Chapter 102: Rare for the Judge to Show Childlike Innocence

Judge Wen put his judge's brush into his sleeve and spoke to Judge Wu beside him.

"A cultivator in a temple in the human realm has invited me for a meeting; I'll be gone for a moment!"

Judge Wu paused his writing and listened for a moment, hearing nothing. Then, with a flick of his judge's brush, ripples spread before him, revealing the scene in the temple's side hall.

A man in a wide-sleeved blue robe was arranging offerings and pouring wine, bowing towards Judge Wen's statue.

The moment Judge Wu conjured the scene with his brush, the man seemed to sense something, looking up at the other judge's statue beside Judge Wen's. His gaze seemed to cross the divide between the mortal and nether realms, meeting the two judges of the Underworld and sending a jolt through both their hearts.

"You may go, Judge Wen. I will keep an eye on the situation in the temple here!"

Upon hearing this, Judge Wen stood up. Without further ado, he exchanged bows with Judge Wu and then exited the Hall of Merit and Demerit.

In the side hall of the City God Temple, Ji Yuan, having just sensed something, glanced in the direction of Judge Wu's statue. He vaguely felt a gaze and thought that the Underworld had probably noticed him.

Indeed, not long after, Judge Wen's spiritual form, invisible to the naked eye, stepped out of the statue and appeared beside Ji Yuan. He was dressed in a dark official robe and hat, with a black beard and sideburns that showed signs of age.

Ji Yuan quickly bowed to Judge Wen.

"I am Ji Yuan, and I apologize for disturbing you, Judge Wen. I hope you can forgive my intrusion and spare some time to speak with me!"

Seeing the offerings, the wine, and the other party's humble and polite demeanor, Judge Wen's attitude naturally softened. Furthermore, unable to discern Ji Yuan's true depth, he reciprocated the bow.

"You are too polite, sir. Please speak freely."

Ji Yuan smiled, feeling that this judge seemed approachable, and gestured towards the offering table with his left hand.

"Please partake, Judge Wen. Let's talk while we eat!"

Judge Wen was also uninhibited. Upon hearing this, he directly picked up a wine cup, sniffed it, and drank it in one gulp. However, when he set the cup down, Ji Yuan clearly saw that the wine remained inside, yet there was no longer any scent of it.

Ji Yuan smiled, and with a casual wave, the wine remaining in Judge Wen's cup vanished. He refilled the cup for the judge and began to explain the purpose of his visit.

"I suppose Judge Wen still remembers the renowned Zuo family from Juntian Prefecture, don't you?"

"Hmm, naturally, I recall them. Among the martial arts community in the mortal realm, they were truly unparalleled and highly distinguished."

"Did that Zuo family ever have any great villains who incurred the displeasure of the Underworld?"

Judge Wen replied after eating another piece of rice cake.

"No, they did not."

Ji Yuan felt more at ease; it would naturally be more suitable if their ancestors had committed no major wrongs.

"Speaking of which, this Zuo family has some connection to me. My visit this time is a personal matter..."

Ji Yuan spoke slowly and truthfully, but not entirely, trying to convey the intention of an immortal cultivator who owed the Zuo family a favor and wished to help them.

A yin and a yang, a human and a ghost-god, conversed for a long time in the City God Temple's side hall during the rain, with no other worshippers entering during that time.

By the time the rain outside ceased, their conversation naturally concluded.

Judge Wen nodded frequently as he listened, not only hearing Ji Yuan speak of the Zuo family but also occasionally discussing other topics with him. Though he couldn't ascertain Ji Yuan's origins, he carefully observed him during their conversation and understood that this person was learned and open-minded, surely a righteous individual.

What the visitor requested was, for Judge Wen, merely a simple task and not a significant matter. Coupled with the excellent impression Ji Yuan made during their conversation, he readily agreed at the conclusion of their discussion.

"Rest assured, Mr. Ji. The Underworld of Juntian Prefecture will certainly look after the Zuo family. Virtuous individuals among the deceased of the Zuo clan will also be given priority for positions in the Underworld. Tonight, I will personally visit the current Zuo family residence to add them to the relevant registry!"

With Judge Wen's personal guarantee, Ji Yuan breathed a huge sigh of relief, especially since he wouldn't have to meet the City God. He quickly bowed again.

"Thank you, Judge Wen. Then I shall take my leave!"

Judge Wen was in good spirits after chatting with Ji Yuan for so long; in fact, Ji Yuan had even brilliantly clarified key points for some difficult cases in the Underworld. He now returned the bow.

"I will certainly do my best!"

After seeing Ji Yuan off, and noticing that more worshippers were gradually arriving now that the heavy rain had stopped, Judge Wen glanced at the offering table. After taking the remaining stack of pastries and half a pot of wine, he returned to the Underworld.

Stepping out of the City God Temple, Ji Yuan let out a long sigh of relief, breathing in the fresher post-rain air, feeling much lighter.

'Finally, everything is settled. It's rare to visit Juntian Prefecture, so now I'll go satisfy my appetite!'

***

That night, at midnight, by the Yuanzi River outside Juntian Prefecture City, all lights in the residential area where the Zuo family lived were extinguished, and everyone was asleep.

The Civil and Military Judges of Juntian Prefecture City God's Hall of Merit and Demerit both arrived at this location.

Before even approaching the area, both judges detected something peculiar. As local deities and ghost-gods, they could perceive special things within their jurisdiction. For instance, looking at the Zuo family's area, it emanated a sense of clarity in the darkness. Nothing was emitting light, yet it gave the two judges a feeling of uprightness and transparency. Originally, the two judges had come together to inspect the Zuo family's household out of curiosity about their connection to Ji Yuan, but now they were even more curious about what was inside.

"Let's go, let's investigate!"

The two judges advanced again and soon approached the exterior of the Zuo family's shop. However, upon reaching it, an invisible ripple, imperceptible even to the judges, permeated the air, merely causing their spiritual bodies to subtly react.

They proceeded all the way into the Zuo clan's main courtyard, passing through the gate and entering the main hall. A calligraphy scroll, which had not yet been brought into the city for framing, lay on the Eight Immortals table. In the judges' eyes, it exuded a profound spiritual essence, appearing luminous in the darkness, bright without light. Their gaze swept across the characters, which read: 'Peace and well-being, invulnerable to all evil, determined and striving, hard work not in vain! Given by Yuan to the descendants of Zuo!'

"A decree!" "A decree!"

The astonished words of the Civil and Military Judges came out in unison, their tones rarely so uncomposed.

Judge Wu looked at Judge Wen and asked:

"During the day, who exactly was that eminent person with whom you drank and conversed? Did you perceive his profound magical power?"

Judge Wen recalled as he replied.

"I sensed absolutely nothing. If not for his summoning a spirit to control water and pour wine, he was simply..." Judge Wen paused, looking at Judge Wu. "...like a mortal!"

"Hiss..."

Though Judge Wu didn't need to breathe, he still slightly inhaled, recalling his own brief glance from across the divide earlier that day.

The two judges exchanged glances for a long time before Judge Wu seemed to suddenly remember something.

"The night patrol reported a strange incident the other day. They said a scholar who owned a stationery shop in the city had acquired a miraculous calligraphy scroll, which was so divine that even the netherworld emissaries couldn't look directly at it at night. Could that also be a decree left by this Mr. Ji?"

"It must be!"

Judge Wen admired the scroll on the table more closely, exclaiming with emotion.

"What fine calligraphy... This Zuo family is truly remarkable!"

"Hmph, even a great master bestows decrees based on fate. Considering the meaning of these characters, if the Zuo family were to produce an ungrateful, unworthy descendant in the future who violates the true meaning of the decree..."

"That will be a matter for that time!"

Judge Wen said with a smile, stroking his beard, then took out a special ledger and began to write with his judge's brush: 'Juntian Prefecture Zuo Clan...'

Inside the house, Zuo Boran and his wife had fallen asleep.

For some reason, Zuo Boran woke up at that moment and felt he could smell a faint fragrance, like the sandalwood scent in a temple. The presence of the decree allowed Zuo Boran, a mere mortal, to smell the scent of divine incense. Zuo Boran found it strange, so he put on his clothes and wanted to go out and check. However, when he lifted the curtain and stepped into the outer hall, which was just one wall away, there was nothing unusual, and the sandalwood scent, on the contrary, became stronger.

"Strange, there's no incense burning in the house..."

The two judges watched the old man, Zuo Boran, sniffing, and exchanged glances again.

"Could it be that this person can actually smell it?"

"It must be the influence of the decree!"

Judge Wu suddenly smiled and whispered something to Judge Wen, which also made the latter smile.

"It's rare for Judge Wu to be so keen after working together for so many years. Good, let's do it!"

As their words fell, the Civil and Military Judges proactively revealed their spiritual forms.

Two figures, dressed in dark official robes and hats, one with a red beard and one with a black beard, each holding a ledger and a large brush, suddenly appeared before Zuo Boran, startling him immensely.

"Oh my goodness~~~! You, you...."

Zuo Boran stumbled backward, his hands trembling slightly as he struggled to speak. Especially since the two figures before him seemed shrouded in shadow, truly terrifying. Even with his martial arts training, Zuo Boran was too terrified to utter a word.

"Hahahaha... Do not fear, Master Zuo. We are the Civil and Military Judges under the jurisdiction of Juntian Prefecture City God. Entrusted by an eminent person, we have specifically come here to register the Zuo family's lineage."

"Old man, old man, what's wrong?"

A voice came from the inner room.

Judge Wen smiled and gave a slight bow to Zuo Boran.

"Our business here is concluded. We take our leave!"

With that, the Civil and Military Judges turned and strode away, disappearing through the door, leaving only a pale, sweating, heavily breathing Zuo Boran half-paralyzed on the ground, trying to compose himself.