NOVEL NEXT Chapter 516 - 515: Have a Sip of Meng Po's Soup
Chapter 516: Chapter 515: Have a Sip of Meng Po’s Soup
“The Human Emperor is really stronger than I anticipated, I wonder how he cultivated?” said the female ghost despondently, the four Golden Immortals could hardly constitute a challenge for Jiang Li.
The two of them strolled along the Road of Yellow Springs, casually conversing. The fiery red flowers of the other side bloomed by the road. From afar, the Road of Yellow Springs resembled a carpet forged from fresh blood.
Without a second thought, Jiang Li replied with an air of nonchalance.
“It’s simple – break the shackle of Transcendence Tribulation Stage with limitless spiritual energy to reach the Mahayana Realm. Then relentlessly cultivate, you naturally attain such a cultivation level.”
“… The Human Emperor sure knows how to joke, it’s impossible. We’ve arrived in the Reincarnation Area, where Yama Kings, Equality and Reincarnation preside.”
Jiang Li praised and found great educational value in the Underworld: “Each of Yama Kings in the Three Paths – Heavenly, Human, and Wild Beasts and in the Four Great Hells, seems to have their roles. The operations of the Underworld are in good order, that’s truly commendable. I wonder which part is overseen by the Earth Deity?”
Before the bridge to become immortal was severed, the Immortal Realm was governed by the Immortal Emperor, who established the Heavenly Court, thus serving as the orthodox rule of the Immortal Realm, albeit on a rather awkward throne.
As the humblest of the primeval immortals, the Immortal Emperor was technically under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, and so were the highly revered Daozu, Buddha, Confucian Saint, and Yuanzu. However, whether they would choose to lend a hand entirely depended on their mood.
However, the Immortal Emperor was indeed remarkable; otherwise, he wouldn’t be seated on the throne of the Heavenly Court. Before the three disciples of Daozu were unified, the Immortal Emperor fought against Daozu and it ended in a draw.
In contrast, the rule of the Underworld was a whole lot simpler. The Earth Deity could govern absolutely.
To be precise, the Earth Deity could choose not to get involved if she didn’t wish to. No one could stop her.
The female ghost barely managed a smile: “The Earth Deity oversees the overall arrangement and doesn’t deal with the specifics. Despite her important position, it’s not that she doesn’t care. Now, let’s stop this talk, and let me introduce you to the cycle of reincarnation.”
On the Road of Yellow Springs, Jiang Li and the female ghost were not the only ones present. In addition to them, a large number of souls were also rushing to be reincarnated. However, most of them were heading to the land of the beasts, instead of to the realm of men.
“The worlds where they reincarnate are dwindling in number, with many of them void of the trace of humans. They’re left with only animals, that’s where these souls are heading to be reincarnated.”
“No joke, now the Underworld is operating at full capacity and it’s almost unable to accommodate more souls.”
The size of the Underworld far exceeds Nine Provinces. But, no matter how large the Underworld is, it can’t possibly hold all the souls from the Ten Thousand Realms.
“Why not consider expanding the scope of the Underworld?”
“It can’t be done. The Underworld is the physical manifestation of the cycle of life and death. The size of the Underworld is not something we can decide or change.”
They reached the end of the Road of Yellow Springs and stepped on the Naihe Bridge. The Day- and Night-Touring gods patrolled the bridge, and below the bridge sat the unapproachable River Lethe.
Peering over the edge, Jiang Li noticed many lost souls in the River Lethe. The lost souls stretched their arms, seemingly trying to pull down the souls on the bridge.
This was, however, an exercise in futility, as there were thousands of kilometers between the River Lethe and the Naihe Bridge, resulting in the action of these lost souls appearing somewhat comical.
“What’s the origin of these souls?”
“They are souls eager to cheat reincarnation. Some are too impatient to wait in line and wish to reincarnate as soon as possible. Others refuse Meng Po Soup in favor of retaining memories of their previous lives and attempt to swim across the River Lethe. But as you can see, these souls can’t leave the River Lethe and can’t reincarnate either. They watch the souls on the bridge reincarnating with jealousy, as a result they try to pull down other souls.”
“Look at that couple, they committed suicide out of love and pledged not to forget each other before their death, insisting they would be together in their next life and refused Meng Po Soup.”
The female ghost scoffed, “That’s a ridiculous notion. If they refuse to forget their past lives and wish to be together in their next life, then what’s the point of reincarnation at all? It’s merely living another similar life. They simply disregard the rules of the Underworld.”
“Does everyone not have a past they wish to remember? Do they think they’re special? If everyone behaved like them, the order of life and death would be disrupted. Ridiculous children.”
She’s seen plenty like these: “When they realize their folly in the River Lethe, that’s when we will salvage them.”
Upon reaching the other side of the bridge, Jiang Li saw a group of underworld officers handing out Meng Po Soup to the souls.
The ghostly girl explained, “Previously, some Golden Immortals from the Immortal Realm came to the Underworld and broke the boundary of the Underworld. They descended here and escorted a group of souls, who were supposed to be reincarnated in Nine Provinces but hadn’t yet drunk the Meng Po Soup, to Nine Provinces.”
“Both King Reincarnation and King Equality took action together and fought with the Golden Immortals from the Immortal Realm. Black and White Impermanence, who were out on mission, hurriedly rushed back to protect the souls, otherwise, the Underworld would have suffered significant losses.”
Only then did Jiang Li understand where the souls that have strayed to Nine Provinces came from.
“I remember folk tales saying that Meng Po herself serves Meng Po Soup?”
The group of underworld officers serving Meng Po Soup were of mixed sexes and ages, so they didn’t seem to have any connection with Meng Po.
The female ghost rolled her eyes: “Where would you find Meng Po serving Meng Po Soup? There are so many souls waiting to reincarnate. Would we really go find an old woman to serve the soup? It’s good enough that someone serves it.”
“If you’re really looking for Meng Po, we do have one.” The female ghost pointed to an elderly lady who was cooking by the entrance to the bridge. “She is Meng Po.”
“…”
For some reason, Jiang Li was reminded of Yangzhou Fried Rice. The chef goes by the name of Yangzhou, and the rice he fries is called Yangzhou Fried Rice.
Before drinking Meng Po Soup, the spirits would cry and yell, unwilling to forget their past lives or to reincarnate to the land of the beasts. But after consuming Meng Po Soup, they became muddle-headed. The effect was the same even for those with a high cultivation level.
Jiang Li noticed that Meng Po put a small bag of fine crystals into the soup when she was preparing the Meng Po Soup. It was very familiar.
The female ghost smirked, “This Meng Po Soup won’t work for Daozu. Daozu drank a whole pot and commented that it was tasteless. Since then, Meng Po has always added salt when making Meng Po Soup.”
“But then there was a problem.”
“What problem?”
“No one can taste it, too much or too little, as those who drink the Meng Po Soup even forget the taste of salt, let alone the level of saltiness.”
“Would Meng Po Soup work for the Earth Deity?”
“It’s uncertain. If it did, wouldn’t that be a big problem?”
“…”
The female ghost asked: “Would Jiang, the Human Emperor, like to give it a shot?”
Jiang Li, in a playful mood, took a sip.
The female ghost stared intently at Jiang Li: “Do you still remember you’re the ruler of the Underworld? You manage the Underworld day and night without rest.”
“… Sister Ghost, I didn’t lose my memory. And this soup is too salty.”
Jiang Li told Meng Po not to add a full bag of salt at once, just half a bag would suffice.
At the end of the Naihe Bridge stands a stele. Countless spirits were sucked into it, washing away their cultivation and transforming into faceless infant souls.
Behind the stele is a passage. The faceless infant souls enter the passage which would transport them to the Ten Thousand Realms.
By the time they find the object for reincarnation, their souls would gradually transform into their appearance in the next life.
“Daozu’s cultivation is deep-rooted. The Six Paths Reincarnation Tablet could not completely erase his cultivation until the stele was shattered. Only then was Daozu’s cultivation thoroughly erased.”
“The present-day stele was re-forged by the Earth Deity.”