Judge of Souls - Chapter 74

To supervise the unpredictable Zong Ce, Jiang Feng summoned a female ghost officer from the underworld.

There were quite a few female ghost officers under Yama’s rule, but most weren’t particularly normal. Some couldn’t adapt to modern society, others were too obsessed with electronic networks, or simply weren’t qualified to linger in the mortal realm.

Finally, Yama sent Meng Po up, letting other ghost officers cover her vacant position.

Counting carefully, it had been nearly a hundred years since Jiang Feng had last seen Meng Po. She was still the same as before, standing blankly at the door, holding a small celadon bowl in her hand, dressed in a black outer robe. She rarely spoke, like a stone statue without consciousness. Her complexion was pale, with delicate features.

Jiang Feng felt a headache coming on.

Meng Po’s response time was extremely slow, making communication nearly impossible.

“Hey?” Zong Ce called out to her, “Hey! This sister!”

She called out six or seven times, growing irritated before Meng Po finally turned her eyeballs slightly. She looked at Zong Ce, seemingly trying to identify her. After a moment, she extended the bowl in her hand.

Zong Ce hesitated, thinking this person was quite considerate, and was about to drink when Jiang Feng exasperatedly stopped her.

“Don’t drink anything she gives you,” Jiang Feng said. “Don’t forget she’s Meng Po.”

Zong Ce: “She surely wouldn’t give me Meng Po’s soup, would she?”

Meng Po finally spoke, her tone mournfully plaintive, but theatrical. “The world holds so much heartache, better to forget the past with one bowl.”

Zong Ce: “……”

Jiang Feng: “Keep your eyes on her, don’t let her leave your sight, and don’t let her do anything inappropriate, otherwise you’ll have to tie her up and bring her back.”

Meng Po seemed to freeze like a computer, and after six or seven seconds, she withdrew the bowl and curtseyed to Jiang Feng to indicate she understood.

“Do the people from your underworld have mental issues?” Zong Ce seemed to find them completely absurd. “If you’re asking her to watch me, don’t blame me for escaping if I walk too fast for her to keep up.”

Jiang Feng made a “be my guest” gesture.

Zong Ce turned around, while Meng Po remained standing in place, showing no reaction.

Zong Ce looked back and then started running frantically.

She ran all the way to a bus stop before stopping to look back.

Confirming no one was following her, she snorted disdainfully.

At that moment, a bowl was held out before her. Zong Ce was about to reach for it when she looked up from the celadon bowl and met Meng Po’s pitiful face, causing her expression to darken instantly.

Meng Po said, “Where do you want to go? We can walk slowly. I’ll only take you back if you’re going to do something bad.”

Zong Ce clicked her tongue, then hailed a taxi nearby and headed home.

****

After drawing all the curtains in the room, darkness fell over the space.

The Judge opened the Register of Merits and Demerits, once again searching for traces of Zong Ce.

As expected, he found nothing.

He couldn’t find her location by appearance or name. Even though her soul was right before his eyes, he couldn’t recognize who she was.

The Judge’s fingers lightly moved, supporting the Register, and once again turned to Sun Yi’s name.

The Register recorded his crimes of plotting against colleagues, fraudulent transactions, and deceiving the public. All serious offenses.

The Judge closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then changed his mortal lifespan from twenty years to fifty years.

Sun Yi’s true self had already scattered, and Zhao Ta’s soul had only this one life. Sun Yi had killed Zhao Ta’s physical body, but Zhao Ta chose mutual destruction with Sun Yi. Comparing the two, Zhao Ta’s crime seemed heavier.

He didn’t know how to refer to souls like Zhao Ta’s, or who he truly was, but since this was his own choice, there was no room for reconsideration, and further discussion was pointless.

Now he was Zhao Ta, and Zhao Ta was Sun Yi.

Considering that Zhao Ta had already suffered the consequences and transferred the blessings from his lifetime of good deeds to Sun Yi’s fate, the Judge granted him thirty more years of mortal life to die of natural causes.

Then he turned to the names of Mr. Ye and his son, recording each with red characters.

Ill-gotten gains, false accusations leading to death, and hearts without remorse. Each had their lifespan reduced by twenty years and their financial fortune diminished. After death, they would be sent to the Fourth Hall’s Great Hell for punishment.

They were given warning dreams for one month, with harsher treatment if they dared to reoffend.

Those at the hospital who knew but didn’t report were given the “indifference” treatment, with related parties facing additional judgment.

As for the AIDS patient, Yama had already sentenced him, and he was suffering punishment in hell.

****

Far away at home, Mr. Ye lay on the couch with a lifeless expression, covering his stomach with a thick towel to avoid catching cold.

His son searched throughout the house for yellow talismans hidden in corners, taking them out one by one and crumpling them into balls to throw away.

The more he searched, the angrier he became, thinking about the unknown yellow talismans scattered throughout the house. “What are these things? These people are just a bunch of scammers! It’s good you didn’t spend money yet. I’m going to report their Taoist temple! A bunch of perverts and lunatics!”

He grabbed a broom to sweep up the talismans scattered on the floor. As he was gathering them into a pile, Mr. Ye began convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

The young man ran over in surprise, asking, “What’s wrong? Dad?”

Mr. Ye closed his eyes, unable to respond.

He saw Zhao Ta’s face at the moment of death, Zhao Ta lying quietly in a square coffin.

Darkness surrounded him, with countless hands reaching toward him and innumerable voices echoing in his ears, filled with unspeakable obscenities.

Those hands dragged the immobilized man next to Zhao Ta, forced him to lie down, and went to retrieve the coffin lid nearby.

Mr. Ye looked at the dead man close up, with enlarged features and ghastly pale skin, causing his already sensitive nerves to completely snap.

He screamed at the top of his lungs, but no one could hear him. Until the coffin lid closed above him, blocking out the last ray of light.

He spent a long time in this silent space. He felt the blood from the person beside him flow out, soaking his clothes. It was sticky, and he didn’t dare breathe, unable to do anything but cry tearfully.

In his mind, he counted repeatedly from one to sixty, not knowing how many times he had counted. Just as he was about to despair, light shone down from above.

He opened his eyes and saw a doctor wearing a mask.

“Dad!” The man beside him rushed over to hold his hand. “Are you okay? Why did you suddenly faint?”

Mr. Ye was speechless.

The doctor said, “There’s no major problem. Just a slightly infected wound, but it’s been treated. Your physical condition isn’t great, probably due to exhaustion. Make sure to rest well.”

Son: “Dad, you were grabbing at everyone like a madman just now. What did you dream about?”

Mr. Ye shook his head. “Don’t talk about it. Don’t ask.”

He struggled to sit up, muttering nervously, “Go find out where Doctor Zhao Ta’s grave is, and help me fold a bag of gold ingots. Buy plenty of paper money for me to burn for him.”

The son’s face showed mixed emotions before he finally said, “This has nothing to do with us, Dad. You’re just too nervous, scaring yourself. I’ll find another Taoist priest for you today. You stay in the hospital for now. To handle any situation.”

As he spoke, he let go of his father’s hand and hurriedly left.

That night, Mr. Ye had the same dream again.

He lay beside Zhao Ta, the realistic feeling nearly driving him to breakdown.

After waking, he had no appetite, staring blankly at the white porridge the nurse had brought him. Soon after, his son rushed in.

“Dad——” he called out in panic.

Their eyes met, and they both saw fear in each other’s gaze. Their pupils reflected expressions of despair and exhaustion before they finally sat down together in silence.

****

Zhao Ta’s incident trended once, attracting widespread attention before quickly fading away.

Hospitals aren’t like other commodities where you can simply choose not to go. A City’s tertiary hospitals were basically at full capacity, and the Third Hospital’s surgery department was indeed excellent. Although the management was questionable and the medical ethics of several doctors were dubious, their skills were undeniably solid. Patients ultimately couldn’t leave this place.

The authorities investigated what needed investigation and punished what deserved punishment, with relatively quick resolution. After dismissing several managers, correcting and compensating for Doctor Zhao’s reputation, and formally apologizing, the matter was considered properly settled.

Zhang Yangyang was happy to have successfully avoided supernatural events related to Jiang Feng for once, yet regretted not having firsthand gossip. After venting with Chu Xuanliang, he came to chat with Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng had been busy moving recently, and Zhang Yangyang’s timing was perfect. He was assigned some tasks to help out properly.

“You’re so stingy!” Zhang Yangyang complained. “Exploiting child labor, I’m still a baby!”

Jiang Feng’s expression remained unchanged.

His newly rented place was a suite in a residential area near the school, fully furnished with complete appliances and extremely fast internet. The three-bedroom, one-living room space was luxurious. It was not far from his original rental… on foot, but too far when moving. It spanned an entire campus area, taking nearly an hour round trip.

Jiang Feng didn’t have many possessions. He wasn’t allowed to take the large items from the rental, so he packed several boxes of clothes and bedding, miscellaneous items, and various books.

After a full day, they were covered in sweat. It was the plum rain season, with continuous drizzle and humid air. Zhang Yangyang had rolled up his sleeves, sweating profusely and feeling stifled.

Jiang Feng said, “I’ll treat you to a meal to show my gratitude. We can get it packed.”

“Really?” Zhang Yangyang nearly jumped when he heard “packed,” exclaiming happily, “Your class monitor will always be your class monitor, Jiang Feng. Don’t ever forget my dedication to you!”

He put his arm around Jiang Feng’s back and walked cheerfully toward a small restaurant outside campus. Despite his grand words, once seated, he became embarrassed, modestly ordering just two small dishes and a large bowl of rice before putting down the menu.

In the end, Jiang Feng directly ordered a table full of dishes, saying they could take away whatever they couldn’t finish.

Zhang Yangyang was nearly blinded by this usually frugal friend’s sudden display of wealth.

The two enjoyed their dinner and left the small restaurant. Unexpectedly, they hadn’t gone far when they were stopped by two burly men in black suits. A luxury car was parked beside them.

The man in black on the left spoke with the air of a TV drama supporting character. “Our boss would like you to come with us.”

Jiang Feng wrinkled his nose, clearly displeased. “Who is your boss?”

The man was not very respectful, simply saying, “You’ll know when you get there.”

Jiang Feng raised an eyebrow: “Not interested.”

Zhang Yangyang, being hot-tempered, was triggered by this chuunibyou and domineering boss scene, stepping forward dramatically to question, “How dare you be so arrogant? What circle are you from?”

“I advise you to come with us quietly. Our boss will give you adequate compensation.”

“Treating us like dogs? We don’t need your money!” Zhang Yangyang raised the bag in his hand and said, “See this? He treated me to dinner and we even got takeout. Do you think we need your little money?!”

Jiang Feng: “……”