"No last name?"
When the fat judge heard this, he grumbled with a look of pity: "It's not easy for a ghost without a surname to survive in the City of the Dead."
After saying that, he shut up and just looked at Jianchou.
Jianchou was startled, and vaguely felt that this judge had something to say, so he tentatively said: "I have just arrived in the underworld, and I don't know what harm there is in having no name. Can... please give me some advice, Master Judge?"
The judge raised his eyebrows, holding down the Book of Ghosts in Wrongful Death City, and said sternly, "Most ghosts in Wrongful Death City have the same surname as their kin. If there is any trouble, they can call on their relatives and friends for help. You are a new ghost without a name, so I'm afraid you won't be able to move forward."
"… "
Stunned.
The ghosts in this city of wrongful death are actually trying to recognize fellow townsmen and classmates like in the imperial examination
and…
As a judge, although he looks fat, he is not approachable at all. Instead, he looks ferocious and fierce, and he doesn't seem to be a kind person.
What do you want to accomplish by simply reminding her of this
His heart rate was racing, and soon he understood.
The fat judge who was sitting high above her couldn't help but look gloomy when he saw that she didn't say anything.
It's rare to see such a tactless new ghost.
If they really changed the Reception Department to handle the reception of new ghosts in the City of the Dead, they would not teach these new ghosts what "rules" are!
He felt uncomfortable for no reason, but he had to say it. The fat judge looked at Jianchou with an increasingly unfriendly look, and said in a cold voice: "This judge is in charge of recording the names of all the ghosts in the City of the Dead. If you want to change your name before registering, it is also OK. You, do you want to give me a surname?"
Jianchou just stood there without moving.
The big-headed ghost and the small-headed ghost were standing nearby. They were so anxious that they were sweating. However, they did not dare to show their relationship with Jianchou, for fear of being noticed. They could only stand there, not daring to move at all.
It was obvious that the fat judge wanted Jianchou to give "Mr. Yi" money, but why didn't their "Great Master Jianchou" make any move at this time when he was so wise and intelligent before
It's so confusing.
Inside the registration hall, there was only dim light and it was so quiet that not a single sound could be heard.
Jianchou stood on the ground below the fat judge, looked up at him, thought for a moment, and finally bowed sincerely: "Jianchou was born without a surname, so there is no need to give him a new one. I have to let down the judge's kindness."
"… "
Let down?!
The fat judge was simply stunned!
How many years have you been in the City of the Dead
The Fat Judge himself can't remember clearly.
This place is lucrative, and he was lucky to have been assigned this position two hundred years ago. Since he started collecting various fees, he has never seen such an ungrateful person!
You refused without even asking the price
Is this an ignorant fool or a blockhead? !
The fat judge stared at Jianchou in the hall with an almost angry look on his face. His body was shaking and he almost couldn't sit still. His face was full of gloom and his chest was heaving up and down, which showed that he was very angry.
"You, you—you are such an ungrateful person! Someone, come and register her!"
"yes!"
In the thick shadows at the back, two ghost clerks from the registry office who looked like skinny bamboo poles had been standing there for a while, muttering in their hearts that they couldn't make any money from this new ghost.
When he suddenly heard the judge's shout, he was frightened and responded reflexively.
When I looked up again, the fat judge had already walked away, his body shaking.
Those who wanted to accept the bribe did not get any, and Jianchou, who had originally planned to send the judge off, was unable to call the judge back, so he could only watch him leave.
Both the big-headed ghost and the small-headed ghost were about to cry.
Who could have thought that something like this would happen right after entering the registration office? Didn't I tell Jianchou to "show respect" to the judge and the little ghosts
Now that the judge has left, they really have to sleep on the street tonight.
The two skinny ghost officials from the registry office came up. One of them held a jade tablet in his hand and took the new ghost list from the little ghost. After checking Jianchou's basic information, he wrote something on the jade tablet with one hand, and finally made a handprint and gave the jade tablet to Jianchou.
"Your life span is not over yet. You still have fifty-three years before you die. This jade token is proof that you are in the ghost book of the City of Wrongful Death. Anyone with this token is not allowed to leave the city without permission. After fifty-three years, when it is time for you to die, you will be sent to reincarnation. Please keep this thing well."
Knowing that there would be nothing to gain from Jianchou, the ghost official who gave him the jade token didn't even bother to look at him.
The ghost official who came with the ghost book held a pen and touched Jianchou's brow, and actually pulled out a thin silk thread, which he threw into the ghost book with a shake of his hand.
The silk thread fell onto the paper and automatically coiled up like a curved snake, forming a few simple symbols that were printed on the ghost book like words.
I guess this counts as naturalization.
Jianchou thought the process was simple, but he still had some other questions in his mind.
But before Jianchou found a chance to speak, the ghost official who was registering her snorted coldly, and without looking at Chou, he only looked at the big-headed ghost and the small-headed ghost serving beside them.
"You two are new here, right? You didn't even bother to ask what the rules are in our registry office! Next time you bring a new ghost here, if you still behave like this and don't know any rules, our masters will be angry."
"Yes, yes, yes, it's us who don't know the rules. We will definitely change next time, we will definitely change..."
The little ghost felt bitter, thinking that he had said it before, and he didn't know what Jianchou was thinking. They were all ghost officials, and he was just a little ghost from the Jieyin Division, so how could he dare to act wildly in the registration office
He then kept apologizing and nodding.
Seeing that he was sensible, the two ghost officials closed the ghost book with a haughty attitude, put it back in the distance, and said, "The ghost book has been recorded, hurry up and get out!"
The little-headed ghost suddenly felt as if he had been pardoned. He grabbed Jianchou and the big-headed ghost and retreated directly.
He passed through the two stone statues as usual, returned along the same route, and returned to the main street of the City of the Dead.
It was already late at night, and the streets were still quiet.
Jianchou was pulled out by the little-headed ghost. When he arrived here, he stopped and looked back. The registry office of the City of the Dead looked quiet and low against the backdrop of the two statues.
"Alas, this... Great Master Jianchou, what do you think?" The little-headed ghost also stopped, feeling bitter in his heart, with a sad face, feeling very aggrieved, "Didn't we agree on this?"
Jianchou knew he was talking about the bribe.
When she touched the Qiankun bag she had put away in her sleeve, she smiled bitterly. She had already changed her surname once, and she didn't want to do it again.
No matter where you go or who you become, you will always be sad and it will never change.
But there was no need to say these words to the little-headed ghost. Even if she tried her best to explain, these two guys might not understand why she was so persistent. Jianchou simply didn't explain.
She stood on the street, paced a few steps with her hands behind her back, looking quite leisurely.
"The matter has already been settled. What's the point of pursuing it further? Why not think of a countermeasure? I still don't know enough about the City of the Dead. I wonder how long you two can stay here?"
"We'll leave at dawn." The little ghost looked regretful.
The big-headed ghost looked around reluctantly.
Obviously, for the two little ghosts living in the wilderness, such a prosperous City of the Dead was something that was once out of reach.
Now that we meet and leave, I feel even more reluctant.
But what can I do
The little ghost rolled his eyes and said, "Big Head and I only know a little bit about the City of the Dead, and we have nowhere to sleep tonight. So... Master Jianchou, aren't you familiar with Lao Zhang? How about... let's go ask?"
"… I'm afraid I won't get anything out of this, and I won't get anything good out of it."
After all, it was Zhang Tang who helped her. Now asking others for help would seem a bit too much.
However, it is also a last resort.
"Since we're going to sleep on the street anyway, we might as well sleep outside Lao Zhang's door... Otherwise, if he leaves tomorrow morning, what will we do..."
Then there is no chance at all.
The little guy was very shrewd. Thinking of Zhang Tang's unusually harsh and responsible attitude, he was afraid that he would leave the city before dawn.
If you don't sit back and wait, God knows what will happen.
Jianchou thought about it and realized that this was indeed true, so he simply agreed.
About half an hour later, the three guys who couldn't find a place to stay looked at each other in silence and sat on the threshold of Zhang Tang's residence.
The bleak cold wind passed through the spacious streets. Buildings of various postures stood in the darkness, and the eighteen-story building stood clearly in the middle.
First, he met Zhang Tang, then they entered the City of the Dead together, found the Fairy in the Mist together, solved the problem of the living body, and finally went to the registry office and completely became one of the new ghosts in the City of the Dead...
After tossing and turning for most of the night, it was almost dawn.
Jianchou was originally a cultivator, and even though her ghost form seemed a little weak, far less than when she was a human, she didn't seem particularly tired.
So at this moment, she didn't feel sleepy at all.
On the contrary, the cold wind bit her face and made her more sober.
She sat casually at the foot of the door, and flipped the stone bead given by the Fairy in the Mist into her palm, rolling twice.
"So I would rather offend the other nine clans than offend the Ghost King clan... Ghosts in the City of the Dead are generally forbidden to kill each other, but this rule is no longer effective now..."
…
The head ghost and the little ghost racked their brains and told Jianchou all the rumors they had heard, whether reliable or unreliable.
Time passes by unknowingly.
Zhang Tang has always been self-disciplined, or rather, strict with himself. He is always the first one to go to the Jieyinsi every day. Even though he is now in the City of the Dead, he should be no exception.
So, just as the little-headed ghost complained, Zhang Tang got up before dawn today.
This mansion cannot be compared with the one he lived in when he was an official. It seems much smaller and simpler.
However, one thing has not changed -
No matter how you look at it, this mansion doesn't look like a place where people live.
It was too clean and simple, like an empty yard, with barely any decorations to be seen.
Zhang Tang was not addicted to pleasure, so he had no desire for anything else.
The most common creatures in his house were crows flying back and forth and roosting on the trees in the courtyard.
After washing up briefly, he put on a new clean official uniform and tied his hair up with a crown. Zhang Tang had a cold face and a stern look in his eyes.
He walked out the door and passed through the empty atrium, his footsteps particularly clear.
The two doors were as tightly closed as they were yesterday. Zhang Tang pulled out the bolts with both hands and finally opened the door.
"Squeak..."
The door hinges rubbed against each other, and suddenly there was a harsh sound, breaking the silent darkness.
At that moment, the little ghost, whose head was about to hit the ground, was frightened by the sound. His entire tailbone went cold and he jumped up with a start: "Who?!"
Zhang Tang was still holding the door with both hands, his dead face expressionless as he stared at the little-headed ghost, and...
The big-headed ghost who was already sleeping soundly on the ground and the calm Jianchou.
Just imagine how you would feel if you woke up early in the morning and opened the door to find three poor beggars sleeping there all night.
Zhang Tang had no expression, so Jianchou could not see into her heart.
She stood up slowly, clapped her hands, and expressed her gratitude to Zhang Tang: "Thanks to Mr. Zhang's care, I have been registered in the registry. I wonder if Mr. Zhang slept well last night?"
Zhang Tang didn't answer, but turned around and closed the door.
The little-headed ghost was startled just now, but now that he realized it was Zhang Tang, he became even more scared.
He quietly walked over and kicked the big-headed ghost, but to his surprise, the big-headed ghost was still sleeping soundly and ignored him.
At this time, Zhang Tang looked at the big-headed ghost indifferently, and also glanced at the small-headed ghost, and then answered Jianchou's question: "Don't worry about it."
"Master Zhang, I hope you can sleep well. Cough..." Jianchou coughed and said, "Last night, according to Master's instructions, we went to the registration office to register. However, the registration office did not tell us what to pay attention to in the City of Wrongful Death, nor did they arrange accommodation for us. Master Zhang has been in the City of Wrongful Death for a long time, I don't know..."
Words that don't need to be said will remain in the lingering sound.
Jianchou is naturally very smart in what he says.
Zhang Tang was also a smart man, how could he not understand such a simple meaning
He walked down the steps, under the horrified gaze of the small-headed ghost, stepped over the sleeping big-headed ghost in a pair of black boots, and said to Jianchou, "Today is the day when the mountain and sea market opens."
Shanhai City
Jianchou suddenly remembered what the little-headed ghost had said, and everything became clear in an instant.
"Thank you..."
Before he could finish the word "thank you", Zhang Tang frowned and looked at Chou. The gloomy light in his eyes deepened a little. Without saying anything, he turned around and walked to the other end of the street.
"this… "
The little-headed ghost was shocked and dared not speak.
Zhang Tang obviously didn't like her very much.
Jianchou could see that maybe he disliked Xie Buchen because of him
Anyway, she couldn't figure it out, so she just kept Zhang Tang's look in her mind. She didn't think too much about it, but asked the little-headed ghost: "Little head, you told me about Shanhai City before, but it appeared at dawn?"
"Shanhai City? It's right about this time... Ah! I understand now!"
The little-headed ghost slapped his forehead, his eyes lit up, and he became excited.
"Yes, if you have something, we can go to Shanhai City to sell it! Money makes the world go round!"
Shanhaishi, which means mountain city and sea city.
Every once in a while, it appears at dawn. It is a huge trading market that recurs in the major cities of the underworld and is extremely mysterious.
Everyone who does business in Shanhai City has powerful strength!
And Zhang Tang said, today is the day when Shanhai City appears!
Jianchou's eyes also brightened.
At this time, the sky was gradually getting brighter, and a fog suddenly rose in the entire City of the Dead, covering the entire city in the blink of an eye.
At the moment of dawn, a tremendous pressure suddenly rose from the fog and spread out like ripples.
"Buzz..."
It seemed that even the space in the sky was faintly shaking!
A hazy golden light rose from the endless fog, like a golden snake, wandering in the fog, outlining a magnificent outline...
The blue sky is vast, the dust is thick, the green tiles and flying eaves are full of people in the market.
It was as if a tall building rose from the ground. In an instant, in this misty space, a huge city, seemingly real and illusory, appeared, floating above the City of the Dead!
"Mirage..."