Chapter 31: Are You Planning to Offer Yourself as a Reward?

"No, no, no."
Iron Mask hurriedly waved his hand.
"Although the King of Hell possesses boundless cultivation, he does not have such power to know the past. He simply has a ghost weapon called the Record of Redress; only the names of those who have been wronged can be inscribed upon it, and when their grievances are resolved, their names vanish."
He continued to explain to Xu Taiping.
"With the Record of Redress, doesn’t that mean there’s no need to fear wrongful convictions?"
Xu Ye's face lit up with realization, then he asked curiously.
"Not necessarily. For example, in some cases, you don’t even know the name of the wronged party—how can you help them seek justice? Besides, our Ghost Suppression Bureau mainly hunts ghost entities. Cases like today’s, as long as the King of Hell doesn’t pursue them further, can be considered closed—after all, the ghost has already been slain."
Iron Mask shook his head.
Hearing this, Xu Ye immediately understood.
"In fact, it’s much like our old way of handling cases. Often, we already know where the truth lies, but without evidence, we cannot bring the culprit to justice."
He mused silently to himself.
"Xu Ye, could you give me those words?"
Just then, Lin Buyu, who had been silently contemplating after hearing the story of 'The Old Man Who Lost His Horse,' suddenly opened her eyes in excitement and looked at Xu Ye.
"Which words?"
Xu Ye was curious.
"Blessings and misfortune are intertwined!"
Lin Buyu’s eyes sparkled.
Those four words were casually mentioned by Xu Ye as he explained the story, yet they had sparked an epiphany in Lin Buyu.
"What do you need them for?"
Xu Ye asked again.
"I wish to use these four words as my first true incantation upon entering the Sage Realm."
Lin Buyu answered truthfully.
"An incantation? Does that mean, once you have it, you can wield power with your words, like your senior brother?"
Xu Ye suddenly recalled the scene when Lin Buyu’s senior brother slew the Bone-Eater Ghost.
"More or less, though I may not wield it as skillfully as my senior brother."
Lin Buyu nodded.
"If you like them, take them. These four words weren’t originally mine anyway."
Xu Ye spoke with carefree generosity.
If he remembered correctly, the phrase 'blessings and misfortune are intertwined' comes from the Book of the Way, and the Confucian school often incorporates Daoist culture. Lin Buyu using Daoist concepts as her incantation was hardly strange.
"Xu Ye, if I truly achieve my first incantation with these four words, I will reward you handsomely!"

Lin Buyu looked at Xu Ye with a serious expression.
"Are you planning to offer yourself as thanks?"
Xu Ye eyed her warily, shifting his seat to the side.
"You wish!"
Lin Buyu rolled her eyes at him.
"I swore before my mother’s grave long ago that I would never marry in this life!"
She turned her stubborn gaze away.
"Hmm?"
Just as Xu Ye was about to tease her further, a sudden warmth spread from his sleeve. He reached in and found the bamboo slip left to him by Xu Yuan, now burning hot.
"What’s going on? This thing has never reacted before—why now?"
Xu Ye was full of confusion.
The bamboo slip had been in his sleeve for a long time, without any sign of life.
"I’ll look at it tonight when I get home."
Try as he might, he couldn’t find an answer. Xu Ye quietly tucked the bamboo slip deeper into his sleeve.
This wasn’t the place to take it out.
...
That evening.
Fengtian Courtyard, Ghost Suppression Bureau.
"Reporting to the King of Hell, three cases have been closed today. The case at the Cao residence was the most dangerous; the young girl of the Cao family nurtured a ghost with resentment, causing a wraith to swiftly transform into an avenging spirit. Fortunately, Sun Wuchang of the Six Flags responded decisively and, together with the Grade B ghost officer Scholar, slew the avenging spirit."
In the main hall of the Ghost Suppression Bureau, Judge Wu Lie arrived with Sun Wuchang and the Grade B ghost officer Scholar to report the cases.
Originally, the case was supposed to be settled in a few days, but Sun Wuchang was wary of unforeseen complications and, as he was only a few merits away from being promoted from Wuchang to Judge, he pleaded with Judge Wu to bring him and Scholar along for today’s report.
"Ah, ah, ah..."
The King of Hell, draped in a white fur cloak, coughed softly as he flipped through the dossier handed over by Judge Wu, asking without looking up,
"No injuries?"
"Replying to the King of Hell, no one in the Six Flags was hurt, though we did rescue two ghost officers from the Third Flag who wandered in by accident."
Sun Wuchang stepped forward to answer.
Hearing this, Judge Wu merely frowned, saying nothing more.
"Which two from the Third Flag?"
The King of Hell still didn’t look up as he asked offhandedly.
"Subordinates of Zhou Mang of the Third Flag: Grade B ghost officer Iron Mask, and a newly promoted ghost officer Xu Ye."
Sun Wuchang continued his answer.
He spoke thus to disparage the Third Flag, hoping to tarnish Zhou Mang’s reputation in the King of Hell’s eyes and gain an edge in the coming contest for judge’s seats.
"Someone, bring me the Record of Redress."
To the surprise of Sun Wuchang and Judge Wu, the King of Hell—originally uninterested in the case—suddenly grew animated upon hearing Sun Wuchang’s last words, even calling for the Record of Redress, usually reserved for major cases.
"K-King of Hell, is there some irregularity in this case?"
Judge Wu asked cautiously.
Sun Wuchang and Scholar, beside him, became visibly nervous, barely daring to breathe.
"No, the Record of Redress hasn’t been used in nearly half a year. Today is a good day to air it out, lest it become infested with bugs."
The King of Hell answered calmly.
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the name 'Xu Ye' in the dossier.
Judge Wu, Sun Wuchang, and the others all breathed a sigh of relief at his words.
Sun Wuchang exchanged a confident glance with Scholar.
In his view, the Cao family case was airtight: the culprit and the weapon were accounted for, the ghost slain—there was no possibility of error, so he had no fear.
"Your Excellency, the Record of Redress has arrived."
A bailiff of the Ghost Suppression Bureau brought forward a wooden box bound in chains to the King of Hell.
"Set it down."
The King of Hell sat up straight, watching as the bailiff placed the box upon the desk.
Bang, bang, bang!
No sooner had the box touched the desk than it began to shake violently, as if something inside was trying to escape; a chilling aura spread throughout the hall.
Judge Wu, Sun Wuchang, and others grew visibly tense.
They knew well that the ghost sealed in the Record of Redress was at least on the level of a Ghost King.
"Just half a year, and it’s already so restless?"
The King of Hell merely looked at the box with a faint smile.
He extended a single finger and tapped it twice; the contents immediately quieted, and the murderous aura dispersed entirely.
Everyone relaxed, secretly awed by the King of Hell's terrifying power.
"Come, help me see if this person still bears any grievance."
The King of Hell smiled, taking out the key.