Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

"Brother Lu, about the head transplant I told you about before..."

"Let's not talk about this now."

At Zhu Erdan's house, as usual, a banquet was set up, and even though it was already late at night, neither of the two people at the table showed any sign of wanting to rest.

Although it was very late, Lu Pan was not human and did not need to sleep. Zhu Erdan had drunk so much with the other party that he was used to going to bed an hour or two later than others.

Since acquiring his newfound intelligence, Zhu Erdan's reputation at the academy has grown significantly. His essays consistently rank among the top, leading many to believe that he is certain to pass the imperial examinations next year.

After becoming smarter, Zhu Erdan began to carefully consider the people and things around him. For example, he felt that his wife was good in every way except that she was too ugly. He thought that since Lu Pan could exchange his heart with him, he might be able to exchange for other things as well. So he proposed to exchange his wife's head.

Regarding this matter, Judge Lu readily agreed at the time, saying that he would start looking for a beautiful head for his wife the next day. Zhu Erdan had been looking forward to it ever since.

They said they would get it done as soon as possible, but it's still nowhere in sight. Zhu Erdan is getting impatient and wants to use this drinking session to urge them on.

"For a long time to come, I'm afraid I won't be able to come and have a drink with you."

Judge Lu took a big gulp of wine from his cup, his fierce face revealing obvious worry. Judging from his actions, he seemed to be trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

"What happened?"

Looking at Judge Lu like this, Zhu Erdan was secretly surprised. The person opposite him was a judge from the underworld. It was always others who were worried when they saw him. He was always smiling when he came to drink with him. When had he ever been so worried? What kind of thing could make a judge from the underworld so worried?

And what did he just say? That he can't come for a long time? The Ten Kings Temple where they worship is in the city. Every time I come, it's like visiting a neighbor. How could he not be able to come?

"A major event, an extremely important event!"

Upon hearing this, Judge Lu put down his wine glass, the bottom of which made a loud noise as it hit the table.

“Brother Zhu, I have been handling the matter you entrusted to me. It’s not that I haven’t been attentive, it’s just that I haven’t found a suitable head yet. There was one originally, but…”

When asked about this, Judge Lu hesitated. The young lady from the Wu family was born into a wealthy family, was young and beautiful, but unfortunately her life was full of hardships. She was destined to die young and was the most suitable candidate.

According to her original destiny, Miss Wu was supposed to be killed by the rogue Yang Danian on the night she finished worshipping at the Ten Kings Temple. Judge Lu thought that her death date was just right and her appearance was also suitable, so he thought that after she died, he would cut off her head and replace it with Zhu Erdan's wife's.

He had everything planned out, but then that little girl named Ling Ziling suddenly interfered. Fate is something that's hard to change, especially when it comes to matters of life and death. Many calamities are predetermined. He helped this time, but the next time will be even more difficult.

But Ling Ziling is different. She doesn't belong to this world, and her actions are generally not affected by karma. When she helped Miss Wu avoid a fatal calamity, the karma wouldn't apply to her, so there wouldn't be a situation where her own fate would be negatively affected because she interfered with someone else's destiny.

It's like in a game where there's a mechanic that guarantees death, but someone somehow manages to get past it by exploiting a bug, and the system still registers it as a success.

Ms. Wu is safe, but Judge Lu is still unable to find a suitable head, and his friend's request has been delayed until now.

Replacing a living person's heart and head is indeed a powerful technique, but it's not something that can be done at will. Lu Pan needs certain conditions to perform this skill, the most crucial of which is that the object being replaced must be "fresh," meaning it must be someone who has only recently died.

As per Zhu Erdan's request, he needed to find a young and beautiful girl in his jurisdiction who had recently died and had not yet been buried. Currently, the only suitable person who met all these criteria was Miss Wu.

With so many people, Judge Lu might find other possibilities if he continues searching, but this is only when there are no particularly troublesome matters in the underworld. As a judge in the underworld, he has work to do.

Moreover, right now, a major problem has arisen in the underworld, and Judge Lu is about to be unable to leave his post.

"Brother Zhu, how much courage do you think a filial son from a humble background, but with an upright character, would have? How much could he accomplish?"

"This……"

Zhu Erdan hesitated. The question was not only sudden but also very "dangerous." An upright and filial son was a typical upright figure and one of the most admired examples by those in power to educate the people. To ask how much such a person could accomplish, according to popular literary works, was to ask how much he could accomplish.

However, Lu Pan added the phrase "of humble origin" to this character, which basically limited his path to great things. Without power or influence, many things cannot be solved directly by "uprightness" or "filial piety".

However, Judge Lu did not expect Zhu Erdan to give a direct answer. He asked this question only to lure out the next person.

“A few days ago, a young man named Xi Fangping came to the underworld. He is this kind of person, and he did something incredible.”

"What's the matter?"

"He accused Yama and the City God of accepting bribes, and he succeeded. This news has reached the heavens, and now the entire underworld is under investigation. The ghost officials have been reshuffled, a number of City Gods have been dismissed, and the judges are all in danger. No one dares to step forward now. I will have to stay in the underworld in peace from now on, and I'm afraid I won't be able to come here anymore."

Coming to the mortal realm to drink with people is fine, and it doesn't matter what kind of friends one makes. But the fact that Judge Lu dug out someone else's heart and replaced it with Zhu Erdan's is against the rules, and he was afraid that the people in the underworld would find out about it.

During such a sensitive period, his frequent travel between the worlds of the living and the dead is very conspicuous. If someone with ulterior motives follows him and discovers that he is abusing his power to perform heart transplants on living people, they could accuse him of this and he would be in big trouble.

Everyone in the underworld is now living in fear; one wrong step could cost them their official positions. It's good to have friends who aren't afraid of your appearance, and he's happy to use some tricks to help them. But right now, it's more important to keep his own position.

"Sue the King of Hell?"

Zhu Erdan really didn't expect that the big matter Lu Pan mentioned would be so big. He had unexpectedly become friends with the judge, and his own situation seemed to have improved dramatically. He never dared to think about people of the level of the King of Hell. This Xi Fangping actually wanted to sue, and he even succeeded!

He was also determined to become an official, and Zhu Erdan understood the seriousness of this high-ranking official being exposed for leading the way in accepting bribes. It was a matter of great importance, and he was no longer concerned about when his wife would be able to get a proper job. He was more afraid that Lu Panzhen would be implicated and dismissed from his post, because he couldn't afford to lose such a powerful backer.

"In that case, Brother Lu, please be extra careful."

"This bribery case started with the City God. A wealthy merchant bribed the father of the ghost messenger Can Hanxi Fangping. This man first reported the case to the county City God, and after discovering that the City God had accepted bribes, he moved the case up the ranks, eventually leading to this situation. Therefore, the higher authorities ordered a thorough investigation of City Gods at all levels, and a large number of City Gods have been implicated. Now, preparations are underway for a replacement."

At this point, Judge Lu looked at Zhu Erdan again.

"Changing the City God is very time-consuming, and this time it involves a large number of people. The Underworld plans to select some from among the scholars in the mortal world. Brother Zhu, you should study hard, and when the time is right, I will recommend you for the position of City God."

It seems impossible to complete the task of replacing Zhu Erdan's wife's head. Judge Lu felt that since he couldn't fulfill his friend's request, he had to offer some other compensation. Fortunately, he had replaced Zhu Erdan's heart with that of a smart person, so passing the imperial examinations wouldn't be a problem. The examination system in the underworld was similar to that in the mortal world, so he should be able to handle the underworld's exams without any issues.

If this turmoil passes quickly, he could try to directly recommend Zhu Erdan, but this is contingent on Zhu Erdan first achieving something and having outstanding accomplishments.

"Thank you, Brother Lu!"

Becoming the City God is no small feat. When Zhu Erdan first met Judge Lu, they were drinking and chatting when Zhu Erdan heard that the selection system in the underworld was not much different from that in the mortal world. Many officials in the underworld had served as officials in their previous lives. Judge Lu's words opened up another path for him to become an official in the underworld, and he could now say that his future was limitless.

……

“There’s really no need for memorial tablets. If you really want to set one up, just set one up for the Ninth Prince and Erlang Shen.”

Looking at Xi Fangping and his father, who were kneeling on the ground and couldn't be pulled up, Yuan Wuxiang couldn't help but sigh that they were indeed father and son, even their stubbornness in kneeling to express their gratitude was the same.

After the verdict was announced, everything came to light. Xi Fangping's father was not only released, but also gained an extra thirty-six years of life. The father and son were safely returned to the mortal world. The wealthy merchant's fortune was also awarded to them to reward Xi Fangping for his filial piety. However, it was not transferred directly, but rather through fortune-telling to gradually enrich the Xi family, so as not to appear abrupt and attract evil people.

After sending the person home, Xi Fangping opened his eyes, feeling the sensation of returning to his physical body. The room was both familiar and strange, and all that had happened before felt like a bizarre dream.

But standing beside him was his father, who had been resurrected, and before him stood Juan Shou Tian Yuan Wu Xiang, who had helped him all the way. It was not a dream; he had truly succeeded in his lawsuit and saved his father.

Without the help of these two, Xi Fangping didn't know when he would have been able to accomplish these things. The ghost messengers could act at will, and he would have been unable to resist, or even been taken back to the underworld long ago. The two in front of him had done the Xi family a great favor, but Xi Fangping found that he had no way to repay such a great debt of gratitude.

These two immortal beings lack nothing, while he himself is still a mortal with no worldly possessions. After much thought, Xi Fangping's final act of gratitude was to erect a memorial tablet for them, so that the Xi family could worship them for generations to come.

Besides the classic ways of repaying kindness, such as offering oneself in marriage or serving others as a servant, there are indeed ways to express gratitude by setting up memorial tablets and offering sacrifices. However, firstly, Juan Shoutian and Yuan Wuxiang are not from this world, so they cannot perform the sacrifices. Moreover, even without their interference, Xi Fangping was able to meet the Ninth Prince's caravan on his own, and they did not expect the other party to repay their kindness.

“My friend and I are just cultivators; there’s no need for us to erect memorial tablets and make offerings.”

"But the two Taoist priests have shown us such great kindness..."

"If you have the heart, keep up this integrity, and that is the best way to repay kindness."

His father was tortured by ghost messengers bribed by his enemies, the City God was bribed, he had no way to appeal, and he himself was severely tortured. It is truly admirable that Xi Fangping was able to go against the tide with sheer willpower.

The matter in the East Sea was finally resolved. The Third Prince invited everyone to a banquet at the Dragon Palace. When they escorted Xi Fangping back, they waited in the distance, watching the Xi family father and son. Liu Qingyuan couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"Why does the immortal sigh?"

The injustices suffered by the Xi family have all been resolved, and the matter in the East Sea has also been settled. The Third Prince doesn't know why the other party is still sighing.

“It’s just some emotion.”

The world is unjust, and people place their hopes on ghosts and gods. Many kind and righteous ghosts and monsters come together to form a book called "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio". The Xi family father and son were framed by their enemies, and they were exonerated with the help of Erlang Shen and the Ninth Prince. In essence, this was still about getting things settled from the top down by higher-ranking officials.

But in reality, there are no meddlesome ghosts or high-ranking officials who can be easily seen. More often than not, there are wrongful convictions that can never be overturned.

"The Third Prince mentioned earlier that he was troubled by not being able to invite the Heavenly Fan Master?"

This kind of profound, dimensional-breaking sentiment was inconvenient to discuss, and the other party probably wouldn't understand anyway, so Liu Qingyuan quickly changed the subject.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince began to feel a headache coming on. Tian Shanzi could be said to have saved his life, and his father had urged him several times to invite such a noble person to express his gratitude properly. However, he had never expected that repaying this debt of gratitude would be so difficult.

Every time they met, Tian Shanzi would try to stay as far away from him as possible, which made the Third Prince always think that there was something wrong with him. But his subordinates said that he was already lucky. Tian Shanzi had been in the East Sea for so long that many sea monsters wanted to get close to him, but most of them were blown back into the sea by Tian Shanzi before they could finish their sentences.

Later, I learned from the Sword Immortal that Tian Shanzi not only disliked deep friendships, but also disliked crowds. If you got too close to Tian Shanzi, he would blow you away with his big fan.

With such unconventional behavior, the Third Prince truly has no way to repay his kindness.

"Actually, it's very simple to get Tian Shanzi to agree; just cater to his preferences."

"To cater to their preferences? I would appreciate guidance from the immortal master."

The Third Prince recalled that when this person first arrived in the East Sea, he was able to tease him at the absolute limit of distance... and play around with the Heavenly Fan without being slapped. He must know the other person very well. With this person's help, perhaps they could invite him over.

"It's very simple."

"Don't go."

Tian Shanzi coldly and expressionlessly declined the invitation.

"This is a celebration, everyone is here, and as a member of our Taoist family, you have to come too."

“I reside atop the ruined hill, and I belong to no different school from you all. We are not familiar with each other, so how can we claim to belong to the same school?”

Among this group of cultivators, Daozhen, Daoling, Taishangfu... apart from Juanshoutian and Yuanwuxiang who came as a group, they all belonged to different schools and were not very familiar with each other. Tianshanzi was not interested in this.

After saying that, Tian Shanzi turned to leave, but then stopped again because Liu Qingyuan grabbed the long decorative ribbon behind him.

"You still love to get physical, your behavior is dangerous, this trend is really..."

"This cannot last long."

Not only did Liu Qingyuan pull the ribbon twice, but he also stole the line twice. It's no wonder he did that; when a Xiantian person is about to leave, they often turn around and create a breeze, making the ribbon behind the Tian Shanzi easy to pull.

"This invitation comes from the Dragon Palace, Heavenly Fan. The Dragon Palace is located in the sea."

“Buildings in the sea, even in harsh conditions.”

"The Dragon King of the East Sea is hosting a banquet, so naturally there are all kinds of delicacies from land and sea. You have been in the East Sea for so long, so you should know that some rare scallops are hidden in the deep sea and cannot be found."

"..."

Tian Shanzi stopped taking out his fan. The other person was right; he wasn't familiar with the terrain and couldn't find many places that might have unique scallops.

"But this Dragon Palace has all kinds of delicious seafood, including rare scallops. Don't you want to go?"

Tian Shanzi: Damn it, I've been taken advantage of.