TGCFNM -Chapter 158 King Yama Tries the Case

Late at night.

Dark clouds veiled the moon, and a gloomy wind howled through the air.

Leaping blue ghostly flames flickered faintly, casting a cold aura as the light inside the hall shifted between brightness and shadow.

A cold skeletal hand swayed gently, brushing across the face of the person inside the hall. Just as the man’s eyelids twitched and he was about to wake, the hand flashed before his eyes and vanished.

Elder Master Gao, dressed only in his inner robe, shuddered from the chill and slowly propped himself up. Then his heart turned cold. His eyes widened more and more as he stared around him in alarm.

At that moment, a large cluster of dim blue ghostfire burst into life. Behind the desk appeared a fanged, ghost-faced figure—terrifying in countenance, grotesque in form. The figure leaned slightly forward, white vapor curling from between its sharp teeth.

“The one kneeling below—are you Gao Shouquan?”

Gao Shouquan did not answer. Instead, he pulled out a small golden Buddha statue from his robes, pressed it before his eyes, and trembled as he cried, “Amitabha! Golden Buddha, protect me!”

The Green-Faced King Yama—that is, Chu Ling—felt utterly speechless.

This Gao Shouquan knew full well that his crimes would send him to hell, yet he dared to invoke a golden Buddha? Once the interrogation was over, she would definitely confiscate it.

“I shall ask once more. Is the person kneeling below Gao Shouquan?”

“If you refuse to answer truthfully again, I will summon karmic fire and let you suffer the pain of burning.”

Still unmoved, Gao Shouquan clutched the golden Buddha and muttered incessantly. Irritated, Chu Ling signaled to White Impermanence, Wan Sanjin, who stood at the side.

Wan Sanjin hopped lightly over to Gao Shouquan, let out a strange cry, blew out a burst of flame, scattered some powder, and immediately leapt away.

Gao Shouquan suddenly felt a wave of scorching heat engulf his body. He shrieked miserably, sprang up from the ground, tore off his inner robe, and screamed wildly like a plucked old rooster.

“Gao Shouquan! Kneel before this hall!”

Finally realizing there was no way back, Gao Shouquan dropped to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face.

“Injustice! Lord Yama, injustice! I have done good deeds all my life. I should not be in the underworld!”

Chu Ling leaned forward slightly.

“Recently, many ghosts who died of gluttony and many wronged spirits have arrived in the underworld. Each has come before me to seek justice. I personally went to investigate and found that the Gao family indeed performed many charitable acts—it does not seem as they claimed.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Lord Yama, I—I am a great philanthropist!” Gao Shouquan cried.

“I told them that if they were willing to cross mountains of blades and seas of fire, I would capture you and bring you before the Hall of Yama to question the matter thoroughly.” Chu Ling’s voice turned sinister. “They crossed those mountains of blades and seas of fire. Thus, I have invited you here to the underworld.”

Panic filled Gao Shouquan’s face. “Lord Yama, Lord Yama! It was them—it was their greed! It was their greed at work!”

Chu Ling gave a soft “oh?”

“You mean to say they were greedy—ate your family’s food—and died of overindulgence?”

“Yes! Yes!” Gao Shouquan shouted eagerly.

“I have presided over the underworld for hundreds of years, and I am exceedingly fair and impartial. If you have evidence to prove it, I shall release you,” Chu Ling said.

“Evidence… evidence…” Gao Shouquan stammered. “Lord Yama, what evidence?”

“If you have none, are you not simply making wild accusations?” Chu Ling rebuked coldly.

Gao Shouquan hurriedly wracked his brain. Suddenly, he exclaimed excitedly, “Lord! The bellies of those gluttonous ghosts were full of food. They were greedy for the Gao family’s provisions. That food—that is the evidence!”

Chu Ling looked down at the kneeling Gao Shouquan, her voice as cold as frost.

“I have already examined them with my heavenly eye. The wine and the food were thrown to them by you and several others, forcing them to scramble for it. It was not their greed.”

Gao Shouquan’s expression changed slightly. He began to breathe heavily and glanced around in suspicion—

He could breathe?

Chu Ling curled her lips into a faint smile and glanced toward Su He.

“When this hall questions you, why do you not answer?” Chu Ling barked. “Guards—bring forth the fire punishment!”

Su He swung the mourning staff in his hand and pointed it straight at Gao Shouquan.

“Fire punishment!”

Immediately, a ring of ghostly flames erupted around Gao Shouquan. The flames flickered eerily, cold air spreading outward. He felt as though his feet had been frozen solid like ice.

“Lord Yama!” Gao Shouquan cried. “It was their greed! It was their greed! Like ravenous demons, they kept demanding that the Gao family servants bring them more food. They died of their own greed!”

As he spoke, his drooping eyelids lifted, and he cast a cold, sinister look at Chu Ling seated above.

Chu Ling clicked her tongue. The old thing had been frightened earlier and blurted out quite a bit. Now that he had regained his senses—fearful yet suspicious—he refused to speak honestly.

But no matter.

Judging by the time, the hallucinogenic drug Su He had administered should be taking full effect about now.

Gao Shouquan’s vision suddenly flushed red. It felt as though he had been thrown into a sea of fire. The scorching heat surged through his mouth into his lungs, burning him like a human torch—flames raging from the inside out. His throat turned dry and parched, and thick black smoke seemed to pour from his mouth.

But just as suddenly, an icy chill swept over him. Before he could recover, the bone-piercing cold shot up from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head. The white vapor from his breath froze into ice. His limbs felt locked in place, unable to move. The frigid cold seeped into his marrow, making him feel like a corpse.

“Great Benefactor Gao, I can’t eat anymore… I truly can’t…”

“Great Benefactor Gao, I can’t drink anymore… I really can’t…”

“Great Benefactor Gao, please, spare me… spare me…”

“Great Benefactor Gao, I won’t dare ask for another bun again. I won’t eat… I won’t…”

The icy, pleading voices echoed endlessly in Gao Shouquan’s ears. The chill carried with it a hatred that had grown at some unknown moment, surging toward him and gathering beside his ears.

“Gao Shouquan, a life for a life!”

“Gao Shouquan, I won’t let you go even as a ghost!”

“Gao Shouquan, you’ll descend to the eighteenth level of hell—you’ll die without a whole corpse!”

“Ah—!”

Gao Shouquan suddenly screamed, as if jolting awake. Staring at the wandering spirits and vengeful ghosts before him, he threw his head back and laughed wildly, his features twisted as he shouted, “I’ve already asked the temple abbot to consecrate a golden Buddha for me! You wild ghosts—disperse at once!”

Countless spirits shrieked in fury, rushing at him from all directions. Skeletal frames rattled as they lunged, clawing at him with bared fangs.

A female ghost descended from above, hair disheveled, blood and tears streaking her face. She clamped her hands tightly around Gao Shouquan’s throat.

“A life for a life! A life for a life!”

Gao Shouquan clawed at the hands around his neck and sneered. “Heh… So the newly arrived magistrate is playing at gods and ghosts? You think I’ll be afraid of such tricks?”

“Gao Shouquan, even now, do you still refuse to repent?” Chu Ling shouted coldly.

Gao Shouquan shoved the ghost away and laughed strangely. “Your night trial is a sham! Even if I confess to everything, what can you do? Noble Consort Gao has already sent word—my Gao family does not fear you!”

“So you admit that the twenty-three murders, the abuse of seven orphaned girls, the seizure of property from four households, and the hiring of thirteen assassins—these were all committed by your Gao family? You admit it?” Chu Ling demanded sharply.

“I admit it—so what? Can you make me sign a confession? This so-called night trial has no commoners witnessing it—who would believe you? You’re merely trying to beat a confession out of me. Noble Consort Gao will stand up for the Gao family!” Gao Shouquan said with disdain as he put on his inner robe and gave a cold snort.

Luckily, he had realized in time and hadn’t fallen into the brat’s trap.

The Gao family had Noble Consort Gao. No one could privately interrogate them.

Chu Ling glanced toward Master Chen in the corner. With tears in his eyes, Master Chen nodded. “It’s recorded.”

Chu Ling looked back at Gao Shouquan and let out a light scoff. “That’s not all. You colluded with the temple abbot. In order to ensure that Noble Consort Gao’s young prince could ascend the throne, you molded a golden body for him and ordered men to set up a Bagua formation to seize His Majesty’s true dragon qi…”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Gao Shouquan pointed at Chu Ling and cursed.

Chu Ling smiled smugly. “Great Benefactor Gao, everything I’ve said is backed by evidence. The imperial eunuch sent from the palace personally saw it. He has already departed for the capital.”

Gao Shouquan sneered. “Oh? Is that so?”

Suddenly, Chu Ling clapped his hands. The curtains of the main hall fell at once.

Behind them were the townspeople—who had been there all along, holding their breath in silence—the gagged members of the Gao family, Zhuque, Master Chen recording the proceedings, and Lin Yingzhi recounting her grievances.

Panic flickered across Gao Shouquan’s face. “What kind of trial is this? Are you playing children’s games?”

Chu Ling lowered his gaze to his black-painted fingernails and blew lightly on them. “But what can be done? The eunuch heard the people’s testimony. He saw the evidence of your golden statue. As for the cases I handle—who would dare say I’ve judged wrongly?”

Gao Shouquan cast a sinister look at the crowd. “Does this night trial count as a verdict? Why don’t you come out and testify for me!”

“Why would they?” Su He spoke softly. “Why testify for a dead man?”

Gao Shouquan froze, then suddenly toppled backward. Foam spilled from his mouth as his body convulsed.

Chu Ling clicked her tongue and called out loudly, “Great Benefactor Gao, this is what epilepsy looks like. When someone has a seizure, they can’t harm others. Remember that.”

The members of the Gao family had red-rimmed eyes, glaring at Chu Ling in fury but unable to utter a single word.

Following Chu Ling’s gaze, Su He suddenly realized something. “I forgot to tell you, my lord—they’ve been poisoned. They can’t make a sound.”

Chu Ling gave a faint nod, stood, and struck the wooden block with a sharp crack.

“Judgment: The Gao family’s property is to be confiscated. All members are to be imprisoned.”

“Court dismissed!”