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The boy died. Just like that.
After living for twenty years, he was dead. As for the cause of death... I don't want to say, because it was pretty embarrassing. But that's not important, what is important is that he is now standing in the waiting room of the dead in the Hall of Yama, impatiently folding his arms and tapping his foot, waiting to be reincarnated.
"Next!"
A soul-reaping demon opened the door of the waiting room and shouted inside: "Who is the 824th dead person? It's your turn!"
"It's me!" The boy raised his hand and followed the demon towards the main hall of Yama. To be honest, he was really impatient! When he first arrived here right after his death, the demon was calling out number 820. He thought there were only four people ahead of him and it would be quick. But who would have thought that he would end up waiting for a whole week in this waiting room? Are these civil servants taking their time because they know the dead won't starve or die again?
Looking at the demon leading the way in front of him, carrying a soul-reaping fork and texting someone, the boy really felt an urge to give him a good beating.
This is the underworld, but the surrounding scenery is not as bad as people usually describe. Instead, there are flowers, birds, fish, insects, rockeries, and ponds. To call it heaven might be a bit much, but the scenery is indeed nice. While resting in the waiting room, he heard that all this was done by Lord Yama himself. It seems that Lord Yama really is idling away, decorating his workplace so elegantly.
But the boy was not in the mood to care about these sceneries. He just wanted to be reincarnated quickly to fulfill the wishes he didn't complete in his previous life!
Even if he loses the memories of his previous life, he believes he will surely fulfill them!
Entering the main hall of Yama, a middle-aged uncle with a full beard, dressed in ancient official robes, was sitting in front of a desk, engrossed in something. His expression was leisurely and relaxed.
"Lord, the 824th dead person has been brought here."
Lord Yama ignored him and continued to read the scroll in his hand.
"Lord! Number 824 is here!!!"
Lord Yama continued to ignore...
"Lo..."
"What are you looking at! What's so interesting!!! What kind of deity has such poor work efficiency as you?!!!!"
Ignoring the demon, the already impatient boy rushed to the desk and slammed his palm down hard, creating a loud bang! He was in a hurry to be reincarnated, and there was no time to waste here!
Lord Yama was startled by the noise and quickly stuffed the book under the desk. But when he saw that the one yelling at him was not an inspector sent from above, but just a mere soul of a dead person, his expression finally relaxed and turned dignified.
"How dare a dead soul disturb the Senluo Hall?! Aren't you afraid of going to hell?!"
"Bang!"
Another loud slap on the desk. The boy seemed to fear nothing. He sneered and stared at Yama, saying sarcastically, "Go to hell? Who doesn't know that Meng Po is a heavenly deity and not under Yama's control? Before feeding people the Meng Po Soup on the Bridge of Reincarnation, she will listen to every soul's opinion about the operation of Yama's Hall and then report to the Heavenly Court. Punish me to go to hell? Do you believe you'll be demoted by the Heavenly Emperor first?"
Yama was stunned for a moment, speechless. It's a public oversight mechanism in the underworld that every newly dead soul will be informed about Meng Po. However, there really aren't many souls bold enough to complain to Meng Po and request a petition.
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Yama coughed and tried to muddle through, sitting upright, ready to work. The boy also didn't really intend to make a petition. As long as Yama would work efficiently for him, who would bother with that?
"Alright, let's first confirm your identity." Yama coughed again and opened the "Book of Life and Death" next to him, asking, "Your name?"
Upon hearing this, the boy's face, which had been disdainful, suddenly darkened. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't know."
"Eh? You don't know your own name? How can there be such a person in the world?"
"Hmph, I was an abandoned baby and never met my biological parents. How would I know the name they gave me?" The boy folded his arms, sounding somewhat angry.
Yama laughed and said, "I thought it was something serious. It's just this! No problem, just tell me what you usually call yourself, or what others call you. The 'Book of Life and Death' doesn't just record names given by parents. Nicknames, code names, pet names, anything that can express your identity, all can be used."
The boy hesitated, then his face turned somewhat embarrassed. He turned his whole body around, back facing Yama.
"Do I really need to say my name? Just let me be reincarnated quickly. My name doesn't sound good; it's better not to hear it."
The demon pointed at the boy with the soul-reaping fork and said sternly, "How can one be reincarnated without knowing their name? If we don't verify your deeds of this life, how can we arrange your next life? Speak up quickly, don't make Lord Yama angry!"
The boy showed no fear of the demon's coercion, but he also knew that he couldn't pass this hurdle without stating his name. After hesitating again and again, he barely opened his mouth and uttered two words...
"What?" Yama perked up his ears. The boy spoke so softly that he could hardly hear.
"Dream..."
"Dream? Dream what?"
"...Dream... Mengdie! My master calls me Mengdie! Are you satisfied now!!!"
Both the demon and Yama were stunned. They looked carefully at the boy called Mengdie in front of them. Yes, he was a completely typical boy. But... a man... how could he have such a feminine name?!
Yama might have held back, but the demon was almost laughing.
"Damn it, you still laugh! This name was given to me by my master. He said that when he found me, I was asleep with a butterfly resting on my nose! Coincidentally, it was my turn for the 'Dream' generation, so my dharma name was given as Mengdie! What's so funny about that!!!"
Mengdie grabbed the demon's collar and raised his fist. It's all because he was picked up by his master and coincidentally got such an unlucky dharma name. Since he was young, because of this overly feminine dharma name, he was often ridiculed by his fellow monks.
He sometimes wondered, looking at himself with thick eyebrows and big eyes, strong limbs, such a standard man yet having such a name, isn't it too embarrassing? So he also asked his master to change his name. But his master didn't care at all about whether the name was masculine or feminine and told him to go with the flow, saying it's just a name. So, until his master passed away, his dharma name wasn't changed. And out of respect for Buddhism, he had to carry this dharma name for the rest of his life.
After listening to Mengdie's words, the demon and Yama finally held back their laughter. Yama coughed (I really wish he had asthma), flipping through the 'Book of Life and Death' and said, "Okay, okay, I got it, Mengdie, right? Mengdie... Dream... Butterfly... Eh?"
After flipping through the 'Book of Life and Death,' Yama suddenly showed a strange expression. Then, he rubbed his eyes and returned his gaze to the surname column starting with the "Dream" character, checking them one by one...
"Strange, why isn't there a person named Mengdie?"
Yama muttered softly. He called over a ghost official, showed him the 'Book of Life and Death,' and asked, "Hey, did you register it wrong? Why isn't there a person named Mengdie here?"
The ghost official was also stunned, showing an incredulous expression, and looked at the 'Book of Life and Death.' After scanning it, he thought for a moment, suddenly slapped his forehead, and whispered to Yama, "Lord, could this soul be a 'special fate' soul? The names of people with 'special fate' souls are not recorded in the ordinary 'Book of Life and Death.'"
'Special fate' refers to those whose life destinies are arranged by several ancient deities from birth. Every reincarnation of these people must strictly follow their fate. To differentiate and respect the arrangements of these ancient deities, they are naturally not recorded in the ordinary 'Book of Life and Death.'
Yama nodded, instructing the official to immediately bring the 'Special Fate Book of Life and Death.' In less than two minutes, a book thinner than the ordinary 'Book of Life and Death' was handed to Yama.
"Hmm... Mengdie... Mengdie... Ha! Found it! This soul really is a special fate!" Finding the target, Yama laughed happily. This made Mengdie standing below a bit puzzled, asking what he was laughing about. However, Yama just glossed over it.
Raising the 'Book of Life and Death,' Yama glanced at Mengdie below, then double-checked the 'Death Age Photo' next to the name, and started reading.
"Mengdie, male. Lived 20 years. Abandoned as an infant, adopted by Master Fang Zhi of Wutai Mountain Juechen Temple, becoming his secular disciple. At the age of two, he showed an unexpected talent for martial arts... Oh? I didn't expect you to be a martial artist?"
Mengdie snorted, not responding.
Yama smiled and continued reading: "At the age of five, he could independently defeat three ten-year-old children. However, as Juechen Temple was a common temple, there were no extraordinary achievements."
"At the age of twelve, Master Fang Zhi passed away. Mengdie left Juechen Temple and traveled outside. During this period, his strength was fully developed, quickly reaching a level of almost unbeatable in the world. At the ages of fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen, he participated in three International Heterogeneous Fighting Competitions, easily winning first place each time. Ho ho! Young man, quite impressive! I didn't expect that standing before me was a world champion?"
"Cut it out, what's so great about that?" Mengdie seemed to have no pride in Yama's admiration. He looked down on his own achievements.
Yama laughed twice and continued: "After three consecutive championships, Mengdie returned to Juechen Temple and became a humble kitchen worker under a pseudonym. At the age of twenty, he was invited by the Heavenly Realm to participate in..."
Reading up to this point, Yama suddenly stopped. He scanned the 'Book of Life and Death' and then looked at Mengdie with an almost incredulous gaze. Then, he pointed a trembling finger at Mengdie, his voice shaking, "You... you participated in the First Martial Arts Competition of Heaven and Earth as a human?!"
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