"Or could it be... that mortals aren't allowed to inflict vigilante justice on ghost souls?"
Pei Ye was quite curious about this. Cultivation, demons and ghosts—these were elements she had only seen in novels. She had no idea how they operated in the real world. How did ghosts and humans interact, and how was order maintained? This so-called Heavenly Master Alliance was likely a special organization established by Heavenly Masters to maintain the public security of the Yin and Yang Two Realms.
Zhu Chun'an hastily waved his hands and explained, "No, no, it's just that interrogating fierce ghosts is usually the job of a yin messenger. Very few people would interrogate one directly."
There was a common saying among the people: "A mouth full of ghost talk." Could words spoken by a ghost be trusted one hundred percent? If one wanted a ghost to obediently tell the truth, they had to rely on a professional yin messenger.
Pei Ye pressed further, "Can I ask about the specific details? Even though this Lan Ying did evil deeds and ate people, she was driven to become a fierce ghost because she was victimized by these men. If she only sought revenge against her abusers, shouldn't her sentencing take that into account? Since she killed innocent people, would that mean a heavier punishment during the final reckoning?"
She was analyzing the situation using her own mindset, forgetting that Yin and Yang were two different worlds, and the living and the dead were governed by different laws.
Zhu Chun'an explained it to her. "No. Regardless of whether Lan Ying had a tragic reason for her death, once she died, she fell under Fengdu's jurisdiction. The debts from her time alive are settled together in Fengdu. If her abusers are still alive, they are handled by government agencies. Only after they all die will their grudges be settled before Emperor Fengdu. Fierce ghosts belong to the underworld; no matter what, they cannot harm the lives of the living. Doing so will only increase their killing karma and guilt. They must suffer severe torture before reincarnation, and even after that, they won't get a good place in line and cannot enter the human path."
There was a rule like that? Turning into a fierce ghost and not even being allowed to take personal revenge, having to wait until the abusers finished enjoying their mortal lifespans before settling the score in the underworld—it sounded incredibly frustrating.
Zhu Chun'an added, "There's another point. Ghost souls rely on yin energy rather than flesh and blood, making them easy to provoke into doing things against their true intentions, such as slaughtering the innocent. Almost all fierce ghosts cannot avoid this. Once they are tainted with blood, they easily lose their rationality under its temptation. When they go to Fengdu to have their mortal Merit calculated, they will only be adding more crimes to their record."
Preventing fierce ghosts from hurting people was not only to protect mortals but also to minimize the sins of the fierce ghosts themselves.
Of course, this was just the wishful thinking of the Heavenly Masters; the fierce ghosts didn't care at all. They would rather become fierce ghosts to exact revenge, which showed how deep the hatred in their hearts ran. Who would still care whether their sins increased or decreased by a stroke?
"So..." Pei Ye shifted her gaze to Lan Ying. "If I hand her over to you, what will you do with her? Hand her to that department you mentioned?"
"If you give her to me, I will take her to the department to clarify the entire case before handing her over to a Fengdu Yin Cha. The mortal realm handles mortal affairs, and the underworld handles underworld affairs," Zhu Chun'an said. "Our department has a cooperative relationship with the authorities and Fengdu, and we even have yin messengers stationed with us to handle these tricky cases. Well... as you've seen, the country has been committed to eradicating feudal superstition over the years. If demons and ghosts ran rampant and were exposed to the public, it would be detrimental to social stability. However, some cases involving the paranormal cannot be solved by ordinary people. In such times, we need to cooperate with Fengdu, which also serves to maintain peace in the Yin and Yang Two Realms."
The actions of Mr. Du and his cronies constituted criminal offenses. Once verified, they would be transferred to the relevant authorities for processing. The crimes committed by Lan Ying would also be handed over to Fengdu for investigation and reckoning.
Pei Ye suddenly spoke up. "However... I remember that these guys all come from wealthy backgrounds. Won't their families affect judicial fairness?"
Zhu Chun'an coughed lightly and gave Pei Ye a hint about the unspoken rules of their line of work. "You may not know this, but any case that passes through the hands of the special department is absolutely fair and just. They will even consider the ghost's grievances and increase the sentence."
This department was a platform for communication between the mortal realm and Fengdu in the underworld. The living couldn't let the dead in the underworld treat them as a joke.
Unjust, false, or wrongful convictions? Nonexistent! If the circumstances were extremely severe, they would deal with it even more harshly to appease the victimized ghost's resentment.
"Thanks for letting me know. You can take this one away."
Having satisfied her curiosity, Pei Ye had no reason to continue detaining the fierce ghost, much less demand to personally interrogate Lan Ying. Since there was a specialized agency to handle these matters, why should she interfere?
"Thank you, Senior." Zhu Chun'an looked respectful, but he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
He had originally thought that this senior—whose Evil Qi was so dense she looked like nothing but a mass of black shadow—would be very eccentric. After conversing with her, he realized she was actually quite reasonable. In this day and age, capable, warm-hearted, and approachable seniors were truly a rare breed. Even though her Evil Qi was thick enough to force a fierce ghost back three feet, Zhu Chun'an felt he shouldn't discriminate against her for it.
"My name isn't Senior. My real name is Xiao Hong. Pei Ye is the name I use when I travel."
Zhu Chun'an sealed the fierce ghost into a special talisman. The bloody ghost energy in the private room gradually faded until the temperature returned to normal.
"Sen—Pei Ye, do you want to exchange contact information?"
A string of question marks popped into Pei Ye's head.
"Without you, I wouldn't have been able to catch this fierce ghost. The crimes she committed are severe. Once confirmed, the Heavenly Master Alliance should issue a bonus and subsidy. I can't accept this money. If we have each other's contact info, I can transfer the money to you once the bonus and subsidy come through."
Zhu Chun'an was an honest person, though he was also worried that Pei Ye might look down on such a small amount of money.
Pei Ye thought about it and nodded in agreement. She hadn't lacked money in the past, but in this world, she was a pauper. The original body, Xiao Hong, was so broke she only had a little over a hundred dollars left. Pei Ye still had to figure out a way to solve her food problem.
"When will the bonus and subsidy come through?"
When Zhu Chun'an saw Pei Ye pull out Xiao Hong's second-hand, highly convincing knockoff Apple phone, a trace of astonishment flashed through his eyes. He had assumed that an expert like Pei Ye wouldn't lack money, never expecting her to use such a phone.
They added each other on WeChat and passed the verification. Zhu Chun'an decided he would request an extra smartphone when he submitted his application to his superiors later.
Pei Ye decided to swipe another cigarette before leaving.
With the fierce ghost subdued, the area around the private room returned to normal. When the club manager heard the commotion and rushed over to look, he found the private room a total wreck, as if a hurricane had swept through. Upon seeing a living person, Mr. Du and his cronies immediately shed excited, crystal-clear tears.
Oh, mommy! Our savior!
"Hurry, hurry, hurry—send me to the hospital immediately!!!"
"I can still be saved!!!"
Mr. Du's collarbone had been crushed by Pei Ye's stomp, and several of his cronies had also been beaten until their arms and legs were broken, suffering from concussions. Having just experienced the most terrifying moment of their lives, all they wanted now was to see kind and lovely angels in scrubs to heal their traumatized little hearts.
The manager was so frightened by this bizarre scene that his legs went soft. The spoiled heirs in the private room were all notorious little tyrants with domineering personalities who acted outrageously. Offending them would bring terrible luck. Terrified of bringing trouble upon himself, the manager hastily sent them to the hospital.
When the parents of the spoiled heirs heard the news, they rushed to the hospital.
"Mom, I want to go abroad! I'm never staying in this country again!"
He refused to believe that Hua Country's Underworld could go abroad to catch people!
"Dad, your son knows he was wrong!"