Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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The next day, Ning Wanlai woke up at home and was told by his parents that the matchmaker said the matter was off and the girl felt they were not destined to be together. He sighed in his heart, it turned out to be true.
Father and Mother Ning were still calm. Even though their son was in such a state, they were most concerned about his impermanent state. So they urged Ning Wanlai to go to Baoyang Temple, as it was time to chant sutras and pray for blessings there today.
Ning Wanlai arrived at Baoyang Temple and was led by Xie Lingya into a room where he began to copy scriptures. Because he could not make any mistakes, he wrote very slowly.
“Teacher Xie, I went on a blind date yesterday, and then suddenly I had to work, so the blind date was cancelled.” Ning Wanlai copied for an hour, took a break, and asked Xie Lingya who was drawing talismans, “Does this mean that my marriage hasn’t come yet? Or, has working delayed my marriage? Can I ask for compensation?”
Xie Lingya said, “You really think about it. Don’t worry, even if they really delayed you and you want to claim compensation, at most they will give you one chance, but they can’t cancel your job that makes you unhappy.”
Ning Wanlai smiled embarrassedly, “Teacher Xie understands me…”
He copied for a while, and somehow he dozed off. Seeing this, Xie Lingya thought he was too tired and didn’t rest well, so he didn’t plan to do anything. As a result, Ning Wanlai started smacking his lips while he was sleeping, and his saliva was almost flowing out. He didn’t know what delicious food he was dreaming about.
After a meal, Ning Wanlai opened his eyes to hear Xie Lingya teasing him: “What delicious food did you dream of eating? Look at the saliva on the table.”
“Braised lion head, pork belly, rice noodle goose…” Ning Wanlai blurted out a few names of dishes, then smacked at the taste, pressed his stomach and said, “Oh my god, Teacher Xie, I’m really full. I just dreamed of eating these dishes, and now my stomach is full, and there’s still a lingering taste in my mouth!”
It was as if he had really eaten a meal, but he had obviously just taken a nap.
Xie Lingya immediately became interested, put down the cinnabar pen and said: “That means someone really offered sacrifices to you. I have only seen examples of people knowing what it was like to offer sacrifices in their previous lives after waking up from a dream. Do you remember what the scene was in your dream?”
Ning Wanlai thought for a moment: “Why do I feel like I was in a temple, where I work.”
“City God Temple?” Xie Lingya thought about it and said, “That should be something from this life… That’s right, you are the impermanent god, so someone must have offered sacrifices to you, but they were offered by ghost messengers, so you enjoyed it in your dream.”
Ning Wanlai immediately thought of Cheng Xin telling him that he would offer sacrifices, and said in surprise: “No way, could it be him… I helped someone yesterday, and he said he would offer sacrifices to me, and I casually said that I was a red scarf, and he can do that to me?”
“Red Scarf? Why did you give yourself such a stage name!” Xie Lingya wanted to slam the table, “Your every word and action can be seen by the gods and the land god can hear it. If that honest man really offers sacrifices to the ‘Red Scarf’ in the Yin Temple, and they can’t find this person, your part-time unit will check and then allocate it to you. However, your stage name will be recorded from now on!”
“Puff!” Ning Wanlai sprayed, “What do you mean! What do you mean by recorded in the book!”
Xie Lingya explained calmly: “It means that everyone in the Yin Temple will know that your last name is Ning, and your nickname is Red Scarf. You’re finished. The underworld likes to call people by nicknames. By then, the whole underworld of Zhuoyang will know that your name is Red Scarf.”
Those ghosts were really gossipy. For example, the ghost who saw him for the first time knew to call him Teacher Xie.
Ning Wanlai: “…………”
Ning Wanlai said depressedly: “Why do I owe him so much… No, why is that person so honest? I was just joking, but he actually paid tribute to the ‘Red Scarf’. Can I change it? Even if I want a nickname, I have to have a more impressive one.”
“This is also a former name. After using it, there will be a file. Can a name be chosen casually? When the underworld needs to verify your identity in the future, they will report it.” Xie Lingya said with a smile, “You can just use this red scarf as it is.”
Ning Wanlai had a look of despair and regret, but he could only continue copying the scriptures with tears in his eyes.
….
After copying it twenty times, it would be put on the altar. Ning Wanlai’s handwriting was not bad. This scripture could also be used to establish a connection with believers and increase their blessings. Over time, all this was for the sake of Ning Wanlai’s early resignation.
As soon as he went out, Xie Lingya saw that the policeman who had come that day came again. If their prayers had not worked, they would not have come. It seemed that they came to fulfill a vow today, but the old lady did not come with them.
“Mr. Xie, where should we worship to fulfill our vows?” Cheng Xin asked. He came here specifically to find Xie Lingya. He heard that Xie Lingya was at the back. He had good eyesight and just as he walked to the back, he saw Xie Lingya walking out of the room from a distance.
Then, a man in casual clothes walked out from behind Xie Lingya. The two looked at each other for a second and recognized each other. Although Ning Wanlai was still wearing the impermanent officer uniform in the dream, his facial features were exactly the same.
Cheng Xin: “Red scarf?!”
Ning Wanlai said in despair: “I’m not!”
Cheng Xin: “…”
Ning Wanlai: “…”
Cheng Xin was still a little shocked. Why would the ghost appear in the world of the living? It’s broad daylight now, right?
Ning Wanlai was also shocked. He had agreed to show off and run away, but now he encountered him again. How embarrassing!
Xie Lingya immediately realized that these two people had met. The one who had offered sacrifices to Ning Wanlai before was Cheng Xin. He said that he would go to two places to fulfill his vow that day. He first went to the City God Temple and then came to the Baoyang Temple.
What a coincidence, he met the real person just after he finished offering him sacrifices.
This made Cheng Xin very miserable. He didn’t understand any of this and couldn’t figure out what was going on no matter how hard he tried. He worshipped the City God in the Lingguan Temple, and a ghost messenger saved him. He met this ghost messenger who turned into a real person in the Lingguan Temple…
Seeing Cheng Xin’s confused face, Xie Lingya waved to him with a smile and called him in, “Did you offer sacrifices for red scarf at the City God Temple just now? There were dishes such as braised lion’s head and rice noodle goose.”
Cheng Xin was already numb after knowing this, “…Yes.”
“He ate it.” Xie Lingya said, “He is actually an impermanence, that is, a living person serving the underworld. We were just discussing that someone offered sacrifices to him.”
Cheng Xin suddenly realized, “So Red Scarf is your nickname when you walk in the underworld?”
Ning Wanlai: “…………”
This was simply a public execution. Ning Wanlai never thought that he would meet the real boss in the world of the living. Talking nonsense would really have retribution. So he said dejectedly: “…I guess so.”
Cheng Xin couldn’t help laughing, “I was wondering how the ghost messenger knew about the red scarf.”
What an unlucky name. Ning Wanlai said resentfully: “Actually, you don’t have to prepare food for me.”
Come to think of it, if it weren’t for Cheng Xin’s sacrifice, the Yin Temple would not have checked who the red scarf was and then registered him. It would not count if no one used it.
Cheng Xin said: “It’s my duty. I offer more to the City God.”
“Don’t say anymore. It’s all fate!” Xie Lingya poured two cups of tea. “Come on, let’s drink tea instead of wine. Cheers.”
Ning Wanlai drank a cup of tea with Cheng Xin depressedly.
Cheng Xin also inquired about his duties and asked him if he could disclose any information about unjust cases in the future. He was still interested in those true and false wrongful cases.
Ning Wanlai’s face turned pale. “No, we can’t reveal things about the underworld. That would be a mistake.”
Unexpectedly, the discipline in the underworld was so strict. Cheng Xin nodded.
“Then you should pray to the City God and ask him to let the wronged souls appear in your dreams.” Xie Lingya said, “I didn’t expect Cheng Xin to have such an idea. No wonder those wandering ghosts would go to him. If they really had no unjust cases, Cheng Xin might have helped them.”
“Ning Wanlai can at most help you communicate with ghosts and escort ghosts – if the City God really promised you, he would most likely send Ning Wanlai to help. You have a strong yang energy, and ordinary ghost messengers cannot get close to you. However, Ning Wanlai is a part-time job, and he has been trying to resign.”
When Cheng Xin listened to the procedures of the underworld, he felt like he had opened the door to a new world, which was very novel. Finally, when he heard that Ning Wanlai was unwilling to do this, he glanced at him.
Ning Wanlai actually felt a little ashamed. It wasn’t his fault that he was timid.
But Cheng Xin understood and said, “I feel uncomfortable just dreaming about ghosts every day, and you have to catch them. It’s hard work.”
Seeing a ghost was not as simple as just saying two words.
Ning Wanlai suddenly felt comforted by this fellow colleague from the mortal world. They had met in their dreams, and this was actually the first time they had really met. However, because of that incident, they felt a secret sense of closeness and had a very pleasant chat.
Cheng Xin asked: “Teacher Xie, there is one thing I still don’t understand. Why is it useful when I worship the City God here?”
If he often came into contact with matters of the underworld, he would know that it was more than just useful.
Ning Wanlai didn’t know about this, nor did he know the relationship between Xie Lingya and the provincial city god. Wang Wu was too tight-lipped. He just vaguely knew that Teacher Xie was not an ordinary person, just like the last time the Ghost King ran away when he saw him.
Xie Lingya said vaguely: “The relationship between Taoist ghosts and gods is intricately linked. Ask the elders to pass the message on.”
Cheng Xin suddenly realized and thought he was talking about asking ghosts to deliver the message.
….
It was said that Cheng Xin was originally an atheist, but after this incident, he really took it to heart and often worshipped the City God.
A few days later, Cheng Xin came again and said that he was passing by and told that he had been recognized by the City God of Zhuyang.
Xie Lingya, who had been sitting on a chair, suddenly jumped up, “He’s really the modern-day Justice Bao, have I witnessed the birth of a legend, what a great guy! How is it, is there any big case?”
Cheng Xin paused and said, “Today, the red scarf really led a wronged soul into my dream and asked me to seek justice for it.”
Xie Lingya applauded, “Your case should be kept confidential, can I listen to it?”
Cheng Xin’s face was weird for a moment, and then he said, “There’s nothing to keep secret. It’s just that two pigs killed each other in the farmers’ market on Wuli Street. One pig was gored and fell to death, and the murderer pig took advantage of the chaos to escape. I just got off work, and I’m going to take some time to ‘arrest it and bring it to justice.'”
Xie Lingya: “……”
Cheng Xin turned his head unnaturally and said, “The red scarf told me that all things are equal after death, and this is also a test of me by the City God.”
That’s right, people had to seek justice in the underworld, and livestock also had to seek justice in the underworld, and then according to their merits and sins, they would be determined as to what kind of body they would be reborn into after reincarnation.
Xie Lingya said, “It’s the best that you can figure it out. Those who accomplish great things do not care about trivial matters. God will give great responsibilities to such people…”
Cheng Xin laughed, “Thank you for your comfort. I believe the City God will see my sincerity.”
Xie Lingya: “Yes, you are Cheng Xin Benxin.”
….
After Cheng Xin said goodbye, he chased the murderer pig according to the direction given by the wronged spirit.
The killer pig was considered quite agile among pigs. Somehow it avoided the crowd and ran into other people’s communities. It also sneaked into a family’s garden and buried its head in the dense flowers.
Cheng Xin took the rope and lassoed the pig, then pulled it backwards with force. The pig’s hind legs slipped and it fell down, revealing the pit in front of it and a little color in the pit.
Cheng Xin saw that something was wrong and without thinking too much, he climbed into the garden, squatted down and dug up the soil. He saw that there was a skull buried among the dense roots of the plants. Long and intricate white roots were wrapped around the skull, and some of them were coming out of the eye holes filled with mud. It was extremely strange.
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