Chapter 110: Clearing the Gate of Hell
“On White Impermanence’s tall hat, the four characters read: Wealth at First Sight,” Lin Huai explained. “Anyone who sees him, human or spirit, is said to receive good financial luck. That, combined with his warm, constant smile, makes him naturally popular.”
She continued thoughtfully, “On Black Impermanence’s hat, however, the four words read: Peace Under Heaven. He is the underworld deity charged with enforcing order and capturing evil. People tend to fear and dislike him, probably because… law enforcers are always seen as strict and troublesome.”
Cute and Sparkling tilted her head in curiosity. “Then why do you prefer Black Impermanence, Boss? Is it because he is upright and cannot be bought?”
Lin Huai carefully tucked the black jade carving into a cushioned pocket of her backpack. A faint smile touched her lips, her voice carrying an elusive, distant warmth: “Perhaps it’s simply because… he saved my life once.”
Several Yakshas were already waiting respectfully near the entrance of the Golden Jade Pavilion. The moment they spotted Lin Huai and her companions stepping out, they hurried over with wide, fawning smiles, bowing low.
“Ah… Big Sister, are your supplies all gathered?”
Lin Huai nodded, retrieving a few pure Yin energy crystals and placing them into the guards’ eager hands. “Thank you for waiting, brothers. Everything is prepared. We can head toward Ghost Gate Pass now.”
The Yakshas were overjoyed by the unexpected tip. Their service became even more attentive. Marching ahead as an honor guard, they not only cleared spectral pedestrians from the way, but they even kicked stray pebbles off the cobblestones to ensure a smooth path.
They were practically rolling out a red carpet.
Following the escort, the squad reached the western gates of the City of Wrongful Death. Beyond the threshold lay a narrow, weathered stone bridge swallowed by churning black fog.
The Yaksha captain halted at the head of the bridge and pointed toward the misty abyss ahead. “Honored guests, our duty ends here.”
His tone turned formal: “This bridge is the only path leading to Ghost Gate Pass, representing the true boundary between the living and the dead. Once you cross into Ghost Gate Pass, there is no turning back. Please have your travel permits ready.”
He added a word of caution: “Once you step onto the stones, the mist will separate you, and you will not be able to see or hear one another. Do not panic. This is the final stretch of mortal life, and each soul must walk its own path alone.”
With a final bow, the Yakshas turned and marched back into the city.
Behind them, the heavy western gates slammed shut with a dull boom.
Before them stretched only the endless stone bridge, its surface buried so deeply in fog that even their own boots vanished from view.
Lin Huai took a breath and stepped toward the edge, preparing to lead the way.
“Do not worry, everyone. There are no lethal traps on the bridge itself. Keep your footing and walk forward, and you will arrive safely at Ghost Gate Pass.”
She turned back to remind them: “Everyone has prepared their gifts. When you meet General Ox-Head and General Horse-Face, there is no need for idle chatter. Present the tributes respectfully and hand over your permits for inspection.”
With those final instructions, she took the first step onto the bridge.
The squad members followed right behind her.
The moment her soles touched the icy stone, the sounds of footsteps behind her vanished. The misty void swallowed everything, leaving her entirely alone in the quiet world. A suffocating, boundless wave of loneliness rose from the dark, pressing heavily against her chest.
She had crossed this bridge in her previous life.
Even with that memory, walking it a second time could not shield her from the quiet sorrow woven into the air.
She moved forward at a steady pace. Within the swirling fog ahead, a shimmering projection of pale light appeared. As she took each step, scenes of her past began to play across the mist.
An infant lay wrapped in a threadbare cotton blanket, abandoned beneath a large scholar tree by a weeping old woman.
A middle-aged man with a small, distinct red birthmark between his eyebrows emerged from a nearby coffin shop, drawn by the faint cries. He scooped the tiny bundle into his warm arms and carried her back inside the shop.
Gazing at that familiar, gentle face, a soft, nostalgic smile formed on Lin Huai’s lips.
She did not slow down, continuing her march across the bridge.
Key moments from her upbringing replayed one after another, like a slowly turning kaleidoscope of memory.
The final projection froze on a numb, younger Lin Huai pushing an unpainted wooden coffin toward a quiet hillside cemetery in the rain.
That was the last time she had ever seen Old Lin—the place where their paths had parted forever.
The vision ended abruptly where the survival trial had begun, and the thick fog parted in an instant. Standing before her was an immense bronze fortress gate, towering so high its eaves pierced through the gray clouds above.
Fixed to the upper arch of the gate was a massive iron plaque inscribed with three ancient, imposing characters: Ghost Gate Pass.
The writing carried an overwhelming, timeless dignity, as if it had judged every mortal soul since the dawn of creation.
Every spirit who stood before it looked up instinctively, their hearts quivering beneath the sheer spiritual weight radiating from the stone.
For wicked souls who had committed heinous atrocities in life, that aura would crush them to their knees, forcing them to weep and confess their sins in agony.
In her past life, seeing Old Lin’s face during the crossing had overwhelmed Lin Huai so deeply that she had wept before the gates for half an hour before regaining her composure.
This time, her mind was steady. She set her grief aside and walked directly toward the entrance.
Guarding the threshold were two imposing figures—General Ox-Head to the left and General Horse-Face to the right. To interact with passing travelers, both had assumed humanoid forms standing nearly two meters tall.
Towering behind each general were their true spiritual avatars—colossal, shadowy projections that radiated terrifying divine power.
Lin Huai approached with steady steps. She first offered the sealed container of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to General Ox-Head, then presented the gold-inlaid jade Pixiu statue to General Horse-Face.
Both generals accepted the tributes, their fierce gazes softening considerably. Relieved, Lin Huai stepped over to a stone desk where a pale underworld clerk sat reviewing travelers.
She retrieved her wooden travel permit and laid it on the counter.
Unfolding the wooden casing revealed a crisp sheet of spirit paper. The page was completely blank, save for twenty empty red squares stamped in neat rows.
The clerk picked up a heavy bronze seal, hovering it over the paper with a flat, emotionless stare. “Where is the quest token proving your service within the city?”
Lin Huai possessed only one genuine token, and she had no intention of surrendering it.
Instead, she brought out the small wooden pass the Yaksha captain had given her, sliding five pure Yin energy crystals discreetly beneath the wood. “This is my clearance token.”
The clerk swept up the pass, pausing to weigh the glowing crystals in his palm. He held one up to the lantern light, examining its clarity and purity with a trained eye. Satisfied, he brought the heavy seal down with a sharp thud, stamping an intricate underworld insignia into the very first red square.
He folded the document, slotted it back into the wooden casing, and handed it across the desk.
“Permit verified. You may proceed.”
“Ghost Gate Pass cleared!”
The moment the words fell, the long steel tridents held by Ox-Head and Horse-Face struck the pavement in unison. With a deep, groaning rumble, the colossal bronze gates ground open.
A wave of concentrated, ancient Yin energy poured through the widening gap, chilling the air far beyond the freezing cold of any morgue. Even with her high stats and protective gear, Lin Huai shivered from the sudden drop in temperature.
As she stepped across the massive stone threshold, the deep, resonant voices of the two guardians boomed behind her:
“Keep walking.”
“Do not look back.”
Lin Huai kept her eyes forward, whispering softly into the cold air, “Thank you. I will reach the very end.”
Behind her, the heavy bronze gates shut with a thunderous boom that shook the earth.
When her vision cleared, the deep snow of the survival highway stretched out beneath her boots once again. Parked quietly in the center of the road were her armored hearse and the green jade coffin, waiting untouched exactly where she had left them.
Night had fallen across the frozen wilderness, and large white snowflakes drifted steadily from the dark sky.
