He and It Chapter 212: Inquire Here (40)

Chapter 212: Inquire Here (40)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

When the man in white spoke his first words, Bai Wuchang was still in a daze, confused. 

“What are you stopping me for?” The ghost officer expressed dissatisfaction with his colleague. “These people, whether as ghosts or deities, are up to some nonsense. If this delays things and someone above asks about it…”

His face was pale, then his eyeless sockets suddenly widened.

He was unable to utter a single word.

The might of the Heavenly Dao instantaneously dominated everywhere! Bai and Hei Wuchang stood at attention with their hands hanging by their sides, their eyes observed their noses, and their noses observed their hearts. They shrank their necks like quails, as they tried to make themselves as small and harmless as quails, afraid to even breathe.

The Ghost Mother began to state her grievances. The man in white listened and nodded, then dismantled the Ghost Mother’s life experiences bit by bit, as he lamented what he called the “Thirteen Great Injustices.” According to his words, it seemed that because of that, they would erase the evil deeds committed by the Nine Children’s Ghost Mother.

Bai Wuchang gritted his teeth. Among the tens of thousands of judges in Fengdu, none dared to judge a case so recklessly and leniently. Yet, the man in black didn’t object at all, his face full of incomprehensible agreement, as if whatever the other said was correct and flawless.

“…The ghost cases are handed over to Fengdu, which has been the custom from ancient times to the present,” Bai Wuchang protested weakly, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. “How can they overstep their bounds…”

“You’re going to die-” Hei Wuchang pressed his lips together tightly and squeezed out a few words through his teeth, “-if you don’t shut up quickly. Believe it or not, they can crush you with just a gesture.”

Though they were colleagues, Hei Wuchang had been a ghost officer for a hundred and twenty years longer than him. Bai Wuchang had no choice but to remain in place and listen obediently.

In the end, not only did the two of them decide to exempt the Ghost Mother from the infernal tortures, but they also stripped her of her malevolent ghost status. The most shocking to the ghost officers was that they even permitted the Ghost Mother to reside in the Mortal Realm for two hundred years.

If merely “establishing a nursery” could allow one to stay in the mortal world for two hundred years, the millions of vengeful ghosts in Fengdu, even if their souls were scattered, would have filled the mortal realm with their presence through nurseries!

Heavenly thunder came and went, the verdict took effect, and clear moonlight shone down. The filthy resentment of the ghosts and deities flew up to the boundless sky. Water, grass and sand fell in drifts, and the damp octopus “plopped” onto the ground. As Wang Yue Niang stood up, she was once again the young woman with delicate brows and eyes, white teeth, and a blue cloth dress that shimmered with a silvery light under the moon.

“I…” She looked at her hands, with blunt nails, deformed fingers, and covered in the calluses of long years of hardship. But these were normal hands, capable of embracing a daughter, and not the blood-dripping claws of a vengeful ghost.

She gasped heavily in bewilderment, then looked at Liu Fuguang and Yan Huan, with so many emotions piled up in her heart that she couldn’t express. After a while, she muttered, “…But, I can’t take care of the children during the day…”

Liu Fuguang smiled slightly. “Why not? If you are going to live among the common people, you can naturally walk around during the day.”

Bai and Hei Wuchang were greatly shocked. Just one sentence from that person had granted ghosts the privilege to walk during the day!

“The nursery also needs financial support,” Yan Huan said. “The offerings you accumulated over the years as the Nine Sons’ Mother Goddess, and the money and jewels contributed by others, will still be yours to use. If money runs short, as a ghost, you have many ways to obtain it. I shouldn’t need to teach you that.”

“What you’re doing is no different than inciting!” Hei and Bai Wuchang bit their lips, and endured the pain, but ultimately didn’t cry out.

Yue Niang bowed deeply, unable to speak through her tears. “This humble woman…thanks both benefactors. I will not let you down…”

Liu Fuguang approached her and said softly, “Get up quickly. There is one more thing I need to ask you.”

Yue Niang looked at him with tearful eyes.

“In your memory…” Liu Fuguang said vaguely. “I saw someone. An indistinct cultivator who made a divine position for you and had surrounding cities worship you…who was that person?”

Yue Niang was startled. She focused and thought deeply, her gaze momentarily hazy. When she came to her senses, she shook her head with difficulty.

“I dare not hide anything from you,” she said guiltily. “However, at that time, my mind was chaotic and shattered, with only thoughts of revenge and slaughter. I never saw the person’s face. I only did whatever they asked because it seemed to fulfill my desires.”

Liu Fuguang made a thoughtful “hm” sound. Yue Niang quickly took a divine mandate from her bosom and handed it to him.

“But the divine mandate made for me by that person has always been with me. Please, take a look and see if it helps.”

Liu Fuguang’s eyes brightened. That, at least, was a clue.

He accepted the divine mandate and thanked her, saying, “Very good, this could be useful!”

Before she left, Yue Niang noticed the black and white ghost officers who were standing stiffly not far away. She had never had a good opinion of the emissaries from Fengdu. When she saw  them standing there in a daze, she sneered inwardly. Without saying a word to them, she expressed her countless thanks to Liu Fuguang and Yan Huan, bowed repeatedly, and left the place of trouble with her nine daughters to serve in the mortal world.

Shortly after Yue Niang’s departure, Liu Fuguang turned to Jin Cuixu, who was praising her continuously. He glanced up and suddenly noticed the Black and White Impermanence officers with their mouths shut tight, and he was surprised. He exclaimed, “What?”

“Black and White Impermanence?” 

Yan Huan, uninterested, stared only at Liu Fuguang and replied, “They came from Fengdu.”

The Sea of Worlds contained three thousand small worlds, and Fengdu, established by the ghost Immortals, was more than just a city. Fengdu occupied its own realm, allowing ghost officers like Black and White Impermanence to use the Underworld to traverse various worlds.

Seeing that they were mentioned, Black and White Impermanence forced themselves to approach, then they bowed from a distance. “Lords, we…”

“Are you here to capture the Nine Sons’ Mother Goddess?” Liu Fuguang interrupted the awkward pleasantries. “It seems you will return empty-handed this time.”

Hei Wuchang’s face was marked with the black aura of death, and his expression, usually as rigid as a coffin board, was now forced into a smile. He bowed his head and said, “Whatever the Lord decides, we dare not interfere.”

Bai Wuchang had never seen him so amiable and polite, and he was even more surprised.

Liu Fuguang asked, “Since you are pursuing the Nine Sons’ Mother Goddess, you must also be aware of the local practices of killing female fetuses and trafficking people, right? As ghost officers, what is your view on such people?”

Hei Wuchang’s lips moved and he said in a low voice, “Lord, please understand! Fengdu only detains vengeful and malevolent spirits. The souls of the living, after death, disperse into the cycle of heaven and earth. They have nothing to do with us…”

If he were still alive, the cold sweat that would have streamed down his forehead and back would have turned him into a river.

Liu Fuguang frowned and said, “When did Fengdu adopt such a rule?”

His question not only made Hei Wuchang’s legs tremble, but also left Bai Wuchang, who was just as confused, perplexed and unable to speak.

“This, this…” Hei Wuchang racked his brains, as he tried to save his life. “Replying to the Lord, this…”

Yan Huan’s gaze was cold and fierce, and Liu Fuguang seemed to understand something. He said softly, “Answer directly, and I will ensure your safety.”

Hei Wuchang lowered his head, stared at his semi-transparent toes, and said as emotionlessly as possible, “Replying to the Lord, since six thousand years ago, when the Xuanyun Sun disappeared and the disease of the tainted heart spread across the worlds, leading to rampant demon cultivators and demonic chaos. The occurrences of malevolent spirits harming people were more common than eating or drinking. Fengdu could not manage the souls of the living and had to focus on apprehending the malevolent spirits causing harm…”

Although he had omitted the term “Ghost Dragon,” Yan Huan’s expression still terrified him, which made his three souls and seven spirits nearly flee. His lips trembled, and he gradually fell silent.

Liu Fuguang’s face darkened. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, but ultimately said nothing.

Yan Huan said quietly, “It’s fine, let me speak with them.”

He approached the two ghost officers. Upon seeing him, Bai Wuchang was alright, but without his mourning staff, Hei Wuchang would have already collapsed in a trembling pile on the ground.

“Stand properly,” Yan Huan said. “Since he has spoken, I won’t do anything to you. There is no need to act as if you’re already dead.”

Before the ghost officers could respond, he suddenly smiled and venomously added, “Oh, I forgot, you are already dead, so you must no longer fear death.”

Hei Wuchang was almost frightened to tears, and Bai Wuchang’s face, although painted with rouge, now looked as pale as wall plaster.

“In mortal legends, regardless of the reason, those who drown or abandon infants are condemned to be crushed by stones in the Underworld after death, having their flesh turned into mush by giant rocks in a perpetual cycle. Those involved in trafficking, rape, or forced marriages, after death, are thrown into the oil cauldron in the Underworld, their flesh scorched and bursting like firecrackers.” Yan Huan said expressionlessly. “However, I also know that although Fengdu has its stone crushing and oil cauldron Underworlds, they are not meant for mortals. Now, listen carefully,” he said coldly. “In the past, you did not manage the mortals, but from now on, you will. Within a thousand miles, I want to see those who deserve punishment receive it. Do you understand?”

Bai Wuchang, who was trembling with fear, nearly collapsed. “But…but those people’s lifespans are not yet over…”

“If their lifespans are not over, can’t you detain their souls?” Yan Huan asked in surprise. “Do I need to teach you that as well?”

Detaining living souls might sound polite, but in harsher terms, it was essentially killing people! The two ghost officers nearly fainted. Hei Wuchang shuddered and said, “Lord, please grant mercy…If this continues, there might not be a single living person left within a thousand miles! With a few thousand, we might still manage, but with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands…even a reincarnated demonic king would find it impossible to handle!”

Yan Huan smiled.

“If you find it too exhausting,” he said. “You can always call more people from Fengdu to help with the detainment.” He leaned closer and sighed, “Otherwise, if I have to do it, it will be far more complicated than just stone crushing or oil cauldrons. At that time, those people will probably beg to go to the Underworld. Think about it. This way you are actually helping these people and accumulating virtue.”

Hei Wuchang suddenly understood. This dragon king, this supreme evil deity, was venting his own anger. He hated them for daring to expose his façade in front of the supreme goodness, so he had to vent that hatred and killing intent on the innocent…or rather, not-so-innocent people.

He gritted his teeth and said, “In that case, please grant us some time, Lord. This humble one… will certainly convey the Lord’s requirements to Fengdu.”

Yan Huan said coldly, “Do it well and don’t disappoint me. The ghost Immortals of Fengdu should be aware of what will happen if they disappoint me.”

After saying that, he was supposed to turn and return to Liu Fuguang’s side, but Yan Huan remained in place, unable to muster the courage to take a step.

 

For a moment, he didn’t dare to look back and see the expression in Liu Fuguang’s eyes.