Chapter 52

Ling Tong didn't mind me cursing him; he only stopped after several lashes, leaving me gritting my teeth in pain, feeling uncomfortable all over.

Struggling to get up, my clothes were already in tatters, revealing my body. Ling Tong had no intention of giving me new clothes, so I could only wander around looking like a beggar.

If you try to bribe me with money again, I'll make you lose your soul! The underworld has always been fair and just, especially for your heinous crimes. Here is the official document. If you dare to do anything else, I won't hesitate to punish you immediately! Ling Tong looked at me coldly, took out a white sin decree, and threw it in front of me. With a wave of his hand, four or five ghost officers came forward and brought out some tools.

The ghost officers lifted the white cloth covering a large black pot, which was boiling with oil. They then took out a set of exquisite tongue-pulling tools, ready to pull out my tongue, which scared me almost to the point of sitting on the ground.

I picked up the sin decree and saw the same "thou" and "I" characters he had recited earlier, along with many strange seals.

Ling Tong smiled smugly, his face full of amusement: See? This is the sin decree, personally written by the City God, with the official seal. It can reach the living world at will, regardless of emperors, generals, or living Buddhas. When their lifespan is over, I can summon their souls too!

Oh, so this is the sin decree. The handwriting is quite good, but can it really reach the living world? I nodded, looked at the sin decree, and then at the smoke coming from my soul, frowning deeply.

Do you need to ask? Just recite the decree, and the soul will be summoned to the underworld, no matter who it is. Hmph. Ling Tong saw my worried expression and sneered.

He then looked at a tall, continuous wall and the gate in the middle, and said to me: The City God is there. Don't you see the person in blue armor with a large chain? That's the Chain General! Bribing me? You're just asking for death!

Ling Tong, you whipped me twenty-nine times and kicked me seven times. I admit I deserved it. A dog bit me, and I bit back, but I won't let this go with your City God. If he doesn't send me back to the living world, I'll call for help and tear down your City God temple! I glared at Ling Tong fiercely.

Ling Tong laughed cruelly: Very well, you have some backbone. But how long can you hold out?

Hold out? I'll make you hold out! I cursed, holding the sin decree and drawing the incantations to summon Xijun and Song Wanyi, and shouted: Xijun! Song Wanyi! My soul has been dragged to the underworld by the Grim Reaper. What are you two still doing guarding my body? Come and save me quickly!

Ha! Haha! Are you stupid? The sin decree is for summoning souls. What use is it to summon someone whose lifespan hasn't ended? Stop causing trouble, or I'll really make you roll in that pot of oil! Ling Tong laughed, snatched the sin decree, and kicked me to the ground: I'll beat some sense into you. Then the ghost officers will drag you to see the City God. I doubt he'll blame me. I've seen many evil spirits like you, and they all deserve a beating!

Ling Tong, you dog, I hope your bones are as hard as you say! Don't beg for mercy after a few tortures! I wouldn't let up, knowing he would just beat me a few more times.

Just as he was beating me, two rescuers, one in white and one in red, flew in from where I had come. Seeing me being beaten by Ling Tong, Xijun was furious, her mouth wide open, and she pounced over!

Song Wanyi was also enraged. She had just become a female warrior in my household and hadn't even had a chance to show her skills when her master was almost crippled by ghosts. She knew the lady would beat her to death if she didn't save me. Thinking of the lady's dominance, she wished she had more legs to run faster.

Dog Ling Tong! I hope you don't get scared to death! Seeing Xijun pounce over, I knew the sin decree had worked. I had been puzzled earlier when he used ancient language to summon my soul, which flew directly to the underworld without needing to go through the living world.

Once in the underworld, this dog started addressing me as "you." It must have been a spell he recited earlier. Otherwise, with Xijun and Song Wanyi protecting me, the underworld wouldn't have been able to drag me down without a bloody battle.

When I told him I would call for help, he didn't believe me. He didn't know I was a ghost master and was calling for help from the underworld, not the living world.

Xijun, kill all the ghost officers except this dog! I gritted my teeth, lying on the ground, pointing at the ghost officers.

When fierce ghosts see lesser ghosts, it's like wolves seeing sheep. These ghost officers, who had been smug earlier, were actually cowards.

Xijun, who could eat fierce ghosts, let out a roar that made the ghost officers fall to the ground, unable to move. She picked them up one by one, like choosing candies, and swallowed their heads with her blood-stained mouth.

After eating one at the Zhao family's estate, Xijun had developed a taste for ghost officers. They were cold and delicious, and she had never had the chance to eat them in Feng Town. Now, with over twenty to choose from, and my order to eat them, she was in her element.

Ling Tong, seeing two powerful ghosts, turned green with fear and immediately took out a mourning stick to fight. But Song Wanyi's light shout created a fierce hurricane, blowing Ling Tong's soul off balance and rolling on the ground.

I picked up the mourning stick, struggled to stand up, and struck Ling Tong's face.

Slap!

Ah! Ling Tong rolled in pain.

Dog! You bastard, for beating me so hard! I cursed, hitting him all over with the mourning stick, making his soul smoke like a dancing immortal.

Master, stop! If you hit him too much, he'll lose his soul. The mourning stick can summon souls, and each hit can send a part of the soul flying. It's not a dog stick; hitting too much will make him disappear. Song Wanyi looked at Ling Tong worriedly and said to me.

What? How can you speak? Your voice is so sweet. I looked around and realized we were in the underworld.

Master, we're in the underworld. Shouldn't you change your position? Song Wanyi said, looking at my tattered clothes and my leg dangling over Ling Tong, revealing something inappropriate.

Any movement, and a man's charm can't be hidden. She blushed and was too embarrassed to speak.

Grandpa Xia! Sixty-four hits, that's more than double! I glared at Ling Tong, avoiding the awkwardness, and kicked him a few more times: Take off your clothes and give them to me! Hurry up!

Grandpa Xia! Sixty-four is more than double! Please stop! I'll take them off, I'll take them off! Ling Tong hesitated, but seeing me raise the stick again, he quickly took off his official clothes and handed them to me.

Wow! Brother is naked, Xijun wants a hug! Xijun, after eating the ghost officers, saw me about to put on new clothes and ran over to hug me, despite my nakedness. I immediately used the official clothes to cover my important parts.

Ling Tong, seeing me throw him my old prison clothes, also understood the need for modesty and quickly put them on. As a ferryman, his identity was important, and he couldn't be naked.

The official clothes must be specially made by the underworld, as they didn't tear even after such a beating. No wonder Ling Tong seemed quite resilient, almost losing his soul.

But the dog's official clothes looked quite handsome on me. Song Wanyi and Xijun were impressed, and this was much better than the tattered beggar's clothes.

Ling Tong, now hunched over, smoking all over, didn't dare stand straight. If he did, he would be exposed.

You were standing straight just now. Now that the roles are reversed, you're like this? The change in roles made me feel better. I touched the smoke still coming from my body and really wanted to beat Ling Tong to death. He had been too harsh, almost making my soul fly away.

Grandpa Xia, you know, I had no choice. Your case was ordered from above, and the Chain General is waiting. I couldn't favor you. I'm not deliberately against you! Ling Tong was really scared. He had just started his new job and had an important task from above. If he failed, it would affect his promotion. He was frustrated and had to smile.

Speak! How can I return to the living world? If you can summon souls, there must be a way to return them! I thought about the news reports of people coming back to life after a few hours. There must be a way to return, and the key is the conditions. How long had I been dead?

Returning to the living world is a big deal. Unless it's a mistake, it needs approval from the City God and the Twenty-Four Departments. Only then can you return. In your case, it's difficult. Why don't you stay in the underworld and work? You can command two ghost generals and will have an important position in the City God's office! Ling Tong said carefully.

I kicked him: Get lost, you dog! Why would I want to be a ghost in your underworld? If I can't return, I'll tear down your small City God temple!

Ling Tong's face turned green and white, and he was scared: Grandpa Xia, being a ghost in the underworld is better. You can command ghost officers, and you'll be well-fed and well-cared for. Many people want to be ghosts. The world is tough, and being a ghost is better.

You don't want to let me return? You want me to fight?

Grandpa Xia! I'm just a ferryman. You'll have to see the City God. Why don't you come with me? Ling Tong had no choice. He thought about taking me to the City God to pass the buck. He didn't want to serve me anymore. Maybe the Chain General and the ghost officers would overpower me, and the underworld would have the final say. He could also teach me a lesson about being a low-profile ghost.

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