Chapter 001: Wrongful Death

He then urged Judge Cui to find a Seven Aperture Linglong Heart among the countless hearts in the underworld to exchange with his brother, using that foolish heart as a substitute. Now, seeing that Judge Cui had done a favor for the heavenly official, but that the ghost was sent to that world, although it was a prosperous place, it would be overturned in the blink of an eye. The soul would surely suffer from this hardship and would be discontented. When it returns, it must pass through the Ten Halls to meet the Ten Halls Yama Kings. If it were to report to Yama the King at that time, Judge Cui and that celestial official would certainly be punished. It would be better for me to give that soul a little benefit; having received such benefit, the soul would naturally not speak out of turn upon its return, thus repaying Judge Cui's favor.

"Just a moment, brother, I apologize," the boss replied. As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed a drastic change in the boss's expression and suddenly leaped to the side.

Liu Hai quickly replied, "Elder brother, rest assured that I will not cause you any trouble." The guard nodded without saying a word and went to rest on a nearby bench

As Liu Hai was being taken by the ghostly messenger towards the Six Paths of Reincarnation, he quietly asked the messenger, "Brother, where are we headed?" The ghostly messenger replied, "You are in luck; the Judge is in a good mood today. You won't have to face trial before the King of Hell. Instead, you will be directly reincarnated into a wealthy and noble family."

With a sudden motion, he pushed the bangs into the vortex. At that moment, three beams of light flew in from a distance, rushing into Liu Hai's body and disappearing. As soon as Liu Hai entered the vortex, he immediately lost consciousness

Then the ghostly official entered the main hall, stood still in the center with his head bowed, and secretly glanced at the red-robed official handling affairs behind the desk in front, not daring to make a sound, merely waiting in silence

With this thought, Lu Pan returned to the hall and headed towards the treasury. Shortly after, he emerged from the treasury, holding three luminous orbs resembling crystal balls. Lu Pan approached the front of the hall, oriented himself towards the direction of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and tossed the luminous orbs in his hand. The three orbs transformed into three streaks of flowing light and departed.

Well, today's work is quite good, double the beef. As a person born in the 1980s, Liu Hai is a person with three lacks (no house, no car, no savings) and naturally has no woman. A few years ago, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer, which not only depleted the family's savings but also led to borrowing a large sum of money from relatives and friends. Liu Hai and his elder brother worked hard over the past few years to repay the debts, but both of them have delayed their lifelong commitments. Liu Hai has little hope for the future and lives day by day. A few years ago, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer, which not only depleted the family's savings but also led to borrowing a large sum of money from relatives and friends. Liu Hai and his elder brother worked hard over the past few years to repay the debts, but both of them have delayed their lifelong commitments. Liu Hai has little hope for the future and lives day by day.

Cui Pan, unwilling to offend the celestial officials of the heavenly court, pondered for a long time and devised a plan. Since the immortals could seize a person's physical body, he might as well find a recently deceased corpse for Liu Hai to be reborn into. Coincidentally, there was a child who had just died unjustly, crying and wailing, suggesting that the child's body had just perished. He then instructed the ghostly messenger to approach and convey the matter accordingly.

The ghostly envoy then explained to the official in detail about his encounter with Liu Hai at the gate of the City of Wrongful Death.

Liu Hai, upon hearing the question, replied tremulously, "Officer, I did not see that ghostly officer come to take me; I was struck by a cart and unknowingly arrived here."

"Boss, why is the noodles so slow today?" Liu Hai turned around and said to the boss after waiting for a while and still not seeing the noodles arrive

The guard clasped his hands and said: "Brother, feel free to go ahead; he won't be able to escape."

The ghostly messenger sent this small cluster of souls towards Liu Hai, and that soul merged with Liu Hai's being. Liu Hai was on the verge of tears, wondering what was about to happen. Seeing Liu Hai so frightened, the ghostly messenger comforted him, saying: "You need not be afraid. With this small cluster of souls, not only will you gain the memories of that child, but you will also be able to deceive the heavenly laws of that realm, which will be greatly beneficial to you"

Before long, the two arrived at a government office, where people were coming and going, and various officials and ghostly messengers were entering and exiting. The two entered through a side gate and walked along the corridor, soon arriving in front of a grand hall. They noticed that a few new ghosts were tied to a stone post in front of the hall, and one of the ghostly messengers handed the iron chains to a guard at the hall's entrance, saying: "Keep a close watch on this fellow, I will go in to report to the lord."

As for the few minor immortals in that realm, he has not taken them seriously. Regarding the stubborn stone that wishes to enjoy the splendor of the mortal world, it is merely a victim of temptation during the goddess Nuwa's divine wanderings. Those minor immortals only know how to curry favor with the Divine Jade, unaware that if the Divine Jade cannot overcome the mystery of the womb, countless years of hard cultivation could be ruined in an instant, leaving him with no way to explain to the goddess Nuwa. Seizing a body to be reborn and the cycle of reincarnation are two entirely different matters.

Before Liu Hai could react, he heard a deafening roar by his ear, and then everything went dark before he lost consciousness

Upon hearing his words, the ghostly officer was greatly alarmed. Reflecting on his time serving at the gate of this city of wrongful deaths, he realized that such an incident had never occurred before. Fearing the responsibility, he quickly drew an iron chain from his waist and shook it towards Liu Hai. The chain, upon catching the wind, elongated instantly and reached Liu Hai in the blink of an eye. Liu Hai instinctively tried to evade it, but there was no way to escape; in an instant, the chain had securely bound him.

The ghostly enforcer paid him no mind, dragging him toward the City of the Wrongfully Dead. Under the enforcer's pull, Liu Hai stumbled and crawled into the city, stealing glances at the scenery along the way. He observed that the surroundings were filled with sorrowful clouds, and the faces of passersby were marked by suffering. Although shops lined both sides of the street, they were eerily silent, unlike the vibrant scenes of the human world

Liu Hai finished delivering meals to the last customer and was sitting by the roadside at a noodle stall, waiting for the stall owner to serve beef noodles

After a long while, the official set down the brush in his hand, then raised his head to glance at the ghostly messenger and said: "Old Ma, why are you here instead of guarding the city gate?"

Not long after the ghostly envoy descended from the hall, Liu Hai was brought to the court. The officials took a look at him, and then Liu Hai was asked about his birth date, time, and place of residence. One of them opened a nearby book and examined it closely; upon seeing something on one of the pages, he furrowed his brow.

The official said: "What urgent matters are there? Please report them quickly."

It is unknown how long it has been, but our pig's horns drifted aimlessly and arrived in front of an ancient city gate. When he looked up, he saw three large characters on the gate: "Wangsi City"

The ghostly envoy, Old Ma, bowed and said: "I, a humble servant, would not dare to disturb you, my lord, but there is an urgent matter I must report to you."

After saying this, he pulled the iron chain, bringing Liu Hai's hair to the front, while the wooden stick in his other hand struck Liu Hai fiercely. Liu Hai felt an excruciating pain as if boiling oil had been poured over the struck area. Terrified, Liu Hai shouted, "Big brother, big brother, I truly haven't seen any ghostly officials. I came here on my own, so this can be considered a confession. Please spare my life, big brother, go easy on me."

At this moment, in the First Hall where King Qin Guang resides, there was a judge named Judge Lu, who was fond of wine and indulgent. Upon seeing the ghostly messenger escorting Liu Hai through the First Hall without entering, he silently used his supernatural powers to observe Liu Hai's past. Understanding the consequences of his previous actions, he pondered to himself. Previously, Liu Hai had gone to the world of Liaozhai to drink with his sworn brothers, and it was only natural that his brothers expressed their difficulties in making progress in their careers, which had caused them distress.

As they spoke, they arrived at the Naihe Bridge, where an old woman was seen distributing soup to the souls crossing the bridge. The ghostly officials bypassed the woman and stopped at a whirlpool. From their bosom, they took out a small bundle of souls, within which was a tiny figure, the very child who had been crying in front of the hall.

At this moment, Liu Hai was taken aback, and the previous confusion suddenly cleared. He inexplicably realized that he had already arrived in the underworld

The ghost officer said: "Which wild ghost dares to deceive this household? It must be that the ghost officer inadvertently let you slip out. Once this household sends you to the judge's office, the esteemed judge will surely make a clear judgment."

The official was greatly astonished upon hearing this and ordered the ghostly messenger to bring Liu Hai into the hall to meet him

Judge Cui listened to the words of the clerk and immediately understood that it was the celestial being who could not endure solitude, using magic to send down the immortal soul to seize Liu Hai's physical body. Therefore, Liu Hai did not have his soul taken by the ghostly messenger; instead, his spirit came to the city of wrongful death on its own.

You ask why; it turns out that the official in the hall is the renowned judge Cui from the city of the wrongfully dead, a famous primordial deity. Just now, upon examining the Book of Life and Death, it was found that Liu Hai's original fate remains unchanged, with a lifespan of eighty-five years. However, he has arrived in the underworld at just over thirty years of age. The clerk of the name registry went to the Three Lives Stone to check on the mortal world, and upon returning, reported that Liu Hai is still alive in the mortal realm, but his soul has already been replaced. Only that the new soul is radiant with golden light, and due to his low magical power, he cannot see its true form.

Liu Hai was anxious and uneasy in the presence of His Highness, occasionally stealing glances at the official. Before long, the scribe returned and whispered something in the official's ear. The official appeared troubled, bowing his head in contemplation and remaining silent

The official raised his eyes to glance at Liu Hai, then summoned the scribe beside him and whispered something. The scribe nodded and left the hall. The hall once again fell into silence

The ghostly envoy clasped his hands in respect before entering the grand hall. He observed the guard tying Liu Hai to the stone pillar, saying: "Behave yourself, otherwise my whip will not be merciful."

At this moment, a ghostly officer stationed at the city gate, who had died unjustly, saw Liu Hai and immediately approached to inquire, "Hey, little ghost over there, where did you come from, and where is the ghostly officer escorting you?"

The ghostly envoy stepped forward and pulled Liu Hai out of the grand hall, passing through merely ten halls, and headed straight for the Six Paths of Reincarnation