I said: “Very well!” We arrived soon after. This place is different from the Hell of Sexual Misconduct, which is pervaded by lewd thoughts and agonized wails. Here, heavy resentful wails and tormented screams reverberate everywhere. Above us were four large Chinese characters meaning “Wailing City of the Wrongfully Dead.”
Good heavens! There are countless tiny figures packed tightly together, all weeping bitterly. Their cries are heart-rending; tears came to my eyes as I watched. Some shriek aloud in anguish, while others remain crumpled into ghastly blobs of blood.
The Magistrate explained that these mangled forms are the result of the doctors’ brutal dismemberment during abortions. One infant soul remains huddled tightly in a ball, paralyzed by terror. Though its soul form is fully capable of stretching out, it is trapped in the persistent torment of its traumatic memories, unable to break free. I asked the Magistrate how it might find relief from such agony. He replied that it hinges on whether its earthly parents offer sincere repentance or perform meritorious deeds and dedicate the resulting merit to it. There was another infant soul nearby constantly calling for its mother. I asked the Magistrate how an unborn infant soul could already call out for its mother. The Magistrate said that children in the human world learn to speak only after reaching one year of age, but these infant souls are no longer in the human realm — they dwell in the netherworld. They exist as souls endowed with spiritual powers, able to communicate through thought and consciousness. In short, the infant souls here endure immense suffering and cry incessantly. Alas! Heaven cherishes all living beings. We must never slay innocent young lives out of selfish desires.
The Magistrate informed me that this Wailing City of the Wrongfully Dead is a newly constructed realm. Even as we spoke, streams of infant souls continued pouring in, their numbers truly staggering.
At that moment, I spotted a large group of infant souls flying out with yellow paper in their hands. While I was puzzled, the Magistrate explained that these slips are official warrants ratified by Yama King. With this token, nether attendants grant them leave to venture into the mortal world to seek out their parents. Most often, they attach themselves to their mothers, inflicting bodily discomfort. Their exact point of attachment depends entirely on the infant soul’s likes. Some reattach within the mother’s womb, others cling to the chest, while many trail persistently after either parent, robbing them of rest. In short, they stir up troubles relentlessly. If other children are born into the household, these wronged souls will sabotage familial harmony — hitting younger siblings or orchestrating endless nuisances to vent their seething resentment toward their parents.
To the right stands an older city erected seventy years ago, known as the City of Blood Defilement. It is no longer large enough. The infant souls here seemed especially lonely. The Magistrate explained that this zone houses souls from unintentional abortions. That explained their solitary, mournful weeping.
The Magistrate added that seventy years ago, intentional abortion was rare. Most infant souls back then were those who lacked sufficient blessings to complete gestation. In stark contrast, modern mortal society sees rampant intentional abortion. Consuming contraceptive pills after intercourse in the mortal world also constitutes the karma of killing. Countless infant souls enter the womb through conception, only to lose their lives due to emergency contraception.
The Magistrate continued: “Every single day, hordes of aborted souls arrive in the netherworld, ninety percent of these abortions resulting from sexual misconduct. This compounds the grave karmic sin of killing. When sexual misconduct combines with killing, it accumulates collective evil karmas. Once this karmic force disrupts the balance between heaven and earth, catastrophic disasters will descend upon the mortal world, stirred by all this pent-up resentment. These souls seek release, and great catastrophes serve as a channel for this heavy evil karma to dissipate. Ayù! Return quickly and warn sentient beings in the mortal world of the retribution for abortion!”
“Indeed! Thank you for your guidance today, Magistrate.”
I pressed my palms together toward the Magistrate and returned by white lotus flower.