Judge of Souls - Chapter 41

Jiang Feng continued downward, carefully examining the ground.

However, this area was overgrown with weeds, covered with scattered stones, and extremely uneven terrain. He stumbled several times, but fortunately, his agile body prevented him from falling.

He took a moment to glance behind and found that the instructor was steadily closing in, moving much faster than him.

For some reason, the ghost was still walking on foot. Each step he took was firm, as if walking on level ground, completely unaffected by the terrain. His eyes, devoid of whites, stared intently at Jiang Feng, mouth open with blood dripping down. A menacing appearance.

Just as he was about to be caught up, they finally reached a relatively flat area.

Jiang Feng quickened his pace, sprinting along a path worn by footsteps.

After running a short distance, he heard a chaotic rush of footsteps ahead. They were disorderly and rapid.

The little Mountain God widened his eyes. “Wu——wuu wu!”

Black shadows flitted through the forest. Jiang Feng thought to himself, surely he couldn’t be this unlucky. Then he saw Huang Yu bursting out.

Huang Yu led a large group, roughly six or seven students and several instructor ghosts.

The students, having been starved for days, ran half-dead, with pale faces showing pain, barely keeping pace.

Huang Yu urged from behind. “Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

Jiang Feng abruptly stopped and asked, “What are you doing?”

“We can’t defeat them!” Huang Yu pushed the students ahead, saying, “Let’s get them up the mountain first. Without talismans, this will never end!”

Jiang Feng stepped aside to let the children pass first, then asked, “Where’s Chu Xuanliang?”

Huang Yu: “I don’t know. Has he returned? I didn’t see him just now.”

Huang Yu was frantic as the instructors were catching up below. The students ran too slowly, so she rushed down first, gripping her long staff to buy them time.

Looking up, she discovered another instructor behind Jiang Feng, and immediately cursed “Oh sh*t,” turned to jump up and used her staff to swing that instructor down the mountain.

Caught off guard, the instructor tumbled down, eventually joining the main group of three instructors below.

Huang Yu rushed back and forth without a moment’s rest, spinning around to the front of the students again. Jiang Feng followed, checking if she was in danger.

The instructors were very agile. Seeing Huang Yu’s movements, they slowed down to observe her posture. However, Huang Yu had an exceptional talent for fighting. With a crossover step, she dodged, shifted position, and brought her staff down on the head of the nearest ghost.

Jiang Feng heard the loud thud of the blow.

The instructor had a body like steel, and after being struck, he staggered back two steps before continuing forward, feeling no pain.

Huang Yu had to face four opponents with invincibility effects, and couldn’t watch her back for the moment.

The students had exhausted their strength and were sitting on the ground resting.

Huang Yu frustratedly said, “What the hell are you sitting around for? Think you’re watching a show? The price of admission is your life! Got it?”

“You take them and go first. Why are you, a normal person, meddling in this?” Huang Yu looked back and shouted, “Ah! Is that the Mountain God in your hand? Why is he so tiny?”

The little Mountain God said, “If I take off my pants, I’m bigger than you!”

“Ugh!” Huang Yu gave a contemptuous glance, not at the little Mountain God, but at Jiang Feng.

Look at what kind of guardian this is, talking to children like that!

Jiang Feng: “……”

No, he didn’t say that.

While Huang Yu was speaking, she delivered a few more blows with her staff, but it was not effective. One slip-up and she might be caught by the enemy. These instructors were very strong with endless stamina, and she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t be overpowered. “Take them to the mountaintop, it’s safe there. With my talismans, if they dare follow up there, we’ll flatten them!”

The students stood up again, breathing heavily like bellows, supporting each other as they hurried up the mountain.

Huang Yu stayed behind to deal with the instructors. Jiang Feng watched the group of students, ensuring they safely reached the Mountain God Temple before going back down to find Chu Xuanliang and Huang Yu.

Huang Yu had lured the ghosts somewhere else, and when Jiang Feng returned to the original spot, he didn’t see her.

He didn’t know the area at all and had to rely on the little Mountain God beside him for directions—which way to reach the school and which route was fastest.

****

Jiang Feng brought the students to the temple door. Light filtered through the cracks.

The students sat dejectedly before the deity statue, and seeing the familiar scene and separated old friends, their first reaction was to cry.

Emotions flooded with tears. They had been hiding in the school for several days, and the fear of being constantly pursued had broken them.

Death would be easier; death would be such a relief.

“I’m scared……” A female student covered her ears, crying inconsolably. “Why are they doing this?”

Her mind was filled with the instructor’s bloody, mangled face.

Earlier at the school, when Huang Yu struck an instructor with her staff on his wound, a piece of his head flew off. The man picked up the piece of flesh and put it back, then resumed the chase.

Whenever she closed her eyes, the bloody scene repeated endlessly, impossible to dispel. These things would haunt her for life.

But thinking about the instructor’s vengeful, cold gaze, and the lingering pain of her wounds, she felt unwilling to accept it.

Fear? Revenge? Shouldn’t they be the ones seeking revenge? Would they be haunted by these people for the rest of their lives?

The first female student who had sat in the Mountain God Temple calmed down and began thinking about other matters. She asked, “Will those three be in danger? The two men didn’t seem as capable as that woman.”

Everyone fell silent.

From the trio’s demeanor earlier, it seemed they were still searching for the other two missing students.

The girl said glumly, “Are we really… going to rely on others for the rest of our lives? Some people are good, but others aren’t. No one should risk their life to protect us, not even our parents, right? What if they die?”

The crying stopped as everyone seemed to struggle with this thought.

Then a male student stood up and cursed impulsively, “They won’t leave me alone even as ghosts? Well, I won’t leave them alone as a ghost either! Have some shame, you ugly bastards! At worst, I’ll die. My life is ruined anyway!”

Another male student also made up his mind. “I might fear instructors for the rest of my life, but what’s there to fear? We’re so many; there are nine of us here. Why should we still be afraid?”

“Girls stay behind, we guys will go. We’ll protect you!”

“Revenge for grievances! In their eyes, aren’t we just mentally ill? Yes, I am! I’m not afraid of going crazy!”

A female student wiped her tears and said, “I’ll go too. If we go, we go together!”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“Of course I’m afraid! I’m afraid he’ll beat me too! I’m afraid my parents abandoned me here too! What good is fear?” The girl cried very loudly, “I’m not crying for them to see!”

Everyone took a deep breath, lined up in formation, assumed defensive positions, and pushed open the doors of the Mountain God Temple.

It was now dusk.

The red sun was gradually sinking below the horizon, and the sunset dyed a patch of the sky crimson. The entire mountaintop was enveloped in a dazzling light.

The world was so beautiful, yet so harsh to them.

A male student picked up a relatively thick tree branch to lead the way. The female students collected stones from the ground, tucked them into their clothes, and maintained some distance, ready to throw them.

Everyone held their breath as they headed down the mountain.

****

When Jiang Feng was about to reach the school, he encountered an instructor. The instructor stood at the entrance with an iron rod, waiting like a hunter.

He twisted his head, producing a crisp sound of bones rotating. Then his hollow eyes fixed on Jiang Feng.

The instructor asked stiffly, “Why did you run away when I said not to?”

Jiang Feng looked at his face, which was really unsightly. “Then why do you come out to scare people when you’re so ugly?”

The instructor tightened his grip on the weapon, sneering, “I’ll discipline you properly.”

He moved quickly, charging forward with the iron rod.

Jiang Feng hurriedly placed the little Mountain God on the ground, with no time to dodge. He half-crouched, trying to intercept the attack, as he had always been physically strong. But upon contact, he realized he had underestimated his opponent.

The instructor was a ghost after all, beyond normal human standards. His limbs were hard as iron, with enough force to split a wooden stake with bare hands.

Jiang Feng quickly withdrew his hand, using the momentum to turn and evade the force.

However, this area was full of trees and stones. He stepped on a medium-sized smooth rock, slid backward, and hit his head against a tree trunk.

With a “buzz,” his vision blurred, and his consciousness faded.

Little Mountain God: “——Dad!!”

The last sound Jiang Feng heard before losing consciousness was something like “Ah ah” shouting. Definitely not just one person.

Could the little Mountain God produce multiple voices?

A group of students rushed down from the mountain, with the leader waving and shouting, “Brothers, hit him!”

Several sticks rained down on the instructor.

However, the branches were useless, being dead wood that broke easily upon impact.

The male student in the middle stared blankly at the broken half of his weapon in his hand. A companion behind took the opportunity to deliver a flying kick, pushing the instructor down. He patted the student’s back nervously, urging him to snap out of it. “Brother, damn! Kick him!”

Everyone simply discarded their useless branches and stepped forward to kick directly.

The instructor completely disregarded their attacks, reached out to grab the nearest male student’s foot, and pulled him to his face.

The student fell onto him, coming extremely close to the evil ghost’s face, and wanted to scream but wisely kept his mouth shut. He even pulled his lips inward to avoid accidentally kissing the ghost’s face.

The instructor raised one hand, gripping the student’s neck. Everyone turned pale and rushed over to help.

“Damn! You pervert, let go!”

“You beast, enough! Let go!”

“Stuff stones in his mouth!”

“Hit his eyes!”

“Let’s pry his fingers open!”

The captured student’s face turned red as his neck was about to be broken. Despite their collective effort, they couldn’t overcome a single ghost.

Suddenly, the instructor froze, his mouth gaped in pain, showing an extremely agonized expression, and then released his grip.

The group quickly dragged their companion back, laid him flat on the ground, patting his chest, while keeping an eye on the instructor’s movements.

The evil ghost rolled on the ground, looking resentfully forward, swatting at the air in front of his chest. “Who——who is it?”

He looked toward Jiang Feng’s direction, saw a hazy figure in mid-air, and made a hoarse retching sound from his throat. But he was helpless.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

“What… what’s happening?”

“In this haunted place… anything’s possible.”

Someone else began crying. “What kind of place is this?! What is all this?!”

The instructor on the ground moved. He was lifted by an invisible force, grabbed by the neck, his toes leaving the ground, then slowly floated up the mountain.

Witnessing this supernatural scene, no one dared speak, actively making way and keeping their distance.

Shortly after, several more instructors flew out from the direction of the school, all in the same condition—struggling painfully but helplessly being transported to the mountain.

A moment later, Chu Xuanliang and Huang Yu emerged with bewildered expressions, and saw the little Mountain God with a red face, making constipated “hmm hmm hmm” sounds, waving at the instructors’ direction.

Chu Xuanliang exclaimed in surprise. “Little Mountain God, you’ve learned attack magic?!”

The little Mountain God withdrew his hand and said calmly, “I haven’t, I can’t.”

Chu Xuanliang: “Then what were you doing?”

The little Mountain God said, “I was telling dad to use more strength!”

Chu Xuanliang looked down and finally discovered that Jiang Feng had passed out, calling out in panic. “Jiang Feng!”

The entire group finally reunited.

After the instructors floated to the mountaintop, they were mysteriously captured by Underworld officials, locked up and taken to the underworld for punishment.

Chu Xuanliang called for reinforcements, brought the little Mountain God, and retrieved all the students. Injured children were taken to hospitals first for treatment and documentation, parents were notified and the situation explained.

As for the aftermath, that was a family matter, and the Taoists had no right to interfere. They only kindly advised the parents not to send their children back to the walking school if they truly cared about them. To reassure the children, they also gave them two calming talismans each.

The parents’ expressions and reactions varied.

Most parents could detect the changes in their children. Seeing their real children return, some cried with joy, while others, like Jiang Xiayuan’s parents, showed difficult expressions.

Chu Xuanliang and Huang Yu were too exhausted and fell asleep halfway back to the Taoist temple. Jiang Feng, on the other hand, woke up early, rubbing his dully aching head, and despite his injuries, brought the two back.

That night. Cold wind howled outside the window.

In Jiang Feng’s small room, the Judge opened his eyes. He sat cross-legged floating above the bed, summoning the Register of Merits and Demerits.

He looked down to check today’s judgment results for the several instructors.

For being deceitful and absurd, cruel and vicious, bullying the good and fearing the evil, arbitrarily torturing students, causing students to suffer grievances and injuries. After judgment by Yama’s Fifth Hall, they were transferred to the Second Hall’s Great Hell for punishment. After serving their sentences, they would be transferred to the Seventh Hall, to be dealt with by King Taishan, who would make further decisions.

Next were the school’s founders. All were recorded for “deceiving and tempting the public for fame and profit, improper management, and disregarding others’ desperate situations,” resulting in reduced lifespans, and punishment in the Fifth Hall’s Hell after death.

The Judge turned that page but did not summon any other related personnel.

There were too many people, and they couldn’t all fit here. Besides, similar incidents were not uncommon in the human world. Group judgment, gathering people together had no meaning. Everyone would believe they were not at fault. Punishment wouldn’t make them recognize their mistakes.

In education, whether as parents or children, everyone is experiencing it for the first time. Each person has their own position and reasons, different emotional needs and contributions, not being sensible enough or mature enough. Perhaps at different ages and with different experiences, they would have different insights and realizations.

If we speak of fault, both sides share blame. But if asked who is more at fault, this cannot be quantified.

Even the Judge couldn’t find an absolutely neutral point. This is why it’s said that even a fair official finds it difficult to judge family matters.

For those with serious offenses, they were dealt with as “allowing others to coerce and harm close relatives.” The rest were temporarily recorded as “dereliction of duty” and “disregard.” Some students were temporarily recorded as “filial ignorance.”

Whether these penalties would be reduced or exempted would depend on future behavior.

The Judge extended his hand, calling into the void, “Boqi.”

That voice traveled across the Yellow Springs Road, through the Fifth Judgment Hall, and into the tall iron gates.

Yama before the desk raised his head, slapped the desk and commanded, “Summon Boqi——!”

Boqi, one of the twelve divine beasts, originally human, was killed by his father who believed his stepmother’s rumors. After death, he transformed into a bird with the ability to control dreams.

Deep in the underworld, the Boqi bird opened its eyes, flapped its wings and soared, transmitting the voice upward. “Judge. Why have you called me?”

-Please have Boqi devour the nightmares of the mentally traumatized children and transfer them all to the parents. At the same time, transfer the scenes from the Shaoling Mountain range illusion.

Those recorded in the Register of Merits and Demerits must not offend again, or they will be haunted by nightmares daily, with doubled responsibility.

The Boqi bird responded, “Yes.”

A long string of golden names floated over the Register of Merits and Demerits, and finally settled after a long time.

The Boqi bird had memorized everyone’s names and backgrounds, flew back to its position, closed its eyes, and began to induce dreams.

The Judge closed the Register of Merits and Demerits.