Chapter Seventy-Nine: Meeting of the Yin-Yang Officials
Rong Jiang's words were true. The prefect is the local official, a benevolent and upright official beloved by the people, possessing an inherent righteous aura and the blessing of his official seal. The ghost messengers, on the other hand, are officials in the underworld, maintaining order between Yin and Yang. If a local official truly prays for the people, their official aura resonates with the underworld, allowing them to see the ghost messengers. However, a crucial condition for successful summoning is that this official must be honest, incorruptible, dedicated to the people, and deeply loved by them; only then can their official seal and the power of their vows break through the barrier between Yin and Yang. Furthermore, the chances of success are greater at night when Yin energy is strongest. This is because most ghost messengers are ghosts or spirits, with a cold and Yin constitution. While they aren't as annihilated by sunlight as ordinary ghosts, their appearance during the bright daylight, when Yang energy is at its peak, always makes them uncomfortable, and their strength is somewhat suppressed.
So, under Rong Jiang's guidance, Song Ping first interrogated the Painted Skin Ghost. With Rong Jiang's "help" (actually, she secretly controlled him), the Painted Skin Ghost "successfully" "confessed" how it used illusion magic to lure victims and how it cruelly skinned and dug out their hearts. The people in the courtroom were horrified, and Song Ping's face turned ashen. He ordered the scribe to record everything in detail, creating an unprecedented "Ghost Interrogation Record".
Following Rong Jiang's instructions, Song Ping set up a simple incense table in the back hall, burned incense and prayed, silently reciting the matter in his heart, asking the ghost messengers to come and deal with the evil spirits and restore peace to the people of Changshao.
The successful summoning was entirely due to Rong Jiang's special ability to grant him a special advantage. She only needed to send out a wisp of divine thought, and the nearby ghost messengers would rush over eagerly.
Several ghost messengers responsible for the Changshao area were patrolling nearby when they suddenly received a summons imbued with supreme authority. They exchanged glances, not daring to be negligent, and immediately followed their senses. They had been calmly preparing to appear according to procedure to see which yang official had summoned them.
The next second, the ghost messengers who had just appeared in the courtroom saw the red-clad girl standing to the side. Her fingers were slightly spread, and a black flame danced quietly in her fair palm. The shape of the flame resembled a budding red spider lily. Then, Rong Jiang's lips curled up slightly, and the flame vanished instantly, as if it had never been there.
This secret scene was only witnessed by a few ghost messengers who had just appeared.
The poor ghost messengers had just been severely reprimanded by their superior, the Judge, for the incident of Changji in their jurisdiction (although they didn't know it was a fragment of the Book of Life and Death, only that a ghost was using the power of the underworld to conceal and harm people). They were reflecting on their actions and frantically patrolling to make amends when they discovered that a mortal official was summoning them. Upon closer inspection, they thought, "Oh ho, a well-regarded official. Let's meet him." Just as they were about to adopt the professional and polite demeanor of underworld officials, they looked up and exclaimed, "Good heavens, the highest leader is here too?!"
Not every ghost messenger may have seen Rong Jiang's appearance in person, but they recognized the Netherworld Flame that represented the supreme authority of the underworld and governed reincarnation! That was the Netherworld Reincarnation Flame, which would never appear in the hands of any other living being except His Majesty the Underworld Emperor!
"Your Majesty—" The leading ghost messenger was so frightened that his soul almost trembled. His knees buckled as he was about to kneel in reverence, but he found that his legs were being held up by invisible hands, and he could not kneel down no matter what he did. Immediately afterward, a crystal-clear voice appeared directly in their minds: "No one in the court knows my identity, so you may pretend not to know me. The prefect here summoned you because of the Painted Skin Ghost's murder. Presumably, you are already aware of the recent events in Changshao... As for the Painted Skin Ghost below, it is merely a puppet I have created. You will take it back to the underworld later, and the puppet will dissipate on its own. You must actively cooperate with Prefect Song to properly handle the aftermath of this matter, appease the people, and make up for this oversight."
It only took a few seconds to process this long message from the mind. First, it told them not to reveal their identities; second, it told them not to sabotage the operation; and third, it explained the mission.
The leading ghost messenger quickly reacted, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He coughed lightly, bowed, and tried his best to make his voice sound normal: "I wonder why Lord Song has summoned us?" They naturally recognized Song Ping, after all, he was the local official.
Song Ping glanced at the men who appeared out of thin air accompanied by wisps of smoke and mist. Each of them was dressed in black, narrow-sleeved robes, with soul-locking chains around their waists and soul-guiding tokens in their hands. They looked like government officials, though their attire was slightly different from that of government officials in the human world. However, it was clear that they did look like government officials, and they even exuded an indescribable sense of authority.
With this, Song Ping felt more at ease, realizing that what Miss Rong said was true.
"I have summoned you officials here because of the matter of this painted-skin ghost harming my people." Song Ping composed himself, pointed to the motionless painted-skin ghost standing below, and explained the situation in detail to the leading ghost officer, especially emphasizing the righteous act of Rong Jiang and her companions: "...This ghost is extremely rampant, harming more than a dozen of my people, truly despicable. If it weren't for Miss Rong and her group's righteousness in helping my people capture the evil ghost, I fear countless people would have suffered at its hands. However, as a human, I can judge people, but I cannot judge ghosts. I have summoned you all here precisely so that this evil ghost can be handed over to the underworld for punishment according to the law, restoring justice to my unjustly killed people!"
"We understand what Lord Song has said," the leading ghost officer said solemnly, his attitude extremely cooperative. "Lord Song is the magistrate of Changshao in the mortal realm, dedicated to the people and working tirelessly day and night, as we have all heard. Changshao is also within our jurisdiction, and we are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Changshao is a vast area with many departed souls, and the flow of time in the underworld differs from that in the mortal realm. Ultimately, it was our negligence in patrolling that prevented us from discovering this fiend in time, leading to a series of tragedies. It is truly our inadequate service. Recently, my colleagues and I have intensified our search and patrol in Changshao and have discovered some clues. We were just about to deal with this matter when Lord Song summoned us, which allowed us to bring this ghost back to the underworld to report and punish him severely according to the law. We must thank Lord Song for his timely notification and capture of this fiend."
His words acknowledged limited responsibility, expressed his apology, explained that the matter was being handled, and thanked Song Ping, giving the mortal prefect ample face.
Seeing that the ghost messenger was frank and sincere, neither shirking responsibility nor making clever excuses about the cunning of ghosts, but instead taking the initiative to assume some of the blame for the negligence, Song Ping felt a bit more favorably disposed towards him, and the resentment he felt for the ghosts harming people dissipated somewhat. It seemed that the officials of the Yin and Yang realms did have some things in common.
Song Ping was no longer a naive newcomer to officialdom. Having navigated the treacherous waters of official life for several years, he had long understood that the transmission of information in official circles was often delayed and inaccurate. Even officials themselves were not guaranteed to receive all the messages from below in a timely manner. If this was the case in officialdom, how much more so in the realms of the living and the dead? For beings like ghost messengers, who traveled between the mortal and spiritual realms, the transmission of information was even more mysterious and unpredictable.
"Why must you express your gratitude? Although we are separated by the mortal and spiritual realms, we are all serving the people," Song Ping said, bowing respectfully. Despite being an official of the mortal world, he held no contempt for these underworld servants. In fact, after today's events, he felt even greater reverence for these beings who traversed the realms of yin and yang.
The leading ghost messenger nodded slightly. "What Lord Song says is absolutely right. Although the realms of Yin and Yang are separated, our hearts are connected for the sake of the people."
"But this demon has committed countless evils, taking many lives. I deeply resent him. I wonder what punishment this demon will receive in the future?" This was Song Ping's main concern. He wished the demon would be executed by slow slicing, just thinking of the tragic fate of the victims. The mutilated corpses and the agonizing cries of their families remained vivid in his memory.
The ghost messenger glanced at the limp, painted-skin ghost, knowing that this ghost was already being severely interrogated by Lord Jiang of Qin Guang Palace, and was said to be going through several hellish "tour packages." Recalling the Palace Master's cold and stern face and the terrifying pressure emanating from him during the interrogation, even these messengers who had been walking between the Yin and Yang realms for many years felt a chill run down their spines.
The leading ghost officer composed himself and said solemnly, "Yin and Yang are in balance. When a new ghost emerges, it should return to the underworld. This ghost has been causing trouble in the human world, killing more than a dozen people and committing all sorts of evil deeds. It is a great evil and should go to hell to atone for its sins."
Seeing Song Ping's puzzled expression, the ghost messenger explained in more detail: "All living beings in the world are equal, regardless of status or race. Those who kill will go to the Hell of Knives after death. There are hundreds of yakshas there, with teeth like swords, eyes like lightning, and hands with copper claws, dragging sinful ghosts. There are also yakshas wielding large iron halberds, which pierce the bodies of sinful ghosts, forcing them to take off their clothes and climb the mountain of knives naked. Depending on the severity of their sins, the lighter ones may live for a hundred or ten years, while the heavier ones may live for tens of millions of years, perhaps even permanently residing on the mountain of knives."
The courtroom fell silent, the only sound the tense breathing of the crowd. Several bailiffs standing below unconsciously touched their arms, as if they could already feel the sharpness of the knife.
A being like the Painted Skin Ghost, who tortured and killed more than a dozen people and stripped away parts of their souls, is truly guilty of heinous crimes, deserving more than just the punishment of being sent to the Mountain of Knives. The ghost messenger paused, then continued, "Afterwards, you will go to the Oil Cauldron Hell to suffer the torment of being fried in boiling oil; then you will enter the Ice Hell to experience the pain of your skin cracking from the cold. This cycle will continue until your sins are atoned for."
The ghost messenger spoke calmly, describing the various horrific scenes of hell as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, the courtroom staff were drenched in cold sweat; the treatment of those who had killed in the afterlife was truly horrifying. One young clerk even pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
But it's truly satisfying to see the culprit, who used such cruel methods to kill and caused such widespread fear in Changshao, meet such an end. General Wang Fang, standing below the hall, unconsciously clenched his fists, a flicker of pleasure crossing his eyes as he thought of the soldiers and civilians who had perished so tragically.
The harshest punishments on earth can only be endured once, because the torture is so severe that death brings relief. But the underworld is different. Those who go to hell to serve their sentences endure the most severe punishments, raw and unrepentant, until their sins are cleared. Thinking of this, Song Ping couldn't help but shudder, and at the same time, felt a surge of respect for the underworld's fairness and impartiality.
Song Ping thought for a moment about the future fate of the Painted Skin Ghost and felt very pleased. He said happily, "He has committed many evils and deserves this end." His words broke the solemn atmosphere in the courtroom, and everyone seemed to come back to their senses from the terrifying scene of hell.
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