Chapter 101: Soul Trial

    Cw: brief mention of suicide

    "A–Am I dead?" Jin Jiuchi stared at his own hands in wonder and incredulity. "So this is how it feels to die..."

    But why had nothing changed about him at all? He scratched his cheek in confusion and surveyed the people around him. They all looked dispirited and sluggish as if their very essence had been drained, leaving behind nothing but the echoes of their former existence. And he looked closer, he could see that their bodies were half-translucent too, as they had descended into this realm in their spirit form.

    So why was things different when it came to him?!

    Jin Jiuchi patted himself all over and confirmed that his body was still warm and solid. Moreover, he also did not find any signs on his body that indicated his cause of death. Was it because he had wiped himself first back then?

    "Augh!" Jin Jiuchi yanked on his hair in frustration. "I really don’t get this! Does it mean I am trapped in this place for eternity? Wait a moment..." a chilling realization suddenly struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he let out another dramatic gasp. "Does this mean that I will never see Nian’er again?! Damn it! If I had known this, I would have finished all the beef jerky instead of saving it for tomorrow..."

    Thinking of both the jade doll and the beef jerky that he could no longer see, Jin Jiuchi’s shoulders slumped in deep remorse.

    Alas, before he could plan his next course of action, a faint commotion echoed from the temple behind him.

    Jin Jiuchi turned his head by reflex and his eyes abruptly widened in shock when he saw the figures in the distance. Two mummies that looked identical to the bus officer, each holding a massive curved blade in their hands, emerged from the depth of the temple and advanced straight toward him.

    Jin Jiuchi’s scalp instantly turned numb and the hair on his body stood on its end. Oh no, they must have been attracted here by the player’s scream! W–What should he do?!

    He looked around in panic and amidst this state of chaos, he did the first thing that came to mind – stand behind the wailing male player and pretend to be a new spirit who had just descended!

    He glared at the noisy player in front of him and tried to clamp his mouth shut, "Hush, quiet down! Why are you crying so hard? Isn’t it just a missing arm? It’s not like I haven’t had my arm severed before too! Everyone will go through this at some point of their lives, you know!"

    "Ahhh, mercy!" The player screamed louder instead once Jin Jiuchi grabbed him, and he struggled to crawl away from that place. "Please have mercy on me!"

    As the mummies inched closer, Jin Jiuchi did not dare to make big movements any more. He hung his head low and tried to blend in with the surroundings, though he could not help but sneak furtive glances at the two macabre beings from the corner of his eyes. They were much bigger in size than the bus officer and stood almost as tall as a three story building. Their elongated joints creaked and spasmed with every step they took. Their bandaged feet scraped across the desert terrain, intensifying the dreadful atmosphere in the air.

    Just as Jin Jiuchi thought that he was safe for the time being and the mummies would deal with the player who had caused the commotion in the first place, he saw them shuffle past the player as if they had not noticed his presence whatsoever, and made their way straight to Jin Jiuchi instead!

    Jin Jiuchi: "...!!!" W–Why are you coming to me?!

    Plan A: blend in with the surroundings — fail.

    Time for Plan B: paint himself as the innocent victim!

    The mummies halted a few steps away from him, but before they could pass on their judgment, he beat them to it and cried out in deep regret, "I didn’t mean to cause a ruckus at all, I swear! In my defense, I didn’t even know that his arm would—"

    "My Lord!" The mummies crumpled to their knees without any semblance of grace, their blades sinking into the sand with a muffled thud. Their postures exuded a mix of deep reverence and abject fear as they struggled to prostrate themselves flat against the ground. "You have at last blessed this humble place with your divine presence!"

    "—be so fragile and... wait, what?" Jin Jiuchi snapped his gaze up, bewildered.

    What did they just say???

    Five minutes later, Jin Jiuchi found himself sitting on top of a sinister throne made of hundreds of skulls stacked into a small hill inside the temple hall.

    His mind was still reeling in shock, and he could not wrap his head around the current situation. What was happening? He thought that he was done for, but in the end... he was mistaken as the Lord of the Underworld, Anubis?!

    Wait a moment, this was actually in line with his Plan A – blend in with the surroundings! As long as he maintained this fac?ade well, no one would demand him compensation for breaking that player’s arm!

    "My Lord," another mummy stepped forward, placed both hands on his stomach and bowed deeply. His movements were noticeably smoother than any of the mummies Jin Jiuchi had encountered thus far. He seemed like the temporary person in charge while the real Anubis was away to God-knows-where. "Now that you have graced us with your divine presence, the long-suspended soul trial that has been stagnant for a century can finally resume once more. I implore you to grant the order to commence!"

    As Jin Jiuchi gazed at the spectacle before him, a surge of exhilaration coursed through his veins. And as if resonating with his inner excitement, countless tiny blue flames suddenly flickered to life from the depths of each skull’s hollow eye sockets, bathing the temple in an eerie yet captivating glow.

    ’You have to act well, Jin Jiuchi! From now on, you are Anubis, the God tasked with the judgment of souls in the underworld!’

    Raising his chin in a haughty manner, he extended his hand with a sense of regal authority, "Go ahead." Inwardly, he was somersaulting in midair and running in circles non stop, howling on top of his lungs ’Oh my God, oh my God, ain’t I the coolest?!’

    He wished Shen Nianzu was here to witness his era of glory...

    "Our Lord’s benevolence is boundless!" The minister’s voice rang out with jubilation. He swiftly turned to the mummies stationed at the temple entrance, issuing a resounding call, "Open the gate! Our Lord is prepared for the soul trial! Bring forth the first spirit!"

    Today, the ancient temple gate finally creaked open after a century of deep silence.

    The first spirit was soon dragged in, flanked by mummies soldiers on both sides. It was a woman with a deep cut wound on her wrist, a tragic testament to her self-inflicted end.

    Under Jin Jiuchi’s curious gaze, she knelt before him with her head lowered, trembling out of fear and reverence for the deity in front of her.

    "The act of suicide is an unpardonable transgression! Your life is a gift bestowed by Osiris, the God of Life. It is a grave disrespect to claim it as your own! My Lord," the minister turned to Jin Jiuchi while holding a tray with utmost reverence. On it rested an ethereal white feather exuding a divine glow. "This is the one and only feather of Ma’at in the underworld, its power entrusted solely to you. Please bestow your judgment upon this lost and tormented soul!"

    Jin Jiuchi’s eyes lit up in astonishment. So this was the renowned feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth and justice! When Shen Nianzu crammed this information to him during one week of buffer time, he had no idea that he would see it with his own eyes inside the Cycle.

    Those whose heart was found heavier than the feather would be devoured by the monster Ammit and be condemned to eternal oblivion, while those with lighter hearts were granted passage to the realm of the blessed where they would await reincarnation.

    ’Thank you, Nian’er, for forcing me to study!’ Jin Jiuchi thought inside his heart.

    However, he soon encountered a grave problem.

    How to use this feather again? Did he need to tear out that spirit’s heart to be weighed? And where was the scale?!

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    A/N: Congratulations to the underworld for welcoming a new chaotic ruler! *laugh*