Chen Xiao had long noticed the bridge on the river and naturally noticed the old woman in the middle of it.
The one speaking was that old woman.
"This must be Meng Po," Chen Xiao guessed. Although he wasn't sure, he was pretty close.
And what the old woman said wasn't just idle chatter. The place was indeed a bit hot, but it wasn't from the summer heat.
That heat was emanating from the River of Forgetfulness.
It felt like facing a large bathhouse pool, and it didn't affect Chen Xiao much.
However, since the old woman had spoken, Chen Xiao flew over on his Yitian Sword and landed in front of her.
The bridge was wide, and the old woman had set up a stall on one side, which didn't seem crowded at all.
And what this old woman's stall sold was naturally the herbal tea she mentioned.
This was different from the legends. In legends, Meng Po made Meng Po's soup, not herbal tea...
"Young man, the weather is hot. Have a cup of herbal tea to cool down!"
The old woman saw Chen Xiao arrive on his sword and showed no surprise on her face. She repeated her earlier words.
"Are you Meng Po?"
Chen Xiao asked coldly, without any politeness in his tone.
"My surname is indeed Meng."
The old woman admitted her identity.
"Then this below must be the River of Forgetfulness?"
Chen Xiao asked, as if to confirm.
"Below the Bridge of Helplessness is naturally the River of Forgetfulness."
Meng Po replied with a smile.
"You don't seem surprised to see me?"
Chen Xiao asked again.
"I'm delighted, not surprised!"
Meng Po laughed, then added, "In three thousand years, you are the first living person I've seen enter from the outside."
"Three thousand years..."
Chen Xiao pondered for a moment. It seemed the underworld had existed for at least three thousand years, which could correspond to the era of myths and legends.
"Young man, have a cup of herbal tea."
Meng Po picked up a coarse porcelain bowl and offered it to Chen Xiao.
The liquid in the bowl was clear and translucent, exuding a hint of coolness.
"Heh, no need. I don't like herbal tea."
Thinking of the legend about Meng Po's soup, Chen Xiao naturally didn't take it.
Whether it was tea or soup, it was something from Meng Po, and it was best not to touch it.
"Heh, young man, you have the courage to force your way through the Ghost Gate, but you don't have the courage to drink a bowl of my herbal tea?"
Meng Po said with a light laugh, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "You don't think that drinking my herbal tea will make you truly forget your memories of the mortal world, do you?"
Chen Xiao sized up Meng Po a few times, then snatched the herbal tea and said proudly, "It's just a bowl of herbal tea, what is there to fear?"
Even though he knew it was a provocation from Meng Po, Chen Xiao didn't want to be looked down upon by this old woman.
Mainly, he was confident in his own body. Even if it were a bowl of potent poison, Chen Xiao could easily neutralize it.
He didn't believe that drinking this herbal tea would make him lose his memory.
Because he knew very well that the people in the underworld were not the guardian spirits of the underworld as described in myths.
They were just humans who had cultivated the path of ghosts.
Chen Xiao drank the herbal tea in one gulp, threw the coarse porcelain bowl onto the table, wiped his mouth, and couldn't help but praise, "Refreshing!"
The herbal tea had a solid taste, like drinking a cola with ice shards on a hot summer day, making one feel comfortable.
Meng Po smiled and said, "Young man, you truly have courage. To tell you the truth, my herbal tea is just to relieve the heat from the River of Forgetfulness. As for losing your memory after drinking it, that's pure fabrication, utter nonsense."
"Did you call me here for something?"
Chen Xiao thought that Meng Po wouldn't have called him over just for a bowl of herbal tea.
However, this time he was wrong... Meng Po really called him over just to give him a bowl of herbal tea.
"I don't know you, old woman. What could I possibly have to say to you? I just saw you lingering by the bank and worried you might be affected by the heat, so I offered you a bowl of herbal tea."
Meng Po said earnestly.
"So, you're a good person... No, a good ghost?"
Chen Xiao asked in disbelief.
"Young man, since you can come here, it means your abilities and knowledge are beyond ordinary people. You must know that I am not a god or spirit, but merely a human who has cultivated the path of ghosts."
Meng Po was quite candid and spoke the truth directly.
This made Chen Xiao unsure. He had been pondering what schemes Meng Po might have, but he never expected her to be as transparent as a blank sheet of paper.
She said whatever she thought, without any pretense.
"Cough, cough, Grandma Meng, since you have nothing else, I shall take my leave."
Chen Xiao coughed awkwardly and cupped his hands to bid farewell to Meng Po, becoming more polite in his speech.
"Young man, I saw you staring blankly at the River of Forgetfulness just now. Did you come to the underworld for the River of Forgetfulness?"
Meng Po asked.
"That's right."
Chen Xiao nodded.
Since Meng Po was honest with him, he felt there was no need to be secretive.
He then said directly, "I heard that at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness, there is a treasure for cultivation. I came to find it."
Chen Xiao didn't mention that he was looking for a holy relic, but he revealed everything else.
"At the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness? A cultivation treasure?"
Meng Po's eyes suddenly lit up.
However, the light flashed and then receded.
"Young man, don't blame me for being nosy, but I don't know of any cultivation treasure at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness. However, I do know there's a monster at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness."
"This monster is incredibly powerful, and even Lord Yama King cannot do anything about it. So, I want to advise you to give up this idea."
Meng Po advised him earnestly.
"Monster?"
Chen Xiao hesitated for only a moment before thinking it made sense.
This monster was likely there to guard the holy relic, and the fact that Lord Yama King couldn't deal with it was the best proof.
Otherwise, Lord Yama King wouldn't just watch the holy relic remain in his territory without trying to retrieve it.
However, while the Ten Yama Kings might fear that monster, Chen Xiao did not. He had gone through great trouble... well, not that much trouble... In short, he came to the underworld for the holy relic, so how could he return empty-handed?
"Thank you for the reminder, Grandma, but my mind is made up. No matter what terrifying monster lies at the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness, I will meet it."
Chen Xiao declared confidently.
"Alas, I knew I couldn't persuade you..."
Meng Po sighed, as if she had expected Chen Xiao's decision.
Just then, on the other side of the Bridge of Helplessness, closer to the Ghost City of Fengdu, a group of people approached.
It wasn't accurate to say a group of people, because they were only people, no horses.
A team of hundreds of ghost officers, led by a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar.
This person had a fair face and no beard, and he held a rough brush about three feet long in his arms, its shaft made of fine steel.
Seeing this appearance, Chen Xiao's heart stirred. Wasn't this the Judge under Lord Yama King?
"Mama Meng, prepare a few buckets of herbal tea for us. We need to cross the river."
The middle-aged scholar cupped his hands towards Meng Po from a distance and shouted.
At this moment, Chen Xiao noticed that the middle-aged scholar and the hundreds of ghost officers behind him were in poor condition.
They were all flushed, listless, and sweating profusely, as if they were about to be steamed.
Could it be because of the River of Forgetfulness below?
Chen Xiao mused to himself and guessed.
The heat from the River of Forgetfulness had a particularly strong effect on ghost cultivators, which was why Meng Po had set up a herbal tea stall in the middle of the Bridge of Helplessness.
Otherwise, judging by their condition, they would have all been steamed before they could even cross the bridge.
"As you command, I will prepare herbal tea for Judge."
Chen Xiao's guess was correct again; this middle-aged scholar was indeed the Judge.
Meng Po responded and then brought out several wooden buckets from behind the stall, all filled with herbal tea.
Upon seeing the herbal tea, the Judge and the ghost officers rushed forward like people who had traveled for three days and three nights in the desert and saw an oasis.
They frantically grabbed coarse porcelain bowls and drank greedily.
After drinking the herbal tea, the Judge finally recovered from his near-death state.
He stood aside, waiting for his subordinates to finish drinking.
"Judge, when do you plan to leave the city?"
Meng Po asked, making conversation.
"A mortal killed Ox-Head and Horse-Face and broke into the underworld. Lord Yama King has sent me to apprehend them. Mama Meng, have you seen any suspicious individuals?"
The Judge asked.
As he spoke, he noticed Chen Xiao standing to the side, looking dazed, and his eyes narrowed. "Are you a mortal?"
Chen Xiao nodded. "Yes, I am a mortal."
The Judge glanced at Chen Xiao with confusion and asked, "How did you enter the underworld? And have you seen any suspicious individuals?"
Chen Xiao was stunned. Didn't this Judge have a brain?
Little did he know, the Judge didn't even think this was Chen Xiao's doing.
In his opinion, if this mortal in front of him had killed Ox-Head and Horse-Face,
Then upon seeing him, he would have fled immediately. Why would he be standing there looking dazed?
"Judge, right? Have you considered the possibility... that I actually killed Ox-Head and Horse-Face."
Chen Xiao admitted proactively.
"What? You killed Ox-Head and Horse-Face?"
The Judge was shocked and flew into a rage. "You scoundrel, how dare you kill Ox-Head and Horse-Face and then not flee when you saw me?"
"Why should I run?"
Chen Xiao spread his hands and shrugged.
This question completely baffled the Judge. After a few seconds, he reacted and let out a strange cry, raising his Judge's brush.
"Ahhh! You arrogant and presumptuous mortal, no wonder you dared to kill Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Today, I will let you experience the methods of the underworld!"
Chen Xiao flexed his wrists and twisted his neck, saying indifferently, "Come on, I've already seen your brain. Now let me see your skills!"