Returning to the underworld, Ye Jie also found Nan Linghe.
"Huh...Brother Jie, I finally finished posting the notices. Why are the streets in the underworld so wide? I'm almost exhausted from running..." Nan Linghe said breathlessly after seeing Ye Jie.
Hearing this, Ye Jie took out a torn piece of paper from his arms.
【Book of Life and Death:】
In the winter of the 12th year of Zhenguan, Ghost Messenger Jie completed the D-level mission: Posting a Notice.
【Ghost Messenger Jie obtained the Five Yin Virtues.】
Putting the torn page back into his arms, Ye Jie smiled and took out an indigo token with the word "Jie" engraved on it.
"Look, this is my recommendation order. If you get one more, you can become an official ghost messenger."
Nan Linghe took the recommendation order from Ye Jie and smiled happily. With this recommendation order, she was only one step away from becoming an official ghost messenger.
However, she was still very troubled about the whereabouts of the last recommendation order, muttering softly, "Aside from Brother Jie and Sister Sun, I don't know any other ghost messengers... Who should I ask for the last recommendation order? Will it cause trouble for others... Oh, as expected, I'd better reincarnate..."
Ye Jie hurriedly grabbed her. He couldn't let this lucky star with amazing luck run away like this: "Don't worry, I've arranged everything for you. Just leave it to Brother Jie."
After pulling the dazed Nan Linghe to Aunt Meng's Winery and explaining his identity to the front desk maid, someone soon came to Ye Jie.
"Are you the ghost messenger?"
Ye Jie looked up and saw that the visitor was tall, wearing a black and white ink robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, with short hair that reached his ears, showing a sense of shrewdness and competence, a delicate and dignified face, and a small and well-proportioned nose, which complemented his soft yet heroic face.
Ye Jie clasped his fists and asked, "I wonder who you are..."
"You know Sister Lan, but you don't know me?" The man turned his head and opened the fan vigorously. Her speech was short and powerful, with a low and magnetic tone. She was the type that you would never forget once you met her.
Ye Jie bowed, not knowing when he had offended such a powerful person. "I am just a small second-level ghost messenger. I only come to the wine country a few times a year. If I have offended you, please forgive me."
Fortunately, the woman didn't make things difficult for Ye Jie. She glanced at him and said, "Come with me. I'm Fuling, one of the head maids. I'm in charge of the wine country account office. I'm on duty today. I've heard about your situation from Sister Lan. It just so happens that I have something to talk to you about later. Or rather, to her."
Fuling glanced sideways, casting a scrutinizing gaze on Nanlinghe. Stared at by Fuling with a calm and decisive gaze, Nanlinghe let out a frightened whine and hid behind Ye Jie, only daring to stick half of his head out to watch.
"...Tsk." Seeing that Nan Linghe trusted Ye Jie so much and seemed to follow his lead, Fuling tsk-tsk. Occasionally, she glanced at Ye Jie with a look of disdain in her eyes. She didn't understand what was so special about this ghost messenger who always ranked last on the performance list.
Under Fuling's guidance, Ye Jie and the others went up to the second floor of the winery and came to the private room that had been reserved in advance.
Entering the rather spacious private room, without Fuling's oppressive presence, Nan Linghe finally breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but pull Ye Jie aside and said, "Brother Jie, who is she? Why has she been staring at me all the way..."
Ye Jie's face lit up with joy: "Your chance has arrived. She came to seek your help. I guess Yulan spread the word about your deeds. I didn't expect someone else to come to you so soon. You're truly blessed..."
Nan Linghe puffed out his lips and said, "Could it be that Brother Jie is going to make me dizzy again?"
Ye Jie smiled awkwardly: "You are helping them. Think about the joy that Yulan felt when she reunited with her parents. That was all thanks to your help. You should be happy... But next time, let's try an easier method."
Ye Jie glanced at her again as he spoke. "You have very special innate magical powers. As the old saying goes: There are always people better than you, and there are always higher things than you. There's also the old saying: There's always a mountain higher than the other. A person's strength is only temporary. No matter how strong they are, they will always encounter someone stronger. But your innate magical powers can benefit you for a lifetime. Use them well, and you can help many people."
Thinking of Sister Lan's tears when she reunited with her parents, and the joy of helping others, Nan Linghe was full of energy, her eyes bright and determined. She secretly raised her fist to cheer herself up, as if following Brother Jie to become a ghost messenger, she was about to usher in an extremely bright future.
After about a cup of tea, the door of the private room opened again, and a tall woman in white clothes, white face, and purple lips walked in. She was the one that Ye Jie had invited to the banquet today, Ghost Messenger Mei.
"Ghost Messenger Mei, it's great that you can come here. Come, Nan Linghe, call me Sister Mei." Ye Jie stood up to greet her and reminded Nan Linghe who was standing beside him.
"Hello, Sister Mei." Nan Linghe greeted with eyes wide open.
"Hello." Ghost Messenger Mei smiled softly. "Brother Jie spent so much money to treat me to a meal at this upscale Aunt Meng's Winery. How could I not come?"
At Ye Jie's call, the ghost messenger Mei sat down quietly with her sleeves fluttering. Her face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, her eyes were deep and dark, and there were shadows around her eye sockets that swallowed up the light. The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, and she was smiling all the time, but she did not make people feel close. Instead, she looked creepy, with a cold chill that kept people at a distance.
"But I didn't expect that Brother Jie also invited another guest, a first-level wandering soul. Could it be that he wanted me to issue the recommendation order? Hahaha..."
Ghost Messenger Mei waved her hands and smiled. Ye Jie could only smile apologetically: "Haha... you really got it right! All we need is one final recommendation order, and Nan Linghe can become an official ghost messenger."
"Oh? So many years have passed, why don't you learn your lesson, Brother Jie? You can't issue a recommendation order for a ghost catcher casually. The loss of good karma is a small matter, but getting yourself implicated is a big deal. Have you forgotten the lessons from the past?" Ghost Catcher Mei said meaningfully.
Ye Jie shook his head: "The past is the past. The past is all in the past. Why bring it up again? That kind of thing doesn't happen every time."
Ghost Messenger Mei Youyou sneered: "That's hard to say. After all, I know your vision clearly. Birds of a feather flock together. The people you recommended are all as stubborn as you. They are not suitable to be ghost messengers at all."
Listening to the two people talking, Nan Linghe felt a little dizzy: "Brother Jie, what are you talking about? Why don't I understand anything?"
Ghost Messenger Mei glanced at Ye Jie and saw that he had no intention of speaking, so she spoke for Ye Jie:
"Your brother Jie also took in a ghost messenger before. I think his name was Huabao. You could tell from his face that he was impatient. A ghost messenger's job is to collect corpses and guide souls, maintaining the order of the world, not to uphold justice and save people from danger. I heard that his mission that time was to guide the soul of a woman who was about to fall into the hands of thieves. However, his hot-bloodedness made him unable to bear the sight of the woman being defiled by the thieves, so he disobeyed the laws of the underworld and killed the entire gang of thieves. Although he saved the woman, he also violated the taboo of ghost messengers not to maliciously harm others, so he was forced to defect and run away. From then on, he was regarded as a fierce ghost and was wanted by the underworld. The bounty on his head is still hanging in Guangwang Palace to this day."
Nan Linghe covered his mouth in surprise: "If something like this really happens... can't we do anything?"
Ghost Messenger Mei shook her head: "Everything is determined by fate, and every mortal has his or her destiny. All a ghost messenger can do is follow fate. Those who disobey the laws of the underworld will eventually become evil spirits. People with a sense of justice cannot be good ghost messengers."
At the end of the conversation, the corners of Mei's mouth curled up slightly, outlining a somewhat playful arc: "After Hua Bao defected, Ye Jie, as the ghost officer who issued the recommendation order for him, naturally could not escape the blame. He was fined 50,000 Yin De."
As he spoke, Ghost Messenger Mei slowly turned his deep eyes and fixed them on Nan Linghe, who dared not even breathe. His pale face looked even colder.
"Do you understand? If I give you a recommendation, I will also be punished if you disobey the rules of the underworld. Unless you really have some extraordinary qualities, I will never give you a recommendation easily."
Feeling the slight chill from the ghost catcher Mei, Nan Linghe shrank his neck, his eyes wandering, and reached out to grab Ye Jie's sleeve.
Ye Jie patted Nan Linghe on the back, comforting her not to worry, and spoke for her:
"Nan Linghe possesses very special talents and magical powers, which are enough to qualify her for the job of a ghost messenger. I don't have any talents or magical powers at all, but I've been a ghost messenger for sixty years, haven't I? Given time, her achievements will definitely surpass mine."
Hearing this, Ghost Messenger Mei chuckled softly, but her eyes were filled with ridicule and mockery:
"That's not what I meant. The criterion for whether one is qualified to be a ghost messenger is not one's innate magical powers, but one's inherent nature. No matter how special her innate magical powers are, how special can they be? Can you still tell me that she possesses nine superior innate magical powers because she was reincarnated through the first level?"
Seeing Nan Linghe's eyes evading and his whole body moving towards Ye Jie, Ghost Messenger Mei shook her head slightly and said:
"Nowadays, demons are rampant in Guangwang Palace. The more they lose their conscience and focus on extracting merit from wandering souls, the more abundant cultivation resources they have, and the more prosperous they will be. There are not many people like you, Brother Jie. Honest and kind people cannot be good ghost messengers. The best outcome is to be like you, Brother Jie, wasting sixty years in vain and gaining nothing in the end. Are you really ready?"
Nan Linghe pursed his lips, at a loss. Ye Jie was about to speak, but Ghost Messenger Mei shushed him and mercilessly sent a bone-chilling aura towards Nan Linghe, with a look of scrutiny in her eyes:
"There are only three kinds of ghost messengers in the world today. One is a dull pig, like your brother Jie, and the other is a domesticated dog, like me. Which one are you?"
Ye Jie was helpless: "Is it really okay to call others pigs?"
The ghost messenger Mei laughed heartily: "The pig is charging forward, isn't that a delight?"
Nan Linghe lowered his head slightly, counted on his fingers, and whispered in an almost inaudible tone, "Pigs and dogs... Aren't there only two kinds? What about the other one?"
"Oh?" Ghost Messenger Mei piqued her interest. She slammed her hand on the table, staring at Nan Linghe and shouting, "The last kind is beyond the mundane, existing only in distant legends that inspire both yearning and fear, destined to be something you and I will never experience. That kind is the dragon crossing the river. Do you think you are a dragon?!"
The atmosphere suddenly became cold and depressing. Apart from the loud shouts of the ghost catcher Mei, which still echoed in the private room, there was dead silence. Silent silence enveloped everyone, and even their breathing became completely frozen. All that remained was the unbearable oppression and suffocation.
"You're not a dragon, nor a dog like me. You're just a wandering soul who doesn't understand the situation. I think you should reincarnate as soon as possible. The underworld is not a place for you. If you stay here, you will be accompanied by wronged souls and enemies of evil spirits. Do you really have the courage?"
Under the pressure of Guicha Mei's aura, Nan Linghe's body shrank. He opened his mouth, but could not utter any words. He could only look at Ye Jie for help.
She didn't know when her hand had been tightly gripping Ye Jie's cold and withered palm. The force she felt was so strong that even Ye Jie felt a little pain. She looked at Ye Jie with her fragile and helpless big eyes, like a person falling into a river, longing for someone to pull her up.
Ye Jie sighed slightly. Perhaps asking the ghost catcher Mei for a recommendation order was not a good idea. He must not fail to get the recommendation order and scare Nan Linghe instead. It would be better to think of a way later.
Ye Jie was about to say something when he heard a melodious, ethereal and mysterious piano sound coming from outside the private room.
The sudden sound of the pipa, like a gentle spring rain, has the magical power to nourish the soul and dispel the gloom of winter. The sound is neither fast nor slow, graceful and melodious, like a slowly unfolding scroll. Only by savoring it carefully can one understand the touching story it depicts.
Although the harp's owner has never been seen, the melodious sound of the pipa gradually rises, and the image of slender jade fingers plucking the strings will inevitably emerge in anyone's mind. The ancient and moving beauty of the melody is enough to make the earth abandon and the rock make way.
In the private room, Ghost Messenger Mei was slightly stunned upon hearing the sound. "That's Sister Lan's profound pipa music... Strangely enough, I've heard other Ghost Messengers talk about how Sister Lan was troubled by worries. Whenever she played the pipa, only endless bitterness emanated, bringing tears to their eyes. She hasn't been able to play in recent days. But now, the sound is filled with joy and happiness. Could it be that her worries have been cleared? I wonder which master cured her..."
Shaking his head, Ghost Officer Mei continued, "Sister Lan's Pipa Mysterious Sound is undeniably good. It's just that the price of hearing a single piece is truly steep. Even I was only lucky enough to hear one at a celebration banquet hosted by the Judge many years ago. Brother Jie, let alone you, I'm afraid you'll never have the chance to hear one in a brothel in your lifetime..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard a creaking sound and the door of the private room opened. Walking towards him was a beautiful woman with a round face and hair in a bun. She was wearing an elegant sky-blue off-shoulder dress and holding a white jade and ivory pipa.
The person who came was none other than the Sister Lan that Ghost Messenger Mei had mentioned. Sister Lan's plump red lips curled up slightly as she bowed towards the two people in the private room. She said softly, "I, Yulan, have come here to sing a song for Brother Ye Jie and Miss He as a token of my gratitude."
"What, this is impossible..." Seeing this scene, Ghost Messenger Mei was dumbfounded. He looked at Sister Lan, then at Ye Jie beside him. His mouth opened wide for a moment, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground.