Love & Redemption
Chapter 198: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms - 5 Wuzhiqi (Part 1)

Chapter 198: Volume 5 Phoenix Flower Blooms Chapter 5 Wuzhiqi (Part 1)

Indeed, keeping promises, tonight is the third watch. The first watch.

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Many say that hell has eighteen layers, each with its own cruel punishments to atone for the sins of past lives, and the deeper one goes, the heavier the punishments become. Examples include mountains of knives, seas of fire, pots of boiling oil... all excruciatingly harsh punishments. Unfortunately, Xuanji and Tengshe had flown back and forth through the air, seeing nothing but vast, endless seas of fire, missing the mountains of knives and pots of oil entirely.

In the spirit of learning and reference, the two had wanted to witness the legendary hell, but were hugely disappointed. They failed to see the varied brutal tortures, and couldn’t even locate Wuzhiqi. Tengshe, having flown back and forth several times, finally landed on a stone mountain, impatiently exclaimed, "Isn’t it eighteen layers?! Where on earth are the other seventeen layers!"

He was merely venting his frustration, but his voice was so loud that many Yin Cha little ghosts below looked up and froze upon seeing two strangers. The Evil Ghosts lined up to be punished by the sea of fire were even more frenzied, causing a commotion. They had never seen outsiders in hell before, and the tortured Evil Ghosts seized this rare disturbance as a chance to escape the sea of fire.

"We’ve been spotted!" Xuanji glared at Tengshe, but didn’t really blame him. Both were rather reckless in some ways, and since a bad deed had already begun, they might as well see it through—giving up halfway wasn’t their style.

They jumped down from the cliff and landed on the shore closest to the sea of fire. The stones under their feet were red-hot, and their shoes hissed upon contact. Yet, they both appeared cool and composed, unfazed by the raging sea of fire, without even a twitch of their eyebrows. Xuanji, arms crossed, curiously scanned the people in front of her: the silly-looking Yin Cha with green faces and sharp teeth, the little ghosts with laughable tumors and grinning faces, and the cluster of screaming Evil Ghosts being punished.

She politely asked, "This is hell, right?"

The crowd froze, foolishly nodding in agreement. It was the first time a stranger had intruded into the Fire Sea Hell, and not knowing the place, seriously inquired about it; Xuanji was probably the first ever to do so.

"Then, please tell us how to reach the other seventeen layers?" she continued to ask courteously.

A little ghost with a tumor on its head instinctively replied, "The layers are separate, to go elsewhere, you must first get a token from the Judge... Wait! Who are you people?! How dare you barge into hell and cause trouble!" He finally realized what was happening, angrily questioned, his tumor trembling on top of his head.

Xuanji, on impulse, reached for the tumor, as if it was something amusing, which terrified the little ghost who scrambled away, screaming, "Wretch! What are you going to do?!" Xuanji, looking regretful, whispered, "It looks fun, can’t I touch it?"

"Enough of this nonsense!" someone shouted nearby. Subsequently, many Yin Cha little ghosts gathered around and encircled them. The leader, a Yin Cha with a vermilion token at his waist—apparently some sort of minor leader—looked solemnly at them.

"I believe you two are not mortals, and this place is the realm of the deceased, a place of torment in the cycle of reincarnation. No one is permitted to intrude. Please leave immediately!"

Xuanji and Tengshe looked at each other, then asked, "Then can you tell us how to get out?"

The Yin Cha’s expression darkened, he said, "It seems you really did barge in! This cannot be overlooked, I must report to the Judge..."

Tengshe angrily retorted, "I hate dealing with puny ghosts like you who act high and mighty! Go and report us! Call your Lord Yama to welcome us! Have him personally take us to Wuzhiqi!"

At the mention of Wuzhiqi, everyone turned pale with shock. The Yin Cha looked at them with a complex expression and said nothing, only taking a talisman paper from his pocket, flicked it between his fingers, and it instantly ignited and turned to ash. Xuanji and Tengshe were still puzzled by his actions when suddenly, the sky above brightened as if the night had been lifted, and a dazzling golden light shone through the gap. Countless Evil Ghosts screamed and fell prostrate.

Immediately after, a voice came from above, "What causes such alarm?"

Upon hearing that voice, Xuanji’s heart skipped a beat, finding it eerily familiar, and quickly turned to look, only to see several people standing amidst the golden light, the leading figure in a wide-sleeved, long official robe, with refined features and a few strands of a goatee, looking strikingly familiar.

She stared for a long while, tentatively calling out, "Judge?"

The man, seeing Xuanji, his gaze slightly stirred, but joyfully said, "It’s you! Has Xuanji now comprehended the Great Dao and returned to the Heavenly Court?"

He did indeed recognize her! Xuanji whispered, "Judge... Master?"

The man was indeed the Judge. Years ago, when Xuanji stayed in hell, it was under his tutelage that she learned for several months, developing a bond of master and disciple between them. Seeing the vaguely understanding look on Xuanji’s face, he sighed lightly and said, "It seems you have not yet awakened... This must be Lord Tengshe, right? What brings you two to barge into hell?"

Before Tengshe could speak, a Yin Cha by the side had already started prattling, taking the opportunity to blurt out the details—how they trespassed into hell, how they threatened the Yin Cha, and how they interfered with the punishments, almost painting them as major criminals deserving to be immediately beheaded.

Enraged, Tengshe yelled, "Nonsense, utter nonsense! Can’t you speak properly? I’ll teach you how to speak right now!" He rolled up his sleeves and charged, ready to throw punches, causing the little ghosts and Yin Cha to scream in horror and turn to flee. Xuanji pulled him back, whispering, "Stop causing trouble, he’s my master. He taught me a lot in hell before."

Tengshe snorted, "What could a mere Judge teach you!"

The Judge was not annoyed and only smiled, saying, "Xuanji does recall some past events. I see that you have lost much of your malignity, which is truly gratifying. Perhaps, after some more time, you could truly comprehend the Dao."

Xuanji shook her head and said, "I... don’t know about any grand or small Dao. Si Feng says that one should live in the present; what’s right before our eyes is what’s most important. Even if I recall past life matters, that... is just a past life and has nothing to do with my current life."

Frowning, the Judge said, "Without past causes, where come the future effects? This is a childish and absurd argument. Moreover, you claim your past life has nothing to do with this one, so why do you still resort to using your past life’s divine power? Isn’t this life entirely different from your past life?"

Xuanji whispered, "Yes, I still haven’t fully understood everything, and there is much I don’t know. But I also don’t want this life to become a calamity, just to perfect everything as the War God General. I hope this life is a happy one, filled with memorable experiences, learning many things I didn’t know before. Even if you say this is wrong, Master Judge, I don’t want to turn back."

After pondering for a while, the Judge suddenly smiled softly and said, "No... I think it’s quite interesting. Xuanji, your thoughts show you have grown."

Unexpectedly praised by him, she was both surprised and delighted, but then heard him ask, "Did you come this time for Wuzhiqi’s sake?"

Both were taken aback. Wuzhiqi was a demon locked up in the Netherworld, and while they could hurl threats at the Yin Cha, they couldn’t possibly spout nonsense to the Judge. They momentarily couldn’t think of any excuses. Just then, the Judge said, "Actually, we knew such a day would come. This too is a result of your karma. If you want to see him, I can lead the way, but, I have a condition."

Together, they asked, "What condition?"

The Judge only smiled and remained silent, turning to say, "You two, follow me first." He then seemed to remember something, waved his hand to the servant behind him, and said, "Bring that man over."

Soon enough, the Yin Cha pushed forward a man in black, bound tightly all over, his body covered in blood, yet his face showed a child-like innocence and ignorance. Xuanji was shocked—it was Wu Tong! He had been captured by the Judge! And what about Zi Hu? Could he also have fallen into their hands?

The Judge explained, "This man also trespassed into hell, captured by the Yin Cha near the bank of the Wangchuan River. Initially, a thorough interrogation was intended, but he soon died of rage. I had people check his destiny chart and found extremely heavy evil energies, clearly having committed many evil deeds in life. Since his soul condensed after death with immense resentment, we fed him the Water of Oblivion. I wonder, do you know this man?"

Seeing the disheveled state of Wu Tong, even as a ghost drenched in blood, and that face which had once made her bitterly hateful now wore a clueless expression of worldly ignorance. She was familiar with such an expression—only those who drank the Water of Oblivion, forgetting all past deeds, would look like this. He was muttering something under his breath, yet everything was a blur, turning into fleeting smoke.

The girl he had perennially thought about in the depths of his soul would never know, nor would she ever hear it.

After watching him for a while, Xuanji finally whispered, "No... we don’t know him."

The Judge nodded and ordered, "Take him away. Depending on the various deeds he committed in life, decide how he should be dealt with."

The Yin Cha immediately complied, taking Wu Tong away.

The Judge gave Xuanji a slight smile and said, "Let’s go. I’ll take you to see Wuzhiqi." (To be continued. For the sequel, please visit www.qidian.com; more Chapters available. Support the author, support genuine reading!)