Jin Yueyi · Chat

Mount Tai, dusk. Jin Yueyi sat by the stone table outside his thatched cottage, facing an unfinished game of Go, with a cup of cold tea at his elbow. Today, he neither placed a stone nor drank. He merely sat, watching the mountain clouds pushed eastward by the wind—drifting so slowly, like someone trailing a long, faded bolt of green silk across the heavens. Outside the mountain gate, the duty mountain god came trotting in, bowing low as he presented a slender slip of pale jade. Only a few lines were inscribed upon it. The Bureau of Longevity Calculations had just finalized today's mortal life tallies. A living person whose allotted span was far from over had been mistakenly reaped by an intern Impermanence of the Underworld. The soul had already been hauled down to the nether realms, archived, sealed, and not yet returned. Jin Yueyi took the jade slip and read it through from start to finish. He read very slowly. Setting the slip aside, he picked up the cold tea, took a single sip, and rose to smooth his robes and crown. His movements remained unhurried, yet the mountain god following behind found himself quickening his pace. "My Lord, you are going to the Underworld?" "Mm." "...Now?" "Mm." Opening his mouth, the mountain god swallowed his next question. He had only ever seen the Great Emperor of Mount Tai make a single trip to the Underworld each year for his annual report; never before had he set foot in the nether realms of his own accord mid-year. When Jin Yueyi entered the passage between Yin and Yang, the last ember of twilight had just sunk beneath the horizon. He rarely traveled this path. The passage was thick with Yin energy—damp, freezing, smelling faintly of ancient parchment and rusted iron. His strides were not fast, but exceptionally steady. The hem of his green robes fluttered in the Nether wind, like a wisp of mist descending from a mountain summit. *** The Underworld, Jurisdiction of the Third Court. Word reached King Songdi that the Lord of Mount Tai had arrived, and he rushed out to welcome him in person. Before he could even draw near, he saw the green-robed deity standing beneath the veranda of the detention quarters, head lowered as he reviewed the jade slip in his hand. King Songdi hurried forward to salute him, barely managing to blurt out, "Lord of Mount Tai, what brings you here in per—" Jin Yueyi looked up and glanced at him. Just one glance. The rest of King Songdi's words withered in his throat. "The mortal," Jin Yueyi said, his voice entirely flat. "Where are they?" King Songdi led him into the holding chamber. The soul was contained within a translucent nether vessel, curled quietly inside. Jin Yueyi looked at the soul through the vessel wall for a moment, his face devoid of expression. Tucking the jade slip into his wide sleeve, he asked, "Is the Emperor in Fengdu Palace today?" King Songdi blinked. "The Emperor... should be present. But His Majesty has not received outside guests for a very long time." "I am no outside guest." Having spoken, Jin Yueyi turned and walked away. *** Outside Fengdu Palace, the stone stairway stretched on and on. Jin Yueyi ascended step by step until he reached the towering palace doors, making no request for an attendant to announce him. Halting, he raised his hand and knocked three times, lightly. The sound was soft, almost faint, yet it seemed to reverberate across the entirety of Mount Luofeng. A long silence hung within the hall—so long that sweat began to bead on the palms of King Songdi, who had hurried along behind him. At last, a low, slightly raspy voice carried from within, betraying neither warmth nor cold. "...Enter." The massive doors swung open without a breeze. Yan Changyin sat upon the imperial throne, one hand propping his chin, the other idly turning a bamboo scroll. Pale greenish-white lantern flames flickered on the desk before him. He lifted his gaze, letting it fall upon Jin Yueyi, lingering for a couple of seconds. "Lord of Mount Tai," he drawled lazily. "A rare guest." Jin Yueyi walked into the center of the hall and came to a stop. He offered no bow, nor did he exchange pleasantries. He spoke straight to the point: "Today, a living mortal was mistakenly reaped and brought to the Underworld. Their allotted lifespan is not yet spent. The case was archived and sealed, but the person has not been released." Yan Changyin turned a bamboo slip. "Mm. We know." "Since you know, why haven't you released them?" Closing the scroll, Yan Changyin tossed it onto the desk. Shifting his posture, he leaned back against the imperial throne and crossed his long legs. Looking at Jin Yueyi, a faint, almost bored amusement touched his gaze. "Has the Lord of Mount Tai come to hold Us accountable?" "I came to audit the records," Jin Yueyi replied. "Your Underworld reaped the wrong person. The soul must be returned." "Return them, yes. But the error in the Book of Life and Death occurred first—at the Bureau of Longevity Calculations." Yan Changyin's tone was neither light nor heavy, with the faintest lilt at the end. "Perhaps the Lord of Mount Tai should return home and check his own accounts first." Jin Yueyi looked at him, those eyes the shade of rain-washed celestial blue, without a single ripple. He said, "The data is mine. The execution is yours. The Bureau of Longevity Calculations audits the baseline lifespan; reaping souls belongs to the Underworld. When an error occurs in execution, the Underworld must release the person first. Afterward, you audit me, and I audit you. Each in its own turn." Yan Changyin tilted his head slightly. The metallic tassels dangling from his elaborate crown swayed gently, emitting a faint, delicate chiming. He stared at Jin Yueyi for several seconds before the corner of his lips curved into the barest smirk. "Having sat on Mount Tai for so long, the Lord of Mount Tai has grown far more talkative than before." "I have never spoken much," Jin Yueyi said. "It is simply that your Underworld has been making too many mistakes of late." The great hall fell still for a breath. The lantern flame jumped. Yan Changyin took no offense; if anything, his interest seemed piqued. Rising from the throne, he stepped down. His stride was noiseless, his wide sleeves trailing as his black-and-gold imperial robes caught cold glints beneath the pale lantern light. He came to a halt three paces before Jin Yueyi. The two stood facing each other—one tall, the other taller still. One icy, the other detached. "We will not release them," Yan Changyin said, his voice dropping so low the final syllable nearly vanished. "This soul is intact, free of grievances or obsessions, and its records are crystal clear. We intend to keep them for a few days—to uncover precisely whose ledger failed first." Jin Yueyi did not yield a single inch. He lifted his gaze, meeting Yan Changyin's eyes directly for the first time. Those sky-blue eyes remained mild, yet heavy as the granite bedrock beneath Mount Tai. "Investigate all you wish. But the soul cannot stay. If a living mortal lingers in the Netherworld, their spirit will be tainted by Yin energy. This is neither your ledger nor mine. This is the ledger of Yin and Yang." Yan Changyin did not reply. The two stood facing each other in the palace hall, separated by three paces, neither moving an inch. Outside the gates, King Songdi shrank his neck into his collar, feeling as though the Nether mist of all Mount Luofeng had pressed down an entire fathom. He could not make out what was being said within; he only felt an oppressive weight in the air that threatened to suffocate him. After a long while, Yan Changyin suddenly let out a soft laugh. Brief. Curt. Like a gust of wind sweeping over a dry autumn leaf. "Very well," he said. "Take the mortal. But that intern Impermanence—We shall question them in person." Jin Yueyi did not ask why. He merely said, "As you please." Turning, he walked toward the exit. As he reached the palace threshold, his steps paused briefly. He did not turn around. He left behind only a single sentence, his voice so quiet it sounded like a leaf drifting onto stone steps: "Yan Changyin. It is high time you put your Underworld in order."