Volume Two: Taking on a Mission Chapter Eleven: A New Order

The beauty has long since departed; do not cling to the fleeting splendors of the mortal world.
How many possess fragrant carriages and fair maidens? Silver coins come and go, endlessly flowing.

At the Gate of Ghosts in the Netherworld, as numerous spirits gather, the realm grows ever more intricate and unpredictable, permeated with an aura of death. Meanwhile, the Dragon’s Domain, with the peace of living beings and the decline of the undead, is gradually flourishing with vitality.

Thus, a stark polarization emerges. Chen Chen’s arrival is not merely to tell a story but to reveal the evolving phenomena of civilization itself.

Life and death each hold sway; existence and oblivion intertwine in their vast uncertainty.
Life and death each follow their order; all things cycle under heaven’s decree.

Certain things, even in death, must remain bound to their native soil. Just as all beings are born to their place, so too do those who govern the cycle of life and death act when the moment is right, orchestrating the timely turning of the wheel.

Be it life or death, there are always those who oversee the cycle—encountering and managing it as fate allows.

Behind the ethereal aura and burgeoning vitality often lies a price to be paid. Take, for example, the Gate of Ghosts in the Netherworld: sometimes chaos reigns supreme, sometimes evil festers beyond belief.

Such disorder inevitably demands governance, a restoration of the peace and tranquility once known.

Chen Chen reflected that every land has its own life and death, living beings and the departed each in their rightful place. The essence of death must manifest when destined, whether at the Gate of Ghosts or within the Dragon’s Domain.

Crossing territories, neither realm can boast perfect normalcy—birth and death follow their own rhythms.

A more ordinary life unfolds with the rising and setting of the sun, unlike places where demons run rampant, and even they fear the gathering force of death.

At last, Chen Chen found the chance to act again. Whether living or departed, each has its domain. The question is where the destined gather, and where the undead cannot be absent—though those in charge have yet to locate all the lost souls.

When the time comes, some will arrive as promised, whether from the Gate of Ghosts or the Dragon’s Domain.

Life and death stretch vast and obscure; until the appointed moment, return is withheld.

All things are born with their time; life and death have their own stewards.

This time, the order turned toward each fulfilling its duty—striving to perform their roles, or cooperating so that the cycle proceeds smoothly.

Progress was made anew, with no time to hesitate; missing the moment of reincarnation is like missing the last train, losing the seeker and the awaited guide. Many lost souls within the Gate of Ghosts have found their guides, some after long searches.

Some are heroic spirits from their lives past; some approach the hour and seek opportunity for rebirth with new flesh.

Life is filled with joy and sorrow, gatherings and partings; sometimes order exists for the sake of harmony.

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Countless spirits wield diverse powers of life and death; until the time is ripe, arrangements cannot be made.

Each land ultimately claims its own living and its own dead.

Life has its place in time; death has its own appointed position.

Some guides manage to find the souls of the departed, often most easily at the places where they passed.

On the other hand, the dead who are found can move on.

The living may slowly continue their path, perhaps to die one day, but that is the natural process of life and death.

Those lost souls who cannot be found cannot reincarnate properly.

Some wander like restless spirits, drifting endlessly without rest, unaware of when they might finally cease their wandering.

One day, to possess a body and a place of refuge, free from endless displacement—that is what truly matters.

Ultimately, every soul must find its destined place.

Sometimes, great beings will assist them along the way.

Sometimes, the timing is missed.

Sometimes, urgent action is required.

Within the mountains dwell countless living beings—tiny mayflies shaking the trees, vast forests of flowers and trees, birds, beasts, insects, fish, wolves, tigers, and myriad others.

Every creature, every land, has its own cycle of life.

Without this, how could the daily peace endure? How could the natural order of life and death be maintained?

The Gate of Ghosts and the Dragon’s Domain gradually return to former calm, the ominous aura of deadly intent departing in due time.

Each killing has its purpose; when does it truly cease?

For survival, for sustenance, or perhaps for other reasons—who can say?

Grudges and affections, even without great hatred, sometimes spark small conflicts and disputes.

Why deliberately create slaughter? Why question every life and death?

Chen Chen resumed his affairs; in life, one must have a skill.

Many dream of living another’s life, fantasizing about wealth, imagining themselves as someone else, hoping that possessing the same conditions will win approval and affection—perhaps even the happiness others envy.

Only when faced with reality does one awaken to the truth.

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What one once envied, resented, or coveted is merely another’s path in life.

Only upon walking a similar road does one realize that such a life too bears its share of dissatisfaction, compromises, helplessness, and setbacks.

Across the three thousand worlds, illusions abound; temples and marketplaces each have their own stories. Few find true freedom; few achieve the life they desire.

Looking back on journey after journey, many wishes are fulfilled, many are not.

In the end, there are no secret escapes.

Those who go where they wish, chasing the life they desire—do they ever truly arrive?

Do these endless journeys cause loss of precious things along the way?

Life’s path is vast; countless souls share the journey.

The great heavenly path is unpredictable; all beings’ expedient means serve all beings.

Chen Chen too has faced moments of fear and worry, envy and admiration.

In the end, when one looks back suddenly, what we have now is often what we once longed for, pursued, and dreamed of.

Yet in the rush of the journey, we forget that at some past moment, we already possessed what we sought.

Sometimes gains come suddenly; sometimes they bring a knowing smile.

Perhaps then, awakening was not yet timely.

Life hastens onward; gains and losses weigh heavily on the heart.

Much has become the past; much remains hurried in the present.

Chen Chen must act—whether for himself or for others.

Do things well, live well, and know when to advance or retreat.

How many can look calmly upon loss? If one cannot find the key to their own troubles,

How can one understand the envy, jealousy, and hatred born of unfulfilled desires and human frailties, which deny us respect and protection?

Life’s road has many stops, many hearts are like Chen Chen’s.

Chen Chen is but a role; to be true to oneself is all one can do.