Chapter 1: Visitors from the Underworld

The office is spacious, featuring large floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street, adorned with numerous flowers, creating a bright and charming atmosphere. However, despite the vastness of the office, it appears exceedingly empty, with only a large executive desk in the center and a sizable money tree placed beside it

He is very serene, without any agitation, his mind free of distractions, and his body feels light, devoid of the usual burdensome heaviness, as if he has returned to the healthy infant stage. Without desires or thoughts, neither arrogant nor restless, flowing with the current, one might say he indeed embodies a bit of the Buddha's essence

"What are you researching that thing for?" Brother Peng shook his head: "Young people, truly unaware of the vastness of the world. Well, since I promised to let you come, I will not go back on my word"

Upon returning home, his wife and son were completely unaware of his condition. The family was harmonious, filled with laughter. Brother Peng endured in silence, bearing his pain quietly.

Brother Peng swam like this for several years, feeling that his health improved with each swim, until one day, an unexpected event occurred that startled him

After a short while, the doctor walked out of the emergency room, and a large crowd quickly surrounded him. The doctor shook his head and said, "We did our best; prepare for the arrangements."

I will not dwell on trivial matters, which mainly involve handling the aftermath, such as contacting the crematorium, purchasing a burial plot, and arranging for floral tributes. It is quite perilous here; you young people may not have experienced much in terms of life and death. Our local custom dictates that when a person dies, the body cannot be left overnight; regardless of how late it is, the crematorium must be contacted to store the body in a freezer. The reason I say it is perilous is that I regained consciousness when I was being pushed into the freezer. Had it been any later, locked in the freezer, even a celestial being would not survive.

It is unclear how much time has passed, but the elevator came to a stop, and the metal doors slowly opened

"So you ended up in the underworld?" I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

I have a particular enthusiasm for the peculiar and bizarre, and my curiosity is exceptionally strong. Li Damin's words completely captivated me. Li Damin is a good friend of mine, and his passion in this area is more fervent than anyone I have ever encountered. He does not merely skim the surface or look at pictures and books for novelty; rather, he genuinely puts in the effort to gather information, verify with the parties involved, and conduct research. His dedication can truly be described as professional. Li Damin is a good friend of mine, and his passion in this area is more fervent than anyone I have ever encountered. He does not merely skim the surface or look at pictures and books for novelty; rather, he genuinely puts in the effort to gather information, verify with the parties involved, and conduct research. His dedication can truly be described as professional

Fortunately, this life-threatening sensation comes quickly and departs just as swiftly, with an estimated duration of three to four seconds. However, for Brother Peng, the person involved, these few seconds felt equivalent to a century. In his own words, it was as if he had rolled through the gates of hell. When he finally staggered to the shore, Brother Peng collapsed onto the ground. At that moment, his heartbeat returned to normal, and his breathing became smooth. The feeling of having survived a calamity is something that cannot be imagined by those who have not experienced it.

According to Brother Peng's description, at the moment of death, there is no clear boundary between life and death; at least for him, it is difficult to distinguish, as there is still a certain level of consciousness at that time

This incident served as a wake-up call, making him realize that there might be significant issues with his health. Concealing this from his family, Brother Peng went to the central hospital in the city for a comprehensive examination. To his dismay, the examination revealed a tendency towards arterial sclerosis in his heart, commonly referred to as coronary heart disease.

What I am about to discuss pertains to a certain type of person. Rather than categorizing this type of person by ability, it is more appropriate to consider it as a profession.

When he saw the shore, Brother Peng suddenly felt a pang of palpitations in his chest

He pinched the cigarette and tapped the ash into the ashtray. We were invigorated, knowing that the main topic was about to begin

He first handed us cigarettes, and we politely waved our hands to indicate that we would not accept. He calmly lit one for himself, then leaned back in the boss's chair and exhaled a long puff of smoke. Before we could ask any questions, he spoke first: "You have already made your intentions clear over the phone, so let me ask you first, what do you know about me?"

Later, he secretly consulted several times, and an experienced cardiologist told him that a significant part of his condition was caused by winter swimming. Winter swimming is not suitable for everyone; the stimulation from icy water is quite intense on the body, especially on the pores, blood vessels, and heart. Here, half of the male heart patients we have collected are attributed to winter swimming

At this point, Brother Peng appeared somewhat despondent and said to us: "When a person dies, it is like a lamp being extinguished; it does not matter for oneself, as it is merely a matter of stretching out one's legs. However, for the loved ones and friends who care for you, it is the greatest blow. I currently hold a deep disdain for those who commit suicide, because only the extremely irresponsible would choose to escape through such means. You may die, but you are dragging down a large group of people who love you."

Upon seeing us arrive, he instructed his secretary to bring in two chairs and apologetically said: "My office rarely receives visitors; they usually go to the reception room. Since you are here, you are no longer outsiders; let us discuss here."

Li Damin and I exchanged glances, and Li Damin said, "Brother Peng, we are not here to question anything this time. We are particularly interested in the afterlife and the underworld, and we wish to conduct in-depth understanding and research, which is why we have come to you."

Here, we are very averse to the word "death" and instead use "passed away" as a substitute

It was October 5, three years ago, when their entire family attended the wedding of a relative's child. The wedding venue was bustling with excitement, as friends and family gathered together, toasting and exchanging drinks. Just as the bride and groom were going from table to table to offer their congratulations, a loud crash was heard, and one table was completely overturned, followed by a woman's desperate scream: "Old Peng, what happened to you?"

Brother Peng fell among the shattered plates and scattered dishes, motionless and rigid, with only his hands still holding the position they were in before losing consciousness—firmly pressed against his chest

The elevator descended for a long time, or rather, at that moment, he had no concept of time. Later, upon waking and reflecting, he vaguely felt that he might have spent a very long period.

Brother Peng deceived himself by stopping his winter swimming activities, believing that his heart could heal itself. However, as his condition worsened due to delay, concealment, and aggravation, that day finally came when he passed away

Throughout history, nearly all great and noteworthy works of art have been related to death. Death is a topic that the living are perpetually obsessed with and will never tire of, and it can easily stand alongside love.

It was a cold winter, and he was swimming in the sea with his companions from the winter swimming team when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his left calf. He immediately realized that it was a cramp. For an experienced swimming enthusiast, cramps are quite common and do not warrant excessive alarm. In such situations, the first step is to remain calm.

At this point, Li Damin quietly wrote two characters on a piece of paper and handed it to me. I was taken aback when I saw that he had written: soul and spirit

Brother Peng joined a winter swimming enthusiasts organization at around the age of 45. They began their activities in early autumn and continued until the spring of the following year. Those with experience in winter swimming may know that it is not simply a matter of warming up a bit and jumping into the water when winter arrives. Generally, those who engage in winter swimming start when the water temperature begins to cool in early autumn, allowing the body to gradually adapt. This way, when they enter the water during the harsh winter months, they do not subject their bodies to extreme shock.

Let me first mention a mysterious individual; he is a friend of a friend of a friend, so there are quite a few layers of connection. The fact that I can sit down and chat with him is also a kind of fate. He runs a small foreign trade company and seems to have some connections that allow him to engage in the resale of certain products between international and domestic markets, accumulating a certain amount of wealth and positioning himself as part of the middle class

That day, I was lured by a friend. This friend of mine has a rather common name, Li Damin. He managed to contact this mysterious person through various connections. Initially, I had no intention of coming, but Li Damin's words captivated me; he said, "This person has died once and has been to the underworld"

He opened the box of conversation

He was stunned at that moment, as if struck by a bolt from the blue. The term "coronary heart disease" gnawed at his heart like a parasite, impossible to shake off. Upon receiving this news, he could hardly find his way; after leaving the hospital, he was prescribed a pile of medication and, not daring to drive himself, took a taxi home

Li Damin and I arrived at the company of this mysterious person

The first thing Brother Peng saw in the *Picture* book was an old-fashioned freight elevator, with himself standing at the elevator entrance. He had no idea where this place was. Without contemplating whether to get on the elevator or not, he naturally walked in. The elevator doors closed, the red light illuminated, and he could feel the elevator slowly descending

Brother Peng nodded slightly: "That is absolutely correct. Three years ago, I suffered a sudden heart attack, and according to the diagnosis from the hospital at that time, I was already dead."

The wedding scene was in complete chaos, and Brother Peng was rushed to the nearest hospital by an emergency ambulance. A large group of relatives and friends hurried over, and by the time they arrived at the hospital, he had already been taken to the emergency room. The corridor was filled with people, all anxiously waiting.

Such individuals, I cannot specifically define their profession: charlatans? fortune tellers? con artists? sorcerers?

The first time I saw him, he was watering the plants in the office

Before she could finish her sentence, Madam Peng fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and lost consciousness

Three years ago, Brother Peng was fifty-one years old. His business had entered a normal trajectory, his family was harmonious, and his wife was virtuous while his children were filial. Compared to ordinary people, his life could be described as nearly perfect. His only concern was to take good care of his health, for only with good health could he enjoy everything in the present.

The figures on the shore before him grew increasingly blurred; at this moment, the water temperature was extremely low, chilling to the bone, penetrating through the meridians of his entire body straight into the marrow. The kind of pain was simply beyond description in words

Many people would say, of course they are afraid, for once dead, there is nothing left, turning to dust and smoke, and all the wealth, power, family, friends, and everything one possesses in this life will vanish away. Some have likened life to riding a bus. You board the bus at birth and disembark at death; as for what disembarking is like, no one knows, but the one thing that can be certain is that everything on the bus will no longer have any relation to you.

Brother Peng took a deep breath and said, "You are just acquaintances introduced by others. To be honest, I am very reluctant to talk about that past. After I returned from the underworld and came back to life, I often shared my experiences there as if they were a curiosity, just like Xianglin's wife. Haha. Later, more and more people came to find me, repeatedly inquiring. Gradually, I became very weary, feeling like a monkey in a zoo, stripped bare for exhibition. After I returned from the underworld and came back to life, I often shared my experiences there as if they were a curiosity, just like Xianglin's wife. Haha. Later, more and more people came to find me, repeatedly inquiring. Gradually, I became very weary, feeling like a monkey in a zoo, stripped bare for exhibition. These people came with various motives: some were skeptical, some were curious, and others were even stranger, hoping that I could go to the underworld again to help them find their deceased relatives and friends."

Can you tell us more specifically?" Li Damin turned on the voice recorder

One of the more significant reasons that many people fear death is the unknown. What is the world like after death? What state of existence do I have? No one knows this—because those who know have all died.

Li Damin is the main speaker, and I am just a guest, so everything depends on his actions. Li Damin said: "Brother Peng, then we can speak freely. I heard that you once... um, had an experience?"

This awareness is also not very clear, like being in a dream. Everything experienced seems vivid, yet there is no self-agency; in other words, what you experience and where you go is not determined by yourself. Instead, you are led to whatever scene is provided to you in a vague manner.

Let us speak of their abilities; they possess the knowledge of life and death, traversing the realms of yin and yang

Because this is a minor issue, Brother Peng did not mention it to anyone else and slowly swam towards the shore by himself. At this moment, one must not be nervous; the more relaxed the body is, the greater the buoyancy will be.

The experiences I am about to write down may seem absurd to you, but please be patient and continue reading, for these are real events that have occurred in my life. I write all of this with a sense of dread, as for an ordinary person, it has completely surpassed the limits of understanding and psychological endurance.

It should be considered... His gaze was somewhat bewildered

The heartbeat quickened, and the entire heart felt as if it had twisted; a massive stone seemed to block the chest, making it difficult to breathe. Brother Peng paddled with one hand while desperately trying to move his neck with the other, attempting to break through that thick membrane to allow air to enter his body

Before writing, let me ask you a question: Are you afraid of death