Chapter 1: The Haunted Yōlin (Part 1)

  The grand hall was silent, Yanluo Wang had just chased away Bai Wuchang and was now fiddling with his abacus in discontent, not saying a word. The female secretary next to him gave a signal with her eyes to one of the yin messengers below, who nodded understandingly, stood up straight and let out a clear whistle:

  "Retire for the morning..."

  His Highness and the officials also relaxed upon hearing this shout, just like they had heard the school bell. Those yin officials who were still planning to report to him looked a bit dissatisfied but could only helplessly shake their heads. At the same time, on both sides of the grand hall, inside the beaded curtains, two large gates suddenly appeared out of thin air. The gates shimmered with mysterious and profound light, and these ghostly officials walked into them, disappearing to who-knows-where.

  But Luo Cha heard the retreat, and immediately became uncalm. He had deliberately chosen this time to find Yanluo Wang, so as not to disturb him during non-working hours, but he did not expect the retreat to be so early today. Before he could even enter the hall, all the officials had already dispersed.

  Yan Luo Wang looked around and saw that almost everyone had left, so he slowly got up from the sofa, also preparing to leave. At this time, the female secretary noticed Ding Ling Xiu and his group, and quickly followed Yan Luo Wang, whispering:

  "Your Honor, King Yan, it seems that the Raksha who was late for court earlier has something else to say."

  Yan Luo Wang glanced at the secretary with a slanted gaze, then turned his head to look towards Luocha, who also bowed respectfully.

  Perhaps Yanluo Wang had a good impression of this guide Raksha, and he didn't turn around to leave. Instead, he stood still and asked in a cold voice:

  "Your Highness, Rakshasa, is there anything else?"

  Rakshasa hastily ran to the front of the hall, half-kneeling on the ground, and said with a clenched fist:

  "We report to Your Majesty, King Yan, that the A-grade fugitives of the underworld, Ding Lingxiu and Zhang Shanyi, have been captured. We await your further instructions."

  "An A-level fugitive?" Yan Wang looked at Ding Lingxiu and the others with a puzzled expression, finding that these two had intelligent and kind faces, and no matter how they looked, they didn't seem to be the kind of extremely evil A-level fugitives.

  The so-called A-level fugitive of the underworld is a crime level set for criminals involved in the case of the underworld. The lowest level is C, followed by B and then A, and S. Among them, most C-level criminals are escapees from the 18th layer of hell, basically small demons and ghosts in the underworld. B-levels are some demons and monsters that violate the underworld's precepts, disrupting the balance between the underworld and the human world, or some mortals who covet the underworld's secret techniques and steal them. However, A-level and S-level are more severe. They are basically all extremely evil villains who have caused huge damage to the order of the underworld and had a great impact. They span across the three realms of immortals, humans, and demons, with some even being wanted not only in the underworld but also throughout the entire three realms.

  In the face of such A-level and S-level criminals, the Yin messengers of the underworld's criminal department - the ghostly enforcers, have the right to directly strike them down. And the trial of such level of criminals cannot be directly handed over to the underworld's judge of good and evil, but must go through the trial of the highest-ranking chief judge Cui after which they can be sentenced, during which Yan Wang must also be present as a lay judge. However, since the system is just a system, even in the underworld where orders are strictly enforced, over time, Yan Wang will get lazy and rarely attend the trials.

  Hell's A-list fugitive?

  When he heard these words, Ding Lingxiu also felt a chill run down his spine. He thought to himself, what on earth was going on? How did it come to be that not long ago, he had rendered great service to the underworld and been awarded the Silver Spirit Badge, yet in the blink of an eye, he had inexplicably become a wanted fugitive - an A-level one at that? Moreover, his spiritual powers were currently being suppressed, leaving him completely at the mercy of others in the underworld. If the trial really did find him guilty... wouldn't an A-level fugitive be locked up for at least several cycles of reincarnation?

  "Hmm? This is quite interesting. Alright, today I'll take a look at what kind of heinous crimes these two children have committed."

  Yan Wang's fatigue just now was swept away, it seems that he also hasn't encountered something that made him feel surprised for a long time.

  Two eighteen or nineteen-year-old young people actually became Class A fugitives in the underworld, and no matter who replaced them, they would think that this matter was simply a fantasy.

  Ding Lingxiu wanted to defend himself, but he endured it, thinking that since it was a trial, he would definitely be given the opportunity to speak for himself, and there was no need to rush to argue now, which would only provoke Yan Wang and add trouble.

  But contrary to his expectations, King Yan did not return to his rightful position, instead he had several ghostly attendants move his black stone desk and large sofa to one side.

  Immediately afterwards, a series of mechanical sounds came from the upper part of the great hall, accompanied by a loud rumbling sound. A golden stone platform slowly rose from under the great hall, with black feathered phoenixes in flight carved on both sides of the platform. The lines of the carvings were extremely smooth and the craftsmanship was so fine that it seemed to be naturally formed, not something that any mortal craftsman could achieve, as if whatever design was conceived was completed just like that.

  After the stone pedestal appeared, several ghostly soldiers brought a leather armchair from behind the screen and neatly placed a sign tube and a large pink laptop on top of the pedestal.

  Ding Lingxiu said with a smile, although the underworld is very advanced in technology, it's strange that they knew to change the record of the case from a workbook to a computer, but didn't know to replace the judge's signature.

  But what happened next left him speechless.

  He never expected that the person sitting in the judge's position next would be the stunningly beautiful female secretary-like woman who stood beside King Yan.

  The female secretary walked elegantly to the golden stone platform, sat down on a beast skin armchair, her beautiful eyes shining brightly as she carelessly glanced at Ding Ling and others, then let out a clear cry:

  "Up the hall!"

  In an instant, all the ghostly soldiers in the great hall stood at attention on one side, shouting "Hail to your martial prowess!"

  The tall-faced man and the other horned-headed man also hastened to the grand hall, standing on either side of the golden stone platform, their faces solemn.

  Obviously, judging from their appearance, they should be the Ox Head and Horse Face, but the two men were dressed in suits and leather shoes. If they were to wear a pair of sunglasses, they would look like two big bosses' bodyguards.

  Ding Lingxiu couldn't believe his eyes, but judging from the female secretary's demeanor and official aura, she must be the legendary Chief Judge of the Underworld - Cui Fugun.

  Although Ding Lingxiu and his party had already arrived at the Grand Temple, they still had to go through the proper procedures.

  "Bring the accused to court."

  Chui Fu Jun let out a loud shout, although she was a woman, she had an aura and prestige that was not inferior to Yan Wang.

  Rakshasa brought Ding Lingxiao back to the main hall, Ding Lingxiao's footsteps were staggering, but he was majestic and proud, looking like he had not submitted at all. Two ghostly soldiers tried to make Ding Lingxiao kneel on the ground, but after pressing him several times, they surprisingly couldn't press him down.

  Ding Lingshu raised her head and looked at Cui Fugui without any fear.

  Chui Fu Jun's eyes were fixed on the computer screen, seemingly searching for some information, and didn't notice him.

  At this time, the cow head next to him was somewhat displeased. He let out two loud snorts and shouted sternly:

  "How dare your lordship's criminal be so bold, committing a heinous crime and yet still refusing to kneel!"

  Ding Lingxiu gave him a cold glance. Although he had a strong sense of grievance in his heart, he tried to restrain his emotions and replied indifferently:

  "Why kneel down if you're innocent?"

  As soon as this was said, everyone in the great hall was shocked and lost their color. Cui Fuke also adjusted his glasses, and although his expression didn't change much, he stared straight at Ding Lingxiu. Yan Wang also rubbed his chin, looking at Ding Lingxiu with a strange expression, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

  Chui Fu Jun moved his mouse, shifted his gaze, and stared at the computer screen with a low voice saying to Ding Ling Xiu:

  "What an innocent person, but do you know that a country has its laws and a family has its rules. Not to mention whether you are guilty or not, when meeting the Lord of the Underworld, the King of the Ten Halls of Yanluo, you don't even pay respects with a bow, what kind of propriety is this!"

  Ding Lingxiu, despite his shoulder pain being unbearable, still held his head high and replied loudly:

  "The courtesy of kneeling and bowing should be shown to people of high virtue and prestige, rather than to those who wield power through coercion."

  As soon as Ding Lingxiu's words came out, all the ghostly soldiers in the great hall were amazed and looked at him incredulously. The ox-headed and horse-faced men had gloomy faces, for they had been serving Yan Wang for not just decades but hundreds of years. They knew Yan Wang's temperament very well, and Ding Lingxiu's sharp words, whether reasonable or not, would inevitably provoke Yan Wang's great anger.

  Chui Fu Jun's hand moving the mouse also stopped, staring blankly at Yan Wang beside him, finding that Yan Wang was lying on his back on the sofa with nothing to do. Although it seemed that Ding Ling Xiu's words didn't have much of an impact on him, based on her understanding of Yan Wang, he must be turbulent inside.

  Chui Fu Jun furrowed his brow and rebuked:

  "How dare you, a young and reckless fellow, utter such arrogant words! This is the underworld, don't you fear that King Yan will scatter your soul?"

  Ding Lingxiu's expression didn't change as he faced Cui Fugui, their eyes locking in a four-eyed stare. His bright blue eyes sparkled with spirit as he replied calmly:

  "Since I chose to be a demon hunter, I have long been unafraid of life and death. But I think Lord Yan will not be so angry with me, such an insignificant wronged person, because compared to Lord Yan, I am just a grain of sand in the vast ocean. Judge Cui, you often accompany Lord Yan, can it be that you actually look down on Lord Yan's temperament?"

  Chui Fu Jun was taken aback, and if there were no people around, she would have pounced on Ding Ling Xiu and skinned him alive. Because she never thought that her one sentence to help Yan Wang Ye would be seized by this little devil as a handle, and turned the tables on her.

  Before she could speak, King Yan smiled and sat up straight from the sofa chair, looking up and down at Ding Lingxiu, saying slowly:

  "It's indeed true that heroes emerge in their youth, and at such a young age, you've already become an A-level fugitive. It seems that you're not simple after all. Alright, since you have the audacity to challenge the authority of the underworld, I'll let you stand trial today as an exception."

  All the yin messengers present were shocked, and Ox-Head and Horse-Face also looked at King Yan with a questioning expression. However, King Yan had a smile on his face, with his hands crossed over his knees, looking calm and collected, without any sign of anger.

  Ding Lingxiu was not overly surprised, the higher the leadership, the more they love to do things that are beyond the expectations of their subordinates, in order to increase their own prestige and make their subordinates unpredictable. So Ding Lingxiu had already guessed that Yan Wang would definitely not get angry, but instead would be very polite to him, which is why he dared to be so arrogant.

  But just as everyone was shocked by Ding Lingxu's actions, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and bowed to Yan Wang, saying: "Your Honor, please forgive me, I am not being rude, but this time I have come not as a prisoner, but as the recipient of the Silver Spirit Badge, to receive the reward from the underworld. Your Honor, making a meritorious official stand is not the way to treat a guest."

  The entire hall was silent, and Cui Fu Jun and Niu Tou Ma Mian were shocked to the point of being speechless. Cui Fu Jun swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on Yan Wang with a gaze that seemed to be staring at a volcano about to erupt. In her heart, she was cursing her luck, thinking that this child didn't understand the situation and had kicked up a fuss for no reason. But what he had provoked was none other than Yan Wang himself. If Yan Wang were to truly lose his temper, the city gates would be set ablaze, and those who lived in the city would also suffer.

  Yan Wang's face turned gloomy upon hearing this, the atmosphere on the scene became terrifyingly oppressive. These yin messengers felt their hearts racing wildly, and they couldn't wait to swarm up and tear Ding Ling into a million pieces.

  But no one expected that after listening to Ding Lingxiu's words, Yan Wangye suddenly burst out laughing, with a thunderous applause that shook the entire hall:

  "Good, take a seat!"