landbeastnovel Chapter 1: Exiled to the River of the Underworld, was this job done by a ghost?
Chapter 1: Exiled to the River of the Underworld, was this job done by a ghost?
The Underworld, the Department of Reincarnation.
"Zhang San, the clerk judge at the City God Temple."
"Li Si, trainee jailer of the eighteenth level of hell."
"Wang Wu, Bridge of Helplessness, Order Maintainer."
Inside the somber hall, a group of "newcomers" dressed in brand-new underworld robes sat upright, their faces filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Each time a name was called, the ghost whose name was called beamed with joy, stood tall and proud as they stepped forward to receive their appointment order.
They are elites who have just passed the unified recruitment examination of the underworld and emerged from the nine netherworlds and ten categories of countless souls.
Chu Jiang is among them.
He came from a world called Earth, a typical office worker. In his past life, he struggled through countless exams and finally managed to get a government job, but during the onboarding dinner, he choked to death on a piece of barbecue and unexpectedly transmigrated to this bizarre and fantastical underworld.
Unexpectedly, the "civil service exam preparation" skills he had honed in his previous life came in handy in this one. He overcame all obstacles and ultimately succeeded in entering the underworld with top scores in both the written and oral exams.
"Chu Jiang, a mortal soul with no foundation, ascended to the underworld and entered the cycle of reincarnation; truly a ghostly genius rarely seen in a thousand years!"
This is the final round of the recruitment process, and this is the examiner's evaluation of him.
Chu Jiang was secretly delighted, feeling that he was finally about to reach the pinnacle of his ghostly life and marry a beautiful female ghost—no, he was going to dedicate himself to maintaining order in the underworld.
Before the hall, Judge Wei, the chief clerk of the Reincarnation Department, a middle-aged ghost with a livid face and sinister eyes, was slowly reading out the assignment results of the newly promoted underworld officials while holding a black "List of Names".
These are all powerful departments or lucrative positions in the underworld, with bright futures ahead.
The surrounding ghosts cast envious glances, and the atmosphere inside the hall grew even more lively.
Chu Jiang was also somewhat expectant. He ranked first in both the written and oral exams, so he should at least be given a decent position, right? He wouldn't be picky about anything, like a recorder in the Underworld or an accountant in the God of Wealth's Palace.
Finally, the list was read to the very end.
Judge Wei paused, glanced at Chu Jiang with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"Chu Jiang."
Chu Jiang's spirits lifted, and he immediately stood up straight.
Judge Wei drawled out each word, saying, "By the decree of King Yama and the mercy of the Earth Goddess, you are hereby appointed as the ferryman of the Three Paths Crossing the River of the Underworld."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.
All the ghosts and spirits' gazes instantly focused on Chu Jiang, their eyes filled with astonishment, sympathy, but mostly schadenfreude.
The River of the Dead? The Ferryman?
Isn't that the most arduous and exhausting job in the underworld, with no hope of ever getting ahead?
To put it nicely, they're underworld messengers; to put it bluntly, they're just boatmen. Their daily work consists of rowing a dilapidated boat across the River of the Dead, filled with resentment and evil spirits, transporting souls of the dead day after day, without even a single ghost to talk to.
Moreover, it is the Sanzu Ferry, the most chaotic ferry with the most evil spirits. It is said that the previous ferryman was torn apart by evil spirits and ended up with his soul scattered.
What's the difference between this and being exiled to the army?
Chu Jiang's smile froze.
He suspected that he had heard wrongly.
"Judge Wei, are you sure you didn't misread it? I..."
"presumptuous!"
Judge Wei's face darkened, and he slammed the "List of Names" heavily on the table with a dull thud.
"How dare a new ghost like you question the appointment made by the Reincarnation Bureau? This is the decision of King Yama and Queen Yama. Are you trying to defy the imperial decree by being dissatisfied?"
A huge hat was immediately put on him.
Chu Jiang's brows furrowed. He could sense that something was wrong.
A top scholar who was just praised as a "genius of a thousand years" has suddenly been banished to row a boat? If there's no foul play involved, he must have swallowed his own soul fire.
"I dare not," Chu Jiang said, suppressing his anger. "However, my evaluation was the best, and according to the customs of the Underworld, I should..."
"Standard practice?"
Judge Wei chuckled as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Chu Jiang, Chu Jiang, do you think the underworld is your private domain? There's no shortage of geniuses here. You're just a mortal soul who came here with no relatives or friends. The fact that you haven't been sent to the mountains of knives and the boiling oil is already a mercy from the King of Hell."
He stood up, slowly walked to Chu Jiang, lowered his voice, and said in a volume only the two of them could hear:
"Don't think I don't know. My nephew Wei Tong failed the exam because of you. You took his place, so I'm sending you to feed the evil spirits in the River of the Dead. Isn't that fair?"
His voice was full of resentment and smugness.
Chu Jiang understood instantly.
It turns out it was all for personal revenge!
He vaguely remembered this guy named Wei Tong from the exam; he was an arrogant second-generation official with little ability but a big temper. He never imagined his uncle was the head of the Reincarnation Department.
That's a brilliant move to cut off the enemy's supply lines!
Chu Jiang felt a surge of yin fire rush to the top of his head. He had had enough of this kind of humiliation in his previous life, but he didn't expect that in the underworld, they would be even more adept at it.
He stared at Judge Wei, his fists clenched so tightly that even his soul seemed unsteady.
Judge Wei, however, was fearless. He gently patted Chu Jiang's chest with the "List of Names" and said earnestly:
"Young man, don't get so worked up. The River of the Underworld is a great place, lively and exciting. Work hard, and who knows, your day might come."
That hypocritical face made Chu Jiang's stomach churn.
"Alright, the appointments have been announced. Everyone, go back to your duties!" Judge Wei raised his voice and waved his hand.
The other newly recruited underworld officials stepped forward to receive their documents. Before leaving, they all glanced at Chu Jiang with eyes that looked at a dead ghost, and then quickly left, afraid of getting involved with him.
Soon, only Chu Jiang and Judge Wei remained in the somber hall.
"Here, your appointment order." Judge Wei casually tossed a black bamboo scroll that smelled of mildew onto the ground, as if dismissing a wandering ghost.
"Remember, report to the Three Crossings Ferry at midnight tomorrow. If you're late, hmph, you'll be dealt with according to the laws of the underworld!"
After saying that, he let out a strange laugh, hummed a sinister tune, and strode away.
humiliation!
An unprecedented humiliation!
Chu Jiang looked at the rolled-up bamboo slips on the ground as if he were looking at his own miserable future.
He thought that with his talent, he could make a name for himself in the underworld, but reality gave him a resounding slap in the face.
What's the point of working hard if you don't have a background?
He slowly squatted down and picked up the cold bamboo scroll, his soul flickering as he exerted himself.
After a long while, he exhaled a breath of stale air, but his eyes slowly sharpened.
Do you want me to just accept my fate and rot away on the River of the Underworld?
no way!
You, Judge Wei, just wait! Today you ignore me, but one day I'll make you regret it!
Chu Jiang gripped the appointment order tightly, turned around, and walked out of the Reincarnation Bureau.
His silhouette appeared somewhat desolate against the backdrop of the vast ghost town, but his upright spirit resembled an unyielding banner for summoning souls.
……
The next day, at midnight.
Following the map on the appointment order, Chu Jiang found the Three Crossings Ferry of the Netherworld River.
This place is indeed as terrifying as the legends say.
The black river water churned and emitted a foul stench, with countless severed limbs and struggling, vengeful spirits floating on its surface.
The mournful wails and howls of ghosts were incessant.
At the ferry crossing, only a rotten wooden stake held a dilapidated awning boat. On the bank, a small hut built of bones and mud swayed precariously in the cold wind.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and resentment, devoid of any semblance of order that the underworld should possess.
"From now on, this is my territory?"
Chu Jiang chuckled self-deprecatingly and pushed open the door to the bone hut. Inside, there was only a stone bed, a stone table, and a stone chair, covered with a thick layer of ashes.
It seems the ex has left completely, their soul has been utterly extinguished.
He put down his simple luggage, picked up a leg bone broom, and began to sweep.
Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. Complaining and blaming others won't solve anything.
The most urgent task is to familiarize ourselves with the environment, then plan for development, and then...
Flip the table!
Just as he finished cleaning the house and was about to go see the wrecked ship, a crisp, emotionless electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind.
[Host detected has arrived at work: Nether River.]
[God-level Ferryman System, Activating...]
【Activation succeeded! 】
Chu Jiang dropped the broom made of leg bones from his hand with a "thud" to the ground.
system?
Is this... my luck finally turning around?