Marrying a playboy? She turned the tables and used a magical talisman to become famous throughout th

The atmosphere in the Hall of Yama was sinister.

Two judges stood before the hall, one in a red robe and the other in a black robe, each holding a thick booklet in their hands.

The judge in red robes looked up and saw Yin Liuli, his brows furrowing deeply.

"A living soul? How did you get in?"

Yin Liuli opened her palm, and the pass talisman in her palm shimmered with golden light.

The red-robed judge leaned closer for a look, his expression softening slightly, but still not very pleasant. "Walking the underworld? I haven't seen that in years. What do you want?"

"To investigate the cause and effect of someone's case."

Yin Liuli said calmly, "In the mortal world, there is a family surnamed Xiao. Their seven-year-old grandson was reincarnated with extremely heavy resentment. I want to look through the Book of Life and Death to see what debts the Xiao family owed in their previous life."

"Heh...Look at the overwhelming spiritual energy around you, why are you here investigating the karmic debts of mortals?"

The red-robed judge glanced at her and said slowly and deliberately...

"Do you know that the Book of Life and Death is not something anyone can turn to? Although you have the pass talisman, you have no relation to the Xiao family in this matter of cause and effect. What right do you have to investigate?"

Yin Liuli said bluntly,

"I was entrusted by the Empress of the Xiao family. She is willing to use half of the Xiao family's wealth for good deeds in exchange for that child's return."

"The current Phoenix's destiny is entrusted to him? No wonder..."

The two judges exchanged a glance. The judge in black robes said nothing and turned to enter the hall.

After a while, he came out carrying a booklet thicker than a brick, with three words written on the cover: "Book of Reincarnation".

"I do have some recollection of the Xiao family's affairs."

The judge in black robes opened the booklet, his finger sliding down the densely packed small characters. "Xiao Huanjia... he was only reincarnated into the Xiao family seven years ago, how come someone is investigating so soon?"

He turned to a certain page and stopped.

He glanced at it a few times, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. Finally, he sighed, "No wonder, girl, come and see for yourself!"

Thank you!

Yin Liuli didn't stand on ceremony with him and leaned her head closer.

The page was covered with dense writing, and as she scanned it, her heart sank deeper and deeper.

The judge in black robes didn't hide anything from her, pointing to the words above and saying,

"Xiao Huanjia's primordial spirit was not surnamed Xiao in his previous life, but Shen."

The Shen family was the Xiao family's neighbor, and the two families had a long-standing and close relationship. The patriarchs of the Shen and Xiao families were even sworn brothers.

Later, the world fell into chaos and bandits roamed freely. One winter, a band of outlaws raided their area.

Upon receiving the news, the Xiao family packed their valuables and prepared to flee. The Xiao family patriarch sent someone to inform the Shen family, and the two families agreed to leave together.

"But……"

The judge in black robes frowned. "When the Xiao family left, they didn't wait for the Shen family."

Yin Liuli raised her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"The Shen family was packing up their belongings at the time, and the Xiao family was supposed to wait for them for an hour."

But fearing the pursuers would catch up, Master Xiao led his entire family away first, burning down the bridge at the village entrance before they left.

Yin Liuli's eyelid twitched.

The judge in black robes continued,

"The Shen family packed their belongings and rushed to the village entrance, only to find the bridge gone. The bandits surrounded them, and none of the 123 members of the Shen family, young and old, escaped."

"At the time, Master Xiao thought that the bandits would just rob and leave without killing anyone."

But he was wrong. Unable to catch the Xiao family, the band of bandits vented their anger on the Shen family. The Shen family, consisting of 123 people, was slaughtered for a full day and night before everyone died.

Yin Liuli remained silent for a long while.

"Of the 123 members of the Shen family, only Master Shen's younger brother, who was doing business in another city, escaped the massacre. But when he heard about the tragic deaths of his entire family, he couldn't catch his breath and died as well."

The judge in black robes closed the booklet and sighed deeply.

"After Master Shen died, he was filled with resentment and knelt before the Yama's palace for a full hundred years, refusing to be reincarnated. He vowed to collect his debts."

Yin Liuli frowned as well. "So he was reincarnated as Xiao Huanjia?"

"right."

The judge in black robes nodded. "According to the judgment in the Book of Life and Death, the Xiao family broke their promise and cut off the path of life, owing the Shen family one hundred and twenty-three lives."

"Master Shen was reincarnated as a descendant of the Xiao family, and he intends to personally destroy the Xiao family until they are utterly ruined before this debt is settled."

Yin Liuli's face remained completely expressionless.

Just know it is!

The Xiao family owes not just one person, but 123 lives!

In other words, the Xiao family's current wealth and status were earned by stepping over the corpses of the entire Shen family back then.

The judge in black robes scrutinized her expression and offered a reminder.

"Girl, I don't want to advise you on this matter, but I must remind you that such a deep-seated hatred is not easy to resolve."

Master Shen waited over a hundred years for this chance to be reincarnated and collect his debts. Do you think he'll give up so easily?

Yin Liuli said casually, "I was just asking on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress; I didn't intend to resolve anything for them."

The judge in black robes chuckled.

"That's good. Otherwise, unless the Xiao family is willing to pay off their debts, how can they possibly repay a debt that has claimed 123 lives?"

Yin Liuli read the record in the Book of Life and Death again, memorized it, and then cupped her hands to the two judges, saying, "Thank you both."

At the Yin-Yang Ferry, the one-eyed old man was still dozing on the awning boat.

Yin Liuli boarded the boat, and remained silent the entire way. When the boat reached the middle of the river, the old man suddenly spoke, "Little girl, you don't look well... Is the news from over there not satisfactory?"

Yin Liuli ignored him.

The old man chuckled twice. "Nine and a half out of ten people who practice spirit mediumship fail to find satisfactory information."

Cause and effect, when you dig them up, are always bloody and gruesome; there's hardly anything pleasant about them.

The boat docked, and Yin Liuli jumped onto the pier. The old man called out slowly behind her, "Girl, a lifespan is only enough to investigate cause and effect once. Next time you come, remember to bring an extra life!"

Yin Liuli didn't turn back, striding back along the Road to the Underworld. The red spider lilies swayed by the roadside, and the souls of the dead came and went in the gray mist, but she paid no attention to them, her pace quickening.

When Yin Liuli returned to the secret room, she felt a jolt, as if she had fallen from a great height, and then she heard Gu Jinyan's anxious voice.

"Liuli! Liuli, wake up!"

She opened her eyes and found herself still sitting cross-legged on the low couch. The three ever-burning lamps had burned down to a shallow depth, and the flames slowly changed from a dark green to a warm orange-yellow.

As the ghee burns to the end, it releases a fragrant, caramelized aroma.

Gu Jinyan squatted down in front of her, his eyes red-rimmed, his face even more pale than hers, the one who had just been to the underworld.

How long was I gone?

Yin Liuli looked at him with sparkling eyes.

Seeing Gu Jinyan instantly lifted her spirits.

"It's been four hours."

Gu Jinyan's eyes were filled with anxiety, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "It's almost dawn, Liuli, if you don't wake up soon, I..."

"I'm fine!"

Yin Liuli stretched her stiff neck and got off the low couch, but Gu Jinyan pulled her into his arms and murmured,

"Liuli, I'm so glad you're alright... I'm so glad you're alright! Don't ever do this again!"

The door to the secret chamber was pushed open, and the Empress, accompanied by her nanny, hurriedly entered.