Chapter 1 — Obsession at the Banks of Reincarnation

In my third year working in the underworld, I welcomed my own flesh and blood. Three years had passed, yet their eyes still held room for no one except their adopted daughter. Not a single one of them noticed me standing just seven paces away, my face concealed behind a stern mask. It was not until the moment of identity registration that my older brother suddenly spoke up.

Respected underworld messenger, would you be so kind as to help me find my true younger sister, Quy Anh Anh?

I froze, and then I heard the heavy, unmistakable tone of disgust in his voice.

Just because we were celebrating Meng Meng’s birthday, she called claiming she had been kidnapped and then pulled some vanishing act. People like her are a burden our family simply cannot endure. If it is at all possible, we would prefer Meng Meng to take her place and continue as a member of our family in our next lives.

The real younger sister he was speaking of was me. Yet he remained entirely ignorant of the fact that the phone call they had abruptly hung up on three years ago had been my final, desperate lifeline. The Sovereign of the Underworld, moved by pity for my wrongful death and the desolate absence of anyone to tend to my ancestral rites, had permitted me to remain here as a low-ranking spirit official. As soon as I successfully guided nine hundred and ninety-nine batches of wandering souls, I would finally earn the right to reincarnation. The group standing right before me happened to be the very last batch.

Three years had vanished into the mist, and yet they had not changed at all. They still clustered protectively around Quy Meng. Not a single soul among them recognized the woman standing a mere seven paces away. I had long since grown accustomed to this bitter truth. Disguising my voice beneath the heavy resonance of the mask, I proceeded to confirm the names of each individual in turn. When it came to Quy Meng’s turn, she timidly cowered behind my brother’s back. He instinctively moved to shield her from my sight.

Meng Meng is naturally timid, respected messenger, so I must ask you not to frighten the child.

How utterly absurd. When he was alive, he lived in perpetual fear that I might bully her. Now that he was dead, he still harbored the exact same fear that I might somehow terrify her. A self-mocking smile twitched at the corners of my mouth as I lowered my head and resumed the mechanical recitation of my duties.

The records indicate that all four members of your household perished in a devastating fire at precisely fifteen minutes past six in the evening. From that exact moment onward, your household registration has been entirely expunged from the mortal realm. I am an official of the Department of Soul Summoning, tasked with escorting you to the Palace of King Yama for official presentation.

The moment the words left my lips, my brother’s brow furrowed deeply.

Expunged registration? What about Quy Anh Anh? Is she not still alive in the mortal world?

Hearing my own name, my heart constricted painfully within my chest. Yet my brother spoke as though he had merely uttered something foul and ill-omened, letting out a cold, derisive laugh.

Respected messenger, if it is convenient, could you perhaps check the records to see where she currently is? Three years ago, our family was celebrating Meng Meng’s birthday when she stubbornly called us insisting she had been kidnapped. We chose to ignore her childish antics, and so she ran off to play some elaborate game of hide-and-seek. A person of such temperament is truly a misfortune our family has no blessing to bear.

My mother’s eyes grew red and swollen, though certainly not for my sake. She lowered her head to stroke Quy Meng’s hair, her voice thick with unshed tears.

Meng Meng has spent these past few years consumed by self-blame, constantly telling us that because she unknowingly took away her sister’s birthday, Anh Anh grew furious and ran away from home. But how could any of that possibly be Meng Meng’s fault? It is abundantly clear that Quy Anh Anh was simply ungrateful and deliberately throwing a violent tantrum. If reincarnation permitted it, I would truly wish that the child I had brought into this world from the very beginning had been Meng Meng.

I lowered my gaze to stare at my own pale, distorted hands, feeling as though my throat had been choked full of coarse sand. They knew nothing. That single phone call three years ago had been my absolute final chance at salvation. On that fateful day, I had been dragged violently into an abandoned industrial warehouse. Taking advantage of the very last flicker of battery life on my phone, I had dialed home with trembling fingers, desperately begging for rescue. But the only response I received was my brother’s cold, unyielding voice.

Today is Meng Meng’s birthday. She has lacked parents since childhood, and it has been extraordinarily difficult for her to finally feel the warmth of a real family. Must you insist on stirring up such gloomy trouble at a time like this?

My parents had stood right beside him, offering heavy, disappointed sighs.

She has simply been spoiled beyond redemption.

I had lain there on the freezing, filthy concrete floor, shaking my head in helpless despair. I wanted desperately to tell them I was not lying, wanted desperately to convey how excruciatingly much pain I was in. But the only answer vouchsafed to me was the sound of bright, carefree laughter echoing from the other end of the line, swiftly followed by my brother’s final, exhausted ultimatum.

If you truly have the spine for it, then don't ever bother coming back for the rest of your life.

And so, fulfilling his fondest wish, I truly could not return. The kidnappers grew tired of waiting for a ransom that would never arrive, and fearing their crime would be brought to light, they brutally tortured me before casting my lifeless body into the murky river. My remains drifted beneath the water for three full days before they were finally pulled to the surface. Yet, even unto the very end, they remained utterly convinced that I was merely putting on an elaborate theatrical performance, refusing entirely to even claim my corpse.

I closed the registry with a firm snap and spoke in a tranquil, detached tone.

The registration is complete. Let us move forward; the Hall of Judgment awaits us next.

Quy Meng asked in a trembling, fragile whisper, Where exactly is the Hall of Judgment?

I turned my gaze directly upon her. It is the place where the accumulated virtues and sins of a mortal life are weighed and balanced.

Whatever stray thought crossed her mind, the color drained completely from her face, leaving her complexion ashen. My brother immediately stepped in front of her, casting a wary, defensive glare in my direction.

Meng Meng has possessed a pure and benevolent heart since she was a child; what conceivable evil could she have ever committed? On the contrary, it is Quy Anh Anh who has harbored a vicious disposition and an insufferably arrogant temper ever since her youth. Once she is brought down here, I am certain she will merely cause another scene, weeping and wailing just to plague us with endless annoyance.

Along the desolate banks of the River of Forgetfulness, the nether winds blew with fierce intensity. I watched the grim fortress gradually materialize through the swirling mists, quietly quickening the pace of my rowing.

Rest assured, she will do no such thing.

For once they had passed through the ten halls of the underworld, I would finally embark upon my own journey toward reincarnation. I had made a special petition before the Sovereign of the Underworld, trading three whole years of accumulated spiritual merit simply to ensure that my family and I would never cross paths again, not for all eternity.

Stepping ashore, the thick, ghostly fog refused to dissipate. A heavy, oppressive gray blanketed the entire landscape, suffocating and dense enough to steal the breath from one's lungs. I raised a hand to point toward the towering structure whose soaring peak vanished endlessly into the swirling gray vapors far above.

Direct yonder lies the Hall of Judgment. Every wandering spirit must cross the threshold of the Mirror of Retrospection. That mirror reflects every single deed committed during one's mortal existence; whatever your merits, sins, or transgressions may be, the Judge shall pass his verdict accordingly.

The moment those words left my lips, the fierce guardians of the underworld dragged forth a man who looked utterly deranged and frantic.

Release me! During my mortal days, I performed countless benevolent deeds and accumulated vast amounts of virtue; on what possible grounds do you dare condemn me?

The guardian laughed with chilling detachment. On the sole grounds that while serving as the director of an orphanage in the mortal world, you systematically embezzled charitable donations, causing countless innocent children to starve to death! The Mirror of Retrospection has laid bare the entirety of your wretched life for all to see; how dare you still attempt such brazen sophistry!

Quy Meng watched with wide, horrified eyes as the man was dragged away toward the fathomless abyss. Her complexion turned deathly pale in an instant, and she scrambled desperately to hide behind our mother’s skirts.

Respected official, is it truly mandatory that we pass before the Mirror of Retrospection? I am so terrified...

She had never changed; she remained forever the master of that exact demeanor. It seemed that as long as her eyes grew misty and red, the entire universe was expected to yield to her whims and bow to her fragility. I spoke with deliberate indifference.

What is there to fear? Only those who accumulated an excess of monstrous sins during their mortal lives are subjected to harsh retribution. If your conscience remains entirely unburdened, the mirror will never treat you unjustly.

My mother offered soothing, tender caresses in an attempt to comfort her. Have no fear, Meng Meng; the underworld messenger has already spoken, and no harm will befall you.

My father nodded in solemn agreement. You have been gentle-hearted since you were a tiny child, incapable of even stepping upon an ant without remorse; what on earth could you possibly have to fear?

Yet my brother did not immediately rush to coddle and reassure her as had been his lifelong habit. Instead, he stared intently at me, his gaze deep and heavy with unspoken thoughts.

What about lying? If a person repeatedly resorts to falsehoods throughout their mortal life, will they too face retribution after death?

I remained frozen for a long moment before the bitter truth of his words finally dawned upon me. The person he was truly asking about was me.

That year marked the very first birthday my mother celebrated after Quy Meng was officially welcomed into our household. I had scrimped and saved my meager allowance for an entire year simply to purchase a modest silver necklace. It was hardly expensive, but I had personally carved a tiny character representing my name onto the reverse side of the pendant. I had naively imagined that upon receiving it, my mother’s face would blossom into a warm smile. But when the day of the celebration finally arrived, my carefully prepared gift vanished into thin air.

Throughout the entire dinner, I sat at the table in a daze, completely devoid of spirit. My mother noticed my strange demeanor and had just begun to ask what was wrong when Quy Meng approached carrying a familiar little box. The wrapping paper was an exact match, the ribbon identical, and even the clumsy, crooked engraving on the back of the pendant had been flawlessly replicated. She lowered her head and whispered with exquisite timidity, Happy birthday, mother.

In that very fraction of a second, a towering tidal wave of white-hot rage surged uncontrollably within my chest.

That belongs to me! Quy Meng, you stole my property!

I lunged forward, desperate to snatch it back, but my older brother immediately struck me across the face with a heavy, stinging blow. He stared down at me, his eyes brimming with profound disappointment.

Quy Anh Anh, have you finally lost your mind and created enough chaos? Meng Meng was merely trying to integrate herself smoothly into this family. We are well aware that you harbor an aversion toward her, but what possesses you to falsely accuse her of petty theft?

Overwhelmed by a suffocating mixture of fury and grievance, my voice shook violently as I attempted to explain. Mother, this gift was genuinely prepared by me. The character carved upon the back was etched with my own hands.

Yet my mother merely let out a soft, weary sigh. Anh Anh, if you failed to prepare a gift, I am not going to blame you. But this is a token of Meng Meng’s heartfelt affection; how could you be so cruel as to intentionally wound her feelings like this?

It was only then that I finally understood. I realized that even when undeniable evidence lay clearly exposed before their eyes, it was utterly useless. As long as Quy Meng shed her tears, the one in the wrong would unfailingly be me.

Thus, when my final, desperate plea for rescue reached his ears over the phone, my brother had only let out an impatient, heavy sigh.

Quy Anh Anh, is your desperate craving for attention truly so pathological that you would invent such a grotesque lie? Today is Meng Meng’s birthday, and the laboratory data has encountered a critical error; I simply do not have the time to entertain your childish games.

Along with the sharp click of the phone line going dead, my life came to an abrupt and permanent halt at the age of eighteen. Following my death, the guardians of the path had asked if I still harbored any unfulfilled mortal attachments. Driven by some inexplicable compulsion, I had requested permission to return home just one final time. Despite the boundless misunderstandings and bitter conflicts that had defined our relationship, before casting off this mortal shell entirely, the people I found myself unable to let go of were still my family.

Yet upon returning to the Quy household, all I found in the living room was a birthday cake adorned with precisely eighteen blazing candles. Quy Meng closed her eyes to make her secret wish. My parents beamed with joy, clapping their hands in delight. And the person proudly carrying the cake forward was none other than the brother who had insisted over the telephone that he was infinitely too busy to be bothered.

Separated by the cool barrier of my mask, he could not perceive the deep, lingering sorrow dwelling within my eyes. I remained silent for a long space before offering a soft, measured reply.

Those who break faith and trample upon loyalty, those who invert white and black... naturally shall never meet with a fortunate end.

My brother’s expression stiffened instantly, and he looked as though he wished to retort. But before he could speak, the bronze bell hanging before the hall’s grand portals chimed clear and loud. The judgment of the previous wandering soul had reached its conclusion. I withdrew my gaze, turned gracefully, and pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the hall.

Step inside; the Mirror of Retrospection has already awakened.

The moment we crossed the threshold, the chilling nether wind rushed to buffet our faces. The corridor stretched out before us in profound darkness. Quy Meng had scarcely taken two steps before she broke down in shuddering tears.

Mother, father, brother, I am so terrified. I believe I may have done a few improper things in the past, but it was entirely because she forced me into them...

She wept with practiced mastery, her tears falling precisely when they would elicit the maximum effect. My mother’s heart melted entirely with maternal anguish as she pulled the girl fiercely into her embrace.

Be a good girl, Meng Meng; we know quite well what a pure child you are. Your sister has always possessed such an extreme temperament; I understand everything.

My brother furrowed his brow as well. Quy Anh Anh has never known the meaning of contentment, stubbornly targeting you at every single turn. If she forced your hand, then when the mirror questions you shortly, simply place the blame squarely upon her shoulders. Whatever karma she generated, she must bear alone.

Never knowing contentment. Those three words were ones I had been forced to endure an endless number of times. On parent-teacher conference days, the seats surrounding those of my peers were invariably packed with family, while my own chair remained empty for all eternity simply because Quy Meng required constant attendance. On birthdays, I would sit waiting alone until past eleven at night while they were out celebrating a grand surprise party for Quy Meng. When summer vacation arrived and we had planned a family excursion, it was only after the vehicle had already reached the highway rest stop that they finally discovered I had never even boarded the bus.