Chapter 37.3: Requesting for Ling Xiao~

Chapter 37 Part 3

Xi Jia was very aggrieved. He understood why this female ghost wanted to kill that group of bastards. Even if it was him, the urge to kill those people also passed through his mind. However, this female ghost had also killed several innocent girls while slaughtering Lijia Village! Besides the girl who was pushed out by the villagers to take the blame, there were two other girls who had just been kidnapped and sold. They didn’t know anything, and neither did they participate in blocking the village entrance. However, they were also devoured by the malicious ghost, and henceforth, their souls were also destroyed!

If it was only getting revenge, why harm those innocent people!

As if he heard Xi Jia’s confusion, Ye Jingzhi said, “Once a malicious ghost kills someone, the more they kill, the easier it will be for them to get confused by evilness. Thus, they will lose their mind and kill innocent people. Fellow Daoist Pei isn’t its enemy, but it also wanted to kill Fellow Daoist Pei. That is because……it can’t turn back anymore.”

Xi Jia turned his head to look at Ye Jingzhi and asked grievingly, “Master Ye, as long as they walk on this path, there’s no way to go back?”

Ye Jingzhi seriously looked at Xi Jia. After a long time, he nodded his head hard. Looking at the mad female ghost, he softly said, “You have killed so many people and ate so many souls. Your magic power is deep, and I’m also unable to help you reincarnate. Perhaps in this world, only the abbot of Great Wanshou Temple, Senior Buxing, could help you transcend. However, I think Ling Xiao won’t allow you to reincarnate.”

The female ghost simply didn’t care about Ye Jingzhi’s words at all. It only wanted to rush out and kill those people from Yuanjia Village. It screamed as it charged at Xi Jia and Ye Jingzhi.

Xi Jia’s heart ached with deep sorrow, but he still firmly grabbed the female ghost by the hand and captured it with both hands so it couldn’t move. Ye Jingzhi flipped his hand and drew out Wu Xiang Qing Li. Tapping on one of its surfaces, he pulled out a myriad of golden light and laid another small enchantment inside the barrier.

The female ghost was trapped inside the small enchantment and couldn’t charge out.

Ye Jingzhi looked at Xi Jia, “It will certainly have its soul dispersing as its ending.”

Xi Jia nodded his head, “I know. Master Ye, it has killed too many people and even two innocent girls. Because of it, those people no longer have a chance to reincarnate. Their souls had scattered.”

Inside the large barrier, after the female ghost was caught, Pei Yu also woke up from the illusion. Once he woke up, he noticed that he was tied up and his face was completely covered in snot and tears. Pei Yu hurriedly struggled free from the rope and used his sleeve to wipe his face while checking to see if anyone nearby saw his embarrassing appearance. With a glance, he saw Xi Jia and Ye Jingzhi not far away.

Charlatan Pei jumped back in fright. After looking for a moment, he realized that Xi Jia and Ye Jingzhi weren’t even looking at him. He let out a sigh of relief and walked forward, “Brother Jia, what’s going on? I was just sleeping a moment ago, and you’re standing there—ah! Junior Sister!!!”

Pei Yu saw the female ghost trapped inside the small barrier and quickly rushed over.

Xi Jia closed his eyes for a moment. His throat was hoarse and couldn’t speak. He repeatedly opened his mouth three times before finally turning his head to look at Ye Jingzhi. From the beginning, Ye Jingzhi was quietly watching him, and their gazes met in midair. Without speaking, there were some words that they both already could understand.

What should be confronted would eventually need to be confronted.

Ye Jingzhi stepped forward and took out Wu Xiang Qing Li. With a palm, he launched it into the air. The small bronze die spun above the female ghost’s head.

This was Xi Jia’s first time seeing Ye Jingzhi request for Ling Xiao.

When Hu Die had requested for Ling Xiao at that time, he had set up a Deity Summoning Altar and placed a lot of tributes. Only with the help of his grandmaster, Celestial Master Zhang, was he able to invite Ling Xiao and could only ask three times. However now, Ye Jingzhi stood in front of the female ghost with a calm expression. His hand seals changed, and he tapped on a certain surface of Wu Xiang Qing Li with his finger.

Bang!

Golden light erupted from the ground and shot towards the sky.

“Ling Xiao above, disciple is requesting a deity.”

“The mountains have hidden two villages of evil people. One surnamed Li, and another surnamed Yuan. The Li Village had harmed the woman for three years and murdered her parents. Yuan Village had buried fourteen girls alive and took the side of evil to harm lives. I do not know how deep their sins are. Asking Ling Xiao to sentence them, and how so?!”

Rumble!

Dazzling rays of light descended from the sky. They stuck the villagers of Yuanjia Village outside of the barrier before quickly dissipating. More light landed on the white-haired old man’s body, and the light that landed on some young people was a bit less in contrast.

Ye Jingzhi indifferently swept through the group of people with a glance and coldly said, “A lifetime passes, and the life span is exhausted. For lesser cases, send to the Pool of Blood for three centuries.¹ For heavier cases, send to the Chamber of Saws for two millenniums.² Their souls are to be dispersed after the torture has passed. Disciple accepts the order.”

Pei Yu widened his eyes and quietly said to Xi Jia, “Brother Jia, you don’t know, but this is requesting for Ling Xiao. Each time when we Celestial Masters catch a malicious ghost, we would request for Ling Xiao, but that’s fake requesting for Ling Xiao. As long as Ling Xiao doesn’t block us, we would kill the malicious ghost. This time, Hell King Ye is requesting for Ling Xiao for real. For the people of Yuanjia Village, the lightest sentence is to suffer in the Blood Pool Hell for three hundred years. And the heaviest, look at the old man, he should be the most severe one. After he dies, he needs to get cut in the Saw Chamber Hell for an entire two thousand years! Just how many bad things did this person do for it to be this heavy. And the most frightening thing is that after they have suffered so many years of torture, not only can’t they reincarnate, but their souls would immediately be scattered!”

Xi Jia certainly knew what requesting for Ling Xiao was, but he didn’t interrupt Pei Yu. He asked, “Is this kind of torture very severe?”

Pei Yu asked back confidently, “Making you suffer the most terrible punishment for two thousand years in Hell after you die and then have your soul scattered, don’t you think that’s severe? I’ve lived for this long, and this is my first time seeing Ling Xiao drop such a frightening punishment. That old man has definitely done a lot of bad things in his life!”

Xi Jia nodded. Instead, he thought of another matter: The female ghost had ate the souls of the people of Lijia Village and made their souls scatter. It was actually letting them off lightly. If Ling Xiao had punished them, the people of Lijia Village would have at least also suffer torture before their souls dispersed.

It really was a freak combination of factors.

After Ye Jingzhi’s first request for Ling Xiao had ended, he didn’t rest and immediately started the second.

This time, he didn’t say much. He merely lowered his head to look at the female ghost that was trapped inside the enchantment and spoke with a tranquil voice, “Requesting for Ling Xiao to let its punishment descend.”

Just like before, Ling Xiao didn’t hesitate for a moment. In the sky, a blinding lightning immediately stuck down and landed on the female ghost.

Xi Jia slightly clenched his fingers. He clearly remembered when Hu Die was requesting for Ling Xiao for Old Ghost at that time, Ling Xiao had taken a long time because Old Ghost killing Li Xiao was pardonable. Only after Hu Die had asked Ling Xiao three times did Ling Xiao set the punishment for the things Old Ghost had done.

However now, Ling Xiao immediately determined the punishment for the female ghost without hesitation.

The instant this lightning descended, Ye Jingzhi’s pupils contracted, and he softly said, “Scatter the soul. Disciple accepts the order.”

His voice fell, and the divine lightning also struck directly at the female ghost’s head.

Pei Yu never entered the illusion, and he didn’t know the female ghost’s past. At this moment, he anxiously stared at the female ghost, fearing Ling Xiao would also strike his junior sister’s brains. However, Ling Xiao was Ling Xiao in the end. Your daddy was still your daddy. The bright lightning drew a soul out from Pei Yu’s junior sister’s body with very accurate precision.

The malicious ghost left the body. Pei Yu’s junior sister immediately weakly slumped to the side.

The ghost’s entire body was badly mangled. When it died, it had used a knife to slice its flesh off before dying of blood loss. The resentment energy was very strong. The moment it appeared, mournful cries sounded in valley.

It was drawn out of someone else’s body by Ling Xiao. The bright lightning attacked its soul, making the viciousness in its eyes dissipate little by little. After five minutes had past, its body was restored to its original appearance while alive. It was a young girl in a white skirt. Xi Jia had seen this young girl quickly running over to help the old man up and say, “You’re welcome,” with a smile.

She wasn’t that good-looking, but she was well worth a second look, and could only be said to be fair and clear.

At this moment, she had completely regained her rationality and didn’t have the fierce aura of a malicious ghost anymore. She lowered her head and looked at the ground Xi Jia and Ye Jingzhi were standing on.

The bright lightning had eliminated her viciousness, but it had also made her body more and more illusory. She looked at the two humans and lifted her head to look at the unconscious people of Yuanjia Village not far away. Then, she looked up, and her line of sight passed through the two mountains to see the 89 graves standing before Lijia Village.

The girl slowly perked up the corners of her mouth to show a sorrowful yet tranquil smile.

Xi Jia had seen this smile before. At that time, she had shown this smile when she was helping the old man get up. The smile was bright and sunny. She smiled so brightly. Afterwards, she had helped that old man and walked towards the abyss of her life step by step.

Several years had past, and she never smiled again. Now, she was finally free.

The bright lightning flashed incessantly. The girl’s body was just about to dissipate. Right when she was about to disappear, she lowered her head and faintly smiled as she looked at Xi Jia and Ye Jingzhi. Her lips lightly moved a couple times to say two words——

『Thank you.』

Bang!

Her soul transformed into countless bright specks and completely dissipated from the world. In the end, her soul scattered.

Seeing this scene, Xi Jia closed his eyes. He couldn’t bear to watch. He felt deeply regretful for this girl, but he also knew that this girl had killed so many people including other innocent girls. The punishment matched her crimes, and she was bound to have her soul scattered. This was the punishment that she must accept. This was the fairness of Ling Xiao with absolute impartiality.

The female ghost’s soul scattered, and Ye Jingzhi lifted his hand to remove the enchantment.

Because the female ghost had completely died, the yin energy that it had wrapped around the villagers also slowly dispersed into the air.

Once the enchantment broke, Pei Yu hurriedly ran up and held up his junior sister. He anxiously called out, “Junior Sister!” His junior sister slowly opened her eyes, turning her head to look at Pei Yu, “Se-Senior Brother……”

Pei Yu upon seeing his junior sister’s face that was too miserable to look at, “……”

Unable to look at his junior sister’s miserable face, Pei Yu only chatted a few words with his junior sister before escaping to find Xi Jia. With a face covered in tears, he said, “I’m done for, I’m done for! Brother Jia, I should’ve known earlier that the female ghost would enter my junior sister’s body! That’s my junior sister’s body ah! It had opened its mouth that wide and twisted its neck and legs like that. My junior sister has magic power. Otherwise, if it was any other ordinary person, they would’ve already died! Right now, my junior sister has become like this……”

There were no mirrors around. Pei Yu’s junior sister still didn’t know how terrible her face was presently.

The personality of this junior sister surnamed Wang wasn’t as lively as when the female ghost had possessed her body. She was very gentle and quiet. She rubbed her neck and asked in confusion, “Senior Brother, why do I feel that my body is in so much pain? My face also hurts. Do you know what’s going on?”

Pei Yu didn’t dare answer. He couldn’t bear to look straight and covered his eyes, “Brother Jia, my junior sister is disfigured ah! She’s disfigured ah! That won’t do, I have hurry and take my junior sister to Shennong Valley to fix it. Or else if my master sees it, he would peel my skin!”

“Laozi will definitely peel your skin right now!!!”

The Author has something to say:
Mirror: Today, wife saw my heroic look while requesting for Ling Xiao.
C+: Was seriously watching Daddy Ling Xiao and didn’t pay attention to you.

Translator’s Notes:
¹ 血池 Pool of Blood/血池地狱里 Blood Pool Hell – 13th Layer of the 18 Layers of Hell. ↵
² 刀锯 Chamber of Saws/刀锯地狱 Saw Chamber Hell – 18th Layer of the 18 Layers of Hell. This layer is literally called Blades and Saws…but for the sake of having a “location” in the name, I found that this layer has  been translated as Chamber of Saws before. ↵