Chapter 1: 001 i became black impermanent

Yes, you guessed correctly. I am dead, and have been for over five millennia.

You might wonder why a girl like me speaks with the gruffness of an old man.

Regarding that matter, I must admit, I initially resisted, but then…

“Xiao Hei, what are you doing here?”

A woman, clad in snow-white robes, her skin and hair equally pristine, approached me.

She resembled a Yuki-onna (TL Note: A Japanese spirit or yokai, often depicted as a beautiful woman with snow-white features.), a true beauty among beauties, were it not for the unsettlingly long tongue protruding from her mouth.

“Lao Bai,” I corrected, though I knew it was a futile endeavor, “call me Lao Hei.”

“Don’t you think ‘Xiao Hei’ sounds much cuter?” Bai Wuchang (TL Note: One of the two generals of the Underworld, often depicted as tall and pale, responsible for escorting souls.) purred, idly stroking her long, snow-white hair. “Besides, you’ve only served as Hei Wuchang (TL Note: One of the two generals of the Underworld, often depicted as short and dark, responsible for escorting souls.) for ten years; you’re a mere junior among juniors!”

“I don’t, and I have no desire to,” I retorted, rising to my feet and casually brushing off my pristine black robes. “You’re here with a task, aren’t you? Let’s go, then, and see Lord Yama.”

“Oh, Xiao Hei, that’s so mean!” Bai Wuchang whined, her face twisting into an aggrieved expression. Her pitiful demeanor would surely stir compassion in any ordinary person.

Unfortunately, she had met me.

Swish!

With an impassive expression, I seized her tongue. “Move it,” I commanded, “don’t keep Lord Yama waiting.”

“Ah… mm, mm…” Bai Wuchang’s eyes welled with tears, but with her tongue firmly in my grasp, she could only emit muffled grunts and whimpers.

I dragged Bai Wuchang along, traversing mountains of blades and seas of fire, even pausing to check the temperature of the oil cauldrons, before ascending the towering staircase amidst the tormented shrieks of the wicked souls.

****

[Hall of Yama]

Casting a glance at the plaque above, I pulled Bai Wuchang into the eerie, cavernous hall.

“Lord Yama,” I announced, releasing Bai Wuchang’s tongue and clasping my fists in a customary salute.

“…” Behind the ancient, ornate desk ahead, a terrifying life-sized doll stared at me with vacant, pitch-black eyes, its painted lips stretched into a chilling, skeletal grin.

“Lord Yama! Xiao Hei is getting utterly unbearable, bullying a senior again!” Bai Wuchang wailed, her eyes brimming with tears as she cradled her tongue, whimpering her accusations to the doll.

I fell silent for a moment, then strode purposefully forward, snatched the doll from the chair, and slammed it onto the floor.

“Lord Yama!” Bai Wuchang shrieked in anguish, lunging forward to gather the doll into her embrace. “How could you treat Lord Yama in such a manner?!”

Witnessing Lao Bai’s pathetic display, my heart remained utterly unmoved. “Stop this endless charade with a mere stand-in,” I stated flatly. “Since I transferred to this world’s Underworld, I haven’t seen Lord Yama even once. She used to at least bother with telepathic messages to maintain appearances, but now she simply props up a doll and expects to fob us off.”

“What does it matter?” Bai Wuchang countered, releasing the doll and turning to coil around my arm like a water snake. “As long as we don’t achieve any significant merits, the deities of the Heavenly Court (TL Note: The celestial bureaucracy governing the spiritual realms in Chinese mythology.) won’t set foot in this place. Xiao Hei and I can simply continue to…”

‘What exactly do these creatures take the Underworld for?’

I pushed her away. “If Lord Yama isn’t present, I shall return,” I declared.

“Who said I wasn’t here? Hey! Why am I on the ground? Which scoundrel did this?!” Just then, a perfectly pure loli (TL Note: A common anime/manga trope referring to a young, cute girl, often with childlike features and personality.) voice burst forth from the doll lying on the floor.

‘Ah, so the Yama who governs this world’s Underworld has finally made an appearance.’

I stepped forward, pinching the butterfly ribbon atop the doll’s head between my index finger and thumb, and lifted it. “Lord Yama,” I stated, “please refrain from using a stand-in to impersonate your true self. You haven’t held court in years; are you perhaps busy raising imperial concubines and foxes in your inner palace?”

“Ah, ah, this… this look of utter disdain! I… I…”

‘Meaningless squeals. Was the one on the other side truly a loli?’

“Xiao Hei, I also…”

‘I had almost forgotten about the other troublesome ghost present.’

It took considerable effort to make both Lord Yama and Bai Wuchang settle down; the entire process felt akin to managing a group of hyperactive kindergarteners.

‘I should quickly finish this matter before they become restless.’

“Lord Yama…”

“There’s no need to say anything; I understand it all,” Lord Yama interrupted before I could even finish my opening words. This time, the loli’s tone was surprisingly serious, almost befitting a Yama. “Lao Hei, how long have you been in my Underworld?”

“It’s the Underworld ‘under your jurisdiction,’ and it has been ten years and one month,” I replied curtly.

“No difference whatsoever!” the doll, acting as a mere stand-in, trembled three times. Had Lord Yama herself been present, she would likely have pounded the table. “Ten years! Excellent! You’ve memorized the contents of the ‘Hei Wuchang Soul Reaping Rules’ by now, haven’t you?”

I nodded confidently. “I can recite it backward,” I affirmed.

‘It was merely a figure of speech, yet it seemed to strike a nerve with a certain ghost. “Really? Can you recite it backward for me, then?”’

‘Never mind. I truly shouldn’t have held any expectations for this utterly shameless Yama.’

I rose to my feet. “Lord Yama,” I stated, “if there is nothing further, I shall take my leave.”

“Hey! No, no, no! Lao Hei, your task hasn’t been assigned yet!”

‘A task?’

My footsteps halted, quite involuntarily.

Hei Wuchang, a preeminent existence among ghost envoys, a role only those possessing exceptionally potent soul power could ever hope to fulfill.

To become a Hei Wuchang was the fervent dream of countless ghost envoys, and ten years prior, I had finally reached that coveted threshold.

“Hei Wuchang, the most formidable of ghost envoys, deals exclusively with powerful, malevolent souls and must undertake the most arduous soul-reaping missions within the Underworld. Currently, there is a world in urgent need of a talented ghost capable of fulfilling the role of Hei Wuchang. Are you willing to go?”

Such was the question posed to me by the emissaries of the Heavenly Court.

Though I had existed as a ghost for over five millennia, my worth had never been fully recognized in my previous world; indeed, my existence there felt nothing short of an insult.

Eager to break free from my former existence, the position of Hei Wuchang presented itself as an absolutely perfect objective.

“Good!”

Frustrated with my lot at the time, I accepted the transfer decree without hesitation, arriving in this new world. Yet, what awaited me was a Lord Yama who never truly appeared, and nearly a decade of solitude. Even when I inquired about this world from the lesser ghosts, they would only pitifully whisper, “Lord Yama forbids us to speak.”

However, once I had thoroughly read the ‘Hei Wuchang Soul Reaping Rules,’ I finally understood Lord Yama’s meticulous intentions.

Upon assuming the role of Hei Wuchang, there was a ten-year ‘adaptation period.’ If one felt unable to cope, they could directly petition the Heavenly Court for a transfer. However, once that decade had passed, leaving the current world would then require the explicit approval of the local Yama.

‘It seems the loli (?) Yama intended to keep me tethered to this world.’

‘But why?’

Through a series of subtle inquiries, I indeed ascertained from the lesser ghosts that every Hei Wuchang assigned to this world before me had transferred out after merely a few years.

Ghost envoys selected as Hei Wuchang undoubtedly possessed formidable strength. What, then, had driven these powerful beings to flee this place as if it were infested with vipers?

I felt no fear; instead, my curiosity was piqued by this very world that had instilled such dread in previous Hei Wuchangs.

After five millennia of arduous cultivation, I possessed absolute confidence in my soul power. I would not retreat, no matter the cause.

Thus, I conveyed my unwavering resolve to Lord Yama, indicating that I would never leave. Yet, all I received in return was her evasive, dismissive laughter.

‘Finally, today… would the answer finally be unveiled?’

Taking a deep breath of the Underworld’s cool, heavy air, I turned to face the ridiculous doll. “What is my task?” I demanded.

“Let me see,” the doll chirped gleefully. “The head of the Quan (TL Note: ‘Quan’ (犬) means ‘dog’ in Chinese, indicating a family name or clan associated with dogs.) family of Pingyang Mountain on the Southern Continent—bring back his soul!”