Chapter 51

**Do you admit your guilt?**

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by darkness. Dozens of ghostly figures in white robes appeared before me, their forms flickering and indistinct.

I felt a chill all over my body, and a feverish heat in my head. Looking around, I realized that Xijun and Song Wanyi were nowhere to be found. Why was I alone here?

I remembered falling asleep in bed. If the ghostly officials were to take my life, they should have come from the world of the living. Why did they come for me in my dreams?

**I am Ling Tong, the official of the Punishment Department, sent to take you to the Yellow Springs. Do you admit your guilt?** The lead ghostly official, with a fierce appearance like a military drill instructor, glared at me with anger.

He asked me repeatedly, but I did not respond. In the dark of night, one should not answer when asked, for fear of inviting a ghost to take one's life. Here, the sky was pitch black, with no sign of the sun or moon, so of course, I did not answer him.

**Seize him!** Ling Tong said coldly, and a dozen ghostly officials immediately came to grab me.

**Xijun! Song Wanyi!** I felt a chill as I realized I was completely naked, with nothing on my body!

**You cannot bring gold with you, but your sins remain! Grant him the prison uniform!** Ling Tong shook his head and sneered, waving his hand. A ghostly official brought me a piece of clothing that was neither a robe nor a proper garment, as simple as a white cement bag with four holes cut out. It was just as crude as the one Xijun wore.

I felt I couldn't appear naked before so many ghosts, so I quickly put it on. In that moment, I truly became a ghost. I wished I had burned a bulletproof vest or a machine gun for myself while I was alive.

Seeing me in the prison uniform, the dozen officials pressed me down, twisting my arms behind my back, causing intense pain. I gritted my teeth, realizing that Xijun and Song Wanyi must have felt the same way when they were abused by their sister.

These ghostly officials were of various ages, some middle-aged and some young, with pale faces, short hair, and long hair, but all of them were indifferent and arrogant.

**It doesn't matter if you admit your guilt or not. Once you fall into the hands of the Punishment Department, you will either die or be stripped of your skin. Don't think that just because you were powerful in the world of the living, you can escape the grasp of the underworld. Even emperors and deities must submit to us! What are you? Do you think I can't do anything to you?** Ling Tong kicked me in the back, and I stumbled to the ground.

I felt a sharp pain in my back as the ghostly officials continued to hold me down, their faces cold and indifferent.

I still had my sense of pain, so this was not a dream. It must be some other place. The kick made my body tremble, a sign of spiritual pain, not physical pain.

**You are quite impressive, young as you are, yet you have committed two unforgivable sins. I can understand the murder of a ghostly official, as you must have been a significant figure in the world of the living. But altering your fate is beyond my comprehension. With all five yin elements gathered, your life was destined to be short! When I received the order, I thought it was a mistake, hehe!** Ling Tong said from behind me.

I still did not speak. I had never experienced such abuse. Since childhood, my sister had never let me face any danger.

**Where did she go?**

**Sister!** I shouted, thinking she should be by my side at this moment.

**Sister? Ha, your first words are about your sister. I see you are obsessed with her! Don't worry, the torture of the burning iron will not be spared for you!** Ling Tong kicked me again, and I rolled on the ground.

**Those with lustful desires will be punished with the burning iron in the underworld.** I got up, my brow furrowed, and I glared at Ling Tong.

**Angry? It's useless. Here, no one can save you. The underworld is the underworld, and the world of the living is the world of the living. Now that you are here, do you still not realize that it is too late to repent? Your life is over! Even the heavens cannot save you!** Ling Tong looked at me with pity, as if my refusal to admit guilt was amusing to him.

**My life is over? How can my life be over?**

**No, every time Sister appeared, it was when my vital energy was depleted. The first time, I didn't think much of it, assuming she was joking.**

**But the second time, today, I started to feel very unwell. I should have stopped then, but I foolishly continued to feed Xijun and Song Wanyi with blood.**

**Until I finally had a fever and collapsed on the bed, I still didn't realize the severity of the situation.**

**Thinking about it, after Sister left today, she indeed never pulled my sleeve again, nor did she warn me to feed the ghosts when my vital energy was depleted.**

**Could it be that Sister... Ah, how could I forget that we share the same fate? If I am dying, how can Sister be well? At most, she can only stir up some cold wind.**

**I miss Sister so much. I wonder how she is.**

**The Ghost Cult in my generation has lost its most powerful tradition, and I am the worst of all. Without direct teaching, I had to rely on trial and error. One wrong step, and everything went wrong. Now, I am in the underworld, and even if my sins are not full, I will surely face severe punishment.**

**Not speaking? Hmph, you are quite resilient. But it doesn't matter. When you face General Jia Suo, you will have more to endure. Let me tell you, your case has been reviewed by the City God, the Alarm Department, the Inspection Department, the Reward Department, the Punishment Department, the Record Department, the Arrival Department, the Reward for Good Deeds Department, the Prison Department, and the Review Department. See? Others are taken by a single ghostly official, but you have a whole group. Be grateful!** Ling Tong said with a grim face.

The surroundings were still pitch black, with occasional ghostly officials leading the spirits of the dead in the same direction as me. They were each led by a single official, but I was surrounded by many. There was no way to escape.

**So, I must be quite impressive.** I smiled wryly, surprised that even a City God would pay so much attention to my case.

**I am not a hot-blooded youth who must seek revenge for every slight. I think if I resist, I might die and achieve transcendence, but if I don't, I will only suffer. So, I might as well find some joy in the suffering.**

**Impressive? Yes, the punishment will be severe. I hope you can still feel this way when your soul is about to be destroyed! By the way, someone in the world of the living did speak up for you, and the issue with the ghostly official was almost resolved. But your act of altering your fate and concealing your early death was discovered, which is a grave offense. No one can speak in your favor!** Ling Tong finally revealed the truth to me.

**Old Hai told me to plead, but the underworld discovered my fate. This makes me feel as if I am in an ice cellar. It seems that my grandmother's act of altering my fate and Sister's concealment of my early death are not tolerated by the underworld.**

**Now that Sister is gone, the situation has come to light.**

**Are we going to the City God?** I asked casually, as they were only guiding me and had not yet bound me with chains.

**You are smart. I am just a guide, leading you out of your body. General Jia Suo will take you from me, and that will be the moment of your retribution.** Ling Tong did not intend to hide anything from me; he was only responsible for taking my life.

**Ling Tong, the head of the ghostly officials, is indeed skilled. Unlike ordinary ghostly officials who wait for natural death, he directly pulled me into the Yellow Springs. Otherwise, Xijun and Song Wanyi would have noticed.**

**But this also gave me an idea. If I can find a way to inform Xijun and Song Wanyi, perhaps I can return to the world of the living. Otherwise, I will surely end up before the City God, from where escape is impossible.**

**And since they need a guide to take my life, it means the underworld is afraid that the ghostly officials might not be able to capture me. If I can persuade the guide to report a failed mission, I might have a chance to return to the world of the living. Then, I can strengthen my defenses, and perhaps they will never be able to take me again.**

**Brother Ling, I see that you are the only one who can speak rationally. The other ghostly officials seem to act on instinct. Is it because they are controlled by the underworld?** I asked, curious about their behavior.

**You are smart. I won't hide it from you. The ghostly officials are given command tokens to guide the spirits, but the underworld fears they might develop independent thoughts and become rogue spirits, so they lock most of their consciousness. Thus, they act on instinct and orders. As a guide, I do not have this concern, so my consciousness remains intact.** Ling Tong was intrigued by my lack of fear.

**I see. Brother Ling, my family has some wealth, but my sister is alone and my younger sister is in the world of the living. Could you possibly let me say goodbye to them? If I return, I will report your name and have them burn incense and gold for you every day. Or if you have any requests, I can pass them on. This will only take a moment, and once I have finished, you can take me as before.** I tried to bribe him, as Old Hai had said that if the underworld comes for you, you should agree to any demands.

Ling Tong looked at me with a blank expression. After a moment, he took out a white mourning stick and began to beat me mercilessly!

Each strike made my soul smoke, and the intense pain made me roll on the ground!

**Hey! You damn Ling Tong! That's enough! If you don't agree, just say so! You are just a guide, what right do you have to beat me? If I get out of here, I will slowly kill you, you dog!** I shouted, but Ling Tong glared at me with anger, ignoring my screams and continuing to beat me.