Chapter 232.1: City God VS Mortal Emperor
He had been sleeping peacefully when his soul was suddenly dragged out of his body. As it turned out, the City God of the Imperial Capital had filed a formal complaint against him with the authorities of the Underworld.
The new emperor, Yun Ying, felt as though his entire worldview had collapsed.
His mind was filled with questions.
So a person’s soul could be pulled out even when they weren’t dead?
And there really was an Underworld after death? Judging by what he was seeing, it was even as orderly as the imperial court in the mortal world?
So even the City God of the Imperial Capital had to come here after death, and could actually file a lawsuit?
Yun Ying had wondered before what happened to people after they died. There was a belief in the mortal world that after death, people went to live in another world.
That was why there were ancestral halls and family tombs. Every year, on the anniversary of their ancestors’ deaths, their descendants would visit to make offerings, ensuring that their forebears had food to eat, drinks to enjoy, and money to spend in the world below.
Ordinary commoners believed in this, but Yun Ying had never been convinced. After all, he came from the imperial family. When he was young, he had heard the Daoist officials at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau say that after death, a person’s soul was sent directly into reincarnation. There was no such thing as an Underworld.
Now that he thought about it, that Daoist official’s cultivation must not have been up to par.
Yun Ying had no time to wonder what level that long-deceased Daoist official had actually reached.
Once he had regained his composure, he also realized that he was currently the defendant.
Although Yun Ying was now the emperor, he had not been on the throne for very long. He had never even imagined that he would one day become emperor. On top of that, he held a deep reverence for ghosts and gods. As such, he had no thoughts along the lines of ‘I am the Son of Heaven in the mortal realm. What gives you the right to put me on trial?’
Instead, he followed the City God’s example and cupped his hands toward the Judge seated above.
The City God statue in the Imperial Capital’s City God Temple had already been dismantled. At this point, admitting that he had been in the wrong probably wouldn’t do much good, so Yun Ying explained his reasons for replacing the City God.
“My lord, I did not replace the City God of the Imperial Capital without reason. The late emperor and the former crown prince died one after another under suspicious circumstances, and all the signs pointed to the work of demons.”
This was indeed the main reason he had replaced the City God. Thus, he had no qualms about saying it aloud.
“City Gods are responsible for guarding against demons and evil spirits. Now, with the late emperor and the former crown prince having met such untimely ends, I… As the new emperor, I naturally have cause for concern. If I didn’t replace the City God, wouldn’t I risk meeting the same fate?”
The City God of the Imperial Capital was so furious that his beard practically stood on end.
“Utter nonsense!! The late emperor and the former crown prince died one after another because they could no longer bear the weight of the nation’s fortune! What does that have to do with demons?!”
“Rather, you, the emperor of the mortal realm, are the one who has actually appointed an evil creature as the new City God! If you would only open your eyes and look, surely you would notice that the number of people dying unnatural deaths in the Imperial Capital has increased several times over in recent days?!”
Yun Ying felt utterly wronged.
As he listened, he couldn’t help wondering: What does he mean, they couldn’t bear the weight of the nation’s fortune?
The late emperor had sat on the throne for more than twenty years and had always been perfectly fine. How had he suddenly become unable to bear the nation’s fortune?
But for now, Yun Ying could only set those thoughts aside and do his best to defend himself.
“How can you say that? It is true that I failed in my duty when I ordered your divine statue torn down. But the late emperor and the former crown prince died so suddenly. I am only a mortal, after all. Aside from demonic interference, I couldn’t think of any other explanation.”
“But I have never appointed an evil creature as the new City God! The Imperial Capital hasn’t even officially selected a new City God yet.”
This was the absolute truth. He had entrusted the matter to the crown prince. Although the crown prince already had someone in mind, hadn’t the final decision still not been made?
The City God of the Imperial Capital let out a cold laugh and waved his tattered sleeve.
“And you still claim you haven’t? I saw it with my own eyes! The statue of that evil creature has already been placed inside the City God Temple!”
Most City Gods tended to be fairly polite when dealing with emperors. After all, a single decree from the emperor could bring their City God temples crashing down.
But this particular City God had been famous for his fiery temper even when he was alive. Back then, he had feared neither death nor retribution, and had even dared to point at the reigning emperor’s nose and curse him out.
Now that he had become a god of the dead, died once, and gone through reincarnation again, he no longer received incense offerings from the Yun Kingdom. Naturally, he had even less reason to fear the emperor of the mortal realm.
“I served as a City God for seven hundred years! I’ve seen foolish emperors and mediocre emperors. I’ve seen new emperors who seized the throne through rebellion, and others who murdered their own blood relatives to claim the throne. Seven hundred years! And you are the only emperor I’ve ever seen who could welcome an evil creature as his City God!”
“And this is the Imperial Capital!!! The Imperial Capital!!! The very place where the fortune of the entire nation converges!!! Are you trying to let that evil creature’s corruption spread to every City God in every prefecture and county across the entire kingdom?!”
It was no wonder the City God of the Imperial Capital was absolutely livid.
With the nation’s fortune having changed, the Yun Kingdom had been deeply affected as well. In order to protect the Imperial Capital, he had been working tirelessly for a long time. Every day, he diligently patrolled the city, driving away all manner of demons and evil creatures that were trying to sneak into the Yun Kingdom by taking advantage of the changes in its fortune.
The late emperor and the former crown prince had originally been perfectly fine. But the Heavenly Dao had changed. Previously, the national fortunes of every kingdom had effectively been entrusted to the Heavenly Dao. Now, however, each kingdom had to take charge of its own national fortune.
The fortune of an entire nation!
For an ordinary mortal, bearing such a burden was practically an impossible task.
And sure enough, although the late emperor and the former crown prince hadn’t been in particularly poor health, the late emperor was advanced in age, while the crown prince had always been somewhat frail. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have been a problem. But now, with the weight of the nation’s fortune bearing down on them, neither could withstand it, and they died one after another. With the emperor and his designated successor both gone, the Imperial Capital was plunged into yet another period of turmoil.
Those demons and evil creatures were even more eager to seize the opportunity to infiltrate the Imperial Capital. The City God knew that if they managed to get into the capital, the rot would spread from the top down, corrupting the entire Yun Kingdom. He had been so consumed with worry that he had practically exhausted himself, fighting with everything he had just to keep those evil creatures out.
At long last, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had calculated that Yun Ying was destined to bear the nation’s fortune. Only then had the City God finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that the new ruler had finally arrived. Once the new emperor took on the burden of the nation’s fortune, demons and evil creatures would no longer be able to invade, and he could finally get some proper rest.
And then!
What did they call this? Killing the donkey once the millstone was ground?
What did they call this? Dismantling the bridge after crossing the river?
He had worked himself to the bone, leading the entire staff of the City God Temple and exhausting nearly all his divine power just to hold out until the new emperor arrived. Yet, not long after the new emperor ascended the throne, he wanted to replace the City God.
And replacing the City God would have been bad enough. But he wanted to replace him with an evil creature!
He had exhausted all his divine power just to barely keep the demons and evil creatures from breaking into the Imperial Capital.
But when he turned around, what did he see?
An evil creature was sitting right there in the City God Temple, openly and brazenly, without the slightest attempt to hide itself!
The City God of the Imperial Capital let out an enraged roar.
“Well, that’s just wonderful! We might as well stop calling this the Yun Kingdom and rename it the Demon Kingdom! And you can forget about calling yourself the Emperor of the Yun Kingdom. Just call yourself the Demon King! This humble deity pays his respects to the Demon King!”
Yun Ying was so thoroughly berated that he kept backing away. Watching the City God actually bow to him with such elaborate formality as he addressed him as the “Demon King,” Yun Ying wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
“Th-this… How can you say such a thing? I truly haven’t even begun the formal appointment of a new City God. I entrusted the entire matter to the crown prince. Perhaps… perhaps the crown prince is young and was deceived by his subordinates…”
Yun Ying was panicking inside as well.
He had only just ascended the throne. How could he possibly want his kingdom’s fortune to be corrupted by demons and evil creatures?
Just what had the crown prince been doing?
Setting aside the question of where he had even found that evil creature, hadn’t Yun Ying specifically instructed him not to install the new City God just yet?
Why was the City God claiming that a divine statue had already been placed inside the temple?
Yun Ying was both anxious and determined to force himself to remain calm. He bowed deeply to the City God.
“I was wrong. I failed to recognize people for what they were and made poor judgments. The matter of this evil creature was certainly never my intention. Once I return, I will have that creature removed and personally welcome you back to your divine seat…”
The City God shot him a sidelong glance and snorted. However, he refrained from making any further harsh remarks.
He also believed Yun Ying when he said he hadn’t known that the new City God was an evil creature.
After all, it was like someone inheriting a luxurious mansion, only to suddenly go mad and dump a pile of filthy latrine waste all over the house. Who would be stupid enough to do something like that?
Understanding the reasoning was one thing, though. The resentment in his heart was another. Regardless of what had actually happened, from his own perspective, he had undeniably been stabbed in the back.
The City God was angry, but still mindful of proper etiquette. He gave Yun Ying a perfunctory cupped-fist salute.
“There’s no need to talk about returning to the City God Temple of the Imperial Capital. In life, this old man received the emperor’s favor and served as an official of the Yun Kingdom. After death, I was granted a divine title, so I suppose I have received the kingdom’s kindness. I’ve faithfully carried out my duties and protected the capital for seven hundred years. I’d say I’ve repaid that debt of gratitude.”
“Now that I have been saved by Youdu, naturally, I shall serve Youdu from this day forward.”
Above them, Judge Lu Luo, who had been busy processing official documents while secretly straining his ears to listen to their conversation, finally raised his head again when he heard the City God declare his intention to serve Youdu.
—Lu Luo had no idea why he was even here.
His position was Judge of the Office of Merits and Transgressions. His job was supposed to be calculating people’s good deeds and determining the extent of the blessings they deserved.
Handling a case like this shouldn’t have been his responsibility at all.
He had previously looked over Youdu’s official hierarchy. By all rights, a case like this should have fallen under the jurisdiction of the Case Judge, who was specifically responsible for handling legal disputes.
But when Lu Luo asked about it, the Youdu clerk had simply replied, “The Case Judge hasn’t taken up his post yet. Please fill in for the time being, Your Excellency.”
And just like that, he had been carried by paper figures to the [Palace of the King of Hell] to preside over a case in which the City God of the Yun Kingdom’s Imperial Capital was suing the emperor of the mortal realm.
Lu Luo: “…”
Wasn’t this an awfully big case to be thrown at him right from the start?
The last time he had presided over a case had been when he was still alive, wandering around his sect’s mountain gate. He had happened to see his junior sister’s two cats fighting over a strip of dried meat, so he had stepped forward of his own accord, split the meat in half, and given each cat one piece. Case settled.
Truly, a person could never predict what fate had in store for them next.
Not long ago, he had still been a wandering, drifting ghost, barely short of exhausting his allotted yin lifespan and becoming a completely unbound spirit.
And now, he was presiding over a case involving an emperor!
Knowing full well that he had no experience with legal proceedings, and worried that he might expose his ignorance in front of the emperor and the City God below, Lu Luo had simply pretended to be extremely busy, keeping his head down and concentrating on his official paperwork.
However, once he started working, it was no longer an act. He really was terribly busy.
Now, hearing that the City God wanted to serve Youdu, Lu Luo suddenly felt that things might actually work out rather well.
Wonderful! Wonderful!
This City God had been an official when he was alive. After death, he had served as a City God for seven hundred years. Surely, he was an exceptionally capable and experienced official. He even sounded more reliable than Lu Luo himself!
Ideally, they should give him the position of Case Judge.
Just look at that fearsome, intimidating appearance! He had nearly reduced an emperor to tears. He was practically born to preside over trials!
That way, the next time a similar case came along, Lu Luo wouldn’t have to shoulder two positions by himself.
At the thought, his expression immediately became a little friendlier.
“I understand now. In this matter, the emperor of the mortal realm, Yun Ying, was indeed in the wrong.”
Yun Ying lowered his head in shame. “It was my fault.”
Lu Luo choked slightly.
He admitted guilt that quickly?
He had thought the emperor would at least offer a few words in his own defense.
Well, now that the defendant had pleaded guilty, the trial process could proceed directly to deciding how to resolve the matter and what punishment to impose.
Fortunately, Lu Luo had at least been a sect leader when he was alive, so he knew a thing or two about handling people. He immediately turned to the City God.
“You’re the aggrieved party here, so I should ask for your opinion before deciding on the punishment. If you’d like any compensation, feel free to state your demands.”
Although the City God was angry, he had never actually intended to do anything drastic to Yun Ying. Even if he no longer served as the City God of the Yun Kingdom, he still cared about its people.
If something happened to the Yun Kingdom’s new emperor as well, then the kingdom would truly be finished.
And what had the common people done to deserve that?
Thus, he merely said with a stern expression:
“I ask that Your Majesty severely punish everyone involved in this matter. After destroying that evil creature’s divine statue, please have new golden bodies made for the City God’s attendants, including the Day and Night Patrol Gods. Furthermore, the Yun Kingdom’s imperial court must provide incense, candles, and sacrificial offerings for us for the next hundred years.”
“Additionally, I am willing to serve as acting City God for a period of time. However, I must be the one to choose the candidate for the next City God.”
Since coming to Youdu, the City God had already learned that Youdu had its own system of prices and expenses. Securing a hundred years’ worth of wages first was certainly a sensible move.
And ever since he had personally witnessed the authorities carrying that evil creature’s divine statue into the City God Temple, he had completely lost faith in the imperial court’s judgment.
When selecting a City God, the most important consideration was moral character.
After all, divine power could be obtained through incense offerings, and there were already ghost officials and divine attendants below to handle the actual administrative work.
But a lack of moral character was an entirely different matter.
In the past, at least, absorbing incense offerings would fill a City God’s entire being with righteous energy, making it impossible for them to harbor any evil thoughts or malicious intentions.
But the times had changed. The Heavenly Dao no longer suppressed evil energy. If the new City God lacked moral integrity and became corrupted by that evil energy, then the entire kingdom would truly be doomed from top to bottom.
The City God had served in the Imperial Capital for a full seven hundred years. The officials and commoners living there had practically all grown up under his watchful eye. Finding a new City God whose character was absolutely trustworthy would be an effortless task for him.
Yun Ying let out a long sigh of relief. This demand was already exceptionally lenient.
Ever since becoming emperor, his ability to read people’s expressions and gauge their intentions had improved by leaps and bounds. With one glance, he could tell that the Judge above was clearly siding with the City God.
But he couldn’t really blame the other party. Even as the person directly involved, Yun Ying felt that he was indeed at fault. He suspected that even if the City God had demanded that he be dragged away and beaten with a rod, the Judge would have agreed.
Yun Ying bowed deeply once more.
“Yes. Please rest assured, City God. I will certainly honor this agreement. Once I return, I will investigate and deal with the evil creature, have new golden bodies made for all the divine officials, and formally swear an oath to provide offerings for all of you for three hundred years. Even after my death, my descendants who succeed me as emperors must continue to honor this agreement.”
Seeing how sincere Yun Ying was, agreeing to every condition and even voluntarily increasing the period of offerings from one hundred years to three hundred, the City God’s anger finally subsided somewhat.
“Very well. Let it be as you say.”
While the two were talking, Lu Luo had taken the opportunity to finish reviewing another document. Seeing that they had reached an agreement, he casually waved his hand.
A blank scroll, carrying wisps of yin energy, flew out and hovered directly above Yun Ying and the City God.
This was the Case Judge’s scroll, specially used for recording judicial verdicts.
Lu Luo then set down his own judge’s brush and picked up the one lying beside him: a brush as black as ink, roughly as thick as an adult’s forearm.
“Very well. The ruling shall follow the agreement you two have reached. It shall be recorded in black paper and gold lettering, and entered into the judgment scroll.”
“Yun Ying, remember the promise you have made today. Should you break it, upon your death, you shall be sent to the Ice Hell.”
Lu Luo began writing directly in midair. The pure golden characters appeared one after another, then flew of their own accord onto the blank scroll, settling firmly into place.
Yun Ying had never witnessed anything like this before. He couldn’t help swallowing nervously, thinking that these truly were the methods of immortals and gods. All the supernatural tales about deities he had heard in the past paled in comparison to even the slightest fraction of what he had witnessed and heard today.
Then he heard the mention of the Ice Hell, which further confirmed the old folk belief circulating in the mortal world: evil people would be punished after death. He immediately resolved to be more cautious in his words and actions from now on, and to do more good deeds.
Once the blank scroll had been filled with text, Lu Luo picked up the Judge’s Seal.
Oh, no. He had grabbed the wrong one. This was his own seal as Judge of the Office of Merits and Transgressions.
He switched to the Case Judge’s Seal and gently stamped it in midair.
The scroll covered in golden characters was stamped—and then split into two right before their eyes.
One copy entered the City God’s body, while the other, glowing with golden light, flew into Yun Ying’s body and promptly disappeared.
Yun Ying couldn’t help patting himself down, but he couldn’t feel anything at all.
Only when he turned his palm over did he notice an intricate, winding pattern faintly emerging on it. A dim, dark glow surrounded its outer edges, as though to prove that it had been branded deep within his soul.
Above them, the Judge’s voice rang out like a great bell, carrying the weight of a massive boulder as it pressed down upon them.
“The judgment has been finalized and entered into Youdu’s official records.”
“—Court dismissed!”
