Film & TV: Public Enemy of Justice

Lin Yaoxie smiled obsequiously at the shopkeeper and said:

"Boss, if... I mean, if I worked for you, how long would it take to pay off the rent?"

The shopkeeper gave Lin Yaoxie a cold look and said:

"No money, huh? Very well, based on your spending, you'll only need to work for the inn for five hundred years."

"Five hundred years?" Lin Yaoxie was taken aback. "Are you trying to extort me?"

The innkeeper, still smiling, said:

"You don't understand. Since ancient times, the underworld has been a place to pay off debts. Only by paying off debts from your past life can you enter the Well of Reincarnation. How dare you incur debts in the underworld? Didn't the ferryman on the River of Oblivion tell you this before?"

Lin Yaoxie thought to himself: He was so busy eating on the River of Oblivion that Xiaoru didn't mention it.

Chapter 101 Bamboo Token

At this moment, Longkui walked quietly to Lin Yaoxie's side and said, "Brother, how about we work together at this Wangchuan Inn? We can do the work for Xuejian and the others too. It's only five hundred years."

Lin Yaoxie felt uneasy. Five hundred years in such a dark and sunless place? He quickly said, "Let's discuss it again, let's discuss it again."

Lin Yaoxie retreated back into the room and saw Xiaoru munching on a new fried dough stick, while Ling Guniang was quietly drinking soy milk beside her.

Lin Yaoxie's spirit flashed and he said:

"Just let Miss Ling work at the Wangchuan Inn for everyone. Anyway, she only has ten minutes of memory, so it's the same for her wherever she is."

Lin Yaoxie pulled Ling Guniang in front of the shopkeeper and said:

How about she works for us here?

Seeing the charming and innocent appearance of the young girl, who was familiar with the story, he quickly laughed and said:

"If it were this young lady, four hundred years of work would be enough."

Just as Lin Yaoxie was about to say "deal," Xiaoru interrupted him, saying:

"No. Let's keep this not-so-tasty human here, or that stinky bird that won't cook properly will also work."

Xiaoru pulled Ling Guniang behind her, and Lin Yaoxie secretly thought to himself that he had no choice but to skip out on the bill.

Xuejian and Longkui can't stay here, and it seems unlikely that Ling and Xiaoru will stay either. As for Huanye, he has that golden thread, and if he has to work here by himself, things will get complicated.

Seeing the situation gradually stagnating, the innkeeper, a seasoned ghost, gave the waiter a wink. Soon after, the waiter led more than twenty wild ghosts into Lin Yaoxie's room.

Lin Yaoxie laughed loudly, "Just you guys?" Lin Yaoxie drew his Demon-Suppressing Sword and struck east and west, instantly injuring four or five wild ghosts.

These wild ghosts, however, recognized Lin Yaoxie's power and swarmed towards the door, fearing that if they fell behind, they would be struck by Lin Yaoxie's sword again.

Longkui tugged at Lin Yaoxie's sleeve and said, "You'll attract the ghost messengers if you keep doing this."

Sure enough, before an incense stick's time had passed, a commotion arose outside. A dozen or so ghost messengers, carrying soul-catching chains, burst into the courtyard. The iron chains clanged loudly in their hands, and amidst the noise, a ghost messenger shouted, "Once you're in the underworld, you must abide by its rules! How dare you eat without paying and then commit violence? Where is the culprit?"

Lin Yaoxie stood at the door, holding the Demon-Suppressing Sword. The ghost guards, seeing the extraordinary nature of his sword, dared not be negligent. The leading ghost guard asked:

"What's your name? How did you die?"

Before Lin Yaoxie could answer, Xiaoru inside said:

"Huh? Yu Bazhou isn't here? The Purple Gold Jade Complexion Cream he gave me last time was quite delicious, does he have any left?"

Yu Bazhou was the judge of the entire Yuzhou region, in charge of all matters concerning ghosts. The ghost messengers were both shocked and furious to hear Xiaoru call the judge by his name and ask for something as rare as the Purple Gold Jade Complexion Cream.

The constable said, "Where did this wild girl come from, daring to address the local judge by his given name?"

Xiaoru took out a piece of bamboo from her bag and handed it to the ghost messenger, saying, "Take this to Yu Bazhou and exchange it for some Purple Gold Jade Complexion Cream, okay? That's really delicious."

As Xiaoru spoke, she reminisced with lingering relish. Seeing Xiaoru's luxurious attire, the ghost messenger dared not neglect her, bowing to the nearby ghost messengers and saying, "Keep an eye on them, don't let them escape." Then, she drifted away into the distance.

Not long after, dozens of ghost messengers rushed into the inn. The leader, holding a judge's pen, rushed forward and grabbed Xiaoru's hand, saying:

"My dear young lady, you're finally back! Lord Ji has been looking for you like crazy."

Xiaoru pouted and said, "Why is he looking for me? Didn't he want to change the fate master? Did he bring the Purple Gold Jade Face Cream?"

The judge hurriedly replied, "I brought it, I brought it."

With a wave of his hand, the ghost messenger presented a porcelain bottle, and just by looking at the bottle, one could tell that the contents inside were quite valuable.

Judge Yu said, "Yuzhou is a small place with meager resources. Please accept this small gift, Lord Master of Destiny."

Xiaoru nodded happily. Judge Yu returned the bamboo section that Xiaoru had given him earlier, saying, "Lord of Fate, I will escort you back now."

Xiaoru said, "I'm not going back. He hasn't come looking for me for so long, he must be..."

Xiaoru didn't continue, but called Lin Yaoxie and his group out of the inn, and then tossed a sentence to Judge Yu: "I'm leaving this place to you."

When Judge Yu saw Xiao Ru with Lin Yaoxie and his gang, although he was very unwilling, he did not dare to go against Xiao Ru's wishes. He quickly sent his men to inform Lord Ji and at the same time paid for Lin Yaoxie and his gang's room at the inn.

That day, Lin Yaoxie and his group inquired extensively in the Underworld, but failed to obtain the results they sought. Most of the Underworld's inhabitants said that there was no way to leave the Underworld except through the Reincarnation Well. While searching for the entrance to the Reincarnation Well, Lin Yaoxie and his companions continued their search for other ways to leave the Underworld.

On this day, Lin Yaoxie and his group were walking on Jiulongpo, a suburb of Yuzhou (the world is divided into Yin and Yang, and the Yang realm must have a corresponding Yin realm). They heard a commotion ahead and saw several ghost messengers who seemed to be looking for something.

Lin Yaoxie suspected that these people were looking for Xiaoru, so he led everyone to hide in the shadow of an ancient tree.

The trees in the underworld are mostly different from those in the mortal realm; many are dead trees without branches or leaves. The leader of the ghost messengers said:

“Search carefully, he can’t escape.”

Two ghost messengers gradually approached the locust tree where Lin Yaoxie and the others were. Lin Yaoxie, holding the Demon-Suppressing Sword, was about to jump out when he saw something thrown down from the tree, hitting the ghost messengers on the head. The ghost messengers screamed and their souls were instantly scattered.

The ghost messengers were in an uproar and all gathered around the big locust tree. Lin Yaoxie looked closely and saw that the person had thrown just an ordinary copper coin.

The lead ghost guard drew his long sword, shouted, and dozens of ghost guards moved their chains in unison to lasso the old locust tree.

Seeing that he and his companions were about to be exposed, Lin Yaoxie planned to jump out and strike first. However, he heard four soft clanging sounds. It turned out that the person in the tree had blocked the four iron chains and caught one of them with his hand. With a pull, a shrill scream was heard, and one of the ghost messengers was killed.

The man in the tree drew his sword and leaped down. The sword in his hand was just an ordinary iron sword, and it seemed to be a little rusty. But in the flash of the sword, two ghost messengers were already hit by the sword.

The leading ghost asked, "Since you have already repaid your debt to the underworld, why do you refuse to enter the cycle of reincarnation?" He then unleashed his swordsmanship, intending to challenge the yellow-clad man in the tree.

The man in the tree flashed his sword, and two more ghost messengers were struck. Lin Yaoxie watched from the side, unable to stop his mouth from chuckling.

The sword technique this person used was nothing more than the ordinary Heavenly Sword Technique of Shu Mountain, but every move was skillful and practiced, and perfectly executed. Even the Heavenly Sword Technique of Changqing, the proud disciple of Shu Mountain, did not have this level of skill.

The man moved swiftly, fighting the leader of the ghost guards. The leader was also quite skilled, his parries and attacks were perfectly coordinated, and his advances and retreats were completely orderly, making him very formidable.

The ghost messengers' subordinates also came to help, but the man in yellow seized the opportunity to either stab with his sword or extend his palm, killing or injuring one of them. It seemed that he intended to exterminate all the ghost messengers.

Chapter 102 Chang Yi of Shushan

After fighting for about half an hour, only four or five ghost messengers remained. The leader of the ghost messengers, knowing he was outmatched, feinted an attack and turned to retreat. The man in yellow silently recited an incantation, pursued on his sword, and in an instant, all the ghost messengers were annihilated.

The man looked around, sword in hand, to make sure there were no more ghost messengers. He then addressed the hiding place of Lin Yaoxie and the others, saying, "Did you enjoy the show?"

Lin Yaoxie led the group out of the shadows, but the jingling sound of Ling's footsteps alerted the man.

Huan Ye walked out and said to the man, "It really is you. Why don't you enter the cycle of reincarnation? — Daoist Chang Yi."

When Chang Yi saw that the person who came was Huan Ye, she was taken aback for a moment and said coldly:

"You monster, you actually died?"

Huan Ye smiled without saying a word, but then saw Ling walk out, staring blankly at Chang Yi and saying woodenly, "Yi...Ling..."

Chang Yi angrily asked, "Did you kill her?"

Huan Ye pointed at Lin Yaoxie and said:

"It's not my fault, he brought him in."

Just as Lin Yaoxie was about to explain, he saw Chang Yi thrust his sword at him. Unable to dodge, he could only draw his Demon-Suppressing Sword and hold it horizontally in front of his chest with his left hand.

Chang Yi said, "The Demon-Suppressing Sword! You actually released the demon at the bottom of the tower too?"

Although Chang Yi was furious, his Heavenly Sword Technique remained perfectly composed, and Lin Yaoxie felt a chilling aura wash over him.

Because he was in a panic and held the sword in his left hand, Lin Yaoxie's sword moves became much more sluggish. Fortunately, the Yilong Sword Technique was not known for its agility, so he did not fall behind for a while.

The Heavenly Sword Technique is a major branch of the Shu Mountain Sword Control Technique. Lin Yaoxie had seen it many times when he competed with the Shu Mountain elders and Changqing. He knew that the Heavenly Sword Technique had a major flaw. At the moment the Heavenly Sword was drawn, due to the general error in left-right coordination, there would be a spot on the left shoulder well that would not be covered.

Sure enough, with a flash of cold light, Chang Yi's embroidered sword slashed towards Lin Yaoxie's neck. Lin Yaoxie thought to himself, "A good opportunity." He thrust out the Demon-Suppressing Sword, aiming straight for Chang Yi's shoulder and neck.

Chang Yi chuckled inwardly: Heh. But then Chang Yi raised her embroidered sword, and with a clang, the two swords clashed, causing both of them to drop their swords from their hands.

Lin Yaoxie thought to himself: This is bad. But Chang Yi reached out with his left hand and snatched the Demon-Suppressing Sword from the air, while Lin Yaoxie grabbed the rusty sword that Chang Yi had used before.

Chang Yi crossed his sword to his right hand and silently recited the sword incantation. This time, however, he changed his sword technique and used the Shushan Ten Thousand Swords Technique.

Lin Yaoxie saw that Chang Yi was protected by ten thousand swords, but he could not find the slightest flaw.

After Chang Yi summoned ten thousand swords, he made a sword incantation with his left hand, and ten thousand sword shadows shot towards Lin Yaoxie, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion for a moment.

Lin Yaoxie discovered that among these ten thousand swords, only three might be real swords, while the rest were all sword shadows. However, in reality, only one of them was the true location of the Demon-Suppressing Sword, and the rest were all feints.

The first of these three strikes was aimed directly at Lin Yaoxie's forehead. Not to mention the Demon-Suppressing Sword, even an ordinary copper coin would be fatal if it hit his forehead.

The second wound is aimed directly at the heart, which is the source of the body's energy. Once the heart is pierced by a sword, even a god cannot save you.

The third point was the lower abdomen. If it had been stabbed in the lower abdomen, it wouldn't have been fatal. Unfortunately, the angle of the sword was tricky and it was meant to cut Lin Yaoxie in two.

Lin Yaoxie quickly pondered which one was the true location of his Demon-Suppressing Sword.

Lin Yaoxie took several steps back to give himself enough time to think, but suddenly felt something hard behind him. It turned out that Lin Yaoxie had unknowingly retreated to the front of the big locust tree where everyone had been hiding.

With nowhere to retreat, Lin Yaoxie held his sword horizontally to his chest, blocking a sword aimed at his heart, while simultaneously using the Yilong Sword Technique to attack Chang Yi.

With a clang, the Demon-Suppressing Sword was blocked by Lin Yaoxie, who at the same time pointed his own rusty sword at Chang Yi's neck.

Lin Yaoxie said, "It's true that a disciple who claims to be a chivalrous person can't stand seeing too much bloodshed."

Lin Yaoxie realized that Chang Yi was a disciple of Mount Shu. Whether the Demon-Suppressing Sword was inserted into his forehead or cut in half at the waist, the scene was too bloody. Such methods were mostly despised by so-called righteous sects. Therefore, Chang Yi was most likely to attack his heart because he was a disciple of Mount Shu.

Of course, Lin Yaoxie's actions were also a gamble. If he lost, he might really be buried in the underworld.

Chang Yi's face was ashen, but his tone remained defiant as he said, "You audacious monster, let's settle this in the next life."

Lin Yaoxie was about to make his move, but Ling Guniang pulled on one of his corners, seemingly pleading for Chang Yi.

Although Lin Yaoxie was a demon lord who had killed countless people, he couldn't bring himself to do it for the time being.

Just as Lin Yaoxie hesitated, he felt a sudden movement on his wrist. His rusty sword was knocked away, and a young man holding a judge's pen stood between Lin Yaoxie and Chang Yi.

Before Lin Yaoxie could speak, the newcomer bowed and said, "Ji Fufeng greets all guests from the Underworld."

The newcomer waved behind him, but several ghost messengers bound Chang Yi.

Lin Yaoxie saw that the newcomer also used a judge's pen, and knew in his heart that it was another judge. He replied, "Judge, have you come here to arrest this fugitive?"