Chapter Twenty: The Secret of Relying on Words

  This "Wangxiangtai" is also a landmark building in the underworld, it's a cultural relic, famous inside and outside the underworld. But who would have thought that this seemingly grand object looks so shabby? It's really disappointing to see it in person, it doesn't live up to its reputation.

  "This thing is the legendary Wishing Pavilion? Wishing Bench? This would be a five-star scenic spot in the mortal world, right? With this setup, it's almost as good as a two-dollar-per-night inn! As a public institution in the underworld, it's clear that the pace of falling apart will affect the quality of service for the ghostly citizens!" I recalled the scene of that old ghost from earlier, his trembling figure, his icy snot, and couldn't help but feel a sense of justice bursting forth as I pleaded on behalf of the ghosts. Apparently, I have what it takes to become a Ghost Pleader.

  "The investment is clearly not enough! A bit more grandeur can attract investment, and advertising sponsorship is not, even if it's not luxurious, at least it should look decent, considering the appearance factor, at the very least, it should guarantee that climbing up won't cause work injury!

  I curiously looked at this famous but actually small pavilion, carefully examining the cracks on it, estimating whether it can bear my weight when I use it! It seems that losing some weight is better, even going up to the pavilion will be safer."

  When speaking, I found that when my ancestors used the soul-reading technique again, there was a big bug. When my ancestors blinked, this reading would automatically omit, and my ancestors happened to have a relatively fast blinking frequency. As a result, many sentences were naturally connected, making it easy to produce ambiguity. With just a slight deviation, the signal is extremely poor, and after chatting for a while, my vision becomes blurry. If this continues, I may become a habitual cock-eyed person.

  However, seeing the dilapidated Wishing Pavilion in front of me, I felt relieved: the hardware can't keep up, let alone the software!

  "Hey, kid, stop staring at me like that. I didn't say you can't talk, I'm using Soul Reading Technique because as a ghost officer, we're all vengeful spirits and it affects our career if people hear us. So when sensitive topics come up, I use the technique. You should just speak up, why are you always going along with me?! With that deep, emotional gaze of yours, people who don't know might start rumors, okay?!" Zuzong said in his sexy, low-pitched tone.

  "Alas, just talking about it makes me angry. Hundreds of years ago, we had planned to renovate, but the underworld's annual document number one stipulates that large-scale construction is not allowed, which delayed everything. Strictly investigating public funds and public use, eliminating extravagance and waste, the cow-headed horse-faced moral detector rod... just a few batteries had to go through more than a dozen leaders' hands, approved after over 500 years!" The ancestor said with regret.

  When I heard this, I subconsciously exclaimed, "I'm going to faint!" As soon as the word "faint" left my mouth, I knew something was wrong and regretted it too late. My ancestors didn't disappoint me after all, and in return, I got a slap on the forehead! The slap made my ears buzz, and stars twinkled before my eyes, with a sense of dizziness and collapse.

  Ancestors said in a low voice: "I've been telling you to pay attention to your quality, don't always do that! I rushed to say "rely", and the result was another explosion, suddenly there was a feeling of brain bursting, almost died.

  It wasn't until later that I found out my ancestors were overly sensitive to the pronunciation of the word "rely". This secret history was something I managed to pry out of Hei Bai Wu Chang, two brothers who were always drinking with me. The story goes like this: back in the day, our ancestor did many years of temporary work as a ghostly errand boy, an identity that's basically equivalent to being a temp worker in the underworld. Judging by his performance, it was clear that he would be made permanent without any issues.

  But ancestors also have all the common problems of pragmatists and technical control, that is, professional theory is not good!

  Because all positions in the underworld have to go through rigorous exams before formal appointment, I thought my ancestors would interrogate souls and ghosts, with a strong physique and a belly full of fire sparks, overbearing and leaking. But this cultural knowledge is really not good, every time I take an exam, I cry out for dad and mom, it's painful to the point of death.

  This exam is so many years, and books and pens have always been by my side!

  That's really a repeated defeat, repeated battle, completely familiar! Memorizing questions, training, copying notes, treating guests to meals and sending red envelopes, these actions that should or shouldn't be done left him with serious psychological shadows. In the end, he had no choice but to buy an answer sheet to pass.

  As a result, he also developed a bad habit: whenever he heard the word "exam" or similar sounds, he would fly into a rage, just like his trainer who would wildly slap people's foreheads.

  And the word "rely" had become my mantra, and when I learned this secret, it had already been tempered into the highest level of Iron Brain Gate by my grandfather, and this killer move played an important role in the subsequent journey of breaking the curse, which will not be elaborated here.

  After listening to the ancestor's words, I suddenly felt that this formalism is not only common in the mortal world, but also in the underworld. All kinds of files and documents are hindering the progress of practical projects for the people, under the banner of "frugality" and "opposition to extravagance". However, these so-called files are basically restricting real projects that benefit the people, while those that should be prohibited always find "legal" excuses to continue unchecked. Meanwhile, news about grandiose government buildings, like palaces, is constantly reported in the media. It seems that even in the underworld, it's hard to escape this bad habit, which harms both humans and ghosts.

  Just as I was indignantly sighing, my chest heaving violently, my ancestor interrupted my long and short gasps, bent down to repair the broken leg of the armchair: kicked a few times, pounded twice. I seemed to see a public servant's sorrowful helplessness.

  The ancestors sat directly on top. Said: "Alright, our topic has gone off the rails and reached the bottom of our ears. These mechanisms and systems problems are not caused by a single day's cold, change is certain, only the process will be tortuous, even extremely tortuous. The revolution has not yet succeeded, humans and ghosts need to work hard! But we must firmly believe that evil cannot defeat justice, justice is ultimately just, can withstand the test of time, and can withstand the trial of ghostly fire. Remember I have a dream!" To this magnificent slogan, I could only nod in agreement.

  What cannot be changed must be adapted to, then seek opportunities to change - indirect tactics, curve for the ghost.

  I've finally finished the "fragrant" cigarettes given by my ancestors, and the air is filled with a strange mixture of the stench of naihe water and the smoke smell of incense, making the air quality extremely poor. PM2.5 seriously unqualified! It's like a Buddhist holy site shrouded in smoke.

  "Let's not talk about official business for now, let's just discuss our own family matters. Regarding the Wan Huan curse, your father Mu Bai has already made it very clear. This matter is extremely severe to my trauma, this psychological shadow, every time I think of it, my heart feels a chill, can be said that I've had thoughts of dying! It's like... you, Zhou Mo getting married and the groom not being you, shame and sorrow. Our family is unfortunate, our family is unfortunate!" The ancestor's actions, which were both tactless and rubbed salt in the wound, made my heart skip a beat.

  Once again, I heard Zhou Mo's name, and my heart suddenly tightened, a melancholy emotion arose. For Zhou Mo, I couldn't avoid it, couldn't forget it, the only thing I could do was to pretend not to hear, not to ask, not to think, not to ponder, but some things, the more you want to forget, the deeper they are remembered. I know that this name will be a wound in my heart that can never heal.

  "Alright, let your sorrow flow backwards into the river of fate. Every story's beginning is actually a predetermined tragic ending. My life has been a magnificent history of struggle, a practical history of seeking progress for the people, a diligent administrative history of loving the country..." Listening to this string of parallel sentences, I pondered and didn't quite get the flavor.

  "Oh dear, sorry about that. I've rehearsed my report too many times and it just comes out naturally now. To be honest, I mean... I can say with confidence that I have no regrets when it comes to loyalty to the country, but as for family, and future generations...". At this point, my ancestor paused for a long time, and I couldn't figure out whether he was waiting for applause or background music to start playing. In a place where anything could happen and nothing seemed strange, I had a rich imagination.

  As a result, several minutes passed, and it seemed that the music was not going to work out, so I forced myself to shout "good" while applauding. The ancestor nodded in satisfaction, indicating that the applause should be more enthusiastic, looked around at the empty surroundings, and then made a gesture to me to stop making noise, and only then did I stop, this coordination was quite tacit.

  The ancestor was brewing for more than ten minutes, and the sad mood was about to bring tears to his eyes! The tone was obviously a bit choked, it seems that this Wan Soul Curse is indeed an unresolvable knot in his heart!

  It's also possible that even if it were me, letting future generations live in such a miserable life would be quite depressing. Just as I was wondering whether to continue applauding, the ancestor's sexy low-pitched voice sounded again:

  "That year, Li Chunfeng was deducing the 'Push Back Diagram' when a drunk Yuan Tiangong accidentally stumbled and bumped into Li Chunfeng, causing the calculation to come to an abrupt end! I'm so angry! Just as we were about to find a solution, that drunkard...! Li Chunfeng only managed to say that to lift the curse, one must first ignite the Xuanwu, then open the Can Tian, before he fell into a coma. I've tried countless methods, but none have worked. I've tried too many ways to light up the Xuanwu - yin fire, yang fire, gas, propane, lighter, matches, magma, lightning... I've tried every possible method that can be tried."

  Watching the ancestors' complaints, it seems that what is called letting go can't be let go. So I continued to listen to "At that time, I complained, was sad, but ultimately believed that this might be fate and destiny. I thought this matter would become a dead knot, a dead knot that I couldn't untie. After experiencing so many years, so many cycles, I almost gave up, gave up on untying the curse that shrouded the Cui family's fate.

  But I never thought that with a pacifier, you would leap into the air, seeking death with reckless abandon, and actually ignite the Xuanwu blood. With the Xuanwu blood, the Celestial Ceremony can be restarted, and the countless vengeful spirits can be put to rest, dust returning to dust, earth returning to earth. At that time, the curse of the Cui family's ten thousand souls will be lifted."

  "But you did it, you're a hero, you're a mathematician, you solved the thousand-year-old unsolved mystery! You lit up my hope in facing the family. This burden is indeed not light! If I fail, I will become the sinner of the Cui family, and there will be no descendants of the Cui family." The words of my ancestors made me feel a little unnatural, as if they were holding something back.

  Because the expression is too ferocious and complex, I really can't see what the expression of my ancestor Cui Ke means, but at least it sounds like it's no longer so pretentious, and instead reveals a faint sense of sadness. Although he appears glorious in public, behind that glory there is also an unspeakable sorrow.

  "Kid, thank you, I thank myself, as your ancestor I feel proud, once again I thank you and your ancestors which is me!" My ancestor grasped my hand, the scene was very touching. Just as I was about to subconsciously exclaim "I'm going to...", my soul suddenly possessed my body and stopped in time, narrowly avoiding a disaster, fortunately nothing happened.

  Although the praise from my ancestors makes me feel a little proud, but thinking of being the first person in the history of the Cui family to commit suicide, I feel ashamed and humiliated. This is obviously a very shameful thing, even if dressed up in a grand exterior, the essence of it is hard to shake off. On this point, I have a clear understanding.