"Husband... what did he mean by that..."
The man kowtowed as he muttered, splattering blood from his face onto the ground.
"Husband... what did he mean? Why did he call you 'my lord'? Which lord was he referring to?" Di Yao gently tugged at Wei Xunzhou's sleeve.
Wei Xunzhou was silent for a moment, then kicked the man away.
"A madman."
The man tumbled from the kick, struggled to sit up, his eyes briefly glazing over before he went wild again.
"I don't want to go to hell! I want to be an official! It was clearly promised that I'd have wealth and a high rank in my next life! How could it... yes! That's right! It must be a mistake! Those lords said so before!"
Di Yao couldn't understand what the man was raving about, but she knew his mind was muddled, so his words weren't credible. "What is this person babbling about? What official?"
Just then, the short, heavy footsteps of a group approached, accompanied by the crisp clatter of armor.
Ghost messengers had arrived.
Seeing them, Di Yao felt half relieved. "Brothers, come take a look at this man. He seems a bit off—talking incoherently."
She pointed to her head, then at the man.
To her surprise, the ghost messengers were unfazed. They helped the man up.
The man's reaction grew even more intense. Seeing the messengers beside him, he bent his knees as if to kneel again, just as he had done with Wei Xunzhou.
He repeated his pleas: "My lord! Please spare me! I kowtow to you! I truly know I was wrong! I beg you, please! I'll kowtow! If you think it's not loud enough, I'll do it again! I really don't want to go to hell!"
The messengers quickly grabbed him, all wearing displeased expressions.
"Husband... that sounds exactly like what he said earlier." As Di Yao spoke, she felt the air around them grow colder.
Wei Xunzhou looked down at his clothes, stained with blood and dirt. He flicked them with distaste. "Does it?"
"Doesn't it?"
"Let's go. There's nothing else here." Wei Xunzhou took two steps, then noticed Di Yao still standing there, her hand holding the bucket involuntarily clenching.
Di Yao overheard the ghost messengers saying they had been searching for this man. Curiosity got the better of her, and she approached to ask for details.
The leading messenger hesitated, rubbing his nose, then gave a brief explanation.
It turned out that the man's constant talk of "becoming an official" wasn't entirely delusional—it was based on actual events.
Seventy years ago, under the auspices of Yinsi Guidi, all departments in the Underworld underwent restructuring. The various checkpoints on the path to rebirth were also modified to varying degrees.
The new rules on rewards and punishments, in particular, cemented Yinsi Guidi's fearsome reputation.
Originally, after death, souls would be judged by the Kings of Hell, who would assess the soul's good and evil deeds in life and directly determine their fate—status, experiences, and wealth in the next life.
This system was already quite thorough. At the time, the ten Kings of Hell unanimously decided to simply refine the criteria and make a perfunctory submission. But to their surprise, Yinsi Guidi rejected their proposal.
Reason: Not stringent enough.
These four words in red ink left the ten Kings of Hell racking their brains. They held endless meetings, revised the rules sixteen times, and finally received another red "Rejected" from Yinsi Guidi.
As the Kings sat together, scratching their heads, unsure how to proceed, the Ghost Emperor's mansion issued a new set of rules drafted by Yinsi Guidi himself.
The changes were not huge in scope. In essence, rewards and punishments were separated: upon entering the Underworld, souls would first go to the Department of Good Rewards, where the Kings would evaluate their good deeds. They would be told how favorable their next life's fate would be and would be shown a beautiful illusion.
After the illusion, while the souls were still elated, the Kings would lead them to the Department of Punishing Evil. There, every evil deed, large or small, would be enumerated, leaving nothing out. Then merits and demerits would be offset, and the final judgment would be handed down.
For the most heinous offenders, the Kings were to follow the principle of light rewards and heavy punishments, sending them to the Eighteen Hells to suffer flaying, dismemberment, disembowelment, and tongue-pulling.
The entire process was like falling off a cliff—from a golden, radiant cloud straight into a bottomless abyss.
It was like dangling a chicken leg in front of a beggar who had starved for seven days, only to snatch it away as he was about to eat and give him a hard kick.
Xiang Yun's lover was exactly such a case. Unable to accept the final verdict, he went mad.
At the time, the Kings thought this new rule was redundant and felt somewhat resentful. In their view, the new rule was mediocre at best.
But they dared not voice any objection, as Yinsi Guidi's actions, while heart-wrenching, weren't excessive. Later, it turned out that the new rule was extremely effective. Often, souls unable to bear the outcome willingly threw themselves into the Wangchuan River, choosing to never be reborn as humans, as a form of penance.
Thus, Yinsi Guidi's reputation for ruthless methods was fully established.
The ghost messenger said a few more words, then he and his companions escorted the man away, stating they would send him to the Wangchuan River to repent.
Di Yao walked over to Wei Xunzhou. "Husband, you heard all that, right? That man really is crazy. No wonder he kept spouting nonsense. I thought maybe a ghost had possessed him, but come to think of it, he's already a ghost. Possession doesn't apply."
Wei Xunzhou stared at the ground, distracted. "Mm."
"Still, I have to say, this Lord Ghost Emperor's methods are brutal. The man was fine a few days ago, and now he's like this. Truly ruthless."
"Does that not satisfy you?" Wei Xunzhou looked up, studying Di Yao's profile intently.
"I was satisfied, but now I'm still angry!" Di Yao clenched her teeth and punched the air a few times.
Wei Xunzhou paused mid-step, watching her retreating figure. "Why are you angry? Not enough?"
"No." Di Yao turned and approached Wei Xunzhou. After checking that no one was around, she complained freely: "I'm just a little mad at that so-called Yinsi Guidi!"
Wei Xunzhou's expression flickered with confusion. "Why?"
"Why? Husband, just look down! All because of his new rules, that man went mad and was let loose to run around. Now our two big buckets of purified water—more than half spilled before we even got home!" Di Yao was exasperated.
"Aren't you angry, husband?"