Volume 1 : Path through Purgatory

 

Chapter 9 : A Deal

 

Sitting alone in his prison cell, Zhang Gui’s thoughts were adrift. Contemplating his fate was something he often found himself doing these days. Now that he had mastered the Carefree Bliss Sutra, there was nothing better to do for him. Perhaps he felt a little lonely, the old monk had already departed back when he cleared the eighth layer for the first time.

 

“I don’t want to accompany you while you go through this again and again. Now that you can even withstand the pain easily, it is no longer fun to watch. Instead it would be better for me to go sightseeing through the other layers.”

 

Despite his frustrating actions, Zhang Gui considered the old monk to be his savior and to his own surprise, he missed the monk’s presence. 

 

Even Ox-Head, the person closest to being his friend, had gone to the capital city of Youdu for some reason. The prison guards did not dare to patrol too close to his cell because of the fearsome rumours surrounding ‘Masochistic Demon’. Even he did not know the extent to which rumours regarding him had escalated. Some claimed that he was punished for killing and eating hundreds of children during his life while others alleged that he was a fallen god, a corrupted being because according to those propagating the rumours, only someone like a fallen God could survive the Naraka Hells for so long.

 

As he thought about the world he was living in, he realized how little he understood it. Almost everything he knew was told to him by Ox-Head or the Monk Di but even that was just a tiny amount, like a corner in a puzzle. There were many questions unanswered but both of his compatriots had refused to share any more information.

 

“ What's the point in you knowing all this? I don’t wish to educate a dying soul. First deal with your punishment, we will talk about it again then.”

 

Remembering the smug arrogant face of that self proclaimed monk, Zhang Gui once again went on a cursing spree. If there was one thing he had progressed with the last few months it would have to be his skill in cursing. Every day he would come up with new and innovative ways to insult someone's legacy and heritage. 

 

Just as he was about to abuse the nine generations of the old monk’s family, he noticed a tiny crack. A tiny crack would not be something unusual in a place as ancient as the Qincheng prison. The weird thing about it was that it was floating in the air in front of his cell! 

 

“How can air crack?!”

 

The crack seemed to treat the air as if it was a solid brittle mass. Before Zhang Gui’s astounded eyes, the lines of the crack spread further along, cutting across the air like the branches of a lightning strike. Like a plate breaking into small sharp pieces, the air affected by the crack seemed to shatter into tiny pieces. 

 

The crevice created by the crack showed a pitch black world. It could perhaps even be described as darker than black. As the crevice grew larger, one could faintly make out an individual standing on the other side amidst the backdrop of the black world. It was the same hooded figure who was present at the altar of the Gate of Naraka Hells. Covered from head to toe in grey robes, his outline almost seemed to merge with the black background.

 

Taking a step forward, the figure landed in the hallway right in front of Zhang Gui’s cell. As he exited the crevice, the lines running across the space restored themselves and the entire crack vanished without a trace. The light from the luminous pearl in the cell landed on him revealing a part of his face. Pale! Too pale! The man looked like all blood had been drained from his face. The contrast created by his fair skin and his dark grey robes almost seemed to be on purpose. Just from his looks, one would assume he was a teenager not older than 20 years of age. His eyes formed the most distinctive aspect of his visage. With bright red light shining through them, the eyes gave off a frightening aura.    

 

“So this is where they stashed you?” The boy said as he eyed his surroundings. As Zhang Gui felt the man’s gaze land upon him, he felt as if everything about him was laid bare before the man. The man eyed him from head to toe as if he was carefully inspecting him. He had not withstood such a pressure ever since his trial in front of the Yama King and the Yin-Yang Generals.

 

“Do I know you?” , Zhang Gui asked cautiously.

 

“You do not know me but I definitely know of you. The Masochistic Demon - a mortal soul who has survived the first eighth layers of Hell. Truly an accomplishment.” His hoarse voice resounded throughout the hallway yet no guard seemed to have noticed. There was a hint of exhilaration in his voice.

 

“Senior must be kidding. Those are just rumours. I am just a prisoner serving his sentence.” He had learned from Ox-Head to treat dangerous people with utmost respect. Just the manner in which the strange boy had appeared in front of him was sufficient to earn the title of senior.The excitement in the hooded boy’s voice made Zhang Gui uncomfortable, even he was not as proud of his achievements as this man seemed to be.

 

“For a mortal soul to come upon the Vitality Thunder by happenstance is impossible, it can only mean you bear a great destiny upon your head.” Staring at the japmala wrapped around Zhang Gui’s wrist, the boy sneered. “Although it looks like not all of your achievements are your own. Of course that old ghost was involved, he always has to step into matters that are none of his business.”

 

This person looked younger than even Zhang Gui and yet he talked about Monk Di as if they were equals.

 

“Monk Di did indeed help this junior survive the hells. Without him my primal essence would have been consumed in the raging inferno itself.”

 

“Hehe, is he calling himself Monk Di nowadays?”

 

“Is Monk Di not his real name?” 

 

Ignoring the confused Zhang Gui, the pale man continued, “You are saying that he saved your primal essence? That old rascal? You give him too much credit.”

 

“Do you know of the fable of the boiling frog? If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will frantically try to clamber out. But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will float there quite placidly. As the water gradually heats up, the frog will sink into a tranquil stupor, exactly the state you are in right now, and before long, with a smile on its face, it will unresistingly allow itself to be boiled to death.”

 

“Well ,you probably won’t understand so easily. I will just demonstrate it for you.”

 

“You must still have the memories of your past life, right? Do you remember your mother’s name?”

 

“What is this guy talking about? Of course I remember my ma’s name. It is Zhang ...um… Zhang ……”

 

“Can’t remember can you? It's the same with your other memories. Go ahead, try to revisit them.”

 

A sense of dread rose up within his soul when he heard those words. He immediately tried to recollect all his memories from his time on Earth. He recalled a photograph he had taken of his parents on the occasion of their marriage anniversary. He could make out the outline of their faces but everything else seemed blurry. 

 

“Wait a second, what school did I attend? Who was my first crush? What subject was my degree in? Did I even have a college degree?”

 

His memories had eroded away! This was a clear sign of his primal essence being consumed away.

 

“But how? I mastered the Carefree Bliss Sutra. I hid away my primal essence in the most obscure corner of my soul. Even during the first few times when I had not mastered the sutra, I prioritized the safety of my primal essence over everything else. Suffering all that immeasurable pain back then, had it not been to protect my primal essence.”

 

“How the hell did I not notice this earlier?”

 

The man looked to be satisfied with the expression of horror on Zhang Gui’s face.

 

“You are the frog. Do you understand now?”

 

His grating voice was particularly irritating at that moment.

 

“It should not be long before your essence is wiped clean and your soul becomes ownerless again. I reckon a few more trips to the Naraka Hells will do the trick. Ah, it is so sad, for the mighty Masochistic Demon to fall so soon. I bet if I leak this information I could earn quite a fortune from the betting circles.”

 

The man was clearly taking pleasure in Zhang Gui’s misfortune. But Zhang Gui didn’t seem to notice that. He was directing all his focus on trying to remember every detail of his life. His memories seemed to have some holes poked through them. A few years of his life had been lost forever. The rest were beginning to rust. Once all his memories were lost, would the person left even be Zhang Gui?

 

Despite the help he had received from the old monk, he understood the kind of cliff he was standing on. There was supposed to be no hope for a soul condemned to the Naraka Hells. Ever since his actions led to the annihilation of those souls in the Pond Of Reincarnation, his fate had been sealed but the Carefree Bliss Sutra had sparked a wild hope within him. But as it turned out, even that spark turned out to be a delusion he had harboured. 

 

The strange hooded figure did not care for the overwhelming anxiety building up within Zhang Gui. 

 

“I didn't just come here to deliver bad news. I came here to deliver an opportunity to you. A way to escape your misfortune.A way to regain your freedom.”

 

Those words jolted Zhang Gui out of his stupor.

 

“ There is a way?”

 

“You simply have to make a deal with me”

 

A disingenuous smile appeared on his pale lips as he said those words.