The temporary judge wants to cultivate immortality

When Xiao Liu stumbled out of the house, Wu Sanpang was carrying a stool and looking around at the roof, while Li Dachengzi was bent over with his buttocks sticking out and his head down, trying to retrieve his long knife from the well, shouting, "Third brother, you keep an eye on the thief for me, don't let him get close to me."

Seeing that he was in the well, with one foot already off the ground and the other gradually dangling in the air, Xiao Liu quickly rushed forward and grabbed his ankle. Er Ya and Huang Simao also ran out at this time and hurriedly said, "Don't just stand there, grab me quickly, it's too damn heavy."

Er Ya muttered, "What's wrong? Is there something bothering you?" and immediately threw down the sewing basket in her hand.

Huang Simao hurriedly came over and grabbed Xiao Liu's waist, shouting, "Da Chengzi, we have a deal. If you turn into a water ghost, you'll be under the Dragon King's jurisdiction."

After the five of them had been busy for a while, Xiao Liu was covered in sweat and finally noticed the few things that were placed alone at the entrance of the courtyard.

A lacquered incense table and a satin-red donation box.

There was another item on the altar. As soon as Xiao Liu saw it, his eyes immediately lit up with a thousand rays of light in the night.

Incense burner, golden, a big, bright yellow gold nugget.

There was a prayer mat on the ground. Xiao Liu thought it was in the way, so he kicked it aside along with the donation box. He then walked into the house with the golden incense burner in his arms, bumping right into Huang Simao.

Huang Simao rolled his eyes: "Out of five things, you had to pick the cheapest one and treat it like a treasure!"

Shen Xiaoliu: "I'm just a common man, I only care about gold, so what?"

Huang Simao pursed his lips, glanced at the crowd not far away, and whispered to Xiao Liu, "The incense table was left behind when Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva received the first stick of incense."

He then pointed to the donation box: "This is a donation box from the Great Thunder Temple in the Western Paradise. It was stolen by the previous Yama King when he worshipped the Buddha."

Xiao Liu stared at Huang Simao with a slanted eye.

He ignored Xiao Liu and pointed to the futon on the ground: "The thing that Yin Xi used to put on his knees when Laozi of the Shang and Zhou dynasties left Yougu Pass to pay his respects."

Finally, Huang Simao carefully took out a bundle from the inner box of the incense table and said, "Chengshi Gao Incense, made by the factory of the King of Hell's brother-in-law. Be careful when using it, it's easy to break."

Xiao Liu sighed inwardly, realizing that absolute power corrupts absolutely: "What's the point of giving me all this?"

Huang Simao pouted and asked in a low voice, "Do you have a shrine to gods at home?"

Xiao Liu looked at Er Ya and said, "It seems like the Kitchen God is here."

Huang Simao curled his lip: "Then let's make offerings to him. The merit system changes every day; who knows what it's up to this time?"

The three people not far away watched Huang Simao and Xiao Liu whispering to each other, while Li Dachengzi still stared wide-eyed with a simple and honest expression: "Where did the thief go?"

As night fell, the moonlight flickered under the cover of dark clouds.

With the help of the three brothers (it's a bit awkward, as if there's someone of unknown gender mixed in), Xiao Liu finally tidied up the east room. In the end, only Shen Xiao Liu, Huang Simao, and Li Zicheng remained. What moved Xiao Liu was that Li Dachengzi said "Take care, brother" to Wu Sanpang the moment he closed the door.

As a temporary court for judging the difference between Yin and Yang, the case was heard on the incense table left behind by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and the defendant, Li Zicheng, was sitting on a futon.

Huang Simao muttered to himself, "Using these magical treasures as tables and chairs is a waste of resources and a desecration of the gods."

"Why don't you sit on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) and hold a broom while you investigate the case?" Xiao Liu glanced at Huang Simao.

The candlelight flickered, casting a chilly shadow over the otherwise cold east room.

Xiao Liu tapped the incense table with his fingers as if in a habit, unsure of what to say first in this situation.

Huang Simao winked several times, then finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Li Zicheng, if you have any grievances in the underworld, you can appeal to the Judge of Yin and Yang."

Li Dachengzi was clearly drunk: "I'm not convinced. I didn't do anything to ruin that melon-like woman Chen Yuanyuan, but she ruined my reputation."

Huang Simao: "What evidence do you have?"

Li Zicheng: "It took us a total of forty days to get to Beijing. We were busy with Edu and Meiyi, and we didn't even get to see Chen Yuanyuan."

Shen Xiaoliu thought for a moment. Dou Meiyi, a palace maid in the Ming Palace, was also one of Li Dachengzi's concubines. He lowered his voice and asked, "Can we summon Dou Meiyi to testify?"

Huang Simao covered his mouth: "He was reincarnated long ago."

Xiao Liu glanced at Huang Simao and said to Li Zicheng, "Brother Cheng, we may be familiar with each other, but let's keep things separate. The history books say that your general Liu Zongmin had sex with Chen Yuanyuan and then gave her to you. Is that true?"

Li Zicheng slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Well, that's exactly what's bothering me!"

Huang Simao hurriedly said, "What is said here reaches Yama, the King of Hell, and the judges of the underworld. It is written down and cannot be said lightly. If it is untrue, the thunder will surely punish you."

Xiao Liu kicked Huang Simao under the table and said, "She means don't lie, or you'll be struck by lightning."

Old Li's eyes reddened: "Don't panic, what the goose said is true. Zong Min only stayed in the capital for one night. He was drinking in the Goose Palace that night and didn't leave even for a moment!"

"One night?"

"It was just one night, you immortals! He was in charge of the vanguard, what use would geese be to feed him? Didn't they send him to garrison Simatai the next day?"

Xiao Liu frowned: "What about Chen Yuanyuan? You've never even heard of her?"

Li Zicheng: "I've heard of her. I was looking for her back then too."

Xiao Liu slammed his hand on the incense table: "Then why do you still say you have no lustful thoughts?"

Li Zicheng, however, looked aggrieved: "Immortal, you must act with conscience! I didn't seek her out because I was feeling stifled. That Wu Sangui..."

He paused, then said, "The three brothers' family of thirty-four people in the capital, including this melon girl, had already fled beyond the Great Wall before the geese even entered the capital!"

Xiao Liu: "Escaped? Didn't you say you killed his entire family of thirty-four?"

Li Zicheng, his face flushed red, pointed at himself and shouted, "Am I stupid? Am I stupid? If I find him, why shouldn't I be a hostage? What's the harm in killing him?!" Then he covered his face and sat down on the ground, looking extremely aggrieved.

Huang Simao slammed his hand on the incense table: "You must not lie before the judgment of Yin and Yang."

Li Zicheng straightened up and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Our army has captured Juyong Pass and is only fifty li from the capital. If you were a general outside the pass, wouldn't you run away?"

Seeing that Huang Simao didn't speak, Xiao Liu whispered to him, "Can Chen Yuanyuan be brought in as a witness?"

Huang Simao said awkwardly, "He drowned himself in the lake. He's with the Dragon King and is being entertained by him. It's not under our jurisdiction in the underworld. King Yama has asked for him several times, but they said he's been taken into the Dragon Palace and has already had children. They reported to the Heavenly Court, but the Heavenly Court said we are on the same level and personnel transfers are not allowed."

Xiao Liu stared at Huang Simao for a long time with a slanted eye, and then looked helplessly at Li Zicheng: "Brother Cheng, have you thought this through? Wu Sangui is in the west room. If you have anything to hide, you'd better tell me quickly, otherwise I'll call him over for a confrontation, and your lie will be exposed immediately."

Li Zicheng, however, declared loudly: "The goose has suffered resentment for over four hundred years. Even if it were made of wood, it wouldn't have had the chance to become like Liu Zongmin. What is the goose afraid of?"

But after he finished speaking, he suddenly hunched over and glanced at Xiao Liu: "If Wu Sangui, one of the three brothers, lied, what would you do?"

Huang Simao sighed softly, "We'll all go down to the eighteenth level of Avici Hell, never to be reborn."

Li Zicheng was startled by these words. He counted on his fingers and remained silent for a long time, as if he was hesitating. Suddenly, Xiao Liu clearly saw him bite his lip hard and say, "No need for that. It was the goose who took Chen Yuanyuan by force. It was the goose who killed his entire family of thirty-four. All the bad things were done by the goose. The goose is a coward!"