Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After a person dies, once the first ritual is performed and the offerings are received, one must first visit a certain place in the Underworld before returning seven days after death to confirm their Yin House address and registered name. Only after reporting this can they receive offerings from before and after their death. Once the seven days have passed, only then can offerings be received at the crossroads. Therefore, from this perspective, Sister Li and her daughter burning paper at this crossroads is futile.
Regarding the so-called expert she mentioned, it’s likely that this so-called expert is either just a scammer trying to swindle money or has ulterior motives.
Thinking of this, I asked Sister Li, “Sister Li, did that expert say why you needed to come here to pay respects?”
Sister Li looked at me with confusion and said, “What’s wrong, Xiao Liu? Do you understand these matters as well?”
I chuckled lightly and replied, “I’ve heard a bit about it. I wonder if Sister Li could share more. What you’re doing is quite dangerous.” After saying this, I walked over to the little girl, took out a red string, and tied it around her wrist as a precaution. This place was heavy with Yin Qi, and the little girl appeared to lack Yang Qi, so wearing a red string would help protect her from harm.
Sister Li watched my actions and nodded with a smile, saying, “This is quite a long story…”
To prevent the girl from seeing anything inappropriate, I drew an eye-sealing talisman on her Fontanel while listening to Sister Li recount their family’s situation.
The story goes like this: Sister Li's husband’s surname is Huang. The couple runs a company and essentially started from scratch. They worked very hard, especially Mr. Huang, who only slept four or five hours a night during the initial stages of setting up the company. Whenever he felt tired or worn out, he would smoke or drink coffee to stay awake. To keep the company running smoothly, he often went out for drinks and socializing. Over time, his body began to suffer from accumulated fatigue without him realizing it.
It was somewhat of a coincidence that they lived in Guangzhou and operated their business there; they had driven overnight from Guangzhou to get here.
After three years of hard work, they finally saved up enough money to buy an apartment in downtown Guangzhou. However, shortly after moving in, their good fortune quickly turned sour. The health issues Mr. Huang had previously been unaware of began to surface dramatically.
By the time they went for medical checks, it was already late-stage cancer. A doctor friend informed them that there was basically no hope left and advised them to prepare for the worst.
This doctor was a close friend of theirs; wanting to spare them from wasting more money on futile treatments, he suggested conservative care instead. He told them to fulfill any unaccomplished wishes and quietly wait for Mr. Huang's passing.
However, Sister Li couldn’t accept this reality. Even though she knew there was no hope left, she still wanted to hold on and wait for a miracle. She planned to withdraw all their funds and even considered transferring the company because she feared regretting not having done everything possible to grasp that faint hope. Since Mr. Huang was the legal representative of the company, his signature was required for any transfer of ownership.
Mr. Huang, despite being gravely ill, remained lucid. He understood the difficulties of starting a business and did not want to see everything he had worked for vanish just like that. More importantly, he did not want his wife and children to be left without support; he wanted to ensure their future well-being. So when Sister Li presented him with the transfer contract for his signature, he resolutely refused. He stated that he could not use the money he had earned through hard work for something so meaningless. In the end, he insisted on being discharged from the hospital, declaring that if he were to die, it would be at home.
Sister Li was unable to persuade Mr. Huang, so she completed the discharge procedures and brought him home for conservative treatment, which could be bluntly described as the final journey of his life.
After returning home, Sister Li did not abandon her plans. She frequently hinted at transferring the company and selling their house to fund his treatment. Each time, Mr. Huang firmly opposed her and secretly hid the property deed.
Days passed at home, and Sister Li grew increasingly anxious; the longer they delayed treatment, the less likely it became to succeed. So she dug out the property deed and began preparing to sell their belongings forcefully to pay for Mr. Huang's treatment.
By then, Mr. Huang was already in a critical state. He knew that treating his illness was practically impossible, yet he lacked the strength to stop Sister Li. One night, after she had fallen asleep, he unexpectedly found a moment of clarity. He opened his bedside drawer and took out a handful of sleeping pills he had previously used, swallowing them all at once. Ultimately, he departed this world as he wished.
The next morning, when Sister Li woke up and saw that Mr. Huang had quietly left this life, she could no longer contain her grief and cried out to the heavens.
This incident occurred just a few days ago. Observing Sister Li's state now, it seemed she was beginning to accept this reality. One couldn't help but admire her courage while feeling a sense of helplessness regarding her choices; Mr. Huang's departure had become inevitable. If I were in her shoes, I would not dwell on this matter any longer; I would accompany Mr. Huang through his final moments in life with care. Of course, Sister Li was not wrong; it's just that everyone has different thoughts and perspectives. Some things cannot be avoided simply because one fears future regret; just like Sister Li now likely regretted not having been there for Mr. Huang during his last moments.
Revisiting old matters stirred emotions within her once more; by this point in her story, she was already in tears. I quietly helped her finish burning the paper offerings; regardless of their significance, they served as a form of solace for her.
I did not disturb her until the paper had completely burned away, after which she gradually regained her composure.
"Let's go; this place isn't very peaceful. Let's talk somewhere else," I suggested.
Sister Li nodded and replied, "Let's go to my car." Despite being approached by a stranger at a cemetery crossroads in the middle of the night, she seemed to have little resistance towards me—perhaps because I was also there to pay my respects or maybe my earnest demeanor eased her apprehensions. Additionally, she clearly needed something to distract herself from her sorrow.
Back in Sister Li's red sedan, she still couldn't fully let go of her emotions; instead, she rested her head on the steering wheel and softly sobbed, appearing particularly helpless. I sat in the passenger seat feeling awkward; although I knew her story now, I still didn't know how to comfort her. The little girl sat quietly in the back seat without saying a word.
After a few minutes, Sister Li lifted her head. It was then that I asked, "Why did someone suggest you come here to burn paper money after Mr. Huang passed away?" This question had been on my mind for quite some time; I just hadn't found an opportunity to ask until now.
Sister Li took a deep breath and replied, "Actually, it was like this. The day after my husband was buried, he came to me in a dream. That dream made me very uneasy, so I found a master in Guangzhou who interpreted it for me. He said that my husband died by suicide, and because of that, he would suffer punishment in hell. He advised me to burn more Joss Paper for my husband so that he could have some assistance down there and hopefully avoid punishment."
As for the punishments for suicide in the Underworld, I had only read about them in a Buddhist book. It mentioned that there is a level in the eighteen layers of hell called Wangsi Hell, which belongs to the lower nine layers of hell.
Wangsi Hell—one must understand that coming into this world as a human is not easy; it is an opportunity given by Yama. If you do not cherish it and choose to commit suicide—by cutting your wrists, poisoning yourself, hanging yourself, or other means—you will anger Yama and be cast into the wrongful death prison after death. You will never have the chance to be human again.
Regarding this concept of hell, I had looked through many Taoist texts to verify it, but it seemed there was no substantial basis for it. It might just be an extreme way of encouraging people to cherish life according to Buddhist teachings. However, some Taoist texts do mention that those who commit suicide are treated differently from those who die from other causes in the afterlife. From this perspective, suicide is indeed not a good thing. While one may not be eternally reborn, they will certainly face other punishments. Therefore, suicide is not a release for people; one should not think that death means everything is over. If you have the courage to take your own life, what else is there that you lack the courage to face?
"So did that master also instruct you to come here to burn Joss Paper?" I continued to ask.
Sister Li nodded and said, "Yes, he said this is a necessary path for my husband's soul to take, so I need to burn it here continuously for three days. Each day I must burn for two hours, and it can only be done after ten o'clock."
This left me puzzled. If Mr. Huang's spirit needed to pass through here, why not just burn at his grave? Wouldn't that be more direct?
I frowned and asked further, "Then why not burn at the grave? Also, when you burn the paper without calling out his name, how can he receive it?"
"Xiao Liu, is there something wrong with that?" Sister Li countered.
I nodded sincerely and said, "To be honest with you, Sister Li, I work in this field. I have some understanding of matters concerning spirits and deities. From what I know, your way of burning paper as an offering is completely meaningless."
"How could that be? That master was introduced by a friend; he wouldn't deceive me—it's impossible!" Sister Li began to panic. This matter was a source of solace for her; if it turned out to be meaningless, she would certainly struggle to accept it. She was already deeply saddened; if her friend had played her like this, she would fall apart even more.
Of course, her words also reflected some skepticism towards me since we had just met; naturally, my credibility couldn't compare to that of someone familiar.
Hearing Sister Li say this made me understand her feelings better. I didn't want to dwell on the matter any longer; instead, I said, "Let's set aside whether that master deceived you or not for now. Please tell me about the content of the dream your husband entrusted you with. Of course, if it's convenient for you to share."
Sister Li was momentarily taken aback and said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. We are strangers, and meeting here is a kind of fate. My husband only appeared in my dreams, staring at me blankly, with no expression on his face. I wanted to reach out to him, but I couldn't move at all. He didn't say a word or show any emotion. He just kept looking at me."
"Is that all?" I continued to ask.
Sister Li replied, "Yes, that's all. I didn't know what my husband meant, so the next day I went to consult a friend. My friend recommended this expert to me, and then that expert came to my house. He said there were no ghosts in my home; rather, my husband lacked offerings and asked me to burn more Joss Paper for him. He also mentioned that since it was for offerings, it shouldn't be burned at the grave but rather at a crossroads. Later, he even came personally to choose a spot for me. Today, I bought a trunk full of Joss Paper from him and plan to come here every night to burn some."
This was even more troubling; this wasn't a toll for Mr. Huang but rather a toll for the surrounding Wandering Souls. Did that expert really have such good intentions to provide benefits for these Wandering Souls? Even if he did, it shouldn't involve Sister Li, especially since they were introduced by friends.
"You said you bought your Joss Paper from that expert?" I asked.
Sister Li nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. It wasn't cheap either, but he said it had been blessed and would quickly reach my husband."
"Well then, Sister Li, could you open the trunk so I can take a look at those Joss Papers?" I furrowed my brow, as I had an inkling of what might be happening.
At six o'clock sharp, I wanted to share something with everyone: many friends have been asking about Liu Bi lately, so I'm planning to prepare a new book about Liu Bi. As for the additional updates tonight, if there are no rewards for extra chapters, I'll pause the second update for now. But don't worry; I will ensure at least one update every day. The new book about Liu Bi will not affect the progress of this current book. Thank you to "qq151117112948" for the diamond support. Good night in advance to everyone. Regarding the new book, I will open a special chapter introduction in the coming days. What I can say is that the new book will have a lot of information and an engaging plot that will definitely not disappoint you all.
Comment 0 Comment Count