Judge of Souls - Chapter 118

Jiang Feng called Chu Xuanliang to tell him the matter had been resolved. Chu Xuanliang saw that the dark energy on Wu Teng’s body had dissipated and said he already knew.

Wu Teng had carried such dense yin energy on his body that it was impossible for him, not being Yama, to remain unaffected.

The people who had died because of him were ultimately related to him, and in the end, he still had to bear part of the responsibility. The only thing to be grateful for was that he knew early and had a chance to make amends. If he lived as a good person from now on, he might suffer a few years less punishment in hell.

Chu Xuanliang prepared several talismans for him to carry on his body and told him it would be best to visit Taoist temples more often today to avoid being targeted by little ghosts.

Wu Teng returned to the hotel, crying his heart out, hugging his brother and almost unable to speak, weeping bitterly.

“What should I do? What will happen to me after I die?” Wu Teng sobbed in pain. “I’ve been a good person for several lifetimes, and in the end, I’m ruined by my loose tongue. A loose tongue is poisonous!”

His friend corrected him. “This is your loose hands.”

“Why worry so much about what happens after death? When a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out, and once the lamp is extinguished… we’ll talk about it then.”

Chu Xuanliang also offered a few words of comfort, but their consolation inadvertently carried a sting, and Wu Teng almost wanted to die upon hearing it.

The three of them still had to hurry to Liu Shan’s unnamed mountain. They left Wu Teng a phone number for consultation and checked out the next day.

The place where they were staying was still quite far from the mountain forest. The main issue was the winding route with no direct access.

Following the navigation guide, they took a vehicle to the farthest possible point, beyond which there was no other way, and they could only proceed on foot.

The road surface here was fairly well-maintained. Looking at the map, the route to the mountain forest passed near villages and towns, where there were minivans shuttling between the villages – the kind without formal bus stops that you could flag down wherever you needed along the roadside.

However, Chu Xuanliang and the others were unfamiliar with this mode of transportation. They walked along the main road for a while, planning to find someone nearby to ask for directions.

After walking for more than ten minutes, they spotted a woman who appeared to be in her fifties carrying a bundle of firewood on her back, walking toward them from ahead. She had dark skin and took each step with some difficulty.

“Chopping firewood?” Chu Xuanliang was surprised.

He hadn’t expected to still see such a traditional way of life.

Yama was quite accustomed to it. “What’s wrong with chopping firewood?”

Chu Xuanliang said, “Nothing wrong, I’ll go ask for directions.”

He walked over, helped support the bundle from behind, and said, “Big sister, we want to go to that mountain ahead. Are there any vehicles we can take?”

“Outsiders?” The woman looked at him suspiciously. “What are you going to that mountain for?”

“We heard it’s very beautiful there, and we want to take some photos to bring back. We’re backpackers,” Chu Xuanliang said.

Their attire didn’t look like backpackers at all, but the woman didn’t seem to mind. She frowned upon hearing this and asked, “Are you going to post them online?”

Chu Xuanliang: “Yes.”

She looked a bit uncomfortable but still pointed in a direction and said, “Take that road. There’s a town not far ahead. If you have money, you can charter a vehicle to drive there. Don’t get fooled by those electric three-wheelers – they’re not good for that terrain. Those small minivans are okay though. There are no buses – who would bother going into the mountains all the time?”

Chu Xuanliang: “Thank you.”

The woman casually responded with a “mm” and adjusted the bundle of firewood on her back, preparing to leave.

Chu Xuanliang passed by her. The woman unconsciously glanced back and saw a yellow talisman stuck to the back of Chu Xuanliang’s phone.

She immediately called out to him and asked, “What’s that thing stuck on your phone?”

Chu Xuanliang looked down. “Oh, this is a peace talisman.”

The woman was clearly very interested. “Where did you buy it? Is it effective? How much did it cost?”

Chu Xuanliang smiled. “If you need one, I can give you one.”

The woman didn’t refuse and actively extended her hand toward Chu Xuanliang.

Chu Xuanliang took a folded one from his pocket and placed it in her hand.

She pressed her palms together and thanked him. “Thank you.”

Chu Xuanliang didn’t think much of it and continued walking forward.

They went to a nearby town and, following the woman’s earlier directions, found a gray minivan parked by the roadside soliciting passengers. They drove for over an hour to reach the mountain area.

The vehicle stopped at the foot of the mountain, and they still had to climb up. Chu Xuanliang gave the driver a partial deposit and asked him to come back to pick them up at the mountain base after two hours, as they would likely need to stay overnight at a hotel in town. The driver happily agreed upon seeing the payment offered.

As soon as they entered the mountain, the mountain chimeis noticed that outsiders had arrived.

Liu Shan ran out alone, and seeing it was Jiang Feng, didn’t dare cause trouble, hiding behind a tree to observe secretly.

The three pretended not to notice anything.

Chu Xuanliang was at a loss, putting his hands on his hips. “How are we supposed to search? We can’t possibly turn over the entire mountain, can we? Should we find that Liu Shan and ask him to help? After all, he’s a mountain chimei and might know something.”

“No need.” Yama nudged Jiang Feng with his elbow. “Your own bones should have some resonance with you. Close your eyes and feel carefully.”

Jiang Feng carefully sensed around.

The other two held their breath and remained quiet, with only the rustling sounds of mountain wind through the trees in their ears.

After a moment, Jiang Feng slowly opened his eyes, his expression unchanged.

The two knew the situation wasn’t optimistic.

Indeed, Jiang Feng said, “When I came here last time, I didn’t feel anything either. It seems they’re gone.”

Yama didn’t believe it. “Who would dig up your bones? No, who would know those were your bones? That’s impossible – even you didn’t know about it.”

Jiang Feng couldn’t explain it clearly either. He turned around and beckoned in Liu Shan’s direction.

Liu Shan immediately flew over eagerly and said warmly, “You’ve come!”

“Do you know where my bones are buried? They’re on this mountain of yours,” Jiang Feng said. “Does your mountain god know whose they are?”

Liu Shan said, “I don’t know. They should be gone, look, our mountain god is gone too.”

He quickly changed the subject, pointing at Yama. “How come you brought a friend? That’s so considerate.”

Yama looked at him coldly.

“Do you want to chat with me or ask questions?” Liu Shan said. “We can have a deep exchange, so there are no secrets between us. How about it?”

Without waiting for Yama’s answer, he opened his large mouth. His mouth began to stretch and deform, aiming at Yama’s head, looking like he was about to swallow Yama whole.

Yama slapped him across the face, then pressed his jaw and nose with one hand, forcibly making him close his mouth.

Yama said, “Do you believe I’ll sew your mouth shut with thread?”

Liu Shan gave up, saying regretfully. “Fine then.”

The older mountain chimei from deep in the mountains also flew over and bowed to the group.

The mountain chimeis didn’t know about the Judge’s bones, but the mountain god would definitely know, yet the mountain god had also disappeared.

Chu Xuanliang sighed.

“You’ve been here for so long, do you know about things in the neighboring H Province? There should have been a Taoist priest surnamed Feng in H Province,” Jiang Feng paused, then settled for less and continued, “A county in H Province was once completely massacred by a certain Taoist priest. Do you know about this?”

Liu Shan never forgot to deflect blame from himself. “I don’t know. We’ve never gone out to do bad things.”

The old mountain chimei nearby also chimed in. “No, no, we haven’t.”

Jiang Feng rubbed his nose bridge, feeling quite troubled.

“But I have heard about it, just heard about it,” Liu Shan said. “There was indeed a county in H Province where most of the residents were killed, and those who survived immediately fled. Later, our mountain god also went to help. Oh right, that’s how he disappeared, right?”

Yama: “What did he go to help with?”

Liu Shan said, “Originally, all the people in that place had died, turning it into a ghost town full of vengeful spirits running rampant, making it impossible for anyone to live there. We went along and ate a few of them, and the mountain god guided them to reincarnate, so the vengeful spirits gradually dispersed. Later, that place was redeveloped because of its good location, and it slowly regained popularity. Now, so many years later, it’s become a city again.”

Jiang Feng: “What was the surname of that murderous Taoist priest? Was it Feng?”

Liu Shan: “I wouldn’t know that.”

This trip seemed to yield little, so Jiang Feng decided to go to H Province himself. After all, Taoist Feng had originally settled there.

“Are you going? If you’re going, take me with you. That place is very dangerous. I heard the feng shui is bad – when they redeveloped it, they blasted several mountains, destroying the surrounding landscape,” Liu Shan said with bright eyes and excitement. “If you take me, when there’s danger, I can swallow you all in one gulp and carry you to safety.”

Chu Xuanliang: “……”

He didn’t feel reassured at all!