Zombie Bodyguard

At the head of Naihe Bridge, there is a stone pavilion. Inside the pavilion sits a woman, beside whom is a large cauldron, the water within bubbling vigorously. Every ghost soul stepping up to the pavilion takes a bowl and drinks a portion of the soup from the cauldron.

There are also ghost souls who refuse to drink the soup, choosing instead to linger around Naihe Bridge, or even jumping into the Wangchuan River. Whenever a spirit leaps into the river, the woman in the pavilion does not stop them, merely shaking her head with a sigh.

However, any soul that jumps into the Wangchuan River is immediately beset by ghostly faces that gnaw at them, each spirit screaming in agony, helpless as they sink. Once in the Wangchuan River, they are doomed to float for a thousand years, gnawed upon by countless evil spirits.

"How tragic. Is the woman in the pavilion the legendary Meng Po?" Lin Tian asked.

"On Naihe Bridge, one faces Naihe; right and wrong cannot cross the Wangchuan River. Before the Three-Life Stone, there is no right or wrong; by Wangxiang Platform, one meets Meng Po. Indeed, she is the Yin Ghost Officer distributing Mengpo Soup to the souls, Meng Po," Zhang Lingyu recited.

Lin Tian scratched his head and said, "Are you sure she's really Meng Po? How could she be such an unparalleled beauty?"

It wasn't that Lin Tian was being rude, but the Meng Po before him completely overturned the image in his mind. In his imagination, Meng Po should be an old woman, distributing Mengpo Soup to the souls entering reincarnation, making them forget the loves and hatreds of their past lives.

Yet here, Meng Po was a stunning beauty dressed in a simple gown, tall and slender, with fair skin and picturesque features, no less attractive than Zhang Lingyu beside him, akin to a fairy stepping out of a painting.

In this lifeless Netherworld, such a beauty was like a bright stroke of color, even seeming to lessen the bloody scent of the Wangchuan River.

Lin Tian's eyes widened. With Meng Po appearing in such a form, it completely shattered common beliefs. Lin Tian finally understood that much of what people think is merely one-sided wishes.

Zhang Lingyu turned to look at him and blinked, saying, "I don't know why either. Plus, who says Meng Po can't be a beauty? Have you heard the legend of Meng Po?"

"The legend says that Meng Po was once a Heavenly Girl in Heaven. Seeing the countless entanglements of love and hate among humans, which they refused to relinquish even in death, she came to the Wangchuan River in the Netherworld. At the head of Naihe Bridge, she set up a large cauldron, refining the unresolved thoughts of humans into Mengpo Soup, allowing the souls to drink, forget the loves and hatreds of their past lives, and move on to the next reincarnation."

"Meng Po is a Heavenly Girl, so of course as beautiful as a Heavenly Immortal. Have you ever seen an unbeautiful Heavenly Girl?" Zhang Lingyu said matter-of-factly.

"There's also a legend that Meng Po is none other than Meng Jiang. In past times, when Meng Jiang cried the Great Wall down, she saw countless corpses beneath but never found her husband's bones. To forget these painful memories, she brewed a soup that could erase memories. Heaven, moved by her love for her husband, spared her the suffering of reincarnation, allowing her to brew Forget Love Soup at Naihe Bridge, which is Mengpo Soup."

"Meng Jiang was originally a beauty, so regardless if she's a Heavenly Girl or Meng Jiang, Meng Po is the image of a beauty," Zhang Lingyu remarked.

Lin Tian shook his head, speechless. Indeed, can a Heavenly Girl be anything but beautiful? Very well, accept that Meng Po is a beauty.

Subsequently, Lin Tian thought of a difficult problem: to cross Naihe Bridge, one must drink Mengpo Soup. But he came to find the soul of the Second Miss. Drinking Mengpo Soup, forgetting everything, how could he find her? Wouldn't that trap him as well? Perhaps fight his way across?

Lin Tian assessed the ghost soldiers guarding Naihe Bridge and compared their strength to his side's, thinking that perhaps fighting through wasn't impossible.

"Lin Tian, I know what you're thinking. Do not act recklessly. Beyond Naihe Bridge lies the main city of the Netherworld, Fengdu City, where the Ten Halls Yama reside. Any disturbance might alarm the guardian forces of Fengdu City. Even with three heads and six arms, you wouldn't suffice," Zhang Lingyu softly warned.

"Of course, I'm not a fool. Let's first see how they handle the red-clothed female ghost," Lin Tian replied.

The Ferryman escorted the red-clothed female ghost to the bridgehead, into the stone pavilion, where Lord Niu said, "Meng Po, her karma is too heavy. She must be judged and then punished in Hell."

Instead of giving the red-clothed female ghost Mengpo Soup, Meng Po simply nodded and let her pass, much to Lin Tian's surprise—she crossed Naihe Bridge without drinking Mengpo Soup?

Zhang Lingyu seemed to notice Lin Tian's confusion and softly explained, "The red-clothed female ghost has heavy resentment and karma. She probably doesn't qualify for reincarnation and might fall into Hell eternally. Only souls destined for reincarnation drink Mengpo Soup."

The red-clothed female ghost was escorted out of the stone pavilion, onto Naihe Bridge. But once there, she refused to move, staring blankly at the Wangchuan River as the Ferryman scolded and urged her on. She was oblivious, quietly beginning to chant.

"Other Shore Flower, blooms for a thousand years, falls for a thousand years, the flower and leaf never meet. Love not for cause and effect, fate destined for life and death, forever knowing each other but unable to fall in love. In this life, unreachable to the other shore, leave all memory behind, the flower is Huangquan."

If one ignores the paleness of the female ghost's face, upon careful inspection, she's still quite a beauty. With her melancholic gaze, the song grows ever more mournful. Who would imagine that such a female ghost could be the Fierce Ghost feared by even Ghost Messengers?

The song seemed to have a magical power as Lin Tian listened, irresistibly reminding him of Xiao Manxuan's silhouette, walking alone on Huangquan Road.

When Lin Tian snapped back to reality, he discovered he had walked into the stone pavilion, arriving before Meng Po. Enchanted by the song, he drifted into the pavilion along with the souls, unaware, catching sight of Zhang Lingyu beside him with the same bewildered expression.

What a powerful song, capable of confounding the heart. Lin Tian was astounded, understanding why the Ferrymen treated it as such a great threat, mobilizing so much caution.

Lin Tian and Zhang Lingyu awoke from their trance, yet the other souls remained ensnared by the melody, including not a few of the ghost soldiers on the bridge who also began to drift into a stupor.

"Alas..."

A soft sigh suddenly resonated, though low and light, it seemed to spread across the entire Naihe Bridge, followed by a gentle voice.

"In the world, many besotted children, deeply ensnared in suffering... Alas, alas, past lives are concluded, good and evil in this life are only as the heart imagines, drink the Forget Love Soup, set aside all parting sorrow."

Lin Tian looked up and saw that it was Meng Po before him speaking. With her murmuring, the ghost soldiers and souls awoke, breaking free from the song's charm.

As he gazed at Meng Po, she also turned to look at Lin Tian. Meng Po's originally serene eyes suddenly began to shimmer.

Calming herself, she said softly, "Man is not of the Six Paths, why traverse the Naihe?"

These words, though not loud, exploded like thunder in Lin Tian's mind. Zhang Lingyu, hearing them, was equally astonished. This Meng Po had instantly seen through Lin Tian's identity!