revolting black liquid all over its face.

I knew I had caused trouble, but I could only manage a weak chuckle and say, "Sorry... I didn't mean to." What surprised me was that my action caused the surrounding monkeys to burst into shrill, chittering laughter; some even rolled on the ground in hysterics.

The Judge in front, however, showed no reaction, simply staring blankly at me. I couldn't understand what was wrong with these beings; their reactions seemed incredibly slow.

If the exit hadn't been blocked by those large specters, I would have simply sauntered out right then; they clearly had no way to stop me. "Hoo-hoo...

hoo-hoo..." After a while, the Judge in front let out a strange sound from his throat and slowly extended his hand toward me, making a downward gesture. I pointed to my own nose and asked, "Do you want me to kneel?" The Judge's speech was difficult; he merely nodded.

If he were a real Underworld Judge, I would kneel, but for this imposter, I really had no desire to bow. Instead, I sat down on the floor and asked, "Is this okay?" The Judge struck the wooden clapper, displaying some indignation.

I ignored him, remaining seated, and chuckled. At this point, several ghost officers moved toward me, but their movements were extremely slow.

Seeing them raise their staffs high as if to strike me, I quickly waved my hands and said, "Fine, I'll kneel, I'll kneel..." I shifted my posture and knelt down, asking, "Are we good now?" The Judge nodded, making continuous hoo-hoo sounds, seemingly muttering something. Then, he slowly retrieved a tattered, worn-out book from under the desk and began flipping through it.

I knew he was about to check my Book of Life and Death; having seen too many dramas, I wasn't surprised. I didn't know if my name was truly in that book, but the Judge looked at it for a long time before raising his head to look at me, making that strange hoo-hoo sound again, seemingly questioning me.

This put me in a bind, because even having watched many TV shows, the questions each Judge asked varied: some asked, "Do you know where you are?" Others demanded, "Name yourself, lone spirit appearing before the court." And some even offered, "Does this Judge happen to wish to exchange your heart for a Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart?"