Hello! It’s Mi Gu here again.
In our last session, we touched on the relationship between the Underworld Lord, Xie Gu Chou and Demon Lord, Yan Chi Wu. Aside from the love life of the Underworld sibling lords, our immortal friends also expressed concerns about their careers.
Credit: Tencent, Eternal Love of Dream
So what does managing the Underworld look like? Are their roles similar to that of Yama, the King of Hell in traditional Chinese culture?
Before we delve further into their work, let’s start by understanding the geography and structure of the Underworld. The Underworld, a ground realm specially created for the Three Lives Three Worlds Universe, is co-led by the two siblings, White Lord, Xie Hua Lou and Black Lord, Xie Gu Chou.
A clearer description of how the opposing Underworld system works can be found in [ Lotus Step ].
Firstly, the Underworld is an independent plane of existence, it is neither located in the Four Seas and Eight Realms nor is it located within the billions of mortal worlds, but in the void outside of these two entities.
Ordinary mortals heading to the Underworld require a soul guiding butterfly to pave their way. Soul guiding butterflies are known as the Black butterfly, alternatively known as the subway cards of the Underworld (big mistake).
When the black butterfly arrives, it is pointless thinking about it. In the end, it will either forcefully drag their souls back to the Underworld or they automatically follow it, so that when entering the Underworld, it does not go as far as separating the soul from the body.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
Station One: The Spring of Forbidden Reflection
The first checkpoint after arriving in the Underworld is known as the “Spring of Forbidden Reflection”. The spring is actually part of a long river that flows to and from the void.
There is neither a bridge nor a boat. Souls of the deceased who wish to cross this spring would have to stay in it to reflect and deeply question themselves of their past life.
Only after letting go of their past attachments and becoming enlightened can they cross the Spring of Forbidden Reflection.
After a mortal dies, the soul returns to the Underworld. It first needs to enter the Spring of Forbidden Reflection for three reflections; the past life, the present life and the future life. In doing so, the soul seeks to understand the meaning of its three lifetimes.
This checkpoint is to help the soul look back on its life and to face and examine itself deeply.
The souls stay in the spring for several days, thereafter even those with the entanglement of obsession and grudge will attain enough enlightenment by the time they reach the shore.
For example, a pair of infatuated lovers make a pact to wait for each other on the banks of the River of Forgetfulness for three years after they die.
The first to die enters the River of Forbidden Reflection, he will then attain enlightenment and destroy the pact, making it impossible for the pact to last until he reaches the River of Forgetfulness. As a result, people always fear the River of Forbidden Reflection.
Based on this fact, the White Lord Xie Hua Lou’s Spring of Forbidden Reflection is public enemy number one to all infatuated lovers.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
Station Two : The Gate of Severed Ties
After the Spring of Forbidden Reflection, the next station is the Gate of Severed Ties. As the name suggests, one ought to have severed ties with one’s past life, only then, can one be considered a qualified soul and arrive at this gate.
Standing at the Gate of Severed Ties is a remarkable guard named Tu Bo.
After the Spring of Forbidden Reflection, is the Gate of Severed Ties. This Gate is better known to the mortals than the Spring. Most mortals do not know there is the Spring of Forbidden Reflection, but many will have heard through legends that the Netherworld has a Gate of Severed Ties guarded by a giant beast.
According to legend, Tu Bo is a giant beast who has the head of a tiger, with sharp horns adorning his crown and the body of a bull, a truly terrifying-looking beast guarding the Gate. Under his watch, only those who have been allowed to reincarnate can pass through the Gate.
Prince Ji looked on as the cave in front of him opened into an unadorned door with only one leaf.
It was a very tall stone door, the lintel of the door also made of stone, with the words Gate of Severed Ties carved onto it. The colour of the carving is ocher, the handwriting wide and distinguished. On the right side, an inscription in red is seen: Written by Xie Hua Lou.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
Legends and descriptions related to Tu Bo originate from the Pre-Qin* era. A description of ‘it’ can be found in Liu Xiang’s (刘向**) compilation of romantic poetry, Chu Ci [ 楚辞 ].
*Qin Dynasty - 221-206BC
**Liu Xiang (刘向) - a Chinese astronomer, poet, politician, historian, librarian and writer of the Western Han Dynasty (source: Wikipedia)
The soul returns! Under the Lord of the Underworld City.
Tu Bo has nine pacts, with horns that are sharp.
Meat on his back and blood red toe, pursuing people on a horse.
Irregular eyes set in a Tiger Head, his body seems like a bull.'
— [ Chu Ci · Soul Calling ]
▲ Source: [ Natural Science 博物 ] Author: Ah Huái 阿槐
Since Liu Xiang compiled [ Chu Ci ], various scholars in the academic world, have debated on the authors related to [ Chu Ci · Soul Calling ]. Many have agreed that Qu Yuan wrote the poem, a small portion like Zhu Xi is of the opinion that Song Yi is the author.
[ Chu Ci · Soul Calling ] is written from a collection of various soul calling folk customs. Borrowing from the large collection of records to describe the rich legends that were already widely circulating as early as the pre-Qin period regarding how a soul travels.
One of the legends include the following:
In the North Sea, lies a mountain, a famous Underworld city within.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea · Classic of the Whole World]
The Classic of Mountain and Sea records that the Underworld city, the home to departed souls is inside the North Sea.
Chu Ci records that it is a place where souls go, the gatekeeper known as Tu Bo. So who is Tu Bo? Among textual research since ancient times, there are various theories. We will delve further into two of these theories. Friends who are interested may do their own research.
1. Tu Bo a marquis of Hou Tu. So who is Hou Tu? You should have heard of the idiom - “Heaven and Earth (皇天后土)” “Hou Tu” is the honorific name of the earth deity worshipped by ancient matriarchal societies. It was later elevated to that of a god and humanised.
According to ancient Taoist mythology, Hou Tu is the opposite of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven, she is the ruler of the great earth. After the elevation of Hou Tu to a god, she was frequently referred to as “Mother Earth” or “Lady Hou Tu”.
More descriptions of Hou Tu can be found in [ Classic of Mountain and Sea ], [ Chu Ci · Nine Debates ] and [ Classic of Rites · Seasons ].
As ancient legends passed from generation to generation, Hou Tu gradually became an administrator of the Underworld, and Tu Bo became one of her generals in charge of guarding the gates of the Underworld City.
2. Tu Bo is Hou Tu, the Ghost Emperor. According to this theory, Tu Bo is the first Ghost Emperor of the ancient Sichuan tribe.
As the Ba people were forced to migrate into ancient Sichuan due to invasion by the Chu empire, the ancient Sichuan tribe who believed in ghosts and witches began to share a common belief in Tu Bo with the Ba people.
During the Eastern Zhou period, Feng Du was once the capital city of the Ba people, and Tu Bo the first Ghost Emperor resides in the Underworld City. So Feng Du = Underworld City. This is how Feng Du also became known as the City of Ghosts.
Anyway, regardless of which legendary Tu Bo you choose to believe in, ‘It’, is the guard at the Gate of Severed Ties in the Underworld within the Three Lives Three Worlds Universe. He is also the one that Lian Song defeats in Lotus Steps. I have proof.
Having accepted reality and calmed down, Prince Ji read the inscribed words twice, and looked towards the giant horned beast laying by the door breathing weakly. He frowned, and pointed the hilt of his sword towards Tu Bo who was sprawled on the ground heaving: “This is the great general’s brush?”
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
Station Three: The Path of Perplexion
After defeating Tu Bo, and passing through the Gate of Severed Ties, the next popular stop would be the Path of Perplexion.
Five Underworld beasts more vicious than Tu Bo exist within the Path of Perplexion. “They eat everything in their path except those souls with merits”.
Despite its reference to a corridor, the Path of Perplexion is not a corridor. It’s interior is incomparably wide with purple crystal floors, black crystal walls, and tall roof beams embedded with countless luminous pearls.
This high and wide space was likely the reason that any person therein will suffer from hazy vision despite the light from the luminous pearls.
Upon entering this space, the Councillor’s face paled immediately. Everything he saw in front of him has no shape or form, yet he did not feel the slightest bit of danger approaching.
Just as he lowered his guard, an invisible sharp claw viciously pierced into his right shoulder.
Acute pain lashed at him as the Councillor instinctively drew his sword to defend himself, but the place where the flash of his sword landed pierced into nothingness.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
There are 5 Underworld Beasts in the Path of Perplexion. They are the “Black Tiger, Black Leopard, Black Fox, Black Snake and the Black Bird”.
Lotus Step plot spoiler: In the book, the fight between Third Prince, Lian Song and the five underworld beasts is especially exciting and sweet! His Highness is explosive! His Highness is super!
These 5 underworld beasts are also taken from the chinese classic, [ Classic of Mountain and Sea ]. The above quote follows closely to the content found in the classic.
In the North Sea, lies a mountain, a famous Underworld city within, out of black water comes nothingness. On top of it, there is a Black Bird, Black snake, Black Leopard, Black Tiger and a Black Fox at the end.
— [ Classic of Mountain and Sea · Classic of the Whole World]
The academic circles believe that the black bird is represented by the sparrow as the sparrow is the totem bird of the Qin dynasty.
So the question would be, why would the Third Prince want to defeat Tu Bo and the 5 beasts? Just for his beloved and love rival (Mistake, striking out) to act cool in front of Cheng Yu and Prince Li?
Of course, it’s not quite so simple:
After everyone bowed in courtesy, the leading female officer bowed in return: “The Lord of the Underworld has long set an Underworld rule that anyone who wishes to seek help from the Underworld would have to break through the Gate of Severed Ties and the Path of Nothingness alone. After succeeding, would the Lord fulfill a wish that is related to the underworld.”
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
This is the rule of the Underworld, to seek their help, one must break through the Gate of Severed Ties and the Path of Perplexion.
Station Four: The River of Forgetfulness
After our Third Prince defeated Tu Bo and the 5 Underworld beasts, the female officer finally arrived and led Lian Song and his company towards the Reincarnation Deck. Before reaching the deck, they will need to pass the River of Forgetfulness, “The River of Forgetfulness is at the front of the Underworld, to teach souls to forget.”
After passing through the Spring of Forbidden Reflection, and drinking the water from the River of forgetfulness, she will very quickly become another person.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 20
Souls need to drink the water from the River of Forgetfulness to forget their past lives. The counterpart to the River of Forgetfulness is the River of Recollection.
You must remember everything related to the setting of the River of Recollection! *Knocking on the blackboard.*
You will definitely be tested on this part of the [ Lotus Step ] Mortal Arc Volume.
The River of Recollection is located in the deepest recess of the Underworld. The most important word here is “Recollection”. According to legend, a mouthful of the water from River of Recollection would allow the soul to recall it’s past life, while a bowl would allow it to recall several past lives.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 17
Station Five: The Reincarnation Deck
Returning to our Third Prince, Lian Song and his company, they are now on a boat crossing the River of Recollection, and heading for the Reincarnation Deck.
The Reincarnation Deck as the name implies, is where souls enter the reincarnation cycle.
There are only two places a soul can be if it is not at the Reincarnation Deck, one; they are currently in their next life, two; in the stomach of an Underworld beast.
A black crystal deck suspended in midair is planted with Reincarnation trees that allow souls to enter their next lives. These gigantic reincarnation trees are very tall, and vertically pierce into the skies of the Underworld. The treetops, covered by a mass of silvery white cottony clouds, is the entrance to the reincarnation cycle.
The silver grain at the tip of each leaf on the trees are the attached souls. The gigantic tree can be seen growing with the naked eye with a new branch continuously growing and stretching into the silvery white clouds.
As a new soul attaches itself to the lowest point of the tree trunk, branches and leaves will sprout and grow from that point.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
Souls with no regrets follow the reincarnation deck into their next life. At this point, the soul’s journey through the Underworld is complete.
She had been to the Underworld, and understood that when a person dies, their souls will return to the nether world, transverse through the River of Forbidden Reflection, pass through the Gate of Severed Ties, drink from the River of Forgetfulness, get onto the Reincarnation Platform, enter the Tree of Rebirth and like a piece of blank paper, be reborn into a new place and become a new person. That does not appear to be frightening in any way.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 23
The Black & White Idles: Gu Chou & Hua Lou
We have finished the entire journey souls have to travel through in the Underworld, so here’s the million-dollar question:
We have yet to discover what roles do Xie Gu Chou and Xie Hua Lou play in the Underworld. So what exactly is the kind of work the two siblings do?
1.
According to the stories the Councillor have heard from his teacher as a young boy, the Lords of the Underworld, siblings, Xie Hua Lou and Xie Gu Chou love to torture Mortals into their moment of enlightenment as long years of seclusion in the Underworld have given them nothing better to do.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 16
2.
The Third Prince stepped into the pavilion: “The last time I met Lord Gu Chou was 7,000 years ago at my father’s big court assembly.”
3.
On the return journey, the Councillor couldn’t resist asking questions, bothering Lian Song throughout the whole journey. The Councillor finally understood that the White Lord of the Underworld, Xie Hua Lou and the Black Lord of the Underworld, Xie Gu Chou had a special way of managing the Underworld:
From the time of their birth, these two siblings did not co-exist at the same time in the world, when the White Lord assumes her role as the Lord of the Underworld, the Black Lord is asleep, when the Dark Lord assumes his role as the Lord of the Underworld, the White Lord is asleep.
That was the reason why Xie Gu Chou said his sister left a letter instructing him to take care of Xiao Yan.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 17
4.
Before the month’s end, Lord Xie Gu Chou had perused through two hundred and ten thousand voluminous documents before finally finding the human lord, A Bu Tuo or Emperor Zhao Xi’s book of souls and personally handing it to Lian Song in the mortal world.
— [ Three Lives Three Worlds Lotus Step ] Chapter 24
Based on the above quotes, we can make the following conclusions:
The Underworld is in an automatic state of revolving motion, one is asleep while the other supervises it, their daily hobby is torturing souls into enlightenment.
The most important duty is attending the large court assemblies conducted by the Nine Heavens.
Events of a sudden nature involve crashing through The Gate of Severed Ties and The Path of Perplexity to formally request for their help.
There are also unknown things about the Underworld which we’ll need to wait for Sister Qi to write about.
I, Migu, feel that after going through an unusual 2020 New Year, living just like Lord Gu Chou and Lady Lord Hua Lou, staying at home for tens and thousands of years, especially in the Underworld where time is stretched especially long (if you want to know how time works in the Underworld, click here), with nothing serious to do, how boring life could be!!!
So, like the demon clan’s top fair moonlight beauty, the youngest daughter of the Vermillion Demon Lord, Xiang Yun and the beautiful Green Demon Lord, Yan Chi Wu, let’s quickly rescue the two Black and White idle Lords, whose extraordinarily long life involves sleeping for hundreds and thousands of years between them.
Credit: Tang Qi, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/1OezgJUHZzRI0spB1-C7Gg