Bits and pieces about Lewis Si kept surfacing in my mind—mostly his misdeeds. Both Lewis Si and Li Nian were chief Hell's Registrars, serving directly under the Seventh Judge of Hell, the Taishan King.
I stopped in utter surprise, not knowing what was happening. As I thought about my impression of Lewis Si, details about him kept flooding my mind.
Speaking of the Seventh Judge of Hell, Taishan King—wasn’t he the one who ordered Uncle Mo to eliminate Yin Choujian? That old man seemed furious with Yin Choujian.
As for Marshal Leopard, whom we were about to meet next, Ray Lin said he serves under the Ninth Judge of Hell. I wasn’t clear on all the relationships in the Underworld, but Ray Lin only mentioned this much.
The Twin Reapers, The Bullheaded Keeper and Horsefaced Sentinel, all serve under the Fifth Judge of Hell. I didn’t know why Ray Lin explained it to me this way.
After leaving the place where the souls were held, Ray Lin led me toward the left side of the watchtower. Over there stood a large building with its doors wide open, marked 'Checkpoint.' I saw many Hell's Registrars escorting souls in and out, then heading there and returning to the watchtower.
As we passed the watchtower, I stared in surprise. There was no gate beneath the tower—just a stone wall. Yet the Hell's Registrars, after leaving the Checkpoint, would lead spirits straight into the wall.
“The trouble starts here. To enter the Yellow Authority Road or Ghost Gate Pass, you need Marshal Leopard’s approval to get through.”
I nodded and followed Ray Lin to the building—a huge wooden structure. As soon as I entered, I saw, directly opposite, a meticulous middle-aged man dressed in black office attire, holding a pen. I watched a Hell's Registrar respectfully hand him a sheet of paper. He pressed his left hand, moved a little, then wrote something on the paper. The Registrar took the paper and left respectfully.
At first, when Ray Lin mentioned Marshal Leopard, I pictured a blue-faced, fanged man with a leopard’s tail. But now, the person sitting before me looked more like a senior official—meticulous and businesslike. The stark contrast made me feel oddly out of place.
“Oh, Li Nian, Lewis Si, you’re here.”
Marshal Leopard looked up, his face serious as he glanced at us, then gestured for us to sit down.
Ray Lin didn’t stand on ceremony. We sat down on the nearby sofa. I quietly watched Marshal Leopard as Hell's Registrars kept coming in. He kept signing documents with his pen, looking very focused.
He looked nothing like the fierce, menacing figure in my mind. In person, he seemed silent and reserved, signing off on many things without saying a word. Even when the Hell's Registrars tried to chat with him, he only gave a trademark smile.
Finally, no more Hell's Registrars came in. Marshal Leopard stood up, walked over, and sat across from us, then began pouring tea.
“Marshal Leopard, let me do it. I’ll pour.”
Ray Lin quickly smiled and went over to help pour the tea.
We took a few sips of tea. Marshal Leopard looked at us, serious as ever.
“Lewis Si, let that girl go, will you? Don’t you have dozens of wives at home already? Still trying to forcibly marry the girl from that little shop? I heard today your men beat up her brother pretty badly, right?”
Ray Lin burst out laughing, then stood up.
“Marshal Leopard, it was that kid who didn’t know his place. In broad daylight, he embarrassed my men, so we beat him up.”
I felt extremely awkward, but just then, Marshal Leopard suddenly fixed his gaze on me. I quickly forced a laugh.
“Since you’ve spoken, Marshal Leopard, I’ll let it go.”
Suddenly, Marshal Leopard reached out and placed his hand right in front of my forehead. I stared at him in shock, my heart pounding.
Marshal Leopard kept his hand raised, staring at me. Had he figured me out? As my thoughts raced and I considered running, Ray Lin suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, Marshal Leopard, this guy’s changed his ways. Don’t worry, he won’t bother her again.”
Marshal Leopard finally lowered his hand, still looking serious as he stared at us.
“The ghosts in town have a lot of complaints about you two brothers. You’ve only been here a few months, but already... There are still decades left for you to stay. I don’t want you bullying the ghosts anymore, understood?”
“Come on, Marshal Leopard, you may be the boss here, but we’re not under your jurisdiction, right? We’re not your subordinates, and we belong to a different department. There are so many types of ghosts—can you really manage them all?”
My heart skipped a beat. Why was Ray Lin suddenly getting so sharp with Marshal Leopard?
“It’s true, you’re not under my command, and I have no authority over you. My job is just to make sure no troublemakers sneak onto the Yellow Authority Road—especially those Seven Ghost Sovereigns, now fully revived. But I want you to remember: the ghosts and prisoners here aren’t toys for you two to amuse yourselves with.”
The more Marshal Leopard spoke, the more ashamed I felt.
“Come on, we’ve talked about this before, Marshal Leopard. As the old saying goes, ‘It’s easier to face the King of Hell than the little ghosts’—isn’t that always been true? We brothers are just playing the role of little ghosts, that’s all. Anyway, let’s go have a drink together later.”
Ray Lin said this and pulled me up from the sofa. Marshal Leopard kept staring at me. As we reached the door, his shout echoed behind us.
“Lewis Si, you’ve been acting strange these days. Did something happen?”
Just before we left, Marshal Leopard asked. Ray Lin laughed and said I’d had a rough day on the street. Then we left.
Once outside, Ray Lin led me back to the place where we’d just been drinking, looking at me helplessly.
“Be smart, kid. That guy is probably getting suspicious.”
“So what do we do?”
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“Why haven’t those two Hell’s Registrars come back yet? Seriously.”
Ray Lin was visibly annoyed and took a swig of his drink.
When those two Hell’s Registrars show up, just say the Seventh Judge of Hell, Taishan King, needs us for something. We’ll have to head back—leave here as soon as possible.
I nodded, but I couldn’t help looking at Ray Lin in confusion.
“How do you act so convincingly?”
“Brother Qingyuan, I’ve lived thirty times longer than you, at least. I’ve seen more people and experienced more things, that’s all. Don’t overthink it. I can tell you’re forcing yourself most of the time. Just be careful and don’t blow your cover.”
As I kept thinking about Lewis Si, more and more memories surfaced. He and Li Nian committed all kinds of evil, and many ghosts in Halfway Crossing hated them deeply.
The incident with Lewis Si harassing the young girl at the butcher shop also came to mind. He set his sights on the female ghost and kept hanging around the shop. When she refused, Lewis Si kept pestering her every day, insisting on marrying her. Her brother couldn’t stand it but didn’t dare do anything about Lewis Si.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Ray Lin patted me on the shoulder.
After that, we waited another day, but the two Hell’s Registrars escorting Boss Zhang still hadn’t returned.
Li Nian and I spent most days drinking and chatting, occasionally going out for a stroll. Ray Lin told me that no matter how slow things were, they’d arrive tonight. Just then, the burly man who’d fought us earlier came over, smiling apologetically.
“What? Haven’t you had enough of getting beaten yet?”
“No, sirs. I’m here for Lord Lewis. My sister finally agreed—she said she’d meet Lord Lewis in the northern woods to talk. See?”
“Brother, you’d better hurry up, haha.” Ray Lin patted me casually and laughed. Embarrassed, I got up and followed the burly man out of the tavern, heading north. He kept chatting, mixing praise and complaints, and I had no choice but to keep smiling.
The man was named Zhao Zhen, and his sister was Zhao Xiaodie. From what I remembered, she was a cute, pretty female ghost. The siblings ran a butcher shop together in Halfway Crossing.
Under the cold moonlight, I followed Zhao Zhen through the woods. He kept trying to say nice things, and I just laughed awkwardly.
Finally, we arrived. In the moonlight, I saw a female ghost in white standing quietly among the trees, her back to me.
“Sir, let me carry your things. My sister’s timid—she’s scared of the stuff you’re carrying.”
Without thinking much, I handed the red-headed black club from my back to Zhao Zhen, awkwardly walking forward step by step.
Suddenly, the ground beneath me gave way. I shouted in surprise as ghosts rushed out from all directions. I saw them holding black ropes, and in an instant, they tied me up tightly. The female ghost turned around and glared at me viciously.
“Die, Lewis Si!”
A dagger gleaming with cold light stabbed toward my chest. It was an unusual blade, covered in intricate patterns. With a hiss, the dagger pierced into me, and ghosts swarmed from all sides—some covering my mouth, others pinning down my arms and legs.
The pain was excruciating. Ever since that dagger struck me, I couldn’t muster any strength. Agony made me want to scream, but I was helpless—my limbs were held down tight.
“Don’t worry, sis. Looks like we really did get a Ghost Soldier. Even if it cost us everything, it was worth it. That bastard Lewis Si—today’s the day he dies.”
I felt those ghosts binding me tightly with black ropes, even covering my mouth. I whimpered.
The female ghost looked at me, terrified.
“Don’t be scared, sis. This guy’s like a Suppressing Green Ghost—it’s hard to kill him. We’ll have to take it slow and use that good ghost’s method to finish him off bit by bit.”