Chapter 232.2: City God VS Mortal Emperor
White mist began rising all around them once more. Yun Ying still wanted to apologize to the City God again and ask what exactly was happening with the nation’s fortune. But then he heard the Judge above say:
“City God, please wait a moment.”
Amid the thick white mist, Yun Ying could vaguely make out the City God of the Imperial Capital turning around after hearing those words. He looked up and asked the superior official whether there was anything else he needed.
The Judge seemed to be in an excellent mood. He burst into hearty laughter.
“You said you wanted to serve Youdu. As it happens, Youdu has been rather busy lately and is recruiting divine officials for the Underworld. I’ll have a ghost official escort you to the Office of Merit and try your hand at the recruitment assessment.”
And just like that, the City God of the Imperial Capital was going to remain in Youdu, the Underworld, and become one of its divine officials.
——
Cheng Qisheng, who had watched the entire proceedings, felt that this City God would indeed make an excellent Case Judge. He looked exactly like the sort of person who was particularly good at verbally tearing others apart.
Wonderful, wonderful!
Youdu had gained yet another capable subordinate.
Best of all, this new addition held the authority to decide who would become the next City God of the Yun Kingdom’s Imperial Capital. That should prove extremely helpful to Blue Sea’s Blue Travelogue project.
That’s right. Blue Sea had already made its decision: better to seize an opportunity when it presented itself than to wait for a more convenient time.
Since they had happened to arrive just in time for the whole affair involving the Yun Kingdom’s true and false crown princes, the opening location for Blue Travelogue would simply be the Yun Kingdom!
——
Yun Ying had no idea that the one acting in place of the Heavenly Dao was watching him, already plotting how to stage an elaborate spectacle.
His own thoughts were in turmoil. Everything he had witnessed and heard that day had completely overwhelmed him with awe toward Youdu. Everything here seemed supernatural and extraordinary, inspiring an instinctive sense of reverence.
After all, although he had been the emperor of an entire kingdom while alive, after death, he was nothing more than a wandering soul in this underground world.
Because of one mistaken decision on his part, the City God Temple had been destroyed, and the City God of the Imperial Capital had lost his divine statue. Yet Youdu had still retained him and offered him an official position. This showed that Youdu recognized the City God’s abilities, making Yun Ying’s decision to replace him seem all the more foolish.
Sigh!
Things had already come to this. All Yun Ying could do was sigh and turn to leave.
The mistake had already been made. Regretting it now would accomplish nothing. The only thing he could do was try his best to make amends.
Amid the thick fog, a new ghost messenger suddenly appeared beside him. This one wore black robes and a tall black hat.
The black-clad ghost messenger said, “Come along. I’ll escort you through the Ghost Gate so you can return to your body.”
Yun Ying hurriedly followed beside him. Cupping his hands respectfully, he asked cautiously:
“My lord, may I ask what the City God meant earlier when he said that the late emperor and the former crown prince of the Yun Kingdom had been unable to bear the weight of the nation’s fortune?”
The ghost messenger seemed to have a rather good temper. He answered questions whenever they were asked.
“A country has vast territories and countless people living within its borders. The fates of all these people are bound together by the nation’s fortune. That fortune is like a vast ocean. How could an ordinary mortal body possibly bear its weight?”
“Previously, the Heavenly Dao would bestow protection upon the emperors of each kingdom, helping them bear the weight of their nation’s fortune. But now that the Heavenly Dao has fallen, the emperors of the various kingdoms no longer have that protection. If an emperor happens to be physically frail, or just happens to come down with a minor illness, and the nation’s fortune surges forth like a mountain pressing down on him, wouldn’t he simply be crushed to death?”
Huh?
Yun Ying, who had only just ascended the throne, felt his head buzzing as he listened.
The Heavenly Dao had fallen?
This time, it really was as if the heavens themselves had collapsed!
“So… the late emperor and the former crown prince were both crushed to death by the weight of the nation’s fortune?”
The black-clad ghost messenger replied, “Precisely.”
He even helpfully added:
“But it’s not just your Yun Kingdom. A great many kingdoms have recently lost their emperors and crown princes for the same reason. They simply couldn’t bear the weight of their national fortunes. Still, as long as you take good care of your health, avoid catching even minor illnesses, and remain strong and healthy, you should be fine.”
Yun Ying, who had just learned that catching something as simple as a common cold might get him crushed to death by his nation’s fortune: “…”
‘Thank you. Somehow, I don’t feel any better.’
“Then may I ask, my lord, is there any way for ordinary mortals to become capable of bearing the weight of their nation’s fortune?”
The black-clad ghost messenger turned his head to glance at him.
“Why are you asking me? I’m just a ghost messenger. How would I know anything about that?”
Yun Ying felt somewhat disappointed, but on second thought, it made sense. It was like expecting an ordinary government runner in the Yun Kingdom to know how the imperial court formulated and implemented its national policies. How could he expect to find a solution to the problem of bearing national fortune simply by asking some random ghost messenger?
For now, the only thing he could do was return to the mortal world, summon the officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and consult some of the reputedly powerful Daoist sects in the Yun Kingdom.
Yun Ying remained weighed down by worries throughout the journey. Yet he couldn’t help being captivated by the scenery along the way.
He saw that they were passing one palace after another through the thick fog.
The plaques hanging above the palaces bore strange, twisted characters that seemed to radiate an ominous, murderous aura. Each was inscribed with the name of a different hall.
The Hall of Virtuous Judgment, the Hall of Wicked Judgment, the Bureau of Investigation, the Hall of Reincarnation, the Bureau of Underworld Law…
Farther away stood ten enormous halls arranged in a row. The black-clad ghost messenger told him that these were the Ten Kings’ Halls.
Yun Ying became increasingly cautious as he looked around. Along the way, he even encountered several ghosts who had committed evil deeds while alive. They were being dragged along by ropes, forcibly escorted forward by ghost officials.
“I’ll never do it again! I swear I’ll never do it again! Please, just give me one more chance! Don’t send me to the Inferno of Blazing Flames!”
“I really did kill him by accident! I never meant for it to happen!”
The ghosts all looked utterly pitiful, desperately pleading their innocence. When they spotted Black Impermanence passing by with Yun Ying, some even reached out in an attempt to beg for help.
“My lord! My lord, please save me! My wife fell and died on her own! I didn’t push her down!!”
Watching them, Yun Ying couldn’t help thinking that he himself had nearly ended up being punished in Hell just moments ago. The thought made him feel a chill of sympathy and apprehension.
Black Impermanence, however, merely swept his sleeve and sent several guilty ghosts stumbling away.
“Don’t listen to a word they say. There’s not a single honest sentence that comes out of their mouths. Once they’re examined before the Mirror of Retribution, every evil deed they’ve committed will be revealed. What’s the point of trying to hide anything with their words?”
The Mirror of Retribution?
Yun Ying silently committed that name to memory, becoming even more vigilant.
It sounded like an artifact capable of revealing the sins of a soul. So Youdu possessed such a wondrous treasure as well.
He couldn’t help glancing back at the little ghosts being escorted away. Then, cautiously, he asked:
“How long will they have to stay in the Inferno of Blazing Flames?”
The black-clad ghost messenger replied, “That depends on the severity of their crimes. In any case, if they wish to reincarnate, they must first undergo their punishment and atone for the evil consequences of their actions in this life. Only then can it truly be said that their next life is unrelated to their previous one.”
Yun Ying thought this was quite reasonable. Otherwise, if someone could commit evil deeds in this life and then be reborn completely innocent in the next, who would the victims turn to for justice? Where would they find someone to hear their grievances?
Speaking of victims and grievances reminded him of the City God. Yun Ying couldn’t help feeling that, although he had been brought here to stand trial and receive punishment, perhaps this experience hadn’t been entirely a bad thing.
At the very least, he had learned that an evil spirit had been installed in the City God Temple, threatening the fortune of the Yun Kingdom. He had also learned just how heavy a nation’s fortune could be: even an emperor who was only slightly weaker in health might be crushed to death beneath its weight.
He had also learned that after death, every person’s good deeds, evil deeds, merits, and transgressions would indeed be judged. While alive, one ought to do as much good as possible. Otherwise, those who committed evil would have to endure the suffering of Hell after death.
Once he returned, he would explain all of this to the crown prince, warning him to become a wise ruler in the future, govern the kingdom properly, and always strive to do good.
Just as Yun Ying was thinking this, he saw that the Ghost Gate had appeared ahead.
At the enormous city gates, countless souls were lining up to enter. Many other scattered souls were being directed by the ghost messengers into different queues.
The sheer number of souls gathered here was enough to make anyone marvel at just how many people died in this world.
But this wasn’t a sight that just anyone could witness. Yun Ying was deeply moved, yet his eyes kept darting furtively from side to side, trying to commit as much of Youdu’s scenery as possible to memory.
As he looked around, his gaze suddenly met a pair of eyes.
He cried out in shock.
“Yi’er?!!”
Yun Xiangyi, who had been looking around anxiously, turned toward the voice and took a closer look. First came delight, then shock, followed by utter bewilderment.
A moment later, he seemed to understand something. With a thud, he dropped to his knees, grabbed Yun Ying’s leg, and burst into tears.
“Father! I never imagined I would meet you here!”
“Have you also been killed by that evil creature?!!”
Ever since arriving in Youdu, Yun Ying felt as though his mind had been working nonstop, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make sense of anything.
He steadied his eldest son.
“What are you talking about? You’re dead? How did you die? What evil creature? Are you talking about the evil creature that trespassed into the City God Temple?”
Yun Xiangyi, too, couldn’t understand what his father was saying.
“What City God Temple? Father, weren’t you killed by that evil creature impersonating me?”
Even though Yun Ying was currently only a living soul separated from his body, his vision still swam at the words.
“What?”
“What do you mean… an evil creature impersonating you?”
Yun Xiangyi then recounted everything that had happened to him, one detail after another. Finally, he collapsed at Yun Ying’s feet and wept.
“My wife and I were already replaced by those two evil creatures back in Zhulu County. Ever since then, we’ve been hunted relentlessly. Fortunately, cultivators from the Fenglu Sect and the Tianyuan Sect came to our aid and protected us along the way. But today, while the cultivators were fighting the evil creatures, I was fleeing when I tripped and fell. And so, my soul ended up here.”
Yun Ying felt as though something were lodged in his chest, choking him. His entire body swayed unsteadily.
“No wonder… No wonder…”
No wonder the City God had accused him of allowing someone to place an evil creature’s divine statue inside the City God Temple.
He had thought that the evil creature had sneaked in on its own, or perhaps bewitched some low-ranking officials into helping it.
Who could have imagined that the crown prince who had been handling the entire matter from beginning to end was himself an impostor? The evil creature had been impersonating him all along!
Thinking back on these past days, he had granted that evil creature the position of crown prince, showered it with care and concern, and even comforted the crown princess after she lost her child, telling her not to rush things and to focus on recovering her health.
Meanwhile, his real crown prince and crown princess had been hunted by evil creatures all this time.
And now, his most beloved eldest son had even lost his life.
If they hadn’t met here in the Underworld, Yun Ying might well have continued treating that evil creature as his son, even as his real son lay dead somewhere.
“My son!!!”
Yun Ying was so furious that he wanted nothing more than to rush out and personally kill that evil creature. At the same time, his heart was wracked with unbearable pain.
This was the crown prince in whom he had placed all his hopes! Just moments ago, he had still been thinking about how to guide and educate him into becoming a worthy ruler of the kingdom one day.
And yet, his son had died so quietly, in some place where no one even knew what had happened.
Yun Ying cradled Yun Xiangyi’s head, and tears streamed down his aged face.
After crying for a while, Yun Xiangyi finally asked:
“Father, why did you die too?”
Yun Ying replied, “I’m not dead. That evil creature impersonating you tricked me into destroying the City God Temple…”
He briefly explained how he had ended up coming to Youdu.
When Yun Xiangyi heard that Yun Ying was actually still alive, his face immediately lit up with joy.
Then, worried that his father was currently only a living soul and might suddenly drift back to the mortal world in the middle of their conversation, Yun Xiangyi hurriedly explained everything in detail.
“That’s wonderful! Father, once you return, you must capture those evil creatures. Don’t let them wreak havoc in the imperial court and disrupt the officials’ righteous energy. Right now, the official energy in every prefecture, city, and county of our Yun Kingdom has already been lost. The common people are suffering terribly. In fact, the entire population of Qingtong Prefecture has already fallen victim to demons and evil creatures!”
“Please dispatch troops immediately to Qingtong Prefecture to restore order. Send people to Tianshui County to bring back the crown princess and our child. You must also generously reward the Daoist masters who protected us along the way. The crown princess knows what promises I made to them. Since I can no longer fulfill those promises myself, I ask Father to honor them on my behalf…”
He hadn’t forgotten to add one more thing.
“Those two physician’s maids were gifts from Second Brother. Father, you must investigate whether Second Brother deliberately arranged this. If he knowingly colluded with the evil creatures…”
“Your son is already dead. As the saying goes, the dead deserve the greatest respect. Father, please heed my words and execute Second Brother immediately! Otherwise, before the Yun Kingdom even faces turmoil from outside, we’ll already be tearing ourselves apart from within. I’m afraid the kingdom won’t last much longer!”
…
Cheng Qisheng, who had been watching the entire exchange, thought to herself:
If this Crown Prince were a character in a TV drama, he’d never stand a chance at landing the protagonist role.
Just look at how organized he was! He had rattled off every single detail in the shortest possible time, explaining the entire situation clearly in less than a minute. There was a beginning and an end, complete with locations and timelines.
He hadn’t forgotten to make arrangements for either his benefactors or those suspected of being his enemies. He gave absolutely no one a chance to drag things out.
Furthermore, Yun Xiangyi had been practically flawless in his efforts to escape. Although he had no martial arts skills, he was sufficiently cautious and careful. The Old Eighth ghost messengers Cheng Qisheng had sent to keep watch had been lying in wait for several days, yet they hadn’t managed to catch this fellow injured even once.
This time, Yun Xiangyi had finally slipped and landed hard on his backside while fleeing.
The Old Eighths, who had been waiting nearby for ages, immediately rushed forward, hooked his soul out of his body, and hurriedly transported him to Youdu at full speed.
And so, the whole affair of The City God of the Imperial Capital Suing the Emperor of the Mortal World had come about.
Yun Ying truly was Yun Xiangyi’s father. With tears in his eyes, he nodded repeatedly and agreed to every request without a single unnecessary word.
“I’ve remembered everything. Don’t worry. Once my soul returns to my body, I’ll see to every matter personally. Your wife and my grandchild will be well taken care of. I’ll also send people to bring back… bring back your body.”
Father and son embraced and wept together once more.
“Ahem—”
An awkward cough suddenly sounded from nearby.
Yun Ying barely reacted, but Yun Xiangyi found the voice familiar. He lifted his head from his father’s embrace, his eyes widening at once.
“Daoist Ming? What are you doing here? Could it be that you, too…?”
That’s right. The person who had come to stand beside them was none other than Ming Moyu of the Fenglu Sect.
Ming Moyu gave an awkward little smile and first cupped her hands toward Black Impermanence, with whom she had dealt before. Only then did she explain properly:
“I’m not dead, and neither are you, Crown Prince. We were just preparing to bury you when a divine official from the Heavenly Court happened to pass through Tianshui County. He saw your body and told us you weren’t dead; your soul had merely left your body and drifted to Youdu. I’ve come to the Underworld this time to bring you back.”
The father and son of the Yun family were instantly overjoyed. But the black-clad ghost messenger stepped forward.
“What do you mean by that? His soul has already been in Youdu for more than half a day. He’s now a soul of the Underworld. There is no such thing as returning to life.”
The hearts of the Yun father and son sank. Ming Moyu, too, could only grit her teeth and cup her hands in a respectful salute.
“Please, my lord, help us. That divine official from the Heavenly Court made a prediction and determined that evil creatures have infiltrated the Yun Kingdom. If the crown prince doesn’t return to set things right, I’m afraid a great calamity is imminent, and countless commoners will die. The divine official knew that returning a soul from the Underworld would be difficult… so he bestowed upon us a Soul-Returning Pill.”
At the mention of the Soul-Returning Pill, the black-clad ghost messenger furrowed his brows.
“A Soul-Returning Pill, you say…”
Seeing that there might actually be some hope, the Yun father and son immediately perked up. But then the black-clad ghost messenger took a step back.
“Very well. Since a divine official of the Heavenly Court has spoken, and you have a Soul-Returning Pill, take him with you.”
Ming Moyu let out a sigh of relief. She really had come here with considerable trepidation. After all, having once worked for the Patriarch, she knew full well just how many forms the Underworld required someone to fill out before allowing a soul to return to the mortal world. But there was no other choice. The divine official had already shown great mercy by bestowing a Soul-Returning Pill. It was hardly reasonable to expect the exalted deity himself to make a personal trip down here.
As for the others, although Xiu Er’s cultivation was roughly on par with hers, his Patriarch wasn’t the Judge of the Office of Merits and Transgressions in Youdu. So in the end, she was the only one who could come.
Ming Moyu bowed deeply. “Thank you, my lord.”
She grabbed Yun Xiangyi by the arm and hurried toward the exit.
“Crown Prince, since it’s currently the Hour of the Rat and the Ghost Gate is wide open, hurry and come back to the mortal world with me!”
Yun Ying and Yun Xiangyi exchanged a glance, neither quite daring to believe it.
Yun Xiangyi really could return to life!
The emperor and crown prince of this generation would both carry away a profound impression of the Heavenly Court.
Youdu was already unfathomably powerful, holding dominion over the life and death of all people in the world.
Yet the Heavenly Court seemed to be even more formidable than Youdu?
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lmao with the crown prince >•< he's really like a child telling everything to his father