The Pacification of Ghosts - Chapter Eleven: The Down-and-Out Ghost Takes Office at Nai He Pass

After destroying the toxic ghost family in Five-Li Village, Zhong Kui received an official summons from the Underworld. The message was urgent and unusual—a Down-and-Out Ghost (落魄鬼) had somehow maneuvered itself into position to become an official at Nai He Pass (奈河关), the crucial checkpoint between life and death.

"This is unprecedented," Han Yuan said with concern. "Nai He Pass is where souls are judged before reincarnation. How could a lowly ghost gain such authority?"

Fu Qu was more direct: "It's obviously corruption. Someone's been bribed or threatened."

Zhong Kui prepared for immediate departure. "If the judgment system itself is compromised, the entire cycle of reincarnation could collapse."

At Nai He Pass, they found chaos. The Down-and-Out Ghost had indeed been appointed as a temporary administrator, claiming qualifications through "understanding failure and disappointment better than anyone."

The ghost appeared as a perpetually disheveled figure, clothes always askew, expression always defeated, yet with cunning eyes that belied its pathetic appearance.

"Lord Zhong Kui!" it greeted with false humility. "I'm just a simple ghost trying to serve. Who better to judge the unfortunate than one who has experienced every misfortune?"

But Zhong Kui observed the truth—souls were being incorrectly processed. The fortunate were being sent to harsh reincarnations while the wicked received pleasant ones.

The Down-and-Out Ghost had instituted a new system: "Merit Through Misery." It claimed that those who suffered in life had already paid for their sins, while those who prospered must have hidden crimes.

"Look at me," the ghost argued. "I failed at everything in life—business, love, family. Surely that suffering has earned me the right to authority in death?"

This perverted logic was destroying the karmic system. Good deeds were being punished as "privilege" while evil acts were excused as "coping with hardship."

A soul who had spent life helping others was being sent to reincarnate as a worm. "But I lived virtuously!" the soul protested.

"Exactly," the Down-and-Out Ghost replied. "You had the luxury of virtue. This poor murderer had to kill to survive. He deserves the better next life."

Investigation revealed the Down-and-Out Ghost hadn't acted alone. It had allied with other failure-spirits—the Unsuccessful Ghost, the Disappointment Ghost, the Never-Made-It Ghost—forming a coalition of the eternally aggrieved.

"We're taking over," they declared. "For too long, the afterlife has been run by successful spirits, heroes, and saints. It's time for the failures to have power!"

They had blackmailed the previous administrator by threatening to reveal a minor error in judgment from centuries ago, magnifying it into a career-ending scandal.

Zhong Kui challenged the ghost's appointment through an Authentication Test—a traditional examination of qualifications for Underworld positions.

"Fine," the Down-and-Out Ghost agreed smugly. "Test me on suffering. I'll prove I'm the ultimate authority on misfortune."

But Zhong Kui's test was different: "Show me one time your suffering led to wisdom. One moment when your failure created growth. One instance where your disappointment helped another."

The ghost stammered. All its suffering had been self-perpetuating, creating only bitterness and resentment, never wisdom or compassion.

Through divine insight, Zhong Kui revealed the ghost's true history. It hadn't been uniformly unfortunate—it had received many opportunities but squandered them through self-pity and defeatism.

"You weren't a victim of fate," Zhong Kui declared. "You were addicted to failure. Every time success approached, you sabotaged it because failure had become your identity."

The coalition of failure-spirits began to fragment. Some realized they too had chosen their disappointments, while others doubled down on their victimhood.

Zhong Kui stripped the Down-and-Out Ghost of its false position but offered redemption: "You can continue wallowing in eternal failure, or you can become the Ghost of Second Chances—helping souls learn from their mistakes rather than being defined by them."

The ghost hesitated. "But... if I'm not the Down-and-Out Ghost, who am I?"

"That's for you to discover," Zhong Kui replied. "Identity isn't just your worst moment extended forever."

With the false administrator removed, Nai He Pass returned to proper function. Souls were again judged by their actions and intentions, not by their success or failure in life.

The Down-and-Out Ghost ultimately chose transformation, becoming a counselor for souls who had defined themselves by their failures, helping them see the possibility of change even in death.

As order was restored, a new report arrived: "Lord Zhong Kui, there's trouble in Diao Jiao Village—a Romantic Ghost is forcing inappropriate attachments on the living!"

Continue reading: Chapter Twelve: The Romantic Ghost Seeks Marriage at Diao Jiao Village