False evidence

Chapter 132 Treasure (Part 2)

Liu Yi'er slumped back into the chair once again.

This time, for a full ten minutes, he didn't even blink.

Even the monkey couldn't help but ask Liu Hong, "He wouldn't be...?"

"I won't die."

The one who answered the monkey was Liu Yi'er himself.

He remained lying on his back, showing no intention of getting up, and said in a hoarse voice, "When he swung his fan, it didn't actually touch me, but I felt like my whole body was frozen, and I only felt the biting cold wind. Then I knew nothing more."

When I woke up, I found myself lying in bed with a woman in her forties or fifties next to me.

I was completely stunned. I have night vision, and even though there was no light on, I could still clearly see who was next to me—it was my wife!

I don't know how I got back to Jinan. But I clearly saw that my wife, who was still young before I left home, had actually aged..."

Seeing that he remained silent, the monkey couldn't help but ask, "Can you explain it more clearly? I really don't understand."

Liu Yier smiled bitterly: "I thought I was only in a short coma, but I never imagined that this 'sleep' would last for a full twenty-four years."

I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

The monkey nodded and said, "Now I understand. You must have been seriously injured, which caused you to fall into a deep coma, essentially a vegetable, and only woke up after twenty-four years. That's truly a miracle."

"Let's just assume he's in a vegetative state for now." Liu Yi'er shook his head. "Child, I'm getting old, and I'm getting tired after talking for so long. Have some tea first, and let me finish what I have to say."

The monkey blushed and quickly picked up the purple clay teapot, poured him a cup of tea, and said, "I'm sorry, sir, I couldn't control my mouth."

Liu Yi'er smiled and nodded: "It's alright, you're a good kid too."

He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then drank it all, regaining a little color in his half-pale face.

He suddenly asked me, "Twenty-four whole years, do you know what that means?"

"In ancient times, the heavens were divided into twelve equal parts, and the twelve earthly branches corresponded to the Chinese zodiac. Twelve years is one cycle. For a person, twelve years can be considered a small cycle." I'm glad I didn't waste my time reading Yang Wudao's books.

Liu Yi'er nodded: "For the living, that is indeed the case, but for the spirits, twelve years is another kind of great cycle. Forget about such ethereal things for now, let's just talk about my situation at the time."

When I first woke up, my wife seemed to sense it immediately and opened her eyes. She just stared at me blankly for a good while, then hugged me and cried for half the night.

When dawn broke, she told me that twenty-four years had passed. Twenty-four years ago, a passerby spotted me on the street and reported it to the authorities. Two of my friends heard the news and went to the yamen to recognize me.

For a whole month, I didn't wake up. They tried to feed me ginseng soup to keep me alive, but I vomited it up immediately afterward. They were convinced I was dying, so they had no choice but to send me back to my home in Jinan.

Others wanted to prepare for my funeral, but my wife refused, staying by my side day and night. This went on for twenty-four years.

On the third day after I woke up, my wife said she had something to tell me and that I should prepare myself mentally. I told her not to say it, as I already knew about the changes in my body.

Not only did he know that half of my face and body resembled a dried corpse, but he also remembered where I had been and what I had encountered during those twenty-four years.

I picked up the teapot and poured him some tea.

Seeing his gaze shift to the monkey, a slight smile playing on his lips, I quickly nudged the monkey, saying, "I'm waiting for you to ask."

"Uh..." The monkey realized what was happening and scratched its head, saying, "Weren't you in a coma for twenty-four years? How did you end up somewhere else?"

Liu Yi chuckled twice. "When I first woke up, I didn't remember anything, but over those three days, images kept gradually entering my mind."

I finally understand what I've been through.

For twenty-four years, I lay at home, but my soul went to the underworld.

I believe in the existence of the underworld, and I am certain that hell has eighteen levels.

Because I spent a year on each floor!
After finally enduring the punishments of hell, he spent another six years in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.

Suddenly one day, a voice said to me, "Your time has come; you can go back now."

And then, haha, and then I really came back.

He asked me again, "Sanqi, do you believe what I'm saying is true?"

"You think all of this was caused by the Yin-Yang Fan?" I asked in return.

It's not that I don't believe him, but I simply can't imagine what that experience must have been like.

Liu Yi'er nodded: "Yes, the Yin-Yang Fan is indeed a treasure, capable of rewarding and punishing Yin and Yang. Lü Xin used the Yin-Yang Fan to give me the most severe punishment; however, perhaps he himself did not know that after that, the Yin-Yang Fan also gave me a reward."

“This kind of reward…” I couldn’t help but shake my head: “If you mean longevity, I don’t think it’s a reward.”

Liu Yi smiled slightly: "You figured it out a long time ago?" I nodded.

The monkey whispered to me, "What did you see?"

I shifted my shoulder and looked at Liu Yi'er, saying, "Looking at your right cheek alone, it's almost unchanged since you parted ways with Lin Qin'en. Can I assume that your physical condition is still that of someone in their forties?"

Seeing Liu Yi'er nod, the monkey's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "What does that mean? What's going on?"

Liu Yi waved to him and said, "When I first woke up, the left side of my body, just like my head and face, was in such a physical condition that I couldn't do anything at all."

But I'm still alive, and if I'm alive, I need to eat and drink.

And so, twelve years passed, and miraculously, half of my body recovered. But no matter how much treatment and medication I took, my face could never return to its original state.

Ignoring my status, I interjected, "You didn't listen to Wang Budai's advice back then, and your prophecy came true. I'd like to know, what happened to the child your wife was carrying when you left home?"

Liu Yi'er laughed, "You're very clever. You asked this because you were afraid that if I thought about it too much, I would feel heartbroken and couldn't bear it, so you used my family members that I care about to distract me."

I nodded in agreement and pointed at Liu Hong: "If your child survived but didn't live past forty, that doesn't seem to match Brother Liu's age."

Liu Yi'er said, "I didn't listen to Wang Budai's advice, which not only harmed myself but also my child. That child was stillborn."

You can see my physical condition. I've lived for 125 years, and although I've become ugly, my body is now the same as when I was 41.

I still remember my father's dying wish: since his health still allows, then... then..."

Fearing that he would be embarrassed, Liu Hong interjected, "My father is the fifth child in his family. He has an older sister and three older brothers."

The monkey clapped its hands, pointed at Liu Yi'er, and said, "Now I absolutely believe you're in great health."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Liu Yi'er burst into laughter at his careless remarks, and Liu Hong couldn't help but chuckle as well.

I couldn't manage a smile. After thinking for a moment, I pulled Monkey aside and whispered to him, "That's enough. We have other things to do."

Before the monkey could react, Liu Hong said to Liu Yi'er:
"Sir, we know you're in good health, but those two can't just keep you company and reminisce about the old days, can they?"

Liu Yi'er nodded, stood up and said, "Alright, I'm missing half a mouth, so speaking is difficult for me. Let's call it a day."

As he spoke, he picked up the wooden box containing the iron fan and handed it to me: "I've become half-human, half-ghost, but I've also gained one advantage: my left ear can hear sounds that don't belong to this world. I can tell that there's something in you that doesn't belong to this world."

Although this Yin-Yang Fan is a replica, it has been a complete artifact for sixty years and is made of polar cold iron, so it still has some power to ward off evil spirits.

"Don't worry, although we haven't known each other for long, we should both understand each other's character. This iron fan is just a gift from me to the younger generation; you don't need to do anything for me. As for how far your relationship with Liu Hong develops, that's your business as young people."

"Okay, thank you."

Once we were in the van, I immediately covered the monkey's mouth. "Let's go back to sleep and feed the cats while we're at it."

After the car drove out of the city, Monkey asked me again, "When you said you had something to do at the end, you did it on purpose so they could hear, right? I think that father and son are quite nice, why didn't you want to talk to them more?"

"It's not that I don't want to talk more, but don't you think we can't digest what the old man said?"

I instinctively turned my head and glanced at it.

The monkey scoffed, "What are you thinking? I admit they're extraordinary people, but they don't have super hearing. You think they'll catch up and eavesdrop on our conversation?"

"There's another reason I'm in a hurry to leave: I'm afraid I won't be able to resist saying what I'm thinking."

"what idea?"

I whispered, "I don't know what hell is like, but I believe what Liu Yi'er said. Have you ever thought about why members of the Liu family don't live past forty?"

The monkey thought about it seriously for a moment, then gestured with its lip towards the box I had placed on the dashboard:
“I also think that Old Master Liu and Liu Hong are honest people, and I believe what they say. This fan… the real Yin-Yang Fan does indeed have special abilities. I suspect that Lü Xin not only caused Old Master Liu to go to hell to be punished, but also cursed the Liu family, so none of them can live past forty. Only by finding the real Yin-Yang Fan can the curse be lifted.”

"I just thought of a way to lift the curse without the Yin-Yang Fan, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to resist telling you, so I told you to leave quickly."

The monkey was taken aback: "What's your plan?"

I told him to park the car first, then looked at him for a moment before asking:

"Liu Yi'er not only lives a long life, but he also doesn't seem to age. Why is that?"

"Then...could it be that the judge knew he was framed and wanted to compensate him..."

"Don't talk nonsense!"

I took a deep breath: "I knew there were gods and spirits who could make someone immortal, which would be against the laws of nature. Let me put it this way, if Liu Yi'er is immortal, his descendants won't live past forty; and what if... what if he dies?"

(End of this chapter)