Chapter 14: I Can Still Be Saved

Chapter 14: I Can Still Be Saved

“Or rather... ordinary humans aren’t allowed to carry out private punishment against ghosts?”

Pei Ye was quite curious about this.

Immortal cultivation, spirits, demons, and ghosts, these were elements she had only seen in novels. She still didn’t know how things operated in the real world.

How did ghosts and humans coexist, and how was order maintained?

This so-called Celestial Masters Alliance was most likely a special organization established by Celestial Masters to maintain public security between the worlds of yin and yang.

Zhu Chun’an hurriedly waved his hands and explained, “No, no. It’s just that interrogating fierce ghosts is usually the work of underworld officers. Very few people interrogate them directly.”

There was a saying among the common people: “full of ghostly lies.”

Could a ghost’s words be trusted one hundred percent?

If you wanted a ghost to obediently tell the truth, you had to rely on professional underworld officers.

Pei Ye pressed further. “Can I ask about the details? Although this Lan Ying did bad things and ate people, the reason she became a fierce ghost was that she was harmed by these people. If she only sought revenge against her abusers, that should be taken into account during sentencing, right? It’s just that she also killed innocent people. When the final judgment is made, she should receive a heavier punishment because of that?”

She was considering the issue using her own mindset, forgetting that yin and yang were two separate worlds, and that the living and the dead followed different rules.

Zhu Chun’an explained, “No. Regardless of whether Lan Ying had grievances behind her death, once she died, she came under the jurisdiction of Fengdu. Matters from her life are also settled there together. If the perpetrators are still alive, government agencies handle them. Once they die, their grudges and debts are settled before the Great Emperor of Fengdu. Fierce ghosts belong to the underworld. No matter what, they are not permitted to take the lives of living people. Doing so increases their karmic sins and crimes. Before reincarnation, they must undergo severe punishment. Even after enduring those punishments, they won’t be assigned a good rebirth and won’t be able to enter the human path.”

“There’s such a saying?”

After becoming a fierce ghost, being unable to personally take revenge and having to wait until the offenders finished their natural lifespans before settling accounts in the underworld sounded rather stifling.

Zhu Chun’an said, “There’s another point. Ghosts rely on yin energy rather than physical flesh and blood. They’re easily provoked into acting against their true intentions, such as indiscriminately killing innocents. This is something almost all fierce ghosts cannot avoid. Once they become tainted with bloodshed, they easily lose their reason under its influence. When their lifetime Merit is assessed in Fengdu, their crimes only accumulate further.”

Preventing fierce ghosts from harming people was not only about protecting mortals, but also about reducing the ghosts’ sins.

Of course, this was merely the wishful thinking of the Celestial Masters. The fierce ghosts didn’t care.

They were willing to become fierce ghosts just to obtain revenge, which showed how deep their hatred ran.

Who would still care whether they accumulated one more sin or one less?

“So...” Pei Ye shifted her gaze to Lan Ying. “If I hand her over to you, what will you do with her? Deliver her to the department you mentioned?”

“If Senior hands her over to this junior, this junior will take her to the department, determine the full details of the case, and then hand her over to Fengdu’s underworld officers. The mortal world handles mortal affairs, and the underworld handles underworld affairs.” Zhu Chun’an said, “Our department cooperates with both the authorities and Fengdu. We even have underworld officers stationed with us. That’s specifically to handle troublesome cases like these. Um... Senior has probably noticed that the nation has been working hard to eliminate feudal superstition over the years. If ghosts and monsters ran rampant and became publicly known, it would be detrimental to social stability. However, some cases involving supernatural phenomena cannot be solved by ordinary people. At times like that, cooperation with Fengdu becomes necessary. This is also for maintaining peace between the worlds of yin and yang.”

The actions of Young Master Du and his gang of cronies constituted criminal offenses. Once confirmed, they would be transferred to the appropriate authorities for processing.

The crimes committed by Lan Ying would likewise be investigated and settled by Fengdu.

Pei Ye suddenly said, “However... I remember all of them come from wealthy families. Their backgrounds won’t affect judicial fairness?”

Zhu Chun’an coughed twice and mentioned an unspoken rule of the profession.

“Senior doesn’t know this, but any case handled by the special department is absolutely fair and impartial. We even take the ghost’s demands into consideration and may increase the sentence accordingly.”

This department served as a platform for communication between the mortal world and Fengdu.

The living couldn’t very well let the dead of the underworld laugh at them.

Wrongful convictions?

They didn’t exist!

If the circumstances were particularly severe, harsher punishments would be imposed to appease the resentment of the victimized ghosts.

“Thank you for telling me. You can take her away.”

Having satisfied her curiosity, Pei Ye had no reason to continue detaining the fierce ghost, nor did she request to interrogate Lan Ying personally.

Since there was already a specialized institution handling such matters, why should she interfere?

“Thank you, Senior.”

Although Zhu Chun’an remained respectful on the surface, he secretly breathed a long sigh of relief.

He had originally thought this senior, whose baleful aura was so dense that only a mass of darkness remained visible, would be very eccentric. After talking with her, he discovered she was actually quite reasonable.

These days, seniors who were powerful, righteous, warm-hearted, and easy to talk to were truly rare.

Even though her baleful aura was dense enough to force fierce ghosts back several metres, Zhu Chun’an felt he couldn’t discriminate against her because of that.

“My name isn’t Senior. My real name is Xiao Hong. Pei Ye is the name I use while traveling.”

After sealing the fierce ghost into a special talisman, the bloody ghostly aura inside the private room gradually faded until the temperature returned to normal.

“Sen... Pei Ye, would you like to exchange contact information?”

Pei Ye: “???”

“Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to capture this fierce ghost. The crimes she committed are extremely serious. Once they’re confirmed, the Alliance should issue a reward and subsidy. I can’t accept that money. If we exchange contact information, I’ll transfer it to you once the reward is distributed.”

Zhu Chun’an was an honest person, but he also worried that Pei Ye might not care about such a small amount of money.

After thinking about it, Pei Ye nodded in agreement.

In the past, she had never lacked money, but in this world she was truly penniless. The original Xiao Hong was so poor she had barely over a hundred yuan left.

Pei Ye still had to find a way to solve her food problem.

“When will the reward and subsidy be issued?”

When Zhu Chun’an saw Pei Ye take out Xiao Hong’s second-hand imitation Apple phone, a trace of astonishment flashed through his eyes.

He had assumed that an expert like Pei Ye wouldn’t be short of money. He hadn’t expected her to be using a phone like that.

After adding each other on WeChat and completing the verification process,

Zhu Chun’an decided that when he submitted his report to his superiors later, he would request an extra phone.

Pei Ye decided to pocket one more cigarette before leaving.

Once the fierce ghost had been subdued, the area around the private room returned to normal as well.

After hearing the commotion, the club manager rushed over and found the room looking as though a hurricane had swept through it.

When Young Master Du and his cronies saw living people, tears of excitement immediately flowed from their eyes.

Oh heavens, family at last!

“Quick, quick, quick! Take me to the hospital immediately!!!”

“I can still be saved!!!”

Young Master Du’s collarbone had been fractured by Pei Ye’s stomp, and several of his friends had suffered broken arms, broken legs, and concussions from her beating.

After experiencing the most terrifying moment of their lives, all they wanted now was to see those friendly and lovable angels in white and have their wounded little hearts healed.

The manager was so frightened by the bizarre scene that his legs went weak.

The wealthy heirs inside the private room were all notorious troublemakers. They were arrogant, overbearing, and reckless. Offending them would bring endless problems.

Afraid of getting dragged into trouble himself, the manager hurriedly sent them to the hospital.

The parents of these wealthy heirs rushed to the hospital as soon as they heard the news.

“Mom, I’m going abroad. I’m never staying in the country again!”

He refused to believe that the underworld of China could go overseas to arrest people!

“Dad, your son knows he was wrong!”

I can still be saved. Once today’s debt is settled, tomorrow I’ll get to see those who owe debts suffer.