"How do you know that I came from another world? are you also from another world?"

Weiqi was just as curious, so the two were throwing out questions to each other.

King Yama chuckled and spoke. "I asked first, but I will be hospitable and answer one of your questions."

"I am not from another world; I belong to this one here. As for how I know about other worlds. I will tell you once you answer my questions first."

"Oh," Weiqi said dispiritedly; he hoped the other had been in the same situation and maybe gave him some pointers.

He was confused and lonely; he wanted someone to confide in, so he opened up to King Yama.

"Well, I was hit by a truck and then woke up here. Does that mean I died? I really don't know." He scratched his head.

"As for how my world is compared to yours. I really can't tell. I have only been here a couple of hours, so I do not know much about this world." His shoulders slumped, and he shook his head.

"But as far as I know, there is no King Yama in my world. I have never seen any ghosts. And I really have not heard of people disappearing into thin air."

"So, my world is definitely different than yours." He said, looking into King Yama's eyes.

King Yama then said, "Well then, let us compare." He was really excited to learn about new worlds.

As a result, the two sat down and started talking about their respective worlds. One person would say one thing, and then the next person would compare how it is in their world.

And just like that, time passed, and they talked for hours.

Weiqi was tired, but he could not fall asleep. The more King Yama told him, the colder his back got.

In the end, he felt chilled to the bones, even in his puffy white jacket.

King Yama was not any better. He had a very disappointed look on his face.

"Your world, ah, your world is just too boring." King Yama lamented.

Weqi defended his world. "No, your world is way too stimulating; my world is just right."

And then Weiqi sat in silence as he tried to digest all that King Yama told him.

-

King Yama believed that many worlds existed, and all the worlds were connected to the Dao or the Path.

According to King Yama, Dao is the origin of all things; it is the underlying source and power of the universe. All universes were connected through the origin point. The Dao being the origin point.

Qi is the vital energy that exists in all things. So, whether something is alive or not, they all have Qi. And once refined, Qi can turn into Primordial Qi.

All worlds were connected through Primordial Qi to the Dao.

Some worlds have weaker Primordial Qi (Such as Weiqi's world), and others have more vital Primordial Qi (Such as King Yama's world), but they are all connected to the Dao.

Weiqi thought about how he had heard of the Dao and Qi in his world.

His grandfather would especially go to these old Traditional Chinese doctors when he felt ill and returned after taking some supplements that "Balanced his Qi." Weiqi always thought that his grandfather got scammed, but now, hearing King Yama speak, he was not so sure anymore.

King Yama believed that if someone could refine enough Primordial Qi, they could even travel to different worlds along the path of the Dao.

Qi is an energetic life force that causes things to live, grow, develop, and decline.

Because of the abundant Qi in King Yama's world, it developed slightly differently than in Weiqi's world. Even though technology and science are similar, people's lifespan is longer, and things like cultivation are possible.

More than half of the population in King Yama's world are born with a physique that can refine Qi.

People with such a physique can cultivate and even prolong their life, depending on how much Qi they can manipulate.

But they can only live a little longer, at most, until they are 300.

When Weiqi heard King Yama say only 300, he was speechless, but once King Yama told him that he was hundreds of thousands of years old, he understood why King Yama felt like 300 was only a little.

Weiqi looked at King Yama in front of him. That boy looked even younger than this body and complained about this unscientific world of King Yama's.

He then remembered the milk tea goddess, whom Heng Taio called "Grandma Meng," and thought maybe she really was a grandma. Ah, this world is like the Kinder surprise that you never wanted.

He then continued with his thoughts about King Yama's unscientific world.

So, people born with that particular Qi-enhancing physique cultivate from a young age to develop their manipulation of Qi. They use their Qi and cultivate different paths.

Because a world's development is closely tied to how much Qi it has, many governments have established certain schools and universities to provide an environment suitable for cultivation.

If someone has a Qi-enhancing physique, they are automatically admitted to one of the special schools.

Depending on how much Qi they can manipulate, the higher the student's status.

Did that mean no studying for exams to try and get into a good school? Well, he liked this part. He was never too keen on school and would just daydream in class and doodle.

As for the Underworld, they oversee the balance of the Qi in the world.

When a person dies, the Qi condenses into a soul. That soul then goes to the Underworld to reincarnate, part of that Qi goes back into the universe, and the rest is attached to the Primordial Qi of the Soul itself.

Going through reincarnations, people slowly accumulate Qi. The more Qi they have, the more balanced their life is. And they end up being successful and happy.

And what is life if not the pursuit of happiness?

Weiqi agreed with King Yama's statement, but it seemed the pursuit of happiness was a lot easier in his own world than in this one. He pursued happiness just fine over there, but here? he is not so sure about his success in doing so. He was even more dispirited.

King Yama explained that the Underworld also has 18 hells. People that do evil accumulate negative Qi and disturb the balance of Qi in the world. They are sent to those 18 hells and are tortured.

The torture slowly strips their soul of Qi. When they eventually reincarnate, they have very little Qi left, resulting in them being reincarnated as animals or as poor and miserable people.

Too much negative Qi damages the world, so it is the Underworld's job to keep that balance in check and protect the world.

But they only govern the souls; they usually stay away from the affairs of the living.

For good to exist, there must be evil. For evil to exist, there must be good.

Yin & Yang is the duality present in all aspects of the universe. Opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, and the world cannot survive without either.

So, the Underworld cannot eliminate all the negative Qi, or the world will fall out of balance.

Weiqi never quite understood the Yin and Yang explanations. Why must there be evil? But now, he kind of understood a little. Or at least he pretended to. This new world had its own rules, and he must try adapting.

King Yama then said that the Underworld was created hundreds of thousands of years ago. He just gained consciousness one day when the first soul was created with Qi. That soul was not even human, so for a very long time, King Yama just talked to himself, and then the other Kings emerged.

Weiqi could never imagine being alone for Thousands of years. How was King Yama still sane? He knows he would probably have gone crazy by now.

But hearing King Yama mention that there are 10 Kings, he was a little curious.

King Yama then created the 18 supervisors; he created them using his energy, which was incredibly hard.

Because, unlike the rest of the living, he cannot cultivate Qi. Here in the Underworld, a small amount of Qi is absorbed by him when souls are tortured, but he cannot die and cannot enter reincarnation, so his Qi is always stagnant.

He told Weiqi that there were 10 Kings of the Underworld and 18 Supervisors. Each supervisor oversees their corresponding hells in the Underworld and their own district in the world of the living.

Then Weqi remembered the figures carved in the stone gate and was enlightened, so it represented the management.

Like when you walk into a store and see pictures of the managers and supervisors.

He then wondered if they also had an employee of the month. Then continued his musings.

He thought about how King Yama told him that some souls refuse to reincarnate, while others have done so much evil that the negative Qi is overflowing.

Those evil souls sound like how malevolent ghosts are described in his world, and he shudders, thinking, did ghosts exist in his own world? Ah, if he ever returns to his world, he thinks he might have trouble sleeping.

But then he is in a world where he knows for fact ghosts are real, so won't he have more trouble sleeping here than back home? Ah, more worries.

He was told that not all souls that refuse to reincarnate are evil. Some souls just have an obsession they can't get rid of, and their Qi is tangled with that obsession.

But still, a ghost is a ghost, and Weiqi thinks he might be scared regardless of if it is good or evil.

Certain humans with strong Qi apparently help the Underworld collect those souls that stay in the world of the living.

Those humans have a contract with Supervisors of the Underworld, helping with soul collections.

Although dangerous, many humans covet these jobs.

Other than tangible rewards, such as money or treasures. Those humans get a better life in their next reincarnation and a higher Qi retention in the reincarnation cycle.

Weiqi thought that it sounded like the Underworld hired ghostbusters, and he was amused.

-

But after that lengthy explanation, Weiqi was lying on the little table, his hands were splayed to the side, and his blank eyes were staring into space, barely blinking. It really was too much to take in.

King Yama was sitting across, waiting for Weiqi to absorb all that information.

He has a little more to tell the boy. But he wants him to stabilize himself before upending his view of the world again.

Outside the hall, three supervisors requested an audience with King Yama to discuss some matter, one of which was how to heal with the Tao clan.

King Yama returned to his throne and let the supervisors in.

Weiqi was still lying flat on that table, and he hadn't moved at all since he received the information about the world.

The three supervisors walk in and start discussing business. None of them notice Weiqi yet because he is unmoving in the corner.

Weiqi finally absorbs all that information and remembers that King Yama told him he would explain how exactly he knows of the existence of another world and exclaims, "That's right."

He suddenly shot to his feet but noticed that the place in front was empty.

Turning his head, he sees King Yama sitting on his throne. Three people were also in front of the throne, and all were staring at him after his outburst.

He wanted to shrink back down, but his eyes lit up when he recognized two of them. Wasn't that Heng Taio and Huahua, errr he meant Bo Youfei? Then waved and smiled.

After the shock he received, seeing familiar faces put him more at ease, ignoring completely the fact that these familiar faces were not at all humans.

Heng Taio nodded his head, and Bo Youfei smiled and waved back.

The third person gazed at him, curious about this boy in King Yama's throne room who could make a racket.

King Yama then cleared his throat and said:

"On the matter with the Tao clan, Heng Taio and Bo Youfei are responsible for handing out the punishment.

Every night while they are asleep, escort their souls to the 18 hells for torture, ensure they are still attached to their bodies, and escort them back in the morning. Their soul will be tortured every time they close their eyes until they die."

King Yama leaned back in his chair, giving a low chuckle.

"And since they are so greedy for power, I let them remember that they had a powerful treasure that helped them achieve the glory of where they are now. But wiped out every trace of the actual treasure from their memory. With their covetous nature, this missing knowledge alone will torture them every minute they are awake."

Heng Taio and Bo Youfei bowed and accepted the order, satisfied with this punishment.

Weiqi shivered a little when he heard that. Being tortured by their thoughts while awake and their souls being tortured while sleeping sounded a bit extreme.

He did not know what the Tao family did, but it sure made him never want to get on King Yama's bad side.

Oh wait, he thought. Wasn't that arrogant little pup called Tao Fenhua? Is it his family that is getting tortured? He shuddered and wished him good luck in the future.

"Shen Haoyu, because of the increase of malevolent souls in your district, you can contact two more administrators. Also, investigate the reason for this increase in negative Qi, and make sure no mistakes are made."

King Yama addressed the third man, and then he dismissed the three.

"How is it? Did you get over the shock?" Smiles King Yama and walks toward Weiqi.

"You said you'll tell me how you knew about other worlds." Weiqi rubbed the back of his stiff neck and looked at King Yama nervously. He was intimidated by the conversation he heard, but still wanted him to continue.

"It is pretty simple, actually. I meet another soul like yours. A couple of hundred years ago, I met a woman with a soul that was not bound by my laws. That piqued my curiosity, and I befriended her. She came from a world with much more abundant Qi than this one." King Yama then rested his chin on his palm, smiling while he reminisced.

"Her world was fascinating, unlike yours. Like you, she died and found herself here, but since she was very familiar with refining Qi, she had a very prosperous life here. Because her soul came from a world more advanced in Qi, she could refine Qi much faster than anyone I knew; she was considered an expert.

After 100 years in this world, she came to me and discussed her hypothesis on how traveling between worlds might be possible. After she told me her opinion, she attempted to prove it right by connecting to the Dao, and disappeared, right before me.

Only her belongings were left in place as she dissipated."

Then King Yama leaned in close and whispered.

"The interesting part was that she had a pair of very unusual eyes."

He touched the side of his eye, saying with a smile.

"Just. Like. Yours."