152 Punishment

After the two underworld bailiffs used Li Xintian's written talisman to drive away the two stone lions guarding the prison gates, they proceeded smoothly and directly into the jail.

The prison of Shuiwen County was not large, but it was still guarded by wardens.

At this moment, an old warden was yawning and taking a nap while leaning on a wooden table, beside which flickered a dim oil lamp.

Right at that moment, a chilly ghostly wind swept through, causing the flame of the oil lamp to flutter violently, appearing as though it might be extinguished at any second. Yet, in the end, it did not go out, and once the chilly gust passed, the flame returned to its normal state.

As for the napping old warden, the ghostly wind only caused him to sleep even more soundly, and he would likely not wake up until the crowing of the roosters at dawn.

"Li Qizong, Li Qizong!"

A faint voice drew closer and closer, yet remained elusive as if it had no source, appearing purely out of thin air.

Upon listening carefully, however, the voice could not be heard at all.

The prisoners sleeping soundly in their cells noticed nothing at all, merely turning over to continue their deep slumber.

"Li Qizong, where are you?" The voice sounded once more, permeating every crevice, passing through the barriers of layer upon layer of cells, and finally landing inside one particular cell.

Inside this cell, a slightly plump middle-aged man was fast asleep, leaning face-down on a straw mat. This man was none other than the master of the Li family, Li Qizong.

"Who, who is calling me?" Li Qizong woke up in a daze, but try as he might to open his eyes, he simply could not do so.

He only felt his eyelids were unimaginably heavy, and his body was completely unable to move.

Struggling hard, Li Qizong finally managed to pry open a slit of his eyelids, and through it, he abruptly caught sight of two government runners standing right beside him. However, their attire did not appear to belong to the current dynasty. Straining his eyelids further to see which warden it was, he could only make out that one runner had a blue face and the other a black face, while their facial features remained hazy and impossible to discern clearly.

"It's Li Qizong, no doubt about it," said the black-faced ghost bailiff.

"Let him fall back asleep, lest Young Master Li scold us again for frightening Master Li. We cannot afford to offend this Young Master Li."

"Extremely true. Yet this Young Master Li is truly an anomaly; he isn't afraid of ghosts and gods at all. In fact, standing before Young Master Li gives us a palpitation of the heart, even more overwhelming than the majesty of Lord City God."

As he spoke, the blue-faced ghost bailiff blew a breath, causing Li Qizong to sink back into a deep sleep.

"Are they... sent by my son...?" That was the sole thought left in Li Qizong's mind before he fell asleep.

"Hah, where did such muddle-headed ghost bailiffs come from? This Li Qizong's allotted lifespan is extremely long, and it is not yet time for him to die. Don't go mistakenly arresting souls at random again," suddenly, a mocking voice rang out from the opposite cell.

"Someone can see us?" The two ghost bailiffs were startled.

Turning back, they saw a middle-aged man dressed in ragged robes, resembling a scholar, leaning against the wall and watching the two of them.

This man's hair was dirty, foul-smelling, and unkempt, looking as though it had not been washed or combed for years.

"What kind of person are you, to be able to see us ghost bailiffs?"

The black-faced ghost bailiff strode forward, passing directly through the prison door and arriving in front of this filthy man.

"What is so rare about seeing ghosts and gods? There are plenty of people in this world who can see you; there's no need to single me out. I advise you to pick someone else if you want to harvest a soul; this Li Qizong's soul is not one you can take," said the filthy man.

The blue-faced ghost bailiff walked over and looked him up and down. Although this man was filthy to the extreme, his eyes were bright and spirited. Above his head, scholarly energy soared to the heavens, with various principles, reasoning, and written characters rising and falling incessantly, faintly creating a sense of connection between heaven and earth. Even as a ghost bailiff, the moment he tried to investigate further, he felt a dazzling beam of light shine down from the sky, stopping him from continuing to observe this man's aura.

"He is truly a genuine scholar. Rare, truly rare. This humble one pays his respects to the master," he was immediately startled and saluted with cupped hands.

The black-faced ghost bailiff also noticed this, put away his contempt, and became much more respectful.

"I am merely a prisoner, not worthy of respect from ghosts and gods like you. Go on, go on, and don't disturb my sleep. If you want to find a scapegoat, go to cell number one over there. That's a villain who slaughtered an entire family, most suitable to act as a substitute soul; this Li Qizong will not do," said the filthy man.

"We are not here to look for a scapegoat."

"Ghosts would believe you! You ghost bailiffs are best at this kind of business: accepting heavy bribes from others, helping souls return to their bodies, and then finding a scapegoat in these cells to close the case and report back. Tsk, the mortal world is just the same; if you offer heavy bribes to the county magistrate, even a death sentence can find someone to take the fall. Heh, no matter, no matter, I'll go back to my sound sleep."

The filthy man muttered a few mocking words to himself, spoke no further, turned away, and fell back asleep.

The two ghost bailiffs looked at each other, shook their heads, said nothing more, and backed out of the cell with cupped hands.

This was an unusual scholar; it was better not to provoke him.

Now that Li Qizong's situation had been investigated, it was time to return and report back.

Without delay, the two ghost bailiffs transformed into a gust of chilly wind and vanished from the prison.

After the two ghost bailiffs disappeared, the filthy middle-aged man muttered to himself, "Why were those two ghost bailiffs so well-behaved? They actually weren't here to harvest souls after all. And where did that Li family spring from, capable of commanding even ghosts and gods... Ah, to think that I, Zhuge Wolong, have spent half a lifetime reading books and possess some literary talent, yet ending up in this prison, I was actually called 'master' by two ghost bailiffs."

"Are mortals truly so ignorant? They would rather let villains run rampant than allow men of ambition to receive fair treatment."

At this very moment, the two ghost bailiffs had already arrived at the Li family residence.

"Roar—!"

Before they even descended, a cat's cry rang out. A flying tiger king stared at the two of them with a pair of emerald-green eyes.

"Hah, so it's Lord Tiger, you gave me a scare." The two ghost bailiffs were startled, not daring to approach the flying tiger king. They felt that the flying tiger king seemed even more formidable than the stone lions in front of the yamen—more than just formidable, it possessed over ten thousand years of cultivation. If they had known, would they have fled in terror?

"Afraid of even a tiger, no wonder you two ghost bailiffs couldn't even harvest the soul of Madame Wang." In the main hall, Li Xintian's voice rang out.

"Greetings, Young Master Li," the two ghost bailiffs saluted respectfully.

Li Xintian asked, "How is my father's condition?"

"Master Li is currently safe for the time being," said the blue-faced ghost bailiff.

"I want to hear the truth. Concerning the safety of my father, I will not be as easygoing as before. If you attempt to conceal anything, then I must ask you two ghost bailiffs to test this Golden Wild-Goose Bow of mine." Li Xintian stared at them, pointing to a large golden bow nearby.

"Young Master Li, ordinary bows and arrows are of no use against ghost bailiffs," the black-faced ghost bailiff stupidly blurted out those very words.

Li Xintian let out a cold snort and, without a second word, nocked an arrow and loosed it.

"Whoosh—!"

The arrow flew forth, not hitting the black-faced ghost bailiff, but landing right at his feet.

However, the black-faced ghost bailiff, along with the blue-faced ghost bailiff, was directly blown flying out of the main hall by the shockwave, agonizing expressions plastered across their faces as if they had been heavily struck by a giant hammer, an unbearable torment.

"If that arrow I just fired had landed on your bodies, you would be dead right now."

Li Xintian said, "I've heard that when humans die they become ghosts, and when ghosts die they become *zhi*. I wonder if that is true."

The two ghosts were deeply terrified. Looking at Li Xintian once more, their attitude was no longer just respectful, but filled with awe and dread.

What kind of person was this? A single arrow possessed the might to slay ghosts and gods.

The arrow had missed its mark, yet its shockwave alone could blast ghost bailiffs away.

This seemingly ordinary arrow possessed the terrifying power to execute ghosts and gods, far more terrifying than any Daoist magic.

At this moment, the bodies of the two ghost bailiffs shrank by a full circle, transforming from hulking, robust men into short and small figures—they looked like completely different people.

"I said before, when it concerns the safety of my father, I will not be as easygoing as before. You will answer whatever I ask. If you two ghost bailiffs behave, once this matter is concluded, our accounts are settled. But if you harbor any petty thoughts, while I may recognize you, the powerful bow in my hands will not."

Li Xintian said coldly. This was even without Li Xintian using his righteous energy, relying purely on martial arts.

He had long wanted to discipline these two ghost bailiffs.

Although they were acting completely deferential to him now, everything they had done so far was merely cleaning up their own mess.

If they hadn't failed at harvesting souls in the first place, none of this would have happened.

Of course, the orders of the Shuiwen City God were also a factor; presumably, on that day at Lanruo Temple, Tiejian had dreamed of the Shuiwen County City God, who had already guessed a hint of his identity. Otherwise, these two ghost bailiffs would never have been so shameless as to beg him for mercy.

"No, we wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare."

Frightened out of their wits, the two ghost bailiffs fell heavily to their knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy over and over again.

This time, they were truly terrified.

Their previous begging for mercy had merely been an act to elicit pity.

"Speak, what is my father's current condition?" Li Xintian said calmly.

"Master Li's current condition is stable, except that..."

"Except what?" Li Xintian demanded.

The blue-faced ghost bailiff replied, "Except that Master Li has suffered some punishment, having received a full thirty strokes of the beating board, and is now lying in the cell unable to move. To make Master Li more comfortable, this humble one blew a breath to put Master Li into a deep sleep."

Li Xintian furrowed his brow deeply, a flash of anger seemingly welling up.

Thinking that Li Xintian was enraged, the two ghost bailiffs immediately knelt and begged for mercy again, "This humble one truly acted out of good intentions to let Master Li sleep, without the slightest intention of harming Master Li."

"You need not panic, I am not angry with you. I am angry with that Magistrate Liu. You have done well."

Li Xintian then said, "Tiejian, go to the inner hall and fetch a stick of Buddhist incense."

"Understood, Young Master." Tiejian acknowledged the order and promptly went to the inner hall to fetch a stick of Buddhist incense.

Taking it from him, Li Xintian let a ball of pale blue light appear in his palm, enveloping the incense as he said, "I, Li Xintian, have always been clear about gratitude and grudges. That arrow I shot at you was because your incompetence in handling affairs caused such a huge disaster. Since you helped my father alleviate his pain, this stick of incense is my gift to you."

With that, he gestured and said, "Light it and plant it in front of them."

Tiejian complied, lit the incense imbued with spiritual energy, and planted it right in front of the two ghost bailiffs.

The incense burned, and smoke billowed forth, appearing even denser than usual.

"This, this is..."

The two ghost bailiffs were startled. Enveloped in this incense smoke, they felt their previous injuries rapidly healing, and their ghostly bodies becoming increasingly solid.

"It's... it's growing."

Shortly after, they watched in astonishment as, after absorbing this incense smoke, their previously short and stumpy figures grew back to their former robust and sturdy height, and then continued to expand.

In just a brief moment, the two ghost bailiffs grew nearly a zhang tall, resembling small giants.

When the stick of Buddhist incense burned down to the end, the two ghost bailiffs stood a zhang tall, with bulging muscles and powerful frames, looking less like ghost bailiffs and more like temple door guardians.

Seeing this, Li Xintian did not seem surprised. He knew this was another marvelous application of his righteous energy. Ghosts and gods could not directly consume his righteous energy, but if it was imbued into Buddhist incense and lit to transform into the power of incense offerings, ghosts and gods could absorb it. Just like with demonic entities, it could increase their cultivation and acted as a potent tonic.

A stick followed by a carrot.

Li Xintian had the intention of subduing these two ghost bailiffs.

The reason was simple: these two ghost bailiffs were well-informed and could hear sounds from all directions within three leagues. If they could work for him, any plots and schemes targeting the Li family could be known in advance and neutralized.

"You may go. I have already made up my mind regarding Magistrate Liu."

Li Xintian waved his hand.

Feeling the abundant power within their bodies and looking at the burnt-out incense, the two ghost bailiffs exchanged glances, then dropped to their knees together.

"Since the two of us have enjoyed the Li family's incense, we are willing to serve the Li family. We beg Young Master Li not to disdain our humble abilities."

True to their clever nature, having tasted the benefits of the Li family's incense, the two kowtowed in submission, completely disregarding whether they were acting under the orders of the Shuiwen City God.

Anticipating this, Li Xintian calmly said, "The Li family's incense is not so easily enjoyed. That single stick of incense merely repaid the breath you blew for my father earlier. If you wish to continue enjoying the Li family's incense, you must exert your utmost strength for the Li family in the future. Should you resort to slacking off or double-dealing, I will execute you with a single arrow without the slightest hesitation."

"Think carefully on whether to stay or leave; I, Li Xintian, will not force you."

Without a second thought, the two ghost bailiffs cried out in unison, "We are willing to devote our lives in service to the Li family."

"Very well, I shall judge by your actions. If you remain utterly loyal for a full year, I will grant you a stick of incense every year," Li Xintian said.

"Thank you, Young Master," the two ghost bailiffs said with ecstatic joy.

They felt their future was infinitely bright. Working for the City God only earned them enough incense to scrape by, but following this young master of the Li family could enhance their cultivation, making it entirely possible to become underworld soldiers or ghost generals in the future.

"Oh, right, when this humble one went to the prison to visit Master Li earlier, I could not find that Madame Wang in the cells. I surmise that Madame Wang might be locked up inside the county yamen."

"As I passed by the county yamen, I noticed that the ghost and god residing within had already moved away; the yamen currently lacks the protection of a ghost or god."

The two ghost bailiffs hastily added.

Li Xintian asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"What this humble one means is, since the ghost and god of the yamen has left, this humble one can freely enter and exit the yamen. If the Young Master wishes, I can go right now and drag Magistrate Liu's soul here for the Young Master to dispose of as he pleases," said the blue-faced ghost bailiff.

"No, I don't want you to harvest Magistrate Liu's soul. I want you to harvest Madame Wang's soul. That woman's allotted lifespan has ended yet she refuses to die, making her a trouble," Li Xintian said.

"If it were before, we wouldn't dare claim we could harvest Madame Wang's soul, but now, please rest assured, Young Master, we can definitely accomplish it," the two ghost bailiffs said with absolute confidence.

Li Xintian instructed, "Once you harvest Madame Wang's soul, take her to Shuiwen City and hand her over to the City God. I believe the City God will know what to do. If you fail to bring her, you two can figure out the consequences yourselves." With that, he let out a cold snort.

"This humble one understands." Gritting their teeth, the two ghost bailiffs knew they had to give it their all tonight.

Even if it cost them their lives, they had to capture Madame Wang.

This was the very first task the Young Master had entrusted to the two of them. If they failed to execute it properly, forget about incense—if any blunder occurred, execution by a single arrow was a distinct possibility.

"Go," Li Xintian waved his hand.

The two towering, door-guardian-like ghost bailiffs cupped their fists in salute and instantly transformed into a gust of chilly wind and departed. However, this chilly wind was far stronger than the previous one, causing even the lanterns hanging outside to sway violently.

"Tiejian, summon the men of the escort agency. I have instructions," Li Xintian said, though beneath his calm expression, a lingering anger burned faintly.

The thought of his father receiving thirty strokes of the beating board from Magistrate Liu and lying in a prison cell unable to move filled him with blazing fury.

To fail to avenge this enmity was to be unworthy of being a son. Even though he often went against Li Qizong's arrangements, in his heart he held deep respect for his father Li Qizong, who was now, after all, his biological father.