Cui Jue pinched a handful of wheat, brought it to his nose, and sniffed, then gave Di Yao a deep look. The facts were already laid out before her; Di Yao didn't know how to explain for a moment. Cui Jue waved his hand and said sternly, "Take it all away!"
Upon hearing this, Di Yao blocked the door, gripping the doorframe tightly with both hands. "Hey, hey, hey, brothers, these are my things—you can't take them!"
Many neighbors outside had heard the conversation inside, and when they saw the grain, they were all shocked. For a moment, murmuring broke out beyond the door. Di Yao's heart was in turmoil.
"None of this grain was stolen or taken by force—how dare you confiscate it?" Wei Xunzhou's cold gaze swept over the Ghost Messenger who was pulling at Di Yao's arm. Seeing that the other's hand still held her, Wei Xunzhou reached out, grabbed the Ghost Messenger's wrist, and bent it back. A crisp sound was heard, and the Ghost Messenger's wrist was twisted into a terrifying angle.
The Ghost Messenger screamed in pain, holding his trembling hand. Di Yao was also startled into a cold sweat. "Husband! You... that's a Ghost Messenger!" Di Yao gritted her teeth and whispered into Wei Xunzhou's ear. She didn't understand what he was thinking, daring to strike in front of everyone. Di Yao felt at a loss, her gaze shifting between Wei Xunzhou and Cui Jue.
Wei Xunzhou's calm and unhurried demeanor was understandable to Di Yao, but even Cui Jue was exceptionally serene, as if that Ghost Messenger wasn't even his subordinate. Had Cui Jue been intimidated by Wei Xunzhou's reckless move? Apart from the Ghost Messenger's cries of pain, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.
Cui Jue narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Wei Xunzhou, lost in thought. But Wei Xunzhou had only glanced at him once; his gaze stayed on Di Yao the whole time. However, Cui Jue knew that Wei Xunzhou was engaged in a silent confrontation with him, and judging by the pressure that only the two of them could feel, he was not at an advantage.
Di Yao disliked such a tense standoff, so she spoke to Cui Jue: "Lord Judge, that Ghost Messenger just now hurt me. My husband was anxious and acted a bit heavy-handed. I hope you will forgive him." Cui Jue shifted his gaze to Di Yao and listened quietly to her explanation.
"That's how it is, and I won't make more excuses. But what my husband said is also reasonable. Your Yinlv Division must follow procedure when arresting people and confiscating goods, right? We've never heard of any rule in the Underworld that prohibits making fires for cooking. If such a rule truly exists, we newlyweds are new here; your Yinlv Division didn't inform us, so naturally we wouldn't know. Whose fault is that?" Di Yao's words were clear and forceful, her attitude exceptionally resolute. "And if there is no such rule, then on what basis did the informant write that letter? Can just anyone establish rules for the Underworld?"
Seeing Cui Jue's expression turn grave, Di Yao continued, "Moreover, if there truly is no such rule, on what grounds did you bring people to confiscate our grain, Lord Judge? If I randomly wrote an anonymous report, would you all rush over without distinguishing right from wrong?"
Thanks to Wei Xunzhou's earlier reminder, Di Yao recalled that Meng Po had mentioned this matter to her. Ordinary people who come to the Underworld can't grow things or get water, so naturally they don't need to cook. Though this is a common understanding, it's not a rule explicitly written in the legal code. Apart from the Emperor of Fengdu, who set the rules, and that so-called Yinsi Guidi, no one who pursued this matter would be in the right. After all, others have no authority to arbitrarily add rules.
Sure enough, Cui Jue fell silent. Di Yao rejoiced inwardly and said with feigned sincerity, "How about you go back and check the rules first, Lord Judge? After you find them, you can come back to confiscate the goods—no rush."
Cui Jue's expression was not very pleasant. He swept his gaze over the couple, then pulled out the Soul-Hooking Brush from his waist and made a stroke in the air. A scroll materialized out of nowhere. Cui Jue opened it, glanced through it, then waved his sleeve, and the scroll vanished. "Your eloquence is truly impressive." After being publicly contradicted by Di Yao, Cui Jue wasn't angry; instead, he was remarkably straightforward. "Someone, go find out who wrote the anonymous letter." Having said that, Cui Jue instructed his subordinates as he left the side room. Then he noticed the crowd of onlookers at the door and ordered the courtyard gate closed and the people driven away.
Di Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to glance at Wei Xunzhou and raised an eyebrow at him with a smile. Cui Jue had only taken a few steps when he suddenly thought of something and turned back to look at Di Yao. "Where did the grain in your house come from?" To be honest, as soon as he entered the house, Cui Jue was shocked. Though he had rejected many bribes from underworld officials, he knew the situation. If an underworld official could produce five pecks of rice, that was considered a huge amount. But Di Yao's home had so much.
Di Yao glanced at the two attendants behind Cui Jue. He understood and dismissed them. Di Yao exchanged a look with Wei Xunzhou; seeing him nod to her, she told the truth. "We grew it ourselves, naturally." Cui Jue was surprised. He turned and looked outside the courtyard, but saw no farmland. "Oh? Where did you grow it?"
"Lord, we are telling you because we trust you. We hope you won't spread this after you leave. If you're willing, we can send you some grain every so often. What do you think?" Whether in the mortal world or the Underworld, this was Di Yao's first time trying to bribe someone, and she wasn't sure if she expressed herself correctly. She stumbled over her words, constantly glancing at Wei Xunzhou, afraid to meet Cui Jue's eyes. It gave him the impression that even in wrongdoing, she would give herself away. Cui Jue had never met a woman like Di Yao and found her extremely amusing.
"No need for food," Cui Jue said with a light laugh, then asked Di Yao to lead the way.
Cui Jue and Di Yao walked side by side toward the backyard, while Wei Xunzhou followed silently behind them, his eyes lowered, lost in thought. An outsider would surely think that Di Yao and Cui Jue were the married couple. Hearing the lively back-and-forth between the two ahead, Wei Xunzhou felt irritated.
Although he had mentally prepared himself after Di Yao's repeated reassurances, Cui Jue was still stunned when he saw the vibrant backyard with his own eyes. Having served in the Underworld for thousands of years, he had never seen grain grow in the black soil of the underworld. By his reckoning, it had been a very long time since he had seen a field of wheat. Though small, it was enough to stir memories of his past life. "This... how is it possible?"
Di Yao's tone was quite proud. "Are you surprised too, Lord? At first, I just planted it casually to try, but I didn't expect it to actually grow. And I discovered that this wheat grows very fast. This batch you see now, I only planted two days ago." In just a few days, the wheat seedlings had already reached Di Yao's knees.
Cui Jue stepped onto the ridge and touched the emerald-green seedlings. "Truly remarkable." He curled his lips meaningfully and looked at Wei Xunzhou. "But as far as I know, every year on Grain Rain Day, the Lord Ghost Emperor in the city personally performs a rain ritual, specifically to ensure that no life can grow from this land again. And if I remember correctly, Grain Rain wasn't that long ago, was it?" Cui Jue stood up, casually rubbing his fingers. "How strange—how could the Lord Ghost Emperor have missed this patch of land?"
"Which Lord Ghost Emperor?" Di Yao had been wanting to know the answer to this question for a long time, and now she finally had the chance. "In all of Fengdu, can you find another Ghost Emperor?" Cui Jue tossed his long hair back and brushed the dirt off his robes. "Ah! Could it be that cruel and ruthless Yinsi Guidi?" Di Yao felt that this was bad news. Her face full of worry, she looked at Wei Xunzhou helplessly. "If the Lord Ghost Emperor finds out about this, will he destroy all my land?" She gazed reluctantly at the seedlings in the field.
Cui Jue nonchalantly took out his Soul-Hooking Brush and twirled it between his fingers. "Well, theoretically, that is possible. And whom do you think the blame will fall on?" A dignified Yinsi Guidi certainly wouldn't admit to his own mistake, so the blame would inevitably fall on an insignificant nobody like Di Yao. Di Yao, wanting to be prepared, said, "Lord Judge, I know you are the most fair. If someday the Yinsi Guidi comes to hold someone accountable, will you step forward and speak up for our husband and wife?"
Cui Jue paused in his movements, glanced sideways at Wei Xunzhou, and said to Di Yao, "What if I can only save one of you? Should it be you or your husband?" Seeing Di Yao's conflicted expression, Wei Xunzhou, tired of Cui Jue's deliberate teasing, reached out and took her hand to go back. Just as their fingers touched, Di Yao spoke: "If that day comes, then save my husband. All of this was done by me alone—it has nothing to do with him."
Wei Xunzhou stopped in his tracks and looked at Di Yao's profile. Cui Jue, facing Wei Xunzhou, saw his reaction and understood everything. His suspicions confirmed, Cui Jue felt very satisfied and readily agreed. "If I were your husband, I'd be moved to tears right now."
To Wei Xunzhou, Cui Jue's words were a blatant provocation. Clearly, Cui Jue already knew his identity, so every word he said carried deeper meaning. Wei Xunzhou clenched his fist secretly, knowing it was not convenient to act against him for now.
Though Cui Jue had meant it as a joke, Di Yao replied with utmost seriousness: "Then it's fortunate that you're not my husband." Both Cui Jue and Wei Xunzhou faltered. Cui Jue: "Huh?" "I don't like men who cry over small matters. And I know my husband is not that kind of person." Di Yao glanced at Wei Xunzhou, then looked at Cui Jue.
Cui Jue felt a bit embarrassed. "Tsk, it was just a metaphor." He was a straightforward person, so whenever he got the chance, he wanted to needle Wei Xunzhou. Seeing Wei Xunzhou at a loss gave him satisfaction. But Cui Jue wouldn't expose Wei Xunzhou's identity so early, because this was the first time he had ever seen Wei Xunzhou make an exception for a woman, and even go to great lengths to hide his identity and willingly become her husband. It was truly unheard of.
Cui Jue tapped his palm lightly with the Soul-Hooking Brush, then after a moment, he crooked his finger at Di Yao. "I have another method—one that can save both your husband and you. Do you want to hear it?"