Chapter 96

Qin Guangwang saw that Zuo Qianhu's expression was sincere, and it seemed he was telling the truth.

It appeared that he had encountered an evil spirit, which was afraid of his official authority. Although it did not dare to approach him, it secretly used its powers to send this person to the underworld. Although such incidents were uncommon, they did happen from time to time.

This made Qin Guangwang somewhat perplexed.

He had promised Xuankong to help teach Mila Chan Shi a lesson, to educate him that retribution is inevitable in the world, and to make him收敛性子 and stay away from prostitution and gambling from then on. However, encountering Zuo Qianhu at this critical moment, how should he handle it?

Qin Guangwang placed his finger on the Book of Life and Death, examining Zuo Qianhu's life record, and asked, "Have you ever done anything against your conscience, thus losing your heavenly blessings and dying prematurely to end up in my underworld?"

Zuo Qianhu, however, puffed out his chest and said, "I have been favored by heaven and appointed as a thousand-man commander of the Jinyiwei. Wherever I go, I only accept a bowl of water wine from local officials, and I absolutely do not take anything else."

"As for other matters, I only act on orders. Regardless of whether they are good or bad, I believe I can face my conscience without guilt!"

Qin Guangwang, hearing his righteous words, could not help but sneer, "The purpose of setting up officials is to govern the people on behalf of the emperor. Whether it is a minor official in a county or a major official in the capital, they all have the duty to weigh the pros and cons and uphold justice."

"If just following orders and not exploiting the people makes one a good official, then a wooden puppet or a straw man on the court would be even more competent, as they wouldn't even drink a bowl of water wine!"

Zuo Qianhu was silent, realizing that this was indeed the case. He was a mid-level official.

He did not need to compete with minor clerks for tasks; should he only follow orders? However, Zuo Qianhu still tried to defend himself, "Although I have no great achievements, I have never done anything against my conscience."

Qin Guangwang's finger moved away from the Book of Life and Death. In a short while, he had already reviewed Zuo Qianhu's entire life and sneered, "You have always been cautious in protecting yourself. As a court inspector, you have handled countless wrongful cases and entrapments, but you have always been afraid of getting involved and have never stood up for justice. Is this not a failure to fulfill your duty and a betrayal of the emperor's expectations?"

Zuo Qianhu was left speechless by Qin Guangwang's relentless questioning. He dared not look the King of Hell in the eye and lowered his head, saying, "Yes, that is the truth. As a thousand-man commander of the Jinyiwei, I have failed to oversee the injustices in the world, and that is a sin..."

Seeing the human official bow his head, Qin Guangwang slowly looked towards the secret room behind him and softened his tone, smiling, "I just couldn't stand your self-righteous attitude. Generally speaking, the greater one's abilities, the greater one's responsibilities. I have reviewed your life record, and you indeed have one more year of life left. I will not detain you; you may return."

He then waved his hand, ordering the ghost soldiers to take Zuo Qianhu out and return him to the human world through the Ghost Gate. Before leaving, Zuo Qianhu broke free from the ghost soldiers' escort, knelt before Qin Guangwang, and kowtowed, saying, "I have only heard people talk about justice and fairness, but now I am truly convinced. I am willing to give up my remaining year of life to serve the King of the Underworld!"

Qin Guangwang chuckled, "Rest assured. If you can accumulate good deeds after returning to the human world, you may live a few more years. Moreover, even after a year, there might still be a chance for you to avoid returning to me."

Zuo Qianhu, hearing Qin Guangwang explain that the lifespan in the Book of Life and Death changes based on a person's actions and karma, realized that his remaining year of life was predetermined, and no matter how much he pleaded, the King of the Underworld would not accept him.

He nodded and turned to follow the ghost soldiers out.

He did not hope to live a few more years but only wished to conclude his life's career in the last year. Xuankong, hiding in the secret room, thought to himself, "So that's the reason. Zuo Qianhu knew his life was short, so he dared to help the wrongfully accused official, Fu Da Ren, explain and clear his name."

This person has some spirit. If he is willing to become a disciple of the Laoshan Sect in the future, I might consider saving him.

Xuankong felt that his future Laoshan Sect should have a guardian who oversees the moral conduct of the disciples.

Seeing the ghost soldiers take Zuo Qianhu away to return to the human world, Mila Chan Shi, who was in the queue, became envious and rushed out, shouting, "I also have not reached the end of my life; I was forcibly brought to the underworld!"

Qin Guangwang had long known who Mila Chan Shi was but pretended not to know, shouting, "Who are you, and why are you roaring in my court?"

Mila Chan Shi rushed out of the queue, knelt on the ground, and clasped his hands, saying, "World Honored Dizang, I am a disciple of the Abbot Fahai of Jinshan Temple in the human world. I was forcibly brought to the underworld by a senior practitioner."

He did not know Xuankong's background and only knew that his powers were far greater than his own, so he did not dare to say anything bad about Xuankong even in private.

Qin Guangwang glared and looked around, asking, "Is this true?"

A ghost practitioner who had been meditating on a cushion stood up and bowed to Qin Guangwang, saying, "Your Majesty, it is true. This monk was brought here by our underworld soldiers using a soul-binding rope."

Mila Chan Shi, who was always cunning, did not argue with the ghost practitioner but instead cried and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am wronged. My life has not yet ended..."

Qin Guangwang secretly laughed, knowing that his lifespan had not ended, but he still took the Book of Life and Death from the judge. He silently channeled his true energy, flipped to the page of Ninghai County in the register of all the people in the world, and pretended to read it.

Mila Chan Shi thought he had found a savior and kept kowtowing, begging Qin Guangwang to let him return to the human world.

Qin Guangwang looked at the Book of Life and Death for a while, then slapped his jade tablet on the table and angrily asked, "You there, are you the eldest son of the Zhang family in Ninghai County?"

Mila Chan Shi, not yet realizing what was happening, nodded in agreement.

Qin Guangwang nodded and said, "The underworld is precisely after people like you!" Mila Chan Shi was stunned and stammered, "I am a disciple of the Buddha, devoted to the path of enlightenment. I have never offended the King of the Underworld!"

He still did not know where he had offended Qin Guangwang, so he was brought to the underworld.

Qin Guangwang then asked, "Have you ever used the good name of Buddhism to raise money from the people and use it for gambling and debauchery?" Mila Chan Shi hurriedly shook his head and denied it, "No such thing, I would never dare to do that."

Qin Guangwang laughed coldly. There were many foolish people in the world, and he did not expect someone to still lie in the King of Hell's court. He used his powers to project images in front of Mila Chan Shi, showing his misdeeds in the human world.

The images showed him cavorting with women in brothels, setting up scams in gambling dens, secretly bribing the monks of Jinshan Temple to be listed as Fahai's disciple, and conspiring with the fox spirit Xiaor Ge.

As the images unfolded, Mila Chan Shi's lies were exposed one by one.