Judge of Souls - Chapter 53

Hu Xi searched the forum and took a look.  

The forum, which had been silent for a long time, was full of new posts on the homepage.  

The earliest post, the one that started it all, appeared to have been deleted.  

[Are the photos still there?]  

[I remember there really is this student at No. 1 High School, the name and appearance are real.]  

[Yeah, yeah, I remember too.]  

[Baidu Cloud link here, password XXX, you’re welcome.]  

[It’s going to be deleted again. Upstairs, don’t post such nasty stuff.]  

[Let’s talk about it. Who has such a deep grudge that they would take revenge like this?]  

[Li Tao, will the National law do anything about this kind of mental harm?]  

[Probably not much. The cost of crime is too low, it’s like a game. It’s not as good as public condemnation. I don’t understand those guys who apply for human rights for criminals these days; the victims don’t have any human rights instead.]  

Hu Xi opened the link in the post, jumped to the account inside, opened it, and found it was full of erotic pictures.  

All the pictures were poorly photoshopped with her head, and anyone could tell they were fake, but the personal information written on them, including her name, school, and date of birth, was real.  

Hu Xi looked up, met everyone’s eyes, forgot to breathe, and felt her head spinning. She screamed, turned around, and ran away.  

Kong Su chased after her, shouting, “Hu Xi! Hu Xi, calm down!”  

The class monitor and classmates also chased after her anxiously, shouting, “Hu Xi! Teacher, Hu Xi just left!”  

Hu Xi rushed out of the teaching building and couldn’t see who was trying to stop her, pushing them all away.  

Kong Su didn’t dare to get too close to her, afraid of possessing her again. But seeing her run onto the road, still dazed, she couldn’t let her go and shouted loudly into her ear, “Hu Xi!”  

Hu Xi’s scattered eyes finally focused a little, and she gritted her teeth and said, “Where is Wang Xian? I’m going to kill her! Anyway, I won’t get the death penalty. At most, I’ll be a good person again in a few decades!”  

Kong Su said, “Stop it. You still want to kill someone? Are you crazy?”  

Hu Xi turned her head to look around, vaguely muttering, “Where is Wang Xian? I want to go home and find her.”  

She continued to walk forward, but absent-mindedly, she didn’t watch her step. She staggered, tripped herself, and rolled onto the road.  

Kong Su gasped, almost dying a second time from fright, and quickly rushed into her body.  

A vehicle drove by in front of them and turned.  

The wheel barely missed her face, almost hitting her.  

The driver stepped on the brakes, pulled over, got out, and asked, “What are you doing? You—”  

Hu Xi stood up, held her head, and shook it.  

The driver asked, “Are you okay?”  

Hu Xi shook her head.  

“If you’re hurt, go to the hospital, don’t force yourself.” He took a closer look, confirmed there were no external injuries, and made sure his car hadn’t hit her.  

Hu Xi refused the driver’s kindness, hailed a taxi under his watch, and hurried to find Jiang Feng.  

Fortunately, university started late, and Jiang Feng had been staying at home during this time.  

He heard the doorbell ring, went to open the door, and Hu Xi put one hand on the door frame, raised her head, and gave him a playful wink.  

Jiang Feng raised his left eyebrow, and Hu Xi raised her hand and said, “It’s me, Kong Su.”  

Jiang Feng: “……”  

He once again took a cup of talisman water and gave it to Kong Su to drink.  

Kong Su tasted it, frowned, and said, “It really does have a foot odor.”  

Jiang Feng threw the pillows on the sofa aside and said, “This one was soaked with the insole.”  

“Whoa!” Kong Su became agitated that she popped out of Hu Xi’s body.  

Hu Xi’s body softened, and she raised her hand to grab her own neck, widened her eyes, and asked, “Really?”  

“False.” Jiang Feng sat down, crossed one leg, and said, “Feeling better?”  

Hu Xi: “……”  

She didn’t feel comforted at all.  

Jiang Feng asked, “What’s wrong with you two again?”  

Kong Su explained what happened at school, wrinkling her nose, “How can there be such disgusting people? Think about it. I want to go and scare her as a ghost. Do you think that’s illegal?”  

Jiang Feng said, “Scaring her is useless. Unless you can scare her to death.”  

Kong Su pouted.  

“Since you’ll be an adult in a month…” Jiang Feng pondered, “But I remember that you can sue guardians for misappropriation of inheritance even if you’re a minor, right? The lawyer’s fees are a percentage, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to afford it.”  

“It’s useless,” Hu Xi said. “I don’t even know how much property my mom left me. I was too young at the time, I only knew that the house in my hometown was hers, and she said she would leave all the real estate to me. As for the rest of the assets, I don’t know. The will isn’t in my hands either. I’ve heard some things from my dad over the years. But I don’t understand anything. If I go to court like this, I won’t be able to get much back.”  

Kong Su said, “There’s always the company, right? At least cut off their means of making a living.”  

Hu Xi shook her head. “My dad has managed the company for so many years. It’s gone through restructuring and acquisitions. The assets and circulating shares can’t be calculated according to the original figures. And the company’s shareholders definitely won’t be willing to hand the company over to me. If there are big fluctuations in the stock price, everyone will side with my dad.”  

Kong Su was in a dilemma. “Ugh—”  

“I just want to scare them…” Hu Xi cried, “I actually can’t get anything back. What can I do? But they still treat me like this!”  

Hu Xi covered her face and said, “I think about how muddled my mom’s death was, and how my family’s efforts for generations were taken over by those two villains. And that Wang Xian! What does she have that I don’t?! I’m not reconciled! I’m so not reconciled! But why am I so useless? I wish I had been born a few years earlier.”  

Hu Xi thought of her mother. If her mother knew that her home and wealth were taken by her husband’s mistress, that her husband was sleeping with that mistress, and that her daughter was being bullied, she would come back from the dead.  

Kong Su said, “This isn’t your fault. Don’t punish yourself for other people’s mistakes.”  

Hu Xi sobbed intermittently, “I don’t want to go to school anymore. Just thinking about being in the same school as Wang Xian makes me sick. I can’t go back to that place.”

“You have to take the college entrance exam, child! It may not change your life, but it’s the most useful and fairest path.” Kong Su sat beside her, speaking cautiously. “Sigh, just calm down first. Don’t think of life as so terrible.”

Hu Xi pounded the sofa beside her with force. “But my life is a complete mess! And it’s only getting worse! Why does this have to happen to me? I must’ve had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to end up with a family like this!” 

“Taoist priest, Taoist priest, what kind of magic spells do you know? Like amnesia, time reversal…” Kong Su thought for a while and felt it wasn’t realistic. “Forget it, I might as well go scare them to death.”  

Jiang Feng’s face darkened as he pinched his index finger. After a moment, he stood up silently and walked into his bedroom.  

Kong Su and Hu Xi stopped talking and watched him in confusion.  

Jiang Feng took out a small wooden figure from under the bed, held it, and carefully touched it all over.  

The two thought it was some kind of solemn ritual. Then they saw Jiang Feng hold the wooden figure to his ear and say, “Hello? White Impermanence.”  

Kong Su: “……??”  

They wondered how such a normal person could be so crazy.  

Kong Su flew over and shouted, “Taoist priest, please sober up! Don’t do this again! I’m just a ghost taking care of two living people, please let me go!”  

Before she finished speaking, a layer of icy white mist rippled through the room.  

Kong Su instinctively felt scared and ran to hide behind the sofa.  

Immediately afterward, a man holding a white soul-summoning banner appeared out of thin air in front of Jiang Feng.  

“Wow wow wow!” Hu Xi followed Kong Su and shrank behind the sofa, peeking out with a pair of eyes from the top.  

White Impermanence ignored the two and asked, “Divine Lord, you called me just now?”  

Jiang Feng didn’t expect it to actually work. He stuffed the wooden figure back under the bed and said, “I want to find a lawyer, a finance professional, and Ma Shiluo.”  

White Impermanence didn’t understand what he was going to do and nodded, “I’ll go to the Underworld to summon their souls. Do you want recently deceased or older ones?”  

Jiang Feng: “Recently deceased.”  

White Impermanence: “Please wait a moment, Divine Lord.”  

Kong Su trembled.  

She was also a recently deceased ghost.  

At this moment, on the banks of the Underworld River, countless souls wandered along the shore, waiting for their sentences to end and the chance to be reincarnated.  

There was no day or night here, no WIFI games, only the sight of the dark, surging river, accompanied by endless loneliness day after day.  

The sudden appearance of White Impermanence broke the silence.  

“Underworld summons, attention to the souls who were lawyers or finance professionals in their previous lives.”  

“Are there any rewards?”  

“No, but you can go to the living world.”  

Instantly, countless people raised their hands.  

There were too many people, so White Impermanence chose two with the most recent death dates and most brilliant achievements. Then, he chained them up and took them to the living world.  

The two chosen ones looked at the bright sunshine outside the window and were so moved that they burst into tears. Hu Xi even got goosebumps from their crying.  

The lawyer had graying hair at his temples and looked shrewd. He raised his hand, wiped his face, and asked, “What era is it now?”  

Hu Xi answered from a distance, “20XX.”  

“Ah…” The lawyer said thoughtfully, “I’ve only been dead for a year.”  

The accountant next to him said, “I’ve been dead for a year and a half.”  

Ma Shiluo said speechlessly, “Are we comparing this?”  

White Impermanence said, “I’ve handed over the people. They have Underworld marks on them, so don’t worry about them getting lost. Just remember to bring them back when you’re done.”  

Jiang Feng nodded, “Okay, thank you.”  

White Impermanence bowed to him and disappeared into the white mist again.  

Hu Xi whispered, “Why did you call them up here?”  

“To get some advice,” Jiang Feng said. “We’re all laymen. What’s the point of worrying ourselves?”  

Hu Xi weakly said, “But what can a bunch of ghosts do?”  

“Since I died, I’ve been thinking, is there anything ghosts can’t do? I guess it’s being dead.” The lawyer interjected, “Ghosts can hear everything you say, see through all your pretenses, and find everything you’ve hidden. Ghosts are the easiest beings to get to the truth, child. And you’re still alive. You shouldn’t ask what ghosts can do. You should ask, what can my talents as a ghost do for you?”  

Listening to him, Hu Xi actually thought it made a lot of sense.  

Kong Su couldn’t wait to briefly explain the situation again and asked, “Can this lawsuit be won?”  

“Yes, of course. What kind of outcome do you want?” The lawyer said readily, “I was the best lawyer in our firm in my lifetime, and I trained countless outstanding students. I can’t represent you in court now, but I can recommend someone. If you call and mention my name, they will definitely take your case.”  

Jiang Feng said, “Now it’s not just a matter of money, it’s also a matter of reputation.”  

The lawyer said, “Then it’s even less of a problem. As long as you use public opinion properly, this is actually your opportunity. Her slander like this should make you happy. Don’t worry, the fake photos won’t have much impact on you.”  

He said, “Child, go to the police and file a lawsuit now, and delete all the photos. Of course, this isn’t to punish her, it’s just to show your attitude. Then, hire internet trolls to create momentum online, make the topic sensational. Compared to some fake photos, topics like wealthy family feuds, mistresses taking over, and gold diggers are much more explosive. Her behavior can just stir up people’s sympathy. The louder the condemnation, the more the public will favor you. Once you have the advantage in mainstream values, no one will dare to laugh at you because of those photos.”  

“Inheritance disputes are civil cases. Judges have some discretion in their rulings. First, make him completely biased towards you in his attitude, and you’ll win this case at the starting line.”  

Kong Su’s eyes lit up. “Sounds pretty simple?”  

“Oh no, whether it’s simple or not depends on the actual situation and the evidence collection. These are just icing on the cake.” The lawyer said, looking at the accountant next to him.  

“No problem, leave this to me. There’s no account I can’t figure out.” The accountant said, “I’ll calculate the specific amount of your mother’s inheritance, and I can now eavesdrop and peek at their internal financial data. Maybe there will be some unexpected surprises.”  

The lawyer smiled, “Isn’t it most satisfying to punish someone with the law? Because it proves that everyone is on your side, including the state.”