Chapter 98: Warning

Zhang Cheng returned to Lamma Island right at the stroke of midnight, by which time Chen Zheng and the others had already returned with a batch of wandering souls.

Because there was not yet a Judge, the Book of Life and Death was kept personally by Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng had to verify the true identity of every soul brought back, then pass judgment based on the deeds of that person's life.

Just as Zhang Cheng returned, Chen Zheng immediately stepped forward and said, "Boss, I have taken in an evil spirit; she has a grievance to report."

Zhang Cheng nodded slightly and said, "Mm, bring her to the hall."

The current Zhang Cheng was actually located in the Underworld, where he had his own dedicated office area.

Chen Zheng brought the evil spirit to the public hall, while on both sides, Yin soldiers stood by holding ghost-beating staves.

At this moment, Zhang Cheng had changed his attire; clad in the official robes of a City God, to the evil spirit, Zhang Cheng appeared with eyes wide in fury and a face full of thick whiskers, looking quite terrifying to a ghost.

The evil spirit felt the overwhelming pressure and hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "Lord City God, I have a grievance!"

Zhang Cheng slapped the gavel and shouted, "Silence! What is your name, and where is your home?"

The evil spirit instantly sobered up and hurriedly said, "This lowly one is Wu Youtian, residing at No. 35 Health West Street, Eastern District, Hong Kong Island. I have a wife and a daughter; my wife is Wang Huizhen, and my daughter is Wu Yulian."

Zhang Cheng had actually already flipped to Wu Youtian's file, which showed that his daughter, Wu Yulian, had been deceived by Li Siwei and died in childbirth.

Upon hearing that Li Siwei had returned, Wu Youtian went to demand an explanation, and was then accidentally beaten to death by a group of thugs.

In reality, Li Siwei had already given Wu Youtian a sum of money to have Wu Yulian get an abortion, but Wu Youtian had thought that by keeping the male child, he could get even more money, resulting in the current situation.

Zhang Cheng pondered for a moment, then immediately slapped the table and asked, "Wu Youtian, what grievance do you have? Speak and let me hear it."

Wu Youtian immediately became agitated and shouted, "Lord City God, that Li Siwei is truly a beast! After he finished playing with my daughter, he ignored her, leading to her dying in the hospital from a difficult labor.

I wanted to demand an explanation from him, and he ended up having people beat me to death! Please, Lord City God, grant me justice!"

Zhang Cheng frowned and shouted, "Audacious! You dare to spout ghost-talk even after arriving in the Underworld!"

Wu Youtian was so frightened by this shout that his three souls and seven spirits became unstable, and he was filled with terror and anxiety.

Yet he still shouted, "There is no justice! Lord City God, if you won't help me clear my grievance, are you trying to protect this beast Li Siwei?"

Zhang Cheng shook his head slightly; he had seen many people like this. They were truly greedy, and even at the brink of death, they still thought of greed. People like this were destined for the Path of Beasts or the Path of Hungry Ghosts.

He stopped wasting words and immediately said, "Wu Youtian, for the sake of money, you let your daughter bear a child, resulting in her death from difficult labor; this is your karmic sin.

Although Li Siwei fornicated with your daughter, it was also what your daughter was willing to do, but he had people beat you to death; this is his karmic sin. When he dies, he will naturally be judged."

Wu Youtian was both shocked and enraged, shouting, "What do you mean my daughter was willing? She was deceived! You muddled official, you are shielding the rich! May you die a horrible death!"

Zhang Cheng said expressionlessly, "Send this person to the Tongue-Pulling Hell for a visit, then send him to be reborn as a pig."

Seeing the Yin soldiers closing in from all sides, Wu Youtian immediately begged for mercy, saying, "Lord City God, this lowly one was wrong, this lowly one was wrong..."

Seeing that Zhang Cheng did not change his order, the Yin soldiers directly grabbed Wu Youtian and walked out. If he struggled too hard, a strike from the ghost-beating stave would instantly make him obedient.

Chen Zheng cupped his hands and said, "Boss, then I will head down first."

Zhang Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Go into Li Siwei's dream tonight."

Chen Zheng cupped his hands and said, "I will go immediately."

Zhang Cheng waved his hand and left the public hall, continuing to register those wandering souls and send them to be reincarnated.

Zhang Cheng could not directly intervene in human affairs, so he could only prevent these rich people from doing whatever they pleased by sending warnings through dreams.

This world is not simply black and white; many times, the cause and effect of certain matters are very strange.

In Li Siwei's file, the women he hooked up with were all won over by his money, though there were of course those he forced himself upon.

These matters were all recorded one by one in the Book of Life and Death. When Li Siwei dies, he will naturally be judged for his next life based on the blessings and karmic obstacles recorded in the Book of Life and Death.

However, for a debauched playboy with such a notorious record as Li Siwei, his next life will certainly be in the Path of Hungry Ghosts.

The beings of the Path of Hungry Ghosts suffer much from hunger and fear, hence they are called hungry ghosts.

Hungry ghosts dwell in all realms; some dwell in the sea, some under trees in mountains and forests, some in the wilderness; some have human forms, some have beast forms, each differing from the other.

Their types are divided into three categories and nine kinds: the first are the ghosts without wealth; because they lack merit, they cannot obtain food or drink. Among the ghosts without wealth, there are three kinds: flaming-mouth ghosts, needle-throat ghosts, and foul-mouth ghosts.

The second are the ghosts with little wealth: because they have little merit, they obtain little food or drink. There are three kinds of ghosts with little wealth: needle-hair ghosts, foul-hair ghosts, and large-goiter ghosts.

The third are the ghosts with much wealth: because they have much merit, they obtain much food and drink. This category also has three kinds: ghosts who obtain discarded offerings, ghosts who obtain lost items, and powerful ghosts.

Ghosts with much wealth, such as the City Gods, Earth Gods, and Royal Lords worshipped by humans, as well as general folk deities, all belong to this category.

Beings of the Ghost Path, due to karmic force and conditions, do not hear the names of water or porridge; they see all water as pus and blood, and it is difficult for them to have food or drink to satisfy their hunger, but they are often pressured by knives and staves, which is terrifying indeed.

The lifespan of a hungry ghost is five hundred years, but calculated as one month in the human world for one day, so it is known that the Path of Hungry Ghosts is one of the paths of suffering.

Inside a large villa, in a spacious room, only Li Siwei was alone, drinking to drown his sorrows.

Two days ago, under the arrangement of Yu Dahai, he had met Yu Bixin alone.

He had intended to force himself upon her, but ended up being knocked unconscious by Yu Bixin. When he woke up, he found himself tied to a cross, stripped down to only his undershirt and shorts.

A sign was hanging on his body, on which was written "I am a big pervert."

Since he had grown up, he had never been humiliated like this.

Thinking of this, Li Siwei smashed his wine glass onto the floor in hatred and cursed, "Yu Bixin, you just wait, I will definitely sleep with you!"

Hearing the sound, the maid hurriedly walked in to clean up the broken glass.

Li Siwei grabbed the maid and shouted, "I am very fired up right now, you go and help me cool off!"

With the maid to help him cool off, Li Siwei felt much more relaxed, and afterwards, he collapsed onto the large bed and fell asleep.

Chen Zheng entered Li Siwei's dream with great ease.

In the dream, Li Siwei was fiercely lecturing Yu Bixin in front of Zhong Bang.

Chen Zheng watched with fire in his heart; he immediately waved his hand, directly turning Li Siwei's sweet dream into a nightmare, scaring Li Siwei into screaming in his dream.

And on the bed, Li Siwei's face was ferocious, his mouth emitting unintelligible roars, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Li Siwei's body was shaking, but his limbs remained still, and his eyeballs were spinning wildly, but he could not open his eyes.

In the dream, Chen Zheng saw that Li Siwei had been scared enough, and only then did he stop.

Li Siwei only felt that he had appeared in a cold and eerie place, and he could only crouch on the ground and hug himself tightly.

Chen Zheng appeared from the mist and arrived before Li Siwei.

Li Siwei said in terror, "Who are you, and what do you want to do?"

Chen Zheng said with a calm expression, "Li Siwei, you have committed many evils; if you continue like this, the accumulated Yin virtue of your father will be squandered by you, and you will die a miserable death."

Li Siwei said in terror, "Who exactly are you?!"

Chen Zheng said to himself, "This is a warning from the Heavens; you had better behave yourself."

After saying this, Chen Zheng left.

Li Siwei was startled and woke up from his dream.

Although Li Siwei was awake, his memory of what just happened was still very vivid; he just couldn't recall what the person who spoke to him looked like, but that person seemed like a Yin Messenger.

He hurriedly got up, found his father Li Xihe, and told him about this matter.

Li Xihe was somewhat afraid, so he hurriedly called his cousin Li Zhaoji.

"Third Brother, it's me."

Li Zhaoji said with some surprise, "Big Brother, why are you calling me so early?"

Li Xihe sighed and said, "It is a misfortune for the family; it is all because of my good-for-nothing son."

Li Zhaoji hurriedly advised, "Siwei is quite good, Big Brother, don't worry; if there is anything, tell me slowly."

Li Xihe then recounted what Li Siwei had encountered and said, "Third Brother, don't you know a master? Please ask him to help; I will definitely not treat the master poorly."

Li Zhaoji smiled and said, "Rest assured, Big Brother, I will definitely handle this for you."

Li Zhaoji immediately found Chen Jiang and told him about this matter.

Chen Jiang was, after all, from the Profound Gate and was very knowledgeable; he said in surprise, "This looks like a warning given by a Yin Messenger through a dream."

"A Yin Messenger?" Li Zhaoji was greatly surprised.

Chen Jiang smiled and said, "Of course, if we Maoshan disciples have merit, we can serve as officials in the Underworld after we die."

Li Zhaoji said in great surprise, "I didn't expect that there really is an Underworld; then can Daoist Priest Chen resolve this matter?"

Chen Jiang smiled and said, "A small problem; wait for me to send a message to the Underworld to ask my uncles."

He immediately performed magic, took out a talisman, chanted a spell, and then threw it into a brazier; the dust rose without wind and was then drawn into the ground.

Before long, a gust of Yin wind blew by, and the figure of Daoist Priest Simu appeared.

He took a close look and said irritably, "It's you little brat, why did you call me up here?"

Chen Jiang hurriedly apologized with a smile, "Uncle, I have a small favor to ask of you. It is that Sir Li Xihe's son, Li Siwei, was warned by a Yin Messenger in a dream."

Daoist Priest Simu nodded and said, "Oh, you are talking about the matter in Xiang Island, right? As for this, the Underworld stopped managing that long ago; I don't know the Yin Messengers over there."

This time it was Chen Jiang's turn to be surprised, and he hurriedly asked, "Then who manages Xiang Island?"

Daoist Priest Simu said indifferently, "Alright, I still have things to do, I'm leaving."

Having said that, he returned to the Underworld.

Chen Jiang was greatly disappointed.

Li Zhaoji had just been watching Chen Jiang talking to himself, and now seeing Chen Jiang's complexion looking not very good, he asked, "Daoist Priest Chen, how is it?"

Chen Jiang shook his head and said, "The matter is somewhat difficult to handle."

Li Zhaoji hurriedly said, "Daoist Priest Chen, please think of a way; my big brother will definitely not treat you poorly."

Chen Jiang thought for a moment and said, "Then let me go see Young Master Li Siwei first."

Li Zhaoji immediately brought Chen Jiang to Li Xihe's villa and saw the pale-faced Li Siwei.

Chen Jiang looked carefully and said, "There is indeed some residual Yin Qi on Young Master Li, but this Yin Qi is different from that of those Yin spirits; the Yin Qi on Young Master Li will not cause any influence."

Li Xihe immediately asked, "Daoist Priest Chen, what exactly is going on with my son?"

Chen Jiang said softly, "I am afraid it is because Young Master Li has done too many bad things, and those below could not stand it, so they sent a Yin Messenger to give a warning."

Upon hearing this, Li Siwei said in a rage, "Is that a warning? He scared me all night last night!"

"Besides, what bad things have I done? If I have done bad things, you can let the detectives arrest me."

Chen Jiang was somewhat dissatisfied with Li Siwei's attitude, so he said, "Whether Young Master Li has done bad things, you know in your own heart."

"I tell you, every single thing you have done will be recorded in the Book of Life and Death, and the Underworld is not a place that can be bought with your money; your money is useless in the netherworld."

Li Siwei still wanted to lose his temper, but Li Xihe immediately said, "Siwei, shut up!"

Li Siwei immediately turned his head and looked elsewhere.

Li Xihe looked at Chen Jiang and said, "Daoist Priest Chen, I can take out a sum of money for disaster relief, repairing roads or building bridges, anything is fine; do you think this can offset Siwei's karmic sins?"

Chen Jiang shook his head and said, "For this kind of thing, a lot of Yin virtue is needed, and this kind of thing is not for me to decide."

Li Xihe replied, "I can give the Daoist priest one million for the construction of the Daoist temple."

Chen Jiang gasped; one million, this is too much money.

He had no choice but to say, "Then I will do my best."

Li Xihe immediately had someone bring ten thousand in cash to give to Chen Jiang, and Chen Jiang returned to the Daoist temple happily.

He knew that Zhang Cheng was at Lengjiao Mountain, so he directly called a rickshaw and arrived at Lengjiao Mountain.

Seeing Zhang Cheng, Chen Jiang hurriedly greeted him, "Uncle-Master, you have been quite busy lately."

Zhang Cheng did not even turn his head and asked, "Speak, what difficult matter do you have to find me for?"

Chen Jiang smiled and said, "Uncle-Master, do I only find you when I have something?"

Zhang Cheng replied, "That is not necessarily true, but with your current appearance, I know you have something to ask of me."

Chen Jiang hurriedly clapped his hands and said, "As expected of Uncle-Master, you saw through my little thoughts at a glance."

Only then did Zhang Cheng turn his head to look at Chen Jiang and said, "A-Jiang, I taught you magic so that you could act on behalf of Heaven, not for you to take money to do things."

Chen Jiang said in surprise, "Uncle-Master, you knew?"

Zhang Cheng did not answer; he said, "By helping those rich people, you are actually damaging your own Yin virtue."

Chen Jiang said with some worry, "No way, what did this Li Siwei do?"

Zhang Cheng waved his hand and said, "In any case, don't you worry about this matter. Your trial hasn't ended yet; do you still have time to worry about others?"

Chen Jiang coughed and said, "I understand, Martial Uncle."

Having said that, he immediately left Ridge Mountain.

He immediately found Mao Xiaofang and told Mao Xiaofang about this matter.

Mao Xiaofang also asked in confusion, "True Person Zhang has really been somewhat mysterious lately."

Chen Jiang nodded and said, "Indeed, the way I see it, why does it feel like Martial Uncle has changed?"

Mao Xiaofang asked, "Changed?"

Chen Jiang nodded and said, "Indeed, just like those high and mighty gods."

Upon hearing this, Mao Xiaofang nodded slightly and said, "Now that you mention it, there really is that feeling. Could it be that True Person Zhang has already touched upon the realm of an immortal?"

Chen Jiang felt a surge of joy; if Zhang Cheng had become an immortal, that would be a great thing for him!

Happy New Year's Eve to everyone!

(End of this chapter)