阎罗断案
有人暴卒，魂至冥府，见阎罗王坐殿上，左右排列判官鬼卒。亡魂跪于阶下，阎王命取生死簿查看，曰："此人阳寿未尽，乃误拘也。"命鬼卒送还。亡魂苏醒，口述冥府所见，言殿上有铜柱，绑缚罪人以火烤之，号哭之声不绝。
奈何桥
冥途有桥，名奈何。桥窄如刀刃，下有血河。生前行善者，有神人引渡，安然过桥。作恶者堕入河中，铜蛇铁狗争来啮食。桥头有老妪卖汤，饮之忘却前世一切。
生死簿
冥府有簿，记录天下人姓名、寿数、福祸。人之生死贵贱，皆已注定。有吏误书人名，其人当死而不死，不当死而死。阎王怒，杖责此吏。
鬼市
长安夜半有鬼市，亡魂聚而交易。天明即散，唯余灰烬。有胆大者夜往窥之，见灯火荧荧，人声喧闹，与常市无异。归后大病三月。
Yama Adjudicates
A man suddenly died and his soul arrived at the netherworld court. King Yama sat upon his throne, flanked by judges and ghostly attendants. The soul knelt below the steps. Yama ordered the Registry of Life and Death consulted, then declared: "This man's allotted span is not yet exhausted — he was seized by mistake." He commanded the ghosts to return him. The man revived and described what he had seen: a copper pillar in the hall where sinners were bound and roasted over fire, their wailing unceasing.
The Bridge of Helplessness
On the road to the netherworld there is a bridge called "Helplessness." The bridge is narrow as a knife's edge; below runs a river of blood. Those who did good in life are guided across safely by divine beings. The wicked fall into the river where bronze serpents and iron dogs come to gnaw and devour. At the bridge's end, an old woman sells soup — drink it and forget everything of your past life.
The Registry of Life and Death
The netherworld possesses a registry recording every person's name, lifespan, fortune and misfortune. Life and death, wealth and lowliness, are all predetermined. Once a clerk mistakenly wrote a name — someone fated to live died, and one not fated to die perished. Yama was enraged and had the clerk beaten.
The Ghost Market
At midnight in Chang'an there is a ghost market where dead souls gather to trade. At dawn it disperses, leaving only ashes. A bold man went to spy on it at night — he saw flickering lanterns and clamoring voices, no different from an ordinary market. He returned home and fell gravely ill for three months.