Chapter 233.2: “…destroy it at once!”
Just thinking about it put Lu Luo in an excellent mood. Suddenly, even his mountain of paperwork didn’t seem so exhausting anymore.
Everyone wanted to climb higher in life. Even ghosts were no exception.
He couldn’t help but indulge in a little daydreaming.
“I’ve heard that every hundred years, the Heavenly Court holds a grand gathering and invites the divine officials of Youdu to attend as well. I wonder how long it will be until the next one. I also wonder whether my current position will be sufficient to qualify. If, one day, I could attend a grand gathering at the Heavenly Court, I would have no regrets in this life.”
Listening to him, Ming Moyu couldn’t help raising her head to gaze at the dark, gloomy sky outside the Underworld.
There was actually a Heavenly Court above the clouds! Just imagining the various gods of the Heavenly Court coming and going, gathering together to attend such a grand celebration, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of longing herself.
However, the matter at hand was more important. Ming Moyu hurriedly asked how they should deal with those two painted-skin demons.
Back when Lu Luo had still been alive, he had once descended the mountain and actually dealt with a painted-skin demon himself. He immediately replied:
“That’s easy enough. Painted-skin demons fear fire. Just surround them and burn them to death. However, you must be careful to prevent them from shedding their skins and assuming new identities. You absolutely must use flaming arrows to attack them from a distance. Don’t let anyone approach within ten meters of them. It’s just that…”
As the saying went, old ginger was spicier. Lu Luo furrowed his brows and said:
“Painted-skin demons have never been particularly powerful. How could two little painted-skin demons possibly pull off something that threatens the very foundations of an entire kingdom? I’m afraid there are other evil beings lurking alongside them.”
Ming Moyu nodded repeatedly. “There are also large numbers of evil beings constantly hunting down the Crown Prince and his consort.”
This was clearly a coordinated operation.
“If that’s the case, taking action recklessly could provoke them into turning hostile outright. The Yun Kingdom’s national fortune is already in disarray. They might very well go straight for the Yun emperor’s life. This won’t be easy to deal with.”
Just as Lu Luo was deep in thought, a Blue Sea clerk beside him promptly interjected:
“Why should Lord Judge trouble himself over this? Since a divine official of the Heavenly Court has bestowed a Soul-Returning Pill upon the Crown Prince, helping him restore order and prevent the Yun Kingdom’s destruction, perhaps that same divine official would also be willing to help the Yun Kingdom rid itself of those evil beings.”
Lu Luo was immediately enlightened.
“That’s certainly worth a try. Since this divine official was willing to intervene in the first place, they are probably a compassionate sort. If you can find them again, try asking for their help.
“If that doesn’t work, then you’ll have no choice but to seek assistance from the other Daoist temples along your route. Gather as many fellow Daoists as possible and head to the capital to exterminate the demons. And remember, in a moment of crisis, use the Divine Possession technique to summon a deity into your body.”
Having received his instructions, Ming Moyu hurriedly bowed, then also offered a respectful bow to the clerk who had suggested the idea.
“Yes. I’ll go take care of it right away.”
She returned with the news, and the father and son of the Yun royal family indeed thought the plan was feasible. After hearing Ming Moyu’s description of the Heavenly Court, they became even more eager to seek its help.
Before leaving through the Ghost Gate, Yun Xiangyi knelt before Yun Ying and kowtowed.
“After returning to life, I will definitely seek out that deity of the Heavenly Court and beg for their assistance. With demons pursuing us from behind, I don’t even know whether I’ll survive long enough to make it back to the imperial capital. Now that we must part, I hope Father takes good care of himself.”
Yun Ying was already streaming with tears.
“Don’t say such discouraging things! You are the Crown Prince of the Yun Kingdom. You will most certainly make it back to the capital safe and sound!”
He wanted to say a few more words of encouragement, but Ming Moyu glanced toward the gates and urged them on:
“It’s time. Go!”
The black-clad ghost messenger also took hold of Yun Ying’s arm.
“Your Majesty, allow me to escort you back as well.”
Yun Xiangyi’s figure began to drift and sway, becoming as light as a sheet of paper. Ming Moyu pulled him along, and before long, the two of them disappeared into the thick fog surrounding them.
From somewhere in the distance, his intermittent voice could still faintly be heard:
“Father, if I fail to return this time, I will have failed in my filial duties. Please remember to treat the Prince’s Consort well. Also, investigate Second Brother thoroughly. Do not let sentiment cloud your judgment. When a decision must be made, make it decisively. Hesitation will only lead to chaos, Father…”
Yun Ying’s heart clenched. Instinctively, he tried to chase after them.
“Xiangyi!”
—He suddenly sat bolt upright in bed.
The palace attendant on night duty hurried over and took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
“Your Majesty, did you have a nightmare? You’re sweating so much.”
Yun Ying was breathing heavily, his heart pounding like a drum. Still dazed, he looked around.
The palace attendants had already relit the candles in the room. There was no sign of the dark city walls or the lines of departed souls waiting to enter the city. No matter how he looked at it, this was undoubtedly his own bedchamber.
Being accused by the City God, encountering the Crown Prince—who should have been resting in the Eastern Palace—in the Underworld, a Daoist priest named Ming arriving to save the Crown Prince, black-and-white-clad ghost messengers wearing tall hats, the Underworld’s Judge, a divine official of the Heavenly Court, the Soul-Returning Pill…
Had it all been a dream?
But how could any dream feel so real?
Suddenly remembering something, Yun Ying hurriedly opened his palm.
Sure enough, there was an intricate pattern of winding, interlocking lines imprinted on it. It was precisely the mark left behind by the Underworld’s judgment decree.
The palace attendant was still wiping his sweat. Noticing that His Majesty was staring intently at his palm, he asked curiously:
“Your Majesty, is something wrong with your hand? Shall I summon the imperial physician?”
Yun Ying was startled.
“You can’t see it?”
The palace attendant looked confused. “See what?”
Yun Ying quickly realized. Of course. This was an Underworld judgment mark. How could someone from the mortal world possibly see it? The reason he could was probably because he himself was the person named in the judgment decree.
Thinking of the countless evil beings that might still be lurking within the palace, and the unknown number of eyes watching him, Yun Ying pretended nothing was amiss and slowly lowered his hand.
“Nothing. I just had a nightmare.”
He lay back down.
“Put out the lights. I’ll rest a little longer.”
The palace attendant acknowledged his order, extinguished the candles, and carefully lowered the bed curtains again.
With his eyes closed in the darkness, Yun Ying repeatedly calculated how many troops he could mobilize immediately.
How lofty and untouchable were the gods? The fact that they had helped him once was already an extraordinary favor. And according to Daoist Ming, the gods of the Heavenly Court stood even higher than the deities of the mortal world. The Crown Prince would probably have a hard time securing their protection.
If the Crown Prince couldn’t return safely…
The Yun Kingdom absolutely must not fall into the hands of evil beings.
He had already been deceived by them once. He couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again.
Wasn’t that evil being using the Crown Prince’s identity to infiltrate the imperial capital and throw the kingdom’s fortune into chaos?
If things really came down to an all-or-nothing confrontation… what if the “Crown Prince assassinated his father”—and everyone knew about it?
Back when Yun Ying had been an ordinary prince, he had always been rather mild-tempered. At times, he could even be somewhat indecisive. Compared with his eldest son, he often lacked the firmness needed to act decisively.
But now, lying in the darkness, he silently steeled his resolve.
Even if it cost him his life, he would never allow those evil beings to succeed.
That demon would never, ever get to ascend the throne under the identity of a member of the Yun family.
No one knew how long he lay quietly in the darkness, or how many things he pondered. Eventually, he slowly got up and spoke in an entirely ordinary tone:
“Attendants! I’m getting up.”
“There is too much official business to handle today. Summon the Second Prince. Have him help me shoulder some of the burden.”
…
“The Second Prince attempted to assassinate His Majesty in open court. He has already been executed on the spot.”
In the Eastern Palace, the painted-skin demon had just gotten up when it froze.
“What?”
The palace attendant reporting the news was also deathly pale. After all, the Second Prince had died far too quickly.
“I heard that His Majesty and the Second Prince got into an argument. During their quarrel, the Second Prince tried to attack His Majesty. His Majesty flew into a rage and ordered him to be executed on the spot.”
The painted-skin demon was still struggling to process what it had heard.
The Second Prince had been cooperating with them, but his death didn’t matter. After all, the painted-skin demon had already successfully taken over the Crown Prince’s identity.
In fact, the Second Prince’s death was a good thing.
It saved them the trouble of dealing with his constant demands that the painted-skin demon ruin the Crown Prince’s reputation so he could take the throne himself. What an idiot! He had been nothing more than a pawn manipulated by the demons and monsters, yet he had still been dreaming of becoming emperor.
But he was, after all, the emperor’s son. His sudden, unexpected death would inevitably make people wonder whether the emperor had discovered something and grown suspicious.
The painted-skin demon grew wary, but on the surface, it put on an expression of shock and exclaimed:
“How could something like this have happened? Quickly! Father must be utterly devastated. Come with me to see him.”
The painted-skin demon hurried all the way to where the emperor was staying. However, when it arrived, it found Yun Ying behaving normally. The moment he saw the face of Yun Xiangyi that the demon was wearing, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He burst into loud sobs and cursed the Second Prince as a rebellious son.
“Father, please don’t grieve. The Second Prince’s death was not your fault…”
“Xiangyi, you’re the only one who understands me! Your Second Brother was mediocre in ability yet harboring wild ambitions. I only just discovered that he had been searching everywhere for evil beings and had even placed an idol of one inside the City God’s temple! What was he trying to do?!”
“Only when I entrust this kingdom to you can I finally rest easy!”
The painted-skin demon relaxed slightly. It seemed the emperor had only grown suspicious of the Second Prince because of the incident at the City God’s temple. Its own identity as Crown Prince hadn’t been compromised.
So it continued comforting the emperor while probing him to find out how much he had learned from the Second Prince.
Both the human and the demon had now entered full acting mode, frantically trying to outwit each other with their performances.
Watching the emperor and Crown Prince embrace, the palace attendants couldn’t help feeling moved.
The bond between His Majesty and the Crown Prince was truly deep!
Yun Ying was completely immersed in his performance, simultaneously guarding against the painted-skin demon’s probing questions and displaying the finest acting of his entire life. He had already prepared himself to keep up this act for several months.
But then, golden light suddenly appeared outside, dazzling and blinding.
Exclamations of astonishment rose from beyond the palace.
Startled, Yun Ying hurriedly left the palace alongside the painted-skin demon, bringing a large contingent of palace attendants with them.
Looking up, they saw several golden, dazzling figures of divine generals standing in the sky. Among them was a familiar figure—that of Daoist Ming.
The gods of the Heavenly Court!!
Xiangyi had actually managed to secure the Heavenly Court’s help!! And in less than two hours, the gods had already descended directly upon the imperial capital!!
The painted-skin demon was startled at the sight of the gods. It hurriedly ducked behind the emperor, thinking that as long as it was wearing the Crown Prince’s identity, the gods certainly wouldn’t be able to see its true form. Besides, with the emperor protecting it, it should be fine.
Hiding behind Yun Ying, it hesitantly began, “Father… I’m afraid these visitors may not be— Ah! Ouch!!”
Yun Ying kicked the evil creature straight out from behind him!
He didn’t even spare a glance at its utterly incredulous expression. Instead, he looked up at the divine generals in the sky, pointing at the demon and speaking with overwhelming excitement:
“Exalted Deities!! This is the evil creature!!”
“Please, Exalted Deities, destroy it at once!!!”
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