“Your Grace, we were once ordinary souls, but we lost our way on the path to the underworld and wandered into a place filled with toxic fumes. Lingering there for too long transformed us into the wretched forms you see now. However, after escaping that place, we became somewhat stronger. Ghost Full encountered us and appointed us as Ghost Commanders, and… everything we did afterward was forced upon us by Ghost Full’s orders.”
After Qing Mian Beast finished speaking, Qing Pi Beast quickly added, “Your Grace, I also know that Ghost Full secretly hoarded a large amount of spirit money. If Your Grace requires it…”
“Ghost money?”
Shui Miao’s mind stirred. He knew that during festivals, people burned paper money for the deceased, but he wasn’t sure whether this paper money could actually transform into spirit money. Now that Qing Pi Beast had mentioned spirit money, Shui Miao couldn’t help but wonder. If the living needed money to get things done, surely the dead needed money too. But how exactly did money work in the underworld? Immediately after thinking this, Shui Miao inwardly regretted asking such a simple question, fearing it would make him appear ignorant to the others.
“What did you say?”
Zhang Hanya was startled and quickly looked at Shui Miao. “Brother, are you talking to me?”
“Oh, nothing. Would you help me buy two bottles of drinks?” Shui Miao handed Zhang Hanya one hundred yuan.
“It’s just drinks. I can have a classmate bring them over.” Zhang Hanya pushed Shui Miao’s hand back and reached for her phone.
Shui Miao slightly furrowed his brow. “Little sister, you haven’t even bought drinks for yourself before, have you?”
“Of course I have! I just think it’s far to the store and tiring to go there, so… I’ll just have a classmate help me.”
Zhang Hanya was about to make the call when Shui Miao reached out to stop her. “Don’t trouble others. Do what you can yourself. Wait here, I’ll go buy them.”
Shui Miao said this intending to push Zhang Hanya into buying the drinks herself, but to his surprise, she cheerfully responded, “Okay, thank you, big brother!”
Shui Miao was speechless and ended up going to buy the drinks himself.
At this moment, a group of green-skinned, fanged ghosts and young Taoist apprentices quickly followed Shui Miao as they all headed north.
Qing Pi Beast smiled nervously. “Yes, exactly—spirit money. There’s a lot of it. With that amount, you could buy over a dozen mansions at the City God’s domain!”
“No way! The underworld also has real estate?”
Shui Miao was astonished and stared at Qing Pi Beast in disbelief.
Seeing Shui Miao’s ignorance, Xiao Mu quickly jumped in. “Master, you’ve been so focused on cultivating your spiritual path that you’ve had no time to visit the underworld. Allow me to explain.” Xiao Mu was clever—his words subtly covered up Shui Miao’s lack of knowledge while simultaneously elevating his image.
Shui Miao nodded, already beginning to hold Xiao Mu in higher regard.
Xiao Mu explained, “The underworld shares many similarities with the human world. After death, souls are captured by ghost officers and taken to the City God’s temple for registration and verification. If their lifespan in the living world hasn’t expired, the underworld won’t accept them. As a result, many wandering souls remain in the human world. To manage these souls and prevent them from disrupting the balance between the living and the dead, local City Gods designate certain areas to build ghost cities. These ghost cities usually have only one entrance guarded by ghost officers. The living cannot see or enter them. However, at midnight, when yin energy is strongest, the ghost cities open their markets to wandering spirits. These markets are commonly known as ghost markets, and some people with weak constitutions may even enter them by chance. However, just like the expensive, luxurious housing in the human world, ordinary souls can’t afford to live in these ghost cities due to a lack of spirit money. Therefore, many souls have no choice but to temporarily reside in graveyards. If the graveyard is well-maintained, the spirits live comfortably, free from hunger and cold, and even have time to bless their descendants. However, some disrespectful descendants neglect their ancestors’ graves and rarely burn paper money, causing the ancestors to suffer terribly, struggling to keep warm or find food. How could such spirits possibly bless their descendants?”
“Reporting to the Great Immortal, we were once normal spirits too. We just got lost on the path to the underworld and ended up in a place filled with poisonous gas. After drifting there for a long time, we ended up looking like this. But after escaping from there, we became a bit stronger. We encountered Gui Man, and he made us into ghost commanders. Then… everything we did was actually forced upon us. It was all Gui Man who made us do it.”
After the Blue-Faced Beast finished speaking, the Green-Skinned Beast immediately added, “Reporting to the Great Immortal, I also know that Gui Man has privately hoarded a large amount of spirit money. If the Great Immortal needs it—”
“Spirit money?”
Shui Miao’s heart stirred. He only knew that during festivals, people burn paper money at graves, but whether that paper money turns into spirit money, Shui Miao had no idea. Now that the Green-Skinned Beast mentioned spirit money, it got Shui Miao thinking. In the mortal world, things require money, and in the underworld, things also cost money. So how exactly does money work in the underworld? As soon as the words left his mouth, Shui Miao secretly regretted it. How could he ask such a simple question? Wouldn’t that make them laugh at him for knowing nothing?
“What did you say?”
Zhang Hanya was taken aback and quickly looked at Shui Miao. “Brother, were you talking to me?”
“Oh, no. Could you go buy two bottles of drinks for me?” Shui Miao casually took out a hundred-yuan bill and handed it to Zhang Hanya.
“It’s just buying drinks. I can have a classmate bring them over.” Zhang Hanya pushed Shui Miao’s hand back and was about to call a classmate.
Shui Miao frowned slightly. “Little sister, don’t tell me you’ve never even bought drinks yourself?”
“Of course I have! It’s just that the store is quite far from here, and it’s tiring to run over. So… I’ll just have a classmate buy them for me.”
Zhang Hanya was about to make the call when Shui Miao stopped her. “Don’t trouble others. Do what you can yourself. Wait here, I’ll go buy them.” Shui Miao said this to pressure Zhang Hanya into going, but to his surprise, she smiled and replied, “Okay, thank you, brother!”
Shui Miao was speechless and had to go buy the drinks himself.
At that moment, a group of green-skinned, fanged ghosts and little ghost apprentices quickly followed Shui Miao as he headed north.
The Green-Skinned Beast said with a flattering smile, “Yes, it’s spirit money—a lot of it. If you take it to the City God, you could buy over a dozen large mansions!”
“Really? The underworld has real estate too?”
Shui Miao was astonished and looked at the Green-Skinned Beast in disbelief.
Seeing that Shui Miao knew nothing about it, Xiao Mu quickly interjected, “Little Master, you’ve been devoted to cultivating the path of immortality and haven’t had time to visit the underworld. Let me explain.” Xiao Mu was clever. With a few words, he both covered up Shui Miao’s ignorance and made him look good.
Shui Miao nodded, already looking at Xiao Mu with newfound respect.
Xiao Mu explained, “Many things in the underworld are quite similar to the mortal world. After death, people are captured by ghost guards and taken to the City God’s temple to register and be verified. If their lifespan isn’t up, the underworld won’t accept them. As a result, many spirits remain in the mortal world. To manage these spirits and prevent them from disrupting the balance between yin and yang, City Gods in various places select locations to build underworld cities. These cities usually have only one entrance, guarded by officials. Living people can’t see them and certainly can’t enter. However, at midnight, when yin energy is strongest, the underworld cities open their markets to the public, allowing wandering spirits to buy and sell goods. These markets are often called ghost markets. Some people with weak constitutions might, by chance, enter these ghost markets. But underworld cities are like expensive, luxurious high-end residences in the mortal world. Ordinary spirits simply don’t have enough spirit money to afford living there.”
“Helpless, many spirits have to temporarily reside in graves. Those with well-built graves live comfortably, without worries about food or clothing, and have time to bring blessings to their descendants. But there are also unfilial descendants who neglect their ancestors’ graves and rarely burn paper money, leaving their ancestors miserable and unable to even keep warm, let alone help their descendants.”
Xiao Mu paused to catch his breath before continuing, “This is why many sensible living people place great importance on ancestral graves. It also involves feng shui. For example, if Li Si dies and he has a fire destiny, but his wealthy descendants, unaware of feng shui, build him a grave with water elements, Li Si will not only feel uncomfortable but will also be oppressed by water, suffering day and night. Angry, Li Si will naturally retaliate against his descendants, believing them to be unfilial and useless. Gradually, Li Si will release his resentment onto his descendants, who will then face great misfortune. These are spirits with graves. There are also many wronged spirits without graves in this world. They are like migrant workers in the mortal world—poor spirits with no money can only live in desolate wilderness, while stronger, more powerful ones forcibly enter the homes of living people. Spirits prefer quiet, but living people need to work, wash clothes, cook, and live their lives, which can be noisy. This disturbs the spirits who have forced their way into homes, making them angry and leading them to bully the living. The living then face various problems. Once they understand the cause, they will invite experts to pacify the house. Pacifying a house means having an expert register the address with the City God as a spirit residence. After registration, wandering spirits won’t dare to intrude. In other words, pacifying a house is like getting a property certificate for the underworld.”
“…”
Shui Miao listened intently, nodding frequently. So many things in the mortal world were directly connected to the underworld.
“And what we just investigated—the very old dormitory building where many wandering spirits live—they are the type of spirits that take over empty houses. Of course, places like schools, factories, hotels, and many public areas aren’t pacified, meaning both living people and spirits can live there. This also involves some common knowledge. Elderly people in the mortal world know that if a house has been empty for a long time, it’s best to prepare a meal and politely ask the spirits to leave before moving in. Spirits are reasonable too—if you’re polite to them, they’ll be polite to you.”
“I see, but what about spirit money?”
Seeing that the store was almost in sight, Shui Miao realized that after all that explanation, he still didn’t quite understand how paper money converts to spirit money.
“That’s simple. When burning paper money, you usually press real money against it. Real money carries strong yang energy, which transfers to the paper money. After burning, the yang energy turns into spirit money that spirits can use. Every City God’s temple in the underworld has a Spirit Money Department, which employs many little ghosts to collect money. Wherever you burn paper money at a crossroads, as long as you state the name and identity of the spirit receiving the money, these little ghosts will find a way to deliver it. Of course, there are also wandering spirits who try to steal the money, but if caught, they face severe punishment, even being sent to hell. So not many spirits dare to cause trouble.” Xiao Mu briefly described the living conditions of wandering spirits in the mortal world.
Shui Miao felt deeply impressed and benefited greatly.
After buying two bottles of drinks, Shui Miao turned back and asked the Green-Skinned Beast, “If Gui Man isn’t buying property in the underworld cities, why is he hoarding so much spirit money?”
“Reporting to the Great Immortal, he wants to buy a position as a feudal lord in the underworld someday,” the Green-Skinned Beast quickly replied.
Shui Miao was stunned. “You can buy feudal lord positions in the underworld?”
“Yes, as long as you have enough money, you can buy anything you want,” Xiao Mu interjected. “It’s like the City God position in the mortal world. If you have strong connections and enough money, you can buy that position too. But buying these positions doesn’t mean you can act recklessly—it’s just a status.”
Shui Miao nodded, not wanting to think too far ahead for now. After all, he had no intention of buying an official position in the underworld, so spirit money was useless to him.
“Alright, in that case, you can divide Gui Man’s spirit money among yourselves!” Shui Miao waved his hand generously at the Green-Skinned Beast and the others. This was also a way to win over the spirits.
The green-skinned ghosts were thrilled upon hearing this, but before they could thank Shui Miao, Xiao Mu spoke up again, “Little Master, it’s not yet time to distribute the money. Gui Man has just been eliminated. We can use this spirit money to restore order and build relationships with the City God. You’re cultivating the path of immortality and need various forms of faith and wish power. This is an opportunity!”
“Yes, yes! It’s our fortune to be led by the Great Immortal!”
“Great Immortal, please reconsider. We are not short… not short of money!”
“…”
Several green-skinned, fanged ghosts spoke up one after another.
Fortunately, Xiao Mu reminded him. Shui Miao’s eyes shifted, taking in the complex expressions of the green-skinned ghosts, and he nodded, “Very well, let Xiao Mu and the others handle this matter. If there really is a lot of spirit money, don’t be stingy—distribute some to the ghost commanders. I’ll need to rely on everyone in the future.”
“As you command!”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mu and the other little ghost apprentices were overjoyed.
The group of green-skinned, fanged ghosts were also delighted to hear that the Great Immortal was granting them spirit money.
Shui Miao looked up and saw Zhang Hanya about two hundred meters away, chatting with a large group of female classmates. In the distance, many passing boys were glancing their way. Seeing this, Shui Miao turned to the Blue-Faced Beast, “By the way, Blue-Faced Beast, there are many essence-devouring ghosts in the boys’ dormitory. Can you help me eliminate them?”
“This…”
The Blue-Faced Beast was taken aback and clasped his hands, whispering doubtfully, “Great Immortal, perhaps you don’t know this, but the faith and wish power offered by those essence-devouring ghosts daily is equivalent to that of a thousand wandering spirits! Are you sure you want to eliminate them all?”
“…”
Shui Miao was stunned. One equivalent to a thousand—what did that even mean?!
Shui Miao listened intently, nodding frequently. He realized that many phenomena in the human world were directly connected to the underworld.
“Earlier, we discovered that many wandering souls reside in an old dormitory building. These ghosts are the type that simply occupy empty houses. Of course, many public places like schools, factories, and hotels are not blessed. In other words, both the living and spirits can inhabit these places. This also involves some common knowledge—elderly people in the human world know that if a house has been empty for a long time, it’s best to prepare a meal and politely invite the spirits to leave before moving back in. Spirits are reasonable—if you show them respect, they’ll show you respect too.”
“I understand now, but how exactly does spirit money work?”
Shui Miao was approaching the store and realized that despite the lengthy explanation, he still didn’t fully grasp the conversion method of spirit money.
“That’s simple,” Xiao Mu replied. “When burning paper money, people usually place real currency on top. The strong yang energy from the real money transfers to the paper money. After burning, this yang energy transforms into spirit money usable by the spirits. Each City God temple in the underworld has a Spirit Money Bureau, where countless small ghosts are employed to collect money. You can burn paper money at any crossroads, and as long as you state the name and identity of the receiving spirit, these small ghosts can deliver the spirit money to them. Of course, some wandering souls might try to steal the money, but if caught, they will face severe punishment, even being sent to hell. Therefore, few dare to misbehave.”
Xiao Mu gave a general explanation of the living conditions of wandering souls in the human world.
Shui Miao felt deeply enlightened, realizing he had gained valuable knowledge.
After purchasing two bottles of drinks, Shui Miao turned back and asked Qing Pi Beast, “If Ghost Full doesn’t buy a residence in the ghost city, why does it hoard so much spirit money?”
“Your Grace, it plans to purchase a position as a local warlord in the underworld someday,” Qing Pi Beast quickly responded.
“Can you actually buy noble titles in the underworld?”
“Yes, as long as you have enough money, you can purchase anything you desire,” Xiao Mu eagerly replied. “Just like the position of City God in the human world—you can obtain it through connections and money. However, purchasing such positions doesn’t mean you can act recklessly. It’s merely a title.”
Shui Miao nodded, deciding not to dwell on this matter. After all, he had no intention of buying a position in the underworld, and spirit money held little value for him.
“Fine, then you can distribute Ghost Full’s spirit money among yourselves!” Shui Miao waved his hand generously toward Qing Pi Beast and the others. This was also a way to win their loyalty.
The green-skinned ghosts were immediately thrilled, but before they could express their gratitude, Xiao Mu spoke again. “Master, it’s not the right time to distribute the money yet. Ghost Full has just been defeated. We can use this spirit money to restore order and strengthen our relationship with the City God. Your cultivation of the spiritual path requires various faith offerings—this is a great opportunity!”
“Yes, yes! It’s our honor to be led by Your Grace!”
“Your Grace, please reconsider. We don’t really need—don’t need the money!”
…
Several green-skinned, fanged ghosts spoke in succession.
Thankfully, Xiao Mu reminded him. Shui Miao’s eyes flickered as he observed the complex expressions on the faces of the green-skinned ghosts. He then nodded. “Alright, you can handle this matter. If there’s truly a lot of spirit money, don’t be stingy—distribute some to the Ghost Commanders. I’ll still need your support in the future.”
“Understood!”
Xiao Mu and the other young Taoist apprentices were overjoyed upon hearing this.
The green-skinned, fanged ghosts, seeing the Great Immortal’s favor, were also delighted.
Shui Miao looked ahead and saw Zhang Hanya, about two hundred meters away, chatting with a group of female classmates. Many passing male students were glancing in their direction. Shui Miao turned to Qing Mian Ghost. “By the way, Qing Mian Beast, there are many essence-eating ghosts near the male dormitory. Can you help me eliminate them?”
“This…”
Qing Mian Beast hesitated and then respectfully asked in a low voice, “Your Grace, you might not know—those essence-eating ghosts offer faith and blessings daily, each equivalent to the combined offerings of a thousand wandering souls. Are you sure you want to eliminate them all?”
Shui Miao’s heart trembled. One equivalent to a thousand—what a concept!!
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