So Xu Zhengyang jumped up excitedly and sent it out.
Standing on the street, where the wind was biting cold, watching the Audi A8 disappear around the corner at the village entrance, Xu Zhengyang's face lit up with a smile, but in his heart he thought viciously, "Don't think that being an official can kill you. If you piss me off, I'll... I'll... hold a trial for you, you old man! I don't care what your status or who you are, hmph! Since you're in this Fuhe City..." He quickly dismissed the thought and shivered.
Good heavens, they're getting bolder and bolder. Xu Zhengyang muttered to himself, then looked around at the peaceful village, thinking that if he really did something, who knows if a heavenly fire would descend and raze the village to the ground? Damn it!
Back home, Xu Zhengyang went back to his bedroom, intending to browse the internet to see if there was any news.
The younger sister, Xu Rouyue, walked in with a grin and said, "Brother, Sister Bingjie is so beautiful... How far have things progressed between you two?"
"Huh?" Xu Zhengyang was taken aback and said, "Go...you brat!"
Xu Rouyue dragged a chair over and sat down in front of Xu Zhengyang. She grabbed her brother's arm and said with a grin, "Brother, I think you and Sister Bingjie will definitely end up together. Hey, don't you think you're a match made in heaven?"
"Nonsense! If I were to be called a celestial being, it would be me!" Xu Zhengyang said seriously.
"Huh? Bro, who brags like that?"
“I’m not bragging,” Xu Zhengyang said seriously. “Think about it, my sister is the real fairy, and I’m her brother, so I’m definitely also among the immortals, right? She… is just a precious mortal in the mortal world, ultimately unable to escape the word ‘mortal’…”
Xu Rouyue was so happy that she punched her brother's shoulder hard with her little fist: "Brother, when did you start nitpicking all day long? And you say it so convincingly."
"Hey, stop fooling around, you'll break my arm if you keep hitting me." Xu Zhengyang scolded with a laugh, then asked seriously, "Rouyue, tell me, do you have a girlfriend at school?"
"Brother...no way!" Xu Rouyue blushed and shook her brother's arm in protest.
"Really not?"
"No," Xu Rouyue said firmly.
"Oh, so there are a lot of guys calling you 'handsome,' right? They're pursuing you, aren't they? How many love letters have you received?"
“Those people are so annoying. I get angry just thinking about them.” Xu Rouyue’s face turned even redder.
Xu Zhengyang sighed and said, "Alas, in this world, there are so few people who my sister would like, so few who are worthy of her..."
Xu Rouyue was extremely embarrassed. Just as she was about to say something, she heard her brother's phone ring. She glared at her brother, got up, and walked out.
Watching his younger sister leave, Xu Zhengyang cheerfully picked up his phone from the computer desk and saw it was a call from Zhang Hao. Without thinking, Xu Zhengyang immediately pressed the answer button.
"Hey, Haozi, are you back yet?"
"Zhengyang, something's happened!" Zhang Hao's voice was tense and trembling.
Xu Zhengyang frowned and said in a deep voice, "Don't panic, what happened?"
"Come back, come back! At Fuming Roundabout, someone was hit and killed... That, that kid committed suicide, damn it..." Zhang Hao said in a panic. He was sitting in a police car on his way to the traffic police brigade. In his panic, he didn't think of calling his boss Zhan Xiaohui first, but instead thought of Xu Zhengyang.
Even though he felt that he and Xu Zhengyang were growing further apart and contacting each other less and less, deep down, Xu Zhengyang was still his buddy! His best buddy! From childhood to adulthood, no matter what the brothers had to do, they would always habitually consult Xu Zhengyang.
"Don't worry, don't panic, I'm coming right away." Xu Zhengyang said in a deep voice to comfort him, then hung up the phone and immediately called Zhan Xiaohui. Zhan Xiaohui had already learned the news from a driver and was currently rushing to the traffic police brigade.
Xu Zhengyang grabbed his leather jacket, put it on, and hurried out, calling out to his mother's bedroom as he went, "Dad, Mom, something's happened at the logistics company, I'm going to check it out!"
"Hey, what's the rush? It's the New Year!" Yuan Suqin and her husband, along with Xu Rouyue, hurriedly came out of the house.
Xu Zhengyang had already walked into the courtyard. He turned around and smiled, "It's alright, it's a small matter. I'll go take a look. Don't worry."
The three were slightly surprised, but knowing that Xu Zhengyang was in a hurry to leave, they didn't ask any further questions.
Yuan Suqin simply said with concern, "Zhengyang, be careful."
"Okay," Xu Zhengyang replied and walked out.
Because the alleyway was narrow, the Audi A4 would be driven to Han Dashan's house at night and parked on the street during the day.
Xu Zhengyang got into the car, thought for a moment and decided not to notify Chen Chaojiang, and drove himself to Fuhe City.
While driving, Xu Zhengyang mentally reviewed the details of the car accident. He then learned the truth: just as Zhang Hao had said, the young man who died on the spot had committed suicide.
The young man's name was Su Peng, 26 years old, from Huanxiang Town, Huanxiang County. The reason for his suicide...
After graduating from university, he worked hard for more than two years but achieved nothing. His girlfriend of more than four years left him and went with someone else. This time, when he returned home for the Spring Festival, he was depressed and felt ashamed to go home to see his parents and relatives. He also felt that he would be ridiculed when he returned to his village. Therefore, he couldn't think straight and took this tragic path.
Xu Zhengyang sighed deeply, feeling both sorrow and anger for Su Peng. He had driven himself to this tragic end simply because of a moment of weakness, without considering the heartbreak and anguish his family would suffer upon hearing the news. This was an inability to face reality, an inability to take responsibility; it was escapism!
After driving to the Fuming roundabout, Xu Zhengyang stopped by the roadside. In the distance, he could see two police cars parked on the north side of the road. A tow truck had just towed up the truck involved in the accident and was slowly driving away. Bloodstains could still be seen at the accident scene. Inside the cordon, the body covered with a white sheet had not yet been removed. Several traffic police officers were conducting the final work of investigating the scene.
In the distance, a crowd of onlookers stood on the roadside.
Xu Zhengyang pulled out the case file and calmly ordered, "Collect."
The soul, which had been hiding helplessly, sadly, and regretfully within the already dead corpse, fearing sunlight during the day, suddenly flew out uncontrollably, turning into a small spot of light and entering the white Audi A4 parked not far away by the roadside.
Xu Zhengyang retrieved the case file and drove towards the traffic police brigade, thinking to himself, "Neither a good nor a bad person, the first ghost messenger has to be such a pitiful fellow."
Volume 3, Judge, Chapter 144: Issuing an Edict Granting Authority and Appointing Ghost Messengers
All three intersections at the Fuming roundabout are equipped with surveillance cameras. The scene of the accident was clearly captured on camera.
Therefore, the cause of the accident was undoubtedly determined to be suicide.
When the truck was in motion, it was empty and there were no overloads, speeding, or traffic violations.
The responsibility for the accident was 180% attributed to the deceased, while the truck driver only symbolically assumed 20% of the liability. This was because Zhan Xiaohui, the owner of Jinghui Logistics Company, voluntarily paid a sum in personal injury compensation. The traffic police officers handling the case felt that good people like Zhan Xiaohui are rare these days.
After reviewing the video, Su Peng's family, though grieving, didn't pursue the matter further. They knew perfectly well that Su Peng had been in a bad mood lately and didn't even want to go home for the Chinese New Year. They had only been trying to persuade and coax him to come home because they were worried he might get into trouble. They hoped to talk to him and offer him some guidance, but they never imagined that bringing him home for the New Year would lead him down this path.
These events occurred the day after the accident.
On the night of the accident, Xu Zhengyang did not return to his home in the village. Instead, after making a phone call, he went to the house he had bought in Fuhe City and stayed there for the night.
It was night, and the lights in the living room were off. It was pitch black.
Xu Zhengyang summoned Su Peng's ghost, then sat on the sofa and quietly watched him.
"Where...where am I?" Su Peng looked around in confusion, his heart filled with unease. He knew he was dead, but he never imagined that after death, one would truly become a ghost; even more unexpectedly, while he was avoiding the sunlight and feeling a slight pang of regret, he was involuntarily drawn into a chaotic world. Now, he had been released without warning and found himself in an ordinary room. Moreover, sitting imposingly on the sofa before him was a person dressed in a red ancient-style official robe, wearing an official hat and black boots, but radiating a soft yellow light, making it impossible to see the person's face clearly.
"Su Peng!"
"Ah." Su Peng's soul trembled.
Do you know your crime?
"I...I didn't commit a crime." Su Peng became uneasy. Could this be the Yama's Palace in the underworld? Legend has it that after death, the souls of the dead must enter the Yama's Palace to be judged. However, Su Peng was not particularly panicked, because when he was alive, he was truly a good person. Although some minor sins were unavoidable due to human nature, he really couldn't bring himself to do anything wicked.
Xu Zhengyang snorted coldly and said, "You committed suicide, not cherishing your own life. You didn't consider the feelings of your parents and relatives, nor did you think that as a son, you need to be filial for a lifetime. This is a grave sin of unfilial piety. When you committed suicide, you tried to use this to obtain a sum of money as compensation for your family, but you didn't expect that doing so would harm others. This is a sin of harming others... Do you know your sins?"
"I, I..." Su Peng's soul trembled, his heart filled with extreme guilt and self-reproach.
"I am the chief judge under the Fuhe City God," Xu Zhengyang said calmly. "For both crimes, you are sentenced to ten blows with the Soul Whip."
After saying that, Xu Zhengyang summoned the Soul-Slaying Whip, stood up and walked to Su Peng, who was kneeling in mid-air, and swung the Soul-Slaying Whip down with a series of cracking blows.
A series of piercing screams and cries of pain immediately rang out.
It is certain that ordinary people cannot hear these sounds.
However, Xu Zhengyang thought to himself that this Soul-Striking Whip was indeed something specially used to strike ghosts. Hearing the ghost's screams after being struck by the Soul-Striking Whip, it was no less painful than the suffering it endured in the flowing Sanzu River.
The ten lashes were quickly finished, and Su Peng's soul knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, groaning in pain.
Xu Zhengyang sat back on the sofa and said calmly, "Originally, a ghost like you, who wasn't oppressed or extorted by outsiders and only sought temporary relief, would have received punishment far beyond this; you would have suffered the torment of a shattered soul. However, considering that you didn't commit any major crimes while you were alive, I'm giving you a chance to atone for your sins. I appoint you as the chief judge's attendant ghost messenger under the City God of Fuhe City. You will carry the ghost messenger's token and the soul-beating ruler, and can travel throughout the territory of Fuhe City to investigate injustices and punish evildoers..."
The Ghost Messenger Token was provided in the case file, but this Soul-Striking Ruler was actually a smaller version of the Soul-Striking Whip that Xu Zhengyang had devised. However, it could only strike the mind of a normal person, not their actual soul.
Before Su Peng could react, Xu Zhengyang waved his right hand, and a black-gold streak of light instantly flew above Su Peng's soul.
Still shaken, Su Peng looked up and saw a token about half the size of his palm: the token was pentagonal, square at the bottom and angular at the top, resembling a roof tile; the five sides were decorated with golden flowing cloud patterns, but the token itself was a somber black, with three gilded characters inscribed in the center: "Ghost Messenger Token".
"Enter!" Xu Zhengyang gave a soft shout.
The ghost messenger's order flashed and entered Su Peng's soul's forehead.
"Ah..." Su Peng screamed in agony again.
Xu Zhengyang was puzzled. This still hurt? He remembered when he received the local record, he didn't feel anything at all. Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang didn't feel much pity for Su Peng. Instead, he reached out and beckoned, saying, "Go back!"
In his fear and unease, Su Peng involuntarily shrank rapidly, instantly becoming a tiny soul less than half a foot tall, appearing in Xu Zhengyang's palm.
Hmm, it works quite well, interesting. Xu Zhengyang suddenly found it amusing, and then waved his hand and said, "Go."
With a flash of light, Su Peng's soul disappeared, but Xu Zhengyang locked onto Su Peng's location in his mind. Sure enough, just as he had imagined, Su Peng's soul appeared in Ming County in an instant. Then, Xu Zhengyang summoned back, and Su Peng's soul returned to his hand in the blink of an eye.
Hehe, this works so well, so well! Although... sealing the ghost messenger does consume divine power, it's worth it.
Xu Zhengyang was overjoyed, but said aloud, "Remember my previous words: you may only act within the territory of Fuhe City, and you must not commit selfish evils. You must not harm the good people, and you must not take lives... I grant you the ability to appear before people, but you must not show yourself as a ghost messenger at will, and you must especially not see your relatives..."
"With a limit of one hundred years, if you do not make any mistakes, you can choose to be reincarnated or join the ranks of immortals at will; if you make even the slightest mistake, I will make you suffer the torment of punishment."
Su Peng listened blankly to the judge's words, still completely bewildered and unable to process what he had just heard.
Xu Zhengyang wasn't in a hurry and quietly watched him.
After a long while, Su Peng finally processed the judge's words and accepted reality. He then said tremblingly, "My lord, I... I don't know what is right and wrong. The rules you... you've mentioned are somewhat vague. I... I really don't..."
"Don't worry, you'll have the Ghost Messenger's Order to assist you in your actions." Xu Zhengyang waved his hand to interrupt Su Peng, tossed him a black ruler two feet long and one inch wide, and said, "Go. If there are any heinous criminals, you can report to me through the Ghost Messenger's Order for a decision."
Su Peng wanted to ask more questions, as he had too many doubts in his mind. However, seeing that the judge seemed a little impatient, he dared not ask any more questions. He took the Soul-Striking Ruler and walked out, completely bewildered.
"By the way, remember this: although you are protected by my divine power and are not afraid of sunlight, you must try to act at night and enter people's dreams; of course, there are exceptions in special circumstances, in which case I will not pursue the matter." Xu Zhengyang reminded him again, then waved his hand and said, "Go."
Su Peng felt a wave of dizziness, but he found himself standing on the neon-lit, bustling streets of Fuhe City, with vehicles passing right over him without him even noticing.
What should we do next?
Su Peng, the first ghost messenger in Fuhe City, walked slowly down the bustling street, under the neon lights and in the night.
...
Xu Zhengyang let out a long sigh of relief, thinking to himself that being uneducated is really a bad thing!
He had considered creating a set of rules and regulations to establish what was permissible and impermissible for ghost messengers to roam the human world. However, despite racking his brains, he couldn't come up with a solution. Moreover, he discovered that most things, like good and evil, right and wrong, had causes and consequences, and trying to enforce them through rules would inevitably be somewhat inhumane.
For example, if someone suddenly commits a violent act, but the other party has already committed a bad deed first, how should the crime be determined?
Admittedly, in the legal system of real society, even if you have been bullied, even if you are unable to protect your rights through legal means for various reasons, if you choose to commit murder out of desperation, then... you must bear the punishment of the law.
This is necessary and fair.
However, given the many unavoidable realities, after the emergence of mythology, shouldn't the only deity, who is a power transcending the world and walks among humans,... do something different in some way?
Not to mention that the underworld is now empty, without divine management, and all judicial procedures are in chaos, with no so-called underworld punishments; just from the perspective of Xu Zhengyang, a person in real life, who knows the suffering after death? If a fearless, unrespecting, and unscrupulous villain commits evil deeds, is merely punished with death or a secret beating, isn't that too lenient? It's like being beaten up in the street, feeling angry, so at night you take a stick and squat at the entrance of his alley, then whack him with a stick. The other person gets hurt... but no one knows that you've brilliantly retaliated.
Because you dare not or cannot publicize it, for fear of being retaliated against by the other party, and also worried about being punished by law, etc.
That's a bit stifling, isn't it?
For example, an unfilial child will always be forgiven by their parents, but the end result is that they become increasingly reckless. Is there truly a very effective form of discipline? No.