If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1071 The End of Sun Dalang
Throughout the entire process of filing a complaint with the City God, Li did not cry.

But after her soul returned to her body, she burst into tears.

She was a soul that left her body at night and was blown to the City God's Office by Xiaoyu's breath of "fairy air".

The case wasn't completely resolved until the afternoon of the following day.

Her body was almost stuffed into another coffin by the Sun family.

Well, they thought the unlucky daughter-in-law had followed her husband in death.

Fortunately, the village doctor was reliable enough to confirm that she still had a faint pulse and that she had probably lost her soul.

She woke up in her bedroom, while her sister-in-law was still sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought!

She woke up crying, which made her sister-in-law very happy but also frightened.

"Sister-in-law, you're awake! Mom, Dad, sister-in-law's awake!"

Sun Xiaomei shouted loudly, summoning the entire Sun family inside.

Upon entering, they, like Sun Xiaomei, were both happy and worried.

"My son, were you out of your mind last night? Did you see the Old Mother of Qiushan? Is Dalang still alive?"

The Sun family not only knew about Qiu Shan's mother, but could also roughly guess what had happened to their daughter-in-law.

After all, last night, after Li confessed about the old woman's secret help, they instructed her to continue reciting the incantation to summon the old woman's help.

“My eldest son divorced me. He doesn’t want me anymore. He wants to marry the Earth Goddess.” Li cried.

"What? Where is Dalang? Why doesn't he want you anymore?" The Sun family members were both surprised and suspicious.

Li spoke haltingly for a while before finally explaining what had happened inside the City God's Office.

Master Sun was both pleased and worried. "So, the calamity that would have destroyed my Sun family is averted?"
Many thanks to the Old Mother of Qiushan for her blessings, and gratitude to the City God for his wisdom and justice; we must go to the City God Temple to fulfill our vows!

Li said, "The Earth God has been stripped of his divine office and his soul has been cast into the Fengdu Hell, so he certainly won't harm the Sun family anymore. It's just that my eldest son..."

Before she could finish speaking, gasps of surprise came from the main hall in the front yard.

"He's come back to life! He's come back to life! Sun Dalang's resentment was too strong; he turned into a vengeful ghost before the seventh day after his death was even over!"

Master Sun was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed and said, "Good, good, good! It must be that my eldest son has also been brought back to life!"

They rushed out and, sure enough, pulled Sun Dalang, wailing in pain, out of the coffin.

Sun Dalang's soul was thoroughly tormented by the local earth god. Now that his soul has returned to his body, the wounds of his soul are also manifesting in his physical form.

"Father, Mother, please stop crying. I don't have much time left, so I have to get straight to the point."

At the west end of the village, there is only half an acre of sorghum field belonging to Wang Dachun's family. You must buy it.

That was a blessed place; they buried me on a high slope in the northeast corner of the sorghum field.

Do not be stingy with money; burn as much paper money, carriages, and servants as possible for me.

"My son didn't get to enjoy the riches and honors of royalty while he was alive, so he must not be shortchanged after his death."

Master Sun was taken aback by what he said and said, "Son, are you suffering from a stroke?"
Why would we choose a burial site for a living person like you, and burn paper money and paper horses for you?

Sun Dalang said anxiously, "I'm only temporarily back to life. I'll have to die soon, and this time I'll die completely."

Master Sun exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you die? Didn't your wife win the case? The City God and Old Mother Qiushan are both helping our family seek justice!"

"Alas, I have already divorced Li and am about to marry Biluo."

For details, ask Ms. Li.

In short, remember to buy Wang Dachun's sorghum field and provide me with plenty of funerary objects. I will protect the Sun family from the afterlife.

You don't need to worry about the family line ending. After I'm gone, my second brother will naturally...

Before Sun Dalang could even finish his will, his body stiffened, blood gushed from his seven orifices, and he lay back straight in the coffin.

"My son, my son~~" His mother burst into tears.

Although Master Sun was alarmed, he remembered what his son had just said, so he quickly ran back to his wife's bedroom and told her about what had happened to Sun Dalang.

Li choked up and said, "Didn't I tell you? My eldest son doesn't want me; he wants to marry the Earth Goddess."

The judge has already drafted the divorce papers.

“Even if Dalang wants to divorce you, why can’t he be brought back to life?” Master Sun asked in shock and anger.

“The Earth Goddess is a ghost! Marrying a ghost can only be a ghost marriage,” said Madam Li.

Master Sun stamped his feet and shouted, "Foolish, foolish! How can a person marry a ghost? Eldest son, you're foolish! Li Shi, you're foolish too!"

You are husband and wife; you should support each other and offer gentle advice. How can you possibly divorce him?

"My eldest son's lifespan was already short, and so was mine."

Li cried and sobbed, "Although we won the lawsuit and the Earth God was deposed, my eldest son did indeed seduce the Earth Goddess, committing the crime of blasphemy, and his lifespan and blessings will be reduced."

He had been having an affair with the Land Goddess for over half a year, which damaged his health.

Now he's going to marry the Land Goddess. Given all these factors, how is he supposed to survive?

Master Sun exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be? How could this be?"

After muttering to himself for a while, he asked again, "You said you are too, what do you mean?"

Li said, "I overheard the ghost messenger saying that I have a bitter fate and little fortune, and that I don't have much time left in this world."

Master Sun no longer even had the thought of taking his anger out on Madam Li.

"Father, the village elders and the head of the village are here!" Sun Erlang shouted from outside the house.

Master Sun hurriedly went out to greet him.

The visitors were not limited to the village elders and the head of the pavilion.

The village elders and the head of the pavilion accompanied the county officials.

“Last night, a ghost appeared to you in a dream and left you with a divorce agreement between your son and the Li family.”

"I came to Sanhe Village today to check on the situation and confirm if this is true," the official said.

Master Sun sighed and said, "It is indeed true. I'm sorry to have troubled you and the magistrate with your concern."

The magistrate then inquired about the situation of Madam Li and Master Sun, and also heard Madam Li recount in detail the story of "a poor woman with a tragic fate who was helped by the old woman of Qiushan and went alone to the City God's Office to sue the local earth god".

The local officials, elders, village heads, and neighbors listened with great interest.

In the evening, they enjoyed another "Sun Dalang's Feast" before everyone dispersed.

That night, many villagers in Sanhe Village had the same dream.

In my dream, there was a majestic divine general, about ten feet tall, wearing a full helmet and armor.

The deity claimed to be the Martial Judge of the City God.

He gathered them together and, standing in the largest threshing ground in the village, announced the City God's verdict in the case of the Earth Goddess.

The next day, the villagers awoke from their deep sleep, their dreams from the previous night still vivid and clear in their minds.

They immediately realized that it was a message from the City God, revealing to them the process and outcome of the case of the Earth Goddess.

As the villagers grew increasingly reverent towards the City God and the divine way, they also talked endlessly about the "love triangle" between Li, Sun Dalang, and the Earth Goddess.

Some people are disgusted by the behavior of Sun Dalang and the Land Goddess.

Many men also expressed their understanding and agreement with Sun Dalang's choice.

"In any case, the Land Lady is a goddess of unparalleled beauty and charm! Between the goddess and the village woman, who should we choose? Is there any need to think about it any further?"

As for sympathizing with Ms. Li...
In this era, Confucian ethics had not yet become mainstream, and it was common for widows to marry emperors and become empresses.

Divorce is really nothing to be pitied. There are quite a few people who praise her for bravely "appealing to the emperor" for her husband's family in the underworld, and who curse Sun Dalang as a scoundrel.

Sun Yuanwai indeed bought Wang Dachun's sorghum field and buried his son on the high slope.

After packing her bags, Li was to be taken back to her parents' home in the next village by her brothers.

On the night before Li left, Master Sun saw his son, Sun Dalang, again.

Sun Dalang was bruised and swollen, crying and limping. He was wearing a gray prison uniform and had a cangue around his neck, looking extremely miserable.

"My son, didn't you move into this blessed land? What happened?" Master Sun asked in alarm.

"Father, Biluo, she..."

Sun Dalang opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his complaints and regrets about his unhappy married life, and cried, "Father, Biluo once gave me a precious pearl called the 'Water Element Pearl,' do you know that?"

Master Sun nodded and said, "Your wife, Li, told us."

When her brother was helping her move her dowry, she took out the Water Element Pearl, handed it to me, and told me about its effects.

I plan to have the second child take it.

Once Erlang becomes a top-tier immortal, my Sun family, if not rising to great heights, will at least be promoted from local gentry to powerful figures in the county!

Thinking that a powerful immortal was about to be born into his family, Master Sun couldn't help but show joy, and his resentment towards his ghost wife Cui Biluo lessened somewhat.

In any case, this extraordinary encounter was earned by the Land Goddess.

Master Sun laughed, but Sun Dalang panicked and hurriedly said, "Father, we can't keep that Water Element Pearl. It's a source of trouble. It absolutely cannot stay in the Sun family, and my second brother must not take it!"

Master Sun exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that Madam Li is lying? Is Shui Yuanzhu harmful to Erlang? She hates you and our family, and is deliberately trying to harm the second son?"

Sun Dalang said, "Li Shi probably wasn't lying. She overheard Biluo and my conversation that night and thought the Water Element Pearl was a treasure."

Biluo is lying!

The second son may experience temporary strength and vitality after taking it, but prolonged use will inevitably lead to a violent hemorrhage and death!

Master Sun was shocked. "Isn't the Earth Goddess your lover? Why would she use the Water Spirit Pearl to harm you?"

Sun Dalang said awkwardly, "She didn't mean to harm me. At that time, I was nearing the end of my life, so a few side effects didn't matter."

"The Water Element Pearl must be a treasure, right? Could it help to complement the medicine and eliminate its side effects?" Master Sun asked.

Sun Dalang said bitterly, "Actually, it's not a side effect, it's just that my second brother and I aren't fortunate enough to enjoy it."

After being swallowed, the Water Element Pearl can continuously convert massive amounts of internal energy for several years.

A person with enough good fortune can become a top-level immortal with nearly ten thousand years of cultivation by relying on a single bead.

But how can an ordinary mortal body withstand the power of ten thousand years of cultivation?

The spiritual energy was non-toxic, and the spiritual pearl was harmless; the physical body was simply overwhelmed by the massive amount of spiritual energy.

Master Sun sighed, "In that case, we can only hide the Water Element Pearl and leave it to our descendants as a family heirloom."

Sun Dalang said urgently, "Absolutely not! The Water Element Pearl is not our destiny, we cannot afford it."

"If they stay with the Sun family, they'll eventually end up like Master Luo!"

Master Sun paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it the Luo family at the east end of the village?"

“That’s right. The Luo family had the same idea as you. They couldn’t use it themselves, so they planned to leave it to their descendants as a family heirloom. But after only two generations, the Luo family is about to die out,” Sun Dalang said.

Master Sun murmured, "How could this be?"

Sun Dalang, with a bitter face, patted the shackles around his neck, "Look, this is the consequence of stealing the opportunity of the chosen one!"
As soon as I entered the blessed land, messengers from the Taishan Underworld came looking for me.

A few days ago, the City God judged my case and the Earth God's case, and sent the documents to the Taishan Underworld for filing.

After reviewing my case, the judge of the Taishan underworld discovered that I had also stolen the opportunity from the chosen one.

The judge was furious and ordered two ghost messengers to drag Biluo and me out of the blessed land. Each of us was given three hundred lashes and was to wear cangues for three years!

If the Water Pearl is not returned, not only will the Sun family's good karma be wiped out, but their descendants will also suffer endless misfortunes until the family is destroyed and the Sun family line is completely extinguished.

Even if the line ends, those who covet the Water Element Pearl, like you and your second brother, will suffer the same cruel tortures in the underworld as I have.

Master Sun was shocked, then enraged, and shouted, "When the Earth Goddess instigated you to steal the Water Element Pearl, did you not consider this consequence?"

“She didn’t think that much at the time.” Sun Dalang’s eyes flickered, and he spoke vaguely, “These words were told to me by the ghost messengers of the Taishan underworld.”

Cui Biluo didn't not think of all this; there was no need for her to consider it so much.

Even Sun Dalang, she doesn't intend to "use" him for life, so why would she care about the Sun family's subsequent retribution?

"My son, what should we do with the Water Element Pearl? Should we hand it over to the ghost messengers of Mount Tai?" Master Sun asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Sun Dalang said, "Let's hand it over to the Li family! All crows are black, and all officials in every prefecture are equally corrupt."

The money you burned for me has been extorted by the ghost messengers of Mount Tai.

Even Biluo was harassed by them, with her feet touched and her breasts pinched. They're such scoundrels!
If we give them the Water Element Pearl, they will surely embezzle it secretly, leaving our Sun family to bear the consequences.

Li is very fortunate and can withstand this. Alas, I am so sorry for her. Now I can only trouble her one more time and ask her to help my Sun family get through this calamity.

Master Sun was both shocked and furious at the ghost messenger's greed and cruelty, and puzzled by his son's choice.

"Isn't Li Shi unlucky and destined for a short life? Doesn't she only have a few years left to live?"

Sun Dalang said bitterly, "She was originally destined for a lowly life and little fortune, but she had a stroke of good luck and met the Old Mother of Qiushan."

With a single sentence from the Old Mother of Qiushan, her fate was altered.

I reckon she already has the air of a noble person, because the ghost messengers of Mount Tai dare not approach her no matter what.

This afternoon, when she came to my grave to offer incense and burn paper money, the two ghost messengers were so frightened that they fled in terror, which is why I appeared to you in your dream tonight.

Master Sun exclaimed in shock, "Li's fate has changed so much!"
She said that the Old Mother of Qiushan only taught her a few incantations, and didn't say or do anything else!

"Sigh, we've already taught her the divine incantation, what else is there to say or do?"

Sun Dalang suddenly became nervous, looked around, and said, "Father, those two ghost messengers are calling my soul again."

You must quickly have Li take the Water Element Pearl away and close this case. Please, for the sake of our past marital relationship, have the Qiushan Old Mother Divine Mantra engraved on a jade tablet and buried next to my grave.

I'm so sorry to her. Please take her home with your second son and apologize to her parents on my behalf!

The next day, after Sun Yuanwai pleaded with her, Li accepted the Water Element Pearl with a blank expression and personally wrote the "Qiushan Old Mother Divine Mantra" - Qiushan Old Mother, the ancestor of the land, protect me and subdue demons.

Master Sun was dumbfounded. "How can it be so simple?"

Li said, "There was only one sentence to begin with."

"Will these words protect Dalang from the bullying and humiliation of the ghost messengers?" Master Sun asked.

"do not know."

After thinking for a moment, Li said, "Every time I chant the mantra, I recall in my heart the majestic, holy, kind and benevolent divine appearance of the Old Mother of Qiushan."

I felt an extraordinary sense of peace and tranquility; even facing the City God, I remained calm and composed.

Master Sun, being knowledgeable, immediately said, "Let's also leave behind a portrait of the Old Mother of Qiushan. Our Sun family has received great kindness from her, and we will worship her day and night."

Li was not good at painting, so Sun Yuan spent a lot of money to find an old Taoist priest at the "Shanglong Temple" in the county town to make a copy of the image of the Old Mother of Qiushan in Li's mind.

With her sister-in-law and mother-in-law bidding her a reluctant farewell, Li boarded the carriage her brother had hired and left Sanhe Village.

The Li family lived in the next village, less than 30 li away from the Sun family.

Upon returning home, Li was completely lost about the future and didn't know how to deal with the Water Pearl, which was "capable of destroying her family and clan." She could only pray to the Old Mother of Qiushan once again.

Sincerity moves mountains, and Xiaoyu actually heard her voice.

Or rather, Xiaoyu had been waiting for her to contact her all along.

(End of this chapter)